2018 Garden Thread

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Annie

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I'm most definitely going to check into that. Thanks!

I tried the cheap stuff a couple of years ago. It worked okay but you will still be pulling weeds. I'm thinking about mulching a little deeper this year.

I'm also toying with putting some raised beds in the backyard. I'm a little confused as to whether to run them north-south or east-west or if it even matters. My backyard slopes to the west, but the neighbor on the west fence line has lots of trees on his fenceline so there is deep shade on the back 1/4. Might kinda mix it up and run some N/S close to the patio and then run some shorter ones E/W deeper in the yard.

Any advice, guys??
 

MacFromOK

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I'm also toying with putting some raised beds in the backyard. I'm a little confused as to whether to run them north-south or east-west or if it even matters. My backyard slopes to the west, but the neighbor on the west fence line has lots of trees on his fenceline so there is deep shade on the back 1/4. Might kinda mix it up and run some N/S close to the patio and then run some shorter ones E/W deeper in the yard.

Any advice, guys??
If shade is a problem, I'd go with North/South rows so the plants won't shade each other the length of the rows.

However, if the only sunlight they get is mid-dayish (mostly overhead), it won't matter. In that case, run 'em however is most convenient for you. :drunk2:
 

lasher

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only grew peppers this year, the asparagus does it's own thing, dried all the peppers and ground them up for seasoning. have about 2 gallons of ground pepper. not planting this year, likely pickle some of the asparagus tho. maybe some sunflowers for the birds
 

deerwhacker444

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I'm also toying with putting some raised beds in the backyard. I'm a little confused as to whether to run them north-south or east-west or if it even matters.
I noticed something last fall when I grew 3 rows of snap beans. Don't have any scientific data to back it up, but it seemed to me that the plants that grew in the N-S row were healthier and produced slightly more produce than the 2 E-W rows.

This is my opinion, but I think the E-W rows were subjected to lots of stress from the S-SW winds that the N-S row didn't get. The E-W rows didn't have any extra support and when the Summer winds blew or the Thunderstorms passed thru, they took a beating and started to lean a bit since beans are shallow rooted. The N-S rows had the adjacent plant for support and I think they did better.

Now when I say better, the plants may have been 10%-15% taller and put out 10%-15% more beans, but that's hard to judge on such a small garden.

Does that little bit of stress affect yield? I don't know, but I noticed enough difference that my beans will all be N-S next year..
 

dennishoddy

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I noticed something last fall when I grew 3 rows of snap beans. Don't have any scientific data to back it up, but it seemed to me that the plants that grew in the N-S row were healthier and produced slightly more produce than the 2 E-W rows.

This is my opinion, but I think the E-W rows were subjected to lots of stress from the S-SW winds that the N-S row didn't get. The E-W rows didn't have any extra support and when the Summer winds blew or the Thunderstorms passed thru, they took a beating and started to lean a bit since beans are shallow rooted. The N-S rows had the adjacent plant for support and I think they did better.

Now when I say better, the plants may have been 10%-15% taller and put out 10%-15% more beans, but that's hard to judge on such a small garden.

Does that little bit of stress affect yield? I don't know, but I noticed enough difference that my beans will all be N-S next year..

There is a reason farmers plant North to South or slightly off.
One is that if planted with conventional wheat drills, the peaks of the rows left from the opener and left by the packer wheels, can blow into the furrows before germinating and have the seeds too deep for good germination. The old saying is that dust in wheat, and mud in oats.
The current method a lot of farmers are using is a no-till drill, and it really doesn't matter what direction as the openers just open non -worked ground and there is nothing but a slit in the ground for the seed to fall into vs a field that is disked, and ran over with a spring tooth to smooth before planting with a conventional drill.
Smaller gardens, I'm not sure it would make a difference, although my garden is planted N to S just for convenience.
 

dennishoddy

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Just ran on to a myth buster about planting in pots since some do plant veggi's in big pots.
It's from the Tulsa Master Gardeners Website.
http://www.tulsamastergardeners.org/
People have classically put gravel or broken pot shards into the bottom of pots to aid drainage and to keep drain holes open. This does not improve drainage and, depending on the depth of your pot, may actually harm a plant. This concept may not seem logical, but it is based on the science involving water behavior. Three forces have an effect on movement of water through your potted plants: First, gravity pulls water through the soil toward the drain holes. Next, water tends to adhere to itself which is the reason why water bulges above a water glass when over-filled. Lastly, water has a force causing it to stick to soil particles. This adherence, or stickiness, to particles is stronger with smaller soil particles than larger ones. After excess water has drained from pots, some of the remaining water will percolate down to a level where the pull of gravity is offset by the tendency for water to cling to soil and it will stop. This layer of wet soil is called a perched water table and is present in pots even after the top part of the soil has become dry. When gravel or any similar material is added, the perched water will cling to the smaller soil particles and will not cross over onto the larger gravel. Therefore, the pot will not drain better with gravel. Gravel simply moves the perched water table up in the soil, perhaps into the plant's root zone, which may promote disease. If you feel a need to keep the soil out of the drain holes, use a small meshed screen in the bottom of the pot. Always use a good grade of sterile commercial potting soil. Most of these soils are light and drain very well. Do not use garden soil. It is much too heavy, drains poorly and may carry disease organisms harmful to houseplants. Myth Busted: Don’t Put Gravel in Pots
 

magna19

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Now is the time to turn in a soil sample. If you need to adjust something to the soil, the right way with the right materials to adjust correctly takes time. Today is perfect to shovel up several spaced out areas about 10" deep and take a spade full from each after it thaws completely tomorrow. Mix good in a 5 gal bucket then take it with you to an OSU extension office in your area and fill up a soil sample bag while your there. Payoff can be huge. 20180117_132704.jpg
 

dennishoddy

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I bought 20, 6” peat pots and a bag of potting soil yesterday.
Getting time to start some tomatoes and peppers.
Next month, start more of the same so they mature through the summer.
 

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