2021 gardens

[glenn57]

As I suspected, while I was gone my wife planted all kinds of weeds in the garden.  so off I go to weed.

Also as I suspected, my lettuce and spinach got bitter tasting so that got pulled. Bummer.

[LPS]

So why did it get bitter Glenn?  Too hot?  What a shame.

[glenn57]

So why did it get bitter Glenn?  Too hot?  What a shame.

yep, that and that I wasn't around to use it.

[deadeye]

Last Thursday and Friday weeding was pretty effective.  The garden went from a hot mess to fairly weed free.  At least for the moment. 

[Dotch]

Bummer. Popeye must not have used any of that magic spinach fertilizer I mailed him...

Looks good deadeye. My yellow canna is about ready to commence flowering.

Things are making headway here altho the Mrs. keeps buying stuff for me to plant. Good thing she's gone for a few days or I'd never get a break. Squash and pumpkins planted on the 8th started emerging yesterday morning. I was worried about bunnies and gophers raising cain with the garden. Nada from them so far. The wild turkey we've had hanging around has been a novelty, just passing thru so I thought. In the back of my mind though I wondered if he'd bother anything, especially after seeing some of the crap they pull in corn and soybean fields over the years. Saw him again yesterday. Sure as shooting when I checked out the pumpkins last night, there was one hill that was ripped up with a big three-toed footprint in the middle of it!  Haven't seen any more evidence of damage today but if I see the turkey again, I may make him dance with the .22. He can go wreck someone else's garden.     

[deadeye]

Dotch,
Post a picture of the "yellow" cannas. I only know of green and red (purple).  Or are they yellow for lack of nitrogen.   

[roony]

I got wrens building nests in my tomatoes.

[Dotch]

See? They like you Art! 

deadeye, the flowers are yellow not the plant. Looks like they could get to be big sumbitches tho. The front of the tag says they grow from 30-48'!   We used to have some different colored & double flowered ones at one time. Got too cold in the crawl space and they didn't keep. Was wondering if you ever got any of yours to make it to flowering from seed. Have a few volunteer plants that are way ahead of the bulbs I planted.   

[deadeye]

Dotch,
Cool, I may have to trade some of my Purple leaf ones for a yellow flowered one.  30-48" inches seems pretty short to me.  Mine often reach 8-10 feet tall.  Yes, they do plant themselves from seeds. Maybe it would be easier to harvest seeds than dig bulbs. 

[glenn57]

I got wrens building nests in my tomatoes.

Man, you get all the good birds 

[Dotch]

I could see working a trade on some bulbs for sure deadeye. Those purple-leaved ones you grow are beasts. They grow them at MN State Fair in plantings. Theirs are typically several feet taller than the green-leaved variety planted with them. The green type I have seems to max out at about 6'-7' even when we have lots of sun, rain & abundant nitrogen is applied. It's probably OK this yellow one is shorter. The way the wind howls across the prairie anything above soil level is fair game. Seems like we find that out the hard way in the corn almost every year someplace. 

[deadeye]

Plant them next to a fence, deck, corn or building.  The thrive on competition and try to grow taller than the things around them.

[glenn57]

it was a 2 day job..........no need to rush things nowadays  but finished weeding the garden.

man i cant believe how them danm helicopters can bury themselves in the dirt so deep and grow so fast!!!!!!

[Dotch]

Plant them next to a fence, deck, corn or building.  The thrive on competition and try to grow taller than the things around them.

I'm looking for something to annoy the wife while she's gone. This just might do it!   

[KEN W]

Started sampling my radishes. They are so hot as to be inedible. Didn't matter what variety or color. Don't remember them ever being this hot. Must have been the hot weather. I know radishes like it cool. Pulled them all out.
 

[mike89]

that's too bad Ken, I enjoy radishes too...  but I have heard years ago hot weather, hot radishes..   I think water or lack of is a big part of it too... 

[HD]

  maybe that's why I'm enjoying the radishes this year. I like stuff 🔥🥵

I use sriracha sauce like Glenn uses catsup.

[glenn57]

maybe that's why I'm enjoying the radishes this year. I like stuff 🔥🥵

I use sriracha sauce like Glenn uses catsup.

Yea I noticed to the last batch of radishes I picked where getting some heat. Not enough to get rid of though

I'll be trying a fall batch.

[KEN W]

Same here....I plant Daikons next month. Best radishes I have ever eaten.

[Dotch]

I liked the Daikons OK but still liked the spring radishes like white & scarlet globe in the fall better here. My fall favorites though are still the red meat or watermelon radishes. Get up to the size of a softball and keep extremely well. Have been eating them yet in March. The initial flavor & texture is that of a sweet tasting kohlrabi when sliced. A few seconds later you realize, whoa, it ain't no kohlrabi! The heat is generally tolerable though. I grew several types of Chinese winter radishes for a few years. The China Rose were just plain nasty. Even my buddy who loves hot stuff couldn't handle them. I wanted to try some Black Spanish but was warned by others locally that they were the same way. Just heat, no flavor. I started playing around with winter radishes the year my Mom passed away. It was a rotten spring (we had 18" of snow on May 3rd & a lot of prevent plant acres) so planted a bunch of the radishes & greens I'd bought for fall. If the wild turkey doesn't quit messin' with my vine crops we may wind up doing a bunch of that again.     

[KEN W]

I have grown the Black Spanish. Sliced paper thin and put in a jar with some salt. The salt would draw out the moisture and make a kind of brine. Good eating. Also tried China Rose.....as you said.....to hot.

Daikons have been the best. I learned that when I came upon a field of them  planted with turnips as a cover crop while pheasant hunting. Planted them then and they were like a giant white carrot. Mild eating.

[glenn57]

OK, so where do you guys get these odd ball, to me anyway, named radish seeds??????? its not like there onthe seed racks in menards or fleet farm??????

i'd be more  then willing to give some of them a shot!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dotch]

I think the red meat or watermelon radish seed I've got actually came from FF. It's last year's seed however. Jungs was another supplier I got some from once upon a time including the red meat, daikons & China Rose. The Black Spanish were available from another catalog I used to get but didn't see them in this spring's batch. Found them online by doing a search too.

[glenn57]

I think the red meat or watermelon radish seed I've got actually came from FF. It's last year's seed however. Jungs was another supplier I got some from once upon a time including the red meat, daikons & China Rose. The Black Spanish were available from another catalog I used to get but didn't see them in this spring's batch. Found them online by doing a search too.

i'll have to take a look peek next time i wonder threw.

[HD]

https://seedsnsuch.com/

Is where I get my "I want to try seeds" from.
They seem to be the only place that carry my "award winning" pickle seeds anymore....

[KEN W]

I have gotten seeds from SeednSuch. They have smaller less expensive packets. I would rather buy new seeds every year, than have a bunch left over every year. Twilley does also.

This year I am planting Minowase Summer Cross #3 Daikon from Twilley. They do not take orders over their website. Have to call.

I never buy seeds off of a seed rack. They never have the best Varieties. Example some of the big stores have large Burpee seed racks. The Burpee catalogs don't have any of those.

[Dotch]

Kinda fun to see where others are getting their seeds & what their focus is. After the recent wild turkey debacle, I'm leaning towards starting all the vine crops myself like I did when my wife was working at the greenhouse in Owatonna. The owner let me plant my own flats & he kept them watered for me. Sweet deal. He and I both like Chinese food so we'd have "date night" every once in a while to solve all the world's problems. Need to do that again.

We're in transition but a lot of things are in place. Got the garden where it needs to be (protected south facing slope w/water access) & where I can get at it with the manure spreader. Got the tiller I wanted and a decent disk to incorporate fertilizer & manure quickly. Have 5 sections of Kovar quack digger but still looking for a 10' - 12' mounted digger. Online have to compete with the food plot people. Betting I can find one in someone's grove or back of their shed locally given my contacts. Not necessarily in MN either. Have trailer will haul. 

Also planning on expanding the garden area as vine crops consume a lot of real estate and are best rotated. In retirement I could see us getting back into what we started doing when we first bought the place. Selling roadside produce & decorative stuff, especially in the fall. The sheep consume the excess so nothing goes to waste. Left an area for winter radishes & greens but what I really want to get another crack at is snap peas. A little hit and miss where the garden was located before but think this site should work well. When they hit in the fall, they are the bomb!         

[glenn57]

this has me very curious. especiallies Kens take on seed racks at the big stores. quess i've never had to many issues with the seeds i get, but if i can save a buck and get better seeds.....i'm in. 

KEN........ do these places have seed catologs they mail out to you?????

HD.......do you also get seed catologs...........i dont order online stuff.

[roony]

We use to plant the snap peas on a trellis. A hog panel. I love them. We would plant them in the spring.

[glenn57]

love peas stright from the garden, but they are a pain in the arse to clean for what you get.  maybe iffin i didnt eat half them???? 

i get mine in the frozen section now!!!!