2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

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2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Watchman »

The seed catalogs are being mailed and its time to plan for 2009 growing season. We'll keep this thread open throughout 2009 for posts about YOUR garden plans, planting, growing, and harvest.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Watchman »

We have made a momentous decision - in addition to our garden in our lot next door, we're going to install four beds on our present property on the side of the house. Even though we have a well, we are not going to waste the water on grass - except that which is in between the beds. Enough of this doom and gloom and Mexican produce. We're going to try to grow as much as we can.
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side_job

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by side_job »

I have tilled up an additional section of my yard this year, giving me about 50% more garden footage. I also have sections against the house where I grow pumpkins. Actually works out pretty good and cuts down on my mowing tasks. Two years ago I built extensions on my privacy fence and ran garden netting around the perimeter of the garden. This works really well for green beans, and this year Im going to try some other climbers as well, say cucumbers.

We got our first set of chicks this week, and everyone is excited. I plan to build a coop in the next couple weeks, and work the chicken benefits into my compost production. We have also talked about rabbits, but I have not been able to convince the family that rabbits are good to eat, they are more stuck on 'oh it's so cute' and so Im not so sure I want to mess with another family pet with the only contribution being in the manure department. I am looking at other areas of my yard as well, I would like to get the most out of the area, with the thought that this springs planting may be the most important of our times. Things are really in a mess and I plan to plant much more than I need. If everything settles down and life is normal, then Ill take some stuff to the farmers market, if not, Ill be glad I broke the extra ground.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Toepopper »

I agree with your outlook side_job and this years garden will reflect my concern over the countries dilema. :evil: I have been replacing old rusted fence wire and adding a rabbit proof wire around the bottom of the fence that overlaps and runs down onto the ground so the little buggers can't dig a hole under the fence. Last year wild rabbits ate most of my veggie plants right down to the ground but I cannot allow that to happen this year as I think harvesting a good sized veggi crop will be essential. I too am clearing more land to plant a few more fruit trees and some more Logan Kiwi plants, and I am going to try some filbert and pistachio nut trees. There are 8 or 10 nice sized, straight douglas fir trees that will have to come down to make room for more garden space. They are marketable but right now the fir prices are down to where they were in 1972. I hate to waste them but it looks like they are going to supplement next years firewood supply, as having more garden and orchard space takes top priority this year.
I have also built (last fall) an 8' diameter wire enclosure and filled it with tree leaves so they will break down and turn into black compost. I throw in a handfull of millipedes so they can crunch and munch on the leaves all winter and this in turn produces a rich topsoil/compost and makes things grow better when added to the garden.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by bobpick »

I just tilled a small section of my garden, about 5x30. It's 32 out right now but the ground was warm enough to not be frozen solid like this week. Supposed to get snow tomorrow. Tried to till where the greenhouse will be put up, but it's like rock. Ditto where the blueberries and blackberries go... :cry:

I bought some heritage seeds from www.victoryseeds.com, and once the greenhouse gets up I'm going to start the germinating.

But... My greenhouse is where the chicks are supposed to be living... And they are due to be hatched on tuesday...Not good. Gooing to have to raise them in a box until I get it up!
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side_job

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by side_job »

well the snow has been coming down for a couple hours now, but the roads are staying clear for the most part. I have been in the garage building a 2' wide x 8' long x 8' tall 3 shelf in a corner of the garage. I have it completed now and I will store our camping equipment on the top shelf, and the middle shelf I have installed 2 of my 4 foot grow lights, and on the bottom shelf is a 3rd grow light and my brooder box with the half dozen chicks we got this week. For now we have been keeping them in a tote bin with pine shavings in the bottom, and a screen on top with a 100 watt light for heat. It seems to be fine for now, but as they get bigger in the next week or two I may have to give that another thought. I got the additional garden section a second pass yesterday afternoon after work, and it is starting to come along. I will need to fence that new section in, so that the animals stay out... I am still considering a pair of rabbits, basically because I already have a hutch from a couple years ago, and they are cheap enough to pick up... maybe a little extra protein if the poo oscillates.
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side_job

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by side_job »

I ordered some tomato seeds from a heirloom site, http://www.tomatobob.com , I was wondering if anyone had used them before. Have not received my seeds yet, but maybe early next week.

On another thought, is it economical or wise to grow your own chicken scratch? I am in town with only a 1/3 acre yard. I was thinking that it would be a waste of garden space...? thoughts? :?:
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Toepopper »

That is a real nice tomato plant growing from that planter. I am jealous. Do you think bad or acidic soil causes that end rot? I have tried everything, soil amendments, too much water and not enough water. One year I dug a trench one foot deep and filled it with top soil and manure as well as rock phosphate and bone meal and the tomatoes still had end rot !! Great big plants but tomatoes that never turned red and had the end rot. :evil: Someone told me that it might be caused by cool night time temperatures; tomatoes need to have a nighttime temp above 50 degrees before they will ripen properly. I am about to give up and grow something else in their place.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Watchman »

[Wash My Mouth] if I know! But it happens every year. This is the best and most believable explanation I have seen: lack of calcium in the soil and maybe inadequate or too much watering -

http://vegetablemdonline.ppath.cornell. ... lossRt.htm

Some of the old-timers I have known say that burying eggshells in the compost or directly in the garden is a good treatment; or ground oyster shells. Thats why I'm buying these planters. I'm going to be filling them with organic potting soil and will amend it every year with manure and a calcium supplement. And, yes, potting soil can be re-used. My wife says that the end of the season, saturate the potting soil with boiling or very hot water.
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side_job

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by side_job »

Well I got up early this morning feeling ambitious... I double dug a 4 x 20 section of the garden, and after amending and giving the soil some TLC, I planted a 2 lbs bag of red potatoes, and a bundle of vidalia onion sets. Now Im tired, and it is 70 + here with tornado watches out for the rest of the day. I hope to get some carrots and romaine in the ground soon.

Anyone have a list of helpful flowers to plant in the garden? I know marigolds are natural deterrent to some bug, (I forgot) and some flowers attract ladybugs etc...
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Communist Bill Criminalizes Backyard Gardeners

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Watchman Note: This came from Campaign For Liberty's web site.

HR 875 The food police, criminalizing organic farming and the backyard gardener, and violation of the 10th amendment

Posted by LydiaScott on 03/06/09 03:36 AM

[Older: Is this an opportunity to push the Indiana Honest Money act? ]

HR 875 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/F?c ... 9bb:e11439:

This bill is sitting in committee and I am not sure when it is going to hit the floor. One thing I do know is that very few of the Representatives have read it. As usual they will vote on this based on what someone else is saying. Urge your members to read the legislation and ask for opposition to this devastating legislation. Devastating for everyday folks but great for factory farming ops like Monsanto, ADM, Sodexo and Tyson to name a few.

I have no doubt that this legislation was heavily influenced by lobbyists from huge food producers. This legislation is so broad based that technically someone with a little backyard garden could get fined and have their property siezed. It will effect anyone who produces food even if they do not sell but only consume it. It will literally put all independent farmers and food producers out of business due to the huge amounts of money it will take to conform to factory farming methods. If people choose to farm without industry standards such as chemical pesticides and fertilizers they will be subject to a vareity of harassment from this completely new agency that has never before existed. That's right, a whole new government agency is being created just to police food, for our own protection of course.

DO NOT TAKE MY WORD FOR IT, READ THIS LEGISLATION FOR YOURSELF. The more people who read this legislation the more insight we are going to get and be able to share. Post your observations and insights below. Urge your members to read this legislation and to oppose the passage of this legislation.

Pay special attention to

* Section 3 which is the definitions portion of the bill-read in it's entirety.
* section 103, 206 and 207- read in it's entirety.

Red flags I found and I am sure there are more...........

* Legally binds state agriculture depts to enforcing federal guidelines effectively taking away the states power to do anything other than being food police for the federal dept.
* Effectively criminalizes organic farming but doesn't actually use the word organic.
* Effects anyone growing food even if they are not selling it but consuming it.
* Effects anyone producing meat of any kind including wild game.
* Legislation is so broad based that every aspect of growing or producing food can be made illegal. There are no specifics which is bizarre considering how long the legislation is.
* Section 103 is almost entirely about the administrative aspect of the legislation. It will allow the appointing of officials from the factory farming corporations and lobbyists and classify them as experts and allow them to determine and interpret the legislation. Who do you think they are going to side with?
* Section 206 defines what will be considered a food production facility and what will be enforced up all food production facilities. The wording is so broad based that a backyard gardener could be fined and more.
* Section 207 requires that the state's agriculture dept act as the food police and enforce the federal requirements. This takes away the states power and is in violation of the 10th amendment.
* There are many more but by the time I got this far in the legislation I was so alarmed that I wanted to bring someone's attention to it. (to the one person who reads my blog)

Didn't Stalin nationalize farming methods that enabled his administration to gain control over the food supply? Didn't Stalin use the food to control the people?

Last word...... Legislate religion and enforce gag orders on ministers on what can and can't be said in the pulpit, instituting regulations forcing people to rely soley on the government, control the money and the food. What is that called? It is on the tip of my tongue..........

I haven't read any of the Senate's version of the bill as I have been poring thru the House's version. Here is the link and I hope some of you can take a look and post your observations and insights below. One thing I am pretty sure of is that very few if any Senator's have actually read the legislation and when it comes up for a vote they will more than likely take someone else's word on how they should vote. The other thing I am pretty sure about is that the legislation was probably written by lobbyists and industry experts.

S 425 http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:s425:

Things you can do

1. Contact your members at 202-224-3121 and ask them to oppose HR 875 and S 425. While you are at it ask them if they personally have read the legislation and what their position is? If they have not read the legislation ask them to read it and politely let them know that just because other representitives are not reading the legislation and voting on it does not mean they can do the same.
2. Get in touch with local farmers and food producers by attending a local farmers market and asking them how business is.
3. Attend a local WAPF meeting, this is a good start to learning about what is going on in farming and local & state initiatives . The website is http://www.westonaprice.org/localchapters/index.html
4. Check out the Farmers Legal Defense Fund at http://www.ftcldf.org/index.html
5. Find out who sits on your states agriculture and farming committee and contact them with your concerns.
6. Continue to contact your elected officials and let them know your position on legislation and why.
7. Get active at the local and state levels, this is the quickest way to initiate change.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Toepopper »

Hey side_job, on that chicken scratch, it might be worth a try to grow some feed corn this year as an experiment. If you have the room, water and enough time and can grow a large crop, you can just leave the ears on the plants to dry out and cure. Smaller crops can be picked and set on a drying rack or hang the ears up on a wire to dry out. You will have to figurs out how to crush the kernals to the appropriate size so the chickens can gulp it down. A hand cranked grain grinder works good for this, if you can find one in a second hand store. Its either spend the time on this project or pay through the nose for feed. The price for feed has not come down since it peaked last year .
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side_job

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by side_job »

Yeah I have been doing some reading up on that. I did buy feed this evening at the local Orschleans, it was not as bad as I thought it would be, 40 lbs of medicated crumbels and a 50 lbs rabbit pellets, together about 25 bucks, but still, 25 bucks... :roll:
I am going to try, this year, to keep something in, most all the time. In the past, I have started out with a bang, and by the time it is 105 in the shade I fizzel out till the next spring... I am going to try to plant as I harvest, and follow up with stuff I can feed the critters. I read 'Timothy hay' is a staple in the rabbit diet, and oats... I think them yard birds will eat most anything that doesn't eat them! But seriously, I am looking at an heirloom corn that I can get some bang for the kernel. And man have them chicks grown. It is almost as if you can watch them grow... ha! The family thinks they are so cute... Im thinking.... umm umm um. Sure will be good in my smoker... :twisted:
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bobpick

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by bobpick »

My greenhouse is now up. I have some paper egg cartons filled with dirt and ready for seeds. I found a website: http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf16449960.tip.html on what veggies you can grow in partial shade. Now the majority of my heritage seeds are on this list, and my partial shade area is closer to the house. YEAH!
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bobpick

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by bobpick »

I now have 3 plots for a total of about 350 sq feet. I tilled "Tines Deep". In two weeks I will re-till to keep stuff loose and fresh.
I've got the cold weather veggies in their potting soil started cups, and in the house my tomato seeds and onions are under the grow light. Still too early for any germination, but I can't wait.
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cowboy38229

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by cowboy38229 »

my first asparagus of the season 3-21-09 this should be my first full season harvest,finaly got another camera.

Image

Image
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cowboy38229

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by cowboy38229 »

one more pic to make sure it works right,aint they perty

Image

new camera's got video,might post some on youtube for the forum.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Watchman »

In Free Wyoming my asparagus has not even broken the soil yet :evil:
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cowboy38229

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by cowboy38229 »

I'm amazed at how big some of these stalks are,these are the ones tall enough to cut,probably twice that many up but just breaking thru the ground .Supposed to be in the upper 60's and 70's for the next week or so.Am expecting a big flush in the next few days.
Peach trees are blooming maybe we won't get another big freeze.
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side_job

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by side_job »

side_job wrote:I have tilled up an additional section of my yard this year, giving me about 50% more garden footage. I also have sections against the house where I grow pumpkins. Actually works out pretty good and cuts down on my mowing tasks. Two years ago I built extensions on my privacy fence and ran garden netting around the perimeter of the garden. This works really well for green beans, and this year Im going to try some other climbers as well, say cucumbers.

We got our first set of chicks this week, and everyone is excited. I plan to build a coop in the next couple weeks, and work the chicken benefits into my compost production. We have also talked about rabbits, but I have not been able to convince the family that rabbits are good to eat, they are more stuck on 'oh it's so cute' and so Im not so sure I want to mess with another family pet with the only contribution being in the manure department. I am looking at other areas of my yard as well, I would like to get the most out of the area, with the thought that this springs planting may be the most important of our times. Things are really in a mess and I plan to plant much more than I need. If everything settles down and life is normal, then Ill take some stuff to the farmers market, if not, Ill be glad I broke the extra ground.
Here's a video I took yesterday...

[youtube]uaaP7x0DYjg[/youtube]
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bobpick

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by bobpick »

As I was watering my veggies I saw that my peas are poking up a bit, and the maters/onions have very tiny sprouts..
Starting to germinate my bush beans inside yesterday.
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bobpick

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by bobpick »

I picked up a few items for the garden: soaker hoses, water barrels, seeds for the shady spot of the house... Missus will be underwater with flowers, sorta. :)

Also picked up some of the hanging strawberry bags.
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Toepopper »

Planted tomato, peas, yellow Hungarian peppers, brocoli, radishes, green beans, yellow wax beans, cabbage, watermellon, honeydew mellon, and cukes in pots inside the greenhouse, as now is the dark of the moon . Two weeks ago I planted red potato's and a few onion sets directly into the ground, during the full moon. I have been saving my egg shells to throw in the holes when I transplant the tomato's into the ground. Cut back my fruit trees and may have pruned too much off of the apple trees because there are only a few white flowers on those trees this year. Last October a bear climbed up into the trees and broke off some critical branches so I had no other recourse but to lop off the broken and twisted branches to keep insects from boring into the tree trunk. Thinned out the Jeruselum Artichokes and divided the Sicilian Artichokes. Repaired broken fences and attatched long pieces of metalic lath to the bottom of fence to prevent rabbits from entering garden area. Cut back the Himilayan rasberries and removed all the dead stalks. Chainsawed down 18 tan oak trees and removed all brush and wild huckelberry brambles thet were growing through the fence and cut these trees into firewood. This will allow more sunlight onto the garden during the early morning hours. Burned all the slash in a monster 2 day long burn pile. Trimmed back the grapes to a manageable size, they were growing up into the trees and most of the grapes were unreachable last year. Pulled out all the comfrey as we have never used it, to make room for something else. My Logan Kiwi plants are budding out. This is the tenth year since I have planted these kiwi's and they do not produce enough fruit to warrant all the attention and water that they require and we are thinking about taking them out. We surmised that the elevation is too high here for them to thrive, and they take up a lot of room that could be used to grow something else that will produce better. Mucked out the rabbit pens and turned over this mess into my raised planting beds. There were plenty of worms in this manure that should assist in producing good soil. Examined the buds on my plum trees and it looks like they froze again this year so there probably won't be any plums again. Two years in a row. Very little rain this spring so I will have to hook up the solar water pump next week in order to irrigate the garden . :mrgreen:
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cowboy38229

Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by cowboy38229 »

Got a late start on the gargen this year,didn't have a tiller to start with then my father in law got a new rear tine and gave me his almost new front tine ,I tilled up enough to plant 2 rows of onions and three rows of potatoes and 14 hills of yellow squash and zucchini ,80 tomatoe plants,my neighbor saw me tilling and brought over his tractor with a 6 ft.heavy duty tiller and finished up my tilling and broke me up a new garden spot.
Image
This is the old garden spot it's 70'x40'.Already planted with onions,potatoes, squash,zucchini,tomatoes, purple hull peas,sweet corn,miniature white cucumbers {heirlooms}
Image
New garden spot 65'x35' ,notice the pile of cow manure and straw at the far end
Image
Already planted with green beans,butter peas,broccoli,egg plant, cayene pepper,bell pepper ,pablano pepper,sweet corn ,cucumbers and room for more tomatoes.
Image
future gardener,7 month old grand daughter,Chloe
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Re: 2009 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

Post by Watchman »

Jealousy is a terrible vice - but I am. Things are just barely coming up in Free Wyoming. My asparagus has not broke ground yet and it is supposed to @#$%^&* :evil: snow this weekend. I've got my Yukon golds and onion sets ready to go. They'll probably be fuzzy by the time I can put them in the ground.
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