My soil here is very Alkaline + is great for tomatoes as I have had good luck over the years but not much use for other vegs. + certainly not melons which require more sandy soil. This soil will support onions, garlic(of which I have a bunch), cilantro, peppers, + tomatillos. Everything a young man needs to make fabulous salsa!

My tomato beds get a lot of pelletized lime and Epsom salts.

Since I know all the old ranchers, I have access to a beaucoup of cattle + horse shit, they are happy to get it moved away + curious why anyone wants old shit. They are getting smarter though. These are the new ones because the elders are all gone. Mores the pity.

Ann, my soil here is perfect for the best tomatoes. In addition to my garden areas, I put cages on my shop walls to catch the rainfall + planted "Sweet 100's" favorite cherry tomatoes. When my kids would come home off of the bus they would stop at the shop + grab a handful of cherry tomatoes to munch on as an after-school snack. Sweet memories!

quote:

When my kids would come home off of the bus they would stop at the shop + grab a handful of cherry tomatoes to munch on as an after-school snack. Sweet memories!

quote:

Originally posted by NormanConquest:
Ann, my soil here is perfect for the best tomatoes. In addition to my garden areas, I put cages on my shop walls to catch the rainfall + planted "Sweet 100's" favorite cherry tomatoes. When my kids would come home off of the bus they would stop at the shop + grab a handful of cherry tomatoes to munch on as an after-school snack. Sweet memories!

Unfortunately, there is no soil here in the Ozarks. Just rocks and clay. I am winning that battle though with growing in IBC's set up as wicking tubs.

If a person doesn't know how to, learning to dry fruit and a few other things may be important.

Ann, I don't have much topsoil hee either. I live on the highest point of land with a limestone base but there is enough soil to do a small garden +as I said it is limited to tomatoes. See this is all ex-slave land. At the end of the civil war (you know the one, the war between Americans + northern oppression) was to give the released slaves 40 acres. They didn'r\t specify WHAT 40 acres. Obviously the good farmland east of now I35 was out of the question so they gave them this pile of rocks. I have worked over 40 years enriching the soil to make a good garden. I'm getting tired.

Randy, you should consider totes for gardening. Once set up really, the work is done. I add compost from my rabbits to the growing medium and a little Azomite and other minerals. Pretty easy but I am in the process of setting up more totes this season because they work so well. I just bought a new angle grinder so I can cut them in half.

To Jerry- My dehydrator runs quite a lot around here. From wild mushrooms to fruits. I just bought a flat of Florida strawberries and dried a bunch of them. Will can some preserves today as well.

Ann, I am not familiar what "totes" are.

IBC containers.

I use the 275 gallon totes. Cut them in half.



Set up with a water reservoir (the perforated pipe coil).





These work so well that I am replacing the wood sided raised beds.

Interesting concept. I have planted my tomato plants in the garden + my fruit trees with the same concept of supplying the water source to the root level. When my ex had a commercial greenhouse up here about 30 years ago I built a series of wolmanized wooden cradles to accept 55 gal drums + then another top on them covered with 14G. mesh to make a plant holder + work surface. The drums were painted black, I laid them on their sides with the bung at the top then filled them with water. The heat of the sun during the day heated the thermal mass of the water (read BTU) + it passively kept the greenhouse warm through the night.

I'd have to water everyday all summer before going to this grow method. It's a huge time saver for me. Easy on the back too.

Oh yeah, remember the back. Hard to forget as it gives us several reminders every day.