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microfarmer · 12-22-2006, 04:46 AM

JoeReal, sorry to hear 'the damage is done'. Hope next year is better for you. Jeff is a very nice guy and he gave me a lot of good tips and a private tour of his gardens. He has done a lot of work and it looks awesome!

I looked thru your pics and liked the grafting 'articles'. It made it seem much less trouble than I thought and I might just give it a try. It beats the heck outta buying a separate tree for each variety I want.

Thanks also for the bermuda tip. I am first going to rake, rip, tear, pull, burn, dig, and otherwise mechanically remove as much Bermuda as possible. I was then going to nuke whatever showed it's head with Weed Hoe or Roundup. Cardboard is cheaper and more eco-friendly. I'll have to look into it for the easier to get to areas. Maybe I'll use it under my plastic, also to stop the Bermuda runners.

Pre-emergents will handle the MG and weed seed germination, and the Nutsedge will require mechanical and chemical removal, as they are very tenacious!

Paul Odin, good luck with your makeshift green house. This year is out as my plants are still in containers, in my dark garage, waiting for the spring...

I am considering something like you are doing for next year, but, it'll be more substantial as i'll be using UV coated, corrugated, polyvinyl panels attached from my garage to the fenceline and making a 'roof' over my walkway/planter box, keeping the rains out, and the light/heat in. I will use the catalytic propane heaters on only the coldest nights, and hopefully, I can keep them growing throughout the winter.

It will only cover 2-3 plants though, and not the ones scattered around my yard. I will have 4 different banana growing areas, and covering all of them will be a stretch, thus my alternative 'heating' applications (bare soil+Christmas light combos).

I am also planning to use large rocks (small boulders) around my citrus and bananas, adding thermal mass right where it's needed most. It'll also be good in the heat of summer keeping soils cool and 'mulched' to prevent evaporation.

If anyone has ideas on how to 'heat' your winter garden (even if it raises the temps just a couple degrees) I'd be interested in trying it. If each tip I try adds 2-3 degrees to my 'plantation', then I just might be able to raise the temp to 32 degrees on a 20 degree night. That may be the difference between losing leaves, and losing the Pstem.

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, a Happy new Year, a mild winter and an early Spring!