Gardens 2020

[bacpacker]

Welcome back Vodin. Missed seeing you on here. Sounds like you've been busy. Hopefully you don't have another freeze or frost.

Socal, is this the site you buy from? Seems to me there are 2 seed groups like this, I'll try and find the other. I have purchased some from both in the past. They have good stuff.
I grow a heirloom tomato called German Queen. Pink tomato that gets so large 1 slice will cover a slice of bread. Makes one hell of a tomato sandwich or BLT. Let me know if you'd like to try some seed, I think I have some put back. There are several pink types. Check out Totally Tomatos. They have many many types of tomatos.

[Socalman]

Backpacker, I guess I should not be surprised that more than on such company would exist. Here is the one to which I was referring:

www.seedsavers.org

[bacpacker]

Sorry I forgot to attach the link. That is the one I was referring too.

[Katrina]

Hi all, Hope you're all safe. Garden boxes/ beds are planted and growing well. DH has his flowers all most done too. We've got 2 kinds of tomatoes, peas, carrots, peppers going. We're trying green onions, acorn squash and musk melons this year. Oh and a regular onion,one from store sprouted, so I had DH put it in the garden as an experiment.Planting marigolds and other flowers for bug control and to help the bees and butterflies. Glad to hear helo is home safe, hopefully none the worse for the wear. The skeeters are out in force thanks to all the rain past weeks.Guys came by last week and sprayed the apple trees, DH is going to spray them again per instructions so maybe this year we'll get edible apples.We replaced the sump pump this year. Old one was on it's last legs (we get tons of water) but it lasted 8 years so we're hoping to get at least that with the new one.During the rains it was going off every 28-30 seconds, I timed it. The old one would have died so I'm glad we did it before it started the weeks of rain. Hope we all have good harvests this year to put up.

[bacpacker]

Since my last post I built 2 4'x12'x2' raised beds, filled almost halfway with old limbs wood chunks, etc then topped it off with mushroom compost. Put some peatmoss and very rich organic potting soil on top. I filled one with onions and peppers, plus 1 tomato and a couple purple coneflowers. The other one has beans, peas, parsnips, carrots, more onions, a couple summer squash, and some cantaloupes. So far everything is doing good. I installed a drip irrigation system over the weekend.
In one of my garden spots we put out 26 tomatos more peppers, okra, & cucumbers. Okra never came up so replanted it this weekend too. My other spot I have tater, cabbage, kindey beans, great northern beans, & this weekend peaches and cream corn, sugar baby watermelons, & butternut squash.

[Socalman]

Quick report on late spring/early summer harvests:

We have a bounty of avocados, giving many to friends and neighbors. The same with oranges, though many people do not like fresh aqueezed orange juice. I can not believe that! Our apricots are finished and we got a decent number this year. Last year the animals, birds, squirrles and bears got the majority. Eating fresh, froze some and dehydrated some. Same with peaches that are just ripening. We gave some peaches to the neighbor across the street, last evening she brought fresh peach cobbler over to us! Great cook, she recently graduated from the Pasadena Culinary Institute and does some catering. Recent hot weather in the mid 90's pretty much ended the lettuce crop, we harvested the few remaining plants before it bolted. The edible pod peas did not have a good germination rate but got a few handfuls to use in soup and chinese food. My wife is not supposed to eat peas now anyway so it works. Lesson was learned on those, do not use old seed! My string beans, kentucky wonder p[ole beans are starting to produce. Picked the first few yesterday and checked this morning. Should have a nice little amount tomorrow! Tomatoes are growing like, well, tomatoes. One is a variety called Better Bush. It is very compact and dense but has several good sized fruits on it. Just waiting for those to turn red! The other vines are starting to set fruit. I was late to the party this year, we usually have fresh ones by mid-June. Zucchini plants are doing well, looking fine. Will plant a few more soon to insure a longer harvest time.

That's it.

By the way, if rioters come to your area, please do not litter, pick up your brass!

[bacpacker]

Sounds like a bountiful spring for you. Wish we could grow avocados and oranges here.

We are a ways behind you. Lettuce and spinach have bolted, but produced well till it did. Been eating some small onions, several different herbs, Mulberry trea was pretty good this year. Garpes are growing off well. Blueberries are just getting started, we may have harvested a pint over last 2 weeks. But next 2 weeks we'll be pickin that every other day for a little while. Most of the Apples tress has some apples, a couple is loaded. 1 pear has a good amount on it as well. Still a few weeks out for harvest.
The raised beds are doing great, got a few peppers so far, plenty more to come. Snow peas are just starting to make and are still blooming. Onions are growing like crazy and parsnips and green beans look good. In the ground the tomatos and other peppers, okra, and cukes are coming alomg. Will be harvesting maters and cukes in the next week or two.
My other spot I got a row of kidney beans blooming and great northern's growing well planted about 3 weeks later. Already harvest 3 cabbage and will pick 3 more tomorrow. Still have 6 heads of red cabbage just now forming up. And my taters are in full bloom and so far no tater bugs. Watermelons and butternut squash are coming up. Damn crows picked all my corn. All in all I'm happy with it

[gm2]

Well it was a shaky year for my garden. Lots of ideas and new things. Some worked and some didn't, and even more are still in process.

Horseradish, asparagus, rhubarb and chives are all doing great.

I had a scare with my tomato plants and the frost but they survived and I have my first little tomatoes coming in.

Snap peas are really slow this year but I believed to properly prepare a bed for them and just kind of threw something together.

Brussel sprouts are doing well,

Carrots got drowned I think

Onions are too hot to grow right. Should have started them sooner.

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[bacpacker]

GM sounds like over all your doing pretty good. I wish I could grow brusell sprouts here, way too hot. But for onions, I don't think heat is your problem. We've been in the 90's a good part of the past month and our onions are doing really good. THey do require regular deep watering and need lite fertilze every 2-3 weeks.
I get my onion slips for here. If you look around they have an outstanding section on growing tips.
https://www.dixondalefarms.com/

https://www.dixondalefarms.com/onionguide

[gm2]

What fertilizer do you use? I just grabbed a 10-10-10 for general use

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