So am I but the Kiddo wanted these. I figured peas would be about the fastest grown thing in them for him. If they stay watered I am thinking 6'-7' of peas hanging down will at least look impressive. Kinda interested to see how they do with gravity feeding water to the pods instead of capillary action. I am also putting out some in the ground climbing a stake.

i thought this got deleted...i'll be having my first year of not growing anything thanks to a move to a shallow rocky area and no desire to do any small gardening type stuff, so i may have to live vicariously thru y'all.

Spend 1 summer taking out a loan and buying the stuff at the grocery store. You will find a way to make it work next year.

i'll have some property by the end of this year (i hope)...just temporarily in town till i can find a place...or i'll be moving elsewhere. living in town for 6 months is about all i can handle.

You'd be suprised how many turnip greens you can grow in a 50 gallon container.

If my soil is more like clay than dirt what do I need to add to it to make it more loose like dirt?

Compost and expanded shale. My soil is great now.

DF, Canadian Peat Moss will also help quite a bit...At the end of the growing season, till in some leaves and add a bunch of red worms, or night crawlers....

clay is good...it holds a lot of nutrients and a lot of fruits and vegetables will grow very well in clay soil especially if you've been adding compost, other materials, or just sand to lighten the texture.

adding compost or other materials is not a one time thing...you will need to do it 1 to 2 times a year (at least once deep plowed). the reason for this is not that clay soil causes problems for root growth, but it does form shallow compaction zones more easily than sandier textures, which do restrict root growth. in fact, potatoes can do exceptionally well in clay soil.

most soils are ammended with compost to help add nutrients and water holding capacity, but since you have clay those things are already there.

I have some old dry leaves I can rake up and add in. Sand helps how? I've added in some top soil and some other stuff I had to in a couple of places, but this stuff really holds moisure. I watered probably going on 3 weeks ago and as I turn it over, from about 2 inches down, it still clumps together.

It's tough turning it over and braking the clods. If I don't break them up, once they are in the sun, for a couple of days, the clods practically turn into rock. These things are fist size and very, very solid.

Thanks.

Rent a tiller. You can do in a couple of hours what takes days by hand, and it does a better job.

sounds like you've probably got a vertisol. clay that heavy can be hard to work with (easy to mess up i.e. letting get to wet or to dry can ruin a crop).
sand will take your texture from clay to sandy clay, sandy clay loam, clay loam, loam, loamy sand, etc. depending on how much you add. and organic matter can always help the incorporation. once this is done you should have better drainage but still good water holding capacity and retain your nutrients. this will make it easier to manage and prevent cracks as well as the hard clods if you can get it to a loamy texture to 6+ inches.
on large scale opperations it takes a very skilled manager to work with these soils (changing the texture not feasable).

i would also suggest starting a compost pile now and it will be ready for next year.

Will nightcrawlers live through the summer down here? I usually put leftover worms in the gardens but I feed the crawlers to the bluegills. If they'll make it I'll start putting them to work.

Mine do, but my garden has some nice shade...It's fun to till your garden and see the new ones coming along...Unless you've just cut one in half. Then you might feel a bit guilty, but you'll get over it.

I cut 'em in pieces for bream . I think I'll be ok.

I don't know, I heard somewhere that you were a PETA supporter...

nothing wrong with peta...just the oh so many nut jobs associated with them.

i know a guy that was a member of peta, nra, ducks unlimited, world somethin or other, and other things that i thought (at the time) contradicted each other.

Planting this weekend!

looks like a good layout for a greenhouse

Nice plots pope. What size are they?

Just put my tomato and pepper seedlings outside in my raised garden last weekend. I know it's still a little cold outside but I've got a row cover on it so they're warmer at night. No transfer shock that I can see so I'm hoping they'll take off soon.

By the way - anyone here use drip irrigation? I got a little blight on my tomatoes last year and think it might have been due to my hand watering hitting the lower leaves and them not drying. I'm thinking maybe a drip irrigation system will help avoid it. Plus then I can put it on a timer. Anyone have any suggestions for a kit? I've just got a small 4'x8' raised bed.

I peta dog today. Does that count ?