Shelley, Has to be the differences in soil. Our early girls are flavorful and wonderful on salads, sandwiches, eaten out of hand, and right off the vine. The Epsom salt is for magnesium. Calcium and magnesium has not been a problem for us because of the composted chicken bedding w/ lime.
I would not have enough egg shells. My husband gets out there and plants 3-5 flats. I've had the lime mixed in the bedding as it is put into compost piles and lime is put in the compost before it scattered with the tractor. The chickens get red cell for trace minerals and that adds to the soil composition too. For the plants to use the egg shell it has to have time to break down. Putting the lime in the bedding it has time to break into small molecules as the dirty bedding breaks down into compost.
I've gardened since I could walk as a toddler. Between us we would have a good time sharing tips and experiences. Cathryn
Cath,
From: CathrynTherese Fitch Walden <cathryntherese@yahoo.com>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, January 30, 2011 6:32:17 PM
Subject: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Re: OT: Wisconsin's 200 cows deaths - update
I would not have enough egg shells. My husband gets out there and plants 3-5 flats. I've had the lime mixed in the bedding as it is put into compost piles and lime is put in the compost before it scattered with the tractor. The chickens get red cell for trace minerals and that adds to the soil composition too. For the plants to use the egg shell it has to have time to break down. Putting the lime in the bedding it has time to break into small molecules as the dirty bedding breaks down into compost.
I've gardened since I could walk as a toddler. Between us we would have a good time sharing tips and experiences. Cathryn
Cath,
I'm not fond of early girl. Not much flavor IMHO. Besides I grow LOTS of cherry and grape tomatoes and use those as they come in pretty early too. I've never had Rutgers, will look for that, thanks for the recommendation.
I've not had yellow cherry pear tomatoes. Yellow cherry, yes.
I've grown tomatoes all my life and had great success with adding a handful of epsom salts and crushed egg shells to the planting hole. For almost as many years I've used horse manure compost too. Last year's garden was insanely prolific. We'd made our tomato garden, which is a raised bed, about 8" taller. the addiutional dirt was 100% horse manure compost tilled in in stages. The only difference btw last year and the years prior, besides adding a higher percentage of compost was that the compost was healthier. Other compost has had manure that was from when we were feeding grain and deworming more frequently. Now, our horses are on hay and pasture (salt and water) only. When we deworm I put the manure for the next 10 days in the woods away from our compost areas.
--Shelley
From: CathrynTherese Fitch Walden <cathryntherese@yahoo.com>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sun, January 30, 2011 6:32:17 PM
Subject: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Re: OT: Wisconsin's 200 cows deaths - update
Early Girls are a great early, prolific tomato for MI. Rutgers are another good one. For your roma tomato paste plants I add a bit of crushed lime and fertilizer for flowers into the hole, mix in the soil in the hole, then plant, and water well to settle in. The yellow cherry pear tomato is great for treats and color. Have you had them before? I love their mild salty sweet favor. Cathryn
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