http://www.simplelivingforum.net/ Growing your own. en-US Wed, 19 Jun 2013 10:41:17 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.simplelivingforum.net/images/misc/rss.png http://www.simplelivingforum.net/ http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8444-Compost-Question&goto=newpost Wed, 19 Jun 2013 02:06:17 GMT We have a lot of waste from our 4 birds. They all have toys, which are usually made to be torn up or chewed, plus they drop bits of food and then... We have a lot of waste from our 4 birds. They all have toys, which are usually made to be torn up or chewed, plus they drop bits of food and then there is of course their droppings, which fall into a newspaper lined pan (with colored ink, not just black and white).

Can this stuff be composted? ]]> sillysally http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8444-Compost-Question http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8430-white-crust-on-top-of-soil&goto=newpost Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:08:21 GMT I think it's white mold also found a few yellow spots ? Anyone every deal with this ? I heard I need to check my ph of the soil anyone recommend a good tester? Thanks ]]> freebird914 http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8430-white-crust-on-top-of-soil http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8410-Puny-beets-amp-chard&goto=newpost Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:06:05 GMT I'm having success with everything in my square foot garden this season so far---except for beets and chard. Beets have always been a challenge for me--usually they don't even germinate. At least they've all come up, but the tops are absolutely anemic-looking. Same with the chard. Puny size, somewhat shriveled leaves. The beets don't appear to have much in the way of root size.

Any ideas? I planted the seed in mid-late April. The beets are only up about 4-5 inches.

I live in the Pac NW, and we've had a warm, dry spring, having a rainy week now. This is the first time I've tried growing these two particular veggies in Mel's Mix. ]]> KayLRZ http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8410-Puny-beets-amp-chard http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8313-Drowning!&goto=newpost Fri, 31 May 2013 15:43:31 GMT Well, not entirely, but we had over 11" of rain in May and might get a shower again today. We only average 28" a year! I guess we are now out of the drought. Our poor garden is so soggy. Fortunately all the plants are in raised beds and we mixed some sand in with the soil and compost used to fill them. The pathways between the beds are a muddy mess because I didn't get a chance to put down fabric and gravel as planned before the deluge. So it goes. Anyone else been inundated with rain lately? ]]> Gregg http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8313-Drowning! http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8302-my-cukes-won-t-be-laying-on-the-ground-this-year!&goto=newpost Thu, 30 May 2013 12:56:21 GMT I'd asked DH about fixing me up some sort of trellis arrangement for the garden cucumber plants last year, and it went by the wayside. Well he remembered! He found an old cattle panel in the barn, so we went out last evening and wired it up between 2 fenceposts and voila!: insta-cucumber-trellis. And all for free.

My simple life these days, where I get excited about a free and easy garden trellis. :) ]]> Blackdog Lin http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8302-my-cukes-won-t-be-laying-on-the-ground-this-year! http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8276-Transplanting-poppies&goto=newpost Tue, 28 May 2013 12:56:30 GMT There's some work going on at the vacant house next to us, and this morning I found a small patch of oriental-style poppies (the big ones, not the california ones) growing in a spot where they are probably going to get bulldozed.

Does anyone know about transplanting poppies? I assume they're just the ordinary (!?) brilliant orange ones, but I'd hate to see them get whacked, and I have a safe place for them in my garden beds. On a rescue mission..... ]]> puglogic http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8276-Transplanting-poppies http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8266-Is-Your-Garden-Poisioning-You-With-Led-Prevention-Magazine&goto=newpost Mon, 27 May 2013 04:01:49 GMT http://www.prevention.com/health/healthy-living/lead-found-city-gardens I was just reading recently how much led is in green tea.... http://www.prevention.com/health/hea...d-city-gardens


I was just reading recently how much led is in green tea.... ]]> Tussiemussies http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8266-Is-Your-Garden-Poisioning-You-With-Led-Prevention-Magazine http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8262-Starting-flowers-from-seed-indoor&goto=newpost Sun, 26 May 2013 20:47:26 GMT In the past whenever I tried to start flowers indoor from seed they never sprouted. My vegetables do reasonably good although not 100%. I use the... In the past whenever I tried to start flowers indoor from seed they never sprouted. My vegetables do reasonably good although not 100%. I use the same technique for all following the package directions. Sometimes I find the packaging misleading. Once I wanted to plant snapdragons outside so I followed the package where it directed to cover lightly with soil and nothing grew. Then I was talking to a fellow gardener who told me that the seeds should not be covered at all that they need full sun to germinate.

Does anyone here start flowers indoor with good success? Thank you. ]]> Tussiemussies http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8262-Starting-flowers-from-seed-indoor http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8248-make-do-tomato-supports&goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 15:25:49 GMT So I have in 7 tomato plants! Yeah, I had cages for 2 of them and the others I can't buy this week, just not more important than food and actually a counseling session that is essential. So my yard has a million sticks from this giant tree. I probably pick up more sticks than mow the yard. I set up one stick with each tomato plant for now, they are 4-5 inches high. I am wondering if others have advice? I can use more sticks easily and make a teepee style support with yarn. I hate to buy a bunch of metal cages when I have materials all over my yard already!

I did figure out the bean plant location in the back of the yard next to a chain link fence, that should be perfect for support. I wonder if I can mix those with some wildflowers to be pretty? There is a strip of really decent soil that used to have flowering plants. in a drought year I want to mostly water food plants. ]]> Zoe Girl http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8248-make-do-tomato-supports http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8236-First-ripe-tomatoes!&goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 20:52:57 GMT We had our first ripe tomatoes on May 19th - a record, for us anyhow. Tomatoes ripening at the same time as cherries? Crazy! We had our first ripe tomatoes on May 19th - a record, for us anyhow.
Tomatoes ripening at the same time as cherries? Crazy! ]]> Gardenarian http://www.simplelivingforum.net/showthread.php?8236-First-ripe-tomatoes!