How does your Garden Grow?

[thelerner]

I type this w/ dirty fingers. I've got two small garden patches, one is a 4 feet in diameter circle of bricks where I grow tomatoes, the other is a 16 foot x 1 foot raised garden bed, where I'll put in mesclun, carrots, broccoli sprouts etc.

 

The long square foot garden was inspired by the Mother Earth magazine. I started it last year, very simply. As recommended in the article on lazy gardening, I bought cheap 40lb bags of soil ($1.25 each) and simply laid them out in a row. Splitting the bottom and ripping off the tops. Bam, instant garden, most of the work was putting a little hedge around it. I added a bag of miracle grow to the top, cause its good stuff.

 

Things grew quite well from it last year. My only regret was putting in cabbages which grew to monster size and took up too much room. After the harvest I pulled up the remains of the bags and left it covered in grass and leaf clippings as mulch. This year I did some weeding of grass that popped up in it, I added a bag of miracle grow soil and it looks ripe for planting.

 

The tomatoes I grow in the circle are usually cherry or grape 'size' varieties. I particularly like the hybrid orange grape tomatoes w/ the Sweet 100's coming in a close second. In the past I've grown them in containers and gotten good results. When things go well, you end up with 3 months of sweet cherry berries that you eat every time you come in or leave the house.

 

 

 

As far as the controversy on weeding, the best, and most real answer is grow a garden. Gardening is Tao. Getting your hands dirty and living life is the Way, wordy philosophizing is not.

 

Michael

[Marblehead]

My garden is growing well, thank you. I saw my first moss rose flower this morning. I have a very nice growth of moss roses this year and all of them are from last year's self-seeding. I planted none of them this year. They are growing in the areas where I put petunias earlier this year. The two flowers are going to contrast very nicely.

 

I don't grow veggies but sometime I think about turning an area or two into veggie gardens.

 

Peace & Love!

[Pietro]

Nice thread!

 

I have laid down some card box and put some earth on it, and threw some seed balls. The seedballs have come to life with a lt of little leaves coming out. But I am afraid they will not have eough earth to sustain themselves as the cardbox have not rotted enough to let them root through them. I probably should have put the cardbos before winter.

 

As you might have gathered I am trying some no dig method. Mostly because I am way too much of an armchair gardener to do anything else ;-)

[C T]

Nice job Michael!

 

Fully agree that gardening is such a 'tao' indulgence, and the payback is so worth the effort.

 

When i was 10 yrs old i started planting my own veg, like sweetcorn, pumpkins, snake beans, okra, spinach, cucumber and a few other varieties, and also fruit trees like lime, mangos, and passion fruit. My mom totally inspired me to get all that going. It was super, always enough for the family and surplus to barter with the neighbors too. The equatorial conditions then was perfect.

 

Somehow left that all behind as i got older... too many new and exciting distractions i guess. But amazingly, this spring i am rekindling this wonderful hobby, and its really a joy you know? Watching things grow, and tending to that growth is such an absorbing past-time, and totally karma yoga-like. Brings back such fond memories...

 

Your post is great timing actually. Thanks a mil!

[Marblehead]

I have laid down some card box and put some earth on it, and threw some seed balls.

 

If you keep the area moist, especially the cardboard, the roots of almost any plant will grow rigth into it with no problem. But it has to be kept moist.

 

Have fun and I hope you get a return on your investment.

 

Peace & Love!

[Pietro]

If you keep the area moist, especially the cardboard, the roots of almost any plant will grow rigth into it with no problem. But it has to be kept moist.

 

Have fun and I hope you get a return on your investment.

 

Peace & Love!

 

Thank you. It has been raining like crazy up to few days ago. But now it looks like it has started the dry season. Amazing how portugal can have a dry and a rainy season. It is Mediterranean, but very diverse between the winter and the summer months. I have been collecting my urine, as suggested in some books, and was going to mix it with water, and use it for the garden. I also realized that the sheet I made is too heavy in carbon. It is just a cardboard, and no green mulch on top of it, and just some earth over it. So I am thinking to use the urine+water to break up the cardboard. The nitrogen should do its job. For the rest I should follow your advise and keep it wet with water. It is just that I am looking for some ways where there is not much work that I do. It's not just laziness, it is also looking for ways to let nature flow, and only gently directing it.

[~jK~]

I type this w/ dirty fingers. I've got two small garden patches, one is a 4 feet in diameter circle of bricks where I grow tomatoes, the other is a 16 foot x 1 foot raised garden bed, where I'll put in mesclun, carrots, broccoli sprouts etc.

 

Michael

 

In Hong Kong, most people don't own land but live in high rises - so I teach people to make sprouts !

In addition I have been teaching, my few friends that do own land, how to compost so as to have vitamins and minerals retained in their diet.

Here's some information on it:

 

The Why's

 

"Sprouted Seeds: "Forgotten Food,"

enhances immune system and rejuvenation

 

By Sol Azulay

 

Five thousand years ago Chinese nobles ate sprouted seeds for rejuvenation and healing. Today, research seems to be confirming that sprouts are the food of the future, as well as a food of the past.

 

During WWII, when the United States was concerned about a possible meat shortage, the scientific community advised the government that the consumption of germinated seeds was the best and the cheapest alternative to proteins in meat. Today, the increasing tendency to avoid eating meat means that sprouts are taking a serious place in modern culinary approach.

 

The value of sprouts is becoming more and more accepted among many in the scientific community today. Sprouts are found to be a complete protein. Untampered natural sprouts assist in the building of nerves, tissue, bones and blood.

 

Dr. Ann Wigmore, founder of the Ann Wigmore Foundation in Torreon, New Mexico, has dedicated her life to confirming the healing properties of sprouts. For the past 30 years, the foundation and four related institutes have treated people for different disorders. Sprouts were found to contribute extensively to the immune system, and were shown to be excellent detoxificants."

Article continues at:

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/sproutedseeds.html

Here's some more information on it:

 

Enzymes and Longevity

http://www.living-foods.com/articles/enzymes.html

 

To make a long story short, I grow bean sprouts year round (mainly mung beans), when the seeds have sprouted a root about 1/8 inch long, I put them in a blender with some cold distilled water and blend them into a juice, then strain the fines out of the mixture to make an extremely potent enzyme rich drink - that I drink about once or twice every week. For over 10 years I do not get sick unless I forget the sprout juice for over a month...

By the way - enzymes are what he hospitals treat cancer with...

 

The How's:

 

Step one

 

Bringing our body into natural chemical balance.

 

Making an enzyme rich extract that helps to rebuild our body systems through replacing the enzyme bank of the Pancreas while supplying vitamins.

 

Our society is an almost 100% cooked food society.

Temperatures above 105 F' destroy enzymes

For millions of years we have eaten food raw.

Cooking foods destroys the enzymes.

We must get them in our food.

This is about a food extract.

The # 1 rule in the process is no heat above 100'F (55' C)

The # 2 rule is Be careful eating the beans like a salad as an unsprouted bean can break a tooth...

 

The process:

 

Using Mung Beans

 

Making a juice extract by sprouting (1/4 to 1/2 of a cup) of the seeds so that they have a root emerging no more than 1/8 inch. It takes about 24 hours to sprout the seeds in the summer.

 

The process:

I cover them in tap water for about 4 hours & then pour the water away, let them dry for a few hours & cover them with tap water again and repeat the process untill they sprout a root emerging no more than 1/8 inch.

 

Then put them in a blender with about 3 times as much cold distilled water as seeds.

 

Blend them with the cold water so that the seeds become like a powder.

 

Strain the blended seeds & water through a stainless steel wire type filtering seive that you can find at grocery stores & drink the juice while it is fresh.

 

Throw away the grounds.

 

To build up your enzyme bank in your pancreas, you will need to do this every 2 or 3 days for a month or 2. Then about once a week. Even if I begin feeling a little sick, if I drink the juice, the illness does not develop.

 

I keep some of the semi sprouted beans in the refridgerator most of the time & snack on them - but the juice extract is what really works. Be careful eating the beans like a salad as an unsprouted bean can break a tooth...

 

The juice also acts as a catalyst for the endocrine system to bring hormones into balance.

Edited April 29, 2010 by ~jK~

[gendao]

Thank you. It has been raining like crazy up to few days ago. But now it looks like it has started the dry season. Amazing how portugal can have a dry and a rainy season. It is Mediterranean, but very diverse between the winter and the summer months. I have been collecting my urine, as suggested in some books, and was going to mix it with water, and use it for the garden. I also realized that the sheet I made is too heavy in carbon. It is just a cardboard, and no green mulch on top of it, and just some earth over it. So I am thinking to use the urine+water to break up the cardboard. The nitrogen should do its job. For the rest I should follow your advise and keep it wet with water. It is just that I am looking for some ways where there is not much work that I do. It's not just laziness, it is also looking for ways to let nature flow, and only gently directing it.

It's probably better to use fresh urine for direct application. Urea starts converting to ammonia over time, so urine over 24 hours old may contain too much ammonia that could burn plants. You could use this aged urine for your compost heap, though. But, don't use your urine if you have a UTI or are on any meds. And if you get less than 30" of rainfall per year, you need to make sure you avoid letting salt from your urine build up anywhere you pour it.

 

Generally, early Spring & early Fall are the best time to plant plants. This gives them the most time to get established before a hot summer or cold winter.

 

Another additive to consider is mycorrhizal fungi. This is a naturally-occuring (usually) symbiotic root fungi (like Glomus) that helps protect plants against pathogenic infections while aiding absorption of inorganic nutrients in exchange for some plant sugars.

Under natural conditions plants live in close symbiotic association with a group of soil organisms called mycorrhizal fungi. These fungi colonize plant roots and extend the root system into the surrounding soil. Estimates of amounts of mycorrhizal filaments present in growth media associated with plants are astonishing. Several miles of filaments can be present in less than a thimbleful of soil.

 

The relationship is beneficial because the plant enjoys improved nutrient and water uptake, disease resistance, and superior survival and growth.

 

Approximately 90 per cent of all land plants depend on the mycorrhizal fungi that radiate from their roots and feed humbly on their plant sugars. In return, the fungus delivers nutrients to the plant like phosphorus, calcium, nitrogen, iron and life-giving water.

The result is generally a larger, healthier plant (with a few rare exceptions like Glomus causing tobacco stunt disease):

 

Some of the "New Age" gardeners also believe in fertilizing with ORMUS or ocean water.

 

 

And of course, before all of this, it is important to make sure you pick the right plants naturally-suited for your growing conditions & zone.

Edited April 29, 2010 by vortex

[Ya Mu]

I do Southern Gentleman Farming.

[Marblehead]

It is just that I am looking for some ways where there is not much work that I do. It's not just laziness, it is also looking for ways to let nature flow, and only gently directing it.

 

I hear what you are saying and that is one of my goals as well. There are certain times of the year when there is very little work required and other time when there is a great demand for attention from the plants. The urine is probably a good idea. Don't pour it directly on the plants though as it will probably burn them.

 

Yeah, the currents of the ocean dictate your weather so the water temperature would have a lot of influence on how much rain you get.

 

The key to growing from seed is to keep the soil moist until the plants are a couple to a few inches (depending on the plant) high and then you can begin cutting back on the frequency of watering.

 

The day lillies I am growing require lots of water. It was the most frequently mentioned topic when I was reading about them so I will have to water them at least every other day when it doesn't rain.

 

I hope you have a nice little garden.

 

Peace & Love!

[Andrei]

This is my last year Taoist garden . This year I have big plans... good idea with using the soil bags!

 

Edited April 30, 2010 by steam

[Iyoiyo]

I will shortly return to my home in south east Alaska (no more undegraduate study for me!). I hope I can start a garden, but it will really depend on how far the season has progressed by the time I arrive. We really need to plant at the right time in that region (because the summer is so short) or else the plants will not mature before they die. It might be too late to start planting. Although, perhaps I can help my mother with her garden .

[voidisyinyang]

It's probably better to use fresh urine for direct application. Urea starts converting to ammonia over time, so urine over 24 hours old may contain too much ammonia that could burn plants. You could use this aged urine for your compost heap, though. But, don't use your urine if you have a UTI or are on any meds. And if you get less than 30" of rainfall per year, you need to make sure you avoid letting salt from your urine build up anywhere you pour it.

 

Generally, early Spring & early Fall are the best time to plant plants. This gives them the most time to get established before a hot summer or cold winter.

 

Another additive to consider is mycorrhizal fungi. This is a naturally-occuring (usually) symbiotic root fungi (like Glomus) that helps protect plants against pathogenic infections while aiding absorption of inorganic nutrients in exchange for some plant sugars.The result is generally a larger, healthier plant (with a few rare exceptions like Glomus causing tobacco stunt disease):

 

Some of the "New Age" gardeners also believe in fertilizing with ORMUS or ocean water.

 

 

And of course, before all of this, it is important to make sure you pick the right plants naturally-suited for your growing conditions & zone.

 

http://www.mycorrhiza.com -- so there's all these fancy photos of plants growing twice as large and also this data and research about

 

WHY you need it.

 

WHEN you need it.

 

HOW you need it.

 

WHO needs it.

 

WHAT you need.

 

But guess what -- there's NO PRICE listed -- there's NO ORDER FORM.

 

And all that information is overwhelming with this fancy tables of a dozen different products all cross-correlated, yadda yadda.

 

Just get me some -- on and on about how great it is -- but NO WAY TO GET THE STUFF.

 

In the end it says -- if you want to get this stuff then write us or call us -- but no prices even listed.

 

It says it only costs a few pennies per plant -- o.k. then how much is a quantity of the product?

 

hello? That's crazy.

 

Reminds me of those fancy posters you'd see for events.

 

Bands playing -- all the information -- fancy graphics -- except NO LOCATION!! haha.

 

Ooops!

 

O.K. so then I click one on of the distributors since that's how you can find out prices -- FINALLY.

 

So then the distributor has prices?

 

NOPE

 

Our Mycorrhizal Products come in 5 basic types. Tablets, Soluble, Granuals, Gel and Turf Formula.

 

Each type of product has its own benefits and uses. To find out how best to use one of these products. Please visit the Uses and Rates page

 

I click on the Uses and Rates page -- and whammo -- NOTHING -- an ERROR comes up.

Ooops!

You found a bug! That link seems to no longer be available.

Edited April 30, 2010 by drewhempel

[Pietro]

It's probably better to use fresh urine for direct application. Urea starts converting to ammonia over time, so urine over 24 hours old may contain too much ammonia that could burn plants. You could use this aged urine for your compost heap, though. But, don't use your urine if you have a UTI or are on any meds.

Thanks.

I don't take meds, but the compost heap is within reach of the chickens so I am not sure if it is a good idea to use it there. But I iwll try to use the urine daily, every morning. I am mixing it with water, though, so it is not added directly. And it is generally not a lot.

[Marblehead]

Although, perhaps I can help my mother with her garden .

 

That would be a beautiful gesture, wouldn't it?

 

Peace & Love!

[gendao]

But guess what -- there's NO PRICE listed -- there's NO ORDER FORM.

 

And all that information is overwhelming with this fancy tables of a dozen different products all cross-correlated, yadda yadda.

 

Just get me some -- on and on about how great it is -- but NO WAY TO GET THE STUFF.

Lol, yea that appears to be a manufacturer, not a direct retailer.

 

I couldn't find any mycorrhiza sold locally, so I searched online. I ended up buying a 1 lb Ziploc bag for just $9 here. It comes in granular form and there's only 1 review on it - but it was a pretty good testimonial:

I've been gardening for over 20 years and have tried a lot of products. This is, however, my first review on Amazon...

 

So, I bought a bag of Mycor Root Builder 2 years ago after learning about what the mycorhizal fungi can do for your plants naturally.

 

All I can say is WOW! The last two seasons have been amazing. my tomatoes, cucumbers and other plants have been very happy. I've got huge plants with tons of fruiting with nothing more than mycor and compost. (well maybe a little steer manuer thrown in too)

 

Last season my tomatoes turned into a jungle with no overwatering. However the true testimony to what a difference the mycor made was when we pulled the plants at the end of the season. The vines were 15-20 feet with roots as tall as my 15 year old son! It was so crazy, had to take pictures.

Since you should only need to sprinkle a bit on each root ball when you plant them to get the fungi started...a 1 lb bag should last pretty damn long too.

 

Keep in mind that there may also already be mycorrhiza in your soil - I think especially in grass or oak tree roots. However, by adding some yourself you can probably make sure.

[trailmaker]

For many years planted 15'X25' plot, "The three sisters" (corn, winter squash and pole beans), enough for all year long. Carrots, beets, potatoes. Also nice perishables like melons, radishes, lettuce, etc.

 

Now do tomatoes on the porch in a 5-gallon bucket, and buy everything else from local organic farm stands...lots of family farms around here.

[DaoChild]

I find gardening to be one of the most enjoyable spring and summer activities.

 

There is literally no other thing I want to do in the early AM hours than go out and check up on my plants, weed out the strawberries, and get some morning sun. In the spring and summer, I pass up on evening opportunities to go out, so I can get up at a reasonable hour the next morning.

 

My parents have a 10' x 25' garden in which they grow vegetables -- tomatoes, broccoli, kale, swiss chard, cucumbers, etc.

 

I have a small 8' x 8' which I grow herbs in; some I experiment with medicinally ( seeing if they actually work in tinctures, salves,), and some I just grow for tea (lemon verbena, lemon balm, spearmint. Other than those, I have calendula and comfrey (great for bruising and sprains), mullein and coltsfoot (asthma / coughing), and miscellaneous other herbs.

[~jK~]

In Hong Kong, most people don't own land but live in high rises - so I teach people to make sprouts !

In addition I have been teaching, my few friends that do own land, how to compost so as to have vitamins and minerals retained in their diet.

Here's some information on it:

 

The Why's

 

"Sprouted Seeds: "Forgotten Food,"

enhances immune system and rejuvenation

 

Another positive is that Sprouts can be sprouted and eaten on the 2nd day.

[voidisyinyang]

Another positive is that Sprouts can be sprouted and eaten on the 2nd day.

 

2nd day? Where in california? Some of us don't live in sunny warm climates....

 

And so sprouts are awesome? If so why have no one provided links on the easy way to grow sprouts.

 

I see tons of explanations of how great sprouts are -- how easy to grow. Yet no practical description of how to do it.

 

Sure I've grown sprouts but it was ad hoc and not too successful.

 

So we have to order special sprout bean seeds? How much energy in the shipping cost will be spent? More than the energy of the sprout seeds? SHIRLEY we're not getting much calories from sprouts.

 

Sure if you live in a warm to hot climate and sit in full lotus all day then you can live off sprouts!

 

Otherwise this seems to be a commodity fetish. I've yet to see simple explanations on how to grow sprouts. How much are the seeds? Etc.

[Ya Mu]

I do Southern Gentleman Farming.

Actually, it is more Modified Ancient/Modern Southern Gentleman Farming.

 

Just ate a large salad with fresh straight from the garden lettuce, spinach, and fresh hard-boiled eggs (laid yesterday).

Growing your own food is rewarding in more ways than one. Lots more qi in the fresh stuff.

[Marblehead]

... and fresh hard-boiled eggs (laid yesterday).

 

Did you lay them?

 

(Sorry. Just couldn't resist.)

 

Peace & Love!

[Ya Mu]

I remember a story a few years ago where a young girl on a farm marked several of the eggs they sold to the folks who package them. Weeks went by before she finally found some of them "fresh" in the grocery store. Grocery store eggs are not fresh - huge difference in taste.

Edited May 2, 2010 by Ya Mu

[Marblehead]

I agree. Although it has been many years since I have had 'fresh' eggs I do remember that there is a significant taste difference.

 

Peace & Love!

[thelerner]

bump.

Last year in an experiment or as my wife might say, due to extreme laziness I didn't trellis my tomatoes, cucumbers or squash. It was kinda cool the way the cukes hid in the grass and under leaves. Still I don't think I'll do it again, too much waste on the ground. This year I'll cage'em early.

 

I had good soil due to composting. Instead of buying tomatoes I had many 'wild' ones sprouting up. Most of them are probably sweet grape size varieties. I separated them out and replanted them. I think they'll be hardy survivors. I spread out some sweeter versions mesclun leaf lettuce in one area. I let it grow thick and carpetlike, then use scissors throughout the summer to harvest the tops. Taller plants should give it some shade during the hotter months too.

 

What kind of gardens do you have goin on?

Edited June 6, 2013 by thelerner