Gardening 101

reply to post by twitchy


Another Warrior! Thanks for adding to the Topic. As you know there is enough
knowledge on gardening to fill an encyclopedia, and I cannot answer every reply as quickly as I would like, so it is good to have others on board.

Im going to have more cucumbers then I know what to do with. I guess Ill try to pickle them. That will be a first for me.

Originally posted by LeoVirgo
Im going to have more cucumbers then I know what to do with. I guess Ill try to pickle them. That will be a first for me.

We had the same problem last year, and found a simple solution... Relish!
We ended up with about two bushels of cukes at one point and by that time we were so sick of pickling and eating them lol. We looked up a recipe for canning relish and in about two days of canning we had enough pickled and sweet relish to last us two years. Before you try to make relish in any quantity though, get ahold of a food processor with a grating blade, that saved us an incredible amount of work.

reply to post by twitchy


That is another great idea, the relish. Great for many things.

Also, it seems I always have more tomatoes then I know what to do with. This year Im going to jar salsa with them and my peppers and onions.

I like to take the corn and blanch it just enough that I can cut it from the cob and bag it for the freezer. I love having corn to last through the winter.

Nice thread!

I purchased a "survival seed bank" this year and have grown all my my veggies from seed this year.

It's been a lot of fun and my kids are interested too!

Growing food from seed is by far much cheaper then buying starts every year like the yuppies at the home depot......

What do you know about harvest preservation? Freeze/Can/ Pickle....

Thanks in advance.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions for the mole.
I'm going to try the mothballs just cause I have some.

As for my tomatoes - I could cry... (well I did actually)...
They still look beautiful, tons of them, and taste like - yeah, still like socks.

Going to take some pics later... I'll post them here...

peace

reply to post by silo13


One other way to get rid of the mole. Care fully walk ALL over the tunnels compacting them back down. Then go back and check periodically 2 x per day
until you see which tunnels have been raised back. Then take note of what
time this could have occurred since you last checked. Try to figure out when
the mole is active. Then walk over the raised tunnels again packing them down.
Then get a 5 tined pitchfork or spear, some cold brew, a chair, and set up a spot and wait. If you are patient enough, you will see the ground begin to move
as the mole digs. At that point run over and rapidly jam the spear in to the moving tuft of earth several times. Game over for the mole.

Very interesting. As I live in an apartment building, I can't really grow things outside. I do grow sunflowers on my deck when I get the chance though. Beautiful things, they are.

reply to post by silo13


Well if that fails,reach for Peppermint or eucalyptus essential oil!
Put some drops on cotton wool balls and head to the mounds of earth.If the entrance is not visible,poke a stick around and you should find it off centre of the mound.
Place an oil-soaked ball into the holes and then cover the hole with earth.


Repeat for a few days and it will repell the mole,forcing it off your territory

Essential oils can be used in many ways in a garden and are non-toxic and humane.Bonus!

My beloved and I just made a really nice keyhole garden. May we recommend you are read up on the topic of permaculture design, for it is highly worthwhile.

Namaste

Originally posted by LorD99
Very interesting. As I live in an apartment building, I can't really grow things outside. I do grow sunflowers on my deck when I get the chance though. Beautiful things, they are.

I live in an apartment, too. I grow in containers on my balcony. This year, I have tomatoes, green beans, swish chard, spinach, arugala, and my herbs: thyme, basil, parsley, and mint.

I started them all from seed.

Pic of my balcony:

www.whitemagicwoman.com...

I am a newbie to vegetable gardening having more experience with flowers. This year I planted Collards, green beans, spinach, mixed lettuce, squash and cucumbers. I also have cilantro (a must for Mexican salsas), and serrano chiles. My biggest successes so far are oregano which I have to fight so it doesn't take over, and lemon balm which will nearly grow out of cement!

I make my own compost which helps reduce waste for the landfill and works wonders to nourish and moisturize the soil. BTW, a can of Coca-Cola (with sugar, Not diet) is an amazing compost Decomposing accelerator.

Thanks for this thread. I look forward to lots of new ideas and information.

S+F

reply to post by WhiteMagicWoman


Well you put your neighbors to shame, look at their balcony.Sterile and
vacant. Don't worry, they will be over for a Salad soon enough!
And looking for free advice no less. I'm Sure

Originally posted by linux2216
My biggest successes so far are oregano which I have to fight so it doesn't take over

Oh man, keep that stuff in a box or container, it's probably the most invasive herb on the face of the planet. We've outdone ourselves this year, I'm sick of cucumbers and squash, and while I never thought I'd say this, I'm tired of kilt lettuce.

Originally posted by silo13
Thanks everyone for the suggestions for the mole.
I'm going to try the mothballs just cause I have some.

As for my tomatoes - I could cry... (well I did actually)...
They still look beautiful, tons of them, and taste like - yeah, still like socks.

Going to take some pics later... I'll post them here...

peace

This is my first post - despite having joined over a year ago !
I grow veggies and fruit , and like you have had problems with "wooly" or "mushy" tomatoes in the past. I was told it is due to irregular or insufficient watering. I now always water morning and evening and havent had the problem since. I used the mushy tomatoes for relish - as the other relish ingredients ( onions, apple, cucumber etc )disguise their poor taste and consistency. Hope this helps !

A way to deter pesky insects is companion planting. I plant onions or garlic around the vegetables that need protection - the strong smell can confuse the insects. Also , planting marigolds (calendula) around your veggie patch attracts bug eating insects such as ladybirds who can consume a huge amount of greenfly and blackfly in a day . The dried calendula petals can then be used in the bath or in creams as a skin soother for dry skin,excema and sunburn etc. Just pick the flower heads and dry them in a warm place, then store in an airtight jar. The bright orange flowers are beautiful too !

Interesting thread, and right up my alley. I have a natural gardening blog which I have been developing for years in my signature. There is also a link therein my new worm composting site (it's a great way to recyle your scraps and get loads of super rich plant food in return). I am now approaching it from a commercial perspective.

I started my entire garden from seed this year. I have over 100 tomato plants with about 30 different kinds of heirlooms. I've got corn, 4 different types of beans, cukes, zukes, squash, watermelon, onions, potatoes, etc. plus a wide variety of herbs. I have some in raised beds, some in the ground. I expect to be doing a whole lot of canning and freezing very soon.

reply to post by virraszto


100 Tomatoes WOW...thats alot of Sauce!. Anyway, as you can see this post of
mine has been moved from"fragile earth" to the survival forum. I have continued my original post in a thread titled Gardening 101 pt.2. I left off
at the soil p.h. conditions. I will continue from there on there on that thread.
Probably wasn't a good idea to start a 2nd thread like I did, but I am new to this. Anyway, if any of you are interested, that is where I will continue.
Thanks for your interest and comments.

Wildmanimal

So today as me and the misses was doing our normal Garden chores
We got to watch The Great Western Diamond Back Rattlesnake
wander off from the area we were working in.
We just wanted to remind people and ourselves
that Rattlesnakes are a big asset to our gardens also remember to make noise warn your rodent eaters that protect you labor from mice rats etc.
To look twice before you stick your hand to harvest that veggy or fruit you are so proud of!