Garden is IN!

[EatenByLimestone]

Here's to a summer with lots of sun and rain! I hate watering!

I didn't put the bussells sprouts in this year. I doubled the peas, wax beans, okra, and squash. Tripled the tomatoes. Hopefully I won't have to buy any veggies this winter or use canned tomatoes for chili, etc. I'm trying watermelon and cantalope for the first time. I started a new bed of asparagus that we will be able to start harvesting next year.

I think I'm going to be blanching and freezing like a mad man this summer.

We have our first due in November and I'd like to use fresh veggies from a known source for food when he/she (won't know for a few more weeks) goes to solid food.

I haven't put the green beans in yet so I guess I have about 30 minutes more work.



How is everybody else doing with the garden?

Matt

 

[PAJerry]

You'll be glad you did the asparagus bed in a few years. Ours has been in 20 years and it is one of the best things we ever did. Fresh from the garden is better than anything you get in a store. If you have a horse farm around, see if you can get some good manure each year to top-dress the bed after you are finished harvesting (usually June 15 here).

 

[jebatty]

I envy you who can put in your gardens so early. Last frost around here is the first week of June. I did plant lettuce, radish, and carrots. I should plant spinach too, but forgot to get the seeds. Beans and cucumbers will wait 'til June.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I try to get it in as early as possible. About where the leaves start popping on the trees. Looking out the back window it looks like the leaves are full sized now. It seems like last week I was looking at buds. Wow they come out fast.

Matt

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I've heard that peas can be put into the ground as soon as the ground is soft enough to work and the frost is out. I've never had them in that early, but that would certainly extend the growing season some.

Matt

 

[madrone]

I forget how lucky we are in the Pacific NW. I put my peas in end of March. Everything else around April 15th.

Tell me more about asparagus. How do you prep the bed? Does it fill in, or do you have to add more plants?

 

[EatenByLimestone]

I'll tell you more next year, but the planting instructions said to plant them 1 foot apart. I made a raised bed 1 foot wide and planted every 6 inches on opposite sides. It makes each plant exactly 1 foot from it's neighbors. I picked the crowns up at Norse Nurserys.

Matt

 

[dvellone]

You should do alright with the watermelon and cantaloupe where you are. I tried them for the first time a couple years ago a bit north of you here in the Adirondacks and was surprised with a great crop of sweet fruit.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I've heard that peas can be put into the ground as soon as the ground is soft enough to work and the frost is out. I've never had them in that early, but that would certainly extend the growing season some.

Matt

Our peas went in the second week of April and they are now happily climbing the fence trying to hold on in the wind today. They didn't go in until the second week of May last year and performed poorly.

 

[labrador]

Matt, We put peas in about April 20th and they are happily climbing up the ropes now. We might be just a tad cooler than you over here in Schoharie but peas don't mind the cold. Best wishes on the Novermber arrival. Warren

 

[njtomatoguy]

String beans and squash went in last week, lettuce,spinach,carrots,mesclun,radishes are up.
I am holding off on the tomatoes this year until after memorial day, as an experiment.
Birds got all my sunflower seeds, and corn will go in over the coming weekend. No hot peppers this year.

No cutting flowers this year either.

Late summer, I want to plant for the fall.

I have beets, and brussel sprouts planned for when the spring stuff comes out.
Pumpkins were requested again, but I changed the gardens around, and don't really want to use up the space.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Things were just starting to poke sprouts out of the ground yesterday. After the soaking rain we had I bet I'll see a lot more in the next few days.

Still don't have the green beans in, but there is plenty of time for them.

I started another stack of firewood so that has been sucking up time. It's also becoming time to get up North to the lakes.

Matt

 

[SolarAndWood]

We were up north this past weekend and it was beautiful. This time of year is great; the black flies and jet skis aren't out yet.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I got to harvest asparagus this year- it tastes so different. Strawberries are perennial as well!

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant go in end of next week I think. Do garlic if you haven't- plant in the fall. Very satisfying to have it come up in the spring- plus- garlic scapes early summer.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

What so you folks use to cover up your strawberry plants so the critters dont get in?
I planted 4 plants last year, and they multiplied to about 25 in just one year.
I moved them to a better place in the garden, and they seem to like it....just put some sort of netting over the top?

 

[SolarAndWood]

What so you folks use to cover up your strawberry plants so the critters dont get in?
I planted 4 plants last year, and they multiplied to about 25 in just one year.
I moved them to a better place in the garden, and they seem to like it....just put some sort of netting over the top?

Wow...we just put in a hundred strawberry plants...would seem that we are going to have a lot of strawberries to pick given your experience. What kind of critters do you have problems with? We use 8 foot t posts, 7' poly pro mesh from Tractor supply and then 4' green vinyl wire around the bottom. Seems to work well for critters large and small other than the chipmunks. Before the fence, the deer would mow it down in a night. They may have their preferences about what they eat first, but they eventually eat everything.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I got to harvest asparagus this year- it tastes so different. Strawberries are perennial as well!

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant go in end of next week I think. Do garlic if you haven't- plant in the fall. Very satisfying to have it come up in the spring- plus- garlic scapes early summer.

How long has your asparagus been in the ground? Any words of wisdom?

 

[Adios Pantalones]

I planted last spring- not supposed to pick the first year. Like anything- good soil, full sun. It doesn't mind high pH soil. It wants nitrogen after harvest. Otherwise, I don't have much experience.

For critters- put chicken wire 1' up, bending at the ground and extending out one foot. Let grass grow through, or put down mulch- a critter that gets up to dig under will be thwarted by the fence.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

[/quote]

Wow...we just put in a hundred strawberry plants...would seem that we are going to have a lot of strawberries to pick given your experience. What kind of critters do you have problems with? We use 8 foot t posts, 7' poly pro mesh from Tractor supply and then 4' green vinyl wire around the bottom. Seems to work well for critters large and small other than the chipmunks. Before the fence, the deer would mow it down in a night. They may have their preferences about what they eat first, but they eventually eat everything.[/quote]

Not really sure what was getting at them, so I guess I should determine that first....need one of those night cameras hooked up on sensor
Yeah, the strawberries will spread out and multiply quite a bit...they will grow out like a vine, and the vine will then take root and start another plant.....kinda cool actually.
I'll have to try the asparagus next year.....does one plant this in the fall? (My wife and I eat it 3-4 times a week....thought I had some sort of kidney problem until I found out about the stinky pee gene

 

[flyingcow]

We did strawberries quite few years ago. Got to be a PITA. Seems like I remember mowing them and then rototilling in between rows. When the new shoots started to take root, we moved them to a new plot. I think we only left them in one spot no more than 3 years. Once you moved them they grew much better.

Easier to go down the road and pick from the local grower.

We do have a big bunch of wild/field strawberries growing all over the property....thems good eating

 

[BucksCoBernie]

I put a lot of stuff in the ground already. Peas are looking good.