What's Growing In Your Garden? Horticultural Science

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

1) 20% char
2) 15% char
3) 10% char
4) 5% char
5) control

Grillin' are we?


Sweetie and I are going to start our fisrt veggie garden soon....I cant wait it's been 15 years since I got to grow some eats...She does flowers every year though I always seem to be the one ammending, mulching and building the beds up...

The plan is NOT to dig up the existing soil at the planned location out back...(I've broken too many shovel blades diggin there)...but too instead build a large 24" high rectangle out of lumber painted with marine paint then lined with pond felt from the top of the sides allthe way accross the bottom...
When completed a 2" layer of clean sand will be topped with composted soil mixed with mulch and moss which I hope will yield easy to work with food and anchoring for my veggies, as well as soil that will retain lots of moisture.

I'm contemplating burrying black vinyl pipe withlots of holes rigged to a sump with a toiled float valve to thoroughly drought proof.

Any recomendations for type of wood and hardware to hold it together?

Soil mix? (additions to the planned mix or recomendations against any of the ingredients)

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

Dangitall!!!!! I was going to start my garden yesterday....I was so excited Friday it was 60 something so I was going to start after work...by the time I made the 45min drive home it was only 45deg and today it stayed cold...Sunday ain't supposed to be any better cold and rainy....ARRRRRRrrrrrrrrGG!!!!!!

[Moontanman]

Let's see, MJ, corn, and diesel trees. This allows me to make clothes, ropes, paper, food, celebrate, and fuel my vehicle. Fantasy is always better than reality! Actually I am obsessed with growing corn, squash, tomatoes (heirloom varieties), and collards.

[Michaelangelica]

Any info on the best tomato varieties would be appreciated Taste + hardiness.
m

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Any info on the best tomato varieties would be appreciated Taste + hardiness.
m

In our area tomatoes grow like crazy but my faves are tiny yellow pear shaped tomatoes and grape tomatoes. I also like the large yellow tomatoes but my favorite is the pink with white stripes tomatoes. Not for eating ripe but but for eating when they are green. These big pink with white striped tomatoes make the best fried green tomatoes I have ever had! I'll try to get the actual names for you if you want but i don't have them right now.

[nutronjon]

Slugs. I have a 10 X 20 community garden spot and it is full of slugs. I don't dare put anything out until I get control of the slugs, and with all the land around my little plot I don't know how I can protect mine from slugs, slugs, slugs. I am using coffee and coffee grounds.

I am physcially and financially limited too and feel overwhelmed with the work ahead of me. I have a 3 pronged tool and figure I will sit on the ground and do my best to till the soil with it and pull weeds out. I would love to have large boxes off the ground filled with the excellent soil Rexius makes, but our kicker checks don't come soon enough.

[Turtle]

Originally Posted by nutronjon

Slugs. I have a 10 X 20 community garden spot and it is full of slugs. I don't dare put anything out until I get control of the slugs, and with all the land around my little plot I don't know how I can protect mine from slugs, slugs, slugs. I am using coffee and coffee grounds.

I am physcially and financially limited too and feel overwhelmed with the work ahead of me. I have a 3 pronged tool and figure I will sit on the ground and do my best to till the soil with it and pull weeds out. I would love to have large boxes off the ground filled with the excellent soil Rexius makes, but our kicker checks don't come soon enough.

Great to hear you are gardening inspite of the hurdles. I think gardening is good therapy for both the body & the mind.

I found this eco friendly slug advice; it might work for you.

Originally Posted by Idealbite

The Bite
If you have slugs in your garden, there is a natural, non-toxic, and easy way to reduce the population and prolong the life of the plants that slugs love to eat: lure them into beer traps and drown them. Slugs are attracted to beer for the combination of yeast and the carbonation (which isn't really all that different from the reasons why we are attracted to it). ...

Ideal Bite - Natural Slug Control - Having a problem with slugs in your garden? Solve it by tapping into their innate drinking problem...

[DFINITLYDISTRUBD]

How do you make your's?

Mine are pvc pipe caps filled with rock salt with a cut down beer can in the center and a lagger cap with holes in the sides over them to keep the weather out.

[freeztar]

Originally Posted by Michaelangelica

Any info on the best tomato varieties would be appreciated Taste + hardiness.
m

I think you'll find this article interesting M.
America?s Favorite Tomatoes

[nutronjon]

Originally Posted by DFINITLYDISTRUBD

How do you make your's?

Mine are pvc pipe caps filled with rock salt with a cut down beer can in the center and a lagger cap with holes in the sides over them to keep the weather out.

That sounds good. I had heard of the beer cure, but throught evaporation and rain would make that effort futile. I will look for ways to make a trap that is protected from weather.

The slugs are very happy in the high grass. Seems to make sense that keeping surrounding grass short or elementating it all together with mulch, would improve the situation? I picked out 8 while working in the garden today. I am really concerned as much of the surrounding area isn't going to be cared for.

Turlte, I have an alcoholic, homeless friend who has expressed interest in helping in the garden. I am curious to see if this helps him in important ways, like self esteem and motivation to clean up a little bit. I need to carry these thoughts to the social science forum.