# The Garden Itch



## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Been lookin at my seed catalogs an puttin tagether this years order.

Gonna plant lots a jalepeno's like usual, love the jelly.

Also, a few maters, but lots a dried beans this year. Many varieties ya can't buy in the stores an the price a beans be gettin high. Sides, beans er good fer ya!

Some squash an some pumpkins fer my granddaughters.

A few carrots, radish's and turnips ta cut inta the horseradish. Bout all I got room fer now. Should be a good, tastey an productive summer!


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## IrritatedWithUS (Jan 9, 2011)

I've been planning my garden as well. I too plan on planting lots of jalapenos as well as bell peppers and beans. I was thinking about canning the bell peppers with some tomatoes, garlic, and onions and making a spaghetti sauce out of them this year


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## nj_m715 (Oct 31, 2008)

I hear ya, we ordered the seeds for our poor little excuse of a garden last week and picked up some spices to try inside. I'm looking into the food forest thing. I like idea of growing stuff that just keeps coming back. Berries, nuts, kiwi's etc. I have two brown thumbs and finding someone local who is into the permiculture stuff isn't easy. I'm old fashioned, I like to go to the local store and ask the experts about things. Now the "experts" know more about i-phones than anything in the store that employes them. I guess it's back to google and youtube to research it on my own.


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

We got the red & yellow onion starts in the ground today and the carrot seeds planted. I'm ready for some homegrown tomatoes & fresh purple hull peas!!! We'll plant some squash, bell & jalepeno peppers, green beans, & corn. Maybe some eggplant. Still need to sit down & plan everything out.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

DW ordered her seeds a while back and they showed up today. We got: zucchini, spaghetti squash, pickling cukes, rutabaga, tomatoes, 2 kinds of lettuce, butternut squash, brussels sprouts, and onion and red raspberry sets that have yet to arrive. I think she got the blueberries ordered but I'm not sure what variety she ended up going with.

I cleaned the rabbit pens today and dumped a couple wheelbarrow loads of bunny manure on the garden. The weather's been beautiful here but the ground's still too wet to till. I honestly did think about getting the rototiller going but it'd just make a muddy mess at this point.


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Were still a few weeks out from plantin, but I just put in my orders, so stuff we'll be here when the times right!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Jason said:


> I honestly did think about getting the rototiller going but it'd just make a muddy mess at this point.


Yea. Me too. The last 3 days I was so tempted to get out there and get things started. Luckily I came to my senses. I tried working the ground too early a few years ago. What a mess! When it finally did dry out enough to be worked, I had huge clumps of "concrete." I just told myself; "It's only February, be patient."


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Exactly. We still have lots of time to get ready so may as well plan things out and not rush, at least not yet.


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I too, want to run out there and plop stuff in the ground with this big thaw but tomorrow morning is supposed to drop another load of the cold, white, wet stuff on us again! But I do have a small aquaponic, deep water culture set up with some extra dwarf boc choi and some lettuce going right now! I am only a few days away from harvesting those baby boc's and throwing them into the stir fry! But I am gonna have to wait for those goldyfishys to get bigger before I eat them! lol


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## ComputerGuy (Dec 10, 2010)

Excellent ideas for tomorrow. Get the worm farm soil into egg cartons and have the grandkids plant seeds to germinate


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## carolexan (Dec 28, 2010)

We tilled all day, have garden planned and seeds sprouting inside. We have been in the high 70's in my neck of the woods. Our garden wil be larger this year so I'm looking forward to it!


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I'm just planting a couple of portable pots this year, but sure I will get carried away, the last 2 years disruptions in my life disrupted the garden. Last year I also tried an indoor garden with peppers and tomatoes, but yield was "0" due to no pollination.:scratch


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

This subject is near and dear to my heart right now - working on the master plan! (not all corn types play nice together - gotta figure out the isolation locations...) We're converting the entire pasture to garden, so we've got a big project in store. (If we ever get animals, they'll be in a different location, so that's not a problem - we needed the sunny, fenced area for the garden.) Today we cut down some 40ft tall pines to get us more sunlight - we'll use some of the smaller branches for bean poles, etc. 

Here's our list:
beans - Anasazi, Aztec white, Cannellini, Hutterite, and Mayflower pole
beets - Sugar Beets
carrots - Little Finger, Minicor
corn (sweet) - Gotta Have It, Kandy Korn, Northern Xtra, Ruby Queen, Silver Queen, Stowell's Evergreen
corn (dent) - Hopi Blue, Mandan Red, Oaxacan Green, 
corn (popcorn) - Dakota Black, Early Pink
lettuce - Iceberg
melon - Twice As Nice
peas - Green Arrow, Lincoln, Maestro, Wando
peanuts - Early Spanish, Improved Virginia, Jumbo Virginia
potatoes - German Butterball, Goldrush, Kennebec, Yellow Finn, Yukon Gold (need a red variety)
sunflowers - Mammoth, Super Snack
tomatoes - Amish Paste, Bellestar, Big Boy, Big Mama, Cherokee Purple, Roma
watermelon - Bush Sugar Baby, Jubilee
seeds from the 'Seed Project' here on the board 

We've also got grapes (Concord, Catawba) and fruit trees (apple, cherry, plum, pear). And there are loads of raspberry bushes in the woods that don't produce well - we're going to move them to full sun and see if that helps. Oh, and herbs, too!

Anyone selling a tiller?


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

Darlin, I think yer gonna need a plow! Don't beleive a tiller gonna cut it!


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> Darlin, I think yer gonna need a plow! Don't beleive a tiller gonna cut it!


LOL! Don't I know it! I DREAM of plows! 

But between mower and financial limitations, a tiller it is. 

Just really feeling the food crunch and wanting to be prepared - and determined to make it happen. I thought my DH would think I was crazy for wanting to cut up the whole pasture - turned out he'd been thinking the same thing. Seeing him go out there today and cut up those trees - worth more than any Valentine's present to me - and then some! :kiss: It's better than having him 'support' me on something I want to do - he wants this garden as much as I do.

We're doing a sort of modified square foot gardening, building up rows. Just added up everything, and it does fit in the pasture. Yeay!


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

An oldtimer told me to get an old tiller, they weigh alot and will really dog down and turn the earth. The newer ones are light weight and take alot of effort to turn the soil.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

You mean old stuff is built better than new stuff? Say it ain't so!! You'll anger the Chinese gods of production.

*ahem* Sorry about that...

Goshengirl-how big is this garden going to be? It sounds really impressive.


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## goshengirl (Dec 18, 2010)

Thanks Sailaway - been checking out craigslist, and that info helps.

Jason, our pasture is 70ft x 160ft, less a corner for a one stall structure we generously call a 'barn'. Are you familiar with square foot gardening? Instead of building boxes in the typical 4x4 or 4x8 sizes, we're making 4ft wide rows by staking boards along the length of the rows and building up the soil, making raised beds. There's 3.5 ft between rows, and 4ft on the ends, to allow for turning wheelbarrows, etc. Add we'll have to go around the perpetually wet/soggy area (that I'm convinced is a spring, and hope someday to find out for sure). 

In addition to the list I posted above, there are also the seeds from the Seed Project here on this board - it will be interesting to compare them to 'fresh' seeds. And we'll make room for our NYC family who visits this area often - my brother's kids are looking forward to being able to grow stuff. 

Our goal is to not have to buy veggies ever again (with the exception of needing variety). Ideally, I would like to start a little smaller, learn a little more, build up with each year. But my gut says we have to do this NOW, there's no time to get this up and running at an ideal pace, so I'm listening to the gut. It's what started me prepping in the first place.


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## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Got quite a few seeds going in cells indoor now. Can't wait till ground is warm and dry enough outside to work.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

sailaway said:


> I'm just planting a couple of portable pots this year, but sure I will get carried away, the last 2 years disruptions in my life disrupted the garden. Last year I also tried an indoor garden with peppers and tomatoes, but yield was "0" due to no pollination.:scratch


You have to play Bee. I use Q-tips, one for each species of plant. It only takes a few minutes and is actually fun going from flower to flower. Just make sure to keep them dry.


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## Woody (Nov 11, 2008)

sailaway said:


> An oldtimer told me to get an old tiller, they weigh alot and will really dog down and turn the earth. The newer ones are light weight and take alot of effort to turn the soil.


I'm not picking on you Sailaway, just have answers to these questions!

I bought a BCS tiller, 715 model. Yes it cost $2,000 but is a pleasure to use and does a terrific job. I originally bought a new Troy Built Bronco (I think that is the $600 model) and it was a piece of junk. Flimsy, noisy, horrible piece of equiptment. I used it for 1 hour and returned it for credit. Happy as a clam at high tide with the BSC.


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

OMGosh ... I am eat plumb up with it. I know better but dang the weather is absolutely PERFECT!!  I did start some spinach in a pot that way I can bring it into the garage next time it freezes (like tonight, I think).

These 60 degree days are wonderful though ...


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## tsrwivey (Dec 31, 2010)

MrSfstk8d said:


> Got quite a few seeds going in cells indoor now. Can't wait till ground is warm and dry enough outside to work.


I tried starting about 60 plants indoors year before last. I planted, watered, turned, & babied for weeks. They were looking great, then one day they were gone. Come to find out the cat ate them.:gaah:


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## MrSfstk8d (Jan 20, 2011)

Well, that's the other change this year. No cats. Got a boxer and they don't get along so good. Almost miss it though, seeing as the mouse traps have been unusually busy this winter, lol.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Woody said:


> I'm not picking on you Sailaway, just have answers to these questions!
> 
> I bought a BCS tiller, 715 model. Happy as a clam at high tide with the BSC.


I'm with you on that one Woody. :2thumb: I have a 720 and I wouldn't want to use anything else. Although I got mine a LOT cheaper. I know a fellow that has a large landscape business. He bought it back in '01. It was about 6 months old and one of his guys ran it with no oil. needless to say, that was the end of the engine. He put it in a shed and left it there. In '08 I stopped in and asked if he had a used tiller to sell. He GAVE it to me just to get it out of his way. A week and a $350 engine later, I basically had a new tiller. The paint wasn't even chipped on it.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

You find bargains like no one else I know, Joe. I guess it pays to do your homework and ask around.


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Yeah, I'm a cheap son of a gun.  Always looking for the next good deal.


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

Uncle Joe, when do you usually start germinating your seeds? I'm SW PA...dunno if we're in the same zone or not. Since I live up in the mountain, I still have a LOT of snow and didn't work the ground last fall because I didn't know I was going to have a garden. Should I wait to germinate my seeds until the snow disappears?


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## Emerald (Jun 14, 2010)

I live in middle MI and I usually start my Peppers the last week of February, if not a bit sooner and my tomatoes about the 3rd or 4th week of March.. I have found that smaller transplants do better than great big ones as the bigger ones tend to stress more when planted out. I did trial runs for two years on the bigger vs. the smaller younger and the smaller younger tomatoes out did the bigger ones each time.. not that the bigger ones didn't do anything , they just seemed to take longer to recover from the transplanting.
Lettuce, radish, spinach, peas and other cole crops like broccoli or cauliflower and Brussels sprouts can go out at least 3 to maybe 4 weeks before the last frost date as a few light frosts don't seem to hurt them any... In fact I normally drop some peas into the soil on St. Paddy's day, it's a tradition ya know!


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## UncleJoe (Jan 11, 2009)

Salekdarling said:


> when do you usually start germinating your seeds?


Johnstown is zone 5-6. I am 6b.
I direct seed the cool weather, frost tolerant crops around March 17; St. Patrick's Day. That is if the soil is thawed and dry enough. 
Beans, tomatoes, cukes and other warm weather stuff I'll seed inside the 1st or 2nd week of April and harden them off for the first 2 weeks of May.

2010 Pennsylvania Interactive Plant and Tree Hardiness Zone Map


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## OldCootHillbilly (Jul 9, 2010)

My seed er on there way! Now if we can just get rid a winter!


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## Salekdarling (Aug 15, 2010)

UncleJoe said:


> Johnstown is zone 5-6. I am 6b.
> I direct seed the cool weather, frost tolerant crops around March 17; St. Patrick's Day. That is if the soil is thawed and dry enough.
> Beans, tomatoes, cukes and other warm weather stuff I'll seed inside the 1st or 2nd week of April and harden them off for the first 2 weeks of May.
> 
> 2010 Pennsylvania Interactive Plant and Tree Hardiness Zone Map


Alrighty. Thank you. :2thumb:


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## BadgeBunny (Nov 2, 2010)

OldCootHillbilly said:


> My seed er on there way! Now if we can just get rid a winter!


No kidding ...


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## kyfarmer (Feb 22, 2009)

I put some peas in the ground the other day, but just one row about 40'. I was so sick barely got them in then did not get out of bed for 3 days, just could not move. Got a high octane anti stuff plus double dose of tamiflu stuff. After 3 days i can get up and move some, hope to get rid of this before good weather, i have had this crud since nov, last year. I never get sick or even a cold. This has kicked my old but.


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## Jason (Jul 25, 2009)

Kyfarmer-we've all had a lot more colds than normal this year too. DS and I both have colds right now. Must just be a bad year for stuff going around.

As far as the garden goes, I currently have a mud hole covered with snow. Not doing anything out there anytime too soon.


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