The Garden Patch

[Trish]

Ok...not confused.  I just saw the title and your post of 43.  Didn't see all the other pages.  oops

[sgt.barney]

Joshua Tree update:

 

[Tink]

sarge I saw you have a very large pond or ponds - can you help me here - I have a wildlife pond I dug last year- its small but looks yukky all green and slimey I have put in snails that eat the Algae but question is it looks nasty but do I leave it or clear it out a bit - I do not want to mess with the eco system as this was the whole point of putting it in but sometimes nature needs a hand - google is so confusing - what do you think?

[sgt.barney]

It's been a constant struggle but we've finally figured out something that works for us.

 

The algae and slime feed on organic material. Keep everything out that you can - leaves in the Fall sink and rot on the bottom becoming a nutrient dense stew for the algae to chow down on next Spring. Ditto grass cutting in the summer - make sure you point the mower AWAY from the pond. Grass cuttings this year become next year's algae food.

 

We dump our wood ash from the wood stove into the pond all winter - the lye changes acidity ( the pH ) and disrupts the growth cycle of the scum. You have to be careful with this and/or chemicals you purchase as too much change to acidity too quickly can kill off fish/frogs/turtles and other wildlife.

 

There are 4 large (and large means 20+ year old, 30 pound) "grass carp" scavenging organic matter from the bottom to keep organic material down. These are considered an "invasive species" here in Ohio, and have to be bought from licensed fisheries sterilized, so they don't breed and send little fish downstream to the next pond when it floods.

 

Even with all that, come late May early June we have a large bloom of nasty stuff. It's from the farmer next door. There's a 90 acre soybean field that drains into the pond via a creek inlet. When Ray (the neighbor) seeds the field and does his fertilizing, the first rain floods Nitrogen into the pond that causes an explosion of growth. For this we use Copper Sulfate - it's a salt ... but heavy metal (copper). Some don't like it but it's considered "organic" because it's a natural salt and not some man-made chemical like Roundup.  You have to be careful not to over use it - copper build up will kill worms, snails, slugs, and the like disrupting the food chain ... but it works for us. 

 

There's about a week when we see growth right after Ray fertilizes his field, but before the Copper does its job.  Other than that, it stays pretty clean.

 

If you go with the Copper, look around at farm supply places. The 5 pound is ridiculously priced - we use 10 pounds a season (2 acres of pond, average depth 9 feet). Starts getting reasonable when you purchase a 50 pound bag (or more).  5 pounds at $7 a pound or 50 pounds at $2.50 a pound? Easy Peasy /. no brainer - get the 50 pound bag. Stuff lasts forever and doesn't go bad.  A small pond might only use 2 pounds a year.

 

The real key for us, though, has been the organic matter. We used to just let the yard leaves blow around and settle into the water - there's a couple dozen trees in the yard around the pond. Now, we scoop them out with a pool skimmer every fall/autumn and that has been our biggest bang for the buck.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[sgt.barney]

Oh and you'll never get clear water. That's a Hollywood fantasy for a pond. The best you'll do (without a heavy duty pool filter) is mud-brown, but scum and algae free.  They make a dye you can use to turn it pretty shades of green or blue, but clear is a pipe-dream. It's advertised as algae-control (something about blocking frequencies of sunlight needed by the algae) but don't believe it . It doesn't work ... but it does  make pretty colors!

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Tink]

ok thanks - yes there is fall matter in the pond - i will get this out - i am lucky and that the fields around me is all organic farming land so no harsh chemicals 

 

i dont want a clear pond and go all koi carp - thats just boring - but i want it to be natural 

 

I want to put some marginal plants in this spring and hope it helps oxygenate it naturally 

 

thank you for your advise I appreciate that x

[sgt.barney]

Joshua Tree update:

 

The first one that popped is dying. Turning brown, failed to throw up a leaf.

 

Ol' Number Two, however -  he is looking green and good, and threw out his first leaf. For the first two years or so, the Joshua "Tree" is just gonna look like some blades of really weird desert grass.

 

This is why we always do at least 3 seeds. (1) one of the 3 never germinated. (2) of the two that did, one is already dying less than two weeks into its short life.

 

I pushed a couple more seeds into this pot this morning. Want at least two to make it through to next year. We'll decide which to chop if we can't get 'em separated when moving into a bigger pot.

 

 

[sgt.barney]

The Sarge tries to add a dozen trees to The Orchard every year. This year's have arrived. They had to come inside due to the snow night before last. Planting them today. This year we have: Ayers Pear, Moonglow Pear, Kikushi Asian Pear x 2, Sweet August Sensation Plum, Bruce Red Plum, Sweetheart Cherry, Super-Sweet Cherry, Red Haven Peach and O Henry Peach.  10 trees. Have two slots to fill in the Apple row. Was hoping for Honeycrisp and SweeTango ... but started the order too late in Feb and nobody had any ... maybe next year. We'll  be two short of a dozen this year because Sarge doesn''t want to fill those two Apple slots with junk varieties. Will wait for the quality next year. Have to put the order in by Christmas, or  get screwed again next year. 

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Tink]

I Planted 9 trees 2 years ago  2 pears, 2 apples, 2 plums, 1 cherry, 1 apricot, 1 cooking apple last year they were growing lovely then the frost stopped them  and we had a very wet season the cherry completely died  but the rest this year they seem to be going great guns and am hoping they will yield well

[beacon]

I am jealous.  I want to grow stuff but I am too lazy and I live in a town house.  My sister grows on her patio all sorts of veggies

[sgt.barney]

Joshua Tree WEEK 4 update: serious growth spurt. 2+ inches of growth in #2 seed.  #1 to his left is still dying a slow death. No sign of #3 germinating ... so Sarge pushed a few more seeds in the sand last week.

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[sgt.barney]

Rhubarb!  [1]

 

We have the first Rhubarb from the garden.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Asparagus is doing OK - what's coming up is doing well, but only about 1/3 have popped their heads out of the ground. By this time last year, they were all poking out. May have a lot of die-off from the exceptionally cold this last winter. It's normally about 5 degrees coldest, but this winter we had several weeks at -10 and a few days at -15. Don't know how low Asparagus can handle, but may be significant loss to the cold winter. We'll see ...

 

 

 

Cheezy Squeezy

 

FOOTNOTE:

[1] What's a Rhubarb?

[Becca]

So Sarge, just let me know when you want to send me over that rhubarb pie and I'll PM you my address. :D   (there is not a smiley of a smiley rubbing its tummy...how rude)

[Becca]

Oh Lordy, Now I'm thinking of Rhubarb and strawberry Jam/jelly.

 

Dang it!

[sgt.barney]

So Sarge, just let me know when you want to send me over that rhubarb pie and I'll PM you my address. :D   (there is not a smiley of a smiley rubbing its tummy...how rude)

 

Pfffft.

 

You can't have it.

 

Maybe next year after we divide the crowns and double the output. Right now there aint even enough for The Sarge to fulfill his quota.

 

It'll be another three before the Rhubarb is crankin' out to max potential.

 

We'll send you a whole pie then.

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

 

 

P.S. ==> you should see the strawberry patch this year (strawberry-rhubarb pie, anyone). Last year we got 12-ish pounds of strawberries. After intense propagation, if the weather is right this early in the Spring (and it is) we expect close to 60 pounds of strawberries. That's a crap-ton of strawberry-rhubarb pies.

[Becca]

Ah Man!  I'll just have to wait then.  I was telling my mom she needed to make me a strawberry rhubarb pie when I get to Ohio in July.  Of course, it will have to be frozen rhubarb, but hey, beggars can't be choosers!  I like rhubarb fresh pealed with salt too. 

 

I'm drooling!! :o

 

[SueBeDoo]

Oh I'll take the strawberries, myself and kids are strawberryholics but I can only afford to buy them every so often because they are soo blooming expensive over here. So just pop them on the plane and I'll wait at the arrivals lounge ;)

Oh and chuck in some asparagus too, yummy wrapped in parma ham, oh you have me all hungry now.

[sgt.barney]

The Sarge is beginning to wonder if he didn't make a huge mistake when designing and laying out the Asparagus Patch 5 years ago. Is there such a thing as Too Damned Much Asparagus?

 

Today was the biggest one-day haul of Asparagus Booty on record: 8.86 pounds in a single day.

 

 

 

Sarge eats a half pound a day while it's in season.

 

Uh-oh.

 

You can smell the pee from here, folks.

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Paul723]

Easy peesy?

[babs609]

The Sarge is beginning to wonder if he didn't make a huge mistake when designing and laying out the Asparagus Patch 5 years ago. Is there such a thing as Too Damned Much Asparagus?

 

Today was the biggest one-day haul of Asparagus Booty on record: 8.86 pounds in a single day.

 

 

 

Sarge eats a half pound a day while it's in season.

 

Uh-oh.

 

You can smell the pee from here, folks.

 

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

 

babs eats a whole pound a day for 2 months

 

and i don't mind the pee  :)

 

I'm weird

[sgt.barney]

 

I'm weird

 

The Sarge understands, Babs.

 

 

In other garden news: strawberries blooming like crazy. Expect at least 60 pounds of berries this year. That's a lotta pies!

 

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Nicole Diver]

1) I just ate asparagus last night.  Pee is ok.

2) 60 lbs of strawberries? :preved:

3) Am I the only one who hasn't eaten rhubarb before? (I'm picturing Stephen King's "Thinner")

[sgt.barney]

2) 60 lbs of strawberries? :preved:

 

 

The Sarge grows most of what he eats. With as low-cal as most fruits and veggies are, he puts up near 1200 pounds of food a year (3 freezers, 1000-ish canning jars, and a drying house bigger than most garages.)

 

Most folks don't have a clue what it takes to supply all of their own calories for a year.

 

60 pounds of strawberries is about a half-pound a week each for Sarge and Mrs. Sarge. Not

much at all, really. A single slice of pie a week each is just about it.

 

 

Easy Peasy

[Paul723]

Asparagus and ham can be wrapped in crepes seasoned with lemon pepper and baked with Morney sauce, just saying.

[Amy]

also blanched and transferred to a fry pan with chunks of fresh blue cheese to finish this is awesome optional bacon bits