Re: [Homesteadingfamily] What are you planting?

I have put straw on my garden once and never again! It started growing oat straw! Was NOT happy! Judi
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-----Original Message-----
From: "Teresa Ward" <jrward3@citynet.net>
Sender: Homesteadingfamily@yahoogroups.com
Date: Thu, 2 Feb 2012 16:46:20
To: <Homesteadingfamily@yahoogroups.com>
Reply-To: Homesteadingfamily@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [Homesteadingfamily] What are you planting?

>>>If the beds are 4' wide, how long are they? Have you tried carrots and beets( or other root vegies) in the beds!

My beds are about 25' long. My dh is a long time user of planting gardens (you know, the folks that roto-till the walking paths between the rows...LOL), so our garden area is actually all in one place. <G>

It has been a really long time since I've grown any root vegetables, but I would expect that the looser soil would definitely make a difference!

>>>But we were told that hay brings in more weeds. Have you
had issues with this?

That is what I've heard too. I have never used straw, so I can't compare straw vs. hay, but I can say that mulching keeps the weeds down much, much better than just tilling or hoeing. I can also say that is improves the health of the soil immensely!!!

After 10y or so of growing in beds that were bordered with logs felled in our forest, my dh decided that they were starting to rot, so he pulled them out with the promise to replace them. Needless to say, they didn't get replaced, and the next spring he hired a guy with a tiller on the back of his tractor to till our garden area and make it larger. It was AMAZING the difference in the soil where I had been mulching with hay and the newly tilled area.

So, for the past several years, I have still been planting as though I have beds as I said in my earlier post. Yes, it is driving him nuts since he can't till the walking paths, but "you don't mess with mama!" LOL

>>>Do you find that certain vegetables plan better together to keep bugs down?

My mother swears that planting potatoes & beans together most definitely does work. One year, her garden happened to be arranged such that her potato section was beside her bean section and the neighborly couple of rows of each were bug free, while the rest were quite buggy.

Therefore, I've always planted my tomatoes & peppers together, too. I get a few hornworms each year, but that is the only problem I have with them. Last year, we didn't plant peppers and had dozens of hornworms. Coincidence? I don't think so!

Blessings,
Teresa in WV
www.HomeschoolOasis.com

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