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I got dried out enough last Saturday to disc up my Onion patch for this spring. Onion sets were ordered from www.dixondale.com, first batch due first week of March, 2nd batch due last week of April.
I try and plant by the moon signs and this times with the signs good. I also plan to use the early onions as green onion, or early ones to eat thru the summer. The last batch hopefully will ripen in late September and will be cured for fall/winter storage.
 
I got dried out enough last Saturday to disc up my Onion patch for this spring. Onion sets were ordered from www.dixondale.com, first batch due first week of March, 2nd batch due last week of April.
I try and plant by the moon signs and this times with the signs good. I also plan to use the early onions as green onion, or early ones to eat thru the summer. The last batch hopefully will ripen in late September and will be cured for fall/winter storage.
www.dixondale.com--this link didn't work.
 
www.dixondalefarms.com

Sorry about that. Try this one instead.

BTW, I've bought from them for the past 3 years. I've never found onions that perform like these. They also have a newsletter you can sign up for and they sent out tips and tricks in it about once a month or so. This is one company I have been very impressed with.
 
www.dixondalefarms.com

Sorry about that. Try this one instead.

BTW, I've bought from them for the past 3 years. I've never found onions that perform like these. They also have a newsletter you can sign up for and they sent out tips and tricks in it about once a month or so. This is one company I have been very impressed with.
Thank you. I love onions and maybe it is the clay in my soil or something else, I have never had luck growing large onions like I would like to.
 
Thank you. I love onions and maybe it is the clay in my soil or something else, I have never had luck growing large onions like I would like to.

Weedy, we have clay soil here, too. The last 3 years we've had a raised bed. We use a mixture of our natural soul combined with sand and manure from our chicken coop. When you plant your onions, don't go very deep with them. Leave some of the whites out. We did that last year and had the best and biggest crop ever!
 
My soil has a lot of clay as well, but not entirely where I grow my onions. I have found they do much better if I plant the slips no deeper than the first knuckle of my finger. Never pull dirt up around the plants. Also keep them weed free, water deeply once a week or two if you don't get rain. Not sure what area you live in, but pay attention to the description of long or short day types. I'm pretty much in-between. So I go with the long day types to try and get better storage qualities.
 
It was 62 and sunny with no wind.
I got a case of Spring fever.
I tilled my garden spot and cleared some weeds.:tractor:
My chives are sprouting up and things are starting to wake up from the winter.
We had very little snow this year and not many really cold days so the bugs are already starting to fly.
All next week the temps are suppose to be in the upper 50s and low 60s.
It is too early for this weather and I'm afraid we will get more winter and it will kill everything.
Hope not.
Next Thursday I'm going sturgeon fishing.
I'm liking retirement.:lil guy:
 
Thank you. I love onions and maybe it is the clay in my soil or something else, I have never had luck growing large onions like I would like to.

Go to Home Depot, Loews, etc, and get some builders sand, it loosens clay soil,you want course sand. Just dig it in about 10 ''. Or put in lots of wood sticks and leaves which will break down and feed the soil plus condition it,but that takes a lot of work. I'm about to get busy on mine but will dig deep to lay down small sticks and logs then add leaves.
 
Go to Home Depot, Loews, etc, and get some builders sand, it loosens clay soil,you want course sand. Just dig it in about 10 ''. Or put in lots of wood sticks and leaves which will break down and feed the soil plus condition it,but that takes a lot of work. I'm about to get busy on mine but will dig deep to lay down small sticks and logs then add leaves.

I do a layered raised bed. Old cardboard boxes, minus tape and staples. Place flat, layer with thick layers of leaves or grass clippings, compost, leftovers from the chicken coop . Water between each, cover and let all compost until spring. This makes the toughest clay light and easy to work.
 
I do a layered raised bed. Old cardboard boxes, minus tape and staples. Place flat, layer with thick layers of leaves or grass clippings, compost, leftovers from the chicken coop . Water between each, cover and let all compost until spring. This makes the toughest clay light and easy to work.

Good idea, we have lots of cardboard over our leaves now to cover beds after I condition them.
 
Go to Home Depot, Loews, etc, and get some builders sand, it loosens clay soil,you want course sand. Just dig it in about 10 ''. Or put in lots of wood sticks and leaves which will break down and feed the soil plus condition it,but that takes a lot of work. I'm about to get busy on mine but will dig deep to lay down small sticks and logs then add leaves.
I often dig in the leaves in the fall. By spring, they are mostly decomposed. It is free fertilizer, isn't it? I do know that sand helps to loosens soil, but I have never used any. I need to do that every spring until the soil is loose.
 
After two years of toil, and working in the garden 8-10 hours every day, my wife and I have decided it's just not worth it. No one can possibly, humanly, or even realistically eat as much squash as our garden enjoys producing.
The amount of time, water, and gasoline needed to pump the water just doesn't equate to the value of a home grown tomato.
We have proven to ourselves that we could grow food if needed and desperate, but again, to us, it's just not worth it.
 
After two years of toil, and working in the garden 8-10 hours every day, my wife and I have decided it's just not worth it. No one can possibly, humanly, or even realistically eat as much squash as our garden enjoys producing.
The amount of time, water, and gasoline needed to pump the water just doesn't equate to the value of a home grown tomato.
We have proven to ourselves that we could grow food if needed and desperate, but again, to us, it's just not worth it.

We're almost to that point! If this spring and summer are as dry as it has been this winter, we may throw in the towel.
 
We grow a great deal more than we can eat. That is why we can EVERYTHING. We use raised beds to increase the growing period and to make it easier to control the soil condition. Water is an acceptable cost for the produce we get. We don't use gas tools or equipment, it's all done by hand. For us, it isn't about proving anything, it's about having quality food stored and used and keeping the means to reproduce it next year with seeds from the garden. We just ate the last of the sweet potatoes grown in 2015 the other night. We have shelves of canned goods from last year and the year before. I have been using tomatoes that we canned two and three years ago for this last year. If the stores closed down tomorrow we have enough food to easily make it to the next harvest and beyond. That is what this is all about. A supply of quality food that is renewable for the foreseeable future. We are looking forward to raising our own meat to balance the stores of produce that we have. Right now we have some canned venison and beef but not near enough for a year. The freezer is full but that requires electricity and if the power went out today we would be busy for the next week canning it all.
 
We grow a great deal more than we can eat. That is why we can EVERYTHING. We use raised beds to increase the growing period and to make it easier to control the soil condition. Water is an acceptable cost for the produce we get. We don't use gas tools or equipment, it's all done by hand. For us, it isn't about proving anything, it's about having quality food stored and used and keeping the means to reproduce it next year with seeds from the garden. We just ate the last of the sweet potatoes grown in 2015 the other night. We have shelves of canned goods from last year and the year before. I have been using tomatoes that we canned two and three years ago for this last year. If the stores closed down tomorrow we have enough food to easily make it to the next harvest and beyond. That is what this is all about. A supply of quality food that is renewable for the foreseeable future. We are looking forward to raising our own meat to balance the stores of produce that we have. Right now we have some canned venison and beef but not near enough for a year. The freezer is full but that requires electricity and if the power went out today we would be busy for the next week canning it all.

SheepD do you have solar? We have a chest freezer that only uses 5 amps. Just make sure you don't get self defrosting unless its 'yourself' type. Those use more amps. Ice is a must here in Florida. My friends here from other site helped me with solar set up. Still haven't set it up yet too much other stuff happens. But it is here if we need it. Its a Dandy energy star.
I still go there to read up on it, wish I had it here before the site goes down and we lose all that knowledge.
 
I am ready but it is a bit early in Delaware yet. I will have a larger portion of the yard this year for produce. I was allowed a 1’ x 12’ section of the back flowerbed, to intermix some veggies among the favored flowers. I put a trellis up in the back for Green beans and peas, had ONE tomato plant, some carrots, radishes and chives. It was a pretty big hit when things started coming in.


I am allowed to expand into a new 4’ x 10’ section I dig up and expanded last year. She got first dibbs on what to put where last year, so it ended up being mostly flowers. I snuck some things in and this year… I get to plan the whole bed… With the stipulation that I put a row of mammoth sunflowers in the back and some prized marigolds and other flowers in the front. If I am here in another year, I expect I will get a little more space in some of the other ‘prized’ flowerbeds too. It is amazing what that first dinner of fresh from the garden produce and grabbing a few fresh cherry tomatoes does to convince folks it is worth the space.
 
I have solar at the "cabin" but not yet here at home. It's not in the budget yet as we are just in our fifth year in getting the crops in that we want and need and building the out buildings we (I) wanted. Each year we expand the garden a bit more as we learn what works best for us. We are going to give potatoes one last try this year - the last four years have been a big disappointment. We are adding new lettuce crops, watermelon and blueberries this year. I am sure the lettuce and blueberries will be a nice addition but the watermelon may be just a one time thing unless we can make enough fruit leather to be worthwhile.
 
I live in the heart of farming country.
Produce is relatively cheap and we know who has the best stuff and when.
I like to grow some things but not other things.
I won't grow corn, potatoes, or onions,
I can buy better than I can grow for less than it cost me to grow it.
We grow tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, beans, peas.
This year I am fully retired so I am going to expand the garden.
I bought myself a small tractor with a tiller attachment so ground prep is easy and fun.
Well water is the cheap.
My Dad used to say he gardened to keep from going to seed.
He had to stay busy all the time and he enjoyed his garden.
I think of him all the time as I am working the same garden he did.
 
I let lose all three flocks of chickens together in the back yard garden.

Harvest is done for the season and I just can't keep up with the grass and weeds esp. I can't afford to replace the battery in the ride-0n mower yet and the brush cutter is out until my hand heals a lot more.
14 chickens who work 12 hours a day to clear the garden, manure, eat those wretched cut worms and other garden negative insects AND lay eggs.
They were too busy destroying greenery to bother to fight and carry on.

I love sitting on the back steps with a cup of tea watching the chickens being chickens.
 
My Spring fever has gone down.
The temps dropped to the 30s for a high to the teens at night.
Suppose to be that way for a week or 2.
Does anyone know of a good place to have my soil tested?
There is a place in town that will send it off but they charge $50 and that seems like a lot.
Maybe it's not that expensive I just don't know.
 
What are you testing the soil for? I used an at-home kit a few years ago to test for acidity/alkalinity. I'm glad I used it. I was expecting to have to adjust for acidity but no. It was very alkaline. Learning new things.
Did You ever get it tested? @backlash
 
I had the soil tested last year.
It cost me around $50 and it was very complete and detailed.
I wanted to know if I needed to add anything like nitrogen.
I had an area that didn't produce the year before and I thought it was soil related.
The test results showed my garden area was really good.
Nothing was needed and the lab guy I talked to told me to just plant seeds and add water.
He said it was as close to perfect as he had ever seen.
So I did exactly what he suggested.
My garden was going great right up to when my knee went bad.
I had to stay off it as much as I could and the weeds took over completely.
I tried to keep it going but about the only thing we harvested was tomatoes, peas, cucumbers and a ears of corn.
A lot of hard work and money wasted.
Like I say every year, this year will be better.:)
 
It's always something.
But at least your soil is perfect. Hopefully the weed seeds will not be getting all comfy.
To me, tomatoes and cucumbers are the most important veggies anyway.
 
It's always something.
But at least your soil is perfect. Hopefully the weed seeds will not be getting all comfy.
To me, tomatoes and cucumbers are the most important veggies anyway.

We want to try potatoes this year in container or tub. Going to try the hay no dig also.
 
We want to try potatoes this year in container or tub. Going to try the hay no dig also.
I can't seem to grow potatoes.
I have tried several years and they just don't grow well.
I tried the straw method and had the same poor results.
Good thing I live in an area with abundant produce stands.
Now that I think about it I planted potatoes last year and I never dug them up.
I might have a bunch in the ground. I'll try to check tomorrow.

My weed problem was due to my new tractor and tiller and me being overzealous using my new toy.
But it was just so much fun and very satisfying looking at the garden area all smooth and freshly tilled.
I tilled the weed seeds in and they grew like weeds.
I am going to burn everything early this Spring then go to war with the weeds with weed killer before I plant.
I think I am even going to use some black plastic.
 
I used these people last year: https://www.waypointanalytical.com/SoilsMedia

I ordered the S3M test and it gave me a lot of useful information including pH, CEC, and lots of other bits of info that was helpful in getting the soil amended. What you may need may vary according to where you are. I think I paid something around $15 - $20 plus whatever postage happened to be. It's not that expensive.

I think it's a very good idea to know where you're starting from to know what to do. A few years ago, in another state, I started with a soil sample thinking I would have to add lime, ... causes EVERYBODY around there added lime. Um, the soil test results came back with the soil pH of 8.1. Lime would have been totally WRONG. What I had to add was sulfur, and a few other things, but had I added lime, it would have only made it worse. Knowing where you are will help you know what direction to go to get to where you want to be.

FWIW...
 
My Spring fever has gone down.
The temps dropped to the 30s for a high to the teens at night.
Suppose to be that way for a week or 2.
Does anyone know of a good place to have my soil tested?
There is a place in town that will send it off but they charge $50 and that seems like a lot.
Maybe it's not that expensive I just don't know.

It is warming up enough now a 11 a.m. to get out and busy on raised bed and containers. We have been getting compost, leaves etc,etc,etc, ready for awhile now.
I am burning up with spring fever now.:lil guy::woo hoo:
 
I can't seem to grow potatoes.
I have tried several years and they just don't grow well.
I tried the straw method and had the same poor results.
Good thing I live in an area with abundant produce stands.
Now that I think about it I planted potatoes last year and I never dug them up.
I might have a bunch in the ground. I'll try to check tomorrow.

My weed problem was due to my new tractor and tiller and me being overzealous using my new toy.
But it was just so much fun and very satisfying looking at the garden area all smooth and freshly tilled.
I tilled the weed seeds in and they grew like weeds.
I am going to burn everything early this Spring then go to war with the weeds with weed killer before I plant.
I think I am even going to use some black plastic.
BackL I'm going to try potatoes again, like you had no luck with them. Did have some sweet potato do good but didn't find that out till I was turning the soil and there they were. Giant sweets that we forgot about some 2 feet under. Have no idea what we did but it worked.
I'm trying the bucket this time. And putting a couple teaspoons of sulfur on them plus lots of organic matter. And hope.
 

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