The Gardening Thread

[GVF]

I bought tomato plants last year. They were supposed to be Cherokee Purple and Brandywine. Turned out they were a yellow small pear shaped tomato. This year family wants to know if I will have any of those little yellow tomatoes. They say it is their favorite.
I Use a metal fence post to support my cages. Use a heavy duty cage (tall). Quick fix.

Sounds like maybe that was a Lemon Boy. They are fantastic.

For tomato support, I use steel T-posts. Then I zip tie 7' 2x2 to hte posts, with a 2x2 top run for weight support. I ordered a real good plant netting off Amazon that's 16' long and spreads out to a little over 6 foot high. After I string it up, it starts about a foot off the ground adn covers the 7' height. I also ordered tomato clips. They are cheap. I just clip them to the netting as they grow. I've tried several methods the last few years. Florida weave. Vertical strings, which is my same set up, but with vertical strings instead of netting. The netting is my favorite. The vertical strings my next choice. Use the same set up on the pole beans. Same on cukes but with a piece of field wire fencing. Thought about running my summer squashes vertical on a t-post. THat seems to improve borer resistence but I didn't go buy more posts.

My big thing this year that is already paying off is mulching my entire garden. Don't have to worry about quitting mid season due to weeds. Only have to keep my corn section weeded cause they're not big enough to shade out yet. And prob won't be. I keep trying corn but never grow a good stand.

 

[GVF]

Had the yellow pear cherry tomatoes one year. They were prolific producers. Tasty too.

My biggest producers of late has been Orange Peach. Small tennis ball or smaller sized orange fuzzy skinned maters with spectacular flavor. One of my all-time favorites. Seeded two plants and could not keep up with them.

 

[LouderVol]

Garden looking really good now. especially after I was able to spend some time cleaning it up a bit.

Everything has come in nicely. the plant stems all seem very thin to my untrained eye. I swear the corn grew more than a foot in a day, now tall enough where I can't reach the top. the cherry tomato plant is also taller than me, which is a problem with a 3'-0" cage. I planted a 2x4 next to it, and have tied up the spreaders to that. Got some full size tomatoes to go with some of the cherry tomatoes picked. ate some of the cherry for lunch today. full size need a couple more days before I try them out. Cucumbers are coming, third good sized fruit on the way.

Marigolds are getting to be 3'-0" tall without any buds on them yet too. there must be something in my soil pushing my plants out of the ground, lol.

Peppers are the only thing that is "behind" but I feel like they are growing at a good rate too, just not as fast as the rest.

one of the mints got burnt, going to have to watch that.

 

[LouderVol]

I have a car port with some hooks I am planning on hanging some planters from. I want to use them for plants that will keep the mosquitos away. Everything I have seen that is good for anti bug wants full sun. this will partial sun at best. anyone have any thoughts?

 

[GVF]

Garden looking really good now. especially after I was able to spend some time cleaning it up a bit.

Everything has come in nicely. the plant stems all seem very thin to my untrained eye. I swear the corn grew more than a foot in a day, now tall enough where I can't reach the top. the cherry tomato plant is also taller than me, which is a problem with a 3'-0" cage. I planted a 2x4 next to it, and have tied up the spreaders to that. Got some full size tomatoes to go with some of the cherry tomatoes picked. ate some of the cherry for lunch today. full size need a couple more days before I try them out. Cucumbers are coming, third good sized fruit on the way.

Marigolds are getting to be 3'-0" tall without any buds on them yet too. there must be something in my soil pushing my plants out of the ground, lol.

Peppers are the only thing that is "behind" but I feel like they are growing at a good rate too, just not as fast as the rest.

one of the mints got burnt, going to have to watch that.

I have a couple of Goliath heirlooms I picked up in town when I lost my Missouri Pink Love's during sprouting. Hefty plants. They have gone from waist high and thin to over shoulder high, robust, and full of tomatoes in 1-1/2 weeks. Most of it this week when the rains stopped and the 90's kicked in. Most of my tomatoes have atleast doubled in this new heat thing we're having. First time we've been in the 90's and it's end of June. First time we've had 4+ days in a row without rain since ealry April. Crazy what my garden looked like last friday verses today. Melon vines that have been 2" long for 2 months are now over a foot long.

 

[Go aeiou]

I have a car port with some hooks I am planning on hanging some planters from. I want to use them for plants that will keep the mosquitos away. Everything I have seen that is good for anti bug wants full sun. this will partial sun at best. anyone have any thoughts?

Let us know how that works for keeping mosquitos away.

 

[LouderVol]

Let us know how that works for keeping mosquitos away.

couldn't find any plants that would work. even talked with the local nursery about what I had. instead, I have been looking into a product Tougher Than Tom Mosquito TNT 2.0.

reviews are mixed. most say it works great, some not at all. others just claim its overpriced yeast and a pesticide.

 

[Go aeiou]

couldn't find any plants that would work. even talked with the local nursery about what I had. instead, I have been looking into a product Tougher Than Tom Mosquito TNT 2.0.

reviews are mixed. most say it works great, some not at all. others just claim its overpriced yeast and a pesticide.

long pants, long sleeve shirt, cap and some deet bug spray is about the only thing I've found.
Wife wears "Cliganic" bracelet around ankle or wrist. She says they work.
I use dead leaves as mulch in the garden, and the mosquitos must breed there.
I hate em.
Tougher than tom looks interesting, Kinda expensive.

 

[GVF]

long pants, long sleeve shirt, cap and some deet bug spray is about the only thing I've found.
Wife wears "Cliganic" bracelet around ankle or wrist. She says they work.
I use dead leaves as mulch in the garden, and the mosquitos must breed there.
I hate em.
Tougher than tom looks interesting, Kinda expensive.

I use a mix of dead leaves, and when they run out I convert to straw. Pretty sure rounding up hte dead leaves is where my early season run of ticks came from.

 

[Tin Man]

For decades, I raked leaves. My various properties were ~1/3 of an acre, and a common rake made a day of it to complete the chore 2-3 times each Fall/Winter. My wife hated the sound of power blowers. It seemed that I was doomed to rake the yard. When we moved to our present home with 2/3rds acre of land and many more deciduous trees, it would take both of us working together for a day and a half to police up the fallen leaves.

Then, she helped the daughter and son-in-law one Fall while he used a blower. She announced that she wanted one. Both I and the daughter bought her one for Christmas one year. With two of them, we made relatively quick work of the leaves going forward.

I began to add some of the dogwood leaves to the compost bin. When she saw the results, she asked what else I might do with the annual mountain of leaves our trees produce each year. I began vacuuming some with the blower attachment and mulching certain areas with chopped up leaves. These stayed in place and broke down over time, and she was pleased.

Given that my vegetable garden is close to the house, I’ve used wheat straw as a mulch. It keeps down the weeds, helps to hold in moisture, and is less of a haven for mosquitoes than leaf mulch. My wife hates mosquitoes more than the noise of blowers. Thank goodness for ear protection.

 

[GVF]

For decades, I raked leaves. My various properties were ~1/3 of an acre, and a common rake made a day of it to complete the chore 2-3 times each Fall/Winter. My wife hated the sound of power blowers. It seemed that I was doomed to rake the yard. When we moved to our present home with 2/3rds acre of land and many more deciduous trees, it would take both of us working together for a day and a half to police up the fallen leaves.

Then, she helped the daughter and son-in-law one Fall while he used a blower. She announced that she wanted one. Both I and the daughter bought her one for Christmas one year. With two of them, we made relatively quick work of the leaves going forward.

I began to add some of the dogwood leaves to the compost bin. When she saw the results, she asked what else I might do with the annual mountain of leaves our trees produce each year. I began vacuuming some with the blower attachment and mulching certain areas with chopped up leaves. These stayed in place and broke down over time, and she was pleased.

Given that my vegetable garden is close to the house, I’ve used wheat straw as a mulch. It keeps down the weeds, helps to hold in moisture, and is less of a haven for mosquitoes than leaf mulch. My wife hates mosquitoes more than the noise of blowers. Thank goodness for ear protection.

I got 7 extremely large Beech, Poplar, and White Oaks near the house, so my leaf inheritance in the fall can get quite deep unattended. But, I don't use rakes or blowers. Leaves get too deep for blower to do any good. I break out hte mower and they are semi chopped by the time i get them all up against hte dog pen. Let them break down over winter and load the tarp up in the spring.

As for today...Got a succession sowing of green beans interspersed amongst the existing on my lunch break.

 

[Go aeiou]

I got 7 extremely large Beech, Poplar, and White Oaks near the house, so my leaf inheritance in the fall can get quite deep unattended. But, I don't use rakes or blowers. Leaves get too deep for blower to do any good. I break out hte mower and they are semi chopped by the time i get them all up against hte dog pen. Let them break down over winter and load the tarp up in the spring.

As for today...Got a succession sowing of green beans interspersed amongst the existing on my lunch break.

Yep, mow chop throw in a pile with mower and let rot over the winter. Or use as mulch fertilizer around various plants.

 

[KB5252]

Does anyone here harvest wild plants for medicinal purposes? I've just gotten interested and tried a few things and have been really surprised at how well some simple wild plant based medicine resolved some minor issues.

Any feedback is welcome.

 

[Tin Man]

Does anyone here harvest wild plants for medicinal purposes? I've just gotten interested and tried a few things and have been really surprised at how well some simple wild plant based medicine resolved some minor issues.

Any feedback is welcome.

What have you been gathering and how are you using it?

 

[KB5252]

What have you been gathering and how are you using it?

Mainly some plantain for bug bites etc and wild lettuce boiled down for pain.

 

[gule]

cuccuzza squash. They look like baseball bats and taste like zucchini. good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also mini tomatoes by the handfuls every day for the past two weeks.

 

[GVF]

cuccuzza squash. They look like baseball bats and taste like zucchini. good for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Also mini tomatoes by the handfuls every day for the past two weeks.

My zucchini is the Cocazelle variety. A very tasty old Italian varity with great texture. Far better than the basic black beauty.

 

[GroverCleveland]

The periwinkles are showing out.

 

[GVF]

Just got back from several days down near Valdosta, GA seeing the grandkids. If I had to garden in that environment it wouldn't happen. I grew up about 40 miles south of the ATL, but basically from Tifton south to hte border is miserable heat and gnats that are genetic freaks.

Wife kept up with weather back here on the plateau and we were having same temps and "feels like" heat, but there is a difference. Maybe it's the gnats and skeeters. Especially when we had to dump a boat full of water in the back corner of hte yard.

 

[Go aeiou]

Just got back from several days down near Valdosta, GA seeing the grandkids. If I had to garden in that environment it wouldn't happen. I grew up about 40 miles south of the ATL, but basically from Tifton south to hte border is miserable heat and gnats that are genetic freaks.

Wife kept up with weather back here on the plateau and we were having same temps and "feels like" heat, but there is a difference. Maybe it's the gnats and skeeters. Especially when we had to dump a boat full of water in the back corner of hte yard.

Are you on the Plateau or the Highland Rim. I had a year of geology at TTU in the 70s and we were taught that Cookeville is on the Highland Rim.
Monterey is the eastern most town in Putnam County and it is about 10-15 miles east of Cookeville. It is on the edge of the plateau.
When you are on I-40 moving from the Plateau to the Rim to the Nashville Basin is obvious. You have definite downhill slopes from one to the other.
OTOH, what's true on I-40 might not be the same where you live. Land meanders.

 

[Tin Man]

Just got back from several days down near Valdosta, GA seeing the grandkids. If I had to garden in that environment it wouldn't happen. I grew up about 40 miles south of the ATL, but basically from Tifton south to hte border is miserable heat and gnats that are genetic freaks.

Wife kept up with weather back here on the plateau and we were having same temps and "feels like" heat, but there is a difference. Maybe it's the gnats and skeeters. Especially when we had to dump a boat full of water in the back corner of hte yard.

In my youth, seasons on the Georgia coast were counted by the appearance of biting insects. Sometime between Christmas and Ash Wednesday, you might have a period of time free from the little terrors, but marsh midges (sand gnats, noseeums) would appear before the azaleas bloomed, followed by skeeters, then either the little horse flies or the yellow deer flies, and finally, in high summer, the big horse flies (monsters who would leave divots of pooling blood on your skin). The months of biting insect hell would seem interminable. Their numbers would decrease as the days got cooler, but after Thanksgiving, you'd be praying for a freeze.

 

[Go aeiou]

Rudbeckia, Autumn Sun about 6' high and wide

 

[GroverCleveland]

Just got back from several days down near Valdosta, GA seeing the grandkids. If I had to garden in that environment it wouldn't happen. I grew up about 40 miles south of the ATL, but basically from Tifton south to hte border is miserable heat and gnats that are genetic freaks.

Wife kept up with weather back here on the plateau and we were having same temps and "feels like" heat, but there is a difference. Maybe it's the gnats and skeeters. Especially when we had to dump a boat full of water in the back corner of hte yard.

My home stomping area.

 

[GroverCleveland]

Rudbeckia, Autumn Sun about 6' high and wide

Very nice! Love the look of your garden.

 

[GVF]

Very nice! Love the look of your garden.

Ditto.