Gardening tips needed :D

[J_Lynn]

Alrrrrright - so this morning my 42' x 12'6" lot was tilled up out by the shed on the side of the barn (thank God for tractors...because if I had to do with a regular tiller, I'd still be there!) and I am officially getting prepped to plant a bunch of stuff :)

Now, to all of you who have veggie gardens. I have some questions. I am wanting to keep this as all-natural as possible. I don't want to put Seven Dust all over my veggies and them come inside and eat pesticides; that's why I'm growing this stuff in the first place - not only do I want access to veggies so I can go eat them until I pass out, but I also want healthier food without having to pay an arm and a leg for it.

So, what organic/pesticide-free ways of bug removal and weed prevention are there for gardening? There was some stuff at Tractor Supply but it was a little high and since I don't know if it was any good - I wanted to talk to the internet first (lol)

Suggestions please :)

And since I am so freakin' stoked about this; I had to include pictures

I figured since my rose bushes are growing so well, I am going to expand my green-thumbing and see if I can pull off vegetables too hahah

(the only thing missing from the pictures are the tomatoes - I am buying the plants, not going to bother with the tomato seeds)

[CrankyOldMan]

I've had marginal success without using pesticides at all, but the Asian beetle infestations are a huge nuisance. There doesn't seem to be much that can be done about them either. Using traps just attracts more of them, potentially from miles around.

The only sure-fire way of weed control without pesticides is a daily stroll down the rows with a gardening implement or gloves. I've heard of some people using cardboard between the plants, but I haven't tried it myself.

[thebarber]

certain flowers will keep away rabbits and other bugs...i can't recall what the names are

you plant them around the perimeter of the garden though...it worked generally for us last year

i would also plant stuff that is low maintenance, but im unfamiliar with what grows easily in the southern US.

last year we did tomato, zuchini, squash, and peppers....all easy and good yeilds. corn and watermelon often come out shitty and small when grown at home (in my neck of the woods)

[TLyttle]

Try companion gardening. We had lost a big crop of potatoes to the beetles, next year we planted onions in between them, not a single beetle to be seen all season.

Calendulas, marigolds, etc, planted around the veggies keep away most pests, and look great. Best of all, if left alone, they re-seed and keep on protecting.

Most of companion gardening has to do with what was learned nearly 100 years (or more) ago, an still work the same now as then. The manufacturers of pesticides hate to see this method work, it cuts into their business. Seems to me that Sevin is accepted as an organic method, check first; it DOES work, but I only use it as a last resort...

We have a lot of clay in our soil here; if you have that tractor, plow in manure for cheap fertilizer, peat moss to keep the soil from compacting. Your garden will pay you back happily!

[J_Lynn]

I don't see why Seven would be considered organic .... it kills everything, and isn't safe for human consumption lol that tells me "don't eat this" which also tells me it isn't organic. hahaha

I did buy manure tonight, I am going to spread it tomorrow and mix it into the soil. The great thing about where I'm at is we are in the south .... the soil is great down here .... I am going to try the marigolds; I love those flowers - and since at the back of the shed in the little space between it and the shed I am going to put a table and a couple of chairs to be turned into my little hiding spot (what better way to hide from 2 kids and a man than go somewhere secluded lol) - I will enjoy looking at marigolds while I sip my wine and enjoy the growth of my food :D

Thanks for all the advice so far guys :) <3

[SailDesign]

We always used to have a "Beetle Bank" near the veggies. It is simply an uncut area (sprinkled with wildflowers if the wife insisted) where the "good" bugs can hide out to attack the "bad" bugs that find the garden.
If the whole area is cut down to lawn level, the bad bugs will still find the garden. So give their killers a home nearby. Killer bugs like their privacy....
It sounds stupidly simple, but it works.

In case I sound crazy - check it out here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetle_bank

[J_Lynn]

I LOVE that! I will have a small row of wild flowers on each end, and one right in the center. That is great that it will not only help, but it will add some beautiful color to the garden :)

I'm definitely not against having some bug marks on my veggies - our ancestors obviously lived through having bugs crawl on their crops! I just don't want them to kill the plants and make it so nothing actually grows. That's the only problem I have, so anything to help reduce the amount they'll eat is just more in our bellies :)

I just wish it only took things a couple of days to grow and produce. haha I'm so anxious! :)

[J_Lynn]

After reading your post, I did a search for plants that repel insects - and I found this website! This is great, tractor supply gave away free packets of some herbs with my seed purchases, so I have a few of these that I got for free .... that will be plants amongst the seeds as well :)

http://jennifercopley.suite101.com/n...control-a54194

This is so great, I would have never guessed that it would be so simple to repel insects! Beats the hell out of eating poison!

[WeeYari]

Got rabbits in your area. They are my biggest problem. They are gonna love your peas, spinach, asparagus (in 5 years time when you have a crop), beens, beats. Hell pretty much everything in your seed selection other than cucumbers, corn and squashes.

Also, if you start spotting cucumber beetles on your nice yellow blossoms, pick then out immediately. Once they lay some eggs in the flowers, your crop is toast.

Same goes for tomato horn worm. If you spot branches on your tomato plants without leaves, start searching for the little bugger on your plant somewhere. Even though they can be up to 3 inches long and fat as your thumb, they are incredibly hard to spot. One worm can do a hell of a lot of damage to a plant in 24 hrs. It's too bad they are so destructive as they mature into a very large, very beautiful moth.

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by WeeYari

Got rabbits in your area. They are my biggest problem. They are gonna love your peas, spinach, asparagus (in 5 years time when you have a crop), beens, beats. Hell pretty much everything in your seed selection other than cucumbers, corn and squashes.

Also, if you start spotting cucumber beetles on your nice yellow blossoms, pick then out immediately. Once they lay some eggs in the flowers, your crop is toast.

Same goes for tomato horn worm. If you spot branches on your tomato plants without leaves, start searching for the little bugger on your plant somewhere. Even though they can be up to 3 inches long and fat as your thumb, they are incredibly hard to spot. One worm can do a hell of a lot of damage to a plant in 24 hrs. It's too bad they are so destructive as they mature into a very large, very beautiful moth.

Yup! Definitely the best way to reduce pests is pick them off when you see them. I used to have a bucket of water mixed with a small amount of dishwashing liquid near the back door to take out with me and drop the picked-off bugs into. The dish-washing liquid makes it so there is no surface tension for the bugs to float on, so they sink...
And a reminder... Search the UNDERSIDE of the leaves, too.

[J_Lynn]

Oh crap lol

With a 525 sq ft garden, this is going to be a lot of bug picking, I do believe hahah

[SailDesign]

Originally Posted by J_Lynn

Oh crap lol

With a 525 sq ft garden, this is going to be a lot of bug picking, I do believe hahah

Don't have to do it all every day

[J_Lynn]

That's true. I will make it a Sunday morning, and Wednesday night routine :D

[mazilla]

Big ass shed + hydroponics...less chance of infestation, no chance of wildlife infiltration, and you control the light cycle.


I gave up on growing outdoors, too many risk factors to waste all that work IMO.

[J_Lynn]

That's a good idea too - but all the sheds here are full of tack (well, that's in the barn), tools, 4wheelers, or mowers ... no room for growing stuff lol

[SailDesign]

Hydroponics leads to nasty flavorless food - it needs a good bit of manure to get some real taste to it.
You need food that has seen Nature.

[HTM Yaris]

My Granny taught me to plant Marigolds near the tomatoes .Bugs seem to like the taste of Marigolds . Bird feeders help . Spiders ...work really well . Anoles ( green lizard ) work good as well . Toads.

I wonder if a thermo-cell (Yard version) would be effective .

To keep deer and rabbits away you need to give them their own food source to keep them off of your crops . A head or 2 of lettuce ( store bought is fine ) will keep the rabbits at bay . For deer I plant rye , millet , winter wheat , clover , peas , green beans and rape around the periphery of the garden . Hint ...keep fruit trees away from garden . When fruit trees like apples , pears , crabapple , plums , and persimmon ripen , if there are any deer around , they will trample whatever is in the way .

I just seen your watermelon seeds . I would plant your melons away from the other stuff . Deer really love melons . Also if you don't already know , when the melons start to get big , you will want to put some type of straw under the melon to keep it from "burning" .

A long time ago , I planted 2 acres of Sunflower . I remember they got about 1 foot tall and I was dreamin how pretty that field was gonna look in late summer . Yeah well a herd of deer demolished that field in 1 night . Ever since then I put out crops for the deer to eat .

[mazilla]

Originally Posted by SailDesign

Hydroponics leads to nasty flavorless food - it needs a good bit of manure to get some real taste to it.
You need food that has seen Nature.

I've been wanting to try hydroponics linked to a fish pond, I've heard great things about shitty fish water and flavor.