# Gonna try growing a garden this year.



## Buckshot00 (Mar 4, 2014)

Decided what to plant and made a blueprint on where to plant what. Got the soil test back and it recommended a split application of nitrogen and potassium. Will get the seeds this week and hopefully plant the irish potatoes this weekend. After tilling of course. What am I leaving out?


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## tbow388 (Mar 7, 2014)

You are leaving out a whole bunch of other veggiesd! LOL

What else are you going to plant? How big of a garden are you doing?


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## Buckshot00 (Mar 7, 2014)

1-field peas
2-onions
3-sweet corn
4-okra
5-tomatoes
6-peppers
7-watermelons
8-cantaloupe
9-pumpkins
10-summer squash
11-spinach
12-cucumbers
100' x 50'


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## chucker (Mar 7, 2014)

? you forgot about all the back aches your going to have weeding by hand ..... good luck! I am right behind you!


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## lfnh (Mar 7, 2014)

Varmit fence (or even better a trusty dog).

Plan B for water. Drip tape + auto timer had good luck with that over the years. Used to be a good store down in NC for that stuff. Nice folks and fair prices.

Only other thing is a bunch of kids for weeding, ha ha!


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## chucker (Mar 7, 2014)

lol my parents had 12! 6 of each so we only got half of the weeding finished !! never did figure out why? lol


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## lfnh (Mar 8, 2014)

chucker said:


> lol my parents had 12! 6 of each so we only got half of the weeding finished !! never did figure out why? lol


 
There ya go!
Hey Buckshot, call Chucker for tips and tricks on this "recruiting" drive.
Churned ice cream and 5 cent movies work for us, but idk nowadays.


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## hedge hog (Mar 8, 2014)

Buckshot00 said:


> Decided what to plant and made a blueprint on where to plant what. Got the soil test back and it recommended a split application of nitrogen and potassium. Will get the seeds this week and hopefully plant the irish potatoes this weekend. After tilling of course. What am I leaving out?


 try your cucumbers on a cattle panel at the edge of the garden .
you can pick and not get in the mud , no white sides from laying on the ground and it only takes 4" X16' of space up in the garden


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## Buckshot00 (Mar 8, 2014)

I got the potatoes and onions planted today. Spinach will go in the ground either tomorrow or Monday. Thanks for the tip hedge hog and everybody else. So far so good. No stranger to pulling weeds. My dad had an ornamental nursery when I was in high school.


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## lfnh (Mar 10, 2014)

Herbs. Garlic, chives, rosemary and real butter can fix up home grown home fries pretty good. Dry and put up in pint jars for the winter season. Lot cheaper than buying those spendy little tins in the store.


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## tbow388 (Mar 10, 2014)

50x100? you have more time than I do!!!!

mine is about 30x50.


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## Buckshot00 (Mar 10, 2014)

tbow388 said:


> 50x100? you have more time than I do!!!!
> 
> mine is about 30x50.


I realize now that may be a bit much. Probably wan't be that big.


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## mdavlee (Mar 10, 2014)

I built 4 raised garden beds this year. 2 12'x4', 9'x4', and an 8'x4' plus we have a 25'x7' flower bed we planted last year. Should be a decent amount of plants for the girls to take care of.


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## hedge hog (Mar 10, 2014)

mine is 65' X45"
everything is on 30" centers so you can get a 18"tiller between the rows.
like Del_ said 4 rows min. of corn !
spread them 10 to 14 days apart so your don't harvesting all at once
more than one breed seed make sure to plant shorter term first , so there not cross pollinating (makes it tough to eat)
I plant 4 rows of a super sweet that is 90 day at the same time I plant 4 more rows of 112 day





cucumbers on cattle panels work great !




I did 39' the first year I tried it on panels ,,,,, way to much produce!!!!!
the next year did it at the edge of the garden and only 16' long and no mud on my shoes picking.


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## hedge hog (Mar 10, 2014)

you can see I didn't have the 4 row min. this year but got away with it because the hedge row is south of the garden and protects it from strong winds and swirls the air around and I did have great pollination that year.
but use 4 rows the years after.
hot wire is for cats and rabbits and a radio in the chick coop playing 27/7 will keep coons and deer away from the sweet corn.
they don't like human voices.


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## Buckshot00 (Mar 11, 2014)

Very nice guys. Thanks for sharing.


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## hedge hog (Mar 11, 2014)

Del_ said:


> At peak cantaloupe harvest we scoop them out with an ice cream scoop and freeze in one gallon zip lock bags. Thaw and eat over the winter. Doesn't taste just like fresh but is darn good! We did about ten gallons last year and will do more this year. Be sure to taste test as you are scooping each melon. If it isn't the best, compost it!


 that's a good idea and I will have to try it, have you tried it with vacuum seal bags?
it makes a difference on corn and would only do 6 dozen or so with vac bags do 30 or more dozen in 1 gallon zip locks .
the corn freezer burns after 6 - 8 months and if it's not all eat up it goes to the chickens but the vac bags will well over a year .


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## olyman (Mar 18, 2014)

Buckshot00 said:


> 1-field peas
> 2-onions
> 3-sweet corn
> 4-okra
> ...


green beans, bush blue lake,,and any green bell peppers,,carrots nantes coreless, and plant REAL shallow...


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## Buckshot00 (Mar 20, 2014)

Onions and spinach has sprouted.


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## Tree Feller (Mar 21, 2014)

Buckshot00 said:


> Onions and spinach has sprouted.[/quot
> I'm glad you can get in the garden! It's so wet and nasty here i don't know when we will be able to plant anything!


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## littlejohn (Mar 23, 2014)

I got the potatoes in on st patty day and I alwsys plant my green beans in withe the corn so they grow up the corn stalks. Helps save from another couple rows of weeding lol


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## lfnh (Mar 23, 2014)

olyman said:


> green beans, bush blue lake,,and any green bell peppers,,carrots nantes coreless, and plant REAL shallow...


 
good ones blue lake. maybe the best for table, freezing, canning. reliable producer, pole.


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## Sawyer Rob (Mar 23, 2014)

I HATE weeding, so I do VERY LITTLE of it! It's MUCH better to just mulch in all three of my gardens! Here's last years front garden,







And, here's last years back garden,






In the fall, I till all the mulch in, to feed "next" years crops, as I don't use any chemical ferts at all...

SR


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## Buckshot00 (Apr 3, 2014)

Ok- I planted the irish potatoes March 8. They have yet to sprout. What's going on? Help.


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## lfnh (Apr 3, 2014)

Long, cold winter and cool, wet spring in a lot of places made for belownormal soil temps.
60-65 soil temp is good sprouting - seed germination. if the soil is well drained and they are cert seed,
probly be ok. might dig a couple and check for root hairs starting.
NC has a really good State U for Ag. Here's a link that has map of air soil water data
http://nc-climate.ncsu.edu/map/?table=daily


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## lfnh (Apr 3, 2014)

temps from 20 march and 1 Apr. local spots could be alot above or below these numbers


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## Buckshot00 (Apr 4, 2014)

Thanks for the link.


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## Buckshot00 (Apr 22, 2014)

I got everything planted except for tomatoes and peppers. Potatoes, onions, and spinach is up.


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## Pol Anderson Bishop (Apr 23, 2014)

Good luck with the garden mate. Making a garden for first time will be surely memorable and exciting, so enjoy your time. I can advise you to be very careful with pests and inspect your garden regularly. If you are suspicious about any bug or critter, try to take a picture or something. Some pests can devastate your garden for just a week.


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## Buckshot00 (May 21, 2014)

Colorado potato larvae are all over my potato sprouts. What can I do to control these pests?


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## lfnh (May 21, 2014)

Buckshot00 said:


> Colorado potato larvae are all over my potato sprouts. What can I do to control these pests?


 
Have had good luck with BT. san diego variant seems to get the Colorado beetle in early larva stage. Hits squash bug larva as well - It is work getting a drench under leaves where eggs are hatching. Speader-sticker really helps (stuff can be spending. ivory soap does ok, not anti bacterial, lol). Local extension should have good info on BT use in area.


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## Buckshot00 (May 22, 2014)

Thanks. I have been hand picking them off.


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## Sagetown (May 22, 2014)

Yep; hand picking is the best remedy. Take along a cup or of soapy water to drop them in. Happy picking.


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## Buckshot00 (May 22, 2014)

I'm just squishing them. lol


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