Gardeners in the Asylum

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

Hmm, I like broccoli and spinach, check. Might have to try onions. I'll definitely be planting more garlic. Had a bumper crop of it this year.

Go for it, Bob!!!! Keep us posted!!

[jjirons69]

Originally Posted by Chainsaw13

Anyone have suggestions for fall/early winter plants? It's still hot here in Michigan, but soon it'll start to cool down. Maybe I can actually plant something this year. Definitely lettuce, not sure what else.

Here's my fall favorites: lettuce, collards, mustard greens, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, rutabagas, turnips, and radishes. Check the planting guide for your area and check to see when to plant seed versus transplants. Fall gardening is great.

[SvilleKid]

All that's left.... Butterpeas on the left, sweet potatoes in the background. Turned over rest of garden to get chopped plants into ground. Plan on adding a good bit of mulch into the garden this fall and winter to lightening up soil a little, help it's water retention abilities.

Cliff, how do you turn? A big tiller?
I got two watermelons and a bushel of squash. Some cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Strawberries sometimes. Picked some corn for dinner this weekend.
But it's still been a slow year. Better than last year. I'm already looking forward to next year.

[Jasonw560]

Cliff, can you grow potatoes? I tried, but too warm.

I tried the trashcan method. If I can get more eyes, I may try this fall when it's cooler.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Cliff, how do you turn? A big tiller?
I got two watermelons and a bushel of squash. Some cherry tomatoes and cucumbers. Strawberries sometimes. Picked some corn for dinner this weekend.
But it's still been a slow year. Better than last year. I'm already looking forward to next year.

Lance.. Turn with a tractor and a 5 foot disk. So kinda like a big tiller I have a small Mantis-type tiller (made by Echo) that I use when ready to plant or weed the row areas.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by Jasonw560

Cliff, can you grow potatoes? I tried, but too warm.

I tried the trashcan method. If I can get more eyes, I may try this fall when it's cooler.

Jason.... Not too hot here. This is third year I've planted them. I use a mound method, and use wire cones (like used for tomatoes) mainly to get the vines off the ground and out of the way to make it easier to weed around plants and to keep the base area more visible. First year I planted them (three years ago), I let them spread, which made it necessary to weed by hand (verses a small Mantis-type tiller). Plus, being in the suburbs and lots of land around me, letting the grass grow up too much gives hiding places for field mice/rats, which burrowed down and ate half my sweet taters the first year. Haven't had same problem since using the cones.

First two years, I planted "slips" I purchased. This crop, I planted pieces of leftover yams from last year's crop. They seem to be producing fine, but it took them three times longer to start growing as the "slips" did. My MIL's husband said they always sat old yams out in wet sawdust before the season, and picked the sprouts (slips) off and planted them when the time came. Might try that next year. My mother remembers Yams being grown in south Mississippi where she grew up in the 30's and 40's in large quantities. I also know that yams are a big crop in Louisiana. so it's probably NOT heat as much as water that could be your pitfall!

They have turned out to be much easier to grow than I imagined they would be. Give them a try. Garbage can method probably holds moisture better anyway!

I've got an Echo tiller, don't use it much. Ever since I went to raised boxes I don't till much any more. I use the big walk behind to knock down the weeds along the roads and I haven't even used the tractor tiller I have.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

I've got an Echo tiller, don't use it much. Ever since I went to raised boxes I don't till much any more. I use the big walk behind to knock down the weeds along the roads and I haven't even used the tractor tiller I have.

The Echo was a salvage purchase. Was a new unit local Ace Hardware rented out, first user put straight gas in it, and screwed with carb adjustments to point it wouldn't run, and returned it. I purchased it from Ace for $50, put a $25 replacement carburetor on it, and have used the heck out of it!! It sure beats hoeing weeds!!! But it will wrap a tomato cone up in a skinny minute if you get too close!!!

I'd love to have a tiller attachment for the tractor!!! That would sure make a nice bed!

[Jasonw560]

Speaking of which, I need to get my FIL's tiller and get my beds ready for fall plantings.

Cliff, if I go the taters tis year, I'll let you know how it goes.

[SvilleKid]

Originally Posted by Jasonw560

Speaking of which, I need to get my FIL's tiller and get my beds ready for fall plantings.

Cliff, if I go the taters tis year, I'll let you know how it goes.

I say Go For It!!!!! And Good luck. BTW, my mom tells me I need to let them stay for probably another month. Apparently they have a long growing season. She also says when I dig them up, I need to leave them in sun and turn them for a couple of days to harden the skin and increase storage life. Also NOT to wash. Brush dirt off, but do not wash them until ready to use. At 83, she still knows her plants (BS degree from Mississippi State in Horticulture).

[AUguy]

I don't know what area you are in so I'm not sure what kind of fall weather you will be facing. Why not try some leeks or carrots. They should be cost effective if you plant from seed. That spaghetti squash sounds like a winner too.

I just planted my carrots last week in containers. I didn't seed them until September last year so this is really an experiment to see how they handle being planted so early.

[AUguy]

Originally Posted by Jasonw560

Cliff, can you grow potatoes? I tried, but too warm.

I tried the trashcan method. If I can get more eyes, I may try this fall when it's cooler.

Sweet potatoes should handle the heat with no problem. They are big business in south Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas. They are usually planted around late spring/ early summer.

[AUguy]

So my wife has been sick for a while and we have spent the last few nights in the hospital. She is on track for a full recovery and she should be able to go home on Sunday. I got to come home for the first time today and there was a lot going on in the garden. It has been rainy off and on for about a week now so everything has doubled in size in no time. My cucs have flowers in full bloom and tomatoes are full of greens and flowers. My carrots that I planted last week in containers have come up, I will have to thin them out next week. But some other things started growing too. In the tomatoes I noticed some leaf spots on a few plants and some big fat Caterpillars feasting on every leaf and green tomato they could get their mouth on. I went ahead and sprayed fungicide and seven on everything. I checked the garden about an hour later and I found 6 more caterpillars all on the ground. If I would have waited another couple of days I would have had a big big loss on the tomatoes.

[SvilleKid]

Nice looking garden, William. Glad your wife is on recovery tract. Also glad you caught worms before they striped your plants clean!!!!

What are small green leafy plants near bottom of photo? Basil?

[AUguy]

Thanks. Yeah that's basil. Had some free seeds so I scattered them around.

[hotreds]

beans!

Soy? Looks very nice.

[Fordman4ever]

I was deployed this year while I should have been getting the garden ready and keeping up with it. when I got home, it was full of really tall weeds and they were starting to spread into my yard.

I'm in the process of pulling out everything from where the garden is and trying to get rid of the weeds that spread into the yard. I think I'm going to build a raised garden over the top so I can just fill it with good top soil next year and plant a good garden.

[hotreds]

Originally Posted by BC-Axeman

Soy? Looks very nice.

yup!