feeding the soil first!

Carminator,
I'd recommend building a hoop house over your raised beds. Go to this link to see what I mean.

I'd just pound some 1" PVC tube pieces equally spaced around the circumference of the raised beds, and then bend and insert some 10' lengths of 1/2" PVC into the 1" tubes. Then (depending on how long your bed(s) are) run a straight length of PVC down the middle (can be fastened with zip ties!) to stabilize the structure. Now, cover with either sheets, or row cover, or 4-6 mil plastic sheeting. Voila!

And you can take it down when it's not needed, too!.

Here's it covered!

Linda, that's exactly what I want to build, it is just a matter of getting the tubes and plastic. Thank you for sharing the pictures.

Twiggy, boy it looks like you are way ahead of me, my kolrabi just started swelling up so it still has a way to go and just now I am able to collect the pack choi you sent me, I am taking the outer leaves first so I can let the inside of the bulb get bigger, I saw a you tube video where the lady did it this way and I thought it seemed like a good idea instead of collecting the whole plant.

My broccoli di rabbe is the only one that is showing a little sprout but I have to let it grow a little bigger before I start collecting it, I am not sure if I am going to like it or not but I thought I might just try it since I was sent these seeds by mistake, I asked for regular broccoli and they sent me these instead, but Oh well.

Boy Twiggy that is great about the heat mat and domed tray, I've often wondered whether or not to get at least the heat mat to try and start the seedlings this way, for right now I place them on top of my fridge and germination rate is o.k but I've heard that with one of these heat mats you get better germination and a lot faster too, expecially for veggies such as peppers etc... I am sure that this investment now will reap of benefits later and it will pay itself over and over again. Please let us know how this works for you.

Ok I've mapped out my sq. ft. garden planting grid for the remaining winter season. I figure I have approx. 90 days of cool/cold weather left. In one 40 sq. ft. raised bed I'll sow seeds for 8 diff veggie varieties: Black Dragon & Touchon carrots, Viroflay & Monnopa Spinach, Red Romaine Lettuce, Seven Top Turnips, and Chioggia & Detroit Supreme Beets. I'll put the longest DTM seeds along the back, and group the shortest DTM stuff toward the middle and front. All should be ready 2 harvest by mid-March or early April. As Cole crops get cleared out, spring WSed seedlings will go in. I also got a lathe grid prepped 2 lay on top of the raised bed. Still have a 32 sq ft bed 2 lay out and plant. Here's a pic of the planting grid.

Wow Linda, this definetely looks great, I should do the same with my raise beds, sometimes I think they are a little disorganized. Yes I think you are right you should have plenty of time to start seeds right now and besides the lettuces and spinach grow the fastest so you'll be able to pick up some before April I am sure. Now the beets and cole crops will take a little longer I am sure, its been 2 months or even a little more since I've planted my beets and the bulbs are still very tiny and some of them are not even producing a bulb at all just greens, I think next year I'll try a early growing beet and see if this makes any difference, my beets are just a mix of different ones so I don't even know what I have.

Yesterday I found that I have small spider mites in some of my salad greens expecially the kale, so I went to Lowes as fast as I could and bought some neem oil concentrate, hopefully this will take care of the problem, I also went ahead and bought a soil test kit, hopefully today I can test my soil and see what it needs.

Kelly, yesterday I tried your recipe for the Bok choi and it was delicious, unfortunately I had to buy the broccoli since mine is not even heading up yet. I did put the whole ginger grated into the bok choi instead of just the liquid, I really love ginger so I do not mind the extra flavor. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe.

Your plan looks great Linda!

c - I'm glad you liked the recipe! We like it a lot in my house... even the kiddos! I like the extra kick of the grated ginger but it's a bit too much for the kids, so I usually use just the liquid.

Yes I had a hard time trying to feed my kids the broccoli, they just don't like it, they do eat salad and other veggies though but broccoli and other cole crops are just difficult, my DD does love beans and sweet peas so I can't wait to plant sweet peas coming up in january time frame.

I am going to try to follow the Farmers Almanac and see if it makes a difference on how my crops grow etc... some people really think that growing by the moon phases really help their crops grow better so I am all for trying.

C & L,
Thanks for the positive feedback on my plan!

C: I planted turnip, beet and carrot seeds for the 1st time last year, Thanksgiving weekend. As I recall, I think I was harvesting beet greens sometime between March-April. I do believe they will sit and pout until the weather is cool enough to their liking. Then they take off!

I'm actually almost 3 weeks later than last year, so it'll be interesting to see how slow/fast my seeds will germinate. I remember they took a VERY long time to germinate last year, but it was still relatively warm for Thanksgiving weekend (I think).

What would you guys recommend planting in my second raised bed? I ask because it's further back under some trees and gets less direct sunshine than bed #1. Last year I planted only beets, 2 varieties, side x side.

I'm thinking I might try to sow some of the new Candie onion seeds in that bed, or will they need much more direct sunshine? It'd be great if I could devote that entire bed to onions!!!! Or potatoes, come January 9th...

I could actually build a set of boxes for half that bed, naw....not enough sunshine for potato vines....

Linda, this is what I found if you want to grow veggies under partial shade, this info I took from an article I had found a while back when I used to live in a house with hardly any sun at all.
Basically, a good rule to remember is that if you grow a plant for the fruit or the root, it needs full sun. If you grow it for the leaves, stems, or buds, a little shade will be just fine.

The following crops will produce with three to six hours of sun, or fairly constant dappled shade, per day. Beets

Salad Greens, such as leaf lettuce, arugula, endive, and cress.
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
Radishes
Swiss Chard
Leafy Greens, such as collards, mustard greens, spinach, and kale
Beans

Hope this helps.

Potatoes would probably need full sun to grow but this year would be my first year trying to grow them. I am thinking of growing my potatoes on a container, not sure what to use just yet, maybe one of my earthboxes or maybe I'll just make my own wire container. Anybody has tried this before. It does rain a lot here in mobile so I want to make sure that watever container I use that it does have sufficient drainage, and the mix that I put in lets the water drain, any ideas?

Thanks, Carminator1. Looks like I've got it "Made in the shade!" with so many choices of what I can put in that bed.

Regarding growing potatoes, there's a WHOLE thread that discusses growing potatoes in containers. It's a VERY long thread, but the info is all there. Here's the link:

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/937306/

p.s. I almost forgot. I peeped yesterday and my (one) broccoli is making a teeny, tiny head!

I've got some seeds for early (45 DTM) broccoli and cauliflowers, and since I don't have anything to lose, I'm gonna sow 'em this Saturday, and see what happens.

This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 11:42 AM

Have ya'll checked out the new DG Frost Dates Calculator? It's awesome!

Where is it Linda?

Thank you Linda for the link, now my dilema is whether to use the 30 gallon plastic garbage can or to use the potato bin from this website http://www.gardeners.com/Potato%20Bag/VegetableGardening_PotsPlanters,36-629,default,cp.html#MyReviewHeader. It seems to have good reviews but I really need a good container that will drain well.

I am also interested in finding out the calculator, where?

Also according to the farmers almanac I have to plant the potatoes by Feb 10th -12th. So when would it be agood time for me to purchase the potato seeds so they have enough time to sprout.

This message was edited Dec 17, 2009 2:23 PM

C & T,
http://davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/

The numbers are a bit squirrelly for Phoenix, but it is a cool tool!

Linda - you should be ok sowing those cole crops. Until they get some size though I would protect them if it gets close to freezing. Once they have a little size they should be ok - they can handle fairly low temps!

c- there's also a thread somewhere on growing potatoes in straw bales. I can't think where it is off the top of my head. Anyone know? If no one finds it I'll post it when I do.

Actually I would not mind trying this if it works, it does seem like the cheapest way to grow your taters and it would also help with the drainage but can you use brand new straw or do you have to let it decompose for a while before using it, that's my dilema, and space as well.

C I compared the GS potato bin 2 the Smartpots, and decided on two. 20-gal Smartpots for my potatoes. Check with hypie local feed store 2 see when they expect 2 start selling seed potatoes. Or, you can buy some certified organic potatoes from your local Whole Foods Store or some other organic seller. Since you can select ur own potatoes, pick the smallest ones that have at least 3 "eyes". You can plant those whole w/o having 2 cut and scab them. You could also select larger spuds and start your own slips. There's time for us both 2 start slips. Keep reading that thread for more tips. Linda

Thank you Linda, yes I will definetely keep reading that thread it has loads of good info. The smart pots actually sound a little better since they are bigger for just a little bit more $. Thank you for giving me the info, I'll probably will do the same and try those smart pots as well.

c - there is a whole forum dedicated to strawbale gardening. Check it out! Lots of stuff in there about growing taters...

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/strawbale/all/

Thanks, Kelly. If I bring a strawbale home, I'll have to pack up and leave!

lol - maybe you can build yourself a nice little place out of straw bales? It's been done!!

Hmmmmmmmm..hadn't thought of that...THANKS!

Thank you kelly I'll definetely check it out, but I am seriously thinking about the smart pots just to keep things more tidy looking.

By the way a question, this morning I've checked 2 nurseries that are close to my house and none carry veggies or potato seed for that matter, then I went to my local super Target and saw that they had a small section of organic veggies such as potatoes, garlic, shallot etc... I was wondering if I was to purchase any of these and plant it in my garden would they grow? They are definetely cheaper than buying online but unfortunately your choices are not quite as good.

If they're cheap enough you could always try some. Check the packed for date (year) on the packs too, although that is no guarantee of fresh seed.

Personally I like the prices and reasonable shipping at Botanical Interests. They carry some organic seed too! I have excellent germination with their seeds as well... Check them out when you get a chance...

www.botanicalinterests.com

P.S. Buying organic seed is only good if you plan to grow it organically;o)

I have had good results planting regular grocery store potatoes and garlic.

Last year my potatoes were a failure but I think the problem originated here. I used some reds and a yellow fleshed type that was in a bag labeled "Colorado Gold". They all had some sort of blight problem as well as all the tomatoes near them. I think they caught it from the tomatoes because they looked fine until some of the tomatoes started looking ill. They are kin and subject to many of the same problems. Avoiding disease is the main reason people recommend buying certified potatoes for seed.

I bought a 5lb bag of red potatoes 2 weeks ago to sprout for mid to late January planting. I'll put them on the far side of the garden from where the problems were last year and use new soil.

Thanks for that tip about the disease, Twiggy!

Kelly thank you for the website, actually I did not know about this one and I have a lot of them added to my favorites. After much thought I am thinking of spending the extra money and just ordering some online, this at least will give me peace of mind and I can be sure that the seed is good for growing. If I had more space I would take a chance but since my yard is limited, I will only be able to grow a small amount of potatoes, I was thinking of trying the yucon gold, I've heard they are really good tasting and I know that I can't get them here in the stores.

As far as beign organic, I like to think that I am, I have not used any chemicals or pesticides in my plants at all except for organic pest control, and the soil is either made by me or organic.

Twiggy, I found a good recipe to combat blight it is organic and not sure how good it is, it is mainly a mixture of apple cider, vinegar, molases, baking soda along with compost tea. You spray it on your plants as soon as you notice the blight or as a preventative as well. I found this on the Dervaes Website, I am taking a lot of notes on what they do to combat diseases and pests, they seem to be very succesful so it is worth a try.

I didn't see the seed potatoes on that website. Could yall point me to the link? Thanks!

L - if you google "certified seed potatoes" you will find a lot of sites that sell them. Maybe there is a place local you can but them like a feed or ag store? I've never bought them online, so can't recommend anyone. Maybe look in the Garden Watchdog for companies or ask on this forum for recommendations.

I got the new Baker Creek catalog today - I really need to stop looking at seed catalogs - lol.

c - maybe the same as I told Linda... Not sure how big Mobile is, but maybe you have an ag or feed store there that sells the potatoes. Bonus to buying them locally is you can find out what types grow best in your area since not all varieties are suited to all climates...

I do have a local feed and seed store, I will ask there first and see if they will carry any. They sell more animal grains and straw but now a lot of seeds, I will try anyways.

Linda, Park seeds sells them as well, I've been looking at other companies but they want to sell you at least 5 pds, since I only need a small amount Park's was the only that I could find that sells 2 lbs bag.

Thanks Kelly. I'm gonna go with using some organic Yukon Golds and reds I get from my local Whole Foods Store. I can pick the tiny ones and plant them whole so no cutting and scabbing. I Actually have these Yukon Golds sprouting from LAST January!

Wow Linda I had no idea that you could keep potatoes for a whole year that's great. When I used to live in Pensacola Fl, I used to have a wonderful whole foods store there called ebermans, here I will probably have to ask since I am new to the area, yucon gold is exactly what I am looking for.

lol - I saw your taters on the other thread. You gonna go ahead and plant them?

You betcha! Anything that survives a whole year in a cabinet, that sat in a vacant office building trashed by hurricane Ike for 7 months, then survived the move-in, deserves a chance. If it's that strong, those are gonna be some mouth watering, tender potatoes! Linda

lol - can't wait to see what you get...

BTW - I took some pics today of my Osaka Purple Mustard in the garden. I'll try to downlaod the million pics I have on my camera before the weekend is out and post some on the thread in Heirloom veggies. Love love love the taste!! And they are very pretty as well! Purple is my favorite color!

Kelly, are you going to also place the picture on the plant files? I love to look there for things I might grow next and having pretty pictures help me decide sometimes. I'll have to try this mustard sometime, I love the color purple as well. How do you usually cook this veggie? can you eat it raw, or do you have to steam it first?

Linda, you have to let us know how your taters turn out, please!!!!! I will go today to my local whole foods store today to see what they have, hopefully they have some yucon gold ones.

c - you can use it in salads or stir frys. It is slightly spicy. I'll see how the pic looks and will definitely put it in plant files. I too like to see the pics there when looking at plants!! I got the seeds for this from our Ms. Linda!

Ok, I am very excited! I just bought my yucon gold organic potatoes, unfortunately they did not have very small ones so I am thinking of dividing them. My question is, do I cut them now to form the callus, ot do I have to wait until they chit for a while and form their sprouts and then cut them?

By the way, this store was wonderful, it was huge but very expensive, I am so happy that they are selling some of the varieties of veggies that I am growing, it makes me feel like I am eating and growing good veggies that a lot of people pay a lot of $ to have.

Thank you Kelly, I can't wait to see it. Will definetely try it in the future, expecially because it looks like a very versatile veggie kind of the ones I like to grow.

Now I am off to making one of my favorite soups, the olive garden zuppa toscanna, with kale and swiss chard from my own garden, this is great!

You might have to share that recipe c if it is so good - lol...

Kelly the soup was very good. I have not had the soup from olive garden for years but I remember liking it a lot, and going for lunch there all the time and asking for all you can eat soup and salad.

The soup I just made today was a little less spicy I think for what I remember but still pretty good. Now I did just use chicken broth that I made and also real bacon that I cooked to make my own bacon bits and precooked the onion and garlic before adding the rest of the ingredients. Here is the recipe. http://www.recipezaar.com/Olive-Garden-Copycat-Zuppa-Toscana-38298