What did you do in the garden today?

[A-K-A]

Planting in tires?  Is there any concern of leeching, or having plants that taste like tires?  If not I've got several old tires that can be put to good use...

No leeching no after taste- these paticular ones will get filled with a mix of sand sawdust and a small amount of decomposed dirt . It will drain good and won't compact easily. Great for tubers like Sweet Potatoes or potatoes carrots beats

 

[Arielle]

Quote: I just hung up foil around my plants to try to maximize reflected light.

I'm reducing the areas that my chickens have access to. ALl m y beautiful flowers and plants are gone and I miss them. Fencing the chickens out of some areas, and" in" in other areas. I cant imagine allowing my birds onto a neighbors property. At least NOT here. Heck most people dont even have dogs here anymore.

Hey everybody! I've been assessing my yard and I need to start a slash pile. I didn't do my veg. garden the last 3 yrs due to illness. Soil isn't that good either. I need to send a sample to see what is needed.Also, have been watching certain pines die. It's pine beetles So, I would like to cut down or at least de branch what I can and hire a pro, as some of the trees are quite large. They were planted as saplings about 20 yrs ago. What would I use to burn half dead pine besides dead, dry brown material? Don't fancy any petrol on the garden soil. We can't till for a few more weeks, soil is heavy with clay. mostly a good thing, but need good till in and top dressing.... ideas? TYIA!
~ JPB

Pine will rot. IT is a soft wood and rots quicker than hard woods. Burning season is almost at an end here-- not sure what the urles are in your area. Certainly ashes are a boon to the gardens. Perhaps run material thru a mulcher, or atleast the small material. Maybe offer the logs on CL and see if anyone will take them.

Nothing I've grown in a tire, has tasted like a tire. That said, no harm in reading up on it... Something I've meant to do....

We wont touch tires. SEveral cases of cancer in kids that have p layed on shredded tire material in playgrounds; state has also removed such material from public playgrounds. So I have lost faith in using tires for anything but a car or truck.

 

[Arielle]

DH moved turkey pen where they wintered over. THen hauled 3 ancient cedar logs to surround three sides to pretend it is a garden!!! lol THen off to the horse pens to dig for good stuff and added it and turned it over.

What grows in freshish manure???????

 

[hennible]

I just hung up foil around my plants to try to maximize reflected light.

I'm reducing the areas that my chickens have access to. ALl m y beautiful flowers and plants are gone and I miss them. Fencing the chickens out of some areas, and" in" in other areas. I cant imagine allowing my birds onto a neighbors property. At least NOT here. Heck most people dont even have dogs here anymore.

Pine will rot. IT is a soft wood and rots quicker than hard woods. Burning season is almost at an end here-- not sure what the urles are in your area. Certainly ashes are a boon to the gardens. Perhaps run material thru a mulcher, or atleast the small material. Maybe offer the logs on CL and see if anyone will take them.



We wont touch tires. SEveral cases of cancer in kids that have p layed on shredded tire material in playgrounds; state has also removed such material from public playgrounds. So I have lost faith in using tires for anything but a car or truck.

The last link I posted touches on that.
The shredded material leaches (mostly zinc), the intact material (whole tires) off gas when new (like many things) but apperanty they don't leach much anything unless shredded or burned. Any way I understand your choice.

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Oh I'm ok if someone wants to use them . . . .I'm just no going to risk it. ALready surrounded by pollutants dumped in the golden years of mills here. Cant eat fish from the river/canal-- shutter. SO I"m trying to reduce our exposure.

 

[hennible]

Makes sense
And you got me reading more about recycled rubber in its many forms.
Just read an intelegent (I thought) suggestion for those who do tire garden, replace you tires as they start to degrade.

 

[Arielle]

http://containergardening.about.com/od/greencontainergardening/f/Are-Tire-Gardens-Safe.htm

https://brightonpermaculture.org.uk/permaculture/articles/218-growtyres
Here's some articles

http://tennzen.blogspot.ca/2009/05/ask-tennzen-is-it-safe-to-grow-veggies.html?m=1
This last one has the most research it seems

WHIle research is helpful, I have started to loose faith in "research" as the sole evidence. I'm jaded by a number of factors. Who does the research and why; research can be biased; some research can be incomplete with only one or two studies; government h as its reasons to not tell us the truth. Generally I prefer non-governement sources. OR at least NOT US government sources. lol

Thank you for posting these links. ALways worth reading more information to make informed decisions the best we can.

 

[Herbfarmer]

I planted the 10 Arbor Day trees and one small Rosemary, as the last 2 winters have been too cold for it to over winter. The chickens and I are working on the compost pile together which is fun. I turn it a bit and then they come and break it down.

 

[Arielle]

In reading the last blog link, it was noted that container gardening has issues with leaching nutrients. Does anyone use compost ? Better yet what is the problem and how is it solved??

 

[politicalcenter]

wow ... rice farming maybe???

We play the rain game every spring it seems. At our house it's not a big deal because we have raised beds that don't have to be tilled, just turned with a fork. My dad's house is a completely different story. We are constantly dodging one rain storm or another to get his garden plowed in between rains when the ground isn't so muddy and gunky.

We did get a nice soaking last night and are supposed to get some more tonight. My peach tree is sure happy and so is my asparagus.

Hang in there. It has to dry out sometime.

We are supposed to get a couple of dry days this upcoming week. Right now you can't even walk in the garden without sinking. We have standing water everywhere.

But we do have a very long growing season.