Jnette, Thank you so much for the explanations about the peroxide & the alfalfa tea. Sorry I am a first-timer this year, to be honest with you I started gardening about April 15th, so I've been at it for a whole 2 months??? LOL =) I have soooooo much to learn!! (But it is fun researching and learning! I love it!)
I am in northeast Wisconsin, zone 4b. I added/changed that to my profile. I think. =)
Well it is almost 5PM and I need to go tend to the plants, maybe get a little more planting done. Yes, I am STILL planting some things. LOL!!!!!
:) K
I'm going to try strawbale gardening!
Well, come to think of it, I have a recipe for a sludge that Kell gave me a couple years ago for the roses and it had molasses in it along with the pellets. You mixed all of this yuck together and let it set for so long, can't remember how long, and then dumped it on the roses.
But yes, you are right. That would work. I think the molasses are kind of an activator to make the rest work like nini said.
Suz, my tomatoes are the same. Very strong. They are approximately 2 feet tall and not a sign of needing to be tied up. Standing right up there like trees.
Well K, you are in for a real treat. Gardening is so relaxing, like most hobbies. But what a benefit when you get to pick your own tomatoes, beans, peas, carrots, squash, cukes, or whatever.
You will be anxious for winter to get over to start the next year.
The main thing is to have fun with it.
"You will be anxious for winter to get over to start the next year."
Ah, but winter is for catalogs, and dreams....
That's true, she is in Wisconsin so will be getting cabin fever along about Feb. when the catalogs start coming.
K, you need to request a few and the rest will come. Start with Thompson & Morgan. I think theirs is one of the best for pictures, to see what the plants look like, light and watering needs, zone hardiness.
Bluestone for perennials.
Jeanette
Thank you!! :o)
Yeah, I'm already starting to plan for next year. I don't know how I'm gonna do it, but I want to take my fence down and get someone with a plow to come and really plow and level my whole garden space and start fresh. I'll start my plants a little earlier (especially my peas) and hopefully get some inground space prepared for some root crops- LOVE me some beets (especially the greens!)
Where did you go Connie? Haven't heard from you in quite a while. What are those darned tomatoes doing???? Is that why you haven't been on?
Jeanette
I am still here lol!!! Tomatoes are growing :) Still haven't found the alfalfa pellets with molasses but would sure like to find some locally and try it. I will another pic next week and post it. Here is one that was taken 7-2. I was lurking through the other discussion thread and decided to up the fertilizer to twice a week and we are seeing a difference. You have done good, Jnette (Connie is grinning from ear to ear). I am hoping to see them start "bushing" shortly. We have had a few curious creatures (neighbors) and a BIL from Florida asking questions. Got 'em baffled hee, hee! They just don't know what a great family I have here on DG (wink)
Connie
LOL Connie, Where's the picture?? I think the suggestion of pellets in the water and dump in some molasses is right on. I am waiting for pellets (mine will have to be rabbit) at the local feed store. Then dump in some Epsom Salts and molasses and water. Can't remember the rest of the recipe. One of these days I will look for it. About the time I get the pellets. If you decide you want to go this way I will look for it 'cause I am going to the "big city" tomorrow where I can get them. Can't trust the local people to get them when they say they will. Might be next winter.
I finally am going to have to tie my tomatoes. They have stalks so thick I didn't think I was going to have to LOL, not really, but it has been quite a while on these. Got tomatoes on some and a few ripening on the ones my sister grew in her greenhouse and gave me. Those will be good. I hope. A kind I have never tried before. Can't find the name.
Sure too bad you had such a rough start. Would love to see the look on the curious creatures and bil from Florida's face if you had good tomatoes on them. Oh well, live and learn. Next year you will be ready.
Where's the picture??
You said a mouthful, Jnette...NEXT YEAR (hee, hee). Even though our stalks are not near as thick as yours, we just now had to tie ours up too. I would love to have that recipe when you get time to find it. No hurry as I can always apply it next year so tie a string around that green thumb of yours to try to find it before next spring :) It has been raining here the past few days and Hubby was able to get in a MG feeding on Monday. They have grown a good 3-6 inches since this pic so "hopefully" I can send another next week to show you.
You can't see that pic, Jnette??? Look close and remember our plants are still small HA!!! Okay...there is nothing there. Dog gone it! I really did try to attach it and I think I exited too quick. Let's try that puppy again.....
Connie
What kind of tomatoes are they Connie? I can't remember what seeds I sent you. Or are those other than what I sent?
I would like to suggest one thing. You need more water than just right down on those roots. You need to soak the bales at least once a week I would say. You see, the roots can't grow out into the bales without them being wet. Also, You want that straw to continue to decompose. It won't do that dry. You want your roots to spread out some.
One more thing. When you fertilize them, mix your fert in a bucket and dip it onto the roots with a pan so it spreads out more than to right where it appears your water is going right now. You won't be wasting it.
I will try to find the recipe this afternoon.
Yep...they are your seeds. We have one cherry T plant and the rest are Heinz and Beefsteak. We do water the bales. Those bottles are there as a precaution to make sure we are getting water and fertilizer to the plants. We slow water the bales while the water slowly drains out of the bottles 2-3 times over. I guess a double precaution after the first loss. The caps are on the bottles and have 2 tiny holes drilled out for slow release and less run off. The bales are getting watered every morning and late afternoon. The fertilizer is mixed up in 1 gal milk jugs, poured into the bottles, then around the plants 1 time, twice a week. The bottles may be throwing you off a little by looking at the pic. Was just thinking better soaking and less run off.
When we lived in the south, our neighbor would do this with her garden to keep it moist around the plants but she took the lids off when she stuck the ends into the garden. She said it helped with less evaporation and helped control where the water goes. Of course, it was a "regular" garden and it always looked good. We kept the caps on because it would run through the straw too fast to make a difference. We have two rows of bales and Hubby says he waters them the same but the bales that don't have bottles stuck in them yet dry out quicker and we are adding 1 bottle at a time. Try it in one bale and see if you can tell a difference. It would be pretty cool if I could show you something that may work after you have had to teach me so much...and still holding my hand :)
Connie
Ok, glad I was misunderstanding. I am going down after the sun goes over the mountain and tie my tomatoes up. And also put another layer of straw on each. I didn't plant in new bales this year 'cause I couldn't find any small bales so I put them in last year's bales. Maybe that is why they are doing better. Finally those darned orchard grass "hay" bales are good for something. However, the plants are going thru them like crazy. A couple look like they are sitting in holes. So, fortunately I had a bale left that I did not use last year so it sat there and decomposed all year and I will use that to take leaves off of and put in between these plants. Hopefully that will hold them thru the rest of the season.
Digger (Sally) described something to me that she is doing this year. She took those plastic milk cartons and lined them with leaves of straw then filled them with potting soil and planted her tomatoes in them. She says they are doing real good. Well, I didn't have any tomatoes left to try that with but I did plant some peppers that way, and they seem to be doing pretty good. Now that I put diatomaceous earth around them to keep the slugs back. They went thru several layers of leaves, even some blossoms and tiny peppers before I remembered I had the DE.