The Gardening Thread. This is where "tailgating" begins..

[cracengl]

@cracengl thanks for the tips. My melons and pumpkins I planted from seed. Everything else is starters from home depot...probably the suckiest of all places to buy such things. It's a very rewarding hobby and I've learned a lot. My post sounds pretty dreadful but I have had some successes and we've sure enjoyed natures gifts. I built a single 4/8 raised box this year and just planted my melons in mounds of dirt. I have great designs on next years garden already. It's gonna rule!!!!

Have you ever fooled with hydroponics or soil-less gardens? I'm considering that or some sort of containerized garden next year.

Home Depot plants aren't that bad really, it's just that the variety is limited. I've never done hydroponics, but I think there might be someone down the road from me that has something kind of like that. I just did containers for my peppers and tomatoes last year, but I found that you have to have a lot larger containers than you'd think you really need, which for me makes it somewhat cost prohibitive. I live on 12 acres though, so I can afford to dedicate one permanent section of my yard to a garden spot. And the thing with planting in the ground is that for places like where I live in GA, the clay in our soil makes tasty tomatoes.

One thing I am experimenting with this year and in following years is no till. I did till this year because I wanted to quickly kill the grass. I then planted my plants and found that the weeks were horrible, so I cut all the weeds down with my lawn mower, covered with newspaper and then straw. Now, no weeds to be found. My plan, at the end of this season is to just cut the dead plants down, cover with a layer of cardboard and then top that with some hay. I'm not sure if I am going to get rid of the straw first or not. From what I hear, worms love the glues found in cardboard. Next year, I'm just going to make holes big enough for my plants and do the newspaper / straw deal again. Hopefully this will make for some really nice yields.

 

[CodeMonkey]

Home Depot plants aren't that bad really, it's just that the variety is limited. I've never done hydroponics, but I think there might be someone down the road from me that has something kind of like that. I just did containers for my peppers and tomatoes last year, but I found that you have to have a lot larger containers than you'd think you really need, which for me makes it somewhat cost prohibitive. I live on 12 acres though, so I can afford to dedicate one permanent section of my yard to a garden spot. And the thing with planting in the ground is that for places like where I live in GA, the clay in our soil makes tasty tomatoes.

One thing I am experimenting with this year and in following years is no till. I did till this year because I wanted to quickly kill the grass. I then planted my plants and found that the weeks were horrible, so I cut all the weeds down with my lawn mower, covered with newspaper and then straw. Now, no weeds to be found. My plan, at the end of this season is to just cut the dead plants down, cover with a layer of cardboard and then top that with some hay. I'm not sure if I am going to get rid of the straw first or not. From what I hear, worms love the glues found in cardboard. Next year, I'm just going to make holes big enough for my plants and do the newspaper / straw deal again. Hopefully this will make for some really nice yields.

Sounds like an awesome hook up. I like your no-till idea. One of my buddies always reminds me to let nature provide. You Georgians are pretty well known for your onions and peaches as well. There was also a certain peanut farmer... I don't have near the space that you do so I'm going to go with some sort of a raised bed type situation. I have a circular design in mind.

 

[RhodyRams]

I found something online where someone took some 1/2" pieces of pvc and bent them over the top of their berries and attached them to the boards of their raised beds with clamps so they could be easily removed. Then the curvature over the top of the planters was perfect to put bird netting over. I tried doing this with mine and it worked, but I found that nothing bothered them anyway, besides slugs and snails.

had no prblem with the blueberry or raspberry bushes, but the chip monks got to the strawberries before we did, and nothing can stop those little varmints

 

[RhodyRams]

and on the tilling aspect... usually till in the spring just to mix in the new compost into the soil. Wifey covers everything with sea weed she picks off the shore. Acts like a mulch and breaks down slower than paper etc

 

[cracengl]

had no prblem with the blueberry or raspberry bushes, but the chip monks got to the strawberries before we did, and nothing can stop those little varmints

That sucks. Mine are of to the side of my garage. That may be why I dont have a bunch of trouble...there's my 100 lb dog amd our cat to run them off.

 

[Dagonet]

I found something online where someone took some 1/2" pieces of pvc and bent them over the top of their berries and attached them to the boards of their raised beds with clamps so they could be easily removed. Then the curvature over the top of the planters was perfect to put bird netting over. I tried doing this with mine and it worked, but I found that nothing bothered them anyway, besides slugs and snails.

Just make up a hot pepper spray. Squirrels and rabbits will love you.. lol Problem solved easily.

 

[Dagonet]

One really simple thing for mulch is bag your grass you cut from your yard.

 

[Dagonet]

and on the tilling aspect... usually till in the spring just to mix in the new compost into the soil. Wifey covers everything with sea weed she picks off the shore. Acts like a mulch and breaks down slower than paper etc

I would rec' a deep till every year in the spring. I tried using a cultivator this year on a certain area and the difference is quite remarkable. Deep tilling in the spring is good. That said, I deep tilled in mule manure this year so that may be a factor.

 

[RhodyRams]

first harvest of red bliss potatoes from 4 plants today..still have 9 to harvest and planted more starters today