My pepper plants got bigger than I thought.

[Althea]

It acts like a slow release organic fertilizer and it has calcium.

Shells have calcium, but it takes a long time for it to be available to the plants. They have liquid bone meal now, that's pulverized like talc, and they hydrated. I love it.

Not sure about the raw yolk/albumen as ferts, but it's an interesting idea.

 

[Rune]

Shells have calcium, but it takes a long time for it to be available to the plants. They have liquid bone meal now, that's pulverized like talc, and they hydrated. I love it.

Not sure about the raw yolk/albumen as ferts, but it's an interesting idea.

Any protein is a good source of nitrogen.
I put a fish under each plant.

 

[kudzu]

Thanks, will have to try that.

Don't break the egg.. just put it down into the pot on a cushion of potting soil.

 

[kudzu]

Any protein is a good source of nitrogen.
I put a fish under each plant.

I used to always plant fish guts with new Magnolia trees.. They fairly jump out of the ground.. Had one that put on 4 feet in one season.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Don't break the egg.. just put it down into the pot on a cushion of potting soil.

And put that pot where you will never, ever knock it over. lol

 

[kudzu]

And put that pot where you will never, ever knock it over. lol

Exactly..

I saw a demonstration of how to root long stem roses.. Its wild.. You cut a healthy 6 inch stem just below a node.. dip it in a little bit of cinamon .. Then yous sort of drill a hole in a potato , insert the cutting and bury the whole potato in the ground or in a pot.

 

[PoliTalker]

Hello gardeners,

I took up organic food gardening a few years ago. Zero experience. Trying to grow in the ground from seed. It has been a process of hit and miss. Very sandy soil.

Along the way we have learned some lessons and we're improving our results. I have come to develop a great admiration for composting. You can't buy good compost and you never know what's in it unless you make it yourself. Compost piles are magic. In goes all the cuttings and plant matter from the kitchen, along with leaves, sticks and grass clippings. Turn it and add water from time to time and wow! Out comes awesome planting compost.

We don't even have to plant tomatoes any more. Just take some of the compost, stick it in a grow bed, and water it. There are so many tomato seeds in the compost tomato plants pop up so thick we have to thin them.

Peppers have been one of the things we can't grow well. Jalepenos and cayennes, no problem. Bell peppers, forget it. All we get are little things golf ball size. And the plants take forever to grow.

We keep trying new things and learning, so the more failures we have, the more we learn.

We can grow basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, tomato, beans, broccoli, cilantro, lettuce, chives, onions, garlic, arugula, carrots, radish, cucumber, watermelon.

We don't grow watermelon any more because it took over the back yard and we couldn't grow anything else!

We can't grow spinach or bell peppers. Spinach won't even hardly sprout, and if it does it doesn't go anywhere. And the seeds are so expensive for so few we might just give up on that.

I used to think of mockingbirds as pests because they would attack the tomatoes. Then I learned how to cover the nearly-ripe tomatoes with newspaper and staples. That stops the mockingbirds from attacking the tomatoes. I realized you WANT mockingbirds because they eat tons of bugs.

Raccoons are a problem, but they may be dealing with the moles. Coons dig a lotta holes. I think they are going after the moles. The moles don't go for the plants but I think they do eat earthworms. Their tunnels are the problem. The water from irrigating tends to find a mole tunnel and then it creates a drain. The beds don't get watered and it washes good soil away down the mole tunnels.

And we have nematodes. That might be the problem with the peppers. They get all root-knotted. Starves the plant and reduces the output. We might have to try raised-bed plots so we can bake the nematodes out of the soil in the hot summer and prevent re-entry.

 

[Oracle Of JPP 714]

Hello gardeners,

I took up organic food gardening a few years ago. Zero experience. Trying to grow in the ground from seed. It has been a process of hit and miss. Very sandy soil.

Along the way we have learned some lessons and we're improving our results. I have come to develop a great admiration for composting. You can't buy good compost and you never know what's in it unless you make it yourself. Compost piles are magic. In goes all the cuttings and plant matter from the kitchen, along with leaves, sticks and grass clippings. Turn it and add water from time to time and wow! Out comes awesome planting compost.

We don't even have to plant tomatoes any more. Just take some of the compost, stick it in a grow bed, and water it. There are so many tomato seeds in the compost tomato plants pop up so thick we have to thin them.

Peppers have been one of the things we can't grow well. Jalepenos and cayennes, no problem. Bell peppers, forget it. All we get are little things golf ball size. And the plants take forever to grow.

We keep trying new things and learning, so the more failures we have, the more we learn.

We can grow basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, tomato, beans, broccoli, cilantro, lettuce, chives, onions, garlic, arugula, carrots, radish, cucumber, watermelon.

We don't grow watermelon any more because it took over the back yard and we couldn't grow anything else!

We can't grow spinach or bell peppers. Spinach won't even hardly sprout, and if it does it doesn't go anywhere. And the seeds are so expensive for so few we might just give up on that.

I used to think of mockingbirds as pests because they would attack the tomatoes. Then I learned how to cover the nearly-ripe tomatoes with newspaper and staples. That stops the mockingbirds from attacking the tomatoes. I realized you WANT mockingbirds because they eat tons of bugs.

Raccoons are a problem, but they may be dealing with the moles. Coons dig a lotta holes. I think they are going after the moles. The moles don't go for the plants but I think they do eat earthworms. Their tunnels are the problem. The water from irrigating tends to find a mole tunnel and then it creates a drain. The beds don't get watered and it washes good soil away down the mole tunnels.

And we have nematodes. That might be the problem with the peppers. They get all root-knotted. Starves the plant and reduces the output. We might have to try raised-bed plots so we can bake the nematodes out of the soil in the hot summer and prevent re-entry.

I never have been able to grow tomatoes in a garden without blossom end rot killing most of them and bugs, bugs, bugs.

 

[Irish Exit]

I never have been able to grow tomatoes in a garden without blossom end rot killing most of them and bugs, bugs, bugs.

You need to add calcium and water regularly. Add limestone. Maybe mix a few handfuls in per gal of water and mix it up and pour over plants if you cannot get it into the soil in the fall before you plant.

I use a lot of liquid or pelletized organic fertilizer regularly which helps. I just buy out whatever they have when they do their drastic markdowns at Walmart, home depot, or lowes in fall/winter. For instance, I bought 16 24 ounce bottles of organic concentrated fertilizer for $1.25 each and each one makes 24 gal.

A couple years ago I loaded up on so much bagged organic fertilizer from Walmart I will still be good for a couple more years. This past fall Walmart didn't have a lot of good clearance deals in lawn and garden on fertilizers so no biggie. Once you realistically know what you need, there are goof bargains stocking up like that.

 

[Oracle Of JPP 714]

shouldn't we all be planting bananas now since trump has turned us into a banana republic?

 

[Althea]

Any protein is a good source of nitrogen.
I put a fish under each plant.

I've composted my fish waste, but I use Alaska products for decades now.

 

[Irish Exit]

Hello gardeners,

I took up organic food gardening a few years ago. Zero experience. Trying to grow in the ground from seed. It has been a process of hit and miss. Very sandy soil.

Along the way we have learned some lessons and we're improving our results. I have come to develop a great admiration for composting. You can't buy good compost and you never know what's in it unless you make it yourself. Compost piles are magic. In goes all the cuttings and plant matter from the kitchen, along with leaves, sticks and grass clippings. Turn it and add water from time to time and wow! Out comes awesome planting compost.

We don't even have to plant tomatoes any more. Just take some of the compost, stick it in a grow bed, and water it. There are so many tomato seeds in the compost tomato plants pop up so thick we have to thin them.

Peppers have been one of the things we can't grow well. Jalepenos and cayennes, no problem. Bell peppers, forget it. All we get are little things golf ball size. And the plants take forever to grow.

We keep trying new things and learning, so the more failures we have, the more we learn.

We can grow basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, tomato, beans, broccoli, cilantro, lettuce, chives, onions, garlic, arugula, carrots, radish, cucumber, watermelon.

We don't grow watermelon any more because it took over the back yard and we couldn't grow anything else!

We can't grow spinach or bell peppers. Spinach won't even hardly sprout, and if it does it doesn't go anywhere. And the seeds are so expensive for so few we might just give up on that.

I used to think of mockingbirds as pests because they would attack the tomatoes. Then I learned how to cover the nearly-ripe tomatoes with newspaper and staples. That stops the mockingbirds from attacking the tomatoes. I realized you WANT mockingbirds because they eat tons of bugs.

Raccoons are a problem, but they may be dealing with the moles. Coons dig a lotta holes. I think they are going after the moles. The moles don't go for the plants but I think they do eat earthworms. Their tunnels are the problem. The water from irrigating tends to find a mole tunnel and then it creates a drain. The beds don't get watered and it washes good soil away down the mole tunnels.

And we have nematodes. That might be the problem with the peppers. They get all root-knotted. Starves the plant and reduces the output. We might have to try raised-bed plots so we can bake the nematodes out of the soil in the hot summer and prevent re-entry.

Look to see if your local government has free compost. Mine does. It is pretty nice stuff. They run out quick in the spring but have free mulch pretty much year round. It doesn't really matter as long as it is ok with you, but you are not getting your compost pile warm enough or are not letting it sit long enough if you are getting seeds growing out of it. You might want to consider covering it with black plastic to get the temps up if you want it more compost-y.

 

[Oracle Of JPP 714]

Need to put some were wolf traps this thursday. Wait! nevermind! I might be one by then. Don't have my tag yet.

 

[Althea]

Hello gardeners,

I took up organic food gardening a few years ago. Zero experience. Trying to grow in the ground from seed. It has been a process of hit and miss. Very sandy soil.

Along the way we have learned some lessons and we're improving our results. I have come to develop a great admiration for composting. You can't buy good compost and you never know what's in it unless you make it yourself. Compost piles are magic. In goes all the cuttings and plant matter from the kitchen, along with leaves, sticks and grass clippings. Turn it and add water from time to time and wow! Out comes awesome planting compost.

We don't even have to plant tomatoes any more. Just take some of the compost, stick it in a grow bed, and water it. There are so many tomato seeds in the compost tomato plants pop up so thick we have to thin them.

Peppers have been one of the things we can't grow well. Jalepenos and cayennes, no problem. Bell peppers, forget it. All we get are little things golf ball size. And the plants take forever to grow.

We keep trying new things and learning, so the more failures we have, the more we learn.

We can grow basil, oregano, rosemary, dill, tomato, beans, broccoli, cilantro, lettuce, chives, onions, garlic, arugula, carrots, radish, cucumber, watermelon.

We don't grow watermelon any more because it took over the back yard and we couldn't grow anything else!

We can't grow spinach or bell peppers. Spinach won't even hardly sprout, and if it does it doesn't go anywhere. And the seeds are so expensive for so few we might just give up on that.

I used to think of mockingbirds as pests because they would attack the tomatoes. Then I learned how to cover the nearly-ripe tomatoes with newspaper and staples. That stops the mockingbirds from attacking the tomatoes. I realized you WANT mockingbirds because they eat tons of bugs.

Raccoons are a problem, but they may be dealing with the moles. Coons dig a lotta holes. I think they are going after the moles. The moles don't go for the plants but I think they do eat earthworms. Their tunnels are the problem. The water from irrigating tends to find a mole tunnel and then it creates a drain. The beds don't get watered and it washes good soil away down the mole tunnels.

And we have nematodes. That might be the problem with the peppers. They get all root-knotted. Starves the plant and reduces the output. We might have to try raised-bed plots so we can bake the nematodes out of the soil in the hot summer and prevent re-entry.

Gardening is a life long learning process. The problem with any volunteer plants, tomatoes included, is that the seeds are from hybrids. So you'll get quite a variety of tomato types, some more desirable than others.

Are you growing your peppers in pots? Make sure the containers are large. I get great peppers, but it takes 50 days from fruit set to red peppers. I don't eat them green, but you can if you want.

Spinach likes cold weather, and will go to seed as soon as it gets hot out. Tricky plant, for sure. If you're using organic fertilizer of any kind...or even bone meal, carnivores will definitely dig in your gardens. I go easy on the ferts when I plant, and then make tea for watering later. Or...something I've done over the years...throw food scraps/bones from chicken/meat far away from your garden, and the carnivores will smell that first, and leave your garden alone. I'm lucky to have woods across the street, so I bait the suckers there.



Edit....sandy soil is fine. Proper aeration of roots is more important than feeding. Just buy peat moss/perlite, and mix it together with your compost. Turn in with your sandy soil, and you'll have the best growing medium in the world. If you're really sandy, you won't need the perlite.

 

[Althea]

Look to see if your local government has free compost. Mine does. It is pretty nice stuff. They run out quick in the spring but have free mulch pretty much year round. It doesn't really matter as long as it is ok with you, but you are not getting your compost pile warm enough or are not letting it sit long enough if you are getting seeds growing out of it. You might want to consider covering it with black plastic to get the temps up if you want it more compost-y.

There are two different ways to compost. I have a large bin that's infested with worms. It doesn't require heat. The other way is with one of those composters that don't employ worms. Anaerobic composting employs the high heat that you reference.


My compost is essentially worm castings. It's way too rich to plant in, so I add peat moss/perlite.

 

[Irish Exit]

There are two different ways to compost. I have a large bin that's infested with worms. It doesn't require heat. The other way is with one of those composters that don't employ worms. Anaerobic composting employs the high heat that you reference.


My compost is essentially worm castings. It's way too rich to plant in, so I add peat moss/perlite.

I have compost bins, but it would take me twenty years to create what my city will give me by the truckload. Just drive up, they dump it in and drive off. Takes me about 10 minutes to get there and 20 -40 minutes to get back depending on how overloaded they did me to the point I can't get on the highway for fear I will lose control at 45

 

[Althea]

I have compost bins, but it would take me twenty years to create what my city will give me by the truckload. Just drive up, they dump it in and drive off. Takes me about 10 minutes to get there and 20 -40 minutes to get back depending on how overloaded they did me to the point I can't get on the highway for fear I will lose control at 45

Do you know what's in it? Before I opted for municipal waste, I'd visit a local horse farm.

Edit...you incorrectly advised that heat is necessary in composting, and that seeds/volunteers are a bad thing.

 

[PoliTalker]

Hello Kacper,

Look to see if your local government has free compost. Mine does. It is pretty nice stuff. They run out quick in the spring but have free mulch pretty much year round. It doesn't really matter as long as it is ok with you, but you are not getting your compost pile warm enough or are not letting it sit long enough if you are getting seeds growing out of it. You might want to consider covering it with black plastic to get the temps up if you want it more compost-y.

I guess there are different levels of composting. My pile generates it's own heat. A compost pile is like a fire. But it's not THAT hot. We have an active compost pile, meaning we add to it regularly instead of the style where you mix all the ingredients and then let it cook down on it's own. Our compost is never complete, so there are bits of wood in it. But the humus is excellent and full of nutrients the garden plots love.

I just decided that since we have some awesome tomato plants growing out of it right now that it is time to begin another one since I can no longer dig in the old one without disturbing the tomato roots. The tomato plants in the compost pile are the healthiest looking ones we have, so we are not going to do anything to stop that.

Fortunately we have the space, so a brand new compost pile has been created. It is good to have the compost piles near the grow plots and the water source. It is important to turn a compost pile and water it. The 'cooking' slows down if the pile dries out, or uses up all the raw material in the core.

Our county does have free mulch, but not compost. I tried the free mulch years ago. I ended up deciding not to use it again. It contains little bits of plastic and other non-organic materials. We are totally organic, so we don't want any of that anywhere near the garden.

I won't shop at Walmart because it hurts the local economy and I don't want to support that model. I am able to find all the clean material I need to create great compost piles.

It's really amazing. Our soil is naturally very sandy and bland, lifeless. As the compost pile gets turned, some sand gets mixed in. The result is great potting soil, very rich and black looking. Water runs right off the sandy soil but soaks instantly into the compost.

 

[kudzu]

Gardening is a life long learning process. The problem with any volunteer plants, tomatoes included, is that the seeds are from hybrids. So you'll get quite a variety of tomato types, some more desirable than others.

Are you growing your peppers in pots? Make sure the containers are large. I get great peppers, but it takes 50 days from fruit set to red peppers. I don't eat them green, but you can if you want.

Spinach likes cold weather, and will go to seed as soon as it gets hot out. Tricky plant, for sure. If you're using organic fertilizer of any kind...or even bone meal, carnivores will definitely dig in your gardens. I go easy on the ferts when I plant, and then make tea for watering later. Or...something I've done over the years...throw food scraps/bones from chicken/meat far away from your garden, and the carnivores will smell that first, and leave your garden alone. I'm lucky to have woods across the street, so I bait the suckers there.



Edit....sandy soil is fine. Proper aeration of roots is more important than feeding. Just buy peat moss/perlite, and mix it together with your compost. Turn in with your sandy soil, and you'll have the best growing medium in the world. If you're really sandy, you won't need the perlite.

Baby Kale is a good substitute for Spinach.

 

[ThatOwlWoman]

Exactly..

I saw a demonstration of how to root long stem roses.. Its wild.. You cut a healthy 6 inch stem just below a node.. dip it in a little bit of cinamon .. Then yous sort of drill a hole in a potato , insert the cutting and bury the whole potato in the ground or in a pot.

That's cool. I bet the spud contains hormones that get them to sprout in the right condition; the same hormones would encourage the stem to grow a root system. And much cheaper than buying that commercial rooting hormone. I sometimes use willow stems in water for that reason.