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Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
Herbs do well with moderate heat. High heat and humidity stifles any plant, as respiration increases. Keep the soil well-mulched and keep the soil moist. There may be some wilting in the heat of the day, but they will spring back. Morning sun, afternoon shade will probably be more beneficial.
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You guys live in heatland. How you plant there is beyond me. Last year was so dry when I went through VA that I was afraid one spark would take the whole state in a flash fire. I've never seen anything like it in my life, and we've had years of drought on end.
It's that "coupled with intense heat" thing that really makes things tough. Growing herbs here is like growing weeds, literally. Plant them once and you never have to do it again. I always put them in thinking I'll use them in my sauce, but I never do. Weeze cooks with them, so it's nice to have them around nowadays. |
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We used to have long hot dry summers here. It's been three years since that happened. Most herbs are from the Mediterranean area, which is the same type of climate I'm supposed to have here. I use rosemary as a landscape shrub, thyme, sage, oregano and marjoram as border plantings. Deer and gophers don't eat them and they require almost no care. Mint grows wild. Dill, cilantro, parsley, basil, chives, other annuals go in the garden. Dill reseeds everywhere, cilantro used to. Fresh herbs are the best.
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Sweet. I shall plant herbs this weekend.
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That wicked vine has me itching from fingertips to armpits. Arggg!!
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Rained day and a half ago. Garden went crazy! Corn doubled in height, all vine plants putting out runners like crazy. Weeds having a field day! I spent almost three hours tilling areas between watermelons, cantaloupe and sweet potatoes to turn weeds under. Rain expected again in two to four hours. So, some of grass will re-root, but I'll still be way ahead of them!
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/813c10c3.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/94ff8340.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/6ab5a6e3.jpg |
Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
Looking good, Cliff! When you get enough, send some of the liquid sunshine our way. I can't remember the last rain.
On a side note, I stayed on top of that poison ivy with my creams. It's all but gone. I sprayed every leaf I could find this weekend with some double-strength Round Up. |
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I got the big bottle of super concentrate from Costco a couple of years ago. Still have 1/2 left. I believe the recipe calls for 2 oz per gallon. "Calls for" is the key word, especially when ivy is involved. I don't use it much on other stuff. Weed-eating is my favorite outdoor chore.
Is that a horse or cow in the background of your last picture? |
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Some photos of veggies and fruits developing. I'm thinking I'll have fresh squash this weekend!
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/ec77f84f.jpg Corn is already tasseling, and approaching 6 feet tall: http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/41f0c8f8.jpg Lots of tomatoes set, including the Better Boys and the Grape Romas: http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/9f172004.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/c9c87441.jpg And Broccoli heads finally starting to materialize: http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/b9065dde.jpg |
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Then, there's the fruits - Blueberries, Blackberries, Figs. Mulberry trees have a decent crop, but it was too dark beneath covers to get a decent photo:
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/68d45b85.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/cdd05de0.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/0d372fdf.jpg |
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Sweet!
We got an inch of rain this afternoon. We were dry, dry, dry! Grass is growing as I type. |
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Arrrrrggggg!!! How many rocks can my garden grow???? No mater how many I throw out of garden, there's always more waiting. And I'm not even gardening in a rocky soil!!
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My dad has at least an acre planted, all times of the year. Always has. It used to work me pretty good growing up. He gives away more than we eat. My mom is a chronic canner/jarrer, too. Now that I have kids, it's great getting them out there picking garden peas, picking up plowed potatoes, and all the other "fun" stuff gardens present. I've been trying to get him to plant peanuts for many years, as we all love boiled peanuts and I remember us growing them when I was a kid. Problem was, we never had good crop of nuts for various reasons. Finally he buys into it this year, only to find there's a shortage of Valencia peanuts due to the drought issues last year. Luckily I searched around and found him a 50 lb bag on line, $150 delivered. He now has enough to share with three of my uncles, who also were having problems finding nuts. He has sandy, well-draining soil, so I'm making sure we have an initial dose of potassium-rich fertilizer and a good dose of gypsum when they set flowers. We're going to crush them this year. It's gonna be a great 'I told you so' situation, plus it's good for the kids to see where those tasty boiled peanuts come from.
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I'm finally putting my real garden in. It's a wonderful day. :D
Now I can learn all about killing Ohio bugs and how to grow plants in clay. |
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Just about finished planting. Next is water and support. I'm still watering by hand.
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I got started really late this year, but so far I have about 10 rhizomes of hops down, various mints, brocolli, and lettuce. Planning to add in some tomatoes, various hot peppers, chives, rosemary, and perhaps Ill try my hand at red beans
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I'm in the same boat Lance. I got everyting in, I just need to re-do my drip system. Pics to follow. |
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I've been holed-up in house last couple of days with a wicked head cold. I went out this afternoon after the sun was behind trees. Good thing! The broccoli has gone from 3 inches wide to that shown below in about three days! The corn has gone from tassels shrouded with stalk to full-blown, and ears are popping out and silking all over the patch! That's a 9 inch plate the broccoli is on. There are another half dozen heads that will be this size by Monday.
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/af640c83.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/29b7cda5.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/ee278aa1.jpg |
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Mmmmmmm:dr
Nice broccoli! |
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That broccoli looks fantastic! The corn's coming along nicely, as well.
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These are from a few weeks back, so things are about twice this size now.. We had a cold wet spring so things got in the ground late this year. A few more things were added after these pics.
In the raised bed is: (1) Super Fantastic Tomato (2) Lemon Boy Toms (1) Marglobe Tom (2) Early Girl Toms (1) Sweet 100 Tom (3) Jalapenos (3) Mucho Nacho Jalapenos (3) Mamoth Jalapenos (3) Yellow Bells (8) Green Bells (2) Poblano/Ancho Peppers (1) Serano Pepper (not picutred) (1) Habanero Pepper (2) Boston Pickeling Cucs http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ |
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Yellow Cherry Tom and more Early Girls
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ Fresno Peppers and another Habanero http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ Babcock White Peach http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ Elephant Heart Red Plum http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ |
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Rose - Peace
http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ Rose - Chicago Peace http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ Rose - All American Beauty http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a2...D720/ry%3D480/ |
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You guy's gardens look fabulous. I actually shouldn't plant till after the 4th of June (full moon), but we have sprinklers, so if we get a frost I can knock it off the plants by running it manually.
Lisa and I ran out and got a half dozen bags of composted cow poop and all our plants, the garden will be going in this evening. It's entirely too hot back there right now, so I'm just going to prep the holes in the plastic and stuff like that. |
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I planted several items this year for the first time (for my garden), namely watermelon, cantaloupe, spaghetti squash and broccoli. So far, I'm getting much better results than I ever thought I would. The broccoli had me worried for a while that I was going to eat leaves, but the heads finally came out, and went from about 3 inched to 7 to 8 to 9 inches in about a week. Eight out of nine of the plants have, or are producing really nice heads, one plant has never taken off, and is still kindly sickly looking. The squash has to have at least 25 setting fruits between the two mounds. I was informed today by my mom (81 years strong) that they are perfectly edible when young, just like summer squash, as long as they are not too big and the rind has hardened. I sent one home with her, which she cooked last night like fried green tomato. She said only thing was, it was kinda bland, and probably could have used a dash of lemon juice (or maybe some greek seasoning). That actually helps me out, because I was wondering what the heck I was going to do with all of them when they all matured in the same week or two!! I can eat some as they grow, and leave some for harvest at full maturity.
I was stoked yesterday afternoon to discover my first watermelon! True, it's only a little larger than a nickel, but it's the first one I've grown, and I wasn't really sure how the soil would do for them. Now, all I have to do is worry that they will make it to maturity! I've got problems with the neighbor's dogs coming across the street to (apparently) tromp thru the garden, stepping on everything they can. And, i had to dispatch a young rabbit from the garden a couple of days ago. In all the years I've had the garden, this is the first rabbit I've encountered in it. I'm also more than a little worried about squirrels, possums, raccoons, armadillo and possibly skunks. I've never had a problem with any of these in the past, but I've never had "sweet" ground crops like melons before. Right now, the garden's not fenced, and I have a dog that is kept in the yard by an invisible fence. She is fairly aggressive with animals like armadillos, but didn't pay a bit of attention to the rabbit, and could care less about squirrels. She apparently found a skunk within the 5 acres I have her confined to a couple of weeks ago. I never found it, but the odor from the dog was significant for several days. This is the first evidence of skunk we've had in the 25 years we've lived here. I'll just have to wait and see if any of these animals become a problem. If so, I guess I'll have no choice but to fence the garden in some type of strong fence. Here's a pic of my first melon: http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/a473f2a6.jpg |
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Almost done with the garden, all I need to do now is fill holes with compost and SAP in the corn garden, and put the seed in. That'll take about an hour, but we ran out of daylight tonight.
We put in: 3 types of corn. (77) Roma tomatoes (17) Cherry tomatoes (3) 3 different types of table tomatoes (9) Green peppers (18) Sweet banana peppers (18) Honeydew melons (2) Watermelon (1) Pumpkin (1) Zucchini (2) Bush cucumber (8) Jalapeņo peppers (6) I think that's it. Then there's the wildflower garden and I'm going to put some zinnia and osteospermum in there. Some dahlias in the bed out front, and Weeze started an herb pot on the back porch. Ange has a container garden back there with a couple tomato plants and a couple pepper plants. I got five more shepherd's hooks for the deck, so there'll be 7 or 8 hanging baskets out there with the rest of the jungle plants. It's looking really good, I'm glad we're just about done!!! :tu |
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The melons are fun Cliff. I have not had ver good luck in the past with there here though. I do have 3 cantalope and 5 watermelons going this year too. Cross my fingers. My dog liked to trample the melons too.
Wow Scott. I wish I had a nice sized lot to go big like that. Sounds good. |
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This morning's harvest. The potatoes were dug because they are to be consumed tonight, not because the potatoes (as a whole) are mature and stopped growing. This one vine was starting to turn a little yellow, so it got chosen for the sacrifice!! The broccoli isn't silver on top, that's just the camera flash off the dew drops still on the plants.
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/a21cec2f.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/5b1a83b6.jpg http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/579eaec1.jpg |
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It's getting there, Lance. Soil looks a little dry, though. Are you using a soaker hose with that set-up? Or a sprayer head or a drip system? I'm too lazy, and the garden is too big for a drip system, but I do use soaker hoses where the crop is close enough to justify. My mound crops like the watermelons, cantaloupe and sweet potatoes, I water (the mounds) by hand sprayer and by water bucket. Otherwise, I'd be watering a bunch of empty ground just to satisfy the "weeds-to-be"!!!
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I'm impatiently waiting for seeds to push through the dirt. I caught Weeze checking to see if the corn was up the morning after we put seed in. :)
We're both super excited, what ya gonna do? She came home with 7 more hanging baskets for the back porch last night, I had put hangers up for her a few days ago. At this point, I don't think we'll be dragging in another piece of plant material. Everything is in and it's all doing real well. Now, off to see if the punkins and melons are growing yet. :D |
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Hopefully putting in the drip system this weekend.
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Some plants like the tomatoes and squash have individual drippers. The potatoes have a long soaker hose and so do the strawberries and raspberries. The 'chokes have a small loop of soaker hose in each planter. The corn has the line with a drip emitters every foot and the plants are at the emitters. It was a windy night and dried the surface. I'm sure the roots are in moisture. We moved the tomatoes over one box so I still have to move the hangers. There is broccoli in the box where the tomatoes were. Tomato seedlings are my biggest weed this year. Thousands of them from the compost and leftovers.
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wow-amazing pics of gardens!
I have only planted peppers this year, in pots. I love lemon cukes and I'll hope that it's not too late to grow some at this time of year. I just bought a house and the first thing I did was was to make sure I had room to garden. Priorities ya know. |
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Lunch today:
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/a991bf81.jpg Many more out there ready or will be ready in next 2 to 7 days! Grape Roma's..... Orange-red, still need a couple days to full ripe. None of the full size tomatoes are turning yet. But when they do turn, I'll have bushels ready at once! (which works well for plans to can at least 50 pints this year, maybe even make some more tomato sauce to can). http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/0a2f4cbc.jpg Three pickings of green beans already done, with the last two pickings almost filling up plastic grocery sacks. And from only two short 10 foot rows. (already processed, so no photos). |
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Corn looks :dr. |
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Kinda "gardening"......
From a buddy's family homestead. Up in the hills, really accessible only with 4WD. The only way to pick blackberries! From the driver's seat of my old Pathfinder. With the A/C on. With the radio punching out classic R & R! I picked 3 quarts in about 2 hours without leaving the seat of the Pathfinder. Hard to beat! http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/53f92a44.jpg About half the berries were thumbnail size. Love wild black berries! http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...d/e67be6e4.jpg |
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those look derish!
Out of all of the peppers that I planted the Cayenne Long Slim are starting to produce already. I can't wait to make a bunch of sauces and salsas, using habenero is my favorite though. |
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We get blackberries in August. And yeah, the best ones are picked that same way.
Blackberry cobbler! |
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I have some garden pics for you guys. I just finished pounding tomato stakes and tying them up, so I took some pics while I was out there.
New little red flower that showed up in the wildflower garden this morning... http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/2158ec9f.jpg View from the swamp... http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/220f1a17.jpg Tomatoes. One garden is Romas, the other are a variety... http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/05f0a2f7.jpg http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/20353456.jpg |
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Here's the other stuff.
Banana Peppers and Green Peppers... http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/38ba5f4c.jpg There's punkins, two honeydews, and watermelons... http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/52b6e58f.jpg Bush Cucumbers, Zuchini and Jalapenos... http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/8efde4ce.jpg And THE CORN!!! :D http://i925.photobucket.com/albums/a...a/de634f98.jpg |
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You crack me up, Scott! Who needs a lawn anyway? Critters aren't a problem?
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The pictures lie, Lance. There's tons of lawn. There's great big walkways between the gardens, too. They honestly look small back there.
We don't have any critters at all, just Ravens and they stay busy eating dead stuff and garbage. It's a new development, so there's not even a bunny rabbit to be seen. The deer used to come off the gold course (we live right on the 14th green) and pass right next to the house, but since they built the one next door, they go through the empty lot a couple doors down. |
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yum:) my husband grows all types of peppers. we are going to try figs.. we'll see how that goes.. we have blueberries, started this year..still small and alittle tart still...
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Very cool Scott. How do you water? Is there drip system below the matting or do you sprinkler from above?
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