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BS: The '07 Veggie Garden...
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Subject: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Bobert Date: 14 Apr 07 - 04:21 PM Well, well, well... Another year has passed and it's time to be thinkin' of ripe tomatoes, and fresh pole beans... This years major addition to our garden is ***deer fence*** which, if it works, should make for a lot less stress... As per usual I put down and plowed in about a ton on chicken manure last fall on our 40 X 80 veggie garden... Ther's a guy here in the hollar who owns a nice 6 foot tiller and thems is like over $3000 so he just goes from one farm to the next and tills up the garden spots fir $25 a pop... So far, we've planted a row of poatatoes and will plant Ukon Gold taters, which store real well, in about 3 weeks.... We got spinich planted, mixed lettuce, peas and radishes planted... The P-Vine bought a couple rhubarb palnts and some asparagus and got them in their own beds... We've got a dozen "Celebrity" tomatoe seedlings in the kitchen window but know a aplace that ahs 40 different varities of tomatoes so we'll go over thwere in about 3 weeks and pick some out... No pumpkins or cantalopes this year seein' as they take up too much space for the yield... Pole beans to go in a couple weeks... Cukes, peppers, squashes a week or two later.... So, that's it from our holler... What's up with all the other gardeners here??? Bobert |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 14 Apr 07 - 04:24 PM It's only April and I've had to water the garden today... no proper rain for 3 weeks and we've just had 2 weeks of hot sunny weather. Got some potatoes in, some violets that are magenta, some bluebells that are pink and some periwinkle that is actually, periwinkle. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Apr 07 - 04:27 PM I'm still waiting to get my tiller back from the repair shop. They've had it over six weeks now. My plan has been to start hand digging the periphery of the new garden, but every Friday and Saturday in the last month it has rained so hard to turn the area into an oozy mess if I don't wait a few days and let it dry. I'll have to take a couple of weekdays off pretty soon to get my mowing done as well as start my digging. My garden will go in late, but we have a long growing season that will accomodate this problem. In addition to my usual veggies (tomatoes, eggplant, peppers of several sorts, onions, etc.) I am planning to plant some seeds I saved from last year, for tomatoes and melons I liked. Israel melons, in particular. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Sorcha Date: 14 Apr 07 - 05:27 PM I'm not going to bother. Just buy what we need from the Farmers Market. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 14 Apr 07 - 07:19 PM That is certainly the cheaper way to do it, but not as much fun! |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Janie Date: 15 Apr 07 - 12:35 AM Too many life changes going on this year to even think about it. I barely got the veggie beds tucked in for the winter. No fall garden, no spring garden. Here it is mid-April with the beds still piled high with leaves and no seedlings under the grow-lights. I hope to at least cover-crop the beds. Even if I don't, the leaves were piled a good 2 1/2 feet high last fall, and will take most of the summer to fully compost if not turned under. The beds can stand a vacation, and maybe the groundhog will get bored and move away. Janie |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: katlaughing Date: 15 Apr 07 - 05:58 PM I have pumpkins and onions started in my kitchen window, as well as Jolly Joker Pansies, marigolds,and poppies. I've transplanted the veggies to bigger peat pots, but we can't put them out until after May 8th as we once lost a garden when it snowed on that day, my dad's birthday. We will also have tomatoes and cucumbers. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: GUEST,Peter Woodruff Date: 15 Apr 07 - 06:17 PM Most all of the seeds I planted in March have produced their true leaves by now. I started them indoors on heat mats under flourescent lights. I grow about ten varieties of tomatoes and twentyfive varieties of hot and sweet peppers. I need to get outside and improve some ground but it keeps snowing here in Maine...why, it's snowing now. We need some climate change if I'm ever going to get these seedlings growing outside. Peter |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Sorcha Date: 15 Apr 07 - 08:03 PM I found volunteer spinach today, does that count? |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Janie Date: 15 Apr 07 - 10:56 PM Indeed it does! |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: sian, west wales Date: 16 Apr 07 - 04:53 AM My neighbour and I are sharing a half-size allotment - about 30m X 6m, but 1/4 of that is set to fruit bushes (blackcurrents, raspberries and gooseberries) and the old manure heap, and another couple of metres has a polytunnel which has been sold off to someone else before we took on the patch, so that's going. I'll use that patch for a seed bed and maybe set up a cold frame for next year. We've got it all dug over now and divided for a 4-patch rotation. For potatoes, we've bought Romano, King Edward and Pink Fir Apple. Also, in June, I've got 6 individual potato plants arriving - one each of 6 rare 'breeds', so they ought to be interesting. I've got Pink Lady runner (pole) beans which is a type that dates back to 1850 apparently. And we've bought some very unusual green French beans that are supposed to grow pods over 20 cms in length - also climbers. And some yellow wax beans. Got ourselves some purple brussel sprout seeds, some asparagus pea seeds, Pomodoro tomato seeds, and some bluey-grey-purple pumpkin seeds. Still want to find some acorn squash seeds and we haven't made any decisions re: peas, other brassicas, et al. I keep most of the herbs up at the house, but I've got some comfrey to plant by the water butts, some thyme, rosemary and parsley to tuck in some corners, and I've planted a crown of rhubarb ('Champagne'). Generally, our strategy is to plant things which we probably won't get on the local farmers' market - which is only down the street. sian |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 16 Apr 07 - 05:14 AM I only planted potatoes this year because nothing else will grow. Spuds are great for leeching any nastiness out of the soil and "cleansing" it. Hopefully, this means that next year, where the spuds are now, will be lawn again, as it was previously. This however, could be scuppered by the arrival of pigeons in the butterfly bush that I was going to chop down to the height of the fence - it has a tendancy to block the light and it's getting a bit leggy. The pigeon pair have started nesting in it, next door to the now disused tit nest. How something as heavy as a pigeon manages to settle on such a leggy, springy bush is beyond me, they must be too stupid to realise gravity affects them as well. At least they're proper wood pigeons, and not the scabby, mottled, deformed and diseased hybrids you get everywhere else in London. The thought of runner beans along the ivy fence is appealing , if only for the fun of seeing those bright red flowers in amongst the ivy. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Mr Happy Date: 16 Apr 07 - 06:42 AM runner beans planted out yesterday, I always start 'em off in propagators in the greenhouse to ensure the rats, mice etc don't get 'em when just planted out straight in the beds. Grow lots up the house walls on strings. Only got 4 tomato seedlings survived this time, but it'll cut cut down on the amounts of watering I usually have to do with bigger numbers. Always grow 'em in containers. Got a good showing from peppers 'though they're not big enough to plant out yet. Had a vey tedious task over last few days, pricking out Petunias & Antirrhinum, these last almost need tweezers to handle 'em! |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Mr Happy Date: 16 Apr 07 - 06:44 AM Me Mangetout all got scorched thru a gap in the greenhouse shading so I'll need to start some more off |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 16 Apr 07 - 07:13 AM OO-er... few things worse than scorched mangetoots. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: terrier Date: 16 Apr 07 - 05:40 PM Advert in garden centre for poly clotches "Pet proof". I used them to cover my seed beds to keep the dogs off, went out to the patch a little later, puppy terrier has found a wonderful new game, it's called run THROUGH the clotches over and over until dizzy. Presumeably seeds still in ground...but all mixed up. I won't go into any detail as to what I HAD planted. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Stilly River Sage Date: 16 Apr 07 - 05:51 PM One day, when my new pit bull was a big pup, I took my son out to the garden to show him which squash to pick during a few days that I would be away from home. I carefully stepped over the chicken wire, my son carefully stepped over the chicken wire, then the dog levitated over the top and happily stood watching us expectantly. As you can guess, my dogs consider barriers to the garden a form of recreation. They were disappointed last year when I removed the chicken wire around a couple of beds I gave up on. They leapt so gracefully in and out of the enclosures. My next bed is going out in the side yard where they won't have access. SRS |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: katlaughing Date: 16 Apr 07 - 06:17 PM We wondered where all of our cherry tomatoes were going one year until one day we saw our McNab border collie gleefully helping himself to all of the ripe ones! |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: GUEST,Allan S. Date: 16 Apr 07 - 07:34 PM What garden???? today 8 yes thats 8 inches of rain here in southern Connecticut. I havent even plowed yet |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: terrier Date: 16 Apr 07 - 08:17 PM I know that foxes can be quite partial to soft fruit but I was surprised some years ago to find that it was our old bitza collie (now sadly missed) who was pinching all the gooseberries. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Sorcha Date: 16 Apr 07 - 09:51 PM With our dogs, it was the peas. Pod/English peas. Blooms galore, no peas. If you plant it, they will eat it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: mouldy Date: 17 Apr 07 - 03:49 AM My son in law has built and fixed my huge new greehouse to the house wall yeasterday - 6'x 6'x 2' - well it's the biggest one I've ever had! The trouble is that having got all sorts of goodies starting off in my heated propagator last month, Ian got killed, and they sort of got forgotten. I have a few very leggy tomato seedlings, and a few other bits and bobs that I'm not sure of. I had bought a lot of unusual things where you don't get many seeds, and used the seeds all up, dammit! I'd switch it off, but I went mad and got some baobab seeds, and they need the heat, plus up to a year to get going... Anyhow, in the garden my peas are coming up, I have planted a load of minarette and dwarf fruit trees, plus another blueberry (3 now) and I am getting good rhubarb! Still need to dig over where the beans are going. Fingers crossed for them as I haven't manured it. They'll get a top dressing of chicken shit pellets like all the rest! My dog problem is the watering. When I use a hose, my dog finds a way to where I am and frantically tries to play with the water, even if it means dancing on the beds. My son in law is desperate to help me organise stuff, as he is wanting to get into gardening at home, and they can't afford the stuff he wants to do, him being out of work at the moment, so he is planning to resurrect my nice shady patio and bbq. Andrea |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Mr Happy Date: 17 Apr 07 - 06:48 AM I've just planted out a load've beans & peas from greenhouse. Weather forecast says there's going to be a frost Friday night. How can I protect them as they're not hardened yet? |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Sorcha Date: 17 Apr 07 - 08:24 AM Old blankets or quilts. If it's a light frost a sheet might work. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Bee Date: 17 Apr 07 - 08:52 AM We're having such a late cold spring, there's nothing that can be planted, except maybe spinach. Even the rhubarb is just little knobs poking out of the ground. I hope the weather turns soon, but there's no sign of it. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Essex Girl Date: 17 Apr 07 - 09:05 AM Well, Broad beans are just starting to come through and the purple sprouting broccoli which I planted last year is finally ready to eat - after I netted it to keep the pigeons away. I've got 5 varieties of tomato growing in the greenhouse, along with peppers and some bedding plants. I'm already picking Rocket and Rhubarb, and the raspberry canes are looking good. For the first time I've dug a bean trench and filled it with good compost. I hope that will help if we get the drought like last year as I've also had to start watering already. |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: GUEST,petr Date: 17 Apr 07 - 01:00 PM well I planted peas, shallots, spaghetti squash last sunday (April15th) my wife put in some spuds, kale and spinach - we had a few volunteers (lettuce) come up as well. Ithink its too early for beans here in vancouver, but in a few weeks Ill plant some pole beans, radishes etc. Also started putting flowers in, delphiniums, lots of sweet peas, and started putting flowers in the pots and containers in the back yard (as part of it is concrete) Theres also a fig tree, (figs ripen end of July beginning of AUgust) we dry lots of them. As well as a grape arbor which is great for shade when we eat outside. (you can tell an italian family owned the house before us) |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Peg Date: 17 Apr 07 - 04:34 PM I mostly grow flowers...lots of landscape work to be done as my partner and I have moved into a lovely but long-neglected fixer-upper....but in honor of my Dad, who had become a recent but popular fixture at the local farmers' market a few weeks before he passed away in October, I will be growing some things. I'd like to try cherry tomatoes, curly parsley, basil, lettuce, carrots and maybe potatoes... By next year we will have planted two dwarf apple trees and some berries (blueberries and red raspberries). |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: Liz the Squeak Date: 17 Apr 07 - 05:24 PM If you're not sure of the soil, or if it's not been cultivated for several years, plant potatoes. They'll leech anything nasty out of the soil and you'll get potatoes. LTS |
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Subject: RE: BS: The '07 Veggie Garden... From: mouldy Date: 18 Apr 07 - 12:07 PM But if it has recently been grassland or a meadow, watch out for wireworms! (So I heard, and it certainly was true of our brand new house when we were first married) Andrea |
