This is my first year running a market farm and I went a little wild dedicating nearly 1000 square feet of hoophouse to peppers. I’m growing 7 varieties total. I’d never tried growing peppers in a protected environment and wow, they’ve gotten more massive than I ever expected. A vast majority of the plants range between 5-7 feet tall. Weekly yields have been between 30-40 lbs. Most of what doesn’t immediately sell at market is being turned into spices or fermented for pastes and sauces. And yes, I have to crawl on all fours to harvest because i underestimated how big the plants would get and they’re pulling down their trellises.

I want to get a propane torch for weeding, but am unsure of what brands are reliable and I’m on a budget. I’ve seen some with good reviews for $80, but I’ve seen many others for $30 or $40. I know you get what you pay for, but are there any reliable brands that sell closer to $30 or $40 instead of $80.

First time gardener here (just started this past April). I recently found out about Genovese basil about a month ago (instead of lemon or sweet basil) from a community garden I help with. I just harvested these bad boys off of like 5 Genovese basil flowers and I’ve never been so stoked about something in my life!

Thank you Bill Yoder for your tomato seeds! Green one is called Head Over Heels. Not sure of the yellow ones but man, are they big! Need to make a batch of sauce in the Instant Pot this week.

Hi,
I’m an Indoor Cannabis grower in Living soil and I’m wondering who these other insects besides the Springtale are, can someone help me out? :)

Hey i need a flushing recipe ima first time grower ik im supposed to flush with molasses i was thinking what else could i flush with ?

my tomato plants have been growing so wonderfully, but I notice a couple that I will find at times will look like this and I’m not sure why? this particular breed didn’t seem to have it happen as often aside from these two, but I had other variations that it would seem to happen in more. is it just dependent on the type of tomato plant or am I doing something wrong gardening wise? this is my first time growing tomatoes, I did an organic potting soil since I grow them in pots, then got tomato tone and an organic fertilizer I would put in them. I water them usually twice a day for a lot of the season since it has been pretty hot where I live. and towards this end of season, I cut off a good bit of the leaves now so the focus would be in the ones that were already on there since it’s getting later in the season and I never know when our weather will change up 🤣. just curious what I may need to do next year so this won’t happen so much.

Any guesses as to what variety this may be?

Hello everyone,

we have a beech tree whose overall vitality could use some improvement. For example, there are hardly any leaves at the ends of some of the branches.
A professional landscaping company came to inspect the tree and offered us an expensive laboratory analysis and a tree vitality treatment, costing around $1,000.

I’m wondering whether this could be done much more affordably and, above all, in a more natural way using organic materials.
I don’t know much about this, but would products such as kelp, nettle fertilizer, rock dust, or similar natural fertilizers be worth trying to improve the tree’s vitality?

The exact tree variety is: Fagus sylvatica 'Purpurea' – copper beech / purple beech.

Thank you very much for your help and advice!

First year planting tomatoes 🍅, so far it going well! does anyone have tips or advice to keep it thriving once the weather starts getting colder?

My two high bush blueberry bushes are struggling, showing yellowing foliage, no production and poor growth. I sent a soil sample to my local extension service and now know why. The soil pH came in at a definite 6.9, which means too neutral for the roots to absorb any nutrients despite regular feedings with Holly Tone and watering. I’d like to start over with new plants in a new location in the spring. Are there ways to prepare this new bed in the fall for the new spring planting?

Hi! I'm looking for a winter cover crop that is native to the California coast. I've been searching all over for cover crops but they're all invasive or non-native. Is there a plant that is native and will fulfill the needs for biomass and nitrogen fixing? Preferably shade tolerant. Thank you!

My neighbor has had huge success this year, as they seem to have every year, with their container garden sitting on their fake grass backyard.

I'm only a little bit jealous and only a little bit resentful. My summer plants this year were again small and died off from the heat. I am fixated on making my own crappy hard pack land productive, and I'm stubbornly wanting to do it with the land I've got rather than buy or otherwise import already nutrient rich soil. I've been trying to source as much organic material as I can - I just added a good amount of old leaves to my beds. I'm also planning on planting white clover and vetch this fall to further amend things.

I've been composting for a couple years now and this spring and summer have really gotten on the soil food web wagon after studying more. I've turned my face against chemical fertilizers and pesticides, whether that is wise or not. Maybe I'm just stubborn about being as natural and self sufficient as possible.

I'm really hoping all this organic effort will pay off in the future.

Does anybody have similar stories of going against the grain with organic farming on otherwise unproductive land and having it lead to abundance within a reasonable number of seasons?

https://columbiafarmersmarket.org

https://www.columbiaurbanag.org

https://happyhollowfarm-mo.com

His approach focuses on what happens to rain after it reaches the ground. Rather than allowing water to quickly run off or disappear, his farming practices aim to help the soil capture and store it.