2011 Vegetable Garden & Backyard Garden Thread

[JWBooth]

I have corn, radish, lettuce,cucumber,spinacvh and brocolli up so far.

Thinking of planting bluegill and crappie though it has been so wet here, Set a new record for wettest April ever.

Those are fish names where I'm from.

What kind of plant are those?

See, its been so wet that fish could be grown out in the garden....
Its one of those metaphor/irony kind of things.

 

[uscitizen]

I have corn, radish, lettuce,cucumber,spinacvh and brocolli up so far.

Thinking of planting bluegill and crappie though it has been so wet here, Set a new record for wettest April ever.

Those are fish names where I'm from.

What kind of plant are those?

Umm they are fish. We have set new rainfall records for April.

 

[uscitizen]

Maybe Water Chestnuts?

 

[JWBooth]

Maybe Water Chestnuts?

Might dry up before they begin to produce...

 

[Two Thumbs]

I have corn, radish, lettuce,cucumber,spinacvh and brocolli up so far.

Thinking of planting bluegill and crappie though it has been so wet here, Set a new record for wettest April ever.

Those are fish names where I'm from.

What kind of plant are those?

Umm they are fish. We have set new rainfall records for April.

*sigh*

Is there a doctor in the House?

I need a hook, line and sinker removed from my mouth.

 

[Two Thumbs]

Maybe Water Chestnuts?

Might dry up before they begin to produce...

I got some chinnuts for you guys.

 

[kwc57]

I have an 8'x24' raised bed garden I built in my backyard 5 or 6 years ago. Due to time constraints over the last couple of years, I covered it in mulch and put it to bed. I have time to mess with it this year and am doing a salsa garden. I've got onions, tomatoes and cilantro as well as, jalepenos, poblanos and green chiles. I'm throwing a few seed potatoes in for the first time this year to see how they do. I loves me some new potatoes! My greatest claim to fame was the 47 pound black diamond watermelon I grew 5 years or so ago. Absolutely the best watermelon I've ever eaten!!! Every attempt since then has been unsuccessful.

Over the years, I've also grown okra, cucumbers, green beans, corn, carrots, sqaush and zuchinni.

I'm getting ready to plant dill, basel and a couple of other herbs who's names escape me at the moment........but they are for the butterflies. The herbs are host plants for certain butterflies who will eat the foilage and lay thier eggs on the stems. I loves me some butterflies and hummingbirds too!

 

[boedicca]

Chez Boe Garden is now planted:

6 pole beans
1 Sweet 1000 cherry tomato
1 Early Girl tomato
1 Abraham Lincoln tomato
1 bell pepper
1 cucumber
2 poblanos
2 anaheims
6 jalapenos
6 habaneros
lettuces
spinache
radishes
green onions
basil
thyme
oregano
mint
cilantro

We also are going to dig up four planters on one side of the house and turn them into strawberry beds in a couple of weeks.

 

[sparky]

an Abraham Lincoln tomato ? lemme guess, it feeds some of the people some of the time?

 

[boedicca]

It's a variety of Beef Steak. Haven't tried it before...so we'll see how it works out.

 

[freedombecki]

We had rain last night, and I'm so glad.

Seems the best plant in our garden has been stringless green bush beans. They're up and blooming. I didn't get everything planted, so am hoping for planting a couple more rows in the next few days. The garden soil here acts like gunpowder--it's hard for water to soak in, so you have to use two spadefuls of garden soil for every seed you plant. We keep going back to get more huge sacks of garden soil... The corn is about 10 inches high in some places, and I'm hoping for some pie pumpkins. We have a row of glads and a couple of dozen new trees in the orchard. They got planted about a month before blooming time, and the blossoms did not result in fruit because the plants are just trying to establish root systems right now. There are 4 tomato plants, and we harvested one tomato that was set before we put it in the ground. It was very fleshy, so I'm guessing it was a hybrid.

I got box-car Willie tomato seeds on ebay. They look terrible! But I couldn't resist having at least one tomato that would be a conversational salad component. The pictures showed a flat, very dark red tomato with lobes going every which way and green leafies poking out of the top and bottom of the fruit.

 

[masquerade]

My husband has been planting and growing for a few years now.

cherry tomatos
grape tomatos
(no more big beefy ... those don't seem to grow very well)
jalapenos
cucumbers
basil (MMMmmmmmmm) I love fresh basil!

I think there are a few other items. Just can't think of them right now. I need more coffee.

 

[sparky]

i tilled up a beer can yesterday (no wine bottles so far.....)


beer is proof God loves us, and wants us to garden.....

 

[kwc57]

My husband has been planting and growing for a few years now.

cherry tomatos
grape tomatos
(no more big beefy ... those don't seem to grow very well)
jalapenos
cucumbers
basil (MMMmmmmmmm) I love fresh basil!

I think there are a few other items. Just can't think of them right now. I need more coffee.

My son works at a plant nursery and we've gotten to know their grower. My wife has had issues with tomatoes and the grower gave her some tips. Now, this may be common knowledge to other folks, but it was new information to us. Regardless of the size of the tomato plants you buy, bury the whole thing down to the top two set of leaves. Tomatoes have a shallow root system. If you've ever noticed a mature tomato plant, you've seen all the roots down at the base. By burying the plant deep, roots grow off of the whole stem you bury. By burying the whole plant down to the top set of leaves, you give the plant that much more of a root system. Put some meal or some form of calcium in the hole before planting. Tomatoes don't like being watered from above. Turn your hose on to a stream about the size of a pencil and let it run on the ground to water the tomatoes. The grower told us this would help us be more successful at growing them. BTW, she said blossom set is worthless.

 

[kwc57]

We finally got everything planted this past Saturday. The good Lord bleesed us with an inch of rain on Sunday. There was threat of patchy frost last night which is rare for this time of year in Oklahoma, but thankfully the temps didn't drop as low as the forecasters predicted.

 

[masquerade]

My husband has been planting and growing for a few years now.

cherry tomatos
grape tomatos
(no more big beefy ... those don't seem to grow very well)
jalapenos
cucumbers
basil (MMMmmmmmmm) I love fresh basil!

I think there are a few other items. Just can't think of them right now. I need more coffee.

My son works at a plant nursery and we've gotten to know their grower. My wife has had issues with tomatoes and the grower gave her some tips. Now, this may be common knowledge to other folks, but it was new information to us. Regardless of the size of the tomato plants you buy, bury the whole thing down to the top two set of leaves. Tomatoes have a shallow root system. If you've ever noticed a mature tomato plant, you've seen all the roots down at the base. By burying the plant deep, roots grow off of the whole stem you bury. By burying the whole plant down to the top set of leaves, you give the plant that much more of a root system. Put some meal or some form of calcium in the hole before planting. Tomatoes don't like being watered from above. Turn your hose on to a stream about the size of a pencil and let it run on the ground to water the tomatoes. The grower told us this would help us be more successful at growing them. BTW, she said blossom set is worthless.

Thanks for the tips kwc57, I'll be sure to pass them on to Mr. masquerade.
He pots his tomato plants, in really big pots but perhaps they are not deep enough to grow the Beef Steak. Too bad because I really do enjoy making fresh bruschetta during the summer months. Sure, I can purchase vine-ripe tomatos from the grocery store but it's not the same as walking out into the backyard and picking the tomatos yourself.

 

[Big Fitz]

good for you.

I'm trying to garden outta pots this year. Last year I tried with cheaper 5 gal paint cans. It didn't work so well cuz I had to poke holes to prevent rot, but just ended up with soil that dried to fast in the heat.

This year I have scallions and mini carrots in long pots, a tomato in a 1/4 barrel, and 2 pots for cucumbers. Also working on some herbs indoors in the windows. I'd like to keep them going year around.

I'm making my first effort ever at container gardening. At least my tomato plants are dying already, but the Peppers are thriving.

I don't have any good pots to transplant into yet, and was wondering if I can make do for a while with a good cardboard box, lined with a strong garbage bag instead.

 

[uscitizen]

Got some Zuchinni and Cantelope planted a few days ago. Had to superglue gravels to the seeds to keep them from floating back up though.

 

[kwc57]

good for you.

I'm trying to garden outta pots this year. Last year I tried with cheaper 5 gal paint cans. It didn't work so well cuz I had to poke holes to prevent rot, but just ended up with soil that dried to fast in the heat.

This year I have scallions and mini carrots in long pots, a tomato in a 1/4 barrel, and 2 pots for cucumbers. Also working on some herbs indoors in the windows. I'd like to keep them going year around.

I'm making my first effort ever at container gardening. At least my tomato plants are dying already, but the Peppers are thriving.

I don't have any good pots to transplant into yet, and was wondering if I can make do for a while with a good cardboard box, lined with a strong garbage bag instead.

Careful with the garbage bag. While you obviously need to water, you need the soil to drain so the plant isn't sitting in dirt soup. As I said, my son works at a nursery and the majority of plant problems brought to them by customers are caused by over watering.

 

[Big Fitz]

good for you.

I'm trying to garden outta pots this year. Last year I tried with cheaper 5 gal paint cans. It didn't work so well cuz I had to poke holes to prevent rot, but just ended up with soil that dried to fast in the heat.

This year I have scallions and mini carrots in long pots, a tomato in a 1/4 barrel, and 2 pots for cucumbers. Also working on some herbs indoors in the windows. I'd like to keep them going year around.

I'm making my first effort ever at container gardening. At least my tomato plants are dying already, but the Peppers are thriving.

I don't have any good pots to transplant into yet, and was wondering if I can make do for a while with a good cardboard box, lined with a strong garbage bag instead.

Careful with the garbage bag. While you obviously need to water, you need the soil to drain so the plant isn't sitting in dirt soup. As I said, my son works at a nursery and the majority of plant problems brought to them by customers are caused by over watering.

that may be why my tomatoes are not doing well. I try to water them a half a cup every 3-4 days or so. The peppers love it it seems.