The Self-Sufficient Gardener - Latest Comments

Re: The Horticultural Engineer Video Series Now Available on DVD!

Tiffany — Tue, 09 Jul 2013 23:05:32 -0000

Anyway to pay for this video and watch it online?

Re: Why I’m Not Posting as Much

Joe — Fri, 05 Jul 2013 14:29:49 -0000

Horticultural podcasters and bloggers should probably get an exemption from posting, May through October.

Re: Episode 151 Shiitake Mushroom Cultivation

Eric — Wed, 03 Jul 2013 19:09:44 -0000

Hi Jason,

I'm scouting my woods for trees to cut this fall for shitake innoculation and I'm wondering what are your results with the different types of trees you used. I have oaks maples and hickorys here in MO and Ill probably do my own experimenting but I'd still like to hear your results.

Re: Why I’m Not Posting as Much

tentance — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 16:04:05 -0000

good luck with the classes, i'm always available if you ever feel you need a hard science concept explained.
-chrissy - friend me on g+ or facebook chris bauman
local plant nerd, mad scientist, m e d i c.

Re: Episode 199 Five Myths About Soil and Fertility

jasoneakers — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 23:21:01 -0000

Teena - I can cover that upcoming. But what pathogens are you concerned about? As long as you are using omnivore/herbivore manure like rabbit and chickens there really aren't too many concerns.
Jason

Re: Episode 199 Five Myths About Soil and Fertility

Teena — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 20:16:57 -0000

I was interested in what you were saying about using fresh manure in your garden, but was curious about how to break pathogen cycles...are you covering that in the next podcast, by any chance?

Re: Check This Out…

Marjorie — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 13:50:55 -0000

Thanks for sharing! I've been looking for new gardening podcasts!

Re: Episode 199 Five Myths About Soil and Fertility

Joe — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 17:26:32 -0000

Foliar feeding is useful for plants that have a mineral deficiency, and need it fixed fast. If they're not starved for something, as I'm sure your plants aren't, you wouldn't see any effect of compost tea.

Re: Episode 192 Uses and Benefits of Sweet Gum Trees

jasoneakers — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:04:36 -0000

Now that's funny!

Why don't you coppice it about 4 feet high and let it bush out again. It will take care of your gumball issue for a few years at least.
Jason

Re: Episode 192 Uses and Benefits of Sweet Gum Trees

Stan Bookman — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 19:23:05 -0000

Time Travel: A lot of people would use time travel to go back in time and kill dictators like Hitler, Amin, or Bush, but I would go back and cut down that damn sweet gum tree in my front yard when it was a sapling.

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

jasoneakers — Mon, 13 May 2013 20:48:13 -0000

Joe that is one other reason but its not a good one. I did speak to this a little bit with the compacted soil bit.

Almost everything related to tilling is based on a flawed cause/effect relationship scenario. People who till believe they have to in order to get the soil loose and oxygenated but they have to till because they till.
Organic matter nitrifies at the soil surface through aerobic breakdown. Beneath the soil where its devoid of oxygen its anaerobic. So anytime you dig up waterlogged soil and underneath is gray and smelly that's what's going on. This doesn't happen with even the most compacted soil. Regardless the soil is compacted not because there is a lack of organic matter breakdown but rather that the breakdown simply cannot occur. We tend to oversimplify the microbes. We say there are anaerobic and aerobic but there are multitudes in between. Cold temp ones, hot temp ones. Messing up their environment or not giving them organic matter is a much surer way to kill them than not working the soil into a frenzy with a tiller.
Soil gets built in forests and savannahs get built all over the planet and you'd be hard pressed to find a raccoon or gazelle that knows how to operate a tiller.

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

Joe — Mon, 13 May 2013 19:15:09 -0000

I always thought the primary reason for tilling was to stir oxygen down into the dirt. With more oxygen, the organic matter will nitrify faster, and the plants will grow faster.

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

jasoneakers — Sat, 11 May 2013 22:02:33 -0000

Thank you Gary.
It is odd isn't it that the one place where a lot of gardeners haven't innovated is in the area of tilling? Eventually it will get picked up I guess.

Jason

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

jasoneakers — Sat, 11 May 2013 22:01:29 -0000

I appreciate that! I'm glad that there was something new there. I didn't want to do the standard lasagna bed and that's it episode. I think every method has its place and when we match the method to the need then we come out ahead.
I'm totally with you on the clover. Love the stuff!

Jason

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

Gary B — Sat, 11 May 2013 19:27:50 -0000

Dittos on the helpfulness. Jason communicates the counterproductive energy with tilling.
We already have knowledge that coventional farming uses no till to a great extent.
They enjoy the numerous benefits for doing it.
Why not in the garden? Thank you Jason.

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

Tracy Falbe — Sat, 11 May 2013 17:53:07 -0000

What a helpful program. It gave me a few new ideas. I've been gardening with minimal tillage for several years and am very happy with the results. I still have to dig up loose soil for growing potatoes, but with most other vegetables I just dig a small hole and put in the seed or plant and then mulch with lots of compost and manure. To keep the grass and weeds back I mow or use a string trimmer. It's WAY less work than hoeing or pulling weeds. I also try to keep a cover of clover all over the place. It's easy to mow, fixes nitrogen, and helps keep back other weeds. Of course I just let some weeds grow because they're interesting and provide habitat for more insect species and birds often like the seeds. I get lots of pretty flowers this way too.

Oh, and my dad still doesn't understand why I refuse to hoe the corn.

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

jasoneakers — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:51:19 -0000

I think it all depends on what one is planting.
If I were planting a row of carrots or beets then I think double dig works great. But I wouldn't double dig for a tomato or row of corn.
Jason

Re: Episode 197 No and Low Till Planting Methods

Joe n TN — Thu, 09 May 2013 15:07:49 -0000

What are your toughts on John Jeavons method of double digging?

Re: Episode 195 Five Unlikely Edibles in Your Garden

jasoneakers — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:18:55 -0000

Brewed some Sassafras tea late last year for root beer. Like you I fear the things the government approves, not the ones they put notices on. LOL!

Re: Episode 195 Five Unlikely Edibles in Your Garden

jasoneakers — Sun, 05 May 2013 21:17:55 -0000

Let me know if its any good. I told the people at work the other day about where Sanka and the term Why bother comes from. Hilarious if you don't know.

Jason

Re: What’s Wrong With Organic?

Katie — Sun, 05 May 2013 14:35:35 -0000

This is awesome! Thanks :)

Re: Episode 195 Five Unlikely Edibles in Your Garden

Obiwan Kentucky — Wed, 01 May 2013 22:57:16 -0000

Educational indeed. :D
One thing- I might be wrong, but file' powder is usually made from sassafras. Historically it was made from the pith of the branches (soft stuff in the center), but due to the declaration by the feds that it safrole is carcinogenic, this site http://generalhorticulture.... recommends using powdered sassafras leaves instead, for a similar effect. Different taste, since the leaves have virtually no safrole.

if you are not one of the people who absolutely trust the government when they point to one study done decades ago [saying that highly concentrated sassafras oil was connected to health problems in rats who were forcefed massive quantities of it], and don't wonder why no studies have been done since then on the topic, then you, like me, might very much enjoy making the occasional batch of rootbeer flavored tea from sassafras roots, or a spicy file' made from sassafras pith.
Reading around on the internet suggests that the feds took action against safrole because some hippies were using it as part of a recipe for some synthetic drug at the time. Pretty sure that massive "pharmacological doses" of ANY volatile oil is going to cause health problems if ingested routinely. Anyway- I grew up delighted by the fragrance of each part of the sassafras tree and only recently heard about that one study... so I read up about it, and therefore I happen to know a lot more about file' than I otherwise would, having only been down in Cajun territory once in my life.

Re: Episode 195 Five Unlikely Edibles in Your Garden

Fritz — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 21:50:11 -0000

Good show. I'm always interested in new ways to make use of the garden plants.

I heard about using okra seeds for a coffee substitute. I've been thinking of giving it a try but don't have a source of that many seeds.

Re: Episode 194 The Concept and Execution of a “Kitchen Garden”

jasoneakers — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:08:29 -0000

Thanks John!

Re: Episode 188 Seed Starting Troubleshooting

jasoneakers — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:08:08 -0000

Thanks Todd!