How To Garden Basics

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I make compost piles everywhere. Theyre simple to do. All you need is a pile of stuff and some sand. Leaves, clippings, weeds, vines, discarded plants, whatever! Pile it up and cover with sand or dirt or clean fill. And after 60-90 days of cooking in the Sun you'll have a few 100 pounds of compost.

Its a nifty way to recycle crap, especially sterile sand.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I also make compost in a barrel that's home for the Black Soldier Fly Maggot. These maggots aren't yucky houseflies, theyre a sanitary cousin that devours bazillions of tons of animal waste, and makes high quality compost from the waste. Commercial hog farms use them to control mountains of excrement that usta contaminate the water supply. The maggots are quick, and seriously cut the time it takes to make quality compost.

The photo shows what the flies do to 100s of pounds of plant refuse. Looks like manure! It is, but it has almost no aroma. You gotta stick your nose in it to smell anything.

Plus! The flies aren't a problem. Almost all of their lives are spent as maggots, then they morph into flies and are dead within 2 days. Eat and fuck! The perfect life.

 

[moaningmyrtle]

Thanks

I compost egg shells, coffee grounds, too.

Maggots .. no thanks.

Thanks for the info.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I compost egg shells, coffee grounds, too.

Maggots .. no thanks.

Thanks for the info.

hahahahaha Theyre harmless and clean!

Coffee grounds? Yep.

Egg shells? Mine last forever. So what I use for compost calcium is old gypsum drywall.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Grapes

My 3rd year growing grapes.

 

[popparazzi]

Thank you for the compost tips. I will try in a garbage can, I can't see myself making a large pile like that. Your grapes look amazing.All your pictures of fruits and vegetables are incredible. You have a green thumb. I've planted peppers in styrofoam containers and they are doing very good. My tomatoes are doing good also thanks to your gardening tips.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

SWEET POTATOES, TOMATOES, and FLORIDA PEACHES.

 

[sunandshadow]

The garden question I've been wondering recently is: is there any way to prevent earwigs? They aren't the most destructive bug ever but I suspect there are over 100 in my corn currently.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

The garden question I've been wondering recently is: is there any way to prevent earwigs? They aren't the most destructive bug ever but I suspect there are over 100 in my corn currently.

I'll bet I haven't seen an earwig in 50 years. So I'm no help. They usta be common around here.

 

[sunandshadow]

I'll bet I haven't seen an earwig in 50 years. So I'm no help. They usta be common around here.

I suspect they are common right near my garden because there's a no-man's-land filled with rose of sharon trees and brush nearby; they probably traveled to the corn from there. Did not have this problem at a previous property in the same state where the corn field was in the middle of a big grassy yard. That had crows instead though.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

I suspect they are common right near my garden because there's a no-man's-land filled with rose of sharon trees and brush nearby; they probably traveled to the corn from there. Did not have this problem at a previous property in the same state where the corn field was in the middle of a big grassy yard. That had crows instead though.

My constant pests are corn earworms, lubber grasshoppers, stink bugs, and tomato hornworms.

 

[sunandshadow]

We've certainly got stinkbugs. I only found one caterpillar/worm thing so far - was a pure white one, a bit different from the off-white ones with tan markings I used to see in the previous cornfield. The absolute worst pest around here is the grape moths; I'm going to kill off my concord grape vine this year because the bugs devour 90% of the crop. I'm not actually sure what kind of bug puts all the little scars on my pears, I should try to figure that out.

 

[FindingFire]

I have a shit ton of tomato volunteers coming up but not one damned zucchini from the six plants. Dammit all to hell.

 

[StoneWorker]

hahahahaha Theyre harmless and clean!

Coffee grounds? Yep.

Egg shells? Mine last forever. So what I use for compost calcium is old gypsum drywall.

You have to be careful about drywall. Some, especially the type made in China, have an extremely high level of sulfur and while it isn't going to poison you it will disrupt the Ph in your stack making composting time longer and sometimes make the compost too hot for vegetables/perennials/annuals. Kinda opposite what you need it for, huh? A Ph test kit is pretty cheap. The best ones are found at centers that cater to serious backyard koi pond hobbyists as they will also test for phosphorous.

Keep using eggshells anyway as they are great for slow release.

 

[StoneWorker]

We've certainly got stinkbugs.

here's your answer^^^^^^^^^^^^

I'm not actually sure what kind of bug puts all the little scars on my pears, I should try to figure that out.

Scourge of the mid-Atlantic

 

[StoneWorker]

I have a shit ton of tomato volunteers coming up but not one damned zucchini from the six plants. Dammit all to hell.

no bees

 

[SexyLitForAll]

I have a shit ton of tomato volunteers coming up but not one damned zucchini from the six plants. Dammit all to hell.

Interesting...same problem here. Yellow squash is producing in the same plot as the zucchini. Also, lots of tomatoes, but they don't seem to ripen.

 

[NightL]

I have no issue with declarative towels - I actually find them funny - they bring a smile. Of course you still have to use them for wiping away unwanted mess...

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

You have to be careful about drywall. Some, especially the type made in China, have an extremely high level of sulfur and while it isn't going to poison you it will disrupt the Ph in your stack making composting time longer and sometimes make the compost too hot for vegetables/perennials/annuals. Kinda opposite what you need it for, huh? A Ph test kit is pretty cheap. The best ones are found at centers that cater to serious backyard koi pond hobbyists as they will also test for phosphorous.

Keep using eggshells anyway as they are great for slow release.

I use drywall that's over 30 years old. Its debris from homes I built here circa 1980.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

FIRST PEANUT. The others oughta be ready in a few weeks.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

1st Sweet Potato Of The Season, Weighs 20 Ounces.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

Peanuts Almosr Ready To Harvest, Maybe One More Week.

 

[StoneWorker]

1st Sweet Potato Of The Season, Weighs 20 Ounces.

WOW thats a nice one. I will one day again eat sweet potatoes. Lived on them, carrots, rice and oranges doing field research in the Caribbean. That one is calling for some brown sugar, nutmeg and butter.

 

[JAMESBJOHNSON]

WOW thats a nice one. I will one day again eat sweet potatoes. Lived on them, carrots, rice and oranges doing field research in the Caribbean. That one is calling for some brown sugar, nutmeg and butter.

Its a Beauregard variety. I bought slips last year, this year I simply planted the small fry left over from the first crop. I've never come across this method in any of the garden books I've read.

 

[StoneWorker]

Its a Beauregard variety. I bought slips last year, this year I simply planted the small fry left over from the first crop. I've never come across this method in any of the garden books I've read.

What do you use in the soil to keep it loose enough for them to swell?