Who plants a vegatable garden?

[mydaddysjag]

So, every year I and my family plant a garden. This year we're hoping to take a little better care of it, and get a maximum crop out of the area. My great grandfather still plants a large garden (over an acre) with strawberrys, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and beans. Ove the years paps health has gone down hill, and he dosent keep up with his garden as much as he used to. He generally loses at least half of his crop due to the turkeys, but hes a giving guy, and feels if they ate it they must need it more than he does.

So, we're planning to do Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, zucchini, beans, maybe some cabbage and colorabe (not sure how to spell it)

I learned about stuff called spray n grow from my father in law last year, and it literally makes his tomato plants grow about a foot taller than me, and i'm 5'6"

I had some last year for my garden, and will defiantly use it agian.

What do you use inb your garden? Do you till any soil additives in? What variety of tomatoes, cukes, etc have you found to be the hardiest and best tasting? What works best for you to keep critters out?

I started canning last year and really enjoy doing it, and im hoping I will have lots to can this year. With the way the economy is, it sure is a big help.

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

This will be my first year trying veggies,can't wait to start. Iv got alot of flower beds that I really enjoy so I thouht i'd give a veg. garden a try

. I'm gonna start small this year,if I like it i'll do a bigger one next year. My parents are my neighbors so we're going to do it together.

 

[Shari]

With the dry weather we had last week DH was able to till the manure into the garden. Got a couple of the beds ready for me, as my Onion starts came in the other day so we planted half out in the garden and the rest in a pot to be planted out later.

He has dug the paths between the beds for most of the garden but it started to rain so we have to wait to flatten the top of the beds out.

I really, really need to buy a long flurescent light fixture so I can start some of seeds now... so if anyone knows of a used one in working condition, let me know.

This is most of what I have in seeds for the kitchen garden this year.

Blushed Butter Cos Lettuce

Canoe Peas Cheddar Cauliflower - Dakota Peas - Giambo Squash - Green Slam Cucumbers - Honey Bear Squash - Kentucky Wonder Bean - Lil' Loupe Melon - Merida Carrots - Onion Plants-Copra - Onion Plants-Mars - Plant-Beaverlodge 6808 Slicer Tomato - Ships last half of April Plant-Golden Star Pepper - Ships last half of April Plant-Legend Tomato - Ships last half of April Plant-Northstar Pepper - Ships last half of April Plant-Sweet Million Tomato - Ships last half of April Renegade Bean - Roma II Bean - Small Sugar Pumpkin- Spaulding Spinach - Sugar Dots Corn - Waltham Butternut Squash - Yukon Gold Potatoes- Atomic Red carrot - Chinese Red Noodle Bean - Delicata winter squash - Kabocha winter squash......

I hope to get a good crop this year, as the only Veggies I can eat are the ones I grow and we have invited a couple of Cancer surviours to come help garden and we would share the Veggies. Crossing my fingers that will work out well.

Am trying long storing onions this year,, along with different kind of peas and some longer storing squash.

 

[Carriage]

We doubled the size of our garden this year and will be tilling in about 5 inches of dark yummy compost. We try to not till as this destroys so much soil infrastructure. With the new area we have to till the first year but hope to not need to in the follow on years.

Peas have been in for about a week and a half and we are waiting for the pop-up. We will be switching from blue lake pole to bush beans this year as it will be easier to can due to the crop all maturing at once. We will be planting 3 successive crops of beans in the hopes that they will be ready to harvest every two weeks or so.

We are hoping to do green onion, sweet onion, squash(s), tomato's, carrots, broccoli, cucumber, chard, lettuce, potato's, garlic, basil, oregano, don't know what else Mama has decided on for sure.

We have raspberries (including white raspberries), strawberries, blueberries, various mints and we are toying with growing shiitaki and miitaki mushrooms for medicinal and over-all health purposes.

We are also toying with growing rabbits (very small scale) for food.

We too will be canning our brains out this year. We will buy large crates of produce as they become available and have canning parties every week or two weeks. Set up production lines for processing and at the end of the day divvy up the spoils.

I believe that those who do this will be VERY glad that they did so.

Bb

 

[jayne]

We very much enjoy our vegetable garden too! We planted our first one ever only two summers ago, so we're still learning what grows well here and what we can't seem to be successful with. We know that we can grow well the following: potatoes, beets, peas, lettuces, bok choy, leeks, cukes, zucchini, patty pan squash, delicata squash (a winter squash), beans. Things that are hit and miss, probably due to our relatively cool climate: tomatoes, peppers, corn. But like Bob said, we can buy the things we can't seem to grow.

In an effort to be even more self sustaining we have the following fruit on our property as well: apples, plums, peaches, hazelnuts, raspberries, ,blueberries and grapes. We also have hens who produce about three dozen eggs a week.

I have, even before I had a garden, done some canning, but usually only those things that I prefer over store bought: bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, strawberry jam, black berry jam, apple butter. I think I will be doing more canning and freezing this year (rather than giving all my excess harvest away) just because it's a good idea. I am somewhat pessimistic about the future economical health of our country and think I need to be doing more to make sure we have the things we need should they become hard to find in the store. This also means that I am beginning to store flour, beans, rice, canned meats and other foodstuffs just because I think it's a good idea. We have extra space as well as an RV hook up, so it's not beyond our thinking that we might have other people who might be joining us at some point.

I love to think of the coming days of working in the warm soil of our garden! I think I might put some peas and lettuce in today!

Jayne

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

What are the best onions to grow,long lasting? I want to try carrots,cucumber,onion,radishes,bell peppers and i'll probably do some other stuff to. Any suggestions for a newbie?

 

[Shari]

An Onion called, Copra, is the best storing onion out there. You can get starts or seeds at Territorial seed.

Find out what Zone you live in TheCaseFamily00, this will give you an idea on how many growing days you have. When you look at the seeds, they will give you the nice days needed to grow. Easy Veggies..

Carrots(If you don't have a gopher problem), Peas, string beans, tomatoes and Bell peppers (if you get enough heat). Basically you can try any thing that you would like to eat.

We don't like to till much either. This is the 2nd year. We started with brick hard clay, nothing would grow in it. So last year and this year we have put a years supply of manure with a bit of shavings in it..and tilled in 6" into that brick clay. It is looking much better, though no where near what I want my garden soil to look like , so I think we will have to do this one more year so the soil will be off to a good start. Once that happens, will use a green cover crop to help admend the soil.

Was hoping to do raised beds this year but no such luck. Will aim for the spring of 2010 for that.

We also have the old type Raspberries...if they survived this winter, couple of grape Vines that are in bad need of an arbor or such, there is a very old Plum tree with yummy plums but the thing burries us in that fruit. Have a very young small orchard growing... Apples, Asian and Euro pears, cherries, peach(looks like this one survived this winter) and some Huckleberries, though it will be another couple of years before it produces much. Want to plant some nut trees but I have to figure out a place to put them, so I can fence the horses out.

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

Thanks Shari

I think I'm going to try some seed and some plants. I figure this year will be a trial and error,hopefully not to much error

. I can't wait to get my hands dirty! I have to double fish ponds and I love my plants. I just need some warm weather now

.

 

[mydaddysjag]

I dont have my horses at home, so I can't compost manure. How long does manure have to sit before its save to put in your garden?

 

[Bess Kelly]

This year I have time to plant and tend a big garden. Haven't in a few yrs, so just some small areas with the "basics" of tomatoes, peppers, cukes, beans, squash, eggplants, etc., and only a couple plants of each.....mainly enough to eat fresh. But, I love to can. Used to do a lot of it and carried family thru winter with most of the veggie, fruit, jams/jellies that we needed. Plus gave a lot away!

When I didn't have a farm, lived in a hi-rise, I rented a plot a couple of yrs. So I'm really excited to have the time again. Yeah, that's what having your job abolished provides -- time!

Fortunately I have some really good basic soil as this was a peanut farm before I bought it. And with my 40 minis....there is a lot of "free" fertilizer! Have some seeds already and actually order what will be pretty much the balance of them today.....as the last of our snow melts!

I am adding a lot of varieties of tomatoes & peppers, plus corn, okra, brussel sprouts, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, an herb area, melons, and all that stuff. Oh, I'm adding an asparagus bed this year and establishing some blueberry bushes, raspberry, blackberry and grape vines. Semi-retired and am loving it. Can hardly wait for April!! Starting plants this next couple of weeks.

The biggest thing I want to do is work toward the heirloom varieties so that I can save seed from year to year. The hybrids don't always re-produce like kind. Have ordered several types from some heirloom sites to be able to cut the expense of these seeds. WOW. But, only want things that I like, so have to sample a lot

Maybe next yr we will be seed swapping

 

[Shari]

I dont have my horses at home, so I can't compost manure. How long does manure have to sit before its save to put in your garden?

As little as three months to compost horse manure for the garden.

You are welcome TheCaseFamily00!

Lucky you Bess.... I have been wanting an asparagus bed for the longest time but I have to wait until we can do the protected raised beds. Other wise the gophers will eat every stock.

Nasty beasties ate all my Artichoke plant roots last Fall.

Silly me.... I was out there adding some Pea seeds to the garden. Will add some more every couple of days so they are kind'a staggered. Even took some pictures of the Mess I call a garden. LOL.... Its soooo ugly right now, its almost not funny.

 

[Crabby-Chicken]

Yeah! Gardening....

For my birthday in February I asked for a raised bed for my carrots and tomatoes and herbs. Welllll.......... It is wood that is stained and sitting in my yard. So I hope to have it put together soon! It will be 10X 5 and should hold lots of good things!

My in ground garden I think will be tall telephone peas, stir fry pea pods, tall beans, and sunflowers all around it, and then some pumpkins! Can't wait for a warm day. I only have one row of peas in so far.

 

[jayne]

Regarding the question about how long horse manure needs before you can use it in the garden...actually, it does not need any time at all!! One year we did an experiment with some raised beds at the barn where I boarded. We filled one bed up with stall cleanings (broken down pelleted bedding, urine soaked bedding, and mostly manure) and immediately planted carrot seeds. The sprouted right on time and gave us a lovely bed full of good carrots. By the time we harvested, most of the poops had pretty much broken down. Now, I do find it a little distasteful to be gardening when there are still little turds in there, but it doesn't appear to be too "hot" for the garden to work.

Of course it is preferable to let the manure sit and break down. Also, if you use pelleted bedding, the chemical process of wood-based bedding breaking down uses nitrogen, so you need to add extra nitrogen to your soil. I learned this the hard way when one year my garden suddenly turned all yellow looking and weak. So I quickly did some research, then supplemented my garden and it was back to fine in a few days.

What we usually do is dump wheelbarrows from the barn in November through January, then let it sit until our neighbor rototills with his big tractor in April sometime. What isn't broken down by then is all chopped up anyway. I think it is important to leave the dumpings in pretty thick piles right next to each other rather than spreading it all around. The heft of those piles helped it decompose inside much better.

Lastly, my chickens like to get in there and work things around, which I think helps a lot too. Unfortunately, once anything is planted in the garden, it is fenced off from the chickens or we wouldn't get anything!

Jayne

 

[gimp]

I think I am going to try this:

straw bale garden

 

[susanne]

For vegetable gardening, manure should be aged at least a year to kill any organisms and prevent disease. Yes, the plants will grow well and production will be fine with fresh, and chances are you'll be fine, but to be safe, don't rush things -- once you get past that first year, you'll have a regular supply.

For ornamentals, you can certainly use manure very soon after "production," although a good hot compost will prevent weed seeds from germinating. My irises and roses love it straight from the horse's -- ahem. (I spoil my roses, making batches of "manure tea" -- sort of a manure infusion -- which they slurp right up.

I have to fight off all the gardeners in my family in order to keep any "Mingus Magic" for my garden! I, like jayne, love to include a small amount of used pellet bedding, as it really loosens up the soil and makes it friable even in early spring. Too much, though, and you lose nitrogen in your soil.

I'm a totally frivolous gardener...many hours spent on ornamental shrubs and perennials. I really need to get the gardens here going and add a few more veggies to the mix. Sadly, we lost our two best apple trees in the heavy snow, so we need to start over there.

 

[TheCaseFamily00]

I would love to see this thread continue! What are the benefits if any to a raised bed? Gimp,that straw bed is interesting,never seen anything like it

. I just recieved a note saying my backyard living subscription was being canceled due to lack of subscribers

,they're going to give me birds and blooms instead.

 

[Shari]

Raised beds..... well for me. I would have raised beds but attached to the bottom would be, 1/2" by 1/2" heavy duty hardware cloth to keep the gophers from eating my plants. That way they can't eat my Artichoke roots and DH will get his carrots!

In a perfect world it would be stone, so I could sit along the edge and tend to the garden that way.

Sorry to hear you lost a tree Susanne. Some of ours did not fair well either. The very old flowering cherry lost a number of branches and not sure if it will survive. The Portland Japanese Garden has the same old Cherry tree next to that main building by the white stone garden.

You can compost horse manure within three months if the pile is warm enough. This will kill any possible issues.

Longer if the pile is cooler.

Now that is a neat looking garden Gimp!

 

[mydaddysjag]

Whats the "proper" way to compost manure? It cant be as simple as letting the manure pile sit for x amount of time.

How much manure do you generally use per Sq. foot of garden?

 

[Chico]

We try to have a big garden. Some years we do better than others. I would suggest starting your plants early so they have a good head start before you plant them in your garden. Feeding plants does help them grow, but take it easy. Too much feeding incourages huge leaf growth and limited produce.

tomatoe-Stupice&Sun Gold corn-Sugar Dot&Seneca hard shell squash-Honey Bear,Fairy&Delicata green beans gords and pumpkins onions potatoes carrots, etc.

I highly reccomend the hard shell squash. These are harvested when the rest of the garden is dying out. Makes your garden last longer. We also dry tomatoes for the freezer. I add them to tacos, chili, soup, sauces, stew, etc. for color and flavor in the winter.

Good luck,

Chico

 

[Shari]

Here is a site on composting manure, not hard at all. You can also compost in Bins.

http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/horsecompost2.htm (Though I have never had an issue with the shavings not composting....they compost very easily)

I have one Icelandic, two minis and a B sized donkey, because this is a pretty new garden and the soil was brick hard clay... we put a years supply of horse manure in the garden last year, then again this year and DH was able to till it in 6" deep. Once I get the soil the way I want it... it will only need a top dressing of very finely composted manure once a year. (then the extra horse manure will go to improving the hay field)

If one is new to gardening, having your soil tested will let you know what it needs.