Ambitious certified black thumb- I’m in over my head SOS pls send help

[CapricornFarm]

Go Camp, go!

 

[campingshaws]

First hiccup: apparently strawberries aren’t easy to grow hotter than zone 8. Maybe that was part of the problem? So I’m thinking of putting them in an empty part of the flower bed. Less direct sun, better ability to hold moisture. I’m going to keep looking into something for that bed.

 

[CapricornFarm]

First hiccup: apparently strawberries aren’t easy to grow hotter than zone 8. Maybe that was part of the problem? So I’m thinking of putting them in an empty part of the flower bed. Less direct sun, better ability to hold moisture. I’m going to keep looking into something for that bed.

I think there are specific varieties developed for hotter zones.

 

[campingshaws]

I think there are specific varieties developed for hotter zones.

The one article I read mentioned California, Texas, and Florida for the best zone 9 states for strawberries. But I’m pretty close to Texas. I don’t know if I can find any other types. I have Ozark beauty, eversweet, and white Carolina.

 

[lazy gardener]

Alright, been a few days since I checked in but I’m actively planning (dreaming and scheming) my garden. I did a bad thing and bought some starts and seeds at TSC today. I’ve also ordered chicks, soooooo

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I see you bought some Terro Ant bait. Did you know you can make ant bait for a fraction of a fraction of a tid bit of the cost of that stuff? All it is is sugar, water and borax.

https://www.humoroushomemaking.com/homemade-ant-bait

I always have borax on hand b/c it's one of the primary ingredients in my home made laundry detergent (I can make a year's worth for a fraction the cost of detergent you'd buy at the store, and it does not have any junky additives.) Cost 2.2 cents/load!

 

[campingshaws]

I see you bought some Terro Ant bait. Did you know you can make ant bait for a fraction of a fraction of a tid bit of the cost of that stuff? All it is is sugar, water and borax.

https://www.humoroushomemaking.com/homemade-ant-bait

I always have borax on hand b/c it's one of the primary ingredients in my home made laundry detergent (I can make a year's worth for a fraction the cost of detergent you'd buy at the store, and it does not have any junky additives.) Cost 2.2 cents/load!

It was on clearance! I tried my own borax baits but they didn’t work the way I wanted. I’ll try your recipe next time. I made my detergent for years, but our soft water smells a bit like eggs and DH wanted to go back to something “real” for the fragrance.

 

[CapricornFarm]

We use home made laundry detergent but use fabric softener afterwards which makes the clothes smell nice.

 

[campingshaws]

I’ve spent the last two hours watching AntMan and organizing my seeds by type and companions.

For the corn I want to try the three sisters method (plus sunflowers) but the only bean seeds I have are bush type. I’m up to roughly $75 in seeds and plant starts/roots, so I really shouldn’t buy anymore... hence the title of my first note page.

I think I’m going to have bed a for strawberries and lettuces, then bed b for broccoli and cabbages. The charts say don’t plant together, does that only apply to sharing soil or does it go by proximity? Everything else I’m going to put in the ground or in containers.

 

[CapricornFarm]

I’ve spent the last two hours watching AntMan and organizing my seeds by type and companions.

For the corn I want to try the three sisters method (plus sunflowers) but the only bean seeds I have are bush type. I’m up to roughly $75 in seeds and plant starts/roots, so I really shouldn’t buy anymore... hence the title of my first note page.

I think I’m going to have bed a for strawberries and lettuces, then bed b for broccoli and cabbages. The charts say don’t plant together, does that only apply to sharing soil or does it go by proximity? Everything else I’m going to put in the ground or in containers.
View attachment 1262617 View attachment 1262618

I think if you plan to plant popcorn it needs to be a long way from sweet corn or they cross pollinate with not the best results?

 

[lazy gardener]

Agreed with Cap on the popcorn.

As for 3 sisters, I've not had good luck with it b/c I tend to plant too close, and the beans need to be harvested daily. When native Americans did 3 sisters, all 3 crops were planted then left to mature. Nothing was harvested until fall, at which time it was all harvested at pretty much the same time. IMO, 3 sisters is a good idea, if you can follow that harvest schedule. But it's not as sensible if you are planting beans and corn which are harvested at the succulent stage, instead of being left to completely mature.

One BYC member was talking about planting field corn and sunflowers as a green manure/chook friendly crop. That idea bears much promise.

Radish: I never dedicate space for them. I use them liberally as row markers. Every time I plant a row or bed, I put some radish seed in. They sprout early, to let me know where something is planted, and I can harvest them every where I go. My favorite variety is French Breakfast. Very mild! I like to slice them vertically, and smear them with peanut butter.

Laundry detergent. Our water is crappy. Hard, and high in Manganese and Sulphur. A lot of brown stains in my tub/sinks. I add a tiny bit of Melaleuca Solumel to my home made detergent, and use dryer sheets. IMO, the home made is better than any detergents I've bought. The Melaleuca is pricey, But a single bottle of it will last about 2 years at the rate I use it. You could most likely add a bit of pine sol or some other laundry booster that would do the same thing. If you're happy with purchased detergent, than that's what you should go with!