How many of ya'll have put in orders for your veg gardens yet? I LOVE Johnny's Seeds and can easily spend several hundred there, including tools to help along the veg garden. Was looking at their compost bins and was surprised they cost so much...and yet still none seem to be a perfect solution.
I have the unfortunate task of laying the foundation for a new veg garden where grass currently exsists this year.
What vegetables will you be growing? How have you laid your veg garden? What are the dimensions of it? Things you've learned? I'm in zone 9 so anyone close to me that has any helpful tidbits I'm much obliged to hear them!
Cross posting in the vegetable gardening forum.
Vegetable Gardening/Johnny's Seeds
We had to cut down a 40 year mature tree just a couple of months ago. Because nothing would grow beneath it we had a very, very mature bed of monkey grass. We are doing a lasagne bed from instructions elsewhere on DG.
Hopefully, we will do a raised bed soon and will start a veggie garden. Anxious to get started. This is where the tree WAS. It is now covered with the layers.
Crossing my fingers.
LouC
What unfortune to lose such an old tree! Glad you are putting in a veg garden. Unfamiliar with lasagna style gardening.
We did do raised beds at the last house, 2'x8' beds but the almost 2' space between each for walking sure made it seem wasteful. We really only got a handful of veg dishes per batch of crop because of the space limits we'd made. We had 8 beds. We had almost no choice though given the clay soil. Here we hope to do a flat garden, does that even have a name? LOL.
hahahah. Good enough for me. I had a "flat" garden a very long time ago. Bermuda grass killed it. Haven't really thought about it again until recently. Had to do something to kill the monkey grass which is wonderful when you need it and a pain when you don't. The huge tree stump is still there so that is an unknown. We are planning to build a *wall* of stone about 36". There is a dairy not all that far from us and we can buy a pickup truck load of composted manure for $20. That is the next part of the plan. May have to plant late in the season because of letting things get jjjjuuuusssttt right. Just google "lasagna" gardening.
Will most likely bring you right back to DG.
hey grow mushrooms on the stump LOL
I have thought about the veggies but haven't gotten any seeds yet not sure where to put it and when to start it with being this being my first full year in Texas
Hi Mibus2, being a TX newbi someone has to tell you that for most of the state, there are two growing seasons, early spring and fall. There is little that will grow well in our sever summers. I don't know where Flint is but it would be a good idea to check with your county extension agent for info. Gene
We were able to get tomatoes and green beans and some melons in the heat of the San Antonio summer.
I get all my veggie seed at Baker Creek, love them and they only have the older types that I tend to like so I can have foods my grandparents and great grandparents knew and maybe enjoyed (all had huge veggie gardens and I have some seed buying slips to have a few ideas of what they grew.) They have fast service and always send extras.
You had wonderful grandparents. :)
HI Gene thanks as for where flint is it is south of Tyler but I really live between Tyler and Chandler across from Lake Palestine.
Mibus2, Tyler, 'the rose capital of the world' should be a large enough city, if I recall right, to have an extension agent. The phone book or online should verify that. Good luck and welcome to "God's back forty"
Tir_Na_Nog, I didn't mean to imply it couldn't be done. LOL A friend of mine who is a block away, has excelent results with tomatoes. But, he keeps them in a shade house, well ventilated and is fussy as to variety. I tried to keep the same ones in a raised bed, they bloomed, and I got some tomatoes, but when the heat arrived, they refused to set fruit. All I meant was that our summer heat makes some veggies hard to raise. So many things bolt and go to seed such as cilantro, lettuce, radish etc. That being said, I must admit that I am more of a woody plant propagator than a veggi gardner. My best, Gene
Ah yes I have already had him out this last fall to help me make sure of just what I had here in trees...to be honest though by the time he did make it out I had most of them already figured out by posting the pictures online and sharing the link with everyone on DG.
I am thinking this year will be my trial and error year for seeing just what I can grow and when ..but I will take any and all advise from everyone in Texas as y'all have more experience growing here then I do.
Phyllis
Mibus2, Like I said, I am not a veggi garden person. However, this year I have contracted to raise veggi starts for a local "Nature Center" type of tourist place in San Marcos. They want the starts for early April for a fund raiser. They are going to provide the seed and as soon as I get them, it should be soon, I would be happy to make a list and forward it to you. Gene
Thanks Gene that would be super ...I have spent the last hour or so looking at veggie seeds thinking how I want to start growing to plant outside when the time is right.
Mibus2, I have a makeshift mist house that I use as a greenhouse prior to cutting season. I plan to pot the seed starts in Jiffy 220 peat pots. The nature center will move them up to larger pots later. Google jiffy 220 peat pots for a supplier. There are 50 to a standard 10x20 nursery tray. Gene
Tir_Na_Nog -
Thanks for the post and the heads up on the compost bins. I'm going to share your thoughts with our new Tools and Supplies Manager, Adam, and see what he can do. He will look at our price points and determine if and why our bins seems to be more expensive relative to the rest of the market.
I also live in Zone 5, here in Maine where there is _still_ a 14" snow pack on the ground, so I don't have any Zone 9 growing experience to share - but if you have specific questions, don't be afraid to call us, toll-free (1-877-564-6697) and someone on our staff will be able to help you.
I wish you all great success with your growing efforts this year! Jees, I still have to start my seedlings!!!
Alisa (aka Marketing Manager @ Johnny's)
Has anyone tried growing sweet corn in Texas?
I know the guy at the postal shoppe I use in Tyler said that they do not grow "real" sweet corn it is more field corn then sweet.
So guess what that means Phyllis is on the hunt for sweet corn to plant this year too .....LOL....*shhhh don't tell DH on me*
the http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/easygardening/sweetcorn/sweetcorn.html
lists some different ones to grow but talk about hard to find....I did find the white one but was looking for a bi colored one to try .
Alisa thanks for the post and ya know popping into the Texas forum will help ya pick up on things in zones 7-9 ...Heck I'm learning all the time on Texas gardening.
I have done the sweet corn here - popcorn and field corn too.
OH wise guru LOL so what is the best for sweet corn...when did you plant it etc????
I always plant on Good Friday my corn, what my grandfather taught me - and then each Friday there after for a few weeks. I love Golden Bantam - it is what my Grandfather grew and what I still grow to this day. Simple and easy to grow :-)
I think your postal guy may have meant agriculturally. Garden sweet corn will need irrigation, but it grows really well here. We do get some kind of worm inside, don't know the name. Put some mineral oil inside the husk after the tassels turn brown. Sound like a lot of work, but it's really not. Get it in the ground asap to have some for the 4th of July.yum
where do you get your seed mitch?
I want to get it planted this week LOL so not sure I can order online and get it in time ..I am thinking of putting it in rows between the cucumbers and melons for this year with the limit on space.
Don't know where Mitch is but I can tell you his favorite vendor is Baker's.
I hope haven't said wrong on your behalf, Mitch.
C.
LOL no problem I did a search online looking for ones for texas and found there are several places over by Athens that have seed so I need to call and see what they have and how much
Told you in the beginning, sweetness, you are in the very heart of the best gardens of our entire state. You hit the jackpot when you chose to be near Tyler. Both in decorative plants and vegetables. I would be thrilled to live near you.
C.
well come on over there are places for sale LOL
Too old to have to pack up now. Besides, I couldn't leave my garden.
C.
Nope that is right - Bakers seed - I get all my veggies there and they come up wonderful.
I need help. Would like to know of a sweet corn for south Texas (between Corpus Christi and Victoria.) My first time to try it in my garden. Lots of room for it. Also can I really plant small melons below it?
Nancy I'm no expert by far especially in Texas but I found this as I was searching for info on sweet corn in Texas.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/vegetable/cropguides/sweetcorn.html
and
http://www.mbsseed.com/sweet_corn_guide.htm
I picked up some
G-90 and Peaches and Cream to try here in Tyler.
I also found most places that sell it have no idea as to the "types"...SU, SE, Sh2, but the pages gives you info on them....and around here they have already been planting corn for awhile the guy at the store said
I remember my grandpa planting small melons under them in their garden but I also read on a page that I can't find again now that you should do cucumbers with them
Phyllis, I am sooooo proud of you. You know more than us natives! yay!
Christi
hahahaha it's called searching and reading
Mibus2, I am fixin to read your links. How did your peaches and cream do?
both types we planted last year did great pother then DH planting them too close
DH has already planted a small are with the peaches and cream and it is already coming up
I read that they are suppossed to get at least 6', but I have heard that they don't. How tall did yours get?
most of ours got to 6 ft tall other then the ones in the middle where he planted way to close
I planted corn here years back. The wild animals had a lot of fun destroying the plants! I think they held a "corn party" one night. That was inside a fenced yard, mind you.
well dang we missed the party then ...lol...the only wild thing I have here is the dog chasing squirrels up trees and trying to dig to get the gopher/moles.
I think and hope that the reason we haven't seen the wild hogs is due to the houses around and almost everyone has a dog or two or three or more lol
Thanks Mibus2.
I don't mind racoons and such having a corn party at my expense, but for the ear-worms, I would like to learn an effective way to be a party pooper.
The coons having corn parties is why I'm not growing corn. They were destroying the plants as well as the corn. Got tired of providing a place for their merriment!