Garden report

[Julie]

Well, I went out this morning and did a review of my garden so far.

Potatoes- first time - have 40+ plants up so far. The dog keeps digging in my rows so I don't know what all will survive but those that are up look happy.

Onions - up and doing well.

Watermelons - haven't got any up yet. Maybe I'll have to replant.

Peppers - All my starts didn't make it. Bought some at the store. I have 8 bell peppers, 6 jalapeno, 2 cayenne. I have a bunch of volunteers from last year that will be interesting to see what they will grow up to be.

Beets - two different kinds and both are up and looking happy.

Lettuce and carrots are up.

Tomatoes - 40+ of different varieties. Didn't do so well being started this year. I used a fertilizer that came with my seeds instead of old stand by. The root systems just didn't develop. Finally planted them earlier than I usually would of just to save their lives. They have finally came out of it and are looking happy. I have about 10 volunteers that have come up. Always fun to see what they will grow into.

Cucumbers - a few have come up. I may have to replant on these.

Peas are blooming like crazy.

Squash is up and looking good. I have planted onions in this box too because they keep the squash bugs away.

Green beans are a no show. May have to replant on these too.

The weather has been crazy with it getting hot then cold and has slowed my garden down but my peas have loved it.
I have had moles or something in my garden but I did as my "Joy of Gardening" book said to do and put some canes from dead raspberry plants into the holes and they have left my garden alone now.
I do have problems with raccoons and my book says to put creosote around your garden because they do not like creosote on their feet. I may try this if it persists.

My raspberries are looking good and are starting to make some raspberries.

My grapes are out and I planted a new grape plant this year that is still alive. My old grapes are from the originals used in the United Order and are really sweet but they are seeded so I planted a good eating grape.

My Apricot trees are two years old and are loaded this year.

My Peach trees are loaded too but I am having problem with aphids. I bought some lady bugs but my neighbor likes to feed birds (and kill my cats because they eat her birds) and her birds came and ate all my lady bugs some I'm back to square one.

I planted strawberries this year too. They are starting to bloom so it will be interesting to see what I get from them.

Besides a few replants the garden is looking good. Hopefully it will stay that way.

[prairiemom]

40 varieties of tomatoes?????? Wow--you are going to have one HUGE tomato harvest. Can I come eat at your house for a while? :yummie:

So what varieties did you plant?

My plants are still all seedlings in the greenhouse. All my seedlings are doing well except for the Hungarian peppers and petunias (only one or two of those have come up) and one variety of squash. And the flat that got knocked over in the wind storm, but it was mostly flowers. I think today I'll put a CD player out there and play some classical music to hurry the seedlings along. :001_sbiggrin:

Our avg last frost day is May 27. It looks like this year we may be able to plant earlier, but I won't do it until I can see the 10-day forecast through to the 20th or 23rd. I've seen too many early gardens lost to a surprise May freeze to succumb to the temptation to plant earlier.

[Julie]

I meant to say 40+ plants of different varieties. I edited my post. Sorry about that.

I planted:
Fourth of July - doing fine
Early Girl - doing fine
Brandy Boy - Thriving
Porterhouse - 1 plant survived - doing fine
Big Mama - Thriving
Bush Big Boy - Thriving
Red October - doing fine
Rutgers - None survived. May restart
Black Krim - Thriving
Black Cherry - None survived - will restart for daughter's garden
Mortgage Lifter - 1 survived - doing fine
Amish paste - doing fine
Pink Ponderosa - Thriving
Roma - 2 survived but not thriving which is unusual because they are usually my best tomato.
This has been a hard year for my tomatoes. It gets warm then cold and the wind blows a lot. They didn't get a good start either. They had been dropped a few times. (kids being helpful) What I am anxious for is my 4th of July's to see if I get tomatoes by Memorial Day. It will also be interesting to see what does well when the heat hits.

[signseeker]

My tomatoes I started from seed are doing pretty well. Funny how last year and now this year I'm thinking, "Okay, next year I'll do this, this and this, and things will be fantastic!"

I tried a beefsteak called The Dutchman (had dreams of breeding it with a good drought-tolerant mid-sized and calling it The Lost Dutchman - :w00t: ) which aren't looking that great. Sort of getting fried when all the others are not. This was bought.

My Rutgers, Eva Purple Ball and Homesteads are basically all looking well (my seeds).

Snow Whites and Mexico Midgets are slow-going, but I'm hoping they'll be fine. One of the Mexico Midget seedlings is like, 4 times bigger than the others. I'm not thinking I'm going to get 1/4" cherries out of that one.

Sweet Peppers- Odessa Market and Bull Nose (from Monticello!) are doing swell. Same for the Jalapenos. (Jalapenos were a 20cent seed pak from Wal-Mart.)

Cabbage and broccoli and cauliflower are looking weak, but keep hanging on.

We're late with tilling, etc. so have no seeds in the ground yet. I have some containers by the back door with lettuces, spinach.

Next year I'm going to start my seeds earlier, I think.

[mgriffith]

I admit that I cheat a little. I bought all my seedlings from Wal-Mart and just transplanted them.

I have about 45 broccoli plants, 12 Romaine lettuce, and 4 cucumbers planted. I'm getting ready to do the three-sisters thing in one bed with corn, beans, and butternut squash seeds. I also have some carrot and Brussels sprouts seeds to be planted once the lettuce and cucumbers are done.

40 tomato plants??!! That's a lot of tomatoes! I ordered one of those tomato growing systems with the planter with a 4 gallon water reservoir and cage from http://www.gardeners.com. A friend had two of these last year and she got 80 pounds of tomatoes from 4 plants! I had never seen so much fruit on one plant before, so I'm giving it a try this year. I have several black walnut trees close by and they put something in the ground (juglone I think it's called) which inhibits tomato growth (along with other plants). With planters, I can grow tomatoes without worrying about the walnut trees.

I'll have some photos to share soon.

/\/\ark

[Julie]

I just went and checked on my tomatoes and I have a bunch of them setting on blossoms. Go figure. They are only a foot tall. It will be interesting to see what happens.

[Dolcezza]

wow! These are big numbers. My garden is tiny and shady in 50% of the area. I bought some more trees though so now I have 1 apple, 2 plums and 3 grape vines.

Is any of you good at designing gardens with horticultural areas?

I would like to give you an idea of what I have so you can tell me where I can plant more veggies and eliminate some of the lawn where my kids roam. I am also fighting ground elder near a fern and would like to plant something instead of g. elder but it is 85% of the day in the shade and I wonder if any veggie would grow just by a fern, in full light, but not a lot of sun.

Thanks!

Dolcezza

[signseeker]

I bet there's some herbs that would do well in the shady spot... or things like lettuce, spinach and things like that. Peas?

[Lucy]

wow! These are big numbers. My garden is tiny and shady in 50% of the area. I bought some more trees though so now I have 1 apple, 2 plums and 3 grape vines.

Is any of you good at designing gardens with horticultural areas?

I would like to give you an idea of what I have so you can tell me where I can plant more veggies and eliminate some of the lawn where my kids roam. I am also fighting ground elder near a fern and would like to plant something instead of g. elder but it is 85% of the day in the shade and I wonder if any veggie would grow just by a fern, in full light, but not a lot of sun.

Thanks!

Dolcezza

Mushrooms?:l0 (48):

[Noahs ARK]

I wonder if any veggie would grow just by a fern, in full light, but not a lot of sun.

Thanks!

Dolcezza

Spinach and lettuce would thrive there - they wouldn't 'bolt' as quickly.

[mgriffith]

Here are some photos of my current gardening setup. This first is the beds planted and growing stuff. The second is the tomato planter with the support cage. Two beefsteak plants are growing here. The third is the watering port on the tomato planter. This holds four gallons of water to keep the soil moist. The last two are of my water collection system. You can see the downspout diverter on the downspout, and the plastic pipes connecting the three barrels, and the photo of the faucet on the last barrel. About 150 gallons collected during one good rainfall.

The last is a picture of the deck and all the maple tree seeds that have fallen. We have swept the deck several times this spring and they still keep coming. They are EVERYWHERE! And the stupid wiener dog won't help clean them up.

/\/\ark

[signseeker]

I love weiner dogs! I love that rain collection system, too!

I want to get some garden shots up here, too... soon as I can figure how to get my pics off the camera to the computer, then on to here... gotta' ask one of my kids, I guess.

[prairiemom]

I am in deep mourning. I lost 28 plants--mostly tomatoes, some peppers. I transplanted 100+ seedling from cells to paper pots Mon night. I checked on them early this AM and 3 of the 4 trays are doing beautifully, but the one tray of paper pots is completely devoid of all plant life. I don't understand it. There were a couple seedlings lying on top, like they'd be cut off, but nothing else to explain it. No withered plants (heat), no dirt disturbed (critters), nothing to explain it. The only thing I can think is, as I was bringing all the trays from the house to the greenhouse, I left one tray on the ground while I arranged the others. It was raining and windy and maybe that tore them up before they even got into the greenhouse (it was nighttime, so very little light. I can't imagine I wouldn't have noticed it, even in the bad light, but that is the only explanation I can think of.)

Fortunately, there are a few tomatoes still in the cells that I didn't transplant, but none of my Amish Paste, which is what I plant the most of and can hardly imagine a year without them.

I am still in shock and very sad over my tragic loss. http://bestsmileys.com/crying/3.gif

[Julie]

Oh wow, that's too bad. It has been a crazy year. I got up this morning and found two tomatoes dead. I think the wind broke them off their stems. I do have 2 little baby tomatoes though.
If I were you, I'd hurry and restart what you lost.

[signseeker]

That's terrible. A couple of my seedlings have passed on, too - for no reason I can figure out, cuz their neighbors with the same treatment have been alright. I really can't imagine how we'd feel if we were entirely dependent on this.

[Noahs ARK]

That's terrible. A couple of my seedlings have passed on, too - for no reason I can figure out, cuz their neighbors with the same treatment have been alright. I really can't imagine how we'd feel if we were entirely dependent on this.

RIP little seedlings. :angelsad2:

Can you imagine how difficult it's gonna be if there's little or no water?

[cHeroKee]

I am in deep mourning. I lost 28 plants--mostly tomatoes, some peppers. I transplanted 100+ seedling from cells to paper pots Mon night. I checked on them early this AM and 3 of the 4 trays are doing beautifully, but the one tray of paper pots is completely devoid of all plant life. I don't understand it. There were a couple seedlings lying on top, like they'd be cut off, but nothing else to explain it. No withered plants (heat), no dirt disturbed (critters), nothing to explain it. The only thing I can think is, as I was bringing all the trays from the house to the greenhouse, I left one tray on the ground while I arranged the others. It was raining and windy and maybe that tore them up before they even got into the greenhouse (it was nighttime, so very little light. I can't imagine I wouldn't have noticed it, even in the bad light, but that is the only explanation I can think of.)

Fortunately, there are a few tomatoes still in the cells that I didn't transplant, but none of my Amish Paste, which is what I plant the most of and can hardly imagine a year without them.

I am still in shock and very sad over my tragic loss. http://bestsmileys.com/crying/3.gif

I worked for Red Butte Gardens several years ago during my first semester of med school. I transplanted a lot of seedlings. The main thing is that the seedlings are ready to be transplanted when they have their first set of true leaves (very, very important). The first set of "leaves" you see are not actually leaves at all but part of the seed itself. The true leaves will emerge as different set of leaves from the first set.
The plants I did were not transplanted until they reached at least 4" inches in height. This ensures a proper and secure root system and allows the plant to handle transplant shock easier. The transplanted plants were thoroughly watered after transplanting.

[signseeker]

Mmmm...my guess is that prairiemom knows when to transplant seedlings.

P-mom- You say some looked like they'd been 'cut off'? Like, was the root at ground level skinnier than the rest of the root?

[prairiemom]

Yes, they all had true leaves. 3 of the 4 trays are doing just fine, but the 4th tray was on the bottom shelf and dh thinks that it might have been a mouse or vole that got inside and nipped them all off. It is true--the two plants I found sort of on the side of the pots did look like it'd been cut off.

Most of these were tomatoes, so I'd planted the whole stem, so they were pretty well-anchored.

This is my 4th yr with the greenhouse and I've never had critters get inside before, but I guess there's a first time for everything...

Dh put mouse traps inside. If it was a mouse, I hope he catches a bunch of them, one for each plant they destroyed. :d0 (63):

[cHeroKee]

Mmmm...my guess is that prairiemom knows when to transplant seedlings.

P-mom- You say some looked like they'd been 'cut off'? Like, was the root at ground level skinnier than the rest of the root?
certainly wasn't in the description

[Julie]

My potatoes are blooming. Does that mean they are making little potatoes that I can eat soon?

[mgriffith]

My potatoes are blooming. Does that mean they are making little potatoes that I can eat soon?

Eh, you have awhile to wait. When they turn brown and start to fall over, then you can carefully dig them up. If you try now, you'll just have some small ones.

/\/\ark

[prairiemom]

Well, today I got my first cutting of asparagus--1.25 lbs. YEAH! And while I was at it I weeded all the nettles growing in the asparagus bed. I was fully armed--plastic gloves and long sleeves. And what better revenge for those nasty weeds but to eat them?

So, for lunch we had asparagus and boiled nettles. The nettles tasted pretty good. I was prepared not to like them, but with butter, salt and a little lemon they were pretty tasty.

[phylm]

Well, today I got my first cutting of asparagus--1.25 lbs. YEAH! And while I was at it I weeded all the nettles growing in the asparagus bed. I was fully armed--plastic gloves and long sleeves. And what better revenge for those nasty weeds but to eat them?

So, for lunch we had asparagus and boiled nettles. The nettles tasted pretty good. I was prepared not to like them, but with butter, salt and a little lemon they were pretty tasty.

Isn't that a hoot?! I held a Wild Food's dinner each year at our house at the end of my several weeks' wild food foraging classes, with everyone bringing a dish of foraged food.

I made cream of wild leek and nettle soup. Needless to say, I didn't identify it, because some of our guests weren't too adventurous. One good friend took a good helping of it, and sipped a spoonful.

"Say, this is good," he said, "what did you say it is?"

"I didn't say."

"Well, what is it?"

"Cream of wild leek and nettle soup."

He stared at the soup for a long time, then finally raised his head.

"But it is good!" he said.

[Noahs ARK]

My potatoes are blooming. Does that mean they are making little potatoes that I can eat soon?

I love those itty bitty new potatoes. Enjoy!!

[mgriffith]

I love those itty bitty new potatoes. Enjoy!!

You have to be careful with new potatoes. I have read where some varieties are mildly poisonous. You should read up on that before you chow down on the little ones. I think this might also be true for all potatoes, but I think the new ones are especially subject to this.

/\/\ark

[Noahs ARK]

You have to be careful with new potatoes. I have read where some varieties are mildly poisonous. You should read up on that before you chow down on the little ones. I think this might also be true for all potatoes, but I think the new ones are especially subject to this.

/\/\ark

It's true. It's very important to keep potatoes OUT of the sun, which is why hilling the dirt around them helps prevent this. I have friends that use dirt and straw. After they harvest all the potatoes, they rototil the straw into the garden.


Because new potatoes have very thin skins, they are also prone to sun damage. A sunburned potato has a green patch under its red or yellow skin. This green patch contains a poisonous chemical (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-chemical.htm), so either discard the entire potato or cut out the green patch entirely before using. It only takes a few unchecked sunburned new potatoes to cause food poisoning (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-food-poisoning.htm).

[signseeker]

I've built up an immunity to green potatoes. RAHHHH!