OT: What are you planning to grow in the garden this year?

[pittbb80]

Yeah my soil is heavy clay. Got a new roto tiller last year, will add more compost and fresh top soil. The clay when it gets warm and dry compacts like concrete then the rain just runs away. Was thinking of even adding some sand.

The key is adding organic matter. One of the best amendments you can buy is mushroom manure.

You also need to add soil microbes to enhance the growth of good fungi that aid in root development

Adding BioChars is also important as it serves as an active site for microbial growth

Another good sources of organic matter is chicken feed believe it or not Of course you can add leaves in the fall or gras clippings and fill them in well (as long as your not putting insecticides and weed killers on the lawn )

Overall thought the key is organic matter, soil microbes and BioChar.

 

[vantheman1976]

My garden season is coming to a close. Did pretty well with a pantry stocked with jars full of tomatoes and pickled jalapenos, some dried chili peppers and about a kilo of hops. Carrots, greens and beets did well too. Can't wait for next summer.
What do you grow, and are you successful at it?

No vegetables....just ganja....and I'm hoping for a bumper crop. I hope the deer nibble on it and then go next door and slaughter my neighbor's garden because of the munchies. They never share their bounty....so screw them. Also hoping to plant some in my gutters which are packed with leaves and crap. I'll ask my other neighbor to climb a ladder to harvest it. He has bad knees....so should be fun to see if he can get up and down the ladder without falling!

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

The key is adding organic matter. One of the best amendments you can buy is mushroom manure.

You also need to add soil microbes to enhance the growth of good fungi that aid in root development

Adding BioChars is also important as it serves as an active site for microbial growth

Another good sources of organic matter is chicken feed believe it or not Of course you can add leaves in the fall or gras clippings and fill them in well (as long as your not putting insecticides and weed killers on the lawn )

Overall thought the key is organic matter, soil microbes and BioChar.

I got to be careful though, if I add too many things like that, my dogs think it is a meal for them.

 

[ShipofFools]

The early planting has begun. Cold weather tolerable peas, spinach, and lettuce. Added mushroom compost to refresh the soils.

Beans, onions, eggplant , tomatoes next month. She will be trying to grow potatoes for the first time. Russet and red ones in 5 gallon buckets. My neighbor does that and told me about it.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

I have already had some asparagus shoots for several weeks, now. I planted those roots last spring.

My question is, I read that it shouldn’t be harvested for three years, in order to produce a good root system. So, does that mean last year was year one (with no spears produced), or is this year one?

I have to confess that I did eat the first couple of spears a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t resist eating them raw.

 

[USN_Panther]

I have already had some asparagus shoots for several weeks, now. I planted those roots last spring.

My question is, I read that it shouldn’t be harvested for three years, in order to produce a good root system. So, does that mean last year was year one (with no spears produced), or is this year one?

I have to confess that I did eat the first couple of spears a couple of weeks ago. I couldn’t resist eating them raw.

My garden book says not to harvest for 2 years. If they set good roots, you will get asparagus for 20 years off of them.

 

[USN_Panther]

The early planting has begun. Cold weather tolerable peas, spinach, and lettuce. Added mushroom compost to refresh the soils.

Beans, onions, eggplant , tomatoes next month. She will be trying to grow potatoes for the first time. Russet and red ones in 5 gallon buckets. My neighbor does that and told me about it.

Potatoes are super easy. You can get two plantings in. My second set is nearing completion. The beauty of that is can just leave them in the ground through winter and dig them up as needed.
Potatoes can also be grown in bags. I haven't done that but saw the bags at the garden centre.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

My garden book says not to harvest for 2 years. If they set good roots, you will get asparagus for 20 years off of them.

Is year one when they are planted, or the next year when they start producing?

 

[USN_Panther]

Is year one when they are planted, or the next year when they start producing?

My understanding was you treated it like a child's birthday.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

My understanding was you treated it like a child's birthday.

Thanks.

 

[RaleighPittFan]

My garden book says not to harvest for 2 years. If they set good roots, you will get asparagus for 20 years off of them.

Within that 20 years, if production slows down, stop harvesting for a season, and it’s supposed to rejuvenate the roots.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

The early planting has begun. Cold weather tolerable peas, spinach, and lettuce. Added mushroom compost to refresh the soils.

Beans, onions, eggplant , tomatoes next month. She will be trying to grow potatoes for the first time. Russet and red ones in 5 gallon buckets. My neighbor does that and told me about it.

I started snow peas. They should be coming up over the next few days with this warm spell.

 

[solomongffox]

I have to say, I'm impressed by how much effort you're putting into improving your soil. Clay soil can be a real challenge, but it sounds like you have a good plan in place. As for me, I'm planning to grow some vegetables this year. I have a small raised bed and I'm going to plant some tomatoes, peppers, and maybe some herbs. I'm also considering adding a few fruit trees to my yard if I can find some good deals. On a side note, I recently came across scottsofthrapston.co.uk, and I have to say, they have some beautiful ex-display summerhouses and garden rooms. I've been considering adding one to my yard for some extra space to relax and enjoy the outdoors.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I started snow peas. They should be coming up over the next few days with this warm spell.

Snowpeas are the bomb. I grow them and I like just picking one off the plant and eating right there.

 

[pittdan77]

I still stand by my "just buy it off the Mennonite's" strategy.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Snowpeas are the bomb. I grow them and I like just picking one off the plant and eating right there.

I agree. Unfortunately they came up and started well, but haven't done squat with this horrible weather. They're still only like 5-6 inches tall.

 

[PITT 76]

My garden book says spraying the pepper plants with water can be a solution for aphids. I did that and it didn't seem to work. I was reluctant to leave them wet but it didn't harm them I tried a vinegar spray and a soap spray and that didn't work either. Two applications of pyrethrin insect spray and aphids were gone.
I grew scarlet runner beans in the tunnel house and they were a big disappointment. Vines grew massive and set heaps of blossoms, but very few beans. I think the soil may be too nitrogen rich for them. I didn't over fertilize them, and everything else in there thrived and produced.

One year I bought ladybugs. That was very successful for handling aphids.

 

[upj87]

I agree. Unfortunately they came up and started well, but haven't done squat with this horrible weather. They're still only like 5-6 inches tall.

I've dealt with a stagnant 5-6 inch issue most of my life...

 

[Dan1911]

Cannabis.

Signed,
jivecat's Amazon driver.

 

[USN_Panther]

Cannabis.

Signed,
jivecat's Amazon driver.

I'm at a conference today. I had a photo on my phone of a surgical device to show a colleague. Scrolling through my photos, I had a picture of my hops harvest. She gasped and asked what I was growing, thinking it was marijuana. I'm not sure I was able to convince her they were actually Orange Sunrise hops.

 

[USN_Panther]

So how did everyone's garden harvest go this year?
I'm just getting seedlings started for southern hemisphere summer. I have repotted 118 seedlings so far.

 

[noelr]

So how did everyone's garden harvest go this year?
I'm just getting seedlings started for southern hemisphere summer. I have repotted 118 seedlings so far.

unreal. best ever in like 20 years. i think bc it was so dry nothing got done water logged but i spent
a ton on water. jalapeños, cubanero big bertha peppers, cherry and early girl tomatoes, 5 diff varieties of cukes, yellow and green zuch, bush and cow poke beans, black beauty and ichiban eggplants. still harvesting. i've fed the neighborhood

 

[USN_Panther]

unreal. best ever in like 20 years. i think bc it was so dry nothing got done water logged but i spent
a ton on water. jalapeños, cubanero big bertha peppers, cherry and early girl tomatoes, 5 diff varieties of cukes, yellow and green zuch, bush and cow poke beans, black beauty and ichiban eggplants. still harvesting. i've fed the neighborhood

Did you make pickles with any of those cukes?
I'm growing pickling varieties and going to try pickles this year.
We can't grow eggplant here. It doesn't get hot enough for long enough.
I planted a bunch of garlic this year. Hope that stays disease free. Garlic rust is prevalent here.

 

[noelr]

Did you make pickles with any of those cukes?
I'm growing pickling varieties and going to try pickles this year.
We can't grow eggplant here. It doesn't get hot enough for long enough.
I planted a bunch of garlic this year. Hope that stays disease free. Garlic rust is prevalent here.

no sadly not buyers remorse.

 

[pittiswhereiamfrom2]

So how did everyone's garden harvest go this year?
I'm just getting seedlings started for southern hemisphere summer. I have repotted 118 seedlings so far.

I am wishing for a do over. My San Marzanos grew huge but almost every fruit rotted on the plant. Cucumbers did nicely early but are now growing too fat. Peppers were not so good. Other tomato varieties didn’t do so well and the rats decided to eat the good fruit perfectly on time… until I caught them in the act. And late in the season the mosquitoes get so bad that 10 seconds in the garden and I am swarmed.

How are the mosquitoes in New Zealand? What vermin do you have to battle?

 

[USN_Panther]

I am wishing for a do over. My San Marzanos grew huge but almost every fruit rotted on the plant. Cucumbers did nicely early but are now growing too fat. Peppers were not so good. Other tomato varieties didn’t do so well and the rats decided to eat the good fruit perfectly on time… until I caught them in the act. And late in the season the mosquitoes get so bad that 10 seconds in the garden and I am swarmed.

How are the mosquitoes in New Zealand? What vermin do you have to battle?

Sounds like your tomatoes got blossom end rot. Next year add lime to your soil and consider adding a top layer of compost. Mulch and prune generously!
Mosquitoes are barely noticeable here. Sand flies are awful in summer out along the lakes and rivers.
My worst garden thiefs are rabbits and hares. Followed by our own sheep. They get through fencing and gates like water.
One of the sheep learned how to open the door to my tunnel house. She whacked my entire winter garden. Put up a barrier and she got over that too. They are now restricted from that paddock.
I just added a new garden section for pumpkins, zucchini, watermelon and cucumbers. Did no dig by layering cardboard over grass, framing raised bed and adding compost mixed with soil and manure. Built paths long it and covered with the wood chips we had piled up from stump grinding.
We eat a lot of grey pumpkins in winter. They store well and have thick enough skin to not get whacked by rats or rabbits.
I haven't grown San Marzano variety. I have stuck with disease resistant Romas for canning. We are pretty far south (below 46 degrees latitude ) so have had to grow tomatoes and chili's in a tunnel house. Trying subarctic variety outside this year. They were bred to grow in Greenland for the US military.

 

[pittiswhereiamfrom2]

Sounds like your tomatoes got blossom end rot. Next year add lime to your soil and consider adding a top layer of compost. Mulch and prune generously!
Mosquitoes are barely noticeable here. Sand flies are awful in summer out along the lakes and rivers.
My worst garden thiefs are rabbits and hares. Followed by our own sheep. They get through fencing and gates like water.
One of the sheep learned how to open the door to my tunnel house. She whacked my entire winter garden. Put up a barrier and she got over that too. They are now restricted from that paddock.
I just added a new garden section for pumpkins, zucchini, watermelon and cucumbers. Did no dig by layering cardboard over grass, framing raised bed and adding compost mixed with soil and manure. Built paths long it and covered with the wood chips we had piled up from stump grinding.
We eat a lot of grey pumpkins in winter. They store well and have thick enough skin to not get whacked by rats or rabbits.
I haven't grown San Marzano variety. I have stuck with disease resistant Romas for canning. We are pretty far south (below 46 degrees latitude ) so have had to grow tomatoes and chili's in a tunnel house. Trying subarctic variety outside this year. They were bred to grow in Greenland for the US military.

I am jealous of having real land. I think having sheep would be excellent. My garden is stone so I must grow everything in pots. I’m gotten a bit creative but I don’t have many options.

Next year I think I will go more melons and pumpkins. My wife likes pumpkin soup, but never much had pumpkin stuff other than pie in America.

I grow my garden between the Alps and the sea so the weather can be a bit hot for things other than grapes. Or it could be that I am the problem.

Vegetables are very cheap here so it is not practical to grow tomatoes and peppers anymore probably.

I wanted to do a small worm farm but I didn’t get a positive response to do it in the house. I reckon you have great soil there. I was in Auckland once and everything was very green.

 

[Chem95]

Mine was crap. Too dry and too hot. I was digging potatoes the other day and it was like breaking concrete. Hoping for a nice rebound next year. I'm expecting a ton of apples....

 

[PittPharm2002]

I am jealous of having real land. I think having sheep would be excellent. My garden is stone so I must grow everything in pots. I’m gotten a bit creative but I don’t have many options.

Next year I think I will go more melons and pumpkins. My wife likes pumpkin soup, but never much had pumpkin stuff other than pie in America.

I grow my garden between the Alps and the sea so the weather can be a bit hot for things other than grapes. Or it could be that I am the problem.

Vegetables are very cheap here so it is not practical to grow tomatoes and peppers anymore probably.

I wanted to do a small worm farm but I didn’t get a positive response to do it in the house. I reckon you have great soil there. I was in Auckland once and everything was very green.

I have a small city lot -
So I stick with peppers , cherry tomatoes , strawberries and basil along with some flowers .
Did plant some blueberry bushes a while back which have been fruiting -
When we get to them before the birds

Canned a bunch of peppers last week

 

[12162022]

My garden season is coming to a close. Did pretty well with a pantry stocked with jars full of tomatoes and pickled jalapenos, some dried chili peppers and about a kilo of hops. Carrots, greens and beets did well too. Can't wait for next summer.
What do you grow, and are you successful at it?

Shenot's is open all year. Best corn on the planet.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Sounds like your tomatoes got blossom end rot. Next year add lime to your soil and consider adding a top layer of compost. Mulch and prune generously!
Mosquitoes are barely noticeable here. Sand flies are awful in summer out along the lakes and rivers.
My worst garden thiefs are rabbits and hares. Followed by our own sheep. They get through fencing and gates like water.
One of the sheep learned how to open the door to my tunnel house. She whacked my entire winter garden. Put up a barrier and she got over that too. They are now restricted from that paddock.
I just added a new garden section for pumpkins, zucchini, watermelon and cucumbers. Did no dig by layering cardboard over grass, framing raised bed and adding compost mixed with soil and manure. Built paths long it and covered with the wood chips we had piled up from stump grinding.
We eat a lot of grey pumpkins in winter. They store well and have thick enough skin to not get whacked by rats or rabbits.
I haven't grown San Marzano variety. I have stuck with disease resistant Romas for canning. We are pretty far south (below 46 degrees latitude ) so have had to grow tomatoes and chili's in a tunnel house. Trying subarctic variety outside this year. They were bred to grow in Greenland for the US military.

Really bad rabbit season here because from the moment the plants went in, we essentially went into a drought that has yet to subside. So the bunnies are looking for green stuff to eat and got most of tomato plants and strawberries within weeks of planting. Also peppers which they usually leave alone.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Really bad rabbit season here because from the moment the plants went in, we essentially went into a drought that has yet to subside. So the bunnies are looking for green stuff to eat and got most of tomato plants and strawberries within weeks of planting. Also peppers which they usually leave alone.

Both the rabbits and squirrels near me are fearless .
They barely move until the dogs chase them away - and come right back .

But it’s better than the deer which mowed down my garden every year in North Carolina since our yard backed up to army Corp of engineer acreage

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

So how did everyone's garden harvest go this year?
I'm just getting seedlings started for southern hemisphere summer. I have repotted 118 seedlings so far.

I had good and bad.

- Those snow peas I mentioned earlier in the thread never did anything. By the time they started growing it got hot and didn't rain for a month. Picked a couple handfuls at best.

- My beans in general weren't good this year. First year ever, not sure what happened but they never grew right. Must have gotten some type of sickness.

- Zucchini and yellow squash were great

- Maybe best year ever for tomatoes. They love the heat and dry weather

- Peppers were a mixed bag. My various hot peppers did great, sweet peppers were just okay.

 

[ChiefJusticeMarshall]

Both the rabbits and squirrels near me are fearless .
They barely move until the dogs chase them away - and come right back .

But it’s better than the deer which mowed down my garden every year in North Carolina since our yard backed up to army Corp of engineer acreage

Fenced in yard keeps out deer

 

[USN_Panther]

I had good and bad.

- Those snow peas I mentioned earlier in the thread never did anything. By the time they started growing it got hot and didn't rain for a month. Picked a couple handfuls at best.

- My beans in general weren't good this year. First year ever, not sure what happened but they never grew right. Must have gotten some type of sickness.

- Zucchini and yellow squash were great

- Maybe best year ever for tomatoes. They love the heat and dry weather

- Peppers were a mixed bag. My various hot peppers did great, sweet peppers were just okay.

Best peas I've seen grow are in a sunflower field. This place on the drive to hockey grows an entire field of sunflowers I think for birdseed. They plant peas amongst them and let them go. After they harvest the sunflower heads, they let the public in to pick the peas for free. I guess they are planting the peas as a nitrogen fixer.
I have had no luck with beans here. This year I am growing corn along a fence and windbreak. Going to try runner beans with the corn. I read they are good companion crops.

 

[Gunga_Galunga]

Best peas I've seen grow are in a sunflower field. This place on the drive to hockey grows an entire field of sunflowers I think for birdseed. They plant peas amongst them and let them go. After they harvest the sunflower heads, they let the public in to pick the peas for free. I guess they are planting the peas as a nitrogen fixer.
I have had no luck with beans here. This year I am growing corn along a fence and windbreak. Going to try runner beans with the corn. I read they are good companion crops.

One of my favorite beans are Rattlesnake Pole Beans. They are heirloom so you can keep seeds. The native Americans used to plan them with corn, using the stalk as the pole. One of the three sisters with corn and squash.

 

[PittPharm2002]

Fenced in yard keeps out deer

Has to be a high fence -
They will jump right over a short fence .(less than 6 feet high) which wasn’t allowed by the HOA.
But as noted small fenced in city lot now .

 

[HailtoPitt]

Had a storm with near tornado strength wind wreck some havoc on my garden. Broken trellises with the tomatoes growing sideways. It was easier to just leave them in place and they grew fine (mostly) sideways.

When I have a lot of tomatoes at once, I cut them thick, put them on a sheet pan with a good amount of olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for hours. Then I take a piece, put it on some bruschetta style bread, and a slice of mozzarella or dab of ricotta, and a piece of basil. Taste like summer heaven.