Organic Vegetable Gardening

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by jerry111165, May 19, 2014.

  1. that looks like decent soil to me!! nice and dark rich black. and the way all those grasses and vegetation is growing I bet you are good to go on the garden.
     
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  2. That’s great looking soil! Ideally your garden soil should be nice and loose to a depth of 16-18” but that’s hard to achieve mechanically unless you have a killer broadfork like the one @jerry111165 has. I’m not a fan of roto tillers and they only get down to where you’re already at usually anyway. I would be tempted to try a cover crop that would drill deep and loosen the soil with roots that will leave open channels when it dies. You can certainly plant a lot of vegetables in what you have and get a nice harvest this year, then plant the cover crop at the end of the season if there’s time. Some overwinter pretty well too. Then you can chop and drop the tops next season and plant in the rubble, using it for mulch. Just an idea. Here’s a Mother Earth News article with a little more information https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/cover-crops-improve-soil-zmaz09onzraw
     
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  3. wow, that's a great article and VERY timely. my boss asked me to help him with his garden since he discovered I enjoy it. he has a plot about 25' x 30' was was a garden in the past by the previous homeowner, hasn't been used for probably 8 years or so. built in sprinkler system!!!!! overgrown. dug my hand in and the soil looks good, rich, but very heavy and too clumpy, they actually tilled it a couple times in springs but than never did anything and let it sit so it's been well tilled a number of times than left. growing vegetation great in all areas except where the neglected leaves have been sitting in piles and clumps. gee, leaf mold anyone? :) I figure if the soil was simply loosened it's probably perfect at this point. this year I sent him up with a few fabric raised beds and mixed him some soil for his veggies. start him off slow.
    he understands working the soil now for next year while we grow in beds this year. that artily was perfect timing! males me think in the fall we sow the right cover crop, deep roots!! by spring he should have a great plot
     
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  4. #5584 Chunk, Apr 20, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2019
    @skunker~

    To expand on @mainah 's recommendation, look in to Oilseed Radish as a cover crop. It has roots that penetrate up to 6 feet with a diameter up to 2 inches. It dies off after a hard freeze and leaves rich organic matter in the soil/clay. It can also absorb N from deep in the soil and be used to manage weeds.

    Good looking plot you have there for sure!
     
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  5. just got a chance too read that radish article.
    wow, EXACTLY what I need for my bosses garden
    thanks for posting that info!
     
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  6. We got a day without rain yesterday and I got the greenhouse about 75% finished with a little help. Hopefully it’ll get finished on Sunday. I’ll post a couple more when it’s done. Otherwise I have a few radishes and things starting to show up.
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  7. Awesome little greenhouse. It looks like you will have 'built in' trellis if needed via the fencing on the inside. Very handy feature! I hang 4'x4' pieces of that same fencing in various spots to use as trellis!
    happy growing
    cheers
    os
     
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  8. I've been upset the last week or so because I wanted to get my outdoor veggie plants started - the seedlings I started 5-6 weeks ago are outgrowing their temp solo cup homes and itching to get outside, but we have to replace some boards on thew deck first before I set the grow totes up and that hasn't gotten done yet - HOPEFULLY within the next week it wills do I can get these girls out there. LUCKILY the delay was good because otherwise they would have been out already and last night got COLD again. Had to bring in the lemon plant I just got back outside for the season a week ago. I doubt many, if any of the starters would have survived last night. Unexpected last cold I hope! Didn't check the reports to see if it actually got to freezing or below but it was pretty close from the feel. Had to turn the heat back on this morning to get the chill of out the house.

    Meanwhile, started a new tray of seeds for more to add when the deck "opens". Not too many, maybe another dozen or so plants, rest I'll sow directly outside in their containers.


    so of course you were correct @jerry111165 so some of the new seeds are more basil! :)
    Besides the Purple Dark Opal and Lemon Basil's I already started I'm adding just more of the basic, boring but popular varieties of Sweet basil and Genovese basil. Besides, like to have those as "staples" anyway for when i make my spaghetti sauce.
    Don't have the Tulsi seeds so can't try that yet but when I next go seed shoping I've already written the Tulsi down to try :)
     
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  9. Just need to get the door hung and the greenhouse will be usable. 8’ double stacked bench on the west side and the rest will be fabric pots for now. I want to try some tomatoes along the east side running up the wire. I bought an 18x25 6 mil greenhouse plastic and it ended up being the perfect size to just cover everything in one piece.
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  10. That greenhouse came out really nice. You are more than welcome to come and build one here anytime
    :smoke:
     
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  11. It looks simply wonderful!

    Sent with my new and improved pet rock v7.9
     
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  12. Thank you @Smokey B McBongwater and @Heavn. It’s been a fun project and a little more involved than I was originally thinking but well worth it. I’ll try to post another picture when it’s got some green in it. @Smokey B McBongwater I’d gladly help you build one if you were close by.
     
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  13. @Smokey B McBongwater -

    There are multiple subspecies of the Tulsi, aka Holy Basil - the “Tulasi” (ancient Sanskrit) or “Thulasi” types of Basil - dependent usually on geographical location but with jeez, 4? main varieties -

    1. Kapoor
    2. Rama
    3. Vana
    4. Krishna

    Do some reading on these and the deeper you get the more interesting the history of these varieties become - along with all the other Basils. Tulsi is known in India as “Queen of Herbs” - a mighty title! The Indian culture also refers to Tulsi as “the Elixir of Life” for its numerous health benefits.

    I WILL tell you that a healthy Tulsi Basil grown in a (healthy!!) organic soil will amaze you with its deep and unusual aroma - this is a “HOLY CRAP!” or “WOW!!” moment when you happen to brush against a plant and in two seconds your yard is filled with an aromatic perfume...

    This is a good brief introduction to some of the different strains of Tulsi -

    18 Types of Basil (Tulsi) - The herb is loved all over the World!

    I really liked this one:

    Tulsi (Holy Basil) Type Comparisons – Richo's Blog

    Another darn Rabbit Hole... But a very, very cool rabbit hole...

    J
     
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  14. I’m close by...

    I’ll be outside and ready Saturday morning.

    J
     
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  15. Psyched on these new cedar fence posts!

    I’ve actually been looking for good that 8 foot long cedar posts for a couple years now but every time I find them on craigslist they are always far away so I set up this program on my iPhone IFTTT… Really cool if you’ve never heard of that it’s worth looking at. You can make it do all different things and what I did in this case was have it keep an eye on Maine craigslist for me using the keywords “cedar post” and every time somebody put an advertisement up here in Maine it sent me an email so that I didn’t have to keep an eye on it myself. Very cool. Anyhow, I ended up getting these big fat cedar posts for four dollars each and I’m going to be building a great new garden fence with at least some of them... i’ll be adding new fence posts across the street and crafting a new Jerry’s Plow Stopper mailbox once I select the straightest, fattest one out of the pile, because the one I have right now is a dozen years old anyhow and starting to get punky at the base.

    $4.00 each with most at 8” to 10” wide and 8’ long - big fatties!
    Delivery fee for all 50 at $20...? I’ll take it!

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    Hell - the little 4’x4” Sissy Posts Down the hardware store are $6.00 to $8.00 apiece -

    Remember the IFTTT app! To keep an eye on CL so I don’t have to? Win/Win. I also use it to shut off my data when I get within a certain GPS radius of my house and work, plus other tasks. Neato Keen program.

    Listen - I’m pretty much fine on the garden fence; I’m going to use the fence posts with let’s say 4 inch long maple crossmembers and if I get the time I’ll leave 1 million sticks into it. I’m going to make a nice new natural gate as well - but I’m looking for anybody’s ideas for a roughly 10 foot wide gate if anybody has any cool ideas for a natural looking (not a steel/plastic/storebought gate...

    J
     
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  16. It seems that every fall I and up way too busy getting ready for winter, firewood etc. and don’t end up getting the leaves cleaned up so what I’ve been doing the last few years is just waiting until spring

    With the exception of some spots right near the house, the very last thing I have the time or interest to do is rake - so over the next few weeks I’ll be firing up the Cub Cadet, cracking open one or eight beers and simply riding around the house in an ever increasing circle, blowing all of the leaves away from the house. Once it gets thick enough (Man - that’s what she said) I’ll start picking them up with the big garden cart and dumping them in a heap or directly into the garden. That is probably the most likely scenario. I am a big fan of putting 2 feet thick of old autumn leaves into the garden each year.

    Have I ever mentioned that I am a fan of OM mulch?

    ;)

    Raking is for people who don’t have riding mowers” Jerry the Lazy Gardener

    It’s really unbelievable how many people I see raking up all of their deciduous leaves each fall or spring and putting them in the big Home Depot paper bags out on the curb for the trash man to come take away for them - And then the following week you’ll see the nice big Lawn Doctor tanker truck full of pretty blue fertilizer out there...

    J
     
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  17. been doing that my whole life! use the garden tractor to blow and "move" leaves and/or grass clippings. Basically I'm lazy and hate raking, driving the tractor is easier and more fun. Jerry the lazy gardner is 100% correct!


    Don't drink so can do without the beer, but wouldn't mind a nice joint to smoke while i'm tractoring! :)
    :GettingStoned:
     
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  18. Awesome!
     
  19. Find your spot. If your spot is formerly lawn/sod that you are going to convert to veg garden, turn under the grass and loosen approx 12" down. Usually, you will get a real good crop out of that old lawn section the first year. After that, cover crops are an amazing replenisher for your soil. So is compost.
    Fencing is recommended.
     
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  20. Hey @mainah - I didn’t have a chance yet but wanted to tell you nice job! I built a 16’x32’ greenhouse out of pressure treated lumber and a double layer of poly at our old home down in MA - i’ve just had other more pressing obligations here for the last 15 years. One of these days I’m going to do the same.

    The story on the greenhouse down in MA was that I received a phone call one October morning from a buddy who also grew cannabis. Now remember, this was 17 or 18 years ago and things weren’t quite as legal - but he called me anyhow because he knew that we had a house out in the country and told me that he had 150 plants in 15 gallon grow bags that had two weeks left to finish maturing but he had a bad vibe over the spot that he had them in. He wanted to move the plants or he figured he was going to lose them - I didn’t ask questions - So in order to make sure that they weren’t visible we whipped up a quick but very solid greenhouse the next day, and the following day I came home from work to find a large, closed and locked rental truck in my driveway. We moved these plants into the greenhouse after dark and two weeks later they were finished and I was given 25% of the take which ended up being a few pounds of several strains of sweet sweet herb - just for letting them finish at my house for two weeks. Plus I ended up with a big fat greenhouse!

    Now - in your case, if you’re anything like me at all, the rule is to start a project, get it to around 80 to 90% completed, dust your hands off and move onto the next project. It’s against the rules to finish anything completely.

    It’s the Law of the West...

    J
     
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