I used them for my tomatoes this year and you could see them go off when the roots found them. Small hand full in each planting hole did the trick.Potatoes too.
In winter, when grass and other greens are in short supply, i use alfalfa pellets to keep my compost working. Works great for that purpose and the mineral content still winds up in the garden.
If you don’t have rain coming soon you ought to put the overhead sprinkler on that plot for just a little bit. Those alfalfa pellets will about triple in size and start to come apart with water. That’ll help them break down much faster for you. I love using them in my gardens, helps the soil tilth too.
I like to plant spinach in a 8" wide strip pretty thick. Thinning it with the hoe during first and second cultivation. This keeps the weeds smaller before I hoe. I give it 18" on each side of the row.
I haven't watched the video yet, will do after work today. But have to tell you that I've been using alfalfa since last spring with really good results. Even my corn did well, without any other food. Tomatoes, cucurbits, herbs, all did great.
I use Alfalfa Pellets. For trees I use 3 scoops per quadrant, plus chicken manure, 3 times/year. For containers, I make a Alfalfa Tea; 2 cups Alfalfa/5 gal bucket, and apply every Sunday. Everything grows great. (And it gets 110-115 F, or 44-46 C, here in the Summer.) The pellets do expand when wet.
When you were talking about the uneven-ness of the compost/soil in that plot, did I hear you say "that's good enough for me"? You're making progress!! When I hear you say you're not putting it in the fair, I'll know my work is done! LOL!!
I built me a tape dispenser with some concrete blocks and a piece of galvanized pipe... and I marked a couple distances off down the lane, and I just pull off what I need down to the mark... put a brick on it, and walk back up to the spool, and cut it off... easy peasy. Then I just throw a decent tarp over the roll until the next time I need some tape.
I was thinking of getting something welded that would attach to the hitch on my mule, kind of a like a bike rack, but that would hold a big spool of tape. Then I could pull it off and cut it like you mentioned.
My planting is over here maybe a little inside be in the 20s Friday ground freezes to deep for winter garden here lol I was watching and seen OAG had passed away I grew Texas legends and candy onions here just to see they both done well here think I’ll grow both again this year
i use alfalfa in my compost bin ,i get the droppings the spilled pellets from the seed and feed plant whenever i go by to pick up feed i spend 20 minutes cleaning the pad up under the grain bins the SEEDN FEED LOT likes this as it saves the workers time and the feed can not be bagged after spilling average week i will get 200-250 pounds they also save me all cardboard
I think of alfalfa pellets as an amendment for feeding the mycorrhiza in smaller areas like raised beds where you can dig in a lot of it. My season is too short for cover cropping so I fall back on alfalfa pellets in the Fall. In you're onion plot, you might want to keep the 7-7-7 close at hand. Otherwise, that mixed cover crop system you've developed is the most powerful source of balanced organic soil nutrition that I've seen yet.
you guys need to get a green stalk vertical planter to grow spinach/lettuce in. you'll absolutely LOVE it. makes for super clean gardening. I bought 3 this year. a family invented/made in usa too. people grow all kinds of veggies in them but i bought it for greens and it would be amazing for strawberries. 2 sizes deep/shallow pockets. I wish i could show you the pics of mine, I've never seen lettuce so beautiful & big. Great for small spaces & extremely well made, super sturdy. you gotta get you one & make videos, great great tool for people with no land. you'll love it.
I use the alfalfa pellets in my garden to help build my soil and around my brassicas for a continuous slow feed. I know people do make compost teas out of it but I have never tried that method. The pellets have a natural growth hormone in them.👋🏾
Alfalfa pellets have an NPK Ratio of 2-1-2 but it also has calcium magnesium zinc iron and some boron depending on what brand you get. When I use it on my beans I use roughly 2 pounds per 10 row feet. I did not have enough to put on my onions but I used that amount for my brassicas when I use it on the beans I put it on my drip tape sprinkle my inoculate on top and run the drip tape for a bit those pellets will swell up and hold a lot of moisture this also keeps them from pulling moisture away from the seeds. After I get thumped saturated I mix dirt over them with a rake and plant my seeds if you were doing a double row covering with the wheel hoe works fine.
Drip systems are a life saver, even with container gardening. If I can do it anyone can. The problem I've discovered with spinach germination is that no matter how cool that air temperature is here in north central FL the sun will always be hot on any surface. The top 1/2" of soil, where the seeds are, will just get too hot in my sunshine. This year I'm going to start a thick planting in some old 6 pack seed starters, 6 to 10 seeds each, then plant out the bunch. This way I can start them where they won't cook in the sun.
I like to plant my onions like you did your spinach in a double row. Use the alfalfa down the center. I grew Candy onions for years and regularly got 5-6 inch bulbs.
Nice to see you put new compost on the no till bed this year for the Onions. Interesting about the Alfalfa to feed the Onions, well with backup of the 13,0,0, keep us all well informed on the Alfalfa, may try that in my growing season.
Great refresher on trip tape systems! I'll be planting some spinach this week, too. I've never had much luck with it in Zone 9b, so I'm hoping it does well here.
I start my portable drip header with a backflow preventer, then a mechanical timer, then the filter, and then a 15# pressure regulator. Teflon thread tape and slip joint pliers to snug it all up tight. Snap fittings to ease hookups at each of six different drip zones. Alfalfa pellets are only about a 2-3-2 in primary nutrients but carry a lot of secondary and micronutrients. Good substitute for kelp. Also contains triacontanol, a plant growth hormone. Soil mycorrhizae love the stuff. That was bunny rabbit pellet you were strowing. Horse pellets are three times the size but I believe it's the same stuff. You could easily double your application rate but in any case I doubt it would be enough N for onions. I use Drip Depot for online supplies and am very satisfied. Boy, that last video was sure a nice group hug.
Looking to move from over head to drip this year to drip. I have 5 170 ft by 50 ft gardens. Using 50 ft by 30 inch beds I think it's 44 rows and thinking I need to cut them into 2 22 row zones each . Since my disability I've gone to planting tall like tomatoes every other bed and short between so I can cultivate with the cub or the jd 40 . Throwing outside to the tall rows and under the belly on the shorts. I can't often walk the full row length so the fine tuning is often done on hands and knees or scooting all day. Hope to get my irrigation to a one or twice a year install ,over the moving of hoses and watering towers from garden to garden. Converting the hoophouse to float bed ,all but a small bit at the one end for potti g and seeding, reducing the amount of handling and hose dragging. One of my friends teases that I'll end up with a hover round with a 3 point hitch
How did the alfalfa pellets work out for the onions? Maybe u missed it, but I didn't see a follow up video. I just planted my onion seedlings down here in FL.
Some things I have learned about spinach . It's a dual crop. You can plant it in a wide row for baby spinach salads. Then pull some of the plants and transplant them 6 in.apart in rows for cooking greens like collards. Green onions can be started as transplants Put 5 to 7 seeds into each cell when ready place the plants between some closely spaced lettuce and the onions stems will blanch as they grow. John S.
I have used alfalfa meal it works well I prefer cottonseed meal it's close to the same make-up as harmony Fert and works very well for Niteshade crops especially peppers. John S.
Travis I’m glad to hear about the alfalfa pellets. I’m definitely going to try them. I been meaning to comment on the drip tape, and this is my own personal experience and option. I have laid my last row of 8 mil tape. What I mean is. I bought a large roll of 15 mil from irrigation mart. Will last me years. The reason I bought the 15 is because I found myself spending as much time fixing leaks as I did watering. I got to the point that I hatted having to water. I don’t know what is was. Maybe I have some kind of prehistoric saber tooth pill bugs or something. Even if it was the first use I would be fixing leaks before the crop was harvested. Also I found some Ts at Lowe’s that the water hose will connect to for the main line. I put the filter regulator at the faucet as well as my injector and just have to move the hose only from plot to plot. I use pvc pipe plugs to keep the dirt out of the connection at the individual plots when the hose is not hooked to it. Just screw the plugs in loosely.
I’ve heard a lot of great things about alfalfa pellets in both the garden and in the lawn, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they work out for you. At less than $20 for a 50 lbs bag, they are a bargain. When I plant spinach seeds I soaked them in hot tap water to scarify, put on wax paper to dry for a day, then in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 4-5 days. Definitely improves germination time and rate.
I've never heard of this technique. I've only lined the inside of an empty jar with course grit sand paper, put the lid on , and had the kids shake to their heart's content!
I tried the alpha pellets this past spring. I should have used more than I did, and I used 50 lb bag on a plot about 15x30 or so. I will be adding a truck load or two compost this spring and some more alpha.
Travis, I plant the savoy spinach from Johnny seeds. I’ve always had a little trouble getting them to germinate. This year I plant 2/3 seeds per your 162 cell tray, water them, put a plastics bag over it and put it on my concrete garage floor. I went out 4 days later and every one of those seeds germinated, i was just in awww. So I had like over 300 plants. Luckily I gave a bunch away and just got through transplanting 98 plants for myself. Hope this helps you and every one else trying to grow spinach, great video
@@LazyDogFarm I had read last year that you can add alfalfa straw or pellets to your compost pile if you have plenty of brown but need more green stuff. So, I added alfalfa straw (couldn't find pellets) to my big compost pile of leaves this winter since I don't have many kitchen scraps, and it heated the pile right up. I got gorgeous compost in only a few months.
This was my first time using Alfafa Pellets in my garden and it turned out amazingly. I even took the cheapest soil meant for filling up holes and put that in my raised garden bed and mixed in alfafa pellets. I planted a huge amount of kale and expected them to wilt and die. Instead they grew so large that I had to transplant them out of the small beds. And the poor soil became fine soil. I will be buying this from now on.
I'll try the alfalfa, but does this mean you won't be using the ammonia sulfate for your onions? I was having a pretty good plot of turnip greens last Tuesday but when I went back to look at them later in the week, dad gum deer have had their choppers on them. Good thing I got my hunting license. For now I'll have to stay with my overhead sprinkler and soaker hose until I can get some drip tape. But it is on my wish list for my garden equipment. My husband bought me one of those gorilla carts from Tractor Supply and I love it! Alot of great information as always. You explained everything so well! I really appreciate your content and you sharing your knowledge and experience (trials and tribulations).
I'm not beyond using ammonium sulfate if I feel like the onions need it. But we're going to see how they do, at least initially, with some of these other sources.
Can you show how you terminate the tape with that fitting? I have the same one as you but no matter what i do it leaks and leaks twice as much as my emitters so im wasting water
When you cut the tape at the end of the row, try and not cut it right next to an emitter. In other words, make sure an emitter is not folded in the crimp to terminate the row. I've noticed that's the trick with the Irritec tape to keep it from leaking on the ends.
I probably wouldn't use it for the FAD system. It does help build soil nutrition, but not significant enough to be an in-furrow fertilizer. I think it works better broadcasting over the entire plot and watering it in good a few weeks before planting.
@@LazyDogFarm thanks, I’m doing an experiment with 1 row of onions using what I’ve always used for FAD But added alfalfa pellets as well. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m in 8b as well.
Thanks for the info about the drip tape. You read my mind and answered nearly every question I had about it, and I didn't even have to ask. The one question I have is, do you have a filter / regulator assembly for each of your plots or do you move it around.
I have the filter/regulator assembly for each plot that has drip. But that's mainly because my water spigot by the house sits very low to the ground and it wouldn't fit at the spigot. Also, sometimes I use the same water hose to overhead water, and I don't want that pressure reduction when using the tripod sprinkler. But you can certainly put the pressure regulator setup at the spigot if that works best for your setup.
I totally get how onions grow and the leaf count reflecting the size of the onion and the need for lots of nitrogen. I'm following your recommendations this year for my onions and garlic. Which makes me wonder about other crops like carrots and beets - do their leaves affect the size of the root? What are their needs for fertilizer? Thanks for all the info, Travis, I'm learning a lot!
I don't think the rules for onions don't really apply to carrots and beets. Onions have two distinct growing phases -- a vegetative phase and a bulbing phase. Carrots and beets usually starting producing pretty early and the root grows in proportion to the rest of the plant. If you give carrots and beets disproportionately too much nitrogen though, you will much more top than you get root.
If you zig zag your rows (within the row) the row sizing/space doesnt change but they do all get a little more space since they all arent straight. I dont think i explained that too good... 🤔🤔🤔
i used alfalfa for the first time this year, i keep some miracle grow around for emergency's, but didn't really need it, i used alfalfa on sweet corn had i nice stand. i like the idea of building the soil to feed the plants and that's my main target, i don't use a lot of fertilizer overall. i make my own compost and i started making charcoal as biochar, so we'll see going forward how it all works out. i grow in permanent beds compost in the fall and cover with chopped up leaves. i plan on using a lot more alfalfa next year. we are in south jersey zone 7, just a side note, i saw a video on a woman in Michigan i think, she over wintered short day onions to get a crop in the spring, and i think our winters are mild enough in order for me to try that. but... i didn't get around to it this year, so, we'll try next fall. wow this was long and winding wasn't it. lol, keep up the great work.
Good to hear about the pellets. I definitely want to try it on corn next year. And I'm very interested to hear about your short-day onion experiment way up there.
I had pretty much ignored my ginger growing in pots the past couple months. Today I decided to bring into garage as it got into the 30s last night. I noticed I might be getting a bloom. Not sure it will bloom out or not given the weather change.
@@LazyDogFarm I grow mine in 5 gallon or larger plastic black garden pots using a very loose potting soil. The plants get morning sun but are shaded in the afternoon with citrus trees. Regular overhead watering as they are near citrus plus some regular feeding. I probably set the ginger about 2 to 4" deep when planting. I'm actually trying to grow some over the winter in a window box in the house - not sure how that'll work.
I have been using organic alfalfa pellets as an experiment. The only problem so far, after they expand from being wet, they kinda harden up and I have had to go back and break up the clumps of them up. So far besides that, I am pleased, just keep an eye on it. I made sure I used pure organic alfalfa. No extra whatsoever in it
Some folks say 3 lbs per 100 sq. ft., but I've been going heavier than that. We recently applied 80 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. on a plot that we're getting ready for spring.
Well I hope that alfalfa works for you… That’s a smart way to apply it to your crops. I’ve only ever soaked in a bucket of water for a week and used it as a compost tea. So I’m quite curious to see if that was the proper amount or not. The weather there looks amazing! We are getting 2 inches of snow tonight and about 5 in the next couple days. I wish it was hot here all the time but I can’t handle the spiders lol I’m assuming they’re pretty epic there. Happy gardening!
So I bought some garlic at the high end grocery store about a month ago and one of the cloves sprouted in my pantry. I put it in one of my beds with no expectations. Just want to watch it grow. I then put some of the cloves in the fridge for vernalization. I know your new yourself on garlic but you have way more experience than I do when it comes to growing. Just wondering your thoughts.
This is my first year trying the hardneck garlic, so I'm learning the vernalization deal myself. If you're in the south, I would expect the fridge garlic to do better. But I'd be interested to hear the final results either way.
8a south of Ft Worth. I’ll definitely keep you updated on the progress if possible. Counting on my gardens to supply me an my family food due to the possibility of not being able to buy food. They already trying to put me out of work over control, an I know it’s only a matter of time before there’s a mandate to make purchases. God bless y’all. Thanks for all the information that you have shared. I’ve learned a great deal from you and am very thankful.
You sure can. You'd just need to add some mainline elbows and tees to the setup to bring the mainline tubing from the ground to the top of each raised bed and back down to ground level.
my yellow onions are almost ready. the necks are pretty thick though. i space my spinach individually, lol. first time i buried driptape and i think i buried too deep, about 5 inches deep, oops..might end up putting tape on top. speaking of seed planting depth. i've been doing like you and works fine. plenty of advice about planting depth same as seed size, which seems inadequate as wont keep moist that shallow?
The general rule of thumb is that you want to plant seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. That's very general, but that's the rule we try to follow.
Transplants for spinach are ok for small umber, but like what you did, yeah direct only way to go. Alfalfa is great for soil and plants, I’d use more for that size of a plot, hard to over do organic things like that
Those tunes sounded like Free The Honey. If it wasn’t you should check em out. I have failed on spinach myself. Got some going in seed trays now. After watching this video, I’m pretty sure it’s due to the temps we get in Texas. Next year the Popeye juice is going to go differently thanks to you sharing your knowledge. Thanks for what your doing. An God Bless.
The artist for the song in this video is called "Sitting Still" by Claire Kelly. Haven't heard of Free the Honey, but will give them a listen. Hope you have better luck with spinach the next go round!
I always transplant spinach. I grow a fall crop and keep it going through the winter and then I start a spring crop about February to keep more going until it gets too warm. We pretty much harvest it like a cut and come again plant. So my germination problem is in trying to get seeds started late summer when it’s too dang hot. I finally set my mind to it and decided, they don’t need light to germinate, so I got them to come up in my coolest spot in the house. Once they popped, I put them under my lights until transplant time and they initially went out with shade cloth. They look fantastic now and we are harvesting all we can eat at this point. I wanted to try alfalfa this year but was cautioned to only use organic and there wasn’t any available locally. I’m nervous about alfalfa crops being treated with herbicide. Any wisdom on that issue?
You didn't mention the off and on knob for each row you want to water.What are they called and how do you put them in? Can you spell the name of the row tape that you use? Just in case I spelled it wrong. Do you know what size and kind of pump I would use for a 250 gal. water holding container?
You can get the drip tape row starts with valves on them, but they're not completely necessary -- only if you just want to water portions of the garden at a time. Different companies call them different names, but I've always called them "row start valves." The brand of tape I like the best is called "Rivulus." I don't know anything about pumps because I've never had to use one, so no help there.
My first time to look at your channel, so I don't know if you have chickens, but my grandmother taught me that the very best fertilizer for onions is chicken manure, don't put it too close to the roots,test it ,add it to one section and see the difference.
We do have chickens. We have a mobile chicken tractor that we move around different plots and let them eat the cover crops we grow. We weren't able to get the chickens on this plot prior to planting, but that would be a great idea for planting onions in future years.
Who sings the music and what's the name of the song in the speeded-up parts when you're planting seeds and tossing alfalfa pellets? That's really nice!
Was that scarlet bunching onions? I have the scarlet bunching onions to plant, but I already have some that someone gave me that looks exactly like the picture on the scarlet package and they went through the summer heat and never went to seed but boy oh boy did they multiply. I'm gonna use composted chicken manure for the nitrogen fix for my big onions, or do you think that would be to much nitrogen?
That was some glass gem corn that was in the drying stage at that point. We were just waiting on the plants to turn brown and the ears to fall before harvesting.
Maybe you should tell us why there is so much space between your drip lines. Seems a waste of growing space and reserving a lot of path width that is covered with compost. Most no-till growers I watch, use manifolds in combination with up to 5 drip tapes on their beds and they use wood chips on their pathways. I'm just a backyard grower with no-dig raised beds 3x4 feet and my magic number is 12 for things like beets, garlic and beans, 9 for potatoes and 4 for broccoli. Just curious, greetings from Holland
When we were selling our produce, I would plant rows much closer. Now that we're not, I like to give plenty of room for the kids to get in there with me and harvest. I'm fortunate to have enough space to be able to sacrifice a little between the rows. I don't really like the fixed bed spacing model because we grow such a wide variety of crops with variable row spacings.
I put 50 lbs on my 20x25 spot last year, first year garden so I can’t really tell if it helped. I have amended the soil a lot this year so maybe this will be my bumper year.
If i had an acre patch of spinach i could eat it all !! unfortunately spinach is my nemesis! most years it doesn’t germinate but if it does i lose it somehow. i guess store bought is ok 🥴
Make a rack to haul your drip tape spool that will fit in the back of your side by side , put all the parts to put it together in buckets and head to the garden , everything in one trip .
Alfalfa is a cheap and good fertilizer. The only thing you have to make sure of is that it was not treated with herbicides like aminopyralid or the like, or it will ruin your garden. Same goes for any "hay" type stuff. That gin trash you use, most likely has alot of nasty bad stuff in it, but because it has been composted, that usually minimizes or destroys the nasties. Pellets and fresh hay of course are a different story. Also...in my opinion...any kind of spring or bunching onion makes the best kimchi in the world, made with the onions only, no cabbage, it's called Pa Kimchi in Korean... absolutely fantastic, plain or on anything(especially brats)...just sayin' :)
You won't find the persistent herbicides like aminopyralid used on alfalfa fields as it kills alfalfa. We feed my wife's horse only mixed hays, such as timothy/alfalfa or orchard grass/alfalfa to be sure that its manure is safe to use in the garden.
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Rest in peace Old Alabama Gardner
He will surely be missed!
I used them for my tomatoes this year and you could see them go off when the roots found them. Small hand full in each planting hole did the trick.Potatoes too.
I tried this last year after seeing this video. Holy cow it worked
In winter, when grass and other greens are in short supply, i use alfalfa pellets to keep my compost working. Works great for that purpose and the mineral content still winds up in the garden.
Good idea! Didn't think about using them for that purpose.
Alfalfa pellets not only add NPK it also adds trace elements. It has a growth stimulator for plants. I usually soak my pellets before applying.
Good to know! We're going to soak ours with the overhead sprinkler after we start planting onions.
And big onions you did grow!
If you don’t have rain coming soon you ought to put the overhead sprinkler on that plot for just a little bit. Those alfalfa pellets will about triple in size and start to come apart with water. That’ll help them break down much faster for you. I love using them in my gardens, helps the soil tilth too.
I thought about that. I'll probably give them an overhead shower after I plant my onions tomorrow.
@@LazyDogFarm yeah those pellets have to swell gotta get wet.
Our neighbor uses the alfalfa pellets for his roses, and it makes them awesome. We’re going try this on our garden.
I have used alfalfa pellets for several years with great results .
I like to plant spinach in a 8" wide strip pretty thick. Thinning it with the hoe during first and second cultivation. This keeps the weeds smaller before I hoe. I give it 18" on each side of the row.
I haven't watched the video yet, will do after work today. But have to tell you that I've been using alfalfa since last spring with really good results. Even my corn did well, without any other food. Tomatoes, cucurbits, herbs, all did great.
Good to hear. I'm looking forward to trying it on corn this next year!
I'm still really enjoying your no-till experiments
Glad you are!
I use Alfalfa Pellets.
For trees I use 3 scoops per quadrant, plus chicken manure, 3 times/year.
For containers, I make a Alfalfa Tea; 2 cups Alfalfa/5 gal bucket, and apply every Sunday.
Everything grows great. (And it gets 110-115 F, or 44-46 C, here in the Summer.)
The pellets do expand when wet.
Thanks for sharing Richard!
My favorite Bunching Onion is the Nabechan. You can harvest them from chive size up to leek size. And they stay tender and tasty the whole time.
Thanks for the suggestion!
i learn so much from the comments section in addition to the video itself
We do have some great viewers with lots of good tips for gardeners.
When you were talking about the uneven-ness of the compost/soil in that plot, did I hear you say "that's good enough for me"? You're making progress!! When I hear you say you're not putting it in the fair, I'll know my work is done! LOL!!
Haha. I'm a slight perfectionist when it comes to some things, but I've learned to let go a little bit as I get older.
Here in the more northern states we are missing those warmer temps. Good luck with your spinach and onions.
Thanks Pixie!
Great video 👍
Thanks 👍
I built me a tape dispenser with some concrete blocks and a piece of galvanized pipe... and I marked a couple distances off down the lane, and I just pull off what I need down to the mark... put a brick on it, and walk back up to the spool, and cut it off... easy peasy. Then I just throw a decent tarp over the roll until the next time I need some tape.
I was thinking of getting something welded that would attach to the hitch on my mule, kind of a like a bike rack, but that would hold a big spool of tape. Then I could pull it off and cut it like you mentioned.
20lbs of pellets per 1000 sq. ft. per application. You can put that out every month.
I added another buckets worth today. Thanks for sharing that.
The last few years the wild onions have taken over my lawn so maybe I should just use them!
For sure! They have a bit more "bite" than a standard onion, but would still give some nice flavor!
I use alfalfa pellets!!! Lots of nitrogen has phosphates potassium and everything else.
Awesome!
Gary with The Rusted Garden uses a lot of alfalfa. Check out some of his videos. Most recent one I saw was about putting beds to rest for winter.
Gary is an OG in the YT gardening world. He has some great videos out there!
Good info
Thanks
My planting is over here maybe a little inside be in the 20s Friday ground freezes to deep for winter garden here lol I was watching and seen OAG had passed away I grew Texas legends and candy onions here just to see they both done well here think I’ll grow both again this year
OAG will surely be missed. I know a lot of folks enjoyed his gardening wisdom.
Good video again, thank you. Can't wait to see the results.
Thanks for joining us Tom!
i use alfalfa in my compost bin ,i get the droppings the spilled pellets from the seed and feed plant whenever i go by to pick up feed i spend 20 minutes cleaning the pad up under the grain bins the SEEDN FEED LOT likes this as it saves the workers time and the feed can not be bagged after spilling average week i will get 200-250 pounds they also save me all cardboard
Cool idea!
I just went down and bought some Bonny's
Have had some wonderful results using the organic alfalfa pellets. 🍀
Good to know!
I think of alfalfa pellets as an amendment for feeding the mycorrhiza in smaller areas like raised beds where you can dig in a lot of it. My season is too short for cover cropping so I fall back on alfalfa pellets in the Fall. In you're onion plot, you might want to keep the 7-7-7 close at hand. Otherwise, that mixed cover crop system you've developed is the most powerful source of balanced organic soil nutrition that I've seen yet.
Thanks for the tips Mark!
Really liked the refresher on drip tape. I used it for the first time this year and loved loved loved it! Thanks for all the help
Glad you enjoyed it Vonda!
I don't know what's going on in NE FL but it's still really chilly here.
It's still a little chilly at night here. Supposed to get down in the 30s early next week I think.
Also in central Florida. Chilly
Did the alfalfa pellets perform and grow a good crop? Did you use any other soil amendments with the alfalfa pellets?
They do work well as long as you add them well ahead of your planting date. I don't use them much anymore now that we have our chicken tractor system.
you guys need to get a green stalk vertical planter to grow spinach/lettuce in. you'll absolutely LOVE it. makes for super clean gardening. I bought 3 this year. a family invented/made in usa too. people grow all kinds of veggies in them but i bought it for greens and it would be amazing for strawberries. 2 sizes deep/shallow pockets. I wish i could show you the pics of mine, I've never seen lettuce so beautiful & big. Great for small spaces & extremely well made, super sturdy. you gotta get you one & make videos, great great tool for people with no land. you'll love it.
I got my first one and have lettuce growing. I plan to get another one for strawberries. My lettuce is doing great.
Thanks for the tip Lorren. I've seen those on other channels and they look pretty neat!
I use the alfalfa pellets in my garden to help build my soil and around my brassicas for a continuous slow feed. I know people do make compost teas out of it but I have never tried that method. The pellets have a natural growth hormone in them.👋🏾
Thanks for sharing. Can't wait to see our results from using it.
Alfalfa pellets have an NPK Ratio of 2-1-2 but it also has calcium magnesium zinc iron and some boron depending on what brand you get. When I use it on my beans I use roughly 2 pounds per 10 row feet. I did not have enough to put on my onions but I used that amount for my brassicas when I use it on the beans I put it on my drip tape sprinkle my inoculate on top and run the drip tape for a bit those pellets will swell up and hold a lot of moisture this also keeps them from pulling moisture away from the seeds. After I get thumped saturated I mix dirt over them with a rake and plant my seeds if you were doing a double row covering with the wheel hoe works fine.
Thanks for sharing Hondo. Sounds like I might need to add some more to based on your application rates.
Drip systems are a life saver, even with container gardening. If I can do it anyone can.
The problem I've discovered with spinach germination is that no matter how cool that air temperature is here in north central FL the sun will always be hot on any surface. The top 1/2" of soil, where the seeds are, will just get too hot in my sunshine. This year I'm going to start a thick planting in some old 6 pack seed starters, 6 to 10 seeds each, then plant out the bunch. This way I can start them where they won't cook in the sun.
Good idea Sue! Hopefully that works better for you.
I like to plant my onions like you did your spinach in a double row. Use the alfalfa down the center. I grew Candy onions for years and regularly got 5-6 inch bulbs.
Wow! 5-6" bulbs are nice!
Nice to see you put new compost on the no till bed this year for the Onions.
Interesting about the Alfalfa to feed the Onions, well with backup of the 13,0,0, keep us all well informed on the Alfalfa, may try that in my growing season.
Will do!
I like noble it gets has a larger leaf
Thanks for the suggestion!
Great refresher on trip tape systems! I'll be planting some spinach this week, too. I've never had much luck with it in Zone 9b, so I'm hoping it does well here.
Let's hope your spinach luck turns the corner this year!
I start my portable drip header with a backflow preventer, then a mechanical timer, then the filter, and then a 15# pressure regulator. Teflon thread tape and slip joint pliers to snug it all up tight. Snap fittings to ease hookups at each of six different drip zones. Alfalfa pellets are only about a 2-3-2 in primary nutrients but carry a lot of secondary and micronutrients. Good substitute for kelp. Also contains triacontanol, a plant growth hormone. Soil mycorrhizae love the stuff. That was bunny rabbit pellet you were strowing. Horse pellets are three times the size but I believe it's the same stuff. You could easily double your application rate but in any case I doubt it would be enough N for onions. I use Drip Depot for online supplies and am very satisfied. Boy, that last video was sure a nice group hug.
Didn't know there were different sized alfalfa pellets. Good to know. And yes, we received some amazing comments on that last video!
What’s the update? Did the alfalfa pellets work?
They did. We grew some monster onions last year.
How do you punch the holes?
Excited to see how the alpha pellets do on your garden.
Us too!
I like about the pellets because they're pretty cheap and they have a lot of nutrients in them it just takes about 3 months to break down
They are definitely cheap! Just gotta plan ahead with them it seems.
Looking to move from over head to drip this year to drip. I have 5 170 ft by 50 ft gardens. Using 50 ft by 30 inch beds I think it's 44 rows and thinking I need to cut them into 2 22 row zones each . Since my disability I've gone to planting tall like tomatoes every other bed and short between so I can cultivate with the cub or the jd 40 . Throwing outside to the tall rows and under the belly on the shorts. I can't often walk the full row length so the fine tuning is often done on hands and knees or scooting all day. Hope to get my irrigation to a one or twice a year install ,over the moving of hoses and watering towers from garden to garden. Converting the hoophouse to float bed ,all but a small bit at the one end for potti g and seeding, reducing the amount of handling and hose dragging. One of my friends teases that I'll end up with a hover round with a 3 point hitch
If you're going to be using the tractor, you can probably standardize all the row spacing as you suggested to make things much easier for you.
Did the Alfalfa pellets do good for your onions
Yeah they definitely help. Not going to give them all the nutrients they need, but a good start.
Can you get same effect on garlic?
I don't see why not.
I have struggled with spinach germination. It doesn’t seem to do well in 8b in north Florida
Gotta wait until the soil is nice and cool!
How did the alfalfa pellets work out for the onions? Maybe u missed it, but I didn't see a follow up video. I just planted my onion seedlings down here in FL.
Pretty well. Just gotta put them down several weeks ahead of planting because they're pretty slow to break down.
Some things I have learned about spinach .
It's a dual crop.
You can plant it in a wide row for baby spinach salads. Then pull some of the plants and transplant them 6 in.apart in rows for cooking greens like collards.
Green onions can be started as transplants Put 5 to 7 seeds into each cell when ready place the plants between some closely spaced lettuce and the onions stems will blanch as they grow. John S.
Good tips. I visited a market farm one time that transplanted the bunching onions like that.
Good tip. I’ve got both that I need to transplant.
I have used alfalfa meal it works well I prefer cottonseed meal it's close to the same make-up as harmony Fert and works very well for
Niteshade crops especially peppers. John S.
Travis I’m glad to hear about the alfalfa pellets. I’m definitely going to try them. I been meaning to comment on the drip tape, and this is my own personal experience and option. I have laid my last row of 8 mil tape. What I mean is. I bought a large roll of 15 mil from irrigation mart. Will last me years. The reason I bought the 15 is because I found myself spending as much time fixing leaks as I did watering. I got to the point that I hatted having to water. I don’t know what is was. Maybe I have some kind of prehistoric saber tooth pill bugs or something. Even if it was the first use I would be fixing leaks before the crop was harvested. Also I found some Ts at Lowe’s that the water hose will connect to for the main line. I put the filter regulator at the faucet as well as my injector and just have to move the hose only from plot to plot. I use pvc pipe plugs to keep the dirt out of the connection at the individual plots when the hose is not hooked to it. Just screw the plugs in loosely.
Good to hear the 15 mil tape is working much better for you!
I’ve heard a lot of great things about alfalfa pellets in both the garden and in the lawn, and I’m looking forward to seeing how they work out for you. At less than $20 for a 50 lbs bag, they are a bargain. When I plant spinach seeds I soaked them in hot tap water to scarify, put on wax paper to dry for a day, then in a ziplock bag in the fridge for 4-5 days. Definitely improves germination time and rate.
Thanks for sharing the spinach germination tips Tim!
I've never heard of this technique. I've only lined the inside of an empty jar with course grit sand paper, put the lid on , and had the kids shake to their heart's content!
I tried the alpha pellets this past spring. I should have used more than I did, and I used 50 lb bag on a plot about 15x30 or so. I will be adding a truck load or two compost this spring and some more alpha.
Thanks Jon. That helps. I have two 50 lb bags, and it sounds like I need to use a majority of them for this one plot.
Travis,
I plant the savoy spinach from Johnny seeds. I’ve always had a little trouble getting them to germinate. This year I plant 2/3 seeds per your 162 cell tray, water them, put a plastics bag over it and put it on my concrete garage floor. I went out 4 days later and every one of those seeds germinated, i was just in awww. So I had like over 300 plants. Luckily I gave a bunch away and just got through transplanting 98 plants for myself. Hope this helps you and every one else trying to grow spinach, great video
Thanks for the tips Casey!
I believe my great aunt used alfalfa and epsom salts for her roses
Yep. Epsom salts gets those roses blooming!
I use alfalfa pellets because it is cheaper and you can use it to make compost as well by using alfalfa pellets and wood pellets together.
Haven't heard of using it to make compost, but sounds great. Thanks for sharing!
@@LazyDogFarm I had read last year that you can add alfalfa straw or pellets to your compost pile if you have plenty of brown but need more green stuff. So, I added alfalfa straw (couldn't find pellets) to my big compost pile of leaves this winter since I don't have many kitchen scraps, and it heated the pile right up. I got gorgeous compost in only a few months.
This was my first time using Alfafa Pellets in my garden and it turned out amazingly. I even took the cheapest soil meant for filling up holes and put that in my raised garden bed and mixed in alfafa pellets. I planted a huge amount of kale and expected them to wilt and die. Instead they grew so large that I had to transplant them out of the small beds. And the poor soil became fine soil. I will be buying this from now on.
Nice! Glad to hear of your amazing results!
I'll try the alfalfa, but does this mean you won't be using the ammonia sulfate for your onions? I was having a pretty good plot of turnip greens last Tuesday but when I went back to look at them later in the week, dad gum deer have had their choppers on them. Good thing I got my hunting license. For now I'll have to stay with my overhead sprinkler and soaker hose until I can get some drip tape. But it is on my wish list for my garden equipment. My husband bought me one of those gorilla carts from Tractor Supply and I love it! Alot of great information as always. You explained everything so well! I really appreciate your content and you sharing your knowledge and experience (trials and tribulations).
I'm not beyond using ammonium sulfate if I feel like the onions need it. But we're going to see how they do, at least initially, with some of these other sources.
Can you show how you terminate the tape with that fitting? I have the same one as you but no matter what i do it leaks and leaks twice as much as my emitters so im wasting water
When you cut the tape at the end of the row, try and not cut it right next to an emitter. In other words, make sure an emitter is not folded in the crimp to terminate the row. I've noticed that's the trick with the Irritec tape to keep it from leaking on the ends.
@@LazyDogFarm thanks
Do they use Grazon on alfalfa?
10/2023, what was your end result on using alfalfa? Would you suggest using with FAD system?
I probably wouldn't use it for the FAD system. It does help build soil nutrition, but not significant enough to be an in-furrow fertilizer. I think it works better broadcasting over the entire plot and watering it in good a few weeks before planting.
@@LazyDogFarm thanks, I’m doing an experiment with 1 row of onions using what I’ve always used for FAD But added alfalfa pellets as well. I’ll let you know how it goes. I’m in 8b as well.
Love the channel, just thought you would get a kick out of that!
Glad you enjoy it!
Thanks for the info about the drip tape. You read my mind and answered nearly every question I had about it, and I didn't even have to ask. The one question I have is, do you have a filter / regulator assembly for each of your plots or do you move it around.
I have the filter/regulator assembly for each plot that has drip. But that's mainly because my water spigot by the house sits very low to the ground and it wouldn't fit at the spigot. Also, sometimes I use the same water hose to overhead water, and I don't want that pressure reduction when using the tripod sprinkler. But you can certainly put the pressure regulator setup at the spigot if that works best for your setup.
I totally get how onions grow and the leaf count reflecting the size of the onion and the need for lots of nitrogen. I'm following your recommendations this year for my onions and garlic. Which makes me wonder about other crops like carrots and beets - do their leaves affect the size of the root? What are their needs for fertilizer? Thanks for all the info, Travis, I'm learning a lot!
I don't think the rules for onions don't really apply to carrots and beets. Onions have two distinct growing phases -- a vegetative phase and a bulbing phase. Carrots and beets usually starting producing pretty early and the root grows in proportion to the rest of the plant. If you give carrots and beets disproportionately too much nitrogen though, you will much more top than you get root.
@@LazyDogFarm Thanks! Then I'll feed them with something balanced. Last year's carrots and beets were just ok...so I'm looking to up my game here 😁
When do you seed start onions for transplants? Today is june 4 2023
Usually mid to late September.
I have been following for a bit. Do you still think the alfalfa is worth adding? Asking since this was posted 3 years ago.
If definitely works, just gotta do it ahead of time. It's not an instant nutritional boost to the soil, but more of a long-term solution.
Might try those alpha pellets on my onions this year. ✌
Go for it! We'll learn together!
If you zig zag your rows (within the row) the row sizing/space doesnt change but they do all get a little more space since they all arent straight.
I dont think i explained that too good... 🤔🤔🤔
Haha! It's that whole planting in a band thing. You increase the surface area of the row within the row, giving you more plants in the same space.
i used alfalfa for the first time this year, i keep some miracle grow around for emergency's, but didn't really need it, i used alfalfa on sweet corn had i nice stand. i like the idea of building the soil to feed the plants and that's my main target, i don't use a lot of fertilizer overall. i make my own compost and i started making charcoal as biochar, so we'll see going forward how it all works out. i grow in permanent beds compost in the fall and cover with chopped up leaves. i plan on using a lot more alfalfa next year. we are in south jersey zone 7, just a side note, i saw a video on a woman in Michigan i think, she over wintered short day onions to get a crop in the spring, and i think our winters are mild enough in order for me to try that. but... i didn't get around to it this year, so, we'll try next fall. wow this was long and winding wasn't it. lol, keep up the great work.
Good to hear about the pellets. I definitely want to try it on corn next year. And I'm very interested to hear about your short-day onion experiment way up there.
I had pretty much ignored my ginger growing in pots the past couple months. Today I decided to bring into garage as it got into the 30s last night. I noticed I might be getting a bloom. Not sure it will bloom out or not given the weather change.
My ginger looks pitiful. Not sure what I'm doing wrong with it.
@@LazyDogFarm I grow mine in 5 gallon or larger plastic black garden pots using a very loose potting soil. The plants get morning sun but are shaded in the afternoon with citrus trees. Regular overhead watering as they are near citrus plus some regular feeding. I probably set the ginger about 2 to 4" deep when planting. I'm actually trying to grow some over the winter in a window box in the house - not sure how that'll work.
I have been using organic alfalfa pellets as an experiment. The only problem so far, after they expand from being wet, they kinda harden up and I have had to go back and break up the clumps of them up. So far besides that, I am pleased, just keep an eye on it. I made sure I used pure organic alfalfa. No extra whatsoever in it
I chose the pure pellets. Right or wrong, it just felt right
I don't think ours are organic, but I understand how you might want to use the organic version.
What's your application rate for using pellets? (Whole garden) Thanks in advance.
Some folks say 3 lbs per 100 sq. ft., but I've been going heavier than that. We recently applied 80 lbs per 1,000 sq. ft. on a plot that we're getting ready for spring.
Have you tried vine spinach
I have not. Are you referring to the Malabar spinach?
Alfalfa pellets, while not heavy on Nitrogen, makes for some good soil.
Noted!
Well I hope that alfalfa works for you… That’s a smart way to apply it to your crops. I’ve only ever soaked in a bucket of water for a week and used it as a compost tea. So I’m quite curious to see if that was the proper amount or not. The weather there looks amazing! We are getting 2 inches of snow tonight and about 5 in the next couple days. I wish it was hot here all the time but I can’t handle the spiders lol I’m assuming they’re pretty epic there. Happy gardening!
I don't see many spiders around here. You will if you go walking in the woods, but don't really see them around the house.
So I bought some garlic at the high end grocery store about a month ago and one of the cloves sprouted in my pantry. I put it in one of my beds with no expectations. Just want to watch it grow. I then put some of the cloves in the fridge for vernalization. I know your new yourself on garlic but you have way more experience than I do when it comes to growing. Just wondering your thoughts.
This is my first year trying the hardneck garlic, so I'm learning the vernalization deal myself. If you're in the south, I would expect the fridge garlic to do better. But I'd be interested to hear the final results either way.
8a south of Ft Worth. I’ll definitely keep you updated on the progress if possible. Counting on my gardens to supply me an my family food due to the possibility of not being able to buy food. They already trying to put me out of work over control, an I know it’s only a matter of time before there’s a mandate to make purchases. God bless y’all. Thanks for all the information that you have shared. I’ve learned a great deal from you and am very thankful.
@@matthewmcclendon5308 it’s happening in other places now...only a matter of time.
Can you use drip tape in raised beds?
You sure can. You'd just need to add some mainline elbows and tees to the setup to bring the mainline tubing from the ground to the top of each raised bed and back down to ground level.
@@LazyDogFarm Thanks maybe I can figure it out.
my yellow onions are almost ready. the necks are pretty thick though. i space my spinach individually, lol. first time i buried driptape and i think i buried too deep, about 5 inches deep, oops..might end up putting tape on top.
speaking of seed planting depth. i've been doing like you and works fine. plenty of advice about planting depth same as seed size, which seems inadequate as wont keep moist that shallow?
The general rule of thumb is that you want to plant seeds twice as deep as the diameter of the seed. That's very general, but that's the rule we try to follow.
Transplants for spinach are ok for small umber, but like what you did, yeah direct only way to go. Alfalfa is great for soil and plants, I’d use more for that size of a plot, hard to over do organic things like that
I might need to add some more then!
Those tunes sounded like Free The Honey. If it wasn’t you should check em out. I have failed on spinach myself. Got some going in seed trays now. After watching this video, I’m pretty sure it’s due to the temps we get in Texas. Next year the Popeye juice is going to go differently thanks to you sharing your knowledge. Thanks for what your doing. An God Bless.
The artist for the song in this video is called "Sitting Still" by Claire Kelly. Haven't heard of Free the Honey, but will give them a listen. Hope you have better luck with spinach the next go round!
I always transplant spinach. I grow a fall crop and keep it going through the winter and then I start a spring crop about February to keep more going until it gets too warm. We pretty much harvest it like a cut and come again plant. So my germination problem is in trying to get seeds started late summer when it’s too dang hot. I finally set my mind to it and decided, they don’t need light to germinate, so I got them to come up in my coolest spot in the house. Once they popped, I put them under my lights until transplant time and they initially went out with shade cloth. They look fantastic now and we are harvesting all we can eat at this point. I wanted to try alfalfa this year but was cautioned to only use organic and there wasn’t any available locally. I’m nervous about alfalfa crops being treated with herbicide. Any wisdom on that issue?
I don't have any wisdom on that issue. This is my first time using it, and I didn't purchase the organic version. So we'll see what happens ...
Bought my 1st bag of alfalfa pellets today we well find out together
Sounds like a plan!
Travis, do you mine saying why your legs are crooked? My are due to knees being replaced incorrectly.Made my too close together.
I have cerebral palsy which affects my legs.
You didn't mention the off and on knob for each row you want to water.What are they called and how do you put them in? Can you spell the name of the row tape that you use? Just in case I spelled it wrong. Do you know what size and kind of pump I would use for a 250 gal. water holding container?
You can get the drip tape row starts with valves on them, but they're not completely necessary -- only if you just want to water portions of the garden at a time. Different companies call them different names, but I've always called them "row start valves." The brand of tape I like the best is called "Rivulus." I don't know anything about pumps because I've never had to use one, so no help there.
Thanks so much !@@LazyDogFarm
My first time to look at your channel, so I don't know if you have chickens, but my grandmother taught me that the very best fertilizer for onions is chicken manure, don't put it too close to the roots,test it ,add it to one section and see the difference.
We do have chickens. We have a mobile chicken tractor that we move around different plots and let them eat the cover crops we grow. We weren't able to get the chickens on this plot prior to planting, but that would be a great idea for planting onions in future years.
Never heard about using the alfalfa pellets. Cool idea. Thanks for sharing that with us.
Any time!
You are bringing in the rabbits!
IKR!
Who sings the music and what's the name of the song in the speeded-up parts when you're planting seeds and tossing alfalfa pellets? That's really nice!
The song is called "Sitting Still" by Claire Kelly.
It's beautiful. Thanks.
Was that scarlet bunching onions? I have the scarlet bunching onions to plant, but I already have some that someone gave me that looks exactly like the picture on the scarlet package and they went through the summer heat and never went to seed but boy oh boy did they multiply. I'm gonna use composted chicken manure for the nitrogen fix for my big onions, or do you think that would be to much nitrogen?
The bunching onion variety was called "Parade." That's all I know about it. Many of the different bunching onion varieties look very similar to me.
it’s been a year. what’s the results? Do alfalfa letters help a garden?
Yes it does. But make sure to apply them about a month before planting. They're slow, but they do improve soil health and nutrient levels.
45-75 Degrees for spinach.
Thanks Pat!
I know it's probably not her. But that singer sure sounds like brooke to me. Nice song.
Haha. It's definitely not her.
I'm concerned about herbicides and pesticides being present in the alfalfa pellets.
I'm not expert on the topic, but I would think if it's safe for an animal to eat then it's probably safe to use in the garden.
wow what happend to your corn at 9:50? it looks bad
That was some glass gem corn that was in the drying stage at that point. We were just waiting on the plants to turn brown and the ears to fall before harvesting.
Maybe you should tell us why there is so much space between your drip lines. Seems a waste of growing space and reserving a lot of path width that is covered with compost. Most no-till growers I watch, use manifolds in combination with up to 5 drip tapes on their beds and they use wood chips on their pathways. I'm just a backyard grower with no-dig raised beds 3x4 feet and my magic number is 12 for things like beets, garlic and beans, 9 for potatoes and 4 for broccoli. Just curious, greetings from Holland
When we were selling our produce, I would plant rows much closer. Now that we're not, I like to give plenty of room for the kids to get in there with me and harvest. I'm fortunate to have enough space to be able to sacrifice a little between the rows. I don't really like the fixed bed spacing model because we grow such a wide variety of crops with variable row spacings.
Good to see using the Alfalfa pullets, you will be happy. Since it doesn't burn, could have been a bit heavier.
Noted. I might add more.
I have used alfalfa…. Looked a little light to me too.
I put 50 lbs on my 20x25 spot last year, first year garden so I can’t really tell if it helped. I have amended the soil a lot this year so maybe this will be my bumper year.
If i had an acre patch of spinach i could eat it all !! unfortunately spinach is my nemesis! most years it doesn’t germinate but if it does i lose it somehow. i guess store bought is ok 🥴
It's so good if you can get it to grow!
Make a rack to haul your drip tape spool that will fit in the back of your side by side , put all the parts to put it together in buckets and head to the garden , everything in one trip .
I like that idea. I was thinking of making something that would attach to the hitch like a bike rack, so then I could haul it wherever I needed to go.
Alfalfa is a cheap and good fertilizer. The only thing you have to make sure of is that it was not treated with herbicides like aminopyralid or the like, or it will ruin your garden. Same goes for any "hay" type stuff. That gin trash you use, most likely has alot of nasty bad stuff in it, but because it has been composted, that usually minimizes or destroys the nasties. Pellets and fresh hay of course are a different story. Also...in my opinion...any kind of spring or bunching onion makes the best kimchi in the world, made with the onions only, no cabbage, it's called Pa Kimchi in Korean... absolutely fantastic, plain or on anything(especially brats)...just sayin' :)
Gonna have to try that onion kimchi!
You won't find the persistent herbicides like aminopyralid used on alfalfa fields as it kills alfalfa. We feed my wife's horse only mixed hays, such as timothy/alfalfa or orchard grass/alfalfa to be sure that its manure is safe to use in the garden.