2016 - How Does Your Garden Grow?

[Toepopper]

This years garden will start out with negative labor and time to remove the smashed, bent and twisted bird netting cage I had built surrounding my black raspberries and blueberry area. We received a foot of wet snow that collected on the netting and the corresponding weight of this snow collapsed the structure and smashed the berry canes down to the ground. So now I have support wires, iron T stakes and bird netting all intertwined in the berries and it must be clipped out and removed and the berry canes propped up again. Its snowed many times before on this netting and never caused any damage but this year my luck has changed. I have a labor investment of 120 man hours into building this bird proof structure and must now start over.

[knobster]

My son wants to make salsa this year so we'll be growing the various ingredients for that. He wants his own raised garden bed but I suggested he start with his own section of the current beds. I told him if he does well in watering/weeding/tending the plants all season long then we'll talk about making his own bed.

[Toepopper]

That approach may be better as most people who first start a garden don't realize the amount of work and time that goes into it. Good to get started at a young age.

[Watchman]

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Egyptian (Walking) onions. A story behind these. I planted them on the side of our other house about 18 years ago. Then I moved them into a garden bed at the other house. I dug them up and replanted some of the bulbs at the side of our present home. I have sent a small box of the bulbs to a guy in Texas and assume they are also growing. Early in the spring these onions can be used as any other green onion. After abut two months they begin to get tough and are barely edible. Bulbs form at the TOP of the stalk and when they dry out you can pick them for someone else to plant. Here's a picture that I took just a while ago - they're coming up through the soil. A perennial onion - Nice!

[knobster]

Getting anxious to put some seeds in the ground but we're supposed to get snow!?!?! this Thursday. Plus it was 27 degrees this morning. Guess I won't start sowing just yet.

[Toepopper]

It took lots of time to remove the broken tree branches and other debris that had fallen into my garden during winter wind and snow storms. Now the grass is 6" tall and the fruit trees have blossomed so yesterday I planted snow peas, red cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower which can all withstand cooler night time temperatures. Its good to get a head start on planting. Easier on the old body to spread the labor out over a longer time period.

[Watchman]

We have just about a quarter to a third of an acre in our lot and we are in a project to see how we can utilize every possible square foot to grow food. We are fortunate in that we are one of the very few with it's own well, so water is not a problem. After some careful planning and adjusting and then constructing a "poop" ground for our two Yorkies, Biscuit and Gravy, we think we have it down pat. One fenced section is going to have Yukon Gold potatoes and maybe Armenian cucumbers. The other fenced section will have black zucchini and yellow crookneck squash and green onions. We have ten grow boxes that will house tomatoes, peppers, green beans and Lemon Bush cucumbers. More will come next year after we get a little more knowledge and developing more space. Ass of today our apricot tree is in full bloom and it looks like it will be a bumper year - if Wyoming weather doesn't turn backwards. There is supposed to be snow and sleet in thee foothills which will bring our temps down, probably just enough to ruin the apricots again. Even though we anticipate (maybe) some more cold weather, we are putting in the potatoes, onions, lettuce, arugula, and radishes. I think we'll be safe with them.

[Watchman]

Yowee!

We've been working hard the last couple of days. Have tried to impress upon my son that we CAN grow a lot of food on small acreage - we have about 1/3 acre. Planted a 4x6 bed of onions, transplanted 8 rhubarb plants from someone who didn't want them (free). Put in the ground ten pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes (7 rows). Marked off a spot for 25 zucchini, yellow crookneck, and Armenian cucumber hills. Am experimenting with some self-contained grow boxes and used one for Kentucky Wonder bush green beans. Prepared a 4x6 bed for lettuce, arugula and radishes. So far. More to come in the next couple of weeks. Will be planting tomatoes, bell peppers and habaneros in about three weeks.

Regarding our apricot tree. We may just have made it this year. The last snow we had, the temp did not get down below 30 so we think it is safe. Still has most of the blossoms.

A mushroom plant (organic) opened up and we are going to buy a bunch to dry them. Wife made an apricot upside-down cake with apricots from our tree dried about 15 years ago. It took about two hours reconstitution but it was exccellent.

[knobster]

Finally planted sugar snap peas last weekend. Was hoping to get a few more things in the ground this week but cold and rain are in the forecast. Low 50s and lots of water coming down. Not exactly a good time to put seeds or small plants in the ground.

[Toepopper]

There are other cold crops you can start now that will germinate in cool weather. I have planted cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, peas, and lettuce and all are thriving. Last week it hit 90 degrees but now its cold with the snowline up at the top of my property. These crops can tolerate the cold. I took a gamble and planted potato's also but if a hard frost occurs it will kill the plants but they will just start re growing again when it warms up. I have lots of fruit this year and its all early.

[Watchman]

Guard your junk from thorns and thistles. Monday is Naked Gardening Day

http://www.trendingmail.com/2016/04/ann ... naked.html

[Watchman]

Planted [yesterday] Armenian cucumbers, Mexican sour cucumbers, black zucchini, and yellow crooknecks. Potatoes are poking through the soil and onions are a foot high. We don't plant tomatoes around here until the end of May or later. Will do peppers at the same time. Next week we do lettuce, arrugula, radishes, and bush beans. Right now we're feeling our way around this new planting regime - we're seeing how much we can squeeze into about a 5th of an acre. It looks like our apricot tree made it through the winter.

[Watchman]

Everything is growing like mad! Will have bumper crops of potatoes, green beans, squash and cucumbers. So-so on tomatoes and peppers. Our green onions are already gone. We ate a real bunch and dried a gallon jar full.

[Watchman]

For the 4th gardening year in a row, we have a perfect record! Blossom End Rot (BER) appears to be ruining our tomatoes again. Despite all the precautions we took that nasty condition is here. I amended the soil BEFORE planting with dolomite (calcium) and have been continuously spraying 'Stop Rot' on the flowered plants. Should have saved the money and bought tomatoes from Mejico.

On the other hand green beans, anaheim peppers, potatoes, yellow squash, zucchini are all growing fine. [Wash My Mouth]

[Toepopper]

It may be that dolomite doesn't have enough calcium in it to prevent blossom end rot. You can get a sack of inexpensive granite dust and mix it in the soil or save your egg shells and mix some in. Both these methods have prevented BER in my tomato's for several years in a row. I still have not picked any tomato's but some are almost ripe.

[Watchman]

This time I planted tomatoes in containers and mixed about a up with each planter. In the spring I'm going to take a piece of ground about 200 square feet for tomatoes and peppers. How much would I use? I want to till it in (or not) before snows so it an soak in good. Any ideas?

[FLPrepper]

I have a small aquaponics system and I went with tomatoes for my most recent planting. Great that temps don't mean anywhere near as much with these systems, so keeping the pH right is a little pain and the few times I have woken up to dead fish were not pleasant. After the tomatoes I am gonna go back to leafy greens.

[Toepopper]

The soil here is awful, very acidic and with no rain during the summer months it turns into cement that nothing can grow in. As a consequence I just dig holes and create a mound with the dirt. Holes for tomato's are a foot to 16" around and a foot deep. I fill these holes with composted weeds, maple leafs, fresh horse manure, last seasons growing medium, some rock phosphate and a handful of crushed granite dust mixed thoroughly. That's the secret formula and it works well. I stopped using the crushed egg shells because skunks and raccoons smell them and dig them up for a snack. Digging holes also allows me to control the water. It all drains down to the roots where it belongs instead of running off the surface. I am not in a position to waste any water and must make certain every drop gets used correctly. So I have never done a large roto tilled area for a garden and don't know what to tell you on how much to use.

[acet7]

I had giving up on tomatoes for awhile, the skins kept splitting on me. And the ones that didn't the squirrels took one bit out of every other one I need to build a squirrels barricade or something to keep them away.

[Watchman]

Am trying something different this year. Will can potatoes with skin on!

Good article - http://canninggranny.blogspot.com/2012/ ... atoes.html