Vegetable gardens at home.

[Wayne Potgieter]

Four bags of compost mixed in and watered.

 

Gonna leave it for a week as suggested by The Porra.

 

Would you suggest starting the seeds so long in toilet roll holders and as they germinate, just sliding the soil out of the toilet roll into the veggie patch?

 

Was thinking of doing onions and potatoes outside the garden using the tyre method.

 

Appreciate the advice guys.

[Joeboy69]

Looking good Wayne :-)

 

Not that I know much but from other posts in the thread consider adding some stuff to your compost while it is getting ready. Some suggestions included bonemeal, lime, some activator stuff, vermiculite and peat ... I'm hopefully starting my compost process in 2 weeks ... Reckon the toilet roll idea is a winner and see no reason why that can happen while youngest for the new soil to get ready ...

[Wayne Potgieter]

I like the toilet paper roll idea.

 

It means bonding time with the kids and teaching them about germination and growth.

 

I am so proud, my little guy spent 4 hours in the sun today helping me with that garden patch, and agian an hour now watering it.

 

For those with 4 year olds, you will know how difficult it is to get one to do a single task for more than 3.5 seconds, so 5 hours of gardening is amazing.

[forkie]

I started a garden in july last year. the best thisng I bought was a book from Exclusive books called "A-Z of vegetable gardening in South Africa" by Jack Hadfield.

 

Tells you everything you need to know from soils to what to plant when and how to treat each indvidual veg.

 

My garden is out on our farm which I only visit on weekends, so its set up with timed irrigation and its completely covered by mesh to keep the birds and monkeys out. Its good fun and we have taken lots from it already

[Porra 1]

Four bags of compost mixed in and watered.

 

Gonna leave it for a week as suggested by The Porra.

 

Would you suggest starting the seeds so long in toilet roll holders and as they germinate, just sliding the soil out of the toilet roll into the veggie patch?

 

Was thinking of doing onions and potatoes outside the garden using the tyre method.

 

Appreciate the advice guys.

 

 

You can start planting the seed in the toilet roll . Go and buy yourself a bag of seedling soil don't buy the big bag as it dries out quickly and then looses all of its nutrition. When you have filled the rolls with soil just take your finger push it into the soil then drop the seed in and cover it with soil lightly when watering use very little water pressure so as not yo wash the seed out of the soil. Place the new seed in a place where they get morning sun or afternoon sun as mid day sun will absurd all the water and the new plant will get burnt from the midday sun. It will be better if you do the potatoes in the tyre s as it will give you more space to plant vegetables that take only six weeks to harvest.

You can do your coriander now as well but don't plant them in the toilet rolls you will just be wasting your time and rolls . What you do is once your vegetable bed is ready you make a trench right to left not to deep 3 cm deep then take the coriander seeds and spread them along the trench and cover ,as you will see the coriander is a large seed and you get quite a lot in one packet so makes it easy to plant

When you are ready to transfer the seedlings to the veg patch the soil around the seedling must be a bit dry so that when you take it out the toilet roll most of the soil is still with the root if the soil is to wet the soil will just fall off the root and the roots will take time to resettle in the vegetable patch ans the plant sometimes goes into shock and dies or the plant will take longer to grow. Remember to plant late afternoon in summer months as the soil has lost most of its heat and the roots will not bet burnt and the night temperature as now cool giving the plant a better chance the next day when it gets hot.

[Christopher Brunsdon]

I like the toilet paper roll idea.

 

It means bonding time with the kids and teaching them about germination and growth.

 

I am so proud, my little guy spent 4 hours in the sun today helping me with that garden patch, and agian an hour now watering it.

 

For those with 4 year olds, you will know how difficult it is to get one to do a single task for more than 3.5 seconds, so 5 hours of gardening is amazing.

 

And when the carrots start coming out and the he discovers how tasty they are, he will want to help you even more. My kids love helping me out in the garden.

[Pants Boy]

Carrots - save your coffee grounds and work it into teh soil where you plant your carrots. Gives the ground a perfect texture for carrots (And radishes and beets)

[Beesrib]

loving the thread, thanks all.

 

two questions

1. ash from the fireplace or braai - what is the best application

2, the used coffee grounds - throw in compost or apply with water directly to plant?

 

happy planting wayne.

[Mr Winter]

 

Where did you buy these?

[Pants Boy]

2, the used coffee grounds - throw in compost or apply with water directly to plant?

 

I save mine from the office up untill it's a bag full 9about two months) then work it into the soil. It's just for changing the consistency of the soil, you'd get the same effect with a fine river sand as well. Coffee grounds does not retain a lot of moisture, drains well, gives way easily (to let the carrots grow) etc.

[RudoJ]

I save mine from the office up untill it's a bag full 9about two months) then work it into the soil. It's just for changing the consistency of the soil, you'd get the same effect with a fine river sand as well. Coffee grounds does not retain a lot of moisture, drains well, gives way easily (to let the carrots grow) etc.

Slightly off topic, but I heard that the coffee grounds also works wonders for plants that want some acidic soil (like a yesterday today and tomorrow)

[Eddy Gordo]

The toilet roll is good, You can also use newspaper and make a small envelope for your seedlings. When they are big enough plant the paper or roll into the soil. The paper/cardboard will retain some moisture around the roots of your plant until it breaks down.

 

Coffee grounds do make the soil acidic

[Wayne Potgieter]

Where did you buy these?

West Pack.

 

About R650 bucks each.

 

But you can buy a similar one at builders for R500

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Slightly off topic, but I heard that the coffee grounds also works wonders for plants that want some acidic soil (like a yesterday today and tomorrow)

 

I mixed ground coffee into the soil of my lettuce that has not produced much the last month (I do cut n grow), that was 3 days ago and this morning I had enough lettuce for my sandwich again. I also saw the spinach was looking healthy again.

 

Very impressed with the results and at work I can get a 5L bucket of this stuff every two months (there are 3 of us in the office who are sharing the ground coffee from the machine).

[GoLefty!!]

I'm trying the Square Foot Garden thing, check out: http://sfgsa.co.za/

Carrots and onions in the near most row.

Lettuce and Swiss Chard in the second

Peppers in the third

and baby tomatoes in the back.

 

I'm struggling with an Ant and snail problem at the moment.

 

This is what it looked like at the start

 

 

is your dog my dogs cousin...? thye have the same "just you wait till I've got that garden to myself" smug look

[Wayne Potgieter]

OK, bonemeal and Compost mixed into soil.

 

Kraal manure spread over top

 

2:3:4 sprinkled lightly over the top and watered in.

 

Gonna leave for a week and get planting.