2020 gardens

[DJ54]

We got 3/10's of an inch of badly needed rain yesterday afternoon. From all of the ruckus from that storm, thought we'd gottten more. I did manage to get some Daikon Radishes planted along side the Cuke's, Zucchini, and cabbage plants to attract the little white butterflies away from them. and not laying the eggs on the curcubits.

Also got tomatoes, and potatoes sprayed with aspirin water the evening before, plus some plants food, and kelp sprayed long enough before the rain came to get it set.


i expect to see weeds popping up in the next couple of days.

Will probably drive T-posts today for bean trellis. After that rain, I expect they'll be shooting up runners.

 

[TnAndy]

View attachment 659433

Got 6 more quarts of strawberries making a total of 9 for the year so far -----might be a few more out there later. They will taste good in the middle of the winter.

What kind of juice/water/syrup are you using to can them Sonny ? We've always frozen our berries.....picked over 30 gallons this year off our beds....and you're right.....they are great in winter !

 

[DJ54]

60+ years later, still growing 'Taters in the same spot...

 

[oldballs]

That's a great pic DJ......My potato plot has changed in the past 45 years.....and it gets smaller each year.

 

[ovrszd]

Great pic DJ. Would have been very cool if you could figure out where the camera was located in the old shot and duplicated that? Or maybe you did and that much has changed? Very cool.

 

[Sonny580]

I use 2 cups sugar to 2 1/2 pints of water for the syrup in the berries and that is for 3 quarts of berries. ---we used to freeze them too, but mom used to can them, so this year we did too. --- kinda mixes them up a little for different taste!

I was lookin at dj's tato pic at the trees in the background but couldnt figure out the camera angle either. ---our tato AND onion patch got WAY smaller this year----if it dont rain soon, we wont have anything this year.
I can't really get down close enough to the river to fill my water tank, as the band is too steep. I would have to drag my pump down to the water edge and run enough hose up the bank to the tank.----dont have enough hose to reach right now.

 

[DJ54]

Things have changed a bit in 60 years. That is one of the years Dad planted 500 lbs. of potatoes. Sold most in Columbus to many Mom & Pop restaurants/groceries.

The house is gone that you see in the background. It would have set just to my left in the background, if it were still there today, along with the trees in front of it. Cut down many years ago.

The one to my right in the new photo, if it were there at all, was just a sprig. The garage you see in the new photo wasn't there in the early one. Built maybe a year or so after.The garden now is only 1/4 or less that what it was in the early picture. An additional driveway,drivway to the new horse barn, and pasture to the east took nearly half of it. Naturally, where the best soil is.

I'm approx. within 40' of where I was standing 60 years ago... Close enough...

 

[DJ54]

Got a new to me tool for the garden yesterday, at a local consignment auction. A Honda FRC800 rear tine. Tines barely have the paint scuffed on them. My old Honda runs fine, just thought it'd be a nice upgrade. I bought the old one used from a local rental 20 years ago. It has never failed to start on more than 2 pulls, and there has been times,when it has set for 2 years withought being used. Gotta' love those Honda engines.

I didn't realize how bad the tines were wore on the old one, until I put this in the dirt yesterday evening. I put the tail wheel on I made for the old one to do some 1-1/2"-2" roughing up the surface cultivating. Cruised right along in 2nd gear, and did a great job. Plucked out some 3" tall Redroot Pigweed, and left them on the surface whole, to dry & kill. I'm loving this thing..!!

 

[ovrszd]

Things have changed a bit in 60 years. That is one of the years Dad planted 500 lbs. of potatoes. Sold most in Columbus to many Mom & Pop restaurants/groceries.

The house is gone that you see in the background. It would have set just to my left in the background, if it were still there today, along with the trees in front of it. Cut down many years ago.

The one to my right in the new photo, if it were there at all, was just a sprig. The garage you see in the new photo wasn't there in the early one. Built maybe a year or so after.The garden now is only 1/4 or less that what it was in the early picture. An additional driveway,drivway to the new horse barn, and pasture to the east took nearly half of it. Naturally, where the best soil is.

I'm approx. within 40' of where I was standing 60 years ago... Close enough...

Funny how much things change, and remain the same.

 

[oldballs]

This is my 40 year old Sears 8 HP front tine rototiller that I bought used.
It had some mouse damage to the spark wire. It still works well and is easy to start....but I have done regular maintenance on it.

 

[ovrszd]

She's a Classic Mike!!!

 

[oldballs]

She's a Classic Mike!!!

Thanks Richard. Do you know how long it took to post that pic!!!!!!! ...probably at least an hour with the changes TBN made. It used to be easy. But now I really have to doddle with the method to get a pic posted.:thumbdown:

Cheers,
Mike

 

[ovrszd]

Thanks Richard. Do you know how long it took to post that pic!!!!!!! ...probably at least an hour with the changes TBN made. It used to be easy. But now I really have to doddle with the method to get a pic posted.:thumbdown:

Cheers,
Mike

Let's see if I can lead you thru my common used method.

Click on "Go Advanced".
Click on the "blue A" in the upper left corner turning it off.
Type your message.
Place your cursor where you want the pic to appear.
Click on the "square pic with black corner dots" sixth from right end of second row of icons.
A window will open, click on choose files.
Find your pic on your computer and click open.
This places the pic signature in the previous window.
Click "upload file".
The pic will appear where you previously placed your cursor.
If you want to change the size, double left click on the pic.
A window will open giving you choices of size, select and choose.
Pic will show up where you placed it and at the size you chose.

 

[oldballs]

Thanks Richard, I made a copy of that
Mike

 

[jonathco]

Nice looking tillers! I picked up an older Troy-bilt Horse this spring and it's been a game changer in the garden.

 

[Sonny580]

Troy-built Horse tillers are hard to beat ----- ya a lotta work needed on them to keep them running but sure beats a hoe.
We did get a couple tenth's of rain last night -----didnt do much good----only damp down an inch or two, dry dirt under that.

 

[ovrszd]

Troy-built Horse tillers are hard to beat ----- ya a lotta work needed on them to keep them running but sure beats a hoe.
We did get a couple tenth's of rain last night -----didnt do much good----only damp down an inch or two, dry dirt under that.

We got .5" then a couple nights later another .6". Gravel roads were dusty the next afternoon. Our temps have been a little above normal and it's been very windy so far this Spring.

 

[Sonny580]

Wind here is always bad---cant keep covers on the plants.
potatoes in 1 patch, also have a long row out by the road.

 

[DJ54]

Troy-built Horse tillers are hard to beat ----- ya a lotta work needed on them to keep them running but sure beats a hoe.
We did get a couple tenth's of rain last night -----didnt do much good----only damp down an inch or two, dry dirt under that.

Definitely a good machine, but my old Honda I bought is used from a rental, and had some hard use & abuse. In 20 years, in never failed to start on no more than 2 pulls. Plus, I love the 3 speed transmission. 1rst for heavy tilling, 2nd for cultivating, and 3rd for tramming back & forth to the garden.

I put the tail wheel on the new one, I made for the old one. Sonny, you'll have to make you one, I think you'd really like it. I cruised through everything I had in 2nd gear, and it did a super job. And the tail wheel allows you to steer easily, not like the depth stake dragging in the dirt. My original reason to make it was for when tilling through the leafmulch,plucking out weeds,and not dragging gobs of leaves caught on the depth stake. It works great for that, but also in bare dirt. Heck, maybe I should apply for a patent..!! LOL...

 

[Sonny580]

With the ultralight new motors, the back end is heavy and I still need to make some wheel weights,----just dont have time,---to give them some traction. Need at least 40 pounds on the the drive wheels just to make up for the new motors being 40 pounds lighter than the original Kohler 7's! ---- Trust me when I say these new motors suck! also cant use my bumpers because the motors hang off to one side of the tillers! ---- that also adds to the problem with them pulling to the heavy side You would have to actually use one set up like this to see what I am bitchin about! ---Traction is totally gone---gotta push them thru the softer dirt as they just spin out and dig a big hole!