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    Dumb question about cover crops

    Please excuse this stupid question - what is the difference between cover crop and weed? My garden beds and walkways get automatic replants of a variety of weeds every winter, most are buttercups I think. Now if I just cut them and till them under, or just leave on the beds as mulch ... how is...
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    Aerated Compost Tea?

    Hello everyone - what is the general feeling about Aerated Compost Tea on this forum? Do you use it and swear by it? Or you think it's just a fad? I got intrigued by the idea and tinkered with it, brewing 3 batch of tea this past week already. There are many vids on youtube and articles...
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    How much water?

    I've installed those drip irrigation system using the 1/4 inch tube that has in-line drip element built in every 12 inches. I ran it serpentine in my raised beds 12 apart. I grow tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, lettuces, etc. Currently I set automatic watering an hour a day early in the...
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    How do you wash your loose leaf lettuce?

    I've been rinsing 2 times outside in a large bowl then drain the water back to the garden. But it still seems a waste of lots of water. Do you bother cleaning your salad off the garden? How many times?
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    When to apply mulch?

    Another newbee here gardening in San Jose, California. I'm growing tomatoes, squash and eggplants on 6" raised beds. They seem to do OK so far. The question is is it time to apply mulch yet? I read somewhere that you should wait until the weather gets hotter before applying mulch, so that...
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    Edible Flowers

    I'm a newbie gardener. My wife said there're some types of bean with edible flowers and that they're tasty. Can someone please advise what kind of flowers I can add to the salad bowl? What is your favorite? Thanks!
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    Wood chips from tree service companies

    In my area there are several tree service companies offer to dump 5-10 yards of fresh wood chips from their nearby jobs. I'm thinking of getting these free wood chips to cover the walkways outside my garden beds and other landscape areas. Has anyone here order such service? What can we expect...
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    Saving Tomato Seeds

    I have this fabulous Southern Night tomato plant that I want to save seed for next year. Unfortunately it's planted next to a Brandy Wine. I don't want to go through the business of covering the flower if I can avoid it. So ... if I just take a ripe fruit and save seeds from that, and...
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    Brandywine, Southern Night, German Red Tomatoes

    So this year is my first serious attempt at gardening. Been having chicken and composting for 2 years so that helped. My tomatoes grow really decent, most are just Home Depot varieties, but I did pick up 3 heirloom plants from a local garden club: - Brandywine Red: more flavorful than Ace...
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    Feeding tomatoes with rotten egg

    OK so I understand that it's good to feed eggshell to tomatoes as calcium supplement. I have an egg that I left out in extreme heat for a few days so I don't want to eat it. If I just crush it under a tomato plant, yoke and all, does it serve any purpose? Or should I break it in the chicken...
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    Gardening Mistakes

    What is your worst gardening mistake this year? MINE: Planting cucumber without a trellis but next to a tomato plant (hey I'm a first year gardener :lol:)
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    Using a chipper/shredder

    So I just bought a second-hand Craftman 5HP chipper/shredder. Works pretty good. The only thing is the output chute shoots out stuff and blowing out air so strongly it just blows away all the shredded leaves and twigs. Does anyone has a trick that can contain the output products so I don't...
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    Leaf Lettuce - direct sowing or transplant?

    I bought a combo seed pack of 7 different leafy lettuces online. I planted them in 7 small rows about 2 months ago, in a new raised bed. 6 of them came out OK but not great. I think because the plants are too close together. A friend of mine mentioned that she planted all lettuces indoor and...
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    Peeing into the compost pile

    OK with all the talks about the benefit of urine, should I start peeing into the compost pile? I wouldn't do it directly on the vegetables, but compost pile will have time to dissipate all the odor. (sorry ladies for the grossness - I'm really interested in learning!)
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    Should I feed the chicken or throw to the compost pile?

    I have a chicken run with 4 hens and about 10 rabbits right now. All kitchen scrap have been going to the chicken run. Whatever the hens refuse the rabbits will eat them up. Occasionally throwing some grass clipping in there. And hay. The problem is doing this I have nothing to feed the...
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    Growing tomatoes in pots?

    Finally I was able to buy some heirloom tomatoes, but I ran out of room in my new raised beds. So I'm thinking transplanting to pots. Will tomatoes do well in pots? And how big a pot should I use? The tomatoes are Southern Night, Red Brandywine, and German Red Strawberry. THANKS!
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    Transplanting Lime Tree

    My mom gave me a precious lime plant that she grew in a pot. I'm going to transplant in the backyard. My problem is this: It is actually TWO plants sitting about 6 inches apart. The trunks (?) are about the side of my index finger. 1. Should I clip off one of them before planting in the...
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    Is a small 5-6 hp wood chipper a good investment?

    A new gardener here. I have so much leaves and branches from various trees in the backyard that I just hate going to waste. Can I just put branches through a chipper and outcome mulching material? or for compost? HELP!
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    Another question about filling raised beds

    I'm a new gardener planning to build 3 raised beds. I have a chicken run with 4 chicken and 3 rabbits for a couple years. Sometime ago I read from a post by Nifty that dirt in the chicken run was like "black gold" so I plan to mix that in with dirt at the raised beds. I can borrow tiller from...
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    Online Mail Order

    Hello everyone - what a great forum. I'm a 2nd year chickens' daddy and 1st year gardener. Found BYC to be the friendliest community on the net and hope EasyGarden to be the same. Question: can you recommend a good online mail order for seeds? I live in California and would like to order...
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