organic is the way the plant is grown that they harvest the seeds from. It does not mean they will have larger, better produce.
As long as it is an open pollinated variety, the seeds should produce true to the parent plant.
organic is the way the plant is grown that they harvest the seeds from. It does not mean they will have larger, better produce.
As long as it is an open pollinated variety, the seeds should produce true to the parent plant.
OK ... I got me some opaque white 55-gal barrels that I'm about to cut the top off of and make into potato barrels. My plan is to drill some drainage holes in the bottom, put in a couple inches of gravel (as much to keep them from scooting across the patio in the wind as to provide drainage), add a couple inches of dirt and cover with some hay/dirt from the pile of BEAUTIFUL half-composted bedding outta the chickens run ... I've seen barrels that folks have used garden soil in and they didn't work out too well. Mostly because the soil was too compacted, I think. Hopefully, I'll have better results with a dirt/half-rotten hay mixture and when I dump them at the end of the season, I'll have lots of potatoes!
I'm toying with cutting some holes in the sides (like strawberry planters have) and planting some everlasting onions on the sides ... Wonder if that would make my potatoes taste oniony?? Or my onions taste potatoe-y??
Just to see if I can get double duty outta the barrels ...
Wish me luck!!
I'm toying with cutting some holes in the sides (like strawberry planters have) and planting some everlasting onions on the sides ... Wonder if that would make my potatoes taste oniony?? Or my onions taste potatoe-y??
Just to see if I can get double duty outta the barrels ...Wish me luck!!
10 EASIEST VEGGIES TO GROW
1. SALAD GREENS : (lettuce, spinach, arugula and corn salad) Pick your favorite or try a mix. Plant seeds in spring and fall and pick salads nearly all year long.
2. POTATOES : Potatoes store well when kept cool. A simple and low-maintenance approach
is to plant potatoes directly in straw (with just a little dirt added) rather than soil. “Seeds” are whole or cut sections of potatoes. Only plant organic potatoes or those sold in nurseries as seed potatoes. Conventional grocery-store potatoes are sprayed with an anti-sprouting agent.
3. GREEN BEANS : Easy to grow and highly productive, green beans freeze well, and they're delicious pickled as dilly beans. Start with seeds after danger of frost has passed.
4. RADISHES: Radishes do well in not-so-great soil, and they're ready to harvest in only a few weeks. Plant seeds in spring and fall.
5. ONIONS : Start with small plants. If they do well, you can harvest bulb onions. If not, you can eat the greens.
6. PEPPERS : Hot and bell peppers are both easy to grow. Start with seedlings and let peppers ripen for different lengths of time to get a range of colors and flavors-most peppers turn from green to red or purple over time, becoming sweeter along the way.
7. BUSH ZUCCHINI : This squash won't take up as much garden space as many other types, and it's very hardy. Start from seeds or transplants. You won't need more than a few plants for a bumper crop.
8. TOMATOES : There's just no substitute for a perfectly ripe, homegrown tomato, and it's hard to go wrong when you start with strong plants (look for thick stems and healthy leaves). If you get a big crop, consider canning or freezing.
9. BASIL : Many herbs are easy to grow, but basil is among the easiest. It compliments tomatoes in both the garden and the kitchen and grows well from seeds or transplants.
10. STRAWBERRIES : Perfectly ripe strawberries are delicious, and plants are hardy. Buy bare-root plants from your local garden center in early spring. Put this perennial in a sunny spot and weed often.
GROW VEGGIES IN SMALL SPACES
Select 'compact', 'dwarf', or 'mini' varieties.
Plant seeds closely and harvest veggies small, following with repeated planting.
Use any sunny plot of land you have, plus containers. Replace soil in pots yearly to avoid disease.
Avoid crops that mature slowly (such as bulb onions) and those that take up a lot of space (such as potatoes and most zucchini).
Grow carrots, turnips and beets, which produce small, tender roots quickly, and fast-growing green, leafy vegetables such as spinach.
Grow tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in pots, cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets, and beans and cucumbers vertically on trellises.
1. SALAD GREENS : (lettuce, spinach, arugula and corn salad) Pick your favorite or try a mix. Plant seeds in spring and fall and pick salads nearly all year long.
2. POTATOES : Potatoes store well when kept cool. A simple and low-maintenance approach
is to plant potatoes directly in straw (with just a little dirt added) rather than soil. “Seeds” are whole or cut sections of potatoes. Only plant organic potatoes or those sold in nurseries as seed potatoes. Conventional grocery-store potatoes are sprayed with an anti-sprouting agent.
3. GREEN BEANS : Easy to grow and highly productive, green beans freeze well, and they're delicious pickled as dilly beans. Start with seeds after danger of frost has passed.
4. RADISHES: Radishes do well in not-so-great soil, and they're ready to harvest in only a few weeks. Plant seeds in spring and fall.
5. ONIONS : Start with small plants. If they do well, you can harvest bulb onions. If not, you can eat the greens.
6. PEPPERS : Hot and bell peppers are both easy to grow. Start with seedlings and let peppers ripen for different lengths of time to get a range of colors and flavors-most peppers turn from green to red or purple over time, becoming sweeter along the way.
7. BUSH ZUCCHINI : This squash won't take up as much garden space as many other types, and it's very hardy. Start from seeds or transplants. You won't need more than a few plants for a bumper crop.
8. TOMATOES : There's just no substitute for a perfectly ripe, homegrown tomato, and it's hard to go wrong when you start with strong plants (look for thick stems and healthy leaves). If you get a big crop, consider canning or freezing.
9. BASIL : Many herbs are easy to grow, but basil is among the easiest. It compliments tomatoes in both the garden and the kitchen and grows well from seeds or transplants.
10. STRAWBERRIES : Perfectly ripe strawberries are delicious, and plants are hardy. Buy bare-root plants from your local garden center in early spring. Put this perennial in a sunny spot and weed often.
GROW VEGGIES IN SMALL SPACES
Select 'compact', 'dwarf', or 'mini' varieties.
Plant seeds closely and harvest veggies small, following with repeated planting.
Use any sunny plot of land you have, plus containers. Replace soil in pots yearly to avoid disease.
Avoid crops that mature slowly (such as bulb onions) and those that take up a lot of space (such as potatoes and most zucchini).
Grow carrots, turnips and beets, which produce small, tender roots quickly, and fast-growing green, leafy vegetables such as spinach.
Grow tomatoes, peppers and eggplants in pots, cherry tomatoes in hanging baskets, and beans and cucumbers vertically on trellises.
OK ... I got me some opaque white 55-gal barrels that I'm about to cut the top off of and make into potato barrels. My plan is to drill some drainage holes in the bottom, put in a couple inches of gravel (as much to keep them from scooting across the patio in the wind as to provide drainage), add a couple inches of dirt and cover with some hay/dirt from the pile of BEAUTIFUL half-composted bedding outta the chickens run ... I've seen barrels that folks have used garden soil in and they didn't work out too well. Mostly because the soil was too compacted, I think. Hopefully, I'll have better results with a dirt/half-rotten hay mixture and when I dump them at the end of the season, I'll have lots of potatoes!
I'm toying with cutting some holes in the sides (like strawberry planters have) and planting some everlasting onions on the sides ... Wonder if that would make my potatoes taste oniony?? Or my onions taste potatoe-y??
Wish me luck!!
Your taters may taste oniony and maybe not. Just depends on how 'potent' the onions are. 2 yrs ago, I had a habanero come up volunteer that was erally close to some cantalopes. First lope i ate was sooooooooooo juicy and smelled sooooo sweet. First bite and my mouth was on FIRE. Couldn't wait to have a family BBQ
The barrels should work great. Papa taught me to use tires. 1 tire filled with good compost, tater planted in the middle. Place a tire on top. when the plant is taller than the tire, fill it with compost and add another tire. Continue until you have 7 tires filled with compost. Let plant grow and bloom. Knock over ires and pick up your spuds. We have gotten close to 100 lbs per stack. New potatoes on top, all the way down to HUGE bakers on the bottom.
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Interesting. Everyone that bales hay for personal use or business uses herbicides. Hopefully those boys in Vermont will make enough noise to stop those big chemical companies from selling those two chemicals. I use the same hay I feed my animals. I'll have to get with my neighbors that bale and see what they're using, but I'm pretty sure it's safe.
We spray some pre-emergent herbicide BEFORE planting, the herbicide is made to break down in 10 days. We wait 30 days to plant. After the hay is up, we fertilize.
Well ... I'm getting off to a great start ... 
Chickens ate my cilantro I got from swampratt ... and the friggin' dogs won't stop stomping on the raised beds I built ...
Plan B is now in place!! Dogs are in a pen when they are out and chickens aren't getting out anymore ... I swear I don't know why everybody can't behave!! 
On a much brighter note, my meat birds are growing like weeds!!! Those kids are somethin' else. I'd forgotten how fast they grow! I'm seriously thinking about grabbing a dozen every month so I only have to butcher a dozen at a time and filling up the freezer ... It would only take 4 or 5 batches to have a really great stash of GOOD chicken meat for the year ...
Chickens ate my cilantro I got from swampratt ... and the friggin' dogs won't stop stomping on the raised beds I built ... Plan B is now in place!! Dogs are in a pen when they are out and chickens aren't getting out anymore ...
I swear I don't know why everybody can't behave!! On a much brighter note, my meat birds are growing like weeds!!! Those kids are somethin' else. I'd forgotten how fast they grow! I'm seriously thinking about grabbing a dozen every month so I only have to butcher a dozen at a time and filling up the freezer ... It would only take 4 or 5 batches to have a really great stash of GOOD chicken meat for the year ...
Your taters may taste oniony and maybe not. Just depends on how 'potent' the onions are. 2 yrs ago, I had a habanero come up volunteer that was erally close to some cantalopes. First lope i ate was sooooooooooo juicy and smelled sooooo sweet. First bite and my mouth was on FIRE. Couldn't wait to have a family BBQ
The barrels should work great. Papa taught me to use tires. 1 tire filled with good compost, tater planted in the middle. Place a tire on top. when the plant is taller than the tire, fill it with compost and add another tire. Continue until you have 7 tires filled with compost. Let plant grow and bloom. Knock over ires and pick up your spuds. We have gotten close to 100 lbs per stack. New potatoes on top, all the way down to HUGE bakers on the bottom.
Haha! THAT'S a HOOT!!
I've had watermelon at parties that have had jalepeno slices layed on them to give it a little kick. It was pretty good. I might just have to try planting a jalepeno and a cantalope next to each other!! I wanna try the tire trick with some sweet potatos. I just don't have any tires right now ...
There are so many projects and so little time ...
We've been spending a lot of time prepping for a garden this year. I made a couple elevated beds (as seen HERE) that we'll start in the garage and move out to the back patio. So far we've started more tomato plants than we know what to do with, planning on 6 potato barrels (anybody have a cheap source for white 55gal plastic drums?), have about 50 strawberry plants in containers, and are trying to figure out how we want to plant our 4x8' raised bed. We are pretty limited to growing in containers since we are only allowed a single 4'x8' raised bed. We've never had the best luck with tomatoes in containers but we're going to try a couple tips to see if we can have a better crop this go-round. One of the things I want to try out is compost tea - seems intriguing and lots of people absolutely swear by it.
Since we're new to OK (recently moved here from Portland, OR) this will also be a trial of gardening with the hot summers we have here, especially compared to the mild ones we had back in Portland, as well as gardening in the cement, I mean, soil we have here in OK... Hopefully the sun won't burn up everything we're putting in!
Since we're new to OK (recently moved here from Portland, OR) this will also be a trial of gardening with the hot summers we have here, especially compared to the mild ones we had back in Portland, as well as gardening in the cement, I mean, soil we have here in OK... Hopefully the sun won't burn up everything we're putting in!
Welcome to Oklahoma! Oh, and it will ... (the sun burn everything up!
) I, too, have cement for dirt. This last fall I put 9 chickens in a 10x20 pen and threw down a bale of hay. Last month, I moved the 6 girls I have left (dogs ... ... MY DOGS ... ) into a smaller pen (5x10, with some new hay) in a different location and have been digging up the half-composted hay/chicken poo/table scraps/feathers/scratch/chicken feed ... It is the BEST dirt I have ever had in my many, many years in Oklahoma. Mixed it with some Miraclegro "Garden Soil" and perlite and moved it over to some raised beds. I can hardly wait to see how it works out.
