Thanks, Linda. Somehow I will want to avoid the plywood. I have the T12 light fixtures and will need them later for my porch set up. This design looks familiar from U-Tube and I think there may have been an addition because he at first had one light and then re-designed this so there were two bars running across to attach 2 light to. Will check that out when I get back! Off early tomorrow out of the cold for 6 weeks - yeah!
Veggie plans for 2014
Ahhh, good to know the assassin bugs are on MY team, I have too many here that are working against me!! Lol
Gymgirl, I'm so glad to hear you use painters plastic with good results. I've inquired about that before elsewhere (since it's much more budget friendly than the thicker greenhouse grade stuff) but have always been told it wouldn't work.. Well the proof is in the pudding and I'm going to give it a whirl this year. The Xmas lights are a genius idea also, I never would have thought of that.
I can't wait to start building my PVC projects now.. Gonna do the light stand first, so I can actually utilize the top tier of my shelving unit. Next will be the hoops. I think once it really heats up this summer, I'll lose the plastic and use shade cloth as suggested. Yall have been such a great resource for me!! Thanks a ton! :D
Stephanie, I'm planting all my seeds this weekend.. You really lit a fire under my butt to get the ball in motion already! Lol
This message was edited Jan 16, 2014 10:12 AM
Gardadore, et al,
Please reference the post edit note here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=9748162
StillPlaysWDirt,
Another budget $$ saver is to check with some local plumbers to see if they have any trash lengths of PVC pipe. The longest length in the frame is 24", so you'll probably find lots of pieces you could cut down for the rest of the pieces.
Here's my materials shopping list:
1 in. x 10 ft. PVC Schedule 40 Plain-End Pipe (thick-walled)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-1-in-x-10-ft-PVC-Schedule-40-Plain-End-Pipe-531194/202280936#
1 in. x 10 ft. PVC DWV Plain-End Pipe (thin-walled)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Unbranded-3-4-in-x-10-ft-PVC-DWV-Plain-End-Pipe-57570/100168741?keyword=3%2F4+in.+x10ft.+PVC+DWV+Plain-End+PIpe#
Mueller Streamline 1 in. PVC Slip x Slip x Slip Tee
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mueller-Streamline-1-in-PVC-Slip-x-Slip-x-Slip-Tee-401-010HC/100344265?N=buf5%3FNao%3D48#
Mueller Streamline 1 in. PVC Pressure S x S x S x S Cross
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mueller-Streamline-1-in-PVC-Pressure-S-x-S-x-S-x-S-Cross-420-010HC/100125576?N=buf5%3FNao%3D192#
Mueller Streamline 1 in. PVC 90-Degree Slip x Slip Elbows (5-Pack)
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Mueller-Streamline-1-in-PVC-90-Degree-Slip-x-Slip-Elbows-5-Pack-406-010P5/100156849#
Cobra PST002 Ratcheting PVC Cutter, 1-5/8-Inch
http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-PST002-Ratcheting-Cutter-8-Inch/dp/B000HSAPR8
This message was edited Jan 16, 2014 10:23 AM
Wow great tutorial and shopping list Gymgirl! Have you ever thought about starting your own gardening blog? I follow a few, Pam Pennick's and onehundreddollarsamonth being my absolute favorites.
Anywho, funny you mention scavenging from plumbers.. I'm only going to have to buy one length of PVC since my FIL has a ton of odd lengths and couplers lying around. He recently built their new house and there are oodles of random building supplies leftover.. Lucky me! I was gonna do it this week but decided to upgrade my seed starting lights instead (one project at a time!!). Up until now I've been using some portable shop lights secured by zipties. Now I've got some brand spanking new grow lights.. Woohoo looks so much better!
Can't wait to post pics and share when I get this PVC project done!
Forgot to add, I got my veggie plans locked in finally..
5x5 raised bed (3 sisters style):
- Country gentleman corn
- Kentucky wonder pole beans
- Odessa summer squash
- Teddy Bear sunflower (my 'bonus' 4th sister!)
4x8 raised bed:
- Envy soybean
- Parisienne carrots
- Romanesco broccoli
- Strawberry Sticks (chenopodium capitatum)
- Sweet basil
- Siam Queen basil
- Ghost peppers
- Fish peppers
Also some jalapeño and bells I've over wintered indoors, although I fear the jalapeños might be dead, not dormant :(
Bean Tunnel:
- Painted lady runner
- Purple pod yardlong
- Black seeded yardlong
- Chinese red noodle yardlong
Tomatoes:
- Ace 55 V
- Black icicle
- Black cherry
- Blue berry
- Captain lucky
- Cherokee purple
- Cherokee tiger black dwarf
- Dark copia heart
- Grubs green mystery
- Japanese black trifele
- Matts wild cherry
- Mortgage lifter
- Opalka
- Oxheart pineapple
- Persimmon
- Pink bumblebee
- Red pixie dwarf
- Sweet pea
- Tlacolula
- Yellow bell
- Yellow currant
Also gonna start an asparagus bed from seed with 'Martha Washington' & 'Purple Knight'.
Mignonette Alpine strawberry seeds will be grown in gutters.
Whew maybe I'm biting off more than I can chew. Lol!
Stillplayswdirt, I like your plan, you a gardener after my own heart.
Jan
Well thanks!! I am so excited!!! I'd love to hear if anyone here has tried some of these varieties and can offer any words of wisdom, I especially love the 'Don't do this..' type of advice!!
StillPlaysWDirt,
Glad the list was helpful. I don't think I'd have the time to devote to a blog the way I'd want it to go, LOL!
Your garden plans are ambitious! 21 varieties of tomatoes! That's a lotta sauce, LOL!
How much cold weather do you have in front of you still? The broccoli is a cool/cold weather plant. Soon as it starts warming up, it's gonna swoon. Then the aphids are gonna jump it.
If you can, get them out between 42-55º. Try to time it so they're established and heading before the temps jump up to 75º. They can take temps down to the low 30ºs with some protection against the wind. The wind does far more damage than the cold...
This message was edited Jan 21, 2014 9:04 AM
SPWD, I've had good luck with the Parisienne carrots and really any pole beans in my garden. I also always seem to do at least OK if not much better with Mortgage Lifter tomatoes. Country Gentleman is still one of my favorites and I always seem to find room for it where ever we move.
Please post photos of your bean tunnel once it gets up and running. I've always wanted to try that!
Good luck with this years garden to all of you!
Thanks for that link to Tpmato Baby. I will continue to look and see when they are taking ordered for 2014. I see some really great varieties they have that are very hard to find.
I Had to order early. IF I wait things get sold out or I just forget to order. Better to be prepaired.
Just saw that Johnny's and a few other places are coming out with some tomatoes that are resistant to early and late blight. Apparently Matt's Wild Cherry already has that resistance. My currant tomatoes are pretty resistant, too, but I don't see any full-sized varieties that have that trait.
Gymgirl, yes I only plant to keep on or maybe two of each variety. Luckily we love salads and BLTs!! All the other babies will be sold or given away :) And you're right about the cauliflower, I should have specified I'll be holding onto those until next fall, along with the peas and lettuce. I've been toying with a few ideas and tweaking them to fit within my budget (or should I say lack thereof..), I'll post a final sketch on here later for critique lol. My biggest dilemma so far is planning a drip system. Anyone have luck rigging one up to run from a rain barrel(s)? Maybe with a flow diverter to turn it on/ off? Sorry I'll post that on a different forum..
Terri - I'm glad to hear you've tried and liked those varieties. I feel so much better when someone can vouch for a specific type.. Like I can trust it more not to fail me! Lol! If my bean tunnel doesn't look like crap I will post pictures.. In my head I envision my works in progress to look more professional than my end result..
Greenhouse gal - I picked out the 'Matts wild cherry' specifically for that reason, but didn't know that was a general trait of currant types. That's great since I have a few to try out. I figured with our summer heat and grasshopper infestation, anything smaller than your standard tomato will have a better chance of making it to my kitchen before succumbing to either.
I'm off to start said tomatoes now, and prep my WS jugs for next week. So glad y'all are here to help. Thanks again! :))
Becky
Dirt,
I've given in to installing a PVC drip irrigation system. I'll rent the GroundHog Mini trencher from HD, drill my 8" trenches, then run the 3/4" Class 200 pvc pipe in a grid to reach my raised beds. There'll be a cutoff valve at the head of each bed, so I can regulate the flow. I will drill holes in a length of Pvc pipe that will rest on small blocks of wood off the top of the soil, and drip into the root zones of the plants. Each 4' wide bed will have two pipes. Each 18" wide bed will have one pipe.
The water will come off my outdoor hose bib, on a timer for 60 seconds twice a day. Once in the morning, once in the evening.
I've learned that the plants do FAR, FAR better with regular drip irrigation that keeps them hydrated. They do suffer when they have to wait on the operator to grab the hose and flood them when she remembers to do so...
I'm loosely following ldsprepper on YouTube. He's doing a dedicated Mittleider garden. I'm not going all out with the system, but, I've chosen the parts that work for me in my existing system. Here's the link to his drip irrigation installment segment.
Considering how much I'll spend on the trench rental and the pvc pipe and couplings, I consider it a bargain once it's in place and on the timer. The plants will get the regular watering they need, and I'll have peace of mind and more free time to do gardening chores other than standing there with the watering wand, LOL!
Mittleider Garden:Automatic Watering, No Drip Irrigation, Soaker Hose, Sprinklers
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LV2pK94dBt8&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL2cLVMJiux-kPNMq9fciRWHCfHqUQSaqG
This message was edited Jan 22, 2014 11:32 AM
That link was awesome!! I dub thee, the Queen of PVC, Gymgirl!! Lol seriously though, I need to walk my FIL around my plots and get his cost estimate. Shouldn't be too bad, maybe the elbow grease will be the hardest to muster ;)
Dirt,
What are the dimensions on your plots? Check this video out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CLWdctgzOA&list=PL2cLVMJiux-kPNMq9fciRWHCfHqUQSaqG
So far, I have two raised beds (RB) 4x8', and one RB 3x10'. I'm hoping to construct an 18" x 15' bed this spring.
I bought the lumber to construct the T-Frame over the 3x10' RB. I grow beefsteak, heirloom tomatoes in this bed, and the frame will accommodate the tremendous weight of the vines that grow upwards of 8'. In the fall/winter, I grow broccoli and cauliflowers in this bed.
Linda
StillPlaysWithDirt, the article didn't say all currant types had that resistance; it's just that the ones listed were all smaller than the kind I usually like to grow. My currant-type Petit Moineau has always been fairly vigorous even when my other types fail, but it may not be a universal currant-type trait.
Gymgirl - I have one 5x5 RB, one 4x8 RB and putting in two or three rows for tomatoes.. not sure how long they'll be yet, it depends how many plants I wind up with. I planted 117 pots of tomatoes today!! Hope to sell some to pay for my drip irrigation. Plan on supporting some of my tomato rows with cattle panel or going the stake and string route. Still so many ideas to bounce around but I want to get it all done by the end of February. I love your methods, hope to incorporate some of them into my own garden!!
Greenhouse gal - I hope mine are tough, I'll find out this year for sure.. Texas isn't very hospitable for tender green things lol! I have sweet pea and yellow currant in my plans. Hope yours do well for you also :)
I potted up 16 tomato seedlings from the community flat to individual drinking water bottles this weekend. Sweet Ozark Orange (SOO).
It's much more efficient and a time-saver to just sow the seeds in a common flat, then separate them out after they get a first set of true leaves. I used the deep, clear plastic spinach tubs you get at the big box stores. Kept the lids on til the seeds declared. Then, because they tubs are so deep, just left the seedlings in there till the true leaves came on. They're a bit crowded, but comfortable, since the depth allows for deep root expansion.
I also have a flat of NOIDS to pot up this evening. About 35-40 seedlings in another community flat. Prepped the drinking water bottles (tops cut off and holes punched in the bottoms) over the weekend, so it'll go swiftly.
Have had a small fan on the NOIDS since last week, and, so happy to report, I now have tiny TREES growing, LOL!
The SOOs will start taking field trips out into the yard starting next weekend.
Plant out is targeted for February 15th. Hurray!
Linda- haven't seen you over on the Tomato forum recently.
Due to an injury, I won't be working in the garden this year. I have ordered four Earthboxes and I have 6 home made E-buckets from previous years that I will be able to work from my wheelchair if I put them in the driveway. I'm only going to grow tomatoes and one pepper. I've decided on Sweet Ozark Orange, Husky Red, Momotaro, Sweet Isis cherry, Gold Nugget cherry, and Yummy orange mini sweet pepper. My 17 [year old] nephew likes helping me garden and he'll help get the containers filled and set.
David R
This message was edited Jan 28, 2014 10:48 AM
Gymgirl, I'll be trying that next with more seeds per container til germination. The easier the better. I got my 21 varieties sown Wednesday, 117 pots total. Now day 6, I woke up to 17 babies rearing their heads. Sweet! Dreaves - lucky you have a helper :)
Hey, Guys!
Not sure which forum to hang out in these days. The traffic is way down, so I guess I was just posting where the most conversation was happening, LOL!
David,
I will pray for a speedy and full recovery for you. Take it easy, and let the helper do the heavy part. Teach him to take directions, and, you can sit back and water the Earthboxes, LOL!
P.S. Because you'll be growing some LARGE tomatoes in the EBs, make sure you get some trellises set up beforehand, to contain all those huge vines, and keep them from collapsing in your lap!
It would be great if you could find an A-frame (childrens' swing set?) to sit right over the line of your tomato EBs. Then, your nephew could anchor the seedlings to the overhead with sturdy lines. Wind the line around the vines as they grow. Keep the plants trimmed to one main vine, and cut off the side shoots. That would be a piece 'a cake.
StillPlaysWDirt,
Glad my tip helped.
"I got my 21 varieties sown Wednesday, 117 pots total." When they get their true leaves, you'll have to pot up all 117 pots again, LOL! That's the step I managed to avoid, by using a community flat for the sowing.
"Sow once -- pot up, once!"
Hugs!
Hey, I ordered eggplant plants from Parks seeds to be shipped April 21.
Amadeo Epplants. Sure sounds like a great variety to me.
http://parkseed.com/amadeo-eggplant-hybrid-annual-plants-6-pack/p/87739-PK-6B/
I think I am in the wrong business. Veggie plants for over $2 each.
How is everyone's garden growing? I've been offline a bit, busy busy acquiring all my materials. My uncle is bringing his tractor over tomorrow, gonna till my plot, have lots of rabbit poo getting tilled in, also have 6 yards of nice sandy loam being delivered, to replenish my old bed and start another with. Have all my field fence and was going to make my own tomato cages, but another poster on a diff thread posted a pic of her tomatoes and she has them trained to climb the field fence she installed as one long row. As much as I wanted each plant to have its own cage, I'm going to wait til next year to construct them. Will be doing two long rows with 15 maters on each. I am planning on 3 feet spacing between each tomato plant and 5 feet walkway between rows, anyone think I can get away with less space between rows and maybe 2 feet spacing between plants?
I did get all my drip lines and emitters and will be building the adapter to attach rain barrel hose to this weekend. Will check back in more regularly, hope everyone is having a great week w this warm weather! Latest shot of the tomato seedlings..
StillPlaysWDirt
I learn to grow tomatoes from the guy in this video. He passed away now, but he lived in Dallas (you can really tell his Texaaaaas accent).
His videos are now free to watch. When I took the class the date that he transplanted his tomatoes outside was : FEBRUARY 11.
If you notice the date in these videos has been removed. It did happen when they posted them on youtube, in order to be available to a wider range of people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh-VcwS3qus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6yljCs0444
I watch his videos every year before tomato season will start.
Your seedlings look good. You might also have tons of tomatoes.
Picture #1: Tomatoes outside, transplanted on February 16th
Picture #2 and #3: Tomatoes outside under perforated plastic.
So far so good.
Wow FEB 11??!! We just had a freeze agin last night and I'm doing 2 rows of 15 plants each so I'm very happy they are not in the ground yet! Or I would be a crying mess right now LOL! I'm potting my seedlings up this weekend, last count was over 200!
Those pics are great, I can almost smell them in there. Hope they're doing good through this funky cold weather :D
yes they are still alive and they seem to like the hot/cold weather.
Today and tomorrow will be 79F.
I am worry for Sunday.
We never being so cold here in the past 5 years of tomato gardening.
Good to know dr thor, and I hope they make it through the freeze they're calling for Sunday. It's supposed to dip down to 18 degrees here!! So glad I haven't given in to temptation and planted out all my babies I had brought in for the winter.
I will be prepared !
So far so good!
Wish me luck!
By the way, each plant has also at least 1 1/2' of stem underground. I did use the "trench" method to transplant them.
This message was edited Mar 1, 2014 6:54 AM
Nice pics! Weather says storm arrives lunchtime for the DFW metroplex. Calling for 1/4 inch sleet and low of 19. Brrrrrrrr!! I'll be making sure all my perennials are mulched, they all have tons of new growth already. High temp was 83 here today. Ma nature needs to mellow out lol
I was about to plant my tomatoes out Saturday but ran out of daylight. I thought "oh well, tomorrow". By the time we got home Sunday the winds were blowing like mad and the temp was starting to drop, so I waited and boy am I glad I did. My garden, yard, pastures and goat pens are about a 5" solid sheet of ice. Even still today. The winds blew so hard the door on my little greenhouse/shed blew off! I had a number of peach trees in bloom and blueberries, too. I've probably lost that crop, but I'll be happy if the trees and bushes survive! And the bees who were joyously working over all the blooms on Saturday...
drthor and all, hope you didn't get hit as hard with this weather and all it fine with you guys.
Terri
OMG this weather is insane.
I was able to cover all my tomatoes Saturday afternoon while it was 83F.
I covered them with 6 layers of plastic and blankets. I didn't want the blankets to get wet so I covered at the very end with 6mil plastic.
I went to bed with blisters in my hands ... after clipping 6 layers .. oouch !
It is not easy to grow tomatoes here !!
We dropped to 16F !!! and I lost my hopes ...
Yesterday I had to pick under the hoops and what a surprise. I opened a little bit and I looked with a flash light: all the tomatoes (18) under the smaller hoop were standing and alive !!
So I did pick under the larger/longer hoop house and I saw a few wilting, but the rest were standing up straight. WOW ... is still possible !!
I did plant too many tomatoes anyway (56) and I was always ready to loose some caused of weather. I also have 18 plants growing inside ... just in case.
The plants are still covered right now. Outside temperature is 38F ... and inside the hoop is 56F. So I did a good job covering them.
I forgot ... the area where I planted the majority of my tomatoes is an area that doesn't get much drainage and it stays wet longer (which it is great in the summer ... but not now). Probably the reason I lost pants in that area is because the soil is too wet there.
I just need to remember to not plant tomatoes in that area ever again !
I was just trying to rotate my plants.
The surviving tomatoes will be my heroes and they will be so strong !!
I still cannot believe it !
Good luck y'all !
That's great to hear drthor! I knew if you got them covered most would be OK. Mine are safe inside the house and not in the greenhouse. I think if the door blew off the greenhouse then no matter what sort of hoop/tunnels I built, they would have been toast. Wind will always be a issue out here where I live. So I will just have to plant a little later and have fun with the tomatoes I do get!
Hope the sun shines soon!
Man y'all got lucky! I am SO happy mine weren't in ground! This week is supposed to be real pretty, hope it marks the end of freezing temps.
Luck !! This is hard work !
You can call me the hoop master ! The secret is really making sure that no cold hair will go inside the hoops.
I am attaching some pictures because I also have hard time to believe it ...
Honestly this happens every year (maybe not as cold) ... and this is the success of my tomatoes.
These pictures are from 4 days ago. Now the plants are even bigger.
This is the only tomato I pulled out: Sapho.
i did plant it using the "trenching" technique and I was so impressed on how fast the new roots did grow in only the 18 days that the plant was outside (in the freezing weather).
This is the second year that I lose this variety to the cold weather...I don't think I will plant it again.
Maybe I will need to look into those tomatoes varieties that start with Russian on their name if this kind of weather keep coming back next year in DFW.
Happy gardening!
Starting okra seeds this week.
Finally got my onions in the ground. They'll grow, but they won't be as big as they should be. Drats! My tomato plants are hardening off. They're on their first field trip to the big outside world this morning. My work schedule isn't really conducive to gardening this year, so hubby has been doing the bulk of it.
LOL Dr. Thor! Sorry to offend, I know it is HARD work and your babies appreciate it (it is obvious from the pics), not luck, bad choice of words on my part :)
Stephanie, lucky you to have a hub who helps in the garden. Mine just stands there and talks my ear off while drinking shiner bock. Lol. But that may be my fault, hard to help a control freak such as myself! Hope your maters are happy to get some sun!
Supposed to freeze here again tonight. Last year we had freezes until May. The soil here isn't warm enough to plant out. I planted a few tomato plants "early" last year and they just sat there. They produced maybe a week earlier then the ones that were planted out a month later. I plant tomatoes that are recommended for hot weather and they produce all summer long. They slow down, when it gets hot but they never stop.....no extra work at all.
I have been wondering why so many tomatoes are from Russia when they are considered a warm weather crop?