fishnut 2,358 Posted May 2, 2013 Want do you grow in your garden? What do you use as fertilizer and pest control and why? I have a variety of lettuce, sweet and red onion, Garlic, chives, rosemary, parsley, snow peas, radishes, carrots, potatoes, strawberry, blueberry, wild raspberry. Soon I will add my tomatoes, bell peppers, cayenne and tabasco peppers. I also have 10 apple trees and 2 plum trees. I use garden tone general fertilizer along with I compost everything that I can and amend my soil with the compost also. I only use lady bugs and preying mantises for pest control. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AlDente67 563 Posted May 2, 2013 I grow tomatoes, squash, and some herbs. The tomatoes are from seeds imported from Poland, and they require physical polination once the buds begin (small brush or even fingers). The tomatoes are better than anything found locally, but the key is the manure mixed into the soil. Experimenting with a new patch of ground this season - proper tilling, fertilizer, and manure. Last season was a bust because I forgot the manure and reducing the acidic nature of the soil. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dman2112 6 Posted May 2, 2013 Looks like what your doing us good. I would just get your pH of the soil tested and adjust accordingly for what you are growing Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
H.M. Murdock 0 Posted May 2, 2013 Nothing grows in my yard. Maybe it's all the cosmoline in the ground Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Krdshrk 3,871 Posted May 2, 2013 Hydroponics lab.... plants..... uh... I've said too much..... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JackDaWack 2,894 Posted May 2, 2013 Looks like what your doing us good. I would just get your pH of the soil tested and adjust accordingly for what you are growing Controlling your PH in the ground is nearly impossible after you start the season, even in pots it can be very difficult if your not using the correct medium... You usually need a buffer like perlite... so you can do it, you just need to set up your garden to be PH friendly. With out a buffer, you can literally pour gallons of ph up/down and it wont change anything, or it will quickly go back to where you started.. You need to test your pH first, and figure out what you will need to mix in the soil to achieve the proper pH like limestone, but even still you need to figure out how much to use... Another issue is the additives people like to use for fertilizer, Which can change the pH and make it bounce down and up again. This will stress your plants.. You also don't want a build up of nutrients in the soil, particularly salts. You don't need fertilizer for a majority of the initial growth stage, they have plenty stored up just for this, and you always incrementally add in fertilizer. plants will grow much better with less nutrients then too much, growth slows down instead of material dying... and it will quickly start to grow again with added nutrients... you can always add more if needed. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryan_j 0 Posted May 2, 2013 We have a 30'x30' garden. It's visible from google maps actually. We grew a lot of stuff such as tomatoes, cucumbers, hot peppers, green bell peppers, yams, herbs (legal ones only) carrots, butternut squash and eggplants. We had a really good crop last year. Hoping we have a good one this year. For fertilizer we just use plain old miracle gro. For weed control we use pre-emergents like preen. After that I hand weed whatever manages to grow. Preen works very well. For pest control? Insects, I just use Carbaryl (Sevin). For bigger pests like rabbits the garden is fenced in and has an 8 foot high barrier so deer cannot jump in. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryan_j 0 Posted May 2, 2013 Hydroponics lab.... plants..... uh... I've said too much..... What? Dude, where's my tomatoes man... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
alec.mc 180 Posted May 2, 2013 I'm a lead farmer mother f******r Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Urban Grunt 44 Posted May 2, 2013 Tomatoes , peppers, rhubarb , blackberries . I have a compose heap and use that as fertilizer . We don't use any chemicals for pests, it easy to pick bugs off the plants. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bob2222 316 Posted May 2, 2013 We actually have two, and actually have won a bunch of ribbons from the county fair over the years. We'll probably let one of the gardens rest this year. Mostly grow tomatoes and zucchinis now. Peppers but the evil woodland critters usually get to them first. Before the trees got too tall, we grew some amazing muskmelons. Sandy thinned the trees out but not enough to start them again. Rutgers inspired -- I use black plastic mulch. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryan_j 0 Posted May 2, 2013 I saw some local farms here having sheets of black plastic covering the beds and the vegetable plants sticking through them. Are those ordinary garbage bags? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bhunted 887 Posted May 2, 2013 Heh, all the dead bodies over the years make crappy fertilizer too. Had to relocate them when they started working on the Polaski Skyway years ago... Nothing grows except hensbit. Nothing grows in my yard. Maybe it's all the cosmoline in the ground Sent from John's iPad 2 via Tapatalk HD Typos courtesy Apple... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Urban Grunt 44 Posted May 2, 2013 Local garden center sell the plastic sheeting in 25 foot or more lengths I saw some local farms here having sheets of black plastic covering the beds and the vegetable plants sticking through them. Are those ordinary garbage bags? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Old Dog 19 Posted May 2, 2013 9mm and occasionally some .45 acp when it is in season. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
71ragtopgoat 23 Posted May 3, 2013 Never tested the PH my whole life. I find messing with things just compounds the problem My Garden is 12x8 . I Have some tomatoes strawberries ,cucumber ,eggplant, and bell peppers. I add a couple bags of manure in the spring and leaves and grass clippings in the fall. I also use grass clipping as a weed preventer all summer. My earthworms are the size and thickness of pencils. Birds and bats(almost extinct:( ) take care of most of the bugs. I only get concerned when I see tons of sparrows in there. I battle all year long with deer raccoons and a groundhog and some chipmunks. Last year was the first year I have had tomatoe worms in like a decade. I wonder if that kind of moth is making a comeback? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AS1431 0 Posted May 3, 2013 We are starting a new garden this year. Raspberries and blackberries have been planted. We have some containers with basil, oregano, and rosemary. One container will have lettuce. I tried something that I read about. When we finish a head of lettuce and only the white "stump" was left, I put it in water. After a few weeks it started growing again. The kids thought it was cool and started putting more "stumps" in the container of different lettuces that we bought and now we have about eight different ones growing. I will take them out and plant them in one of the containers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fishnut 2,358 Posted May 3, 2013 We are starting a new garden this year. Raspberries and blackberries have been planted. We have some containers with basil, oregano, and rosemary. One container will have lettuce. I tried something that I read about. When we finish a head of lettuce and only the white "stump" was left, I put it in water. After a few weeks it started growing again. The kids thought it was cool and started putting more "stumps" in the container of different lettuces that we bought and now we have about eight different ones growing. I will take them out and plant them in one of the containers. I have a huge patch of a variety of different types of lettuce. every night I go out and cut some and have a salad and pull a carrot and a radish or two and make a great fresh salad. The fresh produce has spoiled me so much that I don't really like store bought produce any more. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Johnny 0 Posted May 3, 2013 I grow alot of food. Lots of different herbs, tomatoes, cucumber, pickles, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, asparagus, cantaloupe, cherries, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, boysenberries, loganberries, tayberries, marionberries (not to be confused with the crack smoking former mayor of DC). Yeah, I like berries. Just about time to start planting the vegetables. I compost like a bastard and my plants grow like crazy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
leahcim 673 Posted May 4, 2013 I just planted a bunch of lettuce--differnet types but mostly loose-leaf mesculin type. I put in peas early in March, but they got about 6 inches and seem to have stopped growing--not sure what is up with that. I also had disappointing results with my Tulips this year. First year they came up great, last year they all flowered, but did not get quite as tall. Last year I dug out the bulbs in midsummer and stored them in peat until fall, when I replanted. Had a lot of new small bulbs too. They started pushing through in late March and I added about 1-2 inches of compost.. They got to 4-6 inches, then it got pretty cold for awhile and they seemed to just stop growing. A few have flowered now, but most have not and some are starting to die back already. Perhaps I should get my soil tested--I use raised beds and a mix of compost, peat and vermiculite, but I think it still gets pretty acidic here in the pines. I keep it organic. Mostly compost, but I do use some organic fertilizers too. And flowers to attract good insects. Plus a 6 foot polypro fence, with the bottom 6 inches staked to the ground seems to keep the deer, groundhogs and rabbits out--otherwise the deer seem to eat everything. They even ate the branches off of a small cedar sapling that I had planted from the Pacific NW! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NJDrew1 0 Posted May 4, 2013 I'm growing a crop of amatter. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sonnylee 20 Posted May 4, 2013 I keep it organic as well, I weed by pulling when needed and for insects I have a secret organic formula which works on all my fruit trees and vegetable plants as well. Fill a spray bottle 2/3 with water a large table spoon of dishwasher soap, and 3 large table spoons of olive oil. Shake well and spray on plants and trees when needed. Works for me, old receipt passed on. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EWC88 24 Posted May 7, 2013 We have a garden here at my moms house. Not sure what she is putting in this year but the typical is tomatoes (several kinds), peppers (hot and not), radishes, peas, and potatoes, but not sure on what else. What kind compost are people using? Ones bought made or self built? Looking at redoing my moms for her but need ideas. Thought of doing a two stage or three stage built of wood as framing and then that fake wood deck material on outside to dress it up, not sure. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
El-Groucho 0 Posted May 7, 2013 Mesclun Lettuce, a few different tomatoes, asparagus, onions, garlic, peppers, herbs, blueberries and strawberries all organic in raised beds. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jm1827 284 Posted May 7, 2013 Tomatoes, peppers & many herbs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gleninjersey 2,134 Posted July 25, 2016 Bringing this post back from the dead. Who gardens, what do you grow, any tips and how did you get into it or why do you do it? I do both flowers and some vegetables. On the flower side I have a few sunflowers and have planted tulip bulbs over the years. Also have hydrangea, butterfly and daisy bushes. On vegetable side this year it's tomatoes and some peppers. Also have some sweet basil and sone other herb my wife wanted. In past I've done corn, watermelon,grapes, carrots, green beans, pumpkins. But I have a small yard and space and time are limited so I cut back. My father gardened here and there over the years. I guess I'm continuing his tradition. Plus I rather enjoy watching the flowers and vegetables grow. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fishnut 2,358 Posted July 25, 2016 The garden took a back burner this year with my daughter being born in April but I still have a few things going. Just sweet and bell peppers, Carolina reeper hot peppers, beefsteak plum and Cherokee purple tomatoes, raspberries, and cucumbers. I also have 10 mature large standard apple trees and about 75 clones of those trees. I have allot of springtime flowers marigolds, morning glorys, irises, daffodils, bleeding hearts, peonies, and Lilly of the valley. I got into gardening by accident. I started a pot of hot peppers on the deck of our apartment years ago and it snowballed from there. Now I have a 15x25 veggy garden, an apple orchard and 3 acres to plant flowers around. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Purple Patrick 638 Posted July 25, 2016 Shameless plug. If anyone needs garden stuff my family owns a garden center and nursery this signature exceeds the 15 character capacity count Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MidwestPX 172 Posted July 25, 2016 Want do you grow in your garden? What do you use as fertilizer and pest control and why? I have a variety of lettuce, sweet and red onion, Garlic, chives, rosemary, parsley, snow peas, radishes, carrots, potatoes, strawberry, blueberry, wild raspberry. Soon I will add my tomatoes, bell peppers, cayenne and tabasco peppers. I also have 10 apple trees and 2 plum trees. I use garden tone general fertilizer along with I compost everything that I can and amend my soil with the compost also. I only use lady bugs and preying mantises for pest control. We doubled our raised beds this year. I might add a few more next year before I run a second irrigation circuit. This picture is two weeks old. On the far right side, the farthest bed in the rear is one of the tomato beds. Those plants have grown so tall, they're taller than the trellis/support already. That's 7' from the top of the soil in the bed. As far as what we grow, we typically have multiple varieties of beans and peas. Lots of cucumbers and squashes (almost one bed of each). There's an entire bed of bell peppers and two beds of tomatoes. We also have blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries though for berries, we usually pick the wild canes on the land I lease for PX and haul a gallon of berries a day at the peak of each berry type. We have an asparagus bed that we'll be able to harvest next year. Broccoli, eggplant, cabbage, chinese cabbage, leeks, onions, garlic, potatoes, lettuce, kale, and a whole bunch of different herbs like rosemary, mint, and sage. My wife pickles and cans a fair bit. For fertilizer, we use tomato-specific food for the tomatoes but everything else gets a fish-based fertilizer that is basically plant crack mixed with plant 'roids. We also have a three bin compost "pile" which we use to dress the beds. My wife also farms worms indoors and they produce some amazing compost. Interestingly, the liquid that they generate isn't to be applied to plants that bear vegetables or fruit but does wonders on the lilies out front. When they opened up this year, we had some that were nearly 6' tall and 8" across when they bloomed. We don't have many pest issues as we companion plant so the plants typically protect themselves pretty well. We do have a garter snake that is actively eating slugs. The little guy started as an 8" worm and now he's about 2.5' long. We also let the chickens (you can see the coop in the rear of the picture) free range the back half of the yard which helps keep pest numbers down. I let them free range the front half when I'm out there as they like to eat the vegetable plants if I'm not watching. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fishnut 2,358 Posted July 25, 2016 Look for Fox Farm nutrients. The stuff is top notch. It's kinda geared towards pot growers but I've been useing it exclusively this year and the little veggies I do have are producing way more than they ever have in years past and the only thing I have changed is the fertilizer Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites