Hey Fellow Floridians - Year 2

[Fiishergurl]

Hahahaha... Barb so funny. Loved reading your confessions. My disclaimer is that I always wanted to solarize and dig out the top soil etc but barely had time to just get the new plants transplanted.

Ginny

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[kayrobbins]

Barb that is probably a longer confession list than most priests have ever heard at one time. Really, if it works for you then there is nothing to confess. Gardening is a lot like cooking. When you first start you follow the recipe to the letter but as you gain experience recipes become just a suggestion or starting point. Once you have done a lot of gardening you get a feel for what instructions can be modified.

I would think packing the soil when trying to made the loaf should help. I think you might not have to pack it as hard as when solarizing but rain beating down on fluffy soil is sure to compact it.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by maxjohnson

Thanks god summer is over, good riddance.

tapatalk

For sure! With some luck, next week should see the last of temperatures in the 90s here in Orlando for 2016. Maybe tomato plants will set tomatoes with a bit more vigor. However, it still could be a couple of weeks before those nighttime lows start to come down to the very low 70s. Here's to looking forward to the relief.
Larry

[efisakov]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

Confession #1 - After the first season or so, I dug out the fert strip and reused it on my strawberry plants.

Confession #2 -I add the new PROMIX in the middle, so it will get more than one season.

I'm able to do this b/c I remove ALL potting mix. I also wash out the EBs between seasons or use.

Confession #3 - This is really hard for me to admit as I love EB and am up to 15, but I do better with Root Pouches. I think it is the too wet and food thing.

Confession #4 - If I am reusing > 70% mix, I don't even bother with dolomite anymore. I've switched to the using Neptune's Harvest Crab Shells which I mix up when I solarize giving it months to break down.

Confession #5 - For my cukes this Summer and Peppers, I didn't even bother with the fert strip. I just mixed the food. For cukes I supplemented A LOT!!!

Confession #6 - My entire EB cleaning procedure takes forever and makes a mess.

Potential Confession #7 - I'm considering adding some Osomocote along with the tomato tone.

Potential Confession #8 - I'm considering not using the fert strip for tomatoes especially if I have to supplement weekly.

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Problem #1 - No matter how nice I make the bread loaf when I am planting, it always compacts after awhile. Should I be compacting the mix like I do when I solarize the EB? When Solarizing, I compact very tightly with my fists as I add the mix. I can fit 2 EB mix (I ditch the top part b4 I solarize). It stays nice a loafy until I'm ready to use the mix.

The price of Neptune's Harvest Crab Shells is quite reasonable. It " promotes the growth of Chitin eating bacteria in the soil" and "helps to create a hostile environment for the fungus and nematodes by feeding the biological life that eats chitin and chitin based organisms".

I have read about Chitin's goodness. I save shrimp shells every time. I freeze them between the seasons and add to soil during spring.
It is nice to know that if I need more of it I can use that product. Thanks, Barb.

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Zone9b

For sure! With some luck, next week should see the last of temperatures in the 90s here in Orlando for 2016. Maybe tomato plants will set tomatoes with a bit more vigor. However, it still could be a couple of weeks before those nighttime lows start to come down to the very low 70s. Here's to looking forward to the relief.
Larry

I wouldn't mind the heat if it would just stop raining.

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I wouldn't mind the heat if it would just stop raining.

Is it still raining every day?

Ginny

[ginger2778]

Originally Posted by Fiishergurl

Is it still raining every day?

Ginny

Yes, so monotonous. Every afternoon we get torrential thunderstorms.

[kayrobbins]

Barb's confession inspired me to do something different when I planted my fall greens seeds yesterday. I always very diligently make a plant tag for each row of my 72 cell tray. I realized I did not really need to do that. They are not like tomatoes, I can tell my looking when they germinate which is Alabama Blue collards, North Carolina collards, Red Giant mustard, White Russian kale, Red Russian kale and the 3 different chards. That was a time saver.

Rain is so strange in Florida. It seems when we are getting daily rains south Florida is dry. Right now we are getting so little rain that everything is in need of constant watering.

[Barb_FL]

Weird with the rain; we had some last Sunday and not again until 4 pm yesterday for less than 30 minutes.

Today I'm planning on hitting the back yard getting a new area ready for my tomato plants. It use to be a cactus garden that DH set up years ago. I think other than my pool deck it will have the best sun exposure in the winter when the sun is so low. I bought the really good weed barrier cloth from AM Leonard. I'm so sick of always pulling weeds in the back yard.

Earlier in the week I called a local nursery to see what potting mix they sold. It was $22.xx for 3 CU Feet (not compressed). That works out to >$51 for the equivalent to Pro-Mix ($41 here).

Went to the hydro store last night and got more Pro-Mix. Also, they had a special for Roots Organic $10 per 1.5 Cu Foot bag. This stuff is generally really expensive ($20) but he said the packaging was bad; every time he lifted one, it would open from the top. He wanted it gone. I bought 3 and he threw in a 4th.

I researched it when I got home and doubtful I will use it in the EB; worse case I will use it for compost. Absolute worst case I will use in the raised beds to give them a boost for the broccoli.

Larry - I started 15 cells of broccoli in the SureRoots Deep Cell trays. It was weird just dropping 1 or 2 broccoli seeds in each cell but I will be able to keep them there for a long time until it is cool enough to transplant. Planted Castle Dome and Premium Crop. Also planted in regular cells some summer Brocolli - It is purple and just shoots, seeds were $$$$ and not many in the pack.

In < 2 days, I've seen germination in all.

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by ginger2778

I wouldn't mind the heat if it would just stop raining.

While chance of rain is forecast almost everyday here, it hasn't resulted in excessive rain. Enough that I haven't had to water the lawn for several weeks, but most days we still have to water the garden. I'm hoping that dropping temperatures will allow a cut back in watering. One thing I noticed with my Summer Heat Garden was that water requirements were quite large.
Larry

[Fiishergurl]

Larry,

Thats what I was wondering.

Thanks
Ginny

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[efisakov]

Some California gardeners use plastic (silver) to cover the soil. That cuts the watering. I think Anne does it. She posts as "aclum".
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=41766

[Zone9b]

Originally Posted by efisakov

Some California gardeners use plastic (silver) to cover the soil. That cuts the watering. I think Anne does it. She posts as "aclum".
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=41766

It probably helps keep soil temperatures down as well. I use leaves for mulch around tomatoes and peppers and it seems to help keep the moisture in the compost. I've never mulched the containers but maybe I'll try it on some. Thanks for the suggestion.
Larry

[Imthechuck]

Has anyone just tried plain old 10-10-10 fertilizer in swcs? I am trying to reduce costs this year.

I'be been using 5-10-10 for vegetables but I can get a 40lb bag of 10-10-10 for like $15

[Fiishergurl]

Originally Posted by Imthechuck

Has anyone just tried plain old 10-10-10 fertilizer in swcs? I am trying to reduce costs this year.

I'be been using 5-10-10 for vegetables but I can get a 40lb bag of 10-10-10 for like $15

Used 10-10-10 plenty of times and its fine. I still start the season supplementing with calcium nitrate and then when the fruit is growing good I supllement with Texas Tomato Food.

Ginny