Bob has been pestering me to post pictures of my garden, so here it is in all of it's beginner's pitifulness, LOL! I didn't really want to show it until things were bigger...The first picture is of my widdle purple hull peas peeking out of the giant 24" stacker.. I have 3 of the 24" stackers....2 with purple hulls, 1 with Italian flat green beans which will probably show their heads tomorrow..
Flashy Trout's Back romaine lettuce in a 15" stacker
My garden set up.....
Karen! I love this! But now you know you have to keep it up. I counted at least 53 gro bags in this area. Where are your stackers?
Karen looking good.!!!!
Aren't you stacking the 15" stacker ???
Here is another shot showing where the stackers are. I went about things bass-ackwards on the 15" stacker Tubs.....I went ahead and sowed the lettuce seeds with it unassembled...when I thin them out I will stack them up to grow.
Hubby asked if I wasn't worried about the grass dying under the tarp, but I can't help that. I can't picture a summer of moving grow bags around to mow and weedeat, or worse, letting grass grow between the bags. It's just an area of scrub grass anyway...
This one little area is the only area in my huge yard that gets 100% sun. I have 3 sixty year old pecan trees in my yard that eat up alot of sun. Not to mention make a horrible mess all year....
This message was edited Mar 24, 2009 2:59 PM
Looking good, Darkmoon!
I know how much work there is in all that. :)
You'll be vegging out before ya know it.
Karen how did you drive the stobs into the ground..
If you used a hammer..Get a piece of pipe weld an end cap on one end..Drives your stob with no missing or injury to fingers..FYI
Is there a small community that you plan on feeding with all those grow bags of produce,,LOL
I like your thinking with the tarp !!!!!
Tubby I didn't use any stobs for the 24" stackers, they don't need them, the weight is tremendously heavy when filled. Yeah, I use a T-post driver for lots of things around here, perfect stob driver, LOL!
I planted too much, I know, but my neighbors keep leaning over the fence and wanting to see/learn what I'm doing, so I will share alot, and hopefully freeze alot also.
Karen I shouldn't talk..I have 82 tomato's coming up..LOL
Some I have Other homes they are going to..I'll still have way more than I will ever need..Someone always likes free maters..LOL
And I do have the space SO..
Their only up about 2"..not sure if they have true leaves???
They will be 2 weeks old Tue, Can you tell me how old they are when they get true leaves ???DUH I never paid attention before because I never transplanted till they went outside..That was before DG
This has been a very learning experience..Not to forget FUN...LOL
Great looking garden Karen. You better try to get some rest before that garden explodes! You have a busy summer ahead of you. Im looking forward to seeing the results everyone gets with their new stackers so I can steal some of their ideas.:-).
Unstacked stackers make a nice propagating system after the danger of frost is over and you are direct seeding plants for later transplanting. You can plant the whole surface of the pot, gaining quite a bit of seed starting space. When they are ready for transplant, you can take out the ones in the center of the pot for putting somewhere else and then stack the pots. My plans are to eventually do all propagation as well as growing in stackers.
Once your tomato's start suckering, you can jerk them suckers off and poke them in a vacant spot in a stacker site. About 10 days later you will have a nicely rooted new tomato plant to grow on or pass on to someone less industrious than yourself. There is something about that well drained and evenly moist coir mix in the stackers that make them ideal for seed starting or propagating cuttings.
My noon-day onions are starting to come on strong. Thanks again for sending them to me.
Karen,
A beautiful sight to see.
Thank you
BocaBob
Karen: No one will be going hungry at your house. LOL A beautiful set up you have there, and sweetie, at least your grass is looking like grass and green, my weeds are greener and taller than the centipede grass I have, and since I'm going to be planting Zoysia next Spring couldn't care less if the weed cloth kills off mine I have now.
joy
Well done Dreamer!
Well done Dreamer! Dreamer!
Ok everyone, my Burpees Tomato Hall of Fame Tomatoes and my Burpees Fairy Tale Eggplant should be here Monday, I'm going nuts. What should I do with them, should I bury the stem in some containers with the 9 new tomato babies and the eggplant should I directly plant it in the EB? We have had a lot of rain, a lot of it, and have kept the tomatoes in the greenhouse for now; but Monday it should be clearing up and would be a great day to start moving things into the EBs and out into the real world. My thoughts are that it may be a tad too early for the eggplant yet; as they are persnickity about having warm weather aren't they? Advise here please.
joy
Yes, eggplant like peppers love the heat. They may sit around and do nothing until it stays warm. If you are past your last frost, go for it on everything.
Boca Bob: Got my nephew and neice recruited to help me out this Sunday and this next week to get everything out. I'm even eyeing those little boxes I had made to put my HEBs on and contemplating making minature raised bed gardens out of them, by putting potting mix into them and just going to it if I run short of something to use to keep these plants in. When it is all done will take pics and show everyone.
joy
Joy, you've hijacked my thread ...I mean for it to be a record only of my garden progress?
Darkmoondreamer: I'm sorry sweetie, forgive me?
joy
Darkmoon -- I am envious as I can not do anything in my new garden until I get the OK from the inspector. Those five gallon gro-bags have tremendous potential. You can grow anything in them except oak trees. Or can you????
It's okay Joy, no problem. Ted I just about think you can! We suffered a frost last night when temps dipped to 32, but my plants all made it except for 2 cucumbers. Praise the Lord! I still have time to drop seeds in the grow bags for more plants though.
News alert*** Can't believe my luck!!!! Neighbor just dug up and gave me two old fashioned cast iron clothes line poles to put at either end of my maters for tie up support, WOOHOO! You can't buy those any more. I found some flimsy aluminum ones on Target.com for about $50.00 each with shipping, but these were free!
Interesting note....the tiny sprouts I have suffered no damage from the cold at all, only a few of the largest plants croaked? I figured they would be stronger...hmmm..
All my maters and stuff came through OK. Surely that will be the last little frost scare we have this spring. Smooth sailing from here on.:-)
Jaywhacker: Don't say never, we are getting another storm here Monday, I planted my ambrosia's and watermelons and cukes and okra today too. I hope I don't lose them, will keep the maters right where they are tll I'm sure these cold spells are over, the maters are fine right in the greenhouse for now. LOL
joy
New pictures gang! None to show of my big 24" stackers yet as I had to replant the peas.
Just tied my tomatoes up this week, they are strong and tall now!
I am through with this wheelbarrow for the season, so I planted it full of Turnip Greens. I drilled drain holes in the bottom and have plugs as it is used for hydrating coir. Voila! Instant Earth Box
Watermelon radishes on top, Buttercrunch and Flashy Trout's Back Romaine lettuces in a 15" stacker
Numex Twilight Peppers
My first little tomato of the season! A tiny Roma
Looking good Karen. I see you got your 15 inch stackers stacked. If you keep this up, you will have to buy a bigger tarp next year. That tarp is a neat idea for converting part of a yard to a weed free container garden.
Plus, you don't have to deal with muddy boots. Hey Karen it all looks beautiful.
That Flashy Trout's Back lettuce is so pretty! I only have a few of my containers set up, can you believe it?-we had hail here on Wed., not that that's stopping me....
I'm putting in some tomatoes, but so far, I haven't found any seedlings of my favorite, Sungold. I can't wait until I get my stackers, although I realize it'll be another round of rehydrating & mixing coir (& figuring out how to mount them).
This is absolutely my favorite time of the year, although I sort of feel 'under the gun' to get everything done....
Great pics! I'm curious to see how you like the Numex Twilight Peppers. Is this your first time growing them or is a fixture in your garden? Never heard of them but am always willing to try a new type. Last year I had too much heat and this year I have too much sweet. Keep me updated on their progress.
This message was edited Apr 24, 2009 5:26 PM
Ray this is my first time for the Numex....The University of New Mexico Ag Program created this variety along with several other Numex varieties besides the "Twilight"......I saw one at a nursery last year and knew I had to have one, if only for the colors...BAM! Look at this! Red, purple, yellow, orange all on one plant at the same time. They are a chile pequin and supposed to be very hot.
My maters
Not a fan of Ornamental peppers. I grew Super Chilies last year and hated the taste http://www.tandmpics.com/240/9/905.jpg That's what they kinda looked like. But I really like the colors of Numex. I may plant them around the yard just for looks and when friends act bold, I can feed them....lol
Karen what are your maters trellised to? I can't tell.
I have a set up like Linda's husband built her, except I buried 2 old fashioned cast iron clothes line poles on either side of the tomatoes. Then I ran wire back and forth, tied rope strings hanging down, and am using BocaBob's plant clips to hold them to the string. I love it! The tomatoes are so tall and taut....
I'm using the clips too but only two of mine are big enough to clip because I kept burying them.
Everything looks great! Your tomatoes are ready to bust out soon.
That little Roma looks like a bell pepper. So cute!
