Stephaknee

Went to the better living expo and had a great time. I picked up some pearl oyster mushroom plugs for colonizing a log. One big problem, I don't have the right kind of log!

I am seeking 1 or 2 logs or stumps of hardwood. Non-aromatic hardwoods such as oak, poplar (cottonwood), elm, maple and similar woods are very good candidates for log cultivation. Alder is a good wood for the cultivation of Oyster and Shiitake mushrooms, but must be kept above ground because it will decompose quickly in contact with the soil.

So anyone have any logs or stumps they want to be rid of or know where to find any?

I had to get my trees professionally serviced last year, and I noticed they just grind up all the stumps and branches after. I wonder if you gave one of them a call they could put some aside for you?
ShannonTomey
Mar 27, 2011

Oyster mushrooms are really easy. And delicious.

Here's what I have learned about mushroom cultivation, mostly the hard way. I'm not 100% sure this information is all true, as I haven't seen some of it confirmed in what I have read. So, with that caveat:

- worms eat fungi. You have to protect your fungi from worms. Worms will, believe it or not, climb vertically up wood piles. I have seen them in wood piles eight feet off the ground.
- you really do have to keep them moist.

For oyster mushrooms, the easiest and most reliable method I have found is to get free bags of used coffee grounds from Starbucks. Put a few plugs in each one. Poke holes in the bag so the fruit will have somewhere to escape to. Put it in an enclosed container inside your garage. Check on it every few days. That is all you have to do. In a couple of months you'll have mushrooms. The nice thing is that you can keep it going by using the leftover from inside the coffee grounds (covered in mycelium) and dump a chunk in a new coffee ground bag to start the next batch.

It is super easy. No watering, no hassle.

I am looking for a plug or two to restart my mushroom growing, so let me know if you're willing to donate a plug or two.
Jade
Mar 27, 2011

Sure Jade, I'd be happy to send some your way. I could pop them in the mail, if you think they'd keep in there. The coffee ground idea sounds interesting and I think I'll give it a try.
Stephaknee
Mar 27, 2011

Thank you!

If you decide to go for logs, they ideally would have been cut about a month ago and stored off off the ground.

I'll see if I can dig up some pictures.

Next time I do it, I will buy a large clear plastic container to keep them in. Clear because you want to be able to see them when they fruit. The container so they don't spread their spores all over your garage. Inside the garage so the worms don't eat them.
Jade
Mar 27, 2011

This warranted a blog post, so here it is. Let me know what you think:

http://www.plantworking.com/blog/how-to-grow-mushrooms

I hope that helps!
Jade
Mar 27, 2011

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Wow, what a few days.

We've been constructing beds during nap times and after baby's bed time (our little one is 3.5 months old). As of now we've got two 10X2 and one 4X4 raised beds.

I've also been busy clearing out the very, very over grown beds around the house. The previous renter totally neglected the space and this project is turning out to be serious work.

Any tips on speeding up weeding landscaped beds? My back is killing me! I'll post some pictures soon.

And big thx to Jerod for mailing me some tomato and cuke seeds. How awesome!! I'll definitely return the favor next season.

So excited to see those pictures!! Where did you end up getting your soil?

For weeding, I discovered to my delight that for letting her play with my dogs a bit, my neighbor's 10 year old works quite well :) How big of a space are you dealing with? If its not a ton you can spot spray them with vinegar. It's indiscriminate though, so I'd check into that first to see if it would suit what you are trying to do.
ShannonTomey
Mar 22, 2011

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Today marked day two of serious gardening action. Today we focused on materials gathering. To my delight I discovered that the rebuilding center had more than I could ever imagine. We managed to pick up enough wood for two 8X3 raised beds. Tomorrow we plan on renting ziptruck to pick up a few more buts of lumbar for our largest beds that will go in the front yard.

Shannon, where do you get bulk soil from? I see you're no too far from Portland.

We will start sprouting some seeds tonight for later and ds others when we get the beds in. I've got the herb garden almost totally ready for seed.

This image is a rough idea of what we want our beds to be like.

Looks good!

Let us know as you start things off. It's really helpful to see what everyone else is doing.
Jade
Mar 18, 2011

That's so exciting!!! Al's has bulk soil if you don't want to go over the bridge. You may want to call them first to make sure all the stores have it. Sometimes it's in just one of the stores. Get it yourself, bc the delivery fee is what makes it expensive. **Word to the wise put a tarp down before you load the soil - makes for easier removal and cleaning of your truck!!**

Here's Al's Garden Center:

http://www.als-gardencenter.com/index.php?cID=641

We get ours at Shorty's in Ridgefield off of I-5 and the Clark County Fairgrounds.

http://www.shortysgardenandhome.com/?cid=870

There are also 3 other places in Vancouver 2 in the Orchards area off the 502 (AKA Lewisville Hwy AKA where the 500 ends and keeps going.) They are cheaper than Shorty's, and we may use them this year for a refill.

Here is Macfarlane's. The other one is literally right across the street from them.

http://www.mcfarlanesbark.com/oregonproducts.php

Yard and Garden is off of i-5 in Hazel Dell off of Highway 99 and 99th Street. That place is just freaking awesome anyway even if you don't get the soil there. (99th st exit, 2 exits before the one to go to Shorty's)

http://yardngardenland.com/bulk-landscape-materials.aspx

ShannonTomey
Mar 19, 2011

I also wanted to suggest companion planting. You can save a lot of space by planting things together. For example, you can plant onions with your broccoli - keeps the pests down, and they don't disturb each other's space. You can grow squash with the corn, and radishes with the tomatoes, etc, etc. I grow the cukes on an trellis and grow the lettuce underneath - keeps it cool in the summer so it keeps from bolting in the hot sun. To save space I also grow a lot of stuff in containers.

http://www.veggiegardener.com/what-is-companion-planting/
ShannonTomey
Mar 19, 2011

How did the garden work out for you last year? What are you planning on doing this year?
Jade
Mar 23, 2012

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Wow, I am simply buzzing at the thought of spring. I can't help but get started getting some gardens ready for the season in my new place. We've got a lot more space to work with than my apartment had. I'm looking to grow vegetables mostly with a few container fruits or berries if possible.

Right now I'm looking for tips on the absolute cheapest way to build raised beds.

Also, what are the major dos and donts of composting. I've never been too sucessful at in in the past.

How big are the beds you are planning to make? Ours are 6x6' and 6x8'. We got most of what we needed at home depot. The big money saver for us is getting the soil in bulk. You can get a yard (a truckbed full) of good soil for around $30 to $40 from a lot of garden centers. You will also likely need to put some kind of breathable barrier down to protect from weeds.

Here's a good link for how to, and Sunset also has a good how-to guide.

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/how-to/intro/0,,1615067,00.html

Let us see how it goes, be sure to post some pics! Sorry I'll be not much help on the composting. That's on the agenda for us this year as well :)
ShannonTomey
Mar 18, 2011

Stephaknee, I found some old pics from when we put the beds together. I'll post them here for you. This is what we started with
ShannonTomey
Mar 18, 2011

Then we tilled it up and cleaned out a lot of it.
ShannonTomey
Mar 18, 2011

We put down some breathable barrier. you can also use really thick layers of newspapers, but we wanted ours to be a little more permanent because we were putting bark dust down.
ShannonTomey
Mar 18, 2011

You can see where we laid the boards down above, then we dug some holes and put 4"x4" fencepost in the corners. You also want to dig down a bit so the boards fit into the ground some. Then you lift the boards up, screw screw everything together, and that was about it. If you make them very long you will wan to put in some rebar on the sides for extra support.
ShannonTomey
Mar 18, 2011

We also have kitties that like to poo in the garden beds, so we put up some wildlife netting and it works like a charm. You just have to lift it up if you want to pick stuff. Kind of a PIA but it's better than kitty poo.
ShannonTomey
Mar 18, 2011

Wow, that looks like an amazing transformation. We too have a lot of cats roaming the neighborhood. Netting does sound like a pia but may be the only solution. Or I could let the dogs scare the beejeezus out of them.
Stephaknee
Mar 18, 2011

Here are my two cents:

First of all, Shannon's beds look fantastic. The only thing I wonder about them is the dimensions. I have never been very successful with beds wider than 4 feet, and I have pretty long arms. You really need access from either side, and that gives you about two or three feet from an edge. Otherwise, you may want to think about stepping stones or something like that.

One possibility is to not have raised beds. You can just dig a row for the path, and pile up the soil in raised mounds. I've done this in a lot of spots in my garden, and I think for me it's helped give me a couple years to figure out where I want everything. I think eventually raised beds are very nice to have, but if you're looking for the absolutely cheapest way, well... you can do cheaper.

I build mine out of cedar. They'll last a really long time that way. Don't use pressure-treated wood, or you may poison yourself. If you do use pressure-treated wood, you may be able to line it with something, but I think it's better not to use pressure-treated wood.

It's not a terrible thing to have wood chips in the bottom of the raised beds, especially if they are deep. That can help contribute to soil life. If the plants are able to gets their roots in there, though, you may need a little extra fertilization to compensate for the fact that the wood will be stealing all your nitrogen.
Jade
Mar 18, 2011

Shannon, I also just have to say, your garden looks great. Things were growing in there! :)

As to compost, my rule is, if it smells add brown. If it isn't doing much, add green. And make sure it has air and some moisture.

Jade
Mar 18, 2011

Thanks, Jade :) It was quite the labor of love!

A couple of notes that I did not mention. Once we determined where the beds were and we laid down the lumber, we cut that portion of the barrier out and put it to the side. We dug down a bit to fit the boards and the posts, then laid it back inside like a blanket once the beds were up. (There are not a lot of pics of that point bc by then my fiancee and I were still, um, working out the kinks in how we communicate with one another in the hot sun lol) There isn't any bark dust inside the beds themselves, just on the outside. But it is kind of a pain to get to the center sometimes. I have access from all sides, but at 5'4" getting to the middle sometimes means me having to reeeaally lean.
ShannonTomey
Mar 19, 2011

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