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Vegetable Gardening Guru
Patrick:
--- Quote from: Beloved ---
I am going to do some vertical gardening,
--- End quote ---
http://www.hangingtomato.com/
Be sure and click the "see it work" button. :)
If only it were that easy!
I've been thinking real serious about a garden; the heat and critters are a really BIG concern. You need a Ft. Knox to protect the garden. Attack can come from above as well as below, and all sides. If only people would stop trapping the ground squirrels and dropping them off in our area! >:(
winner08:
I love garndening, before Katrina I had beautifull produce. I grew okra, peas, toms, banana pepers, bell pepers, then I started growing my own spices. I loved it. I have put it off far too long. I wanted to start this yr. but I am not sure if I will be moving again or not. I will know in the next week or so. If it is not too late I will start to plant. First I will till the soil, the old fasion way. with a shovel. Turning over patches of grass and then removing the grass untill there is nothing but soil left. Then I will mix in some furtilizer and some miracle grow then plant. I miss it. well see what happens.
Darren
Ninny:
Hey some good ideas guys! I was all set to do me some planting, then we found out my grandson has to have surgery again, so that will have to wait! Judy I wish my yard would grow clover we do have a lot but nasty old grass and weeds that you have to mow grows too! :P I try to let the clover grow as much as possible for the bees. I am concerned about the honey bees so I leave the clover when I can!
Kathy :)
Kat:
Hi Darren,
Oh it's still early in the season, even for the deep south, you've got time. I'm like you, i do gardening the old fashion way with a shovel, I think it's good exercise. I'm planting about the same as you, but throwing in some peas and beans.
Kathy I'm praying that your grandson's surgery will go well.
It's still early to set out a lot of things, so I've started some seeds in pots to get a head start. I've noticed all the trees are starting to bloom too, spring is in the air :)
mercy, peace and love
kat
Kat:
If you can't dig, plan
by Sandy Hodson on January 22, 2009
It's a good thing the Master Gardener class began in the winter. By this time in the year I'm usually re-reading old gardening magazines, drooling over the plant catalogs and ordering too much.
But after classes this week, I vow to start gardening smarter. The most important tools in the gardening war chest are pen and paper, so say the masters, Richmond County Extension Agent Sid Mullis and retired Agent Clyde Lester.
Flowers, well ornamentals, and vegetables were the subjects this week. Since I love flowers and long to grow my own tomatoes, I was thrilled with this week's lessons.
Back to the subject. Pen and paper makes you think out a plan of action. You want to plant plants in the right place because 80 percent of the gardening problems are caused by a plant's inability to tolerate or adapt to the place you put it.
This is a perfect time of year to figure out what you are going to do when the weather can no longer hold you back. Start by taking a good look around your yard and do a rough sketch. Make notes of the conditions _ where are the shady areas, where does the sun beat down for hours every day, which way is northwest (where cold winds come from), note the traffic areas, and determine soil conditions.
That last item, soil condition, is very important. If yours suffer from the curses of Augusta _ sand or its opposite and just as annoying clay _ you can improve it by adding compost and soil conditioners. And get that soil tested. Ornamentals love pH of 5.2 to 6.5.
Mulch is a best friend, but don't go nuts and don't let it build up year after year. Mulching the vegetable garden should be delayed until whenever it heats up. That's because you want the ground to warm up around the new vegetable plants. Mulch can keep the ground cool and slow plant growth.
Plan your vegetable garden, too. Know how much area you have. Then you can decide how many plants can fit and which ones you will grow. Rows should go east and west, and the taller plants should be on north and west sides. Your site must have at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. You will need medium texture soil that is cultivated to a 12-inch depth. Vegetables prefer a pH of 6 to 6.5.
If you don't have the space for rows of plants, like me, you can square-foot garden. That means doing a square with each plant getting one square foot. Letting plants grow vertically (staking) makes good use of small spaces. Use containers, that are weighed down to decrease knock over, or make a raised bed.
http://blogs.augusta.com/thegardengnome
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