wilkes

What is a cold frame?

Thanks Bushman that is good information.

Actually there are some things you can plant now or in a very short time. Cabbage, lettuces, peas, turnips, beets are all cool season crops and should be planted and harvested before the weather turns hot. My best recommendation is to get the soil pH right - around 6.0 to 6.5. If you have not added lime to the garden in a few years then tilling in "powdered" lime can go a long way for your soil. Carrots do not do well in our heavy soils and end up short and fat. If you have a raised bed that may solve the problem. Carrots are also a cool season crop and probably be planted in March. Go on line and check the planting guides put out by NC State and Tennessee.

If you want to make a cold frame I have some tempered glass doors for sale http://www.gowilkes.com/cla...?id=350177

I would not pick wild "poke salad" nowadays because so many wild animals around here would starve if we did.

Creasy Greens contain twice the vitamin A of broccoli and 3 times as much vitamin C as oranges.

http://www.motherearthnews....loeck.aspx

don't put it in the front yard

You find Creasy Greens growing wild out in a field that has not been planted in a few years. My Granny loved them & used to come over & pick them at our house.

Companion Planting

Green Beans Egg plant or Potatoes
Plant them 1" deep 4" apart 70 days before harvest time
Fertilize them 3 days after planted then every seven days for a total of 9 applications. Water at each time of feeding fertilizer


Carrots & Jalapeno Peppers
Plant them 1/4" deep 2 rows 2" Apart 84 days till harvest time.
for a 30' row it takes 32 0z. of seed
Fertilize them 14 days after planting 16oz. for a 30' row when temperature is between 50 to 85 degrees, then do it for the next 5 weeks and water after each feeding of fertilizer

Corn & Squash & Pumpkins
Plant them 1" deep require 7-10 days to come up
Fertilize them with a pre plant fertilizer before planting the corn 32 ounces per row and apply for 3 more weeks thereafter and water each time after feeding.
Picking Time 20 days after when, the silk turns dark brown and feels dried.


Cucumbers & Radishes
Plant them 14" apart 5" deep in a Mound takes 5 to 10 days to come up 41 days till harvest .
Fertilize apply preplant fertilizer during bed preparation and then apply weekly for 8 more weeks apply 16oz for a 30' row. Water daily they require allot of water in order to keep them sweet tasting.


Peppers & Carrots
Plant them 1/4 " deep 12" apart .
FERTILIZE during bed preparation. Apply Ammonium Nitrate at time of transplanting. Apply weekly feeding for six more weeks. Apply 16 oz. for a 30' row.


Zukinni & Corn
Plant them 36" apart each plant harvest when 6" long
FERTILIZE 32oz. per 30' row during bed preparation. Apply ammonium Nitrate 8oz. per 30' row at time of transplanting & 6 weeks thereafter. Water daily


Tomato &Basil & Asparagus
Plant 36" apart . Support them with cages or Stakes
FERILIZE 32 oz. at bed preparation. Apply Ammonium Nitrate 8os per 30' row. Apply weekly 3 days after transplanting and for 6 more weeks.


Onions
Plant them in 2 rows 3' apart 5" deep.
FERTILIZE At bed preparation time apply 32 oz. a preplant food . Apply ammonium Nitrate 8 oz at a time of transplanting and apply weekly 16 oz. per row 3 days after transplanting and for 6 more weeks thereafter.


Potatos & Beans & Horseradish
Plant them 4" deep cover with 2' soil and 8" apart. Harvest after tops have died down
FERTILIZE 32 oz. per 30' row during bed preparatin. Apply weekly 16 oz. 14 days after planting and then for 5 more weeks. Water at each feeding time and daily after frost. Cover them with soil after 2'' sprouts appear.


Pumpkins & Corn
Plant them 1"deep 18" Apart. at 60 degrees weather. takes 10 days to come up. Harvest time when one cave dies 110 days
FETILIZE them during bed preparation time 32 oz. for a 30' row. Apply ammononium Nitrate 8 oz. per 30' row. Then apply at transplanting time 16 oz. per a 30' row Apply weekly feed for six more weeks. water daily....

Composting Tips
1. Grass clippings add necessary nitrogen to a compost pile, but be sure to mix with the "brown" materials that add carbon. Both are necessary for quick decomposition and rich compost. Piles made up of just grass will compact, slow down and start to stink.
2. Do not compost fats, pet droppings, or animal products. They will attract pests to the pile and can spread disease.
3. Newspaper or plain white paper from the computer is excellent for composting - just remember to shred it first to speed up the process.
4. Got compost? When finished it should look, feel and smell like rich, dark soil. You should not be able to recognize any of the items you put in there.
5. Worms love coffee grounds!
6. If adding ashes to your compost bin, do so sparingly. They are alkaline and affect the pH of the pile. In contrast, acidic materials include pine needles and oak leaves.
7. Plants that have been treated with pesticides and/or herbicides (weeds and lawn clippings) should be avoided.
8. The microbes responsible for breaking down your compost pile need a balance of nitrogen and carbon. Nitrogen comes from green materials such as food scraps, manure, and grass clippings. Carbon comes from brown materials such as dead leaves, hay, wood chips and shredded newspaper. A ratio that contains equal portions of both and is well mixed works best.
9. Algae and seaweed make excellent additions to your compost pile. Be sure to rinse off any salts before using.
10. Finished compost is usually less than half the volume of the materials you started with, but it's much denser.
11. Keep your compost pile in a black plastic bin and in direct sunlight to continue the composting process through the winter. Hay bales can be used to further insulate the pile.
12. Wooden pallets make excellent compost bins. Start with one pallet on the ground. Drive two metal stakes into each side. Slide additional pallets over each support and you have a bin ready for compost.
13. Straw is an excellent source of carbon for your compost pile. However, it may contain weed seeds, so make sure the pile is "cooking" properly.
14. Compost decomposes fastest between 120 and 160 degrees F. Decomposition will occur at lower temperatures, but it takes much longer.
15. The perfect size for a compost pile is one that is at least 3' x 3' x 3'. It's not only a manageable size to turn, but it's ideal for retaining heat while still allowing air flow.
16. For faster composting keep your pile or compost bin in direct sun.
17. Don't throw away your kitchen waste in the winter - try an indoor composter.
18. Compost piles should remain damp but not too wet. As you build your compost pile, make sure that each layer is moist as it is added. The surface should also remain damp (think of a wrung out sponge), especially during the summer months.
19. Does your compost pile smell? It's probably due to a large number of anaerobic microbes, which are working hard to break down your compost, but creating a smelly situation in the process. To cut down on the anaerobic process, aerate your pile regularly, creating air spaces and limiting the anaerobic microbes while stimulating the less stinky aerobic microbes.
20. Help start a new compost pile with aged manure, cottonseed meal, alfalfa meal, blood meal, or compost starter. They are rich in nitrogen and help jump-start the microbes responsible for breaking down organic matter into compost.
21. Anything that was living at one time is great for compost bins. Think of leaves, vegetables, and grass clippings.
22. Compost piles can either be layered - thin layers of alternating greens and browns, or they can all be thrown in together and mixed well. Either way works!
23. Soak finished compost in water to "brew" compost "tea," a nutrient-rich liquid that can be used for foliar feeding or for watering plants in your garden, backyard, or houseplants.
24. Apply finished compost to your garden about 2-4 weeks before you plant, giving the compost time to integrate and stabilize within the soil. Click here for a guide to vegetable gardening.
25. For faster results, use a compost turner every two weeks to aerate your pile.

Plant by the Signs
Through tradition many mountain folk accept the signs as the proper way
to plant and harvest their crops. Based upon the ancient astronomers'
recognition of the Zodiac, the twelve signs come around every 28 days
and are divided into elements: fire, earth, air, and water; and body
parts: head, neck, breast, bowels, loins, knees, feet, legs, thighs,
kidneys, heart, and arms. Using a calendar or almanac that delineates
the days of the month by signs, a farmer would pick the series of days
with the most favorable signs for planting or harvesting his crops. In
addition, many believe that the best time to plant crops with yields
above ground is while the moon is waxing, and plant those crops with
yields below ground (root crops i.e. potatoes, radishes, peanuts, etc.)
while the moon is waning. There are many other rules for planting,
harvesting, plowing, transplanting, even cutting timber, romancing,
hunting, cooking, or cutting your hair.
Following are the signs of the Zodiac and a few tips:
Aries
Good for cultivating the ground, planting beets and onions, and
hunting. Bad for planting and transplanting other crops.
Taurus
Good for all root crops and above ground crops, hunting and fishing.
Gemini
Good for planting all crops, also for preserving jellies and pickles.
Cancer
Best for planting above ground and root crops. Good for cooking and
fishing.
Leo
Good for sports, romancing, job hunting, and hunting. Bad for planting
or transplanting.
Virgo
Good for trading. Bad for planting.
Libra
Good for planting above ground crops and flowering plants.
Scorpio
Best for flowers and above ground crops. Good for all other crops,
fishing and hunting.
Sagittarius
Good for hunting jobs, trading, baking and preserving. Bad for
transplanting.
Capricorn
Best for root crops. Good for flowers and above ground crops.
Aquarius
Good for above ground crops, social events.
Pisces
Good for planting and transplanting above ground crops, trees and
shrubbery. Good for fishing and weaning babies and animals.

In addition to the astrological signs, highland folklore has it that
there are proper lunar phases to plant and harvest the crops. A few of
these are listed below. The moon is waxing (increasing) if its "horns"
are pointing to the left (east), and waning (decreasing) if pointed to
the right (west).
Plant fruits, seed flowers, and vegetables that bear above the ground
when the moon is waxing. That is, from the day after the moon is new to
the day before the moon is full.
Plant flowering bulbs and vegetables that bear below the ground when the
moon is waning. That is, from the day after the moon is full to the day
before it is new again.
1st and 2nd Quarter (moon is waxing). Plant above ground yields. Do not
plant on the day the moon is new, full or changing quarters. Graft trees
just before the sap flows.
3rd and 4th Quarter (moon is waning). Plant crops that grow underground
in the third quarter. A waning moon is good for harvesting most crops,
canning and preserving vegetables and jams. Kill weeds and trees, turn
the soil. Slaughter livestock in the 4th quarter before the new moon.
....
Tomatoes
Determinate varieties of tomatoes, also called "bush" tomatoes, are varieties that are bred to grow to a compact height (approx. 4 feet).

They stop growing when fruit sets on the terminal or top bud, ripen all their crop at or near the same time (usually over a 2 week period), and then die.

They may require a limited amount of caging and/or staking for support, should NOT be pruned or "suckered" as it severely reduces the crop, and will perform relatively well in a container (minimum size of 5-6 gallon). Examples are: Rutgers, Roma, Celebrity (called a semi-determinate by some), and Marglobe.

Indeterminate varieties of tomatoes are also called "vining" tomatoes. They will grow and produce fruit until killed by frost and can reach heights of up to 10 feet although 6 feet is considered the norm. They will bloom, set new fruit and ripen fruit all at the same time throughout the growing season.

They require substantial caging and/or staking for support and pruning and the removal of suckers is practiced by many but is not mandatory. The need for it and advisability of doing it varies from region to region. Experiment and see which works best for you. Because of the need for substantial support and the size of the plants, indeterminate varieties are not usually recommended as container plants. Examples are: Big Boy, Beef Master, most "cherry" types, Early Girl, most heirloom varieties, etc.
....
Straw bale Gardens
Been doing this for years and love it.Have had great results.
http://www.growandmake.com/...ale_garden

Ty everyone!...love the companion planting chart...that is better than the one I found. PawPaw, I am beginning to figure that one out :)

Thanks STM

MUSE, check your pm's.

lol @ TheMUSE. I have seen cannabis over 18 ft tall here in Wilkes with buds about a foot long but me and poke salad Annie are too old to run now.

what are creasy greens? I saw some at the butcher yesterday and at first I thought they said greasy, so I looked closer and saw CREASY. What are they?

and some fried cornbread! Hey, maybe we can get River to fix us some afore she heads off to
Sunday-go-to-meetin.

Pro Tip....

Dont plant more than you can keep up with....

You're welcome smalltownman. I'd sure love to have some creasy greens and fatback fried golden brown for breakfast.

In light of the upcoming apocalypse, I recommend cannabis and squash.

Thanks for the 4-1-1 Crypt, I had never heard of most of this, only never plant melons and squash together.