I just finished reading another article which refers to peat moss as a deminishing resource. I have read this a number of times over the past several years but have not seen any substancial decrease in the availability, or major price increases of this material. Typically statements like this are made to drive the pricing up which does not seem to be the case. And, I can't imagine an industry with a limited supply of a substance not trying to milk every dime it can from the remaining supplies. So, what's your take on this issue?
Peat Moss - A non-renewable resource
This is all taken from wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peat
Most modern peat bogs formed in high latitudes after the retreat of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age some 9,000 years ago. They usually grow slowly, at the rate of about a millimeter per year.
The peat in the world's peat lands has been forming for 360 million years
they are home to many rare and specialized organisms that are found nowhere else.
Large areas of organic wetland (peat) soils are currently drained for agriculture, forestry and peat extraction. This process is taking place all over the world. This not only destroys the habitat of many species, but heavily fuels climate change. As a result of peat drainage, the organic carbon that was built up over thousands of years and is normally under water, is suddenly exposed to the air. It decomposes and turns into carbon dioxide (CO2), which is released into the atmosphere.
Opinion:
Like oil I think that there is enough competition from different countries(and enough current supply)so no one place can charge an appropriate amount for the damage being done and dwindling resources. Everyone wants to get their cut(however small) when the getting is good. I'm not a Vermicomposter yet, but I think peat should be avoided(in potting soils also). That's my quick take on peet.
-Pete(ha!)
Ha Peat! Good response. I would agree with your assesment, however peat is a very useful substance for home gardeners as well as vermiculturist, which are mostly one in the same. I am an environmentalist and where possible I conserve and recycle, but my thinking is this: The peat moss which I consume is recycled in a sense and extremely useful in my small microcosim. It has been said there is currently seven billion people on planet Earth and this is about five billon too many for our resources. One could conclude from that statement that most of our resources are in jeperdy. Fresh water for one is the biggest growing concern in my openion and yet we waste it without any concern. The average person in this country uses aproximately 100 gallons per day of water which meets drinking water standards. Most of this water is used for flushing the toilet.
I guess I spelled Peat(peet, Pete) three different ways up there-oops! m3, on the same token as your peat is recycled so is the oil we all consume(I'm no angel). Being no angel myself, I should get off of my high horse and revise my statement to say "avoid when reasonable alternatives exist". I agree 100% on water being the next super important thing. Maybe our more southern friends on this forum can chime in. Water is interesting in that it is renewable but we waste it, over allocate it, and pee in our own drinking water(literally and figuratively). It's renewable only if the water that falls from the sky isn't polluted, and goes into an aquifer which isn't polluted. I think most of us can agree that there is not enough clean fresh water in the country(as a whole) but we allow corporations to do things like hydraulic fracturing which pumps unknown chemicals in to our aquifers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydraulic_fracturing). I feel this is like in the Gulf of mexico when BP didn't allow cleanup workers to wear respirators(because it would look bad on tv) and now they are getting respiratory problems and oil/dispersant chemicals in their blood. It's one of those DUH moments. The first link is talking to a Valdez cleanup foreman(summary- we didn't learn our lesson), and if democracy now is too liberal then CNN and HuffPo(not liberal at all-HA) have related stories.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/7/bp_oil_spill_cleanup_workers_getting
http://edition.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/06/09/oil.spill.health.impact/index.html?eref=edition
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/06/03/gulf-oil-spill-sickness-c_n_598816.html
Good points Pete. This thread will probably end up in one of those dead-end forums such as non-renewable resources, but I have had time to think over my use of peat moss and have come to the conclusion I will continue to do so. As for not learning our lessons, you reminded me of a conversation over lunch one day with an old acquaintance, Dr. Mary Brummell. retired microbiologist. She criticized the cleanup of the Valdez operation and set new standards for future operations. Problem is like you say Pete, no one really listens and we end up repeating the same mistakes over and over. m3 huh...I like it.
m3
M3,
(kinda like MI5). Sorry to beat a dead endforum. Last night I was thinking more about this and the thought "tragedy of the commons" popped into mind. I think it is very relevant these days for lots of stuff. For anyone out there who dosn't know what that is, this is a summary from wikipedia.
"The tragedy of the commons is a dilemma arising from the situation in which multiple individuals, acting independently and rationally consulting their own self-interest, will ultimately deplete a shared limited resource even when it is clear that it is not in anyone's long-term interest for this to happen." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons
I'm glad you said I remind you of a conversation with a PhD. Pfeww, sometimes I don't know whether I'm heading toward PhD or annoying deadbeat ex husband/wife. I've been reading a bunch on the VC forum, thanks for sharing your knowledge with us newbies.
P
P, I think you just kicked me in the bud, but that's OK. In over 40 years of vermiculturing I have never found any material that even comes close to peat moss. But I have not tried choir as yet. I do recycle newspaper and cardboard in garden projects, however I really don't care for either of them as a vermiculture media. I am probably too old and cynical when it comes to thinking rationally about some things, but I'm beginning to think peat moss will outlast people.
lol morgan..U old..hardly you are such an active provocative guy!! i get so many ideas for my gardening from you.. cynical..LOL i dont think so..
you seem so open not just to other ideas..but to try new ideas.. :) so there ya go bud!!!
hey..heres something for ya to check out morgan.. guy on "bananas.org" has pics of his worm bins hes made.. i saw them and thought
omg.. thats something morgan would do..or has done...
hes down in palm bay,FL handle is "worm farmer" check his pics of bins on DIY gardening do it yourself room...
let us know what u think...
on the peat bedding.. for me..and i am CHEAP>>> LOL i use almost all shredded up cardboard.. my worms seem to do well with it..
i do find it drys out .. but i keep my bedding on the drier side than most i think.. but my worm bins never smell.. and the worms multiply
fast.. im sure if i fed them more frequently they would go thru the bedding faster.. but.. sigh..im lazy.. :)
I am with Morgan. With newspaper and cardboard my worms multiply but my castings are not the same as with peat moss. I respect Morgan and his expertise. Just wish he would come to Vegas and warm up.
I am sowing my winter vegetables seeds next week in the garden. Usually do this in September but DH has been sick so I am going to try another route. My total bed is a worm farm. Not red wigglers, just yard worms but they still do a great job on the bed. I just start at one end and add scraps until I reach the other end and then start over. I have two beds that are over 100 feet long and very full of very happy worms. The red wigglers are in my bins and making my castings that I am adding to my tea.
You Go mraider3. You know I am your cheerleader. Just do not ask me to jump around. That would not be pretty. As Always, Mother Winter
I think I will just come down and dig up your worms Sharon. Only problem now is the roads are all blocked heading south. Storm moved in from Dave's back yard and I am locked down again. Don't know if you have been following the "square foot" gardening discussion in the vegetable forum, but Linda, Gymgirl has set up a couple of threads on the subject. I honestly don't know much about this subject but I find it fascinating. One of my deep dug raised beds is filled with well aged cow manure and some straw. I added the left over Canadian worm parts (top half of the worm) from fishing and all of the Euros to that bed last fall. When weather allows I remove the storm winds and the surface board (which I painted black to absorb heat), and mix in some of the old refuse (tomatoes, potatoes, cukes, squash, etc.) which didn't survive the harvest. I simply dig a hole in the media in the center of the bed and add a soggy bucket full, chop with a shovel, wet down with warm water, and recover everything. I plan to use the worms from this bed for fishing this spring if they have survived the harsh winter. But I also want to try planting sweet potatoes in this bed near the four corners. Probably not the best idea I have ever had, but it's much too short a season for sweet potatoes in the garden and I can't really come up with a better solution.
Will check out those worm bins Dave and let you know what I think. By the way, how big does a banana plant get Dave?
Oh by the way, I heard something funny the other day. When your a baby you smile as many as 300 times a day and as you grow older that number decrease significantly until you reach 55. Then your lucky to laugh five times in a day. Thanks for the grins!
Okay Dave, I checked out the pic on "worm farmers" posting in bananas.org and here what I think I saw. A plywood box with four sides, and reinforced corners with 1" x 2" boards. Inside of the box painted white. Difficult to tell the exact dimensions of the box, but it doesn't appear that large. The contents of the box included some shredded paper and I think cardboard as well as some corn stalks on top. The pic got me to thinking about some things I have been working on in my head but I wanted to ask you about the shredded cardboard in that pic. I think cardboard would compost quite well if it is actually shredded that fine, however I don't know what piece of equipment could do that. I know my paper shredder would not begin to shred cardboard that fine. Got any thoughts on how that might have been done???
i wish we were getting some of that vegas warmth..sigh.. was nice last week..now weve got snow again..
my tomatoes are all up now..got the lights on them with aluminum foil on sides to reflect light back on plants..mmm
i think i hear them singing right now..LOL
morgan..i dont know how ya would shred cardboard real thin,, for me..i of course use cardboard..i just bring out a big box..rip boxes apart
as i watch some tv show..:)
but strips are maybe 1/2"by1"..sort of..
?how big does a banana plant get..depends on variety..age..condition its grown..
my ensetes(african banana) started as 3' plants i grew them in pots inside last winter..hauling them out on good sunny days..planted
them 1st of june into the gardens.. my 3 biggest ones got over 14' tall this yr..:) they were 1yr plants..
i hope to have the big ones im overwintering get over 18' tall this summer !!! i hope..
worm bedding..i try to have a big box(30 gal) of shredded up cardboard on hand so i can harvest my castings and have
new bedding ready ..
hows your seed starting going morgan?
Have not done much in the way of seed planting yet. I have not received my backordered onions seeds so all I have are the saved seeds from last year which will probably be sufficient for planting out, however they are a mix of three different kinds and I have no idea which is which. I will start planting pepper seeds this week and mid-March will go for tomatoes etc.
Unfortunately I got rid of a lot of cardboard last year so what I have now I plan to use to line the bottom of the raised beds. I found a resource for free wood chips which I thought I would layer above the cardboard before adding the growing mix. I have been collecting information from some new threads on raised bed square foot gardening which seems to be the rage in the vegetable gardening section. Most of the people have considerable experience on the subject and my questions are ignored, but I plan to be up to speed on the subject by next year. Too late to garner much information this year except for a few comments here and there which are helpful.
So Dave, what are you going to do when you bring that 14' banana plant indoors next fall, cut a hole in your ceiling!? And, do you plan to harvest bananas from this plant? Often wondered what a vine ripened banana freshly picked tasted like.
i took your advice on lights on tomato seedlings.. actually found bulbs i had upstairs.. wow..theres stuff up there..LOL
one time i had 3 food processors..all 3 were gifts..hadnt opened one..typical for me.. friend wanted one..so i looked ..looked..couldnt find
one of them..then 6 months later..cleaning some stuff..i found them..LOL
the boys that helped me haul in the biggest 3 banana plants asked that same question morgan..LOL i told them..it could be 50% bigger next
fall.. they go what the ($%&(%$ LOL.. but between 2 tough teens.and me..i think we'll get it in next fall..
i have a moderately tall ceiling where the biggest picture windows are.. but ya.. the biggest ones are ensetes..and they can get big..
ensetes arent grown for fruit to eat..you could i guess..but there are so many seeds..and they are really hard..so..
but i do have many banana plants that produce great fruit.. thing with bananas.. when they flower.. mother plant dies after blooming..
for me im growing them for the show.. so i could get a couple plants that "could" flower.. but im going to try to prevent that..so i can keep
a big plant going.. its an experiment.. gardening is great fun !!!
im going out today or tomorrow to check the vegy soil to see if i can spade some up..and make up a cold frame..for lettuce/spinach..
?? hope its thawed some...
mraider3, shame on whoever is ignoring your questions. You helped me so much with my first experiment with worms. That is what DG is all about, helping each other. Have you tried reading any of their old threads.
I have had two workers in the garden for 6 days. About two more days and they should be done. I have had three separate lines of irrigation replaced because of being crushed by very large tree roots. They are coming again later this week to do another one.
I had 5 yards of organic soil delivered and it is just about all placed and we are not done. This bill should be outrageous. It is a good thing we do not eat out or travel. LOL.
Have a great day. Oh by the way Morgan, I am planting my garden seed outside tomorrow. We, I am instructing and the workers are do the manual labor, are building the hoop protection I saw on another thread. I usually wrap separate areas but want to try this. I will post before and after photos.
Mother Winter.
Here are the hoops. Have not wrapped because I want to sow seeds first. I am going to put black garbage bags on the ground for a few days to warm up the soil. And we are getting 49 as a high on Sunday. I think I will wait until next week and I also think I will put a few light bulbs inside also.
mraider3, I learned square foot gardening from the book, Square Foot Gardening by Bartholomew. Got it from Amazon, used... for little$. Excellent Book, check out the DG bookworm to see comments. I dont have a lot of $ so I started with 1 4X4 bed, then next season, two more, etc. Now I have 5 and will eventually do at least 1 more. I scavenged the 2X12's I used to make the beds and I scavenged the used galvanized pipe to make the form for my string trellises.
I do the thing mentioned here to prepare them, ie, burying kitchen clippings so the worms stay happy. I also stirred in several buckets of grounds from Starbucks for free. I make my own compost and have never bought peat moss, not for any righteous reason, just I try to get along without buying much. I grow some green manure crops and turn them under to rot over the winter in beds Im not using. I usually allow a box to sit a season before planting anything in it but even when I didn't, I still grew lots of beans, broccoli, radishes, carrots, okra, lettuce, beets, snow peas. I made sure there was room to pass the lawn mower between my beds but leaning more now, toward laying down wood chips or something to keep the paths clear. I water with rain water as much as possible, (to save $). I live in the city and water is expensive. Go for it with the SFG. The concept as I understand it is to grow more per sq ft instead of more per plant. You need to know this because people will tell you that you've planted things too close together!!!
Best of Luck, Cam
That's what I love about you Dave...your off the chart on this banana tree experiment. Wild and crazy!!! Tip on the florscent lights, it's best to use new bulbs each season. The bulb intensity over just one growing season can greatly dimish.
I just had an interesting response in the vegetable forum thread on broccoli seed. It gave me just the information I was looking for. I'm not ready to pass judgment yet on these new threads for square foot gardening, but the thread responses are mostly people with a considerable amount of experience. I have promised that I would be up to speed on the subject by next growing season, but there is no time left to do the type of research I plan to do. My seed planting will start in ernest next month and I will have my beds layed out by then as well. I have a feeling that this 'square foot' gardening topic will be a lot like to tomaoto forum. In time there should be plenty of great information to be gained by simply browsing the threads Gymgirl and others have started on this subject. I think the problem I am having is my questions are too nieve and not worthy of comment, but that has never stopped me from asking questions.
I will make another prediction on this subject and that is raised bed gardening is going to surge in this country like you wouldn't believe. Consequently look for more problems with seed shortages. I have been checking local sources for seeds which have been backordered already by Johnny's and Pine Tree Gardens and will probably just use their backordered seed next season. I am also looking into more on the subject of saving seeds. That file is over an inch thick already.
Sharon...nice looking hoop house. Mine was just about blown away in the most recent Chinook winds. The cord holding the bottoms down was a bungee cord wrapped in nylon which came apart and the only thing holding the cover down was the four corner straps. I added bird netting to the frame which has really helped in holding everything together. The long sides are bolted to two 2" x 12" x 12' treated lumber or the whole thing would have disappeared by now. I had considered moving it into my 30' x 40' shed for the winter but never got around to it. Won't happen this year. I have a chicken house heater which I use to heat the hoop house on cold nights in April through June. The only thing I'm lacking at this point is some bakery shelves.
Thanks Cam for the summary. You have the right idea on self sufficiency there. I truly believe that in the next two years those of us who seriously garden will be well rewarded for their efforts. I have two good sized outdoor composting bins and plan to expand that operation this year, however I will still maintain my indoor vermiculture bins primarily for the purpose of providing castings for germination and potting mixes. Everything outside is like a brick and will probably stay that way for at least another month. I will order a copy of Bartholomew's book from Amazon shortly. TYVM I'm a big fan of Amazon books.
Good Luck Ya'all on your seed planting. But be careful, I think we may be in for some crazy weather patterns for the next few years. I plan to have backups for tomatoes and pepper plants just in case, and plenty of other successive transplants as well. I keep a good stock pile of seeds in the bottom crisper of one of my refrigerators in the garage. Most seeds are viable for several years if kept this way and you never know what can happen.
i agree with ya morgan on seed availablity.. i try to order them in nov/dec previous yr.. i just store them in frig ..
ive found with some small seed providers they too are getting hit hard with orders.. im still waiting on my sunflower "sunzilla"
seeds.. comming from north carolina.. but i should get them..
tomatoes are doing good..
good advice on the light bulbs.. i have to hit home depot today..so i plan to pick up some new bulbs..
ive been keeping tomatoes in real sunny south facing window..then around 4pm i put them under the lights for another
6 hrs light..
i plan to order my coco coir next month.. was thinking..if alot of people are thinking same on produce prices..and thinking
of gardening.. could run out of the coir..
i also am having boys till up area where old clothes line was..get it ready for turf this spring..
always seems like a project.. keeps me out of trouble i guess..LOL
nice sunny day today.. cool..but sunny !!!
I was thinking about trying to make a version of the worm inn on /www.redwormcomposting.com/ . It sounds like you all use beds, but if I want to start small, does this worm inn make sense? The main reasons for me to vermicompost is for the gardening benefits but also to feed chickens(micro-livestock). Does anyone do this? M3-On seed saving, do you have susan ashworth's book "seed to seed"? I assume you do, but if not it is excellent.
I just bought another shop light from Lowes for 17$ on line. I ordered and 20 minutes later picked it up at the store. We have 8.5% tax here so that brought it to 20 but it was the best price I could find.
vttomatogarden..i'll have to look for that book..always looking for another good book to read..:)
there are so many ways you can raise worms..from very small to huge commercial production..
i have my 4- 37 gal rubbermaid tubs i use.. they give me pretty much all castings i need..plus ive given worms to
2 friends now(locally)..and doesnt seem to have made a dent in worms in my bins..
there are alot of super raisers of worms here.. much more experienced and ideas than me.. but
i have found..ya dont have to make it difficult.. if ya keep them in conditions they like.. make sure to feed them..
thats all the work there is..aside from separating out the worms from castings...
steadycam... i bet u have tomatoes in now..? im jealous.. sigh.. :)
im thinking of getting new shop lights too.. ones i have now..are probably 12+ yrs old.. i did get new
bulbs today.. i saw at home depot... the cheapest 4' shop lights were $9.99 thats pretty good..
i like how ya can order online now..and go pick them up..in couple hrs.. they want our business.. nice
convience !!
mraider, in response to your comments about square foot gardening, there is a thread in beginner vegetables discussing the possiblity of starting a separate forum for square foot gardening. I think if you ask your questions there, you might get a better response since it is a 'beginner' forum. It was suggested to me, however I haven't formed my questions yet. Just a thought.
Tropical, I did not see the $10 shop lights!!! Im going there tomorrow. Thanks for the tip.
I purchased four, two bulb shop lights from Lowes at a decent price last year to go with an assortment of florescent light fixtures from a local salvage store. Since I have a number of these I decided to pose a question on their use in the vegetable form and there has been some excellent feedback. May help some of you to check that out or contribute your ideas and pricing for that matter on the shop lights. Fortunately Montana has no sales tax so I can sympathize with you there. We do some big ticket purchasing for the kids. Especially the ones in Texas. Cannot believe their sales tax. Their sales tax alone on food they buy each month is more than out entire grocery bill, but they don't garden either,
VITTOMATOGARDEN, Susan A's book is now on my list of Amazon purchases. I have been following closely several threads started by Gymgirl and others on the "square foot' gardening, Linda has renamed these due to trade name priority, but I expect these will pick up emcee speed and become very popular. I have seen a number of raised beds, intense gardening articles in various places so my suggestion is to buy your seed early this year and take Dave's advise on purchasing seed for the next year as well. I purchased FM seed at HD last week after they set their seed racks out. Mostly onion seed which has all been backordered with the exception of the Territorial Seed Company. The only problem with HD's seed packets is the small amount of seed, but two packets is generally equivalent to one pkt from my catalog sources. But here again, no shipping costs and no sales tax make it a good buy so I think I will purchase some more varieties for next year before they are gone. I don't see a whole lot of gardening going on here in Helena, but it has been picking up in my neighborhood at a surprising rate, And for some strange reason, seed supplies don't last long in our four hardward stores and Walmart. Go figure!
VITTOMATOGARDEN...Dave makes some good points here as to the bin approach, however starting a couple of years ago when the vermiculture forum was created, the tiered bins were pretty much all everyone talked about. I believe these bins were a relatively new concept and although I have never invested in one, I'm sure you can go back and find a plenty of information on the operation of these as well as books to read. Personally I like the tubs Dave and I use. I have been doing this for over 40 years and doubt that I will change. You know it is with old f...ts.
shune, I think there is an abundance of experience here in DG on this subject of 'square foot' gardening. So far I don't see many questions from the uninformed. I have pushed mine a couple of times in various places and I am getting responses, but I am way behind the curve on the subject and no time left to catch up before I start my raised bed plantings this year. However, I have picked up enough information from bits and pieces of these postings to get a good start on the year I plan to optimize my raised beds. My past performances in these have been more lettuce than I can eat or give away and not much else. I hope there will be more 'beginners' posting questions on this subject. I know how intimidate I was to ask questions in the Tomato Forum after I first joined, but after I while I learned how to do that without making a complete fool of myself. I am still a 'babe in the woods' when it comes to the tomato forum, but I have gathered reams of information by following that forum and researching old threads. My tomato production is a thousand fold better than before I joined DG and I expect the same of my six raised beds within a year or two.
When you buy shop light be sure they have electronic ballasts not magnetic ballasts. The cheaper magnetic ones have a longer delay between the 60Hz cycles(light goes on and off 60 times a second). You would never notice the difference but your plants will. For growing you want about 6500k bulbs(daylight spectrum) unless you go with a special grow bulb which might be better, but 5x more expensive. T8 or T5 are better than T12. They are more efficient. I couldn't find the right bulbs for T5 so I have 2xT8's and 1xT12s(4'). These 3 shop lights cover 4 seed trays plus a few pots. You have to keep the lights mere inches off the top of the plants for them to grow well. I also like the idea of reflective material between plants, because light is still at a premium. What's HD and FM? I like any company who has signed the safe seed pledge(and especially any that have stopped selling monsanto/seminis). Territorial, Johnnys, High Mowing, Fedco, Everwilde.. Careful though, Territorial still offers Monsanto/Seminis seeds even though they don't sell GM(genetically modified) seeds. Thanks for all the worm advice!
No tomatos yet. I'm starting to plant march 15th.(we cant put them out until late may early june). If anyone want tomato seeds check out my have list, I'd be happy to send some. My favs are black cherry and eva purple ball.
There's a great article on florescent lights submitted by Doug in the vegetable forum thread on Florescent Lights/Seed Starting. It talks about the T8 (1-inch diam.) vs. T12 (1.4-inch diam.) bulbs and how the T12's will soon become obsolete along with incandescent light bulbs. I'm not sure the grow lights, which as you say are more expensive than the white and warm lights, are that effective in seed starting. The inexpensive shop lights will need a ballast replacement to accommodate the T8 bulbs, however as the article states this is a fairly simple process.
HD is Home Depot and FM is Ferry Morris. The Ferry Morris seed packets at Home Depot here is similar in price and quantity of seeds to Pine Tree Gardens packaging and prices. I have seen some discussion in several forums (Vegetable Gardening and Tomatoes) which talks about various seed companies. I believe too these companies are rated here in DG and have had various comments on Monsanto/Seminis seeds.
I purchased a packet of black cherry tomatoes to try for the first time this year. I mix the cherry tomatoes in with stupice tomatoes when canning tomato juice and various sauces and salsas, the blend adds sweetness to these without the addition of sugar which is banned from my diet. I switched from hybrid cherry tomatoes to the black cherry so I could save the seeds, but I still plan to grow some of the Sun Gold cherry toms as well. Your tomato transplant date is about a month earlier than ours so I have to use wrapped cages for the stupice. Although the welded wire cages are designed for determinates (2 ft diam. x 3 ft tall), the stupice plants only grow around four to six feet tall and they can be trimmed back at the first indications of frost in August and the wraps put back on the cages for another four to six weeks of production. Around the first of August I start removing flowers on all tomatoes plants so they will focus on the existing fruits. Flower buds after the first of August do not develop into fully ripened tomatoes here.
i have shop lights using T12 bulbs.. ive got to read the article morgan on conversion to T8 bulbs..thanks for that!
got more snow this morning..sigh.. not as much snow..at least here.. mts got a ton as i understand..also colder today
than last few.. no sign of spring yet... :(
planning to separate out worms/castings in 1 bin today.. i think i can hear the worms down there yelling.."new bedding..new bedding"
lol
tomatoes are going well... just starting 2nd leaves some..keeping them on the drier side..not dried out..just to prevent damping off..
sent for couple more tomato seed pks.. will start them when they get here..
im with morgan at having plants at various stages of growth..just in case nasty turn in weather..or plant problems..
dreaming of spring ..
There is a good bit of difference in the $10 and $17 dollar lights. I think the $17 should last longer. I remember that I had a $10 one from Walmart once and one of the bulbs never worked and something in it kept shorting out and I took it apart as far as I could and found that the assembler had a wire that was apparently too short so the person spliced in a different gauge of wire to lengthen it. I think that was causing the problem, but Im not sure. Cam
Cam, I had some bad luck too with some bulbs purchased at Wal-Mart. At that time I was using the plant grow lights and several of the end pins on these bulbs were loose. I now check the end pins carefully when I purchase new bulbs, but I haven't gone back to Wal-Mart. I think they were careless in handling their inventory, because I had the same problems with incandescent bulbs which had broken filaments. Either way I carefully check any bulbs I purchase for visible damage before purchasing.
Dave, I add new media (soaked and drained peat moss) at each worm feeding to replace the old dried media on top of the bins which is dry enough to be easily removed. About two or three scoops with a hand trowel is enough new material which is mixed into the trenches after the blended food is added. Peat moss even soaked and drained with an aquarium net is like a sponge. Bear Grillis used peat moss on one of his survival shows to cover his shelter. He claimed that peat moss absorbed 35 times its weight in water. My bins are never too soggy. In fact I generally have to add quite a bit of water to keep the media sufficiently moist.
steadycam..i agree.. i ended up taking the homedepot fixtures back.. i went to lowes..and bought their $24 shop lights..
i really should convert over to the T8 fixtures..
morgan..u must go thru alot of peat?? you should buy yourself a peat farm up in cananda... if ya do.. will ya give me a
deal?? :) heheehe
with me of course i use shredded cardboard.. and for potting up..and plantings..i use coco coir.. my source.. is better than
most mail order prices.. U.S. orchid supply,calif..
i envy gardeners in TX and calif.. they can buy at price i do..but without shipping added..
tomatoes doing good.. started 6 more community pots.. mostly heirloom tomatoes..
dreaming of spring......
I usually purchase three large bales of peat moss for less than $35 which doesn't seem like a bad price to me. I do use some of it in potting mixes however I prefer to let the worms do their thing and reap the added nutrients. So what is your price on coco coir? You probably don't have to pay their outrageous sales tax buying on line, so you can get a break there I presume.
I have decided to go with open pollinated seed this year for tomatoes and peppers. My tomato planting will consist of 28 Stupice plants which I will cage in my covered determinate cages (2' diam. welded wire, 3' tall). In August I trim back the plants and replace the covers for another six weeks of production. The Black Cherry and Big Sungold Select plant will be planted in a strip 60 ft long and probably staked this year. I have let the cherry tomatoes sprawl in the past and they did fine, but I figure I will do that later in August before the frosts come. Cut them down from the stakes and trim off all the flower buds, then cover the row with a strip of clear plastic painter’s drop cloth (14 ml). I get another six weeks of production there as well.
I'm starting to think spring is a myth. Nothing but sub zero weather and brite white snow to look at.
What's a community pot Dave?
lol..i guess im making up new meanings in gardening..:) for me a community pot is a what i start the seeds in.. instead of
seedling tray.. i have so many pots from plants ive bought in past..im sure like many other gardeners..
im cheap..so i just hang on to them.. clean them in fall..then use to start seeds.. :)
thats not bad on your peat morgan...
my source on coir i get 11# bales for $6.50 ..this yr i will be ordering 30 bales.. your probably right
on shipping and not paying sales tax..
yea..i think your right on spring being a myth.. no sign of it here.. even my crocus arent up yet..
they are my 1st sign of spring..sigh
Well I'm counting on you to save me a ripe banana buddy.
I use peat pots for my tomatoes and peppers. I actually start them in ground up vermiculture media and sometime some extra peat moss. Typically I will put up to ten seeds in a single three inch peat pot, then pot them up again in peat pots when they have two sets of true leaves. Hardly anyone likes peat pots here in DG, but I have worked with peat products so long it’s just second nature to me. I save the old peat pots after using once or twice and run them through the grinder for mulching around my Yucca plants.
30 x 11# = 330 lbs...that's a lot of choir Dave. You can't be using it exclusively for worm bedding, can you?
i will use peat pots when tomatoes get 2/3 leaf.. then i will transplant to 6" pots.. usually they go out into garden after that..:)
i start my pumpkin,summer squash,cucumber seeds in 3" peat pots then they go directly out into garden 1st week of june..
i never trust the weather here.. and i usually have really nice plants..and id hate to start over.. lol
yea.. 330#..but no..i only use it in potting up bananas,elephant ears.. then into spot of garden where the tropical plants go
ive used coir in worm bin..but it takes quite a while for the worms to go thru it..
my motto is..some is good. alot is better.. LOL :)
i hear down in texas, OK that there having some big thunderstorms.. tornados.. and in areas..some
hot weather.. wish we could get some of the heat.. no thanks to the tornados..
do u get tornados in summer morgan??? when i lived in rapid city, SD we had them.. as a kid..of course i
thought they were cool.. dumb.. :)
Not likely to have tornados here in the valley. However, I have had my fill of them living in Kansas. I'm with you Dave on freaky weather patterns the last couple of years. That is why I do backup plants. Have had some serious freezes which required two replanting of covered tomato plants, so I'm being cautious this year. Tomatoes without covers will not go in until mid-June and I'm leaving most of my hot peppers in 2.5 gallon pots. Potatoes do fine here and other than the potato beetle we have had great crops each year. I have been looking for a potato plow to pull behind my Sears FT 5000 tractor/mower. I have a pull behind tiller which is a real back saver, but now I'm thinking something for digging trenches for potatoes and corn would be nice. I read about a method of starting corn seed in a trench and back filling the trench as the corn grows. Combine this with a black plastic ground cover, then some boards on either side of the trench with old window panes over the top of the boards, and you have got a 30 day jump start. That is about the only way you can get successive cropping of corn here. Even then I have to go with 70 day or less varieties.
Tell me some more Dave about your method of transplanting cucumber, pumpkin and squash seeds from the peat pots. Do you try to remove the entire pot or just cut out the bottoms. I have had some problems with this method even trimming off the tops of the peat pots with bottoms removed, but I will definitely try again. I have a number of 5 gallon buckets I can use as night covers for these plants and now have the capability of watering with warm water which seemed to help greatly last spring. I also plan to do some miniature white cukes in a raised bed under the cover of those glass window panes. I bought 22 old double window panes from a restore for $75 and they have come in really handy for various projects. They were from an old home so the wood is heavy. Little chance of them blowing away like my wood framed, clear plastic sheeting covers. A couple had to have the glass replaced which wasn't easy, but the rest we in decent shape with only had minor cracks in the corners which were easily sealed by using silicone sealer on both sides of the cracks.
good to hear ya dont have tornados where youre at..
i always have an eye open for people throwing away old windows.. last yr.. i got 2 big sliding doors that were being thrown away..
they will be handy..if i get my cold frame set up tomorrow.. sigh.. its suppose to be nice most of this week..i hope!!!
with my pumpkin,cucs,squash..i dont like the plants to get to big..maybe 6" long or so.. but i just rip back top part of the
peat pot..so it doesnt act as a wick and take water away from the pot.. i dont poke the bottom out..just let them rot in the garden..
i understand cucs,pumpkin,and squash dont like their roots disturbed..??? so they just go right in the garden..early june..
i put alot of good rotted compost in where they go.. and water in good.. works good for me.. :)
We follow the same practices for transplanting cukes, etc., but the peat pots did not break down when I transplanted them as you mention. The neighbor had better luck removing the entire pot from those I gave him from my plantings, and my direct seeding in the holes adjacent to the transplants did better than either of our transplants. There could be several reasons for that which includes the fact that it was still a bit cool at nights when I did the transplants and the direct seeding didn't come up until the weather warmed up. I still want to give the transplant method a try this season using 6-gallon buckets to cover the plants at night and warm water to water the plants for the first month after transplanting.
I had the same problem with those pots. I think it is just too dry here and they soaked up the water to stay moist but appeared to strangle the plant because it did not break up fast enough.
I am having four irrigation lines replaced because of tree roots, and have had two workers here for 8 days. I am going to have to rob a bank to pay this bill. BUT, my shoulder does not hurt. My insurance company should pay me not to dig in the garden. I am at that age I want to garden in the garden, not dig up invasive beds full of neighbors tree roots. Oh Well, that is gardening in the desert 101.
Have a great day. I am planting vegetables this Saturday and next week. Sharon.