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Gardening 2021

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This is an open thread for all things gardening in 2021. From looking at seed catalogs while the cold wind blows to putting the garden to bed for the Winter, we'll talk about it all here. 

Is there something new you want to try this year? Something you tried last year you won't again? Something new and funky you wanna grow? Let's hear about it. 

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Because I didn't want to dig up my yard with a shovel and I don't own a rototiller I decided to try a straw bale garden. 

After 1 year I will say I will not go back to normal gardening.  No weeds to pull and less bending over. I got a book as a gift to help me improve my garden for next year. 

The good thing the bales from this year I will toss into the yard in the spring and run them over with lawn mower and use it as fertilizer for my yard.  

If you are a gardener and are tired of weeding or your back and knees don't like the kneeling and bending Straw Bale is the way to go. 

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7 hours ago, Kevin said:

After 1 year I will say I will not go back to normal gardening.  No weeds to pull and less bending over. I got a book as a gift to help me improve my garden for next year. 

 

This sounds intriguing....Very intriguing.

 

Would love to hear more!

Did yours endeavor involve a lot of fertilizing and/or prepping bales? What product and where did you purchase?

If you found organic bales for sale locally, please share your source!

 

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Another guy I know swears by straw bale gardening as well. You'll definitely have to keep us updated when the time comes Kevin. 

Last year my garden was a bust with the exception of my new fresh herb garden, which is a raised garden bed I splurged on. It was so nice having everything I like to cook with right there by the kitchen door. When Fall came I harvested and dried most of it but did bring in the rosemary and basil for another go at indoor gardening with a grow light. More on that in a sec. 

The surprise was how much I love cooking with the dried mint. I've used it on everything from stir fry to grilled porch chops and it adds a little something to offset any smoky or sour flavor, depending on what I use to marinade. I will be putting in a permanent bed of it this year, somewhere away from other stuff since it grows so well here. 

As for the indoor gardening, I put the potted plants in a southwest facing window. However that's not enough light this time of year so I rigged up the grow light to be on them as well. The lesson I learned last year is that it takes about 2 hours of artificial light to equal 1 hour of real sunlight. So the grow light is on a minimum of 12-14 hours a day. Everything continues to thrive so far. Which may also have to do with the fact I learned not to overwater herbs such as rosemary and basil. 

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I decided to do it at the last minute (not a big surprise if you know me) and I couldn't find straw bales, so I bought hay bales from Sheddens for $3 each. 

You put them where you want them then you add a nitrogen rich fertilizer and water them every day or so for 2 weeks. That starts the decomposition on the inside. After the 2 weeks are up you wait a few days for the inside to cool down. Then take your trowel and plant the plants. 

Obviously this is the Readers Digest version and you should check out more on the interweb.

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I'll find something and put it in this section. 

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I wonder, can you use the same bale two years in a row or is it so wiped out and rotted by the end of one season you have to start over?

 

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,You can use it the 2nd year for stuff like potatoes or ground cover, but it won't stand upright and be solid because most of the inside has decomposed. The book I got is called Straw Bale Gardens Complete.  You can buy it on Amazon. It shows everything you need. I was intrigued to find out that while growing tomatoes, peppers from the top of the bale. You can add herbs, spices and such to the sides of the bale. 

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I need to move our compost bins in the hopes of putting a new goat barn in this year. I know where I want to put the new one; closer to the garden, but it’ll be more visible. Due to that, I’m reluctant to slap together some pallets and call it good as before.

I found this on GardnerSupply.com:

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The three bin system is a little pricey at about $120 but the heavier gauge powder coated steel wire might make that worthwhile and aesthetically pleasing.

We’ll see.

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I’m moving my two good sized compost piles to clear the area for a new goat barn. Most of it has gone on a large hay pile across the road ( which in itself will turn into a huge compost pile I suspect ) but I got to a level that was pure compost. Beautiful stuff that’s been spread around our fruit trees. 

Additionally, I put a few trailer loads on my raised beds. When I built them I used almost 100% compost and over time the soil has become almost a sand or silt. It appeared lifeless. So I mixed in this new stuff along with some mostly but not quite composted hay. The effect is almost as if I added some peat, and I think in addition to adding nutrients to the soil, it’ll retain moisture better than before. And I still have a couple trailer loads worth to move and add to the beds. 

I picked up a bunch of seed at Banfield Baker last week. I decided to buy early as I suspect more people are gonna be gardening this year. You still have to think 6 months ahead, thanks to COVID

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I like functional. Let's see... I've got 3 downspouts along the back of the house, so I figure roughly 90 sq. feet less to mow. I'm fine with that. What she plants is up to her. (Feel free to bring a few loads of compost down this way... I'll give you some clay to take back up. You can make your own bricks.)

Edited by Nick
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No way dude, the soil here is all clay already. 

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Okay hands down , this is the best thing I have seen in a long time ! 
Time to turn over the raised bed soil and get the snow peas in . I didnt get any maters started this year , no biggie I only need a couple anyway . A section of the field is in mind for pumpkins and corn . The usual fare for the rest of the beds , apple and peach tree’s all sprayed at green tip stage so the bee’s will be okay and yes Chris I did use the Deer repellent and it is working ! 

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In the next week or so I will get everything planted. I mainly grow peppers, because I like to make hot sauce. This year I decided to try something different and I am growing loofah for the heck of it. We will see how it turns out.

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I have a bunch (like 30) of extra pepper plants if anyone wants or needs some.  I started most from seed myself. Most are Jalapeño or a variation, but I do have some Habanero also if your interested.  Pickup on the Southside of Elmira near Parley Coburn. Free for the taking, just let me know and we can arrange.  I am looking for 1-2 pepper plants that have heat between Jalapeños and Habanero if someone wants to trade.

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I think I have all the seed and stuff I need to plant, probably next week. I did get the herb garden started, although I forgot to pick up oregano. There's worse things than another trip to Banfield Baker!! 

With the price of produce I decided to plant sweet peppers. I'd take you up on those hot peppers Kevin, but no one here eats them, and I'm kinda limited on space. 

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That's my problem, I am limited by space. I have never been to successful in starting from seed, so this year I started way more than I could use figuring I would get what I need.  Well I ended up with a 85-90% success rate. The only change I made was heating mats and grow lights. 

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Some friends on another website swear by the heat mats and judging by their plants, it’s a game changer. I’ve resisted because I don’t really start my own seeds. But I may start!

This year I’m trying carrots again on a smaller scale. I have a plastic tote that got some yucky stuff in it so I plan to drill a few holes in the bottom and use that. I’m thinking I’ll spray paint it black too. Not sure if it really makes a difference but I have some paint laying around, so why not.

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You have the best soil and sand for carrots right down by the creek . 

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10 hours ago, Hal said:

You have the best soil and sand for carrots right down by the creek . 

Yeah but I have to be careful because any clay gets in there it ruins the whole idea. That’s what happened to that one raised bed. 

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I heard about a new website called getchipdrop.com. 

You sign up to get wood chips delivered for free or you can opt to pay a small fee.  When an arborer is in your area and needs a place to drop them they stop by and drop them. You can choose between just chips, chips and a little wood (>10%), chips with a lot of wood (<10%) or just logs. 

You tell them where to drop them and then they drop them there. 

The only downside is:

You must take the whole load so it could be a 20yd truck.

You don't know when they will be dropped off, once you sign up it could be a few days or a few months. 

It doesn't cost anything to sign up to get the drop, it does cost the arborer $20 to access the website,  you can opt to pay that $20 via the site and it says you will probably get them quicker.  

I wanted to do, but I have a narrow driveway and would not use 20 yds in a few years. Looking at the map it doesn't look like to much has been done in this area, but if you need chips and are not in a urgent need it may be worth signing up.

Moderator,  if this needs to moved to a different topic feel free. 

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I noticed I had some potato plants coming up, apparently I missed a couple last year or they slipped in with the compost. Either way, I went ahead and planted the remainder of last years’ spuds. Additionally, I had a bag of Russett potatoes that were sprouting. Those, I took across the road to plant in a pile of rotting chicken litter and hay. Essentially, a giant compost pile on its own. If they grow, awesome. If not, nothing list.

I have the rest of my stuff ready to plant, but the rain put a stop to that.

Happily, my new compost setup is working well. I have it another stir today and could feel the heat coming off of it. I need to add additional sections so I can move the material as it breaks down. 

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The last day of conditioning of my straw bales was this past Saturday.  I have not been able to plant anything in them because the thermometer I have in them shows the internal temperature is hovering at about 120⁰. It needs to be about 105⁰ or lower. 

It did get down to about 113⁰ yesterday and then the rain from last night reactivated everything,  so hopefully I will get the peppers and onions in this weekend.  

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