What Are Some Tips for Successful Gardening?

In summary, we put in a huge garden and had a green thumb from the get-go. We still have a garden, although it's a little smaller now. We mainly grow vegetables, fruits, and flowers. I've been a pretty avid gardener at times but not for eating, just for looking.
  • #2,661
It's almost gardening season. We may have snow tomorrow though.

In the meantime, think about food, the land and good stewarship.

http://farmproject.org/content/food_matters_for_stewardship

If one doesn't have a garden, join a local CSA.
 
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  • #2,662
I did a light till today to get the goodies (ash & chicken pop) distributed and to remove small weeds wanting to start. It shouldn't be too long before I begin planting some cold crops.
 
  • #2,663
CSA farming is catching on here, in more of a formal fashion that it had been in years past. A lady that I knew casually gardened, sold produce, waitressed, and worked other extra jobs in the off-season for years to save money to buy farmland. She now has her own 25-acre farm and some well-worn equipment, and she sells shares to consumers. She gets money for seed, diesel, fertilizer (organic), etc, and in return, her consumers get weekly boxes of fresh organic produce. If yields are good, her production far exceeds her generous shares, and she can make extra money at the local farmers' markets. In a bad year (we've had a couple, recently) things can get real tight, but she's still hanging in there.

If my wife should pre-decease me, I'd will my Kubota and accessories to Billie. She deserves the help.
 
  • #2,664
We just had a friend (about 4 years younger than me) buy a 6-acre farm last summer in an auction in Yellow Springs OH (where I used to live when I worked for the Air Force Research Labs). She's got her work cut out for her.

The farmhouse was deemed uninhabitable by her original bank (and I could see why), but she had enough in savings to buy it without them.. and did live there this past winter, probably heated as much by her two dogs as by her newly inserted woodstove. But she's put in more insulation, reroofed the house, cleared out a lot of trash and made other improvements to the two small outlying buildings, started flocks of chickens and ducks, etc... as well as taken down two "free barns" she found on craigslist and transported the lumber to her place, with plans to rebuild (at least in part) at her place (to add sheep or goats, and possibly rabbits). She's done much of this kind of thing before in helping other people with their farms, and has been a farm manager for another farm for 2-3 years, so she knows her stuff (and is stubborn), so I don't doubt she'll get it going (though I told her if things feel tight she should consider selling the lumber from ONE of the barns to a furniture-maker -- her place is starting to get called "the lumberyard" and other people with barns they want gone are calling her!). She will continue vending another farm's raw milk and cheeses at the farmer's markets along with her fresh produce, and house yet another farm's two farm-interns... so there's at least some additional income (and another local has arranged to park his camper on her property for just enough to cover her annual property taxes). She's not going to go CSA yet for a few years, to establish the crops and know how well things are going... but is looking to do so eventually.

Can't wait to see her on a drive-through this spring or summer and see her planted crops. Since she just acquired the farm last summer, she didn't have any "crops" then except for the eggs (she got a deal on her starter flocks because they were just turning one).
 
  • #2,665
I just placed my seed order with Johnny's. With shipping, it's almost exactly $80. Still, I don't mind doing the work and amending the soil, etc, so the money for seed is dwarfed by the value of the food that we get out of that garden. Even in "bad" years with inconsistent temperatures, droughts, and monsoons, we get plenty of food to use fresh, can, pickle, freeze, and put into cold storage. This year, I'm going to till up another section of front lawn (almost no front lawn left - Yay!) for an herb garden. Plenty of varieties of basil, oregano, parsley, cilantro, etc to grow. Plus I ordered a low-bushing variety of ornamental (very colorful) and edible hot peppers called "Prairie Fire". My wife can use them to border her stone raised-bed flower garden.
 
  • #2,666
Turbo. Is your ankle going to be ready in time for planting preparation? Be easy on it at first so you can make full use of the growing season.

I'm in the process of putting up a shed in my garden area to keep all my garden implements. I've already done a light leveling/spreading till; next a deep till then plant.
 
  • #2,667
dlgoff said:
Turbo. Is your ankle going to be ready in time for planting preparation? Be easy on it at first so you can make full use of the growing season.

I'm in the process of putting up a shed in my garden area to keep all my garden implements. I've already done a light leveling/spreading till; next a deep till then plant.
How's my chicken?
 
  • #2,668
Evo said:
How's my chicken?

I attached somed pictures in the "PF Random Thoughts" thread. You may have missed them. https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3227664&postcount=7705"

This is was April 3rd:

[PLAIN]https://www.physicsforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33980&d=1301871732

Now their wing feather are starting to develop. But still "cheep" and are still really cute.

If you had a cage etc., I would bring it too you. Otherwise, next summer when they start laying, I can ship you her fresh eggs. Home grown eggs have thicker shells and can last for months refrigerated and when I collect them, they get washed and go directly in the refrigerator.
 
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  • #2,669
dlgoff said:
I attached somed pictures in the "PF Random Thoughts" thread. You may have missed them. https://www.physicsforums.com/showpost.php?p=3227664&postcount=7705"

This is was April 3rd:

[PLAIN]https://www.physicsforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=33980&d=1301871732

Now their wing feather are starting to develop. But still "cheep" and are still really cute.

If you had a cage etc., I would bring it too you. Otherwise, next summer when they start laying, I can ship you her fresh eggs. Home grown eggs have thicker shells and can last for months refrigerated and when I collect them, they get washed and go directly in the refrigerator.
I did miss them!

Awww, they're so cute! They stay in a little pile. I love you for raising one for me! I can't wait to get eggs!
 
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  • #2,670
dlgoff said:
Turbo. Is your ankle going to be ready in time for planting preparation? Be easy on it at first so you can make full use of the growing season.
I'm taking it real easy on the loads, and trying to work on no-load flexibility, stretching, etc for rehabilitation. One way or another, I'm going to make this all work. If I need a neighbor to help me wrestle around that big PTO tiller (lots of iron there) and attach it, I can arrange that, easy.

I'll have to watch the preliminary hand-work (hoeing, setting up my cattle-panel trellises, etc) so I don't get re-injured with unexpected footing on soft or uneven ground, but I can deal with it. I'm not unemployed/disabled. I have a full-time summer job growing, tending, harvesting, processing, canning, and freezing food. Luckily, my wife has an industrial job that provides her with 401K opportunities and health insurance for both of us.

I might have to expand my garlic production next year. The artisan butcher/deli shop proprietor wants even more hard-neck garlic than I can provide, and after the first time that my wife took a batch for them to "try out", her husband the butcher told her not to sell any of it, but to keep it for their use. My wife took a much larger batch to them, so his wife displayed it prominently with what I think are excessive prices, and it has disappeared. Their regular customers are willing to pay 95 cents/bulb for high-quality garlic and stop in asking for it. I can't afford to be certified as an organic grower, but there has never been a speck of herbicide/fungicide/chemical plant-food used on this property since we bought it 6 years ago. The quality of the food speaks for itself, though.

BTW, If I got certified organic, I could easily charge $3/bulb plus shipping for this high-quality hard-neck garlic. That's what FedCo charges, and they severely limit quantities, and sell out every year.
 
  • #2,671
Evo said:
I can't wait to get eggs!

It will be a pleasure.

Hey. You have a meat man. Now you'll have an egg man. :smile:
 
  • #2,672
turbo-1 said:
...The quality of the food speaks for itself, though.

I know exactly what you mean. Garden produce, just like home grown eggs; once you tried them, store bought just taste awful.

I've raised gain (corn & milo) feed steers and the cuts of beef can't be compared to anything you can buy.
 
  • #2,673
dlgoff said:
Now you'll have an egg man. :smile:

coocoocachew
 
  • #2,674
hypatia said:
coocoocachew
LOL. Isn't my baby CUUUTE? :!)
 
  • #2,675
hypatia said:
coocoocachew

So glad I'm not the only one who thought that :smile:
 
  • #2,676
I am not the egg-man. A very cute young lady approached me last summer while I was distributing garlic to lady-friends, and told me that I am the garlic-man, though. She is an artist and she supports the local community garden, so I got her started growing hard-neck garlic. She has young kids in the school district and helps tend the community garden located in back of the elementary school, so I'll help her with garlic production as needed. Growing garlic is not a typical avocation for gardeners, here. It's much more typical for people to fall back to growing stuff that their grandparents grew, like varieties of pole beans or strains of red potatoes, for instance.
 
  • #2,677
Out of 10 Peter Pepper seeds put into soil over two weeks ago, only one germinated so far
 
  • #2,678
Our lettuce and arugula has sprouted but the dill hasn't made an appearance yet. I'm looking forward to lots of lettuce this summer.
 
  • #2,679
Here is a branch on one of the jalapeno plants that I brought inside during the winter. It's blooming and setting peppers like crazy.

074ll.jpg
 
  • #2,680
Evo said:
Here is a branch on one of the jalapeno plants that I brought inside during the winter. It's blooming and setting peppers like crazy.

074ll.jpg

Excellent. It's starting to get warm and sunny enough that you will be able to get it back outside. What a great head start.

I know a couple that has a pepper plant they've been bringing in every winter for many years. They had to transplant it in a half barrel sized planter. I'm kidding you not. The "trunk" was ~4" in diameter and had bark on it like a tree.

I just got back from buying my green house cold crops. So I'm hoping that we don't get a lot of hot/above average days. I going to wait until late afternoon to put them in the ground so today's sun doesn't shock them. I bought 1/2 dozen of each; Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
 
  • #2,681
I would love to have enough sunlight in this cabin to bring in some prized peppers, but I have neither the space for large containers, nor enough light to keep the plants alive. After my father-in-law lost one leg to gangrene (complication of diabetes) and was still gravely ill, he started raising chili peppers in a galvanized wash-tub in a sunny window. They were very snarly little peppers!

He picked up a taste for very hot peppers during WWII, as a liaison between the military and governments in Indo-China, working with insurgent groups in Japanese-occupied territories and helping arrange the construction of air-fields/refueling stops. The poor guy suffered long-term effects of malaria and other tropical diseases all the rest of his life, which certainly didn't make his battle with diabetes any easier.
 
  • #2,682
4/10 germinated. Still not as expected, but better than two days ago. Peter Pepper seems to be a slow starter - all other peppers germinated much earlier.
 
  • #2,683
Borek said:
4/10 germinated. Still not as expected, but better than two days ago. Peter Pepper seems to be a slow starter - all other peppers germinated much earlier.
Hopefully you can pick a peck. :devil:
 
  • #2,684
dlgoff said:
I just got back from buying my green house cold crops. So I'm hoping that we don't get a lot of hot/above average days. I going to wait until late afternoon to put them in the ground so today's sun doesn't shock them. I bought 1/2 dozen of each; Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.

We are having some cool damp weather right now and my cold crops are loving it. It's 43 deg F.
 
  • #2,685
dlgoff said:
Excellent. It's starting to get warm and sunny enough that you will be able to get it back outside. What a great head start.

I know a couple that has a pepper plant they've been bringing in every winter for many years. They had to transplant it in a half barrel sized planter. I'm kidding you not. The "trunk" was ~4" in diameter and had bark on it like a tree.

I just got back from buying my green house cold crops. So I'm hoping that we don't get a lot of hot/above average days. I going to wait until late afternoon to put them in the ground so today's sun doesn't shock them. I bought 1/2 dozen of each; Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
I have never heard of a pepper plant lasting many years. Any chance you could get a picture?! A 4-inch dia. trunk is impressive!
 
  • #2,686
Astronuc said:
I have never heard of a pepper plant lasting many years. Any chance you could get a picture?! A 4-inch dia. trunk is impressive!

It impressed me too. Especially the bark. I'll try to get over to their house and get a picture (I'll need to borrow my daughters camera).

In the winter, it didn't seem to be getting that much light, however it was in a south facing window. They gave me a sample of the fruit (in the summer they move it outdoors) and I didn't think it tasted all that good.
 
  • #2,687
dlgoff said:
It impressed me too. Especially the bark. I'll try to get over to their house and get a picture (I'll need to borrow my daughters camera).

In the winter, it didn't seem to be getting that much light, however it was in a south facing window. They gave me a sample of the fruit (in the summer they move it outdoors) and I didn't think it tasted all that good.

Astro, dlgoff,

I have a chili book that claims with proper care, the plants can live ten years or more, however, when dlgoff claims that the pepper plant is in a barrel and is 4 inches in diameter, that may be true, but at that size they have to be more than ten years old, however, I am only guessing. I posted a picture of bansi pepper plant from my pepper book awhile ago in this thead, I just dug the book out again, and here are three other pics adjacent to it, see thumbnails... Compared to these pictures, the trunk must be twice as big as the pic on the right, it will be interesting to see them in comparison.

I just moved four more plants from starter seed cups to a small pot, keeping the roots warm and watering sparingly from the bottom with warm water. My other three ghost pepper plants (started late January) are looking real healthy and getting big, hope to see them produce good pepper stock this year. I am thinking about bringing some to a local bagel shop, have them chop them (with rubber gloves on) real fine and bake into bagels, they may not be able to sniff the vapors while they cook, right now it is just a pie in the sky idea, but whole knows they could catch on. Time will tell.

Rhody... :devil:
 

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  • #2,688
dlgoff said:
I attached somed pictures in the "PF Random Thoughts" thread.
This is was April 3rd...
...Home grown eggs have thicker shells and can last for months refrigerated and when I collect them, they get washed and go directly in the refrigerator.

Ah say boy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTwnwbG9YLE"... So we have another backyard chicken enthusiast.. Good to hear it. You mention red pullets (in the other post).. Are you referring to Rhody Reds?

I'm a member of a local chicken co-op, we have 7 families all pitching in, we take care of 22 laying hens.. and have Rhodys (brown eggs) Leghorns (white eggs) & Ameraucanas (blue-green eggs).. These were born last April. And yep I can attest, the eggs do have thicker shells, especially with all the calcium we give them. But I wouldn't want to keep eggs around for months (refrigerated or otherwise).. The "http://www.fsis.usda.gov/factsheets/Does_Washing_Food_Promote_Food_Safety/index.asp" " (natural coating) on freshly laid eggs, act as an antibiotic, keeping bacteria from penetrating the shell.. Washing fresh eggs removes this bloom. I don't wash my eggs til using them. Only when giving them to friends & family will I go the extra step and wash any soil or poop off.

These friendly critters often undertake this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ9wlI4GXck" chook is quite a show stopper.

To keep this in the realm of gardening.. Chickens will eat bugs that are garden pests. They are a great source of natural fertilizer and will even trim your lawn :wink:
 
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  • #2,689
rhody said:
Astro, dlgoff,

I have a chili book that claims with proper care, the plants can live ten years or more, however, when dlgoff claims that the pepper plant is in a barrel and is 4 inches in diameter, that may be true, but at that size they have to be more than ten years old, however, I am only guessing. I posted a picture of bansi pepper plant from my pepper book awhile ago in this thead, I just dug the book out again, and here are three other pics adjacent to it, see thumbnails... Compared to these pictures, the trunk must be twice as big as the pic on the right, it will be interesting to see them in comparison.

The middle and right picture are similar to the plant that these folks have. Thanks for posting them.

They told me once what type it was, but I've forgotten now. The fruit had a sort of purple hue.
 
  • #2,690
Ouabache said:
Ah say boy, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTwnwbG9YLE"... So we have another backyard chicken enthusiast.. Good to hear it. You mention red pullets (in the other post).. Are you referring to Rhody Reds?

You know, I'm not sure. I bought them from the Tractor Supply Company and they were just call red pullets. I'm assuming they are Rhody Reds. Anyway, they said "I hope you like brown eggs"; which I do. :smile:
 
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  • #2,691
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  • #2,692
I hobbled out to the garden to check the garlic, and the shoots are poking through the heavy straw mulch. We have some unseasonably cold weather in the forecast, so I can't pull back the straw to give the garlic a chance to get up to the light. Garlic is very cold-hardy, but I don't want to find out what a hard freeze could do to the plants.
 
  • #2,693
Take it easy on the ankle turbo. You have plenty of good weather coming.
 
  • #2,694
dlgoff said:
Take it easy on the ankle turbo. You have plenty of good weather coming.
Yes, I'm pushing it and I shouldn't. Then later today my wife volunteered me to take the tractor to a neighbor's house and pull some diseased evergreens bordering their driveway. Unfortunately, neither the owner or her son knew anything about how to rig a chain, so I had to get off the tractor, hobble out to the bucket and show him how TWICE. I'm pretty sore now and the swelling has gotten worse. Time to lay low for a few days.

My wife thought it would be a nice gesture because running the tractor isn't too tough on the ankle, and there would be a male there to handle the rigging. Unfortunately, he was absolutely clueless, so I had to rig the chain myself the first couple of times so I wouldn't have to raise the loader bucket excessively (unsafe condition under heavy loads). My wife is used to rural Maine guys who know how to run and maintain heavy equipment, run chain saws, etc. Instead, I got teamed up with a life-long city boy. Live and learn.
 
  • #2,695
dlgoff said:
You know, I'm not sure. I bought them from the Tractor Supply Company and they were just call red pullets. I'm assuming they are Rhody Reds. Anyway, they said "I hope you like brown eggs"; which I do.
I think you will like the Rhody's. They are more a consistent egg-layer and also friendly
chickens. They don't mind if you pick them up and hold them.. Here’s a http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpZyDSnZ6VM" they are. You get to hear their funny cackling sounds in this clip.. I wonder what kind of coop are you going to build for them? Don't forget to protect them from wild predators (short list: fox, coon, possums, fisher-cats, owls, skunks & notagoshawks )

rhody said:
Ohh, the shame, imagine, poor Rhody now being reduced to nothing more than a brown egg laying machine...
I should have thought of this possibility before choosing my name over two years ago. Face-palm...
Hey, now we've given you some new ideas, in case you'd like to change your avitar :smile:
 
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