July 31, 2008
This spring we worked hard getting my backyard ready for a garden. Last year there were problems particularly with tomatoes as they got a fungus and stopped producing, and the cukes tasted weird. So we mixed in pine bark and peat moss and dug down into the clay and broke it up and mixed it into the soil. A Ph test revealed the soil wasn't acidic enough, so we added aluminum sulfate as well. I started germinating seeds in March and April. My mistake this year was starting too late. Once the seedlings got into the ground, it was late May. I was scared to plant them because of the late freeze we had in April 2007 which killed or stunted a bunch of my plants. (Early bird did not get the worm that time.)
So, it's late July and we are just now getting vegetables from the garden. It is a terrific bounty this year, so the soil amendments made a big difference. Tomatoes, cukes, peppers, okra, and beautiful sunflowers, zinnias and cosmos. There are watermelons also, but they are not ready yet. Since I had so many seedlings, I planted them in a bunch of other places where we didn't treat the soil and those are doing fine also (for now).
Next year we'll have a lot of compost to use as a soil amendment so the garden should be even more productive then.
The veggie that has been a thorn in my side is yellow squash. Some kind of worm or pest eats the plant every year. Thus, rather than try it again and fail, I didn't grow any this year. I don't know how people grow squash successfully other than to use heavy pesticides or let chickens run loose in the garden to eat bugs. Neither of those options works for me.
Posted by megabeth at July 31, 2008 12:16 PM
I'm so jealous. Up here on the Canadian border our growing season is very short. You don't plant until June 1st, and you can get a frost by the last week in September. What we can grow is limited too. I stick to lettuce, tomatoes, basil, peppers, cukes, and zucchini. Manure (cow, not horse) and mulching are keys to success. I'm not sure what kind of fungus you had, but laying down some hay once the soil temperature warms up does wonders for keeping weeds at bay and for preventing mold and even for keeping some pests (snails, tomato grubs) from getting to the plants. This year I'm having a bumper crop of basil. It will be pesto through the winter this year. How I wish I could grow my own watermelons. It is damn near impossible here without a greenhouse to start things.
Posted by: chris robinson at July 31, 2008 02:16 PM
You would probably have more success growing broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and sweet peas than we do in AL. We have a very short window for sweet peas (between too hot and too cold).
I have a weed fabric covering the garden which also acts as a mulch. The fungus probably is caused by water settling above the clay soil down below and not draining properly. It can be spread from plant to plant through spray watering. So this year we buried an irrigation hose to prevent that from happening.
People in all growing zones would benefit from a greenhouse.
How do you store fresh basil for the winter?
Posted by: megabeth at July 31, 2008 02:28 PM
You can put basil leaves in a freezer bag and freeze it. I've never done this, however. I'm a pesto freak and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I have two pesto recipes that I use. They require a small fortune in pine nuts and really good olive oil, but you can freeze it. Nothing takes the edge off the cold and darkness of January like basil rich pesto.
Drainage is helped with hay and with manure (although I'm not sure why --dissipation, perhaps). The fabric tends to create a greenhouse effect in the upper layer of soil. I've tried broccoli and cauliflower. These either wilt or they become bug infested. My neighbor grows them and uses a pesticide.
I have slow drip strips for watering, but I think your irrigation line is the better idea.
Posted by: chris robinson at August 1, 2008 06:58 AM
They turn brown when I freezed them last, but will try again perhaps blanching them first.
Strange. I grew broccoli winter before last and there were no pest problems. But they only grow in Feb/March here in AL when pests are at a minimum, then it's too hot.
Posted by: megabeth at August 1, 2008 11:43 AM
I vote for letting the chickens run!! Ha!
I still toy with the thought of having a few for nice fresh eggs and some healthy chemical free meat now and then.
Posted by: A at August 2, 2008 11:49 AM
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