This report is very helpful. It changes significantly how I am going to supplement my garden and orchard soil this year.
I'm very impressed. It is a well written, easy to follow report. They were fast and thorough. I am happy I sent them a sample and will make use of the recommendations.
The main points-
- My soil is very acidic. They recommend lime. That also increases the calcium.
- The iron level is super high. I thought form the leaves iron was low. I planned to supplement it. Wrong thing to do.
- The recommendations include adding trace boron, trace copper. For that, add a tiny amount of borax, and a tiny amount of copper sulfate. The recommended amount is so small, I don't know if I will do anything about that. Better to under-do it than over-do it. Too much boric acid is toxic to plants.
- The recommendations include adding some epson salts for magnesium and sulfur.
- I thought the soil would need more potassium and phosphorus. In reality, the potassium is high, and phosphorus is very high. So just add a nitrogen source. Fish emulsion might be a good source.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Garden Planning 2014. 12.24.13
From Victory Seeds, average last frost dates:
Average last frost date for Vancouver WA: May 14
Average last frost date for Battleground WA: May 21
Most of my vegetable gardening is in Battleground. One difference - I may be using water walls and row cover to protect from frost. That can pus the date forward a little.
Then from calculator on "The Cheap Vegetable Gardener" - I edited out vegetables I won't be growing and made a few other changes. Super handy calculator. The author has most of the vegetables I want to grow. I used the Battleground last date, May 21.
I think radishes could be earlier. Maybe with peas. The chart is earlier than I've been starting tomatoes.
This year I want to get out the "Wall-o-water" and see if any of them hold water. Then use them for tomatoes, peppers, okra.
Average last frost date for Vancouver WA: May 14
Average last frost date for Battleground WA: May 21
Most of my vegetable gardening is in Battleground. One difference - I may be using water walls and row cover to protect from frost. That can pus the date forward a little.
Then from calculator on "The Cheap Vegetable Gardener" - I edited out vegetables I won't be growing and made a few other changes. Super handy calculator. The author has most of the vegetables I want to grow. I used the Battleground last date, May 21.
Vegetable Name | Seed Start Date | Estimated Transplant Date |
Estimated Harvest Date |
Onion - I'm using bunching | 2/19/2014 | 4/25/2014 | 6/24/2014 |
Pak Choi (1st) | 3/12/2014 | 4/6/2014 | 5/11/2014 |
Parsley | 3/11/2014 | 5/7/2014 | 5/25/2014 |
Lettuce (1st) | 3/12/2014 | 4/6/2014 | 5/6/2014 |
Swiss Chard | 3/19/2014 | 4/20/2014 | 5/8/2014 |
Cabbage (1st) | 3/19/2014 | 5/1/2014 | 6/22/2014 |
Peppers | 3/25/2014 | 5/29/2014 | 6/23/2014 |
Tomato | 4/2/2014 | 6/4/2014 | 6/21/2014 |
Spinach (1st) | 4/9/2014 | N/A | 5/24/2014 |
Peas | 4/9/2014 | N/A | 6/13/2014 |
Turnips (1st) | 4/9/2014 | N/A | 6/8/2014 |
Watermelon | 4/16/2014 | 6/27/2014 | 7/15/2014 |
Basil | 4/24/2014 | 6/14/2014 | 7/23/2014 |
Potatoes | 4/30/2014 | N/A | 8/8/2014 |
Radish | 5/1/2014 | N/A | 6/5/2014 |
Beets | 5/1/2014 | N/A | 7/5/2014 |
Carrots (1st) | 5/10/2014 | N/A | 7/24/2014 |
Corn | 5/10/2014 | 6/7/2014 | 7/29/2014 |
Cucumber | 5/10/2014 | 6/16/2014 | 7/9/2014 |
Okra | 5/10/2014 | 6/11/2014 | 7/14/2014 |
Pumpkin | 5/10/2014 | 6/7/2014 | 8/28/2014 |
Winter Squash, | 5/10/2014 | 6/16/2014 | 8/28/14 |
Zucchini / Summer Squash | 5/10/2014 | 6/16/2014 | 7/4/2014 |
Lettuce (2nd) | 5/14/2014 | N/A | 7/8/2014 |
Beans | 6/4/2014 | N/A | 8/13/2014 |
Dill | 6/11/2014 | N/A | 8/15/2014 |
Carrots (2nd) | 6/27/2014 | N/A | 9/10/2014 |
Cabbage - Napa | 8/24/2014 | 9/21/2014 | 11/7/2014 |
Onion - Bunching | 8/24/2014 | N/A | 11/2/2014 |
Turnip (2nd) | 8/24/2014 | N/A | 10/23/2014 |
Lettuce (3rd) | 9/3/2014 | N/A | 10/28/2014 |
Spinach (2nd) | 9/10/2014 | N/A | 10/25/2014 |
Garlic | 11/12/2014 | N/A | 3/17/2015 |
I think radishes could be earlier. Maybe with peas. The chart is earlier than I've been starting tomatoes.
This year I want to get out the "Wall-o-water" and see if any of them hold water. Then use them for tomatoes, peppers, okra.
Labels:
Garden Planning,
kitchen garden,
vegetables
Fig Cuttings and Okra & Pepper Experiment. 12.24.13
It's very early to do this. But what harm does it do.
Prepped cuttings a nice guy sent me for Maccool Fig and more that another nice guy sent for Dominick fig. Both are family propagated figs that family members made available for others. Can be searched on figs4fun forum.
Washed the cuttings. Trimmed to right size about 4inches. Thoroughly clean tools betwen varieties.
Used sharp knife to make vertical incisions near base. Roots often grow much faster from the cambium layer exposed by the incisions.
Dipped in Dip-and-Grow at 1:5 dilution. This is from last year. I hope it's still good.
Labeled- very important!
Then wrapped in wet but not soggy paper towel. Place into plastic food bags. Seal.
Also set out seeds of 2 okra varieties to soak. Plant them tonight. Baby Bubba and Long Green Dwarf. Those because both are sold as more compact or dwarf so if the grow indoors I might have room for them.
And 2 pepper varieties. Tabasco and Red Portugal. Planted seeds directly in seed starter medium. I will cover with plastic in a while.
I will grow them under lights, on a heating mat. If the grow, that's very interesting. If not, it wasn't much effort. My coworker told me she starts okra plants before now and grows them all winter. I read peppers can make nice houseplants.
Labels:
cuttings,
dip-and-grow,
dominick,
fig cuttings,
figs,
maccool,
okra,
peppers,
red portugal,
tabasco
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sauerkraut Day 2. 12.22.13
The second jar is also bubbling. Has not spilled over yet.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Winter Solstice Gardening. 12.21.13
It was a nice day. 40s and 50s, sunny. I slept very late. Needed to, Ive been sick.
Today I did some kitchen garden chores....
Added one wheelbarrow of mole-hill soil to the last raised bed. It's about 1/3 to 1/2 full now. Covered half of that with leaf compost which after other chores was all I had left.
Added 2 wheelbarrows of 50:50 mole-hill soil:leaf compost mix, to the original first raised bed built late summer 2012. It had settled several inches. Covered with a couple of inches of leaf compost. At one end is a 6 inch wide row of chinese chives. I covered those with compost too.
Cleaned up the 2nd bed from last year. It has grown garlic, onions, and Chinese chives at one end. Then pole beans last summer. I raked out the weeds and largest pieces of straw mulch, filled in some low spots, then covered the rest, including degrading straw mulch, with a couple inches leaf compost. This bed also has a 6 inch wide row of Chinese chives at one end, which I covered with an inch of compost. Those are fully dormant, not at all visible exceot a few drued flower stalks. No tilling, not needed and causes loss of soil structure and organic matter. Now that bed is ready for next Spring.
Planted 3 rows of Egyptian Walking Onion sets I found in the garage. They were pretty dried out but look viable. Those went into a raised bed that has a low tunnel row cover for protection. It is an unusual time to plant but the soil was soft and easy to plant in - raised beds are wonderful.
Found a plum seedling and a ginkgo seedling in that last raised bed. I remember planting those seeds fall 2012. moved to where I have other tree seedlings heeled in until I figure out where to plant them.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)