Justa's Garden, aka, The Patch

[JustAPrepper]

I spent some time reading a former member's garden thread. Seems as though Garden Porn is welcome so I thought I'd throw this out there.

This Fall marks our second year. Our first year is behind us and we have learned a lot. Now that we have come full circle, we are anxious to see if this year's crop will be more successful than the first.

Florida's native soil is SAND so what we have is four raised beds, 4x12x18" high. We went higher than most for the comfort level and so we could build our soil as needed. We also have a Trellis area, four Squash/Melon Rounds and a planting area around the entire perimeter. Each bed and the Trellis/Perimeter area are independantly valved and irrigated by our free flowing well. If a certain bed or area requires more or less water at any given point all we have to do is turn on/off a valve. We also have four 55 Gallon water barrels tied in to the system. Because we are so close to the coast we have high salt content in our well water. Occassionally we will close all the well valves and open the barrel valves to flush the garden with rain water.

After getting our Top Soil delivered the first thing we planted was Sunn Hemp as a Green Manure to enrich the soil. Once it grew and got tilled in we planted our first Fall crop with mixed results. This past summer we gutted the garden after a devastating oubreak of Mealy Bugs and Powdery Mildew and added GreenSand, Azomite, Peat Moss, more Black Kow and home compost. Right now, our soil is looking pretty good. We have a test kit from our Extension Office but couldn't wait for their results before we planted (they're running 6-8 weeks right now) so we are hoping we have good enough soil to hold us over for a while.

Here's an overview of The Patch. DH climbed up on the roof to take the shot after we finally mulched the walkways to give it the finishing touch. This was very early last Spring as some things were being pulled and new things were being planted. It doesn't show The Patch in all its glory but shows the layout...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/db3546d2.jpg

[ladyhk13]

It looks like a great set up...what are you growing?

[JustAPrepper]

And here we are today...

I've had some really bad luck with seedlings this time around. At present I have to start them outside. I try to protect them as much as I can but Mother Nature is sneaky. We've had an exceptionally heavy rainy period that contributed to seedling death both while in the cups or by Damping Off even after being garden set. I hope to have this remedied in the next few months before I start our seedlings for Spring. So, our beds are kind of skewed (screwed) right now...and DH and I both have our own beds for Tomatoes and Peppers. It's all a learning curve at this point and we each get to pick our own...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN1.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN2.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN3.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN4.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN5.jpg

[JustAPrepper]

And these are my Cherry Tomatoes that are outside the garden area...as well as a few herbs...some to be pulled and others to be planted new as soon as they become available...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN8.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/100211GARDEN9.jpg

[LUNCHBOX]

Justa, looks great. I think everyone had some rough times with gardening this year. You have a nice set-up.

[JustAPrepper]

It looks like a great set up...what are you growing?

Our goal is to find what we can grow in our environment so we are still experimenting...we have a little bit of everything....

Already set are Tomatoes (four varieties), Peppers (hot and sweet, multiple varieties), Collards (already proven a winner, just wanted to plant more), Cukes (several varieties), Summer Squash (several varieties), Buttercup, Bush Buttercup, Thai Small Pumpkins, Sugarlump Watermelon, Pole Beans (four varieties), Garden and Sugar Snap Peas (mulitiple varieties). This weekend we planted Radishes (four varieties for fun). Beets, (already proven but more varieties including White Sugar Beets to see if I could make sugar...just for fun), Carrots (already proven, just different varieties for fun), Lettuce (four varieties), Green Onions, Leeks, Turnips, all of the last three already proven. Cole crops are still in cups being nursed along. Still a little too hot yet for them but will be set when they are ready and Cabbage will come sometime late October or early November. :)

[ladyhk13]

I LOVE what you did with the pots on the pole!!!! Are they plastic or real tera cotta? Just wondering because of the weight. What a wonderful idea...you should submit that in Mother Earth News or somewhere!!! I am going to have to do that. Do you put herbs or what in it?

[ravensgrove]

I will have to do one of these garden porn posts myself. This is year 4 at this locale. We have 4 gardens in, 2 grow huts we made from livestock panels, two terraces and a small as yet unproducing fruit orchard. This was actually a brilliant year for us, we fed ourselves and 8 other families in a small CSA program and still had tons to give away to the food bank. I'll post some pics once I remember how to use photobucket and all that.

[ladyhk13]

Awesome! Would love to see it! I feel so lazy next to you ravensgrove!

[bacpacker]

Nice looking garden Justa. I see you use a greenhouse and are set up for hoop houses as well. Are those for shade, bugs, or temps in the winter.

[RedJohn]

Neat and efficient. I like that.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Nice job! I like your hoop houses. I'm going to try that to get my beefsteaks to last into January here.

[JustAPrepper]

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

Lady - I saw that pole planter on someone's blog and thought it would be perfect in our little area. The original plan was to grow strawberries in them but the squirrels kept digging them up. I think I'm going to do herbs in them now. Also, you are correct on the Terra Cotta. I had originally started with plastic pots but the ones on the bottom were collapsing from the weight of the ones on the top. Also, we had to put a brick under the bottom one after our rainy season this summer. All the rain made the ground too soggy and they were sinking.

Raven - I was hoping this would get your attention. I'd love to see your set up and how you do things. Even though we are in totally different conditions you may have some tips or tricks that could help us out.

Backpacker - We don't have a greenhouse. You might be seeing the neighbor's sheds. The hoops are moveable so we can put the tallest ones on the tallest plants but this spring I wanted to grow a little Corn and we found one of the shorter hoops helped to work as a support system as the stalks grew (with a little twine woven throughout). Now that the Tomatoes are set we'll be moving things around again. And yes, they hold our Freeze Fabric, Bird Netting and Shade Cloth. DH cut some PVC pipes in about 2" lengths then cut them in half and they act as the "clips" and hold everything in place over the hoops. Right now I'm on the hunt for some Bug Fabric. Just since posting I've completely lost the two Summer Squash plants that were set. Not one single leaf left on the plants and the Winter Squash and Pumpkin are looking pretty ragged. :mad:

[ladyhk13]

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

Lady - I saw that pole planter on someone's blog and thought it would be perfect in our little area. The original plan was to grow strawberries in them but the squirrels kept digging them up. I think I'm going to do herbs in them now. Also, you are correct on the Terra Cotta. I had originally started with plastic pots but the ones on the bottom were collapsing from the weight of the ones on the top. Also, we had to put a brick under the bottom one after our rainy season this summer. All the rain made the ground too soggy and they were sinking.


So are you going to use terra cotta on the bottom and plastic on top so the weight dosen't break the bottom ones or are they all terra cotta (have you redone them already?)? Herbs are a great idea for them.

[The Stig]

Justa, that is flat awesome.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us. This is exactly the kind of stuff we were hoping for when shtfready started.

[JustAPrepper]

Lady, they are all Terra Cotta now. We just put the brick under the bottom one to keep them all from sinking down the pole and getting buried in the mud.

Stig, thanks...we are always happy to share what we've done. What worked, what didn't, etc., and are always open to other's experiences as well, which is really why I posted. I know there are people much more experienced in food production than we are and learning from them is very important to us.

[JustAPrepper]

Once again, we've lost a lot to bugs. The Summer Squash, Winter Squash (2 kinds) and Pumpkin are goners. Cucumbers are looking rough and I'm down to three plants now with more seedlings on the way. I pulled the Basil that was bolting the other day and noticed the roots looked like they had been attacked by Nematodes. I've been watching one of the Cherry Tomatoes that was in the same bed die a slow death and just pulled it, definitely Root Knot Nematodes. The Watermelon got attacked by something, some kind of leaf sucker and is looking really rough. It's got at least two babies on it but I don't expect the plant to survive, especially since I found a hole in the Round that looks like a mole hole. Then, I re-planted where some things hadn't sprouted and found air pockets in two of the beds. I'm definitely thinking mole. He must have chewed his way through the fabric in the bottom of the beds and now has tunnels running to and fro. Mealy Bugs are back. Our entire state had a terrible outbreak of them earlier this year and lots of people were losing all their plants. Not only veggies but ornamentals as well. They dessimated our garden this past Spring. And, Stink Bugs are back. We found several this morning and five more this evening. I think I learned about 500 new cuss words today. If I didn't already know them, I certainly made up a few good ones. We are flying to Salt Lake next week and will be gone for ten days. I'm worried we'll come back to nothing but dirt unless DH can show the neighbor across the street how to spray for us while we're gone.

On a good note, some of the Tomatoes are starting to come on strong. We have five variety right now, Carbon, First Pick, White Tomesol, Golden Sunray and Lemon Cherry. Some of the Peppers are fruiting and we've been getting a few Jalapeno's the past couple days. The Pole Beans are coming back after getting beat up last week during our No Name Storm. Peas are looking good and all the root crops I planted are sprouting. Only one variety of Lettuce is showing any promise. Probably still too warm. Collards are growing.

There's some empty spots in the beds. Some things will be succession planted when we get back and I've got seedlings of the Cole crops but they're not ready to be set yet. And DH was right in the middle of building the tee-pee's for the Peas when I was out taking pictures.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511GARDEN3.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511GARDEN4.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511GARDEN5.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511GARDEN6.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511GARDEN7.jpg

[JustAPrepper]

Black Jalapeno and flower

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511BLACKJALAPENO1.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511BLACKJALAPENO2.jpg

Same seeds from the same packet but they're growing green and getting a little blush of black later...even the flower looks different...lots of white and not as much purple

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511BLACKJALAPENO3.jpg

Carbon Tomatoes
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511CARBONMATERS.jpg

Lemon Cherry Tomatoes
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101511GARDEN2.jpg

[bacpacker]

Your garden looks great. Sorry to hear about the bugs and stuff. That's hard to deal with and can ruin a planting if they get ahead of you.

I've never heard of the varietys of tomato's you've got out. The lemon cherries sound wonder full. Are they heirlooms? Same with the jalapeno's.

[ladyhk13]

yum yum

[JustAPrepper]

Your garden looks great. Sorry to hear about the bugs and stuff. That's hard to deal with and can ruin a planting if they get ahead of you.

I've never heard of the varietys of tomato's you've got out. The lemon cherries sound wonder full. Are they heirlooms? Same with the jalapeno's.

We are still experimenting with a lot of varieties to see what grows best for us and everything we plant is Heirloom with the exception of a few Pepper plants (so far). I had a really hard time with germination and Damping Off this year due to so much rain. A couple weeks ago DH went out and bought a few Serrano's and a few Poblano's. He did his first taste test of the Black Jalapeno's (they're actually called Black Hungarian Peppers) yesterday and said they were really good, a really nice heat to them.

As for the bugs, because our Patch is so small, everything we plant is very important to us. Losing them to bugs is incredibly frustrating and heartbreaking. I was thinking about it last night...if we can't keep ahead of them we may have to change the way we plant in a SHTF situation. Plant one, maybe two variety, very intensively each season and preserve it then do another variety or two the next season. That way if we lose a few plants it won't be so devastating to our food supply.

[bacpacker]

I'm not sure if you are already doing this or not (may have been posted earlier and I missed it). Have you tried the bug netting over the hoop frames? I've never had to use it, but I would think it would be pretty useful at times. It probably would hinder propagation however.
Just a thought.

[JustAPrepper]

Yes, bug netting is on my list *now*. We have netting and covers for everything else, now it's time to invest in some kind of row cover material for the bugs. I agree that it will probably hinder pollination but I've done some hand-pollinating in the past with good results. A Q-Tip or a fine paint brush can work wonders!

[ladyhk13]

This might sound a little strange and I don't know if it would even work but going along the lines of bacpacker and bug nets and the problem of pollination, they have those butterfly kits that you can buy...what if you purchased one for each of your hoops? You could place a small container of water (maybe a terra cotta pot bottom) with some pebbles and dedicate some space for a couple of butterfly friendly flowers within each (maybe down the center so it doesn't interfere with your veggies?) for their food and they can live inside your hoops long enough to pollinate and then you can set them free afterwards? Just a "thinking outside the box" idea and the kids would love to watch the progression of the butterflies too.

[ravensgrove]

Very few things, minus squash or other plants with a seperate male and female flower require insect pollination. Most things will pollinate with a breeze. Cheesecloth works great as rowcover. Tomato plants and pepper plants you can just tap the top of the flower..electric toothbrush works well. We actually planted all of our tomatoes and peppers in greenhouse huts this year...had zero problem with pollination. I just put a fan in each of them and every once in awhile would shake the 2 x 4 the plant running rope trellis was on. It'd shake all the plants...and walla...bazillion tomatoes and peppers.
Because we don't use insecticides here, we do exactly what you are referencing: we overplant fewer varieties. This way, the bugs get some, but we still get ours.

[bacpacker]

Raven I had always wondered how and what plants needed help with pollination. good info. I'm thinking about getting a greenhouse and starting with that maybe late next winter.

[JustAPrepper]

The Patch survived our ten day absence and everything looks great!! We got home about 11:00 last night and while DH stayed on the patio smoking I came in the house and started opening windows and doors and he hollars for a flashlight. Before we even get our luggage in the door the two of us are wandering through the garden with flashlights oooohing and ahhhhing over everything. Neighbors must have thought we were nuts. :p

DH showed the neighbor how to spray while we were gone and she did a really good job. Just a few live bugs here and there and minimal evidence they had a free-for-all while we were away...with the exception of our beans. We've got Root Knot Nematodes in the trellis area so our beans always struggle...also DH pulled a pepper plant this morning but I'm not sure why and he's napping right now so I can't ask.

The tomato plants look like they grew a foot while we were gone and are LOADED with fruit. Some are starting to blush so we may have fruit in another week or two.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/103011GARDEN12.jpg

That Black Hungarian (jalapeno-like) is loaded again. DH harvested everything that was ready before we left and we took the harvest to Utah. We are really liking this plant so far. It seems to be hardy, fairly prolific and the peppers have good flavor and heat level. Looks like I'll be pickling or dehydrating hot peppers soon.

10/19 Harvest
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/101911HARVEST.jpg

10/30
http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/103011GARDEN13.jpg

Radishes were ready...here's another experiment I'm doing. In addition to planting multiple varieties to see what grows best for us, I'm also trying to incorporate as many different colors as possible for nutritional purposes. Like the Black Hungarians instead of just green jalapeno's. I'm also trying yellow, white and orange tomatoes this season as well as yellow, white, orange and purple carrots and several different color beets. From top left...French Breakfast, Sparkler, White Icicle, Cherry Belle, Pink Beauty and a lone Purple Radish that was apparently mixed in the seed. I love the look and feel of the Pink Beauty's. Their skin is velvety smooth. I'll do a taste test tomorrow when I get some fresh food back in the house...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/103011HARVEST1.jpg

[bacpacker]

Nice harvest Justa. The tomatos look very nice. Wish I had some of them here right now. I've never tried the hungarian peppers, may have to give them a try sometime. We like Serrano's so well, I've almost quit with the jalpeno's.

[JustAPrepper]

Today I got out there and did a little weeding and got some more Sugar Ann Peas and Beets succession planted. Replanted some Lettuce where things aren't germinating, last chance for these varieties then I'll move on to something else. Harvested the last of the Icicle Radishes and planted a few more...Pink and French Breakfast. I LOVE the Pinks. They are smooth and mild, awesome in a salad. French Breakfast are really mild on the front end but that peppery bite sneaks up on you at the back end and are also really good. Tonight we'll try Sparkler and Cherry Belle's with our dinner salad. Had a little bit of room left over so I squeezed in a couple Rutabaga's. Thinned the Carrots and Beets and saved the greens to have for dinner tonight. I had planned on planting some Cabbage today in the bed outside the garden where I lost a Tomato plant due to Root Knot Nematodes but got rained on. It's a gamble but supposedly Cabbage roots grow more horizontally then they do vertically so maybe the Nematods won't find the roots?...probably wishful thinking but I'll try it anyway.

Jalapeno's continue to go crazy. DH picked a bunch this weekend and pickled a Pint. He taste-tested them yesterday and said they were awesome. We're getting our first Tomatoes...a First Pick, Carbon and a few Lemon Cherries. The Carbon was a taste-test winner at Baker Creek a while back and I can see why. It's absolutely delicious. Maroon in color and very meaty with a great tomato flavor. It would make an awesome Tomato Sandwich. The Lemon Cherries are super sweet, like tomato candy that you can just pop in your mouth. And a couple handfuls of Sugar Ann peas that never make it in the house because DH picks them and eats them.

All of our Beans are failing, even the new ones I planted just before we went out of town. I've never seen them this bad. The Nematodes are wicked bad right now and the Trellis area is not in a good spot to get Solarized next Summer. I don't know what we're going to do. Maybe dig up the whole thing, make a deeper box and refill with fresh soil...not really sure...it sure is disappointing though.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/110711ICICLESANDBEETGREENS.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/110511JALAPENOS2.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/110511FIRSTPICKANDLEMONCHERRIES.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/110511CARBON.jpg

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/110511SUGARANN.jpg

[bacpacker]

I'm working on a order for Baker creek. The carbon tomatos look great, they will be on the order. Did you get the lemon cherries there as well? That looks like we might could grow those indoors thru the winter.
We usually grow yellow pear tomato's to munch on. Another type we liked but couldn't locate this year was a variety called Kellog's breakfast tomato. They were small, almost orange, and super sweet. I'll but a bunch of seed for them, if I ever run across them.

[JustAPrepper]

Yes, BP...all the Tomato varieties we're growing this go 'round came from Baker Creek. You won't be disappointed with the Carbons...or the Lollipops (I accidentally called them "Lemon" in the above post) if you like super sweet cherries. I am not a huge tomato lover but I am really liking both of these. :)

[bacpacker]

We grow lots of tomato variety's every year. We planted 40 plants with 6 or types. The week after we planted, we had the worst hail storm i can remember. Not much left after that.
We replanted, but even those didn't do very well. There is always next year.

[ladyhk13]

The few tomato plants I did were great...actually the buggers are regrowing on what I thought were dead plants! Most people here had a rough time the tomato's and green beans...I didn't enough of those to even mention. Must be all over the country with those things.

[izzyscout21]

Every time i look at this thread, I am again mesmerized by the quality of produce coming out of the patch. I'm green with envy. I don't think I could grow mold if I tried.

[mollypup]

I love your pictures Justa! I was wondering if the soil you ordered for your raised beds might have contained mealybug eggs? I was going to order a truck load of dirt for our garden but got scared out of it cause I didn't want to import any more garden eating bugs. I had a bad time already with squash bugs (the damn things!). My squash plants were so gorgeous and healthy and blammo! they were all dying because of those damn fat bugs.

This was only our 2nd real garden and though we are learning we still have a long ways to go. I did figure out this year, however. this:
1.) Not to plant okra in the garden because it gets so tall and leafy that it blocks the sunlight for the other plants. It goes besides the long wall next year.
2.) Don't plant the lima bean vine plants too close together. They got so thick that we couldn't get in there to pick them very well.
3.) Plant a lot more of the green bean plants because they seemed to really do well.
4.) For the love of God DO NOT plant watermelon in the garden cause they crawl everywhere all over everything!!!
5.) Don't plant tomato plants in the garden, they do better in big pots like last year except be sure and add extra lime to the soil to avoid tomato rot.

Other than that I guess our garden was pretty good. Especially for noobs who know practically nothing about gardening! :)

[Sparrow]

I am so impressed! Wow! It is so great to see pictures of other what other people do in terms of gardening and the set up people devise. Your garden is very well thought out!

My garden failed this year ... and I hope people know that gardening is not easy. I think it is impossible to grow things without practice! So, people really need to start gardening now, at their BOLs ... to learn what needs to be done.

Again, amazing work! Woman-power!

[Sniper-T]

. Another type we liked but couldn't locate this year was a variety called Kellog's breakfast tomato. .

A local place here carries the heirloom seeds, and they Ship to The US. I've been buying from here for a while now and am always happy with the results!

Heirloom Tomatoes (http://heritageharvestseed.com/tomatoeshl.html#kelloggsbreakfast)

[ravensgrove]

I grew Kellog's this year amongst my heirloom trials. They weren't small by any stretch they were big orange fruits. I still, for me, over plant heirloom romas and heirloom chocolate cherry tomatoes they grow like crazy and produce so much. The rest of the heirlooms will produce very few GIANT fruit. That's great and all for bragging rights and they look cool, but to feed us I want heavy yields. This year we did 10 new heirlooms + our standard romas/chocolate cherries. I really like the white wonder tomatoes myself, but again you get such a small yield of giant fruit, unless you want a full acre of nothing but tomatoes I am not satisfied they would be great post shtf. The farmer's market crowd does like to buy them though. I have lots of pictures of heirloom tomatoes we grew all summer over at the farms facebook page.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/ravensgrovefarm/kellogbreakfast.jpg

[Sparrow]

Every time i look at this thread, I am again mesmerized by the quality of produce coming out of the patch. I'm green with envy. I don't think I could grow mold if I tried.

My advice, as a failed first year gardener: put in a fruit and nut orchard.

You know the saying: if it grows on trees?

That is my back-up. Mind you plants and trees will not be producing for many years ... but we all got to start somewhere!

[Sparrow]

I grew Kellog's this year amongst my heirloom trials. They weren't small by any stretch they were big orange fruits. I still, for me, over plant heirloom romas and heirloom chocolate cherry tomatoes they grow like crazy and produce so much. The rest of the heirlooms will produce very few GIANT fruit. That's great and all for bragging rights and they look cool, but to feed us I want heavy yields. This year we did 10 new heirlooms + our standard romas/chocolate cherries. I really like the white wonder tomatoes myself, but again you get such a small yield of giant fruit, unless you want a full acre of nothing but tomatoes I am not satisfied they would be great post shtf. The farmer's market crowd does like to buy them though. I have lots of pictures of heirloom tomatoes we grew all summer over at the farms facebook page.
http://i1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/ravensgrovefarm/kellogbreakfast.jpg

Gorgeous Raven and her GREEN THUMB. >http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3656/3415457988_d66c933a80.jpg

Yeah, I wish that green thumb was viral. I needs some!!!

[ravensgrove]

That's sound advice for any gardener Sparrow. We put in berries/grapes/fruits and nuts here. We just now at 4 seasons in are getting good yields from the berries and got our first 2 whopping cups of grapes LOL. Our fruit trees we planted last fall, we got one apple...we had a peach and a blue jay stold it LOL. Our walnuts look like something out of Fred Flinstone at this point, just a clump of leaves on top of a long trunk. Fruit trees/nut trees are a long term proposition so getting them in NOW is sound advice. If you waited until post shtf...you'd starve before they ever were really producing.

[bacpacker]

Sniper thanks for the link. Those Kelogs didn't look like the ones I had. Mine were just larger than a Cherry tomato, just orange. The site you sent had several variety's I think I'll try..
Ravine you are right about taking a long time. Our first cherry tree to 6 years to have a good harvest.last year. This years got wiped out with the garden and blueberries.
I put out 14 more trees(apples, pears, more cherries, & papaw's) last year, lost 2 of them to the storm, plus 4 blueberries. i've got more trees ordered, should be here soon. My next batch will be fruit trees.

[Sniper-T]

Sniper thanks for the link. .

NP... and I meant what I said. This place is less than 2 hours from me... I've been there in person. These people are REALLY great! They take pride in what they do and the product they sell!!

Great people! I have over 100 packs of various seeds, that I am working into rotation, and they are super supportive with all my questions.

They also have a book, on how to harvest seeds from their plants, and save em.

Awesome!


... IMO...
:)

[Evolver]

Justa's DH here, Our Vidalia onion sets arrived that we order from a local feed store, they were 5.50 for a bunch of 100.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04077.jpg

And they're in the ground.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04085.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04086.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04087.jpg

In four months we should have some nice onions.

[Evolver]

The Lincoln Snap peas are starting to flower which are about three weeks behind on the flowering of the Sugar Ann's.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04088.jpg

Carrots and Beets.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04089.jpg

[bacpacker]

Very nice! We grow vidalias here as well. They are very tasty and grow well and quickly. The only thing I don't like about them, They will not store more than 2-3 months for us. We solve that by eating them up quickly. :)

The peas and carrots look really good. How long till the carrots will harvest down there?

[Evolver]

Our last carrots was about three and a half months but this batch is growing allot faster do to all the rain that we've been getting. Yeah Vidalias are our favorites and when they're ready I'll be canning pickled roasted Jalapeño and Onions.

[ravensgrove]

Have I mentioned again you can "suck it" for living in FL...LOL. I am sooooooooooooooooo envious of the length of your growing season. Sure I have more gardens...but you can grow all damn year. BRAVO!

[JustAPrepper]

Have I mentioned again you can "suck it" for living in FL...LOL. I am sooooooooooooooooo envious of the length of your growing season. Sure I have more gardens...but you can grow all damn year. BRAVO!

ROFLMAO!!

Yeah, but look at everything we have to battle! Pests and disease are a constant since we don't have enough "freeze time" to kill off anything and between our melt your face off summers or drought/flood weather patterns, it's a wonder we can grow anything at all. I'd bet if we compared square foot to square foot, our "year long" harvest is no more abundant than your short season harvest. The only difference I can see is I get to sport a farmers tan all year long, lol! :cool:

[bacpacker]

What elevation is your place at Raven?

[ravensgrove]

I am at almost 1100 in WA. We sit on a little foothill to the Olympics. The town I am closest to is literally at sea level and sits right on Oakland Bay/Hood Canal which are the far western sideshoot of Puget Sound. I can have 3 ft of snow here and 6 miles down the hill in town, nothing but slush. I run 3 to 5 degrees cooler than the bottom of the hill.

[Evolver]

Thats some beautiful country up there to say the least. I'm originally from Utah and once a year for four year we would take a road trip up that way. One of the times we went all the way up to Lund BC on the Sunshine Coast Hwy. If I remember right it took three ferries to get there and to this day I can still smell the air.

[Evolver]

Today I picked the first string players for our first fall crop batch of canned salsa. The second string had to be bought. Cilantro, Onion and a few more Poblanos. It's a small batch and it's simmering as I type. This time I wanted to try to get more of a smooth stick to the chip type rather then chunky. So I ran all of the ingredients though a food processor (I normally hand dice) then a long simmer. So far so good.

I didn't use the Lollypop Cherry's or the pea's. Them are counter top snacks.


http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04090.jpg

[bacpacker]

Very nice Evolver! I love salsa and we make our own as well. We've never used Pablono's before. We usually use serrano's and/or jalapeno's for our's. We may try some different next time.
I really like the looks of your tomato's I will be getting seeds for those. To me the product of the end of season produce to make stuff like salsa is a huge bonus to all the produce you've put up all summer.
BTW sorry for hijacking the thread. I need to start my own for that..

[Evolver]

Things aren't looking too good at the Patch. About three weeks ago I noticed the tomato plants all stopped flowering, I wrote it off on cooler temps then I started to notice small brown spots on the leaves, leaves dieing, yellowing of the entire plant and the plants not looking good at all.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04100.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04101.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04099.jpg



Well... I did some digging around the roots and found that Nematodes have infested our entire garden. GRRRRR!!!! At fist I thought it was just in our beans and one tomato plant that was isolated in a different planter.

The type of Nematodes that we have are Root-knot nematodes and this is what they do.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04103.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04104.jpg

They're microscopic plant-parasitic worm that feed on the plant from inside of the root system so treating a infected plants is imposable. So... The plain of attack is going by too just let things die out, harvest what we can, pull all the plants, go through all the beds with a fine tooth comb taking out every piece of root that we can find. (to make sure we all the eggs out that we can)

After the beds have been gone through we'll start a soil solarization.

Soil solarization - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_solarization)

Soil solarization is an environmentally friendly method of using solar power for controlling disease agents in the soil by mulching the soil and covering it with tarp, usually with a transparent polyethylene cover, to trap solar energy. It may also describe methods of decontaminating soil using sunlight or solar power.


We'll add a good raw manure, turn it under, cover the beds with clear plastic add some water via the soaker hose and bake them dirty rotten little bastards to death for 12 weeks. Grrr!!!

[bacpacker]

Sorry to hear about the pest. That really sucks since you all had a nice winter garden started and producing.
From what i have read the solarazation process is suppose to be very effective. Luckily we haven't had to do battle with anything like that before.

[Evolver]

The past three days of Pickings: Carbons (top), White (center), Firstpicks (border) And two Golden Sunray (Center).
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04119.jpg

Most of all the plants are pretty much dead due to the root knot problem but we are still letting the tomatoes ripen on the vine. On a good note they still taste just fine!!!

[Evolver]

Moved this over to here. :)

This weekend I went out and bought the 6mill plastic sheeting that I'm going to use to solar bake the dirty rotten son-of-a-bitchen root knot nematodes that are in my garden. :mad:

Here is what them bastards are doing...

Carrot anyone?
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC05714.jpg

Roots of my tomato plants...

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04104.jpg

I'll solarize the ground for the next four months. I need to get the ground temp up above 130F in order to kill them bastards.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJjdQYZKIsI&feature=player_embedded

During the research that I was doing trying to find a way to kill them I came across this and looked into it in detail and the results came back thats it quicker and more effective to solarize. Long term it might be a good idea to use as soil amendment but I'm trying to grow a productive garden with the least amount of store bought items as I can.

I now have a plan in place to solarize every June, July and Aug because it's the best time to solarize and the worst time for gardening due to the heat in are area. So for right know we're in limbo until Sept.

[Sniper-T]

Interesting post Evolver! Thanks for sharing!!!

please keep us posted with pics if possible about your ongoing battle. I would probably need to add heaters, to accomplish the same up here, but am interested in the results.

Post SHTF, it will be VITALLY important to know how to deal with nasty garden pests... with out chemicals.

I got my fingers crossed for ya!


good luck!

...

and nuke them bastards!!!

[bacpacker]

Great info Evolver. I've never seen this problem here, but like most any other pest or disease, I have no doubt that it could hit here as well. Nice to know of a treatment.

[Evolver]

Great info Evolver. I've never seen this problem here, but like most any other pest or disease, I have no doubt that it could hit here as well. Nice to know of a treatment.

Freeze kills them as well so those that get freeze don't have a problem.

[bacpacker]

Well we typically get decent freezes here. This past winter not so much.

[Sniper-T]

Here's me... Stylin!!!!

http://i949.photobucket.com/albums/ad339/girard_montrose/Random%20WoW%20crap/thedoctorisstylin.jpg

[Grumpy Old Man]

Speaking of Justa, where is she? *Shading eyes and looking everywhere*

[Sniper-T]

Evolver,

How about forcibly freezing it? you can pump/spray liquid nitrogen into the ground and freeze it rock solid. It will kill EVERYTHING in there.

I worked on a job a long time ago, where an operator sank a D6 in a bog. Trying to recover it, we just kept breaking cables because the drag was too much. we started with hand sprayers, shoving them down into the bog, and freezing the earth enough to drag a derrick over top of the dozer; and then when we were ready, we used the companies plumbing system, onto some wands that I made up, and we froze the ground about 4 feet deep, totally surrounding the derrick. then using chainfalls, we lifted the D6, and then continued to freeze the ground as we dragged it out by the derrick. It didn't take a lot of nitrogen when we were setting up with the sprayers (standard garden sprayer for pesticides), and it worked stupid well. if you till the area first, you can freeze a really big area with only a couple gallons of nitrogen.

just a thought!

Oh... and it also works really well for cooling your cocktails at the end of the day!

[bacpacker]

Dam fine idea Sniper. Never heard of that before but having worked with LN before I have no doubt it would work WELL.

[Evolver]

Justa's DH here, Our Vidalia onion sets arrived that we order from a local feed store, they were 5.50 for a bunch of 100.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04077.jpg

And they're in the ground.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC04085.jpg

In four months we should have some nice onions.

Here is about half of the harvest that I pulled this week that I'm drying out. I leave them out side until the greens dry to the point they just fall off when pulled on. The Nematodes didn't bother the onions or the collard greens.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/1204010056.jpg


I'm also getting things ready to start solarizing the soil. Removed and stacked the hoop system for the next growing season in Sept/Oct. We're still getting a good amount of collard green but in the next week or two I'll be pulling them up so I can covering everything up and when I do I'll post as I go so you all can see how I'm going to do it.

Here's how things look now.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/1204010053.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/1204010054.jpg

[Evolver]

A few token plants in containers with bagged store bought soil (nematode free) and the containers are blocked up so they're not in contact with the soil.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/1204010055.jpg

[bacpacker]

Nice lookin onion harvest. What variety are those?

I like the lay out of your garden spot, very good use of space. What did you use for the round beds, lawn edging?

[Evolver]

Speaking of Justa, where is she? *Shading eyes and looking everywhere*

Sorry to say this but... she has found a new love and is spending all of her free time with "it" :( You looked everywhere but here... :)



Somebody get me a napkin. Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken = DROOL!!

~Said in my best Southern Belle accent~

Why, Mistah Snipah, Sir, I do believe you might be a Foodie! And I DO LOVE me a Fellow Foodie!


How do Chicken Fajita's strike your fancy?



Maybe something a little less unassuming but with all the flavor of a good old fashioned fried chicken?




Or maybe you prefer a little beef?

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/b3c010b0.jpg


And it would be rude of me to not to offer dessert...how about some Blueberry Lemon Bread?

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/a0ded3cc.jpg

All these recipes are on my new blog A Day In The Life of a Frugal Foodie | Where frugality and food collide with delicious consequences (http://justafrugalfoodie.wordpress.com/). It's what I've been working on the past couple of months and why I haven't been on this site.

So, I'm game Sniper. If you want to share recipes and food, I'm definitely in! :D

I must say she is a damn good cook!
A Day In The Life of a Frugal Foodie | Where frugality and food collide with delicious consequences (http://justafrugalfoodie.wordpress.com/)

[bacpacker]

Glad to hear she's doing OK. Tell her I said hello.

[Evolver]

Nice lookin onion harvest. What variety are those?

I like the lay out of your garden spot, very good use of space. What did you use for the round beds, lawn edging?
Thank you BP, The onions are Vidalia and the edging is this stuff and is holding up very well it's been in for three year now and hasn't moved even after being stepped on.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSCF6939.jpg

[bacpacker]

I've got a couple rolls of that stuff out in the shop I got years ago and never used it. That would work well for our herb's and medicinals.

[Evolver]

Here's how I attached the two ends to make the rounds,

notched the two ends and inserted a 1/2''x3'' long piece of pvc pipe into the hollow
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSCF6941.jpg

Put together glued and screwed.
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSCF6944.jpg

[Sniper-T]

Sorry to say this but... she has found a new love and is spending all of her free time with "it" :( You looked everywhere but here... :)



I must say she is a damn good cook!
A Day In The Life of a Frugal Foodie | Where frugality and food collide with delicious consequences (http://justafrugalfoodie.wordpress.com/)

Drooool!

[Sniper-T]

So, hey!

I just spent some time perusing her blog... and if that's the kind of thing you're eating everyday... why are you so hard on me and my dinner porn?

I miss her on that thread... :(

[Evolver]

So, hey!

I just spent some time perusing her blog... and if that's the kind of thing you're eating everyday... why are you so hard on me and my dinner porn?

I miss her on that thread... :(

She is a fantastic cook but I have a sever addiction to Fresh Cold Water Shellfish/Seafood. :p Oh... My my name is Evolver and I'm a member of FCWSAA... :o

[Sniper-T]

LOL... Oh buddy... you are so done!!!

I have a few pounds of blue swimming crab, dying to make the plate.

I`ll have to break out the good camera, and get some quality shots.

mwahahahhahahahahahaha

hahahahaha
ha hahahah


hahahahaha

[Evolver]

YOU ARE... Thinking.... A... PUSHER!!! That right damn it a PUSHER!!!! :mad:

[Evolver]

Evolver is now online placing a order to Canada's fresh fish market with same day air.

[Sniper-T]

Ooooh, and I got a bunch of those jumbo scallops left too!

I heard that mussels and clams are on sale right now. have to stop tomorrow.

c,mon man... whatcha give me for a bowl of seafood boil ??? maybe over some wild rice?

with some fresh bruschetta?

and maybe ...

[Evolver]

Justa just had to pick Evlover up off the floor not knowing what was wrong with him... He had this glazed look in his eye and had his wallet in hand.

[JustAPrepper]

So how special am I?

I'll tell you how special I am.

Not only was I paid a visit by Mr. Sniper but I was also "curmudgeoned" by the best curmudgeon I know...Grumpy Old Man.

You guys MADE MY DAY!! Thank you so much for taking a few minutes and reaching out!

Grumpy...sending you hugs and kisses...Sniper...I'll see you in the kitchen! I'm off to get caught up on the Food Porn thread.

[Sniper-T]

Justa's back...
Justa's back!!!

:)

[Grumpy Old Man]

Sheeeeee's Baaaaaack! Welcome home Justa!!

[Evolver]

The fight of our Root-Knot Nematode problem has begun and it's time to burn them dirty rotten bastards to death by solarization.

I need to get the soil temp up to 120f or higher so I'm adding something thats "The Shit" to make it happen.:)

Found a local Equestrian Center that was willing to give me all the shit that I could handle, I told them I could take all the shit that they could dish out. When I got there I was way wrong... There was a ton of nice looking shit... I mean Grade A stable waste thats a mixture of ruff cut sawdust bedding, wheat straw, feed, urine and good ole shit so I just took what I needed. :)

10 full wheelbarrow's worth in my 12' job trailer.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06647.jpg

It should be good stuff.
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06649.jpg

[Evolver]

Removed the soaker hose system and dug enough soil out of the 4 4'x12' to accommodate 2'' worth of shit.
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06654.jpg

Leveled

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06655.jpg

Top with soil then turned under.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06665.jpg

[Evolver]

Reinstalled soaker hoses and did a wet test before burying to make sure the hoses weren't clogged up.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06675.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06676.jpg

Buried the hose just before the rain came so now it's ready for the clear plastic sheeting.

Nematodes... You are going to DIE!! Bawwww Ha Haaaaaa!!!!

To be continued tomorrow.

[bacpacker]

Thats a lotta shit you got there. It'll get good and warm under the plastic.

[Evolver]

Yeah It should do a few things, help heat up the ground during its curing process, add bio mass and nutrients.

I should add, for the people thats just starting out. Uncured manure (green) should only be put directly into your garden if your *not* going to be planting for at least 12 weeks and you are solarizing. It will burn your plants and you will get weeds from the seeds that passed through the animal.

How to cure manure for your garden...

1
Choose a suitable area for the manure compost pile or bins. Take into consideration prevailing winds, neighbors, and water runoff when choosing where to put your pile.
2
Build composting bins or create a manure pile. Some people may choose to build 2 or 3 box structures side-by-side so that pile is contained. There are also various ready-made composters available at garden supply or hardware stores. If you are not using composting bins, the manure pile should be at least 3x3x3 and no larger than 5x5x5.
3
Add manure and other organic materials such as leaves, grass clippings, animal bedding, ash from a fire place, and table scraps such as fruit, egg shells, and vegetables.
4
Roll the curing manure pile weekly. The manure will need to be exposed to air to cure properly. Do this by either flipping the manure pile into the next composting bin or moving the center of the pile to the outside and the outside edges to the center. This will allow the manure to cure evenly throughout the pile.
If you are using the pile method, you can aerate the compost pile by using a tractor, by hand, or by inserting PVC pipes into the pile to act as chimneys. If you do not roll the pile, composting will still occur, but it will take longer.
5
Add water. Curing manure requires a certain amount of moisture, and if your pile is not exposed to rain or if you are composting during a dry season, you may have to add moisture.
Test the moisture in the pile by squeezing a portion of the material from the center of the compost manure. If a few drops appear, the compost is in good shape. If there are a lot of drops or too few you will need to adjust the moisture content.
6
Examine the compost to be sure the manure has cured sufficiently for use. The compost should be dark, crumbly, and soil-like. The temperature should be within a few degrees of the air temperature, and the volume will have decreased to 1/3 the size of the original pile.

During the curing process you want to get the internal temps as high of possible to kill the unwanted seeds and bacteria.

[Sniper-T]

^ add TIME to that equasion as well. I am getting many loads of horse manure from a local guy who plays POLO. he has 30+ horses, and a manure pile larger than most city lots. I get him to dig into the center, where it is many years old, he scrapes the top couple feet off (full of quak-grass). and I am left with some beautifully fertile soil. He just wishes I had a bigger truck to haul more away, and I just wish I had a bigger truck to haul more away.

It is all free to a good home, and he even loads me up with his tractor. Win-Win

[Evolver]

Here is how I covered the beds.

One side of the 6 mil clear plastic is buried 6'' down then attached to the other by screwing a 2''x2'' on top of the plastic, cut the bamboo 1 1/2 longer the the box is wide so it formed a arch when installed.
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/1205280001.jpg

Then draped the remaining plastic back across forming a second layer with a dead air space between, rolled the other side of plastic around a 1''x2'' then fastened to the box, Stapled the ends to the end of each box.
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/1205280002.jpg

We get some pretty good winds here so I hope it will hold up.

[Evolver]

I'm baking Nematodes Hooo Whooo!!! I got a 20'' compost thermometer and today the air temp in the shade was 95F.

Internal Temps today at 6:30pm 30min after some high clouds rolled in:
3'' down was 135F
6'' 125F-129F
10'' 120F
15'' (bottom of beds) 110F

115 kills the hatched Nematodes and 120 will kill the eggs.
120-130 kills the seedlings that passed through the animal or what was in the stable bedding from feeding.

So... This is a good rule of thumb for your composer's. You want the temps up around 120-130 to kill the seeds so you don't end up with a million tomato, zuc, cuk and squash plants to weed out of your garden.

[Sniper-T]

^ great info Evolver. tx for keeping us posted! and... keep us posted!

;)

[Grumpy Old Man]

Has Justa left us for bigger and better things?? Is the garden doing okay with just Evolver to watch over it? Does Justa have any new and delicious recipes?? Inquiring ant hive minds want to know!

[JustAPrepper]

Hey Grumpy...I'm still around! :)

Right now I'm the one watching over the homestead and the garden while Evolver is out of town for a bit.

We're still baking our dirt and hopefully killing off those nasty Nematode bastards. I'm getting lower readings than what Evolver was getting. Full depth was only 100°, halfway was 120°. I was hoping for something a lot higher than that since we've had full sun for days but we've still got another month or two to go.

Most of the bamboo stakes "rolled" over when Tropical Storm Debby came through a couple weeks ago. Even though we didn't get inundated with rain we still got enough to put enough pressure on the plastic to pull the stakes down. I've tried "rolling" them back up (through the plastic without actually lifting the top layer off) but I can't quite get them up. Using the bamboo was totally my idea. Evolver wanted to use 1 x 2's (I think) as straight braces across to provide the double-pane effect but I didn't want to spend the money so we used what we had on hand. Live and learn I suppose.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/2cb32798.jpg

Today I got my gardening notebook up to date. I let it go late last year when everything started dying off but now that things are happening again I needed to get back on it and get caught up. I keep a journal of daily temps and rainfall as well as monthly averages and went all the way to back to 2005 collecting weather data. I also log what we plant, when we plant and keep notes about the health of the plants and when we start to see certain bugs/disease. Even though we've only been doing this a few years its already become invaluable because we can see patterns, especially with the bugs, so we know what to expect and when. Also we are still experimenting with a wide variety of plants and I can look back and see which ones grew better than others, for example, the Black Hungarian Peppers (like a Jalapeno) grew really well for us so they will continue to make a repeat performance each year.

Today I got our tomato, chiles and peppers started for the fall plant. I really need to get a shelving unit on wheels that I can keep on the front porch to keep them out of the rain and wheel in to the sun when need be but we haven't gotten around to it yet (hint, hint, Evolver). Right now I start them on the back patio, with no covering, and keep them in tubs that I can cover when it rains...until they get too big. I always lose about half our seedlings due to rain or mildew or Damping Off or some other awful thing but here's what I started today...

Chiles/Hot Peppers
Pasilla Bajio - x 6
Black Hungarian - x 6
Jalapeno - x 6
Serrano - x 6
Ancho - x 6
Anaheim - x 6
Italian Pepperoncini - x 6

Sweet Peppers
Purple Beauty - x 6
Friariello DiNapoli - x 6

Tomatoes
Green Zebra - x 6
Homestead - x 6
Arkansas Traveler - x 6
Marion - x 6

Cherry Tomatoes
Isis Candy - x 3
Gajo DeMelon - x 3
Matt's Wild Cherry - x 3

For a total of 87 babies.

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/65397eeb.jpg

I need to pick up a couple more tubs tomorrow while I'm out...

http://i255.photobucket.com/albums/hh140/Julie-Girl/GARDENING/b755f6eb.jpg

I'm actually 10 days earlier than last year but last year we had tons of rains late summer that wiped out most of our little seedlings and I had to keep starting over. Hopefully I'll have better luck this year and by the time the garden is solarized, turned and cooled, we can plant healthy plants late September/early October.

Fingers crossed. :cool:

[bacpacker]

Glad you decided to make a return :)

The plantings look good and should provide plenty even after die off's. I to keep a journal for the garden, although I was just way to busy this year to fool with it. I do have most years recorded back into the early 90's some years have more than others, but I still find it useful from time to time.

[JustAPrepper]

BP, I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one that keeps a journal! All the way back to the 90's?! Have you been gardening that long or did you just dig up the data? I've been using this site to get mine based on weather reports from an airport that is just a few miles down the road...Weather History @ Weather.org (http://weather.org/weatherorg_records_and_averages.htm)

[bacpacker]

I've been working in gardens since 1968, not every year, but most years since then. My journal morphs over time, I've recorded planting signs, temps, rainfall, planting and harvest dates, bugs, what cover crops I've used, and pesticides that's been applied. Things like that. Some years I don't get anything written, or just basics. More or less what ever I have time for. I never have been able to do a daily temp chart, although I do send in rainfall data to this group.

CoCoRaHS - Community Collaborative Rain, Hail & Snow Network (http://www.cocorahs.org)

They work with a lot of agencies, National Weather Service, being the main one. They look to build as large of a base as possible and want the groups spread around every county in the country and are mainly lloking for varations in precip or lack of. They willingly acepet volunteers from any where in the states. If your into weather, it's a site worth checking out.

[Evolver]

Hey Grumpy...I'm still around! :)

Right now I'm the one watching over the homestead and the garden while Evolver is out of town for a bit.

We're still baking our dirt and hopefully killing off those nasty Nematode bastards. I'm getting lower readings than what Evolver was getting. Full depth was only 100°, halfway was 120°. I was hoping for something a lot higher than that since we've had full sun for days but we've still got another month or two to go.

.................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ............

Today I got our tomato, chiles and peppers started for the fall plant. I really need to get a shelving unit on wheels that I can keep on the front porch to keep them out of the rain and wheel in to the sun when need be but we haven't gotten around to it yet (hint, hint, Evolver).

Sounds like we need to add 3hr of water via the soaker hoses to activate the manure again... And... Hint taken! LOL I'll build you one after in get home. :)

[JustAPrepper]

Mr. and Mrs. Onestep were in my neck of the woods today. After they so kindly treated me to lunch we came back here to the house where Mr. Onestep took control. He brought a few sweet potato slips with him, marched his butt in to our garden, dug up a few weeds in one of the "rounds", grabbed a few gardening tools and promptly planted those little buggers.

My job is to keep them alive until Evolver gets back in town so I can pass the gardening buck.

Shoot...the pressure's on...:eek:

[IDTANDY]

I'm sure you'll work your majic.

[bacpacker]

Piece a cake.

Do you all sow them this early down there? We've not had ours out very long up here.

[ladyhk13]

I put mine out more than a month ago and the plants are getting huge!

[JustAPrepper]

BP, according to Onestep, here, slips are planted 4th of July and potatoes are harvested October. Some of those potatoes are saved as "seed" and planted the following April. Harvest in July, save slips and plant those so the process starts all over again.

[bacpacker]

Thats close to the timing we use. We plant about a month earlier but usually harvest late sept to mid oct.

[Evolver]

I really need to get a shelving unit on wheels that I can keep on the front porch to keep them out of the rain and wheel in to the sun when need be but we haven't gotten around to it yet (hint, hint, Evolver). Right now I start them on the back patio, with no covering, and keep them in tubs that I can cover when it rains...until they get too big. I always lose about half our seedlings due to rain or mildew or Damping Off or some other awful thing but here's what I started today...


Hint taken...


I found a rack at Lowes today and also found some casters to thread into the holes that the leveling legs screwed into.
Now I'm off the hook.... For now. :p

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/0803100273.jpg

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/0803100274.jpg

- - - Updated - - -

I'll load it up with grow lights for the winter so she can start her seeds inside.

[JustAPrepper]

As I was loading it, I was reminded of the movie Jaws. "We're gonna need a bigger rack."

What's not so visible is ALL the little Dixie Cups in the tubs. MOST of which have babies in them.

Yes, Captain Quint, we're gonna need a bigger rack.

[Evolver]

I pulled the solarization plastic off the beds today and the soil looks nice and loamy. :) I'll be giving it some water every other day to cool it off and adjusting the PH as best as I can with the DIY test kits and we'll start planting the first part of Sept for our Fall/Winter crop. Wooo Hooo!

[Taz Baby]

Congrats guy's I know you have been jonesing to plant a garden. We are finishing up our little spring container garden.

[JustAPrepper]

Congrats guy's I know you have been jonesing to plant a garden. We are finishing up our little spring container garden.

This fall actually makes our third year. We have battled every single thing Florida can throw at us. Weather, extremes of both hot and freezing cold, pests, disease, you name it. We are either to stupid to realize our limitations or too stubborn to give up. I still haven't decided. :p

[Evolver]

Our fall Corp is under way!!! Last weekend and today I transplanted a total of 38 Tomato and Peppers that Justa started from seed and will be planting the peas and beans next weekend and the rest in two weeks.


Chiles/Hot Peppers
Pasilla Bajio - x 3
Black Hungarian - x 3
Jalapeno - x 3
Serrano - x 6 *3 right now and 3 when they are ready
Ancho - x 2
Anaheim - x 2
Italian Pepperoncini - x 3

Sweet Peppers
Purple Beauty - x 3
Friariello DiNapoli - x 3

Tomatoes
Green Zebra - x 2
Homestead - x 2
Arkansas Traveler - x 2
Marion - x 4 (One of our favorites)

Cherry Tomatoes
Isis Candy - x 2
Gajo DeMelon - x 2
Matt's Wild Cherry - x 2




http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg835/scaled.php?server=835&filename=dsc06146a.jpg&res=landing

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg338/scaled.php?server=338&filename=dsc06144o.jpg&res=landing

[Sniper-T]

Fall crop??? I'm just hoping that everything I have will mature in the next few weeks before the frosts come, and here you are planting again! Geez!

Soon enough though... I'll have a nice crop of snowballs popping up

[Evolver]

Yeah you'll be here just in time to have tomatoes off the vine and some grilled peppers. :) I to am hoping that the frost stays out of your parts for awhile.

[Sniper-T]

According to the farmers almanac, I can expect my first frost on or around Sept 15.

I am hoping it is really wrong this year!

[bacpacker]

Your about 4-5 weeks ahead of us. We usually get one mid to late October. Hopefully yours will be late this year.

[Evolver]

Pole beans, Bush beans and Collards are now planted. Peas, Boc, Cab, Cuks, Beets and Squash will be going in at the end of the month.

[Taz Baby]

Pole beans, Bush beans and Collards are now planted. Peas, Boc, Cab, Cuks, Beets and Squash will be going in at the end of the month.

So how does it feel to get back into gardening again after the trouble you had? Great I am sure. Glad to hear you are getting a fall garden in, After so long of not having one try not to plant all your yard, leave room for a sidewalk to the front door.

[Evolver]

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[Sniper-T]

^
Someone has WAY too much spare time on his hands!!

First frost hit on Friday, Cukes are done, melons probably done, pumpkins are done, a few peppers took a beating, but everything else seems ok. Was +1 this morning when I left for work

[Evolver]

Nah... It was a copy paste job. :)

Sry to here about the losses and it looks like the Farmers Almanac was dead on on the first frost date. Amazing.

[Evolver]

Well... things are a growing in our refurbished soil. We are getting blooms and the fruit is starting to set.




http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06159_zps823d756c.jpg
Matt Wild Cherry Tomato.


http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06160_zps97909b8e.jpg
Isis Candy Cherry.

- - - Updated - - -

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06166_zps0676429f.jpg
Pepperoncini Pepper.


http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06167_zps5693d7da.jpg
Jalapeno

[Evolver]

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06165_zpsc0dafd6e.jpg
Pole beans are up.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06173_zps54c00f7b.jpg
Onesteps sweet potatoes that he planted for us while I was in Utah.

[Sniper-T]

I really like that garden set up.

sunken containers or edging?

[Evolver]

Thanks T and it's edging.

[bacpacker]

Nice pics. Looks like you are gonna have a nice haul. Those sweet taters look real good.

[Evolver]

Things are still growing nicely. :)

Here is a 4 1/2 week time-lapse.


Then...





http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg338/scaled.php?server=338&filename=dsc06144o.jpg&res=landing


Now...

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06177.jpg

[Evolver]

This Jalapeño will be our fist thing harvested from our 2012 garden.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06179.jpg

[Sniper-T]

lookin good!

I think the first thing I'll be harvesting in 2012 will be icicles

[Evolver]

Thanks T, Justa is cooking burgers tonight so that Jalapeño is coming off the vine. :)

[Sniper-T]

Looking forward to the dinner porn thread tomorrow

[Evolver]

Here's a few pic's from around the garden that I took this mourning.

Green Zebra's that are almost ripe.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06220.jpg


Matts wild cherry.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06213.jpg

[Evolver]

Purple Beauty bell pepper.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06216.jpg

Black Hungarian pepper.

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06215.jpg

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Jalapeño

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06217.jpg

Anaheim Chili
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06221.jpg

[Evolver]

Pasilla Bajio pepper

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06222.jpg
Anaheim Chili
http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06223.jpg

[Evolver]

March 1st is planting day here in zone 9 but we started a few days early.

This season we're not using any of our heirloom seeds because of us experimenting in living with our nematode problem to see if we can work around them by crop rotation.

So far we've planted four verity's of tomatoes, four verity's of peppers, Onions (My salsa) and herbs and I hope to get some Garlic bought, cucumber, beets, reddish and green onions in the ground this weekend.

[Evolver]

March 1st is planting day here in zone 9 but we started a few days early.

This season we're not using any of our heirloom seeds because of us experimenting in living with our nematode problem to see if we can work around them by crop rotation.

So far we've planted four verity's of tomatoes, four verity's of peppers, Onions (My salsa) and herbs and I hope to get some Garlic bought, cucumber, beets, reddish and green onions in the ground this weekend.


http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06315.jpg

Bee attractors (Pintas)



http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06316.jpg
Valida Onions

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06318.jpg

Tomatoes in a diffident bed

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06319.jpg

Peppers

[Evolver]

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06317.jpg
Herbs


http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06321.jpg
Old tomato beds (Test Beds)

http://i572.photobucket.com/albums/ss162/xplore2c/DSC06322.jpg
Last few Cabbages from our winter crop.

[bacpacker]

Your killin me E! That cabbage looks great. Looks like it's coming together for you. Hopefully you will be away from the nematodes this time.

I'm kinda thinkin I may try out the onion idea. Maybe for garlic.

[Grumpy Old Man]

Great garden Evo!! Please tell Justa that the curmudgeon may have to come looking for her if she doesn't post once in a while. We miss her! Besides, curmudging is what I do. I'll be preparing my garden in the next few days. It's still a little cold here.