Hello from North West Tennessee

jdnetone 2/27/2012, 4:12 pm

I have Mel's new book and can't seem to put in down. I am starting a few raised beds and am trying to start them with the Square foot method. I found were I can order the course Vermiculite; I should get it next week. I have the peat moss and I am working on the compost. I have garden for many years but I am trying to establish an easier way to garden before I get older and ready for retirement.

Have a great day

James

**Furbalsmom** 2/27/2012, 7:16 pm

James,

but a word of warning, gardening is a great retirement activity, but in SFG, once your beds are built and filled, don't expect much of a work out because you have no tilling, no weeding, and not a lot to do except plant, water and harvest. You do need to keep an eye out for pests on those babies as they grow up.

If you want it even easier when you retire, check into Table Tops, where your garden is up high enough that you won't need to bend over or crawl on your knees. You even have those lovely plants right in front of your face, so it is much easier to keep an eye on them.

Glad you found the ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book and this forum.

**walshevak** 2/28/2012, 5:40 am

Furbalsmom wrote: James,

but a word of warning, gardening is a great retirement activity, but in SFG, once your beds are built and filled, don't expect much of a work out because you have no tilling, no weeding, and not a lot to do except plant, water and harvest. You do need to keep an eye out for pests on those babies as they grow up.

If you want it even easier when you retire, check into Table Tops, where your garden is up high enough that you won't need to bend over or crawl on your knees. You even have those lovely plants right in front of your face, so it is much easier to keep an eye on them.

Glad you found the ALL NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENING book and this forum.

Welcome and this is why I got into SFG. Can get down to the ground but have a real problem getting back up. I had 6 tabletops last year and am working on 4 more for long term stuff like strawberries. Love the MM once I got all 5 composts located. Was even able to wrap my beds in tulle for bug protection and take off for two weeks without coming back to bug eaten, weed filled beds. A timer on a makeshift sprinkler system kept them watered. This year I'm putting in soaker hoses on the timer.

Kay

1airdoc 2/28/2012, 7:23 am

Welcome, fellow Tennessean!

LeeAnne12 2/28/2012, 8:06 am

Hi James,

I'm from W TN, too, and new to this. Welcome! I've only had one garden and it was not too good, so I may be picking your brain on what is best to plant in our area.

Lee Anne

wilkette 2/28/2012, 9:25 am

Welcome to another Tennessean! I'm from NW TN also (Clarksville, to be specific).

jdnetone 2/28/2012, 12:34 pm

Thanks For the nice welcome!! Smile

wilkette I have a son just graduated from AP that lives in Clarksville.

I was looking at the tabletops do they work ok It looks like they would dry out quickly?

Thanks

James

Squat_Johnson 2/28/2012, 2:17 pm

Welcome!

I travel down to a great little garden supply place over in Elkton. Very nice Amish family business. They have Vermiculite for 11.75/bag.

Deerfield Supplies
2825 Stringtown Rd, Elkton, KY 42220
866-450-2425
Hours: MON-FRI 7:30AM-5PM,SAT 7:30AM-12 NOON

rod champion 2/28/2012, 2:22 pm

Are you from Nashville area?

1airdoc 2/28/2012, 3:41 pm

Montgomery County Farmer's CoOp carries vermiculite in large bags.

jdnetone 2/28/2012, 8:11 pm

I live in Obion County north of Memphis.

Thanks for the information I have vermiculite on order from our local Obion County Farmers CO-OP in 4 Cu Ft. bags and the course type. sunny

Five types of compost seem to be a challenge to find. Hello from North West Tennessee 601593

Thanks

James

Squat_Johnson 2/29/2012, 8:54 am

It has always been a challenge finding compost. Every spring, I look at Walmart, Lowes, and Home Depot, as well as local farmers.

jdnetone 2/29/2012, 11:06 am

Next time I am visiting my son in Clarksville I may drive up to Deerfield Supplies
2825 Stringtown Rd, Elkton, KY to check them out thanks for the information.

James

rod champion 2/29/2012, 1:24 pm

Welcome- I have a little fly shop in Bristol, TN. . You guys have been hammered by rain, haven't you?

take Care

CWJones 2/29/2012, 4:42 pm

James, I found all my compost at Wildwood Garden and Landscaping in Paris. They have cow manure (1cu ft), mushroom (1cu ft), wormcastings (1.5 cu ft), and a product called ERTH Food which is a blend of peanut hull, softwood fines, hardwood fines, and biosolids (sludge). That adds up to seven kinds. They also carry the vermiculite. Also, they are familar with this concept of gardening. I also thought of that nursery in Milan just across from Lowe's and Wallyworld. I cannot beat the price on peat at Lowe's, not even at Co-op, especially if you can skip across the border to KY. I'm almost as close to Murray as I am to Paris.

PS, I hope the storm spared you, I picked up an inch of rain in about 30 minutes but it blew through quickly with no damage this time. the weather gussers say we've got another round coming Friday. Good luck.

CWJ

**Furbalsmom** 2/29/2012, 5:07 pm

a product called ERTH Food which is a blend of peanut hull, softwood fines, hardwood fines, and biosolids (sludge).

My very personal opinion is that I would not use sewage sludge in a vegetable garden. With the bacteria that could still be present and medications that people put down their toilets, I just can't do it.

curio 2/29/2012, 6:00 pm

I have to agree with Furbalsmom on this one. Even if the stuff has gotten very hot, the possibility is still there for a problem.
Medications are a real concern for me in making the "special" nitrogen based liquid additive for the compost bins, since I am on several. Having trouble getting the hubby to agree to supply the juice, but I keep trying Smile

LeeAnne12 2/29/2012, 9:09 pm

Ooh, I think I might need to go to Paris for some of the mushroom compost. Thanks for posting this. Very Happy

Lee Anne

jdnetone 3/1/2012, 12:20 pm

Thanks for the information about the store in Paris. CWJ Hello from North West Tennessee 109486

We were spared by the storms an only got a fast thunderstorm, but that was about it.

I couldn't go with the sludge compost just the thought of it would get me personally.

LeeAnne12 3/1/2012, 2:00 pm

If any of you from W TN want to make a trip to Memphis, Dan West Garden Center has 5 different types of compost, earth worm casting, cotton, chicken manure, cow manure, and mushroom, and she said it was in 2 cubic foot bales. I'm so excited to find it all in one place. ...now to sweet talk my husband into stopping by there to get it, since he works in Memphis.

Lee Anne

**Furbalsmom** 3/1/2012, 2:17 pm

Score!

**Furbalsmom** 3/3/2012, 1:20 pm

I was looking at the tabletops do they work ok It looks like they would dry out quickly?

I have table tops and they work great. They do not need as much water as a row garden because the peat moss and vermiculite retain a lot of moisture while draining off any excess. It is important that you thoroughly saturate the Mel's Mix when first filling your box, whether on the ground or in a table top. I don't have the heat you do in the summer, but the wind here can be horrific. Mel recommends plywood bottoms for table tops. My table tops have hardware cloth bottoms with weed cloth to contain the Mel's Mix, but we have 60 or more inches of rain locally each year, so plywood would not last as well here.

I prefer soaker hoses for watering as they don't wet the leaves.

**walshevak** 3/3/2012, 1:32 pm

I have tabletops in the hot South. They are working great. Hardware cloth, weedblock, and a sprinkler last year. This year soaker hoses. I did make my MM 7" deep. Used 10 cuft instead of 8 because of the heat.

KaY

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	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.