Family Contest
 

My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Family Contest
 

clevermonkey wrote:
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are
saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They
garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit
of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I
can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they
still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me
is
really appreciated.

Listen to and respect your elders.

OG

Family Contest
 

You started seeds and have more time on your hands? lol
Gardening is not a race. You can't buy experience. I suggest you learn
from them, but a friendly competition could be fun and a good way to learn.
Gardening is like almost every other endeavor in life....the more you learn,
the more you learn you don't know.

"clevermonkey" wrote in message
ups.com...
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Family Contest
 

In article . com,
"clevermonkey" wrote:

My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.


Grow stuff that is easy,
pay attention to weeds and bugs,
don't over-water,
Watch what and how you "feed" them.
don't over-crowd!!!

That last one is easy to do. ;-)

What is the competition all about? Lbs. of final product or what?
What determines the winner???
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Family Contest
 

Hi,
do not discount old books as there is a lot of good infomation in them. I
will not dispose of my old books. The only part that is obsolete is the
information on pesticides, as a lot of them have been taken off the market,
with good reason. hope this helps you.

Richard M. watkin.

"clevermonkey" wrote in message
ups.com...
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Family Contest
 

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:31:15 -0600, OmManiPadmeOmelet
wrote:



Grow stuff that is easy,
pay attention to weeds and bugs,
don't over-water,
Watch what and how you "feed" them.
don't over-crowd!!!

That last one is easy to do. ;-)

There is something you really can overcrowd and get excellent
results...bush beans. I plant them in flower pots. Nothing too big,
just any pots I have around. Most no larger than 8," a few smaller
and a few larger, but those larger ones are generally bulb pots & so
are more shallow.

I have 6-8 plants per pot. I know that sounds absurd, but I have done
this for over a decade. I line the pots up on the rail of my deck.
They are planted in compost enriched soil with some Osmocote. The only
concern is water. Once they are flowering and fruiting, they need to
be watered twice a day in the heat. I get great yields and they keep
going as long as I keep picking.

This is not the sort of idea that works with corn. g

Boron

Family Contest
 

In article ,
Boron Elgar wrote:

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:31:15 -0600, OmManiPadmeOmelet
wrote:



Grow stuff that is easy,
pay attention to weeds and bugs,
don't over-water,
Watch what and how you "feed" them.
don't over-crowd!!!

That last one is easy to do. ;-)

There is something you really can overcrowd and get excellent
results...bush beans. I plant them in flower pots. Nothing too big,
just any pots I have around. Most no larger than 8," a few smaller
and a few larger, but those larger ones are generally bulb pots & so
are more shallow.

I have 6-8 plants per pot. I know that sounds absurd, but I have done
this for over a decade. I line the pots up on the rail of my deck.
They are planted in compost enriched soil with some Osmocote. The only
concern is water. Once they are flowering and fruiting, they need to
be watered twice a day in the heat. I get great yields and they keep
going as long as I keep picking.

This is not the sort of idea that works with corn. g

Boron

lol Too true...

And I agree obout beans in general.
I grow mostly string type vining beans in the garden and I never worry
about crowding those.

They have some fencing as trellis to climb on.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Family Contest
 

How will you decide who wins? Biggest tomato or the most corn???

Depends where you live and what soil you have and what you want to grow.

If in the US, stop by your County Extension office and talk to the Ag
Agent.

I am with the old guys, being one myself...

John!

clevermonkey wrote:
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Family Contest
 

clevermonkey wrote:
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Sounds like fun. One way to take advantage of the internet might be to
browse all the seed catalogs that are now on line, looking for keywords
like "productive" and "disease resistant" and "pest resistant." And
don't forget "delicious." Your uncles might not be up on hybrid
advances.

Don't be surprised, by the way, if a lot of what you find on the
internet is the same advice from old books and magazines that your
uncles have already seen. And don't believe everything you find on the
internet either.

Another way to take advantage of it is to ask, in places like this,
specific questions when you have decided what to plant and when you see
potential problems developing. Make it an ongoing process rather than
a one-time shot.

When summer vacation time comes, resist the temptation to do too much
in your garden. Daily weed and insect patrol is good, for example, but
daily watering is (generally speaking) bad. -aem

Family Contest
 

In article .com,
"aem" wrote:

clevermonkey wrote:
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Sounds like fun. One way to take advantage of the internet might be to
browse all the seed catalogs that are now on line, looking for keywords
like "productive" and "disease resistant" and "pest resistant." And
don't forget "delicious." Your uncles might not be up on hybrid
advances.

Don't be surprised, by the way, if a lot of what you find on the
internet is the same advice from old books and magazines that your
uncles have already seen. And don't believe everything you find on the
internet either.

Another way to take advantage of it is to ask, in places like this,
specific questions when you have decided what to plant and when you see
potential problems developing. Make it an ongoing process rather than
a one-time shot.

When summer vacation time comes, resist the temptation to do too much
in your garden. Daily weed and insect patrol is good, for example, but
daily watering is (generally speaking) bad. -aem


Yep!

Some gardening benefits from "benign neglect". G

Plants grow in their own good time.....
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Family Contest
 

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 11:15:02 -0600, OmManiPadmeOmelet
wrote:

In article ,
Boron Elgar wrote:

On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:31:15 -0600, OmManiPadmeOmelet
wrote:



Grow stuff that is easy,
pay attention to weeds and bugs,
don't over-water,
Watch what and how you "feed" them.
don't over-crowd!!!

That last one is easy to do. ;-)

There is something you really can overcrowd and get excellent
results...bush beans. I plant them in flower pots. Nothing too big,
just any pots I have around. Most no larger than 8," a few smaller
and a few larger, but those larger ones are generally bulb pots & so
are more shallow.

I have 6-8 plants per pot. I know that sounds absurd, but I have done
this for over a decade. I line the pots up on the rail of my deck.
They are planted in compost enriched soil with some Osmocote. The only
concern is water. Once they are flowering and fruiting, they need to
be watered twice a day in the heat. I get great yields and they keep
going as long as I keep picking.

This is not the sort of idea that works with corn. g

Boron

lol Too true...

And I agree obout beans in general.
I grow mostly string type vining beans in the garden and I never worry
about crowding those.

They have some fencing as trellis to climb on.

Great!! You brought up something I wanted to know. Do string beans
need to be in multiple rows or can they be in one long row? I, too,
have a fence that I'd like to grow them on because I don't want to
have to build a trellis thingy. How about standard peas?
My cousin made the mistake of growing corn in one row. I think he was
lucky enough to get one ear.
Sue

Family Contest
 

"clevermonkey" wrote in message
ups.com...
My two uncles and I are having a gardening contest and they are saying
they can beat me just because they are older than me and have more
experience (I'm very young). Even though that may be true, I think I
can win because I have the help of the Internet on my side. They garden
with advice only from old books and magazines. I already have a bit of
a head start because I've started some seeds indoors already. Plus,
even with school, I have more time on my hands than they do, so I can
garden more often (besides, I have summer vacation whereas they still
have to work in the summer). Our competition is mostly for our
vegetable gardens, so any tips, tricks, and advice you can give me is
really appreciated.

Your uncle/s will be formidable opponents b/c they have more experience than
you. Chances are they will be better at recognizing plant diseases in their
early stages and know what to do to prevent crop loss. Chances are they
have learned when and how much to water. They probably know which plant
varieties do best given their local soil and climate conditions. Their soil
is probably in better condition than yours b/c they/ve been building it up
for many years.

The I-Net has a lot of good information, but it has a lot of contradictory
information, as well. How will you know what advice to follow?

Timing is often critical when it comes to gardening success, which is where
experience will almost always carry the day. You have a great opportunity
before you to learn from your uncles. Instead of competition, why not try
cooperation? Let them teach you what they have learned and then build on
that experience.

Family Contest
 

In article ,
Sue wrote:

And I agree obout beans in general.
I grow mostly string type vining beans in the garden and I never worry
about crowding those.

They have some fencing as trellis to climb on.

Great!! You brought up something I wanted to know. Do string beans
need to be in multiple rows or can they be in one long row? I, too,
have a fence that I'd like to grow them on because I don't want to
have to build a trellis thingy. How about standard peas?
My cousin made the mistake of growing corn in one row. I think he was
lucky enough to get one ear.
Sue

Since beans are insect pollinated, it does not matter.
I grew two long rows. One on either side of the fencing I used.

I've not grown peas, but I don't see why they would be any different.
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson

Family Contest
 

Since many of you wanted to know, I live in zone 8a, in Western
Washington. Also, we haven't really decided how to judge the contest,
but it will have something to do with eating the harvest in the end...
***~~***

Family Contest
 

"Sue" wrote in message
...

Great!! You brought up something I wanted to know. Do string beans
need to be in multiple rows or can they be in one long row? I, too,
have a fence that I'd like to grow them on because I don't want to
have to build a trellis thingy. How about standard peas?


You can grow either beans or peas on that fence. My favorite bean
configuration is tepee-like, though. I usually do peas up a cylinder of
chicken wire.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
http://www.bicyclemeditations.org/
Sponsor me for the Big Climb! See: www.active.com/donate/cpetersky06
See the books I've set free at:
http://bookcrossing.com/referral/Cpetersky