Grow Getters & Mad Potters (Gardening Thread)

[FortCluck]

Does anyone have a recommendation on a chipper/shredder for leaves and branches. I live on an acre with about 100 trees and have debris and leaves constantly that I would like to turn into mulch. They are expensive and wondered if anyone knows of a good brand before I spend that much money. Thanks in advance for any help

I would invest in a good decent brand because it’ll be worth the money in the long run. When you pay the cheaper price, it will stop working or will have issues more than a decent brand.

 

[Kusanar]

Hey all, just found this.

I have a garden this year for the first time in a long time. It's doing pretty well.

I'm doing a modified Square Foot Garden walled in with cinderblocks. Fun fact, 20 cinderblocks will make a wall around a 4x8 area. I started out by marking out the area, then using a hand tiller thing (shove it in the ground and twist to rip up a chunk of dirt) to break through the sod and I grabbed the grass clumps and tossed them off to the side roots, dirt and all. Then I got a bale of peat moss and tilled it into the top several inches to compensate for the loss of the dirt in the roots. So, rather than a raised bed, I have a bed that is about flat with the ground this year and surrounded with a 1 block high cinderblock wall.

The goal is to keep adding compost and peat moss until I have built it up enough to have it 2 blocks (16") high and have the soil flush with the top of the blocks.

This year I am just running with a 4x8 plot, I have 8 sq ft of popcorn (4 holes per square, 2 seeds per hole), 8 sq ft of halflong carrots (have only gotten 3 that came up out of 60+ seeds... yeah...), 4 Big Boy slicing tomatoes, 4 cherry tomatoes, 6 jalapenos, 2 bell peppers.

So far, one of the bell peppers, 2 of the jalapenos, and 1 each of the tomatoes has died plus all of the carrots that did not come up. I have already replaced the dead Big Boy with a rooted sucker off of one of the other plants and I just realized yesterday that my biggest cherry tomato has a huge sucker on it, but it has fruit on it, so it's staying as if I used it for a cutting I would have to remove all fruit and flowers.

I will be starting more carrot seeds plus some really old misc seeds I found and see what I can get to sprout this weekend, then next weekend I will pull the 3 carrots and re-till that end of the bed to re-plant and see if I can get a decent result out of that end the 2nd half of the summer.

I want to get a cattle pannel and put it in an arch over the bed from 4 ft end to 4ft end so I can still reach in from both long sides to harvest but I will have a "roof" that I can use to secure the tomatoes and peppers next year.

I am also composting this year to see how much I can produce to bulk the garden up for next season. Once I pull the plants out this fall, I'll just start dumping compost into the bed as it's done and till it all in next spring after it's sat for the winter. I'm hoping to get a decent amount done but it's mostly sawdust with some garden clippings so I know it'll take a bit to break down. I'll be happy with 2 batches by spring though.

 

[FortCluck]

Hey all, just found this.

I have a garden this year for the first time in a long time. It's doing pretty well.

I'm doing a modified Square Foot Garden walled in with cinderblocks. Fun fact, 20 cinderblocks will make a wall around a 4x8 area. I started out by marking out the area, then using a hand tiller thing (shove it in the ground and twist to rip up a chunk of dirt) to break through the sod and I grabbed the grass clumps and tossed them off to the side roots, dirt and all. Then I got a bale of peat moss and tilled it into the top several inches to compensate for the loss of the dirt in the roots. So, rather than a raised bed, I have a bed that is about flat with the ground this year and surrounded with a 1 block high cinderblock wall.

The goal is to keep adding compost and peat moss until I have built it up enough to have it 2 blocks (16") high and have the soil flush with the top of the blocks.

This year I am just running with a 4x8 plot, I have 8 sq ft of popcorn (4 holes per square, 2 seeds per hole), 8 sq ft of halflong carrots (have only gotten 3 that came up out of 60+ seeds... yeah...), 4 Big Boy slicing tomatoes, 4 cherry tomatoes, 6 jalapenos, 2 bell peppers.

So far, one of the bell peppers, 2 of the jalapenos, and 1 each of the tomatoes has died plus all of the carrots that did not come up. I have already replaced the dead Big Boy with a rooted sucker off of one of the other plants and I just realized yesterday that my biggest cherry tomato has a huge sucker on it, but it has fruit on it, so it's staying as if I used it for a cutting I would have to remove all fruit and flowers.

I will be starting more carrot seeds plus some really old misc seeds I found and see what I can get to sprout this weekend, then next weekend I will pull the 3 carrots and re-till that end of the bed to re-plant and see if I can get a decent result out of that end the 2nd half of the summer.

I want to get a cattle pannel and put it in an arch over the bed from 4 ft end to 4ft end so I can still reach in from both long sides to harvest but I will have a "roof" that I can use to secure the tomatoes and peppers next year.

I am also composting this year to see how much I can produce to bulk the garden up for next season. Once I pull the plants out this fall, I'll just start dumping compost into the bed as it's done and till it all in next spring after it's sat for the winter. I'm hoping to get a decent amount done but it's mostly sawdust with some garden clippings so I know it'll take a bit to break down. I'll be happy with 2 batches by spring though.

Welcome!!!

I like the idea of your garden. We are going to make two new gardens I think in September for the cold crops.

 

[Kusanar]

Welcome!!!

I like the idea of your garden. We are going to make two new gardens I think in September for the cold crops.

I have a big garden planned, but those will be permanent plants, lots of herbs and such in there, it'll be more of a pleasure garden than a practical one. It will also include fruit trees.

I'll do the square foot gardens and containers for the food crops that will be planted and eaten in the same year.

 

[FortCluck]

I have a big garden planned, but those will be permanent plants, lots of herbs and such in there, it'll be more of a pleasure garden than a practical one. It will also include fruit trees.

I'll do the square foot gardens and containers for the food crops that will be planted and eaten in the same year.

I have lots of veggies in containers. They’re doing great. I have only two 4x4 beds so I need more since I’m plant based and that’s all I eat.

 

[Kusanar]

I have lots of veggies in containers. They’re doing great. I have only two 4x4 beds so I need more since I’m plant based and that’s all I eat.

Honestly, mine is just because I wanted a decent tomato rather than those sad pink things at the store. So far I have harvested 4 cherry tomatoes so I'm happy.

 

[Kusanar]

I have lots of veggies in containers. They’re doing great. I have only two 4x4 beds so I need more since I’m plant based and that’s all I eat.

Honestly, mine is just because I wanted a decent tomato rather than those sad pink things at the store. So far I have harvested 4 cherry tomatoes so I'm happy.

 

[FortCluck]

Honestly, mine is just because I wanted a decent tomato rather than those sad pink things at the store. So far I have harvested 4 cherry tomatoes so I'm happy.

I do not like store bought tomatoes, but I will eat them from my garden. We have only had about 6 grape tomatoes. My romas and juliette tomatoes are starting to blush so soon I will be eating those.

4 cherry tomatoes here would be a small snack. I have 17 tomato plants now. I have a few that need to be planted soon so I need to figure out where I want to plant them. I was thinking about a few smaller gardens to put those few that need to be planted.

So much to do, but so little time

 

[Kusanar]

I do not like store bought tomatoes, but I will eat them from my garden. We have only had about 6 grape tomatoes. My romas and juliette tomatoes are starting to blush so soon I will be eating those.

4 cherry tomatoes here would be a small snack. I have 17 tomato plants now. I have a few that need to be planted soon so I need to figure out where I want to plant them. I was thinking about a few smaller gardens to put those few that need to be planted.

So much to do, but so little time

Lol, I only got 1 the first day, then like 2 weeks later I picked 3 more yesterday. There are a ton on the vine, a few yellow, most still green. There are I believe 3 of the Big Boy tomatoes starting out. One is about 2 inches across so getting decent sized.

 

[FortCluck]

Lol, I only got 1 the first day, then like 2 weeks later I picked 3 more yesterday. There are a ton on the vine, a few yellow, most still green. There are I believe 3 of the Big Boy tomatoes starting out. One is about 2 inches across so getting decent sized.

Definitely post pics and weight the Big Boy tomatoes. I am going to way my Mr. Stripeys if they ever grow. We have Black Cherry tomatoes as well that I am waiting for.

Best part of my garden will be that I am going to collect most of the seeds and reuse them year after year.