Gardening 2012!

[Chiquita]

crookedtree check out a book called Lasagna Gardening. The theory is basically sheet composting and she uses this technique for situations like yours, where they started from poor soil.

I've used both the lasanga technique and the sq. ft. technique and found benefits for them both. Lasanga works great for our dry conditions and is super simple, sq.ft makes it easier to lay the screen over the raised beds to deter cats but for me it seemed to use a lot more water. Spinach and leafy greens loved the raised beds, zukes and tomatoes loved the lasagna beds.

Take all that with a grain of salt, we had a record drought last year. As far as organic matter goes, there are lots of pecan trees in the area so every fall I put big layers of those in the beds and by spring they are mostly decomposed into black loveliness. My neighbor even gave me her bags of leaves!

[kitchen]

thanks for the recommendations! i'm really excited to start this year because last year we moved in june and didnt have time to start our garden early.

irmavep - we definitely wont eat anything grown on the rubble. i love your idea of the bagged compost. i think our plan is to put down some cork slabs on half the area and put our bbq there because the soil is just so gross.

definitely going to use our fences and a couple palettes for vertical gardening!

my concern now is that it's gonna be hell trying to start seedlings and sprouts indoors because my cat will definitely get into it all. we really lack space and storage so i'm thinking of making some sort of hanging flat container?
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THE MUNDANE IS TO BE CHERISHED

[crookedtree]

[Chiquita]

[meexie]

Are any of you composting in a small area? I'd like to compost my kitchen fruit and veg trimmings, tea leaves, coffee grounds, and eggshells. The backyard is tiny and I don't want anything that the neighbors would smell. I've thought about a worm bin but it seems like more maintenance than I'm willing to put in right now.
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"I hate that they're giving tea a bad name. Tea is a peaceful, gentle drink." - Teahugger

[IrmaVep]

I've never noticed our compost smelling. We're currently using a plastic compost bin with a tight-fitting lid, but I don't think the wooden one we used to have smelt either.

[smalltowngirl]

You can also get these spiky things to help keep cats out of the garden. You might be able to think about something that would do the same thing but you have laying around?

http://www.gardeners.com/Safe-Cat-Deterrent/31-954,default,pd.html

A layer of pinecones might also work, and they break down so slowly I don't think it would add much acid to the soil. Or just compensate by adding a thick layer of compost first?

Or, beat them at their own game and ATTRACT them to one area of the garden by planting things they like, such as catnip or other herbs!

About the coyote urine...just to note...I have read that it is simply collected from zoos/etc after the animal has peed in drains to coyote farms where they have cathedars attached to them and the fur trade collects the pee in order to make extra cash...does anyone know the truth? I won't use the stuff due to the controversy around it.

Needless to say, I'm so excited about gardening season!

[Chiquita]

Thanks for the info smalltowngirl, I'll watch this thread and ask around about how this repellent is collected. I did buy it and use it, however, we actually have had a lot of rain since then (YAH!) so I don't think it lasted. I have had to keep all the other physical deterrents in place for now and see what I have around to mimic those spikes.

No time lately to plant new seeds but hope to do so next weekend. We had a huge hail storm 2 nights ago so my chard and spinach suffered a lot. Might toss in some new seeds today.

YEAH rain!

[knittykat]

So last year's garden was a super huge disappointment to me, so I'm a little gun-shy this year. I planted a last-minute fall garden (August) chose cool-hardy plants with short maturation dates, took SUCH good care of them, was jazzed to get beautiful bushy greens but nothing underground ever matured. Like, three times their usual maturation rates they were just roots. I was so bummed. I wanted vegetables so bad.

I think the reason I'm feeling that way is that I was so ANGRY at myself--I spent all summer laughing at people wasting their time digging in the dirt. Then when everyone's harvests started coming in, I changed my mind and tried to get a late start but it was too late. I need to let go of that disappointment and move on!

I really want to start seeds indoors--I've been saving egg cartons! When should I start them? I probably won't be able to put them outside until mid-May.

I get overwhelmed looking at all the different varieties and thinking about what I want. I'm planning to build a couple of raised beds and do square foot gardening.

So, when do I start? Is it possible to start TOO early?
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"Fun is where you find it" - jackierocket

[puck]

knittycat, yes. it is possible to start too early.

but i have a friend named http://sproutrobot.com/ who can help you figure out when to plant things.

i was super overwhelmed by this part of things, so i'm glad our robot friend came along.

i bought sixteen packets of seeds yesterday! and apparently i'm going to start my broccoli indoors today.
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xoxpuck
"i'm a little bit pop-culture
and a lot bit d.i.y."
(rawr!)

[smalltowngirl]

Knitty,

I think its great to want to start gardening, but go easy and start with some things that are easy to grow. I think its better to be successful with a few things and "get the bug" before going hog wild and ending up disappointed.

Raised beds is a great idea b/c you can control how alive the soil is from the start. If you just dig up your lawn and plant stuff, your veggie garden is likely starved for nutrients and could even be showing effects of pesticides and stuff if they are used on your lawn.

I would actually stay away from starting seeds right now and focus on building up your garden soil. Get some bags of compost or a truckload of it delivered. Have your soil tested if you want. Soil health is THE key to growing a good organic garden, and it takes years to build up! So invest in that right now instead of starting seedlings.

I would suggest buying seedlings from a local greenhouse (not the big box stores...they are addicted to chemicals and usually come with diseases and are stressed) and then buying seeds for things that you and Maggie can plant the seeds right in the ground. Easy to grow things like that are beans, peas, lettuce, beets, spinach, sunflowers, etc. Safe the "sexy stuff" (tomatotes, peppers, etc) for buying as a nice healthy seedling from a greenhouse. Look for seedlings that ARE NOT flowering. Flowering in a tiny pot means they are stressed. You want a nice looking seedling with nice green leaves and stockiness.

I hope the helps a little.

That said, I was "good" this year and "only" spend $100 on seeds. I clearly have a problem! Oh well, last year I "invested" in a $700 grow light set up, haha! Thank god for payment plans!

[crookedtree]

[knittykat]

Oh, I know it's way too early to start things outside, but is it too early to start inside?

I totally understand taking a gradual, easy approach and how it is ideal.....but I just don't operate that way! I do things balls-out or not at all LOL.

Last year was good prep for how to plant and care for stuff, this year I want some actual veggies!



Dumb question--what do they use coyote fur for? I've heard of mink coats, rabbit coats, beaver and seal....but coyote? Who would want that?
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"Fun is where you find it" - jackierocket

[mohawk]

Knitty- we have started our seeds indoors already. And there was snow on the ground this morning. Oops.

+ View larger

P1040985 by akuhlrock, on Flickr

+ View larger

P1040987 by akuhlrock, on Flickr

Our first round of seeds are as follows:
BOLERO CARROTS
PURPLE HAZE CARROTS
ORANGE SUN PEPPERS
BIG RED PEPPERS
FLASHY TROUT BACK ROMAINE LETTUCE
RUBY BELL CORAL BELLS
HOLLYHOCK
YARROW
COREOPSIS
ECHINACEA PURPUREA
POWWOW WILD BERRY ECHINACEA
MUNSTEAD LAVENDER
SHASTA DAISY
ASTILBE
BLACK BARLOW COLUMBINE
NEW YORK ASTER
BENARY'S GIANT ZINNIA
CARDINAL FLOWER
SAVANNAH RUBY GRASS
BLUE QUEEN SALVIA
GENOVESE BASIL

My husband is obsessed!
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She believed she could, so she did.

[knittykat]

Wow those look awesome!
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"Fun is where you find it" - jackierocket