Time to Start Planting Vegetable Gardens.

[JaxByDefault]

For the nasties that soap will not get rid of, try neem oil. It works as both a pesticide and a fungicide, so it kills those annoying little black beetle looking things that eat EVERYTHING and the spotted rust that often follows. It comes concentrated, so you just mix with some water and spray. (Found at Standard Feed, and for a whole lot more money for more dilute product at the big box stores.) The only thing I have found it not to work on is wasp moth/oleander caterpillars.

As for soap, I made a large mistake for years thinking all soap was equal. I used a green dishwashing liquid for years, only able to kill white flies and aphids, until I discovered that pure castille soap has far superior killing power. I recommend Dr. Bronners, especially the peppermint oil variety. (Found at Grassroots, Native Son, and Target in the beauty section). Again, just mix with water.

I do have small patch of front flower garden that the snails and slugs love. Beer with salt works on the slugs, but the snails have wisened to evil beer traps. I dig them out when I find them, but have largely given up and gone with two plants that don't mind the slimy critters.

I haven't had to replace a lot of soil, but I do use a good amount of fish emulsion before and after the two major growing seasons. As Uptowngirl mentioned, you cannot beat composted cow manure.

[JaxByDefault]

Neem is an essential oil from a sub-species of mahogany tree.

[Ernest Street]

We have put hundreds of pounds of Black Cow down...Veggies have to be carefully watched especially during the summer. When there is an abundance, Give it away or cook it away! Honestly there is a lot of waste per pound or whatever.I love growing, but you sometimes have too much.Fresh now or Rot.It can happen when you are busy and cant watch the garden....Yea 2 days can be too much and disaster.But Damn its FUN!! I suppose having a neighbor involved would even the price and work out...we should have Neighborhood Co-op Gardens!! If 4 neighbors constantly watched a garden the yield could be awesome.honestly folks in the summer stuff grows faster than the 9-5 person can handle.If we watched in shifts ....

[kellypope]

Can your excess before it goes bad.

At my house there's two tangerine trees, four blueberry shrubs, some pitiful tomato and pepper plants (I bought my mother epsom salt before I left and told her to feed it to them a little each week until they looked better), a lemon tree. Plenty of rosemary, basil, parsley. Dandelions and wood sorrel are edible (and quite tasty). My mom is trying to get my brother and I to help her build a vertical garden, and I want her to grow strawberries on the roof. Over the summer I sowed a lot of seeds (mostly butterfly/hummingbird/bee-attracting plants like Mexican milkweed and candlestick cassia. Hopefully the sunflowers that the birds planted will survive the freezes.

Is there a local resource for heirloom seeds? I'd really like to grow heirloom-only, especially local heirloom.

And here might be a solution if there's dedicated folks: Kids have summers off--give them an opportunity to be of use for the community and they just might jump. If I could rewind the clock and was told to stay in or around the garden all day as a child, I totally would.

[Sigma]

Word on the street is that someone is starting a new community garden in Springfield over the next couple of weeks.

Contact Amanda 710-5702

[Sigma]

Moving the Springfield Community Garden

http://www.urbanjacksonville.info/2009/03/11/moving-the-springfield-community-garden/

http://www.intownjacksonville.blogspot.com/

[Keith-N-Jax]

Not locally for me, but I order from top tropicals, and seedman.com

[Deuce]

I'm glad the garden is moving. Even though it was a significant improvement on the barren landscape that is Main St. and I enjoy looking at the mural as I return home everyday, it was bad placement. A community garden should be mixed in with the residential component of the neighborhood not occupying a prime space on Main st. I think this move will be for the better. I may even get a plot of my own! Time to start a fund raising effort to create some equally cool signage.

[thelakelander]

The garden on Main is staying.  The one on Laura will be in addition to that one.

[Deuce]

The urb JAX article is misleading as it states moving, implying that the Main is going away.

[Cliffs_Daughter]

I don't live urban (work only) but because I can finally start my own backyard garden in the suburbs, I'd be happy to share some seeds or seedlings!
Right now I got a few tomato varieties started and some peas and spaghetti squash, but have a lot of other seeds to sow.

[Sigma]

Anybody on here ever use those Earthboxes?

[02roadking]

Anybody on here ever use those Earthboxes?

Yes, They are pretty awesome.

[CrysG]

This whole thread reminding me of the Pat Frank book, "Alas, Babylon"   

[Sigma]

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/local/news-article.aspx?storyid=133686&catid=3