Global Warming? My A$$ Its Cold Outside

[Alvin Walton]

Originally Posted by hooskins

I hate this thread so much.

Then why do you look at it?

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

On another note, does anyone here garden?

As my mom like to reminds me i am following Mrs. Obama's initiative and made two 8x3 raised garden beds to grow some vegetables this year. I have a whole bunch of plants going and plan to plant them in about 2 weeks (i know a little late). Any tips?

What did you plant?
Careful how much water they get......6 hours plus sun a day for most species....Over 80 degrees makes some things get a little....hinky....look at them often for signs of stress....bugs etc.
Tell me what u planted and I can help more
I have Toms, Peps, Corn, Okra, Pineapple, Bananas, Onions, Eggplant in the ground right now.

[DynamiteRave]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

The Associated Press: April nor'easter dumps rain, snow on East Coast

And Dick Clark is dead. Time to stockpile the guns and rations.

[mlmpetert]

Originally Posted by Hog1

What did you plant?
Careful how much water they get......6 hours plus sun a day for most species....Over 80 degrees makes some things get a little....hinky....look at them often for signs of stress....bugs etc.
Tell me what u planted and I can help more
I have Toms, Peps, Corn, Okra, Pineapple, Bananas, Onions, Eggplant in the ground right now.

In the beds I plan on putting in these:

Cucumber
Zucchini/squash – I like zucchini a lot so I have maybe 4 or 5 different types
Carrots
Green Bell Peppers
Cantaloupe
Parsley
Chives (is this a running plant? Should I keep it in a separate container?)
Radish (same thing as the chives?)

In separate pots:

Horse radish (ive been told this can take over your garden and to keep it separate)
Tomatoes (I might put a plant or 2 in the beds also)

I also have a topsy turvy strawberry plant that will be hanging.

Plus a couple raspberry bushes and I wouldn’t mind getting a grape bush or 2, but only if I have time to build trellis’s that can be tied in nicely.

I also have these but will probably give them away unless I can find a spot to put them that doesn’t make my yard look like shit:

Water melon
Orange Water Melon (taste exactly like regular water melon but is orange instead of red…. I had it for the first time last year and thought it was crazy)
Pumpkins

^for the regular water melon and pumpkins I got the biggest varieties they had…., obviously.

I probably have a couple other things I cant think of; however, somehow i i meesed up and didnt get any jalapenos, habaneros or chillie peppers. Around 50+ plants total.

So I have two beds that are 8 by 3 and 16.5 inches tall. Plus a few pots and one hanging plant (just typing this makes me want to get a second hanging plant for symmetry). The area gets good sun, at least 6 hours of direct light (too much?) I plan on building a trellis/lattice type screen to add slight shade and to make it look nicer. Probably wont do that for a month or 2.

Also I want to plant some things that will naturally keep pests away. Any good ideas? Someone told me Marigold flowers will keep things away. Ive heard citrus plants/herbs repeal some pests too. I surrounded the 2 beds with mulch to make it look nice and I am going to put a few bags of cedar mulch on top, as ive been told cedar is good for keeping pests away (beds are just pressure treated 2x6’s).

All that said im not a hippie or anything and would love to spray the entire yard with ddt if I could, so if you have any recommendations on chemical pest controls please advise. Probably gonna get a fake owl for bird control and perhaps a “sprinkler scare crow” too for dogs and deer.

Im also thinking about a rain barrel. If anyone has a rain barrel, a great idea a co worker told me about is to tie your ac condenser water pump into it, which will give you up to a few gallons a day when its real hot. Also if you compost or have good soil you can get special bags to put the dirt in and then suspend them to soak in the water barrel, making super nutrient rich water for your plants.

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

In the beds I plan on putting in these:

Cucumber
Zucchini/squash – I like zucchini a lot so I have maybe 4 or 5 different types
Carrots
Green Bell Peppers
Cantaloupe
Parsley
Chives (is this a running plant? Should I keep it in a separate container?)
Radish (same thing as the chives?)
As long as you plant after the "frost threat", should be ok on all. Cucs, Zuccs, Peps, and Cant are spring/summer stuff so good on that. No, Radish is like a.....mini bitter Cabbage and Chive is a spice (gets chopped up like an Onion top). Carrot is more of a Cold weather veg...but check it out. Might be ok
I usually have to "Manually Pollinate" my Zuccs...I know what your thinking....out in the garden smoking a cig in the afterglow......Farming is sooooo creepy
Check out the link and you'll get it
How to Hand Pollinate Zucchini | eHow.com
In separate pots:

Horse radish (ive been told this can take over your garden and to keep it separate)
Tomatoes (I might put a plant or 2 in the beds also) Toms are easy to deal with. 5 gallon pots, ok...7 gal better. Also good in ground. I stick all over the place to see where they like best. Don't hesitate to split up your stuff as if something goes wrong over here, maybe the other location of the same thing will be good....experiment!
Don't spend a lot on your gardening stuff. Check Craigs list and such for Nursery's going out and you can buy pots and things....Dirt Cheap (sorry)

I also have a topsy turvy strawberry plant that will be hanging.

Plus a couple raspberry bushes and I wouldn’t mind getting a grape bush or 2, but only if I have time to build trellis’s that can be tied in nicely.

I also have these but will probably give them away unless I can find a spot to put them that doesn’t make my yard look like shit:
Not really sure on the berries except DON'T grow strawberrys from seed...Took FOREVER to get big enough to put on fruit.
BTW, I grow seeds for everything...no plants ...cheap....and I start them inside under lights to get a jump on the weather.
I can provide some good seed resource if interested.

Water melon
Orange Water Melon (taste exactly like regular water melon but is orange instead of red…. I had it for the first time last year and thought it was crazy)
Pumpkins
Watermelon/Pumps need plenty of room to "Vine" so make sure you plan enough room for all your things to have. You'll figure out what you liked and what you did not

^for the regular water melon and pumpkins I got the biggest varieties they had…., obviously.

I probably have a couple other things I cant think of; however, somehow i i meesed up and didnt get any jalapenos, habaneros or chillie peppers. Around 50+ plants total. THAT is a S..load of hot peps which are proliferate producers. Figure out what you are going to do with a dozen peps a day during growing season
I am trying several different species of medium hot peps right now as well.
So I have two beds that are 8 by 3 and 16.5 inches tall. Plus a few pots and one hanging plant (just typing this makes me want to get a second hanging plant for symmetry). The area gets good sun, at least 6 hours of direct light (too much?) I will plan on building a trellis/lattice type screen to add slight shade and to make it look nicer. Probably wont do that for a month or 2.
You can look online for sustainable living, gardening, etc and go absolutely off the deep end planning....REplanning garden dimensions, layout, etc. Try some things and don't get to locked in on any one thing yet. What you think you will like and what works will change often. Flexibility is best. My best common denominator (and raised beds are great for many reasons) is 18-24" wide and as long as you want them 12' deep...deeper is better if you can. That way you can put anything in them and sometimes two or three rows depending on species
BTW, Cuccs love to climb as well. Fruit will be better off the ground...may have to support a little depending on size.

Also I want to plant some things that will naturally keep pests away. Any good ideas? Someone told me Marigold flowers will keep things away. Ive heard citrus plants/herbs repeal some pests too. I surrounded the 2 beds with mulch to make it look nice and I am going to put a few bags of cedar mulch on top, as ive been told cedar is good for keeping pests away (beds are just pressure treated 2x6’s).

All that said im not a hippie or anything and would love to spray the entire yard with ddt if I could, so if you have any recommendations on chemical pest controls please advise. Probably gonna get a fake owl for bird control and perhaps a “sprinkler scare crow” too for dogs and deer.
There are many natural deterrents for pests. I can't keep them straight but I can tell you snails don't like mulch and THAT is good. The only other thing I really have problems with are Corn worms, Tomato Horn worms, snails, stink bugs. For these I hand pick AND KILL THERE ASSES. If they get to many I GAS there ass!. I'm not a drum circle kind of guy eithe...BUT I do go way easy on the Chemicals.
For Squirrels, Deer, Coons, birds etc. I ffed the squirrels and birds and water them because I think they are after the moisture in the Toms. Additionally I use the Contech ScareCrow...they work

Amazon.com: Contech CRO101 Scarecrow Motion Activated Sprinkler: Patio, Lawn & Garden

Im also thinking about a rain barrel. If anyone has a rain barrel, a great idea a co worker told me about is to tie your ac condenser water pump into it, which will give you up to a few gallons a day when its real hot. Also if you compost or have good soil you can get special bags to put the dirt in and then suspend them to soak in the water barrel, making super nutrient rich water for your plants.

I also go mainly Heirloom (seed) species instead of hybrids as I just....like the results better and I can save seeds for next year from this years crop. Can't with Hybrids
If you need it I will get some chemical names for you for killing pests. Also I use Roundup for lots a weed control duty. Drives the Organic crowd crazy but does a nice job. "BackPack" pump up sprayer is AWESOME!

LOts of good info for planting here:
Fruits & Vegetables - Home - Virginia Cooperative Extension
What kind of soil did you put in your raised beds?

[mlmpetert]

Great info!

I was worried that chives have those onion root bulbs and could become a weed in future years by coming back if I didn’t want it.

I had no idea that zucchinis may have to be manually pollinated, so ill be looking that up on youtube or asking you for help later on. Do you just do it once they flower?

Ive always liked ornamental plants so fortunately I have some semi decorative older plastic pots that I don’t use that will be perfect for the tomatoes and horse radish, ill probably need a couple more after this weekend though. Another cheap place to get stuff is Big Lots. Awesome store, I got my topsy tervy strawberry basket there for a whopping $2.50.

Almost everything I have is from seed. Horse radish is a root and I bought that from a nursery. My brother has a indoor set up like you and is giving me 4-6 tomato plants this afternoon. And my dad contacted me out of nowhere and asked if I wanted him to mail me some raspberry bushes (about as random as a phone call can get). The only outstanding plants I need to buy are strawberries and grapes if I end up doing those (we’ll see how many raspberry bushes I get).

Still not sure if im keeping any of the pumpkins or watermelons. Many are spoken for at this point.

I have around 50 plants total, not 50 pepper plants. Unfortunately i only have green bell pepper plants.... might have to change that depending on how much space i have.

So are you saying since cuccs love to climb can I use tomato stakes to get them to go vertical and not take up so much space, as long as the cucumber doesn’t weigh too much? Do zucchinis climb? If so can i do the same thing?

One thing ive been wondering about the motion activated sprinkler is if it works at night? Do you need any light around it?
If you have good success with round up check this stuff out:

http://southernstates.com/catalog/p-928-monsanto-quikpro-dry-formula-15oz.aspx

I think it’s the same as round up just stronger and super easy to mix (I even got some for my mom), and I think its cheaper than any other non-bulk concentrate/powder round up type mixes.

And I thought about putting this stuff in the pimp that product thread. If you have a crab, bermuda or other creeping grass problems this stuff is amazing, and perhaps the only thing that really works. Is a little expensive though:

http://southernstates.com/catalog/p-917-ornamec-1pt.aspx

Also after hearing some very positive things i ordered some Airmax Cidekick the other day. Its not a weed killer, it just makes weed killers a lot more effective, perfect for hard to kill creeping grasses or “woody” weeds like poison ivy.

Also the best stuff in the world at making your life easier is Preen. If it didn’t work for you it means you put it on too late (unless youre reapplying right now is too late).

So my raised garden beds actually all started because I had 2 problems.

Instead of mulch beds in the front of the house around the foundation hedges there were tons of white rocks…. it looked very dated and overall just bad. I didn’t want to just throw mulch on top for a bunch of reasons. It turns out rocks are hard as shit to get rid of (although some dude took 3 wheels barrels worth off of craigslist). I remembered reading about putting gravel rocks for drainage on the bottom of raised garden beds, so i started coming up with this whole garden idea. I probably have around 4 inches of rocks mixed with dirt on the bottom of each bed (too much?)

Last year I got some Japanese hollies for free and planted them in my backyard. In the process I filled an entire 96 gallon trash can with dirt (I used to do moving as a side job and this was one of the heaviest things ive ever dealt with in my life). Turns out dirt is even harder to get rid of than rocks…... So the raised garden bed idea really started to make sense to me. I probably have around 5 inches of crappy dirt.

So for the rest of your question as to what kind of soil im using, im not sure. On top of the rocks and dirt I was thinking top soil mixed with fertilizer, peat moss and stuff. Or some cheap premix stuff. Ill have a solid 6 inches to fill with good soil. Any suggestions?

[Hog1]

Originally Posted by mlmpetert

Great info!

I was worried that chives have those onion root bulbs and could become a weed in future years by coming back if I didn’t want it.
No bulbs like onions, but you can pot whatever if your concerned about it coming back. NOT everything will pot well, but check the VA AG xtension and they should have that info. Fl does

I had no idea that zucchinis may have to be manually pollinated, so ill be looking that up on youtube or asking you for help later on. Do you just do it once they flower? I tried it without pollinating and the zuccs would get a few inches long and just start rotting. Maybe not enough bee's? I thought starting some bee hives and may yet....very important little guys. It's perfect to check each morning about 9..ish (if possible) and pollinate everything that is open
Ive always liked ornamental plants so fortunately I have some semi decorative older plastic pots that I don’t use that will be perfect for the tomatoes and horse radish, ill probably need a couple more after this weekend though. Another cheap place to get stuff is Big Lots. Awesome store, I got my topsy tervy strawberry basket there for a whopping $2.50.
I'll check them out
Almost everything I have is from seed. Horse radish is a root and I bought that from a nursery. My brother has a indoor set up like you and is giving me 4-6 tomato plants this afternoon. And my dad contacted me out of nowhere and asked if I wanted him to mail me some raspberry bushes (about as random as a phone call can get). The only outstanding plants I need to buy are strawberries and grapes if I end up doing those (we’ll see how many raspberry bushes I get).

Still not sure if im keeping any of the pumpkins or watermelons. Many are spoken for at this point.

I have around 50 plants total, not 50 pepper plants. Unfortunately i only have green bell pepper plants.... might have to change that depending on how much space i have. I should have read it......
However I have like 30 or 40 pepper plants, same on Toms, etc. The last time I looked it takes about 5 healthy plants of a given variety for each family member to each that particular variety of veg.
I give a lot away as well

So are you saying since cuccs love to climb can I use tomato stakes to get them to go vertical and not take up so much space, as long as the cucumber doesn’t weigh too much? You can. It will take something strung in between a row of stakes to make that work. I have a bed 36" wide with a row of posts down the middle and stock fencing 5' tall strung down the middle so I can plant both sides if I want and let whatever climb each side...or not. ALso no to wide to reach across to weed or whatever. zucchinis climb? No If so can i do the same thing?

One thing ive been wondering about the motion activated sprinkler is if it works at night? Do you need any light around it? I think it works at night (no lights)I think as I had it turned mistakenly off one night and I lost like 12 ripe toms to the animal friends.....
If you have good success with round up check this stuff out:

http://southernstates.com/catalog/p-928-monsanto-quikpro-dry-formula-15oz.aspx

I think it’s the same as round up just stronger and super easy to mix (I even got some for my mom), and I think its cheaper than any other non-bulk concentrate/powder round up type mixes.

And I thought about putting this stuff in the pimp that product thread. If you have a crab, bermuda or other creeping grass problems this stuff is amazing, and perhaps the only thing that really works. Is a little expensive though:

http://southernstates.com/catalog/p-917-ornamec-1pt.aspx

Also after hearing some very positive things i ordered some Airmax Cidekick the other day. Its not a weed killer, it just makes weed killers a lot more effective, perfect for hard to kill creeping grasses or “woody” weeds like poison ivy.

Also the best stuff in the world at making your life easier is Preen. If it didn’t work for you it means you put it on too late (unless youre reapplying right now is too late). COOL!

So my raised garden beds actually all started because I had 2 problems.

Instead of mulch beds in the front of the house around the foundation hedges there were tons of white rocks…. it looked very dated and overall just bad. I didn’t want to just throw mulch on top for a bunch of reasons. It turns out rocks are hard as shit to get rid of (although some dude took 3 wheels barrels worth off of craigslist). I remembered reading about putting gravel rocks for drainage on the bottom of raised garden beds, so i started coming up with this whole garden idea. I probably have around 4 inches of rocks mixed with dirt on the bottom of each bed (too much?)
In Fl you have to build in water retention...drainage is not a problem. Dirt is something you will experiment with....forever. I like my soil to require watering every 2-3 days. Longer than that and you may encounter various rot problems...much less and you water your self to death. Also there is a WORLD of irrigation systems available..Try it and see what you like. Start looking at some Gardening forums.....just don't tell anyone..
Much great info from some serious fanatics
***The AG extension will probably do free soil testing if you mail them a sample, and will have recommendations for you.

Last year I got some Japanese hollies for free and planted them in my backyard. In the process I filled an entire 96 gallon trash can with dirt (I used to do moving as a side job and this was one of the heaviest things ive ever dealt with in my life). Turns out dirt is even harder to get rid of than rocks…... So the raised garden bed idea really started to make sense to me. I probably have around 5 inches of crappy dirt.

So for the rest of your question as to what kind of soil im using, im not sure. On top of the rocks and dirt I was thinking top soil mixed with fertilizer, peat moss and stuff. Or some cheap premix stuff. Ill have a solid 6 inches to fill with good soil. Any suggestions?

Test the dirt with the VA AG service. You can call some local nurseries and tell them that you are looking to grow veggies(and check pricing). Damn dirt can get expensive. They will sell dirt by the yard. Buy a case of beer and employ one of you buds to make a dirt run for a yard or two at a time and you can mix with what you have to improve.
BUT test the dirt to make sure there are not any dealbreakers...high PH, etc

[Hog1]

I should probably add....regarding dirt. Me and DirtBag's favorite subject. What works in S. Fl may be death to your stuff in VA. AND because it can get costly at startup and buying dirt if you have to....Don't. At least not yet. It may be better to go with what you have with possibly some minor mods until you get some Q's answered. And what you already have, may be perfect...to early to tell.
Correct watering is probably the hardest thing to get right....Forum people that live in your area will be happy to help....

[firstdown]

If we are going to talk cold lets remember global warming.

[MTK]

Right, because if it's cold that totally discredits global warming.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Right, because if it's cold that totally discredits global warming.

[MTK]

Using that logic let's talk again in August when it's 100+ and I guess global warming will be back on track.

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Using that logic let's talk again in August when it's 100+ and I guess global warming will be back on track.

[Monkeydad]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

Right, because if it's cold that totally discredits global warming.

Global warming has been disproven in many other ways. Anyone who still buys into the political hoax is either really uninformed or just very gullible.

[Alvin Walton]

Why are the Great Lakes now glacier free?
Mastodons were coal burners?