Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Video Update on Tomato Garden

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HsjQkIXEgsk

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

DIT freakin' TO! I can't even grown crabgrass in the damn thing.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I gave up on mine. Weeds are out of control. So much rain early that ground wouldn't support me trying to pull weeds. And after my mom got sick, I just ran out of time and will power. I know there's some watermelon hiding in the weeds somewhere. Maybe some will mature without rotting from all the darn rain we keep having. I did get more beans, peas, tomatoes and corn than I'll eat in the next year, so overall was a success. And I didn't turn the sprinklers on a single time, and only the soaker hoses a couple or three times.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

So true, Cliff - I didn't water the garden the first time this year. Living in the South all my life, that's unheard of.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Wow, we've only had about 2" of rain in the past 2+ months.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

We got hit pretty good the other night. Enough to completely refill my empty rain barrel.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

We had 2.3" yesterday/Wed. Rained today, too. Should've planted rice and indigo in the spring.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

This is at least my fourth tomatoe haul of the season. And there's more to come. A lot more. That lone mater, second one if had do that. Kinda cool.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

This is the funky tomato.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Damn if I don't feel your pain, Jamie! Rice...... That' a possible plan, for sure.:D

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Nice haul Bob.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Pulled the few weeds I had in the garden yesterday. Still have 2 jalapenos and 3 bells growing. They're doing fair, but nothing to cheer about.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Pepper Harvest over the weekend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEyMGI40pXI

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Cleaned the garden out and lightly tilled the rows I was going to use. I planted 9 savoy cabbages, 6 Georgia Giant collards, 9 Brussels spouts, 9 red sails lettuce, and 9 butter crunch lettuce sets. I also planted 1.5 rows of curly mustard and 1.5 rows of broadleaf mustard. Ready for fall and winter!

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t...ps4823f983.jpg

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Very nice Jamie. I planted 4 wire barrels with Snap Peas, Snow Peas, Blue Lake Bush Beans and Roma Beans. This is my first shot at beans and peas. We usually have a pretty sunny and mild fall up here so I hope it works out.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I have nice carrots by the house here. The lettuce bolted, I guess we're done with that.
We just go pick tomatoes off the ground when we need them, they're awful.
I got one cantaloupe. Zero corn. Not enough peppers to bother.

Anyone who got anything at all here was from raised beds or hills. Even that wasn't a whole lot, and their gardens were done early.
Next year... :D

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Was that because of all the rain Scott?

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Yeah, the rain and cold. June was awful. The rest of the summer wasn't much better.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Anyone into apple or other fruit trees? I have three on my property. Each is different. This spring I trimmed up two of them. This year they all went nuts production wise, but I have apple scab, sooty blotch, and flyspeck on all three. Two moreso than the one. All three are fungal issues. I know more trimming will help with airflow/sunlight which is a good preventative but I don't think that will be enough. I also know I can go buy commercial antifungal sprays that will get the job done. However, I have well water, well head is about 60 ft from two apple trees, and I'm not crazy about the idea of using chemicals that are hazardous to people or animals. If anyone here keeps apple trees, what do you use? Also, do you have well water, and is that a concern? I've read that a vinegar solution is effective against apple scab when used at the right time. It makes sense given it's acidity and fungi's aversion to low pH. Anyone tried it with blotch/flyspeck?

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Mikey, all that other stuff stems from stress. You're on the right track.
I used to have around 20-30 trees. Never counted them because I was always adding and removing, and it never even crossed my mind, really. They were just work. :)

You talked about pruning. That's a biggie. Read hard and understand how to prune properly. Prune back hard if the trees haven't been used for years. That's around 1/3 of the top the first year and at least a third of what's left the next year.
That way the root system will do wonders with the tree. Very little stress.
Then use dormant oil. Use it in March when you prune, then at petal fall on each tree individually. That keeps all the critters out of the fruit cause the eggs are laid on the petal. The oil snuffs the eggs as the fruit grows. Super safe stuff.

Aside from that, I only ever used Sevin at 1/3 strength to hold back any kind of infestations. It was more for making me happy than doing anything. It kept the Japanese beetles from ruining my cherry trees. Also super safe.

Be okay with skin goofiness. It means nothing. Many old breeds were "netted" and that looks like scab or something wrong. It's not. So long as the fruit is coming to full maturity, and you don't experience a sudden drop of the fruit, the looks of the fruit means nothing. You just want it clean inside.
If you want it clean on the outside, you need different trees and lots of nasty chemicals.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Thanks Scott. The scab on the tree with the best fruit (the one most pruned this spring), is pretty bad. Almost half the apples are split open on larger scabs. The scab is all over the leaves too. If the scab was only cosmetic I wouldn't mess with sprays, I'd just prune more in spring and thin out in June. I will be pruning more and I'm going to try the vinegar solution spray in the spring to see if it works. I've read it works on scab. If it works on one fungal issue (scab) it's likely to work on the other two, I just haven't read any direct reports of success on blotch/speck.

I'm tempted to try some grafting to produce more trees and have multiple varieties on each tree. It should help with pollination too. What I've watched on U-toob and read online makes it seem fairly easy.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Beans being harvested!

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...57732%3Bnu0mrj

http://images3a.snapfish.com/2323232...87732%3Bnu0mrj

http://images2.snapfish.com/23232323...57832%3Bnu0mrj

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Bought 90 spring crocus bulbs/corms recently. They appealed to me because they come up very early & you can mow them down on your first mow of the season & they go dormant til the next spring.

It slowly dawned on my pea brain that I had to dig 90 holes. LOL

I guess I need to buy a bulb auger, so can plant them quickly & effficiently within the next month or so.

Next spring should bring a nice, if short termed show. :)

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Crap, forgot to look for garlic yesterday. Getting close to time to plant for next springs harvest.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

The Park Seed catalog landed on my desk today. It sure doesn't feel like time to start planting seeds indoors.
I don't think I need to start anything yet unless Weeze wants flowers. It'd be good to start tobacco soon if I'm going to set it out this year.

I'm excited to have a nice season, last year was a total catastrophe.
I'll settle for a marginal season, even. :)

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I just read this whole thread. Y'all have some nice gardens. I'll probly put in some peppers & 'maters & melons & corn & ...
Startin to sound like work. Have to wait a few months. Meanwhile I guess I could clear out the dead plants from last year.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Need some non-GMO seeds? Good deal right now.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I need to start planing for food, but instead have a proplem planting to much landscape. Shrubs, plants, flowers, etc are all over. Proplem is I can't eat them! Living in the south there's nothing better then smoking a beautiful looking at a beautiful landscape. Anyone else have this proplem?

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Yeah, Scott, last year was crap. New life right around the corner.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Spring is right around the corner. Anyone in southern PA should hit me up when it warms up if you want some free veggie plants.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Went and bought a seedling tray and heat mat. I've not had much luck planting from seeds, but I bought that pack of heirloom seeds and want to give it a try. Starting onion (red/Spanish) and four types of tomato. As it gets closer to spring, I'll be starting more seeds. Looks like I need to find more room in the backyard. Gonna try watermelon and cantaloupe.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Good luck, Bob!

I harvested the last of the Brussels sprouts and cabbage this weekend. Got enough for a couple of messes of each. Tomatoes and peppers in the sights for the end of March. Wonder if the neighbors would know if I planted a bunch of sativas? ;) Bet my employer wouldn't like it and would certainly free up my future. Guess I'll stick with traditional crops...

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

The wife and I really want to plant a nice garden but we're not sure if we'll be moving or not. Lease on our house ends in May and owner wants to sell. Looks like we'll be going month-to-month for awhile until we find somewhere else to put down roots.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Well, I am by no means much of a gardener (much better at providing meat!), but Holly has been wanting one for a long time so I figured it was about that time. Fortunately my mother-in-laws boyfriend has a green thumb and was willing to help me with the building and creation of this little plot.

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...w%20Garden.jpg

Got tomatoes, broccoli, cucumbers, hot peppers, sweet peppers, mint, basil, cilantro, a couple of different lettuces and greens and probably more...it's all starting to run together!

After all of that...

http://oldchurchbbq.com/sharedpictur...s%20Reward.jpg

Man, I'm tired!

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I'm still working on getting my raised garden built, but for now I'm doing some inside gardening. I have an avocado tree, green onions, celery, and sweet peppers all growing in my kitchen.

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4w8tt6ki.jpg

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...pshhb1r6pz.jpg

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...pspkcfndin.jpg

http://i1135.photobucket.com/albums/...pszelteizi.jpg

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Garden spot plowed. A couple weeks late in planting my early crops, but was occupied by granddaughter's birth two weeks ago. But its a good start. Waxy red potatoes (foreground in raised rows), two types of cabbage (45 day and 75 day maturity), yellow onions and broccoli.

Potatoes, cabbage and Onion
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...psl7xggcnx.jpg

Broccoli and east half of garden
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...psyazg5vjp.jpg

West half of garden
http://i1210.photobucket.com/albums/...psl5svo8hi.jpg

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Wow, I wish I had a plot that size to plant.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

What did you plow your garden with? What kind of equip?

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Are you sure this wasn't while your mother-in-laws boyfriend was 'helping' :po

This is my vegetable garden (around 330 squarefeet-ish). It’s not located on my own premises, but rented nearby (due to a somewhat small and toys overtaken garden at home). It’s a bit chaotic at the moment and there is still a lot of work to do. Currently planted/sown:

• miscellaneous herbs
• 4 types of garlic
• French/grey shallots
• Radish
• Broad beans
• Marrowfat peas
• rhubarb
• Blackberries
• Blackcurrant
• lots of strawberries

Ofcourse there is a lot more to come now that the season is starting.

http://i1078.photobucket.com/albums/...psakbjnaal.jpg

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

No, I'm sure it was after he left. He's about 10 years older than me, and was moving around like he was 20 years younger than me. There was NO way I was going to slack off while he was there. Fortunately he left and I was able to recover for a while :D

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I have an older 27 hp Kubota tractor, use a four-foot, 12 blade disc I turn it with. I generally turn it under several times over several days. Before I phantom, I have a small tiller made by Echo that looks exactly like the Mantas tillers. Othewise, I use a hoe, garden rake and a four-tine garden rake. Wish I had a tiller attachment for the tractor. But too costly for once a year use. Most of work after the initial plowing is by hand. I leave rues far enough apart I can use the Echo to keep weeds at bay.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I have a Craftsman garden tractor I was thinking of getting a single bottom plow, discs, and possibly a rake for. I don't have a sleeve hitch but it's designed to accept one. I can probably get at least the plow and discs for $200-300 used and another $100-150 for the sleeve hitch. I know they don't compare to a CUT or SCUT level tractor but I'd really like to give it a shot. I've seen videos and talked to others online who've done up to an acre size garden with a setup like mine.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Still WAY too wet in our part of the South to even think about gardening. Feast or famine when it comes to rain over the past couple of years.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Yea, we had two nice days of sunshine and warmth after I planted ours, followed by going on three days of rain...argh!

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Cliff, if you had a tiller for that tractor you'd use it every day. Your yard would look like the surface of the moon. They are THAT much fun.

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

I've got six acres....... So probably not JUST the yard!!!:):D

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Well, I must have done something right. I have lettuce starting to sprout on two rows. I'm surprised they didn't drown with all the rain we had the last two days!

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Water lettuce :D

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

:r:r:r

Re: Gardeners in the Asylum
 

Doing my first garden in a long while this year.