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The Kitchen Table

newbie......sorta

16 years ago

Hi everyone. I was a member here a few years back..but then life got complicated o.O Been lurking here again for a couple of months and finally have my stuff together enough to join again! ;)

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Comments (13)

carol_in_california
16 years ago

Since my memory is not as great as it used to be, let us know a little bit about yourself.
I live on the beautiful central coast of California and love to garden and cook.
glenda_al
16 years ago
nice to have you back
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(Newb) Small 4x4 raised bed, soil prep, critters, I've got it all
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Comments (3)
(1) When I replant the tomatoes, how deep should I plant? Since I didn't prep the underlying clay, should I dig that out and add something to it (compost, e.g.,) before replanting the tomatoes? Plant them so most all of any exposed stem is buried. Either deep holes or trench them in. More digging sure can't hurt but it would be easier to just add more compost and mix it in to the top so you are working with a good 8-10" of new. Let the worms do the work of turning it in. (2) I've got a 2' fence flush against the bed but something is getting in and eating the strawberries. There's no obvious tracks in the soil, could it just be bugs? As mention - slugs snails and many other possibilities. Move them to a container for the good of all issues. (3) Do I need to move the strawberries? There's 3 plants, I'm told the yield will be low the first year, I'm considering moving them to a trough this year and then to their own bed next year. 3 plants won't give you much yield. Not even a small handful of berries. Honestly not worth planting so few plants. Put them in a pot and plan to plant many more next year in a larger container. (4) The row of scallions and row of carrots have sprouted, I planted densely planning to thin - when should I thin and by how much at first? Growing up we didn't thin until we could at least discern which plants were doing better. I'm nowhere near that point but since I planted so densely I'd want to make sure I thin on time Since this is such a small bed and sounds like it is heavily over-planted already if you want any carrots at all you will have to thin aggressively. Begin thinning as soon as the seedlings are large enough to ID individual plants - usually 3/4-1" tall. Do a follow up thinning when they are 2-3" tall and again until they are approx. 3" apart. (5) I'm pretty sure this soil mix is only good for about 60-90 days and I'm not sure what I need to do then. Dig it out and replace it? Add something to it? Not at all, you just keep mixing in more compost and nutrient supplements. You will not be able to count on this new soil for sufficient nutrients without you adding supplements. There is no active soil micro-herd yet to convert the compost to nutrient forms. (6) Assuming our garden is successful (so far, so good, I've maintained it minimally) we plan to expand next year. What should I do with the soil this summer/fall, if anything? Raised beds again is what we'd prefer. Just build more of the same or my personal preference is 3' wide and long as you have room for. It's a more efficient use of space and provides easier access. 2x a year additions of lots of fresh quality compost. If you can get some well-aged manure for adding in the fall - great. otherwise buy several bags of composted manure now while the garden centers have them and add them in the fall. Good luck with your garden. Dave
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Got Orchids?
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Comments (2)
Yeah wished we had one it was the only one. It was the nearest orchid society in my area and was around 1-2 hour drive and they keep on moving away and last year they disbanded the society so cannot find another one ever since. Do you have any one willing to give me a backbulb, division, or a keiki?
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Incorporating compost in No Till garden
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Thanks Jon! Yours looks great too! It's really about the soil. Good soil is key to great growing! The 'elephant ears' is Swiss chard. It is slow to start, but then went berzerk last summer as you see in the pic. It sort of over-wintered in the core of the plant. I don't know if it will turn around with our weather warming out here, but I'll leave it alone for awhile and see what happens. Those aren't concrete chunks along the fence.. that's the chunks of limestones rocks I hit and have to spend considerable time digging out every time I sink a shovel ANYWHERE in my yard. Many of my neighbors won't even try to dig in their yards after they see what I have unearthed in the tiny space of mine. I did build a bench out of a boulder I excavated last March. I rented a jack hammer for that one. It was great fun! From 031410 From 030409 From 102509 I bought a shredder\chipper a couple weeks ago and am chewing up bags of leaves I hawked off people's front yards last fall. I live in a young neighborhood, so we don't have any large trees around for leaves. I just mixed the small leave particles in with the soil and it made it fluffier. :)
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Climbing Hydrangea-Lots of ??
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Comments (54)
G'morning g..g..148 - Beautiful! How long do her blossoms last? What you surmised about H.a petiolaris, seems to make sense even here in my zone. I've been growing my Petiolaris since '06 (realizing her slow habit) ... a very wet/cool Spring of '08 boosted her growth & even surprised me with beautiful, tho short lived, blossoms! This season started very wet & once more, gave her a great running start, however the last 2 wks of June was oppressively steamy (upper 90s w/ mid100s heat index) ... needless to say, much of Petiolaris' young, beautifully growing, heart-shaped, foliage got steam-cooked, no blossoms either ... what's more, might have stunted her initial growth spurts! Â:( I'm still cleaning up her scorched foliage. She is recovering well, with our entire July, of beautifully sunny & unseasonably, cooler than normal temps ... (tho very dry. easily remedied) ... 'hope she picks up in the growth dept, soon, again!!! Â;) ... still has a long way to cover our 40' retaining wall. Thanks for your thoughts on H.a.petiolaris - I value this thread, refer to it & recommend it, as a great tutorial ... too bad Chelone's photos have been deleted - they were worth thousands of words!!! Have a great day!
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joyfulguy
16 years ago
Welcome, fellow Ontarian (I live near London) ...

... pull up a chair, have a coffee and tell us about yourself. You could put some such info on your profile page, should you so choose ... (and mine needs some updating).

I'm thankful to be enjoying such good health at a rather advanced age that I have a large garden: picked so many beans on Sunday for two churches that I was so late for both that most everyone had gone home ... so they went to the Salvation Army shelter.

Picked a bunch more yesterday, that I took to son's and some friends' houses ... and there's some left for my landlord (who provides the land and tiller).

A former clergyperson ... and personal financial advisor ... with a mischievous streak, I enjoy teasing the inmates of the KT.

I used to frequent the Money Saving Tips and Household Finance forums, but haven't so much lately.

ole joyful
User
16 years ago
Welcome back, glad you decided to join in.
gracie_ont
Original Author
16 years ago
thanks for the warm welcome back! ;) I am located SSW of you joyfulguy in the North Bay area. I am a single mom of 3 boys (20, 17 & 15) I work as a medical office assistant and recently purchased my first home (actually my parents home) and since it is stuck in circa 1970 I am in the midst of renovating and redecorating as per my bank account allows...lol I love the outdoors, sewing, reading, cooking, fishing etc. I am really looking forward to getting to know you all. ;)
juellie1962
16 years ago
Welcome back!
I was a member years ago too. Just came back 3 or 4 months ago. Wow; a single mother to 3 boys?? That's a handful!!
Marilyn Sue
16 years ago
Welcome Gracie_ont, I am in central Indiana and it is raining and thundering here right now. A nice break from the terrible hot weather we have been having. So glad you decided to join us here.

Sue and Izzi too
gracie_ont
Original Author
16 years ago
Three boys is a handful, not to mention a fridgeful!! lol good thing your garden is in London ole joyful, those fresh beans wouldn't stand a chance! *munch munch* ;P and it's been terrible hot here too marilyn_sue, hard to enjoy the outdoors for those with breathing difficulties
joyfulguy
16 years ago
Are you leading me astray, Gracie, claiming to be SSW of me in North Bay?? Or is it that you don't want people to know the location of the old Cold War bunkers that they had in that area for managing the country and the forces?

Tomatoes are starting to change colour ... so, lacking blight that took a couple of hundred feet of them last year ... maybe we'll be enjoying some, soon? Corn, too ... I'm going to have to borrow a dog: folks at two churches got about a dozen, last year ... and the coons got about a dozen dozen. Trouble is ... the beggars take about two bites out of each ... then go on to pull down another ear! One would like to give their ears a good twist!

ole joyful
gracie_ont
Original Author
15 years ago
hmmm.. well I always was directionally challenged ole joyful! lol spot on with the Cold War bunkers!! I was here for years before I knew about them, and it was my son who told me when he learned of them in history class!!! I think sometimes I don't pay enought attention to the details of my home..lol
lydia1959
15 years ago

Hope to see lots of posts from you! I live in Missouri with my DH of 23 years and 2 cats. DD is in her 4th year at college draining our bank account. :-)
Terri_PacNW
15 years ago
Welcome..I get the whole 3 boys thing...

TOTALLY...mine are a tad younger than yours..but they still eat all the time..18, 13, and 10
lavon46
15 years ago
Welcome Back ! I have only been here a few months myself.
Its now my daily routine to check in first thing in the morning !
I live in the Southern California Desert, love to plant flowers, we have a few critters, goats, horses, and dogs.
Spend most of my time outside, dont see real live people to often, so I am really emjoying talking here at the KT.
Hope you will join in often !

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