BTE, hugelkulture, hydroponics and other unconventional gardening

[Lazy Gardener]

Been working on cleaning up the garden. The previous layers of mulch have mostly disappeared. Some of the mountains of wood chips at the town dump composting facility are not frozen. Very fresh chips, finely ground, mostly soft wood. I don't want to be using fresh chips, and there is some cedar mixed in. But, I don't want to wait any later in the season for more aged chips to thaw out. So... I'll get what I can, when I can get it. So far, I've spread 15 barrels full of chips/stable litter, and have an other 7 barrels waiting on the truck for me to spread later this week, after the next rain storm.

The chickens have been free ranging, tearing the back yard up. I stood and watched one hen for about 10 minutes, as she worked an area that was about 1 sq. ft. During that time, I watched her eat 11 white grubs from that tiny little spot. (Multiply that: 30 chickens, x 12 hours/day. That's a LOT of grubs!) Hubby doesn't like them tearing up the lawn, but... if they don't tear it up and eat the grubs, the grubs will kill the lawn anyways!

Tearing out the borer infested raspberry plants, plan to start young plants in a new bed, along with some asparagus, rhubarb, strawberries! HUBBY HAS RELUCTANTLY GIVEN PERMISSION FOR ME TO PUT A PERENNIAL BED IN FRONT OF THE FENCED PORTION OF THE GARDEN. OF COURSE, THIS AREA WILL ALSO NEED TO BE FENCED, BUT I CAN ADD AN OTHER 8' OF CP TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

My boss, has a husband who is a student at the local tech school: Welding. Last summer, I asked him if he might be interested in making a broad fork for me. He was non committal, so I said nothing more about it. Friday, boss called me into her office, and showed me a pic of a broad fork he's been working on for me!!! I am beyond excited. So... I might have a broad fork soon!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I'm trying yet an other experiment. "They say" that you can't use potatoes from the grocer as seed stock, b/c the potatoes have been sprayed with a herbicide to delay sprouting. "They say" that even if those potatoes grow, they won't produce a viable crop. I think @Beekissed has had experience with this. So, my experiment: I've had a nice potato on my windowsill for the last 2 months. It's slowlysending out sprouts. As those sprouts get the beginnings of leaf points and root nubs, I'm gouging them out of the tuber and planting them in a 6 pack. My thought: Perhaps by removing the vegetative matter from the sprayed potato, and giving them extra time, they willproduce a viable crop.

 

[Beekissed]

They aren't treated with an herbicide...or not one anyone will admit to, commercially...but something called a sprout inhibitor. There are three such chemicals on the market for use. They have a shelf life, so soon wear off, as anyone who has ever kept spuds in a dark cupboard and later find them sprouting like crazy will find out.

I've planted these with no problems and didn't notice a lack in yield from them, other than a lower yield according to the type of spud they were. I found, if they will grow spuds when you throw them out on a compost bin, they will do the same in the garden.

One article I read said don't cut them up like you do seed spuds, but I did and it didn't matter.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Some of the reading I've done stated that the inhibitor WAS an herbicide, and that it will negatively affect yield.

So, I'm glad you did have a good experience with this. I wonder if the "they say" stuff is typical of many things. "They say" not to use grocer potatoes b/c they are not certified potatoes, thus not "disease free" HAH! Have you looked in the seed bins at the feed stores lately? Those spuds look pretty dismal to me. "They also say" not to save your own spuds for seed or to destroy any volunteers in your garden. I've done both for years without problems. Makes me wonder if there is a vested financial interest in "they say" advice.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Thanks, Bee. I was going to copy your response from your forum to set the record straight. Sorry if I put words in your mouth, and it appears that I did!!!

 

[Lazy Gardener]

Here's an interesting article:

https://livingmaxwell.com/health-risks-conventional-potatoes

And a paragraph quoted from that article:

The chemical that is found on 76% of all conventional potatoes is chlorpropham, an herbicide that is used to stop the growth of weeds and to inhibit potato sprouting.

Which brings me to yet an other thought regarding reliance on grocery store food products: If all these chemicals are on/in our food, and root crops are often used to clear toxins from the soil (thus the toxins end up in those lovely bags of carrots and spuds)... I'm aware that a lot of folks claim that they can't eat any veggies from the nightshade family. Then, there's the whole gluten issue. I'm wondering if rather than being intolerant of the particular vegetable family or gluten, perhaps our bodies are simply not tolerant of the chemical soup that we've been fed for the last 2 - 3 generations.

 

[Pjhomestead]

They aren't treated with an herbicide...or not one anyone will admit to, commercially...but something called a sprout inhibitor. There are three such chemicals on the market for use. They have a shelf life, so soon wear off, as anyone who has ever kept spuds in a dark cupboard and later find them sprouting like crazy will find out.

I've planted these with no problems and didn't notice a lack in yield from them, other than a lower yield according to the type of spud they were. I found, if they will grow spuds when you throw them out on a compost bin, they will do the same in the garden.

One article I read said don't cut them up like you do seed spuds, but I did and it didn't matter.

I have also planted them with no issues and had a good crop

 

[Beekissed]

Which brings me to yet an other thought regarding reliance on grocery store food products: If all these chemicals are on/in our food, and root crops are often used to clear toxins from the soil (thus the toxins end up in those lovely bags of carrots and spuds)... I'm aware that a lot of folks claim that they can't eat any veggies from the nightshade family. Then, there's the whole gluten issue. I'm wondering if rather than being intolerant of the particular vegetable family or gluten, perhaps our bodies are simply not tolerant of the chemical soup that we've been fed for the last 2 - 3 generations.

I agree with that 100%. We haven't developed intolerance to veggies, wheat and dairy, but an intolerance to the chemicals therein. Makes you wonder about the large sector of the populace that HAVEN'T developed an intolerance....is it because they have been eating store sourced foods for so long their bodies have built up a tolerance?

 

[Lazy Gardener]

That would be my guess. I'm also thinking that the poisons in our diets are directly related to the increase of cancer diagnoses, and autoimmune illnesses.

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I'm thinking about making biochar out of the infested raspberry canes and roots instead of taking them to the town dump burn pile. Here's a nice article, provided by @Beekissed on her forum. Thanks, Bee!

https://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/making-biochar-improve-soil-zmaz09fmzraw