Gardening 2009

[Woody]

So what's in or going to be in your garden this year?  Last year was our first year with a garden at this house-and it turned out pretty good.  Last years garden was 30' x 80'.  This year should be close to the same-maybe bigger. 

Here's what I've got going in my garden this year:

•   Sweet Corn (Early & Often Hybrid)
•   Iceberg Lettuce A
•   French Breakfast Radishes
•   White Lisbon Bunching Onions
•   Summer Crisp Lettuce
•   Detroit Dark Red Beets
•   Cucumber-Pickler
•   Carrots (Little Finger variety)
•   Mammoth Dill
•   Chives (Common)
•   Chives (Garlic)
•   Buttercup Squash
•   Crimson Sweet Watermelon
•   Big Max Pumpkins
•   Cantaloupe (Sweet & Early Hybrid)
•   Yukon Gold Potatoes
•   Walla Walla Onions

I've got strawberries already coming up and spreading, so that's looking to be another good crop this year.  Onions are looking good as is the Chives already. 

[The General]

Ive got the Potatoes, onions, and asparagus planted.  The rest of the garden will be

6 roma tomato plants for salsa
8 Jalapeño plants for salsa and poppers
Broccoli
pickles
beans

[Big E]

I've started some hyprid pumpkins and watermelons inside already. The watermelons can get up to 200lbs and the pumpkins can reach upwards of a 1000lbs. I doubt any of them will reach those numbers but we'll see.

[Dotch]

Well, here's what I've got in so far:
Pontiac potatoes, Cherry Belle radishes, yellow onions, red onions, sugar snap peas, Indian corn. Planted a crimson red rhubarb plant and should be able to harvest some off the rhubarb planted last year. Horseradish is ready to dig whenever Randy is! Got my Mt. Royal plum and Honeycrisp apple trees planted tonite. After the heat, the Haralson and Fireside trees are about to pop.

To go: Supersweet Jubilee sweet corn, Detroit red beets, gourds (goblin eggs, small mixed, Koshare yellow, Autumns wings), Muskmelons (Fastbreak, Superstar, Classic hybrid) Pumpkin (Autmumn gold, Wee Be Little, Jack Be Little) Squash (Buttercup, Heart of Gold, Honeybear, Mooregold, SunSpot, Sunshine hybrid, Pasta hybrid spaghetti, Tiny Turks, Turks Turban, Improved Blue Hubbard) Crimson Sweet Watermelon, cucumbers (Muncher, Straight 8), Goldrush yellow wax beans, Tenderette green beans. Will likely get some Bodacious seet corn yet and perhaps Incredible although the Supersweet Jubilee has been tough to beat here. Stagger the planting dates and I may skip the Incredible altogether. I always plant a few rows of regular dent corn to leave for the pheasants over winter. 

[dakids]

Radishes, tomatoes, carrots, and about 2 acreas of potatoes that will be planted with my brothers potato planter and digger.

I've started some hyprid pumpkins and watermelons inside already. The watermelons can get up to 200lbs and the pumpkins can reach upwards of a 1000lbs. I doubt any of them will reach those numbers but we'll see.

Big E,  we used to plant the big pumpkins and they can get that big if you do a few little things.
1.  after you have the pumpkins to about volley ball size remove all but 1 or2 pumpkins per plant.
2.  Water and fertalize a lot.
3.  the big secret is to cover all of the vines with about 1-2 inches of loose dirt.  The plants will then send down more roots.  wherever there is a leaf going up ther will be roots going down.
4.  put sand under the pumkins to keep the mellons round and from rotting.

Good luck and post some pics

[deadeye]

Just started the giant pumpkins, jack-o-lantern pumpkins.  I have a 20' X 40' mound (left from a garage I built) that I plant the vines on. (pumpkins, cucumbers, gords, etc.) Rhubarb is going strong and the strawberries are just starting.  I will plant cucumbers next week.  Onions and tomatoes will have to wait for a while.  The wife and I have been working on getting the flower gardens going. 
Here's a shot taken last summer of one flower garden.  The gardens made a remakable recovery from a severe hail storm.  After the hail, it looked like we just tilled the garden.  Amazing recovery.

[Dotch]

Beautiful! And I really like the rotary hoe wheel/sculpture accent.

[Randy Kaar]

I am just doing jalapeno peppers in containers, So if we sell this dump
i can take them with me. I want to plant some sweet corn up at the
property but we have sandy/clay soil. Dont think it will grow well there.

randy

[thunderpout]

Woody!  No tomatoes?  Deadeye... nice shot!  Makes me realize how much work I have ahead of me this spring...thanx!   Going with mostly tomatoes with a handful of habeneros(sp?) and jalapenos.... I have limited sun areas, but have a few raised veggie plots, the tomatoes I had did really well last year so I aint gonna goof around with much other this year... plus they get sooo much for tomatoes at the store... may have to have a tomatoe stand this summer...

[Woody]

thunderpout-thanks for reminding me.  Yes, the Mrs. will get her tomatoes.  She's thinking of using one of those topsy tirvy things where you hang the tomatoe plant upside down and it grows that way keeping the tomatoes clean and easy to pick.  I guess we'll see if it works or not.   

[Woody]

Also, I planted squash, watermelon, cantelope and pumpkin seeds last Monday for seedlings.  They are now about 6" tall!  Now if it would just dry up some so I could get out and start planting!  My garden lies in a low spot of the yard, and it's too wet to till yet.  Maybe in a week. 

[dakids]

Jeff, hanging the tomatoe upside down worked great for us last year and we will be doing it again this year.

[Woody]

Sweet!  Thanks for info. dakids!   

On a sidenote, I will be growing my cucumbers on a "fence" to keep them off of the dirt.  They are cleaner, and easier to pick! 

Many years ago I bought my grandmother a hanging strawberry plant.  She has it to this day and loves picking fresh strawberries if grandpa hasn't picked them already!    With her bad back, it's really nice for her not to have to get down to pick berries.

So who knows-maybe gardens of the future will all be suspended.

[dakids]

As kids we always planted our peas later than most other people because we planted them right next to the corn.  They would vine up the corn which made for easy picking.  We also would make a 12 inch high mound for the carrots.  made them grow much, much bigger.

[Big E]

Hey thanks Dakids! I will do what you said. I've never heard of putting dirt on the vines but that sounds like a great idea. I will put some pics up of them. What kind of fertilizer should I use miracle grow or horse manure? Thanks again.

[dakids]

Miracle grow!!!!  Horse manuer has a LOT of weed seeds in it.

[Big E]

Will do. They're taking off in the pots so I hope it warms up soon so I can get them outside before they get too big. Hope I get some monsters. Thanks.

[Woody]

Last night I got my strawberries moved and transplanted into their new home-a patch alongside the garage.  I also started an herb garden for this year last night by transplanting my Chives.  Now to get my garden tilled and planted-then I'm set.  (Tiller is in need of repair-waiting for a guy with a 60" tiller behind his Kabota to get over here to till it).  I'm sure some of you have your gardens in already-but here in the Alexandria area, people are only starting to put them in. 

I have a question:

Is there such thing as a gardner snake repellant?  The new strawberry patch plot used to have tons of them slithering around in there last year.  I'd really like to avoid that again this year.  I was thinking a mongoose on a leash would be effective.     Any other ideas? 

[dakids]

My dog kills all of my snakes

[thunderpout]

Woody... go with birds of prey... they wont mess with your garden like a mongoose will.   Hey, Ive got my plots tilled and fertilized... Should I get my tomatoes and peppers in?  I normally wont put them in till a week or two after mothers day, but it seems like I should be able to now, or am I being tricked into it with the nice weather lately?  Im in New Brighton, just north of the cities....

[Randy Kaar]

I am planting my tomatoes today and jalapenos, I think we are safe
from frost..  I hope! I will be doing the above ground bucket method
though.

randy

[thunderpout]

Yeah Im doing my Habaneros and Jalapenos in large containers this year also, saving the raised plots for tomatoes this year seeing we wont be getting any from Mexico and Florida.... I may be selling em, maybe start up a Veggy stand...

[Bobby Bass]

I just got my first tilling call this morning, we are weeks behind you southern boys...  

[Dotch]

I put the bunny fence up last night. Snap peas are coming up. Cwazy wabbits! Why is it I feel like Elmer Fudd when I get my side x side out?

[Dan R.]

I am planting my tomatoes today and jalapenos, I think we are safe
from frost..  I hope! I will be doing the above ground bucket method
though.

randy

I do the same thing, the old bucket trick. If theres a threat for frost in the shed they go.
I'm trying some radishes in some planter boxes also

[Randy Kaar]

Well..  had to get more potting soil, so got 6 green bell pepper plants.
2 more buckets planted! Now I hope it all grows and produces.

randy

[HD]

I put in a acre of multi colored sweet corn (for the kids to sell)


Hunter

[Bobby Bass]

I put in a acre of multi colored sweet corn (for the kids to sell)


Hunter

An Acre? your kids are going to be selling corn at the roadside stand all fall !