Lettuce and kale are popping up. Asparagus coming out. Strawberries beginning to bloom. Peach blossoms on the espalier opening. When the mesquite trees begin to bud we officially consider winter over here. They are not budding yet.
Anyone Gardening Yet?
- Thread starter AngC
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Bess Kelly
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I just REALLY want to be. Got up to rain yesterday, maybe an 1" over a couple hrs. Totally ruined my plans for the day. But, I went to lower shed and brought the pull tiller up top, thinking I could rough up some strips in the currently unused pasture areas and plant some of the "food plot" seeds I have in several bags (bought on clearance a few months ago) on Sat AM. These seeds are great growing for the goats and chickens. Minis eat some, not all....works nicely as I rotate everyone through fields.
Can't till garden until I move the pigs from the veg garden area -- who have been doing all my pre-plow and deep grass root removal for a while now -- and couldn't even begin to till with the rain. But, hopefully will get them out of there this weekend. Since I was dreaming about where, how, when I'd put all the plantings the night before, I got out in afternoon and installed some short fence where there was only board fence on the horse pasture adjacent to the chickens. Now I am able to release them into that field without having them all in my yard! Nice. Plus, they are making short work of the piles the two little stallions have made in there -- lotsa goodies to eat
and will cut down on feed needed in coop. With that fence done, I can reduce the size of the area by the coop (portable electric net) and use the back portion to grow, eventurally adding cover crops there for winter chicken food. Yep, gonna grow more feed this year! Pumpkins for everyone, root crops for the pigs & chickens....my chickens loved the turnips! I sliced those huge, overwintered in ground ones with my machete. Fast and readily eaten, looked forward to getting. Been really looking for those things that can be easily grown, harvested by hand, produce well, for animal feed. Mangel beet seeds here and going into ground for winter feed, plus milo, browsing peas, flax, crucifers, sunflowers, etc, also.
Raising own heirloom veggies, with extras thrown to animals, usual corn, bean, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, +. Extra goat milk now since kidding and need to train those first fresheners to milking. Chickens, pigs, dogs, cats all love it. Use for goat milk soap, cheese, yogurt....emptied excess frozen last year for feeding chickens/pigs. Extra calcium & other vit/min. Off coming Wed thru Sun -- will be riding the tractor & mower a lot!! Planting will happen. Oh, I have almost 300# of yr old composted chicken manure to use up, too.
Things should grow. It's busy here and I'm loving it.
Can't till garden until I move the pigs from the veg garden area -- who have been doing all my pre-plow and deep grass root removal for a while now -- and couldn't even begin to till with the rain. But, hopefully will get them out of there this weekend. Since I was dreaming about where, how, when I'd put all the plantings the night before, I got out in afternoon and installed some short fence where there was only board fence on the horse pasture adjacent to the chickens. Now I am able to release them into that field without having them all in my yard! Nice. Plus, they are making short work of the piles the two little stallions have made in there -- lotsa goodies to eat
Raising own heirloom veggies, with extras thrown to animals, usual corn, bean, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, +. Extra goat milk now since kidding and need to train those first fresheners to milking. Chickens, pigs, dogs, cats all love it. Use for goat milk soap, cheese, yogurt....emptied excess frozen last year for feeding chickens/pigs. Extra calcium & other vit/min. Off coming Wed thru Sun -- will be riding the tractor & mower a lot!! Planting will happen. Oh, I have almost 300# of yr old composted chicken manure to use up, too.
Some potaties are quite large now and some haven't even broken through. Dont know if I didnt get the eyes cut correctly or if the soil is cooler there. We are eating lettuce and kale. Need to plant another round of those.
Ryan Johnson
Well-Known Member
just harvested my corn, which is the last of the summer veggies for the year. Cauliflower, broccoli have just been planted...
I do enjoy fall gardening. One winter I was able to pick brussels sprouts, kale and chard nearly all winter.
Ryan Johnson
Well-Known Member
Marsha how are your Espaliered trees coming along ? I have a couple of pieces of trellis that were given to me and Im thinking of giving it a go. Any tips would be a great help
They are great. They are pretty high maintenance but I enjoy them. Quite a lot of fruit set. You should try it.Marsha how are your Espaliered trees coming along ? I have a couple of pieces of trellis that were given to me and Im thinking of giving it a go. Any tips would be a great help
Riverrose28
Well-Known Member
We have carrots and peas planted and potatoes are going in the ground this weekend. The nights are still cold here and have had a frost several nights this week. Rule of thumb around here is to plant after Mothers Day. We do have tomato and broccoli plants growing in pots in the house.
I didn't realize Maryland stayed cold so long. I thought it was more the latitude of our OK location. Do you have ramps in your area?
I am waiting till this present chill cycle passes to plant beans. Will set out the peppers later in the month.
Debby - LB
Admin / Mod
It was so unseasonably cold and wet here that our gardens are way behind last years. The potatoes didn't make very well, we didn't get many of those. The watermelon and cantaloupe are about half the size they should be, and we seem to be having a problem with rot. Corn looks good and peas are doing alright, we have some eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini... Tomatoes are yet to bloom and the dad gum rabbits ate the darn broccoli and cauliflower. Strawberries did pretty good but we have a problem with the chickens getting those before we do. So far this year the only bumper crop we've had was Peaches! gosh off one small tree we got the best tasting peaches and so many I gave some away and made some freezer jam, this was the early Alberta variety the others are not ready yet.
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Peaches already?! Yummy! Ours won't be ready till August.
I'm thinking of pulling up most of the onions to make room to plant some okra. I do well with onions, so planted a lot this year. But they are taking up a lot of space in my tires. Spider mites are playing havoc for me on the beans, kale and lettuce.
Our spring has been rather wet and cool so I'm having to spray fungicide on the flowers I planted for pollinator-attractors. The good news is it is bad weather for grasshoppers.
I'm thinking of pulling up most of the onions to make room to plant some okra. I do well with onions, so planted a lot this year. But they are taking up a lot of space in my tires. Spider mites are playing havoc for me on the beans, kale and lettuce.
Our spring has been rather wet and cool so I'm having to spray fungicide on the flowers I planted for pollinator-attractors. The good news is it is bad weather for grasshoppers.
Debby - LB
Admin / Mod
Yup best peaches we've had I think. I forgot to mention Okra we have that too and it's not growing like it should either. It'll all work out though..just be harvesting a little later than usual. What flowers do you use?
We had a 79 mph wind yesterday. Luckily only 3 apples fell, the ones on the tree closest to the wind attack. Most of the peaches and apples are in stockings. Two peaches I missed covering and that were close to the fencing were half eaten by birds yesterday. This is the Gala espaliered apple tree.
Dug up almost all the potatoes today and planted squash there. Yard long beans are nearly ready to pick. Pulled up most of the onions also and some were larger than softballs. I usually have good success with onions. We plant the Texas Sweet variety.
Dug up almost all the potatoes today and planted squash there. Yard long beans are nearly ready to pick. Pulled up most of the onions also and some were larger than softballs. I usually have good success with onions. We plant the Texas Sweet variety.
Having trouble with peaches. If they were tomatoes you'd call it "blossom end rot". What could it be with peaches? There is no worm inside. Just starts as a rotten place on the bottom and goes up through the middle. The seed is even rotten. They are a mess. chickens are enjoying them, though...
Ryan Johnson
Well-Known Member
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/peach/common-peach-diseases.htm
Marsha have a look at the section "Brown Rot" . Mine seem to be prone to curly leaf and is the only fruit tree I have that is yet to fruit.
Marsha have a look at the section "Brown Rot" . Mine seem to be prone to curly leaf and is the only fruit tree I have that is yet to fruit.
That was an interesting site. I did some more researching and have about decided that the tree is getting too much water. We've had a lot of rain the last two years; both years the peaches are terrible. Thought that having them in raised beds would solve our location problem, but I guess too much water is still running underground off the mountain. The years we had the drought and were devoured by grasshoppers made the best peaches. I don't think it's the variety, I think it's the water.
Too bad their flavor isn't better; the good peaches are large and beautiful.
Canned green beans yesterday. The yardlongs really produce. The okra and squash I planted in the space of the onions and potatoes are doing well. While checking out the apples today to see how close they may be to picking I spied a large paper wasp nest. Zoom and zing. Yow! I used to allow wasps in the garden, but the last couple of years I have destroyed their nests. They are too aggressive and also I think they prey on good bugs, eat new blooms, and also the fruit. Any good pollinating they may do is not worth their presence. Not sure how I missed the construction of this large nest.
We had a mild spring and nice early summer, but now the heat has set in. Some things love it and some things (like me) begin to wilt.
We had a mild spring and nice early summer, but now the heat has set in. Some things love it and some things (like me) begin to wilt.
Ryan Johnson
Well-Known Member
Didn't really plant anything over winter here , though my SIL gave me some left over cauliflower seedlings, so i planted them and they are just starting to produce
Looking forward to getting out in the garden once the weather gets a little warmer here.
Looking forward to getting out in the garden once the weather gets a little warmer here.
