New member

Hi I am from Northwest, TN , I am an organic gardener and learning so very much the past 7 years since I got back into gardening.
I had some of the hardest orange clay soil I honestly think it could have been in the Guinness Book of world records hehe, with lots of amendments, vegetables straw etc, I have several plots that now have a nice rich brown dirt.
Have to battle armies of squash bugs every year, have found duct tape works really well to remove the eggs and not harm the leaf.

I love learning and am always open to helpful advice!

I have 2 compost heaps and lots of volunteers growing in one of last years finished heaps, tomatoes, pumpkins and cantaloupes.

Thanks for having such a nice forum!

TOL = Tons of Love! A saying I created in these trying times, Pass it on if you like it! TOL! Gloria

Hi and welcome to the Forum

Love the duct tape advice. Will be using it tomorrow! Squash bugs are early for me this year, and I've been pinking them by hand, no damage so far, but I imagine with tape, it will be easier. Thank you! and welcome to the club.

Welcome!!!

Are you going to try any raised beds with mel's mix?

TOL

Glorious/Gloria and to the SFG forum.
Way to go, starting with advice for many of us --you'll fit in well to our "nice forum."
Are you planning to re-plant those volunteers, or just let 'em compost?

I am hoping to try the Mel's mix in a raised bed next year and in the area's that have good soil, it sounds very interesting, such awesome posts about it, wish I would have found this site a long time ago!

I am letting the volunteers grow in the 2 compost heaps, the cantaloupe plant already has 6 cantaloupes, pumpkin one and the tomatoes are just getting a ton of flowers, I had another compost heap I used for when I planted so I left these plants live, I never have the heart to turn something under that is thriving hehe, after we reap the rewards from them I will turn them under to reward me with more compost for next year

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial day weekend and remember what it is really all about those who served for us.

TOL!

Gloria

Glad to hear from another Henry Countian. I am about 8 miles northwest of Paris (Cottage Grove) and just discovered this SFG thing this year. Apparently you have had better success with our clay because I've been working on my current garden spot for about 12 years and have had very little success. So I went looking for a different way and found this along with the Lasagna Gardening a couple of years back. Both methods seem to complement each other and have their good and not quite so good points. I am not an organic purist but I do keep the chemical stuff to an absolute minimum.

FTIW vermiculite is available at Wildwood and Co-op, Co-op is less expensive but not always in stock. Peat is at Lowe's. Wildwood has worm castings in 1.5 cu ft. The other composts are not that difficult and you have, congratulations on that, your own stash. I've never had much luck making compost but I put togeather a tumbler barrel that I'm going to try this year, keeping my fingers crossed.

This first attempt at the SFG is mixed. The first two 4x4s with cabbage, onions, and radishes and carrots, shallots, beets, mustard, lettuse and sugar snaps did good. Got three good meals of mustard beforf the heat got it, still getting beets and carrots but they are about done, as is most of the lettuse and the peas are looking bedraggled after only a couple of pickings. Have cut one head of cabbage so far and the have more ready, radishes are on third planting but thheat is getting to them also. However my next boxes,3x6s, with tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and basil, chives and scattered marigolds are struggling. The basil is good and the tomatillos are fantastic but the rest exhibit all the classic sign of iron deficiency but the soil samples said everything was very good. I am keeping them going with iron suppliments and miracle-grow. I must have got something in one of my composts that isn't good. Two of them were used in the first mix but the other three were different. I think I'm going to like this way of gardening when I get the kinks out.

And the squash is planted in one of the year old Lasagna bed and is doing great. Had first bloom yesterday (and three clutches of squash bug eggs which were promply rubbed off) and two more blooms today (with another clutch of eggs,also destroyed). Now if I can just catch the egg producer. This is looking like another bad year for bugs, I've also seen, and deposed of two japanese beetles and I normally don't have a problem with them.

Here to successful gardens. I didn't mean to write a book, sorry. CWJ

Wow I know Cottage Grove real well! I live just south of the 218 bypass on Hwy 77,
Thanks for the tips on where to get all the goodies I will need for the mix , I wasn't aware that Wild wood had the worm castings, always good to know!
I also believe the bugs are gonna be horrid this year! I use duct tape with great success to remove the eggs and have found 4 squash bugs so far, they are goners hehe!
My Son lives in the town of Puryear and has some of the blackest dirt you could ever ask for, it was there when he bought the house, he also composts and yesterday gave me 3 yellow squash and asked if i wanted some cucumbers, , he has a cherry tomato that looks like a tree loaded, I am so jealous hehe! The grandkiddo's love gardening and have their own plants that are doing well, I am so happy he has good ground!

I am sorry to hear your ground never got better after all those years, I first started by putting veggies scraps right on top of the stone hard ground, honestly it was like trying to dig a stone up, plus grass clippings and straw that made it diggable by the next year but not a lot hehe!
I better stop or I will have a book! Sure am glad to have a neighbor here, perhaps we can talk in person sometime and compare notes !

Take Care! TOL!

Gloria

I'm a newcomer here and a first-time SFG'er. Welcome and thanks for sharing your (already vast) experience!!

Glorous, Welcome, and I don't mind you writing a book as I am enjpy reading.