23,948 Garden Web Discussions | Vegetable Gardening
I grew chokes down here a little south of you several years ago and they survived ok for 3-4 years before an extra harsh winter killed them (even with thick mulching). My main complaint about chokes here is that the heads were edible but way smaller than the ones you see in the produce section at stores.
The toadstools won't hurt anything and is actually a sign of healthy soil. But yeah, it is awfully wet here too. I keep having to dump the rainwater out of my self-watering containers so the soil can drain. Can you move them under any shelter at all?
Dave
That's a good idea, to just plant the beans under the sugar snaps, assuming your soil doesn't need to be tilled. But the rhizobium nitrogen fixing bacteria in peas are in the roots, not the foliage, so I think it makes more sense to compost the foliage. Of course, don't pull the peas out by the roots in any case. If you did when there were beans growing tere, you'd just shear off bean roots. When you till the soil, the pea roots and the nitrogen they produced there just get mixed in.
It's a raised square foot garden bed and definitely does not need tilling. I was planning on just cutting off the peas, leaving the roots and then just pulling them off the trellis and then mixing in a little fresh compost and planting the beans. So...I think the idea of planting the bean seeds is a really good one, and I can always top dress with a little compost when I cut off the peas. Thanks for the great idea, I now have a plan for something to do in the morning!
Thanks for the thoughts, all. It rained hard yesterday afternoon and last night, so it's too wet to plant now, even if I wanted to. The pots that they are in are 3 inchers. They haven't been hardened but I'm never too worried about that. Last year I planted straight from the same greenhouse and had no problems. Regardless, it looks like it will be a while before its dry enough to get them in the ground.
Injection is the toughest part of growing mushrooms. After some failures, my fool proof method is to harvest wood in Fall, soak it 24 hrs, inject it (often I just slice an old log, and nail the slice to the end of the new log), then place it in garbage bags in my basement for the winter. I punch a hole at the top of the bags and pour water occasionally. I have done the same by harvesting in April, and keeping the logs under plastic in my garage.
Difficult to assess your situation without knowing your site, but during injection, high humidity is essential and almost sufficient, because I injected successfully in the 40, 50 and 60 temps. At any rate
1) here in the North it takes more than one year for logs to fruit
2) the many logs that did not fruit have been reused for hugelkultur, with excellent results. In particular they saved my orchard, which was planted when the soil was extremely poor. All my best trees have four failed mushroom logs under and all my dead trees had no logs. The logs do well under my trellises, with beans and squash growing roots in them.
'Would you serve these to your friends at a dinner party?'
Honestly, no, I wouldn't and I am a very parsimonious cook. Not because of the colour per se but because the heads are overmature and on the verge of flowering. So yes, either someone waited too long to harvest or it is quite a while since they were picked. They don't look at all fresh. Cook a bit for yourself and you will probably taste the problem.
It's been raining a lot this year, our area lakes are over 100% full, whereas same time last year, they were at less than 50% full. I haven't been watering, but it's been wet because of the rain. Good to know! I was wondering if I should switch compost in the future. Looks like I don't have to. :-)
Many types of vegetables do best in soils rich in fungi. Basically all solanaceae (potato, tomato, eggplant, pepper), all alliums (onion and garlic), beans, peas, and cucurbita (squash and cucumber). Also carrots, okra, and a number of other lesser vegetables.
OK - so here is the latest - seems like most people like 4C and 3C, im not really partial to one over another, some people think they might be too big take up too much room - ive reattached 4c and 3c along with a few other variations, just need some help with whats most practical, easy and provides most options /space... is orientation really even important at all?
Here is Original 3C:
Here is Original 4C:
Here are a few variations of 3C (some of which might also work with 4C as well)
3C_3: most different - all large beds split [even one on left (north)] w/ bigger paths on right/south
3C_2: or replace two 3' beds with one central 4' bed (bigger paths)...
[perhaps even split left/north bed in 2 as above in 3c_3]
Any thoughts? So far 4C has gotten more traction with people but perhaps the above provide other options, personally i dont care i just want a functional backyard, easy access and lots of growing space.. sadly im just stuck with the dimensions of the yard and am looking for the most utilitarian layout that is able to produce.... Also while we at it can someone suggest bed depth I was thinking like 16-18" but not sure... I do appreciate all the advise so far. This is going to be great when finished! :)
This is a 4x4' plot with beans and peppers on one side and potatoes on the other, right? That's a lot of stuff for a 4x4 plot. Or are you now moving the cukes?
There is no reason cukes can't grow by tomatoes as they have nearly the same nutrient needs and only minimal different water needs. How much space you would need depends on the type of tomatoes, how you support them and if you prune them or not as well as the size of the trellis, and he number of cuke plants etc. Basically 3-4' anyway as many tomato plants get at least that wide.
Like Dan said (I think it was him) - "tall crops on the north, short crops on the south, it really is that simple." But keep in mind that thousands of gardeners also grow quite successfully every year with N-S beds or NE-SW beds because they don't have any choice on placement. So don't let it worry you too much. Assuming even half-way decent sun exposure, over-crowding the crops is more of a threat to success than is placement relative to the sun.
Hope this helps.
Dave
I used AG-19 to cover one raised bed this past winter, I had kale and spinach in the bed. Not sure if the light transmission wasn't enough or something, my kale and spinach didn't grow much while under the AG-19. Bugs didn't chew through the Agribon.
So are there REALLY insects that chew through tulle? I'm baffled. Rodents can do it, but why would a bug do it? Tulle not remotely digestible, and they don't know that there is something good underneath. Bugs aren't that smart. Seriously. If there is a bug that chews through tulle, I don't want to be anywhere near it.
Strange. I've ordered from egardenersplace for a few years since there was a flat rate shipping. I guess the Jung conglomerate stopped doing the one-stop-shop thing, which also means I'll be less likely to order from them (I'm not about to pay all the separate shipping).
Rodney
some trees (mulberries, maples) have invasive roots. They'll grow into you bed quickly and the next year you may have the bed fool of roots. Vegetables and most of the other plants can't win this competition.
no, collard, cardoon and radicchio will give you a good crop, even if it is many hours of shade. They are my rotation in certain beds that have become full shade over time.