2017 Gardening thread!

[begreen]

This year is starting out cold and damp. Last year at this time we were setting records with temps in the 90s! By this time last year my greenhouse cukes were growing strong with several 3" cukes on the vine. This year our baby cukes are still in the starter flat and haven't developed true leaves yet. Big difference. We have spinach, lettuce, carrots, broccoli and peas in the ground. All need protection from the birds at this stage. All are growing slowly due to cool feet.

 

[maverick06]

Well, *apparently* in the state of Pennsylvania, you are not allowed to dispatch any game or pests with a pellet gun. *apparently*. Good thing mine stays locked up all the time........

regardless, a trap can do the work when I am not paying attention to the garden. You cant be sitting at the window like lee Harvey Oswald all day...

 

[Ashful]

Well, *apparently* in the state of Pennsylvania, you are not allowed to dispatch any game or pests with a pellet gun. *apparently*. Good thing mine stays locked up all the time........

regardless, a trap can do the work when I am not paying attention to the garden. You cant be sitting at the window like lee Harvey Oswald all day...

I use a Have-a-heart trap, paired with great-grandpa's old .22 rolling block "Boy's Rifle", for dispatching any destructive groundhogs. Catch 'em overnight in the trap, quietly snuff them out in the morning with the rifle. I can't use any kill traps, since I have pets.

 

[ZZ Tom]

I started my tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, summer squash, winter squash, cucumbers and eggplant the last week of February. This past week I've been getting them into the ground with wall o water plant protectors. Pole beans are up for seeding this week.

Seven varieties of tomato, six kinds of peppers, four summer squash, three winter squash and three kinds of cucumbers.

Seeded my cool weather crops about a month ago. I've got peas about 2 inches tall, onions, beets, spinach, lettuce, kale, radish, broccoli and cauliflower all poking through.

I think I may have lost my apricots and peaches to frost. It warmed up real nice in February and all the trees started blooming and then got frosty cold a couple nights at the end of March.

We've got peaches, apricots, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, goji berries and artichokes for perennials.

I'm thinking of putting in a plum and a pluot tree this year. We scored some pluots at the farmer market last summer/fall and they were off the hook delicious.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I awoke to peach blossums! There will be peaches this year!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

On my way home today something told me to stop in to the local garden center. I turned in and walked out back. I was shocked to see tomatoes being offered! I grabbed a 6 pack for $1.99.

On another table I noticed a guy stacking trays of planters. I asked what was going on.

A woodchuck had nibbled on a ton of their plants! They were throwing lots of trays out!


I offered to tell them how to catch the woodchuck if I could have the plants. They agreed!

I walked away with

8 trays of cauliflower
4 trays of broccoli
1.5 trays of kale
A 6 pack of celery
And my 6 pack of Roma tomatoes

I've been calling coworkers and friends asking if they like cauliflower. They immediately become guarded and ask if it's a joke. LOL.

 

[Dobish]

i am now without sunflowers... i managed to kill those My peonies are coming up nicely though!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I remember peonies growing here when I was little. They must not have made it as they weren't here when I moved in.

 

[vinny11950]

This year I am relocating a few rose plants that I planted I few years ago and are struggling. I am thinking a change will do them good. I moved another one early last year and it went crazy with growth and flowers. Sometimes they just need the right spot.

 

[Cynnergy]

Battling the wildlife and cold wet late spring so far...

Found a slug eating my new rhubarb plant last night - I thought nothing ate rhubarb except for people lol.

Have also had lots of problems with mice digging up the peas. Took a while (3 plantings and a lot of netting!) to figure out the culprits - I thought it was jays until I found a little pile of pea skins in the corner of one bed. Bought some 1/4" wire mesh to cover the 4th planting and got out the bucket traps - 25 mice caught in one weekend! Yikes not sure if I'll get peas this year.

I have been continuing to harvest overwintered fall broccoli and the sprouting broccoli is ready too. Had some stinging nettles with bacon and tomato alongside poached eggs for breakfast - yum. The nettles taste a lot like spinach and are perennial which is awesome. I do have to fence them in a bit better this year as they tend to flop out of the bed and sting if you're not paying attention once they get a bit taller.


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[begreen]

We are still having a slow, chilly start to spring. 2 yrs. ago we picked our first cucumber from the greenhouse. This year our cuke plants there are only about 4" tall. I have a row cover over one bed to protect the crops there from birds and to keep that bed a bit warmer. Spinach, lettuce are looking good and may be ready for first picking in a week or two. Carrots in that bed are just poking up out of the ground.

 

[Cynnergy]

The anti-mouse defenses seem to be working. I think (?) the peas will be able to grow through it.


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[Dobish]

we just got a foot + of snow, so i got to have the fire going, and i'm glad i didn't put anything else in the ground.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Ouch! Hope it doesn't stick around for long!

 

[Dobish]

Ouch! Hope it doesn't stick around for long!

its back to 70 today, and its all melted... the new gazebo did not fare very well though... I am a little worried about the fruit trees, but we shall see.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I didn't have any blossoms last year. I didn't trim as hard this year. I'll fertilize the smack out of it and see what the tree can push. There should be a lot of energy in that tree. I was cutting 6 foot long year old suckers this spring .



I picked up another yard of manure this evening because I was afraid of the weight of it after the rain storm were supposed to get. I think they gave me way more than a yard. After I pushed it level to go under the tonneau it filled 95% of the bed. The truck is squatting like I've never seen it!

I won't be moving it again until the weight is lowered.

 

[semipro]

I've been trying to go no-till and it seems to be working well. Just before winter we add a lot of grass clippings and shredded leaves to the beds. In early spring I turn them into the soil with a fork and then plant when it warms. Having done this about 4 years now I was impressed how easy it was to turn the beds and plant and at how many earthworms there are.

I just picked up a bunch of horse manure mixed with wood chips and plan to compost for later use. I'm a bit hesitant as I've read that some herbicides (e.g. Grazon) are persistent enough to stunt vegetable crops where the manure is applied.

Edit: I planted a full month ahead of traditional last frost dates last year without a problem. I planted even earlier this year and it seems I could have pushed it even further.

 

[semipro]

Found a slug eating my new rhubarb plant last night - I thought nothing ate rhubarb except for people lol

I had a bad experience with rhubarb. I planted some about 4 years ago and I'm still trying to rid my garden of it. Along with mint I'll only plant the stuff in areas where it can be contained underground.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Mint can take over a place!

I like no till, but I'm not convinced I'm not attracted to it out of sheer laziness. Its less work for me ifi only have to touch what I use.

 

[Dobish]

Mint can take over a place!

I like no till, but I'm not convinced I'm not attracted to it out of sheer laziness. Its less work for me ifi only have to touch what I use.

i am the only person i know that cannot keep mint alive!

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Try planting it by something that it can't grow towards. Maybe something delicate or fragile. It's guaranteed to take over then.

 

[Ashful]

i am the only person i know that cannot keep mint alive!

You need mint, because basil juleps taste awful.

 

[Dobish]

You need mint, because basil juleps taste awful.

I know! I love mint... especially with mojitos... and on chicken... it just doesn't survive...

 

[EatenByLimestone]

You need mint, because basil juleps taste awful.

Hey, how'd you end up with your large garden? Did you decide on your till method?

 

[Ashful]

Hey, how'd you end up with your large garden? Did you decide on your till method?

Thanks for asking. My wife pleaded with me to not start another project, among our slew of perpetual renovations to this very old house, and too-many other activities. I couldn't really argue with that, so I dropped it... for now. When the kids are a bit older, and all of our free time is not spent on helping them thru the more remedial parts of life, I can revisit the idea. For now, we're surrounded by farms, and I'll settle for shopping the farm stands.