There's still something not right about the organic food in the stores. You're absolutely right. I can see and taste the difference between an ordinary garden one grows vs what's in the store.
Definitely look into the Boron. It's inexpensive. I can't recall the whole story but it was someone in Australis that discovered it was Boron that …
There's still something not right about the organic food in the stores. You're absolutely right. I can see and taste the difference between an ordinary garden one grows vs what's in the store.
Definitely look into the Boron. It's inexpensive. I can't recall the whole story but it was someone in Australis that discovered it was Boron that resolved his crippling arthritis. He wrote a book and started selling it. They went after him, shut it down, and banned it. I believe it's banned in the EU as well. Very telling. There are several studies out there showing people who live in areas where Boron is naturally occurring in the soil have very little arthritis and strong bones. Make you wonder why the farmers are not replenishing the soil with it here in the US. I wonder who told them to stop.
Where we live, the farmers inject nerve gas into the dirt to kill all the bugs before planting. It’s mind boggling how disgusting our food is!!!! But it’s why so many ppl are sick all the time!
Some of the stuff they spray is mind boggling. I think some of the most toxic chemicals being used are the ones for parasitic root-knot nematodes that attack the root system. Once the chemical became known to many, they started looking at other ways to kill them. They found mustard plants (only certain varieties) are very effective at controlling nematodes and harmful fungus. They'll plant it as a cover crop and till it into to the soil before it bolts. It works as a bio-fumigation and acts as green manure. It's the high levels of the right glucosinolates in the mustard. Marigolds work to but not as good as the mustard. I won't even get started on Glyphosate. You already know.
Didn't know that about mustard. I live in an area which had lots of Italian immigrants 100+ years ago. They all planted mustard under their fruit trees in our local soil which is normally plagued with a fungus.
The older people are a wealth of knowledge. I pick their brains whenever I get a chance. There are a few around me that can grow anything without pesticides. Many know a lot about the old ways since they went through difficult times and without modern conveniences. Knowledge is lost as each one passes. I bet that's why they planted it because they already knew. They recently started using this method to control nematodes and fungus. You can tell if you have them. If a plant dies, pull it up and look at the roots. If it looks like knots are all over the roots, that's what killed the plant. The downside is there are beneficial nematodes in the soil too and those get killed with the bio-fumigation. I grow mustards as microgreens and some of them are a little warm. Good for many things but a lot of them go into my morning smoothie.
Thanks for the nematode and knotty roots diagnostic. I'm dealing with a new plot of garden land abused by 20+ years of RoundUp use by past residents. Nothing would grow in the dirt my first spring. (A massive conifer shedding acidic needles not a help but for use in teas.) Had to handpick out a huge beetle grub infestation in a raised bed after adding good nematodes did not get rid of them. Seeing my first earthworms in the plot by Year 2 was a big Whoot! for me. But now I've got the soil loose and productive again I've got gophers in Year 3! Real life. It's always something new to learn like which plants deter gophers. I planted a ring of garlic cloves around one tomato plant as a test and it was the only one to survive. That conifer is getting an owl box for next Spring.
With farming it's normally very obvious to see what nearby farms are doing which have great crops. Not like human medical bad results which are so easily hidden as patients are gaslit suffering in silence and ignorance. Or most humans today so easily fooled about food thanks to having no farming or gardening experience. At least we can learn from others and experiment ourselves, too.
It was bad when I started off but it gets better. The condition of the soil is the most important thing. If you get it where it's supposed to be, you will not have many issues with diseases. I think the hardest thing to diagnose is some of the different diseases. Some are easy to identify but others get me guessing. The insects are fairly easy deal with. I use Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap and Neem Oil. These have worked great for me. You just have to know which insects come out during the year and start preventative treating. Always reapply if it rains. That's great that you have worms and the more the better. That's a good sign. You mentioned the conifer tree. Are you getting a lot of needles in the soil? Have you checked the PH? If it's too acidic, you can use wood ash to lower the acidity. It's really cheap if you burn wood for heat. I save my ash for this very purpose. Compost is wonderful for stabilizing the soil. I keep 2 bins going and just keep adding it. You can also use lime or dolomite to bring down the acidity.
If you want to make some good soil/compost, get some cardboard boxes and remove all the stickers and tape. You want the brown boxes like Amazon sends out. I save all these too. Stay away from cardboard that's colored since these contain chemicals. Then find a way to shred it up into smaller pieces. I've seen some people just run it over and over with a lawn mower while others have used heavy duty shredders. Get some fresh green grass clippings that hasn't been treated with pesticides/insecticides. Then find a place in the sunlight where you can keep a couple of piles going all the time. Mix the grass and carboard (roughly 50/50) together really good with a pitchfork and add water to get it moist. Not too dry and not too wet. You can cover with a tarp if you want. It will heat up to 150 degrees in the middle of the pile. You can use a laser thermometer. This is ideal for the reaction you're needing for the good bacteria to break it all down. You have to keep turning. If you don't turn it, it will bring in the bad bacteria. Throw in any kitchen scraps you have and mix it in. The worms will come up and break it down even faster. A lot of worms will show up in these piles. After about 3 to 4 months, you'll have some dark beautiful compost that you can spread all over. Just keep it going all the time and adding it to your garden. This will help repair the soil. It's cheap but it does take work. I found a good video of someone doing this here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTzuasQLFo.
As for the golfer or moles, they are difficult to deal with. They'll destroy the roots and I think you already know this. I've tried many things without much success. And I didn't want to use any baited poisons either. I've found two traps that have worked consistently well at getting rid of them. That's if you want to kill them. I haven't found any other way. The gopher traps I use are here https://www.amazon.com/Victor-Easy-Gopher-Trap-Twin-Pack/dp/B000VYD0MA/. You need a metal stake and wire tied to the trap. Find the hole, set the trap, place it in the hole, and cover the hole but make sure you leave a little opening to let some light in. They don't like the light. They'll come back to cover it with dirt and they get caught. Then pound the stake into the ground. If you don't, they will run away with the trap once they're caught. They will die but you lose the trap. I'm not one to let them suffer so I keep a close eye on it. For moles, I use these traps here https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/easy-mole-trap. To use these, you have to probe the tunnels with a stick to find the shallow part of their tunnel. This is usually where you would see the soil raised. These are useless if you're setting the trap where their tunnels are too deep. Once you find it, set the trap over the tunnel. When it goes off, you'll see the trap higher in the air. You can always put a bell of flag on these while you're working out in the yard to either hear or see it. I don't want them to suffer which is why I pay close attention. I will check the gopher traps more often. If they're still alive when I pull them out, I shoot and dispose of them. Hopefully, you don't have armadillos, raccoons, or opossums. They can do some damage too but easier to catch. I use an above ground trap for these. When I catch them, I drive about 20 minutes away to release them. Hope this helps.
Thx for the advice! Yes, added lime in Year 1 (cheap from a tortilla factory) and also wood ashes from my fire pit. My soil needs a lot more of that. Now all my pine needles go into the compost garbage bins. Haven't tried doing composting yet. Might buy a pitchfork now! Planning to put gopher-lovin' plants in pots next spring and for those in ground inside wire buried boxes. And experiment with traps, too. I've dealt with raccoons ("trash pandas") and possums by giving both a wide berth - never have had serious trouble with either since they mostly are just passing thru and I never put pet food outside.
LOL! The racoons are notorious for getting into the trash bins. My bin lid is attached by hinges and has 2 wheels. I strap it down with a bungee cord. Problem solved.
Don't give up. It gets better. It's very frustrating in the beginning especially if you lose a lot of plants. The good part is you usually learn a lot from it. I hope you have a better year next year.
Thx. Indeed, it can be frustrating but I was amazed in my Year 1 anything grew in soil abused by so much Roundup, extreme acidic soil, and a horrid June beetle grub infestation. Year 1, I had too many tomatoes but Year 2 too many herbs and gophers attacking tomatoes. A learning process to know what grows well with conditions one has. Constant experimenting.
I know. Same with GMOs. This is very telling. It sure does make you wonder why they want to keep us sick vs the rest of the world. And when we fight back, they'll dump tons of money to prevent any changes. The lady I get my raw milk from straight up said they're trying to kill us. I already knew but it's nice to hear it from others. Many of the farmers/ranchers know what's going on. They have to plant specific seeds by Monsanto to even sale their crops. I'll see their land full of corn, cotton, milo, sesame, etc. and then there is another tract of land where they're growing their food. These are using different seeds and methods to keep their garden clean of toxic chemicals. Some out here just grow what they want and make their money selling directly to people. I'm sure you heard about the Amish famer they went after for selling to the public. They have been doing this forever but now they want to stop it. Also, I'm starting to not trust water filters since the EPA went after Berkey Filter Systems. They use silver in their water filters and the EPA is basically calling it a pesticide. Well, Berkey is now suing the EPA. They use tons of silver in the medical field especially for burn victims. I'm keep an eye out on all of this because they believe some manufacturers are using Graphene Oxide (GO) in their filters. They're looking into it. Maybe this is why they targeted Berkey. I'm just happy I'm on well water. Anyone who's paying attention knows what's going on.
Where to even start. I use all heirloom seeds and I totally agree w everything u said! We r on well water too. When we are traveling I complain about the water. Lol
Every year I try to grow something medicinal. Last year I did turmeric and omg it’s stupid east to grow and just phenomenal for you, especially w honey.
Give it some time . I let off of boron for a while, but my brain started telling me to get it again ! haha I order from iHerb which sells name brands for much less than direct from company ! I like Now brands, but use others as well.
There's still something not right about the organic food in the stores. You're absolutely right. I can see and taste the difference between an ordinary garden one grows vs what's in the store.
Definitely look into the Boron. It's inexpensive. I can't recall the whole story but it was someone in Australis that discovered it was Boron that resolved his crippling arthritis. He wrote a book and started selling it. They went after him, shut it down, and banned it. I believe it's banned in the EU as well. Very telling. There are several studies out there showing people who live in areas where Boron is naturally occurring in the soil have very little arthritis and strong bones. Make you wonder why the farmers are not replenishing the soil with it here in the US. I wonder who told them to stop.
Where we live, the farmers inject nerve gas into the dirt to kill all the bugs before planting. It’s mind boggling how disgusting our food is!!!! But it’s why so many ppl are sick all the time!
And I will def look into boron. Makes sense!!
Some of the stuff they spray is mind boggling. I think some of the most toxic chemicals being used are the ones for parasitic root-knot nematodes that attack the root system. Once the chemical became known to many, they started looking at other ways to kill them. They found mustard plants (only certain varieties) are very effective at controlling nematodes and harmful fungus. They'll plant it as a cover crop and till it into to the soil before it bolts. It works as a bio-fumigation and acts as green manure. It's the high levels of the right glucosinolates in the mustard. Marigolds work to but not as good as the mustard. I won't even get started on Glyphosate. You already know.
Didn't know that about mustard. I live in an area which had lots of Italian immigrants 100+ years ago. They all planted mustard under their fruit trees in our local soil which is normally plagued with a fungus.
The older people are a wealth of knowledge. I pick their brains whenever I get a chance. There are a few around me that can grow anything without pesticides. Many know a lot about the old ways since they went through difficult times and without modern conveniences. Knowledge is lost as each one passes. I bet that's why they planted it because they already knew. They recently started using this method to control nematodes and fungus. You can tell if you have them. If a plant dies, pull it up and look at the roots. If it looks like knots are all over the roots, that's what killed the plant. The downside is there are beneficial nematodes in the soil too and those get killed with the bio-fumigation. I grow mustards as microgreens and some of them are a little warm. Good for many things but a lot of them go into my morning smoothie.
Thanks for the nematode and knotty roots diagnostic. I'm dealing with a new plot of garden land abused by 20+ years of RoundUp use by past residents. Nothing would grow in the dirt my first spring. (A massive conifer shedding acidic needles not a help but for use in teas.) Had to handpick out a huge beetle grub infestation in a raised bed after adding good nematodes did not get rid of them. Seeing my first earthworms in the plot by Year 2 was a big Whoot! for me. But now I've got the soil loose and productive again I've got gophers in Year 3! Real life. It's always something new to learn like which plants deter gophers. I planted a ring of garlic cloves around one tomato plant as a test and it was the only one to survive. That conifer is getting an owl box for next Spring.
With farming it's normally very obvious to see what nearby farms are doing which have great crops. Not like human medical bad results which are so easily hidden as patients are gaslit suffering in silence and ignorance. Or most humans today so easily fooled about food thanks to having no farming or gardening experience. At least we can learn from others and experiment ourselves, too.
It was bad when I started off but it gets better. The condition of the soil is the most important thing. If you get it where it's supposed to be, you will not have many issues with diseases. I think the hardest thing to diagnose is some of the different diseases. Some are easy to identify but others get me guessing. The insects are fairly easy deal with. I use Garden Safe Insecticidal Soap and Neem Oil. These have worked great for me. You just have to know which insects come out during the year and start preventative treating. Always reapply if it rains. That's great that you have worms and the more the better. That's a good sign. You mentioned the conifer tree. Are you getting a lot of needles in the soil? Have you checked the PH? If it's too acidic, you can use wood ash to lower the acidity. It's really cheap if you burn wood for heat. I save my ash for this very purpose. Compost is wonderful for stabilizing the soil. I keep 2 bins going and just keep adding it. You can also use lime or dolomite to bring down the acidity.
If you want to make some good soil/compost, get some cardboard boxes and remove all the stickers and tape. You want the brown boxes like Amazon sends out. I save all these too. Stay away from cardboard that's colored since these contain chemicals. Then find a way to shred it up into smaller pieces. I've seen some people just run it over and over with a lawn mower while others have used heavy duty shredders. Get some fresh green grass clippings that hasn't been treated with pesticides/insecticides. Then find a place in the sunlight where you can keep a couple of piles going all the time. Mix the grass and carboard (roughly 50/50) together really good with a pitchfork and add water to get it moist. Not too dry and not too wet. You can cover with a tarp if you want. It will heat up to 150 degrees in the middle of the pile. You can use a laser thermometer. This is ideal for the reaction you're needing for the good bacteria to break it all down. You have to keep turning. If you don't turn it, it will bring in the bad bacteria. Throw in any kitchen scraps you have and mix it in. The worms will come up and break it down even faster. A lot of worms will show up in these piles. After about 3 to 4 months, you'll have some dark beautiful compost that you can spread all over. Just keep it going all the time and adding it to your garden. This will help repair the soil. It's cheap but it does take work. I found a good video of someone doing this here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxTzuasQLFo.
As for the golfer or moles, they are difficult to deal with. They'll destroy the roots and I think you already know this. I've tried many things without much success. And I didn't want to use any baited poisons either. I've found two traps that have worked consistently well at getting rid of them. That's if you want to kill them. I haven't found any other way. The gopher traps I use are here https://www.amazon.com/Victor-Easy-Gopher-Trap-Twin-Pack/dp/B000VYD0MA/. You need a metal stake and wire tied to the trap. Find the hole, set the trap, place it in the hole, and cover the hole but make sure you leave a little opening to let some light in. They don't like the light. They'll come back to cover it with dirt and they get caught. Then pound the stake into the ground. If you don't, they will run away with the trap once they're caught. They will die but you lose the trap. I'm not one to let them suffer so I keep a close eye on it. For moles, I use these traps here https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/easy-mole-trap. To use these, you have to probe the tunnels with a stick to find the shallow part of their tunnel. This is usually where you would see the soil raised. These are useless if you're setting the trap where their tunnels are too deep. Once you find it, set the trap over the tunnel. When it goes off, you'll see the trap higher in the air. You can always put a bell of flag on these while you're working out in the yard to either hear or see it. I don't want them to suffer which is why I pay close attention. I will check the gopher traps more often. If they're still alive when I pull them out, I shoot and dispose of them. Hopefully, you don't have armadillos, raccoons, or opossums. They can do some damage too but easier to catch. I use an above ground trap for these. When I catch them, I drive about 20 minutes away to release them. Hope this helps.
Thx for the advice! Yes, added lime in Year 1 (cheap from a tortilla factory) and also wood ashes from my fire pit. My soil needs a lot more of that. Now all my pine needles go into the compost garbage bins. Haven't tried doing composting yet. Might buy a pitchfork now! Planning to put gopher-lovin' plants in pots next spring and for those in ground inside wire buried boxes. And experiment with traps, too. I've dealt with raccoons ("trash pandas") and possums by giving both a wide berth - never have had serious trouble with either since they mostly are just passing thru and I never put pet food outside.
LOL! The racoons are notorious for getting into the trash bins. My bin lid is attached by hinges and has 2 wheels. I strap it down with a bungee cord. Problem solved.
Don't give up. It gets better. It's very frustrating in the beginning especially if you lose a lot of plants. The good part is you usually learn a lot from it. I hope you have a better year next year.
Thx. Indeed, it can be frustrating but I was amazed in my Year 1 anything grew in soil abused by so much Roundup, extreme acidic soil, and a horrid June beetle grub infestation. Year 1, I had too many tomatoes but Year 2 too many herbs and gophers attacking tomatoes. A learning process to know what grows well with conditions one has. Constant experimenting.
And what’s crazy is they don’t allow any of this s%#t in any other countries, just the good US of A
I know. Same with GMOs. This is very telling. It sure does make you wonder why they want to keep us sick vs the rest of the world. And when we fight back, they'll dump tons of money to prevent any changes. The lady I get my raw milk from straight up said they're trying to kill us. I already knew but it's nice to hear it from others. Many of the farmers/ranchers know what's going on. They have to plant specific seeds by Monsanto to even sale their crops. I'll see their land full of corn, cotton, milo, sesame, etc. and then there is another tract of land where they're growing their food. These are using different seeds and methods to keep their garden clean of toxic chemicals. Some out here just grow what they want and make their money selling directly to people. I'm sure you heard about the Amish famer they went after for selling to the public. They have been doing this forever but now they want to stop it. Also, I'm starting to not trust water filters since the EPA went after Berkey Filter Systems. They use silver in their water filters and the EPA is basically calling it a pesticide. Well, Berkey is now suing the EPA. They use tons of silver in the medical field especially for burn victims. I'm keep an eye out on all of this because they believe some manufacturers are using Graphene Oxide (GO) in their filters. They're looking into it. Maybe this is why they targeted Berkey. I'm just happy I'm on well water. Anyone who's paying attention knows what's going on.
Where to even start. I use all heirloom seeds and I totally agree w everything u said! We r on well water too. When we are traveling I complain about the water. Lol
Every year I try to grow something medicinal. Last year I did turmeric and omg it’s stupid east to grow and just phenomenal for you, especially w honey.
i posted about boron.... i buy capsules and take with magnesium
Just bought both today! Tysvm for the tip!!!! Sooooooo appreciative!!
Give it some time . I let off of boron for a while, but my brain started telling me to get it again ! haha I order from iHerb which sells name brands for much less than direct from company ! I like Now brands, but use others as well.