Still have one last 80L grow bag to do and 9 laundry baskets full of soil yet. LONG SLOW process. Can't do it in the rain or when it is very windy (don't want to burn down the neighborhood lol). The main reason for all this work is I am severely INFESTED with rolly pollies. At night it looks like a moving carpet on the ground. While I may not be able to stop them, I can surely put a dent into their grow bag infestations. Yes, I found quite a few still alive even after below zero temps a few weeks ago. In those grow bags I had potatoes (nightshade family). Only way to grow potatoes again is to replace all the soil (expensive) or sanitize the soil to get rid of both bugs and pathogens. I also use 32 gal trash cans as planters too (LESS BENDING and harvesting work). Oh and once I sanitize the soil, I mix in Azomite, soil sulfur, bone meal, used coffee grounds, plus some mowed over fall leaves I have been saving. Only need to mix in some potash for the potatoes soon (potash is water soluble and can get washed out when it rains). And some Epsom salts later on too. I may water with some brown sugar water once my rain barrel refills. Feeds the microbes the carbohydrates they need. My plan is to have potatoes planted about next month and tomatoes/peppers in May. Things should be just fine by then. If I feel froggy I might pour some of my urine on the soil. Very long slow process. Did I miss anything?
The expense and time are why I've never done grow bags, but I can see the advantage for some situations, of course. I only sterilize soil I'm going to use indoors for seed-starting. Since your grow bags are outdoors, I wonder what you could get away with if you experimented with alternatives. It would be a fun project, I think.
@@howmyhomegardengrows Tried straw bale gardening and that was a disaster due to the straw being poisoned. Tried Hugelkultur but that has mixed results. Initially that took over 1,000 gallons of water every 2-3 days. Tried air pruning pots with limited success. Tried subirrigation pots and that too was mixed results. Tried drip irrigation with other containers that hold water and that didn't work out very well. Even use IV bags to adjust the water flow. Used inverted and hanging 2L bottles for drip irrigation but that was never enough water. A glass wine bottle, long neck, filled with water and inverted next to a plant seemed to work fairly well. Green bottles are best if you can find them. Tried both subirrigation and air pruning pots at the same time with mixed results. BUT that did put a stop to pill bugs. Pill bugs cannot swim! Tried kiddie pool gardening and that just made a haven for mosquitoes. Tried regular in ground with limited results. Tried row covers with limited results. Going to try subirrigation pots but much larger ones this time. And will try a kind of kiddie pool gardening in a LARGE pot for watermelons - going to use one of those 80L grow bags in it. Seems ants loved the melons more than I did when planted in the ground. Trying some strawberry plants in a air pruning pot (laundry basket) sitting in an oil change pan full of water too. Seems cayenne peppers likes that setup but others tolerated it to some degree. Tried 5 gal containers too (air pruning and subirrigation) Tried a plastic drum with limited results. Trash cans limited results BUT one of them had a sweet pepper plant that produced like crazy. For the in ground spots I use a 5 gal water bottle (like you get from a water dispenser company) with 2 orange ping pong balls in it, water, then invert it next to a couple plants. That lasts a whole week usually! Orange balls let me see the water level from a distance too. I use rain water when I can get it. Otherwise I use one of those blue RV water filters that remove chloramines and tap water when I have to. I even fill the rain barrel with tap water from that and run an air pump for at least a day to oxygenate it. Sometimes I will use Ascorbic Acid to remove the chloramines. I tried nearly every trick and combination I could find. Most barely work for me. Pretty bad you spend $1000/year on stuff and barely get $50 worth out of it. Got zero green beans last year. Year before got quite a few when I air potted and sub irrigated at the same time. Peas? That was a joke. FOUR lousy peas from 8 plants. I even bought Fox Farms soil-both kinds. That was unimpressive to say the least. Tried black kow but that didn't seem to work as well as I wanted or expected. So, going to try composting leaves - some in the containers and a large batch in a very large container turning weekly. Oh and I used Hawaiian Bud and bloom on some to see any difference - nothing to write home about. Tried Alaska Fish Fertilizer - didn't seem to do much but going to try it again at a higher concentration. I am even trying electroculture. THAT doesn't seem to do anything. I am open to cheap or free suggestions. Seems organic does not work for me....
PS that hugel garden initially took 17 TONS of material to build. 5 tons of used coffee grounds and the rest is wood and some soil to cover. Had to worry about it catching fire that first year hence the water needed.
I'm curious, if you don't mind my asking, but how did you source 5 TONS of used coffee grounds? Sometimes, I'll get 5 pounds from the local Starbucks, but 5 TONS?
@@howmyhomegardengrows 7 months of visiting every Starbucks in a 50 mile radius two times a day over the fall and winter. Just one of those Starbucks yielded over 300 pounds of them for one stop. Most about 35 to 100 pounds depending on the location and timing. And if others beat me to them. Very hard to get any around spring and early to mid summer. I hit a few other places along the way as well but those didn't yield a whole lot. Filled multiple 55gal drums with them. So heavy no one could move them, not even tip them over. Since my truck can only hold up to 500 pounds of weight, I fill it with wood till the rear springs are level, which is right about 500 pounds. Many trips to yard waste to get wood. Included in that is wood chips. Then took multiple trips to get soil to cover the whole thing. Entire Hugel was built by hand. Took a long time....
I've never considered this approach, but I like it!
There are so many advantages. Let me know if you try it.
Still have one last 80L grow bag to do and 9 laundry baskets full of soil yet.
LONG SLOW process. Can't do it in the rain or when it is very windy (don't want to burn down the neighborhood lol).
The main reason for all this work is I am severely INFESTED with rolly pollies. At night it looks like a moving carpet on the ground.
While I may not be able to stop them, I can surely put a dent into their grow bag infestations.
Yes, I found quite a few still alive even after below zero temps a few weeks ago.
In those grow bags I had potatoes (nightshade family). Only way to grow potatoes again is to replace all the soil (expensive) or sanitize the soil to get rid of both bugs and pathogens.
I also use 32 gal trash cans as planters too (LESS BENDING and harvesting work).
Oh and once I sanitize the soil, I mix in Azomite, soil sulfur, bone meal, used coffee grounds, plus some mowed over fall leaves I have been saving.
Only need to mix in some potash for the potatoes soon (potash is water soluble and can get washed out when it rains).
And some Epsom salts later on too.
I may water with some brown sugar water once my rain barrel refills. Feeds the microbes the carbohydrates they need.
My plan is to have potatoes planted about next month and tomatoes/peppers in May.
Things should be just fine by then.
If I feel froggy I might pour some of my urine on the soil.
Very long slow process.
Did I miss anything?
The expense and time are why I've never done grow bags, but I can see the advantage for some situations, of course. I only sterilize soil I'm going to use indoors for seed-starting. Since your grow bags are outdoors, I wonder what you could get away with if you experimented with alternatives. It would be a fun project, I think.
@@howmyhomegardengrows Tried straw bale gardening and that was a disaster due to the straw being poisoned.
Tried Hugelkultur but that has mixed results. Initially that took over 1,000 gallons of water every 2-3 days.
Tried air pruning pots with limited success.
Tried subirrigation pots and that too was mixed results.
Tried drip irrigation with other containers that hold water and that didn't work out very well. Even use IV bags to adjust the water flow. Used inverted and hanging 2L bottles for drip irrigation but that was never enough water.
A glass wine bottle, long neck, filled with water and inverted next to a plant seemed to work fairly well. Green bottles are best if you can find them.
Tried both subirrigation and air pruning pots at the same time with mixed results. BUT that did put a stop to pill bugs. Pill bugs cannot swim!
Tried kiddie pool gardening and that just made a haven for mosquitoes.
Tried regular in ground with limited results.
Tried row covers with limited results.
Going to try subirrigation pots but much larger ones this time.
And will try a kind of kiddie pool gardening in a LARGE pot for watermelons - going to use one of those 80L grow bags in it. Seems ants loved the melons more than I did when planted in the ground.
Trying some strawberry plants in a air pruning pot (laundry basket) sitting in an oil change pan full of water too. Seems cayenne peppers likes that setup but others tolerated it to some degree.
Tried 5 gal containers too (air pruning and subirrigation)
Tried a plastic drum with limited results.
Trash cans limited results BUT one of them had a sweet pepper plant that produced like crazy.
For the in ground spots I use a 5 gal water bottle (like you get from a water dispenser company) with 2 orange ping pong balls in it, water, then invert it next to a couple plants. That lasts a whole week usually! Orange balls let me see the water level from a distance too.
I use rain water when I can get it. Otherwise I use one of those blue RV water filters that remove chloramines and tap water when I have to.
I even fill the rain barrel with tap water from that and run an air pump for at least a day to oxygenate it.
Sometimes I will use Ascorbic Acid to remove the chloramines.
I tried nearly every trick and combination I could find. Most barely work for me.
Pretty bad you spend $1000/year on stuff and barely get $50 worth out of it.
Got zero green beans last year. Year before got quite a few when I air potted and sub irrigated at the same time.
Peas? That was a joke. FOUR lousy peas from 8 plants.
I even bought Fox Farms soil-both kinds. That was unimpressive to say the least.
Tried black kow but that didn't seem to work as well as I wanted or expected.
So, going to try composting leaves - some in the containers and a large batch in a very large container turning weekly.
Oh and I used Hawaiian Bud and bloom on some to see any difference - nothing to write home about.
Tried Alaska Fish Fertilizer - didn't seem to do much but going to try it again at a higher concentration.
I am even trying electroculture. THAT doesn't seem to do anything.
I am open to cheap or free suggestions.
Seems organic does not work for me....
PS that hugel garden initially took 17 TONS of material to build. 5 tons of used coffee grounds and the rest is wood and some soil to cover.
Had to worry about it catching fire that first year hence the water needed.
I'm curious, if you don't mind my asking, but how did you source 5 TONS of used coffee grounds? Sometimes, I'll get 5 pounds from the local Starbucks, but 5 TONS?
@@howmyhomegardengrows 7 months of visiting every Starbucks in a 50 mile radius two times a day over the fall and winter. Just one of those Starbucks yielded over 300 pounds of them for one stop. Most about 35 to 100 pounds depending on the location and timing. And if others beat me to them.
Very hard to get any around spring and early to mid summer.
I hit a few other places along the way as well but those didn't yield a whole lot.
Filled multiple 55gal drums with them. So heavy no one could move them, not even tip them over.
Since my truck can only hold up to 500 pounds of weight, I fill it with wood till the rear springs are level, which is right about 500 pounds.
Many trips to yard waste to get wood.
Included in that is wood chips.
Then took multiple trips to get soil to cover the whole thing.
Entire Hugel was built by hand. Took a long time....
I love this video❣️ Very cool❣️
Thanks!