Mending soil in Container Garden

Well, now it is February 2010. I really hadn't done anything to my Container Garden soil since I put it in in 2007. Last year nothing grew that well. Late planting and I just really didn't do much to it. Just planted and let it grow on it's own. Also, my compost has just now broken down enough to use.

I did some yard work today and the cool weather kept me working. So I decided to mend the soil in my containers.

First I took out all the stakes and hoses and ties out of container.

Pulled and removed anything growing.

Taking the pitch fork, I turned the compost to mix and remove twigs and trash not broken down. Then I put two large pitchfork loads of compost and put in each container.

Then I put two large shovel full of peat moss in each container.

I also had some rabbit manure that had cured in a bucket. This I added proportionally to each container. Our rabbit died so I will have to find someone with rabbits to get more. This is great organic fertilizer. It doesn't burn and it greens up everything grown in it.

Using the shovel turn backward use this to chop up the clumps and fibers in the compost. This aids in the breakdown
and mixing in amendments.

Now turn shovel over and reach down deep into the container pulling up and turning over as much as possible. Also chop the soil with shovel, turning and chopping until all the added items are mixed well. Remove any twigs or pine cones and trash that might be noticed while mixing.

Hopefully doing this early before planting it will give the new amendments time to break down and aid in adding nutrients and minerals back into the container soil to reinvigorate.

Also I fertilized and added compost to the blueberry bushes. The compost has a large amount of pine straw in the mix. This helps add acid to the soil and bring down the pH level in the soil. This is important to growing blueberries.

RELIGION AND POLITICS

It is now time to gripe a little. About 11 years ago, my neighbor that lives behind me got a vision to build a church. His back yard use to be the natural drain of rainwater out of my back yard into a large ditch on the far side of his property. We have lived here for 13 years. The first two years we had no drainage issues. I had a small garden and had no problems with standing water.

He removed all the trees and bushes. Then he hauled in clay dirt and built up the property level by six inches. Now we have standing water in our backyard. Not only in the yard but also under the house.Luckily our home sits off the ground or there would be water in our home. Ten years ago I went to the MINISTER and told him I would put down and pay for a six inch pipe to be put down from my property into the drain ditch on his property. He said NO. Also, the lady that was financing the building backed out and now we have a half way completed building and no church

to look at. Well then we had water, no water year after year.

Then a week ago another neighbor cut down all of his trees. Then put the track hoe (above)to pull up the stumps. The first one he grabbed onto pulled up the water main. Shut down the track hoe and left. No one there to move it so the city could get to it.

The city manager Jeff Baxley, said that would be about $1500 to fix. Meanwhile all this water ended up in my bacyard. No where to go. 3/4 of an acre, two feet of water. First I called Jeff Baxley for help. He said NO. Then I called a Lawyer he said it would cost me in 1 hour what would cost to fix it.Basically he said NO. I did nothing wrong and there was NOONE to help.

Finally I bought a sump pump. $150. from Lowes. 1/2 horse power with an inch and a half let off. 50 feet extension cord $18. 200 feet of 1.5 inch thin walled pvc, check valve, and all connections $110.

This bad boy WORKS. 3/4 acres 2 feet of water pulled down to three inches in two days.Even my wife was amazed.Ultimately The pump will be buried in a pvc barrell with dran tile pulled inside barrell. this will drain the whole yard into the barrell and the loat will trun on the pump and push the water out to the road.

catfish

first fish
Posted via Pixelpipe.

JULY 4TH 2008

Well, finally a three day week-end. I want Ribs and Chicken !!!
Getting the FIRE going and smoking started early. 5 AM to be exact. I get up early anyway. But to have this ready by twelve
five was the time Yesterday the ribs and chicken were marinated in the refrigerator . I also cut a GREEN limb of
oak wood and cut up several pieces to fit the fire box. I start with a charcoal chimney to get the heat going. Then put
put hot charcoal and dry oak in bottom of box. Then put the green wood on top grate in fire box leaving the box open for fire to get started. I put the meat on and adjusted the dampers to allow good air flow. At first the temperature was 300 degrees. Then has backed down to 200 degrees. After three hours, I wrapped the ribs and chicken in aluminum foil so they would not dry out.

Then just closed the dampers and let the meat cook at 150 for another two hours.



SMOKING!!!!!!!

BLUEBERRIES IN CONTAINERS

Growing blueberries is something new for me. So all this is going to be an experiment As you can tell I have bought these plastic 50 gl plastic drums and cut them in half.

Also, I have drilled hole at the bottom sides of the containers about every six inches for drainage. This is very important so water will not stand in the barrel and drown everything. Because of this irragation is a must.

I used a 50% peat moss and 50% potting soil. This helps also with drainage Using yard dirt gets hard and unusable. Using a wood bit large enough to run the soaker hose through tje top of the container. Then place a thick layer of pine bark and pine straw around the plant. This helps with moisutre control and ph level of the soil.

Also, using compost made with pine straw in the mix is good for acidic soil.

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DELL COMPUTER CUSTOMER SERVICE

I have owned Dell Computers for close to eight years. Two desktops and one notebook. The systems I have gotten usually top of the line and current on up to date components. The first two


years customer service(CS) had always been very helpful. Once, a CS person walked me completely through a reformatting the hard drive. Everything worked. If you have never done one it is NOT for the faint of heart. The biggest problem is setting everything back up. CS took care of every problem and were very knowledgeable.





Then one day a small problem came up and when I called CS they said it was a software problem and it would cost extra to get fixed. I explained that software is what makes the computer RUN.


Still NO help. All my systems have a complete service contract. Still no help. Finally I was able to correct the problem on my own.





The other day I had wifi connectivity problems on one computer. All hardware was purchased
through DELL. Three hours later I was given NO HELP and was transferred to 6 different
people all of them kept saying it was someone else and would transfer me immediately. No help.

Gardening Container Style

Click on the picture:

This is going to be my first time growing a garden in a container. Also, as you probably

will be able to tell, this is my first blog. I have always grown a great garden in the dirt so this is not all new to me. One reason for the change is our neighbor had a vision to build a church in his backyard. In doing so he cut down all of his trees and hauled in clay dirt. This cut off the natural drain into the city ditch and now when it gets wet the water will stand several inches deep in my backyard.

So, anyway, I have missed my home grown, fresh, flavorful, homemade tomato sandwich.

Recipe: One large Homegrown Tomato

(Peeled and sliced thin)

FRESH Loaf Bread(Get To Know Bread Man)

RedRine(Hoop) Cheese(sliced 1/4 inch thick)

BIG Glass of Ice cold Milk(on the side)

Fresh Ground pepper(lots)
Salt( to Taste)

KRAFT Mayonnaise(my Favorite)

Usually makes two Sandwiches. Do not wear white,

and stand over the kitchen sink when eating!!

In reading up on container gardening there are several items to consider. Location,type of container, soil, fertilizer irrigation and staking. As stated before I was forced into
looking for an alternative way of growing fresh vegetables. So first making sure the area is

well drained and SUNNY. Water needs to be within a garden hose distance(more about irrigation later). Some shade is fine, but they suggest at least six hours of full sun for tomatoes.

VERY important: Place large containers in place BEFORE filling with soil!! This helps with not being able to move if you change your mind.

Most of the suggestions for a container(bucket) was five gallon plastic. I was lucky enough to get a 50 gallon plastic drum from a local meat packing company cheap($5). Make sure the container had NO hazardous contents(fuel,poisons,acids,cleaning solvents,etc.). Its best to buy new, never used. Drainage is very important. Use the largest drill bit you have and about 1/2 inch from the bottom on the side place holes 3 inches apart all around the container. Put a layer of small rocks in the bottom just deep enough to be past the holes. You can get decorative large pots if appearance is an issue. Like on a patio, or small apartment deck. Mine are behind a privacy fence(my wife would never allow in the front yard).

Soil choice is crucial.DO NOT use dirt from the ground.Sounds strange but more than one person has said potting soil. The problem with yard dirt is it will turn very hard and will not drain properly. It almost gets as hard as concrete.Plus, if your yard has weeds and bugs so will your container. As the old saying goes "You get what you pay for"

this holds true with potting soil. A good mix of vermiculite or per lite sphagnum peat moss and real forest compost are some things to look for on the ingredients label. Also, pre-mixed with

fertilizer saves time and money. This will put the nutrients all through the soil to help deep rooting plants.

As far as using fertilizer I am definitely no expert. Again, cheap is cheap. If there is a picture of a tomato on the box or jar I would use it. One thing I do know, too much or too close will burn

the plant. Once while growing tomatoes I started getting a dark black spot on the bottom of the

tomato while growing. Some one said to use Epsom's salt. Two large table spoon fulls sprinkled around like fertilizer did the trick. It also solved the bloom from dropping off too soon and no tomatoes growing.

http://www.selectedplants.com/Fertilizing.htm

Water, water, water!! The downside of bucket gardening is irrigation. Because of the fact of having holes for proper drainage this also means watering MUST be consistent. (but I have a

life: vacations, weekend trips, LAZINESS, etc.) Well, if you are able to use a garden hose I have found the LIFE saver. As seen in the picture a Timer is an absolute must!! One quote is "A lazy man will find the easy way". My quote is "A smart man will find a better way". I don't work for the company, but this Nelson Electronic Water Timer (Model 5920) is perfect!! $19.95 at Wally World(Walmart). Uses two AA batteries so no wires or risk of electric shock. Set the clock, turn dial to 60 minutes 6 AM, your done. Just after planting, water deep and well, at least two hours.

After that set and forget it. As you can see in the picture I use soaker hoses. This puts water where needed and helps with deep soaking the plants. Again, this was bought at wally world,

and is easy to work with. Hose ends, extenders, T's are all available. Plus they last forever.Try to picture whats needed and write it down. This saves trips.I think that you have to buy a MINIMUM of $100 every time you go to wally world(HA!). If you want to add on as I did with the five gallon bucket, cut,stick on a T connection and your in business. An old pair of scissors is all that is needed for cutting. Once in place, the soaker hose can be covered either with more dirt or pine straw as this will not hinder the flow of water.

There are a couple of items while growing tomato plants I have learned. You better get them thar' suckers. When the plant is growing well suckers will grow on the plant.Usually between the main stem or stalk of the plant and the leaves or branch, small shoots will grow there called suckers. Take old scissors and cut these off. Don't pull or pinch as this will damage the stalk or even worse break plant in two. As the name goes, these will suck the nutrients away from the Fruit of the vine.You can plant these down to the leaves for late season tomatoes for canning.

Once you start getting flowering limbs, or clusters, allow only four or five flowers to stay on that same limb or cluster.Simply pinch off the very tip after four or five tomatoes have started on that individual cluster.This is called thinning and helps with sizing out the fruit. There will be several clusters on each plant so this also helps to keep from breaking the limbs or even the stalk.

The last item is staking the vining plants. As you can see in the pictures, I have bamboo growing in the yard and am using this to stake up the vining plants like tomatoes. Also, some plastic twine that came off the pine straw used around front bush bed are good for tying up the plants. Make sure to put the stakes into buckets BEFORE planting. Allot of items can be used for this, wire baskets, concrete wire mesh, split lumber anything that is stiff and tall enough to hold the plants up.

Having some small tools available is good, Look NO HOE!!! I may need the exercise , but not in South Georgia where the debate whether its the heat or the humidity wouldn't really matter if 'ur DEAD!! Now I have also gotten a little geeky and added some herbs in the open spaces. I guess we will see how this all works out.

May 3, 2007

Well, it has been six weeks. Everything was going great until one container had a squirrel attack.

Total loss in that container. Four tomato bushes and basil, plus the dandelion is broken. The one on the right is fine for now. Only one tomato bush was damaged. I guess chicken wire is needed.

June27, 2007

October 7, 2007

Well, Its finally Fall!!

All the tomatoes are gone. I was really disappointed by the variety. Better Boys were not better! Maybe twenty tomatoes off eight plants. I did have my luscious sandwiches and they were great. So, now what? I was looking up on the net to see cool weather plants to grow.

I remembered we always have collards for Thanksgiving And New Year. Bingo! There were still some plants left at the local Farmers Supply, so I bought twelve plants to get ahead of planting seed.

The sweet banana peppers are still growing. With the exception of the chives and basil, none of the other herbs grew. Don't know what happened other than shading or crowding. I might try

some in the other container.

Another addition we have is Nickelback, our black bunny. As you will see he makes some GREAT

fertilizer. Its organic, plentiful (even for one rabbit),FREE!!!! Will not burn even when poured next to the plant. He has been trained to go in a plastic tub, and then just pour that into a five gallon bucket with a lid and use when needed.

I bought some garden dust insecticide, bugs just love the leaves. The best time to apply is in the morning while dew is on leaves. If you cant in the morning while you are RUSHING to work, spray some water with a misting sprayer. Lightly sprinkle on leaves once a week.

The best recipe I have found for collard greens.

Slow Cooked Collards

Ingredients:

(2) Bunches of Collards (Washed and cut up)

(1) Tablespoon Salt

(1) Tablespoon Seasonal all spice

(1) Teaspoon Black Pepper

(2) Pieces Smoked Pork Neck bone or Smoked Hog Jowls

(1) Whole Onion Chopped

(1) Clove Fresh Garlic (Peeled and cut up)

Take a tall pot and fill half full and put on burner on high. You will also need a large spoon and the Slow-Cooker close by. Place pork and onion in Slow-Cooker. When water starts to boil place large handfull into boiling water. Be careful not to touch pot or boilng water. Greens will wilt down.

Transfer the greens into slow-cooker and repeat until all collards are wilted and in slow-cooker.

Put Season all, salt, pepper, and garlic on top of Greens and pour water from tall pot until almost full. Stir all together and turn Slow-Cooker to low and plug in. Allow to cook for (8) Eight hours and enjoy. I like mine in a bowl poured over cheese corn bread and a little pot- likker and table spoon of apple cider vineger.

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