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Off The Wall Gardening Question

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by Breeze147, Aug 16, 2014.

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  1. Breeze147

    Breeze147 Button Man

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    I have read and heard many times about burying fish heads near your tomato plants. It's supposed to be excellent fertilizer.

    My problem is that I catch fish in the summer and planting isn't until spring.

    Can I freeze the fish heads I catch now and defrost them at planting time?
     
  2. queuetee

    queuetee VIP Whale

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    I recall seeing that at the recreation of Plymouth Plantation---that the Indians taught the Pilgrims that in early Plymouth Colony-----maybe because they didn't have any non-smelly fertilizer.

    But to answer your question, I don't see why you can't freeze the fish over the winter.
     
  3. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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  4. hammie

    hammie VIP Whale

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    Just remember, a fish stinks from the head.
     
  5. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    We use bone meal too, but we have to be careful with it because it makes the dog want to dig in the garden. :)
     
  6. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    At planting time, I catch one small fish (like a bluegill) for each plant and bury it at the bottom of the hole. Put an inch of dirt over it and plant your tomato on top. The fish seems to help the plant. If you can't catch fish at planting time, frozen fish heads would work just as well, I imagine. I never put meat into my compost pile- too smelly, and it would attract wildlife.

    What Sonya said definitely applies to fish, too. Once I didn't plant the fish deep enough and a raccoon dug it up.
     
  7. Ty

    Ty ?

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    I've buried thousands of fish-parts with my dad. Any time we went fishing we cleaned the fish on newspapers, the remains were wrapped up in the newspapers and the package was buried wherever I could find a spot in the garden. We fished nearly year-round so the garden was often planted when we did this.

    But, if you have a limited supply of fish I don't believe freezing them would diminish the value.

    We would also compost grass clipping and kitchen scraps, this was added to the garden in the spring before planting. As far as grass clippings go, nowadays, if the clippings aren't causing a thatch problem some say it might be best to not bag the grass. If the clipping are left on the lawn they provide a nice nitrogen source.

    Currently I compost in a large plastic trash can, if I have room in the can I gather the clippings, otherwise not.
     
  8. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    I don't put meat in my compost piles either, but I wouldn't put anything fresh in a bed with plants either. You can "compost" fish in other ways than adding it to your compost pile - you can bury it in a bed on its own or use a garbage can as mentioned here....

    I guess I'd rather take up space outdoors and not in my freezer. I have a lot more space outside than I do in my freezer, so it's just my personal preference of what I'd do.
     
  9. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    Are you suggesting that Squanto didn't know his stuff?
     
  10. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    There are a lot of things we can do now that weren't possible 300-400 years ago; that's what I'm saying.

    But hey, what do I know. I spent yesterday morning digging up some of my planting bed & burning plants because of an infestation, and I have wilt in my tomato beds...... But I have a chest freezer full of blueberries & beans - at least something is growing properly this year :eek:
     
  11. LV_Bound

    LV_Bound VIP Whale

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    Should be fine.
    Also hear coffee grinds, egg shells and peroxide were pretty good too.
     
  12. Ty

    Ty ?

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    coffee grinds = worms = MIB

    Anyone with me? Funny stuff!
     
  13. bardolator

    bardolator Lifelong Low Roller

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    Yeah, nowadays we have freezers for our fish heads.
     
  14. HoyaHeel

    HoyaHeel Grammar Police & Admin

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    What you use to amend your garden depends on what its needs are. And different plants look for different environments.Certain plants are good companion plants because of varying needs (to go back to the native americans - the "Three Sisters" are a good example - corn, squash & beans)

    That said - all my kitchen scraps (non-meat or dairy) are composted in the back of my yard, as is some of the garden refuse. Never compost tomato plants b/c of disease. Never compost anything diseased or infested, etc. Good compost piles (or bins or containers etc) are a good blend of green & brown and there are many resources available to help you figure out how to start/how to fix as needed....
     
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