2023 garden season

[pdqdl]

Now I don't grow any gardens, so take any of my advice with a block of salt.

I've seen a lot of folks with the little hand cultivators, just going down the rows and cutting the weeds off.

 

[sonny580]

We are North of St Louis, up midstate just East of Bloomington on RT#9 about 17 miles.
Deer will seek,find,destroy corn , melons, and about all gardens unless fenced! My biggest corn and melon destroyers are coyotes here. Fenced the big garden and plant corn and melons in there.
I never start corn in trays but my dad used to so they had early corn.
I would think the corn plants would go thru a machine if they were big enough.

 

[Del_]

Now I don't grow any gardens, so take any of my advice with a block of salt.

I've seen a lot of folks with the little hand cultivators, just going down the rows and cutting the weeds off.
View attachment 1075775

I use vintage Planet Jr. wheel hoes. Hoss makes wheel hoes and their implements fit the Planet jr models. Hoss just copied the concept and its a good one.

This one is called the 'High Arch' and it is designed to hill corn and other plants on both sides at once. It's fitted with cultivar 'sweeps' at the moment used for weeding.

I've also got a 1951 Planet Jr Tuffy 1 hp that pulls the same implements and a 1954 Super Tuffy 1.5 hp same implements

 

[pdqdl]

A weed control plan that actually works great: Newsprint.

You can lay it out in layers, then cover with mulch. Weeds don't grow through it, and the newsprint eventually decomposes with no mess. Now some folks might object to the ink on the paper being introduced to their garden. I don't know about that, but it works great for weed control.

Alternative ideas would be the rolled brown paper used to mask areas for spray painting, rolled paper for table tops at church socials... Any kind of paper works pretty well for one year. Water drips through slowly, too.

 

[Del_]

A weed control plan that actually works great: Newsprint.

You can lay it out in layers, then cover with mulch. Weeds don't grow through it, and the newsprint eventually decomposes with no mess. Now some folks might object to the ink on the paper being introduced to their garden. I don't know about that, but it works great for weed control.

Alternative ideas would be the rolled brown paper used to mask areas for spray painting, rolled paper for table tops at church socials... Any kind of paper works pretty well for one year. Water drips through slowly, too.

Cardboard works pretty good too. We use leaves and grass clippings, too. Weeds I pull I often use them a mulch right on the spot, just shake the dirt off.

We plant in wide rows, beds 3ft. wide, and with the plants sown pretty thickly the plants will suppress weeds somewhat. We use a few special hand tools to control weeds but if a person really hates weeding, then gardening just might not be their thing. Mulches save time weeding but they are work in and of themselves to apply, maintain and store not to mention purchase.

Farmers of 40 Centuries is a good read describing growing techniques in the early 1900's in China, Korea and Japan.

They would dig small holes and bury the weeds as fertilize for the cultivated plants. Kept things neat growing.

Of course all kinds of other recycling was practiced, too.

 

[singinwoodwackr]

A weed control plan that actually works great: Newsprint.

You can lay it out in layers, then cover with mulch. Weeds don't grow through it, and the newsprint eventually decomposes with no mess. Now some folks might object to the ink on the paper being introduced to their garden. I don't know about that, but it works great for weed control.

Alternative ideas would be the rolled brown paper used to mask areas for spray painting, rolled paper for table tops at church socials... Any kind of paper works pretty well for one year. Water drips through slowly, too.

What's a news paper?

 

[djg james]

What's a news paper?

I was just going to say that. We use newspaper to start charcoal in chimney fire starters for BBQ but it's getting hard to find.

 

[djg james]

A weed control plan that actually works great: Newsprint.

You can lay it out in layers, then cover with mulch. Weeds don't grow through it, and the newsprint eventually decomposes with no mess. Now some folks might object to the ink on the paper being introduced to their garden. I don't know about that, but it works great for weed control.

Alternative ideas would be the rolled brown paper used to mask areas for spray painting, rolled paper for table tops at church socials... Any kind of paper works pretty well for one year. Water drips through slowly, too.

I heard that before from Jerry Baker (remember him?). I think he also proposed it for moisture retention. Never used it myself, though.
I also believe (but don't quote me on it) the print ink is now soy based and more environmentally friendly.

 

[farmer steve]

Cut yesterday but forgot the pic. This mornings haul.

 

[sonny580]

snow here today! LOL!

 

[pdqdl]

Cut yesterday but forgot the pic. This mornings haul.
View attachment 1075945

I even like them raw. Crispy & delicious!

 

[djg james]

Cut yesterday but forgot the pic. This mornings haul.
View attachment 1075945

How can you be harvesting that far North and ours hasn't even come up yet? I don't get it.

 

[farmer steve]

How can you be harvesting that far North and ours hasn't even come up yet? I don't get it.

I'm in the south central part of PA. Temps last week were in the low 80's. I'm probably about a week earlier than most years. This patch is 26 years old.

 

[djg james]

I'm in the south central part of PA. Temps last week were in the low 80's. I'm probably about a week earlier than most years. This patch is 26 years old.

I'm still way South of you (St. Louis area) and we've been warm early too. Send me some of your early variety, my patch is dismal (lol).

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

my beet patch standing tall!
no parsnips but did note my 2 plant turnip patch doing very well!
sweet onions this year... will be store bot!
cooked up the 6/$1 corn on cob last nite! this week... same store now 2/$1

at 11!

some of carrots. beets. turnips about ready for a stew! set tomatoes! ~

 

[Backyard Lumberjack]

Champions have set. waiting on Better Boys... cukes off n running....

 

[farmer steve]

I'm still way South of you (St. Louis area) and we've been warm early too. Send me some of your early variety, my patch is dismal (lol).

This the variety I grow.
https://seedsfromplants.com/products/asparagus-seeds-jersey-knight-asparagus.

 

[olyman]

This the variety I grow.
https://seedsfromplants.com/products/asparagus-seeds-jersey-knight-asparagus.

wont come up..........

 

[farmer steve]

wont come up..........

Why not oly? Oh the page

 

[olyman]

Why not oly?

dont know,, it said 404 error....................