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Lessons learned from this years garden

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  • Lessons learned from this years garden

    I realize there is still several months left for some people's gardens and others have already had to start growing everything in hothouses again but I was curious as to what so of yall have learned from this year's garden. Was there some variety that just blew the others out of the ground? Did you try some new technique that you weren't very sure about that paid off big? What about some of the let downs that were unavoidable, or even avoidable?

    For me, this year, was including the use of chemicals to my management. I've never grown organically but have considered my approach natural with my garden as well as livestock. But using a pre-emergent on my garden saved me countless hours of pulling weeds and chopping with a hoe.

    As for other surprises this year I was blown away by the wild goose peas that I planted. They produced over 30% more peas of a greater quality compared to my purple hull peas which are my favorite. I haven't cooked any yet but I have high hopes from all the "talking up" my coworkers did trying to get me to plant some this year.

    One of the biggest upsets was my corn, I apparently planted way too late because my corn is usually 6 feet tall with 12-16 inch ears on almost every stalk and this year they stopped at 4 feet and I have less than a dozen ears and none were worth keeping.

    Next year I plan to not plant as much at one time and go to at least three plantings or maybe four for some of my crops instead of one or two. I also plan to water some of my more important crops more instead of relying on the rain. This year I was lucky and was able to get rain at good times that kept me from water but three times over the whole summer so far and I've saved everything I plan to so I should already be done for the year with dragging a water hose over the spread.

  • #2
    With the extreme heat (over 2 1/2 months above 100) and growing things in the containers. I learned I will have to do the double containers to hold enough moisture and that camo netting or latice is required to save some plants. Also that it didnt get cool enough at night for the tomatoes to go from flower to fruit so even with healthy plants we woulda not gotten to eat in PAW. I also realized that I dont have enough water for gardening post SHTF with no power and need to rethink that situation, maybe rain barrels though with the heat the pool is going down almost 3 inches in 5 days from evaporation.
    Knowledge is Power, Practiced Knowledge is Strength, Tested Knowledge is Confidence

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    • #3
      I learn that organic gardening is HARD. I originally decided to grow my garden just like I would have too in the PAW. While I go moderate produce, it would have been much better if I'd used a fertilizer. My thinking was that in the PAW I can run to the store to get Miracle Grow. So, do a stock up on fertilizer or learn to do it the old fashion way?

      Another thing I learned is that I need a way to provide so sort of cover for some of the plants. I'll have to work of that this fall.

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      • #4
        Learn how to make your own organic fertilizer by composting the plants from your garden and other plants and using some manure.

        I have been meaning to do a review of "How To Grow More Vegetables" by John Jeavons....there is a lot of great info in this book.
        Last edited by 610Alpha; 08-26-2011, 08:59 AM.
        "It's a trap!!!!" -- Admiral Ackbar

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        • #5
          IronSheperd, Can you tell us more about the Wild Goose Peas sounds interesting. Our zippers peas did great but purple hull turn out to be knuckle hull and did ok. Also, I've never used a pre-emergent but I could do with a lot less weeding if given a choice. How is that used. Our corn also suffered this year from the drought.

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          • #6
            My garden faired well despite the extreme heat and a very long period of no significant rain (6 weeks). I only watered the garden about a half dozen times and was able to rely on my rain barrel the rest of the time. My #1 lesson from this year: Install another rain barrel!

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            • #7
              Lessons and goals from 2011:
              1. I need a GREENHOUSE! See Pastor Dowell's setup...


              2. If not a greenhouse, some kind of sun shade for summer months. The heat really hurt many of the plants...

              3. Discover a better pesticide that is effective but not too harmful... The Neem Oil didn't do so hot...

              4. Corn needs to be grown in large plots for support. Wind blew over my corn twice in my 10x10 plot and I only got TWO decent corn off of all the plants.

              5. Don't ASSUME you know better than the provider of the seeds! I planted many plants TOO CLOSE and paid the price in less productivity and difficulty in harvest.

              6. TEST MY SOIL!!!!!!! I know this is one of my biggest problems this year... If you have GOOD SOIL and the weather cooperates, things will grow and grow well...

              7. Get a small pump to attach to my rain barrels so I can water with PRESSURE rather than gravity.

              8. I need to rip up more sod and till that soil for a larger garden, so I need to befriend someone with a tractor. What I have now will NEVER supply enough to survive on.

              That's the biggest ones...
              -=> Rmplstlskn <=-

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              • #8
                Originally posted by huckridge View Post
                IronSheperd, Can you tell us more about the Wild Goose Peas sounds interesting. Our zippers peas did great but purple hull turn out to be knuckle hull and did ok. Also, I've never used a pre-emergent but I could do with a lot less weeding if given a choice. How is that used. Our corn also suffered this year from the drought.
                Wild Goose peas seem to be nothing more than a more vigorous purple hull pea. I sold a few bushels to some friends over the weekend that told me that they usually have a sorter harvesting window but maintain the larger pods. From what I've seem out of my field is that they have produced larger and longer pods than any of the plantings of purple hulls. The downside IMO is that they do not taste nearly as good as purple hull peas do. Also, the pea's themselves have brown patches, but otherwise look like a bigger purple hull.

                As for the pre-emergent that I used, I applied it the day after I planted my peas. I also applied a second application on one of the planting of peas to see if there was any additional benefit, which there wasn't for me. It did a wonderful job at controlling Johnson Grass, Pigweed (including the Roundup resistant plants), crabgrass, signal grass and a few others that I typically get overwhelmed with. I still used the hoe for morning glories but I was still covered the few acres in less than an hour.

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