What did you do in your garden today?

[Oliver Buckle]

Looking good, Sean. What diameter is the entrance pipe, is it ordinary 4" downpipe, I have plenty of that, or something a bit wider?

 

[gary350]

I put 0-20-20 fertilizer on a 120 ft row of carrots.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

Feeling a bit rubbish, with nothing specific wrong with me, and everything I started didn't work out, like getting everything ready to plant cauliflower seed, and then couldn't find where I had put the seed, Doh. In the end I spread some manure round a raspberry patch and then went and split logs, neither take a lot of brain, then I had a nice long lie down.

 

[gary350]

Feeling a bit rubbish, with nothing specific wrong with me, and everything I started didn't work out, like getting everything ready to plant cauliflower seed, and then couldn't find where I had put the seed, Doh. In the end I spread some manure round a raspberry patch and then went and split logs, neither take a lot of brain, then I had a nice long lie down.

I have not learned how to grow cauliflower yet? My garden usually has no bugs but certain plants like, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, attract 1000s of bugs to the garden. If I plant in April plants never survive summer bugs or our 100° F hot dry desert with no rain for 4 months. When weather becomes cold plants do not grow 50° F and colder they just set there waiting for warmer weather. Then 15° F an colder kills the plants.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I have not learned how to grow cauliflower yet? My garden usually has no bugs but certain plants like, cauliflower, broccoli, squash, cucumbers, attract 1000s of bugs to the garden. If I plant in April plants never survive summer bugs or our 100° F hot dry desert with no rain for 4 months. When weather becomes cold plants do not grow 50° F and colder they just set there waiting for warmer weather. Then 15° F an colder kills the plants.

Cauli's are pretty hardy, but they hate heat.

 

[Meadowlark]

Cauli's are pretty hardy, but they hate heat.

They also are very demanding re the presence of Boron at adequate levels in the soil.

Several decades ago, I started trying to grow cauliflower...with no success. I checked my soil test and found I had extremely low levels of Boron. Added Boron and presto some of the greatest tasting cauliflower ever...and every year thereafter.

When I hear it said, and I often do on here, "I don't need no stinking soil test", I'm reminded that a soil test showed me the way to years and years of spectacular cauliflower growing...arguably one of the easiest garden veggies to grow when the soil is right...and mine never needs spraying for bugs because it doesn't have any.

My current cauliflower just went through several days of temps in the teens (F). Some damage on outside leaves but for the most part unscathed. I always look forward every year to these wonderful heads of fantastic healthy eating.

By the way, it simply is false to say they do not grow at temps below 50 deg F. Just not true...you can't see what is happening beneath the top of the soil, but I guarantee a cauliflower is expanding its root system at temps 50 deg F and well below in preparation for throwing all that expanded energy those roots provided into producing spectacular heads.

 

[Heirloom farmer1969]

They also are very demanding re the presence of Boron at adequate levels in the soil.

Several decades ago, I started trying to grow cauliflower...with no success. I checked my soil test and found I had extremely low levels of Boron. Added Boron and presto some of the greatest tasting cauliflower ever...and every year thereafter.

When I hear it said, and I often do on here, "I don't need no stinking soil test", I'm reminded that a soil test showed me the way to years and years of spectacular cauliflower growing...arguably one of the easiest garden veggies to grow when the soil is right...and mine never needs spraying for bugs because it doesn't have any.

View attachment 106777
My current cauliflower just went through several days of temps in the teens (F). Some damage on outside leaves but for the most part unscathed. I always look forward every year to these wonderful heads of fantastic healthy eating.
View attachment 106778
By the way, it simply is false to say they do not grow at temps below 50 deg F. Just not true...you can't see what is happening beneath the top of the soil, but I guarantee a cauliflower is expanding its root system at temps 50 deg F and well below in preparation for throwing all that expanded energy those roots provided into producing spectacular heads.

I actually have better luck with my cauliflower if the spring or fall is cooler than normal.
This past October and November had a lot of 40-degree days with 20sfor the lows and my cauliflower thrived.
I only had 12 growing but they were beautiful and had a amazing taste!!!

 

[Meadowlark]

I actually have better luck with my cauliflower if the spring or fall is cooler than normal.
This past October and November had a lot of 40-degree days with 20sfor the lows and my cauliflower thrived.
I only had 12 growing but they were beautiful and had a amazing taste!!!

But, but, but I read on the internet that it will not grow in temps 50 deg. F or below... We both know better.

Home grown in nutrient dense soil they taste fabulous, absolutely fabulous.

 

[Sean Regan]

I've been re-thinking my provisions for "hedgehog accommodation and feeding."

The new feeder I've made will replace this one on the main patio.

It's principally for the one that lives in this house behind the wire fence, under the azaleas in the bed to the side of the patio. Although last year there has been as many as three hedgehogs on that patio at the same time.

The new house which I put in the border half-way down the garden and wasn't used was too exposed, so I'm going to re-site the pavers on which it sat in the corner behind the pagoda.

This will be opposite this house, a couple of feet away from the tea-house and far enough away, I've read that the occupants if any of each won't be bothered as they are quite sociable.

The problem is protecting the food from visiting cats and an occasional fox. Hence, the assortment of ugly looking posts and wire. It's also a pain getting a little bowl of food and water through a gap between two posts, on a daily basis.

So what I thought was....If I made another feeder.... I've more Key terrain black plastic pipe and plywood, so all it would cost would be another £17 for a box. Well worth it for the convenience and effort required.

I could site it between the two houses. I could mount one of the trail cams on the fixing I sometimes use on the side of the tea-house which would cover both houses, as we like to see what goes on.
This would make this border at the back of the garden a bit of a, "hedgehog housing estate." But won't be that noticeable from even a few yards away.

 

[UrbanWild]

This is a bit of past and future...

Yesterday afternoon I received an entire truckload (F150) full of large cans of leaves. I didn't have enough bins rebuilt so I now have a massive pile of proto-compost next to the full compost bins. Life is good.

Future: just got a text telling me another truckload is coming in 10 minutes. So within an hour I'll have a gargantia pile of leaves to feed beds, leaf mould making, and compost layering. This is a real windfall since leaf season here is normally well over by this time. Time to get to work...

 

[Meadowlark]

It is good to know Add Boron and presto will make Cauliflower heads grow.

You completely missed the point. The point was, if your soil is deficient in Boron, as verified by a soil test, correcting the deficiency will benefit growth of Cauliflower, as well as all brassicas.

What is presto?

Presto means "suddenly," or "super fast." In this context, the addition of Boron as indicated by soil test results, completely and totally solved my Cauliflower growing problems from many past seasons in only one season.

If I could learn to grow Cauliflower here what will I do with 30 cauliflower ripe ready to harvest in 1 week will they keep in the freezer.

If you deliberately plant 30 cauliflower plants to mature at the same time without any plan for using them, well you deserve what you get. Failure to plan is planning to fail.

Our weather is wrong for certain plants. Online info says cauliflower is a 4 month crop.

Maybe weather...but few places are more harsh than East Texas. Maybe a soil deficiency...which without a test you will never know or solve.

 

[UrbanWild]

How much were your soil tests? In my county we get 2 free a year but it's really only basic nutrients and/or lead. But once they reach 250 total tests for the entire county, it's $8 for basic nutrients, $22 for lead. So that wouldn't really tell one much if you're not worried about notified.

 

[Meadowlark]

How much were your soil tests? In my county we get 2 free a year but it's really only basic nutrients and/or lead. But once they reach 250 total tests for the entire county, it's $8 for basic nutrients, $22 for lead. So that wouldn't really tell one much if you're not worried about notified.

My tests cost $30 per and they include all critical nutrients. Basic test may not measure all nutrients such as Boron.

 

[Meadowlark]

My cauliflower plants never grow heads and never try to grow heads. I assume soil needs boron.

If you "assume" your soil needs Boron, why would you continue to grow without correcting it? And worse admit it over and over on the 'net.

Adding boron will cost less than a soil test and faster too.

If you knew that, why didn't you correct it?

Farmers Co-op said, soil test is $100 and takes 6 months to get results.

We have been through that before and established many sources that are $30 or less with results in one week. Further, info provided by other residents there indicate your Farmers co-op will test for free.

Please stop repeating these false claims.

3 years ago I learn there are several size broccoli heads, 4", 6", 8", 12". 4" is about 75 day crop. 12" is a 4 month crop. Lady that grew this broccoli lives 6 miles from USA Canada border.

What does that have to do with this discussion...and please don't answer.

 

[Meadowlark]

I apologize to those who regularly use this thread for the diversion this has taken...but misinformation will not be tolerated anywhere it is posted.

@gary350 has on multiple occasions posted here that a soil test at his Farmers co-op costs $100 and takes 6 months.

I called this Farmers co-op just now...

Farmers Cooperative
Farm equipment & supply in Murfreesboro, TN
985 Middle Tennessee Blvd, Murfreesboro, TN 37130

(615) 893-6212

They said that info was totally false and that they provide soil tests for $15 with results returned the Wednesday after the previous Friday submission.

Misinformation will not be tolerated.

Please return to your regular programming.