Woodeye 2013 Garden

[woodeye]

Well, I planted all my seeds on the 8th of May. I put 300lbs of chit in the garden along with wood ash and a bag of peat prior to planting and tilled it all in. I planted cukes, zukes, beans, carrots, yellow squash and lettuce from seed. Checked today and have some lettuce growing and looks like my zukes, carrots and squash are starting. I planted my maters and pepper plants on Tuesday afternoon. Put bone meal and blood meal in the bottom of each hole and a bit on the top after planting. Plants are on the small side so I may have to wait a bit, but oh well. I got it planted about 3-4 weeks earlier this year than last, so I am hoping for quicker and better results. I have a year of practice in so it should be easier and better. I will have some pics this weekend. Where is everyone?? Splash have you planted yet? OJ?? Magician?? I know Skully is in the woods finding tasty morsels!!! Later boys!!

[Relic]

Sounds like ya got things rolling pretty good....

[SPLASH]

Sounds like you did everything right. Kind of ealy with the colder weather we've been having this seson. Has that hurt your plants at all?

I planted a week later than last year due to temps. Got it all in 2 days ago.

[wanderinangler]

I've never used the blood meal or bone meal. How has that worked for you?

All we did this year was compost/peat/wood ash/vermiculite as evenly as we could work it all in.

[woodeye]

Plants have been fine, cooler temps did not hurt them. I put tarps over them one night, but it did not frost anyhow. All my bean seeds and cuke seeds had to be replanted. Not sure what happened to them, but I checked them after 14 days and found nothing but some casings in the soil. Might have over watered, not sure. Same with the zuke seeds. Replanted all of them on the 21st. Maters are starting to flower a bit.
Bone meal and blood meal work great! I use all natural fertilizers, no miracle grow or anything like that. Splash put me on to bone meal and blood meal last year and it worked really well. Just have to add it throughout the season to keep the nutrients up. I bury fish guts whenever I get them too. By next year the soil should be getting pretty good.
Lettuce is doing nicely too. I hope to get some seedlings up from the replant soon, fingers are crossed. Either way I am ahead of last year so I have high hopes. I also planted a raspberry garden this year. Some neighbors gave me one big plant and a bunch of small ones, so I hope to get some tastey morsels!! Good luck!!

[Relic]

Stew pot at Stans at harvest time.....LOL

[wanderinangler]

Do you get the bone and blood meal at just any gardening center? I go to Flowerland a lot and I've never seen those, but I've never looked for them either. We try to do things as organically and naturally as possible. We do the fish gut thing as well, but usually only around plants that really suck up the nutrients without giving anything back.

[SPLASH]

Woodeye, 3rd year in a row that bean seeds have me lost. I can't figure it out, they just disappear in the soil. None have sprouted that I planted last weekend. It has been cooler some, but not freezing. I got 2.5" of rain in a few days too. That's not the best thing for seeds. Last year I dug with my fingers where I planted seeds. They were gone, no way I missed that many, they were gone! Nothing had dug them up either. I found no tunnels from moles either? Not supposed to be very warm this week, but I'll replant beans late week if need be.

WanderlinAngler, I bought bags of blood and bone meal at Home Depot or Meijer last year. As for your question as to how it has worked for me- All I fertilized with was blood meal early for growth and bone meal mid til the end for fruit production. I'm very happy with them. You can buy all types of quantities online from many sites. Bat guano is a great organic fertilizer too, but seems to cost more.
The meal is just a fine powder. Blood meal is high in nitrogen and bone high in phosphorus. When the soil dries, scuff it up and sprinkle handfuls around plants, then scuff more and water.
You can also mix it in a watering can and pour.
I water with soaker hoses so the scuffing method is how I do it.

[wanderinangler]

I'm going to have to check that out. I'll report back if I put it into action and my results.

[SPLASH]

Dug up my cantaloupe seeds and they were there. They were opened, but hollow?

[wanderinangler]

That's odd. Have you found any grubs in your soil? Are there a lot of ants nearby? Those are my only two guesses for pests that wouldn't leave a real obvious clue that they've been there.

[SPLASH]

No grubs and not many ants. We'll see if round 2 sprouts.

[woodeye]

I am on to round three with beans and cukes. I am getting pissed!! I know I lost some beans to Chippies this time, so the trap is now out. Weird that my other seeds came in. I will prevail!!

[wanderinangler]

Good luck guys!

[SPLASH]

I've had chipmunk problems before. Rat traps! The larger mouse traps. They work great.