Preparing for Spring and infestation

LOL, 1Lisac!!!

See, Steph, I'd have missed adding the seaweed, the molasses, AND the compost tea! Oh, yeah -- and SOME water!

LOL!

Still not sure about the water.

YES!! LOL Yes to the water! Silly people!

LOL! ^^_^^ LOL!

"Some" water. You posted there was water just didnt know how much!

Heeheeheee, you guys are really cracking me up here!! < =D

Lisa, "enough" water to fill your sprayer. The larger the sprayer, the more of all the ingredients you'll need.

Yes, I get it "some" just like all the other ingredients. Some should be enough. I know if I make it, it will be different everytime i make it. Where do you get the molasses? You may have posted that already but the storm kept me up most of the night so Im not thinking straight.

Yeah, where DO you get liquid gardening molasses and compost tea?

Compost tea is easy, ya just make it. There's a whole production process people go through, but I just take "some" compost, add "some" water, stir well, let it sit overnight, then take out the solids and water with the liquid part. ;)
OK, taking tongue out of cheek... "some" compost is about 2 handfuls thrown into my 2-gallon size watering can, and "some" water is enough water on top of that to fill it up. =)
Stir, let sit overnight, then the next day I start rummaging around in the bottom to pull out the solids and use 'em to "mulch" around selected plants, whatever I'm in the mood for at the time. Water with the remaining liquid.

I have a spray bottle with rubbing alcohol and go a hunting for any type of insects in my yard and in the house. Aphids, crickets, roaches, white flies and one time I even got a mole cricket with it underneath a flower pot. Never had any problem on the plant leaves at all, works like a charm, no mixing required, just fill her up and shoot ;-)

I buy both the liquid molasses and compost tea at an organic gardening center. I have the gallon container and it lasts forever!

Yesterday, I stocked up. I bought Ammonium Sulfate for the 5 Earthboxes of onions I planted,
Worm Castings, Epsom Salts, and Dry Molasses.

Since I've never used anything except the EP before, ya'll will have to tell me what goes where in my raised beds, and how much! Except for the Ammonium Sulfate -- that's for the onions.

And I know the dry molasses can be used as a compost starter. Can I mix it up to use in your formula, Steph?

P.S. Ya'll go check out my article in the DG Writer's competition!

Hugs!

GG,
Can you paste a link on the article?

Belle

Here yah go, Belle!

http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/3620/

You can sprinkle dry molasses on plants as a fertilizer, too. I just broadcast it and water. I've never "made" anything with it, tho.

Thanks, Steph!

This year Im SOOOO behind, I havent even gotten it completely cleaned up from last season. I usually burn both areas but its been too wet (never thought Id say that) or too windy. I do no till gardening. If it dries out enough in the next few days Ill burn it, or just clean the garden by the house out by hand. Id really like to get a few tomato plants out, even tho this is early for me. It seems like we always get a late freeze. Any ideas of what I should add to the soil or the hole where Im putting the plant? If this is too off topic Ill be glad to start another thread. I usually add stuff all year round but this has been a strange year.

When I plant out my tomatoes I add the following items to the hole:

worm casting
Azomite
some DE
broken egg shells

So far so good. This is a picture I took today of my tomatoes.
They did survive the rain and the cooler temperature.

1lisac - I add organic fertilizer to each tomato hole, and work it thoroughly into the surrounding soil where I think the roots will go.

Thanks Bee-I usually put WELL composted horse manure/hay in each hole but usually I have been doing that all year to the whole garden too. I think that plus some liqued organic fertilizer should do the trick. First it has to dry out a little, still hoping to burn but either way that should do the trick.

1lisac - wish I had access to horse manure here like I did in South Florida.

After all Ive heard about the systemic herbicides they now use Im really careful. This compost is about 3 yrs old and I keep the gate closed on that stale. NO NEW POOP ALLOWED, or I go down the road and get it from there where I have 1 donkey and untreated Native Grassland.

1lisac,
I've been known to throw a handful of Epsom Salts and a sprinkling of Dolomitic Lime down into my planting hole for the tomatoes.

1lisac - fortunately, I knew the horse owner. And, it's been thirteen years since I left South Florida. As far as I know, there wasn't the same problems with systemics back then as there are now.


(Bee - who can't believe she's been in NC for thirteen years already!)

Bee- your right this systemic herbicide issue is relatively new so I don't worry about the old poop.

GG I do add Epsom Salt to the fertilizer, but no lime here. If anything I need to bring the PH down not up. I always cringe when I see people add lime unless they are sure they need to bring the PH up. Sometimes people put it in their general recipe when it's not needed. Evidently more of the US has acidic soil then alkaline but with all this limestone I know my soil is alkaline.

Just throwing it out there....

Epsom salt = Magnesium
Dolomite = Calcium & Magnesium(while raising the pH significantly)

Wouldn't Gypsum(Calcium & Sulfur) be a better mix with Epsom Salt? I do this in containers with a 6.5 pH and it doesn't raise above 6.8 all season. The slight raise is probably from the water.

Ray what post are you referring to, GGs? It been a long day and this stupid time change. So you think if I put the well composted horse poop, Epsom salts and liquid fertilizer in each hole I'll be good to go. I can always side dress later. With all this moisture im afraid disease is going to be my biggest issue.

I know I don't want to add Calcium it's what builds up on all the bathroom fixtures. That's one thing i do have is plenty of minerals. Lol

I'm glad I'm reading this because this will be my first year of growing tomatoes in an actual garden "bed". I prepped my bed last Fall, using pelletized dolomitic lime (the ph to start with was about 6.8 or so), Epsom Salt, hardwood mulch (for texture), tons of compost, and some 10-10-10 I had left-over from when we had our front yard done. I mixed that in really good with my gardening fork and have just let it sit there since November. Oh, and I spread another couple inches of compost on top of it last week. I'm embarrassed to say that they 10-10-10 was like 2 1/2 years old, do you think ("you" being anyone) that'll hurt anything? When should I sample the soil again? Should I mix it up first before gathering my sample?

I've considered going to one of the local Amish farms to buy some composted manure, but I've been told that it often contains a lot of weed seed, and I do NOT want to introduce weed seed to my brand new tomato bed!! I'm not worried about herbicides coming from the Amish farms, but weeds are something I really do not want.

speediebean - If I could get Amish composted manure I would use it irrespective of how many weeds it contained. - But that's just me ^_^

Bee, I have been really really considering it, and thinking along the same lines as you, that I could just deal with any weeds 'cause it's not a large bed, it's only about 10' x 4'. Manure from the Amish would be WONDERFUL, I would think, 'cause it's what they spread on their own crops every Spring. It's wonderful to drive down that little country road in the Spring and smell all the sweet-smelling freshly spread manure on their crop sites!! < =D

When you guys use eggshells do you just crush them, or, I have heard it is a good idea to dry them and put them in the blender to make a powder then mix with water to sprinkle in.

Gosh the new vs old compost because of what the alfalfa/hay has been grown with is not something I have thought of. We have horses and I use their manure in my compost piles. Can't figure out how to pick up the tiny goat poop, lol.

Quilty, if your goats hay or bagged feed the issue would be the some. So don't waste time picking up those tiny poop pellets lol

I have heard you can test the manure by trying to grow a bean or pea in it as they are more susceptible to the issue. If it doesn't grow or dies right away the manure may have systemic herbicide.

I just toss the whole eggshell in the gsrden

I coarsely crumble the shell. The snails and slugs don't like having to crawl over the shells. (Wah!)

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