What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

[Evo]

I just bought a grape tomato plant. I *love* grape tomatoes, they have a much better flavor than cherry tomatoes, not even in the same league.

I had to polinate my cucumbers by hand with a brush. I've done this many times in the past. I don't seem to have ANY insects here. NONE.

 

[lisab]

Turbo, have you grown cilantro before? I've tried it and it bolts at the slightest warming! Has this happened to you?

 

[Evo]

Turbo, have you grown cilantro before? I've tried it and it bolts at the slightest warming! Has this happened to you?

Apparently cilantro bolts very easily.

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/herbs/msg0711370130137.html?10=

Geeze, small bunches of basil were on sale for $3.50 at the store, each of my plants cost me about 3 cents if I count seed, soil and fertilizer, I reused pots from plants I bought.

 

[turbo]

Turbo, have you grown cilantro before? I've tried it and it bolts at the slightest warming! Has this happened to you?

We grow cilantro every year. Yes, it bolts, but like many herbs and vegetable, we do multiple plantings. That's my plan with the dill, too because I need to have flowering dill when it's time to make chili relishes and pickles.

 

[turbo]

The garden is all planted, and I am one massive itch due to the black flies. They are terrible this year. They probably survived in greater numbers due to the heavy insulating snow cover and the heavy spring run-off. They breed in running water, not stagnant water like mosquitoes. I've got a lot of mosquito bites, too, but the black flies are the bad guys.

Yesterday we transplanted 3 kinds of chilies and a row of bell peppers and two full 35' long rows of tomatoes, and today I hoed up the remaining rows for sowing beans, beets, 2 varieties of carrots, 2 varieties of Swiss chard, buttercup squash, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, and two mixed rows full of parsley, basil, cilantro, mixed salad greens, etc. This year, the radishes are planted between pepper transplants, and we plan to plant dill between the tomato plants. We've got cherry tomatoes in containers on the back deck, as well as more basil, cilantro, parsley, and other herbs, and lots more herbs in a little herb garden that I built up against the foundation of the south side of the house a couple of years back.

BTW, if anybody gets the urge to try New Zealand "spinach" because of its resistance to bolting, don't bother. It tastes pretty crappy. Instead, install plastic fencing for your squash and cucumbers to climb on, and plant real spinach on the shaded side. Spinach grows well that way and is less likely to bolt. The shade provided by the big squash and cucumber leaves protects the spinach from the worst heat of the day.

 

[Evo]

turbo, post pictures so we can watch the progress!

Here is my little patio "garden". To the front right are squash, left and down are jalepenos, behind them are tomatoes, to the left of the tomatoes are eggplant, and behind them are cucumbers.

Got my Stella D'Oro lily yesterday. Oh, and of course, the Fruit Bat.

 

[Astronuc]

Nice patio garden, Evo. You'll need to stake the tomatos, egg plant and cucumbers soon. We use strips of spent fabric softener to tie up tomatoes and climbing vines. The cukes and squash grow on the ground. We put down weed blocker which is a kind of geotextile and the plants can grow on that instead of the soil.

 

[lisab]

Nice pics, Evo - I like how your dog found some reason to wander into the picure! My dogs do the same thing!

 

[~christina~]

I'm just wondering if it's safe to eat the vegetables using that normal fertilizer that I see that you are using. Wouldn't it get into the vegetables.

 

[Evo]

I'm just wondering if it's safe to eat the vegetables using that normal fertilizer that I see that you are using. Wouldn't it get into the vegetables.

Are you talking to me? I use vegetable fertilizer.

 

[Astronuc]

I'm just wondering if it's safe to eat the vegetables using that normal fertilizer that I see that you are using. Wouldn't it get into the vegetables.

What does one mean by normal fertilizer? If one means something like mixture of Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash (Potassium), that's taken up by the plant and distributed appropriately in the right form. There's also organic matter that gets broken down and used by the plants as they grow roots, stalks, stems and leaves, and then flowers and ultimately fruit or seeds. Some plants, like lettuce, are harvested before they produce flowers.

 

[~christina~]

Are you talking to me? I use vegetable fertilizer.

What does one mean by normal fertilizer? If one means something like mixture of Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash (Potassium), that's taken up by the plant and distributed appropriately in the right form. There's also organic matter that gets broken down and used by the plants as they grow roots, stalks, stems and leaves, and then flowers and ultimately fruit or seeds. Some plants, like lettuce, are harvested before they produce flowers.

What does one mean by normal fertilizer? If one means something like mixture of Nitrogen, Phosphate and Potash (Potassium), that's taken up by the plant and distributed appropriately in the right form. There's also organic matter that gets broken down and used by the plants as they grow roots, stalks, stems and leaves, and then flowers and ultimately fruit or seeds. Some plants, like lettuce, are harvested before they produce flowers.

Hm..well I was referring to the fertilizer in the normal potting soil for flowers.

Never knew that there was a "vegetable fertilizer" since I like to garden but I've only seen the fertilizer for fruit trees so I wasn't sure what to use for my honeydew plant last year(Home Depot)

I did get some organic soil but I have a feeling that it isn't "organic" as we think of the word, or is it. (they say to be careful in handling it and wash hands throughly)

Another random thing was that I tried to pollinate the honeydew plant but nothing happened...maybe I did that incorrectly last time I did that?

 

[Evo]

You can get potting soil with or without fertilizer. The fertilized potting soil for flowers would be ok for vegetables, but potting soil fertilized for house plants would contain too much nitrogen. Be sure to check the fertilizer ratios on anything you purchase. The fertilizer itself will not affect the produce, unless it's "organic" then you have absolutely no idea how safe it is. If it tells you that you need to wash your hands after touching it, I don't think you want your vegetables touching it just before your harvest them either.

How did you pollinate your honeydews? I think it was jimmysnyder that reminded me to make buzzing sounds while doing it.

I'm waiting to see if my pollinization of my cucumbers will be successful. If I remember corectly, bell peppers are self pollinating, so they should be ok.

I finally got a bee the other day and my dog ate him. I heard a yelp and then he was foaming at the mouth. Served him right. He usually eats flies, but made a mistake.

 

[turbo]

Here is my garden in its pathetic "just in" look. The nearest row has spinach, the garlic is doing well, the chives came back strong, and we had them chopped into our potato salad last night for supper. None of the seeded stuff apart from the spinach is up, and those tiny little green things in the lower half of the garden are peppers and tomatoes - they've got a LOT of growing to do. Right now, the best feature of the garden (apart from the very rich soil) is the lack of weeds. I bought a scuffle hoe (stirrup hoe) last year and it does wonders, as long as I keep up with the invaders.

 

[Evo]

It's beautiful turbo!

 

[baywax]

Hm..well I was referring to the fertilizer in the normal potting soil for flowers.

Never knew that there was a "vegetable fertilizer" since I like to garden but I've only seen the fertilizer for fruit trees so I wasn't sure what to use for my honeydew plant last year(Home Depot)

I did get some organic soil but I have a feeling that it isn't "organic" as we think of the word, or is it. (they say to be careful in handling it and wash hands throughly)

Another random thing was that I tried to pollinate the honeydew plant but nothing happened...maybe I did that incorrectly last time I did that?

The warning may have to do with the latest hype about Tetanus going around. There's an advisory in this province that people wear gloves because of two gardener's deaths due to tetanus. Personally I think if you protect yourself all to hell you're more inclined to fall ill to the bacteria and viruses that surround all of us. If you're constantly exposed to them, you're immunity is better equipped to deal with any adversity.

Speaking of pollination... I watched a good old worker bee doing the rounds on my mystery flowers...(not sure what they are ... maybe someone can identify them if i get a pic in here..) but, its 1 more bee than I saw last year.)

Nice Garden Turbo! Is that a tree plantation next door or just some scrub?

 

[Andre]

Awesome Turbo, I remember similar garden sights from my yought. But that would only last a few days before the nettle and /or http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weedguid/horsetl.htm took over the area within a few days. Their terrible roots some inches to feet below the surface, ready to take over as soon as you sleep. I've seen somebody overthowing his garden for three feet deep trying to get rid of those pest. Cost him his back but it gained half a growing season.

After that I quit trying.

 

[turbo]

Thanks Evo and baywax. I've got less than an acre of clear land, and the rest is all forested, though many of the mature trees closer to the house have been thinned out for firewood. My lot is fairly narrow, but it extends 1/2 mile back into the woods with a brook/beaver bog crossing the center. I let the local snowmobile club maintain a trail along that long eastern boundary, so I have a nice sturdy timber bridge crossing the brook and can get a tractor or ATV to the back of the lot, if I want to cut any trees.

The trees in the background of this picture are my "natural grape arbor". I have Concord grape vines growing all along that tree line, and the vines climb the trees. I have to cut them down and re-train the vines periodically so they will grow on lower vegetation, but grapes love sun and they are designed to climb, so they sometimes produce beautiful bunches of grapes 20 feet in the air.

 

[turbo]

Awesome Turbo, I remember similar garden sights from my yought. But that would only last a few days before the nettle and /or http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/cropprot/weedguid/horsetl.htm took over the area within a few days. Their terrible roots some inches to feet below the surface, ready to take over as soon as you sleep. I've seen somebody overthowing his garden for three feet deep trying to get rid of those pest. Cost him his back but it gained half a growing season.

After that I quit trying.

Thanks, Andre. That garden looks the size of a postage stamp in the picture, but it's well over 1500 square feet. Hoeing up all those rows Saturday and Sunday made me pretty lame in some little-used muscles. I have a nice Troy-bilt Horse tiller that can go really deep, and I have been adding manure, peat, and organic fertilizers (like blood meal, fish meal, etc) to the plot as well as compost from the black bins in the foreground. When my wife and I moved here, the soil was rocky clay and the previous owner thought that gardening involved flogging the plants with lime and Miracle-Gro. It took me a couple of years of heavy work, but the soil is close to perfect. It is light, with a very high organic content. I hoe it up into raised rows so that heavy rains won't waterlog the plants. I can always water, if needed - we have two wells: the deep drilled well provides our domestic water, and the shallower dug well has a separate pump, etc, that supplies the outdoor sill-cocks for watering.

Oops! Just realized that I cropped out the compost bins - they are not in the picture and I didn't look at it before posting.

 

[Borek]

turbo - its just like a dream...

Do we use "awesome" or not?

 

[turbo]

It won't be "awesome" until it grows up like last summer's garden.

Of course, I planted the tomatoes and the string beans too close together last year, making them hard to harvest (center rows) - live and learn.

 

[baywax]

Thanks Evo and baywax. I've got less than an acre of clear land, and the rest is all forested, though many of the mature trees closer to the house have been thinned out for firewood. My lot is fairly narrow, but it extends 1/2 mile back into the woods with a brook/beaver bog crossing the center. I let the local snowmobile club maintain a trail along that long eastern boundary, so I have a nice sturdy timber bridge crossing the brook and can get a tractor or ATV to the back of the lot, if I want to cut any trees.

That sounds absolutely beautiful to a lumberjack like me. We might have to make you an honourary Canuck with all the beavers (CDN national symbol) and brooks and annoying snowmobiles in your environ!

The trees in the background of this picture are my "natural grape arbor". I have Concord grape vines growing all along that tree line, and the vines climb the trees. I have to cut them down and re-train the vines periodically so they will grow on lower vegetation, but grapes love sun and they are designed to climb, so they sometimes produce beautiful bunches of grapes 20 feet in the air.

Ha ha... so you have some pretty fat birds falling near the BBQ!?

 

[baywax]

BTW... my sister has 40 acres in Eugene Oregon and she's tearing out the blackberries with a tractor and a back hoe. I like to bug her about it because she really started out leaving her acreage alone to grow naturally until her new Irish husband arrived on the title.

So I say, ohhhhh the poor black berries. And she justifies their destruction with "ah, their not even native to the area (baxwax)".

Are black berries native to North America? As far as I know the Firstnations I have studied so much found them to be a fine dietary staple during the 4 weeks of summer we get around here...(exaggeration).

 

[lisab]

BTW... my sister has 40 acres in Eugene Oregon and she's tearing out the blackberries with a tractor and a back hoe. I like to bug her about it because she really started out leaving her acreage alone to grow naturally until her new Irish husband arrived on the title.

So I say, ohhhhh the poor black berries. And she justifies their destruction with "ah, their not even native to the area (baxwax)".

Are black berries native to North America? As far as I know the Firstnations I have studied so much found them to be a fine dietary staple during the 4 weeks of summer we get around here...(exaggeration).

There may be native berries that are called blackberries, but the ones your sister's dealing with are likely Himalayan blackberries. They grow everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The best way to deal with them is to bring in some goats!

 

[baywax]

There may be native berries that are called blackberries, but the ones your sister's dealing with are likely Himalayan blackberries. They grow everywhere in the Pacific Northwest. The best way to deal with them is to bring in some goats!

Thanks lisab. What will the goats do with the blackberries? How did Himalayan blackberries get to the PNW?

 

[turbo]

That sounds absolutely beautiful to a lumberjack like me. We might have to make you an honourary Canuck with all the beavers (CDN national symbol) and brooks and annoying snowmobiles in your environ!

Ha ha... so you have some pretty fat birds falling near the BBQ!?

My mother's side of the family is French-Canadian and Indian. As for the birds, the wild turkeys hang out when the grapes are ripe. Yum!

 

[~christina~]

You can get potting soil with or without fertilizer. The fertilized potting soil for flowers would be ok for vegetables, but potting soil fertilized for house plants would contain too much nitrogen. Be sure to check the fertilizer ratios on anything you purchase. The fertilizer itself will not affect the produce, unless it's "organic" then you have absolutely no idea how safe it is. If it tells you that you need to wash your hands after touching it, I don't think you want your vegetables touching it just before your harvest them either.

I did use the fertilizer for normal plants when I planted them.
I guess, I wouldn't want my plants touching the stuff, but it's labeled for vegetables...(miracle grow, organic potting mix)

How did you pollinate your honeydews? I think it was jimmysnyder that reminded me to make buzzing sounds while doing it.

I used, a paintbrush, but obviously it didn't work.

I'm waiting to see if my pollinization of my cucumbers will be successful. If I remember corectly, bell peppers are self pollinating, so they should be ok.

Maybe I should grow some bell peppers then...

The warning may have to do with the latest hype about Tetanus going around. There's an advisory in this province that people wear gloves because of two gardener's deaths due to tetanus. Personally I think if you protect yourself all to hell you're more inclined to fall ill to the bacteria and viruses that surround all of us. If you're constantly exposed to them, you're immunity is better equipped to deal with any adversity.

well I don't know, but I purchased this bag of vegetable organic soil mix, last year so I can only assume that this is a standard warning. And I do agree with the fact that if you are always afraid of germs, then you are more likely to fall ill.

 

[baywax]

My mother's side of the family is French-Canadian and Indian. As for the birds, the wild turkeys hang out when the grapes are ripe. Yum!

Viva la Quebec! Excellent gardening you're doing.

EDIT:

The panarama shot was my daily commuter's view.

The Alpacas are neighbours who bought by the lake.

The soil is so fertile because of volcanic activity in the area
that happened long before glaciation. The water is left
behind from the meltdown 11,000 years ago.

The swimming is the best as long as you avoid the lake monster.

 

[Evo]

Ahahaha, the Alpaca's are so cute! I used to have an Alpaca sweater.

Here are one of my squirrels and a dove. They remind me of Kurdt's puppy standing at attention. Definitely show material.

One of my eggplants was broken over with just a tiny shred on one side keeping it from being two pieces. I stood it up, shoved a pile of dirt around it and watered it and it looks just as fresh and healthy as if nothing happened. It can't be possible that it's going to live, but...

 

[Astronuc]

BTW... my sister has 40 acres in Eugene Oregon and she's tearing out the blackberries with a tractor and a back hoe. I like to bug her about it because she really started out leaving her acreage alone to grow naturally until her new Irish husband arrived on the title.

So I say, ohhhhh the poor black berries. And she justifies their destruction with "ah, their not even native to the area (baxwax)".

Are black berries native to North America? As far as I know the Firstnations I have studied so much found them to be a fine dietary staple during the 4 weeks of summer we get around here...(exaggeration).

We have wild blackberries (brambles) at the back of our property, but I grow cultivated blackberries in a small plot. The wild blackberries grow close to the ground and have sharp thorns on the stems. The berries have large seeds, and are rather tart in taste. The cultivated blackberries grow long canes and have no thorns, and the berries are larger, juicier and sweeter than the wild ones.

The Willamette Valley, OR, is perhaps the biggest producer of berries in the country.

According to the Oregon Ag Stats Service, Oregon accounts for 95% of the Black Raspberries, 17% of the Red Raspberries, 95% of the Loganberries, 95% of the Blackberries, and over 68% of the Boysenberries that are commercially produced for processing in the U.S.

Oregon's Raspberries and Blackberries - http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx1/cx1.htm
Some Berry History - http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx1/cx1a.htm

Red raspberries are grown over a wider area from the northern Willamett Valley throught Washington and up into the Fraser Valley of BC, Canada.
http://www.red-raspberry.org/raspberry/rasp.html

 

[Andre]

Ahahaha, the Alpaca's are so cute! I used to have an Alpaca sweater.

Here are one of my squirrels and a dove. They remind me of Kurdt's puppy standing at attention. Definitely show material.

One of my eggplants was broken over with just a tiny shred on one side keeping it from being two pieces. I stood it up, shoved a pile of dirt around it and watered it and it looks just as fresh and healthy as if nothing happened. It can't be possible that it's going to live, but...

That's an nice couple indeed. Now should you ever get the idea to want to take pictures with those critters much bigger in the shot like Larkspur and Turbo, but don't want to bother about dragging along a lot of expensive equipment, it may be known that there are http://wwwnew.dpreview.com/reviews/panasonictz5 .

 

[rewebster]

I've seen squirrels attack birds before--in fact, I saw a squirrel kill a bird before-----it was a baby (blue jay); but it was something I've never seen, or have never heard of before.

 

[baywax]

Ahahaha, the Alpaca's are so cute! I used to have an Alpaca sweater.

These people also have 2 llamas to protect their alpacas. They only have 5 acres or so but its enough to raise the number of alpacas you need to make money off of their "wool". They got a beautiful farm for their endeavor and there is an alpaca wool/hair processing and manufacturing facility in the valley. About 2-3 miles away there is a box canyon full of cougars so the llamas come in handy!

Nice photo of the squirrel and the dove!

 

[baywax]

We have wild blackberries (brambles) at the back of our property, but I grow cultivated blackberries in a small plot. The wild blackberries grow close to the ground and have sharp thorns on the stems. The berries have large seeds, and are rather tart in taste. The cultivated blackberries grow long canes and have no thorns, and the berries are larger, juicier and sweeter than the wild ones.

The Willamette Valley, OR, is perhaps the biggest producer of berries in the country.


Oregon's Raspberries and Blackberries - http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx1/cx1.htm
Some Berry History - http://www.oregon-berries.com/cx1/cx1a.htm

Red raspberries are grown over a wider area from the northern Willamett Valley throught Washington and up into the Fraser Valley of BC, Canada.
http://www.red-raspberry.org/raspberry/rasp.html

I can't believe the fertility of Willamette Valley! It takes about 2 hours just to drive the width of it. In fact, the picture that comes to mind when people mention it are the humungous, juicy blackberries coming out of that place! And everything else of course.

Himalayan and evergreen blackberry species are introduced from Eurasia (~1885) and currently dominate many regions of the Pacific Northwest. Both tend to form impenetrable thickets due to spreading vines with very prickly stems. Himalayan blackberry is generally more widespread than its evergreen cousin. However, both species are a cause for concern as they are extremely competitive on disturbed sites, degrading the quality of riparian habitats along with fence lines, roadsides, and forest edges. In the Lower Mainland, blackberries deteriorate valuable stream habitat by preventing the establishment of deep-rooted native shrubs, which are a critical for healthy streams, providing food, shade, and bank stability. However, blackberry shrubs do offer limited food, nesting sites, and wildlife cover (and make great blackberry pies!). Evergreen and Himalayan blackberry are extremely difficult to remove as they grow very fast and have efficient reproductive success. Nevertheless, stands can be controlled through vigorous cutting, planting, and monitoring efforts as outlined in the sections below.

http://www.shim.bc.ca/invasivespecies/_private/blackberry.htm

Now... about the goats...

Goat Grazing: Goats have a long history of use for blackberry control, particularly in Australia and New Zealand where they have been used since the 1920s. Goats eat blackberries readily, and seem to prefer them over other plants.10 An economic analysis in Australia showed that running goats on a blackberry-infested pasture was cheaper than using herbicides to manage the berries.11 Clearly goats are not suitable in all locations, but in pastures they may be an excellent option. Use of goats could also be considered in firebreaks,12 utility rights of way, and other similar sites.

http://www.pesticide.org/pubs/alts/blackberry/blackberries.html

I think goats are great... this sounds like a win - win solution.

 

[rewebster]

shoot, shooot, shoot--------my lawnmower won't start----

Last fall I changed the plug, the oil, the air filter, sharpened the blade, cleaned the under deck, even emptied out the gas, re-built the carb, oiled the cable housing---it ran great for three cuttings--now this year, it runs for 30 seconds and dies (starting fluid doesn't help)--one time it ran for about 3 minutes-----spark plug is set right at 30--I got new gas, no help--I think I'm going to take the carburetor apart just to check for a clog---after that, I may have to do something that I hate having to do...


And now---The grass is long enough that the two sets of mourning doves, the cardinal, and I think even the blackbird have lost their chicks to the *%&*%ing cats that are able to hide in it--waiting. I've had to squirt cheap hot sauce in the garden because of the cats too.----aaaaARRRRggGGGG