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Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

Coyote33 said:
I have a bunch of seeds left over from last year and year before. Are these still good? I can't imagine why not. They are just dry seeds, waiting to germinate.



Root cellar.
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Throw a few on a wet paper towel and change once a day. The seeds will let you know if they are still viable...

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Coyote33 said:
I have a bunch of seeds left over from last year and year before. Are these still good? I can't imagine why not. They are just dry seeds, waiting to germinate.



Root cellar.
Click to expand...
I've never had a problem with 2-3-4 year old seed germinating.
 
I have a neat book that I could convert to pdf. It might take me a couple months to get through it, but for anybody who loves to eat mushrooms, this book could be of some use! Also if anybody has any experience using 3d printing for indoor hydroponics, I'm looking to set up a small scale setup I can do in my bedroom or basement. I'd be looking to grow spices/peppers and beans.
 

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Just a heads up, I bought a couple of 50lb bags of 10-10-10 fertilizer the other day, the price has risen sharply from a little over a year ago.

Farmers around my area are experiencing almost double bulk fertilizer prices (by tonnage) than just a couple of years ago. This is a nationwide/worldwide issue getting worse quickly and it is going to raise the cost of foods of all types.

If you use fertilizers on your garden/s I highly suggest that you buy it early (like NOW) and buy enough for this year and next.

I'll be bucketing up a few hundred pounds more this coming week.
 
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We have access to a half acre of land of some new friends here in Montana. We plan to grow a boatload of potatoes. Planted a lot of garlic last fall. Also on the list will be beans. Not sure what else I can grow out here without a greenhouse. Maybe carrots. Not planting related but we have stocked up on about 30 pounds of flour. Bread and pasta can feed you for cheap.
 
Yeah, everything is going up fast. I am also considering using large grow bags for some root veggies and possibly tomatoes and peppers.

(10) 10-gallon bags for $25 bucks seems like a good deal. Might be really good for extra potato sets...
Amazon product ASIN B07PTNXVWK

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APFSDS said:
What is a good price for raised bed soil? I am going to grab a truck load this weekend. Sam's club had 40 quart bags for 7.50 each, IIRC.
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I would think if you're buying a truck load you could get top soil delivered in bulk for less. In the past I have ordered a load of top soil mixed 50/50 with composted manure. You probably wouldn't need fertilizer at all unless what you are planting needs something specific.
 
APFSDS said:
What is a good price for raised bed soil? I am going to grab a truck load this weekend. Sam's club had 40 quart bags for 7.50 each, IIRC.
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You can also mix in a bag of peat with every 5-6 bags of soil mix. The peat will also aid in water retention and soil looseness, which is great for root veggies.
Lastly, check with your town for free resident compost made from the last year's leaf collection.

But to answer your question, $7.50 is not horrible for store-bought bagged...

 
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Also, Choctaw is right, you can usually get a cubic yard of topsoil for less than store bought soil.
That soil may be prone to weed seed though, where the bagged may be more sterile and have amendments...
 
Choctaw said:
I would think if you're buying a truck load you could get top soil delivered in bulk for less. In the past I have ordered a load of top soil mixed 50/50 with composted manure. You probably wouldn't need fertilizer at all unless what you are planting needs something specific.
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I should have been more specific on the truck...I have a tacoma with a 5' bed. I am probably doing two raised beds, I'm thinking 4x8 or 4x10 using this design:

Raised Garden Bed
 
Choctaw said:
I would think if you're buying a truck load you could get top soil delivered in bulk for less. In the past I have ordered a load of top soil mixed 50/50 with composted manure. You probably wouldn't need fertilizer at all unless what you are planting needs something specific.
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That's what I do. Meadow Farm in Lee has a nice 50/50 mix. Except I pick it up myself. They put a loader scoop in my pickup and i shovel it out. Delivery costs more than the product.
 
APFSDS said:
Sadly those are 65 bucks a piece according to the home depot website. If they were cheaper I would use them, that's a nice size and convenient shape. I'm putting in two raised beds as soon as the snow melts, but I'm going to just use untreated 1x4s or something.

Pleasant Hearth Infinity 36 in. x 13 in. Round Galvanized Steel Wood Fire Ring OFW815FR - The Home Depot
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If you can find an old stock tank those would work great. The bottoms rust out from ground contact and the farmers don't want them. You can get them for free usually. Ask some farmers or run an ad wherever people post these types of things. (Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, want ad digest?)
 
enbloc said:
I've grown beets in the past, and I'm planning on doing so this season, but I'm also going to try growing for the greens only on part of the crop.
For these plants I intend to plant densely...

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Beet greens are excellent!! as are the beets.

If you are going to put some greens away for next winter, don't forget to blanch them 2 1/2 minutes in boiling water, then plunge into ice water, then drain and freeze. I've still got several bags of them in the freezer from last year.

I love growing beets, I eat them (the beets themselves) freshly cooked as a side dish, as an addition to salads and pickled. The greens we sauté with some finely chopped sweet onion, a chicken or beef bullion cube and some Balsamic vinegar. Delicious!!!

Beets that I don't use, I'll pull and feed to the deer........away from my garden[laugh]
 

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