Gardeners in the Asylum

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Just about finished planting. Next is water and support. I'm still watering by hand.

I'm in the same boat Lance. I got everyting in, I just need to re-do my drip system.
Pics to follow.

[SvilleKid]

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.

Mmmmmmm
Nice broccoli!

[Jasonw560]

That broccoli looks fantastic! The corn's coming along nicely, as well.

[Mr B]

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

[Mr B]

[Mr B]

Yellow Cherry Tom and more Early Girls


Fresno Peppers and another Habanero


Babcock White Peach


Elephant Heart Red Plum

[Mr B]

Rose - Peace



Rose - Chicago Peace



Rose - All American Beauty

[shilala]

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.

[SvilleKid]

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:

[shilala]

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)
Jalapeño 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!!!

[Mr B]

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.

[SvilleKid]

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.

Good stuff, Cliff.
Here's what I have so far:

[SvilleKid]

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"!!!

[shilala]

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.

[Mr B]

Hopefully putting in the drip system this weekend.

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.

[Melissa]

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.

[SvilleKid]

Lunch today:



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).



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).