Petee Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 1 hour ago, jaman said: Last year great tomato crop. This year NO tomato crop. What happened this year? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaman Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 4 hours ago, Petee said: What happened this year? I honestly dont know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Did the plants not grow, not produce blossoms, not produce fruit, not ripen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 We just finished a little while ago doing two batches of canned tomatoes, my favorite! I just wish we could get some warm nights!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavender Posted September 12, 2017 Share Posted September 12, 2017 Huge cabbages! Sanibel and steelnut 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steelnut Posted September 30, 2017 Author Share Posted September 30, 2017 I know lots of folks love autumn, I do too, but to a point. I hate that everything is dying. I love spring when everything is coming to life. I had my annual cry in my garden this week. It's just so sad that it's almost over and we have to wait until next May to plant again, 8 months away. Sanibel 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Next year you may want to install a small low tunnel or hoop house in which you can extend your growing season by months. Then the fun can last clear into November or even January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 On 9/30/2017 at 7:58 PM, steelnut said: I know lots of folks love autumn, I do too, but to a point. I hate that everything is dying. I love spring when everything is coming to life. I had my annual cry in my garden this week. It's just so sad that it's almost over and we have to wait until next May to plant again, 8 months away. Just getting ready for the winter garden steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Will you be covering that with anything like a cover crop or wood chips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 4 hours ago, Petee said: Will you be covering that with anything like a cover crop or wood chips? It will be covered with kale and collards all winter. The chickens will eat more than I do Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 Toss in some bunching onions for spring and a layer of wood chips, and you won't have to till in the spring. Your soil will be much richer and have better tilth, more worms and each year you will get closer to a perfect soil. Fewer insects, less fertilizer, healthier plants with more disease resistance and better water retention. LFG and steelnut 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 14 hours ago, Petee said: Toss in some bunching onions for spring and a layer of wood chips, and you won't have to till in the spring. Your soil will be much richer and have better tilth, more worms and each year you will get closer to a perfect soil. Fewer insects, less fertilizer, healthier plants with more disease resistance and better water retention. Thanks, I'll try that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 It can take up to 3 years of wood chips to reach perfect composition but you can reduce that drastically by using a deep (6-8 inch) layer of very well rotted chips. If they are fresh then they can take a year or two to compost properly. In that case, use them in a thin layer for weed prevention. Fresh chips use nitrogen, composted chips release it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted October 3, 2017 Share Posted October 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Petee said: It can take up to 3 years of wood chips to reach perfect composition but you can reduce that drastically by using a deep (6-8 inch) layer of very well rotted chips. If they are fresh then they can take a year or two to compost properly. In that case, use them in a thin layer for weed prevention. Fresh chips use nitrogen, composted chips release it. Oh, I have a mountain of a compost pile All grass clippings and leaves go in my pens, the chickens add fertilizer and turn it rigorously, then every spring that layer is cleaned out and put in the compost pile. I learned the hard way not to put it in the garden the first year steelnut 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted October 4, 2017 Share Posted October 4, 2017 OK, I'm jealous! Compost is better than gold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFG Posted October 5, 2017 Share Posted October 5, 2017 On 10/3/2017 at 9:37 PM, Petee said: OK, I'm jealous! Compost is better than gold! Have you tried that with your chickens? I wind up with a mix that is about 60% grass/40% dried leaves. It is great to absorb moisture from rain, so it never turns into that mushy nastiness that you get from chickens on dirt. It also kills 90% of the odor that one would normally think of at a chicken farm. People comment all the time on how little smell there is in my penning area.They turn it so much that it ends up looking like a 6-8 inch layer of brownish black fine mulch by the time I clean it out in the spring Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petee Posted October 6, 2017 Share Posted October 6, 2017 Their outer run is beautiful soil but I need to add more wood chips. Hubby has been doing the major hauling to the berry patch but the girlies will need some soon. I suppose I should get my butt out there and help. He also hauls the clumps of fresh cut grass to them and they have a real party tossing it around. This year I finally have enough leaves to make raking them worth while. A sycamore and a Catalpa that were planted years ago have big canopies and bigger leaves. I'll add them to the mountain of coffee grounds that I've been collecting for the last year. Next spring, a cement mixer to make compost for the BUDS and me. Anyone have an old clunker that they want to get rid of? The coop hasn't been cleaned since June and there is NO smell. For that I buy a bale of pine chips and they work great! LFG 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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