What did you do in the garden today?

[akroberts1085]

Has anyone ever tried starting seeds in egg shells? I'm kinda interested in trying it just to see if it makes a difference in my starts. I'm going to be using a generic seed starting mix so I'm going to start my seeds in egg shells and just see if it makes a difference.

 

[gtaus]

Has anyone ever tried starting seeds in egg shells? I'm kinda interested in trying it just to see if it makes a difference in my starts. I'm going to be using a generic seed starting mix so I'm going to start my seeds in egg shells and just see if it makes a difference.

I tried it once, just for grins and giggles. Yes, you can certainly start a seed in an eggshell, but I found that I had to up pot that seedling in only days. For the tomato and pepper plants that I start indoors, I find the 3-inch net pots about the right size for 8 weeks before transplanting. I want to avoid up potting whenever possible.

Another problem I had with eggshells is that you cannot bottom water them. I overwatered my starter plants and lots of them died on me. I had to go to a bottom watering system and then I had more success. Sure, overwatering was my fault, but we all need to find methods that we can do successfully. I learned I have a bad habit of overwatering plants and killing them. It's much better for me to bottom water my trays and let the plants/potting soil wick up the water they need.

Are you expecting some kind of benefit from the calcium in an eggshell to be transferred to the seedling? I don't think that will happen, due to the chemical breakdown of the eggshell which can take years for the calcium uptake process. But I would be interested to hear your results in your experiment. Good luck.

 

[igorsMistress]

Just wondering if you guys have tried the hügelkultur method, using wood logs as giant water batteries in the bottom of a raised bed, or wicking beds that have a water reservoir system contained in the bottom of the bed?

I have an elevated wicking bed that I probably only have to fill up maybe 3 or 4 times in a normal summer. Even in a drought summer, I was only filling the wicking bed maybe twice per month. I used a good mulch on the topsoil to protect the soil from the heat of the sun and to lock in that water from evaporating. I would think a wicking bed would be a great idea for drought areas and/or desert gardens.

The only thing I don't like about my elevated wicking bed is that the cost is pretty expensive for the plastic/rubber liners to hold the water reservoir. My small 2X4 foot wicking bed cost me about $80.00 in material. In comparison, my 4X4 foot 16-inch high hügelkultur pallet wood raised beds cost me about $2.00 to build.

View attachment 4083384

Almost all my outside raised garden beds use the hügelkultur method. The logs and wood in the bottom of the bed soak up and hold the water for the plants. You still have to water the hügelkultur beds, but nowhere near as much, or as often, as a regular bed which allows all the water to drain through.

I don't live in a desert, but we did have a drought summer a number of years ago. All my in-ground plants died. All my plants in the regular raised beds dried up and died. However, all my plants in the hügelkultur raised beds managed to survive and made it to harvest with maybe 60-70% of normal production. That made me a believer in the hügelkultur method and since then, all my raised garden beds use logs and wood in the bottom layer.

Of course, my wicking bed had the best results because I was able to water it as needed. I have a water gauge indicator in my wicking bed fill tube that shows me when I need to refill it. The wicking bed grew normally as if there was no drought that summer.

View attachment 4083387

View attachment 4083386

Kinda? I have three raised beds that have water catchment in the bottoms of them and the other three were filled with woody debris, large and small limbs, and bedding from the coop, then covered with cardboard and dirt and left to cook for six months so it could settle before I topped it off and planted this year. The beds have great moisture retention.

 

[igorsMistress]

Corn and sunchokes

 

[WthrLady]

Just wondering if you guys have tried the hügelkultur method, using wood logs as giant water batteries in the bottom of a raised bed, or wicking beds that have a water reservoir system contained in the bottom of the bed?

I have an elevated wicking bed that I probably only have to fill up maybe 3 or 4 times in a normal summer. Even in a drought summer, I was only filling the wicking bed maybe twice per month. I used a good mulch on the topsoil to protect the soil from the heat of the sun and to lock in that water from evaporating. I would think a wicking bed would be a great idea for drought areas and/or desert gardens.

The only thing I don't like about my elevated wicking bed is that the cost is pretty expensive for the plastic/rubber liners to hold the water reservoir. My small 2X4 foot wicking bed cost me about $80.00 in material. In comparison, my 4X4 foot 16-inch high hügelkultur pallet wood raised beds cost me about $2.00 to build.

View attachment 4083384

Almost all my outside raised garden beds use the hügelkultur method. The logs and wood in the bottom of the bed soak up and hold the water for the plants. You still have to water the hügelkultur beds, but nowhere near as much, or as often, as a regular bed which allows all the water to drain through.

I don't live in a desert, but we did have a drought summer a number of years ago. All my in-ground plants died. All my plants in the regular raised beds dried up and died. However, all my plants in the hügelkultur raised beds managed to survive and made it to harvest with maybe 60-70% of normal production. That made me a believer in the hügelkultur method and since then, all my raised garden beds use logs and wood in the bottom layer.

Of course, my wicking bed had the best results because I was able to water it as needed. I have a water gauge indicator in my wicking bed fill tube that shows me when I need to refill it. The wicking bed grew normally as if there was no drought that summer.

View attachment 4083387

View attachment 4083386

I have underground irrigation to each plant. Those beds wouldn't last here, our environment eats wood and our weather extremes are hard on tanks if not 100% drained or sterile.
I've finally found that the irrigation to each plant via root bars works the best for here, and our soil. The garden is over 2000 sq ft.

======
I planted a forsythia bush. That's it. You can't fool me, Nebraska. Even though it's 87 today, I know it's not Spring and you're trying to trick me into doing something foolish. Well, I won't let you. ::tucking seed packet of peas in bra, and stomping outside::

 

[WthrLady]

Corn and sunchokes
View attachment 4083536

I cannot find sunchokes this year. It's crazy.

 

[TJAnonymous]

My only other thought is soil pH? They like really acidic soil, 4.5-5.5 pH.

Our soil is naturally very acidic... I have it tested by the extension office very other year. The bush is very healthy and lush....just no flowers. This is it below....


Incidentally, mucking with the pH was how I killed the other 6 bushes I bought with this one. They were all showing signs of chlorosis and I thought the soil wasn't acidic enough so I kept adding more acidifier. After everything died, I got the soil tested... It had a pH of 2.9! I had to dig out all the soil and put in new just so I could plant other stuff. Dumb mistake but I was learning.

This is my other blueberry (Pink Lemonade) which is about 5 ft away. I fertilize them both the same...

 

[TJAnonymous]

Wisteria is blooming... Wish it lasted more than a week.

 

[WthrLady]

Our soil is naturally very acidic... I have it tested by the extension office very other year. The bush is very healthy and lush....just no flowers. This is it below....
View attachment 4083546

Incidentally, mucking with the pH was how I killed the other 6 bushes I bought with this one. They were all showing signs of chlorosis and I thought the soil wasn't acidic enough so I kept adding more acidifier. After everything died, I got the soil tested... It had a pH of 2.9! I had to dig out all the soil and put in new just so I could plant other stuff. Dumb mistake but I was learning.

This is my other blueberry (Pink Lemonade) which is about 5 ft away. I fertilize them both the same...

View attachment 4083547

Some plants won't flower if fertilized or over fertilized. So there's a thought.

 

[WthrLady]

Tree swallows are back and seem rather excited that they're the first. They're singing like MAD and flitting from box to box. (Same families return every year.)