The Gardening Thread

#1,503
#1,503
LouderVol said:
gave up hope on the pepper seeds ever doing something. went to a nursery and picked up some bell peppers, jalepenos, and added some banana peppers plants. They actually had some peanut plants, so I bought 2 of those too, last 3 places didn't have peanut plants or seeds, so I was glad to finally get them.

also bought some milkweed to try and attract pollinators.

corn is starting to come in, one of the tomatoes has started turning colors (hopefully not rotting on the stem), cucumber plant is small but has fruit coming in.

planted beans to go with the corn, had a few extra and planted them next to the cukes so they climb up the same trellis.

spent a lot of time in the garden this weekend. weeded, which was badly overdue, fixed up the tomatoes. the standard cages just aren't big enough. one of the plants is at least 5 feet tall if it could support itself. and its not just growing up, some of the branches decided to grow down, and I pruned those to keep it off the ground.
Click to expand...
Yeah, not sure what was going on. My tomatoes from seed did ok. Had to supplement with a few nursery maters cause I didn't open the roof vents on hte greenhouse one hot day and cooked some seedlings. All my peppers sprouted, but never got over 2". Transplanted them anyway and went and bought some insurance peppers to go with them.

I think I zapped one row of my beans. Both rows had come up and looking good. Then one day at about 3-4 inches an entire row just layed over and went pale. Only thing I can think of is if I zinged them with some roundup. Re-sowed that row, and added two more to hte inside of the trellis.

I had very few corn germinate. Excess rain and low temps likely. Went to co-op and got some peaches and cream and re-sowed the corn. My dad always had good corn with silver queen down at their garden. I've never tried it, but it's prob more dependable than most all these others.

About 4 more straw bales and that whole garden will be mulched in. I'm retiring from weed battles.

Though my maters are growing, they're about half what they should be. My wife chided me about why I was in such a hurry anywat since we rarely get garden weather before end of May. Pretty much everything is just staring at me right now. Even my blackberry is only about 2-1/2 feet. Came out of winter only losing my raspberry and one fig.

Got a section of up and coming sunflowers to hopefully get the pollinators.
 
#1,504
#1,504
Tin Man said:
My garden plot had a bunch of volunteers this year - peppers, tomatoes, and delicata squash. Since I already have 14 tomato plants thriving (which I grew from seed during the months before April), I composted the volunteer tomatoes. I transplanted the squash to a bank with a lot of son exposure and mulch. The volunteer peppers I left in place. I reckon I can’t have too many pepper plants.

This year, I’m trying some bush beans, haricot vertes. Only half of the seeds germinated. Still, I have 15 of them. Hopefully, they’ll be enough to produce a serving of beans or two. I will leave some pods to develop seeds for next year. 🤞
Click to expand...
I have had good luck with the bush beans, but never plant enough. Get more production in less space on my pole beans so I quit messing with bush varieties. My favorite outside y green beans is Butter Peas. Best shell bean ever. But the space to get enough for canning wards me off. But, I can find them frozen on occasion and buy 4-5 bags. And also on occasion, I can find them canned by Margaret Holmes. But, they are never shelf staples. Ad never find them dried or even at co-op. I have to order dried seed online. Eat them with a dollup of mayo and red pepper relish. Got that from my gramps. I will only do hte mayo on the butter peas. Any other shell bean still gets sweet red pepper relish or summer squash relish I can up. If you've never made/had summer squash relish you are missing out on a guilty pleasure. Recipe calls for yellow squash. I mix in zuchini and red peppers for looks. A good way to use up squah when it's producing heavy.

My final layout - Strawberries, maters, peppers, cucumbers, okra, radish, turnip, egg plant, yellow squah, cocozelle zuchinni, cantelope, water melon, green beans, corn, Canada crook neck (in place of butternut cause I didn't have the butternut seeds I thought I had. Supposed to be a little sweeter and creamier)

Prob time to roll my seed stash over for next year, or dry some and save. Lot easier to do on most things besides maters. I really need to do that though, so I can keep planting seeds that have already grown in my micro climate.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tin Man
#1,505
#1,505
I am pretty sure the answer is "no". but is there anything you can do to keep tomatoes from splitting on the vine?

I think with the rain they are just growing so much they split. they typically start to scar over, so I am not too worried about rot on all of them. but I hate having to carve it out.

short of putting a tarp over the whole garden to keep the rain away, I am not sure if there is anything I can do to lesson the impact of the rain.

I did get my first two cherry tomatoes. both were split. one looked bad so I tossed. I have the other one, and a couple more I will pick this week as they have started to turn.

about half of the corn is silking. the cucumbers both have a cucumber on them, and the plants are finally starting to grow. most of the beans popped up fast and are already a couple inches tall.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tin Man
#1,508
#1,508
  • Like
Reactions: Jackcrevol
#1,513
#1,513
LouderVol said:
I am pretty sure the answer is "no". but is there anything you can do to keep tomatoes from splitting on the vine?

I think with the rain they are just growing so much they split. they typically start to scar over, so I am not

I did get my first two cherry tomatoes. both were split. one looked bad so I tossed. I have the other one, and a couple more I will pick this week as they have started to turn.

about half of the corn is silking. the cucumbers both have a cucumber on them, and the plants are finally starting to grow. most of the beans popped up fast and are already a couple inches tall.
Click to expand...
The only thing you can really do for splitting where Mother Nature is concerned is if you catch them about 3/4 ripe before they split and pick them and let them finish up on the counter. By that stage of ripeness the flavor and all is already set as good as it’s gonna be.

My garden is way behind. Nothing is ready and most are still in just got planted form. Toms of rains. Low temps. Limited sun. I also know this is spring on the northern plateau so I normally don’t worry about getting all my stuff planted till end of may. I do have neighbors with waist high corn and my 2nd attempt at sowing seed is just now breaking ground. I got less than a dozen germinated in 7 rows first planting.

I planted a lot of stuff 2-3 weeks earlier than I normally do so it’s just behind in my mind relative to when I planted.
 
Last edited:
#1,514
#1,514
Tin Man said:
Had yucca plants at my high school years residence. They bloomed every year and required no maintenance. It wasn’t fun when my mom told me to dig them out.
Click to expand...
One of the best days, er most satisfying was when I took out a haggard overgrown Juniper bush in the yard.

Next: When the Yuccas came out.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tin Man
#1,515
#1,515
GVF said:
The only thing you can really do for splitting where Mother Nature is concerned is if you catch them about 3/4 ripe before they split and pick them and let them finish up on the counter. By that stage of ripeness the flavor and all is already set as good as it’s gonna be.

My garden is way behind. Nothing is ready and most are still in just got planted form. Toms of rains. Low temps. Limited sun. I also know this is spring on the northern plateau so I normally don’t worry about getting all my stuff planted till end of may. I do have neighbors with waist high corn and my 2nd attempt at sowing seed is just now breaking ground. I got less than a dozen germinated in 7 rows first planting.

I planted a lot of stuff 2-3 weeks earlier than I normally do so it’s just behind in my mind relative to when I planted.
Click to expand...
Where are you on the "northern plateau"?
 
#1,516
#1,516
Go aeiou said:
Where are you on the "northern plateau"?
Click to expand...
Jackson County, TN. Cookeville for all intensive purposes as we are closer to there than Gainesboro and have a Cookeville address although we are across the county line. Couple posters in here not terribly far from me. Most places on the plateau are within an hour or so of each other. Chattanooga being the furthest for me going south to be officially off the plateau.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Go aeiou
#1,517
#1,517
Jackcrevol said:
One of the best days, er most satisfying was when I took out a haggard overgrown Juniper bush in the yard.

Next: When the Yuccas came out.
Click to expand...
Did some lanscaping employment in college. Ditto on digging up Junipers. I don't know how that ever became a landscape design feature. Only good purpose is if you can get them to take on a hill side and fill in. No erosion, few weeds. No weed eating.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jackcrevol
#1,518
#1,518
Had some money left on a gift card.

Added 2 Heritage Raspberries and a Triple Crown Blackberry
 
#1,519
#1,519
GVF said:
The only thing you can really do for splitting where Mother Nature is concerned is if you catch them about 3/4 ripe before they split and pick them and let them finish up on the counter. By that stage of ripeness the flavor and all is already set as good as it’s gonna be.

My garden is way behind. Nothing is ready and most are still in just got planted form. Toms of rains. Low temps. Limited sun. I also know this is spring on the northern plateau so I normally don’t worry about getting all my stuff planted till end of may. I do have neighbors with waist high corn and my 2nd attempt at sowing seed is just now breaking ground. I got less than a dozen germinated in 7 rows first planting.

I planted a lot of stuff 2-3 weeks earlier than I normally do so it’s just behind in my mind relative to when I planted.
Click to expand...
😂Just got mine tilled up today!
 
#1,520
#1,520
CagleMtnVol said:
😂Just got mine tilled up today!
Click to expand...
Yeah. Wasn't any need for you to be in a rush.

Passed you twice Sunday. Wasn't sure what spur off 111 you were or which house so I just yelled out the window thru downtown Cagle. Passed the Slice Man too prolly.
 
#1,521
#1,521
GVF said:
Jackson County, TN. Cookeville for all intensive purposes as we are closer to there than Gainesboro and have a Cookeville address although we are across the county line. Couple posters in here not terribly far from me. Most places on the plateau are within an hour or so of each other. Chattanooga being the furthest for me going south to be officially off the plateau.
Click to expand...
intensive purposes is a lot
 
#1,523
#1,523
@CagleMtnVol
@Orangeslice13

Tuesday, the 10th I will be coming back ya'lls way on a solo trip to meet up with my wife down in the ATL. I've never stopped to shake hands cause i'm usually not travelling that way solo. I'll be running the 111 down to Hwy 153 exit and cut over the damn to I-75. IIRC both of you are quite close to 111. One on top of Spencer/Cagle Mtn., and Slice I think is north of Hwy 153 maybe. I do have Slice's contact info and we have texted in the past. Won't have too much time, but enough to finally meet.

Thought if one or both of you were available, could pull over and do a quick meet & greet, shake hands and hug it out.

I figure mid-afternoon'ish to get that far down. I'm working half a day first. 3:00pm CST range.
 
#1,524
#1,524
GVF said:
@CagleMtnVol
@Orangeslice13

Tuesday, the 10th I will be coming back ya'lls way on a solo trip to meet up with my wife down in the ATL. I've never stopped to shake hands cause i'm usually not travelling that way solo. I'll be running the 111 down to Hwy 153 exit and cut over the damn to I-75. IIRC both of you are quite close to 111. One on top of Spencer/Cagle Mtn., and Slice I think is north of Hwy 153 maybe. I do have Slice's contact info and we have texted in the past. Won't have too much time, but enough to finally meet.

Thought if one or both of you were available, could pull over and do a quick meet & greet, shake hands and hug it out.

I figure mid-afternoon'ish to get that far down. I'm working half a day first. 3:00pm CST range.
Click to expand...
My brother
I will be fishing on Long Island that day.
We will make this happen eventually
 
New posts
You must log in or register to reply here.

VN Store



Back
Top