The green beans I planted the 19th jumped right out and got their first true leaves. I took a peice of corragated fiberglass and made a shade for the row. I think this made a big diffrence, almost all of the seeds came up. Last time I planted none came up.
Still hitting 90 but the nights are getting cooler. Thanks to the young men helping me, we have almost all the clearing done and have 2 big piles to burn and a little touch-up then we're done.
Now I might find time to do the PVC thing.
Sometime the hardest part of getting a project done is getting it started. Clearing the garden plot counts in my book.
Later
Dane
Zones 8-9 Fall/Wntr 2010 IS UNDERWAY - Part III
Clearing the garden plot DEFINITELY counts, especially when the DH did it!
I'm soooooooooo frustrated cause I've got to line up dominoes before I get to seeds in dirts.
Drain dug for the patio.
Trees on fenceline cut down and stumps ground up
Other trees dug up and relocated
New fence put up
ONE raised bed built and filled
Then, I can plant something...ya'll are still praying, right?
Linda
Ya Linda I'm praying you don't get run over when you stop to pick stuff up off the side of the road!
Berries are not a veggie but there seems to be alot of people here using raised beds. The Little Lady is bound and determinded to get berries next spring. Our soil is alkaline and berries like acidic. Has anyone tried berries in a RB?
I've seen strawberry pots from Mexico but looks like it would take several to be worth while.
Thanks
Dane
Dane,
There's a schematic for a strawberry eBucket, as well as and using a length of 6" drainage pipe with the perforations to grow strawberries. I'd try these first to see if you can get them in your area.
Linda
I found the strawberry e-bucket. Looks more efficient than the pots.
Thanks
Dane
Dane, I have strawberries growing. Now is the time to plant them. Down here they need a little shade during the summer months.
Thanks for the info. Took my SIL car shopping today. I will look for some tomorrow. I assume I want everbearing.
Dane
I've got something munching on my cabbage leaves, anyone know what it could be? Would a pic be better?
Probably those green cabbage worms. Bt will take care of them, but you must be diligent with applying it regularly.
John,
Track them down like the little dogs they are!!! Stay on 'em or they'll eat you outta house and cabbage!
Those suckers are really good at hiding, but luckily I have Bt and I've been itching to use it. Thanks.
Other than those pests, my cabbage are coming along nicely. The leaves are starting to swirl and coalesce in the middle; it's pretty remarkable since this is my first go at brassicas. I even bought brussel sprouts but I have never eaten them. I love fall gardening so far!!
Brussel sprouts are good. I grew them on the mountain but the aphids got to eat more than I did. They survived the winter (5b) and grew into the spring.
Later
Dane
I keep forgetting to buy brussel sprouts at the grocery store so that I can try them, but I hear they are like mini-cabbages so I am sure I will not object to them.
Just sprayed my crops with Bt. These cabbage worms can eat! But they only come out at night it seems.
Don't over-cook the brussle sprouts or they get bitter. Easy to do.
Signed:
The Voice of [Bad] Experience
I planted lots of stuff the past couple of weeks. Garlic [organic from the store], radishes, bok choy, carrots, bush beans.....
I have teeny tiny sprouts of radish and bok choy. The garlic is doing well. Got my Sampler package from Gourmet Garlic Gardens today and will plant an entire bed this weekend. Yayyyyy.
Good to know, thanks for the tip.
My garlic order arrived yesterday and I will plant out sometime today since I am playing hooky from work. It's funny because I sprayed my plants with Bt Sunday afternoon and we had a cold front blow through the area on Monday morning (read: lots of rain). I knew the front was on the way but did not realize it was due on Monday. Anyway, I was not able to see my garden until last night since it was usually raining Tue & Wed when I got home, so I was eager to see if my one-night-only-Bt-treated veggies were still in one piece. So last night, I inspected my plants with my flashlight. Minimal damage, so I must spray again today.
Tomorrow I will buy onions from our local FM.
Geeze. Its been forever since I was on this thread! My grand gardening plans got swallowed up by real life. I have cabbages and broccoli in, as well as a few interesting herbs, carrots that apparently didn't sprout in the spring, and one straggly tomato.
It seems though that this winter we'll be moving at some point, so its hard to get terribly ambitious about it. We were preapproved for a home loan and so now its a shopping/waiting game.
I still have my summer garden going like crazy. Now I have to make room for cole crops. I'm getting more tomatoes now then all summer. Thursday night it might freeze so everything will get covered. Crazy
Moving to a new pad, eh? Sounds exciting but that would definatley put a damper on gardening plans. I will be in the same boat in a year or two.
My summer garden was a dud but my fall garden is humming right along. The broccoli looks like they will form heads any day now and it's killing me! Cabbage continues to grow fine but I can't seem to figure out what the cauliflower is doing (they look kinda skimpy, no trace of any "heads".)
My carrots seem to be growing in slow-motion so that is frustrating. I planted white and red onions about a week and a half ago but I have a bunch of sets left (got 60/ 6$ x 2). Need to start cramming these in wherever I have room so I can get chives.
My garlic sprouted a few days ago, too.
Looks like it will hit 41 deg Thurs night...brrrr.
Hey, Gang!
Was wondering where everyone was, but, who am I to talk? I've been MIA since my own move-in. Had to bite the bullet and decide I could not realistically handle wee seedlings in the midst of a new drain and fence installation, tree reductions, building new raised flowerbeds, unpacking moving boxes, and mapping out a long-term landscaping strategy. So, all that's happening in my yard is the bell peppers that've been hanging on since plantout in March!
I've decided I enjoy living outside far more than inside. As such, my efforts will be directed toward creating an outdoor living space that I can be comfortable in MOST of the time. I'll be getting rid of the Arrow storage shed which is smack dab in the middle of some prime growing real estate, and probably most of the yard grass. I want raised beds, with pathways, a grill and a fire pit. And since I have precious little real estate, I need to call in a landscape designer to draw up some plans for how I can maximize the space available, to get all that I want.
I wish I was comfortable with the landscape design programs, but I've never been able to visualize spacially, and I know my own limitations in trying to "see" in my mind's eye -- it is totally blind! The best I can do is try to imagine from a paper drawing what it will look like for real! And, designers have lots of tricks up their sleeves and ideas I don't even know exist.
So. Stay tuned for the before and after pictures!
Not to worry though. I was so thoroughly pleased with my success at Winter Sowing seeds and growing veggie seedlings for my friends last winter, that I am totally gearing up for turning my yard into a seedling center this winter! I'll have two systems going together for comparison: the PVC tube seed starting trays, plus the old standby gallon milk jugs from my local Starbucks! This time round, I'll add flower seeds to the WSing operation, so I can mix some perennials/annual flowerss into my veggie garden landscape.
A nearby construction site dumpster was FULL of PVC pipe as I passed it this morning! AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH...sure hope it's still full tomorrow morning!
Anybody wanna offer landscaping ideas or point me to a reasonable designer in the Houston area, just lemme know!
Here're a couple shots of the yard from each end. This shot is standing at the north side looking toward the south fence, through the patio cover. You can see the ill-placed storage shed that measures 10(w) x 14(l) x 8 (h) ...
Linda
This message was edited Nov 16, 2010 2:24 PM
This message was edited Nov 16, 2010 2:27 PM
Here's a pic standing on the south fence facing to the north.
West to east on the north end, next to the prayer garden (with the sagos)...
My 6 EBs on the north fence line -- uh, they're empty......
I know what you mean Linda. My front yard needs a complete make-over and I have some rough ideas of what I want but ultimately, I find myself spinning my wheels when I start thinking about the details. My backyard needs work as well. I will be checking out Maas Nursery more than likely. I believe they will do some rough sketches for you and give you some basic ideas for free if you call them and schedule an appointment. You would also need to give them pictures (which it looks like you already have) plus the diminsions of your yard. Of course, they can do much more for a fee. They are in Seabrook which is not the most convenient area for you, I'm sure. Check out their website for details.
This message was edited Nov 16, 2010 2:34 PM
East to west along the south fence.
Thanks, John! I'll give them a call.
Hi everybody I have been out of touch for quite a long time, lots of new things going on in my family, good things though. First of I am pregnant with my third child, that's the reason why I was so sick a few months ago, could not even eat much without getting sick, or do much of anything.
I have also been busy planting and adding brand new beds to my backyard , I have a total of 6 beds now, also added some rain barrels.
Now I am in the process of converting part of my front yard into a veggie, flower garden, I have been dinging the lava rock that the previous owners placed on the bed, they placed the lava rock without putting any landscape fabric on the bottom so it is taking forever to get all the rocks out, oh and I also had to dig up a bunch of really ugly bushes that were in that bed as well. My idea is to take as much rock out as possible and then rent a rototiller, dig the hard span soil underneath and then mix some nice compost into the mix and plant a variety of nice veggies and also flowers. Right now the only thing that I have in that bed is a persimmon tree that I planted last year and a few bushes that are closer to the window.
I am hoping just like Linda to put some pictures of the before and after effect, as soon as I can figure out how to use this new computer.
Linda by the way you have a really nice looking backyard, and I am sure with a little elbow grease and TLC you can make it look tons better.
Ahhhh... OFF TOPIC When is your baby due? How exciting!
I'm so impressed you're doing all this while pregnant! Maybe this baby will be a natural born gardener! LOL
ooooooooooooooooooh Carmen! I am soooooooooo happy for you! Definitely got to keep your camera in your pocket for the new garden AND the new baby updates!
Thanks for your encouragement on my yard project. I'm getting excited about the possibilities! Right now, I'm trying to get in on the tail end of the Texas Appliance Rebates offer to save some $$$ on a GE Hybrid Water Heater. The savings will go toward my landscape project!
Hugs to All! ^^_^^^^_^^^^_^^ (Linda, Carmen, and the new baby doing the landscaping dance!)
Nice yard Miss Linda! I see a lot of potential there!
Congratulations on the new baby to be Carmen - how exciting;o) My baby making days are over. With 3 boys aged 9, 11 and 17 I think that's a good thing;o) Plus I'll be 40 very very soon. I'm very excited for you!!
My fall garden has been planted since the 2nd week of October. Everything is doing well, as are the peppers, eggplant and tomatoes that limped through the summer;o) The only real issue I am having is cutworms munching on my Bok Choy - dirty suckers;o) Got a boatload of flagstone from a job DH did so slowly making a border for a north facing bed with some of it and trading or giving the rest away to my local DG friends. It's very pretty and flagstone is so expensive. I can't believe this homeowner had it taken out to put in stamped concrete! The stamped concrete is sweet - don't get me wrong - but I would waaaaaaayyyy rather have flagstone.
Hey, Kelley!
I wish I had your eyesight to see the potential-i-ties!
LOL Linda... Best thing to do at first is watch your light - all seasons as the angle of the sun will change. Make sure you have that down before putting in any permanent type of bed, et cetera. Your EBs can be moved but a permanent structure not so much;o) It definitely looks like a great yard to work with!
Uh, Kell...watching the light all seasons would mean not putting in anything permanent until next year this time...right? You did mean all FOUR seasons...right? Like winter, spring, summer, AND fall -- NEXT fall?! RIGHT???!!!
Can you use your mind's eye to see the streams of perspiration coursing down my face as a wave of "NOT-GONNA-BE-PLANTING-IN-ANY-RAISED-BEDS-ANYTIME-SOON" panic washes over my entire body???!!!
well..if a friend can't be up front honest with you, who can? sniff...
Uh, Kell, can I at least move forward and put in the new fence before Christmas?
Yep, put in your fence - lol... You should be able to get a good idea of light/season by knowing what structures/trees are in your optimal light areas. Southern exposure is optimal, east/west very good - north not so important.
But yeah, the optimal way to do it is all four seasons, but I know none of us are getting any younger and we're eager to get planting, so carry on girl;o)
whew!
Thanks guys, yes we are very excited as well, for a while I told myself no more babies but then I started getting the baby bug again and oh well I could not resist. The baby is due on May 3rd, very excited about that since my previous 2 were born in August, one of the hottest months of the year here down south.
As far as work goes, my DH keeps telling me to slow down but maybe it is the hormones, or the nesting part, not sure but I would love to finish all of it before I get way to big to do much.
I do agree with Kelly about the EB, you can always move them from place to place but you want the premium site for your raise beds for sure, I have 4 EB and have noticed that for some strange reason the veggies on my raise beds grow a lot faster than the ones on EB, I planted some mesclum salad on one of my EB 2 weeks prior of planting on my raise bed and the greens on the raise bed are bigger and healthier looking and I am already picking arugula, mustard and mesclum mix out of the raise bed and enjoying it in salads, my new favorite salad mix is mizuna, I got a pack for free from rare seeds and planted it this year and oh boy it is delicious, my little girl really likes it also as it is not too spicy.
Kelly did you plant the broccoli yet, I think we ordered the same one this year did we not? I also planted a purple broccoli just for kicks, mine is already poking their little heads out, I am so excited about it, I do love broccoli.
I am also getting turnips right now, I planted the seeds a while back because of a kids book I read by little boy a while back about a giant turnip, I liked the book so much that I thought it would be fun to try it.
As far as tomatoes, I am still getting lots of sungold maters but I am not sure if I like them too much they are just too sweet for me and they just don't have that tomato flavor that I like, my other bigger types did not do so well.
Yep C - planted the broccoli and they are maybe 8" high - growing well;o) I planted Early Dividend and DiCicco again as well as some transplants of Pacman I found locally.
I am not a big fan of those little sweet 'maters either - in moderation maybe, but I like me a big meaty tomato-tasting 'mater - lol. I always have a rough time getting them through the summer. The cherries and small ones make it pretty easily.
Awesome Kelly I really hope this year is a better year for broccoli, last year I was a little disappointed with mine. I dedicated a whole raise bed to broccoli so hope to get lots.
Yes the sungolds I just really don't care much for, too sweet, I am getting a few of the big ones now but I am sure they won't make it in time before the frost comes.
C - if you have green 'maters and frost is forecast, pick them and put them in a cardboard box and cover with newspaper. Cool dry place and they will ripen over time;o)