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On The Farm/In The Garden

D

Drawdown

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Thought I would create a thread for the growing season. Leave your partisan crap on the doormat. Otherwise feel free to discuss your farm and garden issues here.

I planted some ginger today in containers. Spring onions already in the ground. Garlic looking strong. What winter greens I haven't turned under yet are blooming like mad. Will probably get some potatoes in soon. Fruit trees flowering for the most part. Peaches and some plums have been at a week or more. A few of the plums are laggards but are starting to bud out some. Had a spindle go out on a mower so waiting for a replacement part to come in on that.
 
Planted 25 pounds of potatoes today. Not sure why since it is cheaper to buy them than grow them, but I did it nonetheless anyway. It is an homage to my late great uncle who would let me help dig taters in my diapers. Really the first person to treat me like a person I guess that I recall. No babying anybody at his house. You worked even if you got in the way and didn't play til the gettin in the way was done.
 
Lettuce and beets planted in the Coronavirus Victory Garden today
 
Drawdown said:
Lettuce and beets planted in the Coronavirus Victory Garden today
Click to expand...

I live in the north and just plant summer crops

Waiting for the frost threat to be over

I did start some annual flowers inside which I add to my garden for color Etc...
 
Luther said:
I live in the north and just plant summer crops

Waiting for the frost threat to be over

I did start some annual flowers inside which I add to my garden for color Etc...
Click to expand...

I direct seed annuals in the garden after the crops are into lure in pollinators, etc.
 
Drawdown said:
Lettuce and beets planted in the Coronavirus Victory Garden today
Click to expand...

I went to the store and bought more Ammo which can take someones victory Garden(LOL)

Just kidding man
 
Luther said:
I went to the store and bought more Ammo which can take someones victory Garden(LOL)

Just kidding man
Click to expand...

If someone drove 3K miles to get lettuce, I would be inclined to give it to them for free ;) You live in tater and asparagus country. You can survive stealing from the fields at night.
 
Drawdown said:
Thought I would create a thread for the growing season. Leave your partisan crap on the doormat. Otherwise feel free to discuss your farm and garden issues here.

I planted some ginger today in containers. Spring onions already in the ground. Garlic looking strong. What winter greens I haven't turned under yet are blooming like mad. Will probably get some potatoes in soon. Fruit trees flowering for the most part. Peaches and some plums have been at a week or more. A few of the plums are laggards but are starting to bud out some. Had a spindle go out on a mower so waiting for a replacement part to come in on that.
Click to expand...

What zone do you live in where you get potatoes out of your garden "soon" in March? Some fruit trees around here in the 6B - 7A zone in northern Delaware(that's right, I'm lucky enough to live in Delaware, and you aren't! Jealousy is causing anger to well up deep within you! Wanna fight about it)? Lol.

I intentionally grow some things that won't normally survive our winters, by taking them indoors from November through late April normally). That includes agaves, sago palm, etc. I grow new things I've never grown before, because of the challenge.

I also grow large dahlias every year, digging up, separating and bagging their tubers for winter storage, 2.5 feet deep in a hole in the woods, not to be dug up and replanted until May. I also dug up and separated my gladiolus corms and buried them for storage along with the dahlia tubers.

I grow datura innoxia, portulaca, large cleome and huge zinnia plants, all from seed every year. I am also "unmatched" in my stargazer lilly growing prowess! I grow strawberries every year too.

But damn if I can competently grow the easiest, most common plants like tomatoes, squash and watermelons! I don't even really eat tomatoes, and squash only rarely. Every year my squash end up being killed by stem borer grubs, regardless of which non-pesticide remedy I attempt(actually I've only grown them 2-3 seasons). My tomato plants usually end up with thin stems that grow more like vines, with productivity that's sporadic. I've attempted watermelons 3-4 seasons, always ending up with melons that, for some reason, STOP growing once they reach maybe 5-6" in diameter. I grow all of those food crops in the same sunny area of the left side of the house, watering them 1-3 times a week in summer. But it's always a disappointment with those few crops...
 
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Drawdown said:
Planted 25 pounds of potatoes today. Not sure why since it is cheaper to buy them than grow them, but I did it nonetheless anyway. It is an homage to my late great uncle who would let me help dig taters in my diapers. Really the first person to treat me like a person I guess that I recall. No babying anybody at his house. You worked even if you got in the way and didn't play til the gettin in the way was done.
Click to expand...

I remember my dad grew 2 fairly large gardens at 2 of the many different homes we lived in(we were transferred many times). When the potatoes were done, he took me out there and he handed me a shovel. He told me the potatoes were hidden underground. For an 8-10 year old kid, who just learned the potato plant's production strategy, it was like digging for buried treasure!

I later discovered volunteer peanut plants growing in flower beds at customers' homes, due to the people feeding them to squirrels(who promptly plant them, and forget the locations of a few peanuts). I was amazed to learn that they too are produced underground. So I've since grown a few peanut plants from seed.
 
ModerationNow! said:
What zone do you live in where you get potatoes out of your garden "soon" in March? Some fruit trees around here in the 6B - 7A zone in northern Delaware(that's right, I'm lucky enough to live in Delaware, and you aren't! Jealousy is causing anger to well up deep within you! Wanna fight about it)? Lol.

I intentionally grow some things that won't normally survive our winters, by taking them indoors from November through late April normally). That includes agaves, sago palm, etc. I grow new things I've never grown before, because of the challenge.

I also grow large dahlias every year, digging up, separating and bagging their tubers for winter storage, 2.5 feet deep in a hole in the woods, not to be dug up and replanted until May. I also dug up and separated my gladiolus corms and buried them for storage along with the dahlia tubers.

I grow datura innoxia, portulaca, large cleome and huge zinnia plants, all from seed every year. I am also "unmatched" in my stargazer lilly growing prowess! I grow strawberries every year too.

But damn if I can competently grow the easiest, most common plants like tomatoes, squash and watermelons! I don't even really eat tomatoes, and squash only rarely. Every year my squash end up being killed by stem borer grubs, regardless of which non-pesticide remedy I attempt(actually I've only grown them 2-3 seasons). My tomato plants usually end up with thin stems that grow more like vines, with productivity that's sporadic. I've attempted watermelons 3-4 seasons, always ending up with melons that, for some reason, STOP growing once they reach maybe 5-6" in diameter. I grow all of those food crops in the same sunny area of the left side of the house, watering them 1-3 times a week in summer. But it's always a disappointment with those few crops...
Click to expand...

Meant potatoes into ground not into tummy. 7B. Our last frost date is mid april so I usually plant potatoes second or third week of march anyway. Haven't had frost on a couple weeks and none in the forecast.

I have a sago I haul back and forth every year, as well as things like Norfolk pines, and misc. house plants. I have some moon flowers that regrow from self-seeding in one spot every year but not a fan of them because of their toxicity. I grow a lot of zinnia and Mexican sunflowers from seed every year for the butterflies and bees. I have a designated wildflower plot but it sometimes needs a little help. I clean it back to the ground every third year (this was the third year) and resow seed into it to keep the less desirable weeds at bay.

Tomatoes grow like weeds around here, but squash other than zucchini often succumb to insect damage. I am no good with watermelon either.
 
Drawdown said:
Meant potatoes into ground not into tummy. 7B. Our last frost date is mid april so I usually plant potatoes second or third week of march anyway. Haven't had frost on a couple weeks and none in the forecast.

I have a sago I haul back and forth every year, as well as things like Norfolk pines, and misc. house plants. I have some moon flowers that regrow from self-seeding in one spot every year but not a fan of them because of their toxicity. I grow a lot of zinnia and Mexican sunflowers from seed every year for the butterflies and bees. I have a designated wildflower plot but it sometimes needs a little help. I clean it back to the ground every third year (this was the third year) and resow seed into it to keep the less desirable weeds at bay.

Tomatoes grow like weeds around here, but squash other than zucchini often succumb to insect damage. I am no good with watermelon either.
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I can't figure out the problems I have with growing watermelon. The spot gets 9-10 hours of direct sunlight, and I I use a mixture of bagged and native topsoil. I water them at least twice a week during any summer drought periods. The plants themselves usually look perfectly good, they bloom, the tiny melons appear, and everything seems fine. The melons grow larger, and my hopes are up.

Then, once they reach between maybe 4-6" in diameter, the melons seem to just stop growing larger! I keep up with maintenance and watering, but they remain the same size for weeks to come. Later, I'll cut one open to find that they arent fully developed, and unripe. I rinse and repeat the next season, moving them 10-15 feet away from the previous year's spot(same vicinity), but end up with the same result.
 
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ModerationNow! said:
I can't figure out the problems I have with growing watermelon. The spot gets 9-10 hours of direct sunlight, and I I use a mixture of bagged and native topsoil. I water them at least twice a week during any summer drought periods. The plants themselves usually look perfectly good, they bloom, the tiny melons appear, and everything seems fine. The melons grow larger, and my hopes are up.

Then, once they reach between maybe 4-6" in diameter, the melons seem to just stop growing larger! I keep up with maintenance and watering, but they remain the same size for weeks to come. Later, I'll cut one open to find that they arent fully developed, and unripe. I rinse and repeat the next season, moving them 10-15 feet away from the previous year's spot(same vicinity), but end up with the same result.
Click to expand...

When mine get large the deer usually stomp on them or the bottoms rot out. I otherwise get the unripe ones like you. Have tried different varieties but still not much luck. They are a bit fussy anyway. I have given up on them. I still do pumpkins though my luck with them are almost as bad.
 
Drawdown said:
When mine get large the deer usually stomp on them or the bottoms rot out. I otherwise get the unripe ones like you. Have tried different varieties but still not much luck. They are a bit fussy anyway. I have given up on them. I still do pumpkins though my luck with them are almost as bad.
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Yeah, I've tried at least 3 different varieties.
 
Planted a 60 foot row of blue lake green beans. May end up having to replant them. Not sure. Been hot but supposed to frost wednesday night. Am going to try to do three plantings of them so need to push it a little bit to make it work unless I just one harvest from them. Can usually get a second picking off them but takes a few extra weeks. Planted some more beets as well in a new spot I tilled on a whim.
 
Drawdown said:
Planted a 60 foot row of blue lake green beans. May end up having to replant them. Not sure. Been hot but supposed to frost wednesday night. Am going to try to do three plantings of them so need to push it a little bit to make it work unless I just one harvest from them. Can usually get a second picking off them but takes a few extra weeks. Planted some more beets as well in a new spot I tilled on a whim.
Click to expand...

Good idea. Get a good crop of beans, and less grocery runs.
 
Advice on a pomegranate tree? I know nothing and am only an amateur gardening. He's 8 years old, began flowering five years ago and produced babies the past two years that never grew to any size before being eaten by birds. I've read that a pomegranate will fruit for only 15 years, so I need advice on pruning because this is his year! He's about 14 feet tall now and has over 75 little fruits growing. I don't see how his slender arms will support them if they continue to grow. I've put up netting to protect as many as I can, but I'm wondering if I should tie the branches with fruit to other branches for support. And after this season is over, should I begin whacking his many skinny arms?
 
nota bene said:
Advice on a pomegranate tree? I know nothing and am only an amateur gardening. He's 8 years old, began flowering five years ago and produced babies the past two years that never grew to any size before being eaten by birds. I've read that a pomegranate will fruit for only 15 years, so I need advice on pruning because this is his year! He's about 14 feet tall now and has over 75 little fruits growing. I don't see how his slender arms will support them if they continue to grow. I've put up netting to protect as many as I can, but I'm wondering if I should tie the branches with fruit to other branches for support. And after this season is over, should I begin whacking his many skinny arms?
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I wouldn't tie limbs together. The trees themselves should drop excess fruit early if they cannot handle it. Plants are pretty smart to be brainless.
 
It's about time to hit the seed store and get some plants. I have Roma tomatoes already, plus a Sweet-100 and one I never heard of. Pepper plants, eggplant, cukes, and some herbs. I am going to try the landscape fabric approach this year on top of the usual mulch.
 
Drawdown said:
I wouldn't tie limbs together. The trees themselves should drop excess fruit early if they cannot handle it. Plants are pretty smart to be brainless.
Click to expand...

I've rarely experienced trees and shrubs being fooled. I guess four years ago they were--such a mild winter that they decided in mid-January that it was time...but it wasn't. Since then, of all my bulbs, only the daffodils have come up. The rest produce abundant greenery, but no flowers. Weird.

Why not tie the limbs together? (As I say, I'm an amateur.) What I want is for the fruits to grow large enough to be eaten, but there is just no way the limbs will be able to hold them. Is there another way?

And will whacking the limbs encourage the growth of thicker branches?
 
nota bene said:
I've rarely experienced trees and shrubs being fooled. I guess four years ago they were--such a mild winter that they decided in mid-January that it was time...but it wasn't. Since then, of all my bulbs, only the daffodils have come up. The rest produce abundant greenery, but no flowers. Weird.

Why not tie the limbs together? (As I say, I'm an amateur.) What I want is for the fruits to grow large enough to be eaten, but there is just no way the limbs will be able to hold them. Is there another way?

And will whacking the limbs encourage the growth of thicker branches?
Click to expand...

Binding limbs makes them weaker, not stronger. If you are that worried about it, remove some of the fruit. As for your bulbs, who knows. That is why a lot of people treat plants like tulips as annuals. Bulbs can be particular over time. I have some black tulips (which are really deep purple) that came from my grandmother to my mother to me. They are erratic bloomers. They will some years and won't in most others but that is because tulips are heavy feeders and need to build up a lot of energy stores to bloom. One of the reasons daffodils are so popular is that they are pretty rugged and foolproof. If you plant them at the wrong depth, they will move themselves to the ideal depth be it up or down in the ground. Like I said, plants are pretty smart to be brainless.
 
Drawdown said:
Binding limbs makes them weaker, not stronger. If you are that worried about it, remove some of the fruit. As for your bulbs, who knows. That is why a lot of people treat plants like tulips as annuals. Bulbs can be particular over time. I have some black tulips (which are really deep purple) that came from my grandmother to my mother to me. They are erratic bloomers. They will some years and won't in most others but that is because tulips are heavy feeders and need to build up a lot of energy stores to bloom. One of the reasons daffodils are so popular is that they are pretty rugged and foolproof. If you plant them at the wrong depth, they will move themselves to the ideal depth be it up or down in the ground. Like I said, plants are pretty smart to be brainless.
Click to expand...

I only want to bind the limbs in the hope that with support from other limbs, the fruits will grow to full size. Then I'd unbind them. Do you have a recommendation for how to support these slender limbs that potentially are going to bear heavy fruits?
 
nota bene said:
I only want to bind the limbs in the hope that with support from other limbs, the fruits will grow to full size. Then I'd unbind them. Do you have a recommendation for how to support these slender limbs that potentially are going to bear heavy fruits?
Click to expand...

Like I said, I wouldn't, but since you are insistent on doing something other than pick off the fruit:

 
Thank you for the link. What I want is for the fruits to grow to edible size this year. Pomegranates don't fruit forever, and I have a spectacular number of baby fruits. Being able to harvest only a few would be terrific.
 
Drawdown said:
Planted a 60 foot row of blue lake green beans. May end up having to replant them. Not sure. Been hot but supposed to frost wednesday night. Am going to try to do three plantings of them so need to push it a little bit to make it work unless I just one harvest from them. Can usually get a second picking off them but takes a few extra weeks. Planted some more beets as well in a new spot I tilled on a whim.
Click to expand...

About a decade ago, I was given a gardening book printed in the 70s. I assumed it would be outdated, with less effective, dated advice. I was wrong! I don't know where the book is now, and don't remember the author's name. But that guy had some really good ideas. One of which involved planting certain types of beans, after harvesting an earlier crop from that same garden spot, in the same season. Then you just let the bean plants sprawl along the ground.

You pick beans whenever ripe, and later rototill the bean plants directly into the soil, due to the fact that they are legumes which literally pull nitrogen from the air, and turn it into fertilizer. That way you are adding fiber, organic matter and nitrogen back into that soil. Next year you rinse and repeat, but maybe with a different early crop.
 
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