We are growing these strawberries in a mixture of peat moss & a potting soil mix. No dirt in this! (Dirt = weeds!)
We fertilize with Miracle Grow in the water & also spread 19-19-19 dry on the surface a couple times during the season.
Over 1000 pints of berries off of 2000 plants so far.
My beds are part compost, part soil, modified raised beds and I have over 200 of them. I water every day. I live in Texas where the wind blows all the time, all day long, often 20mph (breezy) or 35+ (windy). It dries the soil. I grew in containers a long time ago, half soil, half compost and still had to water at least once per day. The containers were minimum 20 gallons.
I used to own a nursery. We never used soil in our mix. Like Bernie said soil equaled weeds and disease and in TX that could also equal nematodes.
Christie I'm confused. You Do use soil + compost now, yes? Where are ya'll getting your soil?
I watered my RB this morning for 10 minutes. It was pretty saturated. O checked this evening, and the end with the okras, eggplants and tomatoes was dry on top and barely moist 2" down.
The end with the fully loaded bell peppers was very moist 1" below the surface.
And I watered the okras end the longest. Go figure.
Linda, you've got two beds now. Why not experiment and see which works best for you? You've got one soilless bed in place and you could start the other with soil mixed in. Or if you don't want to risk replacing the new bed's contents down the road if you are unhappy with it, maybe try the experiment in some large containers.
Gardening is so local... all you can do is gather input and then find out for yourself.
NicoleC,
Great minds DO think alike! I did consider mixing soil into this 2nd bed to see how the plants might respond differently. I don't think it would hurt anything. I'm planting the root crops in the 2nd bed, and was making the mix to be heavily organic and loose. It would still be pretty loose if I added some garden soil
Nothing beats a wish, but a try!
And, thanks for the affirmation, "... all you can do is gather input and then find out for yourself".
More and more, I've been coming to the realization that, in gardening, there are no hard and fast absolutes. The most I can do is research and educate myself to the best of my ability, then, make a decision and see what happens. It's still a win-win, because, whatever the outcome, I will have additional knowledge to share with others.
I think that gardening is "collective individuality," at best!
Hugs!
Linda
Linda, that is so true. I have a farmer friend who is 2 miles away from me. His growing methods are so different from mine. We're both organic market growers, but that is where the similarity stops! We both have nice harvests, sometimes mine are better than his and sometimes it's the other way around.
Just picked up my laptop from the repair shop, seems my old virus software let a bad one thru. Still trying to get everything back where it was.
Don't 'cha just hate when your stuff is outta place on your computer?!!!
I'm fighting with my new cellphone over where my pictures are going! I know they're they're there, 'cuz I can see 'em, but organizing them logically like I did on my BB is out of the question!
Most important things on my cellphone are the garden pictures and the numbers -- in THAT order!!!
Here are more Beefmasters I picked this morning. Then second picture is Big Boys also from thus morning. Gosh, I have so many tomatoes thus year. Not that I am complaining!
Later it started raining (raining now). I got out just before the rain and picked myself two nice cucumbers so will be making a nice tomato and cucumber salad in a few minutes. Yumm, yumm.
Just as an FYI, I found this chart at the link below:
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vegetable/files/2010/10/E-502_home_vegetable_guide.pdf
Table 2.
Light requirements of common vegetables.
Require bright sunlight
Bean, Eggplant, Potato, Broccoli, Okra, Pumpkin,Cantaloupe, Onion, Squash,Cauliflower, Pea Tomato, Cucumber, Pepper, Watermelon
Tolerate partial shade
Beets, Collard, Parsley, Brussels sprouts, Kale, Radish, Cabbage, Lettuce, Spinach, Carrot Mustard, Turnip
I think I was on track, because RB #2 gets bright light, but less direct sunlight than RB#1, which has the eggplants, okra, peppers, and 3 tomato plants currently growing in it.
RB #2 will get the root crops (beets, carrots, turnips, and maybe parsley, if there's room)
Learning is so much fun!
This message was edited Aug 15, 2012 1:38 PM
This message was edited Aug 15, 2012 1:38 PM
You *sure* that link is from Texas? Because my peppers have done much better this year now that I moved most of them into a shadier location. That's Alabama-shady, of course, but I can't imagine Texas-shady is any less intense. They are still getting "full sun" (about 7 hours), but aren't grilling in the sun with the squash and tomatoes. The ones that are getting 100% sun are not doing nearly as well.
Around here anything that resembles dirt can grow a weed! I have very heavily mulched beds and weeds grow in the mulch! I have fewer weeds than if I didn't have mulch, but I still get weeds.
Around here, full-on, Texas sun is like a NOVA occurence, so anyplace that has even a hint of a shadow cast over it is considered DEEP shade!
My RB #1sits on the SW end of my yard. Early on, I agonized that it wouldn't get enough full-on sunshine (6-8 hours) daily to grow proper veggies. Plus, there was a huge tallow tree on the very edge of the bed. I had the tree cut down last summer, and got a bit more light falling on the bed, but still not direct full-on.
...and I'm so glad I don't!
My BP, Eggplants, and okra are fully loaded in that bed. I'm trying to figure out how to rig a patio umbrella over it so the BPs don't get sun-scald just from the indirect light!
Oh, and, I discovered a LOOOOOOOOOONG time ago that I can grow cabbages, broccoli, and cauliflowers in bright shade here.
No worries, mahn! 'S airie!
Linda
My peppers, tomatoes, eggplant and squash are in mostly full sun. My cucumbers do better with 30% shade cover. The eggplants with 30$ shade have nicer fruits, but could be because it also cuts the wind. Sweet potatoes growing under 30% shade are not growing as fast as the ones in full sun.
I tried growing tomatoes last year under 30% shade hoops with some additional afternoon shade from ash trees. They produced very few fruits and the plants were spindly.
We're latitude 26 with full on hot sun.
Hell, Texas....LOL!
Yep, it's the old, "try it and see what works best" game!
We've been harvesting OKRA! I'm so tired of it already and my freezer is FULL!
UH HUH,and waIting for next season when the okra is no longer fresh from from the garden you will here or say "I can hardly wait for some fresh okra" GOOD GOING ON A NICE HARVEST!!!
Gosh, what do you do with all that Okra? And here I have never even tasted Okra my entire life!
Beautiful! I'll pay postage for a shipment here. Lemme know.
Here are two pictures of my VIVIA ITALIAs I have been picking. These are just THE BEST paste types. Heavy producion and so much better tasting than Romas. I put the tape measure there so you can see that they are a really nice size too.
Rita, I put the okra in my freezer and eat it throughout the winter!
Linda, here's your pic of my broc & cabbages. There is another row of broc to the left of that white stake you see in the pic. The cabbages are beyond the broc. back there.
Here are the seven quarts of Juliet tomatoes I picked today. I just can not believe much much these things produce. I wait a few days then pick again. Each time I pick I end up with more than I had the time before. Last time was 6 quarts. They are just amazing. Not slowing down either.
Rita, I'm officially jealous!
Really was my first year for Juliets but I am planting them again next year too. My neighbors two kids will eat all the Juliets I can give them. Saved some for myself but gave the kids the rest.
Oh, Rita, breaded okra slices fried with a little oil and mixed with breaded green tomatoes is to die for! You'd love it, I'll bet. You should grow okra with your tomatoes. Some folks love Okra in stews, too. Here's some info about Okra: http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2498/2
I've never eaten Okra leaves, but the okra is great sauteed or breaded and fried (cornmeal breading) and delicious in soups and stews.
Your tomatoes are wonderful! Great job!
I have been growing tomatoes forever. My mom grew tomatoes (and other things) in our garden when I was a kid so of course when I grew up I did too. But I have never even EATEN okra. I guess I should buy some at the supermarket to try.
Steph,
The broccoli and cabbages are gorgeous! Thanks for the pic!
About the only way I can stand to eat okra is pickled. For some reason pickling okra takes out the sliminess and enhances the taste without being too vinegary.
I'll eat pickles from time to time, but I think okra is the only thing that actually tastes better (to me) when pickled.
LOL Linda! You must be seeing things!
I had no idea that hummingbirds like luffa gourd blooms, but I have a hummer that visits every morning. He hits the scarlet runner beans, too, but spends a whole lot more time with the luffa blossoms. I looked at them and I don't *see* a big source of nectar, but it must be there.
Everything is really winding down here. A few plants are still chugging along and a few are reviving for the cooler season, but much of my garden is full of seedlings now for fall.
I had a retasting today of two of my tomato taste test loosers. Whoppers and Superfantastic had really nice fruits on both so I picked them and tasted to compair again. Still loosers! :thumbsdown: I had read somewhere that fruits could taste better later in the season. Well, not these. Still bland and just not the right notes of taste to me. Not coming back next year. I have so many other varieties to try.
I plan to get really brave next spring and start some tomatoes from seed. Never done that before but I really want to next year.
My later ester Hess are tasting like the base of the old French salad dressings The ones that were kind of yellow about four decades ago.
Cucumbers I picked. That first one pictured is 20 inches long!
A light green Armenian ? yummy!!!
I was trying to figgure out what that really long one is. I did have armenians planted but did not think there were any left.
Definitely not Armenian- they are very ribbed and light green.
I could argue only I am not going to!lol Three kinds of Armenian To are light green and ribbed The third also grown often does not.lol
JoParrott; Your correct though, I didn't enlarge .the photo when I looked Those are not a common Armenian, looks like cross or speciality hybrids in enlargement.
It could be the third one though,hybrid cross. Any way A good cucumber is a good cucumber!!
And I will send ya a free card entitling you to one free argument!!lol.(it because I breezed through while I was still working .)
Maybe the bees cross polinated the cucumbers!
LOL! I once grew an Armenian cuke that had no resemblance to previous ones- I think they are very fickle! But the first ones years ago were just beautiful- deeply ribbed, light green flesh and so mild tasting. They were never that way any time later- dunno what happened!
Some pics I took yesterday morning in my garden.
1. The view from the picnic table where I sometimes have my morning coffee. Anaheim Chile, tomatoes, corn, squash, beans, and okra in those bales. Peach trees I set out this summer, potato beds to the right
2. Zinnias among the fruit and veggies
3. Avocado gone wild, growing about 4" a week and now outgrown the hoop it's in.
4. Morning dew
