Re: [tomato] Doing everything wrong/right!
Orchid (Tomato@GlobalGarden.com)
Sun, 7 Mar 1999 22:41:11 -0500
>>My point is this: For those who want to bake soil, use additives, line
>>the rows with red mulch, and play concert music to their plants...go for
>>it.....
Jan, just one tip, I find that my plants like listening to NEW AGE
MUSIC......seriously though....in October I visited San Antonio after a
wedding in Austin. We visited the Alamo, the japanese tea garden and
everything else. Thank god the weather was cool, but we were there during
the worst flood in Texas history. I know that San Antonio got hit
bad.....how did you make out? Before the rain I gave my uncle a WEATHER
ALERT RADIO for a gift, not knowing that the compost was going to hit the
fan. That radio didn't stop beeping and alerting. Thank God my Uncle lived
on high ground. I'm sorry that I went off the subject a little but one last
question? With all the great Tex Mex restaurants around, one on every
corner....how is it that that Taco Bell has hundreds of them all round and
can stay in business? It must be the Chihuahua....I know because I have
two.
The one thing I envy in Texas, is your huge assortment of wild birds
including hummingbirds. I guess they go through Texas on their way to
Mexico....
Re: washer water.......could it be that the washer water contains all the
fresh manure you keep dripping on yourselves? :>)
I can hardly wait to hear from the experts.
Regards,
Peter White, Zone 10, South Florida
-----Original Message-----
From: John and Jan Taylor <jtaylor@stic.net>
To: Tomato@GlobalGarden.com <Tomato@GlobalGarden.com>
Date: Sunday, March 07, 1999 2:43 PM
Subject: [tomato] Doing everything wrong/right!
>Hi all,
>
>Couldn't help but post this message after reading about better manure,
>additives to soil, baking soil, etc....All good advice, but who has the
>time???
>
>Here is what we do each year and have great success, not only with
>tomatoes, but all our veggies....
>
>I am posting this only expecting to hear that what we are doing is wrong
>and should not work! (but it does)....
>
>We live just outside of San Antonio, where it gets hotter than you know
>what in the summer....We are on acreage, but hold our garden to about
>300-400 square feet (including the spots most would use for
>flowers....). Our primary garden is in full sun, but our other spots are
>either morning sun or mostly shade.
>
>We have access to tons of horse manure.....and in the spring we
>generally can be counted on to 'clean out' a stall or two....all of that
>goes into the garden. Lately though, one of my dogs has developed the
>nasty habit of snitching horse manure from the pasture....she brings it
>into our yard and tears it up.....Not complaining, she is spreading it
>in different spots!
>
>Our biggest problem with the heat is watering......not being able to
>keep enough water on the plants because of the heat (it evaporates very
>very quickly).....In addition, our water district imposes large fines if
>you go over the minimum amounts (they double your bill...)...So! Year
>before last hubby ran the lines from my washer dump water (blue water)
>to the garden.....All of that goes into the garden and we are
>considering venting other 'blue water' to the garden. We also bought
>soaker hoses just in case we need to water extra.
>
>Whats in my washer blue water? (Here is where I may hear back from all
>of you)....Wisk liquid laundry detergent and sometimes clorox.....Now,
>oddly enough, when I am on a bleach frenzy and do a lot of white
>bleaching ....my plants tend to grow like crazy..I would have thought it
>would have been a problem, but found out it may be helping....I also
>have less bugs than most around here....
>
>Weeds? You bet! They keep us busy, but busy costs nothing....those
>colored plastic mulches do....this year however (after reading cheap
>mulching techniques) we may use newspaper and/or hay.....would help to
>retain moisture and keep weeds down...Our weed help comes
>feathered.....the chickens get into the garden after the plants are well
>established...scratch in the rows and keep it pretty clean.....they may
>be eating the bugs too....but we have never seen any signs of them
>pecking at the veggies....The only weed that is impossible to keep out
>of the garden is bermuda grass....the rest I can usually keep at bay by
>getting them by their roots....
>
>We don't necessarily add any fertilizer.....occasionally we may water
>with Miracle Grow..but that is only one or two times a growing season
>(which is now through Christmas) ..I do start my plants with it....but
>after they are established I generally rely on what mother nature gives
>me.....sometimes I make a couple of 5 gallon buckets of 'manure
>tea'..which I get this way....I find the pasture the horses have
>recently been in....take (2) 5 gallon buckets and a shovel and scoop up
>the fresh stuff....bring that back to the garden area and fill the
>buckets....let them sit for a week or two (and make sure they are down
>wind from any windows).....after it has 'brewed' in the Texas sun for a
>week or so, we dump them ...(and promptly hose our self down if it
>splashed...)....(you can tie up the manure in cheesecloth and put that
>in the buckets...but I always forget to buy cheesecloth...and the other
>way works good...)
>
>Our soil is very sandy...but after a few years mixing in 'barn
>scrapings' the main garden area is a sandy loam, and holds together
>quite well....
>
>My point is this: For those who want to bake soil, use additives, line
>the rows with red mulch, and play concert music to their plants...go for
>it..... I am in it for the end result that mother nature allows me to
>have for the year given the soil and conditions she has so graciously
>given me.....and have had minimal problems....and beautiful productive
>gardens.....
>
>Any other 'cheap' tricks out there?
>
>Clorox????? (yep *grin*)...
>
>Jan Taylor
>San Antonio, Texas
>(fajita's on the grill today...guacomole on the side and fresh
>tortillas...)
>
>