What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Astronuc]

Edible Forest Gardens (2 volume set)

Volume I: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate-Climate Permaculture

Volume II Ecological Design and Practice for Temperate-Climate Permaculture

I heard an interview with the author this morning. Pretty cool!

Definitely some books I will be adding to my library.

Saturday, March 11, 2006
10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Palm House
1000 Washington Avenue

David Jacke, author of Edible Forest Gardens: Ecological Vision and Theory for Temperate Climate Permaculture will give the keynote address entitled Eat the City: Cultivating Agriculture in Brooklyn Today.

 

[Astronuc]

It's Gardening Season - Almost - Yay!

Well it's gardening season, more or less. We still have another 35 days before we not supposed have anymore chance of a freeze.

But the buds have opened on the raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. So now it's wait and see.

The rhubarb chutes have come up, and I still need to transplant (and divide) my biggest one. I was partially successful with the smaller plant. It looks like one of three transplants didn't survive the winter.

Anyway, we are starting lots of seedlings indoors, and I have already turned about 3-4 cubic meters of soil (and composted leaves) in our main vegetable garden. That by the way is very good excercise, and one reason that strength training from weight-lifting is useful - 200 times or more of lifting ~20 kgs of dirt and turning it.

I started some garlic. One took off, and rooted and sprout immediately. Others are coming along slowly.

I think this year I'll do beets and turnips and/or parsnip, and maybe various squash/zucchini.

 

[turbo]

Can't wait for the frost-free season to start! I have deep-tilled the main garden plot - already 50x36, with some expansion in the plans, and have weeded and mulched the asparagus bed. We're going to be doing a lot more swiss chard this year - leave a few leaves when you cut it and it just keeps coming back, like many lettuces do. We froze some last summer and we have been parceling it out like misers all winter - the best frozen greens ever! This year, we're going to increase the plantings of tomatos, jalapenos and habaneros - I want to can a couple of dozen pints of really hot salsa made with fire-roasted vegetables, and put up enough of my home-made (spicy!) pizza sauce to tide us over. Not to mention canning enough tomatos to keep us in stewed tomatos and tasty soups all next winter. Last year, we blanched and froze our string beans instead of canning. Much better flavor, color and texture.

Since we are out in the country, many nights deer sleep on our front lawn (it keeps the fawns safer from predators), and early last year they helped themselves to our cilantro, parsely, and my best habanero plant. For a little over $50 each, I bought two "scarecrows" - they are noisy, oscillating sprinklers with built in motion detectors that open the operating valve for a few seconds when a decent sized object moves. No more problems with deer, no marauding raccoons, etc. Except for a few insects, we had the produce all to ourselves. People who garden in areas overrun by deer (like Southern CT) should know that these things really work. Agway has them, but unless you are prepared to pay over $130 each for them, you will want to find another source.

Mid-post - I just got my garden's soil test result back from the U of M testing service. It's a bit less than optimal for Sulfur, Magnesium, and Potash. That explains why the tomato plants perked up after I dosed them with Epsom Salts last summer.

There are so many wild blackberry and strawberry patches on this property (we just bought the place last summer) that I'm going to fertilize them and forgo planting berries bushes-at least for this year. I'm going to concentrate on high-yeld vegetables and herbs and pick the wild stuff in season.

I joined the Arbor Day foundation to get discount prices on fruit trees. Coming in a month or so will be two varieties of apple trees (we already have several, including some very old varieties), two varieties of apricot, two varieties of cherry, a peach tree, two pear trees and a plum tree. Along with the membership (which cost $10) they threw in 10 flowering ornamental trees, a red maple and 2 forsythia bushes. 23 trees, plus the membership (with newsletters, etc), and S&H totalled to less than $103-a heck of a deal. I can't wait to get them in the ground. I'm going to turn our front lawn into an orchard - growing grass is a waste of resources.

I just realized how long this post is - I have got the gardening bug BAD. Favorite new toy - I bought TroyBilt Horse (one of the older ones that are all cast iron with a cast iron Tecumseh engine). The engine is pretty tired, so I've got it in my friend's shop, and he's going to totally rebuild it. If you love to garden, and you have not tried an old Horse model, you are missing something. You can guide the thing with one hand. Of course they are heavy and you have to work a little at the end of the row to turn it for the next pass, but it is really nice not to have lightweight tiller bouncing around stressing these old joints. I have probably bored everyone to tears with my spring fever - sorry for killing the thread Astronuc!

 

[Astronuc]

Heck, no! You're keeping it alive.

I have a Troy-Built tiller too! Got it last year from a neighbor. Soon time to fire it up.

We have the same dear problem - and rabbits too! I have tomato plants disappear overnight.

I have some cayenne and kungpao peppers from last year, but this year I want to do habañeros.

We'll be doing green beans and peas as well.

We're still planning.

I have a few trees to remove. Several were damaged by high winds this winter. The forest behind us, and generally in our area, is showing a lot of stress. Many trees are sick!

I really want some pear trees, but I don't want them if I have to use pesticides.

 

[Just some guy]

Hmm, my gardening skills are so bad that I consider it a major achievement that I've managed to keep a small pot plant alive for more than 4 months (I think this is my seventh pot plant)

 

[Evo]

I will be planting the usual bell peppers, zuchinni and tomatoes for ratatoulle. Summer squash, maybe cucumbers.

I hope I can keep the birds away from the peaches long enough to get some this year. Maybe I'll do some cauliflower, I need to put those in now though.

 

[hypatia]

Today is just beautiful here, so I spent the morning planing what is going where. The herb garden is a must, Rosemary,{Sage and Thyme wintered over} dark Basil and Dill are my main stays. Onion seeds planted in the fall are popping up in way too many places!
Strawberrys took a whooping this winter and look like they will need a lot of TLC.
Evo try the english style cukes, I had a bumper crop last year and they were really carefree and easy to grow.

 

[turbo]

We have the same dear problem - and rabbits too! I have tomato plants disappear overnight.

Google on "scarecrow" and "deer" and you'll find the motion-sensor sprinklers. If you forget to turn them off before you step foot in the garden, you'll see why the deer don't like them - they jump you AND leave you soaked when they go off. One at each of the eastern corners of the garden covers the whole garden (well over 1500 ft²). Approaching the garden from the back lawn (bordering on the woods), I cannot get anywhere near the garden without setting them off. Purchase price, plus one 9V battery in each, for the whole growing season - that's a whole lot cheaper and easier than installing fencing (which deer ignore anyway, unless the fences are really high.)

With the price of fresh vegetables these days, the scarecrows easily paid for themselves in a few weeks of the last growing season. Plus, it's humane, as long as you don't think it's cruel to scare the deer and get them wet.

 

[brewnog]

I'll only grow it if I can eat it.

Don't currently have a garden, but at home-home I grew chilli peppers, tomatoes, raspberries, rhubarb, blackberries, blueberries, and nettles. I had a kickass herb garden too.

 

[Evo]

Evo try the english style cukes, I had a bumper crop last year and they were really carefree and easy to grow.

Sounds good. I wish I could get rid of these wild onions growing everywhere, I keep digging them up, they're almost as bad as the nightshade that's taking over.

 

[turbo]

Today is just beautiful here, so I spent the morning planing what is going where. The herb garden is a must, Rosemary,{Sage and Thyme wintered over} dark Basil and Dill are my main stays.

When my tiller comes back from the rebuild, I'm going to till up a new spot on the edge of the lawn for the perennial herbs. There's nothing like fresh herbs for cooking, once you get the hang of the differences between fresh and dried. I didn't make a new herb bed last year because my little front-tine tiller would have beaten the hell out of me and I didn't want to dig up the whole plot by hand. The old Horse can handle it in a couple of passes.

I'm going to plant lots of peppermint - mmmmm, peppermint tea!

 

[Evo]

I'm going to plant lots of peppermint - mmmmm, peppermint tea!

Be sure to plant it inside a container, like cement otherwise you'll have a yard full of it in no time.

 

[turbo]

I really want some pear trees, but I don't want them if I have to use pesticides.

You can make your own tree spray using liquid soap and water - that takes out a lot of insects by breaking down the waxy/oily substances that protect their exoskeletons. You can buy organically-derived neurotoxins (made from chrysanthemum flowers or synthetically derived analogs of the same) and many other things. Some people advocate making a "sun tea" out of chewing tobacco and using that in combination with soap, etc as an insectiside spray. There's a lot you can do without resorting to diazanon, malathion, and all that junk.

 

[turbo]

Be sure to plant it inside a container, like cement otherwise you'll have a yard full of it in no time.

I'll plant it along the tree line and mow it down if it tries to take over the lawn. I really hope it thrives like you say. I wouldn't mind having bushels of it drying in my cellar. Peppermint tea is nice, but like all herb teas, you end up paying for packaging, distribution, advertising, etc. I want to cut out ALL the middlemen - just me, my herb garden, and a big tea-ball.

Evo, are ice weasels nice friendly guys like ferrets?

 

[Astronuc]

You can make your own tree spray using liquid soap and water - that takes out a lot of insects by breaking down the waxy/oily substances that protect their exoskeletons. You can buy organically-derived neurotoxins (made from chrysanthemum flowers or synthetically derived analogs of the same) and many other things. Some people advocate making a "sun tea" out of chewing tobacco and using that in combination with soap, etc as an insectiside spray. There's a lot you can do without resorting to diazanon, malathion, and all that junk.

I don't use pesticides - I am strictly organic - so I remove pests manually. On the other hand, we have lots of different kinds of ants which seem to keep most pests away, and we have ladybugs, and praying mantisses, and lots of really cool spiders.

Anyway, the detergent mixed with mum juice is an idea. We have plenty of mums. Muahahahaha!

 

[Astronuc]

I will be planting the usual bell peppers, zuchinni and tomatoes for ratatoulle. Summer squash, maybe cucumbers.

I hope I can keep the birds away from the peaches long enough to get some this year. Maybe I'll do some cauliflower, I need to put those in now though.

OK - ratatoulle - well the zuchinni and tomato reminded me of another recipe.

Caponata (also mispelled as Caponato or Capanato)

3 Tablespoons olive oil
4 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium onion chopped
4 medium eggplants, chopped into bite-sized pieces
½ cup sliced green olives
2 Tablespoons chopped or sliced garlic
4 Tablespoons tomato paste
Capers to suit
Seasoning to suit

I lifted this from a FOX TV station, but I can't make myself post the link. :shy:

In a large pan on medium heat, sauté onions and celery until tender. Add eggplant cubes and cook until tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add capers and green olives just before eggplant is done. Stir in tomato paste and garlic until everything is covered. Serves four.

Another recipe -

CAPANATO (Sicilian Eggplant)

1/4 c. olive oil
2 med. eggplants, unpeeled, cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 med. onions, finely chopped
1 lg. garlic clove, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tsp. salt
Pepper, to taste
2 c. stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. oregano
10 black olives, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped walnuts
1/4 c. vinegar
1 tbsp. sugar

Heat olive oil and saute eggplants (use more oil if necessary). When eggplant is cooked and tender, transfer it to a dish and set aside.
In 2 tablespoons olive oil saute onions, garlic and celery until onions are soft. Return eggplant to pot and add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Capanato should be thick but not dry. Add a little water if mixture is too dry and cook a little longer if it is too wet. Serve chilled or at room temperature. Serves 6-8.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1918,152191-225198,00.html


One of the ladies in the office where I work makes this and it's really good. <- that's for the caponata, not the lady, although she is attractive.

 

[Astronuc]

Caponata - a Sicilian specialty, which varies slightly from one part of the island to another, but it always contains eggplant, onion, celery, tomato and capers. It is traditionally served at room temperature.

4 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sugar
1 onion, sliced
3 tbsp chopped fresh flatleaf parsley (to garnish)
12 black olives, pitted
2 celery stalks, sliced
1 eggplant, diced
5 plum tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt - a pinch or less, or to taste

2 tbsp capers (mandatory in Sicily, but optional outside)


1. Heat 32 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Add the onion and celery and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the remaining oil with the eggplant and cook, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes.

2. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, vinegar and sugar. Cover the surface with a circle of waxed paper and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Stir in the olives and capers ans season with salt. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and let cool to room temperature. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve.

4. While waiting for the caponata to cool, enjoy a nice glass of wine, while sitting on the porch or veranda and watch the beach or sunset or some other nice scenery.

It is recommended to prepare caponata ahead of time (several hours) and let sit so that the strong flavors blend.

An option for non-vegetarians is to add 4 anchovies. This recipe serves 4, or one of me.

 

[Evo]

Evo, are ice weasels nice friendly guys like ferrets?

Yeah, you could pass for an ice weasel. I like ice weasels.

 

[turbo]

We just had a BBQ dinner. I came up with a new marinade last night for the chicken. I sauteed chopped onions, crushed garlic, and grated fresh ginger in peanut oil with a couple of tbs of butter for flavor, some salt and lots of black pepper. When that was browned, I shut off the gas, poured in a few ounces of dry wine, juice of a lemon, and a few oz. of honey. The chicken (skinned and cut up) marinaded for about 24 hours in that mix, and I painted the basket of chicken parts throughout the cooking. It came out really good, but (anal, as always!) I will tweak that marinade for months. My wife chipped in with a BBQ sauce for the chopped vegetables that we processed tonight, with lemon, pepper, honey, etc. It was in the mid-60's so we ate out on the deck, but it was a "dry run" with "fresh" vegetables bought from a store 5-7K miles from where the food was grown. I cannot wait for our garden to come in.

 

[Evo]

I'll plant it along the tree line and mow it down if it tries to take over the lawn. I really hope it thrives like you say.

It sends out underground runners.

I wouldn't mind having bushels of it drying in my cellar.

Just wait.

 

[turbo]

Yeah, you could pass for an ice weasel. I like ice weasels.

Thank you for the free pass into weasle-dom. Turbo might have been an ice weasel. I can tell you that he was not a soap and water weasel. He would jump into the tub with my wife every morning during her shower, but when we gave him a personal bath every month or so (with no-tears shampoo in the kitchen sink) he was unhappy, although obedient. He was a sweetie, but he did not want to have his pelt saturated.

These little guys can manipulate their environments, and are WAY smarter than animals that are much larger. Weasels, minks, martins, ferrets, and fishers (don't leave out the skunks!) are very personable little fellows and can leave cats and dogs in the dust when it come to social engineering. We had a skunk that would come to the back yard with a cat, a coon, and/or a possum, and benefited from each relationship as they fed on the food that we had left out for the birds. The skunks were invariably friendly and were never threatening. When I observed astronomically on a hill on a rented farm in the late '70's, skunks would come around quite often in the evening, and the babies would often come up right to my pant-legs, trying to see who I was - they are so cute, I still want a skunk for a pet, after having tons of ferrets over the course of a couple of decades.

 

[Evo]

We just had a BBQ dinner. I came up with a new marinade last night for the chicken. I sauteed chopped onions, crushed garlic, and grated fresh ginger in peanut oil with a couple of tbs of butter for flavor, some salt and lots of black pepper. When that was browned, I shut off the gas, poured in a few ounces of dry wine, juice of a lemon, and a few oz. of honey. The chicken (skinned and cut up) marinaded for about 24 hours in that mix, and I painted the basket of chicken parts throughout the cooking. It came out really good, but (anal, as always!) I will tweak that marinade for months. My wife chipped in with a BBQ sauce for the chopped vegetables that we processed tonight, with lemon, pepper, honey, etc. It was in the mid-60's so we ate out on the deck, but it was a "dry run" with "fresh" vegetables bought from a store 5-7K miles from where the food was grown. I cannot wait for our garden to come in.

When did you say I could move up there?

 

[turbo]

It sends out underground runners.

Just wait.

How deep do the runners go? If I have to corral peppermint, I will take precautions. I wish I did not have to take such precautions to prevent the growth of tomatos, hot peppers, green beans, etc!

 

[turbo]

When did you say I could move up there?

I think I said you could stay here when you can split at least 1 cord a day of firewood, but due to the overwhelming response, you may have to committ to splitting AND stacking at least 1 cord a day.

 

[Evo]

I think I said you could stay here when you can split at least 1 cord a day of firewood, but due to the overwhelming response, you may have to committ to splitting AND stacking at least 1 cord a day.

Do I get a weasel?

 

[Evo]

How deep do the runners go? If I have to corral peppermint, I will take precautions.

You do have to take precautions, I will look up some references later.

 

[Moonbear]

How deep do the runners go? If I have to corral peppermint, I will take precautions. I wish I did not have to take such precautions to prevent the growth of tomatos, hot peppers, green beans, etc!

Of course, how bad could it be if peppermint took over your lawn? Wouldn't it be lovely to have everything smelling fresh and minty when you walked across the yard? Friends of mine had a bench out in the middle of a plot of thyme which was wonderful...you'd get the fresh thyme smell as you walked to the bench, and were just surrounded by it. Absolutely heavenly. Of course, in their case, it was an island in the center of a circular driveway, so it couldn't escape very far.

 

[turbo]

Evo, you can have a weasel if you can catch one! (pop)

 

[turbo]

Of course, how bad could it be if peppermint took over your lawn? Wouldn't it be lovely to have everything smelling fresh and minty when you walked across the yard? Friends of mine had a bench out in the middle of a plot of thyme which was wonderful...you'd get the fresh thyme smell as you walked to the bench, and were just surrounded by it. Absolutely heavenly. Of course, in their case, it was an island in the center of a circular driveway, so it couldn't escape very far.

Wow! how many aromatic perennials could I get to "fight it out" over on the side lawn? I could jump in there and roll around like like a cat in a patch of catnip!

 

[hypatia]

I took the top 18 inches of a plastic garbage can and sunk it into the ground to plant mint in. It works really well.

 

[turbo]

OK, I'm no spring chicken, but I didn't expect to be this sore tonight. I had to satisfy my urge to work in the garden, so I bought, loaded, unloaded, and spread by hand 400# of composted cow manure, 100# of organic fertilizer and a few small bags of sulfur. The jerk clerks at the store didn't offer to help me load my truck, nor did they come outside to make sure I only loaded the 10 bags of manure that I paid for. What is this world coming to?

When my tiller engine is rebuilt (OK, I just have to know what a really nice cast-iron Horse with a really nice cast-iron Tecumseh engine can do!) I am going to town. Actually I am staying at home and I have no intention of going to town (avoiding the ~1500 folks who live here). I intend to add 4-5 big bales of compressed peat moss to bring up the organic content of the soil. The previous owner of this place never took care of the garden spot. He simply planted plants started at local greenhouses, and flogged them along with Miracle-Gro...that is not gardening.

My dad started his tomatoes well after we did last year, and while we got a fair yield from the many spindly plants we had, he was swamped with tomatoes from half as many plants and the plants were so big it was tough to pull them out at year's end after we harvested the last of the green tomatoes. Of course, he has a buddy that he plays poker with every week with a nice big tractor and a dump truck who will gladly bring in a load of old rotted manure and till it - no charge. The soil in his garden is fluffy and black. It's easy to weed and it holds water wonderfully. It will take a few years, but this garden spot will get that way eventually.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I have been making up a list of the seeds, seedlings, etc that we want to buy for this growing season. We are concentrating on vegetables that give a very high yield for the area required to grow them. What do you grow in your own gardens that give you a lot of usable/preservable food for the investment in space? I'm going to offer my dad to till/weed his garden space to get extra growing space in his rich-soil plot - he's 80 and is scaling back his garden to tomatos, cucumbers, squash, etc and I want to grow much more. If you've got really nice organic-rich soil available at 45 degrees N, what would you grow?

 

[Astronuc]

Yesterday, I relocated my second rhubarb plant and divided it into three new plants.

This is for ZapperZ - I just added my 7th blueberry bush - a highbush, Elliot which produces fruit late season. I bought at a local nursery but it comes from Virginia Berry farm. www.virginiaberryfarm.com

There are four new blackberry canes, but I hope for a couple more. Propagation is finally working.

We are still getting very cool night - frost two nights ago, and near freezing air the last two nights.

 

[BobG]

I don't know how many PFer's garden, but I have done gardening ever since I could walk. My father and my maternal grandfather both gardened. I helped my dad in the garden, mostly planting, watering and weeding (and harvesting) at first. When I was old enough to handle a shovel, I would help cultivate.

The first four years of childhood, we lived in rural areas, so gardening was quite natural. My father was a minister with a low salary, so the garden provided fresh fruit and vegetables for low cost.

Anyway, I have always enjoyed gardening, which for me is a spiritual experience. I use organic methods without herbicides or pesticides, in favor of natural insects and manual methods.

As of now, the perennials - Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries and Rhubard have come back to life. I was pleased to find that my meager efforts at propagating the blackberries seem to be finall working. I have done it incorrectly for 2 years, so I am hopeful now that they will finally take off. The raspberries need no help in this regard.

I am preparing one plot for a vegetable garden - my wifes tomato plants and lettuce. I will add some hot pepper plants.

I am preparing another plot for an herb garden for my wife.

Then I will be preparing a terraced area on the back hill - I am thinking tomatos, squash, zucchini, and whatever hits my fancy.

Just out of curiosity, how much does it cost you to grow a tomato?

Or, is that a bad question to ask? The $64 Tomato (How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden)

(I have to be honest. I've never calculated how much I spend making home-made ice cream in a hand cranked bucket, either. It's an experience, not an economic exercise. Nor does it bother me that I spent $160 for a Chemical Engineering slide rule when a $105 TI-86 could do the job nearly as well.)

 

[Astronuc]

Just out of curiosity, how much does it cost you to grow a tomato?

Or, is that a bad question to ask? The $64 Tomato (How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden)

(I have to be honest. I've never calculated how much I spend making home-made ice cream in a hand cranked bucket, either. It's an experience, not an economic exercise. Nor does it bother me that I spent $160 for a Chemical Engineering slide rule when a $105 TI-86 could do the job nearly as well.)

Right now, I buy a plant for less probably $0.50-0.60/plant, add a few cents of fertilizer, and get several $'s of tomatos per plant. We have been using our own compost for years and that is where the cost savings come originate.

Same with the berries.

In fact, now all our plants produce several dollars worth of produce for $1-2 dollars worth of investment.