Gardening 2024

[DiabeticKripple]

i use ammonium sulfate and citric acid to lower my lawn soil PH. it has worked through the years.

i blend the citric acid with ferrous iron to make my lawn even more green

[Sundancefisher]

I am wondering how disastrous it would be to buy a bail of hay and use it in the garden…

a) to add some mulch and organics into the soil.
b) to use on the surface as a mulch to decrease weeds.


Is there a lot of weed seeds in a hay bail? Don’t want to infest my veggie garden with even more weeds

[Reeves1]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

I am wondering how disastrous it would be to buy a bail of hay and use it in the garden…

a) to add some mulch and organics into the soil.
b) to use on the surface as a mulch to decrease weeds.


Is there a lot of weed seeds in a hay bail? Don’t want to infest my veggie garden with even more weeds

My garden is 4' row centers. Between the rows & up the new plants I put straw. Thick , lasts 2-3 years. Helps hold moisture = less watering.
Another plus side is even after watering / rain , you can get into the garden without getting muddy boots.
Each time I till I do not take the straw away from the rows. I till it in & put more straw to keep it tight to the plants. I do not till between the rows where I walk. This also keeps the weeds down.
I do not use hay. This can intrude weeds.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Reeves1

My garden is 4' row centers. Between the rows & up the new plants I put straw. Thick , lasts 2-3 years. Helps hold moisture = less watering.
Another plus side is even after watering / rain , you can get into the garden without getting muddy boots.
Each time I till I do not take the straw away from the rows. I till it in & put more straw to keep it tight to the plants. I do not till between the rows where I walk. This also keeps the weeds down.
I do not use hay. This can intrude weeds.

Cool. So just buy a few straw bales then. Wonder where in south Calgary a fella can buy a couple?

[Tungsten,]

Golden Acres sells bales.I use it also ,spread alfalfa pellets and cover with straw.

[Sundancefisher]

Planted my peas before the snow.

Planting my kohlrabi, cucumbers, potatoes and carrots today.

Plucked all the mummy berries off the Saskatoons and will sprinkle sulphur around the base today.

So far my crop is getting better each year with just cleaning out the diseased berries.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by Tungsten,

Golden Acres sells bales.I use it also ,spread alfalfa pellets and cover with straw.

I’ve used dry alfalfa pellets before. Maybe again next year.

Lone Star Tack and Feed had clean straw for sale so picked up some. Cheapest around. 1/3 the price.

[antlercarver]

I took old farm fuel tanks and cut them across in half then lit fires inside to clean them out. How have large pots 40 in. across and 40 in. tall. Filled with normal soil and topped with good soil mixed with old manure. Spray painted the outside black, which causes the soil inside to be warmer than normal surface soil, plants love the warm soil. We have 12 of these pots, no need to bend down to seed, weed or harvest. Peas, cucumbers and trailing plants hang over the side. Buying old tanks gave a cost of $35 per pot, which will be good for longer than I ever need. Tomatoes crop was huge last year, I think it was partly a result of warmer soil. Hose was split and fitted over the cut edge.

[Sundancefisher]

Finished planting the potatoes, peas, carrots, kohlrabi and cucumbers.

Hoping to add some corn and sunflowers later.

Now we wait and see if we get frost. Takes a couple weeks for the seeds to sprout. Any die I’ll just replace at the end of the month.

I also spread clean straw all over the top to keep moisture in. Really hoping we don’t have any weed seed problems.

Planted a large number of tiny stunted perch with the potatoes. Great fertilizer.

[burbotman]

I was able to add a couple more beds last week before the crazy snow hit. Garden will be buried for a few more days. Wife has the green house going in full gear. Can’t wait for getting it under way

[6.5 shooter]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Planted my peas before the snow.

Planting my kohlrabi, cucumbers, potatoes and carrots today.

Plucked all the mummy berries off the Saskatoons and will sprinkle sulphur around the base today.

So far my crop is getting better each year with just cleaning out the diseased berries.

Does the Sulphur help with the "bug's/ parasite?" that dry's up the fruit in mid summer? What other benefits does it offer? I surrounded mine with wood chips hoping that will help? But am looking for all the help I can get.

[Reeves1]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Finished planting the potatoes, peas, carrots, kohlrabi and cucumbers.

Hoping to add some corn and sunflowers later.

Now we wait and see if we get frost. Takes a couple weeks for the seeds to sprout. Any die I’ll just replace at the end of the month.

I also spread clean straw all over the top to keep moisture in. Really hoping we don’t have any weed seed problems.

Planted a large number of tiny stunted perch with the potatoes. Great fertilizer.

There will be seeds from the crop that will come up. Cut them off before they develop seed heads.

[oldjeda]

We enjoy a lot of green beans and beets (roots and tops). Last year the crop was way down. I’m thinking of trying a different variety of the beans and beets.

Any suggestions or recommendations on the best varieties of both and the best way to increase production on both would be appreciated.

[owlhoot]

Originally Posted by oldjeda

We enjoy a lot of green beans and beets (roots and tops). Last year the crop was way down. I’m thinking of trying a different variety of the beans and beets.

Any suggestions or recommendations on the best varieties of both and the best way to increase production on both would be appreciated.

I grow the Cylindra Formanova beets, They have been a good producer for me, The Beet tops haven't been very good the last couple years, to much heat??

[DiabeticKripple]

Has anyone planted spring garlic before?

My pots I planted in the fall died. I think I went too early. I had green shoots come up about 2 inches before they froze.

[CDNOutdoorsman]

I tried planting garlic last spring and not one grew.
So last fall I bought some garlic and planted last Oct and covered with grass clippings over winter. It looks like everyone of them grew (100+/-) so I am very happy with that. This is my first crack at growing garlic so I will be looking for info on when to harvest and how to store etc.
Hoping to till the garden in a few days when it dries up and get everything planted. the wife has the greenhouse going now as well.

[theoldguy]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Cool. So just buy a few straw bales then. Wonder where in south Calgary a fella can buy a couple?

I thought that was a great idea and then had volunteer barley coming up all summer. I think good hay - alfalfa would be free of weeds. tog

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by theoldguy

I thought that was a great idea and then had volunteer barley coming up all summer. I think good hay - alfalfa would be free of weeds. tog

When I checked into it the primary point people said was Don’t use hay bales. Just cleaned straw bales.

I will find out soon enough. Not like I’m weed free anyways.

[Sundancefisher]

Originally Posted by 6.5 shooter

Does the Sulphur help with the "bug's/ parasite?" that dry's up the fruit in mid summer? What other benefits does it offer? I surrounded mine with wood chips hoping that will help? But am looking for all the help I can get.

I find it impedes the ability of the fungus to form “flowers” that resemble the Saskatoon flowers and tricks bees into visiting and spreading spores. I have 40 mm limestone below mine.

You don’t want to lower the soil pH to badly. If the ground is too acidic it could hurt the plant.

It may be that pulling the dried up diseased berries is the prime benefit. Also I never throw them into the ground but always either burn or put them in the compost green bin.

What I gleaned from the papers and studies written on the topic is you can’t get rid of it. It spreads very easily. Removing sources of spread and pruning off diseased berries and killing old infected berries will help.

[slough shark]

Has anyone tried a grape vine in a greenhouse? I’m wondering what varieties would work in there and where I might be able to get a vine or 2? (In Calgary)

[yoteblaster]

I don’t have a grapevine in a greenhouse even though I have a30 x140 foot greenhouse. I do however have a good producing grapevine on the south side of a garden shed. Didn’t start producing grapes until the 2nd year. I’m in Lacombe

[Savage Bacon]

Little jalapeños

Sent from my SM-S901W using Tapatalk

[slough shark]

Originally Posted by yoteblaster

I don’t have a grapevine in a greenhouse even though I have a30 x140 foot greenhouse. I do however have a good producing grapevine on the south side of a garden shed. Didn’t start producing grapes until the 2nd year. I’m in Lacombe

What breed of grapes are they? The only ones I’ve found so far were apparently only good for juice or jams, it would be nice to have a good snacking grape.

[yoteblaster]

Beta Grape is the variety

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by yoteblaster

Beta Grape is the variety

That's what we have as well. Put them in last year; am curious to see what we get this year.

[CBintheNorth]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

Little jalapeños

Sent from my SM-S901W using Tapatalk

Nice!

My Jalapenos are just starting to flower, but I seeded my peppers later than normal.

Your Hot Sauce thread inspired me this year, so I went pepper crazy.
10 Jalapenos
6 Arapaho
9 Ghost
1 Trinidad Scorpion
and 1 Carolina Reaper...
Not sure what I'm doing yet but like most things, it's hard to have a final plan if you don't start with something.
We'll see what grows. Guessing most will have to move to the inside green house in September to get a decent harvest.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by Sundancefisher

Cool. So just buy a few straw bales then. Wonder where in south Calgary a fella can buy a couple?

Not South Calgary - but check out Peavey Mart if you're in the Airdrie area.

[Sundancefisher]

Came home to a poor start to the garden I planted 3.5 weeks ago. Potatoes are short but came up. No carrots came up. No kohlrabi. No corn. Only 5% of peas germinated.

Looks like I’ll replant. I suspect the cold weather and maybe some frost damage but hard to tell.

Oh well. It was worth a shot.

[Sundancefisher]

My daffodils and tulips did well. Apple tree has very few blooms this year. Saskatoons and cherries have lots of blooms.

[jmullin]

Originally Posted by Reeves1

That's an awesome hack - thanks for sharing!