Ditto here (awesome weather and then chilly). The cool weather stuff is still in the ground and doing well but the soil temps just get up to where I want them so I can start the warm weather stuff and down go the temps, rain rain rain (not that I'm complaining about rain), and once I get back out there the soil temps have dropped again. Very windy here again today. My little weather station says 25 mph gusts (although the online weather service says we are only have 18 mph gusts). Don't know who is right, but stuff is blowing all over out here!
Anyway, due to all the rain and cooler temps, by new blueberry and blackberry bushes are coming on nicely. So there's a plus.
SPRING GARDENS thread!
84 F degrees here.
At night is not going below 60F ... I guess I am lucky !
Tomatoes are at least 3' tall and almost all of them have green fruits.
Peppers have 2-3" fruits.
Zucchini are growing well and making males flowers everyday ... I hope the females will arrive soon.
Watermelon, melon and cucumbers are making flowers and some have small fruits.
Eggplants are 1' tall.
I am going to have a fantastic garlic season, and onions too (even if they had a slow start).
Yesterday I did harvest ton of lettuce of all colors, arugula, green onions and delicious cardoon leaves.
The only problem here is the wind !! maybe 100 mph. I am glad that I did take time last week to make cages for all my veggies.
So far so good here !
I don't mind being in a microclimate with cooler temps. I may have to wait a little while but I rarely ever have to protect my plants, I just wait for the weather to stabilize and the soil to warm up. Then just plant and water, so no extra work. My plants produce all summer long. It's only taken me 20 yrs and 2 observant DGers to figure out why. Lol
It did surprise me that the temp difference between my house and the hwy was so much. I thought by the time I got home the temps would have gone up but they were the same. I don't really care if my plants produce first I just want fresh veggies all summer long.
Could do with a little less wind tho.
Glad to hear your garden is going well, drthor. I do love your photos!
I have to say that of all things my garlic will be pretty good if all continues well. The garlic and radish patches are loving this weather.
I couldn't really work on the drip irrigation this past weekend as intended as the weather was doing all the dripping. Most of the drip lines are laid by not connected. So this weekend I will be planting what I can and connecting all the lines. I'm still waiting on my timer I bought from DripWorks, if it comes today I'll play with that too. But if not no worries. I just need it before I go on vacation.
Like you, lisa, I don't mind waiting to plant out for the weather and the wind to settle a bit in my neck of the woods. I just grow what I can in the spring. I'm learning about new things I can grow through the heat of summer--so that will be some good experimenting for me. And then plant the big crop in the fall. I must be starting to adapt to my new growing zone ☺.
I found out last year that for garlic to really fill out, it needs relatively dry conditions the last month or so. Last year we had a cool, wet spring and my garden never dried out. I estimated that my garlic weight came in at 60% of what I expected. I was badly oversold, not knowing the bulbs would be so small. Normally the bulb size of the gourmet garlic I grow might average almost 1/4 lb. each!
Ken
I'm not sure, due to this unusual spring, when my garlic will mature. But thanks for the tip as I will cut off the irrigation to that bed. I knew you had to stop watering and fertilizing the onions once they started showing signs that the leaves were going to brown. But I didn't know that about garlic. Makes sense, though.
I watch the tops. When the lower third of the leaves have browned, that is when the garlic should be at their peak and that's when I harvest it. Not all the varieties will be on the exact same schedule (hard neck, soft neck, and sometimes Creole will mature differently), but I don't really take the time to harvest them according to the variety. When the vast majority show this 1/3 browning, they all come up. Then they are all hung in my greenhouse, tied according to variety. They will remain for 2-3 weeks to "cure". The greenhouse has 75% shade cloth and will have three fans going to give the plants plenty of warmth along with plenty of air movement. Then they are either put away in my pantry (some will easily hold up for a year!) or sold.
Ken
Killer Kicker? I'm taking a guess here...
What does "Killer Kicker" mean. Sorry, I'm old and not the sharpest tack around. LOL
Ken
Ken, I'm just as old and didn't get it either--at first. Then I looked at your log on name, klrkkr. I think Gymgirl is guessing at what it might mean, LOL. I'm going to guess it is you all's initials.
Oh, now I get it. The name is a combination of my and my wife's initials.
Ken
LOLOLOL!
Eggplants are blooming.
I am harvesting male zucchini flowers every day now for my salad.
Tomatoes will be ready soon.
I think I will love the NINEVEH tomato from Baker Creek (already 3" size tomato !!) - first picture !
drthor, please let us know how that wonderful looking tomatoes taste. I do believe I would like to try those seeds next year. As always you have the best pictures.
Thanks Txtea
I am very excited about this NINEVEH tomato. I hope to taste them soon.
I am harvesting tons of lettuce right now and green onions.
In the second picture is a basket of Cardoon leaves.
I absolutely love them. I remove the leafy part and dice the stems and boil the for at least 1 hour in salted water with some lemon. They are so good and they taste just like artichokes.
I love this time of the year !
kirkkr--What varieties of garlic do you grow? Any that have large, easy-to-peel cloves? The best I've found so far is a hardneck called German Extra Hardy from Seed Savers. From my perspective, the drawback to hardnecks is their shelf life, tho putting them in the fridge does help a lot.
I love growing garlic--it's so easy and--knock on wood--no pests bother it.
Willy, last fall I planted 12 varieties, 5 varieties of Creole, 3 varieties of Turban (hard neck), and 4 varieties of Artichoke (soft neck). Yes, the hard necks will not store as long but they can often be harvested 2-4 week before the others, thus being available before all others.
Creole garlic are considered by most to be the "King" of the gourmet garlic, having good pungency, garlickiness, and keeping its flavor when cooked. They are also often extremely rare to find (and sometimes impossible to find) and are the most expensive (per pound) of all the garlics. I recently visited the site of the garlic farm I purchase my bulbs from, and of the five varieties I have, three were "Not Available" and the other two could be ordered in limited supply (one @ 1/4 lb. maximum and the other @ 1/2 lb. maximum)! Creole garlic can easily be used well into the spring, a year after harvesting, and from my experience, they retain almost all their great taste even a year later.
Weather is the main determinant when growing/harvesting garlic. Garlic do best when the ground is relatively dry the last month before harvesting. That's when they really put on size/weight. Last year, here in NE Mississippi, even though we had a mild winter (certainly compared to this year's horribly cold weather), our spring was cool and wet. My raised garden never dried out. My garlic came in approximately 40% less size/weight than the previous year. I had to refund or limit lots of orders simply because I did not have the garlic to fill the orders. A bummer! I pre-sold all my (expected) garlic last spring, but will not post anything so early this year. I am going to wait and see what the probable harvest will be.
Some people like to braid their garlic, and that's the main reason I grow the soft necks. Generally speaking, the Turbans have the largest, fewest, and easiest to peel cloves. The Creoles come in a close second, and then the Artichokes.
I haven't posted any of my garlic for sell (pre-sale). Contact me via D-Mail if interested in purchasing some. I will be glad to tell you the varieties I have, and any information you want about the specific varieties if you wish. Just let me know.
Ken
Well, we're supposed to have a freeze on Monday night. ugh!! This follows some rain and the prediction of hail and serious thunderstorms. My husband just planted a few tomatoes out this past week. Thankfully, all of the ones I really wanted to grow are still in my sunroom.
The onions are growing like crazy. It's time to feed them again.
I have 3 varieties of peas this year, Alaska, Wando, and Little Marvel. The Alaska peas were over 2 years old and I'm surprised any of them germinated! They were a bit slower to germinate than the other two varieties, but they did and they're now growing like crazy. We put up the trellises yesterday for them.
Kiowa blackberries have taken over and extended their bed. I've been digging up volunteers that have sprouted outside the boundary line and given some away. I've potted some up to give away at a RU coming to my area soon.
Supposed to freeze here Monday and Tuesday am. Seems strange bc I have the a/c on now. Lol only in Tx.
Wow you guys have so much growing! I still have everything waiting to be PLANTED! Ugh! Stephanie have you ever grown the little marvel pea before? Is it too late for me to plant them now? I still have some seeds leftover from last year, which btw didn't grow for me because I waited til June to sow them! Rookie move LOL
Lisa, this weather is crazy right?? 90s last week, freezing this week!! You know what they say here, "If you don't like the weather, give it a few hours!"
We're at 70° right now. It will be in the mid-50s° by 3 p.m. today with wind gusts up to 35 mph...which will make it feel like it's in the mid-40s°.
StillPlaysWDirt,
I still have everything waiting to be PLANTED, too! I've resigned to missing the spring planting season, and am making strides toward the summer garden. I also have Wando pea seeds, and sure would like to grow some green peas.
I have four purchased (aaarrrrggggghhhh) bell pepper plants inside under lights, and saw at least one bloom this morning. But, they have some aphids, so they're getting a good soap sudsy bath in a few...
I'm currently assessing my seed stock, repackaging and relabeling, and lining up what I want to plant in the next two weeks. I want to grow cukes, Kentucky Wonder Green Beans, and cowpeas. That'll be it for the summer stuff, cuz those are the next veggies I want to practice canning. I still have beets and cabbages growing, and this cool front is right on time!
The cabbages will be coming out by the weekend, to make room for the cowpeas. I didn't get ANY of my tomato seedlings in the ground, so that's a bust. But, I'll be starting brassica seedlings and new tomato seedlings by mid-June for a fall crop.
Good thing about veggie gardening is that, if you miss a season, the next one's right around the corner, LOL!
Part of my next season project is building more cabinet shelving and organizing my garage, so I can find all the gardening stuff.
So, I spent the better part of ALL DAY Saturday, working on 2' x 6' shelving units to hang on French Cleats.
I was tacking them together with the nail gun --- which stopped working when I must've set it down too hard and a couple screws fell off.
So, I sat there on the garage floor trying to fix it, & it just wasn't happening. Then, I remembered the brand NEW nail gun I had just bought, cuz a girl can never, ever, have too many nail guns. So, I compared them side by side and figured it out.
And, it really didn't hurt all that much, when, at the exact moment I got it to work, my finger was over the stapler end, and I shot a nail clean through my left index finger!
I was more shocked than hurt, LOL, 'cuz it happened so fast I couldn't believe I had been hit! My brain kept saying, "You shot yourself in the finger!" And, I kept denying it. Then, I felt some pain in my finger, and my eyes said, "You've been hit -- see, there's blood!"
And, I actually laughed out loud it was so funny, LOL!
Well, I JUST renewed my Tetanus booster, and the hole was thru and thru, so after some Triple Antibiotic, a waterproof band-aid, and a rubber glove, I got right back on the horse and finished my cabinet(s).
My finger was bruised and throbbed a little bit all night long, but I live to tell the story. Just glad the nail didn't go thru my fingernail. I'd probably lose it...
Anyway, no ANIMALS were hurt in the making of the cabinet(s), and, I won't be shooting any more body parts, LOL!
Happy Monday, Everyone!
^^_^^ Linda, doing the happy dance, cause her finger is feeling MUCH better!
Wait, so the tomatoes are a bust? I have a ton of them (not quite as big as the ones in the stores atm), but after potting them up, and very deeply I might add, hitting them with some superthrive and fish emulsion, they seem mighty ready to go in the ground. They might be small but I figure the quicker I can get them planted at this point, the better established they'll be before the heat kicks in right? Most are indeterminate cherry and dwarf type plants. Anyway I'll try it, and if they don't make it, I'll plant that row of cattle panel fence with melon and yardlong bean vines.
Linda, wow that sucks about your finger, but I'm glad it's feeling better :)
Dirt,
Your cherries and dwarves should make it before the heat sets in. I grow long-season beefsteak heirlooms, averaging 80-120 dtms. Not at all sure I'll beat the heat.
I have a couple that are 78 dtm, and the hybridizer advised that they might make it before our real heat sets in by the end of June. So, I'm gonna go ahead and set those in this week (they were supposed to go in this Saturday, but, I was busy shooting myself in the finger, LOL).
Whew. Heart attack narrowly avoided! Lol
Well, of course we are having frost tonight! I just planted out a 65 ft row of sweet potatoes. I figured I was safe as our average last frost date for this county is the 15th. March 15th that is. And a number of the farmers in the area were planting out their sweet potatoes this past week. Fields and fields of them. I have jugs and soda bottles full of water around the little slips, but I'm not optimistic after this crazy winter. Just planted out all my tomatoes, too.
I'm going on vacation in a week and my drip irrigation timer is on back order. So if the frost gets these new plantings I'm waiting until after we get back and starting in the summer stuff like peanuts and okra, etc. and then I'll start my seeds for fall. I can probably re-plant some sweet potato slips once I get back if I can find any available. LOL! I've already got a plant nursery lined up to visit on vacation (DH can't believe that--"You don't want to go to Disney, you want to go where???"). But he'll go to the nursery with me, I know. Can't wait to see his face if I find sweet potato slips to take home with me.
Linda, glad your fingers are OK!
Thanks, Terri!
And, I DO understand your vacation digs, LOL!
Here are my tomatoes waiting for the freeze.
Also, one of the grape plants. Hubby put a healthy layer of homemade compost on top, then a very thick layer of straw on top. We then used moving blankets and wrapped them around the plants.
Hope everyone's plants are okay tonight! I just got done lugging all my flats back inside and covering some WS jugs with a quilt.. Never thought I'd be relieved about being a month behind on planting, but I am!
LOLOLOLOL!!!!!
Many locals have succumbed to the temptations of spring and planted stuff. Well, they'll be planting again.
There's a freeze warning tonight, which is rather late for us for a freeze but borderline for a frost. It looks clear after Wednesday night for planting and the soil is warm enough, so that's my plan. Some of my tomatoes and peppers have very much outgrown their pots and the peppers even have buds. Meanwhile I'll keep dragging the plants in and out -- I have quite a collection of annuals and ferns that need protection for now, too!
Yep, me too. One last time I hope!
Ken
Well.... I didn't anything.
Everything in my vegetable garden is just too big to be covered and the wind we had yesterday will just hit the plastic and do more damages to the plants.
The wind was so strong yesterday.
I did see some broken leaves ... but that's it ...even the cukes are ok !
Why do you use your round, wire vegetable plant supports upsidedown?
Ken
I don't understand your question?
Great looking garden, drthor. Your last photo shows a bunch of "circle" wire vegetable supports, that are upsidedown. You are actually using two of them in each space, one inside the other, I guess so that you have more wire for the plants to attach too. One end of these wire supports is a flat circle and the other end are 18"-24" wire prongs. Those prongs are meant to insert into the ground but you have them sticking up into the air. Just wondered why.
I hope I have explained myself enough so that you understand what I am referring to.
Ken
klrkkr
The wire you are looking on the 5th picture it is a trellis, not the tomato wire circles you are thinking about.
It is close on the top and it has a little bird.
I did buy these supports years ago to use in my regular flower garden.
I thought I could use them for my eggplants and to run twine around them as support.
This is a new garden area ... I know I squeeze everything ... and I hope the cucumbers in the back will grow faster than the eggplants in the front ... so far so good !
You can see the top of that trellis in this picture, between the irises.
Ah, ha. Now I see what they are. I use a tomato/vegetable cage that is exactly like that trellis, but the top wire ends are not bound and thus are driven into the soil. The circle hoops are gradually larger as your go up the cage. I have cages these cages that are 2', 3' and 4' tall.
Thanks for clearing that up for me.
Ken
I am just trying to use everything I do have around in my garden, without buying new stuff.
By the way, everything is great in my garden.
Soon, the tomatoes will start to turn color. I have tons of green ones.
Yeah, just rub it in! LOL We are supposed to get down to 31 F in the morning. I thought the deep south was supposed to be warm by now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ken in NE Mississippi
We covered the tomatoes and grapes and everything came through just fine. We only got down to about 37º rather than the 34º predicted.