Author Topic: What's in the veggie garden?  (Read 22938 times)

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Offline duh

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What's in the veggie garden?
« on: Apr 10, 2013, 05:25:34 PM »
So far I've got kolrabi and tomatoes planted. 

The kolrabi is mostly in potting soil.  Mostly for the moisture retention beads in it.  I find that stuff in pots really dries out quickly. 

The tomatoes are two plants a Juliette hybrid and a big boy.  I'm only doing one of each.  They are in the tire raised beds with about a 75% compost 25% garden soil mix. 

I'm thinking about some shard or possible romaine in a planter but I haven't decided yet.  I know I'd better get a move on.

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #1 on: Apr 13, 2013, 11:24:37 AM »
I may have missed the lettuce growing season since it keeps hitting 80 around here.  But, I did buy two sweet peppers today and planted them in the two tires above the tomato plants.  Hopefully they will do well.  Again this are 75% compost to 25% garden soil. 

I missed the radishes since they like to start out when it is still chilly.  Maybe next year I can pull it off.  I'll have to prep the garden for them in the fall or it will be to hard when it is time to plant.  So much planning is required and I'm not as good at it as I assumed I would be.

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #2 on: Apr 13, 2013, 10:00:14 PM »
I've got butter lettuce, squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, egg plant, bush beans, carrots, beets, radishes.  I'm concerned about the heat already too duh.  The lettuce is a pretty good size but not big enough to eat and the radishes are up but not enough to pull.  I hope it cools a bit.

I usually plant bell peppers but since I end up giving them away I didn't plant any this year.  Have you planted in tires before?  I tried the potatoes in tires one year and it was a lot of work for little results.


Is there an herb thread?

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #3 on: Apr 16, 2013, 06:27:11 PM »
I've put the tomatoes and peppers in tires before.  But this is the first time with my homemade compost.  Each year seems like a new experience for me.  I'm hopeful but I have more respect for farmers than I ever have before. 

If I ever get an overabundance of peppers I'll blanch them and then freeze them.  I love having stuffed peppers, pepper steak, hashbrowns obrien...

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #4 on: Apr 16, 2013, 06:33:41 PM »
http://www.southernspirithunters.com/smf/index.php/topic,4148.50.html  it's a little off topic but this is the link to the herbs thread. 

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #5 on: Apr 21, 2013, 12:08:20 AM »
thanks for the link.  I like peppers but since Johnny won't eat them I'm not planting.  Bet your stuff will do great with your compost.

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #6 on: Apr 22, 2013, 06:24:40 AM »
I've got my fingers crossed on that one.  So far they look healthy and that's about all.  There hasn't been growth or blooms but I'm not worried this early in the year.  I'm just happy I had the compost and place to plant them in.   

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #7 on: Apr 22, 2013, 09:27:09 AM »
It is early.  I noticed that I have a few blooms on a tomato plant but the plant is only about 12 inches tall at the tallest stem.  I don't know if it's the warm then cold then warm.....weather or what but I hope my tomatoes aren't going to be stunted.

Wonder what this cold snap will do to the lettuce.  I was concerned that the hot was going to cause it to bolt but now that it's 40 again I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing.

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #8 on: Apr 22, 2013, 02:46:09 PM »
I know what you mean the weather has been back and forth.  He I had the air conditioner on and today I wore long johns out in the garden this morning.  I needed them too. 

I did see one tomato blossom this morning.  These are 60 days to harvest big boys so I guess they would put out blooms early. 

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #9 on: May 05, 2013, 01:47:44 PM »
Both of the tomato plants have blossoms, yea!

The peppers have blossoms too!

The Kohlrabi are getting bigger leaves.  They don't really show progress.  They are like most root veggies.  You just sort of have to know. 

Offline bayou girl

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2013, 11:05:16 PM »
i have 4 kinds of squash (or maybe 5?), no blooms, but they are growing nicely.  watermelon, 6 kinds of beans/peas, okra, and i don't know what else.  but i'm happy with how it is going.
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Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #11 on: May 08, 2013, 07:24:22 AM »
Enquiring minds want to know what types of squash you have planted.  I like yellow squash and acorn squash and I've been thinking about adding it to the garden but I haven't gotten around to it.  Any special problems with squash plants?  Will the rabbits and deer eat them? 

The trellis that I got on my tomato plant this year is now supporting the largest of my two tomato plants. 

Offline bayou girl

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #12 on: May 08, 2013, 04:49:31 PM »
i planted acorn, spaghetti, yellow (both crook neck and straight neck) and i'm not sure if i got the butternut squash i wanted to get.  i've grown the yellow squash before, successfully, but haven't grown the others yet.  i've also got gourds going, which are in the family with but are not squash.
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Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #13 on: May 08, 2013, 06:55:34 PM »
I bought some butternut bisque from campbells but it was very thin compared to the bisques I've had before.  I don't think I've ever had spaghetti squash.

What kind of gourds are you growing? 

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #14 on: May 08, 2013, 11:14:29 PM »
You guys are exciting gardeners.  I only have straight neck squash in my garden.

duh, the problem I had with squash last year was relentless squash bugs so this year my squash is in straw bales.

Jen, where did you get your gourd seeds?  I only got 1 gourd last year since the dog tore up my vine and I couldn't find any seeds this year.

I'm going to tiller up the 2 beets rows because I can't tell what's grass and what's beets.  I think new beets look sort of like grass but I can't tell what's what.

Offline bayou girl

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #15 on: May 09, 2013, 09:00:14 PM »
sheri, i got them at either walmart, lowe's, or tractor supply.  BUT, i'll put some in the mail to you tomorrow.  i have more than i can/will use and i can put them in a regular envelope.  i'll do that on my way to work tomorrow.

i finally have the "official" list of what is in the bucket garden:
  • Green beans - blue lake bush
  • Yellow wax beans
  • Green beans - Kentucky wonder
  • Snow peas
  • English peas
  • Black eye peas
  • Spaghetti squash
  • Acorn squash
  • Yellow squash - straight & crook neck
  • Gourd - large bottle
  • Carrots
  • Cantaloupe
  • Watermelon
  • Rabbit eye blue berry
  • Fig
  • Sunflowers

i also planted 4 o'clocks, and i bought lavender but don't know if i planted the seeds or now :dunno:

forgot, here is one of the squash plants.

 i have 3 per bucket, and they are growing nicely, and have the starts of blooms :grinnnn:
« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 09:03:38 PM by bayou girl »
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Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #16 on: May 09, 2013, 09:21:10 PM »
Gourd seeds?  Thanks and oh boy!!!

That's a nice list you have there.  I love 4'oclocks.  They've never grown well in my yard but at one of the schools where I worked they'd get to 3 feet tall.  

The straw bale squash is doing fine but I don't have blooms yet and one of the bales has ants on it.  I put Neem Oil on the ants tonight so I hope that takes care of it.
« Last Edit: May 09, 2013, 09:24:04 PM by bestofour »

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #17 on: May 10, 2013, 05:57:55 PM »
I hoed up the 2 rows of grass where I planted beets and am thinking of putting a row of corn there.  Is it too late for corn?

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #18 on: May 22, 2013, 11:01:39 AM »


Looks good but 2 of the squash rotted on the vine.  I think that means I need to add lime for calcium.  Is that right?

Offline bayou girl

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #19 on: May 22, 2013, 04:22:16 PM »
i don't know about the adding lime thing.  but it does look very good!
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Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #20 on: May 23, 2013, 07:37:20 AM »
I'm with jenn on the lime thing.  I'm not sure why you would need to change the pH which is what the lime would do.  Calcium I think is something that helps the plants to absorb other nutrients rather than being something that they need for themselves directly.  But I could be wrong I haven't researched that information in quite awhile. 

Offline Jim

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #21 on: May 23, 2013, 09:29:07 AM »
If they are rotting on the vine before they get any size it could be lack of pollination.  All of the rain may be washing the pollen off the blossoms before the bees can transfer the male pollen to the female blossom.  You might have to resort to manual pollination!  :goofy:
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Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #22 on: May 23, 2013, 12:31:02 PM »
Interesting, that's a really good idea.  It never would have occurred to me.  Thanks Jim. 

I noticed the other day that my tomato plants have little green tomatoes on them.  I'm excited. 

Offline bestofour

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #23 on: May 23, 2013, 09:42:19 PM »
I posted here this morning.  Where did it go?  This is a ghost forum so I shouldn't be surprised I guess.

Jim, I took another look at the  squash and thought about the pollination issue so I went out there this morning around 7:30 planning to pollinate and guess what.  The flowers were full of rain.  Looked just like little tea cups.  I'll try again in the morning.  We have a friend who keeps bees and she said her hives haven't been as active as usual because of all the rain and cool weather.  Interesting.

Regarding lime, I've had a problem with blossom end rot in previous years and was advised by a master gardener to add calcium.  It didn't help what was already on the vine but the rest of the season was fine.  I guess it could have been a coincidence.  I think I added lime which also contains calcium or something like that.

Offline duh

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Re: What's in the veggie garden?
« Reply #24 on: May 24, 2013, 08:19:41 AM »
blossom end rot is most easily treated with epsome salts.  That's what I do for my tomatoes. 

 

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