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[journey11]

Journey, do you plant red or white radishes? I read that the ones that work are the white icicle radishes, not the red. Details, details. Of course when I tried the white icicle radishes and the nasturtiums in my squash it didn't seem to help, but that's what I read.

I've used both, but mostly red. I've been very good about keeping things weeded the past couple of years and really that more than anything helps keep the bugs at bay.

 

[ninnymary]

You wrote " and a tomato" doesn't a tomato mean 1 ? I am teasing you mary

I know you were but I still say the original post was correct, haha.

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

Well, finding fairly recent wood chips isn't that hard for me. I have a source, but the work to shovel them into my little Honda Fit and then push them back out onto the garden is quite tiring. If I had a pickup truck then I could just go up to the city green waste facility and they would dump an entire truckload of wood chips in the bed and I'd be on my way. I still need to see if I can find some ramiel wood chips. I'm sorry to hear you're having so much trouble with your BTE garden. Do you regret doing BTE? I tried traditional gardening 1 year at our previous house and it was no cake walk by any means and I had pretty much abysmal return on my work.

What do you mean by "trying to keep the nutrition balanced in my soils"? Doesn't Paul basically recommend not using any fertilizer or additives except wood chips and manure unless there is a very extreme situation?

Is there anybody here that has had a good experience with their BTE garden?

Thanks,
Andrew

Provided you have enough manure to cover all the needs in your garden, I'm guessing one could get by, but I don't...my flock doesn't produce enough here, so I have to cast about for manure and with that strange manure can come all sorts of issues. And the wood chips leach nitrogen, so you have to replace that...but you have to be careful not to overdo it with TOO much manure or fertilizer, which I have done in places, which produces plants that are lush, green and tall..but produce no fruit.

Do I regret going BTE? Yes and no...I love the concept, I love the looks of it, I know it must be better for the soil and I have hope it will improve over time~I'm seeing richer, more aerated soils than I've ever seen here. In the flower beds it's done wonders!

But, I no longer believe what Paul is dishing about how simple it all is and how bugs won't plague your plants if they are well nourished and have enough moisture....if you can't till the soil, you can't interrupt the cycle of the pest bugs and I'm reaping that dividend right now. Also, I've never had blight in a single garden we've ever had for 40 yrs until last year...same land, same area, same types of vegetables grown~the only difference? Wood chips filled with fungal spores, which are supposed to be the goal, but certain fungus causes blight.

 

[Beekissed]

Journey, do you plant red or white radishes? I read that the ones that work are the white icicle radishes, not the red. Details, details. Of course when I tried the white icicle radishes and the nasturtiums in my squash it didn't seem to help, but that's what I read.

I've used both, neither seem to help at all.

 

[Beekissed]

Having said all of that...here's a few pics of my son's tiny BTE in town..this is his second year and things are growing like crazy in his and no pests. As stated above, there could be a few reasons his is doing so great right now.

His squash, planted at the same time as mine that I had to rip out, is producing squash and he has a volunteer tomato with small fruit showing on it, is tall and lush with plenty of bloom. The tomatoes I planted in his garden at the same time as mine are also deeper green, thicker stalked, and more lush than those in mine...but he does water his garden and I cannot.

That volunteer tomato....looking lovely and lush!

 

[seedcorn]

He has a nice garden. Wish mine looked half that good. Between rain, cold weather and weeds, weeds,weeds mine is way behind.

 

[thistlebloom]

Bee, your sons garden is such a handsome thing! It is like a little postcard in the neighborhood. Good on you for helping him build it. I wish yours was doing better. I know how frustrating it is to have the vision of a productive and beautiful garden be stymied by pests.
I'm waging war on grasshoppers and gophers right now, and fortunately we fenced the garden up front last year or the deer would be in it. They have been eating the apple trees right nearby.

 

[ninnymary]

I love your son's garden. It's beautiful with the flowers and veggies mixed. I noticed that his house seems to be the only one with flowers. Hopefully some of his neighbors will be inspired to plant a garden.

I was really hoping the BTE would be the ideal way to garden. It's terrible you are having all those pests. I wonder if Paul doesn't have that problem because he's in a different area. It did sound too good to be true when you see his videos.

Mary

 

[Beekissed]

I love your son's garden. It's beautiful with the flowers and veggies mixed. I noticed that his house seems to be the only one with flowers. Hopefully some of his neighbors will be inspired to plant a garden.

I was really hoping the BTE would be the ideal way to garden. It's terrible you are having all those pests. I wonder if Paul doesn't have that problem because he's in a different area. It did sound too good to be true when you see his videos.

Mary

No one has flowers or gardens in Joel's neighborhood due to the large urban deer population there. I just watched a deer chasing and trying to stomp on a dog as we all stood out there and watched the other day.

I think Paul lives in an area with a gentle climate and few pests....his fruit is spotless with no bug or worm holes, all his produce and the plants look the same.

 

[Beekissed]

Well...my pepper seedlings, kept underneath tunnels for some time now started to just disappear. They've all been eaten off, these tiny seedlings. Couldn't find a cut worm under there but something is chewing their way right through my pepper seedlings.

Of course, there are no peppers for sale any longer at nurseries, so I won't be planting hot peppers this year...will have to buy those at the farm stand to replenish my fire jam stores.

I am under siege, here.