Need advice for gardening.

[MargueriteBee]

If you haven't planted a garden before, now is the time to get ready so you can get it going in the spring. This is my assignment for my radiant zone out in the boonies. I haven't done this before any suggestions on books or websites?

I did plant tomatoes, zuccinni and squash this year on my patio. I learned a lot. In this big city there are very, very few bees. I had to pollinate my tomatoes. (I harvested five tomatoes and there are three new ones now.) It didn't work with the rest. zuccinni and squash don't do well in pots but I do have ONE squash finally! Out in the boonies there are lots and lots of beautiful bees.

Come on experienced gardeners give us advice.

[doodah]

Hello MargueriteBee

Gardening! A subject close to my heart. There are many theories about how to do this.

1. The old way is to plow the ground up, turn the top-growth [grasses or weeds] under, let it sit like that over the winter, so the grasses decompose and make compost. In the spring you plow again to loosen the soil. Add manure if you've got it, to fertilize. Or dig in more compost if you've got that. Plants are laid out in rows or however you want to organize them. Weeds will grow, so mulching will be needed to control them, and to help retain water. Or you can hoe the weeds out in the old way.

2. There is soil-less gardening also, using alfalfa hay. This is done when you are ready to plant, but you need to get the hay in advance. Basically you build a bed of alfalfa bales, breaking up the hay and intermingling compost or manure. Your plants are put directly into this mix. As it breaks down and gets compacted, you just keep adding more alfalfa hay around the plants. No weeds grow and this needs less water because the hay acts as a mulch.

3. Then there is the Native American way. No plowing, just make small mounds of earth, throw in a fish and a seed. Plant corn and climbing plants together so that the climbers use the corn to climb up.

Maybe this will help get you started! Out in the country there are other pollinators, too, in addition to bees. Many small insects help this process -- varieties of flies, wasps, etc. which collect moisture from plants, not pollen, but they spread pollen as they walk around, as do butterflies, even hummingbirds.

Some vegetables that require bee pollination for a good harvest can be a pain. What I learned from my Great Grandfather is this, invite the bees to your garden! You do this pretty easy just plant a lot of bright yellow flowers in the area of your garden and you should have plenty of bee hives popping up, they naturally will be attracted to food source areas. Hope this helps

[doodah]

Originally Posted by doodah

2. There is soil-less gardening also, using alfalfa hay. This is done when you are ready to plant, but you need to get the hay in advance. Basically you build a bed of alfalfa bales, breaking up the hay and intermingling compost or manure. Your plants are put directly into this mix. As it breaks down and gets compacted, you just keep adding more alfalfa hay around the plants. No weeds grow and this needs less water because the hay acts as a mulch.

Dantheman62 asked me this question:

won't the hay get, or turn moldy, just wondering because I know if it sits to long it gets moldy in bales anyway.


I can't find my original reply to him, but I haven't heard that that is a problem. The bales are broken up, not used as tight bales, so air circulates. It is recommended that you occasionally go along with a stick or pitchfork and punch air holes down through to aerate. This helps the composting process along. This method of gardening is actually good for the soil, doesn't deplete minerals.

[Nenuphar]

Hi

In the summer, we grow cherry tomatoes, strawberries, and a few peas (I'm a beginner gardener, myself).

Recently, I bought a book called "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew and so far, it makes a lot of sense. The author has a way of making it all seem understandable and "do-able". I can't wait to try some of his suggestions next Spring! We have such a short growing season here.

Hey...I just discovered that author has a website: http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

We also have three rows of raspberry bushes at the front of our lawn. Originally we started with two small rows but the bushes suckered, so now we have more! Except for a bit of pruning in the Spring or Fall and watering in the summer, they do not require much work and are fool-proof. Ours produce a LOT of berries (I think this year we got 40+ litres worth). We never come close to using all those berries, and so give some to family and friends, and trade them with friends who have extra vegetables or eggs.

Have fun!

Nenuphar

[angelite]

Only grow from heirloom seeds. (Look it up to find company's who sell them.) Most of the seeds companies have been bought up by pharmaceutical and chemical companies and ARE now only selling genetically altered seeds that are no good for us.
Save heirloom seeds they will be great to barter with in the future.

[atom.Man]

Originally Posted by angelite

Only grow from heirloom seeds. (Look it up to find company's who sell them.) Most of the seeds companies have been bought up by pharmaceutical and chemical companies and ARE now only selling genetically altered seeds that are no good for us.
Save heirloom seeds they will be great to barter with in the future.

thanks for the tip. I've been wondering if the seeds we buy are genetically modified.

[Lance]

Originally Posted by atom.Man

thanks for the tip. I've been wondering if the seeds we buy are genetically modified.

Look for non-hybridized, open pollinated seeds to get what you you think you want. Hybridized seeds are fine really, IME, but they do not come back true to form. But really, who cares if your squash is blue one year then yellow the next? But really, seeds are the currency of tomorrow (with metals as the store of wealth).

[MargueriteBee]

WOW, WOW, WOW! Such great advice.

Doodah I really like the soil less gardening, there is lots of hay available. I had originally thought of using the hay to outline each garden plot so I could sit on it and save my back the stooping down.

OrganicFarmhand I am planning on making the entire garden in the shape of an plus sign aligned with north, south, etc. and in the center have a shaded spot to sit and meditate - so, yes, I will invite the bees, and plant sunflowers!

Kathleen I will be planting raspberries and blackberries out where the drainage for the sceptic tank will be so I won't have to water them too much. Since I only use products that do not harm the earth it should be okay.

Historycircuis thanks for the info on the Sacred Triad it is beautiful and I already have all those seeds, organice of course!

Nik, I will be taking a sample of the soil in the next week or two. However, since I am starting with an above ground garden I will have time to amend if need be. Mostly I will be using a blend of the natural soil and five year old horse and cow poop, etc. clean stuff.

Thank you JohnWDow, looking forward to it. Sure we can post it if she wishes.

Nenuphar that is a great website, thanks.

Angelite, yes I am buying organice heirloom seeds in bulk. I think it is important to have enough seeds for several years in case a crop doesn't go to well. I have been saving seeds from food I buy at the food co-op for a couple years now.

Alkaluropes it will take some time to look at all those seed sites, thank you! I love lavendar!!

Thanks Peacelovinman (a man after my own heart) I will check out that book.

It is a pretty daunting task ahead of me but I am so looking forward to getting my hand and feet into Mother Earth! I'm glad we already have lots of fruit trees so I don't have to worry about that, boy are the pears yummy!

I will also be placing my orgonite cloud buster nearby. Man, I wish those helicopters would go away!!

Marguerite

[MargueriteBee]

OK, another question. What about medicinal herbs, any recommendations?

[Lance]

Originally Posted by MargueriteBee

OK, another question. What about medicinal herbs, any recommendations?

Thats another thread altogether...here is a basic run down on how to make a garden anywhere,,,

http://projectavalon.net/forum/showthread.php?t=2855

[FrostyMcunicron]

i see victory gardens coming back in a big way, i did have the pleasure of growing tomatos & peppers this summer, always loved it.

I just bought called 'grow your own veg' by Carol Klein. Only cost £1.99 as I got it from a charity shop. I suggest you all go look around your local charity shops for some gardening books, you should be able to find yourself a bargain.

[MargueriteBee]

Lance, using your urine in the garden is an interesting idea it reminds me of an interview I saw on Conscious Media Network with Leonid Sharashkin.

http://www.consciousmedianetwork.com...sharashkin.htm

You do have to register to see the interviews but they are free.

Also see:
http://www.ringincedars.com

If I remember correctly he recommends holding the seeds under your tongue before planting. I don't remember how long.

[asteram]

Most of the seeds you buy are not GMO. Very few plants have been messed with; the only vegetable that I know of that has been messed with is the tomato.

Corn, maize, has been GMOed a lot, but it's actually a grain not a vegetable.

The main danger from the GMO stuff is that it readily cross-pollinates and contaminates other non-GMO plants; there's a good chance that most of the corn/maize grown in the USA has been contaminated, as well as the soybeans. This holds true for organic crops too. The only solution I can think of would be to find heirloom maize seeds and grow them in an isolated area where they can't be cross-pollinated by GMOs.

Most garden seeds today are hybrids, which simply means that two parent plants with different characteristics have been crossed to give a plant with some desirable trait, such as yield, appearance, disease resistance etc. There is nothing inherently wrong with that; the only real drawback is that hybrids do not breed true. However, if two broccolis are crossed to make a hybrid broccoli, and that broccoli's seeds are saved and planted, you will still get some type of broccoli, and can select and gather seeds from those you like the best, starting your own improvement program. If all you can get is hybrid seeds, buy them. (usually they will be marked F1 or F2, meaning how many generations of crosses were made)

Heirloom seeds are an excellent thing to get, but I would recommend buying a few packs from the supplier and doing a germination test, rather than buying a bunch, putting them in storage, and finding out whether they sprout or not when you can't afford failure. I've had some poor experiences with commercial heirloom seeds, ranging from complete failure to germinate to a mixed bunch of week and weedy plants. All of the seed's energy and potential is contained in that tiny capsule; you want strong seeds.

[alkalurops]

hello
i am from germany, and we cultivate our vegetables since 2005.
if you have to nurish yourself completly alone, you have to take 800 m2 pro person. its realy hard work. from 2005 -2007 we had 200 m2 for 2 and a half persons. we could not handel it, with work , and household und child, like we would....we had potatoes, a green house with tomatoes, and every kind of vegetables. the problem is that you can not eat everything in time, we had to sell or give our salats and vegetables away. now we use an other and smaler system but we need to buy vegetables. next year we try an other way.
by the way the best way to have bees and other insects are wild herbs and flowers, like (lavendel, bohnenkraut, beinwell...) i don´t know the english words, sorry....
and mix up the herbs and flowers with the vegetables and fruits.
we still have strawberrys today, and they taste delicious.

greetings
from the cold germany

[alkalurops]

here are some organic seed links.
www.dreschflegel.de
www.arche-noah.at
www.lubera.ch
www.sativa-rheinau.ch
www.kokopelli-seeds.com
www.jekkashrebfarm.com
www.seedsofitaly.com
www.organiccatalog.com
www.biogartenversand.de
www.oekoseeds.de


if you want some more i have 20 more

[Nik]

To add to the links, I just found this online supplier of heirloom seeds:

www.seedfest.co.uk

Cheap international shipping, apparently.

I like these folks because it is a family run farm in Oregon
http://www.victoryseeds.com/

And this woman in Lancaster County PA specializes in heirloom seed grown in her area since the 1700's by old
order Amish and Mennonite farmers
http://www.amishlandseeds.com/

[peacelovinman]

Look for "The Complete Book of Self-Sufficiency" by John Seymour. I picked it up for 50p ($1) years ago and it started me on growing vegetables and much more besides.

Seymour makes a great point in the book when he says literally anything you can do by way of providing the essentials of life, no matter how small, makes a difference.

To quote him, "I am only one man but I will do all one man can possibly do".

[Nik]

Definitely subscribing to this thread to get more valuable advice! Thanks everyone!

I have been growing raspberry bushes in my back yard for 2 decades. This is the first year the bushes didn't have fruit. The bushes grew like crazy- just no flowers or berries. I'm assuming it's the lack/loss of the bees. I miss the bees.

Anyone else experience this?

i grow wheatgrass year round... but I also believe a person can live on prana

To add to the Native American gardening techniques mentioned earlier:

Many North American horticulturalists planted what they called "the three sisters," and is commonly called today "the sacred triad." They were corn, beans, and squash, and the three types of seeds were all thrown in the same hole. It was really the perfect triad from a botanists perspective. For the soil, corn is rough and nitrogen depleting, but beans and squashes actually alleviate some of that problem. Nutritionally, corn and beans were the key - corn has the essential starches and beans provide the protien during periods when hunting was bad. Unless you use a fertalizer, however, you will have to rotate your growing patches - no matter what you grow. A patch growing the sacred triad will have human-sustaining output for about 2-3 years without fertalizer use before you have to find another plot. It takes about 5 years for the abandoned patch to replenish itself with nutrients.


Corn is a must - I strongly urge you to grow it. Pumpkins and "spaghetti" squash are good squashes that work in the triad. The only bean I ever tried growing in the triad were lima beans, and it worked fine. I like them, you may not, so try something else. If you are novice, you need to get practicing.

Hope some of that helped

OH Yeah,

On the attracting bee comments - you might try sunflowers. I've grown those every year for ten years, and that is the only downside - - the ungodly amount of bees they attract. Plus, you can use the sunflower seeds for food and oil.

Peace and good luck