The Home Gardener

Christopher R. Tyson

Gardening
Information about home gardening

Adventures in home gardening.

I will try to discuss some of the things I am doing, what others are doing about raising a home garden.

I am using a Kubota BX1500 garden tractor with several ground breaking implements. I have a four foot wide disc harrow and a single row cultivator with a row opener and a disc hiller combination. I also have two tillers, one is a Sears 24 inch front tine tiller and a Troy Bilt rear tine tiller, which currently needs repair, but has served faithfully for almost twenty years.

2010 has been a hard year for gardening. I had a hard time germinating seed. No doubt with the drought Virginia has experienced this year. Even when the seed did germinate, it seemed the plants took a long time to begin growing but, once they started they seemed to do pretty well. I am just starting to get tomatoes from my main crop in mid August. Usually we have canned quite a bit by this time.

I tried using soy bean meal this year for nitrogen. I am not impressed as of yet with it. It did not seem to do well for me but, then again, we are in a drought situation. May try again next year. My last test for soy bean meal will be for my fall crop of kale, collards and spinach. I spread the remainder of meal where the fall crops will go at the end of July. I transplanted my collard and sowed kale seed in this area in the middle of August.

More to come . . .

Fertilizers

Saving seeds

Organic gardening

Books	Magazines	Websites
The Vegetable Gardener's BIBLE Discover the W-O-R-D system, Wide rows, Organic methods, Raised beds, Deep soil	Organic Gardening Trusted tips, advice and techniques for passionate gardeners! Subscription Information	www.organicgardening.com We've gathered the basics of organic gardening for you here. You'll learn how to manage pests without using chemicals, and read growing guides for vegetables and flowers.

Machinery: I have a Kubota BX1500 lawn tractor with a 48 inch mower deck which I purchased from Middlesex Lawn & Garden, Inc. in Locust Hill, Virginia 804-758-2576. My EC-100 Economy Cultivator, which is a one row cultivator, was manufactured by Ferguson Manufacturing Company in Suffolk, Virginia. Additionally it has a row opener and a disc hiller. Additionally I have a disc harrow by A and B Eagleline Equipment, a rear blade, and I'm looking for a low profile twelve inch plow. My tillers include a Sears 24 inch front tine and a Troy Bilt rear tine.

Composting

Extension Agencies and testing

Resources:

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Mattaponi, Virginia - Revised: 17 Aug 2010 crt