Hurray, free stuff for the garden

Thank You for Having me, Gymgirl. I've learned some secret's, lol, Living down the street from the last Organic Farmer in Southern New Jersey, and I'd Love to Share them, if it's OK with You. He's been Farming since 1972. I've tested a lot of these little Secret's and the Reward's are amazing,You Probably already know some of them, but I was amazed by many, Like Honey at the base of your tomato Plant's when flower's show, make the Tomato's Sweeter, It really work's, and tum's before transplanting Hardened Seedling's, there's a ton of it, Anyway not to bend your ear, I'm having a good time.

Cajun (the best food ever)in Kentucky, what thread are you talking about?? My Dad was From Georgetown Kentucky.

Someone asked about the thread, I think, on growing in cinder block holes. Go to the forum on here called High Yield Gardening and then click on the topic called Holes! There aren't many photos on the thread but it's a good conversation on it. I can't seem to find the photos I was thinking about. I'll post the link later if I find them.

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1164117/

Pappy, I agree about the food. LOL How did you get to NJ from KY?

It was the thread about the holes.

I've lived all over the US, Cali, Fla, KY, Me, MA, Okla, Texas, La, L.A. Most of it on the Back of a Harley,some while in the Military. during that time I have eaten some amazing food, which ended up, Making me want more, so I learned how to cook, and I do Pretty well,
Recently, (Last Four Year's), I decided to start Growing my own, all Organic, and it's amazing, I've truly never eaten anything Organic in my life, until now, when my Daughter got Gastritus, I asked myself why is my Daughter getting Sick from Food, so I grew a Garden, guess what, She no longer takes medication, and doesn't have Gastritus any more,

MrPappyG

It is all the chemicals they spray on the food and on the ground around them.

Organic is a wonderful choice if you can afford it.

Jan

Jan, I don't buy it, I grow it, right now the Potato's are doing awesome, the fall planting of Spinach is coming up, I still have some from early Spring, I just planted Broccoli, and Cauliflower, Carrot's look exceptional, Picking Pepper's when needed, Jalapeno, and sweet California Bell, Tomato's and Cuke's are good, not sure if that last Crop of corn will make it, and the Lettuce never had a chance with all the rain, still a little cos though, I'm in pretty good shape I think, gonna rearrange some item's next year though...Like anyone else, I'm still learning..and if we keep sharing on sites like this, I hope everyone eat's something Healthy and Nutritious ...

It is scarey what they are allowed to sell us. I try to grow as much as possible but it falls way short of what we need.

I think I'm Getting there Cajun, I spend a lot of time on this, and if I get the Formula, I'll be glad to pass it on...Just so you know I'm incorporating, Heat Tape, and Geothermal engineering into this...we'll see... For now I'm Happy to be eating Beefsteak Tomato's in November, and straight 8 Cucumber's, Bread and Butter Pickles, Homemade Butter,Lettuce, Celery,Homemade Ice Cream, Bread, and a lot more, and its amazing.
I have a Question, I have this most amazing Celery growing in the Garden (south), does anyone know if it will winter in a zone 7..??? Do I need to cover it...??? I'm a HEavey Mulcher to begin with and I have built French Drains into all of my Garden's.

You must have had to cover your gardens by now? The only thing I have left is peppers and I have had to cover them. We have had frost on several occassions and a freeze one morning.

I am impressed that you still have all that growing. I wish I had a greenhouse or at least some cold frames. What are french drains?

Cajun, French Drains are really just drainage holes under your Gardens, find the lowest spot in your garden dig a hole about 3' down about the size of a trash can fill it with Small stones, and then cover it back over with your garden soil and compost or whatever you use. Thank God I put them in this year, because it was the wettest season we ever had in New Jersey, nearly 60 days of rain. I would have lost everything if I didn't have them, they allow the soil to drain off excess water. So far we've only had one light frost that finished the peppers, but I am a heavy mulcher, and the potatos and carrots seem fine.

Those drains are interesting. but wouldn't they wick away all the water in a dry year?

CajuninKy,
The drains are usually placed at the bottom of a slope, where run-off is pooling. They don't necessary "leach" the water, so much as "capture" and re-direct water that's running off!



This message was edited Nov 16, 2011 10:34 AM

And, after awhile, you'll never know they're there!

That is interesting.

I made a nice score yesterday. A friend bought a new freezer and gave me the wooden frame it came with. I'm gonna wrap it in plastic and use it as the top for a cold frame.

This past week, a friend who lives in an apartment complex asked me if I could use any leaves for mulch in my garden. He said that the workers at the complex rake up the leaves and put them in plastic bags, and then pay someone to haul them off. I said I could definately use them. The apartment manager told me I could have all I wanted--just stop by and pick them up. She also said that they rake up several hundred garbage bags full of leaves each Fall and Winter. I plan on picking them up, bringing them home, and running over them with the lawn mower a couple of times to chop them up. Then I will use them for mulch, or compost them. Now thats Garden Gold if I ever heard of it!

This message was edited Nov 19, 2011 11:58 PM

paradacrades

that is truely a sweet find on that leaf humus..... I lovzs the leaf humus, best mulch there ever was. Best thing to chop them up now, let them sit through the winter then next year use, however, they can be used this year, but are incredible the second year after seasoning...LOL

This what I did every year when we lived up north with all out leaves, had a shreader. Which if you can get the leaves from this place every year, now is the time to invest in a leave shreader. Who knows, you could shread them, let them sit for a year and then bag them the next year and sell the bags, give some of the money to charity, and the rest of the money for new plants for your yard.... (don't tell, but this what I did).

Not that I'm trying to TELL you what to do, as when I was re-reading it kinda came off that way. But for those with an goodly amount of leafs this is one way to produce money so you can buy more plants than you can plant....LOL

Jan

Cajun, they really don't it's more for the excess water, thanks Gymgirl for jumpin in awesome. OK it's time to get serious, I need a Real Spinach Seed, not Thai, Bloomsdale, not for the summer, early spring, or late Fall, not Avon, I need a good one. any Idea's...????

Sorry. My one try at spinach didn't work out. Gonna try again this spring.

We have a low roof on a screened porch off the back of our house. I was wondering if I could lay bags of garden soil along its edge and plant with vining veggies (squash, cukes, even tomatoes) so they would grown and hang down from roof. I'm thinking I would have to punch holes top and bottom for watering and drainage. Has anyone tried something like this? Pros? Cons? Thanks gardeners!

Uh,
►weight
►rain causing them to slide off the roof
►access for checking the vegetation
►weight
►sunlight above causing them to reach UP for the sun and not down for the sun....
►mudslides....

LOL!!!!!

Sue Gee, I'm assuming you want to grow a garden and have a lot of trees, I don't think the depth of the bag's would allow the vegetables to mature enough to go to fruit. I think you'd get seedling's and maybe a little more but I think they would die off or not be able to support any actual vegetable's growing on them. In a Heavy rain they would probably just slide off, unless you could put a Frame around it. Just my thought's I hope this Help's.