Start a Garden, share your tips and tricks ⬇️

Carl said:
I've been gardening for years, so here are my tips:
  1. Keep all egg shells. Put them in the oven at 300 degrees for 15 minutes, then leave them to cool. This kills the bacteria that make them smell, as well as makes them more brittle. Crush and spread them under your tomatoes especially to prevent blossom end rot, but all plants if possible.
  2. Use plain Epsom salt around seedlings as a great source of magnesium.
  3. Try to find composted cow manure and chicken poo, and add to your soil at least every 2 years.
  4. Know your soil... does it drain well or hold water? If you can't grow anything, check the pH. Sulfur adds acidity and lime makes it more basic. Most plants thrive in an acidic soil, but not too acidic.
  5. DON'T overwater early... let your plants tell you when they're thirsty. Plants send tap roots in search of water. If you overwater, you make them lazy. Thirsty plants build great root bases, which increases their yield. Also, know your plants... do they love water or just like it. Tomatoes, melons, squash love water... peppers can get over watered.
  6. Beans add nitrogen to the soil, and are great companion plants.
  7. Compost all non-meat scraps, especially coffee grounds and banana peals. Coffee acidifies your soil and the peals add potassium. Use 5 gallon buckets in the winter, and have another bucket with soil, so you can sprinkle soil on top as you add scraps. The warm temp in your house speeds up the process. If you have a fireplace, add ash, but not too much.
  8. Men: If you can, pee on your compost to add nitrogen. Women: I don't recommend this! lol
  9. When your compost is ready, mix it with store bought fertilizers like triple phosphate, bone meal, perlite and zeolite. You can also add fulvic acid to boost nutrient uptake.
  10. When you're ready to plant, put a few cups of compost in with the seedlings, then sprinkle humic acid where the seedling roots will be. Humic acid speeds up root development. Also sprinkle in the egg shells and a teaspoon of epsom salt.
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And just what is wrong with women's wee? 😆
 
A good way to help prevent grasshoppers. Do this to your soil in the fall.

How to Manage Grasshoppers in Your Garden - YouTube
 
I have been planting food for a few years but with little success due to very rocky soil ,nothing seems to grow except squash.
any suggestions would be more than welcome.
 
Bk Kevin said:
I have been planting food for a few years but with little success due to very rocky soil ,nothing seems to grow except squash.
any suggestions would be more than welcome.
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I have the same issues with rather poor and rocky soil. I'm presently growing numerous vegetables and flowers in containers. Grow bags, available on Amazon, also work great and come in various sizes depending on the depth needed for various plants. Raised bed gardening is also a great way to grow a garden where the soil is less than ideal. I just recently transplanted some cabbage to the ground, but now something is eating it, making it look more like Swiss cheese. Had I known, I'd have purchased insects cloth sooner, as that seems to prevent that.
 
Proverbs 14 v 15 said:
I'll swap you my slugs and cabbage white butterflies for your grasshoppers 😄 at least grasshoppers make a lovely sound ❤️
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No thanks. I already have those cute little white buterflies...well, I thought they were cute little pollinaters until I found out that they are pests that lay eggs on veggies, which then hatch into larve, which then eat your veggies. 🌱🐛🍀🐛
I'm sure that I also have slugs, though haven't seen them so far this year.
 
Bk Kevin said:
I have been planting food for a few years but with little success due to very rocky soil ,nothing seems to grow except squash.
any suggestions would be more than welcome.
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This looks like a great idea to start a raised garden bed. I just found out about these corner bricks that hold boards for the walls. These can be stacked to make a 2 foot raised bed if desired.

CHEAP! How to Build a Raised Garden Bed! 2023😎🙀 - YouTube
 
Poor soil solution, inexpensive but effective raised bed garden. Use cardboard boxes in the bottom to kill the grass and as a weed barrier.

How to Install an Inexpensive Raised Bed Garden - No More Poor Soil! - YouTube
 
Niobium said:
I try growing things but they tend to die on me despite following instructions carefully. Recently, I tried growing cucumbers ( now dying) and tomato plants ( now dying) I planted some green peppers and they are doing OK for now. If anyone has a tip on how to grow a green thumb, (or green fingers as us Brits say) please let me know the secret to your success ✋
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Secret to keep cucumbers from dying is don't allow even one of them to ripen on the vine.

Your Cucumber Plants Will DIE Every Time You Make This Mistake! - YouTube
 
Serenity said:
No thanks. I already have those cute little white buterflies...well, I thought they were cute little pollinaters until I found out that they are pests that lay eggs on veggies, which then hatch into larve, which then eat your veggies. 🌱🐛🍀🐛
I'm sure that I also have slugs, though haven't seen them so far this year.
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Right pain in the bum aren't they? 😆
 
Here in Michigan, our garden has finally come into full bloom. Torrential rains over the past month have turbocharged everything, weeds included. Today, for the first time this year, my Missy and I have had a dinner created entirely from the garden: corn on the cob, pan-seared zucchini, tomatoes and onions, herbs, the whole deal. Taters are coming on strong too. It is amazing what Jehovah does with seeds. Tiny little seeds. Boom! Amazing!
 
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