Gardening.

[winterheart01]

We have been having Sun breaks the last couple of days so I have been out pulling weeds and cleaning the garden area. Was just able to do 30 minutes between down pores.

Hope to go back out in a little while.

I did go and get Calcium and Magnesium pills to plant with the tomatoes and Pepper plants. I also picked up three types of shallots to plant with the Walla Walla sweet onions.

I ordered a bucket of 5Kg calcium powder to mix with the soil for that same reason I have liquid magnesium here and even when the tomatoes are fruiting I can still apply the calcium powder on top of the soil when watering.
The ones in full soil here don't need it, they just need the standard tomato food, but I don't have enough room left and have to plant a few in 40cm pots, but every time i do that, I have nose rot from calcium deficiency or watering irregularities during a heat wave

 

[Pelusos]

I bought 100 kg cattle manure and dig it in the soil of vegetable garden last autumn so I'm looking forward to see the growing of peas, onion, garlic and ruccola... We harvested the 'wild garlic' - I don't know english name, Allium ursinum-they live in the shady side of our garden. I missed the pruning of apple trees, they are in bloom, not problem, birds will be happy eating fruits in 6 meters high

 

[PaddedRita]

Still way to early here to plants veggies . Did plant 4 tiger Lillie's along with some Black Holly Hock seed not to long ago !! Do have a Mother Day Peonies has some nice flower buds on it !

 

[Angelapinks]

Still way to early here to plants veggies . Did plant 4 tiger Lillie's along with some Black Holly Hock seed not to long ago !! Do have a Mother Day Peonies has some nice flower buds on it !

My Peonies resemble the shoots on the left of your photo. I have several coming up around my house and one or two that need dividing as they are pretty big. I like Hollyhocks but not planted any for a long time.

 

[PaddedRita]

We been having some 25 nightly temps the pass few days !
So far everything looking fairly good yet !

 

[egor]

I have gotten some work down out in the garden over the last couple of days. It nice to not have constant rain.

Stopped by the nursery today and they are having problems with the weather also. The peppers and squash starts are about 4 weeks late.

 

[egor]

I ordered a bucket of 5Kg calcium powder to mix with the soil for that same reason I have liquid magnesium here and even when the tomatoes are fruiting I can still apply the calcium powder on top of the soil when watering.
The ones in full soil here don't need it, they just need the standard tomato food, but I don't have enough room left and have to plant a few in 40cm pots, but every time i do that, I have nose rot from calcium deficiency or watering irregularities during a heat wave

I have tested my soil and it is in the normal range for everything, yet I still get blossom rot. So I put 4 Calcium tablets and 2 magnesium tablets to each tomato and reverse that ratio for the pepper plants. No blossom rot.

I should also add I dig the hole for the plants 3 x deeper then the planter pot they come in. I put a hand full of triple 20 fertilizer in then cover it so the hole is 2 times deeper and drop the tablets in and fill it to the right depth for the plant. The plants grow slowly at first, but then I can tell when the roots hit each layer, especially the fertilizer. I usually get about 20+ lbs of tomatoes from each plant and 30 to 40 peppers per plant depending on the variety.

 

[Labrador]

Well since the change I guess I will just do blogs instead of the groups.

In the Foodie Group I had a thread on gardening.

So the garden for the year has started.

I have been working on getting the "wild Blackberries" trained for this years crop. It has been going slow because of several reasons, but it is coming along.

I still need to get out and start turning the boxes to ready the soil and hopefully reduce the weeds.

But the garden is officially started. I had some full yet not in use pots so I planted the potato sprouts off of some big russets. I noticed yesterday that two of them took.

I have never bought potato starts since I started growing them. I always seem to have potatoes that sprout in the storage bind. It is funny though how some will grow and others will not.

I watched a show on Big food companies and how they control the Seed stocks. Monsanto Will not allow farmers to keep a portion of the crop for seed stock and run them out of business if they try. So I may wind up with Big Food Giants after me if they see what I have done.

I live in the northwest as well; do you know if the blackberries you are dealing with are Himalayan blackberries, or Trailing Blackberries? My family has a garden plot in the woods and we are constantly fighting with both.

 

[winterheart01]

I have tested my soil and it is in the normal range for everything, yet I still get blossom rot. So I put 4 Calcium tablets and 2 magnesium tablets to each tomato and reverse that ratio for the pepper plants. No blossom rot.

I should also add I dig the hole for the plants 3 x deeper then the planter pot they come in. I put a hand full of triple 20 fertilizer in then cover it so the hole is 2 times deeper and drop the tablets in and fill it to the right depth for the plant. The plants grow slowly at first, but then I can tell when the roots hit each layer, especially the fertilizer. I usually get about 20+ lbs of tomatoes from each plant and 30 to 40 peppers per plant depending on the variety.

yeah tomatoes love lots of food, it's pretty hard to overfeed them while with peppers it's possible.
However about your calcium deficiency in the soil: at some point I will have this too, blossom/nose rot (we call it nose rot here because our fruits get rot at their nose / tip) can occur either when there's not enough calcium in hte soil or the plant is watered too often or too heavy. When we had heatwaves I had to water heavy or they'd wither and die.
But I also read that planting tomatoes several years on the same spot will lead to calcium deficiency.
So adding tablets or powder is definitely a must.
Watering issues usually occur with plants in pots, even my citrus in pots are more tedious about watering compared to the ones in the greenhouse soil.

 

[Labrador]

On the less plant-related side, I have peppered the aforementioned garden plot wi th little towns made of birdhouses and flowerpots painted to look like towers. Been doing that since I was a kid, so I guess it’s a way of connecting with my childhood. Also I prefer gardens that have character, something that sets them apart from just another American garden.
Anyone else do this?

 

[egor]

I live in the northwest as well; do you know if the blackberries you are dealing with are Himalayan blackberries, or Trailing Blackberries? My family has a garden plot in the woods and we are constantly fighting with both.

I have the Himalayan Blackberries that I train for jam the rest are pests. If I am understanding the Trailing berries right. Look at the stock and if the skin has a white appearance then that is Rubrus lucodermis or the wild black cap.

Main thing to remember is you are attempting to get rid of them do not cut. Dig the roots out as deep as you can get. IF any part of the crown is left they will come back.

 

[egor]

yeah tomatoes love lots of food, it's pretty hard to overfeed them while with peppers it's possible.
However about your calcium deficiency in the soil: at some point I will have this too, blossom/nose rot (we call it nose rot here because our fruits get rot at their nose / tip) can occur either when there's not enough calcium in hte soil or the plant is watered too often or too heavy. When we had heatwaves I had to water heavy or they'd wither and die.
But I also read that planting tomatoes several years on the same spot will lead to calcium deficiency.
So adding tablets or powder is definitely a must.
Watering issues usually occur with plants in pots, even my citrus in pots are more tedious about watering compared to the ones in the greenhouse soil.

The other thing that I have heard and do is water from beneth and do not get water on the upper part of the plant

 

[Labrador]

Rubis ursinis, the Trailing Blackberry, or Dewberry. I love blackcaps, but they are very rare, at least in town. I found a bush while hiking on in Tigard once though. Just looking at pictures makes my mouth water.

 

[Labrador]

I have the Himalayan Blackberries that I train for jam the rest are pests. If I am understanding the Trailing berries right. Look at the stock and if the skin has a white appearance then that is Rubrus lucodermis or the wild black cap.

Main thing to remember is you are attempting to get rid of them do not cut. Dig the roots out as deep as you can get. IF any part of the crown is left they will come back.

I found this out the hard way. I had to go out with a spade. Blackberry root masses are insane, I had one that was at least six inches across. Nasty mothers.

 

[PaddedRita]

Friday I did get 3/4th of the garden planted with Radishes , Carrots, Green Beans . Going to wait a bit longer for the tomatoes maybe after mother day will get them !
Something new this yr we are trying Kohlrabi . I see my Bleeding Hearts are just starting bloom !!

 

[winterheart01]

The other thing that I have heard and do is water from beneth and do not get water on the upper part of the plant

yeah i heard that too, but that is kinda hard when the pot is very large and you're having a heat wave the upper side will stay dry too long and your plant will suffer, combingin both is better, water moderately from above and moderately from below, this way the nutrients don't get flushed out of the soil too much

 

[Labrador]

yeah i heard that too, but that is kinda hard when the pot is very large and you're having a heat wave the upper side will stay dry too long and your plant will suffer, combingin both is better, water moderately from above and moderately from below, this way the nutrients don't get flushed out of the soil too much

How does this lead to nutrients getting flushed out?

 

[winterheart01]

How does this lead to nutrients getting flushed out?

The Importance Of Flushing Your Plants Before Harvest

Learn why flushing nutrients from your high-value plants prior to harvest is so important, plus our top tips on flushing to optimize your yields.

www.advancednutrients.com

This article explains both the up and downsides of flushing

 

[egor]

Have been working on the garden when my back will let me. I have ten of the 12 beds turned and weed tilled the walkways today. I have three kids bribed to come help we this Saturday, so I look like I will have the garden in by Memorial day around the time the snow will be off Silver Star Mountain (A "myth" with the older locals)

 

[Labrador]

Like a superstition? That’s interesting. Good luck on the beds! Are they vegetables or ornamentals? Both?
My Dad wants me to add a drip irrigation system to that ornamental garden with the villages so that should be interesting. I can keep y’all posted if you’d like.