# Sticky  What's Everyone Planting Today?



## UncleJoe

Now that we're in mid-April a lot more folks are getting outside and working the soil so I thought it was about time for a "planting" thread to go along with the; What are you canning and What are you dehydrating threads.

This past weekend, even though the ground wasn't quite as dry as I would have liked, I planted my potatoes and peas. Some night this week I want to get beets, broccoli, carrots and lettuce in.

So, What Are You Planting Today?


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## *Andi

A mixed bag of cool weather crops ... With all the kids now out on their own, I working things a little different. (not sure it will work as planned but I will see.)

So yesterday I planted: 2 leaf lettuce, 2 broccoli plants, 1 cabbage plant. with that a small row of turnips and beets. Oh and 1 cool weather tomato plant.

Next week much of the same with a mix here or there but for the most 1 or 2 plants at a time.

Also looks like I will have to replant the snow peas, less than half came up. 

Happy gardens.


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## musketjim

Nothing. Record cold last week -20 and -25. Still a lot of snow on the ground but I can keep dreaming.


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## Davarm

I replanted 6 rows of Armenian Cucumbers with black eye peas mixed in with them. They were coming up a while back and a frost got most of them so I just tilled up the rows and replanted instead of filling the empty spaces.

Tomorrow I'm going to plant pickling cucumbers and I'm planning on planting chamomile also, I think its late enough for it. I have seen volunteers coming up in last years plot and they are doing quite well so gonna go for it. I've been holding off because those seeds are kinda expensive and I dont want a problem with cold or frost.

It was 92 here again today.


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## Tank_Girl

Nothing.

I'm waiting for it to stop raining and I'm contemplating building an ark.

My lawn is over 3 foot tall and I have to wear gum boots outside in case I step on a snake accidentally.
Mowing it, when it drys out enough, is going to be hard slog. 

I really need to borrow a goat.


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## *Andi

Tank_Girl said:


> I really need to borrow a goat.


Goats are good but for grass you may want to look into sheep. lol


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## boomer

I spent the day transplanting into larger pots and looking out the window at the snow drifts in the yard. Last year I had early vegetables in the ground by now.


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## Wellrounded

Mid autumn here. We're nearly finished sowing all our winter/early spring veg.
Garlic, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, broad beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, english peas, carrots, parsnip, beets, onions, chard, turnips, kale, calendula, coriander, parsley, dill, rocket, and various asian greens. That's the bulk of it but I'll fill a few spots with more over the next month or so.
Pics of last weeks work.
We're expanding a bit this year, moving strawberries, rhubarb and berries into a new section.


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## memrymaker

80's and 90's here.

I re-planted some thyme and green onion today. I am just starting my garden for this year  and am excited to see how it all goes. 

Planted tomatoes and strawberries yesterday.

Tomorrow's list includes carrots, lettuce varieties and radish for the inside container garden (cooler crops and they'd die outside!) and then cucumber, eggplant, watermelon, flowers, snap beans, green bell peppers and jicama in the raised garden beds. Should be fun, but VERY busy!! 

Still need to plant potatoes and the rest of my intended herbs. I am exhausted just thinking about it!!!


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## Woody

Let’s see… Third plantings of radishes (12” x 12” plots), third of carrots (12” x 12” also), third of spinach (12” x 36”) third of lettuce (12” x 24”). First ones did nothing, it has been a cold, cold wet spring here. Second plantings are sparse and I did some reseeding to fill them in. Third plantings went in last weekend so no action yet but weather has been great so I expect excellent results. If they come up well I’ll put in a large plot of carrots for canning. Just have to wait the TWO WEEKS for carrots to germinate to know! Maybe I’ll go ahead and put in a large planting anyway, I can be a bit impatient with some things. Second half-row of peas, first ones rotted in the ground due to weather. Rows are about 12 feet long so half is about 6 feet. I hope to put in a few rows of peas next week for canning, the ones already in will be for snacks!

This week end we will be preparing tomato holes and putting in tomato seeds (they go in the squash mounds from last year, this year). I experimented several seasons doing transplants and seeds to compare. The transplants fruited a few weeks earlier but starting from seeds gave me much nicer, stronger plants and overall better results. And they’ll know when it is time to germinate, just like the volunteers do. That is always fun too, seeing where a tomato, cucumber or something decides to sprout. I will also need to make a few more tomato holes as I plan on canning a bunch of them. I think I’ll put them in the experimental area, where we try new crops. I don’t have anything planned for there yet anyway.

Depending on what next weeks forecast looks like we might do a row or three of beans and one of cucumbers. Again, once they are sprouting with success I’ll be putting in several rows at once for canning. Start the green and hot pepper holes and put in seeds. I have some transplants of the ghost chilie, started a month or more ago. I heard they take 4 months to fruit so wanted to get a good start on them. I will need to re-pot them this weekend. I see some of the neighbors have tomato plants in already but I think the ground is a little cold for them to do well. Seems to me if you put them in too early they take forever to get over the shock and really take off, at least as I remember it.


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## 8thDayStranger

Waiting on rain to quit and this last cold snap to push through. Then I can get my beans, peas, squash, potatoes and okra in the ground finally. Gonna wait another week for tomato and peppers. I have them in pots right now. Just waiting on the weather to cooperate.


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## Genevieve

planting leaf lettuce. also transplanting some herbs to bigger pots. have to plant new high bush blueberry bushes this week. gonna be nice and overcast and rainy.


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## cedarguy

We just put out 50lbs of red seed potatos and about 4 rows each of carrots,peas,beets,radishes,kale,spinach. We have over 350 plants started indoors waiting for the fear of a frost to pass.


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## memrymaker

Well - about 2/3's of my garden plantings are in. Although it is a very small area compared to many of yours and the yields will be smaller, I am happy and hopefully this will give me good experience for the first year.  I still have some indoor containers to fill (Lettuce varieties, carrots and radishes), but I have told the kids they can help me, so after school is over. 

The only glitch was that the power drill slipped and now I have a hole in the side of my fingernail. Hurts like a bugger, but will hopefully heal soon!


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## goshengirl

memrymaker said:


> The only glitch was that the power drill slipped and now I have a hole in the side of my fingernail. Hurts like a bugger, but will hopefully heal soon!


Ooww!! (But at least the garden looks good! ) Children are your God-given free labor. 

We can't have a big garden this year - I'll spare everyone the long sob story about the evil messed up drug dealing neighbors and their vicious dog that wants to eat members of my family (on command). It's a hidden opportunity to spend more time on herbs. 

Started warming up the soil in the greenhouse, and in the next couple of days will start a lot of herbs:
allheal
astralagus
basil (9 varieties) (ever try lime basil? it's outstanding!)
bee balm
calendula
catnip
chamomile (german, roman, wild)
clover (crimson, white)
echinacea (augustifolia, paradoxa, purpurea)
evening primrose
feverfew
garlic, california (thought garlic was a fall planting, but this says spring...)
hyssop
mint (7 varieties and counting)
poppy, breadseed
pyrethrum
sage (3 varieties)
sesame
soapwort
sorrel
stevia
thyme (5 varieties)
valerian
verbena, lemon
yarrow

Also getting potatoes ready to plant in buckets (been stocking up - both buckets and potatoes). Hopefully will have this done by the beginning of next week.
early ohio
goldrush (our favorite)
mountain rose
purple majesty
purple viking
rose finn apple
yellow finn
and any other varieties that got left in the ground and come up as volunteers


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## memrymaker

goshengirl said:


> Started warming up the soil in the greenhouse, and in the next couple of days will start a lot of herbs:
> allheal
> astralagus
> basil (9 varieties) (ever try lime basil? it's outstanding!)
> bee balm
> calendula
> catnip
> chamomile (german, roman, wild)
> clover (crimson, white)
> echinacea (augustifolia, paradoxa, purpurea)
> evening primrose
> feverfew
> garlic, california (thought garlic was a fall planting, but this says spring...)
> hyssop
> mint (7 varieties and counting)
> poppy, breadseed
> pyrethrum
> sage (3 varieties)
> sesame
> soapwort
> sorrel
> stevia
> thyme (5 varieties)
> valerian
> verbena, lemon
> yarrow


Wow, now that's a huge herb garden.  Awesome. 
I love the idea of starting potatoes this year. Looking forward to getting my ten - 5 gallon buckets from the nursery on Thursday.


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## 8thDayStranger

Need some advice. How far away should I plant hot peppers from the rest of my veggies? I'm trying habenaros and scorpion peppers this year. Everyone tells me not to plant them close to rest but I don't know how far is far enough. Thanks!!


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## Toffee

I'm buying seed potatoes today. Only a pound or two though. And planting my rhubarb start, too.


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## Woody

8thDayStranger said:


> Need some advice. How far away should I plant hot peppers from the rest of my veggies? I'm trying habenaros and scorpion peppers this year. Everyone tells me not to plant them close to rest but I don't know how far is far enough. Thanks!!


My hot peppers (scotch bonnets) have been the next row from tomatoes and I never had any troubles. I have them right with the green peppers and next to the radishes and carrots also. What kind of troubles to they say you will have?

I am trying some ghost chilies this year and will put them away from everything but that is more for my own protection. Gloves only for those little buggers!!!


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## 8thDayStranger

I've read they will either A) make bell peppers or other not hot peppers hot or B) not be as hot as they should. I'm growing these for a buddy to make me some of his killer hot sauce so I want them hot hot but not my bells. 

I know years ago my granddaddy grew hot peppers next to his banana peppers and the banana peppers would light you up. Everywhere I read says to separate them but nobody says how far. Could be a couple rows, could be 500 yards. I don't know.


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## Davarm

I got a basin full of "Leeks" dug up and am going to transplant them in my winter spinach patch tomorrow after I get the last of the greens picked and cleaned out.

I sowed a plot about 6x20 feet with them with the intention of using it as a starter bed and its time to transplant them.


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## CoffeeTastic

Started sprouting iceberg lettuces. They are quick, it only took one day to sprout!


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## AnonyManx

We are in Maryland, between Baltimore and DC. I have 2 raised beds; one is 30"x10' and the other is 48"x10'. The HOA is not a fan of backyard gardens, and limits their size and placement. We're lucky that we were able to comply with their rules and end up with a good, sunny location.

I planted the smaller raised bed around the third weekend of March. We have 2 very nifty cold frames that completely protect the smaller bed (the larger one will be planted in a few more weeks). We got about 8" of snow about 2 days after I planted; that cost us ONE chard plant.

The currently planted bed is growing:
- radishes (which we've already started harvesting) - Cherry Belle, Red Globe
- carrots - Short & Sweet, Dragon
- kale - Red Russian
- Swiss chard - Rainbow
- lettuce - Jericho (romaine), Red Velvet (red leaf), Winter Density (early green leaf)
- spinach - Bloomsdale
- cabbage - Early Jersey Wakefield (green head)
- celery - started these from the last 4 bunches bought at the organic market - no clue as to variety
- beets - Chiogga

The bathtub upstairs has a bunch of stuff getting started, including:
- tomatoes - Black Krim, Black Sea Man, Rainbow, Beefsteak
- peppers - California Wonder, Carnival, Aji Dulce, Jalapeño
- tatsoi
- cucumbers - Soyo Long, small pickling type
- eggplant - Italian heirloom
- zucchini - Black Beauty
- green beans - Kitchen Wonder
- peas - snow, English
- herbs - basil (purple & green), cilantro, parsley

Oh, and there's a pot of chives in the top of my rain barrel.


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## db2469

Much of the country is ahead of us here in northern PA because of the weather and this year I'm helping a friend with his large garden and learning what I need to know to have my own next year...we have only planted potatoes, onions and peas so far...


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## UncleJoe

We're only slightly ahead of you at the southern end.


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## *Andi

To the herb garden I added a few new peppermint plants ... We are out of jelly. lol

Started a few new things in the greenhouse ... but that is about it.


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## Davarm

I planted 3 50ft rows of Roma green beans today, hoping to plant 3 more tomorrow if it we dont get blown away. Had near 30mph winds most of the day.


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## lazydaisy67

NOTHING!!!! 

It's been raining for over a week and we still had snow on the ground on Good Friday so I haven't even gotten taters in the ground!!!


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## musketjim

We just got snowed on today with more coming the rest of the week along with well below normal temps. Very frustrating but eventually we'll be planting tomatoes and cucumbers here at the house for canning and pickling. I'll be growing a new species of barley at BOL along with potatoes.


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## Grimm

Since we have the last frost due anytime I am only starting in doors. I have 12 tomato plants, peas and squash. I want to sow corn after the frost but I need deer fencing first.


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## CoffeeTastic

Since it is very cold here still: Can you grow spring onions indoors? I consider them a step up from chives.


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## neldarez

Wellrounded said:


> Mid autumn here. We're nearly finished sowing all our winter/early spring veg.
> Garlic, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, broad beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, english peas, carrots, parsnip, beets, onions, chard, turnips, kale, calendula, coriander, parsley, dill, rocket, and various asian greens. That's the bulk of it but I'll fill a few spots with more over the next month or so.
> Pics of last weeks work.
> We're expanding a bit this year, moving strawberries, rhubarb and berries into a new section.


That is a beautiful garden!


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## neldarez

memrymaker said:


> Well - about 2/3's of my garden plantings are in. Although it is a very small area compared to many of yours and the yields will be smaller, I am happy and hopefully this will give me good experience for the first year.  I still have some indoor containers to fill (Lettuce varieties, carrots and radishes), but I have told the kids they can help me, so after school is over.
> 
> The only glitch was that the power drill slipped and now I have a hole in the side of my fingernail. Hurts like a bugger, but will hopefully heal soon!


ow ow ow....


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## Startingout-Blair

Wellrounded said:


> Mid autumn here. We're nearly finished sowing all our winter/early spring veg.
> Garlic, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, broad beans, sugar snap peas, snow peas, english peas, carrots, parsnip, beets, onions, chard, turnips, kale, calendula, coriander, parsley, dill, rocket, and various asian greens. That's the bulk of it but I'll fill a few spots with more over the next month or so.
> Pics of last weeks work.
> We're expanding a bit this year, moving strawberries, rhubarb and berries into a new section.


Nice gardens! Looking great!


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## neldarez

Davarm said:


> I planted 3 50ft rows of Roma green beans today, hoping to plant 3 more tomorrow if it we dont get blown away. Had near 30mph winds most of the day.


hang on Dave, put rocks in your pockets!


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## Startingout-Blair

I have seedlings started for bell peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, hot peppers, broccoli, and various herbs. They are all looking great so far. I need to set up my raised garden beds this weekend so I can transplant soon. Also planted various onions and shallots, as well as leaf lettuce in our row garden already. Going to start cucumbers, carrots, beets, corn, and radishes soon


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## memrymaker

My cucumber, eggplant, carrots, 2 lettuce varieties, radish and watermelon plants have all sprouted! Now to thin some and transplant half of them into larger containers.


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## Davarm

My dear Ms Nelda, I dont need rocks in my pockets!:laugh::laugh:



neldarez said:


> hang on Dave, put rocks in your pockets!


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## worldengineer

Might as well add what I've done.

20 pounds of potatos, sprouted
5 pounds of onions, sprouted

Thats it for now hoping next week will bring mid to upper 70's.


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## Davarm

I finally got around to replanting my basil, the first planting got caught in the last freeze we had and only a small number of plants survived.

Cant go through the year without a resupply!


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## Woody

2 Contender peach trees and 2 Ambrosia pear trees went into holes last night. Would have been done sooner but the puppy wanted to help. Dug the first hole, mixed in compost and was digging the second hole. Didn't see the pup running around like a crack head so turned and she had emptied out the first hole! Scattered dirt and compost far and wide!

Speaking of compost, 8 yards of composted cow manure and 8 yards of tripple shredded hardwood mulch delivered on Tuesday. That is a 3 year supply for me.


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## tsrwivey

Planted the purple hull peas, tomatoes, bell pepper, & jalapeños. Today I hope to get the crookneck squash & eggplant in the ground.


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## Davarm

Got the rest of my "Roma" green beans in the ground, tilled up my radish patch and replanted it with Cilantro, put in Chayote Squash in at the end of my cucumber patch got my Cheese Pumpkins planted. 

Tomorrow I'm finally going to get my "Hominy Maker" corn planted and maybe some Black Eye Peas and Okra. May still be a bit early for the Okra but if it doesn't come up good will replant it later. Next week I'm going to plant my Blue Corn and see if I can get a crop out of it this year.


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## 8thDayStranger

My MIL came over and tripled the size of my garden yesterday. She had plowed and disked a 60x60 plot next to our 30x40 plot and then decided she wasn't going to use it. Then yesterday she came over with her husband and we planted 4 rows of corn, 4 rows of bush beans, and 2 rows of butter beans. She's coming back today to do two more rows of butter beans and two rows of pole beans. I'm stopping today to get cucumbers to plant and about 10 more tomato plants. 

She has another 60x60 plot at her house that she planted and I asked why she was putting all this at my house. Her response was she wanted us to have enough to can and last the whole year. I'm still learning this gardening thing so I was going to start small then work up to a big garden but I guess The Lord is telling me He's got this and to go big.


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## Davarm

Gonna finish up the garden by planting Okra, black eye peas and the last of the winter squash.


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## Woody

Hey 8thDayStranger, if you’re MIL has some extra time she can come to my place and do some disking!!! 

We really do need to find more space. For years now I have been gardening for the season, eating all I grow. My 30’ x 40’ plot has been more than enough for that and it allowed me to rotate and leave sections fallow. Now that I will join the ranks of the canners I need to expand quite a bit. I laid out the garden and there is just not enough room to grow all I would like to. So, I will be tilling up small plots around the yard and scattering many more tomatoes, squash and all. I am going to use about half of the herb garden also. I really grow a lot of herbs and end up giving most of them away anyway.

Put in 4 Bhut Jolokia peppers in last night. Month and a half old and only about a foot tall, looks like they really are a slow grower. Perhaps they will take off being in a hole not a pot. I put them off in a sunny corner, behind the tomatoes and I call it the Danger Zone!


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## dawnwinds58

We have delayed planting until our nights have stayed warm enough to consider putting out transplants. We weren't in any hurry as our resident tillers (our Red Wattle hogs) have been busy removing weeds and roots and grubs from our front field to their own joy. As I write the menfolk are shifting the fence to the back field to send the hogs onto new delicious weedy ground complete with the standing roots of last years Hickory King corn.

The plants we have ready to set include Rutgers and Beefsteak tomatoes, sweet banana and bell peppers, zucchini and cantaloupe. I've only prepared seeds for Romano Italian beans and Straight Eight cucumbers. The varied lettuces will go down after these with Napa cabbage, Tatsoi, and Black Tuscan "Dinosaur" kale. Burgundy Okra will follow with a large space being set aside for Georgia Rattlesnake watermelons.

Our sweet summer eating corn will be the next down to space its short season well ahead of this years crop of Hickory King so the two will be pollinated with no chance of crossing. Scarlet Runner beans will climb the Hickory King and be followed by Sugar Pie pumpkins in a "3 sisters" planting for fall harvest. We plan on trying some patty pan white squash this year and testing my grandchildren with parsnips. We'll likely put down some red and Yukon Gold potatoes with Giant Noble spinach to fill in some of the empty spaces vertically till the potatoes make a decent plant. 

We like to consider all the dimensions of planting, underground, bushed, and trellised to make the most of our space. We have plenty of manure from the hogs, horses, and poultry (Pilgrim Geese, Buff Orpington chickens, and Fawn and White Indian Runner ducks) to share with our garden for its feedings of manure tea.

Everything else is dependent and changes on a whim.


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## Davarm

Was going to finish up the last of the planting but it turned windy and cold with drizzle.

Yesterday it was 92 and tonight supposed to get down to 34.


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## SouthCentralUS

Today records were broken and at 1:30 this afternoon I walked out of my office building and it was sleeting. Tonight it may snow, but not enough to measure. What is happening to our weather? Short growing season here. I have already lost half my tomatoes and peppers and hope the rest will be ok.

I live in the South, folks!!


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## Woody

Same here. That rain we got earlier in the week still has the ground saturated so I have not been able to do anything in there yet. I've been digging and compost mixing holes around the yard for the winter squash and more tomatoes.


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## memrymaker

Question: Has anyone grown jicama? I planted some before I realized that everything except the root veggie was poisonous. I dug them up, but today I saw one small plant growing underneath my thyme! 

Do you think that it will cause a problem to use the thyme that is growing on top of the small leaves (after a good washing) - or should I just throw the part that touched the jicama out after getting rid the growth??? My inclination is just to throw those branches out.

Removal scheduled for tomorrow!


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## Meerkat

Not planting anything today or this week. Still working on the others.


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## Toffee

Does anyone still have tobacco seeds from when y'all were sharing them around last year? The hubs decided that he could have something to do with gardening if it included some tobacco leaves.


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## Immolatus

Toffee, I'll be gettin em from Pawpaw in the mail next week. I'll start a thread when I do, and anyone can pm me with an address and I'll send em.

Today I planted: cabbage, red and yellow sweet peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, basil, chamomile, green zebra and purple maters, bush beans, arugula, and for kicks hyssop (hat tip to Andi from your pic, I aint sure what I'll do with it and I dont like anise...) one calendula and one stevia plant.
I felt the time was right and I wouldnt have had any time for the next 3 weeks so I wanted to get at least something going.
Pretty bushed...


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## Wellrounded

Onions today. Here in temperate Australia onion seed goes in the ground in mid to late autumn. I plant in nursery beds then transplant into the big beds in mid spring. Saves a lot of fiddly weeding. Put in about 5000 seed, that should give me a good 3000 strong seedlings come plant out time. This is more than we can use but we have good onion years here and bad onion years. We aim at three times what we need for a year. If this is a good onion year I'll have plenty to store, plenty to pickle and plenty to dry and some to give to family. If it's a bad year we'll have a few fresh, maybe some to store and we'll eat last years pickles and use some of the dried we have stored.


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## camo2460

Just got done planting corn and sunflowers, have planted a few tomatoes and squash and will be planting onions in a little while. Will be planting bush beans tomarrow.


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## Immolatus

Great, now its supposed to get into the 30's tomorrow night. Crossing fingers...


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## Wellrounded

Raining today, for the first time in months. So glad I got the onions in yesterday. We've put out a lot of pasture seed as well so this just might get it going before the ground cools off too much, fingers crossed....


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## worldengineer

Got everything in finally! Had a couple nice days here, but now they're are calling for a possible FROST Tuesday  its May and this is not Alaska. I don't understand this weather.


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## 8thDayStranger

With all the rain we've had, I'm thinking I might have to replant all my green beans. Blackeyed peas are coming up nicely and squash and okra are doing good. My tomatoes are weak looking but the temps have been all over the road lately. Either rabbits got my green beans as soon as they sprouted or they've rotted in the soaking rains cause I have maybe two plants popping up after three weeks of being in the ground. My bell peppers climbed up to about two inches and now they've stalled as well. May have to get some more if this next week of 80's doesn't wake them up.


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## UncleJoe

worldengineer said:


> but now they're are calling for a possible FROST Tuesday  its May and this is not Alaska. I don't understand this weather.





Immolatus said:


> Great, now its supposed to get into the 30's tomorrow night. Crossing fingers...


Same here. All the pots I've had setting outside waiting to go in the ground are now in the garage waiting for the frosty nights to be behind us.


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## razorback

We got corn and tomatoes in the ground yesterday =D

Still got beans, watermelons, cucumbers, and peppers to go =)


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## memrymaker

SUCCESS!

Not sure why - but I feel the need to report my day's discoveries. I am a first time gardener and things are going very well.  

Today while watering my plants I discovered a couple clusters of cherry tomatoes hiding under the big plant leaf!! They are still green, but they are big.  I can't understand why I have missed them up to this point. Hmm. 

Also, my zucchini plant now has a REAL fruit growing on it with the dark green, smooth skin (so I think that means it's been fertilized)!

Thanks to everyone for all your postings. I have learned SO much. Who knew I would like gardening?


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## razorback

YAY!!! The corn has broke the ground =) and the deer have found the garden =( At east they haven't ate anything yet just walked through it a couple of times.

We also got the cucumbers, beans, some peppers, and watermelons in the ground last night =) Now I have to find some more peppers, I didn't know you were suppose to seed peppers 10 weeks before the last frost, yeck that's about the time of the first frost here LOL!!!

And the no see-ems are out like crazy here!!


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## Roslyn

Working on getting the garden fence up so that the hot wires can go up this weekend. Right now I have the garlic, strawberries and broccoli covered to keep out deer and chickens. But it's time for the tomatoes, beans and peppers to go in and I can't cover everything, so the fence is at high priority.

I was blown away when the deer mowed down a 100 sq foot bed of garlic early in the Spring. Supposedly garlic is used as a deer deterrent, but they enjoyed the whole bed in one night. A thunderstorm hit two days later with some hard core rain and the bed bounced back with new growth and it is now the tallest and most gorgeous garlic I have ever grown!!

I was on the verge of planting the tomatoes two weeks ago when I saw that a cold snap was coming. Instead, I repotted them into larger pots with a little a/p fertilizer and they doubled in size! Everyone is ready to go!! 

I planted my annual flowers in my "work in progress" flower/herb bed. I am now deciding what to do with all the lemon balm I have. When the books say not to let your lemon balm set seed----LISTEN. It is one heck of a weed when it gets going!! A lovely weed, but wow!!

:flower:


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## Grimm

I'll be starting more peas today. The peas I already planted are flowering and even growing pods!


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## Genevieve

Got everything in now since the nights are above freezing ( finally lol). Tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, all my herbs are potted up and I have only a fern I rescued off the dead pile at Lowes (lol) to plant for on the back deck.
The garlic I planted last year ( fall) is going gangbusters.
The leaf lettuce is about done now and I'll probably move the window box it's in to a shadier place and start some more and I have another window box to fill for some carrots.


I wanted to add that around here people know that they can't really plant any "warm" weather crops until AFTER Mother's Day. It's just not safe from frost and freezing temps.
It would do you good to know if anything like that is the same for your area.
Some old folks say you don't plant until the snowball bushes are in full bloom *shrugs*
Theres a reason for those "old sayings". You should learn what they are where you live.


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## Toffee

I put everything in this morning in between rain showers.


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## 8thDayStranger

Got more okra and bell peppers in the ground. Also planted two peach trees and my anniversary present, a southern magnolia. I've always loved magnolias but never planted one.


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## Startingout-Blair

I want to get more planted, but today: High of 45, Low of 38. My peppers would probably die


----------



## UncleJoe

Startingout-Blair said:


> I want to get more planted, but today: High of 45, Low of 38. My peppers would probably die


Same here. I was going to put the tomatoes, peppers, etc in on Tuesday when we were in the 80's and saw the forecast for today. Lows in the low 40's and high in the low 50's. Sooner or later this weather has to break. There is a frost and freeze warning for western Pa. :gaah:


----------



## Woody

We don't have a frost warming but low is supposed to be 43 here tomorrow. That would tie a record low. I likely need a jacket and hat when I take the pup to the lake for our 4 hour jaunt.


----------



## alwaysready

Trees two each of plum, pear, dwarf peach and four in one apples.


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## Davarm

I have a plot that I've been trying to get German Chamomile growing this year. The first planting, only a few seeds sprouted so am going to till it up and give it another try, hopefully it isn't too late.

This is only the second year I've grown it, last year it did really well this year am having some trouble.


----------



## Startingout-Blair

Davarm said:


> I have a plot that I've been trying to get German Chamomile growing this year. The first planting, only a few seeds sprouted so am going to till it up and give it another try, hopefully it isn't too late.
> 
> This is only the second year I've grown it, last year it did really well this year am having some trouble.


Is it possible that your crop last year depleted the minerals and/or changed the pH level of the soil? That would have a major effect on what you're trying to grow


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## 8thDayStranger

Put in 200' each of purple hull peas, Kentucky wonder, and speckled Lima beans. Got the last of the bell peppers in. Planted a few hills of cantaloupes and thinned out my corn. This involved tilling up around 4000 sq ft of dirt. Part of that was making room for some plants my neighbor ran out of room for. Been a very busy and productive weekend but I'm wore out.


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## *Andi

A new herb bed ...


----------



## 8thDayStranger

*Andi said:


> A new herb bed ...


Nice. That's on my to do list for this week. The misses wants one badly.


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## Roslyn

*Andi said:


> A new herb bed ...


Is the little fence homemade or can you buy that picket already made up?


----------



## *Andi

Roslyn said:


> Is the little fence homemade or can you buy that picket already made up?


Not homemade ...

It was premade in 15 ft sections ... I'm thinking 12 bucks per roll. I had a problem keeping the critters out till the plants came up. (The little fence helps) Last year I used 3 ft chicken wire with bamboo stick. (which also worked)


----------



## Roslyn

*Andi said:


> Not homemade ...
> 
> It was premade in 15 ft sections ... I'm thinking 12 bucks per roll. I had a problem keeping the critters out till the plants came up. (The little fence helps) Last year I used 3 ft chicken wire with bamboo stick. (which also worked)


I have a bed outside my garden fence that I'm starting to put perennials and herbs in with the odd random annual etc. It sees a little too much shade from my maple for a veggie bed, but it's open to wandering chickens. I just finished putting a generic 2 foot tall chicken wire with tomato stakes around the bed, but that would be so much prettier!

I'll have to keep my eye out.

:flower:


----------



## cazetofamo

Heres some of the things we've been growing


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## ContinualHarvest

Got a few rows of beans in the ground. These will be for drying. My eating beans were in the ground last week right after that frost we had. I think I can squish another row of kale along the side of the house. The spot with just grass is bugging me.


----------



## AdmiralD7S

Got the last of my garden in: snow peas, spinach, honeydew, carrots, peanuts, watermelon, and cucumber. Also replanted around 75 onions that something got to (had lost about 1/4 of them. And we did end up getting beets, broccoli, hot banana peppers, sweet banana peppers, jalapeño peppers, and Serrano peppers in as we'll. Now it's just weeding and waiting...


----------



## *Andi

Well spring has sprung... The green bugs are out. (some folks call them "see me not's" ... but anyway about it ... they come out the first of summer, to eat you alive! :gaah:

Turn off the indoor lights and hope for the best! (But hey ,... summer is here ... :flower:


----------



## Wellrounded

My garden is way behind this year we had frost 4 weeks later than normal and I didn't want to risk planting out. Just seeing the first tomato flowers and it's the second week of summer here.

In the vege patch so far...
Zucchini
Scarlet runner beans
Angle Luffa
Toms Grosse Lisse, Rouge de Marmande, Principe Bourgese and Money Maker.
Peppers/ chilli Anaheim, Jalepeno, Bell Coloured Mix and Californian Wonder.
Eggplant 
Sweetcorn Max
Popcorn (picked immature for baby corn)
Bok Choy
Silverbeet
Potatoes (nicola, dutchcream and sabago)
Onions transplanted from autumn sowing
Carrots topweight
Lettuce all self sown, heading, oakleaf, butter and cos types
Celery golden self blanching
Pumpkin (squash) Waltham butternut

We added more nectarines, peaches, blood plums, passionvine, grapes, orange, mandarin, grapefruit, pears and olives to the orchard.

We're harvesting young and boysenberries, strawberries, apricots, garlic, carrots, lettuce, celery, cherries, spring onions, parsnip, potatoes, bok choy and piles of herbs. 

Finally got the vege garden extension fenced properly so I'll be moving all the strawberries and rhubarb into that area and adding asparagus (in pots at the moment) and artichokes as well.


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## UncleJoe

Pictures or none of it is real.


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## Wellrounded

UncleJoe said:


> Pictures or none of it is real.


Hahahaha, I'll have to photoshop out the weeds . This is the worst time of the year for me when it comes to weed control, we have a little annual grass (we call it barley grass??) that germinates as soon as soil temps get high enough. It takes over and by the time I've cleaned it out of all the beds there is another crop of it where I started. Honestly my garden would be pristine if not for that damn grass. I'm hoping I've nearly got it under control as the seed is only persistent for 3 - 5 years and I'm on my 4th year of controlling it.

Maybe I'll take a few pics next week, after we straw mulch


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## weedygarden

I wondered who would be gardening now. For us, it has been so cold that people who never complain, are complaining about the cold. I can't even think of gardening now. We are having record breaking cold.

Then I see, it is someone down under. :wave:


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## txcatlady

I have carrots and onions. I planted greens, spinach and lettuce. The chickens are working on the tender greens. We usually are mild here but this week has been below freezing a lot. Thankful I don't live closer to DFW. They still have ice. I am not complaining. I have lived in this county all my life. When we get the cold it is dry. When we get the snow it is just freezing. Freezing fog? Windy etc. had to put out heat light for chickens, one for dog, cats on back porch and alcohol in washer trap and shower traps. Better tonight. Around 28 I think.


----------



## UncleJoe

txcatlady said:


> had to put out heat light for chickens,


Don't know what breed of chickens you have but we have never had any type of heat for our chickens. It's 21F right now and they've been through single digits without succumbing to the cold.


----------



## LincTex

UncleJoe said:


> Don't know what breed of chickens you have but we have never had any type of heat for our chickens. It's 21F right now and they've been through single digits without succumbing to the cold.


Same here. It is EXTREMELY important to give them a wind free/draft free place to sleep, though. I don't have a heat lamp on mine, but they can get a good nights sleep without being in the wind.


----------



## Davarm

This isn't planting but I'm putting my sweet potatoes in water to to start rooting for the spring planting.

As the vines grow and get the root nubs on them I snip them and start each slip rooting, generally one potato will give me all the starts I need.


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## txcatlady

I have a mixed group from feed store. I only put light on if in the 20s. The drop from 80 to 20 was abrupt as well as wet. My coop is open on the south side and they roost on ladders. Some are barebacked from molting. Can't hurt. Unplugged when I left for school. Should not need it for rest of week. Thanks


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## ashley8072

Tackling a project that's been on my mind for a few weeks now. Indoor gardening in aquariums. Besides the occasional houseplant, I've never done any edibles indoors before. We had 2 aquariums, one had a crack in the bottom of it, so with some duct tape and other lifts, we planted an assortment of Herbs. My DD is in charge of that one. The one I did was green onions, radishes, carrots, and spinach. Next week we get grow lights for them. I hope it works out, my DH is working on plans for adding an area for placing the tanks in our home under remodel.


----------



## crabapple

Davarm,
I know parts of Texas is in zone 8b,9,10.
I am in South Carolina, zone 8a, I will not put my sweet potatoes out in the garden until May. When do you put your slips in the garden & do you pot them up while it is still cool or do they go from the water to the garden?


----------



## Davarm

crabapple said:


> Davarm,
> I know parts of Texas is in zone 8b,9,10.
> I am in South Carolina, zone 8a, I will not put my sweet potatoes out in the garden until May. When do you put your slips in the garden & do you pot them up while it is still cool or do they go from the water to the garden?


Sorry I missed this, guess I'm slipping in my old age!lol

I just keep my slips in jars of water, in full sun until I get ready to plant them directly into the garden.

I try to wait until after the last frost to plant, if frost is forecast after I plant them I cover them with whatever I have handy to protect them from the cold.

I like to get them in the ground as early as I can so they can get as much growth as possible before it gets really hot.


----------



## Davarm

I got my pear trees planted today.

Also got sage bushes dug, split up and replanted in a bigger plot, have about 20 separate bushes now. We dont use that much sage but we have a big extended family we supply it to.

Got mustard planted yesterday.


----------



## timmie

we are planting sawtooth oaks , apple , plum , chestnuts and some kind of strawberry trees ; the guy at the nursery said the deer love them. we also will be planting 200 pounds of red potatoes.


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## LincTex

Davarm said:


> I got my pear trees planted today..


Now you need four 4x8 sheets of plywood and make huge signs stating that anyone caught spraying chemicals near you will be fed to the fire ants. Mount one sign at each corner of your property.


----------



## Davarm

I've thought about something like that but with the peeps around here it'd be an open invitation to test my resolve.

Besides, I'm trying to get rid of the fire ants! lol


----------



## smaj100

Davarm,

You could always stake them at the edge of your property and cover them with honey and once all the fire ants did their business you'd have them centrally located to torch em all and get rid of the pesky little buggers....

:rofl:


----------



## Viking

As to planting veggies here in S.W. Oregon we've been going by what Territorial Seed Co. wrote in their catalog years ago, wait until after Memorial Day, soil has had a chance to warm up and it is less likely to have anymore frost. Also because things grow faster they can outgrow what insects would make fast work of in cooler soil growth. It works! This is the best time for planting bare root trees around here so that's what we're striving to do.


----------



## Davarm

I replanted some fennel(Florence) and radishes then planted a fresh bed of swiss chard today, tomorrow looks like it will be some red swiss chard.



smaj100 said:


> Davarm,
> 
> You could always stake them at the edge of your property and cover them with honey and once all the fire ants did their business you'd have them centrally located to torch em all and get rid of the pesky little buggers....
> 
> :rofl:


Dont know how I missed this one. You think a lot like me except I'd use cheap pancake syrup, wouldn't want to waste good honey!!!


----------



## Davarm

Almost forgot, was talking to my dad today and he said he 2 apricot trees he didn't want, he planted them in his garden last year and then decided that they would suck up too much water. Told me I could have them if I dug them up.

Gonna go get them tomorrow and see if I can get them replanted somewhere on the property.


----------



## Davarm

Didn't make it back to my dads to get the apricot trees today, but did get 3x20 foot bed of cilantro and another bed of beets about the same size, planted today. 

The low 90's temp, gentle breeze and sunny sky, didn't feel like digging up trees.

I'm got on my daughters S**T list doday, the grandson had dug a hole in a bed I haven't planted yet so I ran it full of water and that boy stripped down to his "Scooby-Do" underware and wallowed in it(liteally) for an hour playing with his dump truck and bull dozer.

Spring is most definitely here in North Texas!


----------



## Wanderer0101

Put in 28 tomato plants and a bunch of early squash seeds.


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## Viking

It's a wild time of the year, I call it the "Tsunami of spring". Today I'll plant the last two of ten bare root almonds, thankfully a neighbor dug six of the ten holes to plant them in. Yesterday my neighbor on the other side helped me plant four and my wife will help with the last two. Then I have to finish putting chicken wire around them to keep the deer from nibbling on them. This is just the beginning of the tsunami, next will be mowing and weed wacking and in between planting veggies after Memorial Day when the soil gets warm and no more frost.


----------



## LincTex

Davarm said:


> I'm got on my daughters S**T list doday, the grandson had dug a hole in a bed I haven't planted ... and wallowed in it(liteally) for an hour playing with his dump truck and bull dozer.


Kids "hose off" easily


----------



## Davarm

LincTex said:


> Kids "hose off" easily


Yes, he did!!!

Turned the water on HI and hosed him down, dont think he was expecting for the water to be so cold. lol


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## Davarm

I got another potato planter set up and planted around a dozen potatoes in it, 2 down, only 6 to go.

I also got a bed of radicchio planted, covered the plot with plastic to keep it from drying out in this dry wind we've been having. I'll keep a close eye on it and remove the plastic when the plants start poking through the ground or until it needs to be watered again.


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## goshengirl

We were in single digits last night, so nothing's getting planted here. But I put my new baby gooseberries in large peat pots - they look pretty on the windowsill (for now).


----------



## PrepN4Good

goshengirl said:


> We were in single digits last night, so nothing's getting planted here.


Maybe planting a hat...on my head...it's freezing cold here!!


----------



## rawhide2971

Around here (Upper South Carolina) we don't usually plant much until after Good Friday. Its based on past experience of course and I have been burned a couple of times but by and large it holds true. Peach trees and Plums are in full bloom right now so I am holding my breath and hoping we don't get one more frost or hard freeze.......but that's about all we can do is hope.

I will be getting the grandsons out and turning over he beds this weekend and start the clean up for the coming planting...


----------



## UncleJoe

Most of the snowpack is gone so I can at least see some bare ground now. 

It's a start.


----------



## *Andi

I did put a tomato plant in the greenhouse ... not sure if it got hit last night or not, I forgot to turn on the heat lamp.


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## txcatlady

Helped two of my grands plant onions and carrots today. Tilled up their garden first. Almost 3 year old wanted to plant okra and watermelon TODAY? Was angry when I told him not yet.


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## Viking

This is a plum tree we gained when the neighbor on our West side had their property surveyed. Last year the plums were forming and it looked like it was going to be a great crop, then came a late frost and 95% dropped off. Our volunteer black cherry trees also had a few first cherries which all dropped off. With it being just under 1,500 feet spring around here can be touchy for frosts that hit blossoms or fruit in a sensitive time. If the fruit has time to set it sometimes can stand a mild frost. Good fruit and nuts are getting so expensive we pray that our trees don't get hit with frost. I'm thinking that it might be a good thing to plant a Honey Crisp Apple, saw them at Wal-Mart for $3.49 a pound. A bag of shelled almonds at Costco was $5.33 a pound, good reason for us to plant those ten almond trees this past week.


----------



## txcatlady

I planted potatoes in Feb. dug one up and it was mushy. Did I lose them all? I normally plant I March, but thought I would get a head start even though they froze twice last year giving me a delayed harvest. I will check again in a few more weeks unless someone says they are gone most likely.


----------



## LincTex

Viking said:


> This is a plum tree we gained when the neighbor on our West side had their property surveyed.


I'll bet your neighbor was slightly upset about that!!


----------



## Viking

LincTex said:


> I'll bet your neighbor was slightly upset about that!!


I don't think he was too upset as he has a bunch of plum trees on the rest of his property, for some "very good" reason, plum trees are extremely easy to grow around here and a lot of them are from seeds that have dropped on the ground from animals, birds or humans. We have a few other plum trees growing here that I never planted on purpose and few over the years that I had to cut down because they were in the wrong place. One that I cut at ground level started growing from the stump. I guess you could say plums are like "good" weeds. As to neighbors, we really couldn't ask for better people to have next door on either side, at least 200 feet away on the West and about 400 feet away on the East.


----------



## smaj100

Tilled the garden again and fenced it off to try and keep the critters out. Expecting snow, sleet and ice tomm with lows in the upper 20's tomm and mon. couldn't put any of the seedlings in the ground. Will have to wait till this coming weekend.


----------



## txcatlady

Picked up more seed potatoes yesterday. Apparently my potatoes did rot and I will plant again. Everything else looks good. Freeze probably took care of blooms on plum tree again this year even though covered with quilt as it was in full bloom. Other plum tree beginning to bloom. Had them for four years and have not gotten a plum one. Wish I could find some native wild plums. They make the best jelly, but I think they have all been bull dozed down.


----------



## Viking

txcatlady said:


> Picked up more seed potatoes yesterday. Apparently my potatoes did rot and I will plant again. Everything else looks good. Freeze probably took care of blooms on plum tree again this year even though covered with quilt as it was in full bloom. Other plum tree beginning to bloom. Had them for four years and have not gotten a plum one.


This is somewhat of a problem we have here, late frosts that hit the blooms, if fruit starts to form sometimes they can make it but last year the frost was too much and over 80% of all our trees lost their fruit. Oddly, our pear tree which blooms just after the plum trees had a fair crop at harvest time. I thought for sure that the frost would have burnt it's blossoms but most all the pistils and stamens did not turn black. I once thought that people painted the trunks of trees with whitewash to keep them cooler (white reflecting sunlight) but an old orchardest told me that it was just for looks and what was done to delay blossoming was to stack snow around the tree trunks. Wonderful idea except the snow never stays long enough to do that around here. I wonder if piling maple leaves around the tree trunks would work because I get huge amounts of them each year. I may have to try that next fall and then when there is no longer any frost dangers I'll put the leaves in a compost. P.S. I just remembered that our walnut tree which was forming what looked like it would be a best crop we've had so far, dropped all but four walnuts. What upset me about that is that the walnuts were getting fairly large and I thought for sure the frost wouldn't have hurt them.


----------



## txcatlady

Excited! I took my row tiller and started turning row for potatoes to replant and up popped 3 potatoes with roots and a stem coming out. I covered them up really quick, moved over and got my pintos and green beans in ground. All I have left are tomatoes, peppers, and squash. Will wait until late April early may for okra. Yeah! Three stalks of asparagus up, carrots good, spinach looking good and greens looking better after rain. Just planted lettuce. Sweet peas sprouting in house. Hope this plan comes together. Berry vines tied up on cattle panels. Busy spring break, but got it all done. No room for corn.


----------



## Davarm

I didn't plant much today, just some peppers and lettuce.

Today I finished up burning the 3 large main plots of the garden then got it all tilled up for the first time of the season. 

I burned down all the fall leftovers to kill off as much blight as possible, I had so many tomatoes last year through out the property I'm pretty sure if I just tilled it all under, the fungus likely get out of control.


----------



## UncleJoe

I haven't planted anything but the snow is gone and I can at least see the ground now. It's a start.


----------



## crabapple

5 pounds of red potatoes,5 pounds of gold potatoes, 100 onions,radishes,carrots,collard,lettuce,mustard & spinach.
Next will be corn.


----------



## Davarm

I got several more verities of peppers planted, a patch of summer savory, patch of leeks and several large patches of tomatillos, I got the seeds late so I sowed them directly, watered them down well and covered the patches with plastic. Gonna leave the plastic on for about a week unless they need water sooner.

Quite a bit of the spring garden is planted now, will be finishing up a few plots in the days to come but now its a waiting game.

It looks like most of the blooms on my fruit trees made it through the last freeze so this year we may have peaches, plums and pears!


----------



## AdmiralD7S

My tomato seedlings are sprouting after only 3 days. As a guy, is this what being a mom feels like?


Sent from my iPhone usi


----------



## goshengirl

AdmiralD7S said:


> My tomato seedlings are sprouting after only 3 days. As a guy, is this what being a mom feels like?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone usi


Only if the seedlings start calling for you every time you're in the bathroom and ask "what's for dinner?!?" on an hourly basis.


----------



## Davarm

Tomorrow is supposed to be in the high 70's so I guess I'll go dig up apricot trees(2 about waist high) at my parents and get them planted here before it gets too late in the year.


----------



## goshengirl

Tomorrow I'm making the youngest plot out the garden with me (using a compass to make our lines parallel and perpendicular to the roadway). If the ten day weather forecast holds, we'll be able to till in about 9 or 10 days. But since when does a 10 day forecast ever hold? 

Keeping my fingers crossed just the same.


----------



## UniqueOldGal

It's sunny now but we have a week??? of rain coming So I got my broc,chard and pak choi out of the greenhouse into the raised beds. Already had onion starts in but now my own from seed onions go in since they are frost hardy. Not sure how tender the pac choi and chard are but my self saved seeds sprouts in ONE day ...so that's something I can plant any time. With the new "drought" Spring scenario we may not get that last frost date of April 25! Some years the little 'uns could get get crushed with a foot of snow!!! I put in some carrot seed just in case the soil stays warm enough.Some years the carrots grow from March and other years they won't sprout until an April or May sowing. I like getting beds filled before a week of rain because my beds drain well and I don't need to water for awhile this way.


----------



## Viking

UniqueOldGal said:


> It's sunny now but we have a week??? of rain coming So I got my broc,chard and pak choi out of the greenhouse into the raised beds. Already had onion starts in but now my own from seed onions go in since they are frost hardy. Not sure how tender the pac choi and chard are but my self saved seeds sprouts in ONE day ...so that's something I can plant any time. With the new "drought" Spring scenario we may not get that last frost date of April 25! Some years the little 'uns could get get crushed with a foot of snow!!! I put in some carrot seed just in case the soil stays warm enough.Some years the carrots grow from March and other years they won't sprout until an April or May sowing. I like getting beds filled before a week of rain because my beds drain well and I don't need to water for awhile this way.


My guess is that pac choi is pretty hardy and I know chard is because I grew some that went trough winter and are still alive. As to that frost date, Territorial Seed Col says that between the coastal mountains and Cascade mountains it's better to plant after Memorial Day when the soil has had a chance to warm up enough for plants to outgrow the pests that chew on them. Even last year that date wasn't enough because we got hit with a late frost that hit apple blossoms and killed what plums were forming. What's your elevation? Here it's just under 1,500 feet and the valley we are in gets cold air funneled through here which certainly doesn't help. I did plant some onions and potatoes that had been in the pantry and were in dire need of being in the ground, double onion tops and sprouts all over the spuds.


----------



## Davarm

Lavender! I didn't plant it today but I did check on it and saw that it was sprouting. This is the first time I tried to grow it, always heard that it was difficult to grow from seeds but I tried several tricks to get it going. 

I read that it liked a Mediterranean climate and soil, the seeds needed sunlight to germinate,
the seeds had to go through some freeze/thaw cycles and had to spend some time frozen.

I bought the seeds last fall and stored them in the freezer with brief times on the kitchen table to get in the freeze/thaw cycles. About 4 days ago I sowed the seeds onto a bed of soil smoothed out fine then watered well and covered the plot with clear plastic.

I took the plastic back today to check if they needed more water and was surprised to see that they had sprouted. I think we've had our last frost for the year so it should be just a matter of keeping them watered and the neighbors animals off the bed.


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> Lavender! I didn't plant it today but I did check on it and saw that it was sprouting. This is the first time I tried to grow it, always heard that it was difficult to grow from seeds but I tried several tricks to get it going.


That's terrific!!!
I will have to try the freeze/thaw/freeze cycles, too. Looking forward to your updates.  How many are you trying to grow?


----------



## Davarm

The plot is about 3x20 and I sowed probably around 500 hundred or so seeds in it, was hoping SOME would sprout and grow.

Looks like I'll be doing a little thinning in the next few months as they grow! lol


----------



## goshengirl

Davarm said:


> Looks like I'll be doing a little thinning in the next few months as they grow! lol


:congrat:

Consider putting the ones you thin out into planters for the porch, or put them elsewhere in the yard. They can help repel some bugs (but attract butterflies).


----------



## LincTex

goshengirl said:


> Consider putting the ones you thin out into planters for the porch, or put them elsewhere in the yard. They can help repel some bugs (but attract butterflies).


I'll bet you can find more than a couple people that want some of those "extra plants" from placing a Craigslist ad


----------



## crabapple

It is raining here, so I may not get the the corn out until first of the week.
Need to sow Okra & more tomatoes in pots.
I have Cherokee Purple & Aunt Ruby's German Green Heirloom seeds, Cubanelle peppers (sweet) & Poinsett 76 cucumber seeds.
The Cherokee Purple tomatoes should go good with my Cherokee garlic, about June 30th or so.


----------



## MamaTo3

Habanero peppers and banana peppers. 
Hubby also picked up a Mars grape plant today as well as two aloe plants. 


Sent from my iPad using Survival Forum


----------



## UniqueOldGal

All the cold weather crops I transplanted out a week ago,like cabbage, and all the cold soil loving seeds I planted the first week of March-according to the directions of our regional Territorial Seed Company are all doing great! My peas are cute little real plants now 4-5 inches tall and my spinach and rutabaga and radish,etc etc are over an inch with no signs of caring about the rain. I have well draining raised beds with perlite mixed in so nothing gets rotted out in our seasonal rains. Reports say the drought will resume in April but that is yet to be seen. I love gardening when I don't have to water out there!  Usually we've had 4 months of ongoing rain by this month and this year it's only been ONE so no matter how soggy I feel,it's good for the land! As soon as it stops I'll be mulching like crazy to try to hold it in.


----------



## Daxil

I have wanted to start planting again but rabbits and crows are getting in the way and my pellet rifle is not enough....


Sent from my iPod touch using Survival Forum


----------



## Viking

Typical spring rain for our valley area, cold rain and forecast for possible snow around 4,000+ elevation. Since we didn't get any long term snow on the surrounding mountain peaks the rain is welcome, however the apple trees are loaded with flower buds waiting to open so hopefully when they do we'll have a let up on the rain and temps high enough to get the neighbor' bees to pollinate them thoroughly. At least they worked the plum and pear tree really good, just pray we don't get a hard frost that will do them in. So far what frost we've had is from the radiational cooling that happens just as the sun begins to rise so it's only an hour or two. It's the all night frost that kills the flower buds or starting fruits.


----------



## Davarm

I got three 20ft rows of Armenian Cucumbers and three 20ft rows of Zucchini planted today and while I was at it I saw that my peach trees have peaches!

I thought that last frost we had just as the trees started to bloom may have killed them but not so!! 

We just may have peach preserves this year.


----------



## Genevieve

I planted 3 of my window boxes today. One is bibb lettuce, one is spinach and the last is some stonehead cabbage.




























Next up on the deck will be some herbs and I need to get a box ready for carrots. I checked the strawberries I have in a container and they're starting to come up again. This will be the 3rd year for them. I even have a few runner plants to try to get to grow this year.

You can grow a good bit of food in containers on your porch or deck.
These are pics from way back 04 ( I think)




























I need to find a good container to grow some potatoes and my experiment will be pretty much complete lol

ah I see it was in 07 lol


----------



## Davarm

I was going to plant some pickling cucumbers(another 3-20ft rows) but decided to mow the grass instead, some of it was starting to get pretty tall.

Got a good new compost pile started.


----------



## cqp33

I got my strawberrys, red oinons, 2 artic kiwis, 3 blueberry bushes, 2 grape vines with wires and posts, 2 blackberrys with wires and posts, 2 rows of white onion sets, 2 rows of garlic and i got 20 asparagus crowns in the ground. Everything here in raised beds or heavily mulched in the case of the bushes/vines. Getting our place ready, hopefully we will moving onto our 34 acres in the next 4-6 weeks if our house gets done! It better our son graduates from high school May 17th and we intend to have his party at our new house!


----------



## LincTex

I got the local tree munchers to drop off a few truck loads of ground up trimmed branches... compost pile size just increased a LOT! (need more pee, LOL!)


----------



## timmie

it has been so wet here we are lATE WITH EVERYTHING.THIS WEEKEND WE PLANT TOMATOES,PEPPERS,ONIONS,CUCUMBERS AND CORN.


----------



## Viking

LincTex said:


> I got the local tree munchers to drop off a few truck loads of ground up trimmed branches... compost pile size just increased a LOT! (need more pee, LOL!)


There's a garbage transfer site 20 some miles South of us that takes in trimmings and adds the good stuff to get it going plus they have a series of heavy duty blowers that pump air to the different piles composting and it's amazing how fast the stuff breaks down with temps getting 160 degrees or more. Even when I've gotten two yard loads in our pickup it's still pretty warm. I've grown things directly in the oldest compost last year and we still have ten spaghetti squash out of over 200 that two vines produced. I also planted two 4'X8' spaces with broccoli and Swiss chard in each in November which are now growing like crazy. Their leaves are big enough to make no bread sandwiches.


----------



## LincTex

Viking said:


> There's a garbage transfer site 20 some miles South of us ...I've gotten two yard loads in our pickup it's still pretty warm. I've grown things directly in the oldest compost last year...


What do they charge?

Prices in Texas for any "real" compost are ridiculous!


----------



## Davarm

I got the first of my tomatoes planted today, I bought 4 flats(18 plants each), my heirlooms are still too small to set out but maybe in about 3 or 4 weeks they will go in.

I checked and found my cucumbers(Armenian and pickling) and squash are breaking ground

On a different note, the 3 acres just to the south of my property recently sold and the new owner built a small house on the land then had FIVE dump truck loads of what looked like good compost delivered.

The next time I see him there I'm going to stop and ask him where he bought it, if he got a it for a reasonable price - I'm going to follow suit. 

I'll post the info I find when I talk to him.


----------



## txcatlady

If you pick it up at the mushroom plant it is 10.00 a load. Get the dump truck and costs 100.00 a load. I have it delivered and I don't have to shovel trailer. Been there, done that! Prices may have gone up. 14-16 yards are 160.00 a load.


----------



## Viking

LincTex said:


> What do they charge?
> 
> Prices in Texas for any "real" compost are ridiculous!


$10 a yard, late season price. $20 a yard in the spring and even then if you get the right guy to load we've gotten quite a bit more than two yards a couple of times.


----------



## cantinawest

*Got our garden tilled and planted*

I was able to do a final tilling of our garden today and our son and his wife came over to help plant all kinds of veggies, corn, beans, melons and more.

This is the first time he has really shown interest in having a garden with fresh produce since he moved out of the house. So, he was anxious to come and help plant and will help take care of the garden throughout the summer as well.

I guess now that he is learning about life and also missing things that he took for granted he is now taking these things a bit more seriously.
And, it probably helps that he now is in charge of the gardening department at the Home Depot where he works, so now he is learning more about it and also seeing the enthusiasm of gardeners in general. I think this has helped.

But, we had a good long day of preparing the garden and planting and while we were doing this two of our Sun Ovens were cooking (re-heating) our dinner for us.
Leftover Baked Bean, Re-fried Beans and Sheppards Casserole, all from earlier in the week.


----------



## goshengirl

Huckleberries! 

We've cleaned up a hill in the woods (cleared it of honeysuckle and some invasive vine that I don't know the name of) and planted a bunch of huckleberries (20 so far). We're calling it Huckleberry Hill.  I ordered 25 bare root plants, and they sent us 54 - we're going to have fun finding more places to plant them.


Tomorrow - chokeberries (aronia)


----------



## Davarm

More Tomatoes!


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## Viking

I'm glad that I haven't been planting much of anything yet and I'm more than a bit concerned about the spuds I put in and all the beautiful apple blossoms that are fully in bloom because when I went outside at 2:00 AM to see our visiting son off I found that there is frost on the vehicle roofs. I had a few fine words to say about that that can't be repeated here. Hopefully the fog will form and run the frost away or that with all the cool weather the blossoms will have set. It's been quite warm during the day and the neighbors bees have really done their job pollenating, but I'd really hate to see that it was all for nothing. Stuff happens like that living where we do and so the old saying "Don't count your chickens before their hatched." is fitting,


----------



## Hooch

viking it was frosty in places down here to the last two days. I went and checked my taters and they look fine so im hoping its all ok. A week or so back we had a late frost here and my cherry trees were just starting to blossom..gerr..hopefully ill still get fruit. 

So far this year Ive planted some carrots, yellow and green onion, garlic, taters, pumpkin, cabbage, and buttercrunch lettuce. I debated gardening this year since I hope to sell my house but there is a big chance Ill have no buyers since the market in this area is crummy now. I figure if I do the person who buys my place will have a garden to harvest..bonus to them  If I dont sell it by fall..I can still play in my garden..win win for either eh?


----------



## Viking

I won't know if the frost has done any damage to the apple blossoms for a few days, a few potato leaves that had just pushed out of the ground were nipped but strangely it was just a couple of plants that the leaves turned black on and even then they will probably survive.


----------



## timmie

160 tomato and pepper plants. squash and cucumbers


----------



## LincTex

Davarm and I are facing a freeze advisory!!!!! :scratch 

It's the middle of APRIL!!! In TEXAS!!! :dunno:


----------



## rawhide2971

Put out squash, tomato, cukes and peppers this weekend since the grandsons were hellbent on getting them in the ground. Now we have a frost advisory for Thursday...


----------



## timmie

LincTex said:


> Davarm and I are facing a freeze advisory!!!!! :scratch
> 
> It's the middle of APRIL!!! In TEXAS!!! :dunno:


so are we. sure hope they survive.


----------



## shadowrider

Nothing today, the ground's too wet and it's 41. Trying to decide how to protect the tomatoes from the coming low of 25. Probably lose the orchard crop. 
Pretty bummed about it.


----------



## notyermomma

Here it is! Sweet million cherry tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, lettuce mix, radishes, strawberries, basil, lemon thyme, parsley, chocolate and mojito mints, sweet peas, garlic, and dinosaur kale. And a few flowers to make it up to my neighbor for the land grab.  

We'll see how it goes.


----------



## crabapple

My Better Boys, Lemon Boys, Cherokee Purple are ready to plant.
I also have Aunt Ruby's German Green & Cherokee Purple just breaking the ground.
I am putting all the early seed in the garden this week.
Then every 2-3 weeks for the next 8 weeks & see if the younger plants can stand the heat of July & August, better then the early direct sow seedling plants.


----------



## crabapple

rawhide2971 said:


> Put out squash, tomato, cukes and peppers this weekend since the grandsons were hellbent on getting them in the ground. Now we have a frost advisory for Thursday...


Can you put a cover up or run a sprinkler on them at night?


----------



## Resto

More Peppers


----------



## timmie

rawhide2971 said:


> Put out squash, tomato, cukes and peppers this weekend since the grandsons were hellbent on getting them in the ground. Now we have a frost advisory for Thursday...


we have to cover ours also;freeze warning tonight from 1a.m. to 9 p. m. wednesday morning


----------



## Davarm

I'm going to "replant" some tomatoes that I lost to frost last night.

Most of the garden made it through the frost undamaged but I didn't get all the tomatoes covered. I "sowed" a few patches of peppers a few weeks ago and although they just come up, they weren't killed, the cucumbers and squash that had just broken the soil came through it OK also.

I hope this is the last time I have to drag out the plastic.


----------



## PrepN4Good

Planted maters, taters, peppers, cukes, & beans on Saturday...and tomorrow there's a frost warning.   :soapboxrant: :gaah: :brickwall:


----------



## myrtle55

Greenhouse destroyed in wind yesterday and took out a good amt of our starts..back to square 2 I guess


----------



## Viking

With all the weird weather the last couple of years, including the lightening storm that started the forest fires last year, I'm beginning to believe they've been running HAARP full time. In the over 30 years we've lived here we've never had lightening strikes on the mountains behind us, they almost always strike a long ridge to our South that runs East to West. I had to go to the VA hospital in Portland ,OR. the 14th and I couldn't believe all the contrails that were spreading across the sky, which I'm sure certainly reduces the amount of sunlight getting to farmlands.


----------



## Gians

Today I planted a couple Artichokes, Zuke seeds, a few peppers, eggplant and lots of Swiss Chard transplants. Also have 8 tomatoes waiting to go in at the end of the month. My dad use to tell me no sense putting them in early, they'll just be food for the bugs until things warm up. First year Asparagus are looking good. Have more to plant but need to pull the last of the winter garden to get more room in the beds.


----------



## talob

*corn question*

I'm looking at planting some white organic field corn for makeing hominy, am wondering how far to seperate from sweet corn to prevent cross pollination, anyone know?


----------



## Viking

talob said:


> I'm looking at planting some white organic field corn for makeing hominy, am wondering how far to seperate from sweet corn to prevent cross pollination, anyone know?


I read many years ago that planting rows of sunflowers between different types of corn can catch the pollen as the sunflower plant has a lot of sticky fine spines all around the stalks.


----------



## goshengirl

talob said:


> I'm looking at planting some white organic field corn for makeing hominy, am wondering how far to seperate from sweet corn to prevent cross pollination, anyone know?


Some of the corn I've grown in the past has specified it must be separated 3 weeks or 300 yards, other corn has specified 2 weeks or 200 yards. I don't know what is standard. I would err on the side of more yardage or more weeks. If you don't have a lot of space, perhaps you could deeply stagger plantings.


----------



## talob

On the sunflowers, dont think I'll "experimint" I dont have a green thumb, I allso dont have the 200 yds but I do have the two weeks, or maybe I'll just stick with the white corn and use all the space for hominy corn.


----------



## Davarm

I got 5 - 50 foot rows of green beans and a 50 foot row of "Jumbo Pink Banana" squash planted today.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to get 4 - 50 foot rows of okra done, gonna have to start on sweet potatoes tomorrow also. I had to go to the seed store today and they had slips in(Georgia Jets) so dumb me, I bought 25.

That makes almost 100 sweet potato slips I'm going to have to get in the ground in the next few days.


----------



## LincTex

talob said:


> I'm looking at planting some white organic field corn for makeing hominy, am wondering how far to seperate from sweet corn to prevent cross pollination, anyone know?


Staggering planting/ maturing dates is the easiest way.

If you can't do that, look into bagging shoots and tassels:

http://howtosaveseeds.com/isolate.php
http://howtosaveseeds.com/seedsavingdetails.php

http://www.stanford.edu/~walbot/methods/corn_guide.pdf

http://www.maizegdb.org/IMP/WEB/pollen.htm

http://www.docdatabase.net/more-a-h...agging-and-self-pollinating-corn-1034381.html

http://goldenrulegarden.blogspot.com/2009/08/corn-pollination.html

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/heirloom/msg0621385313717.html?4

http://blog.seedsavers.org/preventing-gmo-contamination-in-your-open-pollinated-corn/

http://www.slideshare.net/seedsavers/handpollinating-corn-for-seed-saving

http://www.farminfo.org/garden/sweetcorn.htm


----------



## Bushpig

Yesterday we finished our green beans, cucumbers and peppers. Its our first year with green beans hope they are as easy as everyone says.


----------



## smaj100

Dropped 2-50' rows of peas, and green beans. So far 4 rows sweet corn, 2 taters, 2 onions, 1 pinto, 1 northern, 1 carrot, 2 rows maters, 1 bush pickling cucs, 1 cabbage, 1 broccoli, 1 cauliflower. Got some sweet peppers, squash, zuchini and regular cucs to get in this week.

Also planted 3 blackberry and 3 blueberry bushes. We won't be able to harvest the asparagus and garlic this year but they are going in this week too.


----------



## Davarm

I planted another 40 foot row of watermelons today.

I still have Okra and Black-Eye Peas left but those will have to wait util it rains and softens up the dirt enough to till. If it doesn't rain in the next week or so I'll turn the soaker hose on and I'm sure that will do the trick.

Forgot, still have sweet potatoes to finish up, the slips I ordered(50 Beauregards) haven't come in yet, they were supposed to ship on the 21st. Dont know if they were going FexEx/UPS or mail.


----------



## MCNSemperFi

Today, it was all about planting kitchen scraps... green onions, white onions, sweet potatoes, and red potatoes. Need to work on a way to keep squirrels away from the tomatoes as they've eaten all the green tomatoes right off the plants.


----------



## timmie

planted some pepper seeds [old ones] to see if they are good and get new seeds. also planted some flowers in pots on our deck.


----------



## LincTex

MCNSemperFi said:


> ... keep squirrels away from the tomatoes as they've eaten all the green tomatoes right off the plants.


Oh crap, I didn't know they would do that! Need to devise a plan....


----------



## rawhide2971

Grandsons and I planted this past weekend:
30 Tomatoe plants - 3 or 4 varietys for a mixture
12 straight neck squash
6 spagetti squash (experimenting with these)
Peppers (Hot variety)
Onions (read and white)
Trying to not go overboard this year....but I am taking a hard look at building a Potato tower......I have not had much luck with them in the past.


----------



## MCNSemperFi

LincTex said:


> Oh crap, I didn't know they would do that! Need to devise a plan....


We haven't had to deal with squirrels for years, so I'm learning all over again. I watched the little buggers take all of the green tomatoes. :gaah: So much for an earlier harvest.  Still not sure how to handle it. At first, they were just eating the naturally growing mushrooms in the garden. Then, they got greedy...


----------



## crabapple

weeded the carrots & radishes, mulched the collards & potatoes.
Planted the tomatoes plants.


----------



## Sybil6

6 tomato plants, our raspberry bush is blooming late, 3 potato roots, god knows how much squash, bell peppers, 4 apple saplings, 2 pear saplings, and a ton of beans: green, black, and pinto. Oh, and we're starting the herb garden soon.


----------



## Davarm

Lots of sweet potatoes, the slips I ordered(50 Beauregards) came in yesterday and along with the ones I rooted myself makes about 80. 

Have some other things to finish up, okra, squash and black-eye peas..... was waiting for some rain to soften the ground a little but decided to hose it down instead of waiting.

Received 2 elderberry bushes from a friend and am going to get them planted today also.:wave:


----------



## swinneyswitch

*Planting today*

We are replanting beets, and setting up cucumbers hydroponically. I have several herbs in pots to plant in my herb garden as well. Weather is a bit warm today so I guess the hot weather is just around the corner. Good thing we are getting our pool cleaned out artydance:


----------



## crabapple

Put out 24 tomatoes plants & 24 pepper plants, more radish seeds, it is a little late for radishes here, but I think they will make.


----------



## AdmiralD7S

Put out 200' of russets and installed a 4'x8' raised bed area for beets and carrots. Most stuff will have to wait for next weekend since my rototiller needs a new clutch cable. If you're curious, hand-rototilling via a shovel builds character...lots of it!


Sent from my iPhone usi


----------



## Davarm

LincTex said:


> Oh crap, I didn't know they would do that! Need to devise a plan....


About 5 years ago I had problems with "critters" eating ripe and partially ripe tomatoes, didn't see tracks around the cages so I guessed it was some kind of small rodent.

I set about a dozen "Rat Traps" along one row in hopes of catching the culprit and caught it I did! It was a "Mocking Bird", that really tore me up because I knew it had a nest in a near-by tree. I didn't have a problem with pecked or half eaten tomatoes after that so I'm sure the bird was the guilty party.

I'm pretty sure that rat traps would work on squirrels, peanut butter would be a good bait, we had them as pets off and on through the years and found that they loved it.


----------



## Davarm

I thought I had all of my planting done until I remembered I had 2 flats of peppers I'd bought from a local nursery about 2 weeks ago. 

The DD's had been watering them, they say your mind is the first thing to go.



Almost forgot, my tomatoes have blooms!


----------



## Genevieve

So far I've planted 7 tomato plants and 4 sweet pepper plants. Today I planted my celery which I'm very behind on getting in the ground. I still have cukes and zucchini to get planted. I also have some romaine lettuce plants that are ready to be planted in another big window box.

Last year I just didn't bother with much so I let the one big raised bed go. BIG mistake. BIG! ugh. I just spent this afternoon raking and pulling all the weeds and dead stuff from it and it looks like I'll have to take the first 2 inches or so off to get most of the weed seeds.
Then I'll have to dig a bunch out to fill another large container hubby brought home. He brought home 2 different kinds of drain pipes. He said the black one was for under roads the highway dept uses and he said the light blue was also for drainage but he didn't say what kind.

I have the peppers planted in the blue one. It's 3 ft across so 4 plants should do well in it. The black one is taller but shorter across so I will put 2 cuke plants in it. And the zucchini I'll put in the big bed once I get it back into shape ( hopefully this week).

I've been meaning to take pics of the pipes but I've been busy digging dirt (ugh)


----------



## Viking

Put about 8 Yellow straight neck squash seeds in the ground today and thinned a bunch of spaghetti squash seedlings. The spaghetti squash seeds that we throw into the compost are really prolific, I wish all the vegetable seeds were that viable. We are down to 6 spaghetti squash from last years harvest. What a blessing that has been.


----------



## myrtle55

Does anyone know why my butter crunch lettuce from my garden is bitter?


----------



## HardCider

Some lettuce types can get bitter right before they bolt. Are they still young or nearing maturity. Hot weather can mature them a little early


----------



## myrtle55

What does bolt mean (feeling dumb) they have only been growing a month (first garden, can u tell)


----------



## Viking

myrtle55 said:


> What does bolt mean (feeling dumb) they have only been growing a month (first garden, can u tell)


A strong center stem grows tall and it flowers, usually caused by hot weather. When was your last frost? Lettuce can easily get knocked out by frost but the earlier you can plant lettuce the better. Have you tested your soil? Sometimes soil condition can cause bitterness.


----------



## gardenshepherd

Bitterness in lettuce can be caused by lack of water, are they drying out? this will also cause them to bolt, go to seed.


----------



## Davarm

You can soak the lettuce in a sink of cool water for an hour or so and that will help with the bitterness.

If you pick the entire plant be sure to cut the roots off before you pitch them into the water.


----------



## Momturtle

Going to put in more tomatoe plants, beans (bush and pole), cow peas, peanuts, sunflowers, more carrots and beets, castor beans (around the garden to maybe discourage the evil malicious voles), stick in some flowers here and there. Going to strew around some dandelion, mustard, mixed greens and such in bare places around the yard. Moving some peppermint, lemon balm and spearmint to a bunch of places where it may do some good. We have to re-pot the apple trees, grapes and peaches we grew from seed. They are doing good but I like to leave them in gallon or bigger pots until they have at least a chance of surviving. The apples are not named varieties (although the seeds were) but if they grow out strong and wonderful I can graft good varieties to them when I prune in the winter. The grapes were an experiment and I am surprised they came up but very glad. Starting things from seed is a fun experiment if you have patience. 

Going to try and air-layer my mulberry tree this year. I would like to plant a bunch of them in the food forest and DH wants to prune it back a lot (since it is a volunteer in the front yard of a townhouse and growing like crazy) which will make sense if the sections have roots! Pruning AND more trees for the farm.


----------



## goshengirl

Previously planted: spring wheat, hulless oats, potatoes

Planted today: peanuts, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, ground cherries

There's a lot we're not planting this year - trying to focus on building a fence and outbuildings, although we do have a lot of fruit that needs to get into the ground (working on edible/'hidden' landscaping, so to speak).


----------



## myrtle55

Please explain edible/ hidden landscape. Very interested


----------



## goshengirl

myrtle55 said:


> Please explain edible/ hidden landscape. Very interested


Well, I don't know how hidden it will be.  But the idea of berries, fruits, nuts - those things that are edible and come back year after year (as opposed to a veggie garden). We have 5 acres, and outside of our veggie garden we won't plant anything that isn't either native or food-bearing (better yet if it's native _and _food-bearing).

In the woods we have things like wild ginger, wild garlic, nannyberry, blackhaw, wild blackberries, wild cherries. My youngest (homeschool project) developed a pawpaw patch (researched habitat and growing needs, seedlings vs. grafted, site preparation and planting, etc). We now have a couple pawpaw patches, and he's moved on to developing 'huckleberry hill.' 

In wood clearings we're working on blackberries, dewberries, gooseberries, jostaberries, honeyberries, chokeberries (aronia), chokecherries, wild plums, elderberries - I know I'm forgetting things. For nuts we have english walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts. Our shrubs are rugosa rose (for hips), cherry plums, beach plums, nanking cherries, sea berries, bearberries, saskatoons, carnelian cherries - again, I know I'm forgetting things. We're also working on herbs - planting them not in an herb garden but in the yard.

I guess in a nutshell, edible landscaping is planting edibles in the landscape in place of other possibilities - like removing the juniper bushes around the foundation of a house and planting wild blueberries. Always good to work with native plants whenever possible. And the 'hidden' aspect comes into play because the food is in places people don't expect, and so they often don't see it.


----------



## Genevieve

well I finally got the big raised bed cleaned out. what a mess! I pulled as many of the weeds I could and then scraped off about 2 inches of bed hoping to get most of the weed seeds.
Now I have to dig some of the dirt out to fill the black pipe. I want to plant some cucumbers in it this year. I plan to grow some zucchinis and some greenbeans in the big bed this year after I work in some compost.

this is the big bed. I have two smaller ones in another part of the yard










this is the big blue pipe that hubby brought home last year. I have 4 sweet pepper plants in it










this is the black pipe hubby brought home. it's taller than the blue one but smaller in circumference


----------



## Viking

Yesterday I dug up six volunteer peach seedlings and two black cherry seedlings and put them in pots to grow stronger away from under existing cherry trees, also put in some potato starts were there was bare areas between the potato plants. Today I planted a 10" heritage Belgian giant tomato plant, black zucchini, beets and parsley.


----------



## Davarm

Since we just got an unexpected rain I'm going to go out and get the back part of the garden ready to plant peanuts, I have 2 heirloom verities I'm going to plant here. 

My dad recently had surgery and has some(peanuts) that need to be planted in the next few weeks, gonna go over tomorrow, till and plant those for him if he isn't feeling up to it.


----------



## readytogo

*good info*



myrtle55 said:


> Does anyone know why my butter crunch lettuce from my garden is bitter?


http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/lettuce/bitter-lettuce.htm


----------



## squerly

6 rows of corn, cucumbers, peas, bell peppers, watermelons, tomatoes,and potatoes. My pear trees have more fruit on them than I have ever seen before, same with the peaches. Cherries are a little sparse but better than last year. 

I think that all around it's going to be a good harvest!


----------



## cantinawest

*Gardening in the desert*

Gardening in the desert is a little tougher than we expected, especially when the soil is not very conducive to great crop output.
We have been amending the soil now for some time, but it is starting to produce.

We have been going through a lot of trial and error over the last four years since we moved into our current home, but I always let people know that now is the time to be "trying and erring" because eventually we will get better at it.

And Later, when things have fallen apart and one has to rely on their own resources and skills, is not the time for trial and error...then it is too costly.

Corn, beans, squash, melons, peas, tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and, for the first time, some berries.

It's too warm here now for lettuce, spinach, cabbage, carrots and other cool weather crops


----------



## RevWC

radishes.......


----------



## smaj100

We've been hard at work getting the garden going and keeping it that way. Hopefully mother nature will give us some water soon. Had to restart the carrots none of them emerged, gonna have to start some more northern beans and green beans. This is the first year with the garden in its new home and we didnt have a chance to add alot of amendments or compost.


----------



## goshengirl

Cantina, I really like the pvc irrigation you have in the first post. Do you find it works well? I've wanted to do some pvc irrigation like that, with 55 gallon drums of water on concrete block as the water source on the end of each row. Our raised bed rows are 4' wide and 66' or 78' long - I'm wondering how well things will get irrigated the further they are away from the water source.


----------



## Genevieve

I was going to till my large raised bed but the primer ball on it is leaking gas lol So, hubby has to replace it. If it doesn't get done by the end of this coming weekend, I'll have to turn it by hand so I can get my zucchini plants in along with some greenbeans.


----------



## LincTex

goshengirl said:


> I'm wondering how well things will get irrigated the further they are away from the water source.


From another member on here (whom I forget the name - I will edit once I remember it or find out again)

http://www.builditsolar.com/Projects/WaterPumping/SimpleSolarPump/SimpleSolarPump.htm

http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/co...ive-energy/482702-solar-water-pump-setup.html


----------



## Davarm

Today I got a lettuce plot cleared(lettuce was bolting), tilled and ready to plant Shepherds Purse tomorrow if it's not raining.

Shepherds Purse is one of the oldest DD's "demands" for this years garden and the seeds came in today.


----------



## myrtle55

Anyone know why my lil peaches, (marble size) fuzzy balls look like something is eating the fuzz, but I can't find anything on or in them


----------



## Davarm

myrtle55 said:


> Anyone know why my lil peaches, (marble size) fuzzy balls look like something is eating the fuzz, but I can't find anything on or in them


A picture would help.

Does the damage show up as dark lines on the fruit? If that is the case it could be wind damage and not a pest problem.


----------



## musketjim

Planted beets, lettuce,kale,peas and arugala and spinach at BOL. Used old seeds and won't spend as much time as originally planned there so not to sure of results. Mainly just wanted to get some stumps pulled and till as much as possible that makes it easier each year to put garden in.


----------



## Davarm

Arugala is one of those things that you either love or hate, no middle ground for most people.

I'm one who happens to hate it, think it tastes like a piece of lettuce that was used to wipe a skunks butt! lol 

I grew some one year for a friend, my dad came over one day and tasted a few leaves and if you've ever seen a dog eating peanut butter - thats what he looked like as he tried to swollow it. I was laughing as I asked what he was doing and his reply was "Trying To Get The Taste Out Of My Mouth"!

Not trying make fun of your arugala, just thought of my dads "taste test" when I read your post.


----------



## Genevieve

My little 2 stroke rototiller went kaput on me *sigh* its perfect for the raised beds. SO I sent hubby to get a new one.......he comes home with a big one ( we can use it to break the ground for big gardens) *rolleyes*

And he said he would get the big raised bed ready for me so I can't gripe at him too much now can I? lol

I still have my zucchini, watermelon and cantaloupes to get in. I'm SO late getting things in the ground but it's been rainy and cool ( 60's and 40's at night) here for the past 2 days now.

Hopefully either this evening or tomorrow I can get all of them in.
What we really need are some hot summer days so things will grow.

I'm just wondering what type of harvest we'll have because of the weather this year.


----------



## goshengirl

Another round of corn, this time Silver Queen. We've got two varieties of sweet corn (hybrid) and two varieties of flour corn (heirloom). They have increasing number of days to maturity, plus we stagger the plantings in order to prevent cross pollination.


----------



## Viking

Genevieve said:


> My little 2 stroke rototiller went kaput on me *sigh* its perfect for the raised beds. SO I sent hubby to get a new one.......he comes home with a big one ( we can use it to break the ground for big gardens) *rolleyes*


 He sounds like a Tim Taylor type of guy. Uuugh! Tim Allen for those who don't know about "Tool Time" He was always wanting more power for tools. Not too far off from my thinking.:woohoo: Bigger engines = more torque which gets things done faster with less effort. Anyway, looks like he needs to get on the ball and build your bigger raised beds.:ignore:


----------



## cantinawest

goshengirl said:


> Cantina, I really like the pvc irrigation you have in the first post. Do you find it works well? I've wanted to do some pvc irrigation like that, with 55 gallon drums of water on concrete block as the water source on the end of each row. Our raised bed rows are 4' wide and 66' or 78' long - I'm wondering how well things will get irrigated the further they are away from the water source.


It actually works quite well. It makes watering time quick and easy. A lot faster than furrow watering the traditional way.
And I like it more than the drip system we tried one year.

Nevertheless this method has a few minor inconsistencies, but not too bad.

The longer your pipes the less water gets down to the very end.
And that is the case even with pressure on the system.

So you might make your holes smaller at the beginning of the pipe just so it does not all drain out right at the first 10 feet of pipe and nothing at the end.


----------



## timmie

tomatoes,peppers,squash, and whatever else my friend comes up with. her boss gave her 36 flats of plants. so i guess whatever is in them.vract:


----------



## Genevieve

FINALLY! lol 2 zucchini, 2 water melon( sugar baby) and 3 cantaloupe


----------



## crabapple

More sweet corn, peas & winter squash.


----------



## smaj100

HELP with my carrots. The DW and I have planted carrots twice now in our garden. The 1st time we planted the carrots using a seed tape that they had at our local farm store. Nothing after 4-5 weeks we took the tiller through the row added some more compost, and potting soil to help lighten the soil some. Planted some more carrot seeds and lightly covered them with more potting soil. We've watered the garden daily and everything else is doing wonderful. Maters, taters, cabbage, corn, zuch, squash, green beans, pintos, great northern, cucs, onions but nothing from these carrots..... 

Any ideas?


----------



## crabapple

smaj100 said:


> HELP with my carrots. The DW and I have planted carrots twice now in our garden. The 1st time we planted the carrots using a seed tape that they had at our local farm store. Nothing after 4-5 weeks we took the tiller through the row added some more compost, and potting soil to help lighten the soil some. Planted some more carrot seeds and lightly covered them with more potting soil. We've watered the garden daily and everything else is doing wonderful. Maters, taters, cabbage, corn, zuch, squash, green beans, pintos, great northern, cucs, onions but nothing from these carrots.....
> 
> Any ideas?


The first 2 times I got nothing, I think I planted to deep.
The third time I got 2 little stub carrots.
So I did not plant for 2 years & this year I planted carrots with radishes between onion sets.
Most if not all came up, but they are not ready to pull, so I am not sure that they will MAKE.
Growing carrots & eating them is not the same thing.


----------



## txcatlady

My carrots waited until a good hard rain to come up. I had almost given up.


----------



## crabapple

txcatlady said:


> My carrots waited until a good hard rain to come up. I had almost given up.


I watered the onions twice a week & the seeds that was sow around them(carrots & radishes).
This may be why so many carrots came up, I have not thinned them yet.:scratch


----------



## shadowrider

Filled the last space in the garden with about 1\4 lb of peanuts. Between the showers, it was a little sticky at the end.


----------



## LilRedHen

I have one empty row in my garden. It's in between a row of field peas and corn. I had thought about planting some navy beans, but was wondering if they would mix with the peas. The Rooster doesn't know; I think they would mix and I don't want that. Does anyone know?


----------



## jeff47041

The lovely one and I finally planted the garden yesterday. I'm so far behind this year. I got the garden ready almost a month ago, and just didn't get to it.

We planted sweet corn, 42 tomatoes, greenbeans, peas, red beets, peas, summer squash, spaghetti squash, butternut squash, acorn squash, watermelon, pumpkins, cantaloupe, honey dew, banana peppers, jalapenos, green and red bell peppers, cabbage, brussel sprouts, kale, carrots, & lettuce.

Last week, I planted 50 raspberry plants, 2 blueberry plants, 3 concord grape plants (along with posts to make the barber), and 4 cherry trees.

In the past month, I've gotten almost all of my soybean fields planted. Just got a new field rented last week, so I brushhogged and plowed that over the weekend. It's gonna rain every afternoon this week, so I'll get it disked and planted next week.


----------



## Davarm

LilRedHen said:


> I have one empty row in my garden. It's in between a row of field peas and corn. I had thought about planting some navy beans, but was wondering if they would mix with the peas. The Rooster doesn't know; I think they would mix and I don't want that. Does anyone know?


You should be pretty safe with the navy beans, never heard of them crossing with peas.

A navy bean/field pea cross would be kinda interesting to check out though.


----------



## Davarm

I'm filling empty spaces too, planted another verity of peanuts today. I put them on to soak in water overnight and those things had started to sprout in less than 24 hours. Hoping thay will break ground in a few days.

I have 1 more type of peanut I'm going to plant if I can find the space, that will make 4 types I've planted here and 1 in my dads garden in town.


----------



## *Andi

Replanted the corn ... and starting to look at the fall garden.


----------



## LincTex

Genevieve said:


> My little 2 stroke rototiller went kaput on me .


Send it over, I'll have it running again in no time. I'll bet that engine shares parts with one of the 2,359 weedeaters I have collected over the years


----------



## lazydaisy67

I had to replant my entire crop of green beans! VERY upsetting, only 2 measly plants from 3 whole rows sprouted. We've had strangely cool weather this spring. Also had to replant almost all of the sweet corn. I haven't planted sweet corn in the garden plot for years because it's been notoriously poor growing and non-producing, but I thought I'd try it again this year. Took up a significant chunk of space for it this year so I hope it grows!.
On a happier note, I planted Okra and Kohlrabi this year for the first time and they're doing fantastic!


----------



## sailaway

LincTex said:


> Send it over, I'll have it running again in no time. I'll bet that engine shares parts with one of the 2,359 weedeaters I have collected over the years


2359 weedeaters huh, Sounds like my fetish for ball peen hammers, I've got more than I'll ever use or wear out but I keep on buying them at garage sales.:scratch


----------



## LincTex

sailaway said:


> 2359 weedeaters huh, Sounds like my fetish for ball peen hammers, I've got more than I'll ever use or wear out but I keep on buying them at garage sales.:scratch


I pick them up off the curb. One time I got 12 in one haul, 11 of them ran with very little work and the 12th had a bad recoil starter that wasn't fixable, but everything else was good.

Sometimes, I cut them up and make large scale R/C airplane engines out of them.


----------



## myrtle55

Can anyone tell me if I can use cedar sawdust as mulch for fruit Trees and vegetable gardens or if it has stuff that would Leach into the food? ?


----------



## txcatlady

Long story. Husbands cousin had a tree fall on her truck while driving down county road. Extensive damage to her. Her mom hired my husband to build her casket. She lived 100 days. He sanded all the red cedar in our car port. I used some in chicken nesting boxes (they didn't like it), some in garden and some saved for fire starter. Plants didn't like it and cats used it for cat litter. It it had cured longer and broken down, it might have worked better. I just hated to waste it. Doesn't answer question. Try a little maybe and see


----------



## txcatlady

Dug my potatoes today. I planted 5 pounds and dug 55.2 pounds. I am happy. Planted more pintos in that spot, more carrots, pulled up spinach and lettuce that bolted. Picked pintos and green beans. Has anyone canned plain onions before?


----------



## Dakine

nice! 

I planted my potatoes a few weeks ago (only 4) and 3 of them seem to be doing well, it's my first time trying it, and instead of doing them in a bucket I'm doing it with a cardboard box. I had thought that two of them didnt make it, I was doing the cover as they sprout thing like a bucket garden, but then the 3rd showed up again! maybe it's a spread from the strongest of the 4, or maybe it's just a late bloomer, I dont know and I dont care. it's not to live on, just getting experience doing it 


about to transplant my carrot seedlings, same thing, not to live on, in todays world I dont really care, this is just getting real world experience.


----------



## goshengirl

myrtle55 said:


> Can anyone tell me if I can use cedar sawdust as mulch for fruit Trees and vegetable gardens or if it has stuff that would Leach into the food? ?


I have read not to use cedar and black walnut in composting as they have natural herbicides that prohibit plant growth (black walnut more so than cedar). I do not know from personal experience, though.

Perhaps you could use it in the walkways between beds? Or some other walkway? Sure would smell good...


----------



## goshengirl

Planted carnelian cherries, more chokecherries, and more hazelnuts.

Later today will be the next installment of corn - this time Ohio Blue Clarage.


----------



## LilRedHen

On Aug 1, I sowed turnip, curley mustard and rape. It finally rained this weekend and this morning I noticed that the seeds are coming up. I also planted two more cucumber hills (what was I thinking?):nuts: The squash plants are nearly gone and DH wants me to remove the one in the raised bed and plant carrots. I will probably do this tomorrow.


----------



## *Andi

Cold weather tomatoes (Glacier) and onions in the greenhouse...


----------



## crabapple

LilRedHen said:


> On Aug 1, I sowed turnip, curley mustard and rape. It finally rained this weekend and this morning I noticed that the seeds are coming up. I also planted two more cucumber hills (what was I thinking?):nuts: The squash plants are nearly gone and DH wants me to remove the one in the raised bed and plant carrots. I will probably do this tomorrow.


You are in zone 6??
I plant in last of August or Sept.1-LAbor day, zone 7b/8, then grill out with the family.
Cukes might make in the cool, before frost.


----------



## Wellrounded

Not planting today but was the first day I've had in the garden for months, just haven't been well enough. I'm doing a huge overhaul of the vege patch to make it more manageable for me even when I'm struggling health wise. We're putting in more guinea pig/rabbit pens (fertiliser factories), one moveable piglet pen (ploughs and compost turners), two chicken tractors for extra poop/cultivation and making the beds narrower so I can reach everything a bit easier. I was thinking of downsizing but it's just not in my nature..... I'll just do what I've always done and change the methods I use.
Last autumn when I knew I wasn't going to be able to do much work I covered most of the garden with weed cloth, now I have weed free, worm filled soil ready to plant. If I hadn't put the cloth down I'd be struggling with 6 foot high weeds by now. Usually in autumn I'd pile manure, straw etc over the whole garden for the winter but there was no way I could have done that amount of work. The weed cloth was a blessing 
I'll finish prepping bed one tomorrow and recover it with cloth ready for early spring crops in the third week of September.

EDIT: also getting rid of all the grass paths and laying cobblestones, sick of cutting edges and mowing.


----------



## Toffee

Planted our hairy vetch in the new garden section this afternoon and last weekend my husband planted our indoor herb boxes for the winter. Hopefully they make it.


----------



## myrtle55

My daughters first cabbage!


----------



## gam46

*cross-pollination of legumes*

This set of comments from Garden Web might prove helpful to you. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/legumes/msg0717173218348.html


----------



## gam46

Back to planting today. I set out all the garlic I had in mind to. Some that had produced quite large cloves this year and has been grown out from some given me several years back. Also made a point of prepping an area with coffee grounds, banana peels, egg shells, and bunny berries in which I planted local wild garlic which tastes just fine. Hoping that the soil amendments will produce larger cloves.


----------



## Tucker

gam46 said:


> bunny berries in which I planted local wild garlic which tastes just fine.


When I first read that, I thought that you were eating bunny berries. :eyebulge:

I spent the afternoon doing final preps of the garlic bed. I had planted cover crop in July and dug it under in late September. Obviously I should have tilled it in mid September because I still had a lot of stringy green stuff left. I pulled that out and put it in another bed that will be fallow until spring. I should have my bed planted in a few days but will have to enclose it so my garden helpers eg chickens won't unplant the garlic. Damn squirrels will uproot some though. 

I also saw that my cover crop in another bed is coming up nicely. I was afraid that I had waited too long.


----------



## notyermomma

I spent much of the day putting my container garden to bed, processing the last of my veggies and composting dead plants. I did repot some kale and leeks, and will probably put in a few more radishes while I'm at it. 

As I do this time every year, I tallied up what I spent on seedlings and other supplies. My gardening skills are awful, and I never break even by growing my own. Usually at this point I decide not to do it again next year ... but I always go back to the nursery every spring because I enjoy it. I probably won't ever transition to doing this for survival, I just need to be square with WHY I do it. It's kind of like the martial arts - I don't ever expect to be a super spy, but I just love it anyway. Gardening is its own reward.


----------



## crabapple

Computer in shop. planting garlic still, was helping friend move in to a 1950 something fix it up house, so I am behind on planting.


----------



## Gians

*winter greens in*

Arugula, Kohlrabi, Radicchio, Romaine Lettuce, Kale, Chinese Cabbage, Red Cabbage, Swiss Chard and Garlic artydance:


----------



## Jeanie

Viking said:


> As to planting veggies here in S.W. Oregon we've been going by what Territorial Seed Co. wrote in their catalog years ago, wait until after Memorial Day, soil has had a chance to warm up and it is less likely to have anymore frost. Also because things grow faster they can outgrow what insects would make fast work of in cooler soil growth. It works! This is the best time for planting bare root trees around here so that's what we're striving to do."
> Thanks Viking. I am putting in some lettuce and (pans of beer for the slugs) getting some pea starts staked so it looks like I'm doing SOMETHING out there. ~~~Ants in my pants looking out the window. Want to get something in the ground! Thanks for the reminder about how fast these greens grow once the ground warms... I'll go read a book.... and tap my fingers...


----------



## crabapple

Finished 75 blueberry plants, muscadine,rosemary & vegetables.


----------



## Genevieve

doing another window box of lettuce and I found a strawberry jar ( plastic) at the goodwill so I'm planting some strawberries today.

nice cool rainy day to do it too


----------



## Shammua

Working on getting roots out, and getting grass growing again where we want. This year is more of doing some clean up and prepping for next years gardens, trees, and new raised beds.


----------



## Genevieve

I just finished planting 15 tomato plants and 2 watermelon plants


----------



## crabapple

Planted 12 more tomato plants whooper & Better boys.
26 egg plants, Black beauty & Japanese long.


----------



## tsrwivey

Planted a fig tree, the first perennial to go in at the property. Planted a couple jalapeño plants, a couple bell pepper, & a lemon balm.


----------



## txcatlady

25 years ago my dad rooted a sweetheart rose and gave it to my mother in law. Daddy lost his and we have not been able to find them anywhere. It is a small pink miniature rose that he wore in lapel to school and church. Most miniatures only have 5-6 petals. This is a full rose. Daddy died 21 years ago. My MIL wants me to dig it up and transplant to my house. I am scared I will kill it. Got some strong pieces today and am trying to root them. Momma had some rooting hormone so I hope that I am successful. Entire family wants a start. That's what I planted today.


----------



## JAR702

112 tomato plants over weekend, lot's of corn and beans today. More corn, beans and peas tomorrow, gonna get up early and try and beat the heat, ended up with heat exhaustion today, silly me.


----------



## lilmissy0740

crabapple said:


> Planted 12 more tomato plants whooper & Better boys.
> 
> 26 egg plants, Black beauty & Japanese long.


How do you keep bugs off your egg plant? Those tiny little black bugs eat mine alive.


----------



## Davarm

lilmissy0740 said:


> How do you keep bugs off your egg plant? Those tiny little black bugs eat mine alive.


It depends on what route you want to take, DE will work on most bugs but you have to dust the plants down daily and sometimes several times a day until they are gone.

Garlic/pepper spray sometimes works, you have to spray the entire plant including the underside of leaves.

If all else fails, Sevin dust/spray will kill most garden pests but I'd only use that if you faced with loosing the plants.


----------



## Davarm

I didn't plant anything today but I got beds ready to plant heirloom tomatoes, I have around 100(or more) plants of 6 verities that I have to find places for.

My back yard is about an acre and it's all turned into garden, I may have to start tilling the front yard soon.


----------



## LilRedHen

A neighbor came by and worked up my garden Saturday. I've managed to plant a row of okra, two rows of Contender green beans, 2 hills of squash and 6 tomato plants. I think I will sow the rest of the garden in red clover, since I just don't feel like putting in the whole garden this year. Everything is getting to be a little too much lately.


----------



## crabapple

lilmissy0740 said:


> How do you keep bugs off your egg plant? Those tiny little black bugs eat mine alive.


Sorry, I never had that problem.
I have tomato horn worm, tomato fruit/corn ear worm,squash bugs most years.
I am putting out baby powder for rabbits & pine-sol for deer.
But no little black (leaf miners?)bugs. Insecticide soap should kill them.
Oh this year I have CPB on my white potatoes leaves for the first time, I use finger & thumb to kill CPB.


----------



## perpetualsharon

Getting a late start on my seeds... Patio & small container gardening.

Today I planted 20 Bush Early Girl Tomatoes (seeds... late start, so I'll be having these in Mid-Late August)


----------



## Blackdogwinery

I put up a greenhouse two years ago, and made the biggest advancement of anything I have ever tried so far. It lets me plant early, grow later in the season, and really does produce triple or better than the garden. I've been eating spinache, onions, radishes and leaf lettuces for a while now. The sweet peas are starting to bloom, as well as the tomatoes. In the greenhouse I planted spinache, carrots, onions, asparagus, tomatoes, squash, zuke, beets, celery, broccoli, garlic, and sweet and hot peppers. I've planted about the same in the outside garden, along with a good potatoe patch, but all the plants are 1/4th the size of the one inside. Last year I planted peas for the first time, and they were so good that I planted a huge load of them this year. This year was a first for the garlic, celery and asparagus for me. I've planted celery seeds a few times but never had any success. This year I took the bottom of the celery bunches I bought at the grocery store and put them in the dirt, and they are growing great. I cut them about two inches from the bottom and just slightly buried them, and was really suprised it worked. I can't wait to taste my first ripe tomatoe, as the crap from Walmart has no taste!


----------



## Blackdogwinery

Here's a couple Picts.


----------



## gam46

Last fall I posted,"Also made a point of prepping an area with coffee grounds, banana peels, egg shells, and bunny berries in which I planted local wild garlic which tastes just fine. Hoping that the soil amendments will produce larger cloves."
Turns out to have not worked well at all. I'm supposing that the ever-present pill bugs liked the fertilizers, then didn't stop eating when they came to the garlic cloves.
Meantime, I recently received pre-sprouted mooring oleifera seeds and have at least ten, maybe twelve tomorrow, tiny trees. The leaves are reputed to be tasty and highly nutritious. The trees are very fast-growing, but should be prunable to container size so I can bring one in to overwinter it. Does any of you have experience with it? If so, please share.


----------



## crabapple

nothing, just picking blueberries,blackberries,raspberries & veggies.
OH, some mint,rosemary & garlic.


----------



## timmie

i learned i will not plant rattlesnake green beans again. i will stick with blue lake or contender. i just don't like them.


----------



## Danil54

timmie said:


> i learned i will not plant rattlesnake green beans again. i will stick with blue lake or contender. i just don't like them.


I love the contenders and the flat Italians. . . those both seem to grow well here.


----------



## Danil54

Right now I am going to plant beans to dry only. . . waiting till late August to start planting Fall crops.


----------



## sewingcreations15

Hello everyone  .

Today I replanted almost 5 x 2mt rows of sweet corn seeds in the gardens as it has been so dry here and watered them in with rain water from the tanks and DH ploughed up our 10 x 5mt garden as we are expecting rain, glorious rain of up to 50mm over the coming week .


----------



## Tank_Girl

I had a big day out in the yard planting seedlings.

Nearly all my medicinal herbs and flowers are in except for my comfrey, rue and one punnet of calendula.
Rue inhibits the growth of other plants so I have to plant it on it's lonesome.
I seriously needed some rue this morning which is used to rub on the skin to deter biting insects.
The mozzies and the sandflies almost carried me off and my lower legs were covered in huge red weals.


----------



## sewingcreations15

Between rainstorms we planted another 3.5mt row of beetroot seeds that were soaked overnight to aid sprouting and DH weeded one side of a 9mt vegetable bed which is much easier when the soil is wet than dry here and I weeded the path in between that and another garden bed.

Tank_Girl sorry to hear about all the mosquito bites they are so horribly itchy when you get them.


----------



## sewingcreations15

Between rain we have planted 2 x 5mt rows of Qld blue pumpkins, 2 x 5mt rows of sugar baby watermelon seeds, 1 x 4.5mt row of blue lake climbing bean seeds and a 3mt row of carrot seeds. No sooner had we finished all of that and it started raining again, we couldn't have timed it better  .

Other garden maintenance included weeding 2 x 9 x2mt garden beds, pulled up early Massey pea plants that had finished for seed, DH gave our 10 x 5mt vegetable garden a second plough and we put the drip irrigation system back on the garden bed and we pegged it with sticks so the drip pipes are now straight ready for planting and I separated out carrot plants that were growing too close and made another 6mt row of carrots .


----------



## sewingcreations15

Hello everyone  .

Today we amended some soil in the garden bed that had silverbeet in it that had gone to seed and dug them out along with parsley that had gone to seed too. We planted another 2mt row of silverbeet seeds to replace those. I also transplanted some marigold sprouts around the capsicum plants that had sprung up from other plants. These were all then watered in with rain water from our tanks.

We then weeded a 9 x 1mt garden bed that contains our garlic, carrots and beetroot in the back paddock vegetable gardens and moved to weeding another half of another 9 x 2mt vegetable garden bed.

For mulch on our newly ploughed 10 x 5mt vegetable garden bed in the back paddock gardens we put all of the silverbeet and parsley plants and turnip peelings on there to keep the moisture in the soil there and add nutrients to a portion of the garden.


----------



## Tank_Girl

I planted out sugar baby water melon, cucumbers and mouse melons and purple tomato seedlings with their protective foil and cardboard collars.

I have golden midget watermelon, red snake beans and kang kong seeds germinate in their clip lock bags so I planted them into potting soil in punnets to get a little larger before they are transplanted into the garden.
The one lonesome delicata squash seed that germinated got it's own special pot and put out in the front yard far away from the reach of feral chickens.

My muscadine grapes are sprouting flower buds but the jewelled stink beetles have moved in and have taken a liking to my bolivian slipper cucmbers on the same trellis.

My tromboncino are producing very well provided I'm out at the crack of dawn to hand pollinate them. The bees here are real slackers. They really do need a trellis so the fruit grow straight but my trellis that I have them planted against is a huge sheet of concrete reo mesh arched over and pinned in place by star pickets. The tromboncino have reached the top of the trellis way above my head so I need to balance on an old kitchen stool to reach the flowering fruit or risk dislocating my shoulders trying to reach up and work above shoulder height. I think I'm going to need to drag out the bolt cutters and cut one of the other sheets of reo in half length wise to make a shorter trellis for the tromboncino so I don't have to engage in my usual morning circus act. I'm going to have to buy another bundle of 6ft star pickets before the new trellis can be built though.


----------



## sewingcreations15

Tank_Girl be careful on that stool it doesn't sound like a safe exercise  . Good you have planted lots of wonderful seeds too .


----------



## Tank_Girl

sewingcreations15 said:


> Tank_Girl be careful on that stool it doesn't sound like a safe exercise  . Good you have planted lots of wonderful seeds too .


Hahhaah wouldn't you know it my cirus act almost ended me this morning.
Yeah, time to put the stool away and wait till pension day and buy those star pickets for the new trellis.
The tromboncino plants won't transplant well so..gee...looks like I'll have to germinate some more....like I need an excuse.
I brought more delicata and dumpling squash seeds from a different supplier so I really am hoping that I get a better germination rate....any germination at this point would be "better".
With all this blood, sweat and tears to grow these varieties it'll be a huge slap in the face if I don't like them once they fruit...oh well, wouldn't be the first time I've poured a lot of effort into something that didn't pan out the way I hoped. The chickens will benefit and it'll reduce my feed bill if nothing else.


----------



## crabapple

2/16/2018 I will plant carrots,onions,radishes & turnips.


----------



## sewingcreations15

Today we planted 5 more 2mt rows of sweet corn in the gardens from saved seeds from our last seasons crops.

We also weeded some more of our 10 x 5mt garden bed and had a friend come over for the excess volunteer sugar baby watermelon seedlings we had in the gardens. They will go to her family as well as some other friends we know that live 2 doors down from her. While we were at it we checked on the one row of watermelons we planted from the volunteers and some didn't make it so we replanted some more to replace them.


----------



## RedBeard

crabapple said:


> 2/16/2018 I will plant carrots,onions,radishes & turnips.


Winter crops! i have to get my but in gear and get the cold frames done...... I have bad luck with onions and i don't know why.


----------



## Meerkat

Still transplanting into hydros or containers.


----------



## sewingcreations15

@RedBeard it pays you to soak the onion seeds overnight and then plant them. Onion seeds are best planted in a trench with no soil over the top and gently pressed into the soil with your hand. You will find they will do better that way.

Onions particularly don't like rich soil either and prefer poor soil to grow in so that could be another problem. They are very finicky to grow.


----------



## terri9630

RedBeard said:


> Winter crops! i have to get my but in gear and get the cold frames done...... I have bad luck with onions and i don't know why.


Onions do well here in the desert. It's a commercial crop in NM. The farmers grow large softball sized onions. They may be getting to much water and rotting.


----------



## RedBeard

Thank you both very much i will try both your tips. I wasn't soaking them and i was covering them with dirt. Soil is poor so i think thats fine. And i may have been over watering the ones that did grow because they were kinda mussy. Im thinking maybe at a little sand to their bed to mix in?


----------



## sewingcreations15

@RedBeard it is not recommended if you have clay soil (assuming here) to add sand to it nor any garden beds for that matter. The best way to break up clay soil is with lots of organic matter.


----------



## RedBeard

I do have clay. Ok cool thank you!


----------



## sewingcreations15

Welcome @RedBeard for the info and think horse manure (higher content of organic matter) not a lot of that though as it is rich in nitrogen for onions, dried shredded leaves, composted or fairly dry grass clippings, trench composted vegetable scraps dug into the soil etc.


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## terri9630

I've never soaked my seeds but it would probably help. Use lost of compost. Composted goat, rabbit and horse manure and hay is what we use.


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## sewingcreations15

@terri9630 yes anything you have readily available (and preferably for free) as well as compost benefits the soil. We have a saying here throw everything we can get our hands on into the soil to amend it.

Soaking the seeds in water overnight particularly works well with larger seeds such as silverbeet, spinach, beetroot and onion seeds. I don't bother with the watermelons or pumpkins as they sprout readily on their own.


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## terri9630

sewingcreations15 said:


> @terri9630 yes anything you have readily available (and preferably for free) as well as compost benefits the soil. We have a saying here throw everything we can get our hands on into the soil to amend it.
> 
> Soaking the seeds in water overnight particularly works well with larger seeds such as silverbeet, spinach, beetroot and onion seeds. I don't bother with the watermelons or pumpkins as they sprout readily on their own.


What kind of onions are you planting? All the ones we've planted have tiny seeds.


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## sewingcreations15

Hunter brown onion seeds (Australian breed) and white onions not sure the variety but they are all large seeds.


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