# 2021 garden season



## sonny580

Anybody thinking about the upcoming garden season? Plans? bigger smaller, same size plots? Any change in crops or crop varieties? How about equipment?
We plan on the same 4.5+ acre garden this year but will have more different varieties than last year. Prostate cancer last year really slowed me down and I have a few ideas this year to help keep the weeds down.
The usual 5 or 600 tomato plants, several dozen cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant will be planted IF the seed will grow. Expanding the hotbed area by 3 times current size for starting major amounts of plants at the same time this year trying to get a jump on the weather if possible.
Onion plants are on order and the week of March 23 they plan on shipping them and we can usually plant same day we get them. didnt get any on order last year but did this time. 
Hauled in over 25 big dump truck loads of horse manure last fall and plowed it under 16" deep after subsoiling 36" deep with our antique JD subsoiler.
Looks like there are 4 other horse owners not far from here that offered us there horse manure, so we will stockpile it during the summer and spread in the fall after harvest and plow it under again.
Would like everyone to join in this discussion! Thanks!


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## Del_

Just gearing up to start our vegetable seedings indoors.


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## sean donato

I'm about on par with Del. Have a few planted waiting for sprouts, and the rest will be planted here soon. I think we're going to try out the "big" garden area again this year, and well as the small garden off the side of the house. Normal stuff will be planted, hot peppers, bell pepper, tomatoes, beets, lettuce, cabbage, eggplant, cucumber, squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and this odd kohlrabi plant my wife likes that I detest.


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## southpaw

Have 2 50'X 50' gardens and excited already for the upcoming season 

Just the house hold basics , like tomato (several types of course ) kale ,spinach , beets, onions and would like to grow eggplants and potato like always but the potato beetle problem was horrible last season .......I don't use any type of herbicides or pesticides so the weeds and potato beetle make life hard for me .

I put down 20 Cu.Yd. of mulch last year and I use grass clippings all summer along with tons of leaves that people leave me out here but still I get overwhelmed with weeds eventually as I cave in to hand picking them , think I'll go with black mesh barrier this year , All the wood bark from splitting goes right in the gardens also 

Never used chemicals but think I may have reconsider things 

Oh, and grew Tomatillos last year and man are these awesome , most people say what in the world are those things but when they try one they are hooked so going to have plenty of them this season


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## ChoppyChoppy

Still have 4 months before planting time.


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## Goinwheelin

I’m always thinking about next season, but I didn’t start getting serious about this one until the winter solstice. I added heat pads and a digital thermostat to my germination closet with my focus on growing hot peppers and chiles this year. I’ve already started on Habanero, Cayenne, Serrano, and Carolina Reaper. Those seedlings will hang out in the back room until they get true leaves then move to the grow room in the garage. After that I’ll start on the Numex Chiles and the Jimmy Nardellos mid to late February. The only tomato I’m growing this year is the Tami G F1 hybrid. Veggies I won’t start until mid March or April. My plot is only 18’x25’ so I’m space limited but I’ll sneak a zucchini and cucumber in there. I have a mound off to the side where I’ll grow sugar pumpkin and that is about it. Oh and the raspberries I forgot about those.

Edit: around these parts peppers are either hot or sweet. Chiles are relatively hot but much larger and intended for roasting or stuffing. My favorite is the Numex stuffed with cream cheese and roast chicken sprinkle with pepper jack and bake in the oven mmmmmm


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## sean donato

southpaw said:


> Have 2 50'X 50' gardens and excited already for the upcoming season
> 
> Just the house hold basics , like tomato (several types of course ) kale ,spinach , beets, onions and would like to grow eggplants and potato like always but the potato beetle problem was horrible last season .......I don't use any type of herbicides or pesticides so the weeds and potato beetle make life hard for me .
> 
> I put down 20 Cu.Yd. of mulch last year and I use grass clippings all summer along with tons of leaves that people leave me out here but still I get overwhelmed with weeds eventually as I cave in to hand picking them , think I'll go with black mesh barrier this year , All the wood bark from splitting goes right in the gardens also
> 
> Never used chemicals but think I may have reconsider things
> 
> Oh, and grew Tomatillos last year and man are these awesome , most people say what in the world are those things but when they try one they are hooked so going to have plenty of them this season


I make my rows wide enough apart to get the little tiller between them. Makes keeping the weeds at bay much easier. 
I have been doing my winter splitting over the bug garden area, I figured the dirt is always so nice and black out back where I split by the wood shed, may as well just make the mess in the garden area this winter. Seems to be working out so far, and I dont have to load the dump cart up with the shovel and truck the mess away.


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## sonny580

4 months will go fast! We did get plant tray heat mats for this year--never had them before and they sound like a good idea so any little help will be great in starting seeds indoors. Later on we will start the outdoor hotbed and get a lot of our "saved seed" going out there along with the sweet potatoes for plants.
We find that it is necessary to use a few chems. to help control weeds and bugs. We dont go too heavy with them---just enough to do the job.
We usually have a lot of different squash and pumpkins. sugar pie is a great one. This year we are adding Dickinson type----had them years ago and they make the best pies! --Libbys use a modified version of the Dickinson variety. 
New this year will be honey dew melons---havent had them for 10 years but used to grow them. A few watermelons will go somewhere.
Potatoes this year will go to different area. Also will be planting a bunch up at Pontiac club show grounds to demonstrate a members antique digger.


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## Wood shed

Filled (topped off) our raised beds with manure and seeded the hole garden to winter rye in late Aug.









Actually the first two pics were spring and the last was Aug. 2020.



This is the watering system we used with drip hose, water tank hold 80 gallon, next year will pressurize tank with a 12V sprayer pump.


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## sonny580

Nice raised beds you have there! ----we tried them one year but didnt have time to carry water enough to do the job.----kinda gave up on them. They would work if you had a good way to water them. A guy on the other side of the county here uses them but he has water system and drip tape in them.
Today I got another big dump truck load of horse manure to add to the compost pile.


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## AKTrailDog

Been thinking about gardening season a lot, lots of new projects this year involved. But I can't get anything in the ground til June anyway. It'll be fishing season by then! Then it'll be hunting season. The one season that doesn't end though is wood harvesting. Pretty jealous of the long growing seasons everyone else has


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## sean donato

Just got my seeds planted in their pots this weekend, pics to follow if/when they start to pop.


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## sonny580

We just started testing some of our saved seed to see how much of it will still sprout -----have some libby type canning pumpkin seed from 2014 that still sprouts--- kinda thought we lost that variety but might still be hope for this year. We love them for pies! ---I know there are other pumpkins and squash that work but we have been growing these for many years from saved seed. Last year they froze off --- late freeze here did a number on everything, no fruit either. late garden wasnt our normal way of growing, but did get a LOT of good stuff by hauling water all summer. Hauled 13,000 gallons from neighbors big well and saved the garden. Hope this year is a bit better.
Always wondered if you could grow gardens in Alaska. A friend of mine lives in Kodiac but never said about gardens there----he works in a machine shop part time and retired.
AK TrailDog -----LOVE your avatar pic! I always wanted to visit Alaska!


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## AKTrailDog

sonny580 said:


> We just started testing some of our saved seed to see how much of it will still sprout -----have some libby type canning pumpkin seed from 2014 that still sprouts--- kinda thought we lost that variety but might still be hope for this year. We love them for pies! ---I know there are other pumpkins and squash that work but we have been growing these for many years from saved seed. Last year they froze off --- late freeze here did a number on everything, no fruit either. late garden wasnt our normal way of growing, but did get a LOT of good stuff by hauling water all summer. Hauled 13,000 gallons from neighbors big well and saved the garden. Hope this year is a bit better.
> Always wondered if you could grow gardens in Alaska. A friend of mine lives in Kodiac but never said about gardens there----he works in a machine shop part time and retired.
> AK TrailDog -----LOVE your avatar pic! I always wanted to visit Alaska!


Thanks! It's tough growing up here outside. If you have a way to heat greenhouses or high tunnels you can start/extend a month or two but the ground/raised beds don't thaw until June and first freeze can happen late Aug, usually mid Sept where I'm at. Some fantastic growing though. The matanuska valley produces some of the largest vegetables in the world. As long as the soil is good and nutrient rich, it's amazing what you can do.
I started making all my own soil last year with everything found on my property (dirt, trees, leaves, woody debris, compost, chicken poop etc) been working well so far. Anxiously waiting to see how things produce this season


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## sean donato

AKTrailDog said:


> Thanks! It's tough growing up here outside. If you have a way to heat greenhouses or high tunnels you can start/extend a month or two but the ground/raised beds don't thaw until June and first freeze can happen late Aug, usually mid Sept where I'm at. Some fantastic growing though. The matanuska valley produces some of the largest vegetables in the world. As long as the soil is good and nutrient rich, it's amazing what you can do.
> I started making all my own soil last year with everything found on my property (dirt, trees, leaves, woody debris, compost, chicken poop etc) been working well so far. Anxiously waiting to see how things produce this season


Sounds better then the mountain clay I got lol. Got a lot of leaves and wood dirt mixed in for this year. Last year got a truck load of peat moss. It's looking better this year. But well see how she produces.


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## AKTrailDog

sean donato said:


> Sounds better then the mountain clay I got lol. Got a lot of leaves and wood dirt mixed in for this year. Last year got a truck load of peat moss. It's looking better this year. But well see how she produces.


For the most part there's good soil around or good enough make soil but there's also the clay and glacial moraines to deal with at times. Can be more rock than dirt. Then there's permafrost in other areas. Places that haven't seen daylight in 10,000 years. That's the fun stuff, dig a hole and hit ice


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## Goinwheelin

Carolina reaper sprout





Seed starting closet 





Need to get these guys transplanted to bigger pots and under the bigger lights. I’m slacking already lol


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## sean donato

My little set up. Not the best but its functional


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## Goinwheelin

sean donato said:


> My little set up. Not the best but its functional
> View attachment 884882


Gotta love those jiffy greenhouses. And emergency blankets.


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## sean donato

Goinwheelin said:


> Gotta love those jiffy greenhouses. And emergency blankets.


Heck yeah lol


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## southpaw

sean donato said:


> Sounds better then the mountain clay I got lol. Got a lot of leaves and wood dirt mixed in for this year. Last year got a truck load of peat moss. It's looking better this year. But well see how she produces.


A couple winters ago the utility company had a crew cutting limbs along their distribution lines and they had good sized truck with chipper & box , I asked the guys if they would like a place to dump at end of day and invited them to my place right down the road .

Believe it was 60 total yards they dumped that week and I just spread it out with the plow on my ATV , the following year I grew some nice sugar babies through that stuff.........my place use to be a dairy farm so the soil is plenty fertile to begin with and the mulch is mostly intended for weed control but is a great soil builder also.

Nice simple and free way to get mulch , in the summer I'll take a 2 yard trailer with sides that I built from an old boat trailer and go to the local burn site where they accept all yard waste ........there are several mounds of wood chips , leaves , grass clippings and black dirt there also free for taking, I usually take 2 yard load of heavily composted grass clippings & wood chips to put in the gardens .

Always people dumping and people loading up like myself for their gardens , there should be such sites right in your area to take advantage of .


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## sean donato

southpaw said:


> A couple winters ago the utility company had a crew cutting limbs along their distribution lines and they had good sized truck with chipper & box , I asked the guys if they would like a place to dump at end of day and invited them to my place right down the road .
> 
> Believe it was 60 total yards they dumped that week and I just spread it out with the plow on my ATV , the following year I grew some nice sugar babies through that stuff.........my place use to be a dairy farm so the soil is plenty fertile to begin with and the mulch is mostly intended for weed control but is a great soil builder also.
> 
> Nice simple and free way to get mulch , in the summer I'll take a 2 yard trailer with sides that I built from an old boat trailer and go to the local burn site where they accept all yard waste ........there are several mounds of wood chips , leaves , grass clippings and black dirt there also free for taking, I usually take 2 yard load of heavily composted grass clippings & wood chips to put in the gardens .
> 
> Always people dumping and people loading up like myself for their gardens , there should be such sites right in your area to take advantage of .


My township doesnt offer anything like that. Yet. We dont have the population density for it. Yet.... more people moving in every day. When I lived in north lebanon we did the same. I did offer the tree guys a place to dump, but was told I was too late for this trimming lol. Guess on of the neighbors beat me to it lol. It has greatly improved in the garden area, and I think this years wood waste will help out bug time. Just gonna run the bigger pieces through my little chopper a few times to break them down a bit more. We also started a compost pile, so once that starts breaking down well have that as well.


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## sonny580

We compost most anything that rots here ---makes for some real killer dirt after about 2 years, so we have at least 2 piles going at the same time.
The horse manure we get dont have much hay in it so what few seeds in it are killed in the compost cycle. I have one 3-year old pile that we use for potting soil --- I still stir it when I am on the skidloaders , keeps weeds from growing in it. Right now it just looks like black dirt and plants love it. also start seeds with it in trays or pots and put a bunch in our hotbed by the house to start more plants out there later on for the maincrop. --- house started plants are for the earlier crop.


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## sean donato

sonny580 said:


> We compost most anything that rots here ---makes for some real killer dirt after about 2 years, so we have at least 2 piles going at the same time.
> The horse manure we get dont have much hay in it so what few seeds in it are killed in the compost cycle. I have one 3-year old pile that we use for potting soil --- I still stir it when I am on the skidloaders , keeps weeds from growing in it. Right now it just looks like black dirt and plants love it. also start seeds with it in trays or pots and put a bunch in our hotbed by the house to start more plants out there later on for the maincrop. --- house started plants are for the earlier crop.


There was a guy selling his horse manure, but I just couldnt see paying for it. May have to stop by and see if we can come to some sort of arrangement. Our compost pile isnt even wheel Barrow worthy yet lol.


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## farmer steve

sean donato said:


> There was a guy selling his horse manure, but I just couldnt see paying for it. May have to stop by and see if we can come to some sort of arrangement. Our compost pile isnt even wheel Barrow worthy yet lol.


I have a barn full of sheep manure Sean. Your not that awful far from me. I haven't been able to haul to the field's because of the mud. It's been sitting in the barn for 2 years. I can load with the tractor. My thing with horse manure us the possibility of herbicide carryover. Some horse a hay farmers use it to kill the weeds because some horse people are picky about their hay. I don't think it is a widespread problem but know some other produce farmers that had problems.


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## sean donato

farmer steve said:


> I have a barn full of sheep manure Sean. Your not that awful far from me. I haven't been able to haul to the field's because of the mud. It's been sitting in the barn for 2 years. I can load with the tractor. My thing with horse manure us the possibility of herbicide carryover. Some horse a hay farmers use it to kill the weeds because some horse people are picky about their hay. I don't think it is a widespread problem but know some other produce farmers that had problems.


May take you up on that. I'm gonna stop off this weekend and talk to the horse guy down the street and see what's up. I'll keep you in mind, thanks!


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## southpaw

Sounds like you have pretty good handle on how to get compost materials and your are correct you should not have to be paying for it, most are generous and like being good neighbors helping one another out .

I'll give away lot's of produce thru the summer and never ask for money , usually I am rewarded later with firewood , venison , fish and other things that good people like to share with their neighbors ......gardening is a wonderful social event and it attracts some of the best people you can find.


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## sonny580

The neighbor and I have been taking his skidloader and big dump truck around here within 15 miles of us and picking up their chit for free--- they dont even have to get their tractor out of the shed. 
We give away most all of our produce here except for the small amount we process for us to last a year or two. 
Onions and sweetcorn are freeze-dried and will keep for many years IF stored in cool dry dark place.
Most of our produce goes to a church food bank where they pass it out to neighborhood needy and elderly folks who cant garden anymore.
Friends on facebook come get a fair amount and usually come christmas time they show up with something to let us know they remember the goodies. A couple guys deer hunt and make some great burger, and they bring us some along with other meats. --- GOTTA love friends! lol!

Manure and all compost fixins should be free---IF you dont take them--they most likely will have to pay to have the stuff hauled away!
One lady 13 miles form here wanted to sell her horse and donkey manure and later had to pay somebody to haul it away because of the way she treated the guys about it. --- several years ago she gave me a few loads then said that was all there was---big pile left on the other side of the barn, and her excuse was that it was seasoned 5- year old stuff and she had it sold but had to get rid of the fresher stuff in front so she could get into the old stuff to load it out! --- by the way she was a redhead with freckles , and had a live in!! IF that means anything!! LOL!


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## farmer steve

I know it's the 2021 Garden thread but, I had to clean up the 2020 garden. We are supposed to go down to the single digits tonight and these little guys weren't going to make it so I figured I'd better pick them.


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## AKTrailDog

farmer steve said:


> I know it's the 2021 Garden thread but, I had to clean up the 2020 garden. We are supposed to go down to the single digits tonight and these little guys weren't going to make it so I figured I'd better pick them.
> View attachment 885574


Picking fresh veggies on Jan, rough!

They look delicious!


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## sonny580

sprouts are good! ---- tried growing them here but season is too short! --- They claim the cold brings out the flavor in them too, so you should have some great eating there! lol!


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## AKTrailDog

In the last two weeks, we just started getting sunshine back in the house (up to 2hrs now, ha). Greenhouse is getting a bit and the raised beds are too. Broke the threshold of 5 min gain of sunshine a day last week. Spring will be here soon, in 3 months or so. Gotta re-panel the greenhouse this spring and fence in the raised beds. Add it to the list of things to get done! Never ends

Starting to think of setting up indoor grow room.

And if you're wondering, yes those are Christmas ornaments/figurines still up. Wife is swedish, they looooooove Christmas!!! Ha


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## sonny580

We used to leave our artificial tree on year round for nightlight in the bedroom! --- made just the right amount of light. Have the tree in a cabinet 4 x 2 x 2 feet with a door on the front. tree stays decorated, just close the door when not in use and the clock sits on top of the cabinet ---- double use! lol!
I still LOVE the pictures of Alaska! Been wanting to visit there since 1964 when I got out of high school, but it will never happen!
Great picture in the window!


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## AKTrailDog

sonny580 said:


> We used to leave our artificial tree on year round for nightlight in the bedroom! --- made just the right amount of light. Have the tree in a cabinet 4 x 2 x 2 feet with a door on the front. tree stays decorated, just close the door when not in use and the clock sits on top of the cabinet ---- double use! lol!
> I still LOVE the pictures of Alaska! Been wanting to visit there since 1964 when I got out of high school, but it will never happen!
> Great picture in the window!


Thanks, got the stained glass for my wife this past fall. 
'64 would've been a heck of a year to come up here pre/post earthquake. 
Why won't the trip ever happen?


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## sonny580

Cant afford it! Low income and a lot of bills keep us broke! --- its still a dream for us!
Ya, the 64 earthquake was a bad one from the pics and from Tom,--my buddy from Kodiac. He sent me pix of it and the flooding that he took while it was going on. He lived thru it and still lives there!


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## AKTrailDog

sonny580 said:


> Cant afford it! Low income and a lot of bills keep us broke! --- its still a dream for us!
> Ya, the 64 earthquake was a bad one from the pics and from Tom,--my buddy from Kodiac. He sent me pix of it and the flooding that he took while it was going on. He lived thru it and still lives there!


Crazy, can't imagine what it would be been like with an earthquake that big. I've been thru a couple 7+ and that's fun, haha.
Well, keep the dream alive! Never know what the future holds. I believe everyone should at least see this place once. It'll put things into perspective on a lot of levels.


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## farmer steve

sonny580 said:


> sprouts are good! ---- tried growing them here but season is too short! --- They claim the cold brings out the flavor in them too, so you should have some great eating there! lol!


Those were planted around July 10? If you can start plants and have them in the ground around July 1 you should be able to grow some. Find a 100 day variety. They will stand temps down in the low 20's.and keep growing. You can force them by pinching out the tops after the sprouts form.


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## sonny580

We like to have cabbage, cauliflower, broc., etc. in the ground by May 1 or sooner if possible. some years that dont happen.
Our onion plants will come in the week of March 23 and if the ground is not froze we plant them right then. In the last 10 years we have always been able to get them in within a few days after arrival. I have planted cabbage plants at that time and put gallon jugs over them til frost danger is at a min. 
We have had golden acre cabbage heads ready to use by June 24, but gotta push them! Lotta fertilizer, water, and compost for them usually does the trick. 
Several varieties we plant have different days til maturity giving a steady supply over longer periods of time. We stagger plant sweet corn and green beans too. Gets more use from the crops when you can control the time they are ready and also gives more time to process the crops. IF one planting dont make for some reason the one before or after might, so it works for us that way.


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## muddstopper

This year is going to be a whole new gardening experience. Last year, I moved into my new home in March. I had a lot of things to do and didnt have time to do more than throw in a few plants in the one large raised bed that was already here. My onions rotted in the grown and where replanted 3 times. I never got a decent mess of green onions. My taters didnt return the seed they where planted with. My cukes did so so and squash and zucchini produced a little, but blooms would fall off and not set fruit. Peanut beans did excellent and produced all summer, which is way more pickings than is usual for this type of bean. At my old home, I had years of composting, and soil building I had done to turn waste fill dirt into a garden soil. I hauled out tons of boulders, rocks, gravel out of the garden and replaced with wood mulch compost, horse manure, grass clippings, etc. I could grow football size taters, and baseball size onions I dont have the area to build another full size garden on at my new place. I could remove some trees but the area I would gain isnt worth the effort and the final results would still be steep. This year I plan on doing container gardening. buckets of plants placed around the sides of the porches, along the driveway, beside my shop. I will use horse manure to fill the bottom of the containers and top off with store bought potting soil. For tall growing plants like corn, okra, and inground stuff like potatoes I will be planting at my sons place. I intend to use biochar in my containers and each year after the growing season I will dump the container soil into my large raised bed. I wont be producing tons of veggies, but I should grow enough to keep me fed.


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## AKTrailDog

muddstopper said:


> I intend to use biochar in my containers


Sounds like you have a plan at least! I'm curious to what contents you have for your bio char. Haven't heard many folks talk about on here. You buying it? Making it? I've been experimenting the last year with making it with what I have on my property, we'll see how it goes in the test plot. Been practicing Hugelkultur in some other areas.
Was in a similar situation last year, first full year in a new house and property. Didn't even try to have a garden bc I wanted to do it right and figure out what I have. There were raised beds, greenhouse etc but didn't have any idea what the soil content was.


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## muddstopper

I have used the remains from my smoker for meat smoking over the years. I have a large 5gal metal can with a removable top. I fill the can with wood chunks and put the lid on it and put on my propane turkey cooker. The lid has a 2 inch hole in it. I place the can under the meat to be smoked and lite up the burner. The smoke rises from the can onto the meat. This is a cold smoke, not a cooking smoke. the wood chips will smoke but not burn. When I am done smoking, I pour water down in the can top hole to put out any smoldering wood chips. This is charcoal that has been burnt with no oxygen.. After the char is cooled down, it has little to none nutrient value and is very porous. Putting the material as is in your garden will absorb any available nutrients and lock it up making it unavailable to your plants. The best way to inoculate the char is to go out into the woods and dig up some tops soil and blend it with the char. The char will pull out any nutrients as well as beneficial microbes and inoculate your garden soil. It takes about a couple days to fully inoculate your char, two weeks if you are looking for beneficial fungi. A lot of folks will soak the char in compost teas but poorly made compost tea will also inoculate the char with harmful microbes. I dont have anyway to tell what microbes my char is soaking up so I just stick with forest floor topsoil. I know a lot of folks like to make large amounts of biochar at a time and they make large barrels inside of barrels to cook their char. For container gardens, it doesnt take a lot and once it has been applied, you dont have to reapply every year. Another way to get char is to pull it out of your wood stove, just pull out some of the big coals and drop in a bucket of water, or sift your ashes and save the little bits of charcoal, it isnt the same as biochar because it is burnt in a oxygen type atmosphere, but its almost as good. I dont know what Hugelkultur is, I will have to read up on it.


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## Goinwheelin

Man you guys are hardcore lol. My composting consists of cutting everything in the garden off at ground level, then running it thru the chipper/shredder along with all the other yard waste for the year (leaves grass clippings etc) and depositing it in the middle of the garden where it will sit over winter. In the spring I add whatever ash from the shop stove, then I go to the Co Op for several bags of chicken manure and mushroom compost then till all that in. 





For weed control I go down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy the heavy duty 6mil plastic sheeting. After everything is tilled and leveled, I plot everything out and dig holes then lay the sheeting over it. After that cut an X over each hole and drop the plants in.






Irrigation district usually has things up and running by mid March, and we usually have water available until late October. I use a simple system of 5/8 main line with 1/4 line to each plant. No drip emitters because they clog and I don’t want to mess with a disc filter. This runs on a Orbit water timer and I have an inline fertigation setup that I fill once a week with Alaska brand 5-1-1 fish fertilizer and 0-10-10 morbloom. 




this was just one of my 2019 Chile harvests


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## Goinwheelin

I’ve been wanting to finish the grow room in the garage but an opportunity came up that I couldn’t pass on. Good friend of mine was into growing cannabis for the medical dispensaries, but lost interest when they changed some of the laws for recreational use because there’s not much money in it unless you are a large scale operation. Anyways he gave me this 10x5 foot grow tent and another 4x4 tent. My grow room was 6x9 so it’s perfect just need to cut the shelves back so it fits in the corner. It will be nice to take it down after use and store it instead of having a dedicated room I only use 3-4 months out of the year


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## farmer steve

Goinwheelin said:


> Man you guys are hardcore lol. My composting consists of cutting everything in the garden off at ground level, then running it thru the chipper/shredder along with all the other yard waste for the year (leaves grass clippings etc) and depositing it in the middle of the garden where it will sit over winter. In the spring I add whatever ash from the shop stove, then I go to the Co Op for several bags of chicken manure and mushroom compost then till all that in.
> View attachment 886886
> 
> For weed control I go down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy the heavy duty 6mil plastic sheeting. After everything is tilled and leveled, I plot everything out and dig holes then lay the sheeting over it. After that cut an X over each hole and drop the plants in.
> View attachment 886885
> 
> 
> 
> Irrigation district usually has things up and running by mid March, and we usually have water available until late October. I use a simple system of 5/8 main line with 1/4 line to each plant. No drip emitters because they clog and I don’t want to mess with a disc filter. This runs on a Orbit water timer and I have an inline fertigation setup that I fill once a week with Alaska brand 5-1-1 fish fertilizer and 0-10-10 morbloom. View attachment 886895
> 
> 
> this was just one of my 2019 Chile harvests
> View attachment 886896
> View attachment 886897


Looks great. Where did you find Coors light seeds?


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## AKTrailDog

Goinwheelin said:


> I’ve been wanting to finish the grow room in the garage but an opportunity came up that I couldn’t pass on. Good friend of mine was into growing cannabis for the medical dispensaries, but lost interest when they changed some of the laws for recreational use because there’s not much money in it unless you are a large scale operation. Anyways he gave me this 10x5 foot grow tent and another 4x4 tent. My grow room was 6x9 so it’s perfect just need to cut the shelves back so it fits in the corner. It will be nice to take it down after use and store it instead of having a dedicated room I only use 3-4 months out of the year
> View attachment 886903


Those small grow tents are great! I have two that I use for various growing operations. Depending on what you're growing, having proper ventilation in them is key


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## Goinwheelin

farmer steve said:


> Looks great. Where did you find Coors light seeds?


 Oh man I wish that were the case. Save me a lot of money! 


AKTrailDog said:


> Those small grow tents are great! I have two that I use for various growing operations. Depending on what you're growing, having proper ventilation in them is key


He’s bringing me the ventilation fans and some other accessories today and I should have things squared away by weeks end. The spare bedroom is getting crowded and the wife ain’t liking it lol.


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## 5backacres

Here I plant sprouted snow peas last week in Feb. Favorite cultivars, Kentucky Blue pole beans staggered planting by 2 weeks ...beans all summer, *graffiti* *cauliflower, Bodacious sweet corn gives 2-4 ears, plant only red leaf lettuce ( makes thinning and weeding easier..not too many red weeds!) What we don't eat or give away goes to the cows and then the manure goes back into the garden in the spring!*


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## Del_

Goinwheelin said:


> I’ve been wanting to finish the grow room in the garage but an opportunity came up that I couldn’t pass on. Good friend of mine was into growing cannabis for the medical dispensaries, but lost interest when they changed some of the laws for recreational use because there’s not much money in it unless you are a large scale operation. Anyways he gave me this 10x5 foot grow tent and another 4x4 tent. My grow room was 6x9 so it’s perfect just need to cut the shelves back so it fits in the corner. It will be nice to take it down after use and store it instead of having a dedicated room I only use 3-4 months out of the year
> View attachment 886903



Awesome tent!

I need one so I don't light up my whole living room!


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## Goinwheelin

Del_ said:


> Awesome tent!
> 
> I need one so I don't light up my whole living room!


Kind of a pain to put up, but it will help out immensely. No more plastic sheeting and staples BS


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## muddstopper

Goinwheelin said:


> Man you guys are hardcore lol. My composting consists of cutting everything in the garden off at ground level, then running it thru the chipper/shredder along with all the other yard waste for the year (leaves grass clippings etc) and depositing it in the middle of the garden where it will sit over winter. In the spring I add whatever ash from the shop stove, then I go to the Co Op for several bags of chicken manure and mushroom compost then till all that in.
> View attachment 886886
> 
> For weed control I go down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy the heavy duty 6mil plastic sheeting. After everything is tilled and leveled, I plot everything out and dig holes then lay the sheeting over it. After that cut an X over each hole and drop the plants in.
> View attachment 886885
> 
> 
> 
> Irrigation district usually has things up and running by mid March, and we usually have water available until late October. I use a simple system of 5/8 main line with 1/4 line to each plant. No drip emitters because they clog and I don’t want to mess with a disc filter. This runs on a Orbit water timer and I have an inline fertigation setup that I fill once a week with Alaska brand 5-1-1 fish fertilizer and 0-10-10 morbloom. View attachment 886895
> 
> 
> this was just one of my 2019 Chile harvests
> View attachment 886896
> View attachment 886897


Just want to ask what size are those planter bags are you using for you plants. I was about to order a few today, but wasnt sure what size would work best. I am thinking some 10gal sizes for planting a few sweet potatoes and maybe some regular potatoes, then going with either 5gal or 7 gal for tomatoes and peppers. I might try a few squash and zucchini plants and will certainly be planting some onions. I have planted in 5 gal buckets before, tomatoes and peppers, but it seems the plastic lowes/homedepot and sheetrock mud buckets are not hardly large enough. They work ok but seem to narrow to work really well.


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## Goinwheelin

muddstopper said:


> Just want to ask what size are those planter bags are you using for you plants. I was about to order a few today, but wasnt sure what size would work best. I am thinking some 10gal sizes for planting a few sweet potatoes and maybe some regular potatoes, then going with either 5gal or 7 gal for tomatoes and peppers. I might try a few squash and zucchini plants and will certainly be planting some onions. I have planted in 5 gal buckets before, tomatoes and peppers, but it seems the plastic lowes/homedepot and sheetrock mud buckets are not hardly large enough. They work ok but seem to narrow to work really well.


The smaller bags are 7gal the bigger ones are 30gal. 7gal is fine for peppers, tomatoes, zucchini and even pumpkin . But I would recommend the bigger pots for root vegetables. I had blueberries in the 30gal pots in the picture. 7gal pots were cayenne

I have a 30 gal bag I’ll never use if you want it. Might give you an idea of what you are working with.


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## muddstopper

I appreciate the offer of the 30gal bag, but I will be lining up my bags along the back porch, and I dont think I want to use bags that size. The 7gal pots you are using for the peppers and tomatoes look just about right for what I am wanting to do and I think I will be ordering about a dozen of that size. Unless I decide to trim out some additional space, and I will be later on, thats about all I have room for. I noticed you had plates under your planter bags. For holding water I assume?


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## Goinwheelin

Yes the plates are for water retention. Those were bottom feed and the soil would wick up the water. Perlite and peat moss mix


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## southpaw

You fellas have some good ideas and things going on , looking forward to see how the season goes for every body 

Myself I am looking forward to growing something new this year again ( last year was Tomatillo ) lots of snow still on ground but always good to plan ahead


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## 5backacres

To get watermelons to do well we use black road matting for heat and weed reduction (but moles tend to get under it) and old tires on top of the mat. for each transplant Tires work best if still on a rim with inner tube inside filled with water. I use builders paper under tomatoes to prevent wilt and weeds. According to Ed Hume if you use something under the plant to stop the rain induced splashing of dirt on to the plant iot prevents virus in the dirt from infecting the plant .


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## Del_

5backacres said:


> To get watermelons to do well we use black road matting for heat and weed reduction (but moles tend to get under it) and old tires on top of the mat. for each transplant Tires work best if still on a rim with inner tube inside filled with water. I use builders paper under tomatoes to prevent wilt and weeds. According to Ed Hume if you use something under the plant to stop the rain induced splashing of dirt on to the plant iot prevents virus in the dirt from infecting the plant .



It is true that tomato leaf disease is often splashed up onto the leaves by rain and watering. Also disease is spread by splashes coming from already diseased foliage. Also some tomato leaf disease can be carried over winter on tomato cages or stakes. Also people move diseases around. Also smokers can transmit tobacco mosaic virus from cigs and cigars.

A good general rule is to never work or harvest when leaves are wet.


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## southpaw

Del_ said:


> It is true that tomato leaf disease is often splashed up onto the leaves by rain and watering. Also disease is spread by splashes coming from already diseased foliage. Also some tomato leaf disease can be carried over winter on tomato cages or stakes. Also people move diseases around. Also smokers can transmit tobacco mosaic virus from cigs and cigars.
> 
> A good general rule is to never work or harvest when leaves are wet.


Good advice on the tomato disease , think I run the weed burner over the tomato cages and cattle panels before planting this season 

Probably going to put a heavy layer of wood chips around the tomato plant base also to control splashing


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## sean donato

Got shoots! Had to take the top off 2 of them this evening. Will be transplanting some to pots this weekend. The cucumbers are growing crazy. Rather surprised at how they took off. Normally they are about the last to sprout.


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## Del_

I'm just getting seedlings started this year. I usually start earlier than I should but this year I should be right on time. Starting early leads to lots of extra time spent growing transplants larger than they have to be. Most vegetable don't really get off to such a great start when started early. Once outside growing conditions get right stuff usually leaps out of the ground growing at rates that are near impossible indoors. 

This year I've been using an egg incubator to 'hatch' seedlings. I had it laying around and this is the first time I've tried it. Very high humidity so I decided to remove the sprouted seeds after 4 days at 88°F. It is adjustable in temperature but offers little to no light. Once I saw the first pepper seedling I checked closer and saw 4. I just tonight removed 12 cell packs of 4 cells each totaling 48 cells total onto open cafeteria trays. I planted two pepper seeds in each cell about 1/2 apart for easier transplanting. I've had great success transplanting small seedlings over the years into other cell packs. When a seedling is disturbed or transplanted I mark them with a tooth pick in the cell pack and that is how I know how they perform. I use a stainless steel letter opener as a dibble. 

Tonight 12 X 4 cell packs planted in tomatoes get moved to the incubator. I've planted the below tomato varieties. Production is about to start kicking ass.


Italian Heirloom48 seeds​Brandywind OTV48 seeds​Matt's Wild Cherry32 seeds​Amish Paste32 seeds​Sungold32 seeds​Better Boy 31 seedsOpalka32 seeds


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## sean donato

At least for me, it seems of we dont get the seeds started end of January or beginning of February, were not getting crops till late in the season. Which was always a bummer for us, causing us (my wife mainly) to go out and buy half grown plants so we could have tomatoes earlier. Not this year. I'm hoping to avoid that.


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## 5backacres

Del_ said:


> It is true that tomato leaf disease is often splashed up onto the leaves by rain and watering. Also disease is spread by splashes coming from already diseased foliage. Also some tomato leaf disease can be carried over winter on tomato cages or stakes. Also people move diseases around. Also smokers can transmit tobacco mosaic virus from cigs and cigars.
> 
> A good general rule is to never work or harvest when leaves are wet.


Yes we had smoke from wildfires last fall that obliterated the tomatoes. Re; cages Started with round bent cattle panel cages but went to right angle bend 1/2 cages put together with zip ties ( visualize 2 pieces of angle iron placed together to make a square) Round ones were difficult storage but the 1/2 cages nest inside each other for storage


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## sonny580

Great ideas and methods you guys have shared with us and a big thank you for doing that!
Different regions require different methods and I find that really interesting to see how it varies so much! Keep the ideas coming and pix. of your gardens/crops all season as that is what this thread is all about!
Any water splashed up on the plants can cause disease and rot in tomatoes---- we have that problem here and lose a lot of fruit from it. using mulch or any ground cover here is out due to varmints living under it, and destroying the fruit, so we over plant to make up the difference the rot causes. In dry years its not bad at all, ---the wet years ----- harvestable fruit is way down, but we seam to always have enough later in the season to can.
For tomato cages here I found some re-mesh 6x6 stuff---- works grate, also use woven wire but its kinda light and needs steel posts to hold it up! NOT something you want to do for 600 plants! lol!
This year we are starting indoor seed flats the end of Feb.--- any sooner and the plants start getting spindly. We dont have the best lighting for them here.--- only have grow light in basement over a table.
The out door hotbed will be planted later. Will do the sweet potatoes out there ---- had a couple last year in jars in the East window that made some early plants. I kinda like the outdoor hotbed better since the plants grow faster and seam to do better when transplanted, --- BUT,--- like everyone else ---- TRY for that very early mater!! LOL!! --- and sweetcorn!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

5backacres said:


> *Here I plant sprouted snow peas last week in Feb.* Favorite cultivars, Kentucky Blue pole beans staggered planting by 2 weeks ...beans all summer, _graffiti_ _cauliflower, Bodacious sweet corn gives 2-4 ears, plant only red leaf lettuce ( makes thinning and weeding easier..not too many red weeds!) What we don't eat or give away goes to the cows and then the manure goes back into the garden in the spring!_


we got our seeds in twds end of 2020. harvested some for dinner last nite other day. very tasty!






seeds were from patch season before


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> I know it's the 2021 Garden thread but, I had to clean up the 2020 garden. We are supposed to go down to the single digits tonight and *these little guys* weren't going to make it so I figured I'd better pick them.
> View attachment 885574




prob cook the fresh ones tonite... store bot other day


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## Backyard Lumberjack

swell pix, gardens and such...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Anybody thinking about the upcoming garden season? Plans? bigger smaller, same size plots? Any change in crops or crop varieties? How about equipment? The usual 5 or 600 tomato plants, several dozen cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, and eggplant will be planted IF the seed will grow. Expanding the hotbed area by 3 times current size for starting major amounts of plants at the same time this year trying to get a jump on the weather if possible. Onion plants are on order and the week of March 23 they plan on shipping them and we can usually plant same day we get them. didnt get any on order last year but did this time. Hauled in over 25 big dump truck loads of horse manure last fall and plowed it under 16" deep after subsoiling 36" deep with our antique JD subsoiler. Looks like there are 4 other horse owners not far from here that offered us there horse manure, so we will stockpile it during the summer and spread in the fall after harvest and plow it under again. Would like everyone to join in this discussion! Thanks!


hi sy580 - sounds like a big ops there for you! 25 dumps manure... omg! here, we are scaling down some. we do 2 seasons here in SW Texas... spring and fall. got TB Horse, but been at it so long beds so friable... only need to use same 'equipment'....fork only needed!  

found some 1015Ys other day at big box garden center. decided on a bunch. heeled them in, in compost. took to that. and got in other day. cold and rainy today, so mulched them some to keep mud off them... 80 plants set out...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

got my leeks going again...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

pix taken yesterday...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sean donato said:


> I'm about on par with Del. Have a few planted waiting for sprouts, and the rest will be planted here soon. I think we're going to try out the "big" garden area again this year, and well as the small garden off the side of the house. Normal stuff will be planted, hot peppers, bell pepper, tomatoes, beets, lettuce, cabbage, eggplant, cucumber, squash, pumpkins, watermelons, and this odd kohlrabi plant my wife likes that I detest.


picked up some herb sets other day... dill, cilantro, sage and parsley. garden center had no veg sets. maybe in a few weeks they said...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> Have 2 50'X 50' gardens and excited already for the upcoming season Just the house hold basics , like tomato (several types of course ) kale ,spinach , beets, onions and would like to grow eggplants and potato like always but the potato beetle problem was horrible last season .......I don't use any type of herbicides or pesticides so the weeds and potato beetle make life hard for me . *I put down 20 Cu.Yd. of mulch last year and I use grass clippings all summer* along with tons of leaves that people leave me out here but still I get overwhelmed with weeds eventually as I cave in to hand picking them , think I'll go with black mesh barrier this year , All the wood bark from splitting goes right in the gardens also Never used chemicals but think I may have reconsider things Oh, and grew Tomatillos last year and man are these awesome , most people say what in the world are those things but when they try one they are hooked so going to have plenty of them this season


bio-degrad mulch production important here for our home garden. got about 200-250 gallons of mulch. all done in binned welded wire. dont turn or rotate. just let degrade. always forest floor fresh once done. add all from garden and some if lots from kitchen. i guess my current bins are 10 yrs old +/-.... these leeks were down to 12 from 120! just never responded to much at all. bit  is with that!? nada. so finally, cleaned bed... the sugar snaps are thriving in same spot... and put into pot filled with mulch only. almost overnite responded. puny roots turned into large. thriving rootballs. and i planted in holes i first filled with more conpost... thinking some leek soup not too far off! 

3-4 weeks later...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sean donato said:


> *I make my rows wide enough apart to get the little tiller between them. Makes keeping the weeds at bay much easier.*
> I have been doing my winter splitting over the bug garden area, I figured the dirt is always so nice and black out back where I split by the wood shed, may as well just make the mess in the garden area this winter. Seems to be working out so far, and I dont have to load the dump cart up with the shovel and truck the mess away.


and makes a pretty pix, too... imo!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Wood shed said:


> View attachment 884654
> Filled (topped off) our raised beds with manure and seeded the hole garden to winter rye in late Aug.
> 
> View attachment 884657
> 
> View attachment 884659
> 
> Actually the first two pics were spring and the last was Aug. 2020.View attachment 884744
> 
> This is the watering system we used with drip hose, water tank hold 80 gallon, next year will pressurize tank with a 12V sprayer pump.


nice! pretty pix... nice plants! is your garden off the kitchen of the home? or other location...?


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## Backyard Lumberjack

AKTrailDog said:


> Been thinking about gardening season a lot, lots of new projects this year involved. But I can't get anything in the ground til June anyway. It'll be fishing season by then! Then it'll be hunting season. The one season that doesn't end though is wood harvesting. Pretty jealous of the long growing seasons everyone else has


swell post there AK! interesting to hear how your season goes tween break up and freeze up again... well, i am a bit envious of those fishing seasons u get to tap into... lol 

wood gathering pretty serious affair for us down here. always scrounging as it falls in my neighborhood like rains. oak mostly. why, just this morning we hear a loud crash, bump etc. thot tunder? no, limb came down? in the yard? no, across the street! handyman showed up 30 mins later, cut it up and appears he just left there for neighbor. plenty to scrounge imo. and can't hardly beat the trek to get. what i call 'walk in' or close lol take care. hope to see some of your AK gardening if u get a chance....

just fell couple hours ago...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> *We just started testing some of our saved seed to see how much of it will still sprout* -----have some libby type canning pumpkin seed from 2014 that still sprouts--- kinda thought we lost that variety but might still be hope for this year. We love them for pies! ---I know there are other pumpkins and squash that work but we have been growing these for many years from saved seed. Last year they froze off --- late freeze here did a number on everything, no fruit either. late garden wasnt our normal way of growing, but did get a LOT of good stuff by hauling water all summer. Hauled 13,000 gallons from neighbors big well and saved the garden. Hope this year is a bit better.
> Always wondered if you could grow gardens in Alaska. A friend of mine lives in Kodiac but never said about gardens there----he works in a machine shop part time and retired.
> AK TrailDog -----LOVE your avatar pic! I always wanted to visit Alaska!


couple seasons ago i planted some lima bean seeds i had saved. kept them in the shop refer for over 20 years... nearly 100% germination... and loads of limas, too...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

AKTrailDog said:


> Thanks! It's tough growing up here outside. If you have a way to heat greenhouses or high tunnels you can start/extend a month or two but the ground/raised beds don't thaw until June and first freeze can happen late Aug, usually mid Sept where I'm at. Some fantastic growing though. The matanuska valley produces some of the largest vegetables in the world. As long as the soil is good and nutrient rich, it's amazing what you can do.
> I* started making all my own soil last year with everything found on my property (dirt, trees, leaves, woody debris, compost, chicken poop etc) been working well so far. Anxiously waiting to see how things produce this season*


 we make dirt down here, too.... Texas dirt! ~


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Carolina reaper sprout
> View attachment 884818
> 
> 
> Seed starting closet
> View attachment 884819
> 
> 
> Need to get these guys transplanted to bigger pots and under the bigger lights. I’m slacking already lol
> View attachment 884820


*a reaper! *looks green from here, but... no thanks! too hot for me... jalapenos took me 30 yrs to get close to... lol. yesterday


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## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> A* couple winters ago the utility company had a crew cutting limbs along their distribution lines and they had good sized truck with chipper & box , I asked the guys if they would like a place to dump at end of day and invited them to my place right down the road . *Believe it was 60 total yards they dumped that week and I just spread it out with the plow on my ATV , the following year I grew some nice sugar babies through that stuff.........my place use to be a dairy farm so the soil is plenty fertile to begin with and the mulch is mostly intended for weed control but is a great soil builder also. Nice simple and free way to get mulch , in the summer I'll take a 2 yard trailer with sides that I built from an old boat trailer and go to the local burn site where they accept all yard waste ........there are several mounds of wood chips , leaves , grass clippings and black dirt there also free for taking, I usually take 2 yard load of heavily composted grass clippings & wood chips to put in the gardens . Always people dumping and people loading up like myself for their gardens , there should be such sites right in your area to take advantage of .


free mulch! nice. we had a tree crew up at the farm late 2019. trimming oaks, etc. shredded everything i dint want. needed place to get rid of it or they would have to leave for the day, maybe not finish entire job. so i let them dump down side one pasture. let time to its thing. maybe i can find a pix, or get one soon...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> We compost most anything that rots here ---makes for some real killer dirt after about 2 years, so we have at least 2 piles going at the same time.
> *The horse manure we get dont have much hay in it so what few seeds in it are killed in the compost cycle. I* have one 3-year old pile that we use for potting soil --- I still stir it when I am on the skidloaders , keeps weeds from growing in it. Right now it just looks like black dirt and plants love it. also start seeds with it in trays or pots and put a bunch in our hotbed by the house to start more plants out there later on for the maincrop. --- house started plants are for the earlier crop.


when i did my entire side yard as a garden 1200 sq ft or so... maybe bit more... i could get manure from local polo club. but too hot for me so i went to i_n-house _ binned compost making... been doing it ever since. not everuthing these days. got more than i can use. but if from the garden... everything! 


 n reading the garden posts...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> Sounds like you have pretty good handle on how to get compost materials and your are correct you should not have to be paying for it, most are generous and like being good neighbors helping one another out .
> 
> I'll give away lot's of produce thru the summer and never ask for money , usually I am rewarded later with firewood , venison , fish and other things that good people like to share with their neighbors ......*gardening is a wonderful social event and it attracts some of the best people you can find.*


seems to be the case....  don't think i ever met a gardener type i dint like....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> The neighbor and I have been taking his skidloader and big dump truck around here within 15 miles of us and picking up their chit for free--- they dont even have to get their tractor out of the shed. We give away most all of our produce here except for the small amount we process for us to last a year or two. *Manure and all compost fixins should be free---*IF you dont take them--they most likely will have to pay to have the stuff hauled away!


the amount of bio-degradable in my neighborhood alone and only 2 streets that is put out to curb is awesome. TONS! the polo club manure was free. and i got no shortage of free-range cattle offering theirs, too!  lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> *sprouts are good! --*-- tried growing them here but season is too short! --- They claim the cold brings out the flavor in them too, so you should have some great eating there! lol!


imo a  comment. not all on the AS would agree,  but plenty do. lol i have to settle for store bot. just too warm down here even in cool months. english peas & sugar snaps do well, cabbage, too usually... but sprouts iffy at best. i have had some, small but firm. tasty! real tasty! broccoli... another that needs cooler temps. i dont garden at the farm, but do have some compost bins going... one never knows!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

AKTrailDog said:


> In the last two weeks, we just started getting sunshine back in the house (up to 2hrs now, ha). Greenhouse is getting a bit and the raised beds are too. Broke the threshold of 5 min gain of sunshine a day last week. *Spring will be here soon, in 3 months or so*. Gotta re-panel the greenhouse this spring and fence in the raised beds. Add it to the list of things to get done! Never endsStarting to think of setting up indoor grow room.And if you're wondering, yes those are Christmas ornaments/figurines still up. Wife is swedish, they looooooove Christmas!!! Ha


hi AK - interesting to hear about ur seasons and such from AK. i am from Pacific NW... been to AK a few times... gold prospecting!  err, i mean j/k! traveling touring and horseback riding. AK tv shows one of my favs...  yesterday i was out on a bike ride. exercise. warm day. shorts n T... and i noticed a few full in yellow dandelion plants flowering... spring is knocking on our door. even thought artic air is the current threat...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

AKTrailDog said:


> Crazy, can't imagine what it would be been like with an earthquake that big. I've been thru a couple 7+ and that's fun, haha.
> Well, keep the dream alive! Never know what the future holds. I believe everyone should at least see this place once. It'll put things into perspective on a lot of levels.


it was big one! i have been thru one. was in HS. i remember sitting in class looking out... and the ground was swirling round going one way as the classroom blg went the other way....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Those were planted around July 10? If you can start plants and have them in the ground around July 1 you should be able to grow some. Find a 100 day variety. They will stand temps down in the low 20's.and keep growing. You can force them by pinching out the tops after the sprouts form.



thanks Farmer Steve. good advice. will save this post..  the cold weather crops do do better up at the farm, i have seen neighbors and friends gardens. no broc for me here and they have nice heads. we start our english peas bit early for the same reasons u mention. well, one site says they don't like temps over 70f... and we can get them even in the cooler months here. mite set up a grow bucket and fill with compost, etc. and set out 3 plants up at farm, see how they do. the coop has big tubs $3/ea...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> For weed control I go down to Lowe’s or Home Depot and buy the heavy duty 6mil plastic sheeting. After everything is tilled and leveled, I plot everything out and dig holes then lay the sheeting over it. After that cut an X over each hole and drop the plants in.


nice fotos.

i like that, too. have a couple rolls of it maybe 24" wide or so. lately, after reading few yrs ago how one gardener used cardboard, i have used that for weed control. effective!




fille foto


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> It is true that tomato leaf disease is often splashed up onto the leaves by rain and watering. Also disease is spread by splashes coming from already diseased foliage. Also some tomato leaf disease can be carried over winter on tomato cages or stakes. Also people move diseases around. Also smokers can transmit tobacco mosaic virus from cigs and cigars. A good general rule is to never work or harvest when leaves are wet.


my 1015 onions seem to appreciate their mulch covering i put out this morning. no mud! despite rains off n on...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sean donato said:


> Got shoots! Had to take the top off 2 of them this evening. Will be transplanting some to pots this weekend. The cucumbers are growing crazy. Rather surprised at how they took off. Normally they are about the last to sprout.


nice set up sd - i have some leftover 1015 onions, too small to set out in a small outside nursery. they r in compost. we'll see if they make it. maybe 1/2 doz or so...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

when i got the onion bunch, there was one onion dropped on the concrete. i picked it up. no idea what type. but prob is a short day type. it is in its own spot...





fingers x'd


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> I'm just getting seedlings started this year. I usually start earlier than I should but this year I should be right on time. Starting early leads to lots of extra time spent growing transplants larger than they have to be. Most vegetable don't really get off to such a great start when started early. Once outside growing conditions get right stuff usually leaps out of the ground growing at rates that are near impossible indoors.
> 
> This year I've been using an egg incubator to 'hatch' seedlings. I had it laying around and this is the first time I've tried it. Very high humidity so I decided to remove the sprouted seeds after 4 days at 88°F. It is adjustable in temperature but offers little to no light. Once I saw the first pepper seedling I checked closer and saw 4. I just tonight removed 12 cell packs of 4 cells each totaling 48 cells total onto open cafeteria trays. I planted two pepper seeds in each cell about 1/2 apart for easier transplanting. I've had great success transplanting small seedlings over the years into other cell packs. When a seedling is disturbed or transplanted I mark them with a tooth pick in the cell pack and that is how I know how they perform. I use a stainless steel letter opener as a dibble.
> 
> Tonight 12 X 4 cell packs planted in tomatoes get moved to the incubator. I've planted the below tomato varieties. Production is about to start kicking ass.
> 
> 
> Italian Heirloom48 seeds​Brandywind OTV48 seeds​Matt's Wild Cherry32 seeds​Amish Paste32 seeds​Sungold32 seeds​Better Boy 31 seedsOpalka32 seeds
> 
> 
> View attachment 887599
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 887600


WOW - quite an impressive seed set up there! Better Boy quite popular down here. i like them, too. have grown, but mostly growing Big Beef type these days... grow zone 9


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Any water splashed up on the plants can cause disease and rot in tomatoes---- we have that problem here and lose a lot of fruit from it. using mulch or any ground cover here is out due to varmints living under it, and destroying the fruit, so we over plant to make up the difference the rot causes. In dry years its not bad at all, ---the wet years ----- harvestable fruit is way down, but we seam to always have enough later in the season to can.
> _For tomato cages here I found some re-mesh 6x6 stuff---- works grate, also use woven wire but its kinda light and needs steel posts to hold it up! NOT something you want to do for 600 plants! lol!_


did 60 tomato plants couple years ago. in all of my years gardening never had to put up tomatoes. maybe early times some juice. but that year i ended up with over 50 qt jars of canned tomatoes...

we gave some away and are still using what is left...

had to learn how to can, like... real fast! lol


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

interesting thread. no doubt i do wish i could grow some of the root and fall crops better. broccoli when the temps dip just right gets real sweet! got some when we saw temps dip to 12f one year and i had some broc planted. oh well, flavor aside, i guess there always is the frozen veg dept at the grocery... lol 

still got a handful of tomatoes ripening on the vine.


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## 5backacres

5backacres said:


> Yes we had smoke from wildfires last fall that obliterated the tomatoes. Re; cages Started with round bent cattle panel cages but went to right angle bend 1/2 cages put together with zip ties ( visualize 2 pieces of angle iron placed together to make a square) Round ones were difficult storage but the 1/2 cages nest inside each other for storage


I have to cheat here by planting sprouted beans, peas ( with legume inoculant) and corn. Average hardfrost date is 4/21 so by sprouting beans amd corn I can get 2 wks jump on growing ( sprouting is temperature limiting, once sprouted the plants will grow even through it's not warm enough to sprout in the ground) Place seed between wet newspaper on top of the water heater (i'm cheap and don't want to mess with soil heating cable)


----------



## Del_

My first tomato seedlings of 2021. Out of 12-4 packs the cultivar 'Sun Gold' was first up in the chicken egg incubator. The other 11 cell packs stay in until the very first signs of popping up. I have to get them out right away as there is no light in the incubator. Only 85°F moist heat. Sun Gold is a taste test winning yellow cherry tomato that we have grown for years. Non hybrid so with some isolation seed saving is a possibility. In the second photo is inside of the incubator. It is about 86°F when I first open the lid. Inside are the other 11 pack being monitored a couple of times per day.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> swell post there AK! interesting to hear how your season goes tween break up and freeze up again... well, i am a bit envious of those fishing seasons u get to tap into... lol
> 
> wood gathering pretty serious affair for us down here. always scrounging as it falls in my neighborhood like rains. oak mostly. why, just this morning we hear a loud crash, bump etc. thot tunder? no, limb came down? in the yard? no, across the street! handyman showed up 30 mins later, cut it up and appears he just left there for neighbor. plenty to scrounge imo. and can't hardly beat the trek to get. what i call 'walk in' or close lol take care. hope to see some of your AK gardening if u get a chance....
> 
> just fell couple hours ago...
> View attachment 887730


went and got the entire tree! 

some splitting and ahead


----------



## Goinwheelin

Tomato seeds arrived. Hard to find the TamiG seeds lately. Best snacking/ salad tomato out there in my opinion 






Numex Chiles. Planted 15 seeds but I may do more tonight. These and the reapers are my main focus. Numex is similar to an Anaheim but with much more flavor and nutty undertones. I like to roast them for use in soups, sauces, salsa, and chili but my favorite is stuff them with roast chicken and cream cheese then bake in the oven covered in cheese. BOMB! 









spent most of my morning getting rid of junk and removing shelves so I could tuck the grow tent in. The saw is a 1-70


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## Goinwheelin

More reaper sprouts. Planted 10 seeds and got 8 to germinate. I’m happy with that.


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## Goinwheelin

Serrano. These will go quick at work. I always grow extra plants to sell, give or trade away.


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## Del_

Goinwheelin said:


> Serrano. These will go quick at work. I always grow extra plants to sell, give or trade away.


 Are those Jiffy 7's?

I'm going by memory. They seem to work really well for you.

Looks like you are getting excellent germination. I just check on the age of my seeds and some of the tomatoes that are up were bought in 2011. I've got cabbage just popping and it is from 2012 and still have 70% of an ounce left. Cabbage has between 4,000 and 10,000 seeds per ounce. A good long term seed storage program really cuts down on the cost of seed. 

Color indicating silica gel is wonderful stuff for drying and preserving. It turns blue when dry and pink as it absorbs water. I dry it on the wood stove. I also put a dash of _Diatomaceous_ earth in seed containers to kill any insects or weevils.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Del_ said:


> Are those Jiffy 7's?
> 
> I'm going by memory. They seem to work really well for you.
> 
> Looks like you are getting excellent germination. I just check on the age of my seeds and some of the tomatoes that are up were bought in 2011. I've got cabbage just popping and it is from 2012 and still have 70% of an ounce left. Cabbage has between 4,000 and 10,000 seeds per ounce. A good long term seed storage program really cuts down on the cost of seed.
> 
> Color indicating silica gel is wonderful stuff for drying and preserving. It turns blue when dry and pink as it absorbs water. I dry it on the wood stove. I also put a dash of _Diatomaceous_ earth in seed containers to kill any insects or weevils.


one size up 35mm I think. My favorites are the 50mm. I know I need to be saving seeds and use them instead of just blowing money.


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## Del_

Goinwheelin said:


> one size up 35mm I think. My favorites are the 50mm. I know I need to be saving seeds and use them instead of just blowing money.



That is how long it's been since I've used a Jiffy.
Now they have gone metric!

I save some seeds from the vegetables we grow but I also work at saving seed that I buy for long terms. From our Jimmy Nardello peppers I must have saved 1,000 seeds this year. Seed saving comes with time. Seeds like Crimnson Sweet watermelon is easy to save too.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Tomato seeds arrived. Hard to find the TamiG seeds lately. Best snacking/ salad tomato out there in my opinion
> 
> View attachment 887974
> 
> 
> Numex Chiles. Planted 15 seeds but I may do more tonight. These and the reapers are my main focus. Numex is similar to an Anaheim but with much more flavor and nutty undertones. I like to roast them for use in soups, sauces, salsa, and chili but my favorite is stuff them with roast chicken and cream cheese then bake in the oven covered in cheese. BOMB!
> 
> View attachment 887975
> View attachment 887976
> 
> 
> spent most of my morning getting rid of junk and removing shelves so I could tuck the grow tent in. The saw is a 1-70
> 
> 
> View attachment 887977


mite have a bit of a bite...

5,000 to 7,000

How *hot* are *Sandia* peppers? The *Sandia* hybrid packs a surprising punch considering its New Mexico chili pepper roots. Its Scoville heat range of 5,000 to 7,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) puts it on par with the hottest possible jalapeño peppers.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> That is how long it's been since I've used a Jiffy.
> Now they have gone metric!
> 
> I save some seeds from the vegetables we grow but I also work at saving seed that I buy for long terms. From our Jimmy Nardello peppers I must have saved 1,000 seeds this year. Seed saving comes with time. Seeds like Crimnson Sweet watermelon is easy to save too.


we save seeds, too. i bet i have more than 1,000 english pea seeds! lots of limas and okra, too. some purple hull... and green beans... keep them in cold storage.


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## Goinwheelin

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> mite have a bit of a bite...
> 
> 5,000 to 7,000
> 
> How *hot* are *Sandia* peppers? The *Sandia* hybrid packs a surprising punch considering its New Mexico chili pepper roots. Its Scoville heat range of 5,000 to 7,000 Scoville heat units (SHU) puts it on par with the hottest possible jalapeño peppers.


What can I say, I like my food to be spicy lol. And my drinks too. Bloody Mary with a dash of cayenne , or an ice cold Modelo beer in a frosted glass with Clamato, Tabasco and black pepper really hits the spot on a hot summer day.


----------



## southpaw

A habit of eating spicy foods is beneficial to your health so keep on eating them & enjoy


----------



## farmer steve

Goinwheelin said:


> Tomato seeds arrived. Hard to find the TamiG seeds lately. Best snacking/ salad tomato out there in my opinion
> 
> View attachment 887974
> 
> 
> Numex Chiles. Planted 15 seeds but I may do more tonight. These and the reapers are my main focus. Numex is similar to an Anaheim but with much more flavor and nutty undertones. I like to roast them for use in soups, sauces, salsa, and chili but my favorite is stuff them with roast chicken and cream cheese then bake in the oven covered in cheese. BOMB!
> 
> View attachment 887975
> View attachment 887976
> 
> 
> spent most of my morning getting rid of junk and removing shelves so I could tuck the grow tent in. The saw is a 1-70
> 
> 
> View attachment 887977


Tami-G is one of my favorite grapes. Sweet Canary is my favorite yellow grape. This is one of the places I buy seed from. 


https://www.seedway.com/app/uploads/2020/10/SEEDWAY-2021-Commercial-US-Catalog_Oct2020-Web.pdf


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> A habit of eating spicy foods is beneficial to your health so keep on eating them & enjoy


plenty pros and cons on the subject... do's and don't.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Tami-G is one of my favorite grapes. Sweet Canary is my favorite yellow grape. This is one of the places I buy seed from.
> 
> 
> https://www.seedway.com/app/uploads/2020/10/SEEDWAY-2021-Commercial-US-Catalog_Oct2020-Web.pdf


interesting online seed cat. even has a TX branch...

i see i can get 100,000 brussel seeds for $1800 or so! 

might have to expand my home garden...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> A habit of eating spicy foods is beneficial to your health so keep on eating them & enjoy


i like poppers with jalapenos.... made some more for the game... doubt i will be making any out of *reapers, *though! lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

marshalled up my ripe tomatoes. ripening a bit faster than i can do salads, BLT's and tomato sammys... headed for cold storage. will do well there. (shop refer)


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Big Beef variety. they came in all shapes, forms and sizes for some reason this fall season. a nice tasting, full, heavy tomato. really like them. used to plant Better Boys, but now mostly just Big Beef. we did get some that lived up to their reputation...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

plenty more now ripening and greens on the vine. not sure what i will do about the supposed arctic air later this week. now hearing may not reach all the way to me. ok with me! don't need no 25f nights...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

had some lil varmints show up and _till in_ my onion patch Saturday morning. they better be careful... been boning up on my relocation skills and equipment recently...




no harm done! row raked back easily enough... maybe i should put out a sign


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## southpaw

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> plenty pros and cons on the subject... do's and don't.


Well of course there are pros an cons on any subject 

First off if eating something irritates you don't eat it just that simple , spicy foods have lot of acid an can cause issues in people who have stomach ulcers 

Do peppers cause ulcers, no they do not but probably best avoided in people who do have them along with people who suffer from acid reflux

Spicy food increases the metabolism which may benefit certain people trying to control or maintain weight issues

Your body will let you know if peppers and other spicy foods ( including Cinnamon ) agree with you or not so it is really simple ......if you enjoy it and have no ill effects from it keep on but if you start get signals from your body that something is wrong just stop 

If a pepper is to hot in your mouth why force yourself to eat it , you body is telling you something right there so best to be wise an listen at that point 

Doubt I could eat one of those reapers , a Jalapeno is my limit and only can eat them in small slices but that does mean that other people cannot enjoy them, we are all different for sure so again if you are eating something and you enjoy it and it gives you no problems I say have at it 

Signs of problems associated with spicy foods can be irritable bowel, nausea, acid reflux ,stomach pains so if one starts to experiences symptoms along those lines best adjust your diet some how and a good starting point would be spicy foods .......if your taking anti acid tablets quite often that's another sign to cut back on the spicy stuff or possibly quit altogether 

Drinking a lot of alcohol has similar effects but if you are not experiencing health issues from either have a cold beer & a hot pepper and enjoy your life


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## southpaw

Sorry i only touched on the negative side peppers but what was mentioned was important 

Now on the positive side of things hot peppers are full of nutrients and vitamins and have fiber , which is a must in a healthy diet 

Diabetics can also eat peppers, peppers have anti inflammatory properties along with cancer fighting properties so they serve a good purpose in diet

In my opinion they are a little high in sodium but how many are you really going to eat in one sitting anyways

It has warmed up to 3 degree outside so no more playing around in the house this morning and out to work splitting rounds with a maul , actually nice weather to be doing that sort of thing as the wood pops easy and as long as your busy the cold is not so much of an issue........yes I have a splitter but find myself using it less and less anymore


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## Goinwheelin

No way would I eat a whole reaper. Just a sliver of one will make a grown man cry. Great for hot sauce and salsa though that’s where they really shine with cinnamon and chocolate undertones. Just gotta be careful how much you use


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## sean donato

I'm only 32, but find the older I get the less tolerance I have for super hot peppers. I still enjoy them, just stay away from the serious peppers in quantity.


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## farmer steve

Yes jalapenos are about my limit too. I can eat about a 1/2 jar of jalapeno stuffed olives at a sitting. Years ago when the habaneros first came out I grew some. One day I was in the patch and took an ever so small nip off the end of one. That was my last bite of one.


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## Goinwheelin

Serrano is about as far as I will go with eating a whole pepper and even then it needs to be roasted a bit. The good Mexican joints will put a few roast jalapeño or Serrano on the side of the big platters. Pickled jalapeños? no problem. Every taco truck gives you a bag of them with your order it’s like a staple food around here.


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## muddstopper

A few years ago I grew some Diablo Cayenne. Best tasting pepper I have ever ate. I dried a bunch and then ground them to put in shakers. I still have some of the ground left. I saved some seed and will be growing a few plants this year. I dont know the heat index of the diablo cayenne, a little hotter than jalapenos, but no where near as hot as the reapers. I prefer something with flavor than something that just sets my mouth on fire. The diablo is sweet and hot at the same time.


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## southpaw

Yes they have to be pickled ,roasted to be enjoyable to me no questioning that

Around 15 years ago I took a bunch of habaneros to the guys on the construction site and left sitting out for everyone , the younger guys were the only ones trying them and challenging one another to eat one whole , everyone got a big laugh at it .......so this Mexican guy came over and asked if he could buy them from me I said just help yourself ,he started eating those things like candy till all gone and now everyone is really laughing and he said " Oh those aren't that hot "

Yes people who grow up eating that kind of stuff actually eat them like it's nothing , there are people that could most likely chomp down on one of those infamous reapers you guys talk about and not have it bother them whereas it would just flatten most people out just biting into one


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## Goinwheelin

Yep. First thing I did was take some reapers to work. $5 Reaper challenge. Got a few guys in the weld shop, but the Mexicans just wanted to buy some. Even they know you don’t eat one of those whole lol.


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## Del_

I'll eat five or six Jimmy Nardello peppers while I'm out working in the yard. 

They are sweet peppers, of course.


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## Goinwheelin

There’s just something cool about growing super hot peppers.


----------



## Stonesforbrains

My brother-in-law is a chili head and likes all the super hots. He was over on the 31st for my sons birthday party and he had a plant in his truck. I asked him about it and he said it was a yellow reaper that he had for a couple years and was going to give it to a friend. I asked him why and he said he can’t eat them (exploitive)yellow reapers. I personally don’t eat anything hotter than a Serrano. Here is a couple pictures from his harvest last year. He asks me every time if I want any but I always say no thank you.


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## Stonesforbrains

Last year was my first time growing Tabasco’s and they were plenty hot for me. This year I am going to grow a variety of native peppers from Mexico. Zapotec jalapeños, pico de pajara, sinahuisa, and Tarahumara peppers. I also got a type from baker creek called Kalugerista going. Gonna be a good variety of peppers this year.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Stonesforbrains said:


> Last year was my first time growing Tabasco’s and they were plenty hot for me. This year I am going to grow a variety of native peppers from Mexico. Zapotec jalapeños, pico de pajara, sinahuisa, and Tarahumara peppers. I also got a type from baker creek called Kalugerista going. Gonna be a good variety of peppers this year.View attachment 888365


Right on I’ll have to look those up.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> I'll eat five or six Jimmy Nardello peppers while I'm out working in the yard.
> 
> They are sweet peppers, of course.


sure are *red!* here is some info on them...









Jimmy Nardello Chile Peppers


Jimmy Nardello chile peppers are elongated, slender, curved to straight pods, averaging 12 to 25 centimeters in length, and have a conical shape that tapers to...



www.specialtyproduce.com


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> My brother-in-law is a chili head and likes all the super hots. He was over on the 31st for my sons birthday party and he had a plant in his truck. I asked him about it and he said it was a yellow reaper that he had for a couple years and was going to give it to a friend. I asked him why and he said he can’t eat them (exploitive)yellow reapers. I personally don’t eat anything hotter than a Serrano. Here is a couple pictures from his harvest last year. He asks me every time if I want any but I always say no thank you.View attachment 888354
> View attachment 888355


what does he do with them all? just eat? or use to can? cook?

have grown cayenne peppers down here before. the bush almost becomes a small tree. always reminds me of christmas tree... red bulbs. and they are hot!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> There’s just something cool about growing super hot peppers. View attachment 888344


yikes! i can feel the heat all the way down here... that's an impressive plate of hot peppers. wouldn't want to eat one by mistake!

i have grown some habaneros. more orange than red. finally, one day i cut out a piece... maybe 3/16 square... if i grew them, thot it best i try them...



lol, it would have been ok by me if i had not! lol


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> *Doubt I could eat one of those reapers , *a Jalapeno is my limit and only can eat them in small slices but that does mean that other people cannot enjoy them, we are all different for sure so again if you are eating something and you enjoy it and it gives you no problems I say have at it Signs of problems associated with spicy foods can be irritable bowel, nausea, acid reflux ,stomach pains so if one starts to experiences symptoms along those lines best adjust your diet some how and a good starting point would be spicy foods .......if your taking anti acid tablets quite often that's another sign to cut back on the spicy stuff or possibly quit altogether Drinking a lot of alcohol has similar effects but if you are not experiencing health issues from either have a cold beer & a hot pepper and enjoy your life


i never seen Casey on Man vs Food take on one of those super hot challenges... eat it all and enjoy it! always total misery....





don't think i would care for a bowl of devi's soup... even if it has a hint of chili.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> There’s just something cool about growing super hot peppers. View attachment 888344


some can, some can't eat... here's a bit on those who can.









Why some people can tolerate the world's hottest pepper - Scienceline


Genetic and socio-cultural factors chip in to protect us from the burn — well some of us




scienceline.org


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> Doubt I could eat one of those reapers , *a Jalapeno is my limit and only can eat them in small slices *but that does mean that other people cannot enjoy them, we are all different for sure so again if you are eating something and you enjoy it and it gives you no problems I say have at it


a jalapeno is about my limit, too! some red pepper bit or cayenne for cooking but vary sparingly for me. i like jalapenos cooked as in poppers. cooking tames them somewhat. i have grown them before. small and hot! prefer med size like at store. i took one of them apart yesterday afternoon. i needed some. for a batch of guacamole i plan to make... avocados, jalapeno bits, cilantro, garlic, onioin, cilantro and lime juice. cooked the rest... imo, _addictive!_




last night on the grill -


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> No way would I eat a whole reaper. Just a sliver of one will make a grown man cry. Great for hot sauce and salsa though that’s where they really shine with cinnamon and chocolate undertones. Just gotta be careful how much you use


i'd much more prefer cherries from Walla Walla! ~ 

revised: Wawawai.....


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Yes jalapenos are about my limit too. I can eat about a 1/2 jar of jalapeno stuffed olives at a sitting. Years ago when the habaneros first came out I grew some. One day I was in the patch and took an ever so small nip off the end of one. *That was my last bite of one.*


I know just what you mean, FS!.... i think i have some Ghost Pepper seeds in cold storage. they can stay there! lol


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> Around 15 years ago I took a bunch of habaneros to the guys on the construction site and left sitting out for everyone , the younger guys were the only ones trying them and challenging one another to eat one whole , everyone got a big laugh at it .......so this Mexican guy came over and asked if he could buy them from me I said just help yourself ,he started eating those things like candy till all gone and now everyone is really laughing and he said " Oh those aren't that hot "*Yes people who grow up eating that kind of stuff actually eat them like it's nothing *, there are people that could most likely chomp down on one of those infamous reapers you guys talk about and not have it bother them whereas it would just flatten most people out just biting into one


down here if you go into a grocery store that caters more so to a Caucasion, etc patronage... they have peppers, but mostly sweet. go to some of the neighborhood Tex-Mex groceries that cater to the Tex-Mex, Mex crowd... and they got bin after bins of peppers. u can walk down the aisle past them and smell them. really! and most of them are h o t ! varieties. as in very hot...

serranos....


----------



## sonny580

I cant stand anything hot, but there are people who love it! ---if you can stand it----go for it! LOL!


----------



## Goinwheelin

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> i'd much more prefer cherries from Walla Walla! ~


Walla Walla is best known for its sweet onions. Cherries are grown damn near everywhere in this state. Rainiers are my favorite. When harvest comes around people I know who pick are literally giving bags away. 




Backyard Lumberjack said:


> down here if you go into a grocery store that caters more so to a Caucasion, etc patronage... they have peppers, but mostly sweet. go to some of the neighborhood Tex-Mex groceries that cater to the Tex-Mex, Mex crowd... and they got bin after bins of peppers. u can walk down the aisle past them and smell them. really! and most of them are h o t ! varieties. as in very hot...
> 
> serranos....
> View attachment 888459


Same here. I love hitting the Carniceria, Taqueria, and Panaderia etc. that’s where the good authentic Mexican foods are.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> _Walla Walla is best known for its sweet onions_. Cherries are grown damn near everywhere in this state. Rainiers are my favorite. When harvest comes around people I know who pick are literally giving bags away.


oic, i did not know that. will look it up now that u mention it. sounds interesting. but u made me look up the cherries... used to go pick them as kid. not Walla Walla but down by Wawawai, Wa... down on the Snake River where the cherry orchards used to be. actually, i knew it was Wawawai... even said it to myself as i made post... just used WW though... lol. as i remember there was only one dusty dirt winding long road we took to get down to the orchards. may be the same in the historical pix below. we would climb the cherry trees and pick. ate all we could, picked the rest. special times! 









Wawawai -- Vanished Orchard Community of the Snake River







www.historylink.org





_>Cherries are grown damn near everywhere in this state._

well, i don't know about that! don't remember too many cherry orchards in Columbia Basin area, but do remember some midnite raids on neighborhood cherry trees when living in Seattle... lol 

and even though i never saw many cherry orchards in M Lake area, etc or the many lakes in CB... i see they are very big there, too. live and learn...

_The major sweet *cherry* production regions are east of the Cascade Mountains in the central area of the state. The three primary sweet *cherry* production regions are the Yakima Valley, with 12,000 acres; the North Central (Wenatchee) district, with 9,500 acres; and the *Columbia Basin*, with about 4,500 acres of *cherries*._


----------



## southpaw

Yeah never been a real hot eater myself 
KImchi , Kale chicken breast ( never breaded ) tomatillo mashed potato simple summer lunch with all foods grown right here except the Korean Kimchi 
Now and then I'll put a pickled jalapeno or 2 in a dish like this


----------



## southpaw

Don't know if any you guys eat Kimchi but it is a very healthy food source , it is probiotic which means it promote healthy guy bacteria and has plenty of fiber 

It is a spicy food and for the hearty here you could probably add some of your hot peppers into the mix to make it even more lively , you can get at Walmart 

I try to eat some everyday as part of my health regime , could eat a whole jar at one sitting but I don't and make it last a few days


----------



## southpaw

Goinwheelin said:


> There’s just something cool about growing super hot peppers. View attachment 888344


You got some mandarins going on there don't you


----------



## Goinwheelin

I’ve had kimchi at one of the Korean joints here local but never tried it at home. Might pick some up!


----------



## Goinwheelin

southpaw said:


> You got some mandarins going on there don't you


Lol yeah those are store bought


----------



## Del_

We grow Waltham Butternut squash and save seeds. We select seed for large size squash, large diameter necks and good keeping quality. We will select seed from the best ten squash we have left out of the 125 we have stored on the spare room floor because we do select for keeping ability. Our total harvest from this year was about 275 squash. Right shortly we are going to be putting some on face book market place as we have too many left even after sharing with friends. Had a friend come by today....he only wanted two. There are a couple of Dynaco 120 amps in the background and a Jotul F3CB wood stove. The other photo was taken just this afternoon as I was preparing squash for baking and seeds for roasting which is in progress as I type.

We roast butternut seeds with a coating of olive oil and a little sugar.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> We grow Waltham Butternut squash and save seeds. We select seed for large size squash, large diameter necks and good keeping quality. We will select seed from the best ten squash we have left out of the 125 we have stored on the spare room floor because we do select for keeping ability. Our total harvest from this year was about 275 squash. Right shortly we are going to be putting some on face book market place as we have too many left even after sharing with friends. Had a friend come by today....he only wanted two. There are a couple of Dynaco 120 amps in the background and a Jotul F3CB wood stove. The other photo was taken just this afternoon as I was preparing squash for baking and seeds for roasting which is in progress as I type.
> 
> We roast butternut seeds with a coating of olive oil and a little sugar.
> 
> View attachment 888577
> 
> 
> View attachment 888578


swell pix! thanks for posting it up. enjoyed seeing all that awesome squash production... down here we have to get the sets out very early, as soon... in come the vine borers. real PITA! i don't grow squashes any more because of those pesky flies. but if sets in early enuff can get some yellow squash. and zukes. graden fresh a bit too mild for me. i actually like the more aged stronger flavor of store bot best. but no doubt about it... _'fresh is fresh!'_


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> Don't know if any you guys eat Kimchi but it is a very healthy food source , it is probiotic which means it promote healthy guy bacteria and has plenty of fiber
> It is a spicy food and for the hearty here you could probably add some of your hot peppers into the mix to make it even more lively , you can get at Walmart
> I try to eat some everyday as part of my health regime , could eat a whole jar at one sitting but I don't and make it last a few days


not me. but i have an awesome Kimchi story. best left for another thread! lol  won't ever forget _that adventure_ any time soon! interesting you like it. and a lot! it seems. not something i would expect of a northern guy. interesting.

i am not a sauerkraut fan. but maybe i will try a small jar of kimchi. ? you do speak highly of it's health and culinary attributes.

hope you don't mind, i was kinda wondering...."

_What is the taste of kimchi?_
Kimchi can be wickedly *sour* and crazy *spicy* — and pungent enough to clear the room. That said, those jars hold tangy, salty, spicy fermented cabbage that's packed with flavor and *umami* funk. Because it's naturally fermented, it's a probiotic powerhouse — and it's rich in vitamins and minerals.Oct 7, 2018

_>and pungent enough to clear the room. 

.................."yum..."





_


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

we get two distinct growing seasons down here in Grow Zone 9a. i use both seeds and sets i buy. I keep them (seeds) in bags accordingly... per season. and in cold storage. and batched.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> _You got some mandarins going on there don't you_


pro level carver...


----------



## southpaw

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> not me. but i have an awesome Kimchi story. best left for another thread! lol  won't ever forget _that adventure_ any time soon! interesting you like it. and a lot! it seems. not something i would expect of a northern guy. interesting.
> 
> i am not a sauerkraut fan. but maybe i will try a small jar of kimchi. ? you do speak highly of it's health and culinary attributes.
> 
> hope you don't mind, i was kinda wondering...."
> 
> _What is the taste of kimchi?_
> Kimchi can be wickedly *sour* and crazy *spicy* — and pungent enough to clear the room. That said, those jars hold tangy, salty, spicy fermented cabbage that's packed with flavor and *umami* funk. Because it's naturally fermented, it's a probiotic powerhouse — and it's rich in vitamins and minerals.Oct 7, 2018
> 
> _>and pungent enough to clear the room.
> 
> .................."yum..."
> View attachment 888714
> 
> 
> _


Yes I do speak highly of it's nutritional value along with other fermented foods for the probiotic value , investigate it's importance on google and do believe you will find it worth your time .


----------



## southpaw

Goinwheelin said:


> Lol yeah those are store bought


Store bought is good, I am a dedicated store bought gardener about 8 months out of the year


----------



## Kanscruzer

sonny580 said:


> Nice raised beds you have there! ----we tried them one year but didnt have time to carry water enough to do the job.----kinda gave up on them. They would work if you had a good way to water them. A guy on the other side of the county here uses them but he has water system and drip tape in them.
> Today I got another big dump truck load of horse manure to add to the compost pile.


Raised bed is nice dump bed trailer is super nice!!!


----------



## Kanscruzer

southpaw said:


> Yes I do speak highly of it's nutritional value along with other fermented foods for the probiotic value , investigate it's importance on google and do believe you will find it worth your time .


Kimchi is good on everything , Hamburgers, eggs you name it not cake or pie ,,, you get the idea


----------



## southpaw

Kanscruzer said:


> Kimchi is good on everything , Hamburgers, eggs you name it not cake or pie ,,, you get the idea


Could probably start a Kimchi thread , it blends great into to so many food groups 

Scrambled eggs, steamed kale & spinach ,potato with Kimchi at breakfast all summer long 

Wake up in middle of night for duty call and slice of grapefruit with Kimchi , back to sleep


----------



## Kanscruzer

southpaw said:


> Yes I do speak highly of it's nutritional value along with other fermented foods for the probiotic value , investigate it's importance on google and do believe you will find it worth your time .


I don't know what North or the South has to do with Kimchi , It wasn't invented in LA ,,, Lower Alabama. I'm thinking East, Way east


----------



## southpaw

I don't know about that one either but thought it kind of funny when that was mentioned 

I know there was a M.A.S.H. episode where that nutty Frank Burns thought the Koreans were buying a bomb around the compound and it turned out to be the villagers making their Kimchi .....funny episode and Frank again made himself look a dope


----------



## Goinwheelin

Tami G tomatoes popped today.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Moved everything to the grow tent Saturday. So far so good even with the low temperatures we’ve had lately. Hasn’t dropped below 72F but Saturday is going to be even colder so I might fire up the wood stove that evening 





my ghetto fan setup while I wait for the proper ones to show up







my pride and joy reaper plant lol





started digging out the irrigation stuff. This is what I use for my fertigation setup in the garden


----------



## djg james

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> swell pix! thanks for posting it up. enjoyed seeing all that awesome squash production... down here we have to get the sets out very early, as soon... in come the vine borers. real PITA! i don't grow squashes any more because of those pesky flies. but if sets in early enuff can get some yellow squash. and zukes. graden fresh a bit too mild for me. i actually like the more aged stronger flavor of store bot best. but no doubt about it... _'fresh is fresh!'_


I've almost given up on squash for the same reason. I get a couple Zucchini or yellow squash before the borers kill the plants. I try Sevin, but I'm usually too late. Anyone know a better way to control them?


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> Could probably start a Kimchi thread , it blends great into to so many food groups Scrambled eggs, steamed kale & spinach ,potato with Kimchi at breakfast all summer long
> 
> *Wake up in middle of night for duty call and slice of grapefruit with Kimchi , back to sleep*


...hmmm, might have to try that!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Tami G tomatoes popped today. View attachment 888807


swell pix - always _'a moment to marvel'_... when the seeds first pop! well, imo.... 

and i am waiting. worked on my mobile nursery other day... had only 5 1015 baby onions i was nursing along, then in part from all the enthusiasm on this thread...  decided to do some experiments. i just  garden experiments. this or that?, will it grow.... ?? etc.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> I've almost given up on squash for the same reason. I get a couple Zucchini or yellow squash before the borers kill the plants. I try Sevin, but I'm usually too late. Anyone know a better way to control them?


little red dots close to plant, then along stalk... *. *some say to remove them. have tried, but moths always win. have tried camping bug nets, too. semi-effective... store bot? 100% effective! lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

but then i dragged out some fall seeds... see what might get with it over the next 60 days or so...











and some carrots, spinach and some bottom of bag mystery seeds. carrots or lettuce... bok choi should make some good harvestable young bok choi, brussels just for the grins, wont like summer. see how they do. if i can get them started early enough like Farmer Steve suggested, might get some if i plant up at my ranch. they are a 90-day seed. 


always colder there compared to H in fall. no doubt they sure would like these temps down here... brrr. cilantro. every grow it? very tender set once germinated... but does well with care. and garden fresh is unbeatable!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

my _mobile nursery_...

L-R carrots, bok choi, spinach, beef masters, tag used just to ID the toms... brussels in front and mystery pot to frt n R


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## Backyard Lumberjack

was a fun day in garden that day... also repotted the herbs, dill, cilantro, sage and parsley... and such. needed pots for them.


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## sonny580

Grew pac-choi and cilantro one time, didnt care for either one! lol! Love your 2 growing seasons!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

had some pretty nice roots, too. nursery bought week or so ago... left intact and the repotted in compost...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Grew pac-choi and cilantro one time, didnt care for either one! lol! Love your 2 growing seasons!


hi S580 - interesting you din't. i like to stir fry or boil bok choi in w/or in salted water. dash butter. crunchy and tasty, imo. some like cilantro and some don't. i read it is a bio thing unique to each individual. taste buds, i guess... but lol

no need to tell all the Tex/Mex crowd down here... they think it's lettuce! lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

think i will just pull most of my remaining tomatoes. got plenty. ripe and ripening inside hse. but not sure what i will do with this cluster. 11 nice tomatoes, still green... not even sure super extra wrap will save them. not at 18f or so... might have to put a light bulb in the wrap with them... they would no doubt make muster then...


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## 5backacres

FYI, I wait until Mother's day is past and Kroger has marigold transplants for 1/2 price. We then use them inter planted as insect repellents ( interspersed around the cole family specifically but works for any plant)


----------



## jollygreengiant

Reading all these posts is making me really excited to get some seeds in the ground! Sadly that won't be for a few weeks yet; I don't start peppers until the end of March, and usually set them out around the end of May. Tomatoes I'll start in April. I usually try and have some lettuce planted outside in the first half of April, but unless we get a warm March that may not happen. We have a lot of snow right now. But this year I ordered all my seeds in January and most of them are already here. Last year I tried ordering in March and a lot of stuff was sold out because everyone was panic buying seeds because of Covid. 

I am looking forward to the 2021 growing season. Last year was the first year with a new garden site on a new property, and it was a struggle. But I got it cleaned up last fall and worked in some fertilizer so hopefully that is a good first step. Also got some garlic planted last fall, hopefully it survives the winter. And I have strawberry plants on order for this spring; I've been without my strawberry bed for too long.


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## sonny580

Add more fertilizer this spring too! --IF you can get your hands on some compost, tree leaves, manure, etc. that would help a bunch too.
We might try garlic this fall ----been wanting to for several years but never get it done.
Strawberries are addictive!!! --- we have a small patch. Last year the flowers got froze by late freeze and only got 6 quarts, late from them. No fruit at all last year---hope for better year this time.
Seed flats here are last of Feb.---first of Mar. time period indoors. The outdoor hotbed comes later in March.
We have a lot of saved seed but do buy a few packages of new seed to mix in. The biggest problem with new seed is that a package is 5 or 10 seeds and price has tripled on them!


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## Goinwheelin

Yeah the Covid panic definitely put a dent in the seed and germination market last year. Heck it put a dent in just about anything related to gardening in general so I guess that’s why they are trying to get ahead of things this year. I can’t remember ever seeing seeds and germination supplies on the shelves on Jan 1. I also noticed the price of seeds has jumped about a dollar per pack or more in some instances.


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## Marco

Looking like it may be a dry one. Looking back to this time in 2012, it starting off looking worse now. 




__





Current Map | U.S. Drought Monitor







droughtmonitor.unl.edu


----------



## Goinwheelin

Marco said:


> Looking like it may be a dry one. Looking back to this time in 2012, it starting off looking worse now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Current Map | U.S. Drought Monitor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> droughtmonitor.unl.edu


That’s a cool link thank you. 

We are looking good here in Wa. currently Snow Pack levels are normal. 


https://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/ftpref/data/water/wcs/gis/maps/wa_swepctnormal_update.pdf


----------



## jollygreengiant

sonny580 said:


> Add more fertilizer this spring too! --IF you can get your hands on some compost, tree leaves, manure, etc. that would help a bunch too.
> We might try garlic this fall ----been wanting to for several years but never get it done.
> Strawberries are addictive!!! --- we have a small patch. Last year the flowers got froze by late freeze and only got 6 quarts, late from them. No fruit at all last year---hope for better year this time.
> Seed flats here are last of Feb.---first of Mar. time period indoors. The outdoor hotbed comes later in March.
> We have a lot of saved seed but do buy a few packages of new seed to mix in. The biggest problem with new seed is that a package is 5 or 10 seeds and price has tripled on them!



I was hoping to get strawberries in last spring so that we would have berries for this spring. But breaking the sod took a lot more work than I expected, and then it turned very dry and it was a struggle just keeping what we had alive. 



Goinwheelin said:


> Yeah the Covid panic definitely put a dent in the seed and germination market last year. Heck it put a dent in just about anything related to gardening in general so I guess that’s why they are trying to get ahead of things this year. I can’t remember ever seeing seeds and germination supplies on the shelves on Jan 1. I also noticed the price of seeds has jumped about a dollar per pack or more in some instances.



I couldn't believe it last year, I had to go order seed from 3 different places and I could only order what was left. I couldn't even get the usual blight resistant tomatoes that I normally order, but thankfully I had a few left from last year. And also we were lucky to not have much blight last year. 



Marco said:


> Looking like it may be a dry one. Looking back to this time in 2012, it starting off looking worse now.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Current Map | U.S. Drought Monitor
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> droughtmonitor.unl.edu



I hope not. My garden spot is beyond the range of my hose so I have to haul all the water to the site and water by hand. I'm hoping to setup a rain collection system on my shop this year so I won't have to haul water, and with any luck I'll get a pump and hose set up too.


----------



## Marco

2012 was a beast, mined a neighbors silo down to the Nixon years to keep my beef cows fed. I'm buying silage now and holding my hay to hopefully be better prepared.


----------



## djg james

Anyone use the ashes you generate in your fireplace/wood burner in the garden? I just tossed my 3rd 50# of ashes in the trash. Maybe I should be spreading them?


----------



## Del_

I use wood stove ashes in the garden. And around trees out in the yard, too. 

Here are this years seedlings coming along quite well. Each tray has 48 cells.


----------



## southpaw

Wood ash is very alkaline , can be good or bad in your garden as it will affect the PH balance

I use at the head of my gravel roadways for ice , sometimes toss in the compost piles and throw some on top of the gardens to help them thaw sooner

Think environment and don't knowingly have them going to a landfill


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## sonny580

I spread ashes on the garden all the time. ---- many years ago an old timer told me that burning turns stalks/weeds/trees/etc. into phos. and potash.---or releases it---something to that extent, and I think there is probably a lot of truth to it. --- Ever notice how healthy the weeds and grass grow in your burn piles????


----------



## AKTrailDog

djg james said:


> Anyone use the ashes you generate in your fireplace/wood burner in the garden? I just tossed my 3rd 50# of ashes in the trash. Maybe I should be spreading them?


We use ash all the time in the garden, mixed in with the compost. Usually let the mixture set with other soils etc thru the winter to get the pH balanced out. I've got several experimental areas going where ash is spread/mixed in. 
Along with the garden, I have (2) 5-gallon buckets (with lids) filled with ash that stay in our vehicles for when vehicles get stuck when icy conditions are present. Haven't found anything that works better.


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## Goinwheelin

Yep ash goes in a bucket when I clean the shop stove then on the garden when I till it up. Usually not a whole lot because I don’t burn that much wood but I figure every little bit helps. Good point on the PH


----------



## muddstopper

Ash is mostly made up of Potassium and Calcium. All the other nutrients, including the carbon, are burnt up and released into the air. In most soils in my area, the soil can benefit from the addition of wood ash to the garden. In soils with high ph's, it isnt as helpful. The Charcoal nuggets left in a ash pile provide a valuable source of carbon as well as moisture/nutrient holding capacity for the soil.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Has anyone here ever grown peppercorn? I’m thinking of ordering some seeds and trying it as a potted indoor/outdoor houseplant.


----------



## muddstopper

You do know peppercorn is a vine dont you? Planted outside with a stake it might work ok, but inside unless you let it grow long, I dont see much peppercorn being harvested.


----------



## muddstopper

How to Grow a Peppercorn Plant


If you're a fan of different types of pepper including white, red, and/or black, growing your own peppercorn plant might just be a good idea! After all, indulging in different types of peppercorns can be costly, but it's much cheaper to grow your own! Keep reading to find out how to grow...




plantinstructions.com


----------



## Goinwheelin

muddstopper said:


> You do know peppercorn is a vine dont you? Planted outside with a stake it might work ok, but inside unless you let it grow long, I dont see much peppercorn being harvested.


Yep I did some research the other night.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Speaking of peppers. Sunday I kept the shop warm all day and brought in the wheelbarrow and soil to move the reapers to bigger pots 











Digging thru my seed stash last night I found these so I went ahead and started some


----------



## sonny580

Them dudes sure look healthy!!! lol! --- By planting time they will be trees! When they get in the ground they will take off without transplant shock!


----------



## Goinwheelin

sonny580 said:


> Them dudes sure look healthy!!! lol! --- By planting time they will be trees! When they get in the ground they will take off without transplant shock!


They will spend their entire life in a pot because I plan to keep them over the next winter. It’s hard to get a good harvest in the first year because they develop so slowly. Peppers and Chiles that are going in the ground get put in 2 or 3 gallon plastic grow bags and yes they take right off after going in the ground.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Even put a few in milk cartons to give to a friend. The other pots are 2 cayenne and 1 habanero


----------



## Del_

Seedlings are coming along!

Photo taken a few minutes ago. Each tray holds twelve 4-cell packs. Each shelf holds three trays and two 4 ft. 50 watt LED fixtures, one bulb per fixture for 100 watts per shelf. The shelf system is 20" X 48" and 84" tall holding six shelves. Our first year for this shelf and LED's and am happy so far. Mylar hanging for light reflection on three sides. We ran out of mylar but will be adding.


----------



## djg james

Goinwheelin said:


> They will spend their entire life in a pot because I plan to keep them over the next winter. It’s hard to get a good harvest in the first year because they develop so slowly. Peppers and Chiles that are going in the ground get put in 2 or 3 gallon plastic grow bags and yes they take right off after going in the ground.


Did not ever consider saving pepper plants over the winter. I do with some of my flowers, but never peppers.


----------



## djg james

Del_ said:


> Seedlings are coming along!
> 
> Photo taken a few minutes ago. Each tray holds twelve 4-cell packs. Each shelf holds three trays and two 4 ft. 50 watt LED fixtures, one bulb per fixture for 100 watts per shelf. The shelf system is 20" X 48" and 84" tall holding six shelves. Our first year for this shelf and LED's and am happy so far. Mylar hanging for light reflection on three sides. We ran out of mylar but will be adding.


Wow! You must put out a large garden. Do you use special grow light bulbs or just regular fluorescent?

PS. Just saw you used LED lights. It was early. Thanks


----------



## Goinwheelin

djg james said:


> Did not ever consider saving pepper plants over the winter. I do with some of my flowers, but never peppers.


It works well with the hot varieties. Sweet peppers and chiles are pretty much done after one season and not really worth keeping over the winter in my opinion. 




Del_ said:


> Seedlings are coming along!
> 
> Photo taken a few minutes ago. Each tray holds twelve 4-cell packs. Each shelf holds three trays and two 4 ft. 50 watt LED fixtures, one bulb per fixture for 100 watts per shelf. The shelf system is 20" X 48" and 84" tall holding six shelves. Our first year for this shelf and LED's and am happy so far. Mylar hanging for light reflection on three sides. We ran out of mylar but will be adding.
> 
> View attachment 890387


Man that is a nice setup. 
I swapped to a LED in my seed closet as well. Made it easier to control the temp


----------



## Del_

djg james said:


> Wow! You must put out a large garden. Do you use special grow light bulbs or just regular fluorescent?
> 
> PS. Just saw you used LED lights. It was early. Thanks



Thanks!

We do have a large garden but I always start more then we need and do give away some seedlings.

When selecting LED's for growing plants be sure to get 5k to 6.5k kelvin light temperatures. This is the best for plants but a lot of LED's for house lighting is 3K kelvin or thereabouts and not good for growing plants.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Good tip. Higher K is for growing Vegetation lower K is for flowering. An old trick to get full spectrum is to use low K bulbs and high K bulbs in the same light fixture but thats not much use for seedlings. Most of your off the shelf shop lights are going to be in the 5k range that’s what I put in my closet.


----------



## 5backacres

Something to remember about fertilizers.. here in PNW with acid soil I'm always trying to raise the Ph. Fertilizer frequently contains Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0, that's great for blueberries) But for every 1# of it you put on you have to use 5# of Lime to neutralize it. which is fine in Midwest or low rainfall areas, no problem you're trying to acidify the soil. I find the wood chips that I've spread in my animal containment areas once decomposed tend to neutralize the soil and add P & K and of course humus But I also have a lot of grass and weeds that I have to keep on top of. I use a lot of wood chips for mulch/ weed control.


----------



## Goinwheelin

5backacres said:


> Something to remember about fertilizers.. here in PNW with acid soil I'm always trying to raise the Ph. Fertilizer frequently contains Ammonium sulfate (21-0-0, that's great for blueberries) But for every 1# of it you put on you have to use 5# of Lime to neutralize it. which is fine in Midwest or low rainfall areas, no problem you're trying to acidify the soil. I find the wood chips that I've spread in my animal containment areas once decomposed tend to neutralize the soil and add P & K and of course humus But I also have a lot of grass and weeds that I have to keep on top of. I use a lot of wood chips for mulch/ weed control.


You guys over on the west side of the state have it good for growing blueberries. Wife and I usually stop by Mossyrock on our way back from the coast for some. One year I decided to try and grow them here in the desert, did a bunch of reading, bought plants and acidic soil but they never took off. It’s something I want to revisit though now that I know a bit more.


----------



## djg james

I've been looking at some LED lights and 6000K to 6500K keeps popping up. OK right? Anything over 5000K?
Thanks


----------



## Goinwheelin

djg james said:


> I've been looking at some LED lights and 6000K to 6500K keeps popping up. OK right? Anything over 5000K?
> Thanks


Yes 5000k and up. But look at the wattage as well


----------



## djg james

Goinwheelin said:


> Yes 5000k and up. But look at the wattage as well


My seed cart is only 3' long and the 3' lights I've seen are only 30W.


----------



## Goinwheelin

djg james said:


> My seed cart is only 3' long and the 3' lights I've seen are only 30W.


You’re good


----------



## Goinwheelin

You can spend a lot of money on a light.


----------



## djg james

Goinwheelin said:


> You can spend a lot of money on a light.


I'm looking for a couple cheap ones  .


----------



## Del_

djg james said:


> I'm looking for a couple cheap ones  .



Be sure to do price comparisons with longer tubes as changing out your seedling cart to work with the best priced LED lights may in the end be cheaper.

For instance I have eight $20 50 watt lights on an $80 shelf system. Because I have about 60 old worn Golden Coral trays I opted for an 18" wide shelf because a GC tray fits perfectly and three fit side by side in the 48" width. If it were not for already having the really nice trays from GC, I likley would have opted for sizing that would fit multiples of standard sized nursery flats that are 10" X 20".

The lights can easily out cost the shelf system used.


----------



## muddstopper

I bought a cheap florescent grow light at Walmart, https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-Tough-24-LED-Grow-Light-Full-Spectrum-Linkable-12-Watt/713072660. We use it to start out tomatoe seeds. Cheap and easy to find. Also Wally world, pretty sure Lowes and Homedepot does too, has replacement florescence grow light bulbs you can put in a regular florescence fixture.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Jimmy Nardellos are popping 






The wife loves petunias so one thing I do every year is hanging baskets for the house, a couple of large planters out front and a couple more on the back patio. These are the largest growing petunias you can get, commonly referred to as Tidal Wave. The growth and the flowers these suckers put out is prolific! One plant will fill a hanging basket and then some. 







Pictures from last year when I went overboard on them lol. This ain’t close to all of them I think I had 60 some plants


----------



## 5backacres

Goinwheelin said:


> You guys over on the west side of the state have it good for growing blueberries. Wife and I usually stop by Mossyrock on our way back from the coast for some. One year I decided to try and grow them here in the desert, did a bunch of reading, bought plants and acidic soil but they never took off. It’s something I want to revisit though now that I know a bit more.


Had an friend who tried unsuccefully to grow Blueberries in Bend...he quit once I sent him the acid requirements...Just buys them now, at least you won't have problems with fungus on your side but here's a OSU link : https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1304


----------



## 5backacres

5backacres said:


> Had an friend who tried unsuccefully to grow Blueberries in Bend...he quit once I sent him the acid requirements...Just buys them now, at least you won't have problems with fungus on your side but here's a OSU link : https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1304


I might add my 12 plants love fir sawdust mulch and adequate summer water (shallow roots)


----------



## farmer steve

Goinwheelin said:


> Jimmy Nardellos are popping
> View attachment 890681
> 
> 
> The wife loves petunias so one thing I do every year is hanging baskets for the house, a couple of large planters out front and a couple more on the back patio. These are the largest growing petunias you can get, commonly referred to as Tidal Wave. The growth and the flowers these suckers put out is prolific! One plant will fill a hanging basket and then some.
> View attachment 890682
> View attachment 890683
> 
> Pictures from last year when I went overboard on them lol. This ain’t close to all of them I think I had 60 some plants View attachment 890684
> View attachment 890685


Sold tons of the original wave petunias when they first came out in the early 90's. Easy wave was a good seller because of other colors available. Looks like there are several different types out there now. For some reason the top of my toolbox looks like yours. 








All the Types of Petunia Wave - Official Blog of Park Seed


Petunia Wave is a spreading annual with many forms: Original, Easy, Shock, Tidal, and Double. Here are the differences in habit and bloom size among them!




blog.parkseed.com


----------



## Goinwheelin

farmer steve said:


> Sold tons of the original wave petunias when they first came out in the early 90's. Easy wave was a good seller because of other colors available. Looks like there are several different types out there now. For some reason the top of my toolbox looks like yours.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> All the Types of Petunia Wave - Official Blog of Park Seed
> 
> 
> Petunia Wave is a spreading annual with many forms: Original, Easy, Shock, Tidal, and Double. Here are the differences in habit and bloom size among them!
> 
> 
> 
> 
> blog.parkseed.com


I can never keep that toolbox clean. The top is a dumping ground for whatever I clear off the bench for the next project  

This is my second year growing petunias and silver seems to be the color that grows the best for the tidal wave variety. I couldn’t find any tidal wave at the local nurseries last year so I got lucky with that decision.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Skimming through an old grow book by Mel Frank last night, and I found this page I bookmarked. 

“Visit your plants regularly, it’s mutually beneficial”.


----------



## Del_

Goinwheelin said:


> Skimming through an old grow book by Mel Frank last night, and I found this page I bookmarked.
> 
> “Visit your plants regularly, it’s mutually beneficial”. View attachment 891012




You will never hear your plants complain about farts!


----------



## djg james

Del_ said:


> You will never hear your plants complain about farts!


Farts are methane and I was going to ask if plants like them too  .


----------



## muddstopper

If you want to increase the CO2 in your green houses, all you got to do is mix a little cornmeal and sugar in a 55gal barrel, throw in a hand full of yeast and set back and let it work off for about 7 days. Now what you do with the byproduct of the corn sugar mixture is up to you.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Time to cut back the roster a bit. Took some plants to work and gave some to th co workers I like then sold the rest for $1 each lol. Made $15




moving all the peppers and chiles over to 2gal bags. Six Numex and 3 Nardello here.




Tonight I’ll do the tomatoes in 2gal bags then put two dozen petunias in 1 gal bags. All that’s left in the germination closet are the Hatch medium chiles and some more Nardellos and that about does it for this year.


----------



## djg james

I don't start seeds on the level you do, so I don't understand the bag thing. I understand transplanting into larger pots when the plants get larger. Yours seem tiny. And the bag, is that just your source of a larger pot? You remove the bag before planting and reuse them?


----------



## Goinwheelin

djg james said:


> I don't start seeds on the level you do, so I don't understand the bag thing. I understand transplanting into larger pots when the plants get larger. Yours seem tiny. And the bag, is that just your source of a larger pot? You remove the bag before planting and reuse them?


The bigger the pot the bigger the plant. If you look at the first picture all those plants germinated around the same time but the ones in bigger containers are larger. Also I have about 9-10 weeks before they go in the ground so they need a good place to hang out lol. 

The bags can be reused, but I usually end up tossing them because they are cheap.


----------



## Goinwheelin

@djg james
The biggest game changer for me was investing in a good light for after germination. It paid for itself in the long run.

You can do a lot of work with one of these



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B019J3UPUS/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_RNVE3WWKQ7A8YCS6GWN2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## Goinwheelin

They upgraded to LED at work so I grabbed as many T5 fixtures as I could. Excellent grow light and it was free. Works good over the bench and keeps your head warm


----------



## djg james

So you're saying Florescent bulbs put out the right light for plants?


----------



## Goinwheelin

djg james said:


> So you're saying Florescent bulbs put out the right light for plants?


With the right bulbs yes. You want 5000k or better bulbs. Mine all have 6500k bulbs in them. Also you want T5 HO fixtures for the most light intensity. LED lights work just as well if not better in some cases, but I prefer the heat the fluorescent bulbs put out to keep my grow tent warm. When I got up this morning it was 30 degrees outside. My shop was at 56 degrees and the tent (which is in the shop) was at 75.


----------



## Goinwheelin

I’ve been looking at getting one of these for my germination closet just to see how it does. There’s that period after the seeds sprout where they need to grow their first true leaves before they can be transplanted and put under more intense light. Usually about a week or so. Move them too soon and you can cook them. (Don’t ask me how I know lol) 
I just have a cheap LED shop light in there now and it’s ok but some of the seedlings get a little leggy stretching to get light. 
Monios-L 4FT LED Grow Light Full Spectrum 60W T5 High Output Integrated Fixture with Reflector Combo for Indoor Plants https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BPWD1L...abc_12ZCCN6G4X4HW1J6W6B8?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1


----------



## Goinwheelin

Almost there. I’ll add a few more (6) hatch chiles and some Nardellos (3) in 2 gal bags within the next week.... Oh and some more petunias but they will be in the little plastic containers for giving away or selling. 

big pots are

2 Cayenne
2 Serrano
1 habanero
3 reaper
The big bags are
6 Numex
3 Nardello.
Small bags are all petunias 






Last of the reapers. The one on the left will go to a guy at work tomorrow. The one on the right is putting in work despite the small pot so it’s a keeper. 





one of the TamiG tomatoes 






One of the lights I got from work. There were pallets of them and they were just going to throw them away. Most were five bulb but a select few were six bulb like this one.


----------



## Del_

We potted up tomatoes and a few peppers from 4 cell packs to 4 inch nursery pots. 12 fit on one tray and I believe we have 14 trays. These trays sit in our south west facing sun room and get no additional heat or light. The soil is 100% compost made from leaves, kitchen waste and recycled garden plants. We run it through rat wire stapled to a 2 x 4 frame to get rid of the lumps. Here's a pictorial walk through of the process. We still have about 150 pepper plants but these likely will not get potted up and will go right to the garden from their 4 cell packs. Tomatoes are Better Boy, Opalka roma, Amish Paste roma, Matt's Wild Cherry, Sun Gold cherry, Brandywine OTV and Italian Heirloom.


----------



## djg james

Del_ said:


> We potted up tomatoes and a few peppers from 4 cell packs to 4 inch nursery pots. 12 fit on one tray and I believe we have 14 trays. These trays sit in our south west facing sun room and get no additional heat or light. The soil is 100% compost made from leaves, kitchen waste and recycled garden plants. We run it through rat wire stapled to a 2 x 4 frame to get rid of the lumps. Here's a pictorial walk through of the process. We still have about 150 pepper plants but these likely will not get potted up and will go right to the garden from their 4 cell packs. Tomatoes are Better Boy, Opalka roma, Amish Paste roma, Matt's Wild Cherry, Sun Gold cherry, Brandywine OTV and Italian Heirloom.
> 
> View attachment 891898
> View attachment 891899
> View attachment 891900
> View attachment 891901
> View attachment 891902
> View attachment 891903
> View attachment 891904
> View attachment 891905
> View attachment 891906
> 
> 
> View attachment 891908


Good Heavens! 150 Pepper plants? How Big is your garden? I usually put out 4 store bought plants and that's more than I can use.


----------



## djg james

Goinwheelin said:


> Almost there. I’ll add a few more (6) hatch chiles and some Nardellos (3) in 2 gal bags within the next week.... Oh and some more petunias but they will be in the little plastic containers for giving away or selling.
> 
> big pots are
> 
> 2 Cayenne
> 2 Serrano
> 1 habanero
> 3 reaper
> The big bags are
> 6 Numex
> 3 Nardello.
> Small bags are all petunias
> 
> View attachment 891892
> 
> 
> Last of the reapers. The one on the left will go to a guy at work tomorrow. The one on the right is putting in work despite the small pot so it’s a keeper.
> View attachment 891893
> 
> 
> one of the TamiG tomatoes
> 
> View attachment 891894
> 
> 
> One of the lights I got from work. There were pallets of them and they were just going to throw them away. Most were five bulb but a select few were six bulb like this one.
> View attachment 891895


Lights look almost new. Nice save. It's amazing what companies throw away to save money.


----------



## farmer steve

djg james said:


> Good Heavens! 150 Pepper plants? How Big is your garden? I usually put out 4 store bought plants and that's more than I can use.


Just was figuring out my plant order. Looks like 7-800 peppers (mostly bell) and about 150 tomatoes. I grow to sell at local produce auction and for a few people that can an freeze. Prolly about 5 acres of sweet corn.


----------



## Del_

djg james said:


> Good Heavens! 150 Pepper plants? How Big is your garden? I usually put out 4 store bought plants and that's more than I can use.



These are Italian frying peppers. We eat them as a vegetable side dish all year long plus they go into a lot of recipes. We will only keep about 50 plants and will sell the rest. The plant itself is not one of the larger types growing maybe 30 inches tall and 12 inches around. We clean and freeze them in one gallon freezer bags and did about 40 gallons last year. A staple food for us. 









Jimmy Nardello's Pepper


One of the best peppers for frying, with a mild, spicy flavor. Productive plants are loaded with glossy-red 10"-long peppers. Plants may have to be staked. A SSE staff favorite. 80-90 days from transplant. Sweet pepper.




www.seedsavers.org


----------



## southpaw

farmer steve said:


> Just was figuring out my plant order. Looks like 7-800 peppers (mostly bell) and about 150 tomatoes. I grow to sell at local produce auction and for a few people that can an freeze. Prolly about 5 acres of sweet corn.


Steve how do you control the Raccoon in that 5 acre ?


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

jollygreengiant said:


> Reading all these posts is making me really excited to get some seeds in the ground! Sadly that won't be for a few weeks yet; I am looking forward to the 2021 growing season. Last year was the first year with a new garden site on a new property, and it was a struggle. But I got it cleaned up last fall and worked in some fertilizer so hopefully that is a good first step. Also got some garlic planted last fall, hopefully it survives the winter. And I have strawberry plants on order for this spring; I've been without my strawberry bed for too long.


hi jgg - know what you mean. freeze here did me in. but leeks and onions recovering. covered tomatoes still ripening. and my mobile nursery is showing some green fuzz... other day. first brussel. not got spinach, some carrots, bok choy... too late in season for some... just wanted to plant some seeds. lol  good luck with your new garden.

first brussel popping up


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Add more fertilizer this spring too! --IF you can get your hands on some compost, tree leaves, manure, etc. that would help a bunch too.
> We might try garlic this fall ----been wanting to for several years but never get it done.
> Strawberries are addictive!!! --- we have a small patch. Last year the flowers got froze by late freeze and only got 6 quarts, late from them. No fruit at all last year---hope for better year this time.


good stuff. we make it _on-going_. brussels for dinner other nite, cutting off to the compost bin. prob have upwards of couple hundred gallons of the stuff...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Yeah the Covid panic definitely put a dent in the seed and germination market last year. Heck it put a dent in just about anything related to gardening in general so I guess that’s why they are trying to get ahead of things this year. I can’t remember ever seeing seeds and germination supplies on the shelves on Jan 1. I also noticed the price of seeds has jumped about a dollar per pack or more in some instances.


yeah - i think the days of the 99-cent set pack of 6 are gone. unless one pots up their own... Bonney at L's... $3.99 ea etc


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

AKTrailDog said:


> We use ash all the time in the garden, mixed in with the compost. Usually let the mixture set with other soils etc thru the winter to get the pH balanced out. I've got several experimental areas going where ash is spread/mixed in.
> Along with the garden, I have (2) 5-gallon buckets (with lids) filled with ash that stay in our vehicles for when vehicles get stuck when icy conditions are present. Haven't found anything that works better.


get lots of ash, have, but don't as a rule... bag and trash out!


----------



## farmer steve

southpaw said:


> Steve how do you control the Raccoon in that 5 acre ?


Don't have much problem with coons. Deer are my biggest problem. One year I thought I had coons and took nightly rides with the 12 gauge. Shot 8 skunks that summer and there were 8 more hit on the road by my place. Best thing for coons is to use box traps with cat food bait. Start trapping early and remove the local population before your corn is ready.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Jimmy Nardellos are popping
> View attachment 890681
> 
> 
> The wife loves petunias so one thing I do every year is hanging baskets for the house, a couple of large planters out front and a couple more on the back patio. These are the largest growing petunias you can get, commonly referred to as Tidal Wave. The growth and the flowers these suckers put out is prolific! One plant will fill a hanging basket and then some.
> View attachment 890682
> View attachment 890683
> 
> Pictures from last year when I went overboard on them lol. This ain’t close to all of them I think I had 60 some plants View attachment 890684
> View attachment 890685


petunias look great!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Skimming through an old grow book by Mel Frank last night, and I found this page I bookmarked.
> 
> “Visit your plants regularly, it’s mutually beneficial”. View attachment 891012


interesting! on the PBS Mars docu other nite they had a bit on how C, O and CO2 etc... as Mars atmosphere, thin as it is, is a lot carbon dioxide. so the NASA crowd has a device that is supposed to break down the CO2 into O so the O being lonely can find another O and then create O2 as in air ~ ingenious, imo!!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> So you're saying Florescent bulbs put out the right light for plants?


i have florescent and agri-grow 48". i dont use the agri-grow... just got so much sunshine down here... usually. during the freeze last week i had some herbs sitting under small florescent 24/7 all day/night long. 3 days i ran it all the time. they seemed to love it, flourished... 

sunbathing under lights...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> They will spend their entire life in a pot because I plan to keep them over the next winter. It’s hard to get a good harvest in the first year because they develop so slowly. Peppers and Chiles that are going in the ground get put in 2 or 3 gallon plastic grow bags and yes they take right off after going in the ground.


i plan to do some of that, too. usually plant in my garden's soil. but i have had some remarkable performance  in plants in pot of compost only. compost we made here. so want to try some i put in my mobile nursery and when they get a bit bigger pot them up in compost. for example... usually run a row of carrots in fall. get plenty tasty carrots, too. but thinking less could be more. so for example, will pot up carrot seeds, then once lil baby carrots... pot them in the compost... 4 or 5 maybe to a pot.


----------



## southpaw

I gave up on sweet corn , tried live trapping but that was more work than I wanted to screw around with

Neighbors shoot them when they see them but seems like that don't eradicate them either 

Deer turkey yeah they are a menace here also 
Thanks for tips though but don't think I am going bother with sweet corn this year , to much extra work


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

newly popped up bok choy...


----------



## djg james

southpaw said:


> I gave up on sweet corn , tried live trapping but that was more work than I wanted to screw around with
> 
> Neighbors shoot them when they see them but seems like that don't eradicate them either
> 
> Deer turkey yeah they are a menace here also
> Thanks for tips though but don't think I am going bother with sweet corn this year , to much extra work


Deer get into my garden peas. I use to put out two 50' rows and be able to harvest enough to freeze some. Now I only put out a small row and try to protect it. I'll have to routinely put out human scent, too. Rabbits ate through my plastic chicken wire last year to get into my Spinach bed. I'm going with metal this year and topping it off with old patio door screens to keep the deer out too.

Anyone got a pea, spinach and venison recipe? (I swear I'm going to kill them things).


----------



## southpaw

I thought that's what everyone does


----------



## djg james

southpaw said:


> I thought that's what everyone does


I'm in kind of residential area. 5 acre tracts. Can't really sling bullets around and I wouldn't want Bambi to run off and die in the neighbors front yard in front of their kids.


----------



## southpaw

When I was working one of the younger fellas said he was thinking about just buying a beater car and smash into them cause he could not hunt in his area 
He was just being funny but was upset over the damage they did to his garden


----------



## farmer steve

I had 1 patch of white corn left(can I say that?) Last year I put up a dusk to dawn solar light in the middle of the patch. It worked as far out as the light would shine. You could tell because they didn't eat the corn in the lighted area. May look for a few more for this season. I like bottle rockets too.


----------



## southpaw

Darn deer wiped out my Kale section past fall , I can keep that going until snowfall but they buzzed it clean in a couple days 
Going work on that problem with extended fencing to 6ft. this summer


----------



## Goinwheelin

djg james said:


> Lights look almost new. Nice save. It's amazing what companies throw away to save money.


Yeah they probably got paid to upgrade. There were a lot of lights and guys were leaving with pallets full of them. I don’t think a single one got thrown away.

I figure down the road there will be another upgrade to the latest greatest lighting that the government wants businesses to use and I’ll score some LEDs


----------



## sb47

The late hard freeze that gripped the country makes me wounder how late planting season will start. We had a hard freeze late all the way down to Texas so I'm sure planting season will be delayed a few weeks if not more. Getting seeds to germinate with the colder temps is bound to set things back a few weeks. I'm sure prices will go up because of the extended winter temps.


----------



## jollygreengiant

sb47 said:


> The late hard freeze that gripped the country makes me wounder how late planting season will start. We had a hard freeze late all the way down to Texas so I'm sure planting season will be delayed a few weeks if not more. Getting seeds to germinate with the colder temps is bound to set things back a few weeks. I'm sure prices will go up because of the extended winter temps.



Unless we have a mild march up here, then my planting will be late due to snowmelt. Where I'm at is pretty open so the snow blows and drifts a lot. Unfortunately the spot where my garden is is very prone to drifting. Currently there's about 2-3' on it. Though we had some rain yesterday that melted some of it, but still a lot to go if I want to be planting in a month. 

I guess one good thing about so much snow is that it should have insulated my garlic from the -18 we had for a few nights.


----------



## jollygreengiant

Oh, and for you guys battling trash pandas in your sweet corn, try an electric fence. You'll need 3 or 4 runs of wire and a strong controller but it does work.


----------



## sonny580

Anti-deer fence gotta be a min. of 7 feet to actually work! 
We used electric fence 13 years ago for coons and rabbits. first line 4" off the ground , second one 8" and third one 14" or so. 
For coons only 6" and 12" with 2 lines works. We had a bunch of electric rope that was left behind by former owner and I used that for most of the lines.
Our deer fence is standard woven wire field fence with extended posts to reach the 7' mark. String 2 lines above woven wire and tie ribbons every few feet or use the rope so they can see it . They wont jump thru because they think the fence is solid the full 7'.


----------



## jollygreengiant

sonny580 said:


> Anti-deer fence gotta be a min. of 7 feet to actually work!
> We used electric fence 13 years ago for coons and rabbits. first line 4" off the ground , second one 8" and third one 14" or so.
> For coons only 6" and 12" with 2 lines works. We had a bunch of electric rope that was left behind by former owner and I used that for most of the lines.
> Our deer fence is standard woven wire field fence with extended posts to reach the 7' mark. String 2 lines above woven wire and tie ribbons every few feet or use the rope so they can see it . They wont jump thru because they think the fence is solid the full 7'.



I've been lucky so far and haven't had a deer problem in my sweetcorn. I'm hoping it's because there is literally 1000's of acres of field corn grown within 10 miles of me, rather than they just haven't discovered my garden yet. There's certainly enough of the hooved rats running around here.


----------



## Goinwheelin

I’m in a residential area, there’s raccoons but they haven’t messed with the garden. My problem is with cats wanting to take a dump in the soft soil or mulch. I would shoot the little bastards but the wife wouldn’t be too happy lol.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> Deer get into my garden peas. I use to put out two 50' rows and be able to harvest enough to freeze some. Now I only put out a small row and try to protect it. I'll have to routinely put out human scent, too. Rabbits ate through my plastic chicken wire last year to get into my Spinach bed. I'm going with metal this year and topping it off with old patio door screens to keep the deer out too.
> 
> *Anyone got a pea, spinach and venison recipe? (I swear I'm going to kill them things).*



pan fried in bacon grease, flour and a lil S&P hard to beat tasty culinary fare! well, imo....

couple nights ago...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

homemade venison leek soup... last night! yum


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> *Anti-deer fence gotta be a min. of 7 feet to actually work!*
> We used electric fence 13 years ago for coons and rabbits. first line 4" off the ground , second one 8" and third one 14" or so.
> For coons only 6" and 12" with 2 lines works. We had a bunch of electric rope that was left behind by former owner and I used that for most of the lines.
> Our deer fence is standard woven wire field fence with extended posts to reach the 7' mark. String 2 lines above woven wire and tie ribbons every few feet or use the rope so they can see it . They wont jump thru because they think the fence is solid the full 7'.


up near my ranch, in town... they have some marauding deer. those with gardens have problems. one guy in town said he can only keep them out with a 12' wire-type fence!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

jollygreengiant said:


> Unless we have a mild march up here, then my planting will be late due to snowmelt. Where I'm at is pretty open so the snow blows and drifts a lot. Unfortunately the spot where my garden is is very prone to drifting. Currently there's about 2-3' on it. Though we had some rain yesterday that melted some of it, but still a lot to go if I want to be planting in a month.
> 
> *I guess one good thing about so much snow is that it should have insulated my garlic from the -18 we had for a few nights.*


that's sure cold jgg! ~  not that cold here, but 12/3f or so at my garden. flopped down hard my leeks and 1015 onions. but now, both well on way to recovery. actually hard to even think they have been in a recent freeze! 

leeks, onions. few days after the freeze... now each area flourishing.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

southpaw said:


> When I was working one of the younger fellas said he was thinking about just buying a beater car and smash into them cause he could not hunt in his area
> He was just being funny but was upset over the damage they did to his garden


got _squirrels _that live down the street and a whole mess of them, too... that live in the oak trees!  sometimes the furry ones get into my garden. always P me O!!  but as a rule, no real damage. just hate to see new seed bed with a _rumph! _in it!! i relocate them from time to time! i like meals of venison, but not quite ready just yet for squirrel soup!

no thanks...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> I had 1 patch of* white corn *left *(can I say that?)* Last year I put up a dusk to dawn solar light in the middle of the patch. It worked as far out as the light would shine. You could tell because they didn't eat the corn in the lighted area. May look for a few more for this season. I like bottle rockets too.


some say we ....  need to be less white! 

from another thread on the subject:


----------



## jollygreengiant

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> that's sure cold jgg! ~  not that cold here, but 12/3f or so at my garden. flopped down hard my leeks and 1015 onions. but now, both well on way to recovery. actually hard to even think they have been in a recent freeze!
> 
> leeks, onions. few days after the freeze... now each area flourishing.
> View attachment 892633
> View attachment 892634



I'm looking forward to when I can start to see that sight. 

I feel like I should mention that I'm in Canada, so that -18 was Celsius. Still cold for us here but not as cold as -18 F.


----------



## sonny580

Squirrels are for gravy! ---- and it is goooooooood stuff!


----------



## Goinwheelin

PNW style Grey Digger Squirrel


----------



## muddstopper

We haven't started any plants here. As a norm, I usually wont set anything that can be damaged by frost in the ground before May 15th. I like to start seeds in pots indoors around middle of March. This gives me about 8 weeks for the seeds to germinate and grow large enough for transplanting. For some folks, May 15th sounds late for planting, but experience has taught me that planting any earlier usually results in frost killed plants. I will plant row crops like sweet corn around the first of may. It takes the seeds about a week to sprout which gives me a little frost protection. If I had the ground ready, I would be planting taters now. Taters wont come up until the soil is warm enough and if they do get frost bit, they usually rebound. Plants like cabbage, lettuce, cauliflower, spinach will tolerate some cold and frost. Where I live now, I dont have the room to plant a large garden so Its container pots sitting around the house, lining the drive way and anywhere else the wife can place them to make it very difficult to mow around.


----------



## Goinwheelin

When it comes to containers I’ll use whatever is at hand if needed. Lol. I try to give every seedling a chance and sometimes it’s those charity cases that end up being really good performers.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> View attachment 893112
> 
> When it comes to containers I’ll use whatever is at hand if needed. Lol. I try to give every seedling a chance and sometimes it’s those charity cases that end up being really good performers.


me, too... sometimes i have to improvise. sometimes i just scrounge, too. if it looks good.  got a swell seed pot kit off curb just other day. will get some pix of small stuff in my mobile nursery... drying out some big beef tomato seeds here...


----------



## muddstopper

Well, bought a bag of starter mix today and a few seed potatoes. Probably start next week planting a few pots in the green house tent thing of ma jiggey the wife had me set up on the back porch. She got another led grow light. Shes been buying big planter pots for the last month. I told her today I was cutting off her Amazon privileges'. Between all the UPS, Fedx and Postal trucks delivering, my asphalt drive is starting to fall apart. I cant even keep the cardboard boxes hauled off.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Picked up some raspberry starts a few weeks ago to add to my berry patch but it’s a bit too cold to put them in the ground yet. A few were struggling so I stuffed them all in some bags and put them under lights on the workbench. I’m hoping the one in the brown pot makes it. 






Peppers are getting big. This was feb 27 I’ll measure again tonight and see how much growth the have gotten in a week. First pic is cayenne 2nd is reaper


----------



## Del_

Your raspberries ought to all make it. I like those bags and if it were for the fact that I have a few thousand nursery pots out in the wood I'd consider them.

Your peppers are looking good and are further along than mine. Mine were started on 2-1-2021 and at this point I'm taking them out on the back porch every day and bringing them in at night. My light shelving has been turned off for a week but if we get a cold spell back under the light they go. Today's high is supposed to be 50°F and tonight down to 32°F and tomorrow night too. I'll leave the peppers outside today but bring them in early before it gets below 40°F. Now that the tomatoes have been potted up to 4 inch pots there is no more moving them but the porch won't go below 45° anyway.

Here's our peppers, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Mostly broccoli.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> You raspberries ought to all make it. I like those bags and if it were for the fact that I have a few thousand nursery pots out in the wood I'd consider them.
> 
> Your peppers are looking good and are further along than mine. Mine were started on 2-1-2021 and at this point I'm taking them out on the back porch every day and bringing them in at night. My light shelving has been turned off for a week but if we get a cold spell back under the light they go. Today's high is supposed to be 50°F and tonight down to 32°F and tomorrow night too. I'll leave the peppers outside today but bring them in early before it gets below 40°F. Now that the tomatoes have been potted up to 4 inch pots there is no more moving them but the porch won't go below 45° anyway.
> 
> Here's our peppers, broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower. Mostly broccoli.
> 
> View attachment 893510


good pix there! ~ i can see the green thumb from here... lol


----------



## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> good pix there! ~ i can see the green thumb from here... lol



Thanks! We collect daffodils and have around 200 cultivars and hundreds of some of them. Spring is almost here!

Photo taken a few minutes ago.


----------



## Del_

It's going to get down to 32°F so all of the transplants are back inside from the outdoor stand.

3 trays of peppers went under the LED's and they look eerie through the Mylar reflective sheet. It is amazing how much light doesn't reach our living space but instead is captured by the Mylar.


----------



## Goinwheelin

Brought some peppers out last night for a little trimming. Cut off all the low hanging suckers


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Thanks! We collect daffodils and have around 200 cultivars and hundreds of some of them. Spring is almost here!
> 
> Photo taken a few minutes ago.
> 
> View attachment 893522


awesome!  i like daffodils... would like to have a large plot of them popping up each spring. got some bulbs yr before, but they din't do well. i have meant to look forther into it, re - bulb supplier... but i always seem to forget when time is right!  but having no problems with Texas bluebonnets up at the farm! omg... 

thanks for pix.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> It's going to get down to 32°F so all of the transplants are back inside from the outdoor stand.
> 
> 3 trays of peppers went under the LED's and they look eerie through the Mylar reflective sheet. It is amazing how much light doesn't reach our living space but instead is captured by the Mylar.
> 
> View attachment 893583


wow - looks great... even better than Bonnie!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Brought some peppers out last night for a little trimming. Cut off all the low hanging suckers
> View attachment 893917
> View attachment 893918
> View attachment 893919


nice! i ferted up my herbs... and they have shown their approval. cilantro has doubled. and dill-a-plenty... thinking time for some poached salmon...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

fall tomatoes have done well, off 7 plants. many uses...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

time to clean some up... enjoy the gardening, but the eating is my goal! lol   sniped up some to go to compost... and other into pot of spaghetti. garden gresh all the way, with some paste, too. still got _a bushel _full on counter...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

picked most still on vine for freeze, now from this to this:


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## Backyard Lumberjack

out in the mobile nursery and doing well. brussel sprout (1), bok choy (6) or so, big beef tomatoes (2) cilantro (6) and spinach (8)... and some baby 1015 onions... plan to pot up all my saved, dried big beef tomato seeds. wonder how many will germinate?...

1015s and leeks have recovered fully from freezeup... sugar snaps are another issue. prob pull. asparagus uncovered... waiting for that _first _spear...


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## Goinwheelin

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> out in the mobile nursery and doing well. brussel sprout (1), bok choy (6) or so, big beef tomatoes (2) cilantro (6) and spinach (8)... and some baby 1015 onions... plan to pot up all my saved, dried big beef tomato seeds. wonder how many will germinate?...
> 
> 1015s and leeks have recovered fully from freezeup... sugar snaps are another issue. prob pull. asparagus uncovered... waiting for that _first _spear...


Love me some Spurg! Season is coming up here in mid April and there will be tons of fresh asparagus at the farmers markets.


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## olyman

Goinwheelin said:


> Love me some Spurg! Season is coming up here in mid April and there will be tons of fresh asparagus at the farmers markets.


tons in the roadside ditches also!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Goinwheelin

olyman said:


> tons in the roadside ditches also!!!!!!!!!!!


Yeah if you go down to the lower valley where the asparagus fields are.


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## farmer steve

Goinwheelin said:


> Love me some Spurg! Season is coming up here in mid April and there will be tons of fresh asparagus at the farmers markets.



Bush hogged the aspsragus patch yesterday. It's 23 years old and Stihl going strong. Need to get some pre emergence weed control down shortly.


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## farmer steve

Don't know why my pics are sideways.


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## Del_

farmer steve said:


> Don't know why my pics are sideways.



The thumbnails are sideways but when I click on them they open correctly.


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## Goinwheelin

Stopped by a friends house after work and came home with another saw and some Walla Walla sweets. Never messed with growing onions before.


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## muddstopper

Goinwheelin said:


> Brought some peppers out last night for a little trimming. Cut off all the low hanging suckers
> View attachment 893917
> View attachment 893918
> View attachment 893919


Are you adding iron to those pepper plants? Leaves seem unusably dark green.


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## Goinwheelin

muddstopper said:


> Are you adding iron to those pepper plants? Leaves seem unusably dark green.


Fish fertilizer


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## Del_

Fish and seaweed are both excellent foliar fertilizers, too


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## Goinwheelin

I use Alaska brand fish fertilizer and supplement it with Alaska brand Morbloom. I have some sea kelp extract stuff but can’t place the brand name right now.


----------



## holeycow

You guys make me sick. Lol!

I am just thinking about starting some things about 3 weeks from now. It's "winter" till the end of April. Nothing goes out until end of May/first week of June. Ground is frozen well into April. Gotta get out of here...winters are just too long. The honeybees regularly do well until about the last cold month, when we lose hives that just cannot make 7 cold months. It's discouraging at times.

I do have one sickly lemon-boy tomato and a few bean plants a couple of feet tall in the house tho..hoping for seed from the beans. I planted a few beans from a soup mix and some of them grew. The rest were pretty tasty in a soup!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

olyman said:


> tons in the roadside ditches also!!!!!!!!!!!


down here, mostly just trash, feed bags and empty  too!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Don't know why my pics are sideways.


when i opened them they were in correct view and perspective...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Stopped by a friends house after work and came home with another saw and some Walla Walla sweets. Never messed with growing onions before.
> View attachment 894045


onion pix soon. recovered nicely. got some 1015s yesterday. 3#s $1.39


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## Backyard Lumberjack

holeycow said:


> You guys make me sick. Lol!
> 
> I am just thinking about starting some things about 3 weeks from now. It's "winter" till the end of April. Nothing goes out until end of May/first week of June. Ground is frozen well into April. Gotta get out of here...winters are just too long. The honeybees regularly do well until about the last cold month, when we lose hives that just cannot make 7 cold months. It's discouraging at times.
> 
> I do have one sickly lemon-boy tomato and a few bean plants a couple of feet tall in the house tho..hoping for seed from the beans. I planted a few beans from a soup mix and some of them grew. The rest were pretty tasty in a soup!


hi hc - i still got so many fall tomatoes i had to make some spaghetti sauce day before yesterday... yum


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## holeycow

I just made a huge beef stew to use up a bunch of potatoes that are wanting to be planted : ( and some beef that's getting old in the freezer.

most of it is in jars in a freezer now.
gonna make a spaghetti sauce soon. I have lots of frozen tomatoes. It's the first time I've frozen whole tomatoes. It works well, I see.


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## motorhead99999

If you had to choose between horse or cow manure in your garden what would you use and why?. I have plenty of both that I can get but some people say cow or horse but don’t have a specific reason why. I have always wondered


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## Goinwheelin

motorhead99999 said:


> If you had to choose between horse or cow manure in your garden what would you use and why?. I have plenty of both that I can get but some people say cow or horse but don’t have a specific reason why. I have always wondered


Can’t really answer your question because I don’t use either of them, but I can tell you Horse manure has more nitrogen, but cow manure has more Potassium so I guess it depends on your gardens needs.


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## Goinwheelin

I was done using the germination closet for the season, and already thinking about how I would upgrade it for next year. Then the wife grabbed one of those hummingbird flower packs at the store Sunday. That means green light to to experiment. 

$12 wal mart grow lights mounted to a wal mart shop light. I already had the shop light in there but it wasn’t quite enough


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## 5backacres

Anyone ever used AZOMITE Natural Trace Mineral in the garden? After growing garden 40 yrs in the same space using cow manure with decomposed woodchips, I'm wondering if trace minerals might be needed. I keep PH in check creatively using different nitrogen fertilizers and lime. Used mushroom compost on the asparagus last year and the spears seemed to taste sweeter compared to store bought but the wife thinks it's because we eat it fresh just picked. How about kelp? Has anyone tasted a difference in their produce after using kelp?


----------



## ChoppyChoppy

AKTrailDog said:


> For the most part there's good soil around or good enough make soil but there's also the clay and glacial moraines to deal with at times. Can be more rock than dirt. Then there's permafrost in other areas. Places that haven't seen daylight in 10,000 years. That's the fun stuff, dig a hole and hit ice


I've hit ice in July to the point I needed a frost bucket to dig.


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## farmer steve

5backacres said:


> Anyone ever used AZOMITE Natural Trace Mineral in the garden? After growing garden 40 yrs in the same space using cow manure with decomposed woodchips, I'm wondering if trace minerals might be needed. I keep PH in check creatively using different nitrogen fertilizers and lime. Used mushroom compost on the asparagus last year and the spears seemed to taste sweeter compared to store bought but the wife thinks it's because we eat it fresh just picked. How about kelp? Has anyone tasted a difference in their produce after using kelp?


Depending on what crop your growing as to the need for micronutrients. You need to look at each crop requirements. If you do a search look for commercial vegetable nutrient recommendations.


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## 5backacres

farmer steve said:


> Depending on what crop your growing as to the need for micronutrients. You need to look at each crop requirements. If you do a search look for commercial vegetable nutrient recommendations.


Just looking for people's results who've applied AZo or kelp.... have 30 fruit trees 100 ft each seedless grapes,black raspberries, black berries, 200ft red raspberries, 12 high bush blueberries, 100sqft asparagus, 50x100ft garden 3 nut trees and a whole lot of work ! But we each out fresh of the garden all summer.
Steve what are you using as pre-emerg on your asparagus? 
Thanks


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## sonny580

I use horse manure here just because thats what is located within 12 mile radius of me ------do not know that its any better that other manures but its whats available here. I would use whatever I could find.
My main reason for using it is to help loosen the ground and keep it loose so water and air can get to the plant roots.
have the hotbed expanded and ready to plant. also have the rain tanks set up for the season.
Almost have tractor ready for the big tiller ---- onion plants coming in a week or two.


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## farmer steve

5backacres said:


> Just looking for people's results who've applied AZo or kelp.... have 30 fruit trees 100 ft each seedless grapes,black raspberries, black berries, 200ft red raspberries, 12 high bush blueberries, 100sqft asparagus, 50x100ft garden 3 nut trees and a whole lot of work ! But we each out fresh of the garden all summer.
> Steve what are you using as pre-emerg on your asparagus?
> Thanks


You can use preen on your asparagus but it must be done before you see any spears. I use some other stuff also but to expensive for the home gardner. You can also use 2,4,d amine post emergence. but you have to use caution as it can produce crooked spears and there is a 3 day phi. As with any herbicide or insecticide, READ THE LABEL.


----------



## muddstopper

motorhead99999 said:


> If you had to choose between horse or cow manure in your garden what would you use and why?. I have plenty of both that I can get but some people say cow or horse but don’t have a specific reason why. I have always wondered


Which manure is better just depends on what the horse or cow have been eating. Cows on pasture and hay generally have manure that has a higher potassium level, where as cow manure out of a feed lot, which have been fed grain, will have higher phosphorous levels. Horse poop from horses that are stabled are usually also fed grain and hay and will contain higher Phos levels. Cow poop is usually wetter and will break down in the soil faster than horse poop, which usually comes out as biscuts and take longer to break down, but the nutrient levels are generally more balanced than cow poop. Not entirely sure about the nitrogen levels, memory being what it is, I believe horse poop has the higher nitrogen. If you want high nitrogen, then go for the chicken poop or sheep, or the highest nitrogen would be in Alpaca poop. Alpacas make it convenient to gather since every one in the field will used the same spot to poop in, resulting in large piles. Adding any poop to your garden every year will eventually raise the salt levels to where all the veggies will become bitter so its better to compost the manures before using.


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## muddstopper

I looked it up, 
Horse Manure vs. Cow Manure | Home Guides | SF Gate​




__





Horse Manure vs. Cow Manure


Horse Manure vs. Cow Manure. Horse and cow wastes are both valuable garden amendments. While neither has the high amounts of nutrients found in bat guano, for example, both manures are useful -- and inescapable -- byproducts of farming and ranching. Of all the different animal wastes that can...




homeguides.sfgate.com




*A unit of dried horse manure is made up of 2.3 percent nitrogen, while dairy cow waste has 1.3 percent nitrogen in the equivalent amount*. Beef *cow manure* falls somewhere in between, at 1.7 *percent* ...


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## Del_

Do some research on using human urine in the garden. The book 'Liquid Gold' is a good read. We've been using it in the garden for 40 years in fact, put some down today on onion and broccoli and cabbage plants. I dilute one gallon of urine with 8 gallons of water in a 55 gallon barrel and use a sump pump to pressure a garden hose and apply to the root zone.


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## muddstopper

Urine is pretty high in Urea nitrogen. Urea has a tendency to gas off and convert to ammonium nitrogen. This gassing ammonium conversion has been proven to reduce yields by as much 50% of new seedings. Urine should be diluted by around 900% to reduce the potency of the Urea and reduce the damaging gassing off effect as well as to prevent nitrogen burn. If you have ever seen dog spots of dead grass in your lawn, this is similar to the effect that Urine can have on you vegetable plants.


----------



## Del_

muddstopper said:


> Urine is pretty high in Urea nitrogen. Urea has a tendency to gas off and convert to ammonium nitrogen. This gassing ammonium conversion has been proven to reduce yields by as much 50% of new seedings. Urine should be diluted by around 900% to reduce the potency of the Urea and reduce the damaging gassing off effect as well as to prevent nitrogen burn. If you have ever seen dog spots of dead grass in your lawn, this is similar to the effect that Urine can have on you vegetable plants.



I've had no problems mixing 8/1 and have been doing it for almost 40 years. I also have a soil injector but seldom use it.

Urine works great and is a great organic source of nutrients.

Have you anything positive to say about it's use?

I highly recommend it. I grow sweet corn and do very well with no fertilizers other than urine. Corn can take 6/1 with no signs of damage other than green , lush growth.


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## sonny580

I put 200 pounds per acre of urea in early spring on my winter wheat and it works great. top quality grain, heavy straw, and high yields. Whatever the wheat dont use,---- the corn will use the following year. Not cheap to do 45 acres, but always pays in the end. We do 3 crop rotation on the farm . in the garden, the onions and sweetcorn go in the same place every year with a lot of compost and fertilizer added every year.
Our sweetcorn looks like Del's! lol!! makin me hungry just lookin at the pix!


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## muddstopper

Del_ said:


> I've had no problems mixing 8/1 and have been doing it for almost 40 years. I also have a soil injector but seldom use it.
> 
> Urine works great and is a great organic source of nutrients.
> 
> Have you anything positive to say about it's use?
> 
> I highly recommend it. I grow sweet corn and do very well with no fertilizers other than urine. Corn can take 6/1 with no signs of damage other than green , lush growth.
> 
> View attachment 894800
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 894796
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 894797


I didnt say not to use it, and if used correctly it can increase yields, just that if used at the time of planting, or on very young plants, it can cause a 50% reduction of crop yield. Appling on a already established crop or plants, or banded into the soil and not in direct contact with the plants, like wheat or corn, is different than applying the urea in direct contact with the seed. Do you know of any wheat or corn growers that apply urea into the same rows as the seed at time of planting. Any Urea applied in spring will have already went thru the nitrogen/ammonium conversions by the time the wheat is harvested and the corn is planted. Plants cannot use Urea, it is only when it goes thru the ammonium, nitrate, nitride conversions that a plant can take it up into its roots and leaves. Urea can convert to ammonium in less than 24 hours, all it takes is a little moisture and a little heat, and in 24 hrs you can lose half of your just planted or newly emergent crop. Seeds do not need any fertilizer to germinate, all they need is moisture and warmth. Once the seeds are established, then moderate fertilizers use can actually provide any benefit.


----------



## muddstopper

Five Things You Must Know About Using Urea Fertilizers


Urea interacts with the soil life web in complex ways. Understanding how it works is key to harnessing the productivity of urea fertilizers.




www.smart-fertilizer.com


----------



## Goinwheelin

I think I’ll go pee on my peppers right now.


----------



## Del_




----------



## muddstopper

Del_ said:


> View attachment 894928


You might be interested in knowing Urine is also used, or can be used, to activate biochar.


----------



## djg james

Good deer repelant. Pour a ring around a tree on the ground in the Fall and the deer won't rub on the trees during the rut.


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## 5backacres

farmer steve said:


> You can use preen on your asparagus but it must be done before you see any spears. I use some other stuff also but to expensive for the home gardner. You can also use 2,4,d amine post emergence. but you have to use caution as it can produce crooked spears and there is a 3 day phi. As with any herbicide or insecticide, READ THE LABEL.





Del_ said:


> I've had no problems mixing 8/1 and have been doing it for almost 40 years. I also have a soil injector but seldom use it.
> 
> Urine works great and is a great organic source of nutrients.
> 
> Have you anything positive to say about it's use?
> 
> I highly recommend it. I grow sweet corn and do very well with no fertilizers other than urine. Corn can take 6/1 with no signs of damage other than green , lush growth.
> 
> View attachment 894800
> 
> 
> 
> View attachment 894796
> 
> 
> 
> Nice corn/garden. I like Bodacious ,get 2-3/salk. I like to put up cattle panels for peas, pole beans and cucumbers. sugar peas are up 6" ( cheated and bought 6 transplants) seeded the rest of the row


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## Backyard Lumberjack

motorhead99999 said:


> If you had to choose between horse or cow manure in your garden what would you use and why?. I have plenty of both that I can get but some people say cow or horse but don’t have a specific reason why. I have always wondered


either would be ok with me. i have used both. however, if used direct should be sparingly as horse is pretty hot when first available. lol. cow, too. i prefer to put into compost, etc and let it break down and cool down, too...

i did clean up some fall leaves, etc as i reworked some firewood stix recently working up at the farm and it went to compost...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

5backacres said:


> Just looking for people's results who've applied AZo or kelp.... *have 30 fruit trees* 100 ft each seedless grapes,black raspberries, black berries, 200ft red raspberries, 12 high bush blueberries, 100sqft asparagus, 50x100ft garden 3 nut trees and a whole lot of work ! But we each out fresh of the garden all summer.
> Steve what are you using as pre-emerg on your asparagus?
> Thanks


we are a bit over the top with our lil peach orchard. put it in last year... and this year we already are seeing it fruit. some baby peach pix. fingers X'd.....


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

my mobile nursery sets doing well. started from seeds. bok choy about ready for garden. tomato sets responding to warmer weather well. 

seeds to shoots; other day






today...










almost garden bed ready. tomatoes, bok choy, lettuce and spinach. and one lil brussel sprout. amazing to see seeds bit bigger than a pencil dot... grow into plants like these... one way or another - gardening never ceases to amaze me. always interesting!


----------



## Del_

Tomato seedlings started on 2-1-21 and potted up to 4 inch pots a few weeks ago. We've had them in the low light porch for a few days because nights have been dipping into the low 30's. They've been in and out a few times but the temps are looking good for the next week to ten days so they'll be outside for a while. We are still 3 or 4 weeks to planting out time. I siphon out of the 5 gallon carboy to fertigate when needed, like every two days or so. We take them in via the window at the end of the ladder.


----------



## djg james

Plants are looking great. Questions though. Looks like you use the end of the tubing to 'fertigate' the plants. Little confusing with the tubing running through the ladder (storage). Do you recover run off from the plants? I was unaware you could fertilize plants every other day. I thought you would burn the plants up. When I try my mix (1 Tb Fertilome or similar per gal) the plants start to turn yellow. Nice idea on the stove pipe too.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Tomato seedlings started on 2-1-21 and potted up to 4 inch pots a few weeks ago. We've had them in the low light porch for a few days because nights have been dipping into the low 30's. They've been in and out a few times but the temps are looking good for the next week to ten days so they'll be outside for a while. We are still 3 or 4 weeks to planting out time. I siphon out of the 5 gallon carboy to fertigate when needed, like every two days or so. We take them in via the window at the end of the ladder.
> 
> View attachment 896328
> 
> 
> View attachment 896329


nice set up D - you put up all you grow for home use or have a stand, too?...impressive plants.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

had some lawn cuttings i had saved for a 'mulchy day'... that and Saturday's cuttings gave me enuff to mulch onion patch and down play the weeds emerging.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

i ferted and have been watering the sugar snaps to coax them along since the freeze hit them. those that have survived are now flowering and setting pods. no more farm to table, all the pods will be let go to seed stage. should get plenty... some of the pods


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

my lil oregano herb plant is not so lil any more! bumped up nicely after a recent side dressting 13,13,13.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

the leek patch, 12 down from 120... lol... was all but a wipe out. nothing i could do would get them back on the bandwagon. and the sugar snaps have flourished and are in the same location.... then tried a last ditch effort... and it worked. side dressed 10 days back, or so. leeks are doing very well... and getting bigger. have two OJ cartons frozen in freezer, venison leek soup. already have made one long leaf clipping for soup, fresh from garden. some of the 12




actually, really not sure what i would have done with 120 leeks? lol


----------



## olyman

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> the leek patch, 12 down from 120... lol... was all but a wipe out. nothing i could do would get them back on the bandwagon. and the sugar snaps have flourished and are in the same location.... then tried a last ditch effort... and it worked. side dressed 10 days back, or so. leeks are doing very well... and getting bigger. have two OJ cartons frozen in freezer, venison leek soup. already have made one long leaf clipping for soup, fresh from garden. some of the 12
> View attachment 896422
> 
> actually, really not sure what i would have done with 120 leeks? lol
> View attachment 896423


what would you have done??? youdda ate em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

olyman said:


> what would you have done??? youdda ate em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


seems plausible, om, but sometimes i have trouble getting 3 from store cooked up. lol. i have 3 now to cook. to go with some of the leek soup. 120?  i might need a lot of Oly to help get that all down... lol




............a 'great beer!'....


----------



## Del_

djg james said:


> Plants are looking great. Questions though. Looks like you use the end of the tubing to 'fertigate' the plants. Little confusing with the tubing running through the ladder (storage). Do you recover run off from the plants? I was unaware you could fertilize plants every other day. I thought you would burn the plants up. When I try my mix (1 Tb Fertilome or similar per gal) the plants start to turn yellow. Nice idea on the stove pipe too.



Thanks!

Yes, the tubing is pushed into a ladder rung up to it's ball valve for storage. The tubing has a ball valve and then another 20" of tubing after the ball valve. I don't recover run off that drips through the 4 inch pots. I use a water solvable 20-20-20 and about a level teaspoon per gallon and a bit of urine. If plants are get fertilizer burn then reduce the amount of fertilizer used. The soil in the pots is from out compost pile and our plants are a little light green at the moment from being in the porch which doesn't get enough light and even that light if from only one side.

The stove pipe is from an old triple wall system I got when a house was being torn down. Works good for squirrel proofing. The 8" pipe hangs on two small wires that go in the top of a piece of 3/4 pipe that is driven in the ground. The bird feeder has a short pipe a few inches long that then drops down into the 3/4 pipe. At the bottom of the stove pipe are a couple of 1 gallon nursery pushed onto the pipe and keep the bottom of the stove pipe centered.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

should make a smooth transition from fall tomatoes to summer garden tomatoes... these still on counter. i let them ripen til first spot shows up. won't get any riper after that! lol iukwim.....


----------



## Goinwheelin

Chile plants are getting big. Time to start rotating them outside on sunny days. Last frost here is usually mid April so I’m looking at first weekend in May to plant outdoors 





Petunias are getting out of hand. Time to move what I want to baskets and sell the rest. Easter is around the corner so no problem getting rid of them.





Jimmy Nardellos are kicking ass and ready to make the move to big pots and get rotated outdoors.




Wife found a few sweet potatoes that were forgotten in the pantry and growing eyes so we figured why not give it a go. I have some big grow bags to use.





Started some herbs. Thyme, Oregano, and Sage. I already have a nice rosemary bush in a pot outside so these will make a nice compliment. 





you guys and your tomatoes. Man I wish mine looked that good, I have a hard time getting the water/nutrient schedule right with them it seems.


----------



## sonny580

got the onion plants planted the other day just as the rains started. Had 3 rows 230 feet long from the 18 bunches.
started a couple seed flats for a few early cabbage and tomato plants but the center cells didnt come up! ---the main crop stuff will go into the hotbed by the house. temps. this morning are 30*, so still a bit cold to start the bed, so will wait a few days on it.
got this poly dump wagon and man is it ever handy! works excellent behind the sunstar and the hitch/handle combo is neat on it.
Hope the ground is dry by this Friday so we can plant the potatoes. we have 300 pounds to cut/plant. we try to get them in either on good Friday OR the hundredth day ---- anytime around there is good.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Chile plants are getting big. Time to start rotating them outside on sunny days. Last frost here is usually mid April so I’m looking at first weekend in May to plant outdoors
> View attachment 896658
> 
> 
> Petunias are getting out of hand. Time to move what I want to baskets and sell the rest. Easter is around the corner so no problem getting rid of them.
> View attachment 896659
> 
> 
> Jimmy Nardellos are kicking ass and ready to make the move to big pots and get rotated outdoors.
> View attachment 896660
> 
> Wife found a few sweet potatoes that were forgotten in the pantry and growing eyes so we figured why not give it a go. I have some big grow bags to use.
> View attachment 896661
> 
> 
> Started some herbs. Thyme, Oregano, and Sage. I already have a nice rosemary bush in a pot outside so these will make a nice compliment.
> View attachment 896662
> 
> 
> you guys and your tomatoes. Man I wish mine looked that good, I have a hard time getting the water/nutrient schedule right with them it seems.


your peppers look great! i like the deep green color. spells healthy to me. as in.... v.e.r.y. !


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> got the onion plants planted the other day just as the rains started. Had 3 rows 230 feet long from the 18 bunches.
> started a couple seed flats for a few early cabbage and tomato plants but the center cells didnt come up! ---the main crop stuff will go into the hotbed by the house. temps. this morning are 30*, so still a bit cold to start the bed, so will wait a few days on it.
> got this poly dump wagon and man is it ever handy! works excellent behind the sunstar and the hitch/handle combo is neat on it.
> Hope the ground is dry by this Friday so we can plant the potatoes. we have 300 pounds to cut/plant. we try to get them in either on good Friday OR the hundredth day ---- anytime around there is good.


looks good. my tomatoes i potted as seeds scrounged off salads, BLTs and sammies plates... finally showed up. counted 51 yesterday. going to pot them in flats a bit like yours. not so sure how many i will plant. i did 65 couple seasons ago and had to can up over 50 qts of tomatoes...  made new screen gridder to run my compost thru for homemade potting soil.... 1/4" squares...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

saved ends off some scallions i trimmed other day. dozen. potted them up for grins yesterday. in compost. layout, divits with garden dibber, planted, covered... then watered.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

here is a dream of mine!  sometimes i struggle with the garden plants even after decades of gardening... but alas, never have to struggle with the weeds. they do well even with NO water!  ... as i struggle to keep them at bay. i was on a bit of a roll yesterday evening... and was out in garden pulling weeds after dark with a flashlight...


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## djg james

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> here is a dream of mine!  sometimes i struggle with the garden plants even after decades of gardening... but alas, never have to struggle with the weeds. they do well even with NO water!  ... as i struggle to keep them at bay. i was on a bit of a roll yesterday evening... and was out in garden pulling weeds after dark with a flashlight...


You should see my garden when it's going. I grow a fine crop of weeds every year  .


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## djg james

sonny580 said:


> got the onion plants planted the other day just as the rains started. Had 3 rows 230 feet long from the 18 bunches.
> started a couple seed flats for a few early cabbage and tomato plants but the center cells didnt come up! ---the main crop stuff will go into the hotbed by the house. temps. this morning are 30*, so still a bit cold to start the bed, so will wait a few days on it.
> got this poly dump wagon and man is it ever handy! works excellent behind the sunstar and the hitch/handle combo is neat on it.
> Hope the ground is dry by this Friday so we can plant the potatoes. we have 300 pounds to cut/plant. we try to get them in either on good Friday OR the hundredth day ---- anytime around there is good.


You put out a huge garden!


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## sonny580

We plant a lot on 4.5 acres tillable of our 5.5 total acres. Yes weeds are a problem here too but we manage to keep enough of them out so the crops do well. We always raise enough for us and friends and some for the church and mission as well. We freeze-dry quite a bit and that helps on the onion storage problem! Neighbor loves the freeze-dried sweet corn that we process. 
Sweet potatoes will go in the hotbed soon to start some plants. last year we had 5 rows 250 feet long and gave most of the harvest away. probably had over 1,500 pounds of nice potatoes. The regular potatoes were in the small garden North of the house and produced several hundred pounds which we are still using. they store fairly good in our basement for a long time.
We usually can part of the veggie harvest, then put a little in the deep freezer, and a lot in the freeze-dryer, so processing is a 3-way thing here. I try to plant in stages to make the harvest time as long as possible so everything goes in fresh and not all at once.
Planting in stages gives a better chance of a crop ----- if one planting dont do too good the one before and the one after does.
We share whatever we grow to whoever wants veggies.


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## djg james

sonny580 said:


> We plant a lot on 4.5 acres tillable of our 5.5 total acres. Yes weeds are a problem here too but we manage to keep enough of them out so the crops do well. We always raise enough for us and friends and some for the church and mission as well. We freeze-dry quite a bit and that helps on the onion storage problem! Neighbor loves the freeze-dried sweet corn that we process.
> Sweet potatoes will go in the hotbed soon to start some plants. last year we had 5 rows 250 feet long and gave most of the harvest away. probably had over 1,500 pounds of nice potatoes. The regular potatoes were in the small garden North of the house and produced several hundred pounds which we are still using. they store fairly good in our basement for a long time.
> We usually can part of the veggie harvest, then put a little in the deep freezer, and a lot in the freeze-dryer, so processing is a 3-way thing here. I try to plant in stages to make the harvest time as long as possible so everything goes in fresh and not all at once.
> Planting in stages gives a better chance of a crop ----- if one planting dont do too good the one before and the one after does.
> We share whatever we grow to whoever wants veggies.


Must take a long time to plant and care for. And probably a little expensive too if you don't sell any of it. What part of IL are you in? I'm in Central IL west of St Louis.
You start your own sweet potatoes? Love to see your garden.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> You put out a huge garden!


agreed! 300 spuds harvested would be big by my standards... but 300#s seed potatoes... which have to be cut? omg... I had to ck to see if he lived in Idaho! lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> Must take a long time to plant and care for. And probably a little expensive too if you don't sell any of it. What part of IL are you in? I'm in Central IL west of St Louis.
> *You start your own sweet potatoes?* Love to see your garden.


i have grown sweet potatoes. used one cut in half and put out on side of a garden area when my garden was bigger. didn't do much, or so I thought... then one day i went to ck it... and had runners all over!  I might add, made some tasty sweet potatoes come harvest time.

sweet potatoes from the store ok, but those from a garden are every so much more tasitier... and sweeter, too. imo.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> We plant a lot on 4.5 acres tillable of our 5.5 total acres. Yes weeds are a problem here too but we manage to keep enough of them out so the crops do well. We always raise enough for us and friends and some for the church and mission as well. We freeze-dry quite a bit and that helps on the onion storage problem! Neighbor loves the freeze-dried sweet corn that we process. We usually can part of the veggie harvest, then put a little in the deep freezer, and a lot in the freeze-dryer, so processing is a 3-way thing here. I try to plant in stages to make the harvest time as long as possible so everything goes in fresh* and not all at once.*
> Planting in stages gives a better chance of a crop ----- if one planting dont do too good the one before and the one after does.
> We share whatever we grow to whoever wants veggies.


sounds great! know what you mean... and not all at once! lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

got my *50 shades of green* tomato starts repotted yesterday...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

been keeping some more wet on kitchen counter. mostly for grins. see them start to root. usually do... if i dont forget to keep the batch moist.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

got some cilantro repotted, too. 5 plants. started from seed. coriander.


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## djg james

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> got some cilantro repotted, too. 5 plants. started from seed. coriander.
> View attachment 898129
> View attachment 898130
> View attachment 898131


I've always wanted to start my own herbs, but the seed packets contain too much for one season. Can you save the seeds from year to year, and if so, how?


----------



## djg james

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> i have grown sweet potatoes. used one cut in half and put out on side of a garden area when my garden was bigger. didn't do much, or so I thought... then one day i went to ck it... and had runners all over!  I might add, made some tasty sweet potatoes come harvest time.
> 
> sweet potatoes from the store ok, but those from a garden are every so much more tasitier... and sweeter, too. imo.


I was told to cut a potato with eyes and place in a jar of water. Once the potato sprouts to 6" or better, place the sprouts in water again until the produce roots. It worked one year, but not the next. And I'm not good with bare-rooted plants. I usually kill them.


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## sonny580

we work mostly full time in the gardens. seeds/plants getting expensive, so we try to grow our own plants as much as possible. -- some seed packages have more seed than needed for one year so we save the un-used part for next year.
We have a fair amount of "saved seed" that we plant every year too, so that cuts down on seed cost.
some of our "saved" varieties are not found in seed books either . currently have a unknown red bean variety that came from overseas in the early 1800's that we came across and have been planting it for the last 32 years.--- GREAT soup bean---real mild, has tender skins and little gas! lol!
For sweet potato plants we just lay whole potatoes down in the hotbed, cover with dirt, wait till sprouts get 4 to 6 inches tall then slice them off the tato and plant in the rows. --- have 3 in jars of water on the window sill just starting to sprout. will put the second round in the hotbed a little later.
The regular potatoes will be cut and planted this Friday,---(I hope!) or the hundredth day --- 2 good days for spuds according to the old timers and who can argue with them!
pix. of my homemade tato planter. Virginia rides the planter and tosses the pieces in behind the front shovel spacing them about a foot apart and the disk hillers behind the unit covers up the row. Used to pull it with the old cc 147, but this year we will use 1 of the sunstar 20's on it. Hydro drive lets us go slow enough to give time to plant accurately by just crawling along. 
Neighbor wants to use it too, and he has a IH 235 hydro that he wants to try on it, so we see what happens!
we are central IL., east of Bloomington, IL.


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## muddstopper

djg james said:


> I was told to cut a potato with eyes and place in a jar of water. Once the potato sprouts to 6" or better, place the sprouts in water again until the produce roots. It worked one year, but not the next. And I'm not good with bare-rooted plants. I usually kill them.


I have to do things a little different this year with my sweet potatoes. At my old place, I had spent years composting the garden and the soil was in pretty good shape. I would just take a whole tater and stick it in a mound and it would produce slips I could trim and place in a row. This year, I dont have a good garden spot and will be planting in containers. We had some sweet taters my wife kept on top of the fridge in a glass bowl. The eyes had started growing runners so we cut the taters into chunks, each with a runner, and then placed them in little pots in the green house. It is our hopes that we can transplant the runners into the large containers and it will produce sweet taters. To early to tell how well this method will work, but the runners are already producing leaves so thats a good sign. My tomatoe plants started from seed came up in the green house and then died, I think it might have gotten to hot. I have a few cayenne pepper plants and carrot plants that are still alive. We have replanted the tomato seeds so hopefully this go around they will turn out alright. We have 20 degree temps forecast for later this week, but once that cold snap is over I am going to try putting everything outside during the day and only moving them back into the green house when cold weather is forecast


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## Goinwheelin

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> your peppers look great! i like the deep green color. spells healthy to me. as in.... v.e.r.y. !


Thanks! It’s hard to gauge the watering needs when growing indoors like this so if I think I’m overwatering a plant I move it to the back of the tent where it’s harder to get to lol.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> I've always wanted to start my own herbs, but the seed packets contain too much for one season. Can you save the seeds from year to year, and if so, how?


i save seeds all the time. my current post froeeze sugar snaps are all producing big pods currently they have large seeds (peas) in them. will let them all, could be 30 - 40, maybe 50 or so pods (pod w/8 +/- peas in them) fully develop. then dry on vine to tan colored. and pull them off pre-pod split time. will save all the pods/seeds/peas and let them dry. then put into a container and put into refrigerator. secret to keeping/saving seeds is to keep them cold. 34f or so. should be plenty info on line: how to save seeds

it can be hit n miss. bit ago i planted some lima beans i had put away over 2o years ago. almost all gemrinated and produced fine lima bean plants. great harvest/pods. i have some carrots that seem to be dead. won't germinage. but usually, all mine i put away into cold storage will germinate when planted. herb seeds usually are small. but fold over packet and put into plastic baggie, sammie size or snack size, etc.

i separate my seeds into two bins in refer. one for summer. one for fall.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

djg james said:


> I was told to cut a potato with eyes and place in a jar of water. Once the potato sprouts to 6" or better, place the sprouts in water again until the produce roots. It worked one year, but not the next. And I'm not good with bare-rooted plants. I usually kill them.


when i did my sweet potato seed... i just cut the potato in half length-wise, set on edge of a garden bed and covered with some mulch. mother nature then took over... and few months later... had runners coming off it. replanated and got some nice spuds.


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## sonny580

You can split them, but its not necessary as they will grow up from the bottom side without any problem. I would have to use saz-all to cut mine---- fingers/hands too stiff ant sweets are one hard thing to split with a knife! commercial plant growers just dump spuds into beds with a skidloader , rake them around so they lay single layer and dump dirt over them.--- kinda neat to watch them work! --- when the beds come up they are thick with plants!
when you harvest sprouts without roots----plant them right in the ground!! never let them stand in water as they rot kinda easy. Just keep the ground moist around the plants and they will grow a lot faster.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> You can split them, but its not necessary as they will grow up from the bottom side without any problem. I would have to use saz-all to cut mine---- fingers/hands too stiff ant sweets are one hard thing to split with a knife! commercial plant growers just dump spuds into beds with a skidloader , rake them around so they lay single layer and dump dirt over them.--- kinda neat to watch them work! --- when the beds come up they are thick with plants!
> when you harvest sprouts without roots----plant them right in the ground!! never let them stand in water as they rot kinda easy. Just keep the ground moist around the plants and they will grow a lot faster.


i wouldn't mind growing sweet potatoes. quite tasty fresh from the garden. i like oven roasted best. but takes a lot of space and i have scaled back as my years continue to scale up... lol


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> i save seeds all the time. my current post froeeze sugar snaps are all producing big pods currently they have large seeds (peas) in them. will let them all, could be 30 - 40, maybe 50 or so pods (pod w/8 +/- peas in them) fully develop. then dry on vine to tan colored. and pull them off pre-pod split time. will save all the pods/seeds/peas and let them dry. then put into a container and put into refrigerator. secret to keeping/saving seeds is to keep them cold. *34f or so*. should be plenty info on line: how to save seeds
> i separate my seeds into two bins in refer. one for summer. one for fall.


i thot about that temp i posted up. 34 as in cold but not freezing. then remembered i have a thermometer in my refer i put in there to see how cold my setting actually is. I don't save seeds there and it keeps beer just fine!  up at the farm and it reads a steady 42f. then i noted this online:

*Keep seeds dry*_ and cool. A *temperature* between 32° and 41°F is ideal, so your refrigerator can be a good place to *store seeds*. A small amount of silica-gel desiccant added to each container will absorb moisture from the air and help *keep* the *seeds dry*._

i don't add anything to keep moisture down. i do in my cast aluminum dutch ovens. just a section of paper towel. works great. prob work good in saved seeds bag, too...


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## Del_

Drying Seed with Color Indicating Silica Gel​










Southern Exposure Seed Exchange, Saving the Past for the Future







www.southernexposure.com










__





Orange Indicating Silica Gel


Economical silica gel indicating beads.



www.theruststore.com


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## sonny580

Got 180 pounds of spuds planted today. Old sunstar worked good on the planter and we moved right along. Too wet to plant up north at the club showgrounds so we have to wait a few days on that.


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## djg james

sonny580 said:


> Got 180 pounds of spuds planted today. Old sunstar worked good on the planter and we moved right along. Too wet to plant up north at the club showgrounds so we have to wait a few days on that.


Nice rig. Are you particular about keeping the eyes up? Last year, late in Spring, the local farm store was selling 50# bags of seed potatoes for $1.00 just to get rid of them. I thought about tilling up the front yard .


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## sonny580

Eyes land where ever ---- they will come up even upside down! Been using this planter since I made it 35 years ago and we always get a perfect stand.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Eyes land where ever ---- they will come up even upside down! *Been using this planter since I made it 35 years ago* and we always get a perfect stand.


looks like built to last! so a helper rides in seat and hand drops a spud in row as you go along? and the discs cover the seed spud as u travel forward?


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## sonny580

Yup,---wife rides on the seat and drops the pieces every 10 to 12 inches apart. -----I go slow so she has time to get them tossed in. Thats why hydro-drive is a must pulling it so you can run slow and steady!


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## Goinwheelin

I Took this picture Thursday. Petunias bloomed just in time for Easter. Weather has been really nice over the past three days with highs in the upper 60s and lows in the 40s.


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## Goinwheelin

One of the bigger Chile pepper plants. This is a Numex select. Fruit is similar to an Anaheim Chile but with much more flavor.


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## Goinwheelin

Tami G tomato and some Nardellos
Hibiscus in the foreground of the first pic.


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## Goinwheelin

My rotisserie setup for doing baskets


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## Blackops

Nice plants! good work! envious!


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## Del_

Peppers plants for sale and ours are ready to go in the ground. A few are in 4 inch pots and we have about 120 to sell @ $1 per plant. We have sold half of our tomato plants at this time and maybe a dozen Jimmy Nardello peppers.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Tami G tomato and some Nardellos
> Hibiscus in the foreground of the first pic. View attachment 899230
> View attachment 899231


one of my seed to set tomatoes out (still) in pot... has really grown. 2 days ago no yellow flowers. yesterday oodles of them...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Tami G tomato and some Nardellos
> Hibiscus in the foreground of the first pic. View attachment 899230
> View attachment 899231


one of my seed to set tomatoes out (still) in pot... has really grown. 2 days ago no yellow flowers. yesterday oodles of them...


Del_ said:


> Peppers plants for sale and ours are ready to go in the ground. A few are in 4 inch pots and we have about 120 to sell @ $1 per plant. We have sold half of our tomato plants at this time and maybe a dozen Jimmy Nardello peppers.
> 
> View attachment 900446


my kitchen counter tomato seeds i started on bit of wetted paper towel other day:


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## Backyard Lumberjack

pulled my sugar snaps. set out to let pods dry a bit... got 58 pods. 1-7 peas. predicted in range of 175/80 seeds....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

speaking of seeds, will be gathering up some bluebonnet seeds soon. flowers are already podding up at my place along the county line. and down here in town, too...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

i was a little amazed at my sugar snap pea seed count. let all after freeze that set and podded be seed pods. got 193.... 










pods to compost, i counted them out in 10's... 2 mite not germinate. but then, maybe they will. who knows? still... 191 seeds not bad, imo.... 

22/$3 at seed rack in store... $25 or so worth of sugar snap peas (replacement cost) no, not bad at all!


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## ChoppyChoppy

muddstopper said:


> This year is going to be a whole new gardening experience. Last year, I moved into my new home in March. I had a lot of things to do and didnt have time to do more than throw in a few plants in the one large raised bed that was already here. My onions rotted in the grown and where replanted 3 times. I never got a decent mess of green onions. My taters didnt return the seed they where planted with. My cukes did so so and squash and zucchini produced a little, but blooms would fall off and not set fruit. Peanut beans did excellent and produced all summer, which is way more pickings than is usual for this type of bean. At my old home, I had years of composting, and soil building I had done to turn waste fill dirt into a garden soil. I hauled out tons of boulders, rocks, gravel out of the garden and replaced with wood mulch compost, horse manure, grass clippings, etc. I could grow football size taters, and baseball size onions I dont have the area to build another full size garden on at my new place. I could remove some trees but the area I would gain isnt worth the effort and the final results would still be steep. This year I plan on doing container gardening. buckets of plants placed around the sides of the porches, along the driveway, beside my shop. I will use horse manure to fill the bottom of the containers and top off with store bought potting soil. For tall growing plants like corn, okra, and inground stuff like potatoes I will be planting at my sons place. I intend to use biochar in my containers and each year after the growing season I will dump the container soil into my large raised bed. I wont be producing tons of veggies, but I should grow enough to keep me fed.


That's what I'm doing. They are indoors now as it's still near freezing here.


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## chucker

tomato's and peppers started on the 24th of march indoors on the heated porch. already 4' on the tom's and 3" on the pep's. set the onions out today along with the carrots, only doing a single pack of Nantes half long carrots an 80 or so yellow Stuttgart onions .... God willing and a warm season there will be more than enough for the wife and i. 60 hills of russets an kennebec potato's next weekend. happy times with full bellies!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> tomato's and peppers started on the 24th of march indoors on the heated porch. already 4' on the tom's and 3" on the pep's. *set the onions out today *along with the carrots, only doing a single pack of Nantes half long carrots an 80 or so yellow Stuttgart onions .... God willing and a warm season there will be more than enough for the wife and i. 60 hills of russets an kennebec potato's next weekend. happy times with full bellies!


sounds like you will have plenty spuds! my 1015 onions continue to do well. right after the big freeze, were little more than wilted whisps on the ground!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sugar snap pea seed drying up nicely -


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> one of my seed to set tomatoes out (still) in pot... has really grown. 2 days ago no yellow flowers. yesterday oodles of them...


----------



## chucker

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> sounds like you will have plenty spuds! my 1015 onions continue to do well. right after the big freeze, were little more than wilted whisps on the ground!
> View attachment 901752


summer forecast for us is hotter and dryer then last season. drought has been showing its face here already an only going into early spring! winter snow fall was only about half of what we normally get with most of it melting away before mid winter? rain is a good thing at the right time and not in excess at any one time! onions look green and strong! good harvest to you sir!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> summer forecast for us is hotter and dryer then last season. drought has been showing its face here already an only going into early spring! winter snow fall was only about half of what we normally get with most of it melting away before mid winter? rain is a good thing at the right time and not in excess at any one time! onions look green and strong! good harvest to you sir!


hi ckr - thanks! you, too! noted u said only 1/2 reg snow fall. crazy climates these days, and i noted on tv news last nite... heavy snow falls up in MA areas yesterday!

the Boston Herald said:

Snow in April? Parts of Massachusetts could get 6-plus inches​



BOSTON, MA. APRIL 16, 2021: A mid-April snow blankets the Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)


----------



## chucker

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> hi ckr - thanks! you, too! noted u said only 1/2 reg snow fall. crazy climates these days, and i noted on tv news last nite... heavy snow falls up in MA areas yesterday!
> 
> the Boston Herald said:
> 
> Snow in April? Parts of Massachusetts could get 6-plus inches​View attachment 901767
> 
> BOSTON, MA. APRIL 16, 2021: A mid-April snow blankets the Public Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. (Staff photo by Nicolaus Czarnecki/MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)


good morning to you sir! and yes it's a crazy world these days...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> good morning to you sir! and yes it's a crazy world these days...




if by chance you had any pix of those spuds hills... would enjoy seeing ~


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## chucker

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> if by chance you had any pix of those spuds hills... would enjoy seeing ~


sorry! nothing growing this far north yet'' maybe planted hills next weekend .hills usually don't pop above ground till the middle of may as the ground temp her at 4"to 6" is only 45 degrees at best ! our last winter/spring frost is around memorial day weekend to the end of the first week in june.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> sorry! nothing growing this far north yet'' maybe planted hills next weekend .hills usually don't pop above ground till the middle of may as the ground temp her at 4"to 6" is only 45 degrees at best ! our last winter/spring frost is around memorial day weekend to the end of the first week in june.


oic, well... sorry - guess i read it wrong. hills _to be_....

_"60 hills of russets an kennebec potato's next weekend."_

had thot hills done now, kinda like these potato rows, only hills...




good luck with your gardening...


----------



## chucker

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> oic, well... sorry - guess i read it wrong. hills _to be_....
> 
> _"60 hills of russets an kennebec potato's next weekend."_
> 
> had thot hills done now, kinda like these potato rows, only hills...
> 
> View attachment 901876
> 
> 
> good luck with your gardening...


actually they are done in rows and hilled in rows as well when needed. 4" deep and 1 foot apart with each long row spaced at 2 feet between. just like your posted pic and not as many ???? lol 3 rows are about it for us anymore.


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## muddstopper

I finally got my 10lbs of tater seed in the ground and a half pound of onion sets. I have about decided to throw that little plastic green house away. Nothing would germinate in it. It got so hot inside it actually melted the black plastic trays. No way to reduce the heat or increase airflow. We kept the zipup door open and tied up and it still got to hot. Anyways, we replanted some maters and peppers and just set the pots on the porch railing and things are starting to come up. I will probably end up buying a few plants as its still to early to plant in the ground around here and I dont think my seedlings will be big enough to transplant when it does come time to start planting in the ground. The weather here right now is just nice enough to tempt a person into planting, but May 15th is average last frost, so I will wait a couple more weeks before putting out anything that can get frost bit.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> I finally got my 10lbs of tater seed in the ground *and a half pound of onion sets*. I have about decided to throw that little plastic green house away. Nothing would germinate in it. It got so hot inside it actually melted the black plastic trays. No way to reduce the heat or increase airflow. We kept the zipup door open and tied up and it still got to hot. Anyways, *we replanted some maters* and peppers and just set the pots on the porch railing and things are starting to come up. I will probably end up buying a few plants as its still to early to plant in the ground around here and I dont think my seedlings will be big enough to transplant when it does come time to start planting in the ground. The weather here right now is just nice enough to tempt a person into planting, but May 15th is average last frost, so I will wait a couple more weeks before putting out anything that can get frost bit.


good luck with your onions ms. i was side dressing my onion rows yesterday, N-0-0, and things are looking promising. my tomato plants are still....  still in pots. i see one flower has set and is fruiting. my baby tomato seeds are now flourishing sets. getting bigger by the day. planted the other dish of them i was babysitting in kitchen on plate. put in some basil seeds to one side... thinking 50 tomato plants too many tomatoes for me! lol... so might plant them and put in cages. and let them only grow to height of the cages. snip the vines and let a few flowers set and develop. have tried it before, but always so hard to snip them... 'cause to let them grow = more tomatoes. decisions, decisions...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> planted the other dish of them i was babysitting in kitchen on plate. put in some basil seeds to one side... one looked a bit like a young tadpole. scrounged up some potting soil from compost bin and ran it thru 1/4" wire...


----------



## muddstopper

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> i was side dressing my onion rows yesterday, N-0-0, and things are looking promising.


If the fert doent have NPK, what did you use, a micro nutrient blend?


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> If the fert doent have NPK, what did you use, a micro nutrient blend?


was nitrogen only...


----------



## muddstopper

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> was nitrogen only...


I tend to treat my onions the same as I do my taters. Onions need lots of nitrogen to grow, but once they start to bulb they also need the PK to grow big. I guess it really depends on a persons soil. With a high organic soil, a person can get by pretty good with just the nitrogen applications as the organic material will contain all the P and K the onions need. If the soil doesnt have it and you dont add it, it wont get there by itself. I have also been know to apply plain elemental sulfur. One lb of elemental sulfur will make 3 lbs of SO4, so it doesnt take much. It is also fairly slow to convert so it doesnt effect the soil Ph all that much. Of course I am also adding a lot of calcium lime every year anyways. I did kind of learn my lesson about adding micronutrients by itself. It takes such a small amount of micronutrients, its hard to not over apply them.


----------



## sonny580

I use triple 10 or 12 on everything and am getting more compost mixed in the soil so the ground stays loose and water can go down without making a hard crust.
Last week here been a bit ruff on things, ---- 2" of snow and a couple hard freezes and 2 nights of frost kinda did a number on the fruit blossoms and strawberries. 
A few seedlings coming up in the hotbed and radishes, turnips in the gardens. A few potato sprouts were an inch tall and got froze off, but they will regrow. The onions love the snow and are doing fine.
last pic. is some of the peach trees the day before they froze.
They say temps in the 80's next week---NOT good either! Quite dry here right now so any heat will sap the moisture right out and we will have to start hauling water right off the batt. ---- The joys of gardening!! LOL!!


----------



## chucker

so much for a good jump start on the garden. snow, colder nights than usual for April but the much needed liquid sun shine for a drought stricken summer ahead is appreciated.


----------



## farmer steve

Finally got some warmer temps the past few days. The asparagus is jumpin.


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## olyman

farmer steve said:


> Finally got some warmer temps the past few days. The asparagus is jumpin.
> View attachment 903961


need moisture bad here...………..


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## farmer steve

olyman said:


> need moisture bad here...………..


We are just barely getting what we need here. Maybe a half inch tonite but that won't go to far.


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## Goinwheelin

Saturday is the day these go in the ground for the most part. Some even have fruit on them already












They had some super hot peppers at the local nursery so I grabbed a Ghost pepper and a Trinidad scorpion just for funzies. It’s great to see these for sale locally but unfortunately I think a lot of people buy them not realizing how long it takes for them to mature and produce fruit and they may be disappointed when September comes and they only have a handful of peppers to show for it.


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## chucker

warmed up enough here to get the tiller out of hibernation for another year. taters are looking kind of peaked in the cellar with eyes as long as my arm ! i guess when planting them i wont need to drop them in the hole just lower them in with supplied handle? lol


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## olyman

farmer steve said:


> We are just barely getting what we need here. Maybe a half inch tonite but that won't go to far.


brother farms.. he said once,,when it was warmoutside, and corn was growing,,it took about a inch a day to supply the corn.....so according to that,,we are 8 inches of ground moisture short now...………….


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## farmer steve

chucker said:


> warmed up enough here to get the tiller out of hibernation for another year. taters are looking kind of peaked in the cellar with eyes as long as my arm ! i guess when planting them i wont need to drop them in the hole just lower them in with supplied handle? lol


Rototilling was on my list today. Maters and peppers plants are coming Monday.


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## chucker

one pull on the starter rope after a shot of fresh gas in the spark plug /cylinder! the husky tiller lives again and tilled the raspberry/green bean plot as well as the squash/cukes garden.... tater garden Saturday, if the ole girl will start/run?! lol feels great to get the fingers back into the soil again! healthy eating everyone.


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## sonny580

Lookin good guys! --- We had a couple warm days,---now back to cold wind again. Last couple of days we got about 3/4" of rain, AND no standing water, so it all soaked in without any runoff. 
They say we are in the moderate drought area here----kinda dry but look ok for now. I'm sure the wind will sap the 3/4" out of the ground fast and it's back to square one! 
Fruit trees still blooming and I did see a few peaches starting to form on the higher branches, so we see IF they make anything or not. No apple or pear fruit set yet as they are blooming later.
A few more seeds coming up in the hotbed today. Really slow coming this year for some reason. I do have some cabbage plants in there that are about ready to go in the rows, so that is good.
Our potatoes are just peaking thru the ground now,----look good and when they get 6" or so I will start pushing dirt up around them. Start early building big mounds and its easier to do that way. 
Might fill the last partial potato row with some basement potatoes just for the heck of it. I have kept them de-sprouted all winter and some of them now have inch long sprouts again, so they just right.
Its best to remove long sprouts before planting them. The long sprouts sunburn and really never make very good plants, so we always remove them and let them start fresh.
Onions look good so far, been cultivating them and next step is to hoe between the plants. THAT is the time consuming job! lol! I made a couple hoe's that are light and narrow just for onion use.


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## Goinwheelin

Got the garden all laid out, holes dug and plastic sheeting stapled down. Just need to run irrigation line then put plants in the ground this evening.


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## Stonesforbrains

Biquinho yellow on the left and Jays peach ghost scorpion on the right. I normally don’t grow super hots but my brother in law started a dozen and they all took off so I got one from him to try and grow.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> I tend to treat my onions the same as I do my taters. Onions need lots of nitrogen to grow, but once they start to bulb they also need the PK to grow big. I guess it really depends on a persons soil. With a high organic soil, a person can get by pretty good with just the nitrogen applications as the organic material will contain all the P and K the onions need. If the soil doesnt have it and you dont add it, it wont get there by itself. I have also been know to apply plain elemental sulfur. One lb of elemental sulfur will make 3 lbs of SO4, so it doesnt take much. It is also fairly slow to convert so it doesnt effect the soil Ph all that much. Of course I am also adding a lot of calcium lime every year anyways. I did kind of learn my lesson about adding micronutrients by itself. It takes such a small amount of micronutrients, its hard to not over apply them.


i tend to follow these guy's guidelines. they seem to have a handle on onions... but don't go with all of it. just did a lite side dress to them 131313. they continue to get bigger.  i have added some lime in the past to beds.





__





Home - Dixondale Farms


Order with confidence.Mix and Match True Varieties.




www.dixondalefarms.com


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> *so much for a good jump start on the garden. snow, colder nights than usual for April* but the much needed liquid sun shine for a drought stricken summer ahead is appreciated.


snow don't help my garden down here in grow zone 9! lol... i got tomatoes now egg sized. onion bulbs still bigger than them...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Finally got some warmer temps the past few days. *The asparagus is jumpin.*
> View attachment 903961


from beds right into the trugs...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> We are just barely getting what we need here. Maybe a half inch tonite but that won't go to far.


they are complaining down here too. no water. but some inbound... and got some other day. i can tell the grasses are dryer as i mow them around the compound...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Lookin good guys! --- We had a couple warm days,---now back to cold wind again. Last couple of days we got about 3/4" of rain, AND no standing water, so it all soaked in without any runoff.
> They say we are in the moderate drought area here----kinda dry but look ok for now. I'm sure the wind will sap the 3/4" out of the ground fast and it's back to square one!
> *Fruit trees still blooming and I did see a few peaches starting to form on the higher branches, so we see IF they make anything or not.* No apple or pear fruit set yet as they are blooming later.
> A few more seeds coming up in the hotbed today. Really slow coming this year for some reason. I do have some cabbage plants in there that are about ready to go in the rows, so that is good.
> Our potatoes are just peaking thru the ground now,----look good and when they get 6" or so I will start pushing dirt up around them. Start early building big mounds and its easier to do that way.
> Might fill the last partial potato row with some basement potatoes just for the heck of it. I have kept them de-sprouted all winter and some of them now have inch long sprouts again, so they just right.
> Its best to remove long sprouts before planting them. The long sprouts sunburn and really never make very good plants, so we always remove them and let them start fresh.
> Onions look good so far, been cultivating them and next step is to hoe between the plants. THAT is the time consuming job! lol! I made a couple hoe's that are light and narrow just for onion use.


put in a couple peach trees last season. more of less for grins, with fingers x'd! 2, but i call it my peach orchard!  

we wondered if by chance we mite see any fruit appear this year. to our surprise we have over 2 dozen on one variety. the other is still leafing... we remain optimistic


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Rototilling was on my list today. Maters and peppers plants are coming Monday.
> View attachment 904001


nice!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

tomaoto field doing well. couple cut down like felling trees!  but, potted into water and now rooting. added collars to half, doing quite well. beans up and looking like a new bean patch. brusse sprout experiment on track. onions bulbing. cuke seeds potted and need to get into soil. maybe today. basil to transplant to pots. waiting on some pepper seeds. first try banana nada. old seeds, but some older germinated just fine. the cukes. so it goes...


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## muddstopper

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> i tend to follow these guy's guidelines. they seem to have a handle on onions... but don't go with all of it. just did a lite side dress to them 131313. they continue to get bigger.  i have added some lime in the past to beds.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> __
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Home - Dixondale Farms
> 
> 
> Order with confidence.Mix and Match True Varieties.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> www.dixondalefarms.com


I am sure as many onions as they grow, they have things pretty well figured out. As I said in my post, a lot depends on the soil in the area you are growing in. I like the high PK fertilizers because my soil is naturally deficient in Phosphorous and Potassium. Its been a while since I have looked at a soil test, but I used to take lots of samples back when I had my seeding business. If my memory serves me, I believe the P levels in my soils average around 8PPM, hence the high phos recommendations. K is only present as weathered Mica and not easily taken up thru the plant roots. Calcium recommendations for my area are over 2000lbs per acre. The very best calcium levels I have seen in any soil test, in my area, needed over 1500lbs per acre and this was on a soil that had repetitive lime applications yearly. Magnesium levels are also very low so the lime of choice is dolomite. The magnesium is 1.6 time more effective at raising ,ph levels than calcium carbonate and is the second most required nutrient, calcium being the most important for a fertile soil. One thing to always remember when it comes to growing crops and applying fertilizer is this, if the books say the soil needs this or that, and the crops says they needs something else, you go with what the crops say.


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## chucker

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> snow don't help my garden down here in grow zone 9! lol... i got tomatoes now egg sized. onion bulbs still bigger than them...


lol for sure! if it weren't for the bad habit of needing to eat once in a while i would like to see snow year around! as it is gardening is a good past time while the snow is on the way for another winter season and lessening the food bill....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> snow don't help my garden down here in grow zone 9! lol... *i got tomatoes now egg sized.* onion bulbs still bigger than them...


gettin' so one can hardly believe a word i say!  i was wrong again, of course... more so like twice the size of an egg!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

prob got upwards of couple dozen in a variety of sizes and states. some blume drop... but mostly the flowers are setting...

7 set or setting tomatoes on this one section alone....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

and then there is my tomato field... its up and running... doing well. 48 plants more or less. 




from this to that:


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## Backyard Lumberjack

couple got nipped, so added collars... fairing well. planted up two in pots. upper RH corner


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> View attachment 904824
> Biquinho yellow on the left and Jays peach ghost scorpion on the right. I normally don’t grow super hots but my brother in law started a dozen and they all took off so I got one from him to try and grow.


your peppers look great S/b... think u are ahead of me in that dept! lol... noted one of my peppers had shown up. banana type think it is...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

cukes have done ok. started with seeds. two types. finally got them into the garden. perm location... one is marketplace cucumber. dug their location with garden fork. soil so friable! and added 5 gallons from the compost pile.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> I am sure as many onions as they grow, they have things pretty well figured out. As I said in my post, a lot depends on the soil in the area you are growing in. I like the high PK fertilizers because my soil is naturally deficient in Phosphorous and Potassium. Its been a while since I have looked at a soil test, but I used to take lots of samples back when I had my seeding business. If my memory serves me, I believe the P levels in my soils average around 8PPM, hence the high phos recommendations. K is only present as weathered Mica and not easily taken up thru the plant roots. Calcium recommendations for my area are over 2000lbs per acre. The very best calcium levels I have seen in any soil test, in my area, needed over 1500lbs per acre and this was on a soil that had repetitive lime applications yearly. Magnesium levels are also very low so the lime of choice is dolomite. The magnesium is 1.6 time more effective at raising ,ph levels than calcium carbonate and is the second most required nutrient, calcium being the most important for a fertile soil. One thing to always remember when it comes to growing crops and applying fertilizer is this, if the books say the soil needs this or that, and the crops says they needs something else, you go with what the crops say.


i would like to do a soil test on my garden. the ag dept over at Texas A&M offers the service. but last check it was $35!  and that buys a lot of ! i could do a DIY, but just havent. i loose a garden gig from time to time! Mother Nature is not always predictable. but overall, whatever the actual acidity of my soils are... good enuff for my needs. crop rotation is important in my garden planning. i have several hi % sacks of N, P & K. like 0-46-0... i use mostly to amp root crops. but not doing potatoes much these days. wonder if i will ever use up that 40# sack on N! 

yesterday; onions still doing well... guess they like the soil. always get more than i can eat... 1015's... like apples!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

potted up some basil in homemade potting mix screened from the compost pile. thot the cluster was kinda neat, so its still intact. added the dills. no rosemary. not optimistic. prob just buy couple plants...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

cilantro finally bolted. got one sprig left from pot of 3. hasn't bolted yet, but i can see it wants to. don't need any more coriander seeds... but mite let these seed up...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

the QB is out in Calif close to the coast... Mother's Day thing with D and the g/ks... when they were last here on their coast to coast move/relocation... job related... they got some seeds. mostly lima beans as they were done. she said the littlest is so proud of his lima bean plants... bit cooler out there. was 55 yesterday morning... made me smile!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

back in so Tx.... bean patch


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## chucker

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> gettin' so one can hardly believe a word i say!  i was wrong again, of course... more so like twice the size of an egg!
> View attachment 905878


lol well for a fib like that we may forgive you as long as we all get a fresh "BLT" ???.


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## muddstopper

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> i would like to do a soil test on my garden. the ag dept over at Texas A&M offers the service. but last check it was $35!  and that buys a lot of ! i could do a DIY, but just havent. i loose a garden gig from time to time! Mother Nature is not always predictable. but overall, whatever the actual acidity of my soils are... good enuff for my needs. crop rotation is important in my garden planning. i have several hi % sacks of N, P & K. like 0-46-0... i use mostly to amp root crops. but not doing potatoes much these days. wonder if i will ever use up that 40# sack on N!


Those home soil test are not very accurate. They only check for water solubile nutrients. Plant root exudate acids and can take up much more nutrients than your soil test shows to be available. Tons of misleading info about soil test reports from different soil testing companies. There are so may different acids used to determine nutrient levels and fertilization models that no two companies will give the same recommendations for the same soil sample. Best to pick a soil testing company and stick with it and watch the actual results in your field. Your field results wont lie. The biggest detriment to your soil fertility is the mining of the soil thru harvest. The larger the harvest the more nutrients that have to be replaced. The addition of your compost replaces nutrients lost thru harvest. Composted materials are recycled nutrients that are easily absorded by the plants. That 0-46-0 high phosphorous fertilizer will only stay available to your plants for about 2 to 4 weeks and will become totally locked up in the soil profile in as little as 8 weeks.


----------



## Stonesforbrains

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> your peppers look great S/b... think u are ahead of me in that dept! lol... noted one of my peppers had shown up. banana type think it is...
> View attachment 905889












I started my peppers in February against everybody’s advice, so bored and want to grow stuff. I lost about a dozen which wasn’t too bad, tomatoes, did the same and lost about the same. I don’t have the growing season you do down south, I miss living and growing in Victoria TX. These are Santo Domingo and Kalugurista peppers that I’m growing in pots.


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## Stonesforbrains

Wife started globe basil in a milk jug in the house and this is after she transplanted. Her stuff looks so much better than mine.


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## Stonesforbrains

I did carrot and Parsnip in a half wine cask with a few onion cause I read in an old book that the onion would keep carrot pest away. Have no idea as I have not ever had luck growing the carrot and parsnip.


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## sonny580

I never had any pests on parsnips or carrots here but what I do have this year is a problem with the seed coming up! --- I am thinking soil insects attacking the seed. Need a good soil insecticide this year as nothing winter killed in the ground.


----------



## farmer steve

Finally after almost 2 weeks we got stuff in the ground. 150 maters,72 cabbage plants and almost 800 peppers.


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## chucker

red beans, peas an green beans in the ground and a weeks wait to see if it turns into corn? lol


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## holeycow

4 kinds of potatoes, about 5 or 6 varieties of hard beans, green and yellow beans, tomatoes, peppers, spinach and other salady things, oregano, thyme, peas,...and several others

oh ya, radishes coming up along with beans, corn, and other stuff

onions, tarragon, parsley, squash, carrots, parsnip and other stuff too

some in the greenhouse and some outside. Gotta wait till the end of the month to plant the rest of outside. Greenhouse just about planted. Yay! Almost lost the cucumbers a week ago in the greenhouse with frosts, but they are recovering nicely.

planting small batches of each for variety and to get some seed hopefully. Almost all old varieties of everything. Some of the little gardening seed packs are 25 years old. Using them and getting germination. Three kinds of pepper plant seed we had laying around for about 20-25 years showed better than 50% germination. Cool. Some of the herb seeds are about the same vintage. Wifey kept pulling seed out of her ... hat.

my hands smell like dirt. Aaahh..Awesome!


----------



## sonny580

Tatoes, onions and cabbage so far.--- and rhubarb! Have radishes ready and not much else is growing. Seeds are not sprouting very good this year. Have replanted twice and still nothing on some of the stuff. Next time it dries out, tomato plants go in and all remaining seeds as well.----last ditch attempt for this year!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> lol well for a fib like that we may forgive you as long as we all get a fresh "BLT" ???.


Thank you!  might could, the scrounged maters from other day looking good. saving for tomato sams... but maybe one should go for a BLT!

thanks for reminding me... lol. plenty bacon in refer.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> cilantro finally bolted. got one sprig left from pot of 3. hasn't bolted yet, but i can see it wants to. don't need any more coriander seeds... but mite let these seed up...
> View attachment 905905


caught a cooking show other nite. chef said cilantro flowers very tasty and nice. so, since i had one bolting, thot i'd taste one. yum! so added to some medallions last nite if fried up.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> View attachment 905947
> View attachment 905947
> View attachment 905948
> 
> I started my peppers in February against everybody’s advice, so bored and want to grow stuff. I lost about a dozen which wasn’t too bad, tomatoes, did the same and lost about the same. I don’t have the growing season you do down south, I miss living and growing in Victoria TX. These are Santo Domingo and Kalugurista peppers that I’m growing in pots.


good pix/plants. one of my mobile nursery potted seed potss i thot only had one pepper. i see now have 6 or so. but not sure if they are bananas or sweet CA bells. guess time will tell... lol.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> yesterday; onions still doing well... guess they like the soil. always get more than i can eat... 1015's... like apples!
> View attachment 905900


ran my finger around base of my 015's yesterday. 3rd time. relieve them of the side soil. helps bulbing. even my smaller stalks bulbing nicely. thinking to use them with some french cooking.... soon!

pearl onions


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> View attachment 905955
> Wife started globe basil in a milk jug in the house and this is after she transplanted. Her stuff looks so much better than mine.


looking good! wondering how you use basil. many ways, i know... but i will have more plants than usual soon and wondering how another gardener uses them as appears you will have many, too....


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> I did carrot and Parsnip in a half wine cask with a few onion cause I read in an old book that the onion would keep carrot pest away. Have no idea as I have not ever had luck growing the carrot and parsnip.View attachment 905956


0-20-0 will help those carrots! carrots do quite well down here in a fall garden...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> I never had any pests on parsnips or carrots here but what I do have this year is a problem with the seed coming up! --- I am thinking soil insects attacking the seed. Need a good soil insecticide this year as nothing winter killed in the ground.


let us know what you discover. only time i have probs with seeds coming up if the germ has died due to age. but i have grown limas, for example... from seeds kept over 20 years! 

of course... probs once plants get under way?... lol  always something...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Finally after almost 2 weeks we got stuff in the ground. 150 maters,72 cabbage plants and almost 800 peppers.
> View attachment 907005
> View attachment 907006
> View attachment 907009


one heck of a 'garden'! more like a truck farm. lol  wondering in the pix with red/white stack... what is growing to the R of you?
we have a very popular open air market close to downtown. even got some tv coverage other day. large facility. many numerous individual vendors. always fun to visit. lots of truck farmers selling wares, etc. es bien a vecces... si Usted habla espanol!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

holeycow said:


> some in the greenhouse and some outside. Gotta wait till the end of the month to plant the rest of outside. Greenhouse just about planted. Yay! *Almost lost the cucumbers a week ago in the greenhouse with frosts, but they are recovering nicely.* Wifey kept pulling seed out of her ... hat. my hands smell like dirt. Aaahh..Awesome!


good to hear! have a soldier cucumber plant is my bet... showed up and doing quite well in the side of one of my compost bins... flowering ~


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Tatoes, onions and cabbage so far.--- *and rhubarb!* Have radishes ready and not much else is growing. Seeds are not sprouting very good this year. Have replanted twice and still nothing on some of the stuff. Next time it dries out, tomato plants go in and all remaining seeds as well.----last ditch attempt for this year!


wish i could grow it. results not good in past. ur pix look great! i am quite fond of stewed rhubarb! maybe i should try it again... we finally got it down for the English Peas... dismal, then prolific... yep! will try some this fall... working on my brussels experiment... follerin' some tips off this thread...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

today, headed to grocery. veg deals

asparagus $1.28/#
40-cents off celery
vine ripe tomatoes, coupon 77-cents/#

etc.


----------



## holeycow

Well..., -3C overnight.

had everything covered in the greenhouse except cucumbers, they are climbing the hog panel and I don't have a protection system sorted yet. I put a tiny heater in there and had a good fan going lightly so I think everything is ok. Things are just starting to take hold and grow! Got another cold night coming and then ok for a while. We can have a killing frost virtually any month of the year here, but mostly unlikely by the second week in june up to about the second week of august. 

up at 2am making sure the hoses didn't freeze up. I caught it just in time and got the water trickling to clear the ice. Then at 3:30 wifey started misting the hascap bushes that are fully in flower and show potential for the best little crop we have ever had. We'll know if we lost the flowers sometime soon today. There's about a dozen or so bushes that have just become mature and fruitful over the past couple of years. I hope the blossoms survived..

no rain yet. Like almost none at all, maybe a few mm which blows away in a light breeze, never mind the frequent prairie gales we get. We need a rain very soon or the grass won't grow and there will be no hay. It's happened before. I let about 80 acres of hayland "rest" last year. I hope that wasn't a mistake. I like to skip a season from time to time to build thatch. The snow lays it down flat and makes a good cover of decomposing material.

anyway, happy growing all. I'll be up early again tomorrow.


----------



## holeycow

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> wish i could grow it. resullts not good in past. ur pix look great! i am quite fond of stewed rhubarb! maybe i should try it again... we finally got it down for the English Peas... dismal, then prolific... yep! will try some this fall... working on my brussels experiment... follerin' some tips off this thread...


Huh. Rhubarb grows like a weed here if you let it. Funny how different climates are. Sometimes it's not funny at all.


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## farmer steve

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> one heck of a 'garden'! more like a truck farm. lol  wondering in the pix with red/white stack... what is growing to the R of you?
> we have a very popular open air market close to downtown. even got some tv coverage other day. large facility. many numerous individual vendors. always fun to visit. lots of truck farmers selling wares, etc. es bien a vecces... si Usted habla espanol!


I'm guessing the green stuff. That is winter wheat. Planted as a cover crop but looked so good I decided to let it grow and combine it. I won't get much wheat but plenty of straw to bale and sell.


----------



## chucker

tomatoes, peppers, squash and cukes are all planted for another harvest of healthy eats an treats!


----------



## holeycow

The hascaps survived 3 cold nights. We misted them a few times each morning and they are fine. Pretty happy about that.

the pasture fescue is turning brown.The grass is getting crunchy. ****.

now planning on selling some steers early, like right away. That will be costly.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> tomatoes, peppers, squash *and cukes* are all planted for another harvest of healthy eats an treats!


lots of tomatoes here... tomato field flowering, the potted ones planted with near baseball sized... my cukes the other day... 2 types


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

and the soldier... prob a grocery seed. popped up in compost... cuke is my guess


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

tomato field, err, oops! i mean forest....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> good pix/plants. one of my mobile nursery potted seed potss i thot only had one pepper. i see now have 6 or so. but not sure if they are bananas or sweet CA bells. guess time will tell... lol.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

*peach orchard* showing promise... have had to support some limbs, getting heavy !


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## holeycow

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> and the soldier... prob a grocery seed. popped up in compost... cuke is my guess
> 
> View attachment 908621


I planted a few bean seeds out of a bag of "soup mix" in the house this winter. They grew and produced seed which are now growing in the greenhouse. Pintos, some kind of white bean, and another bean that's growing. The lima grew into a monster in the house, but alas my soil was wrong and went septic for some reason. The seeds it produced were probably not mature, as they haven't germinated yet. Oh well, for the most part the soup mix seeds are a success. It was an organic soup mix, which may have helped, idk?

We have some volunteer spinach and a yellow bean in the greenhouse. I am planning on taking a whole bunch of seed off this year, hopefully. The long season in the greenhouse should help with that. Volunteer parsnip from root in the greenhouse should produce seed this year.

dirt, air, water, sun, ... seeds . 
The five genuine resources. governments/royals/evil, anti nature bastards around the world have taken the right to most of the genuine resources of life away from the people. Anti nature, anti God evil bastards.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

chucker said:


> lol well for a fib like that we may forgive you as long as we all get a fresh "BLT" ???.


hi ckr - soon to be getting started on that BLT... tomato in refer, mayo in refer, bread to toast, plenty leaf lettuce... and now bacon done, too! 

cooked yesterday...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

holeycow said:


> I planted a few bean seeds out of a bag of "soup mix" in the house this winter. They grew and produced seed which are now growing in the greenhouse. Pintos, some kind of white bean, and another bean that's growing. The lima grew into a monster in the house, but alas my soil was wrong and went septic for some reason. The seeds it produced were probably not mature, as they haven't germinated yet. Oh well, for the most part the soup mix seeds are a success. It was an organic soup mix, which may have helped, idk?
> 
> We have some volunteer spinach and a yellow bean in the greenhouse. I am planning on taking a whole bunch of seed off this year, hopefully. The long season in the greenhouse should help with that. Volunteer parsnip from root in the greenhouse should produce seed this year.
> 
> dirt, air, water, sun, ... seeds .
> The five genuine resources. governments/royals/evil, anti nature bastards around the world have taken the right to most of the genuine resources of life away from the people. Anti nature, anti God evil bastards.


really! out of the bean soup mix bag... lol. that's cool!


----------



## holeycow

Yes, really. And they made seed in the house and those seeds are growing in the greenhouse. If the damn cutworms don't decimate the beans I will have some good seed to complement my others. The white beans show huge promise as a hardy variety.

as soon as the house beans were dry-ish in the pod I put them in the fridge.


----------



## sonny580

Your solder plant looks like a cantalope to me! ----leaves are too round for cucumbers.


----------



## holeycow

Yup, doesn't look like a cucumber...the suspense is killing me. Haha!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Your solder plant looks like a cantalope to me! ----leaves are too round for cucumbers.


u may be right. just replanted my cukes... and larger leaves. and no lil cukes so far... lol. thanks for the thot ~


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Your solder plant looks like a cantalope to me! ----leaves are too round for cucumbers.


but looks like summer time close down here. this morning:


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> u may be right. just replanted my cukes... and larger leaves. and no lil cukes so far... lol. thanks for the thot ~


----------



## Del_

.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Your solder plant looks like a cantalope to me! ----leaves are too round for cucumbers.





holeycow said:


> Yup, doesn't look like a cucumber...the suspense is killing me. Haha!






plant now has set 4 fruits... small, but oval... like in cantalopes! 


would like to transplant it. but not sure would do well. root ball is low in the compost pile, wire grid on outside... plant came out the side.


----------



## sonny580

Its too big now to transplant now !--- I leave it where it is and water it good!


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## sonny580

tatoes hilled for the last time, cabbage growing, other stuff planted but not up yet.
Had a half inch downpour yesterday. 
Strawberries bout done,---- made 38 quarts of jam and had 1 quart of berries left,(not enough for a full batch) so we bagged them and tossed it into the freezer.


----------



## Goinwheelin

I have been really busy the past several weeks and haven’t had time to post, but here’s pictures from my first Chile harvest on may 25th


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> Its too big now to transplant now !--- I leave it where it is and water it good!


thanks! that is what i had decided. it has my blessing, but not a plant i usually put in garden. store is good enuff for me. besides, more apt to go for tomatoes... these saturday morning. i added some fertz to the cant. was a lil cubby hole in compost bin just above its root area... watering it often...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sometimes, what i plant just gets planted but not eaten. my spinach was like that past season. planned for salads at least. but nada. then it got old, warmed up n bolted. i encouraged one. it went to seeds. took the stalk and put into baggie. then worked it to get seeds out. prob will just plant the entire contents next fall. u can see all the round seeds inside.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> I have been really busy the past several weeks and haven’t had time to post, but here’s pictures from my first Chile harvest on may 25th View attachment 911298
> View attachment 911299


looks good!

garden fresh beans on menu tonite at our place... some green blue lakes and yellow wax...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

our tomato field (48/50 plants, 25 hoops) has expanded from tomato field, to tomato forest... now into a full-blown *tomat**o j**ungle! *


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## Backyard Lumberjack

i moved my cuke center into rows where 1015 onions were. stich in time, sort of thing. the all made the relocation move well. no casulties. and lots of flowers. waiting to get some cukes to set. i was watering it other day and noticed suddenly about a handful of honey bees working the flowers...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

half doz more on kitchen counter... ready at 'the ready!'... tom sams, blts, salads.... etc


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> tatoes hilled for the last time, cabbage growing, other stuff planted but not up yet.
> Had a half inch downpour yesterday.
> Strawberries bout done,---- made 38 quarts of jam and had 1 quart of berries left,(not enough for a full batch) so we bagged them and tossed it into the freezer.


that's a lot of spuds! cabbage family plants look good... enjoyed seeing!


----------



## muddstopper

I;m getting fed up. Blasted deer keep eating everything as soon as its planted. Birds are plucking the seeds out of the ground before it even comes up. My garden is a mess. I have loss two planting of Lottie beans, Seeds my grandmother saved when the government moved them off their farm in 1934. We planted the last 25 seeds in pots on the porch in hopes of at least getting some seed. Altho I did find a new source of the beans, it seems my grandmother had given some seeds to my other grandmothers sisterinlaw and my uncle has been growing them for over 50 years. He has about a gallon of the seeds saved in his freezer. He offered some up, but I am not going to replant them in the garden this year. He also gave me some of the old timey white field corn, dont know the name of it, but they used to grow it for cornmeal. Stalks grow 12ft high and the ears are over a foot long. I had lost that seed to because of the deer. I have 5 short rows up now so It should produce enough corn for meal this year as well as seed for the future. I cant shoot the deer here because of all the houses, but I am thinking about a crossbow in the very near future.


----------



## farmer steve

@muddstopper. Try a radio or some solar dusk to dawn lights in and arou d your corn. Seemed to help me last year.


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## muddstopper

There is already a street light on my garden. My corn is now planted on my sons property, inside a wove wire fence with a secondary electric fence and two large dogs that keep the deer ran off. My old garden spot at my old house site I could count a dozen deer around the garden every night. I fenced the garden in and strung cord criss crossing from side to side of the rows and hung strips of flagging tape. The tape would wave in the slightest breeze and kept deer and birds scared away. Didnt do much for rabbits tho.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> I;m getting fed up. Blasted deer keep eating everything as soon as its planted. Birds are plucking the seeds out of the ground before it even comes up. My garden is a mess. I have loss two planting of Lottie beans, Seeds my grandmother saved when the government moved them off their farm in 1934. We planted the last 25 seeds in pots on the porch in hopes of at least getting some seed. Altho I did find a new source of the beans, it seems my grandmother had given some seeds to my other grandmothers sisterinlaw and my uncle has been growing them for over 50 years. He has about a gallon of the seeds saved in his freezer. He offered some up, but I am not going to replant them in the garden this year. He also gave me some of the old timey white field corn, dont know the name of it, but they used to grow it for cornmeal. Stalks grow 12ft high and the ears are over a foot long. I had lost that seed to because of the deer. I have 5 short rows up now so It should produce enough corn for meal this year as well as seed for the future. I cant shoot the deer here because of all the houses, but I am thinking about a crossbow in the very near future.


hope you can sort all that out soon, ms -


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> @muddstopper. Try a radio or some solar dusk to dawn lights in and arou d your corn. Seemed to help me last year.


some in our areas out along the county line have had to resort to tall, very tall garden fences to keep the deer out ~ a net should keep pesky birds off the garden, too. desperate times call for desperate measures at times... now then, hop u don't have any moles or gophers.....


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> My garden is a mess. I have loss two planting of Lottie beans, Seeds my grandmother saved when the government moved them off their farm in 1934. We planted the last 25 seeds in pots on the porch in hopes of at least getting some seed. Altho I did find a new source of the beans, it seems my grandmother had given some seeds to my other grandmothers sisterinlaw and my uncle has been growing them for over 50 years. He has about a gallon of the seeds saved in his freezer. He offered some up, but I am not going to replant them in the garden this year.


speaking of seeds... just started couple days ago. well, when i noticed it. using computer and strange noises... .... then again. huh!? look about, nada!... day later caught on... a near on bushel, well maybe close... of bluebonnets seeds i had harvested few weeks back. towel over bag. plenty left in grocery paper bag... seed pods splitting and spitting out the seeds. they fly with a vengence... then hit bag wall. ie, the strange noises... lol.


----------



## sonny580

todays pix. tatoes, all 10.5 rows 230 feet long.
Tomatoes are all sizes from blooming down to just planted and the later ones might not make it,---time will tell. I had extra plants in pots and I hate to waste plants! lol!
Onions bulbing, ---- they need to get a move on it because they only have til the last day of July when they get harvested.
cucumbers are about to hit the ground running, still gotta put up the other 3 panels for them to run up over. Panels help keep them off the ground and makes them a little easier to pick.
Most of the cabbage is doing good.
beans are so, so and I will do a second planting of them to spread out the harvest a bit.
Did finally get the anti-bird nets over most of the cherry tree last night! THAT is always a fun job! ---- Might have a few pie cherries this year IF I can keep the damn birds out til they get ripe!


----------



## HumBurner

Are y'all having issues with nearly EVERYTHING wanting to flower early?

There's a plum tree in our yard that put on new leaf growth two weeks ago, despite the fact that it already set fruit.

Deadheading the summer veggies isn't sending them back to growth mode. We're gonna make a brew and feed them to see if a shot of nutes will confuse them out of flower.


Cucumber beetles and earwigs are eating into things I havent seen them eat before. They're only looking for water. Too much drought, shifting temperatures, and virtually nonstop wind for over 50 days.


2021 is a different year....


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## Backyard Lumberjack

went out of town for a day other day. had watered all good before departing. next day noticed some basils in my mobile nursery had a sad look...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

not crispy dry, but curled right on up there. so gave them some extra care that day and was a bit impressed with their recovery. guess they had gone into a survival mode... seem to have appreciated getting the water i doted on them...

full recovery


----------



## grizz55chev

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> not crispy dry, but curled right on up there. so gave them some extra care that day and was a bit impressed with their recovery. guess they had gone into a survival mode... seem to have appreciated getting the water i doted on them...
> 
> full recovery
> View attachment 912904


The black pony packs generate a lot of heat on the roots when exposed to direct sun. Maybe wrap the containers in foil to reflect the sun ?


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

grizz55chev said:


> The black pony packs generate a lot of heat on the roots when exposed to direct sun. Maybe wrap the containers in foil to reflect the sun ?


hi 55chv... thanks for the idea. good one. i thot the one sets condition a bit strange as had several more and none of them showed stress signs. maybe that one spot had over heated...


----------



## grizz55chev

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> hi 55chv... thanks for the idea. good one. i thot the one sets condition a bit strange as had several more and none of them showed stress signs. maybe that one spot had over heated...


We're due for some high Temps today, gonna get out and do an extra round of watering to keep things running! How's the Temps in your part of Texas today?


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

grizz55chev said:


> We're due for some high Temps today, gonna get out and do an extra round of watering to keep things running! How's the Temps in your part of Texas today?


how about - hot!- ? lol 

in shop other day... in and out, so OH door open and a/c not on. only fan. it was ok though... 
i averaged the therms for 99ish... eh?


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

had car mats out of car other day. washed off couple then set out to dry. shade line to sun/ then sun. near where i was working on car

couple hours later


2 days later -



extra watering good idea, been doing that. and also have shades over cukes and one dill... high noon sun bit brutal these days of late. seems to be doing good... we (finally) counted 5 new baby cukes setting yesterday. 'bout 1/2" long....


----------



## grizz55chev

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> had car mats out of car other day. washed off couple then set out to dry. shade line to sun/ then sun. near where i was working on car
> 
> couple hours later
> View attachment 912913
> 
> 2 days later -
> View attachment 912912
> 
> 
> extra watering good idea, been doing that. and also have shades over cukes and one dill... high noon sun bit brutal these days of late


I have friends that moved to Yuma, they literally live inside this time of year! 117 f when I talked to them day before yesterday!


----------



## Del_

The garden this year:


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

grizz55chev said:


> I have friends that moved to Yuma, they literally live inside this time of year! 117 f when I talked to them day before yesterday!


i got a bunch a neighbors here do the same... i can assure there are no neighbors outside working all day in this stuff. ... well, cept one many!  i tell folks, its just nbd - how can i run a working cattle ranch, do chores, etc... if i cannot mow my own lawn in the middle of the day? shade counts, of course... and my tall pines help a lot. still got some open areas, too. wide brim hat helps. and after 4ish a cool  also! lol

saw on tv weather news past 2 days in Phoenix...115f!!! 

well they don't have to mow their lawns... all got rocks for grass or solid concrete, painted green.


----------



## grizz55chev

muddstopper said:


> There is already a street light on my garden. My corn is now planted on my sons property, inside a wove wire fence with a secondary electric fence and two large dogs that keep the deer ran off. My old garden spot at my old house site I could count a dozen deer around the garden every night. I fenced the garden in and strung cord criss crossing from side to side of the rows and hung strips of flagging tape. The tape would wave in the slightest breeze and kept deer and birds scared away. Didnt do much for rabbits tho.


My wife used an old Billy big mouth bass that was set for motion detection to scare off the deer, worked quite well till the rubber started to fall apart. Every once in a while, we would hear him singing " Take me to the river ", and we knew there was an un wanted guest in the garden!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> The garden this year:
> 
> View attachment 912916
> View attachment 912917
> View attachment 912918
> View attachment 912919
> View attachment 912920
> View attachment 912921
> View attachment 912922
> View attachment 912923
> View attachment 912924
> View attachment 912925


looks great! Del... to me, especially all that corn on the cob. enjoyed seeing your garden pix... right out of the ol book by D. Raymong... _The Joy of Gardening...._ 

your weed control is top notch!! lol


----------



## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> saw on tv weather news past 2 days in Phoenix...115f!!!



Yeah but I hear it's a dry heat.


LOL!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Yeah but I hear it's a dry heat.
> 
> 
> LOL!


good point! i am sure it is. easier to take a dry heat than wet one like we get... hot n humid! but sitting in house by a/c don't get no work done... had to change clothes couple times yesterday. and a T swap out almost routine these days...


----------



## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> looks great! Del... to me, especially all that corn on the cob. enjoyed seeing your garden pix... right out of the ol book by D. Raymong... The Joy of Gardening....
> 
> your weed control is top notch!! lol



Thanks man. I am a fan of D ick Raymond and have a couple of Troy-bilt Horse tillers.

I've recently just this year been using a broad fork called the "Meadow Creature".

It has 14 inch tines and is strong enough to work full depth in even the hardest soil

It will work you to death!

I roto till with the tillers but before I plant I broad fork two 20 inch rows centered on where the row is going to be planted. I have permanent steel stakes at each row end. So far I've broad forked about 600 ft. of row 20" wide. The goal with the fork it to fracture the soil deeply but to not disturb the actual layers of the soil. Soil microbes have optimum depths at which the flourish and the idea is to not disrupt this natural layering. After a few years of broadforking no further digging is necessary. So the theory goes, anyhow. We also avoid walking on the beds to reduce soil compaction. The beds are 3ft. wide with 2ft. walkways but looking at the photos the beds you can't tell.


----------



## sonny580

Trying to save a few pie cherries, tree a bit too big to cover even with 2 nets. Hope to save enough from the birds to make at least 1 pie.
Planted some of the home grown sweet potato plants last night --- temps in the 90's today, so wont get much done, cept the daily water toteing to whatever I can carry it to.
second sweet corn planting is a couple inches tall, will do 1 more planting in a week.
need to get second green bean planting done soon too.


----------



## farmer steve

@sonny580 . Sounds like you need some drip lines so you don't have to tote water. I couldn't grow much without them. Getting ready for the 5th planting of sweet corn here in a few days.


----------



## sonny580

Cant use drip lines here due to the water here plugs the emitters so we have to just haul, carry, and dump by hand.
Did have a idea of hooking up 7 sprinklers to the portable tand and run the 2" pump to power them but not sure that would work either. Only have the 1 pump and it transfers water from big tank to tote.


----------



## muddstopper

grizz55chev said:


> My wife used an old Billy big mouth bass that was set for motion detection to scare off the deer, worked quite well till the rubber started to fall apart. Every once in a while, we would hear him singing " Take me to the river ", and we knew there was an un wanted guest in the garden!


Now that is a usefull ideal. Wonder if wally world has any for sale.


----------



## muddstopper

sonny580 said:


> Cant use drip lines here due to the water here plugs the emitters so we have to just haul, carry, and dump by hand.
> Did have a idea of hooking up 7 sprinklers to the portable tand and run the 2" pump to power them but not sure that would work either. Only have the 1 pump and it transfers water from big tank to tote.


At my last place, I had 2-330gal totes I loaded in the back of my dump trailer. I would take the totes to the creek and use my harbor freight 2in water pump to fill the totes with water.I had a couple of those tripod style water springlers set up in the garden and would hook them up to the water pump and just let the pump run until one tote was empty and then change out the pump to the other tote and let it run until both tanks where empty. I would do this every other day and it was enough water to make the ground muddy. The garden was 60x100 and 2 springler' set just right would soak the entire garden spot. Most of the time I would just leave the trailer hooked to the truck so when it was time for a refill, I just cranked up and headed for the creek.


----------



## Del_

muddstopper said:


> At my last place, I had 2-330gal totes I loaded in the back of my dump trailer. I would take the totes to the creek and use my harbor freight 2in water pump to fill the totes with water.I had a couple of those tripod style water springlers set up in the garden and would hook them up to the water pump and just let the pump run until one tote was empty and then change out the pump to the other tote and let it run until both tanks where empty. I would do this every other day and it was enough water to make the ground muddy. The garden was 60x100 and 2 springler' set just right would soak the entire garden spot. Most of the time I would just leave the trailer hooked to the truck so when it was time for a refill, I just cranked up and headed for the creek.



We have 30 fifty foot rows all on drip lines.

Drip would have saved you 2/3 of the water you were hauling.


----------



## farmer steve

Del_ said:


> We have 30 fifty foot rows all on drip lines.
> 
> Drip would have saved you 2/3 of the water you were hauling.


How many can you run at a time Del? Pressure regulators on your headline(s)? I'm only good for about 150-200' at a time. My well is good but I was told it was only a couple a gallons a minute so I'm cautious


----------



## muddstopper

Del_ said:


> We have 30 fifty foot rows all on drip lines.
> 
> Drip would have saved you 2/3 of the water you were hauling.


No doubt, drips lines conserve water, but try running a 2inch water pump thru a drip line system. To much back pressure on the pump and the pump will run hot. Not to mention the required 1500ft of tube you are using. I used one 100ft garden hose. My creek water source was close and leaving the pump on the trailer and the trailer hooked to the truck, It only took about 15 minutes to fill the tanks and reconnect to the sprinkler system. I also tried flood irrigation, simply droping a hose in the middle of the row and letting the water just drain, controlled by a gate valve. The top of the garden was muddy and the lower end never got really damp unless I really dumped the water to it.


----------



## grizz55chev

muddstopper said:


> No doubt, drips lines conserve water, but try running a 2inch water pump thru a drip line system. To much back pressure on the pump and the pump will run hot. Not to mention the required 1500ft of tube you are using. I used one 100ft garden hose. My creek water source was close and leaving the pump on the trailer and the trailer hooked to the truck, It only took about 15 minutes to fill the tanks and reconnect to the sprinkler system. I also tried flood irrigation, simply droping a hose in the middle of the row and letting the water just drain, controlled by a gate valve. The top of the garden was muddy and the lower end never got really damp unless I really dumped the water to it.


A gravity feed with a holding tank would solve that problem.


----------



## Del_

farmer steve said:


> How many can you run at a time Del? Pressure regulators on your headline(s)? I'm only good for about 150-200' at a time. My well is good but I was told it was only a couple a gallons a minute so I'm cautious



Hi Steve,

I'm running right now only 1,100 feet of drip line. It's the Dura-Flo Jr. with emitters on 12" centers. I run the system at between 10 and 15 psi and the drip line is good to 30 psi. I have about 5,000 gallons of rain water that I store up.

What I do is pump from a 275 gallon pallet-ed plastic tank with a 1/3 horsepower jet pump. I run the excess water back into the tank I'm pumping from to get jet agitation for two reasons. 

1) To do something with the excess water it pumps and to get the pressure down to usable pressures for the drip line. 
2) I add liquid fertilizers like water soluble 20-20-20 or my urine to the tank that then gets jet agitated. I save urine all year around in gallon milk jugs. 

I control pressure by reading a gauge on the main trunk like that gets fed just like the dripper lines. If I didn't run off the excess back to the tank I would over pressure the system.

I could be wrong but my understand is that on a jet pump when they get back pressure the load on the motor actually goes down. I'l like to hook up an amp meter to check. But at any rate by adjusting the gate valve that goes to the main trunk line and the feedback valve that runs back to the tank I'm able to control pressure easily. I don't leave it running unattended and spend the time checking out the system and weeding/plant care as the system runs. It runs the 275 gallons out in about 40 minutes so I must be pumping about 7 gallons per minute.


----------



## Del_

grizz55chev said:


> A gravity feed with a holding tank would solve that problem.



The drip I'm using would need to have the tank about 23 ft. up in the air to get me to 10 psi.

There are lower pressure drip lines though. I've tried the spongy hose type but it likes about 10 psi, too.






__





water pressure per foot of height - Google Search






www.google.com


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> *Trying to save a few pie cherries, tree a bit too big to cover even with 2 nets. Hope to save enough from the birds to make at least 1 pie.*
> Planted some of the home grown sweet potato plants last night --- temps in the 90's today, so wont get much done, cept the daily water toteing to whatever I can carry it to.
> second sweet corn planting is a couple inches tall, will do 1 more planting in a week.
> need to get second green bean planting done soon too.


our 'peach orchard' is done for the season. 1st season. one fruited, the other did not. some issues with the squirrels. they seemed to like them better than acorns. lol. nutz... is what the drove me.  might of relocated, but so close and i mite have hit a peach! lol  but we got a 2nd batch put up for some peach pies. already made one, was very good!


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Hi Steve,
> 
> I'm running right now only 1,100 feet of drip line. It's the Dura-Flo Jr. with emitters on 12" centers. I run the system at between 10 and 15 psi and the drip line is good to 30 psi. I have about 5,000 gallons of rain water that I store up.
> 
> What I do is pump from a 275 gallon pallet-ed plastic tank with a 1/3 horsepower jet pump. I run the excess water back into the tank I'm pumping from to get jet agitation for two reasons.
> 
> 1) To do something with the excess water it pumps and to get the pressure down to usable pressures for the drip line.
> 2) I add liquid fertilizers like water soluble 20-20-20 or my urine to the tank that then gets jet agitated. I save urine all year around in gallon milk jugs.
> 
> I control pressure by reading a gauge on the main trunk like that gets fed just like the dripper lines. If I didn't run off the excess back to the tank I would over pressure the system.
> 
> I could be wrong but my understand is that on a jet pump when they get back pressure the load on the motor actually goes down. I'l like to hook up an amp meter to check. But at any rate by adjusting the gate valve that goes to the main trunk line and the feedback valve that runs back to the tank I'm able to control pressure easily. I don't leave it running unattended and spend the time checking out the system and weeding/plant care as the system runs. It runs the 275 gallons out in about 40 minutes so I must be pumping about 7 gallons per minute.


i got a drip line... my 10' pce garden hose i had been too lazy to move, thot mower would not kiss it. wrong! so i taped it for field expediency. a US Marine thing.... stops most of the leaks... lol, but i still get a wet side to my pants as i water. need to reposition the hose as i use. could get one with no leaks, but this one is so convenient. can water most of my main garden area with it... drips worse when i thumb end to shoot water to other side of tomato jungle...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> *No doubt, drips lines conserve water, *but try running a 2inch water pump thru a drip line system. To much back pressure on the pump and the pump will run hot. Not to mention the required 1500ft of tube you are using. I used one 100ft garden hose. My creek water source was close and leaving the pump on the trailer and the trailer hooked to the truck, It only took about 15 minutes to fill the tanks and reconnect to the sprinkler system. I also tried flood irrigation, simply droping a hose in the middle of the row and letting the water just drain, controlled by a gate valve. The top of the garden was muddy and the lower end never got really damp unless I really dumped the water to it.


these days i cringe a bit each time i water. which is often. hand and hose. COH has plan to almost double rates for water.. many against it. me for one. to be up 68 % most likely


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Thanks man. I am a fan of D ick Raymond and have a couple of Troy-bilt Horse tillers. I've recently just this year been using a broad fork called the *"Meadow Creature"*. It has 14 inch tines and is strong enough to work full depth in even the hardest soil It will work you to death!


i have seen them, but never used one... i put in a new bed the other day. had its share of weeds growing. so i had to remove them first... then i used my mini -Meadow Creature. have tilled my gardens so many times (Horse tiller) now i can hand turn the soil. very friable. garden fork. std. garden variety, lol. new bed is for beans. more beans. this time... blue lake bush, contender bush and some yellow wax. (L-R) i doubled the planting. should get an abundance. always do. first, tilled and vee'd in some rows with steel HD garden rake... scrounged off a curb! . welded steel end, to pipe and that welded, too. and quite heavy. clods stand no chance. lol. then laid in some compost. (dark is compost not water) and then the bean seeds. then i like to cover them with cut lawn cuttings. i cut lawn section just for this bed. Snapper. then i water in, and tamp with steel rake. sets the seeds to touch the dirt... i think a D Raymond tip!  I had my tiller then got his book. glad i did. i use no other reference. may look and read, etc... but i subscribe to Raymond's methods. advice. of course, given his background... always on the $. new bean patch foto essay:


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## Backyard Lumberjack

getting a lot of tomatoes. have gotten a lot, too. eaten a lot... many more on the way... this this morning. and lighter one yesterday morning... they ripen fast. vine ripe is ok with me, but i also like to get some color than harvest and let ripen in kitchen. usually, i let them ripen til first spot shows up. that is their max ripenesss.... as they won't ripen any more. catch it at their peak on the curve...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

our gardens are many... we are harvesting Texas Bluebonnet seeds from one small corner by house from up at ranch. don't want it to propagate at that location. so got the seeds while in pods. they r in a brown grocery bag, covered... and its always a surprise when they shoot out and u hear it... hits side loud! these will be hand cast out in the Ranch Park bluebonnet area...plenty there. more always welcome!  we also do some here in H also. plants.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> @sonny580 . Sounds like you need some drip lines so you don't have to tote water. I couldn't grow much without them. Getting ready for the 5th planting of sweet corn here in a few days.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

muddstopper said:


> At my last place, I had 2-330gal totes I loaded in the back of my dump trailer. I would take the totes to the creek and use my harbor freight 2in water pump to fill the totes with water.I had a couple of those tripod style water springlers set up in the garden and would hook them up to the water pump and just let the pump run until one tote was empty and then change out the pump to the other tote and let it run until both tanks where empty. I would do this every other day and it was enough water to make the ground muddy. *The garden was 60x100 and 2 springler' set just right would soak the entire garden spot.* Most of the time I would just leave the trailer hooked to the truck so when it was time for a refill, I just cranked up and headed for the creek.


auto watering great! have done it before. these days i like to hand water. my garden is small enuff it's ez. can or hose. gives me time with plants to look them over, ck on their progress. tend to them some...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> The garden this year:
> 
> View attachment 912916
> View attachment 912917
> View attachment 912918
> View attachment 912919
> View attachment 912920
> View attachment 912921
> View attachment 912922
> View attachment 912923
> View attachment 912924
> View attachment 912925


it is always interesting to me to see a northern garden... see carrots and also peppers growing at the same time, for example. down here (zone 9) we get 2 distinct grow seasons. spring and fall. spring for tomatoes and peppers, and fall for carrots and spuds. but we also have x-overs... like fall tomatoes, too. but i cannot grow carrots here in july/august!  peas in fall, but purple hulls in summer! and Feb can be hard on everything if it dips past 25/27f or so. we cover, but its always a pita!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

time for another cup of  and some chores calling. other day as i was rolling on down the road... another thot came to mind:





lol, how true! have a nice day. safety first!

_'over n out!'_


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## sonny580

4.5 acres of gardens kinda limits how I can water stuff! ----not everything gets water all the time ----gotta watch the onions and new planted plants the most! 
Got over 8 gallons of cherries and made over 24 quarts of jam from them. Tastes as good as the strawberry jam I made. ---- 
Hope for some peaches this year, ---- love peach jam too! lol!
Been busy trying to help other people and my work kinda got behind, so now trying to do as much as I can. Being weak all the time dont help matters any. Prostate cancer surgery does leave you weak and wet all the time, but I never give up---just keep pushin on!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> 4.5 acres of gardens kinda limits how I can water stuff! ----not everything gets water all the time ----gotta watch the onions and new planted plants the most!
> Got over 8 gallons of cherries and made over 24 quarts of jam from them. Tastes as good as the strawberry jam I made. ----
> Hope for some peaches this year, ---- love peach jam too! lol!
> Been busy trying to help other people and my work kinda got behind, so now trying to do as much as I can. Being weak all the time dont help matters any. Prostate cancer surgery does leave you weak and wet all the time, but I never give up---just keep pushin on!


4.5 acres - gardens. wow. impressive to consider such.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

did a new patch of bush beans and potted up some pole beans. kentucky wonder. bush doing well. these guys didn't like the transfer to new home... but well watered often and shaded they did fine. looking right at home.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

finally got around to picking my small bok choy patch. gave some to neighbor. stir fry bok choy w/sauce on menu today...




for a tiny seed, akin to cabbage, etc... it is a very hardy plant. near bullet-proof. dont always eat what i grow, but usually find a spot in fall garden for a couple of plants. very attractive plant, imo. many varieties


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## Stonesforbrains

First time growing turnips, one short row, maybe 8 foot long. Picked greens for a while but the heat had them starting to bolt, so I harvested all of it but a couple. Roots are good but I liked the greens best. I will definitely plant more in the fall and earlier next spring than I did this year.


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## Del_

Stonesforbrains said:


> View attachment 915567
> View attachment 915568
> First time growing turnips, one short row, maybe 8 foot long. Picked greens for a while but the heat had them starting to bolt, so I harvested all of it but a couple. Roots are good but I liked the greens best. I will definitely plant more in the fall and earlier next spring than I did this year.



Awesome!

You might like the cultivar 'seven tops'.

It doesn't grow a turnip bulb, just tops with a scraggly root system.

Known to be great for greens though.


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## sonny580

I always plant a package of turnips early and one in August for late fall crop. I dont really care for them but do eat them cooked and mashed with butter, salt, and pepper. Cant chew them raw anymore, so gotta cook everything now.


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## jollygreengiant

Wow I have not been on here recently. Good to see everyone's garden's this year!

Things this year are a lot better than last year. I think I finally have the soil worked well enough after breaking the land out of sod last spring. Things came up much better this spring than last spring. At least on the half that I worked; the garden is big enough that I only rototill half of it every year. The other half I plant as a squash field. 

We were dry for a bit this spring so I picked up a 2" transfer pump on sale to make watering from my IBC tote easier. Of course now that I bought it we have been getting more rainfall. I'm not going to complain about that though. But one thing I will complain about is my strawberries. I ordered new plants this year and out of 30 plants I might have 6 . Hopefully they start sending out runners soon. 

I'll have to get some recent pics up here soon once I get it cleaned up again. I put straw down between the rows to keep weeds down and moisture in, and the straw I got this year has a lot of chaff in it. So I have a lot of volunteer oats between the rows that I'm working on pulling out.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> View attachment 915567
> View attachment 915568
> First time growing turnips, one short row, maybe 8 foot long. Picked greens for a while but the heat had them starting to bolt, so I harvested all of it but a couple. Roots are good but I liked the greens best. I will definitely plant more in the fall and earlier next spring than I did this year.


good crop! turnips do pretty well down here. a family handed down recipe calls for stew meat, parsnips, rutabegas and... turnips! delish!! ~


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## Backyard Lumberjack

well, found out what it was... growing out in compost pile. other day, noticed the big, round fruit gone! looked about... on the ground. somebody had gotten to it before me. but more or less still intact... so i cut it open

cantelope? nope... it was a honey dew melon. i had to try it out! so sliced out of center to sides, 4 slices out of the 2 halves. tasty, sweet and quite nice! 




and was this color just before it vanished...


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## Del_

Garden photo update taken on 7-17-2021.

Last garden photos posted in this thread was 6-17-2021 for comparison.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Garden photo update taken on 7-17-2021.
> 
> Last garden photos posted in this thread was 6-17-2021 for comparison.
> 
> View attachment 919590
> 
> 
> 
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> 
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> View attachment 919597
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> 
> View attachment 919599


quite a home garden there! country setting perfect, imo! lots of corn... what do you do with all that produce? can it? sell it? give it away? or? sometimes i am overwhelmed a bit when several things come in all at once. we have a pantry full of tomatoes and cucumbers... and my 4 beam plot and kentucky poles are all flowering now...

cukes in the refer. tomatoes on the counter. i came across a tasty recipe for a BLT salad... tomatoes and mayo makes the dressing... and got so many cukes, had to look up a reference off a tv cooking show... cucumber salad.

_'bon appetite!'







_

that Big Beef tomato in middle... going for grilled cheese burgers... one slice 'll do it!


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## sonny580

Little foxy keepin the mice and voles in check!! Love them little foxes! Damn coyotes wont leave them alone around here.


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## Stonesforbrains

Zapotec Jalapeños 




Kalugeritsa peppers, second crop





Chilcostle Rojo, going to start harvesting and drying these soon.
I have four more varieties of peppers growing but nothing photo worthy on those plants yet.


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## Stonesforbrains

I forgot about the Jays peach ghost scorpion pepper plant my brother in law gave me.


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## jollygreengiant

I'm finally getting the oat problem under control so I grabbed some pics the other day. It's nowhere near what some of you other guys have, but its 1000% better than what I had last year. 

The second planting of sweet corn came up a lot better than the first, I'm very happy with it. That and the potatoes are probably what I'm most happy with. That, and the fact that all my transplanted tomatoes and peppers survived this year. 

And the strawberries are starting to send out runners! 

The other half of the garden is the melon/squash area. I also need to give it a good tilling yet to open it up.


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## sonny580

Lookin good guys! Keep up the good work!
We are still diggin spuds and makin peach jam!.
Also have squash, cucumbers, greenbeans, onions and cabbage ready for harvest. tomatoes are slow this year
Been runnin the freeze-dryer round the clock for a week now doing the onions.


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## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> quite a home garden there! country setting perfect, imo! lots of corn... what do you do with all that produce? can it? sell it? give it away? or? sometimes i am overwhelmed a bit when several things come in all at once. we have a pantry full of tomatoes and cucumbers... and my 4 beam plot and kentucky poles are all flowering now...



The photos show ten rows of Obsession corn that are 50 ft. long. We cut off of the cob and froze 600 ears and gave the rest to friends. What we do when we have more than we can use is to give away the excess and the next year grow less. Great looking produce photos you've been posting!

I'm going to be picking our Rattlesnake pole beans for the first time today(We've been away f. Also the first time growing Rattlesnake pole beans. 

Rattlesnake row 40 ft. long and 10 ft. tall. Jimmy Nardello peppers too. 
















Jimmy Nardello peppers.






Onions:


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## farmer steve

Looks good @Del_ . Some peppers, cukes and squash I picked yesterday. Most destined for the produce auction but I do give a bunch away to friends.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> The photos show ten rows of Obsession corn that are 50 ft. long. We cut off of the cob and froze 600 ears and gave the rest to friends. What we do when we have more than we can use is to give away the excess and the next year grow less. *Great looking produce photos you've been posting!*
> 
> I'm going to be picking our Rattlesnake pole beans for the first time today(We've been away f. Also the first time growing Rattlesnake pole beans.
> 
> Rattlesnake row 40 ft. long and 10 ft. tall. Jimmy Nardello peppers too.
> 
> View attachment 920549
> 
> 
> View attachment 920550
> 
> 
> View attachment 920551
> 
> 
> Jimmy Nardello peppers.
> 
> View attachment 920553
> 
> 
> Onions:
> 
> View attachment 920554
> 
> 
> View attachment 920555


Thanks ~

x 10! lol your 40' = my 4'... but i am scaling down/back my home garden. big gardens are a thing of the past for me. your pix look to be right out of Joy of Gardening... maybe better! 

look fwd to see more. btw - thats a lot of ears of corn to put up...


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## Del_

Backyard Lumberjack said:


> Thanks ~
> 
> x 10! lol your 40' = my 4'... but i am scaling down/back my home garden. big gardens are a thing of the past for me. your pix look to be right out of Joy of Gardening... maybe better!
> 
> look fwd to see more. btw - thats a lot of ears of corn to put up...



Thanks!

Things I'm doing that are not in 'The Joy of Gardening'.

I'm using a Meadow Creature broad fork to dig 14 inches deep in the row.

Drip irrigation. 

My rows are marked with steel posts and are always in the same place.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Del_ said:


> Thanks!
> 
> Things I'm doing that are not in 'The Joy of Gardening'.
> 
> I'm using a Meadow Creature broad fork to dig 14 inches deep in the row.
> 
> Drip irrigation.
> 
> My rows are marked with steel posts and are always in the same place.


me, too! i can relate... things i am doing not in Joy of Gardening.... 

lol


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## farmer steve

Been lax getting pics here. 50 Roma tomatoes and 100 mountain varieties.


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## farmer steve

Peppers,cukes and some squash ready to go thru the washer.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farmer steve said:


> Peppers,cukes and some squash ready to go thru the washer.
> View attachment 921307
> View attachment 921308


nice! someone hasn't been lax out in the fields... lol. had to show the QB your cukes!
still got some of ours... home garden variety


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## Goinwheelin

Haven’t posted in a while but the garden is doing good. My first time growing a hibiscus is turning out ok. And the peppers are doing good. Got some cross pollination though with the hot and sweet so it will be interesting to see.


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## Del_

Goinwheelin said:


> Haven’t posted in a while but the garden is doing good. My first time growing a hibiscus is turning out ok. And the peppers are doing good. Got some cross pollination though with the hot and sweet so it will be interesting to see. View attachment 922872
> View attachment 922873
> View attachment 922874
> View attachment 922875
> View attachment 922876



Looking good!

I believe that cross pollination will only effect the seeds and will not result in any taste or hotness differences.

If you plant those seeds next year then you will see the effects of the crossings.

Okra is in the same family as hibiscus and has the same flower.


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## Stonesforbrains

First Jay’s peach ghost scorpion pepper to ripen. I don’t eat any super hot chili’s but I got a buddy at work who does. This one is all his!


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## farmer steve

Was driving by my Indian corn patch and spied this ear a bit higher than most. My reach is almost 8 feet.


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## farmer steve

A little picking yesterday. First time I ever saw a critter like the last pic.


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## Del_

That's a 'white lined sphinx moth larva' I belive.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Stonesforbrains said:


> View attachment 922939
> First Jay’s peach ghost scorpion pepper to ripen. I don’t eat any super hot chili’s but I got a buddy at work who does. This one is all his!


me, neither! mild salsa and a jalpeno is about as hot as i take it. but... your hot chili's look... look... um, hot!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

farm to table:














dinner night before... last nite, too ~


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## jollygreengiant

Del_ said:


> That's a 'white lined sphinx moth larva' I belive.


It kinda looks like what we call a tobacco hornworm here. Though normally those are the same size as the lighter in the pic.


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## sonny580

Farmer Steve,----- can I borrow that rock bucket for a few days???? LOL! The would be a VERY handy attachment to have for a skidloader!
Great veggies too!


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## PA. Woodsman

jollygreengiant said:


> It kinda looks like what we call a tobacco hornworm here. Though normally those are the same size as the lighter in the pic.


Yes and they will wipe your plants out FAST, weird little destructive things!!!


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## Goinwheelin

Haven’t posted here in a while. Figured would share the last chile harvest of the season which turned out good. My guess is 20-30 lbs.






Roasted some over hickory on a Weber kettle grill. Made chili and some mango salsa.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

planted a dozen or so pole bean seeds. Kentucky Wonder. more so on a lark... they climbed trellis fine... some bud, then no beans... then more buds, then beans!  a couple small pickings so far, a nice side, or two. i planted some Blue Lake Bush, some yellow was bush and contender bush, also... the Kentucky Wonder poles were the tastiest of all!


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Goinwheelin said:


> Haven’t posted here in a while. Figured would share the last chile harvest of the season which turned out good. My guess is 20-30 lbs.
> View attachment 930743
> 
> 
> Roasted some over hickory on a Weber kettle grill. Made chili and some mango salsa.
> 
> View attachment 930741


30#s! nice, grilled up nice, too. did some peppers other day on my scrounged _new_ SS cook/grill center. big SS rig, had to go thru it etc... but now cooking and grilling up a storm...


----------



## sonny580

A few late pix. So far the squash and pumpkins are doing good,--still hauling water to them. 
The red beans did good,--4 gallons from two 60' rows.
Glass Gem corn and broom corn was good.
The food grade pumpkins have outdone them selves this year.
Eggplants are really great this year, --- working on the second picking. They were planted way late and for a whild didnt do much growing but when they did go, well,-- loads of them.
Had to put one of the boss in!


----------



## jollygreengiant

Wow it's been a while since I've posted here . A lot has changed in the garden!

First off, we dug up the potatoes 3 weeks ago. We've been getting a lot of rain over the last month (I think up to 20" now ) and the vines had died so it was time to get them dug up. I know you can leave them in the ground but the soil here is too heavy for that; they just rot. And the bugs get at them.

Ended up getting these 4 half full rubbermaid totes from my 3 45' rows. Enlisted the help of the in-laws while they were here so I didn't have to do all the work myself. 







The aftermath of potato digging. I'm going to prep the far row on the right for a fall planting of garlic. The rest of it will be getting the weeds pulled, but other than that it will sit like this until 2023. My garden is large enough that I only use half to grow vegetables and the other half I leave for the squash to sprawl. I flip the sides each year for rotation. 






This is the tomato harvest that we are picking every 5-6 days. I should say were picking; we had a chance of frost a week ago so I pulled anything that was ripe or starting to turn and ended up with this. I think the wife said there was 35 lbs of Roma's alone, not counting the cherry tomatoes. She has been doing a lot of canning with them, pasta sauce, salsa, bbq sauce, tomato soup, and spreads galore. We should be eating good this winter! Needless to say she is getting a bit sick of canning lol. 






This was the tomato patch in question. Needless to say it did survive the frost, much to my Wife's chagrin. She was especially unhappy when I told her that all the rain and warm weather is causing them to start flowering again. 






I don't think I've ever smiled like this before. I was working in the garden and looked over to see my wife holding my 4 month old daughter while she gets her first touch of the garden plants.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> A few late pix. So far the squash and pumpkins are doing good,--still hauling water to them. The red beans did good,--4 gallons from two 60' rows. Glass Gem corn and broom corn was good. The food grade pumpkins have outdone them selves this year. *Eggplants are really great this year, --- working on the second picking.* They were planted way late and for a whild didnt do much growing but when they did go, well,-- loads of them. Had to put one of the boss in!


swell pix. we have had multiple pickings off our KW pole beans. so tasty, too. and only 12 seeds. might go for more seeds planted next spring. hot side for dinner, cold treats right out of the refer.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

planted some brussels seeds other day. over 10 years old! wondered how they would do?... couple days later... popping up like mad ~


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

jollygreengiant said:


> Wow it's been a while since I've posted here . A lot has changed in the garden!
> 
> First off, we dug up the potatoes 3 weeks ago. We've been getting a lot of rain over the last month (I think up to 20" now ) and the vines had died so it was time to get them dug up. I know you can leave them in the ground but the soil here is too heavy for that; they just rot. And the bugs get at them.
> 
> Ended up getting these 4 half full rubbermaid totes from my 3 45' rows. Enlisted the help of the in-laws while they were here so I didn't have to do all the work myself.
> 
> View attachment 934436
> 
> 
> 
> The aftermath of potato digging. I'm going to prep the far row on the right for a fall planting of garlic. The rest of it will be getting the weeds pulled, but other than that it will sit like this until 2023. My garden is large enough that I only use half to grow vegetables and the other half I leave for the squash to sprawl. I flip the sides each year for rotation.
> 
> View attachment 934440
> 
> 
> This is the tomato harvest that we are picking every 5-6 days. I should say were picking; we had a chance of frost a week ago so I pulled anything that was ripe or starting to turn and ended up with this. I think the wife said there was 35 lbs of Roma's alone, not counting the cherry tomatoes. She has been doing a lot of canning with them, pasta sauce, salsa, bbq sauce, tomato soup, and spreads galore. We should be eating good this winter! Needless to say she is getting a bit sick of canning lol.
> 
> View attachment 934437
> 
> 
> This was the tomato patch in question. Needless to say it did survive the frost, much to my Wife's chagrin. She was especially unhappy when I told her that all the rain and warm weather is causing them to start flowering again.
> 
> View attachment 934439
> 
> 
> I don't think I've ever smiled like this before. I was working in the garden and looked over to see my wife holding my 4 month old daughter while she gets her first touch of the garden plants.
> 
> View attachment 934438


swell pix! swell produce, too! Thanks for the post...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

being a bit guilty of sometimes being a day late and a $ short... the fall tomato sets we picked up were still potted. few weeks back, with rains coming in and some.... friendly encouragement... lol....  i made a mad dash to get them in and rooted. the bed was full of weeds. i just cleared a spot for the tomatoes. and put some pine needle mulch over the dirt. dashed back inside as the rain drops began. just made it. been in a couple weeks now. one side dressing; 13's. doing well. used some grass cuttings to smother the rest of the weeds, and amped up a bit the tomato's pine needle nests around their bases. bed looks great! well, imo... and flowering, too suggesting some setting might be soon... that is if we ever get our cooler air. snap peas and carrots next on planting agenda...







7 plants total.


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

garden season continues down here... grow zone 9. garden is jumpping, tomatoes setting and limas going nuts. snaps snapping... and the KW poles just keep on truckin'... thot about pulling them 3 weeks ago, but they continue to produce nice sides for dinner. as such i have side dressed them... to amp them in their trek down the homestretch.

Kentucky Wonder pole beans last nite's side...




sour cream and 2 dops butter... steamed, cooked, hot or refer cold... KW poles always tasty as can be...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

found a 2nd tomato that has set. we had missed it... 2 now, more setting...




 the 2 full growing seasons we get down here...


----------



## Backyard Lumberjack

snaps and limas...

snaps before





snaps yesterday...





some of our limas....


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## sonny580

We are froze out now---didnt even get the weeds mowed,---usually get ground plowed, but not this year!


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## jollygreengiant

Well the garden season is done here. I pulled the last of the produce out a couple weeks ago. Mostly squash; had lots of tomatoes left but all the rain lately had ruined them. Which is too bad because we had a huge crop and we didn't get a frost until November. 

I managed to get the garlic planted and pull weeds on one of the few nice days this fall. I don't have pictures of it but I also got the growing area for next year tilled this fall. I didn't think it would ever get dry enough this fall to do that, but we got a window last week. I'm glad I got it done because now its covered in snow.

Overall a very successful gardening year. Probably twice the production of last year. Not gonna lie, I was pretty discouraged after the problems I had last year. But I think once I get the soil in good shape this will be a pretty productive plot. It just needs some amendments and a lot of time with a tiller/shovel. Oh and probably a week of picking stones lol.


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## sonny580

delicata,white ebony acorn, a spaghetti, and some butternuts! ---- Right??? Looks good. We had a rough year here but still ended up with tons of produce that we donated to a food bank,----- 10,000 pounds or more went to them during the season, plus we had our quota filled too. The onion plants have been ordered for next year and we have gotten a couple more tillers to use and a couple of parts units. Now to get them fixed before spring! lol!


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## jollygreengiant

sonny580 said:


> delicata,white ebony acorn, a spaghetti, and some butternuts! ---- Right??? Looks good. We had a rough year here but still ended up with tons of produce that we donated to a food bank,----- 10,000 pounds or more went to them during the season, plus we had our quota filled too. The onion plants have been ordered for next year and we have gotten a couple more tillers to use and a couple of parts units. Now to get them fixed before spring! lol!


Good eye. This was the first year growing delicata and the white acorn. We haven't tried the acorn yet, but we've had a few of the delicata. Let's just say it's going to become the main squash we grow in the future lol. I was a bit disappointed in our spaghetti and butternut squash, though a lot of that had to do with me not getting them planted early enough. 

10,000 lbs to the food bank??!! That's equally very impressive and crazy. That's a lot of food! I bet they loved having it. 

I really need to get a new tiller before spring. I have an older front tine machine now; it's and absolute bear to run in this ground. I'm going to be looking for a nice rear tine machine before spring. This ground needs to be worked good and deep to loosen it up.


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## sonny580

We dont use any of our old front enders any more,----went to rear tine tillers, mostly Troy built and Simplicity brands. I usually rip 36" deep with a subsoiler then moldboard plow 18" deep in the fall,--well cept this year! lol! plowing is past for this year so we will have to deal with spring plowing and no sub soiling! Not everybody can go as deep as I do but if you have good depth soil, it pays to stir deep as you can.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

sonny580 said:


> We are froze out now---didnt even get the weeds mowed,---usually get ground plowed, but not this year!


we are still gardening! ~ fall tomatoes going 'gang busters'. leaps n bounds, already got some bigger than golf balls...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

very pleased with these fall tomatoes! may be the best ever i have grown. strong, vibrant, flourishing, producing and all have very thick stems & vines i note. blurry due to camera on wrong setting...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

potted up some grocery reds that were rooting and going south. see what they mite do, if any thing. soon they had popped rite up. fun to watch them emerge. was going to just plant pot set as one unit, but did so well put them in a row...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

side dressed the space, covered it and planted. hilled in and over. added needles as rain was dune next day. they seem to be doing well. this couple days later ~


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## Backyard Lumberjack

1015 onions arrived other day. over 100 sets. no sense in letting them sit. so in they went. still need to prep up for the 'other 50 or so' but Kentucky's still producing...


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## sonny580

We did harvest some horseradish yesterday. Ground was froze a couple inches deep but I had to have my winter supply of the stuff! LOL!!! Looks like some artichokes out there too, we dont use them but grow a few reds and whites just for the heck of it.


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## Backyard Lumberjack

garden going bonkers! stuff poppin' n hoppin' all over the place. i have noteworthy tomatoes, to say the least... the plants would easily make a nice apple orchard... and more setting!!

couple days ago or thereabouts...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

KW pole beans still making sides...


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## Backyard Lumberjack

Tuesday we picked out first Fall Season, 2021 tomato... was low to ground and coloring up. now on kitchen counter adding to its color...


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