2022 Garden Thread

[DuaeGuttae]

I transplanted onion seedlings yesterday: Red Creole, Texas Early White, and Texas Legend (yellow). I watered before and after, but I wanted to get them in because we had a chance of showers overnight, and we did end up with a quarter inch of rain. We’ve been very dry, so it gave a little boost to my rain tanks which are getting low. We could certainly use more.

Pictured below are the yellow onions. The red and white are in separate beds. These are all short day types because of how far south we are. I hope they’ll be bulbing up in May. I’m very thankful that we were given these extra raised beds last year. It’s so nice to have more room to plant and not have to worry about taking up too much space for spring crops.

 

[clancey]

How high are those beds and how were the beds given to you--don't understand but it sure does look nice and getting ready to bloom in the spring--yes---or maybe sprout up...thanks for sharing..clancey

 

[DuaeGuttae]

How high are those beds and how were the beds given to you--don't understand but it sure does look nice and getting ready to bloom in the spring--yes---or maybe sprout up...thanks for sharing..clancey

I think the beds are about 12 inches; they are higher than the ones they we built ourselves with 10-inch lumber.
Here’s an excerpt from last year’s thread when my husband and I had just finished setting them up. They are now fenced with ollas and trellises. The excerpt describes how we got them (not the actual labor involved, which was pretty intense). The picture shows the four new beds with our old garden space in the back. It was a significant increase to my garden space, which is why I’m able to plant more onions this year.

Excerpt from spring 2021:

We had new neighbors move in down the street recently. My five year old and I walked over one day last week to introduce ourselves and to offer them some garden plants since I knew that the previous owners had left behind some large raised beds. It turns out that they aren’t gardeners and had other plans for that space, so our garden space is going to be expanded with free raised beds. (We also recently got 98 feet of good fencing for free and we got some thinner wire fence with the beds as well.).Tomorrow I’ll begin the process of my mini-hugelkultur for the beds. It will take a while to build the soil, but I’m very excited to have more space to rotate crops in the future and not have to worry so much about fitting everything in that I want to grow.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

We're in deep freeze for a couple months yet. Basil and aloe are growing. In a few months I'll start the tomatoes.

 

[clancey]

I hope that Dan Freeman comes back on this garden thread for I am very interested in that hydroponic gardening and his plants just looked beautiful and would like some more information on that process from someone who actually has a garden...Sorry to say I can no longer burn wood in my stove for some people are allergic to it and I am one of them...I am in a running battle right now that is not very pleasant but I am improving each day...Maybe I will be able to burn those organic logs that have the natural substances that they are made from instead of the chemicals..In the meanwhile I am glad that you have this garden thread because I really liked planting that one tomato plant and will plant maybe a few more plants this Spring if I do not move...just wanted you to know...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

I hope that Dan Freeman comes back on this garden thread for I am very interested in that hydroponic gardening and his plants just looked beautiful and would like some more information on that process from someone who actually has a garden...Sorry to say I can no longer burn wood in my stove for some people are allergic to it and I am one of them...I am in a running battle right now that is not very pleasant but I am improving each day...Maybe I will be able to burn those organic logs that have the natural substances that they are made from instead of the chemicals..In the meanwhile I am glad that you have this garden thread because I really liked planting that one tomato plant and will plant maybe a few more plants this Spring if I do not move...just wanted you to know...clancey

I'm here, Clancey. What would you like to know about the hydroponics? I only got into it last year and am far from being any expert. I made my set-up based on a website I found where this guy was doing it in his apartment. He has an area on his website with directions and materials list to build one. I followed his plan.

Simple Greens Hydroponics

Welcome to Simple Greens Hydroponics! Our mission is to make hydroponics as simple and fruitful as possible, and to make hydroponic gardening accessible to anyone.

www.simplegreenshydroponics.com

He also has a YouTube channel with videos.

https://www.youtube.com/c/SimpleGreensHydroponics/videos

 

[clancey]

Well I am so glad and that web site I am really going to get into and find out a few things especially for a beginner gardener--I only "ever" had "one" tomato plant and "my" with my special food --it took off---just too many tomato's for me--lol...Of course I babied it...when the wind was strong I put a cage around it--and when it was to hail I put a trash can or table over it----things like that--lol..Thanks for that address...and so glad that this garden thread is started again and these food growers are so interesting with their "ideas" and "cookery"--great...thanks...clancey

 

[Dobish]

Our lime and Lemon tree are blooming, and our Basil we brought in from the garden last year is still going strong. We have plans to expand with 1 more bed, and maybe do a row of corn out back....

 

[begreen]

We still have chard, carrots, and kale coming from the garden. I need to get lettuce started soon. I ordered cucumber and tomato seeds yesterday. We're getting down to the last of the 2021 crop of tomatoes. There is one more tray left in the greenhouse. The lemons are ripening in the there too and I just got a nice Bearrs Lime plant from someone who is moving out of state.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Our lime and Lemon tree are blooming, and our Basil we brought in from the garden last year is still going strong. We have plans to expand with 1 more bed, and maybe do a row of corn out back....

You're going to want more rows than that. Corn is wind pollinated. A fat square or rectangle would be better than a long thin row or 2.

 

[begreen]

Yes, do at least 2 or 3 rows. I've done well with 2 rows x 14 ft in our beds. 3 rows would be better, but each bed is only 4 ft wide. Pollination has been good so far, 10yrs growing in this system.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

We have a couple of outdoor lemons and a lime that I’m trying to figure out whether I need to protect later on today before a sudden and severe cold front comes in. We’ll have cold and ice tomorrow during the day and temperatures as low as 22 tomorrow night.

@Dobish, I don’t know if this article about planting corn in hills might be helpful to you, but it’s one that‘s at least written by people who actually do what they describe. I’ve used the hill idea before and plan to use it around my ollas in a new raised bed this year.

Growing corn using the hill method - Our Stoney Acres

How to grow corn in a small garden? Growing corn using the hill method is a simple way to grow small amounts of corn in a small space.

ourstoneyacres.com

@begreen, would you please share more details on how you space corn in your raised bed? I’ve been sketching out some garden plans in the last couple of days, and this might help me.

 

[begreen]

I would definitely protect the lemon and lime. Wrap them with some remay fabric or burlap.

I plant our corn in 2 rows in rotation in our 4'x14' beds. Each row is 12" inboard from the outside edge and 2 feet apart. The plants are spaced about 8" apart because that is the drip irrigation T tape spacing. Yes, that is close, but we get a pretty good crop. 12" would be better. Weak plants are thinned out. I plant 1 or 2 squash plants between the rows, typically butternut or delicata. This year I am going to try adding some bean plants too, just to see what happens. Normally we grow Sugar Buns corn.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

Thanks, @begreen , for the corn information. I’m considering how to plot my 4 x 10 raised bed. It will be a little different because I’ll work around my ollas. Are you thinking of doing pole or bush beans with the corn? I’ve heard that pole beans will pull down sweet corn because it’s not as tall or sturdy as field corn.

I spent a couple of hours outside this afternoon rigging coverings and frost cloth. I put an old doghouse over the lime tree that is smaller this year due to last winter’s freeze. Our lemon that had the doghouse in February (and a poultry brooding lamp) didn’t die back at all, and it has grown by leaps and bounds this year. It’s over my head now (though the top got burned by a surprise hard freeze at the new year), so it needed a different method of protection. I rigged a rebar and polypipe support on that one and got some frost cloth clamped all around with rocks to hold the edges down. Our second lemon had no lightbulb for heat in February and died to the ground. It looks as though the shoots that grew this summer are true, though, and so it just got a solid pot to cover it. That was the easy one.

I also laid frost cloth over all four onion beds, and my five year old used his little wheelbarrow to bring me chunks of limestone to hold down the edges. I know onions can take cold, but I figure they haven’t had a chance to acclimate to winter yet. It’s been warm here. It was 76 degrees today, and I was wearing a t-shirt and shorts while protecting plants and hauling firewood to get ready for tomorrow. I also put a pot over the artichoke that lost a lot of leaves during the last freeze but has been growing back from the center. I figured it wouldn’t stand another one.

 

[DuaeGuttae]

During our cold nights and mornings when my plants were covered up, I spent some time trying to figure out a drawing program on our computer to make some new garden templates. My daughter had made me some, but then her program had problems. I’m not familiar with drawing programs, but I managed to make acceptable templates for planning purposes. Edges are a little wonky, but they are in my garden, too. The terra cotta circles represent my many ollas, the underground terra cotta pots that I use as water reservoirs.


This first one is what we call the main garden. There’s a large asparagus bed in there, too, that’s not shown on the plan because the plantings won’t change. The long beds are two feet wide and from ten to twenty feet long. The squares in the middle are 4 x 4 and have my garlic in them now. One variety in each bed: Shilla (hard neck), Viola Francese and Blanco Spagnolo (soft necks) and Labera Purple (Creole). They have a good start on growing though the outer leaves were burned the day it dropped from 80 to 24 overnight.



The next template is the four 4 x 10 raised beds that we were given by neighbors last year. They all have onions in them now. One of these is where I plan to plant corn next year, probably in a diamond pattern around the ollas.



The last bed looks big, but it’s really small. It’s made of cinderblocks and is tucked into a corner of our house in the back yard. I have some herbs in some of the holes and have recently seeded carrots and radishes into the empty space. I hope to grow luffas on tall trellis (borrowed from the squares in the main garden) to make some biodegradable dish sponges for myself next year.



January is my month for garden planning (though I’m always thinking about my garden all year round), so I’m getting a start.

 

[clancey]

So much work and I am so glad you are taking precautions for the weather seems very erratic to me and as i watch the weather channel when I get time it seems strange to me where the cold and hot temperatures are hitting especially with that upper air jet stream moving up and down at times--it seems that way any way to a non expert here--just thinking....glad you have wraps on the plants...There is a whole lot of work to gardening and I wish that I started this years ago when I was younger and could bend down better--lol--but those raised gardens seem to be much better and I would have to raise them really "higher"--lol--not on this property anyway and checking out different small places to move to in the future so gardening for me is maybe one or two plants or maybe not any this year..., but the season will come again...just too much on my mind..lol I sure enjoy hearing everyone's garden experiences and taking in some information as well...You really do like those "ollas" and I read the literature you posted about them but it seems to me a lot of extra work and how long does the moisture stay in them? Maybe you should try some gardening like freeman does have you ever thought of that maybe in a room in your home or in your garage or something..That would be a new learning experience for you but it does take energy as well..Enjoying all the nice and educated posting..thanks old clancey

 

[DuaeGuttae]

The ollas are work, but they are not “extra” work. I have to water, and it is financially not possible for us to use our community well because of water restrictions and punitive pricing. (Our neighbors got an $800 bill the first time they hooked up their garden to irrigation.). We also prefer using rainwater because it doesn’t add alkalinity to our raised bed soils as the hard water would, and our water is highly chlorinated straight out of the tap because of our proximity to the pumping station. Gardening, in general, is work, but it’s work I enjoy most of the time, and I’m glad to be out (except in miserable weather). Inside isn’t really my favorite place, even though having plants inside makes it cheerier.

I am, however, looking at options for a portable pump to make transferring water to our garden rain tank a faster, more feasible process. Also I’d like to be able to fill my ollas faster and do surface watering more quickly. I’m planning to put a thread in the DIY section asking for advice.

I don’t have an elaborate full-sized hydroponic system like @Dan Freeman does, but I do have plants inside in winter. I also have some mini hydroponic setups that work really well for my seed starting. Right now I’m germinating more kale, broccoli, cauliflower, and lettuce, as well as a few herbs. Outside is definitely more unpredictable, but I like to grow all sorts of things like corn and pumpkins and zucchini and pole beans that would not fit in the average hydroponic setup. I bet his indoor system is a wonderful winter activity, but I would imagine he does the bulk of his gardening outside in the summer.

 

[clancey]

I think your "right"--I will say one thing----"Your garden is the best garden that I have ever seen" and you are a real asset to the gardening world...We have a water problem here in my state too and its very dry as well so I can sure understand that now...A 800 water bill that your neighbor got--wow,,,thanks...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

I bet his indoor system is a wonderful winter activity, but I would imagine he does the bulk of his gardening outside in the summer.

Yes, growing my winter lettuce and tomatoes is a fun (and nutritious) indoor winter activity, but it is just a tiny portion of the gardening I do outside during the summer. I am so tired of winter and have a real bad case of cabin fever. I can't wait to get my seeds started in my greenhouse. 55 days until Spring! I always start my seeds on the first day of Spring. 🙂🥝🌶️🌽🥕🥒

 

[Dan Freeman]

I think your "right"--I will say one thing----"Your garden is the best garden that I have ever seen" and you are a real asset to the gardening world...We have a water problem here in my state too and its very dry as well so I can sure understand that now...A 800 water bill that your neighbor got--wow,,,thanks...clancey

We have our own well, and in 27 years we only had to worry one summer during an extended dry period. Our water is very hard and acidic. We have two filters in the cellar to treat the house water, but I can't use that water for my gardens because of the high salt content after passing through one of the filters. The salt builds up in the soil over time if I use that water. I ran two pex lines from the feed pipe before the filters to my outdoor faucets after I realized how harmful the treated water was for my gardens.

 

[clancey]

Hearing that you all have your own well sounds really good first hand but then as one gets into it there are a lot of problems to sort out...Even water in my city used to feel good but lately it has been feeling sort of like "sticky" like your foot sticking to the bottom of the tub instead of sliding--just imagine "this problem"---lol ...The city is changing all the city piping especially with the older homes--me (1926) with new pipes and replacing the old ones from the street to the house outside meter, then the rest of the piping is my responsibility as I look at this old fat cast iron thing in my basement on the inside wall---another bill to consider but at least the lead piping will be gone..The sent us "water filters" to use until they are able to change the piping....So water on many different levels can be a real problem now a days...How in the world would one get a lot of salt out? Lots to consider here and too much for my brain...For DuaeGuttae I was going to suggest some animal watering systems but it was too much for my head after reading the replies of how to pump her water to make it easier for her..., but its an idea anyway for her to check out...just in case it might work some way---lol We all have our small problems and thank God we are able to have just small ones for now "considering other peoples problems" , but water is water...thanks...clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Bad case of Cabin Fever

, so to alleviate some of the symptoms, I just ordered 13 more trees and vines for the food forest.

I just hope my wallet outlasts my cabin fever!

2 Theta Filbert Hazelnut Trees



1 Jefferson Filbert Hazelnut Tree (we already have 1)



1 Methley Plum Tree



1 Santa Rosa Plum Tree



1 All-in-One Almond Tree



1 Bing Cherry Tree

1 Black Tartarian Cherry Tree



1 Concord Grape



4 Five Flavor Fruit- Magnolia Vine (1 for each post of our pergola which will grow up over it)



This will bring us up to 33 trees, berry bushes, and vines. They will be delivered the beginning of April. As soon as the ground thaws we will start putting up the perimeter fence so we can get rid of the individual plant cages.

 

[clancey]

I am a PA brat too but your in wine country and what work you have in stored for yourself and what beautiful trees you have---how nice...lots of work ahead...but you are used to it...I drove through the NE sections about 60 some years ago on my way to upstate ending up in Vermont and how pretty it was as I remember but I bet a lot changed now...and now I am in Colorado through life decision making --lol ...Good for you and I wonder about almonds are they hard to plant and have and do you get hard almonds....silly question but I just do not know for that one looks "softer"..--silly me..Really enjoyed the pretty pictures--thank you...old clancey

 

[Dan Freeman]

Not sure about that almond tree, clancey, but I am going to give it a try.

As far as NE PA, things have really changed, even in the 27 years we have been here. Population explosion, housing explosion, commercial explosion. Here where we live in the foothills of the Pocono Mountains, we no longer recognize it compared to when we bought back in 1995. If we had known this area was going to grow such as it has, we would have bought further out. One nice thing is we are exactly 1 mile from all this craziness. We have 8 acres surrounded by woods owned by folks who don't plan to sell anytime soon, so it has the feeling of being further out. My biggest complaint is all the traffic on the road where we live. I would sell and move to an even more rural area, but at almost 66, I'm not sure I have the energy, plus we have made so many improvements to the house, outbuildings, and property over our 27 years - and the thought of moving! We could never do that on a new property. I'm figuring I'll go out feet first on this piece of land, and I am content with that.

 

[old greybeard]

We had a good fall in PA. Had Kale, lettuce and spinach out of the garden until right before new year’s. All covered in plastic now under the snow, the spinach and kale will take back off in March with any luck. We just received our seeds and will be starting broccoli, cabbage soon, followed by tomatoes and peppers. Start them under a grow light, currently growing lettuce. This flat is Oak Leaf and Lolla Rosa lettuce, started 12/8, been eating it for about 2 weeks. Start a new flat every 45 days or so from 11/1 till late January. Plenty of lettuce for just 2 of us.