Let's see those '10 gardens

Hey Scott, I think you misunderstand. I bought 11 yards of commercial garden soil. It is sterile and well composted. It was made from those ingredients but resembles none of them. It looks just like the potting soil you get in bags. The stuff in the worm castings is just a handful mixed in when they were planted. I can see a difference there, though. So far I didn't feed anything when I planted except those few plants. I have to dig out my ph meter and do a test. Around here lime is usually oyster shells.

OK, I got out my fish tank electronic ph meter and checked it on a 8 ph cal pack and it was 8.04. My unsoftened tap water came back 7.78. I have a reverse osmosis/deionizer for fish tank water. It measures 6.74, slightly acid. This is right for very pure water. I used the RO/DI water to soak a big handful of the unused garden soil for about 15 min. It measured 7.75. Slightly base. I just checked it again and it's 7.67.
Somewhere I have a soil test kit for NPK. I should get a new one though, that one is, like, 15 years old or more. Waddaya think, Scott?

[Mark C]

Anyone here have any experience growing nut trees? I'm buying a new house in southern PA, hopefully the last house I'll buy ever (or at least for a very very long time). I've started thinking about landscaping, but I'm really not interested in growing things I can't eat. My grandparents had an apple tree, it made a huge mess, there were bees and rotting fruit everywhere, so I'm not interested in a fruit tree.

That got me thinking about nut trees. Walnuts are out because I don't want their toxic roots killing my tomatoes, chestnuts are out because I don't want to deal with the spiky balls of fun. Looks like hazlenuts grow well in this area, possibly certain cultivars of pecan and almond also.

So, anybody have experience with nuts?

[HK3-]

Originally Posted by Mark C

Anyone here have any experience growing nut trees? I'm buying a new house in southern PA, hopefully the last house I'll buy ever (or at least for a very very long time). I've started thinking about landscaping, but I'm really not interested in growing things I can't eat. My grandparents had an apple tree, it made a huge mess, there were bees and rotting fruit everywhere, so I'm not interested in a fruit tree.

That got me thinking about nut trees. Walnuts are out because I don't want their toxic roots killing my tomatoes, chestnuts are out because I don't want to deal with the spiky balls of fun. Looks like hazlenuts grow well in this area, possibly certain cultivars of pecan and almond also.

So, anybody have experience with nuts?

This whole forum is full of nuts!

Had a hazel nut tree one time. Fairly easy to take care of and they are nice looking trees as well. My aunt has a pecan tree and they are wonderful to eat. That's all I've got for you.

[Skywalker]

My first time growing anything besides flowers and trees:

Banana Peppers
Jalapeño Peppers
Cilantro
Cherry Tomatoes
Strawberries

Originally Posted by Skywalker

My first time growing anything besides flowers and trees:

Banana Peppers
Jalapeño Peppers
Cilantro
Cherry Tomatoes
Strawberries

I only get the top of that photo.
Welcome to the slope.
Beware, it's slippery.

[Rabidsquirrel]

Question for the gurus. What's eating holes in my broccoli leaves?

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Rabidsquirrel

Question for the gurus. What's eating holes in my broccoli leaves?

Bugs.

That will be $20 please.

*DING* next question.

[T.G]

Originally Posted by Mark C

Anyone here have any experience growing nut trees? I'm buying a new house in southern PA, hopefully the last house I'll buy ever (or at least for a very very long time). I've started thinking about landscaping, but I'm really not interested in growing things I can't eat. My grandparents had an apple tree, it made a huge mess, there were bees and rotting fruit everywhere, so I'm not interested in a fruit tree.

That got me thinking about nut trees. Walnuts are out because I don't want their toxic roots killing my tomatoes, chestnuts are out because I don't want to deal with the spiky balls of fun. Looks like hazlenuts grow well in this area, possibly certain cultivars of pecan and almond also.

So, anybody have experience with nuts?

Whatever tree you get, check into if it's self-fertile or needs cross pollination. If it's a cross-pollinator, make sure you plant two - one "male", one "female" or you could potentially end up with a tree full of nothing, or like what happened to a friend of mine with his avocado tree (which isn't exactly a male/female relation, but needs cross pollination to fruit IIRC) where it bore fruit for decades, until the neighbors cut down their tree, now instead of many hundreds of avocados, he's lucky if he gets 20 avocados per year off a tree with a 30' crown.

Originally Posted by Rabidsquirrel

Question for the gurus. What's eating holes in my broccoli leaves?

Perhaps grasshoppers, grasshopper.
Try insecticidal soap. It's not poison, it just tastes bad to the bugs. Sometimes it works.

[Rabidsquirrel]

Originally Posted by T.G

Bugs.

That will be $20 please.

*DING* next question.

Bah, didn't think of that.

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Perhaps grasshoppers, grasshopper.
Try insecticidal soap. It's not poison, it just tastes bad to the bugs. Sometimes it works.

Thanks, I'll try that.

I went from having frost on June 17 to the first day in the 90s yesterday and back to forecasted springlike weather for the coming week but my garden is starting to take hold. I got some dolomite pellets and sprinkled them lightly to add lime to the soil. That should buffer any acid that gets produced in the soil. Only the lemon cucumbers have yellow leaves now and I think it's just the plants as the regular cuke right next to them looks normal. No bug problems yet! I think it may be because of the excavation zone around the garden and the new soil. The bird population is larger this year too.

[shilala]

Lisa and I got in the garden last night. We weeded around plants and replaced some tomatoes that weren't doing well.
I bought some tomatoes at the nursery and they just kind of sat there. They wouldn't push roots. They obviously held them back so long that they refused to grow.
A friend brought by a few great big bucketed romas and we used them, plus we transplanted some volunteers in other holes.
We also mooched some lettuce starts from the neighbor, replanted some cucumber seeds, and planted a new zuchini to take up when the other plant stops producing.
I pulled all the runners off the great big strawberry plant and got the cart out of the garden and the garbage can out of the compost bin.
We're super dead serious now.
I picked a couple little banana peppers that were holding their respective plants back, too.
Everything looks great, and some of the corn is "Knee high by the fourth of July". Just on Lisa, and she's pretty short, but I'll take it. My corn is never this far along this early.

Foggy morning.
In front are my artichokes planted in square concrete tubes set on the hardware cloth. I don't know what these concrete things are, the came with the house. Probably some kind of landscaping supply.

[shilala]

It all looks beautiful, Lance.
Plant some grass, will ya?

Weed block and gravel is more like it.

[HK3-]

Really cool setup you got going on there Lance.

I dusted my plants the other day because I saw some droppings on the tomato plant leaves from a critter. Upon further investigation I found some small limbs and leaves missing. Forkin bastages can eat quick cant they!?!?

[Skywalker]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Foggy morning.
In front are my artichokes planted in square concrete tubes set on the hardware cloth. I don't know what these concrete things are, the came with the house. Probably some kind of landscaping supply.

Look at that fog!!!

I wish I was at your place right now!!!

Oh yeah... Nice garden!!!

[Rabidsquirrel]

Those squarish things look like a chimney liner.

[Gonesledn]

Originally Posted by Rabidsquirrel

Those squarish things look like a chimney liner.

i agree... chimney flue sections