Well, no, it's not a competition. We have had a wet spring and only planted on Monday. This picture was taken after I finished hipping the rows and immediately before planting. The beans and peas were starting to come up today, but I haven't taken pictures of the seedlings yet.
This is a nice looking piece of ground you have, Mustafa. How many acres do you have?
Nice looking soil, too. Nice color, a little loamy...unlike my 10 acres which is shaded almost totally with huge oaks and hickory trees. The oak leaves, as I am sure you know, add acidity the soil, so pH adjustments are a constant battle. The earth itself is hard pan red clay, full of more limestone than you imagine.
So, I have become a builder of rock gardens. I build huge beds of stone 2-3' high and add a mixture of 1 part topsoil:1 part composted horse manure : I part sand.
The next trick trick was finding perennials, especially blooming one's, that thrive in little sunlight and in acid soil. Those parameters seriously take away most options. That being said, after 16 years of this, that I finally have all 12 of these plant beds loaded and thriving. I do enjoy plants so much!
I'll post photos if anyone is interested to see what I have built.
That being said, after 16 years of this, that I finally have all 12 of these plant beds loaded and thriving. I do enjoy plants so much!
I'll post photos if anyone is interested to see what I have built.
Please do!
Peace glo
Here I stand.
I can do no other.
May God help me.
Amen.
Come, let us worship and bow down •
and kneel before the Lord our Maker
[Psalm 95]
Comfrey (also comphrey) is an important herb in organic gardening. It is used as a fertilizer and as an herbal medicine. The main species used now is Symphytum × uplandicum or Russian comfrey, a hybrid between Symphytum officinale (common comfrey) and Symphytum asperum (rough comfrey).
From Occupied Palestine:
We have suffered too much for too long. We will not accept apartheid masked as peace. We will settle for no less than our freedom.
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
Okay. That's very nice. Can you grow herbs inside the house? I don't have a garden. I'm so distraught.
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
Our gardens in North Dakota are suffering. Now having a cold snap. Current Temperature is only 39 F / 4C. It was quite a bit colder at dawn. Might have had a frost. Those of us who planted seeds will probably have to wait a few more weeks before they start sprouting.
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
This is a nice looking piece of ground you have, Mustafa. How many acres do you have?
Thank you. We have 3 acres, but only really use about a 0.8 acre and our garden is 40 ft X 100 ft.
Nice looking soil, too. Nice color, a little loamy...unlike my 10 acres which is shaded almost totally with huge oaks and hickory trees. The oak leaves, as I am sure you know, add acidity the soil, so pH adjustments are a constant battle. The earth itself is hard pan red clay, full of more limestone than you imagine.
Our soil is almost pure black clay that we call 'gumbo'. I added 4 dump truck loads of sandy soil and 14 pickup loads of composted gin trash to greatly improve the tilth of the soil. Last year the soil was in ideal condition, but the organic matter has started breaking down as evidenced by the soil being harder to till this year with a lot more clods. My wife had to water the garden to get it to come up due to the cloddy nature of the soil that did not give good soil to seed contact. God willing I will add more compost this fall. I have an excellent source of free compost as the nearby cotton gin has a huge mound of 'gin trash' with is leaf and other waste removed from ginning the cotton. I had posted pictures earlier where I took some of this gin trash and further composted it along with discarded cotton seed.
So, I have become a builder of rock gardens. I build huge beds of stone 2-3' high and add a mixture of 1 part topsoil:1 part composted horse manure : I part sand.
The next trick trick was finding perennials, especially blooming one's, that thrive in little sunlight and in acid soil. Those parameters seriously take away most options. That being said, after 16 years of this, that I finally have all 12 of these plant beds loaded and thriving. I do enjoy plants so much!
I'll post photos if anyone is interested to see what I have built.
I was looking at myself talking to myself and I realized this conversation...I was having with myself looking at myself was a conversation with myself that I needed to have with myself.
Our gardens in North Dakota are suffering. Now having a cold snap. Current Temperature is only 39 F / 4C. It was quite a bit colder at dawn. Might have had a frost. Those of us who planted seeds will probably have to wait a few more weeks before they start sprouting.
I am sorry, respected brother, but I don't think I could handle living in North Dakota. Frost in June? Wow!!!!
I am sorry, respected brother, but I don't think I could handle living in North Dakota. Frost in June? Wow!!!!
Fortunately none of the plants had sprouted and the soil is plenty damp. I doubt if any damage was done except for delaying the sprouting. This may be one of those rare Junes we get a snowfall or two in June. Since weather records have been kept up here there has been at least one recorded snowfall in every month except August. I think I am discovering why "Winter Wheat" is the most productive crop up here.
Dorothy said "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore."
I am saying "Aabidah, I don't think I am Texas in anymore."
I ordered a few plants I am going to try up here. I may be the first to try growing figs in ND. I ordered 2 "Brown Turkey" fig trees and the most hardy fig I know off and self pollinating. (Don't need fig wasps) I believe I can cut them back to about 6 inches tall each fall and cover heavily in Leaf Mold. and get them to produce at least a few figs each year. I used to grow them in Louisiana and would get figs on rooted foot tall cuttings a month after setting them out. Think if I can get good deep roots I'll be able to have figs on the new growth that should pop up in mid June.
Another one I am going to try is a Red Banana, Red Darjeeling (Musa sikkimensis) that has even been found high in the Himalayas.
But outside of those I am sticking with stuff that has a very short growing season 100 days or less and stuff native to this climate. The herbs I'm trying are all in planters I can bring in for the winter.
I am not planting a garden per se, but rather small clumps throughout the yard About 2 foot diameter patches, just enough to be in the way when I try to mow the grass.
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kormath, InToTheRain, Endymion, iRock, BeTheChange, colinberry1, fhmn63, Samiul123 liked this post
Well, no, it's not a competition. We have had a wet spring and only planted on Monday. This picture was taken after I finished hipping the rows and immediately before planting. The beans and peas were starting to come up today, but I haven't taken pictures of the seedlings yet.
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