It is very interesting to talk to people all in the same zone 7a & 7b, now we are all considered to be in zone 8a & 8b, TN Garden forum. Lots of arguments about personal opinions. Too much drama.
Turn your compose pile every day it needs oxygen. Never till garden soil oxygen kills the soil.
Never put fertilizer in your garden it kills plants and poison your food.
Never till your soil it kills microbes. What are microbes?
Never till soil to kill weeds. Use Round up to kill weeds. Till soil to kill weeds.
Some people have no soil, they only have rock, they do raised beds.
Should I buy sweet potato slips or grow my own? No one can grow there own slips!
Why are my tomato plants 2' tall with no tomatoes. Buy Fertilize. Fertilizer is poison.
I bought a 2 lb bag of 1-1-1 organic fertilizer $20 how much do I use? 2 lb. on each plant.
How do I keep squirrels out of my garden? Squirrels don't eat vegetables.
For an old man your not very smart read studies about tilling soil you might learn something. Buy a tiller you might learn something.
How much of what we read is true? What works for me may not work for you. What works for you may not work for others.
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pepperhead212
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 2891
- Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2014 1:52 pm
- Location: Woodbury NJ Zone 7a/7b
There is always someone out there that will tout things that probably won't work for you, but just let them keep doing it.
Squirrels don't eat vegetables only when they take a bite out of something and say "Nah, don't like that one". Then try the next. Of course, they don't have good memories, so won't remember all the things they took those single bites out of, so they do it again!
Squirrels don't eat vegetables only when they take a bite out of something and say "Nah, don't like that one". Then try the next. Of course, they don't have good memories, so won't remember all the things they took those single bites out of, so they do it again!
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applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30553
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Haha. I’m familiar with most of the conflicting recommendations you listed.
Not sure if any of those questions are serious?
I prefer to avoid most chemicals. I prefer the concept of increasing the good microbes in the soil, some of which are bacteria and some are fungi and nematodes. There are good microbes that need oxygen and microbes that don’t—some that can be flooded and some that can’t. Most need some level of moisture but some can encapsulate and become dormant.
Well balanced soil organisms can convert small amounts of organic and non-killing amounts of chemical fertilizers into plant-available forms. Some say it takes at least 3 years to reach activity level that only require minimal organic nutrients, and 7+ years to reach level of nearly complete self sufficiency. But you do need to use green manure — either intentionally planted each season or perennial or self seeding.
Because I can’t manage the amount of work needed to support the living soil, I’m probably perpetually somewhere between the 3rd year to 7 year maturation.
Not sure if any of those questions are serious?
I prefer to avoid most chemicals. I prefer the concept of increasing the good microbes in the soil, some of which are bacteria and some are fungi and nematodes. There are good microbes that need oxygen and microbes that don’t—some that can be flooded and some that can’t. Most need some level of moisture but some can encapsulate and become dormant.
Well balanced soil organisms can convert small amounts of organic and non-killing amounts of chemical fertilizers into plant-available forms. Some say it takes at least 3 years to reach activity level that only require minimal organic nutrients, and 7+ years to reach level of nearly complete self sufficiency. But you do need to use green manure — either intentionally planted each season or perennial or self seeding.
Because I can’t manage the amount of work needed to support the living soil, I’m probably perpetually somewhere between the 3rd year to 7 year maturation.
If it works don’t fix it. If it sounds too good to be true try it anyway, maybe you’ll get lucky. There is always a better way…maybe not. Lots of talk; few real results. Political correctness doesn’t increase yields or flavor.
I am always looking for interesting new ways, but take everything with a grain of salt. Over the years my methods have actually changed albeit slowly but I am not afraid to try.
I am always looking for interesting new ways, but take everything with a grain of salt. Over the years my methods have actually changed albeit slowly but I am not afraid to try.
And, that is true with my efforts as well.
The idea of self-sustaining is an interesting one. It leaves almost no room for "cash crops." There are extremes that are easy to see as beyond the pale. I have actually had a young man, set to inherit a farm in an area that has had the claim as the worst in the US for soil erosion, tell me, "let it erode down off the hills where it can be farmed." Okay, the Palouse Hills are there as a result of windblown dust – loess. What happens to the higher ground after farming techniques and water runoff erodes down the fertile ground? Gee, those people downwind will just have to deal with it, eh? Of course, that is just one of the problems.
If I downsize this year, I may come closer to the 7 year maturation but what does it mean that so much of our compostables are from organic matter of commercial fruits and vegetables that we have purchased?
Steve
I agree, do what works for you. I have done no til for about 4 years, but discovered that nutrients really don't trickle down that well and I do have to amend my pH, which means I am going to till once in a while.
I do use Round Up. I have nasty weeds. And Round Up has the least residual of most herbicides.
Aerobic vs anaerobic. I prefer peat moss ( anaerobic compost). I do worm composting, so as long as I feed them greens and carbon every week, they do all of the turning.
I do soil tests and I use synthetic fertilizers. I cannot use organic fertilizers because they contain too much phosphorus and I can now only add less than an inch of compost because my total carbon is twice what I need. I do a lot of container gardening, synthetic fertilizer is easier to use.
Reusing soil causes a lot of nutritional imbalances.
I am in Zone 12b on the old map it was Zone 11. There is not that much difference between zone ll and zone 12b. Growing zones are all about growing seasons and frost dates. I don't have any. All that matters to me is growing temperatures. Cool season and temperate crops will grow up till the temperature reaches about 80 degrees. Warm season crops till temp reaches 85. Heat tolerant crops till about 90 degrees. Minimum temps for sowing seeds are about 50 degrees ( it hasn't been that low in years) for warm season crops minimum night temperatures 68 degrees. Ideal temps for germination 70-80 degrees. I had a heat mat years ago, but I get better results growing on an open bench at the right temperature. I have fewer failures.
Although I don't have 4 seasons, I do have 2, a wet season and a dry season.
I have short days so I can only grow day neutral and short day crops. Despite having a 365 day growing year, it doesn't mean everything grows well any time. Some things really only grow well at specific times of the year.
I do use Round Up. I have nasty weeds. And Round Up has the least residual of most herbicides.
Aerobic vs anaerobic. I prefer peat moss ( anaerobic compost). I do worm composting, so as long as I feed them greens and carbon every week, they do all of the turning.
I do soil tests and I use synthetic fertilizers. I cannot use organic fertilizers because they contain too much phosphorus and I can now only add less than an inch of compost because my total carbon is twice what I need. I do a lot of container gardening, synthetic fertilizer is easier to use.
Reusing soil causes a lot of nutritional imbalances.
I am in Zone 12b on the old map it was Zone 11. There is not that much difference between zone ll and zone 12b. Growing zones are all about growing seasons and frost dates. I don't have any. All that matters to me is growing temperatures. Cool season and temperate crops will grow up till the temperature reaches about 80 degrees. Warm season crops till temp reaches 85. Heat tolerant crops till about 90 degrees. Minimum temps for sowing seeds are about 50 degrees ( it hasn't been that low in years) for warm season crops minimum night temperatures 68 degrees. Ideal temps for germination 70-80 degrees. I had a heat mat years ago, but I get better results growing on an open bench at the right temperature. I have fewer failures.
Although I don't have 4 seasons, I do have 2, a wet season and a dry season.
I have short days so I can only grow day neutral and short day crops. Despite having a 365 day growing year, it doesn't mean everything grows well any time. Some things really only grow well at specific times of the year.