What's going on with your Veggie Garden Today?

TRock,

I started a different thread about the hiller/furrower...would you mind posting a picture of your adapter, either here or on the thread I started? The hiller doesn't quite fit...there is a hole, but I need to drill it out to even get a pin through. Once I do that, I'm not sure that the bracket will fit right. It definitely doesn't work right mounted to the depth stake. : (

David

David, I need to run errands this am. Will get pics for you this afternoon.

Today I started prepping the rows for my tomato transplants. I have pictures on a separate thread: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1245313/ of the results of using the hiller/furrower plow for my tiller. I also put my first batch of tomato transplants out to harden yesterday. Today is the first day to get any full sun. There will be a couple of hours of sun between noon and 2:00 pm, then shade the rest of the afternoon. I have them by a wooden fence, for the shade and wind protection. They are still getting a little wind, so that should help in the hardening process.

I hope to plant Wednesday afternoon or Thursday morning, using wrapped cages for some protection from wind and heavy sun. It is forecast to rain on Thursday, with the highest chances Thursday afternoon. I would like to get the tomatoes in the ground before the rain. Though the soil is a little cool (about 62 degrees) I also plan to start of row or two of bush beans before the rain.

David

Today I prepared the bed for snap peas. I'll soak the seed tonight and sow them tomorrow.

Onions from Dixondale are due here next week.

My instincts are telling me NOT to start tomato seeds yet, but I'm itching to do so!

I wish I could grow green peas successfully here.

My Dixondale onions are coming right along. You want to be sure to feed yours every two weeks with nitrogen.

When I ordered my second Bio Dome from Park's I ordered a six pack of tomato plants and a pkt of Pineapple tomato seeds. The dome and seeds arrived yesterday. I think it's too late to start the Pineapple seeds, but come January, look out.

Planted three rows of bush beans today, "Contender." Also measured spacing and marked rows for planting tomatoes. I wrapped 24 of 30 cages with plastic mover's wrap. It is mostly for protection from the wind but can be covered to help against a late frost. Six more cages to go for my full-size tomato plants. I've decided to plant two each of Indian Stripe, German Giant, Limbaugh Potato Top, Virgina Sweets, KBX, Persimmon, and Golden Jubilee. I'll also be planting 6 each of Big Beef, Jet Star, and Homestead. My plan is to plant tomatoes tomorrow, before the rain. Cherry tomatoes will go out in a couple of weeks. (I got a late start on the cherries.)

Pepper seedlings are looking good, but it is time to pot them up from the Jiffy pellets into 4-inch pots. Hope to get that done tonight after taking my wife to dinner. Wednesday night is my evening off dialysis. Normally I have dialysis in the evenings. I do it at home, and my wife (who works) is my helper. I don't get much done in the evenings...except checking Dave's Garden and reading!

David

No planting here yet. I did hoe the winter annual weeds today and had a fleeting thought of planting snap peas. I think I will wait a few days unless the weather stays warm.

I planted 6 Jumbo Jalapeño plants just a few minutes ago. Wanted to get them in before the rain. I bought them at a local New Braunfels nursery yesterday on my way back from San Antonio. I had to go to San Antonio to drop off my brush chipper for 600 hr service.

Also, today I sold 8 tomato plants to a fellow up the road who caught my ad on Craig's list.

And last before I settle in to watch some Netflix, I gathered 10 beautiful brown eggs this evening.

Oh, one more thing, my Mittleider Magic Micro Mix came in the mail today. Guess I'll be mixing it with Epsom salt and the 15-15-15 I have on hand. I think Cricketsgarden swears by this stuff. I'll know soon enough.

Busy day today. Bought a load of soil for more tomato pots, 12 - 13 gal and 3 - 27 gal bringing the total planned tomato crop this year to 67.

These 15 pots will get the Mittleider Magic Micro Mix concoction. Miracle Grow Tomato is only being packaged in 1.5 lb for around $5, but I was able to find old stock at Walmart in 3 lb size for $8 & change so I stocked up. This year and maybe next year will be a Mittleider test/learning experience. If all goes well I'll make the conversion.

texasrockgarden -

A good read. It is very similar to the guide I use http://www.dixondalefarms.com/onionguide

Got more maters planted ... total to-date is 67 and I'm done!

16 planted in wheat straw bales yesterday afternoon.

15 set out this morning in pots and 3 more in a raised bed where I pulled lettuce for the chickens. Don't know why I plane lettuce. It always seems bitter to me so I just don't like it.

Corn and peas are coming up.

Okra and more peas are coming up.

Got cages on tomatoes planted a few days ago.

Onions coming right along.

Side dressed beets with 15-15-15-8 sulfur. Bed has beets, chard, collards, Chinese cabbage, lettuce, 6 tomatoes, garlic, and cukes.

Rambling Red Stripe in a stacker. This guy loves to cascade.

My first tomato of the season. I still feel pretty good coming second to Hutto. :) I know it's a stretch but it's still a tomato. My first blooms turned yellow at the stem and fell off.

This message was edited Mar 13, 2012 5:20 PM

Did get the first tomatoes planted last Thursday, finished the last three plants after a 10 minute rain storm, a cold front with 20-degree temperature change, and 15-20 mph wind. Also got the cherry tomatoes potted up to 4 inch pots. Don't get to do anything in the garden this week...out of town for my daughter's spring break. Fun, but I'm having gardening withdrawal!

David

My gardens are still too wet to plant in, and there has been fog and drizzle every morning so it's not drying up very fast. There is alge growing on my walkway to the front door. It just doesn't dry up there during the day. AND it is supposed to rain again next week, so my regular planting routine is out the window. By the end of spring break i do plan on having my 2' leggy tomato plants in the ground. Since I don't think I'll be able to burn this year I might as well clean up the best I can and get those plants in the ground. Then the next day it will freeze. Oh I set my New Big Dwarf plant outside today it was sown in early Oct. So I guess I have started my garden. Got a few more Dwarfs to start. I'm going to direct sow them inputs just to see how it goes. I'm hoping that having them in containers will give me the ability to have tomatoes all summer long.

You guys north of me in zone8 many times have cooler night time spring and fall temps. I know this because I drove to Austin from Canyon Lake to work and back for 18 years leaving home before daylight and returning after dark.

My garden is in a micro climate of a sorts in that it is on a south facing hillside on the north side of the lake. South winds coming off the lake blow directly on my garden. I believe this works to my advantage a few days out of the year. Don't get me wrong. It still gets very cold and very hot.

This has been a good year for me because of the mild winter and the fact I gambled and planted early with the notion I could always replant before it gets too hot.

Although I have been telling myself for several years now that I am going to cover my pot tomatoes growing under cattle panels with 30 % shade cloth, this may be the year I find the time. These are always the first tomatoes I plant and they are always the first to succumb to the dog days of summer. The shade cloth may give a week or two extra production.

Yesterday and today I sowed seeds indoors for tomatoes, peppers, basil, and parsley.

Today and tomorrow the temperatures are supposed to be near 80F - too warm for this time of year!

HoneybeeNC, so that puts your planting out time around the middle of May. Wow, I would just die if I had to wait that long to get'r going.

texasrockgarden - I can usually transplant tomatoes into the garden four weeks from sowing seeds indoors. Our last frost is supposed to be around April 1st, but I always hold off until the middle of April. One year we had frost in May!

Peppers are always a guessing game - they take their own sweet time.

We don't get a fall frost until around the middle of October, so there's plenty of time.

Our peas are due to "declare" tomorrow. The onions were set last Monday (12th)

Can y'all send us some rain, please?

Tuesday I planted snap peas and a bit of lettuce, kale, and spinach today.

I have strawberries coming ...Earliglow, Jewel, and Mesabi. Also 2 peach trees, a gooseberry, and 15 red raspberries...10 Prelude and 5 Taylor

The tomato seeds I sowed on Tuesday 13th are starting to declare, as are the basil seeds.

Peas sown last Thursday 8th declared yesterday and more came up overnight. I sowed another row of peas this morning.

Daughter has promised to help me get the trellis netting up this weekend for the melons.

Fig and pear trees have buds. Blueberry bushes are in bloom.

The weather is "perfect" 72F during the day and 50F's at night.

Looks like things are starting to pop in the gardening world. You folks are doing great.

A neighbor and her husband came over today to pick up 37 tomato plants and a couple eggplant plants. That puts me out of the tomato business for this season more or less. I have a quart with maybe a half dozen or so Black Krim plants and a couple other varieties. These will be standbys if I need any replacements.

Oh wait! I forgot I had ordered a six-pack of Tomato Country Taste Hybrid tomatoes from Park's on my last order. They arrived yesterday. I'll use one to replace a Principle Borghese that a squirrel or pill bugs nipped off at the base about 1/2" above the straw bale. So add 5 to 67 already planted and I will be growing 72 which is just insane since I live by myself. Anybody want to can tomatoes on halves? :)

Today I mixed and applied 50 gals of Miracle Grow Tomato. Also, applied ammonium sulfate to the onions.

So glad Im not the only one that is starting just a couple more...These are Dwarfs so they will be in movable containers, so I can keep them out of the heat some what. TRG did you decide not to start Pineapple?

Yes if you live bt yourself it is kind a crazy but if you love it who cares.

1lisac
I am looking forward to growing Pineapple next year. I am already at the "way too many tomato plants" for this season.

I know you had mentioned it earlier. It does have a long DTM. Let us know how the Tomato Country Taste does. Ive wanted to try it, have you tried it before? Do you have seeeds for Pineapple. OK no more questions Sheesh.

It's my first time to try Tomato Country Taste. I can't remember why I decided to buy tomato plants when I had already started 120 this season. Maybe it was the free shipping thing or just something in the description that caught my fancy. I think I remember buying the Pineapple seeds with the intention of not using until next year. I don't buy seeds much anymore from Park's but since I was buying my second BioDome I thought what the heck.

I have spots picked out for 4 Tomato Country Tomatoes. I'll send you one of the remaining two if you D-mail your address.

Do you have Pineapple seeds?

Nothing new planted today. : ( I did get more tilling done and cultivated between already planted rows. I use an Earthway high-wheel push plow, with a cutting blade like a scuffle hoe. It works really well and is quieter and less smelly than my MTD 2-cycle cultivator.

Corn, bush beans, sugar snap peas, lettuce, beets, and spinach are all growing. Tomatoes survived transplant and many have grown several inches. I hope to actually get yellow squash and pickling cucumbers planted tomorrow before it rains.

David

My youngest (now my favorite son) Completely cleaned out my garden. No more debris Ive been waiting for months to burn it but now I can start planting. He got 2 large plastic bags full of OM out of it. I would love to have kept it but I knew that last year's tomato plants and such could spread disease Im so proud of him and now Im good to go.

Got the planned cucumbers (Pickle Bush) and squash (Early Prolific Straight-neck) both planted. I was also able to plant cowpeas (pink-eye purple hull) and another section of sweet corn (Sugar Dots). The hills are also ready for my cherry tomatoes, as soon as they complete the hardening cycle. Got a lot done, but exhausted! I will be able to rest tomorrow, while it is raining--I hope. I will probably sleep during dialysis this evening.

I still have to pot-up my pepper plants, and will plant okra, butternut squash, more corn, more cucumbers, more squash and possibly more beans and/or purple-hull peas. If we get as much rain as forecast, it may be two weeks before the garden dries out enough to work again. I'm thankful that the rain held off today and that I could get as much as I did finished.

David

I bought a 150 ft roll of concrete reinforcing mesh today for more tomato cages. These rolls cost more every year. This one was $99.58 with tax. I can get 30 18" cages from the roll making the cost per cage about $3.33.

Pictures 2 & 3 Measurements of a couple maters in 25 mph wind with gusts to 35.

Pictures 4 & 5 baby maters....Purple Russian and 2011 Volunteer cherry.

Picture 1 - planted 4 more eggplants today, two Twilight, one Black Beauty and one Hansel.

Picture 2 - Beets are starting to make.

Picture 3 - Turnips too.

Picture 4 - Radish

Picture 5 - Squash growing in a wheat straw bale. These guys will soon be taking off.

Planted 10 bell pepper seedlings from seed I sowed indoors. I have so many pepper plants coming up volunteer in the garden that I decided to skip potting my seedlings into 4" pots and to go straight in to the ground. Keeping my fingers crossed. If we get the rain that is predicted (3") the seedlings will do well. There is something about rain that makes plants turn dark green and really grow.

Picture 1 - Okra and Peas. So far the okra has surprised me at how it is coming along.

Picture 2 - A shot of the greens bed and six tomato plants.

Picture 3 - A cuke still in a Kozy coat starting to form a runner. The Kozys are coming off after this storm passes. The cukes I direct sowed have come up and have formed true leaves.

When did you sow the beets? Where do you get your straw bales? I have an idea..

Beets were sown Jan 18 or Jan 23. Both days on my calendar are marked "Planted Beets". I distinctly remember planting all my three varieties of beets on one day.

Wheat straw bales came from Fredericksburg a couple years ago. I've had them in storage.

This message was edited Mar 20, 2012 11:11 AM

texasrockgarden -

Let's just say that I have completely bypassed spring, and I'm doing an early fall/wtr garden...

One 4x8' RB is finally BUILT and filled (almost). I picked up two 40 lb bags of topsoil and two 40 lb-bags of hummus to mix together and spread on the top 3" of the bed. I might be able to plant the 2.5' tall tomato SEEDLINGS sitting out in 2- and 3-liter soda bottles...the ones with little yellow blooms all over...

I'm finding out that, if you don't have your structures in place before planting out, it's just not gonna work out. For me, this means having tomato and bean trellises up and ready to receive the tomatoes and beans -- and neither is in place, yet. So, I'm biting the bullet, and not sowing another seed for anything until I can move forward with the seedlings I've already got started.

The Ky Wonder Pole beans are planted out in buckets, with a 6' stake in the middle, but, they will soon outgrow this. Today I found a plan for a bean trellis I had been envisioning in my mind. I can get this built and in place over the weekend.

The tomatoes are a whole other animal. I truly want to string them up like Cricket does hers, and I'm deciding what type of structure I could put over the 4x8 bed, that I could throw the tomato guide lines over, with confidence that the heavyweight heirlooms won't pull it down...
I might try to modify the bean trellis.

The only thing encouraging me is the fact that it WILL get hot in Houston. And, it will STAY hot in Houston, for a very long time. Which means I still have time for my okra and my bell peppers and my eggplants. And, if I use the Roots Organic (for such a time as this), I can plant out seedlings in exactly 6 more weeks!

The onions are growing fast, even though they just went out last week. I mixed in a tremendous amount of BONE meal this time, and they are loving it!

Like I said -- I'm early for the fall/wtr. garden!

As a consolation to myself, I will eat these this evening, with the homemade vanilla ice cream my co-worker made, and call it 100% Strawberry!

Hugs!

Linda

This message was edited Mar 21, 2012 5:38 PM

Not to mention the fact that I now have cats hanging out in my yard. Raced home Saturday to cover the giant "Kitty litter box".

Gymgirl, Your box bed is a good investment. It is work this year, but next year eeze-peeze....tweek your soil a little and then sow seeds and/or transplant seedlings. You will love the boxed beds.

Those strawberries make me hungry!

Linda!! You're doing fall early with me! LOL

It was raining in my veggie garden earlier this morning! Woohoo! This afternoon, hubby planted pole beans that had been soaking since Sunday. I'm surprised they haven't started growing. The peas we put in last week have started poking their heads out as have the carrots. Woot!

Ok, TRock and Steph,
I know encouragement when I hear it. Thank you both!

I luv you, Guys!

Linda