Gardening for Old Folks (Adaptative)

[oldhenlikesdogs]

In our FL garden nematodes were a real problem for the tomatoes. We tried a few different things but found what worked best for us was just to take a big bag of soil, slit open one of the narrow ends, poke a bunch of drainage holes all over the bag then plant the tomatoes in the bags. We put the bags (plant & all) into holes in the ground to stabilize them. Worked well in that garden.

I've read that, I wasn't sure how that would work. It actually sounds brilliant now that you described it. I always thought the bag was laid flat, but upright, and in the ground sounds better.

 

[N F C]

I've read that, I wasn't sure how that would work. It actually sounds brilliant now that you described it. I always thought the bag was laid flat, but upright, and in the ground sounds better.

We tried doing the bag both ways. The problem (at least for us) with laying the bag flat is that the roots didn't seem as vigorous and the sun warmed the bags up too much. Burying the bags in the ground kept them from getting so hot, the water didn't leach out so fast and the roots seemed to take hold better. It was really pretty convenient.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Was it late or early blight? You might try picking a variety that is resistant to EB or LB. Growing tomatoes in tunnels also helps prevent them from being infected by blights. Also, rotating crops, not planting them where other solanaceous plants have grown.

It's generally late blight. I don't see it every year. I found it funny I got blight the worse when I planted in a new spot. My garden has always been on the smaller side so rotating didn't seem to be all that helpful.

Keeping the soil covered with grass clippings and regular watering seems to help. Many of the sweet colored varieties aren't resistant to blight. I guess I will need to look for something different to add to my usual line up.

 

[N F C]

I should add that our digging in FL was easy, our "soil" was mostly sand. Digging a bunch of holes would be more challenging in some parts of the country.

 

[chickmom3941]

Black Oil Sunflower Seeds


ETA: Unless you're talking to someone in another country who has a feed pre-mix called Boss.

Thanks, I was really racking my brains trying to figure out what BOSS might be. Never even thought of black oil sunflower seeds! Lol.

 

[chickmom3941]

Rjohns39 got this one.

There are no dumb questions.

Same way I do any other sprouting seed: soak them for a few hours. Then, drain and rinse several times/day. Rinse and repeat till they are ready to serve.

The difficulty with BOSS is that they float. So, if I can mix them in the jar with a seed that has a similar growth rate, they will mix in with the heavier seeds and be easier to manage.

I have always been intrigued by the thought of sprouting seeds for our flock, but have never tried it. Do your girls really like them? How do you know how much of them to feed in relation to how much layer feed you give them? Is it a lot less expensive to feed the sprouts? Extra calories for the cold weather?

 

[chickmom3941]

We are -26 wind chills currently, enjoy that balmy weather while I'm freezing my arse off.

Lol. Right there with ya, OHLD, right there with ya!

 

[rjohns39]

LG can probably give you a better answer, but there's a ton of good stuff in young sprouts and there's a table somewhere out here on BYC that provides recommended amounts/bird...

 

[lazy gardener]

I am not the least bit scientific about my sprouting. I've done enough reading to know that the sprouting process breaks down the antinutrients in the grains, making the nutrients in them more bioavailable than the nutrient in the seed from which the sprout came from. Sprouts are more nutritious than fodder. I consider a seed to be at the sprout stage before the roots have developed past the single tap root that comes out of the seed, and when the only leaves present are the sheath in the case of a monocot, or the cotyledons in the case of a dicot. After the blade of grass exits the sheath, or the true leaves appear, or the root starts to branch out, I consider the sprout to have grown to the fodder stage. I like to feed them before that point. A day before I plan to feed them, I put the jar in a window sill, so the sprouts will green up.

I do not consider sprouts to be a substitute for a balanced chicken feed. What I do consider is that the sprouts are an easy and cheap source of green vegetable matter at this time of the year. My ground stays frozen almost 6 months of the year, snow cover 5 months and fresh greens are obviously lacking since the snow is up to my knees!

I like to give them a qt of sprouts/day. I have 29 birds. They would obviously eat more, but this is an easy amount for me to grow.

Sprouting also allows me to feed my need to grow things! Alfalfa and brassica sprouts are great on salads, and lentil sprouts are great in a salad or stir fry.

 

[sfgwife]

I am startin to get the masses of seed catalogs.... this is BAD! Very BAD for wishin the sun to be on my back and my hands in the dirt and the smellllll of fresh turned earth in me nose holes.