GMG Green Thumb Club

[Szykneij]

Today I finally had a chance to start the garden cleanup after a few weeks away and a number of rehearsals and events that kept me extra busy.

  In the past, I pulled out my dead vegetable plants by the roots, but this year I'm cutting them off and leaving the roots in the soil. As part of the "no dig" method, leaving the roots to decompose and add nutrients back into the soil makes a lot of sense. It also doesn't disturb the soil structure, and even though most of my vegetables are grown in containers, I think it's a good way to go.

  I usually wear gloves when I know I might be handling thorny or other nasty plants, but since I was only cleaning up the tomato plants, I didn't bother. Bad mistake. There was a pokeweed plant lurking in the tomato patch that gave me an allergic reaction, causing my hand to swell up and become very itchy. A couple of Benadryls helped, but I still made a visit to the local urgent care facility to make sure I wasn't in trouble. Luckily, the allergic reaction didn't seem to be bad enough to warrant additional treatment.

[Irons]

Today I finally had a chance to start the garden cleanup after a few weeks away and a number of rehearsals and events that kept me extra busy.

  In the past, I pulled out my dead vegetable plants by the roots, but this year I'm cutting them off and leaving the roots in the soil. As part of the "no dig" method, leaving the roots to decompose and add nutrients back into the soil makes a lot of sense. It also doesn't disturb the soil structure, and even though most of my vegetables are grown in containers, I think it's a good way to go.

  I usually wear gloves when I know I might be handling thorny or other nasty plants, but since I was only cleaning up the tomato plants, I didn't bother. Bad mistake. There was a pokeweed plant lurking in the tomato patch that gave me an allergic reaction, causing my hand to swell up and become very itchy. A couple of Benadryls helped, but I still made a visit to the local urgent care facility to make sure I wasn't in trouble. Luckily, the allergic reaction didn't seem to be bad enough to warrant additional treatment.

I'm fully into the no dig movement. Results this year have been spectacular with the only disappointment being carrots which were not part of no dig system. Instead of digging trenches, with all the work that entails, I simply dropped a seed potato in a hole made by a bulb planter into a no dig bed. No earthing up. Unbelievable harvest of both Jazzy and Cara - double the crop with minimum effort.
I am fortunate in access to two stables locally. A team of us with three or four cars regularly go in convoy "muck collecting". Hard work loading but we have a laugh, and without cost as the stables are more then happy the muck mountain is diminished somewhat.
The only caveat with no dig is a constant supply of either composted green waste or manure is essential.
   

[Kalevala]

Today I finally had a chance to start the garden cleanup after a few weeks away and a number of rehearsals and events that kept me extra busy.

  In the past, I pulled out my dead vegetable plants by the roots, but this year I'm cutting them off and leaving the roots in the soil. As part of the "no dig" method, leaving the roots to decompose and add nutrients back into the soil makes a lot of sense. It also doesn't disturb the soil structure, and even though most of my vegetables are grown in containers, I think it's a good way to go.

  I usually wear gloves when I know I might be handling thorny or other nasty plants, but since I was only cleaning up the tomato plants, I didn't bother. Bad mistake. There was a pokeweed plant lurking in the tomato patch that gave me an allergic reaction, causing my hand to swell up and become very itchy. A couple of Benadryls helped, but I still made a visit to the local urgent care facility to make sure I wasn't in trouble. Luckily, the allergic reaction didn't seem to be bad enough to warrant additional treatment.

Sorry to hear about your reaction!  Glad that it wasn't worse.

Is there enough room in your pots to do the No Dig method?  Particularly in ones that you grow plants like tomatoes in?

K

[Szykneij]

Sorry to hear about your reaction!  Glad that it wasn't worse.

Is there enough room in your pots to do the No Dig method?  Particularly in ones that you grow plants like tomatoes in?

K

Thanks. My hand looks worse today, but feels better. I'm running out later for some hydrocortisone ointment and non-drowsy antihistamine.

Each spring, I take about 40% of the previous year's soil out of my containers and amend what's left with compost and/or manure and fresh soil. The old soil I also amend to use elsewhere.

It will be interesting to see how much the roots of the removed plants have decomposed. In any case, they'll remain in the mix to help feed the new ones. Technically, because I'm removing the top layer of soil from the containers, I am disturbing the surface microbe environment. But, rather than mix the new material in with the old as I used to, I'll just add it to the top of each pot. Not a strictly no-dig procedure, but following some of the concepts.

[Kalevala]

Thanks. My hand looks worse today, but feels better. I'm running out later for some hydrocortisone ointment and non-drowsy antihistamine.

Each spring, I take about 40% of the previous year's soil out of my containers and amend what's left with compost and/or manure and fresh soil. The old soil I also amend to use elsewhere.

It will be interesting to see how much the roots of the removed plants have decomposed. In any case, they'll remain in the mix to help feed the new ones. Technically, because I'm removing the top layer of soil from the containers, I am disturbing the surface microbe environment. But, rather than mix the new material in with the old as I used to, I'll just add it to the top of each pot. Not a strictly no-dig procedure, but following some of the concepts.

I was thinking about how deep some vegetable plants can go--like some tomatoes and so was curious.

Be well!

K

[Szykneij]

I was thinking about how deep some vegetable plants can go--like some tomatoes and so was curious.

Be well!

K

Thank You.

Yes, I'm curious too about how well it will work. The containers are large, so I never have a rootbound issue. I'll need to play it by ear in the spring.

[Irons]

A client of my son had this in his garden during Halloween. The horse permanent, rider not. 

[Szykneij]

A client of my son had this in his garden during Halloween. The horse permanent, rider not.

Must have looked impressive at night with the floodlights on.

[Irons]

Must have looked impressive at night with the floodlights on.

Scary too.

[Szykneij]

I mentioned in the weather thread that I've started receiving seed catalogs in the mail, which is a welcome reminder that warm weather will come.

At the moment, it's 19 degrees F (-7C) here in Massachusetts with snow drifts as high as 2 feet (over half a meter). In the fall, I was vigilant in protecting the smaller plants and trunks of young trees from rabbit damage, but the snow pack is now well above the coverings. Hopefully, there won't be any girdling. As harmful as these creatures can be to the garden, I still feel for them trying to survive in such horrible conditions.

Since I'll be stuck indoors, It's probably a good time to go through my old seeds and see what I have that's still viable and what I might want to order. I've already purchased some new cucumber and tomato seeds, so I should be in good shape.

[Kalevala]

I mentioned in the weather thread that I've started receiving seed catalogs in the mail, which is a welcome reminder that warm weather will come.

At the moment, it's 19 degrees F (-7C) here in Massachusetts with snow drifts as high as 2 feet (over half a meter). In the fall, I was vigilant in protecting the smaller plants and trunks of young trees from rabbit damage, but the snow pack is now well above the coverings. Hopefully, there won't be any girdling. As harmful as these creatures can be to the garden, I still feel for them trying to survive in such horrible conditions.

Since I'll be stuck indoors, It's probably a good time to go through my old seeds and see what I have that's still viable and what I might want to order. I've already purchased some new cucumber and tomato seeds, so I should be in good shape.

Hope that your plants/trees survive the winter.

Stay warm,

K

[Irons]

Hope that your plants/trees survive the winter.

Stay warm,

K

Nature finds a way.

[Kalevala]

Nature finds a way.

He has rabbits in his area (which have killed some plants/trees in the past; their nature can also find a way too.   

Had a small "scare" earlier today.  I went to check (via computer) how cold it was outside and had forgotten that I had switched it from fahrenheit to celsius!   

K

[Szykneij]

He has rabbits in his area (which have killed some plants/trees in the past; their nature can also find a way too. 

Had a small "scare" earlier today.  I went to check (via computer) how cold it was outside and had forgotten that I had switched it from fahrenheit to celsius! 

K

I can imagine your initial shock. The temperatures are cold enough these days even without those negative numbers!

I do feel bad for the rabbits. It can't be an easy life trying to survive in the cold with little food to find. In the spring and summer, I leave a section of the yard unmowed with clover and other plants they like and that seems to keep them away from my vegetables, flowers, and shrubs. Winter, though, is another story. One year I tried putting out some pet rabbit food for them, but unfortunately they didn't like it, preferring tree bark instead.