Will Be Setting - up My EBs Soon AS Weather Allows? Part III

Last shot of my tomatos for now!

Gymgirl- He's bigger than me LOL

Bob

Tplant- Your toms look fine. Resilient things aren't they?

TPlant: I just got back today, am home now, it was beautiful in south Florida, you should deal with what we got up here. LOL I almost cried when I had to go, you got great weather headed your way all week.
joy112854

I'm sure grateful to Bocabob for setting up the watering system for me as it takes a lot of time and energy to water all nineteen EBs and my bronchitis has been acting up again leaving me weak with the slightest bit of exertion. What happens is I start coughing and must sit quickly as I become very weak. Strange how this bronchitis came about as all the time I thought I was having an allergy of some type. My famous garden scooter has developed a flat and won't hold air so I must have that fixed probably Monday as the repair shops are always busy on week-ends. Can't do much with out it? I bought the folding-kneeling garden seats from Lowes for $20 ea and placed one on each side of my home as I can rest when I have to wherever I am! Turn them upside down and they serve as a great padded kneeler and the supports are so high that it is easy to get up. You've probably seen them advertised in Gardeners Supply catologs?

Tplant, "I bought the folding-kneeling garden seats from Lowes for $20 ea and "

Sounds like a good idea and something I could use. Without going to any exertion and at your convenience, how about posting up a picture of this gismo?

Thanks

Here ya go, texasrock...

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=184923-48341-TLS-990&lpage=none

Not a bad price for such a useful tool to have.

Shoe

Hey T-plant-- take it easy!!!!! Have all your plants recovered from that wind/rain storm last week? Now the weather can't be any better for growing anything. 70's during the day, high 50's/low 60's at night. Picked these this morning and 12 heads of Romaine lettuce. Just before dinner I'll pick the tomatoes for our salad.

BocaBob

Thanks Shoe! It saved me a long search and Texsrocgard it sure is a blessing especially if you have to plant or weed. Makes for a good place to just rest as it is light enough for me to carry around if I have too?
Bob -- My plants are coming along just fine just wish I were? Can't shake this being tired! Doctor says it will take a few days. Anything can cause a bronchial attack such as dust, odor, cold and humid air, exertion so I must take it easy. Thank goodness for EBs etc. and your watering setup...

Shoe, Thanks! Now I know what to look for the next time I am Lowe's.

BocaBob, The Cukes are beauties. You ability to garden is the envy of us all.

Texas- Thanks, I think I am finally getting it right.

Shoe- Did you finish what you were saying about the calcium, lime, gypsum, etc?

Bocabob

Hmmm...I thought I did, BocaBob. But if something wasn't clear I'll try to make up for it.

And by the way, does anyone else out there think that BocaBob should FedEx all of us cucumber sandwiches? *grin (I like mine with mayo and a pinch of salt and pepper, please.)

Shoe

. . . and be sure to cut off the crusts of the extra-thin sandwich bread! LOL

Seriously, this Massachusetts gal is pretty jealous of those great lookin' cukes and tomatoes comin' on. But I'm taking lots of notes for my EBs and coir bags for next summer.

Emily - It will be worth the wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Shoe- I guess my only question to you is about the Gypsum. It's just a soil amendment right, not a fertilizer. Does it supply calcium by just dissolving in the mix and the plants absorb it?

BocaBob

Cuke sandwiches for everybody!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mornin', Folks...

Dagnabbit, while walking around one end of the garden this morning, coffee cup in hand, I discovered at least 30 of my broccoli and collard plants have been enjoyed by the local deer. Bocabob, another good reason to get a swimming pool like you and use containers, eh?

And yes, as for gypsum, it can be used as a "soil amendment" in that it will help to aerate hard soils when used in moderation. Keep in mind that some soil amendments are used for changing the soil structure only, for example to increase drainage or aeration. Other soil amendments will change soil structure and also offer nutrition (or contribute to a plants ability to accept nutrition), for example, compost or natural matter or mineral rock.

Gypsum will help soil structure (used in moderation) depending on what kind of soil you are starting out with. However, for purposes in container growing it is used for its calcium content, especially for some of the food crops in the Solanaceae family (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, etc).

A balmy 45º here but the sun is shining. Think I'll go put a little dust on my remaining broccoli, cabbage and collard plants. (It really disturbs the deer when they sniff baby powder up their noses!) *grin

Happy Gardening to All!
Shoe

Thanks Shoe

BocaBob

Shoe: The more and more I read and hear about gypsom, the more and more I wonder if I should be amending my beds with it. I was planning on adding mushroom compost to the beds.

I also discovered something really strange too. I was looking over the directions to the topsy turvys and noticed it calls for soil and not mix? I also am concerned about if I plant tomatoes in it will it get enough calcium and magnesium? I plan on using tomato plant food and using coconut coir as the medium in which I plant it in, I think it will make the topsy's lighter and since you have to water daily and sometimes more frequent I think the coconut coir will be the best thing. You can put in fertilizer with the mix, which I thought about doing also and then using the liquid tomato plant food, but, should I add epsom salts? Should I add a calcium additive of some sort also? I probably should be asking Bob about this since he is the one that knows more about the coconut coir. Should I add gypsom to the mix?
joy112854

If I may express my opinion do not use soil in any container planting as it compacts and smothers the root. My belief is to use the coir with some epsom salt and dolomite lime. I will be doing this shortly with one EB that I have waiting for my two experimental OSU tomatos to get large enough. Also will be using the coir in my hanging baskets when the school construction in March of next year is completed. I still intend to add dolomite to the coir along with my 10-10-10. Bob has the professional set up where he adds his fertilizer daily to his water supply and it contains ingredients not available in standard store bought fertilizer. His results are nothing but spectacular and we can all learn from him and follow his lead! I especially like his new seed starting system which I will use next season as all my seedling planting is complete for this year but would be great for you Spring gardeners. Contact him about it?

Im enjoying my coir as well. I actually have daylilies in it. I got it to late for the fall crop of veggies, have a couple blocks waiting for my snow pea earthbox and a couple more, not sure what I can plant first with this eather. I also like that when I use it in pots, I can see when its drying out and dont over water. Altho, im not sure you could overwater with the coir.

I'm a neat freak and like clean gardening and with the coir my hands never get dirty and also I don't have to be concerned with the disease known as "flesh eating bacteria" which comes from the soil.

"Shoe: The more and more I read and hear about gypsom, the more and more I wonder if I should be amending my beds with it. I was planning on adding mushroom compost to the beds."

Joy, I'm assuming you are referring to inground beds, not EB's or containers, right? You'd get much more nutrition and beneficial microbes by choosing to use the mushroom compost. It will also help aerate your soil. As for adding gypsum (or lime) you might want to have your soil checked for pH first then decide what to use based on the results.

Shoe

Shoe: Right then, yes I was speaking about soil in my beds, I use only potting mix for my EBs and hanging planters; but, am going to use coconut coir this Spring and summer in my hanging planters especially should make them lighter.
joy112854

This message was edited Dec 8, 2008 9:19 PM

This sounds very interesting, Bocabob. Sounds a bit like the Park Seed method of using seed soil mix "sponges" for germinating seeds under lights. (Except that in your system the seeds are sown in coir-nets which are presumably less expensive and more effective?)
Anyway, I look forward to hearing more.

Boca Bob: Me too, only I just got an email where Parks is now sending me theirs. How much am I losing by jumping the gun here? LOL
joy112854

Joy,

Once you use up your sponges you can just pack the holes in the bio-domes with coir. Or use only half the sponges this year and half coir and see what works best!

FYI--just wanted to let you know that Coco Coir is available at ALL the hydroponic places in Houston Linda (both the big one on I45 North and the 2 Constant Harvest Hydroponics places--one, I think is on W 43rd street and the other is up pretty close to me on North Eldridge--I know the owners there quite well) for $8.95 (5 kg block) and yes, it is the newer version. I picked a block up for bulb seed sowing (which I do at this time of year--most of the bulbs I do are winter growing, summer dormant) and I always buy my most of my organic fertilizers from them--they are also applicable to regular container growing and in ground uses. If you folks have a hydroponics store close by--save yourself a lot of shipping charges (at least for as long as gas is cheap--lol).
Debbie
=)

Thanks Debbie. Lucky you to have such a store so close. That is not the case with me and was the first thing I thought of. I think there is a hydroponics grower in the area so if I can get her name maybe she can help me. If she is using quantities of coir she might split an order with me. Most of my gardening friends barely have a clue about hydroponics. I will have to go on a real search within a 50 mile radius and see if I can find anything! Texas is a little far to go for me!! Jessica

Bob: Thank you for the gift you are giving me. I will be so elated trying them. This is going to be a great year, I feel it already.
joy112854

Im growing some seedlings in coir right now thta I stuffed in the sponge blocks. If you stuff them tight enough, you can still float the blocks without the coir falling out. Floating the block of course, is part of the 'magic'. I did get overly curious yesterday and tried to pop a little coir 'pellet' out of the blocks to see if they would hold together at all, while I got them to their growing spot in the EB. So far, I have found they start just as well in the coir, but loose a little steam. They still do very well, much better than any luck, or non luck I have ever had with peat pot type things. I was able to keep it together pretty well until the seedling was planted. If It was a delicate seedling, I would still want to go with the sponge to help hold it up until rooted.

Might I suggest wrapping the coir (lining the sponge block with) a square of nylon netting when you sow. Use some clean pieces of discarded ladies hosiery. That way when you transplant the coirt will be held together by the nylon stocking. Like a root ball wrapped in burlap...

If I would have to do something like that, I would just stick with the sponges. No matter what, it always comes down to those are the cheapest, cleastest easiest little additions to seed sowing, at least for me. I did find however, that if packed and kept wet, you can get the coir out in one piece, without disturbing the roots.

I will say this, if your a bit of a lzy gardener like myslef, maybe more time challenged. I will say it takes alot of stuffing and filling to get those blocks stuffed with coir, that stuff goes on and on, I thought I was pushing it out the bottom It seemed to take so many stuffs. Amazing that al comes from that block

Which is probably why it would be easier to stuff the nylon square and then stuff IT down into the sponge block....

The Collard Greens

An old man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his yearly collard green garden, but i t was always very hard work for him because the ground was hard. His only son, Junebug Jankins III, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.



Dear Junebugg Jankins III:

I am feeling pretty bad because it look like I won't be able to plant my collard green garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me. Love Dad



A few days later he received a letter from his son

Dear Daddy Jankins, Whatever you do, don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES. Love Junebugg Jankins III

At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.

Dear Daddy Jankins, You can go ahead and plant the collard greens now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances. Love Junebugg III.


And that's how you make the system work to your favor...

I love that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

BocaBob

Gymgirl: That is cute.
joy112854