The forecasters are telling us we may see temps in the 90's before midweek. High 80's until then. Its going to be dry until Tuesday when they are saying the humidity will be heavy and there is a chance of thunder storms.
I made some "beer fertilizer" a while ago. Its a home made fertilizer i learned about on an exotic houseplant forum a few years ago.
Beer Fertilizer
1 12oz beer (something medium bodied, light beer isn't worth anything)
1/2 cup of household ammonia, non scented
1 cup epsom salts
2 cups of water
Mix one tablespoon per gallon of water. Its mild enough to not damage leaves. I think i will feed the garden with it when i do some watering tomorrow. I got one of those Miracle Gro feeder-waterer sprayers, so if i put the fertilizer in there it should mix about right, and if its stronger i think it won't be too strong.
I gave my tomatoes some calcium the other day too, i read that about 3 capsules per plant is about right. I had a couple bottles of a calcium & magnesium supplement that had expiry dates from 2005, but i didn't want to throw them out because i knew i could use them in the garden some day. I never remember to take supplements and it takes me 5 years to remember to use things i have saved for other purposes. At any rate, it finally got done the other day. I simply scratched them into the soil surface at the base of each plant and will let watering and rain take over the rest. I had enough to put around every plant in the garden. So calcium should not be a problem in the garden this year.
I tried to go yardsailing today, but i guess i stink at it. We followed a couple posterboard signs around town, but they were small sales. A couple tables full of used Walmart glassware and little wall hangings from the 1980's, you know, the ones that are made to look handmade but are just factory prints from China.. We checked out the local flea market too, but nothing worth paying for there either. A few genuinely interesting things, but sellers wanted too much for what was essentially dust collecting agents. Lots of cassette movies and romance novels though. Gag.
Sooo.... we ended up going to Good Will. And i found a a few good things. I got a waffle iron, i have been trying to catch up with one for about a year. Found a good Oster for $4, its a round one. I can make my low carb waffles in it, the divots make wonderful butter-catchers.
I found a really nice roaster pan with a lift out rack and domed lid. I have needed one of those for quite a while as well. That was only $15. I'm tired of trying to cook turkeys and chickens with roasted vegetables on sheet pans.
The really cool thing i picked up was a new Food Saver vacuum sealer that was only $25. It came with a roll of bags and an unopened stack of pre-cut bags. It was immaculate looking, even still had the permanent freezer marker clipped to the inside of the lid. I looked it up online and direct from the Foodsaver website it is a $170 machine! Its really great because yesterday i was using my old, smaller Foodsaver and i was thinking i'd really like to have a new one. It can be finicky and since my hands were feeling terribly achy that day (from who knows what) it was more difficult to use than it should have been. I was planning on researching the cost of a new one so i'm glad i found this one right away. Hubby was even impressed.
This one is all automatic. You put the food in the bag set it in place and push a button. You don't have to press down and lock the lid and it has settings for wet or dry foods and a gentle setting for stuff you don't want smashed. It will also seal without vacuuming out any air so i can reseal things like potato chip or cereal bags. I am so thrilled. I hope to dehydrate a lot of herbs, fruits and greens this year, i really hope that i can use this Foodsaver to seal and store them.
I also got the beta a new home, his vase was too small and i didn't like how it looked. I got him one of those vases that look like a very large brandy snifter. It holds just under a gallon of water, which is way more fair than the tiny vase he was in, even though i changed his water regularly. I washed it well with vinegar and hot water and he looks much happier in that. He gets more attention now too, i'm sure he appreciates that.
I got a few other odds and ends, some clothes for the kids, a fascinating little tea bell shaped like a tiny house that i really shouldn't have bought cause i am trying desperately hard to not acquire any more knick-nacks.... It would make a great Christmas ornament with a cotton ball soaked in pine needle extract tucked inside it.
It was a really good day, i am sore and achy from walking but the sun was out, it was almost too warm, but nothing has raided my garden in the last couple days, things appear to be on the mend or growing well. The kids are happy and healthy and i had some hot jalapeno cheese for a snack. Things are good!
Showing posts with label beer fertilizer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label beer fertilizer. Show all posts
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Weather
It rained off and on most of Tuesday, yesterday it was cloudy much of the day with heavy fog overnight. It seemed to be raining at times, but it was so humid that the trees were catching the fog and they were dripping. But it wasn't really rain.
This morning we still have that heavy fog. It is pleasantly warm, not so warm that it is uncomfortably muggy and not a chilly type of cool.
Its not the most cheering of weather, but i'm fine with it because we really need to have the moisture.
I was getting tired of dragging out the hose.
The fennel was up as of yesterday- this is the bulbing type. I need to get out there and do some real weeding so i can start interplanting some herb seeds. If i don't weed well, i may accidentally weed out my herb seedlings once they sprout.
Where i visited the library yesterday i came back with a few books. So i have plenty to read. I got some books on food preservation like "Food Drying" by Phyllis Hobson. I would like to dehydrate some of my leavy green produce to powder and use as a sprinkle over fresh salads and meats. I like the idea that dried foods don't need electricity to be stored. I have a vacuum sealer setup and i save glass jars (much to hubby's dismay) so i am pretty much ready to go when my garden is.
Here comes some rain now. I think the dog would like to come in. We have her under a shade tree, but no actual house for her yet.
************
Back to books.
I also got "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte
I did a lot of interplanting research, but when it came to planting time i was too overwhelmed and i simply used GrowVeg to make sure i had room and plunked in whatever i thought was ready and safe to go in.
I know i have a few things next to each other that may compete according to the interplanting principles. I don't know if the issues will be dramatic- failure to thrive, or if i am simply missing out on some optimum productivity, i guess i will find out. But if i read the book, i might bet a better understanding of the reasons for the method, more than i got from a quick scan of suggestion charts that i found scattered about online.
I also took out "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest" by Carol W. Costenbader
It said on the cover that it has pickling recipes. I'd also like to see more preservation techniques. I almost bought this book used at Amazon but i wasn't sure i'd need it, so i am glad my library has it.
I wonder if i am going to have to preserve anything from my garden this year... Tomatoes i am sure (i planted out about 10 plants when 4 usually cover us), but i wonder about other things. I think if i actually follow up on succession plantings, i will. We (I) use so many onions i think i should plant an entire row next year. I only put in 20 of each, red and white, this year to trial them.
Part of the reason i am not sure is from the charts i read in "Root Cellaring" . One of the parts of the book (its all good) that i found to be the most informative for my immediate needs was the chapter on how much food to to cellar for a family of 4.
I don't know if my little garden can produce that much, lol!
Here is the chart:
Beets: 1-2 bushels (i had room to plant about 20)
Carrots: 2-3 bushels (i planted a 4x4 bed)
Cabbage: about 30 heads (i have room to plant 6 at a time)
Brussels Sprouts: yield from 10-20 plants in the garden (i planted 6)
Chinese Cabbage: 20-30 heads
Celery: 10-20bunches
Turnips or Rutabagas: 10-20 plants (i have that)
Sweet Potatoes- 2 bushels (this is not a sweet potato growing area anyway)
Irish Potatoes 6-14 bushels
Squash and Pumpkins 30-40 fruits (this i could do that)
Onions: 1-2 bushels
Parsnips- 1-2 bushels
Salsify: 1/2-1 bushel
Garlic: as desired (they suggest a 25' row with width enough for 4 sets across) about 8# yield
Its a great guideline, but for some things i have room for less than half. I'm not freaking out or anything, but i am beginning to fully appreciate the need for full productivity in a garden. Right now we don't need to rely on ours in earnest, but i would like to get it to the level that takes it beyond a hobby garden. My hubby works hard and i'd like some physical proof of my work too since i am home. I'd also like it to be a safety net of sorts if it becomes necessary. I have a way to go there. lol
Oh, i did also love their suggested storage plants list and was happy to see that they listed Pinetree Garden Seeds as a resource for some of them. I went ahead and researched how many of the recommended plants Pinetree has the seeds for and i set up an example order to go from next year so i don't have to do it again:
Along those lines i also got "How to Live on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty" by Janet Chadwick
I'm not sure how useful it will be since it assumes i live where town zoning at least allows chickens.
You know, i am only about 3 blocks away from where zoning allows chickens. Any idea how annoyed i am about that? Anyway, the book should at least be informative and interesting.
If i do anything outside today, i might just spread around some slug bait.
I did manage to remember to buy a second hose-end sprayer. I needed a second one because i an using the first one for Bonide (fruit tree spray) and the other one i need for using my home made beer-based fertilizer and for using worm tea as a foliar spray. I got the Miracle Gro brand sprayer with the 3 different spray options. It came with a full tank of that blue fertilizer granules. So i guess i will use that up first then go in with my home made ferts.
I found that Burpee carries the Edelweiss grapes and a 20 year weed barrier fabric. I think i should get both of them soon. I will have to decide how i plan to put the grapes up. Probably the post and wire method.
As a friend suggested, i think i will smother the weeds with cardboard first and then set up the posts and wires, apply the weed barrier then plant.
I think that covers it for the day.
This morning we still have that heavy fog. It is pleasantly warm, not so warm that it is uncomfortably muggy and not a chilly type of cool.
Its not the most cheering of weather, but i'm fine with it because we really need to have the moisture.
I was getting tired of dragging out the hose.
The fennel was up as of yesterday- this is the bulbing type. I need to get out there and do some real weeding so i can start interplanting some herb seeds. If i don't weed well, i may accidentally weed out my herb seedlings once they sprout.
Where i visited the library yesterday i came back with a few books. So i have plenty to read. I got some books on food preservation like "Food Drying" by Phyllis Hobson. I would like to dehydrate some of my leavy green produce to powder and use as a sprinkle over fresh salads and meats. I like the idea that dried foods don't need electricity to be stored. I have a vacuum sealer setup and i save glass jars (much to hubby's dismay) so i am pretty much ready to go when my garden is.
Here comes some rain now. I think the dog would like to come in. We have her under a shade tree, but no actual house for her yet.
************
Back to books.
I also got "Carrots Love Tomatoes" by Louise Riotte
I did a lot of interplanting research, but when it came to planting time i was too overwhelmed and i simply used GrowVeg to make sure i had room and plunked in whatever i thought was ready and safe to go in.
I know i have a few things next to each other that may compete according to the interplanting principles. I don't know if the issues will be dramatic- failure to thrive, or if i am simply missing out on some optimum productivity, i guess i will find out. But if i read the book, i might bet a better understanding of the reasons for the method, more than i got from a quick scan of suggestion charts that i found scattered about online.
I also took out "The Big Book of Preserving the Harvest" by Carol W. Costenbader
It said on the cover that it has pickling recipes. I'd also like to see more preservation techniques. I almost bought this book used at Amazon but i wasn't sure i'd need it, so i am glad my library has it.
I wonder if i am going to have to preserve anything from my garden this year... Tomatoes i am sure (i planted out about 10 plants when 4 usually cover us), but i wonder about other things. I think if i actually follow up on succession plantings, i will. We (I) use so many onions i think i should plant an entire row next year. I only put in 20 of each, red and white, this year to trial them.
Part of the reason i am not sure is from the charts i read in "Root Cellaring" . One of the parts of the book (its all good) that i found to be the most informative for my immediate needs was the chapter on how much food to to cellar for a family of 4.
I don't know if my little garden can produce that much, lol!
Here is the chart:
Beets: 1-2 bushels (i had room to plant about 20)
Carrots: 2-3 bushels (i planted a 4x4 bed)
Cabbage: about 30 heads (i have room to plant 6 at a time)
Brussels Sprouts: yield from 10-20 plants in the garden (i planted 6)
Chinese Cabbage: 20-30 heads
Celery: 10-20bunches
Turnips or Rutabagas: 10-20 plants (i have that)
Sweet Potatoes- 2 bushels (this is not a sweet potato growing area anyway)
Irish Potatoes 6-14 bushels
Squash and Pumpkins 30-40 fruits (this i could do that)
Onions: 1-2 bushels
Parsnips- 1-2 bushels
Salsify: 1/2-1 bushel
Garlic: as desired (they suggest a 25' row with width enough for 4 sets across) about 8# yield
Its a great guideline, but for some things i have room for less than half. I'm not freaking out or anything, but i am beginning to fully appreciate the need for full productivity in a garden. Right now we don't need to rely on ours in earnest, but i would like to get it to the level that takes it beyond a hobby garden. My hubby works hard and i'd like some physical proof of my work too since i am home. I'd also like it to be a safety net of sorts if it becomes necessary. I have a way to go there. lol
Oh, i did also love their suggested storage plants list and was happy to see that they listed Pinetree Garden Seeds as a resource for some of them. I went ahead and researched how many of the recommended plants Pinetree has the seeds for and i set up an example order to go from next year so i don't have to do it again:
Along those lines i also got "How to Live on Almost Nothing and Have Plenty" by Janet Chadwick
I'm not sure how useful it will be since it assumes i live where town zoning at least allows chickens.
You know, i am only about 3 blocks away from where zoning allows chickens. Any idea how annoyed i am about that? Anyway, the book should at least be informative and interesting.
If i do anything outside today, i might just spread around some slug bait.
I did manage to remember to buy a second hose-end sprayer. I needed a second one because i an using the first one for Bonide (fruit tree spray) and the other one i need for using my home made beer-based fertilizer and for using worm tea as a foliar spray. I got the Miracle Gro brand sprayer with the 3 different spray options. It came with a full tank of that blue fertilizer granules. So i guess i will use that up first then go in with my home made ferts.
I found that Burpee carries the Edelweiss grapes and a 20 year weed barrier fabric. I think i should get both of them soon. I will have to decide how i plan to put the grapes up. Probably the post and wire method.
As a friend suggested, i think i will smother the weeds with cardboard first and then set up the posts and wires, apply the weed barrier then plant.
I think that covers it for the day.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Weather and aspirin...
Colorful radar this morning:
It says we are in snow, but it must be melting before it comes down low enough to see.
I decided to abandon researching this Planting by the Moon stuff. For one thing, it seems too rigid, who has time for rigidity when it comes to spring gardening? And i suspect it is 95% superstition, and we all know how ridiculously limiting superstitions can be. The 5% that i think is not superstitious mainly has to do with coastal tides and the weather effects of this. This far inland, any effect is limited... and i'm not going to fret over a missed planting date and then wait around for the next 'window of opportunity'... so there is that.
But i did recall something about Aspirin being useful to plants. Aspirin is a derivative of willow and i remember my grandfather doing the trick of soaking willow twigs in a bucket, then using that willow tea to root woody cuttings. Apparently it makes a good foliar spray (1 or 1/2 tablet per gallon of water) and acts as something of a tonic and helps the plant fare better all around, fighting off insects and diseases. Something of an echinacea for plants. I figure it is worth a try, since the dollar stores sell aspirin for $1 a bottle of more than 100. So, we are going to try that this year.
I still have my gallon bottle of beer fertilizer concentrate waiting for the lawn to wake up. I wonder if i should pop an aspirin in there too.
Oh and slugs, added to the research list (they reach plague proportions here)....and a few articles:
http://www.paghat.com/slugcontrol.html
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/781/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/901446/
Since it is raining, there won't be any yard work happening today... not just because of the rain, but because when the snow melts in the spring my parents' yard gets so soggy my dad won't be able to get the big tractor out for a while. So that will halt things quite a bit unless we get some really dry weather for a bit.
We have not gotten nearly as much rain and snow as the rest of the state and those blizzards that hit last month, they barely grazed us. Although we did get one storm a couple weeks ago that brought us a huge amount of rain. This current system is not doing much to us right now. Very light precip, but i guess it has drenched everyone south of us.
Still thinking about hoop houses. I want them for the whole garden... well, most of it anyway. Not for the corn... But i'm thinking pest control, season extension, frost protection.... i don't want to use or buy a bunch of bug sprays and such. I will have to for the apple trees, but i simply don't want to spend money like that. It is expensive and i always feel like i need to take a shower after dousing my plants with the stuff. I'm not a stickler for Organics, but i like to avoid unnecessary steps and expenses. If i can eliminate most pest and disease issues with reusable Agribon, Diatomaceous Earth, Aspirin, companion planting and beer traps, i am willing to try it.
I am also thinking that it might be interesting to combine the hoop houses with beneficial insects. I have wanted to try ladybugs, i understand they will eat spidermites. We have a lot of spidermites. They even attack the weeds- i have never seen so many, its quite amazing. What has kept me from trying ladybugs is that i have such a small yard, i bet they'd just all fly away. So i wonder if i were to release a few in my sealed up hoop houses, they would sort of have to hang around and eat what they find. They would get air and moisture and light, and it would be lots of room, not like putting them in a glass jar where its so small they know it is something they should try to escape. I'd stick my houseplants in there to be 'cleaned'... my houseplants get infested so bad that Safer's soap hardly helps. But i think i might dig out my bar of Fel's Naptha soap and see if that might help. I only bought it to make my own laundry cleaner, but it is said to have many other fine uses (like everything over 50 years old does).
I found some marigold seeds among my stash, they were from 2006, which is within decent germination expectancy range. And i have a ton of K-cups saved up for planting in. I'm hoping to get the Asparagus seeds started today.
It says we are in snow, but it must be melting before it comes down low enough to see.
I decided to abandon researching this Planting by the Moon stuff. For one thing, it seems too rigid, who has time for rigidity when it comes to spring gardening? And i suspect it is 95% superstition, and we all know how ridiculously limiting superstitions can be. The 5% that i think is not superstitious mainly has to do with coastal tides and the weather effects of this. This far inland, any effect is limited... and i'm not going to fret over a missed planting date and then wait around for the next 'window of opportunity'... so there is that.
But i did recall something about Aspirin being useful to plants. Aspirin is a derivative of willow and i remember my grandfather doing the trick of soaking willow twigs in a bucket, then using that willow tea to root woody cuttings. Apparently it makes a good foliar spray (1 or 1/2 tablet per gallon of water) and acts as something of a tonic and helps the plant fare better all around, fighting off insects and diseases. Something of an echinacea for plants. I figure it is worth a try, since the dollar stores sell aspirin for $1 a bottle of more than 100. So, we are going to try that this year.
I still have my gallon bottle of beer fertilizer concentrate waiting for the lawn to wake up. I wonder if i should pop an aspirin in there too.
Oh and slugs, added to the research list (they reach plague proportions here)....and a few articles:
http://www.paghat.com/slugcontrol.html
http://davesgarden.com/guides/articles/view/781/
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/901446/
Since it is raining, there won't be any yard work happening today... not just because of the rain, but because when the snow melts in the spring my parents' yard gets so soggy my dad won't be able to get the big tractor out for a while. So that will halt things quite a bit unless we get some really dry weather for a bit.
We have not gotten nearly as much rain and snow as the rest of the state and those blizzards that hit last month, they barely grazed us. Although we did get one storm a couple weeks ago that brought us a huge amount of rain. This current system is not doing much to us right now. Very light precip, but i guess it has drenched everyone south of us.
Still thinking about hoop houses. I want them for the whole garden... well, most of it anyway. Not for the corn... But i'm thinking pest control, season extension, frost protection.... i don't want to use or buy a bunch of bug sprays and such. I will have to for the apple trees, but i simply don't want to spend money like that. It is expensive and i always feel like i need to take a shower after dousing my plants with the stuff. I'm not a stickler for Organics, but i like to avoid unnecessary steps and expenses. If i can eliminate most pest and disease issues with reusable Agribon, Diatomaceous Earth, Aspirin, companion planting and beer traps, i am willing to try it.
I am also thinking that it might be interesting to combine the hoop houses with beneficial insects. I have wanted to try ladybugs, i understand they will eat spidermites. We have a lot of spidermites. They even attack the weeds- i have never seen so many, its quite amazing. What has kept me from trying ladybugs is that i have such a small yard, i bet they'd just all fly away. So i wonder if i were to release a few in my sealed up hoop houses, they would sort of have to hang around and eat what they find. They would get air and moisture and light, and it would be lots of room, not like putting them in a glass jar where its so small they know it is something they should try to escape. I'd stick my houseplants in there to be 'cleaned'... my houseplants get infested so bad that Safer's soap hardly helps. But i think i might dig out my bar of Fel's Naptha soap and see if that might help. I only bought it to make my own laundry cleaner, but it is said to have many other fine uses (like everything over 50 years old does).
I found some marigold seeds among my stash, they were from 2006, which is within decent germination expectancy range. And i have a ton of K-cups saved up for planting in. I'm hoping to get the Asparagus seeds started today.
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