Nature, beer, the coming holidays, or whatever.

Covfefe said:
Yes, I did and must say, it’s two different worlds. I am learning here. Annuals did very well in Alaska, they don’t get as big in Texas. The growing season in Alaska is short, but the midnight sun does great things in a shorter period of time.
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Im overwintering my pepper plants for the first time. They're barely hanging on. Transplant shock is really hurting them.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Do you keep a notebook journal kind of thing? I'm doing sort of the reverse here. Gardening in STL area/hot humid long growing season... now learning to garden in a very short season. Annuals do amazingly well in cooler climates; not so great in hot/humid where powdery mildew is not your friend.

We got married in our Fairbanks' friends' gardens. It is just amazing what they did with a little bit of land, a ton of work, landscaping, and lots of love.

View attachment 5276
View attachment 5277 (our late friend LeRoy who was our officiant, me, husband, sister of LeRoy who did all this gorgeous)
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My wife has a black thumb. So the gardening is up to me and the kids.

Right now we still live in town. So our garden is pretty small. But we've talked to a couple of our neighbors to join our yards and do a joint endeavor.

I've wanted to use the land were going to retire to for a nice garden. But the only spots that would work are still being used by the neighbor that I worked out the original agreement with.

When I first bought it and came up with the idea of growing black walnut as a retirement fund I was in the Corps. Obviously wouldn't be able to care for them properly being so far away. So the neighbor and I came to an understanding. For the last twenty years he's pretty much handled them, just him and his wife. In exchange he harvested the nuts and just gave me 3 percent of what he got for them.

As the trees grew up he eventually started using the space for agro forestry. And has been able to completely support himself and his family off it. The small percentage he gave me has more than paid for the original investment and the land.

If things continue to work out he will be ready to retire about the same time theyre ready to be logged.

And you're right. I should replant. But man is it a lot of work.

Anyway. I've been looking into agro forestry and huglekultur (I think that's how you spell it)

Last year we did a small experiment with a couple of our garden beds with the huglekultur thing. In previous years we had a hard time keeping the soil moist seeings as our yard sits higher than the surrounding area. So the drainage is a little too good. Burying compost branches and woodchips really helped out.
 
Thumper said:
My wife has a black thumb. So the gardening is up to me and the kids.

Right now we still live in town. So our garden is pretty small. But we've talked to a couple of our neighbors to join our yards and do a joint endeavor.

I've wanted to use the land were going to retire to for a nice garden. But the only spots that would work are still being used by the neighbor that I worked out the original agreement with.

When I first bought it and came up with the idea of growing black walnut as a retirement fund I was in the Corps. Obviously wouldn't be able to care for them properly being so far away. So the neighbor and I came to an understanding. For the last twenty years he's pretty much handled them, just him and his wife. In exchange he harvested the nuts and just gave me 3 percent of what he got for them.

As the trees grew up he eventually started using the space for agro forestry. And has been able to completely support himself and his family off it. The small percentage he gave me has more than paid for the original investment and the land.

If things continue to work out he will be ready to retire about the same time theyre ready to be logged.

And you're right. I should replant. But man is it a lot of work.

Anyway. I've been looking into agro forestry and huglekultur (I think that's how you spell it)

Last year we did a small experiment with a couple of our garden beds with the huglekultur thing. In previous years we had a hard time keeping the soil moist seeings as our yard sits higher than the surrounding area. So the drainage is a little too good. Burying compost branches and woodchips really helped out.
Click to expand...

I'm in the middle of getting ready for class but just wanted to say that your gardening stuff sounds awesome. Will look up the hugelkultur when we get home this afternoon. Thanks!
 
Thumper said:
My wife has a black thumb. So the gardening is up to me and the kids.

Right now we still live in town. So our garden is pretty small. But we've talked to a couple of our neighbors to join our yards and do a joint endeavor.

I've wanted to use the land were going to retire to for a nice garden. But the only spots that would work are still being used by the neighbor that I worked out the original agreement with.

When I first bought it and came up with the idea of growing black walnut as a retirement fund I was in the Corps. Obviously wouldn't be able to care for them properly being so far away. So the neighbor and I came to an understanding. For the last twenty years he's pretty much handled them, just him and his wife. In exchange he harvested the nuts and just gave me 3 percent of what he got for them.

As the trees grew up he eventually started using the space for agro forestry. And has been able to completely support himself and his family off it. The small percentage he gave me has more than paid for the original investment and the land.

If things continue to work out he will be ready to retire about the same time theyre ready to be logged.

And you're right. I should replant. But man is it a lot of work.

Anyway. I've been looking into agro forestry and huglekultur (I think that's how you spell it)

Last year we did a small experiment with a couple of our garden beds with the huglekultur thing. In previous years we had a hard time keeping the soil moist seeings as our yard sits higher than the surrounding area. So the drainage is a little too good. Burying compost branches and woodchips really helped out.
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. I never realized there was an official name for raised beds, thanks
 
Covfefe said:
. I never realized there was an official name for raised beds, thanks
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No problem. But it's more than just a name for a raised bed. It's how you prepare the bed as well.



Here's some more reading on it if you're looking to learn.
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur

You can also look up permaculture for some related methods.

Oh also. If you plan on doing tall standing plants like corn make sure that your bed isn't packed too tightly. The roots of a corn plant need to be able to set deeply into the soil. If they can't then they'll get blown over easily. Also you have to pay attention to what types of plants you're planting. There's an excess of nitrogen in a hugel bed. So plants that aren't as nitrogen tolerant can die easily.
 
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Thumper said:
Im overwintering my pepper plants for the first time. They're barely hanging on. Transplant shock is really hurting them.
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Pepper plants don't like root disturbance. If you transplant, you need to treat it more like a small tree. Dig around, and bring the dirt with them, if able.
 
Thumper said:
No problem. But it's more than just a name for a raised bed. It's how you prepare the bed as well.



Here's some more reading on it if you're looking to learn.
https://www.permaculture.co.uk/articles/many-benefits-hugelkultur

You can also look up permaculture for some related methods.

Oh also. If you plan on doing tall standing plants like corn make sure that your bed isn't packed too tightly. The roots of a corn plant need to be able to set deeply into the soil. If they can't then they'll get blown over easily. Also you have to pay attention to what types of plants you're planting. There's an excess of nitrogen in a hugel bed. So plants that aren't as nitrogen tolerant can die easily.
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Very cool, thanks! I read the article, saved it to the garden folder.

One of the cool things we learned in the Kinomaage summer class was the critical relationship between fungus and trees and other forest life. I'm going to order this mycorrhizial fungus next year for our raised beds. Have you ever heard of it? Because they're new and don't yet have a lot of organic matter in them, I'll till in a goodly amount of compost and other goodies first. Then add the fungus and then plant. The mycelium will establish a long-lived network in your garden beds; you won't till anymore after it becomes established. It really boosts yields for your veggies, but can also be used around ornamentals and shrubs.

http://www.fungi.com/shop/fungi-for-healthy-gardens.html
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Very cool, thanks! I read the article, saved it to the garden folder.

One of the cool things we learned in the Kinomaage summer class was the critical relationship between fungus and trees and other forest life. I'm going to order this mycorrhizial fungus next year for our raised beds. Have you ever heard of it? Because they're new and don't yet have a lot of organic matter in them, I'll till in a goodly amount of compost and other goodies first. Then add the fungus and then plant. The mycelium will establish a long-lived network in your garden beds; you won't till anymore after it becomes established. It really boosts yields for your veggies, but can also be used around ornamentals and shrubs.

http://www.fungi.com/shop/fungi-for-healthy-gardens.html
Click to expand...


I just woke up. So my brain is a little foggy.

I've heard about fungus being important in compost but not with growing veggies. I'll have to do some reading.

I am trying to grow morels though. Season before last I kept a few we found and turned them into a slurry and poured it in shaded spots in my yard that I'd prepared. Had a couple pop up this year. But I've read it can take several years for them to start coming up in earnest.
 
I used to dabble a little with close up photography. Nothing fancy, or even with a DSLR camera. I have a Fuji point and shoot, with a few extra settings, and a good sized lens that takes pretty amazing shots for an inexpensive camera.

You can see individual snowflakes on this frozen crab apple.

winter crabapple crop.jpg
 
Thumper said:
I just woke up. So my brain is a little foggy.
I've heard about fungus being important in compost but not with growing veggies. I'll have to do some reading.
I am trying to grow morels though. Season before last I kept a few we found and turned them into a slurry and poured it in shaded spots in my yard that I'd prepared. Had a couple pop up this year. But I've read it can take several years for them to start coming up in earnest.
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Wow, how cool is that? It sounds as though you're on the way to creating your own little shroom farm! How did you prepare the spots?

Fungi are amazing organisms. Most shrooms have symbiotic relationships with other fungi, tree roots, various other plants. Like all of us they run on carbs, but since they don't perform photosynthesis they must rely on trees to provide that. In exchange, the shrooms provide trees with soil nutrients that they have broken down in "edible" form for the symbiote partner. The delicious part that we find is the fruiting body of the mother fungus, the mycelium. Using fungi rather than organic fertilizers in the garden is a relatively new concept, with a lot of promise to revolutionize large-scale agriculture as well.

My favorite shrooms here are the chanterelles. This past summer I wandered through woods and down trails and brambles and battled black flies and skeeters, and ended up with probably five lbs of them. I use a mesh bag so any spores present can find the earth again. The chanterelles taste like something maybe the gods have for breakfast. They're a beautiful golden color, unmistakable in the shade of the forest, although they generally flourish best at the edge of an open area that has been disturbed at some point, like a logging trail. Once you find them, their scent will draw you like a bloodhound to more. I can smell them in the woods from yards away... they smell sweet and fruity. You should have them where you live; I found them in the woods when I lived in rural Missouri NW of STL years ago.

You'll have to tell me about the slurry that you prepared. I just cleaned mine gently on paper towels with a soft toothbrush, then took the buggy and dried bits back to a suitable habitable in the woods and scattered them. Maybe not so good, eh? People here also search for the morels but I have yet to find a one.

http://sciweb.nybg.org/Science2/hcol/mycorrhizae.asp.html

Pic of one of my foraging expeditions.

chanterelles 8-28-17b.jpg
 
countryboy said:
I used to dabble a little with close up photography. Nothing fancy, or even with a DSLR camera. I have a Fuji point and shoot, with a few extra settings, and a good sized lens that takes pretty amazing shots for an inexpensive camera.

You can see individual snowflakes on this frozen crab apple.

View attachment 5283
Click to expand...

Oh wow.... that photo is gorgeous. Close-ups reveal the beauty of the world in ways that landscapes just cannot match.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Wow, how cool is that? It sounds as though you're on the way to creating your own little shroom farm! How did you prepare the spots?

Fungi are amazing organisms. Most shrooms have symbiotic relationships with other fungi, tree roots, various other plants. Like all of us they run on carbs, but since they don't perform photosynthesis they must rely on trees to provide that. In exchange, the shrooms provide trees with soil nutrients that they have broken down in "edible" form for the symbiote partner. The delicious part that we find is the fruiting body of the mother fungus, the mycelium. Using fungi rather than organic fertilizers in the garden is a relatively new concept, with a lot of promise to revolutionize large-scale agriculture as well.

My favorite shrooms here are the chanterelles. This past summer I wandered through woods and down trails and brambles and battled black flies and skeeters, and ended up with probably five lbs of them. I use a mesh bag so any spores present can find the earth again. The chanterelles taste like something maybe the gods have for breakfast. They're a beautiful golden color, unmistakable in the shade of the forest, although they generally flourish best at the edge of an open area that has been disturbed at some point, like a logging trail. Once you find them, their scent will draw you like a bloodhound to more. I can smell them in the woods from yards away... they smell sweet and fruity. You should have them where you live; I found them in the woods when I lived in rural Missouri NW of STL years ago.

You'll have to tell me about the slurry that you prepared. I just cleaned mine gently on paper towels with a soft toothbrush, then took the buggy and dried bits back to a suitable habitable in the woods and scattered them. Maybe not so good, eh? People here also search for the morels but I have yet to find a one.

http://sciweb.nybg.org/Science2/hcol/mycorrhizae.asp.html

Pic of one of my foraging expeditions.

View attachment 5284
Click to expand...

People around here guard their morel hotspots closely. I know guys who harvest baskets full of 'em. I don't trust myself to identify them.
 
ThatOwlWoman said:
Lovely. Camera? Lens? EXIF data?
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Thanks. Believe it or not, it's just a Fujifilm Finepix S 1500 10 megapixel digital camera with a 70.8mm built in lens. Not sure if it stores EXIF data. I don't know too much about manipulating images. I usually use GIMP, but only the easier functions.
 
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