Gardening Gardening

Probably now, so you don't damage the roots later.

 

It takes a lot more clippings than you think. Our garden is 2500 sq ft and we mow 2 acres, usually 2-3 times a week in the spring. I still haven't gotten enough clippings to cover the entire garden.

The downside is you need to add a LOT of nitrogen when you add clippings. I have access to chicken manure so it isn't a big deal. If I didn't I'd probably be adding 50-75lbs of urea(46-0-0) every year.

Upside is weeds are nearly zero, don't need to worry about watering unless we go 2-3 weeks without rain, and you can walk through and pick stuff without getting muddy.

 

We use all of the clippings...going to seed doesn't matter one bit if you put it on thick enough (2-3" or more).

 

Grass clippings are high in nitrogen.
Why add more synthetic nitrogen?

 

I thought the same, but I test my soil every year and have to add a lot. Those clippings eat nitrogen as they turn brown and decompose. I never had to add nearly as much before I started mulching with clippings.

 

I was the same way. We use the John Deere with bagger and the Ferris for the wide open stuff that doesn’t need bagged.
Got a whole John Deere and bagger for price of the Ferris bagger!


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I pulled my alliums last weekend and immediate planted some more zucchini which is coming up now.


This mornings haul in the box, garlic, and our strawberry and black raspberry jam.

I will thin these hills down further to one plant. Three will overrun this 4’ X 10’ bed.


Some of the onions grown from sets, so they are small…but good and potent!

 

Red Yarrow, cilantro, and dill

Single stem tomato plants are producing now.

 

I sneaked two cherry tomatoes today. I've been watching them for the last couple of days and today gave in. They were the best I've ever had!!!

That's coming from a guy that does not like tomatoes!

 

I tell myself that not to look at this thread at this time year. I don't listen very well. I am

 

Nice harvest, Hov!

 

I did the same. Grabbed the first romas and made a sandwich. It wasn't that good, but i was craving a mater sammich.

 

Was just out and watered. It's been really dry here. Hauling water barrels over to the garden is a bit of a pain, but i had to. (More on the water supply later...)

Did get a mini harvest. 4 cubanelles, and a bunch of jalapeños. And one mini Brandywine.
The key word here is mini...

 

Wandering around about a year ago in the YouTube world I came across
Gardening is difficult or at least different here in Maine especially for someone that's used to gardening in the mid Atlantic region. We just couldn't get enough tomatoes (at once) to make a canner load even with 20 plants. Then towards the end of the season with bushels of green tomatoes that just wouldn't finish, we just sorta slowly gave up and the Mrs. expanded her flowers into more of the garden.
I had one of those ICB totes that the cage and base had seen too much use and decided to cut it in half a make a raised (to a height for a human being to stand upright as intended) bed planter just for my tomatoes.
This is when I discovered Leon's technique.



I can move my "baby's" out of threatened hail or heavy rain, and for finishing if necessary, move them into the shop overnight to avoid frost.
Maybe it's a pipe dream, but maybe I'll be having my beloved 'mater sammichs in a week or so and we'll into September
The ICB totes are just to hold in the water wicking stuff and the soil, the wood is just holding it up.

 

My wife sent me this picture of my tomato plant just now. Has anyone gotten these before? I plan on cutting off the affected area and burning it when I get home.

 

GAG! I am having a rice stir fry at this very moment!


Never saw anything like that here.

 

Sorry Dave
It turns out that all those white egg sack things were attached to a fat green caterpillar. I plucked that sucker off my tomato plant and took a MAPGAS torch to him, to put him out of his misery and kill the parasites growing on him.