2022 Garden Thread

[Northern NH Mike]

I'm trying to be a bot more organized with my vegetable garden this year. Put together a list of dates things should be started indoors and outdoors before the "last frost". I have some San Marzano tomatoes that i started indoors before I got organized. Just transplanted them from the peat pellets to some pots yesterday. Going to get some potatoes and onion sets out shortly and start my peppers inside.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I'm trying to be a bot more organized with my vegetable garden this year. Put together a list of dates things should be started indoors and outdoors before the "last frost". I have some San Marzano tomatoes that i started indoors before I got organized. Just transplanted them from the peat pellets to some pots yesterday. Going to get some potatoes and onion sets out shortly and start my peppers inside.

Way to go, Mike! BTW, we love the San Marzano's for sauce. We plant them every year.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Well, we didn't exactly get done what we planned to do today, but we got a lot of work done.

First, we moved 3 locust raised beds from the backyard down to the food forest. If you have ever worked with locust, you know how much it weighs. Probably the main reason why it makes such good, raised beds. It is so dense and weighs a ton; it just about never rots.

We also got the electric wires from the tool shed and the electric fence energizer down to the electric fence buried underground.

We also got a huge area leveled off where stumps were buried over 20 years ago when the food forest area was all woods. Over the years, this area has sunk down about 2 feet.

And for something different, I repotted into larger containers 4 of my pond plants. They were so root bound, I had to use an axe to cut through them.

Just another typical day here at MoonShadows Farm.

Cooking chicken on the BBQ with homemade potato and macaroni salad...of course after 1 or 2 gin and tonics!

Tomorrow is another day.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I had my phone in my pocket today, so I took 2 pictures. We planted the 20 asparagus roots in the trench covering them with 2" of soil, adding bone meal, and watering them in. As they push through, we will keep adding soil until the level comes up to the ground around the asparagus.

We also got the 3 raised beds filled for the cantaloupes, acorn squash, and cucumbers. I have netting I will attach later to help them climb.

 

[begreen]

Looks good. What is the framework of these beds made from? Wood? I am contemplating putting in some new beds and trying to decide the materials. Our current beds are concrete and have stood up well, but they have a 12" foot that restricts root depth except in the center of the 4' bed. I have been contemplating the stainless or galvanized metal option. Is it heavy enough to stand up over time? Can one lever a pitchfork off the edge without deforming it? I commonly do this when turning the beds in spring.

This is what our current beds look like (last year's shot).

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I was looking at galvanized beds! It won’t happen this year, but they look like a really good option!


We decided to put a patio in. So I’m taking out 1 bed. I transferred half of the raised bed’s soil to 2 other beds that were low on soil. And filled some holes the pup dug. Sigh. While I was working I looked back and saw him start to scrape a new hole. One yell from me and he stopped and ran to the back door, lol. He knew. Teenagers….

 

[Dan Freeman]

Looks good. What is the framework of these beds made from? Wood? I am contemplating putting in some new beds and trying to decide the materials. Our current beds are concrete and have stood up well, but they have a 12" foot that restricts root depth except in the center of the 4' bed. I have been contemplating the stainless or galvanized metal option. Is it heavy enough to stand up over time? Can one lever a pitchfork off the edge without deforming it? I commonly do this when turning the beds in spring.

This is what our current beds look like (last year's shot).
View attachment 295082

I like those concrete beds. How do you keep the soil from pushing the blocks outward?

The 3 beds in the foreground of that picture are black locust that I constructed. I had the wood cut at a local sawmill - true 2 x 8 x 10; the smaller one is 2 x 6 x 10. They are 3 years old and show no sign of decay. They should hold up for years. The one in the background is galvanized. When I bought one last year, I was a bit leery as the sides are rather thin, but once put together, it held up very well, so well that I bought 10 more this year. As for levering a pitchfork on the side of the galvanized ones, you can't do that. I also have a number of cedar raised beds as well, which I think are my favorite. Lighter wood and decay resistant.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I was looking at galvanized beds! It won’t happen this year, but they look like a really good option!


We decided to put a patio in. So I’m taking out 1 bed. I transferred half of the raised bed’s soil to 2 other beds that were low on soil. And filled some holes the pup dug. Sigh. While I was working I looked back and saw him start to scrape a new hole. One yell from me and he stopped and ran to the back door, lol. He knew. Teenagers….

I got 10 of the 4 x 8 galvanized beds this year for $75 a piece. I thought that was a good buy compared to how much the cedar beds went up in price this year. I just checked and I see the price is at $95 now. Amazon product ASIN B07T499RHJ
My chickens love to dig holes!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

BG, do you need to turn your beds? I use a 3 prong rake and only disturb the top inch or so of soil. It gets the debris from last year out.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I could probably weed with it too, but groundcover keeps the beds moister.

 

[begreen]

BG, do you need to turn your beds? I use a 3 prong rake and only disturb the top inch or so of soil. It gets the debris from last year out.

How do you amend the soil in the beds?

I typically turn the top 6" of the 16" deep beds. The soil in our raised beds gets heavy and compacted by the overwinter rains. I'm thinking about incorporating some sawdust in fall to lighten them up. Early in spring I added llama poo and bedding to a few beds to see how that works out. In the others, I am trying some very good composted horse manure.

 

[begreen]

I like those concrete beds. How do you keep the soil from pushing the blocks outward?

Each block is an L. The bed gets lined with landscape fabric then filled with soil. The weight of the dirt makes these beds very stable.
This picture is not our garden but shows the blocks going in. They can be customized and cost about what cedar does, but last forever.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

How do you amend the soil in the beds?

I typically turn the top 6" of the 16" deep beds. The soil in our raised beds gets heavy and compacted by the overwinter rains. I'm thinking about incorporating some sawdust in fall to lighten them up. Early in spring I added llama poo and bedding to a few beds to see how that works out. In the others, I am trying some very good composted horse manure.

I typically only layer on top. Kind of a nature mimicry thing. I suppose the worms turn it too. Micorrhizal fungi help fungi bring the nutrients to the surface. I suspect my garden compost is broken down by fungi more than bacteria.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Im at Wendy’s. Can you see starting a few hundred little plants in their ketchup containers?

 

[begreen]

Im at Wendy’s. Can you see starting a few hundred little plants in their ketchup containers?

View attachment 295095

too shallow and no drainage.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Probably. Just seems like a fun thing to try.


I got 2 sets of kale planted today. Dinosaur and Vates dwarf blue. I really threw spacing out the window figuring if I kept it trimmed it wouldn’t interfere too bad. Here’s the dwarf in a 7 gallon tub. Then I noticed I had 6 plantlets left and decided to do a long term experiment with the aerogarden. Vates is supposed to do well in heat, and grow well all year long. And the long term growing pods have 6 spots. Here we go! I’ll report back on how they do all summer long! Lol

 

[begreen]

We have been growing rainbow lacinato lately. It's a cross between red russian and dinosaur kale. I like it because it's less bitter.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I planted a Russian kale a few years ago. I think it was Siber Frill Kale. It seemed to do well.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Each block is an L. The bed gets lined with landscape fabric then filled with soil. The weight of the dirt makes these beds very stable.
This picture is not our garden but shows the blocks going in. They can be customized and cost about what cedar does, but last forever.

View attachment 295094

I've never seen those L shaped blocks. Makes for a nice-looking bed.

 

[Dan Freeman]

I typically only layer on top. Kind of a nature mimicry thing. I suppose the worms turn it too. Micorrhizal fungi help fungi bring the nutrients to the surface. I suspect my garden compost is broken down by fungi more than bacteria.

How do you amend the soil in the beds?

I typically turn the top 6" of the 16" deep beds. The soil in our raised beds gets heavy and compacted by the overwinter rains. I'm thinking about incorporating some sawdust in fall to lighten them up. Early in spring I added llama poo and bedding to a few beds to see how that works out. In the others, I am trying some very good composted horse manure.

I do just about the same thing with my beds as Limestone. I also use a good amount of vermiculite in my raised beds which helps to keep the soil from compacting as well (and helps to hold moisture and nutrients, slowly releasing both). I swear by Micorrhizal fungi. I always sprinkle it on the roots as I am transplanting. The powder form can also be mixed with water and applies as well. I would avoid sawdust. It will most likely tie up nitrogen. I know wood chips on the surface don't, but if you dig them in, they will tie up the nitrogen until they break down.

 

[begreen]

I would avoid sawdust. It will most likely tie up nitrogen. I know wood chips on the surface don't, but if you dig them in, they will tie up the nitrogen until they break down.

I hear you, though my understanding is that the nitrogen is not depleted, it is temporarily bound up. I have two beds where I mixed in a sawdust/high nitrogen compost blend that used alder sawdust. Alder is a legume and the sawdust breaks down quickly. Those beds have the best tilth of any of my beds year after year. They are full of big worms too. So theoretically I was thinking of amending these beds with this blend in fall to let it mellow over winter. It's often available for free and I can supplement nitrogen in the spring.
Vermiculite is another option I hadn't considered. It would take a lot to be effective enough to amend 8 beds (4'x14'x16") which could get expensive. Each bed is close to 75 cu ft. How much per bed would be required? Are there large volume sources that are safe? I have read that vermiculite retains water well, which is not an issue for our beds. My concern is that it might get over soggy over the winter and retain moisture too long and thus compound the problem?

 

[Dan Freeman]

I hear you, though my understanding is that the nitrogen is not depleted, it is temporarily bound up. I have two beds where I mixed in a sawdust/high nitrogen compost blend that used alder sawdust. Alder is a legume and the sawdust breaks down quickly. Those beds have the best tilth of any of my beds year after year. They are full of big worms too. So theoretically I was thinking of amending these beds with this blend in fall to let it mellow over winter. It's often available for free. Vermiculite is another option I hadn't considered. It would take a lot to be effective enough to amend 8 beds (4'x14'x16") which could get expensive. Each bed is close to 75 cu ft. How much per bed would be required?

Yes, bound up is probably more accurate than depleted. You are right, there. (I used "tie up".) I didn't know Alder was a legume! Take a look at Ggeenhouse Mega Store. I buy 4 cubic yard bags of course vermiculite from them with free shipping at a reasonable price of 30-something a bag. Much cheaper than you will pay for smaller bags at Lowes, Home Depot, or your local nursery. I checked the other day. I think they expect it back in stock by the end of April. You do have a lot of bed space to cover. Start off with doing a few a year to spread the cost out. Once you mix it in, you never have to replace it. I use about 2 cubic feet per 4' x 10' x12" bed.

 

[Dan Freeman]

Just too nasty to work outside today. 46, cloudy and windy! I just started a fire in the stove. I've been busy migrating all the files from my 9-year-old computer to my new computer.

We got another delivery of 5 cubic yards of the 50/50 mix today (50 topsoil/50 mushroom compost). That's 20 cubic yards so far this year. We pay $45 a yard for each 5-yard delivery plus a $50 delivery fee. Luckily, I am friends with the nursery owner. His usual deliver fee is $90!

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Years ago we used Perlite in our raised beds in Virginia. I think it still retains water but not quite as well as Vermiculite. I'm not totally sure on that, but it might be worth investigating as another possibility.

@begreen , I'm surprised that moisture retention is a problem for you with such low annual rainfall. I guess it all comes at the wrong time of year for you or something. Do you use a mulch on your beds in the winter? Or cover crops?

I have used woodchip mulch in the past, but I'm trying to move away from that because it's hard for me not to get it incorporated into the soil more than I prefer. I've used shredded oak leaves this past winter, and I think I'm going to stick with those as much as I can in the future. I think the mulch helps prevent some of the compaction that occurs with driving rains (though we haven't had much of those this winter at all). Overall, however, mulch is more beneficial to me than going without it, even if it does temporarily tie up nitrogen. That alder sawdust mixed with high nitrogen compost sounds pretty awesome, especially if it's available for free. I get excited when I see worms in my beds because I know that something good is happening in the soil.

I grow tillage radishes as a cover crop when I can. I do it primarily for the soil drilling effect under my beds, but they certainly make abundant greenery. I can see that being helpful as well in shielding the soil from hard rains. I just cut down my grows of greenery this past weekend and added it to a compost bin full of shredded leaves. The radishes didn't make huge roots for me because I planted them too late, but I left that root matter in the soil to decompose. I've noticed that this seems to attract earthworms to those areas as well.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

@EatenByLimestone , I am gradually clearing seedlings out of my second Aerogarden, but there are still some herbs that are very slowly growing that I want to get better roots. The first Aerogarden has been empty for a while, but I had been thinking of trying to grow some Komatsuna in it as an indoor crop. Now I'm wondering about the smaller kale that I have. I'll have to look into that.

Cabbage worms have arrived in full force on my broccoli and cauliflower leaves. I've been smashing them regularly the past couple of days when it has been (thankfully) damp in the mornings. Since the chances of rain are past but it is still a bit cooler and cloudier than normal, I sprayed some Spinosad this morning to see if that will help.