Here is what is leftover after distributing veggies to friends and family, not a bad haul I don't think.
My newest garden pics
Now I want to compare the methods of melon planting, I found a cute little ambrosia melon the size of a softball, perfect in every way thus far. I have three bags planted. Two are the coir in lay flat bags that can be gotten from Boca Bob, that is the one that the ambrosia melon is in, the other one was a hanging bag, with perlite and jungle grow which I converted into a lay flat bag, look at the difference in the plants in the next two to three pics. I love the lay flat bags for melons, here is why: A. The melons, notice how close to the vine the melon is? It won't break off, as it is close to the ground where it should be. B. Melons need water, lots of it, and the coir absorbs the water and holds it, perfect for melons.
Here is the other flat bag (with coconut coir), it has blooms and ready to shoot out melons of all kinds, I hope, and the other bag (the green one), with jungle grow and perlite right under it :
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 10:29 AM
Another one: This is the watermelon plants I purchased at Kmart and had transplanted into the green converted bag of jungle grow, the one in the coconut coir lay flat bag I grew from seed. But, see the difference?
joy
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 10:34 AM
Now check out these baby fairy tail eggplants, about 2 more inches and they will be ready to pick, the directions say they are to be about 8 inches, and yes, I've already used my handy ruler anxiously awaiting them to grow up and become eggplant parm and Jerry's eggplant dish. (LOL)
Now, I took pics of my corn, they seem to be long and skinny to me, it's silver queen variety. I did notice though that the totes hold more potting mix, so are deeper, and thus I think better for corn than the EB or GP in this case, as the roots want to come above the potting mix in the containers, probably in search of water, the gluttons.
More pics: Notice the roots coming out at the top, not really deep enough I don't think and perhaps instead of planting 16 per box next year, might try 8 instead, I did move them around some, wanted the drain holes to the front to make sure they were getting enough water, they are gluttonous plants, and I take the shower nozzle off when watering the water fill tube I just insert the hose.
joy
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 10:44 AM
Now here is the corn in the totes:
My okra is starting to come to life really well, I have planted the burgandy kind and the green kind in 3 totes:
Here is another pic: This one is my rainbow pepper, I noticed that after picking most the purple peppers, the new ones are a light green growing now, maybe they will stay that way?
joy
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 10:52 AM
Well here are my maters, I've given up trying to train them branches, I think I'll just support them any which way they go, next year, no cages, I'm building a trellis on the table itsself, and they can go nuts all they want. And no, they aren't laying down sideways, I forgot to flip the pics on these, tilt your head and they will be upright. LOL Notice the leaning tower of pisa there?
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 10:57 AM
My hanging toms ready to sweep the ground:
More tomato pics:
More toms:
Here are the transplanted toms out of the lay flat bags, they had massive root systems, so in transplanting them, it was tricky ya'll, I had to dig really deep and huge holes to put them into the EB, GP and totes, I wanted to salvage the lay flat bags for more melons this week! With melons selling for $6 a piece up here and TPlant and Boca Bob able to buy them at Penn Dutch down where they are for just a $1, hmmmph. Out of mulch covers, so I improvised and used this plastic sheet, cut to fit the totes and EB and GP for this season.
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 11:09 AM
That's it for now, except this one: That's eggplant in the last one, transplanted tom's from the lay flat bags and onions and carrots. I haven't had BER on any toms yet. But, then again, just have had cherry toms and med toms thus far. I did put some Jobes tomato fertilizer spikes in the topsy's and revolutionary planters as with the constant watering I knew they would wash most the fertilizer in there out, I added more potting mix also, The self watering strips on the revolutionary planters wear out after a month or so and need replaced, just got my new ones, so they haven't been self watering til I get them redone.
This message was edited Jun 16, 2009 11:17 AM
Oh, one last pic, I know it looks like I destroyed these lay flat bags, but I didn't, I can fluff the coir with some dolomite and epsom, put it back into the bag, put in my melon seedlings and tape where I need to tape. No waste that way.
I think I see Peter Pan's shadow in that last pic! LOL
Garden looks good!
Qinx: Peter pan had better leave my coir and lay flat bags alone, them are for my melons. LOL Thanks, gonna cart it all over to the melon part of the yard this week.
joy
Sherri: I know what you mean, I'm just now starting to see the okra, my corn is nearly ready though I think, and my cherry tomatoes are doing great, my larger tomatoes are still green though.
joy
HI Joy
I planted the purple okra last year and found it was hard to keep picked even on a daily basis. Hard to see. LOL I had purple okra that I missed a foot long before I saw it. I'm trying Bubba Okra this year and I think like it better. Let me know how yours works out.
We ought to have the ugliest veggie contest or the biggest one missed. I hate to go out there and find a 18" squash don't you. LOL
sherri
seray: I've already found foot long cukes I've somehow missed, me thinks it is way past time to have my eyes checked ya think? LOL
joy
I think you should rush over to the Soil and Composting forum and read up on it first! Search for posts I've made in the worms and coffee grinds discussions. Then you can decide whether to spend $$ on a composter or simply start one in a corner of your yard for free! U just expanded my compost bin 2 5x5' in March and the worms are huge, happy, and healthy! I've got my neighbor saving his grass clippings 4 me, and I get 5-gallon buckets of used coffee grinds @ my job where there's a complimentary employee coffee bar! I'm making compost for FREE. Can't beat free. Lookie!
Look
Gymgirl: You bet free is always the best; but, then again, you got the head on your shoulders for the gardening know hows, I'm just learning. LOL I found a great sale at Henry Fields on line (70% off), and ordered a dwarf pomegrante and dwarf banana tree today, they are really cheap. Since I live in FL I cannot order the dwarf citrus trees, as in lime, lemon and orange, tangerie or kumquat, and of course, no one in FL in my area sales them either, isn't that great? LOL And if they do sale them, they don't sale the dwarf ones and want a fortune for them. (frown). I have called a place here in a nearby town that carries fruit trees and asked them to please get me some so I could buy them and have them, watch, I'll pay 3 times what everyone in other states are paying for them right? LOL I'm also curious about an Avocado dwarf tree also; but, was wondering if it would grow in this area, I'm going to put all in self watering 18 gallon totes with potting mix, what do you think?
joy