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Post by madcollie on Apr 26, 2012 22:14:14 GMT -6
They look awesome, I miss having land (and time)! You really aught to try fermenting some of those! Strawberry wine is really nice, sparkling strawberry wine is even nicer! |
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Post by JR on Apr 27, 2012 4:55:41 GMT -6
Ok, I'm jealous. One thing about Florida is alot of my favorite fruits don't grow well here. I do have all the citrus and persimmons you could ever want. Also small quantities of loquat, lychee,carambola, jaboticaba,mango,avocado,and mulberry. I do have a couple peach and pear trees that are supposed to grow here but they never fruit much and the various bugs mildews and molds get those. I also live on the top of what thousands of years was a sand dune. My soil(if you can call it that) is pure white sand with less than 10% organic matter and some things just will not grow in it.at my old house collard greens grew out of control, here I have some plants five years old that are less than a foot tall. On the other hand, I can wear shorts and flip flops in December You need to start a big composte pile, add leaves if you have them, old potting soil, grass clippings, food scraps any matter that is not sand and that will rot. Mix it in the sand until it converts it to a good organic matter. Sand keeps soil from packing but dries out too quickly and doesn't have the nutrients it needs but can be worked with until it becomes good soil. |
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Post by larrball on Apr 28, 2012 18:25:42 GMT -6
JR, i have (what's left of it) A good old Mulberry tree. the only one left on my street.. Mulberry RD.  Now it over hang's into my driveway and i doin't mind a bit. But i did mind when the land owner next door, took a chainsaw to it and butchered it like a mad man.  Thank god that old tree is not going down without out a fight. Look's like 5-6 week's and i'll have some nice berry's not alot but nevertheless a few to enjoy and share them with the landlord, just to make him feel like an idiot. |
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Post by mauiboy on Apr 28, 2012 19:41:48 GMT -6
Ok, I'm jealous. One thing about Florida is alot of my favorite fruits don't grow well here. I do have all the citrus and persimmons you could ever want. Also small quantities of loquat, lychee,carambola, jaboticaba,mango,avocado,and mulberry. I do have a couple peach and pear trees that are supposed to grow here but they never fruit much and the various bugs mildews and molds get those. I also live on the top of what thousands of years was a sand dune. My soil(if you can call it that) is pure white sand with less than 10% organic matter and some things just will not grow in it.at my old house collard greens grew out of control, here I have some plants five years old that are less than a foot tall. On the other hand, I can wear shorts and flip flops in December You need to start a big composte pile, add leaves if you have them, old potting soil, grass clippings, food scraps any matter that is not sand and that will rot. Mix it in the sand until it converts it to a good organic matter. Sand keeps soil from packing but dries out too quickly and doesn't have the nutrients it needs but can be worked with until it becomes good soil. Do be careful with compost I promise I am not taking the micky, this is as serious as it sounds. Composting produces heat, you have to be careful with the size and composition of your heap otherwise you will have a fire. I have seen barns burn due to compost heaps. It is awesome to do, really makes sense and the bokashi bin type ones even compost meat waste, but it is always better to have two small heaps than one big one I just ordered some rhubarb seeds from fleabay with strict instructions on how to label the packet to satisfy the ag inspection folks (what they do is important, but it is frustrating at times). Fingers crossed they arrive, im sick of paying $10 a lb + to buy rhubarb lol. Rhubarb wine is also nice! |
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Post by JR on Apr 28, 2012 21:21:30 GMT -6
JR, i have (what's left of it) A good old Mulberry tree. the only one left on my street.. Mulberry RD. Now it over hang's into my driveway and i doin't mind a bit. But i did mind when the land owner next door, took a chainsaw to it and butchered it like a mad man. Thank god that old tree is not going down without out a fight. Look's like 5-6 week's and i'll have some nice berry's not alot but nevertheless a few to enjoy and share them with the landlord, just to make him feel like an idiot. Man he doesn't know what he's missing! I've got two mulberry trees I plnated that are now two years old and hope they start producing next year. I've also got three native black cherry trees and I love them but the birds always beat me to them!  JR |
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Post by JR on Apr 28, 2012 21:25:30 GMT -6
Composter! You need to start a big composte pile, add leaves if you have them, old potting soil, grass clippings, food scraps any matter that is not sand and that will rot. Mix it in the sand until it converts it to a good organic matter. Sand keeps soil from packing but dries out too quickly and doesn't have the nutrients it needs but can be worked with until it becomes good soil. Do be careful with compost I promise I am not taking the micky, this is as serious as it sounds. Composting produces heat, you have to be careful with the size and composition of your heap otherwise you will have a fire. I have seen barns burn due to compost heaps. It is awesome to do, really makes sense and the bokashi bin type ones even compost meat waste, but it is always better to have two small heaps than one big one I just ordered some rhubarb seeds from fleabay with strict instructions on how to label the packet to satisfy the ag inspection folks (what they do is important, but it is frustrating at times). Fingers crossed they arrive, im sick of paying $10 a lb + to buy rhubarb lol. Rhubarb wine is also nice! Yes I've seen lot's of heat related type fires especvially hay barns where they didn't let the hay cure and dry long enough before bailing. But I was talking about one of the simple home barrel type composters where you put food scraps, coffee grinds and things like that in. Also you turn, mix and rotate it daily to insure the best composte. You can also put earthworms in it for free droppings.  |
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Post by larrball on Apr 28, 2012 22:35:50 GMT -6
Good thing i doint have a cheery tree. I'd make a tree fort, so i can pic em. And yes sir, i can still get my old ass in ger and climb a tree. And if not, i'll find one that can. (my son ) |
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Post by scooterran on Apr 29, 2012 6:45:30 GMT -6
Wow Jr. The berrys look fabulous. Great job on tfhe jam. If I can stay out of the hospital long enough, I'm going to put some more stuff in my garden. I've only got 5 rows of onions in. and my rubarb is doing great. Strawberry,Rubarb Pie OH YEA ! |
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Post by JR on Apr 29, 2012 6:51:43 GMT -6
Good thing i doint have a cheery tree. I'd make a tree fort, so i can pic em. And yes sir, i can still get my old ass in ger and climb a tree. And if not, i'll find one that can. (my son ) Got 5 of those and 3 are loaded! Cherry jam next! |
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Post by JR on Apr 29, 2012 6:53:27 GMT -6
Wow Jr. The berrys look fabulous. Great job on tfhe jam. If I can stay out of the hospital long enough, I'm going to put some more stuff in my garden. I've only got 5 rows of onions in. and my rubarb is doing great. Strawberry,Rubarb Pie OH YEA ! What!!! I'm eating new taters, got all the maters and peppers out and putting in the rest of the hot stuff in the next few days, corn, okra, cucumbers, squash, etc. |
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Post by dudley on Apr 29, 2012 9:40:47 GMT -6
I need grass clippings.my old house was on a 1/4 acre.all grass all irrigated.
Between that and the neighbors sycamore tree I had all the compost I could use just with a cold pile in the corner.
Now I have 5 acres of trees. No grass no irrigation. No greens to heat up my pile. Even with a tumbler I can't make near enough.also there are no earthworms here, AND my wife objects to plans involving truckloads of manure or the animals that produce it.its a gardening nightmare.
I never thought a 30 mile move would change things so much.oh yeah, I had a 'can o worms' composer for awhile as well.fun project for the kids.
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Post by JR on Apr 29, 2012 20:18:53 GMT -6
Chickens! Build you a chicken house and pen! Fresh eggs, fresh frying chickens when the hatch in the spring and lots of rich manure! It'll pay for itself! and the bonus is you'll never need a alarm clock again, unless you get up before the chickens!  JR |
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