Too early in the year to think about gardening?

I hope not because I already am.

I'm thinking about making some changes to how I do things, so advice, questions, complaints are all welcome.

I'm going to keep my raised beds because I really like them. Currently, they are full of now 2 year old Sunshine blend #4 soil less mix. My plan, since it's been unseasonably warm lately, is to rent a tiller and till in all the leaves, weeds, etc as well as a couple of bags of top soil into each bed. Even if I don't plant till May, getting it done now feels like a good idea to let bacteria colonize and grow before official season begins. 

While the mix I use has great drainage, I feel like I'm losing out on nutrient retention, and some good top soil will hold onto beneficial bacteria a bit better while still providing good drainage. 

Have i mentioned before that my yard is pretty much a year round swamp? Because it is, which is why drainage is really important to me. I had problems in one bed last year because between the mix and the ground underneath I came to find a pocket of water that rotted out the roots of my peppers. 

Anyway, I'm also thinking about trying my hand at composting this year. I can get big 55 gallon plastic pickle barrels for next to nothing, and was thinking a compost bin would be great for the garden. 

My thought is drill some drainage holes in the bottom and just fill it with food scraps. I can't help but feel that is entirely wrong and overly simplified. I haven't gotten to Google yet, but I will.  So if you maybe have any tips?

The first year I had the beds setup, I used the same nutrients I'd used in California because I was familiar with them. While they did just fine, they're expensive and I get so much rain that I really need to pour it in to make a difference. Last year I used nothing but the dead leaves and weeds that were in the dirt already. That didn't turn out so hot. My tomatoes didn't fruit until very late and my peppers never matured, despite both being in more than adequate light. So I know the answer is in the middle somewhere, and top soil and compost is the middle ground between hydroponic nutrients and nothing. 

I'm planning cherry tomatoes, beefcake tomatoes, hot peppers, sweet peppers, and maybe corn and cucumbers this year as well. I'd really like to explore onion and garlic, but I'm not sure I'm up for it yet. Seems like a lot of off season work and trying to keep things warm over winter just isn't going to fly. 

In reply to RevRico :

You need to add some worm compost, I think.

I, too, am thinking about it- but I just got a greenhouse last fall, and now I need to set it up, with the weather being better.  Then I need to create my unique watering system, where I cycle water over both compost and a worm bin, and that gets cycled back into my reservoir.   Last year, I did a lot of worm letchate and compost tea doing all the feeding, and after a slow start, it really got going.  This is going to go way beyond that.

But after watching some cool no-dig videos, I really wish I didn't have invasive trees.  That system is so cheap, easy, and little work over the long run- it seem to be a really good way to go.  So my new set up will be a container version of that- no more emptying and refilling my containers at all.

In reply to RevRico :

Definitely not too early, I started typing out basically this exact same thread last week before i got busy at work and had to do stuff 

I've had pretty good luck with horse manure for fertilizer, my issues never seem to stem from lack of nutrients. Helps too that i have access to a virtually limitless supply of the stuff. I'm actually curious to try some composting as well this year, so I'll be curious as well to hear the hive's input on that. Last year was my first growing onions and they're easy enough if you have reasonably loose and nutrient rich soil. Garlic i haven't had much luck with, but fortunately my mom usually grows way too much of it anyways so I end up getting her leftovers.

Last year was our first full summer in the new house and the first year for my new garden. I did a single, L shaped raised bed, 12 feet on the long side by 8 feet on the short side and 4 feet thick and filled it with a mix of horse E36 M3 and top soil. I laid out a grid of 1 foot squares using some galvanized wire i had around and planted according to the square ot technique, the idea being to plant densely for maximum space utilization and to shade the soil to promote water retention and discourage weed growth. I also set up a soaker hose for irrigation and a wire fence after the rabbits got my lettuce. Overall goal was maximum yield and minimum maintenance.

The overall setup achieved what i wanted, I spent minimal time weeding and only watered a handful of times with all the rain we got. The size was about perfect for the two of us, manageable to keep up but produced as much as we could reasonably eat and then some. On the downside, the planting density made harvesting and what little weeding i did difficult. Certain peppers, snow peas, beans, cucumbers, onions, and salad greens (until the rabbits got them) all did pretty well. Other peppers, especially bells, did not, along with my carrots and eggplant. I think some of the peppers were planted too close together, which stunted their growth.  I also struggled with tomato blight most of the season, as per usual, but still got a decent crop of cherries, but almost no beafsteaks. And the 'Carolina Reapers' I was sold turned out to be Cayennes, but oh well.

This year my big campaign in trying to do everything from seed. I am convinced the store bought plants are part of my issues with pests and disease, as even though i try to buy the healthiest looking plants, they could still be coming into contact with blighted specimens and carrying the spores home. Plus, I like the variety it affords. I bought all heirloom varieties and planted the tomatoes and peppers indoors on Saturday. I am now vigilantly watching for sprouts.

Also going to be more proactive in fighting tomato blight. Going to prune agressively and try some DIY cages, as well as proactively treat with organic fungicide.

Anywya, I love that you guys are nerds for this stuff too and look forward to hearing everyone elses plans.

I am looking forward to building some raised beds, with the clay we have here digging holes in the ground just creates a bowl to hold water. 

One tip for you is after working in your topsoil/  manure / whatever, cut some black kitchen trashbags open along one side and the bottom edge, and open it up to make a large sheet. Lay this on top of your soil and pin it down with rocks, bricks or car parts. This will help the sun to heat up your soil mix until you are ready to plant, while keeping weeds and their seeds at bay. Remove when ready to plant. 

If you plan to grow from seed, it helps to start them early indoors to get a jump on the season. This is extremely difficult to do in a house with cats, as they love to devour anything resembling a plant.

Dig on, nerds! 

I'm already got stuff growing in my flower garden.

I plated some bulbs last fall and those in the soil along side of the house with the southern exposure are 2-3 inches tall already.

And I live in the Chicago area. We still have 3-4 weeks of winter weather to go in a normal year.

I know nothing about composting. But the next door neighbor has a composter with a crank handle so you can roll the barrel.

Maybe put your 55 gallon drum on its side on an upside down hf dolly for a way to roll?

Composting is not too complicated. You want a pretty equal ratio of green to brown to keep the decomposition going. Too much brown (pine straw, leaves) and you get dry pockets that don't break down. Too much green (grass clippings, kitchen waste) and you get moldy pockets that don't break down. It helps to turn it often, to introduce air and mix it up. 

We built a two part "stall" type of compost arrangement out of discarded pallets. We dump everything into one side, then occasionally turn it over into the other side, and back and forth as needed until it has decomposed. For kitchen waste we started using a big plastic thing that looks like Darth Vaders helmet, I think it is called the Earth Machine or some such. It helps to keep the dog and raccoons from dragging stuff all over the yard. If you add kitchen stuff to your compost, be sure not to add bones, meat or fats. Just about everything else is ok. 

In reply to Robbie :

 actually have 2 of these sitting around being useless, I mean looking for a job. Should work well for this purpose. 

No bones, meat, or fat, and not all kitchen garbage and grass clippings. Does seem fairly simple. 

I have been interested in the worm farming for a long time. Is there a difference between worm compost and worm tea? I'm just concerned because I've had problems with organic teas before and I'm not trying to get that far in to it. At least not yet, once I get the little one fishing a worm farm and building a garden from it may be the way to go. 

<--- lazy composter.  I compost almost anything that isn't plastic or metal, and all in the same bin.  It just magically disappears.  I never empty it, turn it, or otherwise do anything with it.  In summer it will sometimes get a lot of Black Soldier Flies (well, really just their larvae) in it, and they will consume things so fast its nuts.  The level in the bin will drop by like 6" in a week.

I made it from old landscaping timbers.  Interior measures 4' x 4' x roughly 3'.  Bottom is open to the earth, top has a hinged lid made from an old pallette.

Relevant, but probably not helpful.  

ProDarwin said:

<--- lazy composter.  I compost almost anything that isn't plastic or metal, and all in the same bin.  It just magically disappears.  I never empty it, turn it, or otherwise do anything with it.  In summer it will sometimes get a lot of Black Soldier Flies (well, really just their larvae) in it, and they will consume things so fast its nuts.  The level in the bin will drop by like 6" in a week.

I made it from old landscaping timbers.  Interior measures 4' x 4' x roughly 3'.  Bottom is open to the earth, top has a hinged lid made from an old pallette.

 

Relevant, but probably not helpful.  

Hey, that sounds like me too!  I finally turned it a bit with a shovel because the layer of egg shells on the top was roughly an inch thick.  

In reply to RevRico :

The way I see worm vs normal compost is that it's a different digestive process.  And it seems to be different.

As for the tea vs. compost thing on worms- I'm not sure.  First, I think it depends on what you call "tea"- as worm farming naturally makes a liquid that you can get at the bottom of a bin.  Whereas I see "tea" as something that needs to soak in water to bring out the water soluble stuff.  May get similar chemicals from both paths, but using worm letchate is pretty easy- dilute it a lot, and you can use it.  

The other thing for feeding lazy (aka compost only), there are some good videos by Charles Dowding on youtube that describe a no dig plan where all you do is put on 2" of compost each spring.  Very interesting- and you might get some ideas from his methods to modify yours.

Being in Chicago it’s still sort of late winter.  

The rule of thumb was to plant your window box seeds on St Patrick’s day and put them in the ground on Memorial Day weekend.   The ground isn’t warm enough until then except for lettuce.   

So right now you should be at the store looking at seed packets to purchase.   

You guys got me thinking it was time to turn the raised bed and dose it with some manure.  Took a quick moment to go grab the ingredients this morning.  The new puppy came along for some socializing on her first trip to Home Depot.  

Now I just need to get some tomato seeds going...

Mrs dx already is eying the front flower bed and wants to rip it up and put double layer of weed barrier and new stones down..

Seedlings are doing well after a week, all of the tomatoes have sprouted and I had two Jalapenos poking through as well yesterday. 

If I'm going to garden this year, I'm going to have to get an automatic dripper system set up, as I won't be around most weekends to water, and in pots I seem to have to water every day for most plants.  I'm a renter so pots are the only way I can do this, and some serious Kansas heat & sun can make plants like basil pretty thirsty in my experience.  I was hoping to make a rain barrel setup work but it seems like the hardware to let that work is kind of costly.  Advice?

I'd like to be starting plants soon, indoors, so I need to figure out if this is doable or not.  There's an outdoor water spigot if I wanted to run a hose around the house to where I had planned on setting this all up.

In reply to pres589 :

LowesDepot has hose timers for like $20-30 and soaker hose kits for around the same that come with a variety of different tees and fittings and whatnot. Should be able to rig something together pretty cheaply using the above and just run it off the spigot. 

We've got Depot or Menards in my current location.  I'll check those options first.  Hopefully the spigot is in good condition and doesn't drip or leak.  Thanks.

dxman92 said:

Mrs dx already is eying the front flower bed and wants to rip it up and put double layer of weed barrier and new stones down..

In my experience, weeds still find a way to root through weed barrier... stones last longer than mulch, but don't provide any nutrients to the plants... the mulch will break down and provide organic matter.

Tea is made by mixing worm castings and water and aerating via stirring or a bubbler. I work at a university garden we just received some worm castings to try out... I can't wait until we get past the spring freezes. There is some interesting info on the company's website, including a worm casting tea recipe: http://www.red-bud-farm.com/

Made my annual run for 100lbs of manure for the garden yesterday (our first warm snap).  Got it laid down so it has 2 months to mellow and get turned before planting.  Cheated this year and ordered up a bunch of heirloom tomato seedlings from territorialseeds.com.

Anyone else started 2019 garden planning?   

I'm going to be starting my seeds tomorrow or the next day. Trying the tried and true flat with starter soil on a heat mat, but also trying out this Burpee self watering setup that uses expandable jiffy plugs. They'll be under a two bulb, 4ft fluorescent grow light fixture that I'll drape in white plastic.  I may regret not using a humidity dome on the flat, but I couldn't find them when I was shopping. 

I'm currently hunting buckets for my container project. I have 20 so far, but I'm looking for a total of 36+. With a dozen seed packs this year, I'd like to try more than one of each. wanted Ads on Craigslist aren't helping, but the place I buy my 50 gallon plastic barrels might be able to help. Home depot is $3.25 each as a last resort, that adds up quick Though.  

The chicken coop has taken priority on warm days, but it will be complete this week. I'm looking forward to the compost that will help to make for next year already. 

Given the amount of rain we've had over the past 12 to 15 months, I'm going to look into growing rice.

pres589 said:

If I'm going to garden this year, I'm going to have to get an automatic dripper system set up, as I won't be around most weekends to water, and in pots I seem to have to water every day for most plants.  I'm a renter so pots are the only way I can do this, and some serious Kansas heat & sun can make plants like basil pretty thirsty in my experience.  I was hoping to make a rain barrel setup work but it seems like the hardware to let that work is kind of costly.  Advice?

I'd like to be starting plants soon, indoors, so I need to figure out if this is doable or not.  There's an outdoor water spigot if I wanted to run a hose around the house to where I had planned on setting this all up.

Drip Depot's website is good.  I set up a drip system on a one acre plot last summer.  2x 275 gallon tanks, Harbor Freight gas powered pump, manifold with four outlets each feeding a quarter of the field, 1/2" hard lines, dripper with a soft 1/4" line from each dripper to plant.  The hard lines (some are ~200 feet long) expand and contract a lot with temperature change, so the soft lines are necessary to keep the water outlet where you want it.  Watering that field by hand took about 8 hours.  No E36 M3.  It sucked.  Much better now.

For a smaller set up, you could lose the gas pump and use a 12 volt on a timer.

1988RedT2 said:

Given the amount of rain we've had over the past 12 to 15 months, I'm going to look into growing rice.

Just seed your lawn.  The rain will stop immediately.

In reply to RevRico :

I think that self watering setup is what I bought last year. It worked well, only had to top it off maybe once every 5 to 7 days. 

I just ordered my seeds last weekend, and I'm starting to get a little pissed they haven't shown up yet. Amazon and Summit Racing have spoiled me with 2 day ship times. I decided to skip the cucumbers this year, since I still have a healthy supply of pickles from the past two years, and probably go a little heavier on onions instead. I have small plots of lettuce, snap peas, and green beans planned, and my usual 6 tomato plants - the rest of the space goes to peppers.