PDA

View Full Version : Left Wing vs Right Wing Gardens



AgentOrange
03-20-2013, 06:40 PM
Yes, welcome to the land of the ol crazies, Chris!
And forget Bill and his "college gardening" classes (but maybe he's learned SOMETHING from doing...). I grew up on a farm in Ohio and actually FARMED and grew crops, etc., plus was a member of the Orange County Organic Gardening Club for a long while out here in la-la land. But I learned a BUNCH there and they'd have guest speakers at nearly every monthly meeting that covered a very wide range of organic growing related stuff (plus we all grew starter plants each spring and then exchanged them amongst ourselves and then sold the rest at the big "Green Scene" plant sale that happens every April). Learned to build starter boxes, how to maximize the plants, etc., etc. If you have such a club in your area, JOIN...they will teach you everything about gardening in short order....the right way: no chemicals or fertilizers or pesticides: just compost, rock dust for minerals, fish emulsion, etc., etc.). And One Word: NEVER use MiracleGrow. This shit kills the natural bacteria and "good stuff" in the soil: you get good plant growth maybe a season or two, but then the soil is "dead" and nothing grows right again (the plants are weak and easy prey for bugs and diseases....healthy plants actually put out a gas that repels the bugs and diseases....).

Elgrau has definite ideas that often are different from experts in the field and more in line with his loonies, "save the planet", Berkley neighbors.:witless:

Gardening is not about just things you eat, but all things in the yard. Plants you look at and plants you eat have the same needs. My garden is less on the eat side as I have limited area not in shade. Still, have had lettuce and spinach all Winter. Generally in Summer I do just tomatoes, peppers, cukes, onions, and garlic. I use rasied beds and containers on the deck. I also grow some herbs as I am addicted to fresh Basil.

Here are some basics:
- get a soil test done, free most places, contact your county agent.
- add in whatever they recommend. It saves you money and gets the job done. If you can't do that, in most areas like here and in Ohio, you can assume the ground is acidic and depending on what you are planting, lime will aid things. No lime will be needed if talking native plants, but adding a little to any annuals will be a plus. Of course if you don't get the test, you have to guess, so err on less. It is late now, add it next Winter.

- fertilizer is a good thing, especially in Spring. The soil tests will tell you what is needed. If you don't have a soil test, unlike Elgrau, I recommend a balanced version like 10-10-10 which is cheap in 50# bags. Plants can't tell the difference. A little goes a long way. I prefer normal growth in my shrubs, trees, etc and don't do much with fertilizer there. I do use an acidic fertilizer on my Azalea, Rhododendrons, Roses and Laurels. For annuals,(eatable or not) chemical fertilizers are cheap and effective. Water soluble products like Miracle Grow also work great, just cost more. They are easy to use and it is hard to burn a plant with the blue water. I use Miracle Grow with good results on my container plants. Salts will build up but not a problem for annuals or the ground out doors due to rain (except in Cal where they lack rain and steal water from other states). With house plants, a good water flushing on occasion will keep them happy.

Fertilizers heavy on nitrogen can hinder some plants like Cone Flowers (Echinaca), Black-eyed Susan's (Rudbeckia) and what has become my favorite yard tree, Wind Mill Palm. Just Google your plants.
- one thing Ed kinda picked up on is soil. Improving soil is never ending. You want as much organic material in it as you can assemble. It is not "once and done" as it decays. I collect leaves (never burn them like the neighbors). I use lots of mulch that decays and adds to soil. Mulch is a wonderful thing and a best buy. It is not a beauty product like most see it. Keep your soil covered year 'round, and don't forget the veg garden in Winter. Good soil is a must. My neighbor on the hill uses Chicken crap. It smells, and I don't trust raw waste on my vegetables. I pay more and buy composted cow manure, mostly Back Cow. My old truck has hauled tons of it, as has my old back. If you have access to a cow pasture or chicken farm, gather the crap in Fall and early Winter, don't add it in Spring like my neighbor.

I also play around with Compost Tea and have a 50 gallon set up. The deal there is adding organisms to the garden. It can be added to the soil, and sprayed on the leaves. Some claim it to be a miracle. I belong to a Compost Tea forum for years, but scientist have joined and now I only understand about 10% of what is posted, (kinda like on audio forums when engineers join in and leave me saying "WTF?")

I also have a wealth of great water (4000 gallons) with good crap and organisms in it from my fish and turtles. I dip it out in 5 gallon buckets and that is hard work. I have a pump and can also hose it to nearby things. The best thing for a pond (or aquarium) is taking out water and putting back fresh.

Like I said in the original post, GOOGLE is your friend for planting. Putting the right plant in the right environment is critical. That means soil, water and light needs. Heed the spacing requirements or you will be moving it in a couple years, which is OK. In general it takes a plant about three years to take off. You can reduce that by planting in fall, not Spring.

I experiment. I am a Gardner, not a yard decorator. I don't give a crap about what people think of my place, it is endless fun for me. If you are not killing a plant here and there, you are not doing it right. I don't prefer things trimmed neatly, prefer the natural way plants look.:confused: I like plants that add help to the critters as critters add a lot to any garden. Yard room is finite. These days I seldom add a plant that does not have critter benefits.

Nothing wrong with the organic ways, but also nothing wrong with using pest killers in the right way, and they work better. I sprayed a Camellia today under the Pergola that is getting powdery mildew due to too wet the last few weeks. If you have a regular problem with a pest, I suggest a systemic like the Bayern products. For vegetables, I use several safe things, but seldom need anything there except a little calcium spray. Now I also have a cat for the rabbits as the Beagle is old, fat and lazy. All my many birds help keep insects eaten. Blue Birds already have a nest in one on a post nailed to the side of a 4'X10" container box where I put in Butter Crunch lettuce - Today. It will be below 30 tonight, but while it is too early to plant seed, lettuce already up and healthy will be fine.

Chris, post questions and elgrau will answer with the Berkley political response:hopelessness::hororr:, then I and others here will tell you the normal approach used by the guys with doctorates at Clemson which in the day was called Clemson A&M (Agriculture & Military). Clemson is a leader in research with countless acres in research for over a hundred years. Ed says, "..forget Bill and his "college gardening" classes. That is a hard reply from a scientist. As a side note, took the classes not in the 1960's, but in the 2000's.

Cring08
03-24-2013, 08:37 AM
Hey OO,
just read this post,and thanks!

trav0810
03-24-2013, 09:25 AM
I thought a "left wing" garden occurs when I plant and work the garden then the government gives all my veggies away.