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Re: New Gardener Update // MULCH

Square Foot Gardening List - http://www.flinet.com/~gallus/sqft.html

Hi, Kim (and all) -- thanks for your response.

>Congrats on your successful first year country garden!!!  I just started
>harvesting yellow squash too, but I don't have tomatoes yet.  Boo hoo!
>And I'm in zone 9 even.  Guess I planted them too late.

Boy, I thought I was the last person in the country to get tomato plants in.
I did notice someone buying some plants on Monday, though. I wondered to
myself when she would get to harvest any tomatoes.

We're having a pretty significant drought, over 6.5 inches down for the
year, despite some rain in the last couple of weeks. I've thought about it,
though, and would rather have a smallish drought to contend with than too
much rain, I think. It's been very bad for farmers, though.

>I agree with you about the mulch.  It's great stuff.  I used to have to
>water my beds every other day, but now with the mulch I only have to
>water once a week (or in really hot weather every 5 days).  What do you
>mulch with?

Whatever I can get my hands on. Initially I used some chopped up wood chips
from the stumps from the trees we had taken out, but I was concerned about
the potential for nitrogen loss, so just the other night I exchanged that
for chopped up oak leaves and dried grass clippings. (And that's the LAST
time I want to *re-do* anything. My motto hereafter is "Let's do it right
the first time.")

This brings up a subject I'd love to get some input from others on. The
pathway coverings posts were all just terrific, so many great ideas. I'd
love to see a thread on mulches. What's everyone's favorite mulch, and why?

>Can you actually grow kale and cabbage this early in the summer in
>Georgia?  I would think it would be too hot in your area.  I've never
>grown any cole crops, but I'd like to this fall, but am not sure when to
>start the seeds.

LOL -- I'd have to haul out one or more of my books to answer that question,
but I don't think so. Actually, I wasn't planning on planting these NOW --
but did think I might get away with carrots and radish now, and successively
for a while into the fall, and kale and cabbage later. I noticed in Mel's
charts that some things can be started inside for earlier planting for the
Fall garden. I'll probably try his recommendations for that. Wish me luck!
I'm as nervous about seed starting as I was about the other parts of
gardening I've immersed myself in. And once again, yet another major effort
to get *set up* for that. But if I do it now, it'll be all ready for spring
seed starting, son't it?  

I can't wait til I get to the *low maintenance* phase, because the getting
started phase sure has been a *high maintenance*! The one thing that I keep
reminding myself is: but I'll never have to do this again. I've got another
little trick as I'm digging deep (not quite *double*), and sifting and
separating out the rocks: "My, look at how much I've done already," instead
of noticing how much yet to do. I did that the other day with each and every
shovelful. It helped. 

The other thing is that the sense of accomplishment upon completing each
square is BIG. I like that too, PLUS the realization that "I'll never have
to do that again."  :-)

Patricia
Zone 7b, West Georgia


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