Food gardening

Folkcafe said:
Yes, the 3 raised beds were the first of our garden beds. She added perlite to these 3. Both types of beds are productive, just one was more costly to build. At the time, we were buying much of the materials including compost as we didn't have enough. A big part of my wife initially not wanting to expand the garden was cost. Eventually we figured out how to get low and no cost materials. For instance, I started out with a used chipper/shredder for leaves and tree branches but ended up getting fresh wood chips for composting from a tree company that drives past our house almost daily. As the wood begins to break down, it provides more than just ground cover.

Many plants have specific needs and we still end up with supplements such as natural gypsum for calcium for the tomatoes. Wife is also a big fan of fish emulsion early with seedlings after they go in the ground. Blood meal and Bone meal are two others she uses. The bed most of the tomatoes are in, is new this year. They are doing amazingly well.
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Yeah, the Roma tomato main bottom stem(s) look nice and thick. They'll come in all at once, yeah? You canning or freezing those?

The cooperative or whatever it's called for soil testing is about 45 miles away here. I ran across a diy soil test using two samples, one with vinegar and one with baking soda. Mix with dirt and see which one foams, or something like that. Opinion? I'm sure it won't tell everything about the soil one might like/need to know, but maybe a start?
 
Mick Doobie said:
I am currently testing the right concentration of glyphosal to slowly and steathedly kill from tree to root.
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You use sprays like glyphosphate? I have sprayed it to clear areas out of unwanted vegetation. It was what made Roundup product work so well. Spraying glyph also didnt poison the gardens food. You could even plant in the area like 3 days later. Glyph or no Glyph?
 
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LazerBeakShiek said:
You use sprays like glucosophate? I have sprayed it to clear areas out of unwanted vegetation. It was what made Roundup product work so well. Spraying gluke also didnt poison the gardens food. You could even plant in the area like 3 days later. Gluke or no Gluke?
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I've used it sparingly. Used it on 1 Tree of Heaven, twice. Waited. It did nothing. Obviously the percentage was too weak. I have 40% concentrate. I think I need to mix it so it is about 5%. I'd rather work up than go full tilt stronger than I need. I also used it on poison ivy, and English ivy. It seems to have worked. Time will tell if it killed the root system. Yeah, they say you can plant there soon after spraying, but advise against edibles. I would really like to avoid spraying, but there's really no other way, especially with Tree of Heaven. Alanthase, or whatever the proper name.
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
You sprayed the leaves ? it gets there through the leaves.

Is that why they taste funny?
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Ha. Careful there, bud.

Yeah, sprayed the shit out of everything above ground, for the ivy. Tree of Heaven a different story. Hack and spray method. Hack around the trunk leaving unharmed sections between hacks. Once I spray in the hack flap, tree still has healthy sub bark or whatever the correct term to send glyphosate into the root system. In essence tricking the tree that inspite of the hack injuries it's healthy and all is well. If you just cut the tree down and drench the stump it will not carry it to the root system, and will send out dozens of suckers up to 50' from the trunk. That's the dilemma with tree of heaven, too aggressive and it shrugs and multiplies further out of control.
 
According to the experts, glyphosate will not travel through the soil, and surrounding plants will be okay as long as overspray does not get on them. Use cardboard or plastic to protect when spraying.
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
You use sprays like glyphosphate? I have sprayed it to clear areas out of unwanted vegetation. It was what made Roundup product work so well. Spraying glyph also didnt poison the gardens food. You could even plant in the area like 3 days later. Glyph or no Glyph?
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I thought there were people claiming otherwise Beaky? Admittedly it does the job. Just when you think it is useless and doesnt work..........BAM!!!! ..... You wake up one morning and everything is dead.
 
On the news within the last day or two, the Spotted Lantern Fly has been spotted in a neighboring county. The SLF digs the Tree of Heaven as a home for nesting, and will devour among other things fruit trees. Control of the spread of Tree of Heaven on properties is strongly advised.

War.
 
just wondering, can you get a root clipping clone of the giant red woods in California? Like throw a giant tree in the back yard...Home Tree from Avatar.
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
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Got it covered. In spring, I will try and plant some veggies. It should stay reasonably clear under the cardboard. No sprays.
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Dump some grass clippings on there. That's what I did, per folkcafe's suggestion of the lasagna layering thing. Although I have a shitload of grass(and weedage) to cut, and utilize,. I do have to take care not to gather where the dogs poop. And it needs heat, time running out for that maybe. Maybe come spring I'll till some, and go the no till in the area I'm attempting to compost. I'll probably gather leaves and run over them a few times to shred. Cardboard, grass clippings, leaves. Brown, green, brown, and maybe more grass clippings.
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
just wondering, can you get a root clipping clone of the giant red woods in California? Like throw a giant tree in the back yard...Home Tree from Avatar.
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The wife ordered Sequoia Tree seeds, not sure from where or if they are the real deal. A kit. Pretty cool, but we'll likely be dead and gone before the thing is head and shoulders.

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I have a basket filled on a "fast tree" website. 1 multiple stone fruit tree(peach, plum, apricot). Grafted, all on one tree! One cherry tree. 2 apple trees, they need a buddy for pollination. I might hold off on blueberries, they need acidic soil and I'm not sure where I'm at there yet. Need a soil test.

Only thing, they seem to sell out quickly sometimes, so checked back last night and they have a fairly good instock to order from. But I'm not sure the wisdom of planting so late to colder weather approaching. Ships in 2 days, but hesitant to pull the trigger. Opinions?
 
Mick Doobie said:
I have a basket filled on a "fast tree" website. 1 multiple stone fruit tree(peach, plum, apricot). Grafted, all on one tree! One cherry tree. 2 apple trees, they need a buddy for pollination. I might hold off on blueberries, they need acidic soil and I'm not sure where I'm at there yet. Need a soil test.

Only thing, they seem to sell out quickly sometimes, so checked back last night and they have a fairly good instock to order from. But I'm not sure the wisdom of planting so late to colder weather approaching. Ships in 2 days, but hesitant to pull the trigger. Opinions?
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It getting late..but you can do it.

Establish some roots before it goes dormant for winter. Use a cone.

I saw that mixed fruit graft. Interesting how the varieties get along. Some don't. Like my Raspberries are two kinds and they need to be at least 100 feet apart. Same with the blueberries. The one is a larger higher bush that produces twice a year. But the two cannot be together.

Fastgrowingtrees are legit. Got em in the ground and I must say, they are thriving.
 
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As I understand it, the fall is the best time to be planting fruit trees. They get time to establish roots with less stress before winter, and are ready to go when spring arrives.
 
Mick Doobie said:
I'm attempting to compost. I'll probably gather leaves and run over them a few times to shred. Cardboard, grass clippings, leaves. Brown, green, brown, and maybe more grass clippings.
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What about ashes? I just burned my sticks and yard waste in my fire pit. What to do with the ashes ? is there a best use?
 
LazerBeakShiek said:
What about ashes? I just burned my sticks and yard waste in my fire pit. What to do with the ashes ? is there a best use?
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Ashes are a good source of lime and potassium but it is easy to over do it. Spread it lightly on the bed and compost the rest with any other organic material you have. It contains lye and salts which if too much can burn plants if too much is directly used.
 
My trees came in from fast trees.com! Nicely packed and look healthy. My purchase....

1 Stella Cherry Tree. Sweet cherry, maybe slightly tart? Flowers beautifully in the spring, bright red cherries. Self fertile.

1 Fruit Cocktail Tree. Unfortunately not labeled, but will have 3 among the following, all on 1 tree!....Peach, Nectarine, Plum, Prune, Apricot...basically a stone fruit tree.

2 three-in-one Apple Trees. Labeled. 1 tree has Granny Smith, Gala, and Fuji. 1 tree has Granny Smith, Gala, and Red Delicious. Eh, I would rather have not had Red Delicious, but that's okay.

Also, 1 Kiowa Blackberry plant. HUGE fruit. Yeah, I would have liked more of those, but I'm not quite sure where I am going to put them yet. There's always room in the future to expand.

All grafted onto old root stock rather than from seed, so I could get fruit as early as the 1st year. I'm not too hung up on the first year, I just don't want to have to wait in the neighborhood of 7. With the exception being the Blackberry, I have a pretty good idea of where to get them in the ground. I just have to keep the deer off of them. It ain't going to be pretty, but it's a price I'm willing to pay after investing about $800 in the lot....not including supplies to protect them.
 
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