has55's R & D Journey

My goal is opposite of yours (cold-tolerance), but I did think of your post when I saw the top review at Baker Creek for Tronchuda kale from someone in Reno, NV mentioning it doing well through high temperatures:
http://www.rareseeds.com/tronchuda-kale/
Beira is either a hybrid or an improved selection (sites don't seem consistent on this,) that may be even more heat tolerant than the BC heirloom variety.
Various sites claim it is sweeter and more tender than kale and collards. I think it's going on my 'next year' list.

get the wine glass out. it time for Mozart.

@BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:My goal is opposite of yours (cold-tolerance), but I did think of your post when I saw the top review at Baker Creek for Tronchuda kale from someone in Reno, NV mentioning it doing well through high temperatures:
http://www.rareseeds.com/tronchuda-kale/
Beira is either a hybrid or an improved selection (sites don't seem consistent on this,) that may be even more heat tolerant than the BC heirloom variety.
Various sites claim it is sweeter and more tender than kale and collards. I think it's going on my 'next year' list.

when you wrote next year, is that 2017 or 2018? Is it still too to plant?

Sanderson,you wrote "Everything that I grow in the middle and late summer is shaded: tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, winter squash, cucumbers, cantaloupe..."
is the production good under the shade?
tell me again how hot it get in the summer?

@newbeone wrote:Sorry has55 I'm an implant from zone 4, this summer will be my second summer down here. Last June, July and August my garden was looking pretty bad as far as greens the mustard got so hot you couldn't eat it even cooked, I tried Malabar spinach but I planted it in the only spot I have a little shade, needless to say it do very good either. This will be my first year with new beds full of MM. and I have rigged shade over two beds that I can adjust the height I'll let You know how I make out this summer.

newbeone, sorry for the late reply. If anyone has not told you yet, welcome to Texas. It big enough to have as a permanent resident.

here's a site for San Antonio area- Melody's Gardening in Central Texas
you also have a wonder tv show-central texas gardener

new project. expanding my SFG to the front yard. laying the water lines out now. 

@has55 wrote:

@BeetlesPerSqFt wrote:My goal is opposite of yours (cold-tolerance), but I did think of your post when I saw the top review at Baker Creek for Tronchuda kale from someone in Reno, NV mentioning it doing well through high temperatures:
http://www.rareseeds.com/tronchuda-kale/
Beira is either a hybrid or an improved selection (sites don't seem consistent on this,) that may be even more heat tolerant than the BC heirloom variety.
Various sites claim it is sweeter and more tender than kale and collards. I think it's going on my 'next year' list.

when you wrote next year, is that 2017 or 2018? Is it still too to plant?

Next year being 2018. I'll be starting my regular kale and collards inside in about a week. Since your season starts earlier than mine, I'd say start as soon as you can get seeds (or wait until next year and see if I follow through on getting seeds; I'll share them if I do.) I'm going to throw out a fuzzy deadline of: get them started before mid-April. But I don't really know your climate well, so it's a barely educated guess; I'd start them however/whenever you'd start collards or kale.

I think this is a great idea - something I'd like to do in the future, if I'm able to.  Unfortunately, many communities have banned vegetable gardens in front yards. Should I encounter such restrictions, I'll plan for an edible landscape in the front and save the beds for other parts of the property.

What are you planning to grow in these beds?  Do you have concerns about trespassers stealing your crops?

Has, It gets in the 100s for days at a time. My specific area reaches 110*F. When the temps reach that high, production stops, plants just try to survive, and then they have a second longer production season into the late fall. Oct first is the target date for setting out winter greens.

The only "winter green" that survives the hot summer is Bright lights Swiss chard and New Zealand spinach.

BPSF, I started my kale a few weeks ago but didn't know about the kale that more heat tolerates. Hope to get to the nursery tomorrow and get some seeds from this nursery that specialized in organics and making their own soil.

Sanderson 110. that hard to believe a human can move around it that type of heat, let alone plants.

Who said I do any moving around? I have to turn the compost before the sunrises or after sun set.

Wow that will be great! You could be the next Gangsta Gardener like Ron Finley.

update of progress.




close up the ground and it working. got my yard back.


I planned to cover the zone and the right of way with paper, compost and lastly mulched. 1/2 of zone facing the edge of right away, I will plant sweet potatoes. the other half, I will plant Malabar spinach. these vines will be trained to go over the right of way, thus creating color and food. 
within both zones, I will plant herbs, lantana, and some of the varity from John Kohler video below. these plants can take on texas 100 degrees weather like the sweet potatoes and Malabar spinach. 
I planned to design it so it doesn't look like food. I will grow okra, but not as a food, but as decoration. The key is having enough time to create a pleasant design. I can't use all the plants that john suggested, because it will be unattractive in the front yard, like the tree collar. We'll have a small square of okra in the SFG for eating.but it grown differently to make food versus decoration.

That's great, Has55! Like your water system!!

I want to partially expand into the front yard, but it will have to wait a bit. It will be a blueberry expansion, black/rasp/boysen berry area, & strawberries & herbs in a TT against the house. The TT will be one of those like Yolos has with the cutouts on the sides.

after seeing the wonderful result of The State Of New Mexico research on better plant growth with proper fungal to bacteria ratio, thus improving significantly the delivery system of the nutrients to the plants by the soil food web. I revisited my soil testing done by Dr. Inham. on page two she made some recommendations since my ratio was low. Since I have the aquajet system in my garden beds I can feed the plants underground directly to the roots. one of her suggestions is  fish hydrolysate with chitin and chitosan . I found this formula very hard to find. I found it in a product called PACIFIC GRO. Has anyone tried it? Pacific Gro   


I'm going to add (insect exoskeletons), insect frass (high in chitin) on top with rice hulls and covered with compost,  but I can't rice hull find it here in texas.  does anyone know where to buy it in texas? I found this wonderful source online, but too expensive to shipped. rice hull 

below is page 2 of my soil test recomendation by Dr. Inham soil fod web lab
 

Just got off the phone with the manufacturer of Pacific Gro organic fertilizer. It's become biological active when water is added to it. you need to use all of it. They are not allowed to discuss the chitin or chitosan properties of stopping fungus on leaves, preventing aphids and gnats from attacking your plants, esp roses. Will stop powdery mildew and black spot on roses. I did not ask him about spider mites. it probably work because of the oils in it. They can only discuss this effect thru the fish hydrolysate, because then it would be classified as a pesticide. They are not registered for that category.
If you use it in a drip irrigation the line will need to be flush with clean water because it has oils in it and will produce a slime it. Undiluted it's an acid PH about 3.5. once diluted with water it becomes almost neutral PH. don't leave in line because once diluted it is a living product.

For rice hulls, check a local brewery or home brew shop.

thank you.

thanks, RoOsteR. Great idea!!! I found a company that sells the rice hulls. also, they going to check for me thru their network if I can get some spent grains. I found one company that has a lot of spent grains, but he has contracted it out to a farmer to feed to their cattle.

Robb , put another video using a nutrient feeder with aquajet. I used a 1 gallon feeder since I have 14 beds. You can use with drip or the home made pvc irrgation system.

@has55 wrote:thanks, RoOsteR. Great idea!!! I found a company that sells the rice hulls. also, they going to check for me thru their network if I can get some spent grains. I found one company that has a lot of spent grains, but he has contracted it out to a farmer to feed to their cattle.

In addition to spent grains, these places typically have or use rice hulls. Most decent homebrew shops sell them.