What Now thje season is over...??

murihikukid · August 2, 2016

Hi...The season is well over and was a disaster but I have to try again with a new roof ,glass panels instead of film to hold the strong winds that seem to be an annual occurance in early summer ..November December and I really have to use soil heating...
First I have to see what I can save from last season and I need help on this...
This was the 3rd year and I used new soil each time and its simply not viable for me ...I have the soil still in the planter bags with the roots and about 3 to 4 inches of stem still in the soil ....I had hoped my composting drums would be ready but they are not so i wonder how I can get out of this mess...Worse I got disease's in my plants last season so everything has to be washed with a bleach ....However First I have to attend to the soil in the planter bags ....
I presume I can do what I have done in previous seasons...Stack all the planter bags with the soil stems etc in an out of the way place and cover them up... ... then go to the soil of 3 years ago thats been in storage and see what condition its in and perhaps mix with some high grade new Tomato mix for the coming seasons planting .......

I would welcome any comment on this...Time is going so quickly ...Thanks Ron

dmforcier · August 2, 2016

I'm going "WTF??" and then I see 'New Zealand'. Ah! Okay. So you're getting into deep winter (our February), right?

Tell us about the soil you are using. I see moss on top of the pots. This tells me a) that it holds a lot of water, b) that those pots have been getting lots of water. I take it that your roof is gone?

Worth1 · August 2, 2016

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmforcier

I'm going "WTF??" and then I see 'New Zealand'. Ah! Okay. So you're getting into deep winter (our February), right?

Tell us about the soil you are using. I see moss on top of the pots. This tells me a) that it holds a lot of water, b) that those pots have been getting lots of water. I take it that your roof is gone?

The first thing I do when someone posts about stuff is look at where they live and research the area about all sorts of stuff.
Soil.
Demographics.
Government.
Climate.
Elevation longitude and latitude.
Invercargill is in the area of the globe known as the roaring 40's and furious 50's
When I saw Invercargill I thought to my self oh crap this isn't Texas.

Distance from the equator is about where south Dakota and north Dakota meet with extreme weather.

Not saying fault to folks that dont this it is just me out of curiosity.

Worth
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...mzsaog_qpkPYtg

murihikukid · August 3, 2016

Hi..NO Its the A***E hole of the world down here but the roaring 40's are south of New Zealand and that whoever wrote that google link should do a lot more research..including mentioning where the best oysters in the world come from....

The worst winds that we get (and I am right in the deep south) are north westers that come in late November and December from the warm weather patterns across Australia ......they destroy green houses...and the weather in Invercargill is not as extreme as what places further north get...in winter time..
Although my real first attempt at growing tomatoes was quite successful (2 seasons ago ) this last season was a real disaster as it was for a lot of people but mine got so diseased which I believe could have been from diseased seeds so nothing worked out for me...Thats why I have decided a whole complete rethink on my greenhouse design and my planting methods...out go planting bags and cheap soil mixes...in come undersoil heating...out goes film covering and in comes glass panels...my biggest enemy is time and my health and energy....If I cannot get my plans finished in time I will concentrate on my Living Room Growing Operation...Maybe put my bed out in the greenhouse?
Re the soil ..I wonder if I should get some large plastic barrels at a low price and shake the planter-bags of dirt into them leaving the stem and root section ..to be got rid of ...We are not allowed to light fires here..I met a gentleman that worked for the company that produces the soil I bought a few months ago and he told me it was "absolute rubbish".?????
I think the need to spend some money sometimes clouds my judgement and buying clean plastic barrels could be the most cost effective method ....They can sit in the open with a cover on the top til I need to use the soil...I presume I could add something to each barrel to compost it as it sits in the barrels...or buy a few worms for them.....
I will certainly be upgrading my greenhouse soil for the oncoming season...to the mix I am using inside..Which appears to be very successful...

Now dmforcier..The last time I looked the roof was still on...$150 reinforced fibre plastic made for greenhouses....but rain did blow underneath ....When I took the tieing off the tomatoes before cutting the stems there was a lot of dust and dried leaves etc from them so that is what is probably on the dirt...Funny enough I still got a few ripe Sungolds although the plant was completely dead when I went out to start cleaning the old plants out....I must grow some Sungolds indoors..I think they would really produce inside and supply me with breakfast...

Thanks for the comments Regards Ron

dmforcier · August 3, 2016

So there's no moss in the pots?

IMO you should spend your effort on analyzing and improving the growing medium you're using. Many people grow successfully in bags. (I prefer pots but I'm growing in heat.)

What exactly is in your mix? If you're using a commercial product, some description of the contents should be on the bag.

I'm skeptical that if you have a soil problem, resting it for a couple of years will fix anything. Based on what you find is in it. you might be better off using it to fill low spots in your lawn.

Worms are a good thing, but if the soil doesn't have a fair amount of organic material already, you would need to add compost or compostable material. They need something to eat.

My Foot Smells · August 3, 2016

Hey Mate, can you grow some kiwi? I owe some ppl in New Z a bunch of beers.....

Soil looks "fine" to me, light and fluffy. The plastic pouch looks kind of stuffy. (thus the mossy top "look"). Shoot a couple of holes in that pilgrim....

Good Luck.

murihikukid · August 7, 2016

Hi..I have started on the planter_bags ..I emptied each singularly into a part barrel....Then parted the dirt and removed the stem ..and shaking excess soil from it...There are the odd roots in the soil but hope it will not matter...I then tipped the part barrel into a complete barrel...I needed to establish how many barrels I would need to store my soil ...I found 10 PB40 Planter bags filled one barrel.....So I need a lot of barrels.....Cheers Ron

Labradors2 · August 9, 2016

I think you can add some lime to the soil and let it sit for a few months. Supposedly that will take care of any disease. Perhaps someone else can chime in on this?

Hopefully, it was "potting mix" and not "soil". Since you are growing in containers, it needs to be light, fluffy and well-draining. You can make your own if you need to from peat moss or coco fibre, perlite and vermiculite. There's lots of info right here on Tomatoville.

Linda

murihikukid · August 9, 2016

Hi..Thanks for your comment ..It was commercial Potting mix purchased in 40L bags along with a compost.. I then mixed the two per instructions and used it in my planter bags ....I have been told the brand is "rubbish" but after 2 to 3 years in plastic barrels with some additives I might be able to reuse it.....Yes I now know about the benefits of Perlite etc ..but never did 6 months ago..the planter bags are sodden...I cannot believe it ..No wonder my crop was a disaster ..Perlite would have certainly have helped...Since joining Tomatoville I have learnt so much ....

Regards Ron

dmforcier · August 10, 2016

Quote:

the planter bags are sodden

Did I nail it or what?

Thanks for the props.

murihikukid · August 10, 2016

Hi..Yes you nailed it but never told me how it came to be that way...I will not use the system I used again..It worked great last year and this year could have caused all my problems but I think there was more going on....I nearly have all my planter bags emptied into drums ..should finish the last few bags tomorrow ..then its tidy,tidy tidy ready for our season which is really not too far away...My big problem is rebuilding 1/2 my greenhouse ...I hope I can get it done in time ...before the winds arrive...Cheers Ron

August 2, 2016	#2
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	I'm going "WTF??" and then I see 'New Zealand'. Ah! Okay. So you're getting into deep winter (our February), right? Tell us about the soil you are using. I see moss on top of the pots. This tells me a) that it holds a lot of water, b) that those pots have been getting lots of water. I take it that your roof is gone? __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

August 3, 2016	#4
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Hi..NO Its the A**E hole of the world down here but the roaring 40's are south of New Zealand and that whoever wrote that google link should do a lot more research..including mentioning where the best oysters in the world come from.... The worst winds that we get (and I am right in the deep south) are north westers that come in late November and December from the warm weather patterns across Australia ......they destroy green houses...and the weather in Invercargill is not as extreme as what places further north get...in winter time.. Although my real first attempt at growing tomatoes was quite successful (2 seasons ago ) this last season was a real disaster as it was for a lot of people but mine got so diseased which I believe could have been from diseased seeds so nothing worked out for me...Thats why I have decided a whole complete rethink on my greenhouse design and my planting methods...out go planting bags and cheap soil mixes...in come undersoil heating...out goes film covering and in comes glass panels...my biggest enemy is time and my health and energy....If I cannot get my plans finished in time I will concentrate on my Living Room Growing Operation...Maybe put my bed out in the greenhouse? Re the soil ..I wonder if I should get some large plastic barrels at a low price and shake the planter-bags of dirt into them leaving the stem and root section ..to be got rid of ...We are not allowed to light fires here..I met a gentleman that worked for the company that produces the soil I bought a few months ago and he told me it was "absolute rubbish".????? I think the need to spend some money sometimes clouds my judgement and buying clean plastic barrels could be the most cost effective method ....They can sit in the open with a cover on the top til I need to use the soil...I presume I could add something to each barrel to compost it as it sits in the barrels...or buy a few worms for them..... I will certainly be upgrading my greenhouse soil for the oncoming season...to the mix I am using inside..Which appears to be very successful... Now dmforcier..The last time I looked the roof was still on...$150 reinforced fibre plastic made for greenhouses....but rain did blow underneath ....When I took the tieing off the tomatoes before cutting the stems there was a lot of dust and dried leaves etc from them so that is what is probably on the dirt...Funny enough I still got a few ripe Sungolds although the plant was completely dead when I went out to start cleaning the old plants out....I must grow some Sungolds indoors..I think they would really produce inside and supply me with breakfast... Thanks for the comments Regards Ron Last edited by murihikukid; August 3, 2016 at 04:47 AM.*

August 3, 2016	#5
dmforcier Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Dallas, TX Posts: 3,825	So there's no moss in the pots? IMO you should spend your effort on analyzing and improving the growing medium you're using. Many people grow successfully in bags. (I prefer pots but I'm growing in heat.) What exactly is in your mix? If you're using a commercial product, some description of the contents should be on the bag. I'm skeptical that if you have a soil problem, resting it for a couple of years will fix anything. Based on what you find is in it. you might be better off using it to fill low spots in your lawn. Worms are a good thing, but if the soil doesn't have a fair amount of organic material already, you would need to add compost or compostable material. They need something to eat. __________________ Stupidity got us into this mess. Why can't it get us out? - Will Rogers

August 3, 2016	#6
My Foot Smells Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: Pulaski County, Arkansas Posts: 1,239	Hey Mate, can you grow some kiwi? I owe some ppl in New Z a bunch of beers..... Soil looks "fine" to me, light and fluffy. The plastic pouch looks kind of stuffy. (thus the mossy top "look"). Shoot a couple of holes in that pilgrim.... Good Luck.

August 9, 2016	#8
Labradors2 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: Ontario Posts: 3,889	I think you can add some lime to the soil and let it sit for a few months. Supposedly that will take care of any disease. Perhaps someone else can chime in on this? Hopefully, it was "potting mix" and not "soil". Since you are growing in containers, it needs to be light, fluffy and well-draining. You can make your own if you need to from peat moss or coco fibre, perlite and vermiculite. There's lots of info right here on Tomatoville. Linda

August 10, 2016	#11
murihikukid Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2016 Location: Invercargill New Zealand Posts: 1,022	Hi..Yes you nailed it but never told me how it came to be that way...I will not use the system I used again..It worked great last year and this year could have caused all my problems but I think there was more going on....I nearly have all my planter bags emptied into drums ..should finish the last few bags tomorrow ..then its tidy,tidy tidy ready for our season which is really not too far away...My big problem is rebuilding 1/2 my greenhouse ...I hope I can get it done in time ...before the winds arrive...Cheers Ron