damethod's Blog
damethod's Blog
Last Post 14 days, 20 hours Ago
Sep 29, 2008 | 7:21 AM PST
Well Fall is now here and I've already got several tomato and pepper plants getting started. I prepared the bed for them by adding some cow manure, lime, organic soil mix, and then covering with cypress mulch. I haven't tried using Cypress mulch before, so this will be a first.
As for my seedlings... I've got Box Car Willie, Black Plum, Roma, Better Boy, and Brandywine Tomatoes. All of them were started either 9/17 or 9/26. I've also started several peppers..Anaheim, Jalapeno, Cayenne, and Bell Peppers. I've also got 3 yard long bean plants already in the ground.
Im hoping it will be another productive season for me before the cold weather starts to hit. Im armed with alot more knowledge this time around, so I'm quite optimistic. :o)
Garden Calender:
9/16/08 - Fertilized Mango, Avocados, Bananas, and container plants.
Aug 20, 2008 | 7:49 AM PST
8-11-08 Applied Copper Fungicide
8-16-08 Fertilized Glenn Mango and applied Chelated Citrus to all trees and raspberry bushes.
8-18-08 Applied Magnesium to all trees
Edit:: 8-21-08 Applied Iron to all trees, raspberry, blackberry, and hibiscus plants. Finished expanding borders around trees. Applied fish fertilizer on tomato plant.
Aug 13, 2008 | 6:05 AM PST
I have found a nearby nursery that specializes in caring for your plants. I bombarded her with questions about all my trees and received a boatload of education. I have lots of print material as well as some things I've retained from our long discussions. I asked about everything from what, how, and when to feed each fruit tree.. to what pests to watch out for and what to do to combat them. Hopefully my newly gained knowledge can be passed on to all of you. However, keep in mind that most information regarding pests (and sometimes even feeding) is specific to my area.
There are general rules of thumb for all plants, but you definitely won't face the same problems in Rhode Island that you will in Miami, FL. I have to worry about heat and humidity year round! Also, you should look into your soil structure. We have alkaline soil down here(Highly acidic). Local University web-sites are often good sources of informationspecific to your area. A good one for us Floridians is the University of Florida web-site.
Garden Calender:
8-7-08 Fertilized Key Lime, Lemon, Valencia Orange, and Grapefruit tree
8-12-08 Fertilized Tangerine, Persian Lime, and Monroe Avocado
**Edit: 8-13-08 Expanded borders and applied fertilizer to bananas and papaya. Also had to apply Sevin dust to Base around Glenn Mango and Hass Avocado.
All my plants are due for Chelated Iron AND *Magnesium application. **Glenn Mango is due for feeding.
*I recently discovered that Epsom Salt from a local grocery store is not the same as the Epsom Salt produced for agriculture.
Aug 1, 2008 | 7:16 AM PST
I took some photos today of my veggie garden, seedlings, banana, and papaya trees. Im going to post them on my profile now so I can chart their growth since the last time I posted photos.
I planted Yellow bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, and heirloom tomato seeds on the 24th. The jalapeno and tomato are currently growing, but the yellow bell has not sprouted. :o(
7-30: Planted several papaya seeds, a bay leaf seed, and a rainier cherry seed.
8 -1: Fertilized Veggies, Tomato, and herbs with Alaska Fish Fertilizer.
-Edit- 8 - 2: Sprayed chelated citrus on all trees and hibiscus.
Jul 19, 2008 | 7:22 AM PST
I'm considering opening an online nursery, so if anyone is interested in fruit trees or fertilizers, let me know and I may be able to get it cheaper than you normally would find. I buy and sell on ebay pretty regularly, so I would use that as my selling medium. I currently have a fruiting Key Lime tree for sale on there. Item number: 120284940610 Feel free to take a look and tell me what you think.
I now have a steady source for cheap fertilizer. It's a good 20 minute drive there, but it's worth it! I purchased some Alaska Fish Fertilizer since the worm poop is becoming too expensive. The worm poop needed to be applied once a week, where as the fish fertilizer is once every two weeks. The amount to apply each time is also much less with the fish. The worm poop did seem to be working well, but again, it's a bit pricy @ $8 per bottle when the bottle only contains enough for two applications.
Now, back to my garden..
It's almost feeding time for all my trees, but Papaya and Banana need to be fertilized often. So, I fertilized both banana trees with 6-3-16 and my papaya tree with 8-3-9. I am also currently trying to rehabilitate some papaya seedlings that my grandfather gave me. He had given them to my mother to give to me, but she forgot about them and left them bare root in her car for 3 days! There were about 7 plants and only one looks like it will make it. It will be amazing if even that one makes it really!
Hopefully, today turns out to be nice and dry so I can finally spray the garden and battle the bug population!
Jul 16, 2008 | 7:08 AM PST
I fed my Hass Avocado some 6-6-6 fertilizer yesterday. I have seen all types of NPK ratios that claim to be for mangos and avocados, but that one has worked best. I applied it to just that one tree because it's the newest addition to my garden and it did not look very happy. It is already looking much better. Once August comes around, it's time to fertilize all trees.
Hopefully, it doesn't rain today so that I can apply some insecticide to my lawn and garden. The summer rain is bringing more and more pests!
Jul 7, 2008 | 5:06 PM PST
I've noticed something recently while driving around...Everyone in Miami has a mango, avocado, papaya, or banana tree. You see Citrus trees here and there, but those four tropicals are everywhere you look. It makes me appreciate living here even more than I already do. It may be hot and humid most of the time, but I don't think I could live anywhere where the temperature drops below 50 for more than a month. The realization that I can grow pretty much anything that I want only solidifies my affection for my hometown.
Anyways, back to my gardening endeavours..
I was outside applying some potassium to my trees the other day and was thrilled to discover a volunteer Sweet Basil plant growing in my garden bed! It is growing in the same spot where the "parent" plant used to be.
I had stated in a previous entry that I was going to start a new garden bed. I decided against it, because my best available spot did not receive enough sunlight. Instead, I extended the space I already have by 18sq.ft. I then planted my cucumber and zucchini starters, along with some scallions I started from seed as well as more seeds in the same linear area. I know I shouldn't, but went ahead and planted some russet potatoes too. I had so many left over from a dinner party a few days ago...I decided to chop up some pieces and plant them. :o)
7-5-08 Applied potassium to Avocados, Mangos, Lemon, 1 Orange, and Key Lime trees
Jul 2, 2008 | 6:31 PM PST
I finally finished installing the soaker hose in my garden bed. I had to trim several canes from my raspberry and blackberry plants.. hopefully it will be worth it in the long run.
Also.. dug out all mulch, applied potassium supplement, tilled dirt, and then re-applied mulch to the mango and avocado trees. It started pouring right when I finished with the Monroe in the front. I then thinned down the tarragon and marjoram seedlings...I think I planted too many seeds :o/
Jun 27, 2008 | 7:09 AM PST
I was watching yesterday's soccer match here at my home with some friends. When I went to greet one of them at the door..I spotted a pigeon and a baby pigeon sitting on a rock, in a shaded area by the entrance of my house. I took some pictures of them and posted in my profile.
Pigeons seem to have a liking to my home. A year ago I had one build a nest on top of a piece of furniture that I use to store all my fertilizers, pesticides, garden tools,etc. It laid two eggs that eventually hatched. A few days later, the pigeon and one of the babies were gone. One of the babies unfortunately did not make it. :o(
Back to gardening..
I went by my mother's house yesterday and was amazed at the progress my grandfather had made in the backyard. It's huge! ..and so productive! He has about 10 pepper plants and they all look very healthy and have large, unblemished peppers. I was inspired to start another bed in my backyard.
I purchased an inexpensive border to make another garden bed for potatoes, onions, and cucumbers. I already purchased a cucumber starter plant to get going. I'm planning on making a 10' X 2' space along the wall of my property. I'll be going out several times today and tomorrow to try and calculate how much sun the plants will receive in that spot.
I also planted several orange seeds just for fun. If they do sprout and grow to a decent size..I'll probably just sell them or give them away.
Jun 25, 2008 | 1:55 PM PST
I planted some garlic cloves today. I've been told that you should wait until fall, but decided to try it anyways. I worked some composted cow manure into the soil before planting them. Pics are on the forum under the vegetables section.
I also fed my tomato plants some liquified worm poop. It's supposed to work great and is 100% natural, so I'm hoping for good results.
I planted the Hass Avocado into the ground the other day. Hopefully, it catches and starts growing quickly. I'll post pics soon.
My raspberries have not improved after the iron application I gave them..Im starting to think they may be a total loss. :o(
Jun 24, 2008 | 2:24 PM PST
I posted some more pics today. An updated Musa photo, my jalapeno plant, and pics of my tomato, vegetable, herb, and berry section of my garden..
Jun 22, 2008 | 7:53 AM PST
I finally received my Hass Avocado tree yesterday. It does look very healthy and arrived with no bumps or bruises. However, I am a bit dissappointed with the size of the tree. Although it is grafted, it is very small for the price I paid. Besides, the seller told me all his trees were 5 ft. tall..yet mine is just under 3ft. I'm trying to work with the seller to see if he'll reimburse me in some way because if I knew it was that small..I'd have waited for a better opportunity.
Even if he doesn't do anything to make me happy..I'll chock it up as some more experience to learn from. I'd be happy to put the tree in my yard anyways. I'll post pics of it when I put it in the ground today or tomorrow.
6-21-08 Applied some iron to raspberries and blackberries. Leaves were yellowing...after doing some research I was lead to believe it was due to iron defficiency. Hence, the application.
Jun 20, 2008 | 12:41 PM PST
Posted pics of almost all my trees and plants. Also added captions. Oh..and I'm still waiting on delivery of the Hass Avocado tree. It's been almost 2 weeks..so, I'm crossing my fingers that this didn't turn into a bad deal...
Jun 20, 2008 | 7:13 AM PST
First of all, thanks for the comments I received for my last blog entry. This wasn't supposed to be anything more than a checklist for me..but, I guess that's how we all start. :oD I appreciate all the feedback and any advice or suggestions is greatly appreciated.
I've only had experience growing tomatoes, some herbs, and mangos. So, this is my first year trying all the other things that I have. All trees except the Carrie Mango, Lemon, and Grapefruit have been in my yard for less than a year. I've never cared for flowers..but, since I live with my girlfriend..I've planted all sorts of flowering trees. Most of them are in the front..but, some are in hanging pots in the back patio. I wil post pics for your viewing pleasure of everything by the end of the day. I also intend on following up with new pics at the end of the year so I(and all of you) can track my progress.
Again, thanks for all the positive feedback! Now, back to my record keeping.. :oD
6-19-08 Applied Liquid Copper Fungicide on Mango, Avocado, and Birds of Paradise. Also tried a new insecticide on the citrus trees to see if it is more effective than organocide. It finally started raining heavily this week..so, that is a relief.
Today I will apply chelated citrus to all trees.
Green Onions and Dill have sprouted!
- In the near future I need to re-work the berry vines. They are getting far too messy.
- Also need to prepare soil to plant my new tomato plants.
Jun 12, 2008 | 9:43 AM PST
6-8-08 planted 6 Hibiscus trees in front of house, looking for border to plant 6 more.
6-8-08 purchasd Hass Acocado tree
Sprayed chelated citrus and LCF last two days respectively.
Applied blood and bone meal mixed in water to the peppers and roma tomato two days ago.
Applied organocide to all Citrus today.
Planted Green onion and dill seeds in small cups.
All previous seedlings are doing well. (Tomato, Tarragon, Chives, Marjoram, and Cayenne pepper)
Cilantro never sprouted... :o(
