Greetings All!
I got my soil test results back from the LSU AgCenter earlier in week. It only took about a week!
According to my local Horticulturalist Russel Harris and the information provided by the LSU AgCenter, all I need to add is 1/2 to 3/4lb of elemental sulfur to off set my 'Very High' pH value of 6.93 to get it down to a reasonable value of 6.6-6.7. Along with adding sulfur, I must also add between 2/3- 1lb of ammonium nitrate to help regulate the 'High' and 'Very High' levels of Phosphorus and Potassium. Fortunately, having higher Phosphorus and Potassium levels is not all that bad. With this said, I now know what I must add to the soil when I decide to replant my next crop.
If you decide to have your soil tested (which is recommended) just contact you local AgCenter. If you live in Louisiana the link to each office is: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/our_offices/parishes/
I just found went my local office, picked up a test kit and brought it back to them. They did the rest! It was a simple.
As for my garden, it is coming along nice and slow. The tomato and pepper plants are between 4-10 inches off the ground and the cucumber/ squash leaves are on average 5 in L x 2 in W. I plan to start staking this weekend to give them added stability and be prepared the first sign of FRUIT!
I shall keep you posted! I promise my next post will have Pictures!!!!!
Peace
Friday, March 25, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Completed March Veggie Garden
Greetings All,
This weekend I completed my veggie garden!
Here are a few pictures taken by my photographer and visual production director ;-) Allison!
I planted:
1-Tomato's (La. Roma's, Celebrity's, Creole)
2-Cucumbers ( Dasher II's and this local grown strain called St.....?? I forget the name of it)
3-Bell Peppers ( Red/Green/Yellow...I also don't remember the names of each off the top of my head) 4-Summer Squash ( Yellow Sunburst, and Straight Neck Zucchini)
5-Sweet Basil
6-Rosemary
It is a small start, but I got to start somewhere. I did not use direct soil (which kind of worries me) I opted to go the vegetable garden soil route. Honestly, I wanted to get started and did not want to wait on the soil to be tested from the Louisiana AgCenter. I might regret that move, but if all my plants die, I can just chalk the whole thing up to a good lesson learned. I still plan to have the soil I collected tested. I will send it off possible tomorrow. The results will give me a good idea of what I need to incorporate in my next planting.
I am also starting my own compost pile. It will probably be pretty gross!!! but hopefully the stench will pay off in future planting.
Here is a link to the La AgCenter's website. It has a lot great resources and this particular link is to a pdf for La vegetable planting guide:
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/home_gardening/vegetables/home_garden_crops/Louisiana+Vegetable+Planting+Guide.htm
I will keep all posted on my progress!
Cheers!
-Matt
This weekend I completed my veggie garden!
Here are a few pictures taken by my photographer and visual production director ;-) Allison!
 | ||
| My La. Roma's are looking rough =( |
 |
| Coors Light is an essential tool in perfecting the home veggie garden! |
1-Tomato's (La. Roma's, Celebrity's, Creole)
2-Cucumbers ( Dasher II's and this local grown strain called St.....?? I forget the name of it)
3-Bell Peppers ( Red/Green/Yellow...I also don't remember the names of each off the top of my head) 4-Summer Squash ( Yellow Sunburst, and Straight Neck Zucchini)
5-Sweet Basil
6-Rosemary
It is a small start, but I got to start somewhere. I did not use direct soil (which kind of worries me) I opted to go the vegetable garden soil route. Honestly, I wanted to get started and did not want to wait on the soil to be tested from the Louisiana AgCenter. I might regret that move, but if all my plants die, I can just chalk the whole thing up to a good lesson learned. I still plan to have the soil I collected tested. I will send it off possible tomorrow. The results will give me a good idea of what I need to incorporate in my next planting.
I am also starting my own compost pile. It will probably be pretty gross!!! but hopefully the stench will pay off in future planting.
Here is a link to the La AgCenter's website. It has a lot great resources and this particular link is to a pdf for La vegetable planting guide:
http://www.lsuagcenter.com/en/lawn_garden/home_gardening/vegetables/home_garden_crops/Louisiana+Vegetable+Planting+Guide.htm
I will keep all posted on my progress!
Cheers!
-Matt
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The Renaissance Frontiersmen: PreVegetable Garden continued....Part II
The Renaissance Frontiersmen: PreVegetable Garden continued....Part II: "Good Morning All! Yesterday evening was a success! I plotted out my garden space, cleared out unwanted vegetation, turned up the soil..."
PreVegetable Garden continued....Part II
Good Morning All!
Yesterday evening was a success! I plotted out my garden space, cleared out unwanted vegetation, turned up the soil and built the planter box.
(I'm Ready To Dig!!)
Have no fear Dirty Matt is Here!!! It wasn't until I was covered in dirt that I finally found the large ground hoe =).
And after a hard evening of work.....the finished product!!! Well..almost finished.
Next on the list: 1- purchase transplants 2-lay soil 3- plant!
Peace!
(Photography thanks to my lovely girlfriend Allison!)
Yesterday evening was a success! I plotted out my garden space, cleared out unwanted vegetation, turned up the soil and built the planter box.
Have no fear Dirty Matt is Here!!! It wasn't until I was covered in dirt that I finally found the large ground hoe =).
And after a hard evening of work.....the finished product!!! Well..almost finished.
Next on the list: 1- purchase transplants 2-lay soil 3- plant!
Peace!
(Photography thanks to my lovely girlfriend Allison!)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
PreVegetable Garden continued....
Now that Mardi Gras is finally over, I can get back to my vegetable garden preparations. It rained really hard this morning making it perfect for me to prepare the land and take soil samples. The idea is simple. Wet soft earth = easy digging....dry hard earth = sweat and back pain!
It has actually been a blessing in disguise not being able to get to the garden prep these last few days. The weather has been pretty inconsistent. In just one week it has gone from highs in the 80's down to low 50's at night. As for precipitation, it has down poured at least 3 times in the last 5 days. With that said, not having the garden set up really worked out.
Hopefully I will have some productive news SOON!
Peace!
It has actually been a blessing in disguise not being able to get to the garden prep these last few days. The weather has been pretty inconsistent. In just one week it has gone from highs in the 80's down to low 50's at night. As for precipitation, it has down poured at least 3 times in the last 5 days. With that said, not having the garden set up really worked out.
Hopefully I will have some productive news SOON!
Peace!
Friday, March 4, 2011
PreVegetable Garden and Hunter Safety Class Scheduled
Greetings fellow frontiersmen,
I accomplished a bit since my last post. On April 8-9th, I will be attending a Louisiana Hunters Safety Coarse. Here's the link if any out there live in Louisiana and want obtain their hunters licence:
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/hunter-education
I am looking forward to learning the necessary skills to make me a safe efficient hunter. Now most of the real hunting skill I will have to gain over the coarse of numerous hunts. I find the best way to learn anything is to experience it first hand under the guidance of a seasoned vet. I have a few friends that hunt different types of game. Once I have my license, I hope to accompany them on their trips.
My vegetable garden has been delayed by the New Orleans holiday Mardi Gras. For those frontiersmen who have never experienced Mardi Gras, it is quite the adventure. I recommend to take part in the celebration at least once in your life.
Back to the garden. The other day I visited my local Ag Center and picked up soil testing kits. I am using Dan Gill's "Month by Month..." (basically a Louisiana gardening guide for the year) to start this garden. In the book Dan stress the importance of soil preparation. Soil is sometime lacking in mineral or to rich in others. It is important to test the soil before planning to ensure your produce not only grows, but more importantly is safe to eat.
I have a rough plan as to how I am going to set up the garden. First, I will break up the soil and take the necessary sample amount and ship it off for testing. Once my results come back, I will be ready to go into bed preparation.:
Step 1) remove all unwanted vegetation and turn soil up will be a raised bed. I do not have a lot of space, so a raise bed will keep things proportional.
To Be Continued....
I accomplished a bit since my last post. On April 8-9th, I will be attending a Louisiana Hunters Safety Coarse. Here's the link if any out there live in Louisiana and want obtain their hunters licence:
http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/hunting/hunter-education
I am looking forward to learning the necessary skills to make me a safe efficient hunter. Now most of the real hunting skill I will have to gain over the coarse of numerous hunts. I find the best way to learn anything is to experience it first hand under the guidance of a seasoned vet. I have a few friends that hunt different types of game. Once I have my license, I hope to accompany them on their trips.
My vegetable garden has been delayed by the New Orleans holiday Mardi Gras. For those frontiersmen who have never experienced Mardi Gras, it is quite the adventure. I recommend to take part in the celebration at least once in your life.
Back to the garden. The other day I visited my local Ag Center and picked up soil testing kits. I am using Dan Gill's "Month by Month..." (basically a Louisiana gardening guide for the year) to start this garden. In the book Dan stress the importance of soil preparation. Soil is sometime lacking in mineral or to rich in others. It is important to test the soil before planning to ensure your produce not only grows, but more importantly is safe to eat.
I have a rough plan as to how I am going to set up the garden. First, I will break up the soil and take the necessary sample amount and ship it off for testing. Once my results come back, I will be ready to go into bed preparation.:
Step 1) remove all unwanted vegetation and turn soil up will be a raised bed. I do not have a lot of space, so a raise bed will keep things proportional.
To Be Continued....
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Day 1 "Game plan and the Start of my Produce Garden"
Today my journey begins with figuring out what I want learn and taking a first step toward reaching the goal.
Big picture view of the subjects I plan to learn:
I.Agriculture
a)Farming b)Medicinal c)Foraging d)Survival
II.Hunting/Trapping/Fishing
a)Skills/Techniques b)Game Knowledge
III. Cooking
a) Butchery b)Preserving c) Preparing d)storing
IV. Survival Techniques
a)Shelter b)Fire c) Clothing d) Eating e)Navigation f)Water Purification g)Location ETC....
V. Natural Energy Use
a) Wind b)Solar c) Water d)Earth
VI.First Aid/Medicine
a)Bandaging and healing b)Herbal and Man made Medication Practices
VII. Mechanical/ Engineering/ and Architecture
a)Mechanical Operation/Repair b)design and construction of anything needed.
VIII. ETC.
Today I am starting simple. I have already purchased an above ground vegetable planter I plan to get started on my very first garden. My dad grew up on a farm when he was little boy and even shared some land with his uncle and a few friends when I young. Unfortunately he passed away when I was 12 and never taught me any of his farming practices. It is always been a dream of mine to follow in his footsteps and I am glad to stay that today is my beginning.
What knowledge I have, I obtained from "Month by Month Gardening in Louisiana...." by Dan Gill, a brief pdf by the LSU school of agriculture. So to get some hands on knowledge, I made arrangements this afternoon to visit my old roommate and close friend Chef Josh G.
Josh and I have been friends or years and I learned a lot about cooking and more importantly life from him while we lived together and when I worked under him at a local restaurant. He has a lot of passion for both cooking and obtaining food, and he is one of my biggest influence for taking this journey.
Today he promised to give me a tour of his garden. I am super excited! I'll recap tomorrow.
Peace
Big picture view of the subjects I plan to learn:
I.Agriculture
a)Farming b)Medicinal c)Foraging d)Survival
II.Hunting/Trapping/Fishing
a)Skills/Techniques b)Game Knowledge
III. Cooking
a) Butchery b)Preserving c) Preparing d)storing
IV. Survival Techniques
a)Shelter b)Fire c) Clothing d) Eating e)Navigation f)Water Purification g)Location ETC....
V. Natural Energy Use
a) Wind b)Solar c) Water d)Earth
VI.First Aid/Medicine
a)Bandaging and healing b)Herbal and Man made Medication Practices
VII. Mechanical/ Engineering/ and Architecture
a)Mechanical Operation/Repair b)design and construction of anything needed.
VIII. ETC.
Today I am starting simple. I have already purchased an above ground vegetable planter I plan to get started on my very first garden. My dad grew up on a farm when he was little boy and even shared some land with his uncle and a few friends when I young. Unfortunately he passed away when I was 12 and never taught me any of his farming practices. It is always been a dream of mine to follow in his footsteps and I am glad to stay that today is my beginning.
What knowledge I have, I obtained from "Month by Month Gardening in Louisiana...." by Dan Gill, a brief pdf by the LSU school of agriculture. So to get some hands on knowledge, I made arrangements this afternoon to visit my old roommate and close friend Chef Josh G.
Josh and I have been friends or years and I learned a lot about cooking and more importantly life from him while we lived together and when I worked under him at a local restaurant. He has a lot of passion for both cooking and obtaining food, and he is one of my biggest influence for taking this journey.
Today he promised to give me a tour of his garden. I am super excited! I'll recap tomorrow.
Peace
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