Garden out yet?

[tulenutn2o]

It's so darn wet here in iowa, I don't know when I'll even be able to till. MAY?

 

[jinman]

Everything in my garden is coming up including my okra I planted only 5 days ago. Last night it dropped down to 36.5 degrees...luckily no frost. I want to worry about getting my deer fence up rather than putting on row covers to protect from frost.

 

[tulenutn2o]

Should dry up enough this weekend, for me to till. But, I doesn't have my new tractor yet. Hopefully it's not raining when it comes. I got to plant. I love fried okra, wife not so much. Mom is from Arkansas- she rubbed off on me,I guess.Got all my seeds started indoors though,so I'll be off and runnin here shortly. 32 here last night.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

We have been busy working on our motorhome, but pretty much done now so back to the garden.

I did get the rows weeded but not tilled. We had a good rain yesterday evening. I want to till it all then put my soaker hoses out that I connect to 2 mainifolds. We have a well so that allows me to water like 2 or 3 rows at a time or whichever I want then rotate so I can water the garden well over a series of 3 days.

My orange tree has so many blooms I will probably have to stake the branches to keep them from breaking, its just a dwarf one but does it produce. Both peach trees are bearing, the cold snap we got must have helped or the big one is just now getting old enough I guess. Looks like I may have some grapes this year to for the first time. I think I lost my grapefruit, maybe the nectarine, apricot survived and the avocado. Neither have produced yet. I have 3 cherry trees to plant somewhere, planted 3 more grape vines, have 3 already. My apple tree says it produces year 3, this is year 2 for it.

I never knew fruit trees did that well down, never thought about it until I saw orange trees around one year really producing.

I hope to have enough produce to can this year. And I'm hoping to make grape jelly and freeze peaches or make preserves. I've got to get bird netting or something to keep the squirrels from eating them all but 1 like last year.

 

[tulenutn2o]

Just keep rubbin' that southern weather in.... I'm hoping my peach tree starts to produce next year. Need to plant a few apples this year. We can every year:Stewed tomatoes, tomatoe juice, salsa, sketti sauce, pizza sauce, jalopenas, beans. I'm gonna try a few canned POTATOES this year, I think. I have planted every year, but never tried canning them. Doin the herb garden seperate this year.

 

[jinman]

I did get the rows weeded but not tilled. We had a good rain yesterday evening. I want to till it all then put my soaker hoses out that I connect to 2 mainifolds. We have a well so that allows me to water like 2 or 3 rows at a time or whichever I want then rotate so I can water the garden well over a series of 3 days.

Carolyn, your garden looks awesome. Your tomatoes are really heathy lookin'. I think I can see beans and peas there too. I water my garden the same as you do. I use four-hose manifolds and soakers. I'm going to try to use some drip irrigation this year on my hilled veggies because the soaker wastes water between the hills where only the weeds use it.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Tell me about it if you do. I'm looking for something better. It's a real pain in the tush when I till to either disconnect or move the hoses and stuff. Last year I didn't get one over far enough and the tiller got it. But I definitely have to water. Tom has added top soil to the garden but we have sandy loam and the water doesn't last to long in it.

I tried those sprinklers that stand up and sprinkle, I like them but have had 2 of them and they don't last long. Hubby tried to fix one but he couldn't so I pitched it and they aren't cheap.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I started to take pictures of the blooms on those tomatoes, they are loaded. If all those produce I will be up to my neck in tomatoes. I used fish emulsion, about ready for another application and I think its the egg I put under each one. They are about as dark green as I've ever seen them.

Everything is now up, that last were beets and turnips. Well the potatoes aren't, only planted 5 hills of them last week, so may be awhile yet. I have a half row left think I will just plant some flowers in there.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

Yes, bush beans and snow peas. It said those peas get about 18 to 24 inches and don't need staked, now that I've got to see. I had some one year, they were delicious but to much work for no more then you got. Will see how these do.:licking:

We eat the heck out of fresh green beans, just love them. My husband really likes home canned tomatoes and green beans. He will take a whole jar of tomatoes sometimes and just eat them with crackers for dinner. I only have 1 quart of tomato juice left.

 

[Bartcephus]

Just found this thread... Looking at your gardens makes me jealous. Planted 20 tomatos, Squash, Bell Peppers, Hot Peppers, Habenaros, Watermelon, Onion, and cukes. Will be planting the corn, beans, peas, okra this weekend. Some around here have had to replant their potatoes as they rotted with the really wet spring.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

It looks better tonight, I got it tilled and finished weeding. Then I got the whole thing watered. We are going to be gone a couple of days so didn't want to leave it unwatered. It's getting pretty dry here.

 

[AD18]

Wow! That looks great. Here in the Pacific North WET. I was just yesterday able to do my first tilling and composting in the raised beds. My plums, peaches and cherry trees already blossomed and the apples and nectarine trees are just starting to blossom. The blueberries are going great as well. Seed trays are planted in the greenhouse. Squash, short season cantalopes, short season watermelons, peppers and tomatoes. Had a hard frost last night glad I put in a heatlamp.

 

[Chuck52]

Finally got my taters in this morning. It was still pretty wet, but it got down to a now-or-never situation. The bought seed potatoes were sprouting, and my left-overs from last year had sprouts over a foot long. I planted some like that last year and they did fairly well, so I just buried them sprouts and all.

I've got materials for two more 4x24 raised beds, which will give me eight in the main garden area, with room for at least two more after that. When I have them finished, I won't be quite so at the mercy of the rain as they are filled with lots of compost modified soil what drains much more quickly than my base soil. This year the only stuff in the base soil will be the potatoes, okra, and maybe some pink-eye purple hull peas.

Chuck

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

My garden has really grown the last few days. I only have 7 rows this year. I usually have the rows closer together and have out a couple rows of corn. But this year I spread it a bit more. I could till up the sides and get 3 more rows out of it but I like to keep it mowed around.

Only thing not up is potatoes but just planted them about a week ago. The far left row is onions, can't hardly see them.

We had a couple of showers, some warmer days and I also watered it good. Need to do fish emulsion again shortly for fertilizer.

 

[Bartcephus]

Planted corn, peas, potatoes, beans, okra this last weekend. So with the onions, tomatoes, squash, cucmbers, watermelon, and several varieties of pepper, I'm having a hard time finding room to plant. Still have other varieties of okra, corn and watermelon to see if I can get them in the ground soon. A little dry up here too. (Near Texarkana Texas.)

 

[jinman]

I'm embarrassed to say it, but I think I must have screwed up when I planted my purple hull peas. Either it is yet too cool, or I planted the seed too deep. The ground was very soft from tilling and I used my Earthway planter, but not a single seed has germinated and grown. My bush beans and okra are not as good a stand as I'd expect either. I know the okra was planted very early, but the beans were right on time. Oh well, I'll replant my PH peas soon since I've already bought more seed for them and blackeye peas. I've gone two years without peas in my garden and my frozen supply has run out. I've gotta have my fresh peas. That's one of the key things I plant a garden for.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I have that happen sometimes and I don't know why. I'm thinking its the quality of the seed. If you buy from Walmart or some of those places note many of the seeds are coming from china and places like that. I started ordering most of mine from Gurneys or online seed suppliers that have American produced products. They may be more expensive but sobeit. I try to buy anything I can American anymore, that is somebodies job we are saving plus the quality is better in most cases.

 

[forgeblast]

I was in the garden this weekend and saw some asparagus pokeing through, also my hops are breaking ground. Hopefully it wont be so wet and I will have another great crop of hops, i am almost through my 2008 harvest since 2009 was a complete bust.

 

[Chuck52]

I was in the garden this weekend and saw some asparagus pokeing through, also my hops are breaking ground. Hopefully it wont be so wet and I will have another great crop of hops, i am almost through my 2008 harvest since 2009 was a complete bust.

I assume you use the hops for homebrew? I've thought of growing some for that purpose if I can get myself back into it. What kind of trellis do you use?

Chuck

 

[Oil Slick]

It's been a busy two weeks but I have most everything planted. Potatoes, cabbage, onions, Lima beans, green beans, English Peas, Turnip greens, Radishes, Hot Peppers, Lettuce, Cucumbers, Eggplants, Spinach, Squash, Tomatoes, Purple Hull Peas, rhubarb, asparagus and okra. I'll plant cantaloupe, water melon, pumpkins and corn later.

Now if we could only get a good rain, it's pretty dry here.