Today I added compost from the compost pile to one raised bed and planted green peas (60 days to harvest), a row of radishes (22 days to harvest), and carrots (68 days to harvest). I'm going to have to treat one of the raised beds for ants before I plant anything. I flooded it out a while back but I think the ants can tread water because it doesn't seem to have phased them. I've also tried grits and Borax.
We got the material to make another raised bed and I think I'll try potatoes in it this year instead of in the buckets.
Dug up an August Beauty Gardenia and planted it somewhere else.
Wow, so I have been thinking about planting a few things this year, tomatoes', peppers maybe some cantaloupe and/or watermelon. Oh and cucumbers...THINKING about it, but man o man, I must be way behind cause you already have things in the ground. It has been like 25 years since i last tried veggie gardening, so maybe I should do some research on this.
Mary keep thinking. There is time for us yet--We all plant according to our zones. Bestofour is in a warmer climate than say you and I. I am literally in between zone 6a & zone 6b. if I had to pick I would pick 6a.
I have planted potatoes on March 17th, and done so in shorts....but I have also waited until April.
I plant my flowers after or around Mother's Day...but at least after May 5th. (of course a number of bulbs are planted in the fall & so do not count in that comment)
Yes do some research on it...things like spinach/lettuce/green onions/radishes are cool weather crops & are planted early. directions are often on the back of seed packets or on the internet. Plants like tomatoes/green peppers/cucumbers can be planted after all danger of frost is past. That way you can avoid having to cover them when a frost is predicted.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Thanks for the advice. I think i will look at the internet and see what is planted in my zone and when. I want to try it but I don't want to kill myself doing it. I also might need to think of a way to keep squirrels out of things. Deer can't get to it because I will plant inside a privacy fence, but the squirrels could have a hay day. Not sure if they would, but not sure if they wouldn't.
That's right Mary. Green peas, carrots, and leafy greens can be planted here early. Not so sure about the radishes but if they don't make it I'll just throw out more radish seeds. I won't plant anything else til sometime in May.
The raised bed is still NOT put together and I'm sick of mentioning it. I also don't have straw bales yet. Over the years I've said a million times I want a pick up truck but I've never gotten one. I think that's about to happen and then I'll pick up my own stuff. I'm sick to death of dealing with a man. If the rain ever stops, which isn't looking good at this point, I'm going to put my raised bed together myself even if I have to go to Lowe's and buy my own tools.
I will have to adopt that philosophy, Sunny. U am sure I have said but I will not be gardening this year---next year I will try in the red clay soil of Missouri.
Sheri, can you hire out the things you want done. I could not but since you work/worked, you should be able to use your own money to do that, right?
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
I do hire things out a lot, which was my plan about this raised bed, but Johnny said more than once that he'd do it. I should have known better because he is working his plumbing job and doing a lot at the church. The person who was doing some work for me is using drugs again and I'm sort of afraid of having him here. He's never stolen anything or hurt anybody but I have a strange feeling about him lately so I'm being cautious. It's something I should be able to do myself if the board lengths are correct.
The person who was doing some work for me is using drugs again and I'm sort of afraid of having him here. He's never stolen anything or hurt anybody but I have a strange feeling about him lately so I'm being cautious
I'd be cautious as well....drug use has taken over everywhere it seems. Here they'd steal anything to sell for a pill.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
Well drug boy called Johnny again and Johnny told him to be here today between 9 and 10. Johnny told me to give him something to do that he couldn't mess up. Right. Johnny called him at 10 and he said he over slept and that it wouldn't take him long to get here. Johnny told him I had to be somewhere around 1. He called twice saying he was 15 minutes away. Liar lair pants on fire. I was getting ready to leave when he showed up. I took him out to the flag pole and told him to "get the shovel and turn the dirt over around the pole and add in the 2 bags of soil because I am planning on planting sunflower seeds there. (I took him to the soil and showed him) Below is what I came home too. He was gone and I just happened to walk out there. He had dug a trench 2 feet deep and poured the bags of dirt in the trench. The dug out dirt was thrown all over the place. These pictures are after I started filling the trench back up because I thought it was going to rain. I put the shovel against the pole to give a visual aid to the depth. If the flag pole hadn't been cemented in it would have fallen over.
I hope not but if I know Johnny he will be. But I won't be asking him to help me. Johnny will have to give him some type of job and then redo it himself. I'm so glad I put what dirt I could find back in that hole because it's rained all day today and what he didn't throw all over the place would have been dried mud.
I am definitely going to miss homegrown tomatoes this year. Do you put your Cherokee Purple tomatoes directly into the ground or do you use bales or pots??? I love the taste, but I have trouble growing them.
YAY for Mr. Rape !! and yay for new raised beds !!
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
I start tomatoes from seed because it takes too long for them to get to a decent size once it"s warm enough to put a seed in the ground. It"s my favorite tomato.
Got the potatoes planted and started working on the bed for tomatoes. The straw bales are ready when it's time to plant and today I got plenty of radishes. They're unusually tasty this year for some reason. Maybe the strange weather helped. Still no flowers on the peas. It took 1-1/2 hour to pull the bedstraw out of the daylily bed. The sunflowers around the flag pole are coming up. Only have 1 bloom on the peonies this year. Not sure what happened.
Sunny, nothing has changed where they"re planted. It"s rained a lot this winter and temperatures have vascilated so wondering if the weather has caused it. They"ve always bloomed.
My tomato seedlings are growing but it's too windy to sit them out of the green house. As soon as I feel better I'm going to direct sow the squash and cukes.
Johnny put some dirt in the new raised bed so I'm going to go out and do a few things being careful not to overdo it. I'm ready to be over this virus or whatever it is I have. Maybe plant tomatoes.
Evidently I have been doing to much, which is next to nothing, because I can't get over whatever this is. I really need to plant the rest of the tomatoes but I just can't. Plus now it's turned hot 85°.
Sunny, what do you do with your rhubarb? I've heard that people make pies with them but can't imagine eating a rhubard in a pie.
I left my tomato seedlings out in the rain and wind yesterday and it's still raining so we shall see what's happened to them when I can get out there.
2 squash seeds have germinated and all of the cucumbers seeds are up. I saw only 2 okra seeds sprouting through and a few of the limas have broken ground. Still not sure the potatoes are going to make it. I think I waited too late for those.
Sheri, I mix it with fresh strawberries for jam and pie fillings. It gives a nice tart flavor to the usual strawberry taste that a person usually uses.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
Sheri---The potatoes should come up. I have planted them later before--if nothing else you will end up with smaller potatoes...and there is no harm in that.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
I picked up carrot seeds...I also have my pole bean seeds that Junie sent me last year. I now save seeds from them since they are an heirloom variety...every time we'll eat them I'll think of her kindness
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
I also have my pole bean seeds that Junie sent me last year. I now save seeds from them since they are an heirloom variety...every time we'll eat them I'll think of her kindness
It was my pleasure !!! I hope they grow well for you.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
It's overcast today so I got to the garden early, around 9:00 AM, and planted some tomatoes, that I had in the little greenhouse, in buckets because I'm not overcrowding the raised beds. I way overplanted seeds this year and it forever for some of them to get big enough to put in the garden. I'm taking the other ones to the raised beds the kids and I are growing at the church.
It's so humid I had to get directly in the shower when I came in so I just now got finished cleaning up the house and am just now having lunch.
Didn't mention this morning that I'm eaten alive with mosquito bites. We have our yard sprayed but water is standing places due to the humidity accumulation.
The peas are definitely finished because they're beat down by the rain. And it's still raining. weeds every where. I'm going to run in between the rain drops tomorrow to pull a few of them out.
sorry for the weeds..I remember it rained here in IL so much one year that many people just mowed their gardens over--there was no other way.... point is it is not only you and it is not only in "your neck of the woods".. I hope your weather improves soon.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
I pulled up the dried up peas and saved some for the fall garden I'm planning. I cleaned out as much grass as I could get out and once again fertilized the squash. I can't imagine not having squash but it's not looking good.
The squash has blooms so maybe I'll get some squash after all. The tomato plants are gigantic with a few blooms but only a few actual tomatoes. What a year this has been.
Ate squash from the garden last night and brought in a few more today. So far only 1 cucumber. I have green tomatoes on the vine and worms right along with them. Never had tomato worms before. I sprayed them with soap so we shall see.
Here are the tomato plants after being under the canopy for several days. They look better but will never recover.
Squash and cucumbers are producing enough for us to eat but not enough to share unless we want to do without - which I'm selfish with my squash and don't.
Yep the tomato plants are taller than they've ever been but they were stunted production wise by the extreme heat so early. Wish I had thought of putting up the canopy sooner.
I have a new picture of the church garden but haven't uploaded it yet. Those plants are beautiful.
My pepper plants are doing that...they are tall but only making flowers now. They are usually short and full of small peppers by now....I might trim some flowers to boost them.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
Sunny has your weather been weird this season? I think my tomato plants got heat blasted early on and it messed up their growing cycle. The flowers would be yellow in the morning and burnt to a crisp by the afternoon. That stopped once I covered them but it may have been too late. I did have a few big, beautiful tomatoes that I was waiting to ripen but a big, old deer decided to take a chunk out of them. I'm bringing them in a little green now. I can't complain though because we've had plenty to eat. I won't have any to can this year and I haven't had any to share, except 2 or 3, but that's ok. People can grow their own stuff if they really want it I suppose.
We'll probably never get heat like this again. We usually have the hottest temps in August for a week. I hope it doesn't get hotter now that it is here
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
I'm too lazy to look back but I think I posted how my squash wasn't doing well at the beginning. I think it got heat blasted too because the seeds I planted later have done ok. The original squash plants are still out there and producing some but they're not nearly as productive as the new ones. It's like the heat stunted everything. Too much too fast.
I'm getting a little okra. I'm having to save up though to have enough to cook.
Junie I slice the pods and either roast them in the oven after rolling in olive oil or coat them with a little flour and fry them in hot grease. Either way is good and takes close to the same amount of time.
So speaking of the second planting of squash that was producing so well, the raised bed it's planted in is flooded because it's rained so hard for a couple of day. That can't be good :)
Junie I slice the pods and either roast them in the oven after rolling in olive oil or coat them with a little flour and fry them in hot grease. Either way is good and takes close to the same amount of time.
sounds like less trouble to roast them in the oven..thanks for the idea.
Originally Posted by Bestofour
So speaking of the second planting of squash that was producing so well, the raised bed it's planted in is flooded because it's rained so hard for a couple of day. That can't be good :)
probably not good, but since it is a raised bed, surely it will drain quickly, right ??? I hope you do not lose the plants.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
And you're right Junie. The water drained out and the plants aren't hurt and the squash was ready to be harvested.
Cooking the okra in the electric frying pan is just as easy as doing it in the oven. The work is having to cut it no matter which way you do it. Not sure why your okra was slimy after frying or roasting. Mine is crisp.
Okra plural The noun okra can be countable or uncountable. In more general, commonly used, contexts, the plural form will also be okra. However, in more specific contexts, the plural form can also be okras e.g. in reference to various types of okras or a collection of okras.
but I have only heard it like Sheri just explained.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Sorry about the picture mess (not to be confused with the mess of okra)
I"m already deciding what to plant in the spring. The potatoes did ok in the raised bed but since I can get a bag for$1.00 at the farmers market I"m wondering if they"re worth the trouble.
Well as for potatoes...when we lived in the farm I planted enough to have potatoes for my family of 4 until January. I think home grown tastes better. Now, I did dry them well in my picnic table. Then stored then in trays and boxes (boxes were lined with newspaper) in my basement. Also the potatoes did not touch each other. The trays did not make it all 14 years that we lived in IL. ( they were the kind of trays that the bread delivery guys use) I miss those days. I hope to at least grow tomatoes next year...
Sheri, what kind of heirloom tomatoes do you grow ? I have tried to grow them 2 different years with no luck...
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
I grow Cherokee Purple. They are my favorite tasting tomato. The problem with them is that once they are ripe they go bad in 4 or 5 days so they need to be eaten or canned quickly. See the star on the bottom on those tomatoes? Pick them as soon as that star appears and bring them in to let them ripen inside. The taste is the same and they won't split.
Thanks for the advice..But I have tried 2 or 3 times to grow Cherokee Purple. The first time what few tomatoes there were went bad before they were ripe. The 2 nd time there was 1 tomato and it turned half red & rotted. Is there some trick to it ?
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Cherokee Purple sort of look rotten when they're completely ripe because of the dark color. Maybe they just don't grow well in your area. I grew Abraham Lincoln's a few years but just didn't like the taste enough to keep growing them. Pick your tomatoes earlier and let them ripen in a window sill or in a bowl with bananas. Ask the master gardener at Lowe's or whatever store you have there. Cherokee Purple keep a tomato shape for the most part too. Some of the other heirlooms look more like a pumpkin and aren't good for making tomato sandwiches unless you like a bunch of small slices.
I have never seen the purple here....but this heat has my Scotia Girl variety getting red on the vine. That has never happened before. Usually the only tomatoes to ripen on the vine in this area are the cherry tomatoes.
I did plant one purple pepper plant this year. I figured if it grew I would save seeds...and to my amazement there are purple peppers. I love to try new things/veggies.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
Sunny can you grow the yellow or striped or chocolate looking tomatoes? How about colored peppers? Next year I"m going to try some dry beans. Not sure what kind because I don"t like red or black ones.
Cherokee Purple sort of look rotten when they're completely ripe because of the dark color. Maybe they just don't grow well in your area. I grew Abraham Lincoln's a few years but just didn't like the taste enough to keep growing them. Pick your tomatoes earlier and let them ripen in a window sill or in a bowl with bananas. Ask the master gardener at Lowe's or whatever store you have there. Cherokee Purple keep a tomato shape for the most part too. Some of the other heirlooms look more like a pumpkin and aren't good for making tomato sandwiches unless you like a bunch of small slices.
next time you pick one take a picture of it and show me please...perhaps I did leave them on the vine too long\. I know I love the taste
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Sheri, I'm not sure exactly what kind of tomatoes would grow....we never see any variety except for the basic. The purple pepper was a new kind the nursery decided to try....depending on the Summer's we have, maybe we'll see more things to try out. Beefsteak tomatoes will only grow here in a green house.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
This has certainly been a strange growing season for me. Usually at this time of year everything is winding down but the tomatoes have had a resurgence and they have hundreds of blooms. (I'm eating a Cherokee Purple with an egg right now) and the second planting of squash is doing well. I'm wondering what I'll do for a fall planting. Anyone every grown butternut squash? Is it a fall crop?
I plant Marigolds in my garden...it seems to help with bugs. As they die back, I clip the flowers and break them open and sprinkle it around. Marigolds stink like skunks
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
Sunny, Can I send seeds to Canada? Message me your address if I can. Marigold seeds don't look like regular seeds. Mine reseed and sometimes I keep the dried flowers and sprinkle them outside when it gets warm. My sister in West Virginia started some outside in little pots last year. Maybe you should try in pots first and see what happens.
Got a ton of tomatoes and okra out of the garden today. Froze some of the okra. Cooked the other. I might freeze some of the tomatoes rather than canning.
What I do is take a empty can of tomatoes, wash it out and set it aside to use as my measure. Then I cut an X into the skin of my tomatoes on the bottom. Drop them into boiling water for a few minutes, take them out, drop them in ice water, remove them from that bath, remove the now loose skins, cut them up and stuff a can full. Dump this into a freezer container, cover with a perfectly cut piece of wax paper, put on the lid & freeze. When you needs can of tomatoes, you have your fresh ones in the freezer ready to go.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Junie I just love this quote from you "perfectly cut piece of wax paper". Reminds me of something Martha Stewart might say since everything she does is "perfect". I'm going to steal your really good idea about using a can for measuring. You're so smart.
And Sunny, the reason I'm freezing rather canning is because it takes a lot more tomatoes to can than freeze and I'm not sure I'll have enough to can.
Thanks Sheri ! and as far as perfectly goes, I wanted to get across the idea that the entire top of the tomatoes should be covered to cut down on freezer burn.
I freeze b/c to me it is safer than canning.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Sunny what kind of beans did you plant? We don't eat a lot of beans but I'm thinking of planting one variety next year. I saw where a lady takes wire and makes a big round with it bracing it with a few stakes and then plants her beans around it. She lets the pods get completely dry before harvesting all of them. I didn't realize that dry beans don't keep flowering and producing if you pick them like peas, green beans, and limas do. Do you have a favorite variety?
I planted the snake runner bean and the yellow was bush variety this year...I usually plant more but GG wanted a pumpkin patch and that took up the extra space. I plan to expand my garden a few ft more before Winter is here.
~~Tam~ You can bury all your troubles by digging in the dirt.
Harvested tomatoes and okra. If we get the predicted rain the tomato plants will be ruined but the okra may still be ok. The garden was full of butterflies and big bumble bees today.
I pulled up the tomato plants today. They had a few green tomatoes and a few scattered flowers but I had a helper today so I just went for it. My helper took the green tomatoes to fry up. I don't like fried tomatoes.
I left the okra because it's still blooming and a few of the basil plants because I want to gather seeds.
I went to mom's house today. I took a few tomatoes from her plants as she will not be eating them. I will sure enjoy them. Sadly I did not think to get any green ones.
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Life isn't about how to survive the storm, but how to dance in the rain!! .....
Still 93° here and the okra is loving it. I'm going to try and get some lettuce in the ground this week. Maybe radishes too. I'm hoping that since it's been so hot there will be some plants left.
Gardening in March
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