Post your growing goals, challenges and progress toward your 2011 Spring/Summer Veggie garden(s) here! We'll start a new thread at the end of this season for posting pics of our Veggie garden bounty!
We came from here:
Zones 8-9 Spr/Sum 2011 Veggie Gardening is UNDERWAY- Pt l
We came from here!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1126351/
HELPFUL LINKS:
DD95172's PVC SEED STARTER TRAY
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1067922/
Calalily's Method for GERMINATING COLE CROP SEEDS IN THE FRIDGE
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8116028
Gardadore's Recipe for deterring WHITE CABBAGE MOTHS
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=8104087
Qinx's Raised Bed - INTERLOCKING DESIGN/w Pre-Installed Hoop Pins
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1117901/
GARDENER'S SUPPLY KITCHEN GARDEN PLANNER - DESIGN TEMPLATE
http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners...
WINTER SOWING DISCUSSION LINKS FROM THE BEGINNING http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1072154/
Kelly's ZONE 9A WATERING SCHEDULE
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=7919560
Jim41's ZONE 8A PVC DRIP IRRIGATION WATERING SYSTEM
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=7920004
Godspeed & Good Harvest! ^^_^^
Linda
This message was edited Jan 4, 2011 2:16 PM
BUMP?
Thanks Linda, I still have to check the sticky threads you posted on top,they are full of good info I am sure.
Well talking about taters on my part again, this is where I had the idea of maybe using garbage bags, I am not sure what type of bag this gentleman is using, he lives in Ireland but they look like plastic bags to me. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PFQ4EUoJ5Q
I am not sure on the price since I have not purchased them yet, I am also wondering if they will drain well if I was to place some holes at the bottom and sides.
C,
I think using the thick lawn leaf bags is a GREAT idea for potato bags! I'd get a hand-held hole punch and sit around one evening and punch holes in that bag during commercials. All over the bag, fairly evenly spaced, so you'd get the kind of drainage I got in those washing machine tubs. Bocabob's grow bags has those holes punched all over the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of his growbag.
I happen to have a couple of those bags in my pantry!
I spent hours on the floor with seeds last night, sorting, planning, getting ready to sow some tomato and bell pepper seeds this weekend. I had hoped to have sowed in mid-December, but the flu virus and other health issues kept me pretty out-of-commission during that time.
I'm not too worried, since I WSed seeds on the last weekend last year. Except, I'm not planting out any tomatoes after March 19th. Just not worth it in my area. So, whatever tomatoes are up and looking sturdy enough in 6 weeks are going outside to sink or swim!
PS: The Bell peppers in the pic are what came off the plants New Year's Day. From the seeds I sowed on January 9th last year. Go figure!
Linda
Linda
This message was edited Jan 4, 2011 4:56 PM
Linda, I just asked the guy in the video what he used to grow his taters and this is what he replied.
"Thank you. I used purpose made potato gro-sacks, plastic mesh type garbage bags and old plastic compost bags and one was as good as the other. The only real difference was that the garbage type bags were easier to move but potato wise all were the same. You can grow spuds in anything so long as the get lots of water and good drainage. I'm going to do a video showing exactly how I start my potatoes and the mix I use in a few months.
Best Wishes, Brendan.
So are you going to join me on this experiment? Last year we really had a blast growing potatoes didn't we? I am thinking of course of reusing my potato grow bag, it did really good last year while the wine barrel did not do as well for some reason. This time I will use a different medium to grow the potatoes though since I did not get any potatoes to grow in the leaves, straw that I placed on the container almost all the taters grew on the compost or dirt I used.
I just started more seeds today, my artichoke seeds are planted and so are my eggplants ( I really hope they do better this year) also I planted some really cool fruit seeds called hardy kiwi ( it just sounded so cool that I had to try it). My peppers have already sprouted and are happily under my grow lights, and also this year I am trying a new one ( ground cherry or Cape Gooseberry ) which I planted when I started my peppers and are already up as well.
I know that we are supposed to have a very long and cold winter so I am putting the tomatoes off until the end of Jan just to make sure.
I grew taters in bags last year. They did OK but I had the same results with the straw. Nothing in the straw , just in the dirt in the bottom of the bag. So this year I will omit the straw and start with more dirt. I am also using a different bag this year. Last year I used empty feed sacks. They did OK but fell apart at the end of the season. This year I will use coated bags I have been saving from dog food, chicken feed, beet pulp pellets, alfalfa cubes and calf manna. They are coated with a thin layer of plastic so I will have to put drainage holes in the bottoms but I am hoping they will not fall apart.
It is time to start my WSing.
*Edited to add
I apologize. I just went back to the top and realized this was not for my zone. Sorry to have taken your space. Happy gardening.
This message was edited Jan 4, 2011 8:39 PM
Cajun,
It's perfectly OK to join us here if you like. Just keep in mind we'll
be growing different things at different times and the conversation will relate to the growing schedule for our zone!
Thanks. I may be able to chime in now and again.
Well, I am harvesting potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and eggplants. I'm also planting like a crazy person potatoes, tomatoes, broccoli, etc........ My window of opportunity will be closing soon!
I have been taking pictures, they're still in the camera (in the car) but will try to post them. I am growing some cauliflowers called Graffiti and Cheddar. Both beautiful, both delicious!
In one of my cauliflower beds I didn't have enough plants to fill the bed so I put in 5 broccoli to finish it out. Something at the tops out of my 18" tall broccoli. I thought two legged animal at first but Bud noticed the bite marks on the stems. No leaves chewed, nothing trampled, the broccoli bed 10 ft away untouched but all 5 broccoli heads gone.........I can't figure it out.
I had the brilliant idea to use plants as a wind block for my little tomato plants (I have tomatoes in 4 stages, from just seed leaves to almost finished). Not the brightest idea I've ever had, especially when I used red turnips for a wind block. The tomatoes are now too tender and when I pulled the turnips to give the tomatoes more room, the wind really tore them up, worse than the ones out in the open.
Well, I'm waiting for my seeds to arrive. :)
Calalily,
My holdup in the fall was I didn't sow seeds in time enough to get seedlings. You're not planting anything from seeds now, are you? If you say yes, I'll come through the computer and hug you (metaphorically speaking, of course)!
I've ordered 8 lbs of potato seeds from Ronniger's (now the Potato Patch?), and will sprout them as soon as they arrive, for planting out soon thereafter. Also, I'm gonna try sowing seeds for all the other spring veggies I've never grown (all I've ever grown in spring/summer are tomatoes, bell peppers, okra and eggplants...). I've got seeds for just about everything else, just never used them...maybe this is my year?
I am going to be doing good to get a summer crop in. The timing of buying the new house is going to throw my whole spring growing season out of whack.
Wow Cala, it seems like you are producing a lot, would love to see pictures when you can post them. :) Sorry about the tomatoes, I definitely have learned a lot from my own mistakes and I hope to get better at it every year. The cauliflowers sound really good, I might have to try them next year, this year I only grew cabbage but I am always trying to grow new things. You know I think I have some romanesco broccoflower seeds that I got in an exchange and I can't wait to try them.
I think I will do the same that I did last year with my potatoes, I will go to my local organic produce store and start looking for interesting potatoes, I really liked the yucon gold potatoes I grew last year, but I am thinking of growing different varieties besides the yucon golds, I also want to try at least one bag of fingerlings as well.
Before finding Ronnigers I would buy potatoes at the grocery store. Even the ones from Walmart sprouted and did well. Ronnigers sends mine(250 lbs) just in time for fall/winter planting, they're wonderful people.
Linda,
This week I planted red turnips, chinese cabbage, bok choi, tat soi, 3 kinds of cauliflower, broccoli, spinach, mesclun mix, wild lettuce mix, orach, spreen, miner's lettuce, golden purslane, mixed carrots, orange carrots, pearl onions, potatoes, peas, cilantro, basil and heirloom cherry tomatoes, several kinds of hot peppers, egg plant and marconi peppers, all outside in the ground. The first of next week, more will go in the ground.
I have a farm, we grow for gourmet restaurants and 4 farmer's markets.
I'm trying to grow a lot of new-to-me veggies I normally would buy for the suppermarket. Cabbage, broc, potatoes, cauliflower, etc. Starting more tomato seedlings this weekend. I've been making lettuce seed mats (first time) as well. Something fun to try. Also, more room for more melons and pumpkins this year and starting a new bed for blueberries. So I've been digging alot. Just generally expanding the garden for more veg and fruits in general. DH is actually starting to help me. After 25 years he is finally taking an interest in "whatever are you doing outside?". Kind of fun getting him to understand that those tomatoes I've been growing all along were actually eaten in our house. I guess he must have thought I was throwing them at the neighbors or something! Its nice to have someone help with the heavy work now. Not a farmer or anything. Just want to grow as much of our own food as I can. Also growing a patch of Cushaw Green Striped pumpkins as we are getting goats this spring and I've read they make very good goat fodder. Phew, if I get through this spring and summer, I'll start working on more fall and winter veg.
Calalily, you mentioned that you grow Cheddar cauliflower. Is that one self blanching? Well, sort of self blancing as it isn't really white.
I ordered through Ronninger's (The Potato Garden now.) If you buy more than a pound of each variety, there's a break in cost. I got some Rio Grande Russets this year (Texas product!) and they were $5/lb. I ordered 5 lbs and the price break ended up being $3/lb. At both Park Seeds and Territorial Seed they are $11.45 a pound!!! I ordered the potatoes yesterday and asked that they be shipped next week or ASAP so they'll have plenty of time to start growing. I got an email LAST NIGHT (!!!) with my shipping info so they've already been packaged and will be shipping out today! WOW!
I ordered seeds from Baker Creek on Jan. 1st. I got them yesterday. They had included a note apologizing for the delay because they'd had an increase in orders. I'm thinking 3 days (closed Jan 1-2, order processed on Jan 3, rec'd on Jan 5) is pretty darn close to AWESOME service!!
I just hope the delivery man remembers to put my Ronniger's box in the bushes, out of sight...It should be there in the next few days.
Ya'll remember my washing machine tubs? Well, I need ideas on what to use to paint them an nice bronze color. They'll get used again for the potatoes. Does Rustoleum come in colors?
Gymgirl, when I was restoring my old house I redid the old bronze heat vent grates. You know, the big ones in old houses with pretty lattice shapes for grating. Anyway, the bronze looked really bad and I used a bronze spray paint with a bit of metalic haze to it. Hammerite was the name and was made by the same company that makes Kilz paint. It turned out looking just like new! I was very pleased. I'm sure Rustoleum makes collors too. They compete.
Thanks, Terry! Did you prime/sand the metal first?
I sanded, but since they were already bronze (from the 1917 era) I didn't need to prime. I think I would prime the tubs.
My raised beds of mustard greens, lettuce, spinach, chard, beets, and kale are still going strong (with the help of frost covers when needed).
I've received a large batch of seeds for the Spring plantings of tomatoes, peppers, cukes, etc and will be starting them under grow lights in the next week or so.
Currently have 4 shelves of various herbs going under the lights right now. Most of those will be transplanted to indoor containers or to my outdoor cold frame to make room for the veggies to sprout.
Hate the thought of having to dig up my Winter greens to get the beds ready for Spring, but I supposed I will have to at some point. Wondering if I need to cut them all back and till the remaining stalks into the soil, or whether I can just chop up and till the whole plants into the soil and bury them in a layer of compost and mulch.
Any advice on that is most helpful.
Uh, you cut those plants and then take them ALL down to your local foodbank or church pantry which will be most appreciative of your efforts to aid in feeding the hungry in your area. And then, you smile all the way home...no need to cry "Wee, wee, wee..."
Go ahead. Right now...do it...
^^_^^
LOL Linda! You actually can keep the winter things going until you actually have to plant out your spring veggies, or close to it. You can do all the cleaning and such about a week or so before planting.
Yeah, that too, what Stephanie said.
But there will be no destroying of perfectly good food to feed the compost pile, with as many people in need as we have in America right now...put your scraps in the compost pile.
Or, better yet, walk down your own block and offer your excess harvest to the 5 out of 9 homeowners in distress behind closed doors....
And then smile all the way home, 'cause now they wanna know how to grow some of the same stuff you shared with them...and instead of just giving them a fish, you're gonna teach your new friends how to survive through all of this economic madness...
Go ahead. Right now...do it...
^^_^^
This message was edited Jan 6, 2011 3:47 PM
Check this out! What a glorious sight!
When we have excess (and when we don't) we give to a local food bank, a children's home and a soup kitchen. It does feel good, and there are desperately hungry families all around us. We also do something called "random baskets of food" at the markets, or sometimes to their homes. The recipients start crying, then I start to cry. Now some of the other vendors have gotten involved.
When we are stripping beds (such as broccoli, cauliflower, etc) the stems and leaves go to a local organic farm for his pigs (he helps feed the hungry also). Compost piles still get plenty of stuff because we're always cleaning and replanting.
Terri, Cheddar cauliflower needs sunlight to develop the rich orange color. Don't tie up the leaves to blanch. Graffiti is another one that gets a richer color when exposed to the sun. If you want pure white cauliflower try Cassius. It is self blanching, easy to grow and delicious.
Unfortunately I have not been able to grow more than I need, and when I do grow a little extra, I give it to the neighbors. I end up processing a lot of it, either freeze it or can it for later use. I have frozen a lot of turnip greens and mustard greens so far and given some away as well to some friends. Is funny the onions I grew last year, I froze and never thought I would use them all and yesterday I completely finished them to make dinner so I'll have to start buying onions at the store again until I can get more to grow this season. Cala I think it is great what you do, and I have to say I would love to come to your farm and learn from the experts, is wonderful to be able to grow so much that you can afford to give it away and even keep some for yourself as well.
I definitely have to try the cauliflowers they sound very interesting and the fact that you don't have to bend the leaves to blanch them makes it even better.
Calalily, I want the color. Just didn't know if you got the color by blanching or not. It doesn't say on the back of my seed packet. Thanks for the info, can't wait to taste that first harvest!
stephanietx, those are some gorgeous seed packets! Mine are starting to come in, too! Just got a big haul from Willhite's. Their packets aren't so colorful, but oh how it feels good to listen to the seed rattling in the packets! Can't wait to start those tomato seeds. Nothing spell spring for me like the smell of tomato seedlings. I started some last weekend, but only mayyyybeee see the beginings of things to come right now. Sigh, spring will be here, spring will be here....
Ok, this is my weekend!
Tomorrow is my b'day, and I elect to spend it by getting into all sorts of dirt! I will GET STARTED! Here's some of my to do list:
►Start tomato seeds. I've sorted through my packets of 2007-2009 saved tomato seeds, which will get started FIRST, to see what kind of germination I'll get. If these take off, I'll have more than enough tomato seedlings to give away to my friends who are salivating and waiting for plants like they got last year.
►Sow seeds for Emerald Giant Bell and various other peppers. The pic on this post is my New Year's Day harvest from plants I started from seeds on January 9, 2010! Go figure!
►Purchase 8 concrete blocks to set up two light stands (4 grow shelves with 4 flourescent bulbs per shelf, for a total of 16 bulbs)
►Wash/sterilize all the sowing vessels
►Plant the onion plants out into the EBs!!!! ^^_^^
►Pick up some pine bark fines (PBF) for new eBucket 5:1:1 and 3:1:1 mixes
►Pick up a bag of MG potting mix and perlite for the PBF mix
►Repot/refresh the eBucket peppers already growing
►Pray I don't keel over...
Ya'll pray for me too! If I get through all this, it will be a truly happy birthday!
^^_^^
Hello all! I'm popping in from my usual haunt over at the SW Gardening board since my main gardening interest is good ol' veggies.
Right now I've got lots going on in my little plot - seven or so varieties of lettuce, two spinaches, blue kale, chiogga beets, baby bok choy, cilantro, dill, three kinds of carrots, snow peas, arugula, easter egg radishes, chives, chinese cabbage, chamomile, one surviving bell pepper, two kinds of tomato, and green onions. This weekend I plan to direct sow parsley, borage, swiss chard, more green onions, hollyhocks, poppies, some more peas, and whatever other seed I find that can go out now. Hope to get some tomatoes and peppers started indoors, too.
We had a freeze last week and my three year old "mother of all eggplants that will not die" is mostly black now except for dead center which is still pretty green. I'm going to cut off all the freeze damage and see if she'll make a comeback. Fingers crossed!
My goals for this year include having an actual productive summer garden despite the inferno that starts around June. I've got shade cloth for this year and should probably start building frames for it now so it's ready to go when I need it. So far plants for summer include okra, two kinds of cukes, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplant, melons, squash, corn, pumpkins, and beans. Flower wise I'll have cosmos, zinnia, vinca, marigold, and of course sunflowers.
Happy Birthday, Gymgirl! Nice to "meet" you all!
Julie
Greetings Julie, sounds like you have a lot going on in the garden.
Well everyone, I have some bad news on the gardening front. We are moving to a new house in early February (which is good news) but that means I must abandon my veggie garden in my current house. #$%#@%^ !!!
My BIL said that his mom dug up a bunch of plants once and potted them up and they survived but she had flowers, not veggies. I don't think I can transplant green onions, bulb onions, garlic, and brussel sprouts that have been in the ground for 2-3 months. That should be all the veggies I have left by the time we move. I really wanted garden onions and garlic, too.
My new domicle has a much smaller yard, too. The sacrifices a Dad makes for his family... But, it does have a large fig tree and a citrus tree that is quite developed. There are a few other trees as well but I do not know what they are yet. I will have to post some pics on another board so someone can help me ID them. Oh, but one tree has all these blooms on it and it is *loaded* with bees! So, my pollination issues (squash, zuchinni mainly) just went out the window!! How sweet is that? It appears that I will have good sun exposure despite the trees, as my yard is oriented East-to-West.
Thanks, Julie! What a surprise you are from AZ!
Hiya Julie - nice to see you over here;o) I really met Julie at our fall swap, along with her DH and cute new baby bean! My eggplant looks like they bit the dust in the freeze but you never know. I'm hoping my peppers will revive as well, but think the 'maters are toast. I'll be starting tomato, pepper and eggplant seeds this weekend. Plus cleaning up some of the damage form the freeze in the garden.
YAY, someone else starting what I'm starting at the same time!
^^_^^^^_^^ (Linda and Kelly doing the veggie seed stomp!)
LOL - I had planned to start them a couple weeks ago but holidays got in the way;o) Still plenty of time!
For you maybe, but I'm pushing the tomato envelope.
Most all of my maters are long season heirlooms that average 80-120 DTM. Which would put me knocking on the doors of Texas Hell around June 19th. And, that's only IF I get them into the garden starting FEBRUARY 19th!
My original plan was sowing seeds in mid-December so they'd have some substantial size before they went out into the cruel, cruel, garden. At this rate, they'll be about 6" come 2/16 and will either sink or swim!
No time to spare!
They'll do fine as babes Linda! Plus they are easier to cover if needed when they are small.
I shoot for Valentine's Day as plant out, especially for those long DTM varieties we so love to grow
Wow. I AM impressed! Valentine's Day?
If I rush these seedlings outta their shells with some gentle heat and get em potted up and under lights by next Wednesday, I can hope for a Valentine's Day plantout of at least some...
What are you potting up to after they germinate?
I'm not - they will stay in the Aerogarden and get hardened off in the starter tray. Gets a little tight with all the plants by then, but we make it work - lol... If I have to pot them up it would be to plastic cups, those red ones that are maybe 16 oz cups?