***The Official 2014 Gardening Thread***

[dmahurin]

So what is everyone planting this year? Trying anything new or different? I've already got potatoes in the ground and I'm trying an herb garden this year. I've started cilantro, oregano, and basil in planter pots from seed and will transfer to a 55 gallon drum cut in half length wise and laid on its side with drain holes.

Overall I'm going with tomatoes, green beans, peppers(jalapeño/bell), broccoli, lettuce, and the aforementioned potatoes.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by cabletech94

ive mentioned this before, buuuuuuuuuut here i go again. i did nothing but a straw bale garden last year. had maybe 20 bales total. gonna go at least 40 this year.
hit me up if you want some precise info, but there's a facebook page completely dedicated to it.
i'll never garden any other way again. and mother effer, i've still got 2 months before its time to plant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please explain a straw bale garden for us n00bs.

Thanks.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Miles

This is going to sound like a dumb as hell question for a gardening thread but figured I'd get a honest answer at least. Google hasn't lead me to much of an answer so here it goes. I recently bought a house with no sprinkler system and will be adding one soon enough. Any need to water dormant grass even occasionally in the winter (if you'd even call it that in TX this year)?

Congrats on the house man! I know you were in a condo before and I know you'll enjoy the space!

[dmahurin]

This 2 year old thread is still getting some action lol. I will be almkst doubling my gsrden size this year. Since the 2014 thread I've gotten chickens in my backyard for eggs and fertilizer. Been aging chicken shit in my compost pile and im ready to get it into the garden bed. I love being out in the garden on summer evenings with the royals game on the radio. Does any one have expierence raising bees? Ive been considering getting a hive in the yard for pollinating the garden/honey production. Never been around it but am very curious.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

This 2 year old thread is still getting some action lol. I will be almkst doubling my gsrden size this year. Since the 2014 thread I've gotten chickens in my backyard for eggs and fertilizer. Been aging chicken shit in my compost pile and im ready to get it into the garden bed. I love being out in the garden on summer evenings with the royals game on the radio. Does any one have expierence raising bees? Ive been considering getting a hive in the yard for pollinating the garden/honey production. Never been around it but am very curious.

How close are you to a corn field? Insecticide for spider mites is hard on bees.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

This 2 year old thread is still getting some action lol. I will be almkst doubling my gsrden size this year. Since the 2014 thread I've gotten chickens in my backyard for eggs and fertilizer. Been aging chicken shit in my compost pile and im ready to get it into the garden bed. I love being out in the garden on summer evenings with the royals game on the radio. Does any one have expierence raising bees? Ive been considering getting a hive in the yard for pollinating the garden/honey production. Never been around it but am very curious.

Any pics of your setup? I might be interested in the chicken thing but they all become coyote food or badger food. I don't need to subsidize those one who sucks the peniss diets.

[dmahurin]

Im not real close to anything that should be too bad for them. I only have 9 chickens in a relatively small coop. I let them out to free range during the day but keep them secured in the coop at night. Ive lost a few to hawks over the last 2 years but nothing crazy. Ill try and get some pics up later.

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Please explain a straw bale garden for us n00bs.

Thanks.

its basically straw bales with heavy cardboard underneath them, stops the weeds. you set up bales, end to end, and give them a 10-12 day of conditioning of fertilization and heavy watering. at the end of the 12 days you plant your seeds or plants and you are basically done.
i did put in a soaker hose on top of the bales and then put a thick layer of potting mix on top of the hose. i watered every other day. if there was too much water, the bales naturally dispersed the water. i had hardly any weeds that i had to pull, and my yields of tomatoes were spectacular!!
i had never grown cantalope before, and out of 4 plants, i had roughly 40 come to fruition. even had 5 watermelon from 1 plant. i'd never had luck with watermelon. ever. i would warn that one should only plant 2 tomato plant per bale, as they completely overtook everything!! i believe the facebook page is SBMG group. (straw bale miracle gardens) you can also buy a $20 book of the same name at lowes, or online. i would suggest if you are uneasy with this method, try 1 or 2 bales to start. it's the easiest method of gardening that i've ever done. and kind of fun, too!

[J Diddy]

Originally Posted by cabletech94

ive mentioned this before, buuuuuuuuuut here i go again. i did nothing but a straw bale garden last year. had maybe 20 bales total. gonna go at least 40 this year.
hit me up if you want some precise info, but there's a facebook page completely dedicated to it.
i'll never garden any other way again. and mother effer, i've still got 2 months before its time to plant!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ooooh, So I bought a house this year and have found a nice little spot to isolate from my chew puppies for that purpose in mind. Me thinks I like this idea.

[cabletech94]

Originally Posted by J Diddy

ooooh, So I bought a house this year and have found a nice little spot to isolate from my chew puppies for that purpose in mind. Me thinks I like this idea.

i even saw an idea where you stacked bales for height purposes, just for this reason! did i hook up your cable this year?

[dmahurin]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Any pics of your setup? I might be interested in the chicken thing but they all become coyote food or badger food. I don't need to subsidize those one who sucks the peniss diets.

2 water containers. One in the coop one outside. I speead a small amount of feed around on the ground everyday in rhe garden area so that they will scratch and crap in it. Kept it relativly turned and fertilized. Ill fence in the garden once its tilled and going. They tend to rake care of themselves. Paet of my garden is hand turned by the kids. They might be more excited about the garden this yesr than me.

[lewdog]

Buehler, can I use this for anything? Previous owners left this big bag in the shed, pretty much full, however we removed all the grass from the property after purchasing. Can I use it for anything in the garden?

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Buehler, can I use this for anything? Previous owners left this big bag in the shed, pretty much full, however we removed all the grass from the property after purchasing. Can I use it for anything in the garden?

Is that grass seed?

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Is that grass seed?

I don't think so? Looks like grass fertilizer to me?

Am I wrong?

http://www.yara.us/agriculture/produ...oyale-21-7-14/

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I don't think so? Looks like grass fertilizer to me?

Am I wrong?

http://www.yara.us/agriculture/produ...oyale-21-7-14/

Heh. It's fertilizer. You can use it. Just remember, use it sparingly. Think about how much plant matter is in a lawn versus your garden. You're growing fruit, which takes more than just biomass but don't get too crazy with fertilizer.

But yeah, keep it around. Are the prills still intact? If they're not, it's probably not worth dicking with.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Heh. It's fertilizer. You can use it. Just remember, use it sparingly. Think about how much plant matter is in a lawn versus your garden. You're growing fruit, which takes more than just biomass but don't get too crazy with fertilizer.

But yeah, keep it around. Are the prills still intact? If they're not, it's probably not worth dicking with.

Prills? As it little formed ball and not dust?

Yes, just fertilizer I can grab a handful of and throw on the ground.