Time to Start Planting Vegetable Gardens.

[JaxByDefault]

DO they have heritage seeds in their inventory?

Standard Feed does have some heritage seeds, but they have a better selection of conventional seeds in bulk bins. Also, they have a good and inexpensive selection of starter plants for those who are wary of seed-starts.

Internet ordering, co-ops, seed-saving from produce are probably the best ways to get a good supply of heritage seeds.

Here's how good the owner of Standard Feed is: Spouse's great-grandmother used to grow the world's best green beans. She and her family had grown them for generations, saving their seeds from crop to crop. Thus, they had produced their own heirtage cultivar. Great-grandmother died (at age 101+) in the winter so there were no living plants in the garden and seeds were nowhere to be found.

Three years later...I took a jar of green beans that spouse's great-grandmother canned before she died into Standard Feed. The owner was able to identify a related species and make suggestions for planting, seed saving, and cross-breeding that could come close to the lost family green beans.

If you are planning to go organic, then stay away from the big box stores for care products. Corn Gluten (a weed preventer) was $6 a pound at Lowes, $19 for 20lbs at the ag store. Seeds and plants may be more money at an agricultural store, but neem oil, Dr. Bronners, fish emulsion, and composted manure are far less.

The Springfield Community Garden may have plots left for this season. They also have meet-ups to teach newbies organic gardening skills.

[Ocklawaha]

Most popular thing to grow up in the hills was tobacco.  Fields and fields of the stuff.  Was fascinating.  That'd be great to plant too... keep the smokers in tobacco and make a nice little profit.  I could become the next Big Tobacco, but without all the crap rolled into each cigarette.

If you really want to go chemical free, tobacco makes a fantastic pesticide. You can also create your own feed and bug killer by taking a large jar - filled with water. Add in a pouch of cheap chewing tobacco and make a dark tea. Strain the tea and mix it about 50/50 with stale beer. Two drops of dish soap breaks the surface tension of the water and the insects flee in terror. (they're smarter then humans). Just pour it into your sprayer and mist the plants as needed.

If you really want to smoke your "tobacco" pull your plants up by the root and hang upside down in a warm dry room. This moves all of the plant resins to the leaf. Then mist the nearly dry leaf with a cheap sweet wine, such as strawberry, or concord grape. Your smoke will be mellow, sweet and have enough chemical to satisfy any craving. But then, home grown is almost a lost art.


OCKLAWAHA

[tashi]

I have my little Victory Garden in my yard and I love eating fresh veggies.

I have been reading a lot about tobacco as a pesticide, and it is very controversial.

There is a good group called Beyond Pesticides

http://www.beyondpesticides.org/

They have a nice data bank about problems and how to resolve them.

[stephendare]

How many people on these forums have started a garden?

[civil42806]

How many people on these forums have started a garden?

Ummmmm its November, unless your planting cabbage and other cold weather plants your options are rather limited

[JaxByDefault]

Our garden goes year round, although other than figs and herbs, I won't have another crop of anything until citrus season. There's not really a winter here. When it does get below freezing, it's only for a couple of hours. With thick mulch, most of my plants have done just fine in the winter. This is a climate where you can plant a tomato in early February!

[Doctor_K]

How many people on these forums have started a garden?

Carrots, green beans, regular and sweet basil, green garlic are still going strong.  Going to be planting tomatoes late January/early February.  Even have a handful of decorative flowers growing along side the basil just for something a little different. 

My back deck is its own burgeoning arboretum.   

[uptowngirl]

tomato, basil, cabbage, lettuce (several varities), beans (several varieties including black beans for the first time), onions, carrots, radish, oregano, chives, lemon grass, oranges, lemons, grapefruit, figs, avacado, and some corn for Feb!

We grow year round too, have a big compost pile, and just load the garden up with Straw when it gets colder...

[Jason]

I'm holding out for Feb/March to get something going.

[BridgeTroll]

Twice in two seperate places I have attempted a garden here in Jax... both utter failures.  I am familiar with a variety of climates and have been very successful in other parts of the country.  The climate, bugs, microbes, and soil of north florida have condemned me to supermarket produce and the generosity of others...

Brotha can ya spare a tomato...??

[uptowngirl]

Twice in two seperate places I have attempted a garden here in Jax... both utter failures.  I am familiar with a variety of climates and have been very successful in other parts of the country.  The climate, bugs, microbes, and soil of north florida have condemned me to supermarket produce and the generosity of others...

Brotha can ya spare a tomato...??

I can not stress cow manure enough, with a little peat moss and good top soil. I have found the dirt here to be very.very sandy so I have been forced to "replace" all of the above almost every other year.

Bugs are horrible (and being downtown I think a few rats have been nibbling too) I have tried some of the "natural stuff" like soapy water, beer, etc but slugs and other bugs keep eating my veggies! I have finally broken down and purchased some commercial pesticides, but if anyone has some good natural options I would love to try them before actually giving in to the commercial stuff.

[JaxByDefault]

For the nasties that soap will not get rid of, try neem oil. It works as both a pesticide and a fungicide, so it kills those annoying little black beetle looking things that eat EVERYTHING and the spotted rust that often follows. It comes concentrated, so you just mix with some water and spray. (Found at Standard Feed, and for a whole lot more money for more dilute product at the big box stores.) The only thing I have found it not to work on is wasp moth/oleander caterpillars.

As for soap, I made a large mistake for years thinking all soap was equal. I used a green dishwashing liquid for years, only able to kill white flies and aphids, until I discovered that pure castille soap has far superior killing power. I recommend Dr. Bronners, especially the peppermint oil variety. (Found at Grassroots, Native Son, and Target in the beauty section). Again, just mix with water.

I do have small patch of front flower garden that the snails and slugs love. Beer with salt works on the slugs, but the snails have wisened to evil beer traps. I dig them out when I find them, but have largely given up and gone with two plants that don't mind the slimy critters.

I haven't had to replace a lot of soil, but I do use a good amount of fish emulsion before and after the two major growing seasons. As Uptowngirl mentioned, you cannot beat composted cow manure.

[stephendare]

And Rabbit manure is freaking brilliant.

Even more fertile than cow.  Expecially for florida's sandy soil.

Of course its harder to come by than the big plastic bags of CM you can buy everywhere.

What is neem oil JBD?

[JaxByDefault]

Neem is an essential oil from a sub-species of mahogany tree.

[stephendare]

Collard Greens are coming along robustly.  The broccoli is kind of limp and lifeless here.  Any reasons why?