Garden time...Oh boy!

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Here in Ohio we are expecting a frost tonight. )</font>

Mike, that's unbelievable to me, frost possible all the way to Memorial Day. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif While you are planting, we should doing our first harvesting. I do wish we had a little of your rain though. We don't expect anything here for ?????. Thank goodness for soaker hoses.

 

[BB_TX]

<font color="blue"> huge leaves that acted like parachutes and broke the tender stems off at ground level </font>
Jim - Now that you mention it, I think each of those plants did have some leaves broken off after some high winds. Hmmm? I will have to take a closer look tonight.

 

[BB_TX]

<font color="blue"> huge leaves that acted like parachutes and broke the tender stems off at ground level </font>
Jim - Now that you mention it, I think each of those plants did have some leaves broken off after some high winds. Hmmm? I will have to take a closer look tonight.

 

[bloody_peasant]

Wow those are some big gardens!!

Not having neither a tractor (yet) or a tiller, I dug up my roughly 20' x 10' area in January using the old tried and true double dig method with a shovel /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif After I double dug it, I hoed it until I had broken up all the big clods. I also put up a fence around it using apron fence and T-posts and existing horse fence (for 2 sides) to keep rabbit out. I had an old chain link gate for an old dog lot that I put up and in one corner is one of the horse fence gates (that goes through my real dog lot /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

I also dug in about 4" of manure along with some lime and 10-10-10 and then took the dirt from the walkways and made psuedo raised beds, 4 of them, each 3' wide and 10' long. I then planted as closely as I thought I could get away with in these beds (not in rows) and intermixed all kinds of things (e.g. onions around the outside of my lettuce beds did real well, onions around the potatoes did not /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

I'm in NC and around the 1st of Feb, I planted all my cold weather crops, lettuce, peas, onions, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

I'm getting potatoes out now about the size of my fist, had and still have tons of lettuce, lots of onions and small carrots. My peas are just about filled in, will pick a pot full this weekend /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cabbage heads are just starting to form, hope they make it before it gets too hot.

I've started planting warm crops in as I remove cold crops, got a bunch of tomatoes in and growing fine, bell peppers, 2 habaneros /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif, one row of beans (I'll add more as I free up some more space) and cucumbers. I've got some more tomato, tomatillo, and hot pepper seedlings brewing too that will be ready rigth about the time I clear out the cabbage/carrot and potato beds.

I find that with this little area and doing these compact but loaded beds I can do it all with hand tools and grow enough food than my family can eat. Plus I can water it without running the well dry.

I also did plant a few things off to the side (the habaneros and 2 cantelope hills). I also dug up and planted a bed of about 20 strawberry plants, but probably won't get much this year. I also got a bunch of fresh herbs growing around the house to add in as well /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

The nice thing about this small area is weeds are easy to control, I mulched with clean straw in the walk ways and around big plants and hand pull the rest. The plants grow so dense they shade out most of the rest.

I did have problems with some insects, but I've been staying away from the pesticides and just hand picking them off. I let the grass hoppers have their fill and they put holes in my leaves, but didn't harm anything. I've seen enough lady bugs, spiders, praying mantis, toads, & lizard in the garden I think they keep most of the pests down and I really don't want to poison those guys. Colorado Potato Beetles have been my worst pest so far, but I was able to hand pick them and their eggs off and don't see them anymore. Begone you evil vermin /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

A couple of mistakes I made along the way:
I planted my peas in 2 rows in beds but didn't plant anything between them. Wasted space would have been great for onions or carrots.

I planted carrots and onions around my cabbages not realizing just how huge cabbage plants get. Some are now dwarfed under the leaves.

For some reason my cabbages (transplants) never did well (got them from a big box store), only 2 are full size and only 4 survived, but I'm lucky they didn't as I wouldn't have any carrots and less onions.

I planted way too much lettuce, 3 beds each 5' x 3' (3 different kinds, 2 leaf, and 1 butter head). I had to cut out huge amounts and throw in my compost pile.

Not enough carrots or onions.

Too many potatoes, I think I might plant them off to the side as well in their own little box, they just get really big and kinda fall over into the walkways.

 

[bloody_peasant]

Wow those are some big gardens!!

Not having neither a tractor (yet) or a tiller, I dug up my roughly 20' x 10' area in January using the old tried and true double dig method with a shovel /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif After I double dug it, I hoed it until I had broken up all the big clods. I also put up a fence around it using apron fence and T-posts and existing horse fence (for 2 sides) to keep rabbit out. I had an old chain link gate for an old dog lot that I put up and in one corner is one of the horse fence gates (that goes through my real dog lot /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

I also dug in about 4" of manure along with some lime and 10-10-10 and then took the dirt from the walkways and made psuedo raised beds, 4 of them, each 3' wide and 10' long. I then planted as closely as I thought I could get away with in these beds (not in rows) and intermixed all kinds of things (e.g. onions around the outside of my lettuce beds did real well, onions around the potatoes did not /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

I'm in NC and around the 1st of Feb, I planted all my cold weather crops, lettuce, peas, onions, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots.

I'm getting potatoes out now about the size of my fist, had and still have tons of lettuce, lots of onions and small carrots. My peas are just about filled in, will pick a pot full this weekend /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Cabbage heads are just starting to form, hope they make it before it gets too hot.

I've started planting warm crops in as I remove cold crops, got a bunch of tomatoes in and growing fine, bell peppers, 2 habaneros /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif, one row of beans (I'll add more as I free up some more space) and cucumbers. I've got some more tomato, tomatillo, and hot pepper seedlings brewing too that will be ready rigth about the time I clear out the cabbage/carrot and potato beds.

I find that with this little area and doing these compact but loaded beds I can do it all with hand tools and grow enough food than my family can eat. Plus I can water it without running the well dry.

I also did plant a few things off to the side (the habaneros and 2 cantelope hills). I also dug up and planted a bed of about 20 strawberry plants, but probably won't get much this year. I also got a bunch of fresh herbs growing around the house to add in as well /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

The nice thing about this small area is weeds are easy to control, I mulched with clean straw in the walk ways and around big plants and hand pull the rest. The plants grow so dense they shade out most of the rest.

I did have problems with some insects, but I've been staying away from the pesticides and just hand picking them off. I let the grass hoppers have their fill and they put holes in my leaves, but didn't harm anything. I've seen enough lady bugs, spiders, praying mantis, toads, & lizard in the garden I think they keep most of the pests down and I really don't want to poison those guys. Colorado Potato Beetles have been my worst pest so far, but I was able to hand pick them and their eggs off and don't see them anymore. Begone you evil vermin /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

A couple of mistakes I made along the way:
I planted my peas in 2 rows in beds but didn't plant anything between them. Wasted space would have been great for onions or carrots.

I planted carrots and onions around my cabbages not realizing just how huge cabbage plants get. Some are now dwarfed under the leaves.

For some reason my cabbages (transplants) never did well (got them from a big box store), only 2 are full size and only 4 survived, but I'm lucky they didn't as I wouldn't have any carrots and less onions.

I planted way too much lettuce, 3 beds each 5' x 3' (3 different kinds, 2 leaf, and 1 butter head). I had to cut out huge amounts and throw in my compost pile.

Not enough carrots or onions.

Too many potatoes, I think I might plant them off to the side as well in their own little box, they just get really big and kinda fall over into the walkways.

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Not having neither a tractor (yet) or a tiller, I dug up my roughly 20' x 10' area in January using the old tried and true double dig method with a shovel. )</font>

You can say I have a big garden, but I am really impressed that you wanted a garden and worked so hard to put in what seems to be a very productive 20' x 10' spot. Your payoff has been a great source of food for your family. I'm afraid my payoff for all that work would have been a stay in the hospital. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'm also surprised that you planted the first of February and got away with most of your stuff. Normally we wait until the last couple of weeks of February here. I was really late with my garden. Next year I will start a lot earlier.

Do you have any pictures of your garden? It sounds like you also have great bed started for summer crops. I only planted so many peppers because I have so much room, but it seems you planted lots of hot varieties. I'm really fond of mild peppers fresh out of the garden and I buy my hot peppers pickled. What I wanted most was all the blackeye peas, corn, okra, and tomatoes we can eat. A plate of those with some hot cornbread and I'm in heaven. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Please let us know how the rest of the year with the garden turns out. I think you've done exceptionally well so far and especially without any insecticide. There are lots of things you can use like hot pepper/garlic sprays, cornmeal, and mineral oil to repel bugs too. I hope to get better at using them. I've had good luck with the Sevin dust so far, but chemical insecticides are pretty darn expensive too. Some of the natural insect repellents are not nearly so expensive.

Post some pictures if you can. You deserve a lot of praise for your hard work and successes. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[jinman]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Not having neither a tractor (yet) or a tiller, I dug up my roughly 20' x 10' area in January using the old tried and true double dig method with a shovel. )</font>

You can say I have a big garden, but I am really impressed that you wanted a garden and worked so hard to put in what seems to be a very productive 20' x 10' spot. Your payoff has been a great source of food for your family. I'm afraid my payoff for all that work would have been a stay in the hospital. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

I'm also surprised that you planted the first of February and got away with most of your stuff. Normally we wait until the last couple of weeks of February here. I was really late with my garden. Next year I will start a lot earlier.

Do you have any pictures of your garden? It sounds like you also have great bed started for summer crops. I only planted so many peppers because I have so much room, but it seems you planted lots of hot varieties. I'm really fond of mild peppers fresh out of the garden and I buy my hot peppers pickled. What I wanted most was all the blackeye peas, corn, okra, and tomatoes we can eat. A plate of those with some hot cornbread and I'm in heaven. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Please let us know how the rest of the year with the garden turns out. I think you've done exceptionally well so far and especially without any insecticide. There are lots of things you can use like hot pepper/garlic sprays, cornmeal, and mineral oil to repel bugs too. I hope to get better at using them. I've had good luck with the Sevin dust so far, but chemical insecticides are pretty darn expensive too. Some of the natural insect repellents are not nearly so expensive.

Post some pictures if you can. You deserve a lot of praise for your hard work and successes. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What I wanted most was all the blackeye peas, corn, okra, and tomatoes we can eat. A plate of those with some hot cornbread and I'm in heaven. )</font>

Yessir, that's good eatin'. Occasionally adding a little fried squash and some hot buttered beets is mighty good, too.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( What I wanted most was all the blackeye peas, corn, okra, and tomatoes we can eat. A plate of those with some hot cornbread and I'm in heaven. )</font>

Yessir, that's good eatin'. Occasionally adding a little fried squash and some hot buttered beets is mighty good, too.

 

[Farwell]

Jinman,
I live in Mid Michigan and am jealous of your garden. We are still having over night frost so the garden has been put on hold for a few more days. If it keeps up I will be harvesting around Christmas time and having to remove the snow first.
You have a beautiful garden.
Farwell

 

[Farwell]

Jinman,
I live in Mid Michigan and am jealous of your garden. We are still having over night frost so the garden has been put on hold for a few more days. If it keeps up I will be harvesting around Christmas time and having to remove the snow first.
You have a beautiful garden.
Farwell

 

[bloody_peasant]

jinman,

Thanks, I'll see if I can get some pics up. Oh trust me, I was very tempted to run down to the local big box store and buy a tiller on the spot, only lack of $$ kept me from it. Sadly from a digging perspective I'm just west of the coastal plain thus have heavy clay soils instead of the sand. Luckily it was pretty moist when I did my first dig so breaking ground wasn't super hard and the fact it was old horse pasture had really added a good deal of organic goo to the stew. However the horse traffic did pack it down a bit /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

Well, I was going by the books LOL, and they all listed around the first of Feb. for those cold weather crops so I did it. I probably did get lucky as we had a really mild winter this year, although most of those things can survive a pretty good frost and even snow. I'm thinking for next year I might buy some of those hoop houses since my beds are pretty small and start even earlier and see what happens. Is your part of Texas the more humid part or the more dry part? I also hope to plant some leeks and garlic this winter and let it over winter.

Yeah, I've got habaneros, serranos, jalapenos, and another one called Czechlosvakia Black, that I decided just to try. The habaneros are already set out, the others are still in the flats just coming up. I've also got 3 different sweet bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 chocolate brown. We are hot pepper/fresh salsa fanatics. I've also got quite a few different tomatoes. In the garden right now I've got beefsteaks, 2 med. size hybrids, 2 grape/cherry sizes, a roma, and german johnson (big ones) and I've got some more roma seedlings I've started too.

Hey I actually tried the pepper spray, used a food processor and chopped up a couple jalapenos in water, let them sit for a while and added a drop of dish soap. I used it on the dang grasshopper nymphs that kept eating my potato leaves. It seemed to slow them, but then again I didn't spray as often as I should've.

Dang, black eyed peas was the one thing I didn't do this year I really wanted to, but this being my first year, I'll add another bed next year and have room for 'em. mmmm tasty. One of these days I'll have to make room for corn. All foods taste better fresh out of the garden, but there are certain ones where there is just no comparison to the stuff in the grocery store, corn, peas, green beans, & tomatoes are some of those. I tried some fresh peas out of the pod last night and its night and day compared to store bought, sugars break down too fast to last.

I wanted to share a bit about my garden because I saw a few people saying they didn't have enough space, (that and just plain old chest thumping /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). You can fit a lot of good garden in even a small space if you are willing to work with hand tools and forego driving a tractor between the rows /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. You can also use one of those little mini cultivators like jinman's got. I've heard good things about them for small or raised beds. You might not be able to fit the big squashes, melons, or corn, but you can sure get a lot of good peppers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, beans etc. There are a lot of good dwarf bush varieties too for those on a tight space budget. I actually have plenty of space, but just didn't have the means, desire, need, or tools for a big garden (yet). /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

So if you are stuck in one of those little city lots like I used to be, go out there and find you a little strip 3' wide x 8' long that gets plenty of sun and have some fun and you'll enjoy the good eatin' /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Plant some pretty flowers around the edges and you will not only get approval from the boss, but you will attract some of those good bugs that eat bad bugs and pollinate things. Then adding on next year will be a snap once the boss gets a taste for those garden goodies /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[bloody_peasant]

jinman,

Thanks, I'll see if I can get some pics up. Oh trust me, I was very tempted to run down to the local big box store and buy a tiller on the spot, only lack of $$ kept me from it. Sadly from a digging perspective I'm just west of the coastal plain thus have heavy clay soils instead of the sand. Luckily it was pretty moist when I did my first dig so breaking ground wasn't super hard and the fact it was old horse pasture had really added a good deal of organic goo to the stew. However the horse traffic did pack it down a bit /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif.

Well, I was going by the books LOL, and they all listed around the first of Feb. for those cold weather crops so I did it. I probably did get lucky as we had a really mild winter this year, although most of those things can survive a pretty good frost and even snow. I'm thinking for next year I might buy some of those hoop houses since my beds are pretty small and start even earlier and see what happens. Is your part of Texas the more humid part or the more dry part? I also hope to plant some leeks and garlic this winter and let it over winter.

Yeah, I've got habaneros, serranos, jalapenos, and another one called Czechlosvakia Black, that I decided just to try. The habaneros are already set out, the others are still in the flats just coming up. I've also got 3 different sweet bell peppers, 1 red, 1 yellow, and 1 chocolate brown. We are hot pepper/fresh salsa fanatics. I've also got quite a few different tomatoes. In the garden right now I've got beefsteaks, 2 med. size hybrids, 2 grape/cherry sizes, a roma, and german johnson (big ones) and I've got some more roma seedlings I've started too.

Hey I actually tried the pepper spray, used a food processor and chopped up a couple jalapenos in water, let them sit for a while and added a drop of dish soap. I used it on the dang grasshopper nymphs that kept eating my potato leaves. It seemed to slow them, but then again I didn't spray as often as I should've.

Dang, black eyed peas was the one thing I didn't do this year I really wanted to, but this being my first year, I'll add another bed next year and have room for 'em. mmmm tasty. One of these days I'll have to make room for corn. All foods taste better fresh out of the garden, but there are certain ones where there is just no comparison to the stuff in the grocery store, corn, peas, green beans, & tomatoes are some of those. I tried some fresh peas out of the pod last night and its night and day compared to store bought, sugars break down too fast to last.

I wanted to share a bit about my garden because I saw a few people saying they didn't have enough space, (that and just plain old chest thumping /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif). You can fit a lot of good garden in even a small space if you are willing to work with hand tools and forego driving a tractor between the rows /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. You can also use one of those little mini cultivators like jinman's got. I've heard good things about them for small or raised beds. You might not be able to fit the big squashes, melons, or corn, but you can sure get a lot of good peppers, tomatoes, onions, carrots, beans etc. There are a lot of good dwarf bush varieties too for those on a tight space budget. I actually have plenty of space, but just didn't have the means, desire, need, or tools for a big garden (yet). /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

So if you are stuck in one of those little city lots like I used to be, go out there and find you a little strip 3' wide x 8' long that gets plenty of sun and have some fun and you'll enjoy the good eatin' /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif. Plant some pretty flowers around the edges and you will not only get approval from the boss, but you will attract some of those good bugs that eat bad bugs and pollinate things. Then adding on next year will be a snap once the boss gets a taste for those garden goodies /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[mudcat]

Somebody is going to be baking a whole lot of zucchini bread. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The garden is outstanding Jim.

 

[mudcat]

Somebody is going to be baking a whole lot of zucchini bread. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif The garden is outstanding Jim.

 

[jinman]

Thanks for all the great comments and encouragement. We have picked almost a bushel of squash so far and the plants just keep increasing their production. Now we are starting to see a few young spaghetti squash. I've finally picked a few Porter tomatoes and expect some early girls to be ripe this week. The "determinate" type celebrity tomatoes will be getting ripe soon too.

In order to keep the post count down a little, I've posted pictures of the garden in my photo gallery. Here is a link to the garden at 8 weeks. For each picture, I've also added descriptive text. One of the highlights is aphids eating on pea pods and a ladybug busily eating the aphids. Bring on more ladybugs. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Our Garden This Week

 

[jinman]

Thanks for all the great comments and encouragement. We have picked almost a bushel of squash so far and the plants just keep increasing their production. Now we are starting to see a few young spaghetti squash. I've finally picked a few Porter tomatoes and expect some early girls to be ripe this week. The "determinate" type celebrity tomatoes will be getting ripe soon too.

In order to keep the post count down a little, I've posted pictures of the garden in my photo gallery. Here is a link to the garden at 8 weeks. For each picture, I've also added descriptive text. One of the highlights is aphids eating on pea pods and a ladybug busily eating the aphids. Bring on more ladybugs. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

Our Garden This Week

 

[bloody_peasant]

Wow Jim that looks awesome. mmmm Now I'm hungry and its barely 8:15 >:-D

Those tomatoes are so big already, I've got some just coming in, but no where near that size yet.

 

[bloody_peasant]

Wow Jim that looks awesome. mmmm Now I'm hungry and its barely 8:15 >:-D

Those tomatoes are so big already, I've got some just coming in, but no where near that size yet.

 

[jinman]

It's 9-1/2 weeks and the harvest is starting to come on strong. Of course, I planted too much squash, but so far we've easily found people to take the excess off our hands. Heres a "cornucopia" of tonight's harvest.