Tomato plant progress

It is now July 13th and I believe my tomato plants are going to beat the 10 foot mark. Here is the current progress. My one son is over 6 foot tall and the other son on his shoulders is about 5'8, so here is a picture of them standing behind some of the tomato plants. Here is my oldest boy hand for comparision of the tomatoes. My wife picked our first tomatoes today and we have been canning. She did some beans and pickles today. I also had my first Organic Gardening Seminar today. I believe it when well. It is free and about an hour lecture with questions and answers afterwards. If you are near the South Central Virginia area and like to attend just e-mail me at Growingitorganically@gmail.com.

Progress of Garden

Hello,

I have not posted for a little while. We have had graduation for my oldest son from highschool as well as the homeschool convention here in Virginia. Of course the garden has been going strong with picking, canning, maintaining, as well as eating. No ripe tomatoes yet, but I have some plants over 7 feet tall and loaded with tomatoes. The compose tea seem to be going strong and the garden is looking good. All of the people who have been using the tea can't believe the difference. Another gardener friend of mine has been using the tea on certain plants and the plants he has used the tea on, he is guessing are over 7 feet also. Here are a few pictures to show you the progress. My tomato stake go up about 12 feet and my friend goes up 14 feet. The wheelbarrow is loaded with beets and the squash is growing like crazy. I am trying to be patient on my first fresh tomato sandwich of the year. If you look at the last post you see how much the tomatoes have grown.

Here is a quick update on the garden. We have been picking a lot of lettuce. Our lettuce was put in an earth box we made, so as the temperatures are warmer, I just moved it into the shadier part of the yard. Hopefully it will stretch through the season. I have zucchini starting to come in, along with broccoli, beets, and some carrots. The strawberries have been doing well and are starting to slow down. The tomato plants are really taking off. The beans and potatoes are blossoming. Here is a little video and some pictures of my attempt to get a 15 foot tall tomato plant. Just look how big the leaves are. On Thursday I will have an article about bermuda grass.

Bug repellant recipes.

Hi again!
I had a request to put up one of my homemade bug repellants on the post so here you go. I have researched and checked out several recipes. During my research I found that most bugs do not like oil or fragrant smells so I just combine the two. The one I am trying now is a mixture of canola oil with the crushed leaves of sweet basil, organo, lemon balm and peppermint. I use a mason jar and just throw the crushed leaves in and let them soak. Before I go out I just pour a little on my hands and wipe it on my skin.
To test it I went to the garden without any repellant and the bugs just loved me, especially the gnats. I came back in, wiped some on, and went back out. They left me alone and I was able to weed the garden un- bothered. My wife applied some before going on a family picnic in the mountains last week and she noticed how the mosquitoes left her alone.
You can experiment with different combinations, such as olive oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil, etc. and with different fragances, such as basil, eucalyptus, cloves, geranium, peppermint, rosemary, lemon balm(citronella), onions, garlic, and feverfew. You can plant many of these herbs and have a ready supply for the repellant as well as for kitchen uses.

Pickings

Hi all! I just had to do a quick post on the harvest today. Here are pictures of some of are latest pickings. Here is broccoli that I picked just a few minutes ago and the pea plants that are coming into blossoms. Here are some pictures with the tomato and potato plants with my daughter for some comparison. We are also picking strawberries and they are very sweet. I am still waiting for the first tomato sandwich with fresh homemade bread.

How the Garden is Looking!

It is May 8 and the garden is looking good. I don't know about you, but I can hardly wait to sink my teeth into a tomato sandwich. We are already picking spinach and lettuce. The strawberries are coming along, so I need to protect them from the birds. Here are a few pictures to compare some of the beds from April 30 and May 8. I have been using compost tea. According to John Evans who holds 18 Alaskan record and 9 Guinness Book of World Records the tea is what he attributes to his success. Here is another little money saving trick, which I will try soon is a mosquito trap. It came from a Japanese school project. Excuse me if I give it in English. Take a 2 liter soda bottle, cut near the top of the straight part, so that it can be inserted later. In the bottle put warm water with brown sugar and stir. After that insert a spoon full of yeast. Do not stir! The yeast will produce the CO2 that will attract the mosquitoes. After inserting the top, duct tape together so they hold, then tape black construction paper around it, so light does not get through. Mosquitoes like it dark. Set the trap outside in some corner. It should start to collect mosquitoes. Dump it about every two weeks. I will also post a copy of mine when I finish it and let you know how the collections is coming along.

Gardening Prizes

Here are a few of some of my prizes from my garden. If you have any prizes or comments, please send them to me.

I would like to tell you what I am working on this year. First, I am growing a Big Zac tomato. From my research I think it is one of the largest varieties to grow. Second, I am seeing if I can get a tomato plant to reach at least 10 feet. I am trying all kinds of things, so I will keep you posted. This morning I noticed a few strawberries on the plants, so I guess that I need to put up the chicken wire to keep the birds out. I am also working on more rain barrels to catch all the good rain water. I know some people are worried about mosquitoes. You can put screen or a lid on top of the barrel. A friend puts minnows in his barrels to eat all the mosquito larve that swim in the water and uses some of the minnows for fishing too. On my barrel I made an overflow so once one gets filled it will fill another. I hope some of these ideas will inspire you in your gardening efforts.

Thanks!

Pest Control

With the gardening season coming in full bloom; also, comes pest control. The biggest thing with pest control is identifying the pests. Here are a few things I have tried or am going to try. First, with any battle on bugs just like with weeds, the key is to start early. There are homemade formulas, barriers, and traps. One such trap that I have used is a sticky trap. I have spray painted circles of red plastic (apple shapes) and coated them with sticky glue(that does not dry out) and hung them in my fruit trees. Another idea is to spray paint soup cans with bright red and yellow paint and coat them with Vaseline. I then turn them upside down and set them on plant stakes or on the fence around the garden. I have used milk spores effectively to get rid of the Japanese beetle population around my area. There is also diatomaceous earth that scratches the soft body of snails and slugs and other pests. Crushed up egg shells can do the same thing and they will add calcium to the soil. You may like to put cardboard collars around your plants to keep cutworms from chewing through them. Here is a common list floating around the internet on homemade pesticides.

Soap Spray:

Another way to stop the slugs is with soapy water. That's right, you can just use your old, dirty dishwater! Collect some of the water in a pan and pour it into a watering can or even use a pitcher to pour it over the plants. This works really well on hostas and mums, but also can be used on other hardy plants. Many bugs do not like their lunch spoiled by a soapy aftertaste! For a stronger solution, mix 3 Tablespoons of liquid detergent into a gallon of water, I prefer Dawn, but any will do. Use this weekly.

Alcohol Spray: This spray really is great for houseplants. This especially works on meal bugs.

1/2 cup of rubbing alcohol
2-3 tablespoons of dry laundry soap
1 quart of warm water

Mix all ingredients and spray immediately. You don't have to let this set, but you can't store it either. This solution must be made fresh for each use.

Salt Spray: This solution is used for cabbageworms and spider mites.

2 tablespoons of salt
1 gallon of water

Just mix and spray!

Garlic Spray:

Here is the recipe for a garlic spray that fights slugs too. Slugs must not like eating Italian. To make this smelly spray, use the following list of ingredients:

1 garlic bulb
1 quart of water
1 medium onion
1 tablespoon of cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon liquid dish soap

Crush the garlic, mincing it fine. Add finely chopped onion to the mixture, while adding the rest of the ingredients except the soap. Wait an hour before adding the soap to the mixture. The spicy ingredients must sort of stew or steep, almost like tea. After an hour, add the soap and your non-toxic spray is ready to use! This can be stored in the fridge for a week.

Dead Bug Spray:

Another way to beat the bug problem is by taking some dead carcasses of the same insects and mixing them in water. Use one pint of water and 1/2 cup of slug carcasses. Although this is rather unpleasant, it works.

Blend the water and insects until mixed well and then put into a plastic container or glass jar. To use this, strain and then pour it into a sprayer and squirt a few drops on the affected plants. You can freeze this mixture for storage.

*Beware: Do NOT use flies, ticks, fleas, or mosquitoes in this solution! These insects carry many communicable human diseases!

Spearmint-Hot Pepper-Horseradish Spray: This works on many different kinds of bugs- too many to list!

1/2 cup of red peppers (hot)

water (read below)

1/2 cup of fresh spearmint
1/2 cup horseradish (root and leaves)
2 tablespoons of liquid detergent
1/2 cup green onion tops

Mix all of the spearmint leaves, horseradish, onion tops and peppers together with enough water to cover everything. Strain the solution. After mixing all of these, add a half-gallon of water and add the detergent also. To use this solution, mix 1/2 gallon of this solution with 1/2 gallon of water. You can use this to spray almost any plant safely. Store this mixture for a few days in a cool environment.

These are just a few of the most common recipes to kill pests. Buying beneficial insect like ladybug or planting certain types of plants that attract them.

Try some and let me know which you have tried and like the best.

God & your garden

God and your Garden

SEEDS- good seeds are necessary!! The right seeds will be able to be die when covered with the good earth and produce a plant.

For a person to be a good seed in God’s garden of life, he needs to die to himself and let God convict him of sin that is controlling his life. There is no goodness in a person. God must plant the seed to believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. Once dead, our soul becomes fully alive in Jesus alone.

SOIL- the best dirt has been composted and tilled until it can breathe. It must be a certain balance of PH and loosely packed to yield the best crop.

The Bible says our hearts are like soil for God’s Word. Our hearts, like the soil, must be broken up and must be able to admit they are deceitful and desperately wicked so we can receive the truth of salvation that is in Jesus alone. We are packed tight with pride and self until God tills and stirs up our knowledge of sin. All the compost for a garden must be added to daily, turned, and allowed to get a certain temperature before it can be the best for growing seeds. Our hearts need a great work done by God for us to know we need to repent and come to Him.

FERTILIZER- we use organic additives to our soil to give it nutrients for its crops.

After believing and repenting of sin, our hearts and lives need to be fertilized daily by God’s Word and prayer. By making sure we are obedient to the commands of Christ, we are keeping our hearts pure and are able to grow the fruit of the Spirit in our lives.

PLANTING- sowing seeds is an act of faith. We can do all we can but only God can give the results.

Every good seed that is planted in good soil has a very good opportunity to die and become a new plant. Every person who ever hears the gospel has all the opportunity to be a new creature in Christ and have all things become new. The Bible says today is the accepted time for salvation. Any lost soul must consider that he has no promise of tomorrow, and must one day stand at the Judgment Seat of Christ. Every child of God must realize the time is at hand to give an answer to the hope that lies within him to everyone he can. Sowing seeds of the gospel is being obedient.

SUNSHINE- plants will die without the necessary amount of the sun’s warmth. They also will grow in the direction of the sun.

Jesus said, I am the Light of the world. Oh how we need the SON to keep us alive. He is the resurrection and the life. He that hath the SON hath life and he that believeth not in the SON shall not see life. As a believer we will willingly follow the SON and want to grow in His direction, knowing that things of the world will lead us astray.

RAIN- wet, dark days are essential for the roots of a plant to grow. Dry, parched land yields no good crops.

The Lord can allow someone to go through very dark, rough times in order to show Himself to that person. It is usually when we are lowest that there is no place to look except up. God is waiting for us. Even after we are His children He allows trials in our lives to increase our faith and make us more in His image. It is through the dark times that the strongest roots grow; preparing us for when the next trial appears. The hard part is to count it all joy, knowing He knows what is best for us. Jesus is the living water.

WEEDS- every garden has these terrible things. They must be pulled by the root to get them out of the garden area. It takes time and effort to rid a garden of weeds.

An unbeliever is full of weeds in their lives. Before coming to the Savior we all enjoy the pleasures of sin. All we like sheep have gone astray and have turned everyone to his own way. After we come to hate sin and love the Savior we are still bothered with temptations and are told to flee and draw near to God.
All sins are like weeds in our lives. Some are small and easier to pull out.
Others are big and need more effort. We cannot get rid of either size because Satan is bigger than we think. Only God can cleanse and make us clean and clear our lives from terrible weeds. We must trust Him to do the work.

HARVEST- the wonderful time of gathering the ripe fruits and vegetables.

On day God will send for His harvest to be taken to His heavenly home. While here we need to be adding to His harvest. Are you ready for the time of harvest? God is faithful and will come back for His church. The church is His garden of believers who have been planted, grown and tried on this earth and to whom He promises eternal life and a home in heaven one day.

Thanks to my wife for this post!

Cover Crops - turning them under

Entire garden beforehand

Bed with peas and winter rye grass/wheat


After using weed-eater and pulling up pea plants.

I don't have a photo to show what it looked like after we got in there and turned the soil under by hand, but the dirt was a rich and luscious black, and as crumbly as potting soil. Almost good enough to eat!

Green Manures(cover crops)

Green manures are grown primarily but for the benefit they bring to the ground and are not to be harvested. Chemical fertilizers only help the nutrient level of the soil, but do nothing for the microbial life and structure of the soil.

Organic methods may be slower, but they have long and lasting benefits. Green manures pull nutrients such as nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen from the air. They increase the water retention of the soil. They also act as a catch crop, so instead of the nutrients being wash away or down into the soil to burn the roots, the manures decay slowly to release the nutrients and make them available to feed the plant. So there is less chance to over feed your crop.

Certain green manures or cover crops are used to correct various problems. If your garden is low in nitrogen, plant a legume. If you are battling weeds, use a fast growing plant like buckwheat. To increase the till of your soil plant a cereal crop like winter wheat or rye, which tends to suppress weed growth and fight against bad nematodes.

Cover crops help to stimulant microbial activity, which improves your soil fertility. John Evans, who grows organically, has set 18 Alaskan records and 9 Guinness Book of World Records. Charles H. Wilber, who grows his tomatoes organically, has set several world record by using a combination of composting and green manures. His record is a 28' - 0" tomato 'tree' - which yielded about 350 lbs of tomatoes each - all of which is an official Guinness Record (cover, 1987 "Guinness Book of World Records"). And he did it with nothing out of the ordinary - not even fertilizers. Just compost, mulch, and consistent watering(pond water). That's all!!

And it's not only ten-fold yields of tomatoes that can be grown with Charles' simple methods. He has also grown 17' - 6" okra plants, 18 lb. radishes, 4 lb. pears, 1/2 lb. plums, 150 lb. squash, 105 lb. watermelons, 3.5 lb. tomatoes, 3" peanuts, 18 lb. cucumbers, 17' - 0" sweet corn plants, 20' - 0" peach trees in two years from seed, yielding 32 eight quart baskets of 5" peaches, 14' - 0" persimmon trees in one year from seed, 6' - 0" pecan trees in one year from seed . Charles says that any vegetables, fruit, berries, nuts and flowers will respond just as prolifically to his simple and natural methods.

Green manures also help to protect from pests using plants that produce substances that slow down or kill pests or diseases. Canola (rapeseed), mustard or other brassicas grown before a wheat crop can kill off disease by using plants that do not get the disease and therefore do not host it (provide a home for it). This is called a "break crop". Diseases and other organisms that have no host will eventually die off

Greater biological activity can reduce or kill off fusarium, phytophthora and other soil diseases. They also help to reduce erosion and smother out weeds as opposed to giving them an opening to germinate. Others can break up hardpan and pull up nutrients washed deep into the subsoil. Alfalfa can grow down 15 feet or more into the subsoil. These are just a few benefits from cover crops.

Getting the garden ready!

One of the best things to do to prepare the garden is to do a thorough soil test. You will need to test the levels of ph and the major nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium). You can buy a cheap test kit at any garden center. This will give you an idea were you need to start. In addition to other properties, nitrogen helps plant foliage to grow strong. Phosphorous helps roots and flowers grow and develop. Potassium (Potash) is important for overall plant health. There are a number of ways to increase these nutrients. All the various ideas I will talk about are organic. I believe in the long run that it is healthier and safer to go organic. You can compost your kitchen scraps, outdoor grass clippings and leaves, manures from sources such as horses, cows, chickens, goats, sheep, and alpacas. Do not use manure from pets or animals that eat meat. One of the best sources that I found is green manures. They are extremely a good deal, especially if you do not have a readily available manure source. I will cover more about green manures in my next post.