2025 gardens

[DJ54]

Late Flat Dutch I planted Wed.. afternoon is up in less than 60 hrs..!! I'll put it in the shop on a table maybe this evening, or in the morning depending on what it looks like later today. Below freezing temps tonight and tomorrow night.
I'll put it in the greenhouse in the daytime.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Thanks..!! My buddy is somewhat interested. Wondered where you by the seed. Locally..?? We have several cover cop seed dealers close, but I'd have to check their websites to see if they handle it. I saw a price online from a seed dealer that it was $6.95 a lb. $4.00 a lb. sounds a lot better.

I buy from Byron seed. Both buckwheat and phacelia. They are local to me.

Phacelia is a heavy nectar producer... So $100 for an acre is easy to recoup in honey production.

 

[DJ54]

Thanks, I'll have to check my local cover crop dealer.

 

[DJ54]

I checked the germination chamber yesterday evening before doing chores and a few of the Greenboy cabbage were peeking out. I love my homemade toys..!!

 

[DJ54]

I buy from Byron seed. Both buckwheat and phacelia. They are local to me.

Phacelia is a heavy nectar producer... So $100 for an acre is easy to recoup in honey production.

The more I look into Phacelia, the more I like what I'm seeing. Other than drawing pollinators it also attracts beneficial insects that feed on caterpillar pests like cabbage worm, cabbage looper, and cutworms. They also parasitize squash bugs. That would be a big help here. I did read where it says not to plant close the Brassicas, yet another site says it makes a great companion plant, go figure....

The good news, the cover crop dealer just 2 miles away has the Phacelia Super Bee variety in stock for just under $4 a lb. On their site I saw where there are 225,000 seeds per lb. My thoughts are to try planting a border around part of the garden in rows, maybe 2 rows close together, yet away from the cabbage. Also read it's a Deer deterrent which may also help some.

I have a plate for my Brinly planter that has a high number of very small seed cells. Forget what for, but I remember when seeing it thinking I'll never have a use for it. Maybe I will now..!! I'll give it a shot for $4.00. They've been very accommodating to me, so just getting a pound won't be a problem.

Just wanted to thank you for posting about the Phacelia, I'd have never known about it until you posted planting it.

 

[sixdogs]

In addition to the tomatoes and sweet corn mentioned in post 11, I should mention we do plant a few other things. We plant basil and rosemary because we use in cooking. Wife plants a few other spice things but not sure what those are. You can't go wrong with spices you use.
After reading the threads of others I think we'll plant some arugula. It's great on pizza if you know how to use it. The old style squash is a maybe and Italian sweet peppers too. Potatoes too. You can't beat new potatoes and peas.

That others plant such large gardens on here is admirable with their organized seed starting. It renews the spirit in spring, pays more than you think and gives isometric exercise that helps as people get older. Can't hurt. We used to do big gardens but progressing age shifts things around and we cut back a bit.

My gardens were, and remain, 100% weed free. I never let a weed go to seed because of the math. Some weeds are as much as 200,000 seeds and that seed can live longer than us. You can get the surface weed next year but the seeds in the ground will start each time you cultivate and give that seed a flash of sunlight. So, no weeds, ever.
And remember that pulled weeds leave roots in the ground that come back in spades. Get weeds while they are little and be relentless in pursuit.

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

The more I look into Phacelia, the more I like what I'm seeing. Other than drawing pollinators it also attracts beneficial insects that feed on caterpillar pests like cabbage worm, cabbage looper, and cutworms. They also parasitize squash bugs. That would be a big help here. I did read where it says not to plant close the Brassicas, yet another site says it makes a great companion plant, go figure....

The good news, the cover crop dealer just 2 miles away has the Phacelia Super Bee variety in stock for just under $4 a lb. On their site I saw where there are 225,000 seeds per lb. My thoughts are to try planting a border around part of the garden in rows, maybe 2 rows close together, yet away from the cabbage. Also read it's a Deer deterrent which may also help some.

I have a plate for my Brinly planter that has a high number of very small seed cells. Forget what for, but I remember when seeing it thinking I'll never have a use for it. Maybe I will now..!! I'll give it a shot for $4.00. They've been very accommodating to me, so just getting a pound won't be a problem.

Just wanted to thank you for posting about the Phacelia, I'd have never known about it until you posted planting it.

I'm glad you've found it helpful. I too plant the Super Bee variety. That is a great price per pound!

 

[DJ54]

I'm glad you've found it helpful. I too plant the Super Bee variety. That is a great price per pound!

After doing a little more reading about it, I'm a little confused and on the wall about it. One site Natural Resources Conservation Service says Lacy phacelia is a host to the soil borne diseases, Sclerotinia minor and Rhizoctonia solani and should not be grown in rotation with crops on which these pathogens cause disease. And another site says, Phacelia has few problems with pests or diseases. So, who does one believe..?? Another says it's a great companion plant in the garden to vegetables another says it can be harmful. Another says not to plant it too close to certain vegetables such as tomatoes and cabbage, which I plant a lot of. But doesn't mention how far away to plant it.

One article says not to plant it too close to some specific vegetables because it attracts the same pests, while another says it will attract beneficial insects, such as cabbage worms/loopers, and squash bugs. And, hard to believe it takes 14+ days to germinate, but no detail on how soon they got a rain on it. I normally try to direct seed anything the evening before a decent rain of 1/2" or so to give it a good start if possible.

My buddy is half interested in trying as a border it if my Brinly planter will drill it in. More than likely interplant it in Buckwheat just to see how well it draws the bees. Still tempted to try it and see what happens just for the pollinators and give some to the neighbor kids who have one hive for personal use.

 

[DJ54]

In addition to the tomatoes and sweet corn mentioned in post 11, I should mention we do plant a few other things. We plant basil and rosemary because we use in cooking. Wife plants a few other spice things but not sure what those are. You can't go wrong with spices you use.
After reading the threads of others I think we'll plant some arugula. It's great on pizza if you know how to use it. The old style squash is a maybe and Italian sweet peppers too. Potatoes too. You can't beat new potatoes and peas.

That others plant such large gardens on here is admirable with their organized seed starting. It renews the spirit in spring, pays more than you think and gives isometric exercise that helps as people get older. Can't hurt. We used to do big gardens but progressing age shifts things around and we cut back a bit.

My gardens were, and remain, 100% weed free. I never let a weed go to seed because of the math. Some weeds are as much as 200,000 seeds and that seed can live longer than us. You can get the surface weed next year but the seeds in the ground will start each time you cultivate and give that seed a flash of sunlight. So, no weeds, ever.
And remember that pulled weeds leave roots in the ground that come back in spades. Get weeds while they are little and be relentless in pursuit.

We plant a good sized patch of Pumpkins at the County Farm Park for their fall harvest days. We started using a pre-emergent spray a few years ago to keep weeds down to save those that volunteer their time to do that. It does a decent job for 6-8 weeks in crops like pumpkins, better in sunflowers & corn. Worst weed there is Jimsonweed, that spray doesn't seem to have an effect on it. I asked one of the guys in our tractor club who plants close to 20 acres of pumpkins for a pick you own deal on his farm in Hocking Co. what he does to deal with it. He said many days of walking the field and hoeing/pulling them out. He told me Ohio State U. did a study and found some Jimsonweeds will lay dormant for up to 90 years and still germinate. I'm guessing they did a carbon test on the seeds to determine their age. Just seems amazing to me they can lay dormant that long. Never too old to learn something..!!

 

[CloverKnollFarms]

Phacelia is up! Got it in a month earlier this year… hope it matures