2024 gardens

[mike89]

thinking I'll get extra radishes next week and carrots so as to roast them together!!!     

[Bobberineyes]

Got back in town in little bit ago, I hate to say it but the garden could use a little rain ...

[glenn57]

Got back in town in little bit ago, I hate to say it but the garden could use a little rain ...

yep.. working on giving it a drink today!

[roony]

Oh good lord!

[Bobberineyes]

We ran otta town over the weekend and the fields west of town are flooded, ditches are full. Poor pheasants,  I hope they re nest..

[Dotch]

Got after it last nite with the tiller and planted a big chunk early this a.m. Got 8 rows of sweet corn in. Planted 8 hills each of buttercup squash, Howden pumpkins & Jack-O-Lantern pumpkins into the tilled strips. Also planted 9 hills each of Jack-Be-Little and small mixed gourds also into tilled strips. If I get a chance, I'll try to get a 3 or 4 row planting of beans done, a few winged gourds, zucchini, and cucumbers. Still cannas & 4 o'clocks to plant if there's time.

[Dotch]

Put in 16 hills of cukes, 4 hills of zucchini & managed to get 2 rows of beans planted just before it rained. Covered a lot of real estate in a hurry this a.m. 

[roony]

Nice going! Lots of cukes! Had some heavy rain here.

[Dotch]

Ya, would've been a lot happier with the quarter to a half forecast. At least we've got a good chunk of planting done if the rain didn't wash it all down the hill. Thought maybe we'd get sideswiped rather than T-boned.

[tangle tooth]

Put in 16 hills of cukes, 4 hills of zucchini & managed to get 2 rows of beans planted just before it rained. Covered a lot of real estate in a hurry this a.m. 

If you don't mind me asking, what In the world will you do with that many cucumbers and zucchini? That's a lot.

[Dotch]

Ya it's a bunch if they all come up. They usually do. Used some year old seed on the Green Dragons. Some two year old seed on the Straight 8's & zucchini so seeded a little heavier just in case. We have several friends who make a lot of pickles. Cukes and vine crops in general take up lots of garden space. With the zucchini, since people know we usually have some, there's a demand for the smaller sized ones from those who like making and freezing zucchini bread. One of them turns 95 in August. Couldn't tell by looking at her but her gardening days are behind her after moving to town last fall. Been supplying her with zucchini, buttercup squash & string beans for years anyway. It always seems too someone has a garden failure (bunnies, deer, turkeys) or didn't get one planted for whatever reason. We both like cukes. Eat a lot raw ourselves. Zucchini works great on kabobs and it won't get much fresher than coming from 40' away. If stuff gets overgrown, the pasture fence borders the garden. The sheep gorge themselves on corn husks, as well as monster cukes & zukes. 

[tangle tooth]

      That makes sense. Good for you.
      My wife and daughter will donate some of the excess veggies to a couple of local food shelf's. That might get reduced to one since one shelf always calls them and thanks them for donating. The other shelf has never acknowledged the donation.
      My wife has been told to sell at one of the local farmers market. Too much hassle. She likes just giving the veggies away.

[Dotch]

Put in a couple more rows of string beans in the main garden last nite along with 6 rows of 4 o'clocks in the small backyard garden. Plenty damp but have been surprised sometimes over the years after doing everything wrong. Warm temps & more moisture so the ground doesn't crust shouldn't hurt. If it holds off long enough, may mud some cannas in after the feed run.

[Dotch]

Unreal. The friends whose daughter is working with the lambs showed up this morning just after my feed run. Misael, the Mexican stepdad, was along so while the girls were working with the sheep, we planted a couple washtubs full of canna bulbs just ahead of the rain. I gave him 8 bulbs to plant as well. He brought along a couple jars of his salsa for us to eat. Then we had some beers. The end...    

[HD]

I got my first batch of cilantro in the dehydrator today 

[Dotch]

Planted 5 tomato plants finally last nite ahead of the rain. Need to scrounge up some peppers next. Bunnies are hungry. We have a half dozen 'maters including the patio tomato the wife has. It must be a patio tomato. It's on the patio anyway...

[Dotch]

We have ignition and liftoff! Checked this a.m. to see if anything planted on the 12th was coming up yet. Found numerous hills of squash & pumpkins up along with a few gourds emerging. Sweet corn is spiking thru. Best surprise was seeing a few hills of cukes showing up, especially some of the Straight 8's that were from 2-year old seed. Hoping to see some beans cracking thru soon. With all the rain, was afraid some of the garden might just rot in the ground. One good thing: Haven't needed to drag the hose around like last year. Don't miss that.   

[roony]

I will guarantee my garden of last year will surpass this year's muddy mess. Getting too late to plant some things now.

[Dotch]

I don't doubt that here either but I'm impressed with how quickly most of the garden is emerging. Looked at it again over bottle lamb/lunch/Poppy poop time. In <5 hours, about half of the 1st planted string beans are up. None at 7:30 a.m. Could row all the sweet corn. A lot more hills of squash and pumpkins were up too. No transplant shock on the 'maters. Not many gourds up yet but they were slower emerging last year too. Then they were all over everywhere. Another week later and I would've planted sweet corn, a few maters, a few cukes and called it good. Still some ornamental sunflowers to plant yet. Unless it gets past July 4th, they should still make it. They're bird candy anyway once they're done flowering & set seed. Like my Dad always told me, you need to diversify, not rely on just crops or just livestock. Lamb crop looks great here. I think you need some sheep roony...    

[roony]

I had dogs get into my sheep back when I had some. That was enough to make me quit

[Dotch]

It's ugly for sure after seeing what dogs did to my neighbor's flock. Been fortunate that way. Took one out before it inflicted any damage. Have given a few neighbors a heads up over the years when their dogs have shown up in the yard. No 2nd chances if they're aggressive towards us or any of our pets & livestock.

Done with serious gardening for the time being. Rounded out the tomato planting with a couple Super Fantastics, a couple Jet Stars and 4 Romas. Also got a Sunsugar, a Sweet 100 cherry & a Red Grape for snacking. Planted the 8 Lady Belle peppers I picked up.Then since everything was 50% off I got a couple potted yellow cannas & plunked them in where I can see them from the patio. Got all that stuff for $18 with the 10 bucks of rewards I had. Put all the cages on including the one's for the peppers with chicken wire. Mrs. Cheviot has sworn out a death warrant for whatever ate the flowering purslane & impatiens out of her pots. Pretty sure it's bunnies. I could see those bass terds eating those peppers with no hesitation. 

[LPS]

Our tomatoes are getting a little yellow.  Too much rain?

[Dotch]

That and possibly the lack of solar radiation that goes along with it. I can't speak for your area as I haven't been there. Waseca SROC hasn't been updating their weather as they did in the past either but suspect when they do, they're below normal on Langley's, the unit they use to measure solar radiation. Another possible clue: The Mrs. had left a couple Celebrity & a couple Champion tomatoes on the north side of the house for me to transplant. They were tucked in under the eaves far enough so they didn't get totally drenched every time it rained. When I finally transplanted them, they'd become rather pale. When I transplanted the rest last night, those first 4 had already become much darker green in a matter of 4 or 5 days.