Early Gardening Tips

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HopeinHim98

Well-known member
Mar 16, 2023
529
417
63
#21
This doesn't seem to be a very popular thread! Oh well.

I planted some early stuff (spinach, kale, lettuce) last week. Now the weather has been warmer and rainy so I'm hoping they'll germ soon!
 

arthurfleminger

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
1,405
780
113
#23
I don't have a large garden, but I do plant tomatos and many different types of flowers anually. I have two preseason tips for gardeners.

1. Throughout the year, especially during the non growing part of the year, dispose of all your garbage in your garden. I keep a large plastic coffee can on my kitchen counter. I put all my garbage in it, coffee grounds, meats, rinds.......all garbage in it. It fills up about once a week. When it is full, I dig a hole in my garden and bury the garbage. I move the shovel each time I plant the garbage, so that I know where the next lot goes. Surprisingly, after about a month and a half, the garbage completely disappears. The reason being will be seen in tip #2. The garbage in the soil keeps the soil rich for growing things.

2. I'm not selling anything, but for the last 10 years or so, I've been ordering worms on line and planting them in my garden. I order about 1,000 worms anually, at the start of spring, mainly red wrigglers and Canadian night crawlers. These worms cost me about $50 anually and keep the soil well irrigated and, along with the garbage in tip #1, they keep important nutrients in the soil. If one desires, one can even start their own worm farm. I buy my worms from either Amazon or Jim's Worm Farm. See below:

Amazon.com : worms

Buy Red Wigglers Worm Composting and Vermicomposting supplies (unclejimswormfarm.com)

Those are my two tips for preseason garden prep.
 

HopeinHim98

Well-known member
Mar 16, 2023
529
417
63
#25
I don't have a large garden, but I do plant tomatos and many different types of flowers anually. I have two preseason tips for gardeners.

1. Throughout the year, especially during the non growing part of the year, dispose of all your garbage in your garden. I keep a large plastic coffee can on my kitchen counter. I put all my garbage in it, coffee grounds, meats, rinds.......all garbage in it. It fills up about once a week. When it is full, I dig a hole in my garden and bury the garbage. I move the shovel each time I plant the garbage, so that I know where the next lot goes. Surprisingly, after about a month and a half, the garbage completely disappears. The reason being will be seen in tip #2. The garbage in the soil keeps the soil rich for growing things.

2. I'm not selling anything, but for the last 10 years or so, I've been ordering worms on line and planting them in my garden. I order about 1,000 worms anually, at the start of spring, mainly red wrigglers and Canadian night crawlers. These worms cost me about $50 anually and keep the soil well irrigated and, along with the garbage in tip #1, they keep important nutrients in the soil. If one desires, one can even start their own worm farm. I buy my worms from either Amazon or Jim's Worm Farm. See below:

Amazon.com : worms

Buy Red Wigglers Worm Composting and Vermicomposting supplies (unclejimswormfarm.com)

Those are my two tips for preseason garden prep.
Thanks for sharing that!
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,286
4,331
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#27
I don't have a large garden, but I do plant tomatos and many different types of flowers anually. I have two preseason tips for gardeners.

1. Throughout the year, especially during the non growing part of the year, dispose of all your garbage in your garden. I keep a large plastic coffee can on my kitchen counter. I put all my garbage in it, coffee grounds, meats, rinds.......all garbage in it. It fills up about once a week. When it is full, I dig a hole in my garden and bury the garbage. I move the shovel each time I plant the garbage, so that I know where the next lot goes. Surprisingly, after about a month and a half, the garbage completely disappears. The reason being will be seen in tip #2. The garbage in the soil keeps the soil rich for growing things.

2. I'm not selling anything, but for the last 10 years or so, I've been ordering worms on line and planting them in my garden. I order about 1,000 worms anually, at the start of spring, mainly red wrigglers and Canadian night crawlers. These worms cost me about $50 anually and keep the soil well irrigated and, along with the garbage in tip #1, they keep important nutrients in the soil. If one desires, one can even start their own worm farm. I buy my worms from either Amazon or Jim's Worm Farm. See below:

Amazon.com : worms

Buy Red Wigglers Worm Composting and Vermicomposting supplies (unclejimswormfarm.com)

Those are my two tips for preseason garden prep.
Yes, thanks Arthur!

Sounds like a very good way to get a lot of return on just $50.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,286
4,331
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#29
I don't have a large garden, but I do plant tomatos and many different types of flowers anually. I have two preseason tips for gardeners.

1. Throughout the year, especially during the non growing part of the year, dispose of all your garbage in your garden. I keep a large plastic coffee can on my kitchen counter. I put all my garbage in it, coffee grounds, meats, rinds.......all garbage in it. It fills up about once a week. When it is full, I dig a hole in my garden and bury the garbage. I move the shovel each time I plant the garbage, so that I know where the next lot goes. Surprisingly, after about a month and a half, the garbage completely disappears. The reason being will be seen in tip #2. The garbage in the soil keeps the soil rich for growing things.

2. I'm not selling anything, but for the last 10 years or so, I've been ordering worms on line and planting them in my garden. I order about 1,000 worms anually, at the start of spring, mainly red wrigglers and Canadian night crawlers. These worms cost me about $50 anually and keep the soil well irrigated and, along with the garbage in tip #1, they keep important nutrients in the soil. If one desires, one can even start their own worm farm. I buy my worms from either Amazon or Jim's Worm Farm. See below:

Amazon.com : worms

Buy Red Wigglers Worm Composting and Vermicomposting supplies (unclejimswormfarm.com)

Those are my two tips for preseason garden prep.
Thats probably the simplest way of breaking down compost. You don't need a compost.drum or extra turning that way. Thanks for the links too.
 

arthurfleminger

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
1,405
780
113
#30
Thats probably the simplest way of breaking down compost. You don't need a compost.drum or extra turning that way. Thanks for the links too.
This year I actually ordered 2lbs, 2,000 worms from Amazon with free shipping for $59. The worms arrived alive and well within 2 days. I dug 10 small holes around my garden and dumped in a handful of worms in each holel, poured a little water on them and covered them up. About a 1/2 hours work. Here is the exact purchase I made on Amazon:

Amazon.com: Uncle Jim's Worm Farm European Nightcrawlers Composting and Fishing Worms 2 Lb Pack : Patio, Lawn & Garden
 

arthurfleminger

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
1,405
780
113
#31
I don't have a large garden, but I do plant tomatos and many different types of flowers anually. I have two preseason tips for gardeners.

1. Throughout the year, especially during the non growing part of the year, dispose of all your garbage in your garden. I keep a large plastic coffee can on my kitchen counter. I put all my garbage in it, coffee grounds, meats, rinds.......all garbage in it. It fills up about once a week. When it is full, I dig a hole in my garden and bury the garbage. I move the shovel each time I plant the garbage, so that I know where the next lot goes. Surprisingly, after about a month and a half, the garbage completely disappears. The reason being will be seen in tip #2. The garbage in the soil keeps the soil rich for growing things.

2. I'm not selling anything, but for the last 10 years or so, I've been ordering worms on line and planting them in my garden. I order about 1,000 worms anually, at the start of spring, mainly red wrigglers and Canadian night crawlers. These worms cost me about $50 anually and keep the soil well irrigated and, along with the garbage in tip #1, they keep important nutrients in the soil. If one desires, one can even start their own worm farm. I buy my worms from either Amazon or Jim's Worm Farm. See below:

Amazon.com : worms

Buy Red Wigglers Worm Composting and Vermicomposting supplies (unclejimswormfarm.com)

Those are my two tips for preseason garden prep.
A third tip:

3. When the leaves fall in autumn my neighbors rake them up and put them in bags for trash pick up. No need to tell you that I grab a few bags and spread them over my garden area at the end of the growing season. Then, as I'm digging individual holes for my garbage, the leaves get turned over in to the soil also. The worms make excellent compost and the worms make them disappear.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,286
4,331
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#32
A third tip:

3. When the leaves fall in autumn my neighbors rake them up and put them in bags for trash pick up. No need to tell you that I grab a few bags and spread them over my garden area at the end of the growing season. Then, as I'm digging individual holes for my garbage, the leaves get turned over in to the soil also. The worms make excellent compost and the worms make them disappear.
I like leaf mulch too, don't let my compost go to waste and have a large bin for it outside next to the garden.
There's a pretty good population of earthworms from my compost and leaves from my maple tree. 2,000 more would do a lot of work. There are a lot of people with big bags of leaves in the fall on curbside for the landfill. That's many pounds of rich organic minerals. I think that next fall I'll do the same on my other property in case I ever move back to the countryside the soil will be ready to plant near the house.
 

HealthAndHappiness

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2022
10,286
4,331
113
Almost Heaven West Virginia
#33
Gardening Tip:

Pray

We normally get a lot more rain in West Virginia than some states, sometimes even when there are Southern droughts. One section of the state is considered a "rain forest."
The Southern states have the benefits of the longer growing season, but often have to spend a fortune on city water and sewage to water their gardens. Up here, our season is not as long, but we had two weeks without rain at the second half of May. Those of us who have wells take note.
God just answered prayer when He sent a barrage of lightning and thunder that sounded like it went on continuously for a whole minute! That announced the rain that just fell! Thank YOU Father!
 

arthurfleminger

Well-known member
Aug 18, 2021
1,405
780
113
#34
Gardening Tip:

Pray

We normally get a lot more rain in West Virginia than some states, sometimes even when there are Southern droughts. One section of the state is considered a "rain forest."
The Southern states have the benefits of the longer growing season, but often have to spend a fortune on city water and sewage to water their gardens. Up here, our season is not as long, but we had two weeks without rain at the second half of May. Those of us who have wells take note.
God just answered prayer when He sent a barrage of lightning and thunder that sounded like it went on continuously for a whole minute! That announced the rain that just fell! Thank YOU Father!
We've been drowning in record amounts of rain this spring, almost every other day in Colorado. It's cold and raining today and supposed to continue through the next week. It doesn't end.
 

Zandar

Well-known member
May 16, 2023
1,606
633
113
#36
my apples look terrible this year. i think the frost might have wiped a bunch out but the ones that are left look rough too
 

Zandar

Well-known member
May 16, 2023
1,606
633
113
#37
I'm breaking green beans, anybody want to join me?
 

MichaelZ

Active member
Jun 11, 2023
116
89
28
#38
One tip I can share: diatomaceous Earth. It is a natural dusting powder that causes all the bugs that eat your small kale and other seedlings to die from small cuts. Works for pepper beetles too. But to humans it is not harmful and is even considered to be food grade. Just don’t use it around your blossoms as it could kill the pollinators. https://www.homesandgardens.com/gardens/diatomaceous-earth
 

Zandar

Well-known member
May 16, 2023
1,606
633
113
#39
My apples are blooming like crazy. They look like they've have been pollinated already but I used some lower flowers to make sure by taking the blooms and pollinating the trees.