Mines in.

Tilled it Saturday. and made it up into 45 ft rows.
Yesterday and today:
planted 17 tomato plants.
4 pepper plants. (tryin to cut back)
9 rows of peaches/cream early corn.
4 rows late maturing sweet corn.
2 1/2 rows yellow squash.
1 row contender beans.
1 row turnips.
1 row collard greens.
10 hills of cucumbers.
6 broccoli plants.


Tomorrow, I will plant cantalope and watermelons.

Yeah, taking a chance--I have never planted this early, and usually wait till around Easter, but the old hickory and oaks are already budding out, and it's rare we get a frost after they start putting on leaves-----but, then again--we did have thunder in February.

I still need to move most of my Mulberry trees to 15 gallon planter buckets. Have 3 different types of Mulberries for a total of 12 trees. I moved 5 tropical guava, 2 avocado, 2 cherry guava(yellow and red), a Natal plum, 2 types of Cherimoya, society garlic, aloe vera and Mexican Sage to my new duplex. Not sure if I will put the passion fruit in the ground this year or not.

I see there are kindred spirits here that move beyond Fieros.

A few days ago I spaded my garden area at my condo and put in a variety of lettuces, chives, parsley, basil and marigold. Put a few lettuce in pots as well. It snowed on Monday, but the ground will warm up quickly. My kitchen table is laid out with all sorts of seed as I plan out the big garden at my cabin where my vintage Troy-Bilt "Horse" will prep a much larger garden. Last frost here is April 15, so nothing is going in, but I have to prep before the storms settle in or I risk tearing up the ground or waiting till late May.

I like that Peaches and Cream corn and I have enough space to throw in a few rows, but I will focus on tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, sunflower, and herbs. I will grow potatoes in piles of straw and if any space is left, there will be hills for melons and pumpkin. I will do anything not to cut grass. Must not forget the green beans. Typically I can get a few crops in.

Typically I also "garden-pimp" out my condo, but this year it will be more herbs and flowers.

Favorite tomatoes are "Brandywine" and "Oxheart". Heirlooms that are tasty, but as with most heirlooms, they tend to be fragile. I do plant plenty of tomatoes like "Jet Star", Celebrity and some of the more advanced roma style. I also cannot resist "Sweet 1000" and a few yellows. My condo garden was 52 pots last year and a regular jungle. I will admit to doing a healthy amount of flowers on top of culinary herbs.

My mission is to extend my garden supplied food sourcing as deep into winter as possible. The least flavorful hybrid tomato smokes the best you can buy in any grocery store.
The beast with new motor

A Fiero lovers Garden Magazine? - Playing around last year...

quote Originally posted by Wudman:

I need me one of these before I get my garden started. The ground here is as hard as a rock. Fertile, if the weed growth is any indication, but hard.

quote Originally posted by fierobear: I need me one of these before I get my garden started. The ground here is as hard as a rock. Fertile, if the weed growth is any indication, but hard.

Do raised beds, easier to control weeds and soil quality and does not really require breaking ground.

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Dealing with failure is easy: work hard to improve. Success is also easy to handle: you've solved the wrong problem, work hard to improve.

quote Originally posted by fierobear: I need me one of these before I get my garden started. The ground here is as hard as a rock. Fertile, if the weed growth is any indication, but hard.

Pics of 'mine' tomorrow.

Wudman, I planted mostly heirloom tomatoes this year, including brandwine and jet star. Some are an old german variety, with the leaves looking more like potatoe than tomato. My b-i-l has a nice greenhouse that he starts hundreds of heirloom plants in over the winter.

I will probably break down and get a bunch of jalapeno plants in the next few days.

I planed a full row of okra last year, and couldn't even give it away, so I planted none this year but expect a few stalks to come up volunteer anyway.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 03-16-2011).]

My garden is still a couple months away before I can get started on it but I do have all my seeds ready to go. I'm going to squeeze 3 more grape vines in this spring also.

Larry

I have a small raised bed out back with a couple of tomato plants, a half dozen cucumber plants have sprouted, two water melons and a row of Romain lettuce that has sprouted. The issues I have is it gets really hot in Florida during the summer which can dry out the bed. I picked up a soaker hose for the garden and hooked it up to my well which has been turned on a very slow trickle. It seems to be keeping the ground wet. Now if I can prevent the worms that decimated last years tomatos.

quote Originally posted by MaryJane:4 pepper plants. (tryin to cut back)

Good God, why?


I have to wait another month before I can start planning.. Ohio has a little bit more testy weather almost until May. I plan on doing the 3 sisters this year (minds out of the gutter) instead of a corn field like last year.

We did start some of our seeds indoors this week, though, so I guess I'm already in the game.

[This message has been edited by tbone42 (edited 03-16-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Wudman:

Thats what I have for a tiller (minus the battery). A 1982 Troy-Bilt 'Horse' - cast iron gearbox & Kohler motor. Back when Troy-Bilt was quality.

I'm a couple of months away from planting my garden but I'll be starting seeds soon.
We plant the basics; Tomatoes, cucumbers, green beans, peppers, carrots, corn & peas.
I haven't had any success with watermelon when they are planted as seed. The season is just too short here. Thats one of the plants I'll be starting indoors this year.

------------------
86 GT
87 coupe restoration project.

I'm still looking for a tiller I can afford. The ones I've look at so far cost more than some of the cars I've bought in the past.

My last few attempts at gardening were utter failures, nothing lived long enough to produce.

------------------
Bring back civility and decorum!

It's possible to understand someone's point of view without accepting it. It's possible to disagree with someone without being rude and nasty about it. Sure it's hard, but nothing worth doing is ever easy, is it?

quote Originally posted by JazzMan: I'm still looking for a tiller I can afford. The ones I've look at so far cost more than some of the cars I've bought in the past. My last few attempts at gardening were utter failures, nothing lived long enough to produce.

I plan to watch craisgslist for a used one.

Oh, another source to check - local repair shops. There's a place here that repairs mowers, lawn tractors, etc. I bought my ride on mower there for $500, and a new one would have cost something like $1,300+

Some lady brought it in for repair, and just gave up on it. It works great, and I spent a LOT less than a new one.

[This message has been edited by fierobear (edited 03-16-2011).]

Those tillers are out there--ya just have to find them.

$375
http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2262048998.html

$300
http://houston.craigslist.org/tls/2216602466.html

$310
http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2209099893.html

$175
http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2218544115.html

$375
http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2190597087.html

Jazzman, if you want a little minitiller (2 cycle), that has something wrong with the drive (sprocket or chain I guess) come get it. Craftsman--ran good last year, till I hit a root and the tines won't turn now--been parked inside since then.

I used a 5' tractor mounted pto driven tiller.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Jazzman, if you want a little minitiller (2 cycle), that has something wrong with the drive (sprocket or chain I guess) come get it. Craftsman--ran good last year, till I hit a root and the tines won't turn now--been parked inside since then.

If he does not want it, I do. My first job hunt foray starts today. By my old employers office. Then, hit the other local Corpus drilling outfits. From there, after a stay with my Mom, likely Alice, Pleasanton, Devine. The Houston area is also a fertile market but I would have to go thru Victoria (Patterson Drilling). Not sure that I will make it to Houston though, for at least a month, if needed.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: ...I used a 5' tractor mounted pto driven tiller.

I used to have an old man down the road with a tractor equipped tiller, it was worth every minute of the $75 he charged me for the hour it took to till the front 1/4 acre I use in the "country" to garden. On the best day, tilling that with my Troy-Bilt can be a bone jarring, "who is in charge" mission. I just had the original Tecumseh 6hp rebuilt and it is also now broke in. My "Horse" is a 1984 vintage and for those in know, I have the accessories! Hiller, furrow, even a blade.

Anyway, once plowed it is a one hand operation. On hard packed soil, it can take you for a ride if you are not careful and it isn't set up right.

It's pretty cool that a lot of you guys grow stuff too!

I don't really have a vegetable garden or anything of the sort, but we got a steal of a price on our house, and the backyard by itself is a full 1/3rd acre. Literally, they arranged the plot lines weirdly, because the neighbor behind me, and the one beside me have backyards so small, you can barely fit a car back there, and yet I've got a full 1/3rd acre JUST in my backyard. I got lucky though cause the house hadn't been lived in in over 5 years (but maintained), and every square inch of the home was covered in contact paper or wall paper... so no one wanted to touch it.

When I bought the house though, I planted a bunch of stuff, and it's all fully matured at this point. I've got:

- Mango tree (Puerto Rican variety)
- Avacado tree (Guatemalan variety)
- Florida Peach tree (small nectarine type of peaches)
- Starfruit tree
- Papaya tree (Hawa'iian variety)
- Surinam Cherry bushes
- Barbados Cherry tree
- Cavendish Bananas (they grow like crazy)
- Smaller banana variety tree (no idea what breed)
- Hawa'iian Gold Pineapples (have 8 plants, three pineapples growing right now, harvest about 3 every year)
- Macadamia Nut tree
- Kona Coffee plant (don't know if it's still technically Kona, but the seeds are from a Kona coffee plant from Hawa'ii)

and I think that's about it. Most of the stuff I grow is stuff that I just don't want to tend to. There's always SOMETHING growing in the backyard, so at any time during the year (even winter) I can go outside and grab two of something to eat at any point. Bananas and Papayas grow all-year round, and I usually get three crops of avacados, one or two crops of mangos, and then Cherries, Starfruit, etc... grow continuously from spring through fall.

------------------
Todd,
2008 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x2
2002 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr 4x2
2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX
1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6
1973 Volkswagen Type-2 Transporter

quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: I...

Okay, officially jealous of weather and backyard orchard. Now get in there and grow something. There is some logic to having the skills. I hate to shift, but looking at food supply issues and pricing trends, someday you may need it and despite the fact that it can be more expensive to grow your own, better to have at any cost that wonder when the truck is going to arrive.. (see: Japan)

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Those tillers are out there--ya just have to find them. $375 http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2262048998.html $300 http://houston.craigslist.org/tls/2216602466.html $310 http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2209099893.html $175 http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2218544115.html $375 http://houston.craigslist.org/grd/2190597087.html

Clutch is gone in the car, and it won't fit on the bike. Local area tillers worth a darn (5+ HP rear tine) run $350 and up or they're trashed.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Jazzman, if you want a little minitiller (2 cycle), that has something wrong with the drive (sprocket or chain I guess) come get it. Craftsman--ran good last year, till I hit a root and the tines won't turn now--been parked inside since then. I used a 5' tractor mounted pto driven tiller.

Too far away, see above.
------------------
Bring back civility and decorum!

It's possible to understand someone's point of view without accepting it. It's possible to disagree with someone without being rude and nasty about it. Sure it's hard, but nothing worth doing is ever easy, is it?

[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 03-16-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Wudman: Okay, officially jealous of weather and backyard orchard. Now get in there and grow something. There is some logic to having the skills. I hate to shift, but looking at food supply issues and pricing trends, someday you may need it and despite the fact that it can be more expensive to grow your own, better to have at any cost that wonder when the truck is going to arrive.. (see: Japan)

Yeah, true... I have TONS of compost. Any time I rake leaves, I just dump them all in a pile. Palm fronds, tree branches, whatever... I just dump it in a pile.

I've been thinking of making trying to start growing some actual vegetables and stuff. I do have some corn growing on the side of the house, but to be honest, I have NO idea how that got there. I think my neighbor tossed some rotting corn at my house (the guy is hilarious) and it must have started to grow or something??? I have no idea... or maybe a bird ate some corn and crapped it out. I've just left it there because it looks hilarious. It's like 5 stalks of corn, but it's not growing all that well.. it's barely formed into a corn-cob...

------------------
Todd,
2008 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x2
2002 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr 4x2
2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX
1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6
1973 Volkswagen Type-2 Transporter

quote Originally posted by Wudman: I used to have an old man down the road with a tractor equipped tiller, it was worth every minute of the $75 he charged me for the hour it took to till the front 1/4 acre I use in the "country" to garden. On the best day, tilling that with my Troy-Bilt can be a bone jarring, "who is in charge" mission. I just had the original Tecumseh 6hp rebuilt and it is also now broke in. My "Horse" is a 1984 vintage and for those in know, I have the accessories! Hiller, furrow, even a blade. Anyway, once plowed it is a one hand operation. On hard packed soil, it can take you for a ride if you are not careful and it isn't set up right.

I too have accessories.





If, you are having problems getting moisture down to your plant roots, make up one of these:



I made this one out of junk from my spare plumbing crap. Hook the hose up to it, then push the probe into the soil toward the roots and turn the valve. I just walk along each row and push it down, and the water goes right to the roots, instead of sitting out on top or down in the row middles. It's really good if your soil is not composted well, or is a clay type soil, and tends to repel the watter instead of readily accepting it. No sense wasting water in the row middles where it evaporates or lets weeds and grass drink.

March 21..

This popped open up yesterday:


My garden..all seem to be surviving. I need a soaker hose just because this is the dry season and the bed is shallow with good garden soil.

[This message has been edited by Old Lar (edited 03-21-2011).]

quote Originally posted by Old Lar: March 21.. This popped open up yesterday:

I haven't even cut my clematis vines back yet-it's just been too cold. They are forcasting low 30's for this coming weekend so it won't be done for awhile. Come on spring.

I'm trying bell peppers again this year. I say again because my ignorance last year had disastrous results. I'll discover new depths of ignorance this year.

Raised garden:



Planted flowering sage in between, as suggested in a book by an expert on Florida gardening. It's to attract bees for pollination. Also, I learned my lesson about spacing them out (and reading the directions on the seed package, duh).



We got these roses when they were little, 3 years ago. They get much bigger every year, and now their blooms are very large:

The gardening season is just about ready to kick into full swing up north where we live. My wife has been spending 16 hour days over the last couple months getting our crop ready for this season. We're expecting a huge vegetable garden surge with food prices skyrocketing like they are. She planted just over 60 varieties of Tomatoes this year. These photos were taken about three weeks ago when all the transplanting was taking place.

I had left part of a row of green onions winter over in my veggie garden. I picked about 3 doz of them this past weekend and there is maybe another 3 doz to be picked before I rototill next month. It's nice to have something to harvest early.

quote Originally posted by LAMBO: We're expecting a huge vegetable garden

You feedin' an army or something?

quote Originally posted by Cheever3000: You feedin' an army or something?

Not quite. We own a retail garden center. We sell plants!

Don....I'll take a kilo of the stuff you're growing in the woods behind the house.

You know....your SPECIAL garden!

quote Originally posted by maryjane: I too have accessories. If, you are having problems getting moisture down to your plant roots, make up one of these: I made this one out of junk from my spare plumbing crap. Hook the hose up to it, then push the probe into the soil toward the roots and turn the valve. I just walk along each row and push it down, and the water goes right to the roots, instead of sitting out on top or down in the row middles. It's really good if your soil is not composted well, or is a clay type soil, and tends to repel the watter instead of readily accepting it. No sense wasting water in the row middles where it evaporates or lets weeds and grass drink.

Nice toys. How many are you feeding on that farm?

2011 Garden thread. by maryjane

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Mines in. Tilled it Saturday. and made it up into 45 ft rows. Yesterday and today: planted 17 tomato plants. 4 pepper plants. (tryin to cut back) 9 rows of peaches/cream early corn. 4 rows late maturing sweet corn. 2 1/2 rows yellow squash. 1 row contender beans. 1 row turnips. 1 row collard greens. 10 hills of cucumbers. 6 broccoli plants. Tomorrow, I will plant cantalope and watermelons. Yeah, taking a chance--I have never planted this early, and usually wait till around Easter, but the old hickory and oaks are already budding out, and it's rare we get a frost after they start putting on leaves-----but, then again--we did have thunder in February.

We still have snow covering our fields up here.

Steve

------------------
Technology is great when it works,
and one big pain in the ass when it doesn't.
Detroit iron rules all the rest are just toys.

Been dry here for the last month, after a terribly wet/rainy winter.

Corn is doing just so-so--spotty--some of it died for no obvious reason, but it's a foot high or more, and I've already pulled soil up on it and side dressed it. Tomatos and squash have blooms, and the 1st broccoli should be ready to cut 1st week of May.

I did finally plant okra which came up good, but it is not yet hot enough for it to really start growing well.
The turnips--nada. Just didn't germinate. [shrug]
I planted zuchinni today, where the turnips failed to appear.
It was in the low 50s high 40s the last 2 mornings, so I imagine that will slow things down a bit.

Went to get some compost from my manure pile and found it has turned into the fireant hill from hell. Stuck a shovel in and it came out white with ant larvae--millions and millions of 'em. I've seen lots of fire ant mounds in my life, but nothing to even remotely compare to this. I'm gonna scoop the whole thing up with the front loader tomorrow and go dump it somewhere far away from the yard and garden.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: Are those Knockout roses? They look nice!!

Yeah, I think so. Thanks. They were just some pitiful-looking little things in pots on sale at Walmart after Mothers Day that year, and I said what the heck. As you know, I do NOT have a green thumb, so I'm real happy with how they've done! The photo doesn't do 'em justice, they look even better in person. They get lots of sun in that location. Some others I put just around the corner don't get as much sun, and they have hardly grown at all, and give almost no flowers either.

Can I have that black barrel?

Brad

Sure, come get it--please. It had a dark powdered water resistant, non fading mulch dye in it originally, (I bought 3 of them empty at a surplus sale) and I can't get the insides clean to save my life. I get it all over me everytime i touch the dang things. Try to wash it off, and it just spreads like the plague of old. That's why it's sitting out there in the far corner of my garden.

[This message has been edited by maryjane (edited 04-14-2011).]

My row of 17 tomato plants--most are beginning to make fruit now--7-8 different varieties.


This is a Brandywine tomato plant.


My yellow squash--probably pick some tomorrow or friday.



One of about 9 flowering rose bushes, and Jane has set out cuttings for a dozen more. Some are Knockouts, some double knockouts, some are old heirloom plants from a climbing rose that we've had on the front of the property for over 20 yrs. It started out as a cutting itself, from my mother's grandmother.



One of 1/2 dozen hybrid blackberry vines I set out in 2009. They'll make very large berries, but the birds usually get to them 1st.



I dug up the 4 cannas I had in the front flowerbed, divided them into 18 separate plants and replanted them in various places--this one is already blooming even tho it is still only about 2 ft tall--they will grow to over 5' tall by summer's end and continue to bloom until 1st frost.



I have about 30 cucumber plants just beginning to run and a dozen watermelon plants that are slowly coming along, as well as 40 okra plants, but the okra is slow growing--the ground still not very warm yet. The corn came up well, but spotty for some reason. It will produce enough for us tho. Probably 100 plants altogether--maybe 150.

quote Originally posted by maryjane: My row of 17 tomato plants--most are beginning to make fruit now--7-8 different varieties. This is a Brandywine tomato plant. My yellow squash--probably pick some tomorrow or friday. One of about 9 flowering rose bushes, and Jane has set out cuttings for a dozen more. Some are Knockouts, some double knockouts, some are old heirloom plants from a climbing rose that we've had on the front of the property for over 20 yrs. It started out as a cutting itself, from my mother's grandmother. One of 1/2 dozen hybrid blackberry vines I set out in 2009. They'll make very large berries, but the birds usually get to them 1st. I dug up the 4 cannas I had in the front flowerbed, divided them into 18 separate plants and replanted them in various places--this one is already blooming even tho it is still only about 2 ft tall--they will grow to over 5' tall by summer's end and continue to bloom until 1st frost. I have about 30 cucumber plants just beginning to run and a dozen watermelon plants that are slowly coming along, as well as 40 okra plants, but the okra is slow growing--the ground still not very warm yet. The corn came up well, but spotty for some reason. It will produce enough for us tho. Probably 100 plants altogether--maybe 150.

Hey Don, when I get down to Houston this summer, if ya ever want an extra hand helping the garden, let me know. I PM'd you awhile back about maybe helping you on a Fiero project, but I think you missed the PM. I'll send you my number in case you ever want to reach me.

I'm not gonna have any friends down in Houston so I need me something to do that won't get me in trouble

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I'm young, impulsive, and naïve; but I'm learning.

‎"Of all the illusions that beset mankind none is quite so curious as that tendency to suppose that we are mentally and morally superior to those who differ from us in opinion."
- Elbert Hubbard

We've started our garden. I'll try to get some pix up soon. I should have a mulch pile built in the next week.

Got 2 photinias in the ground, and have two kinds of peppers, three tomatoes, a cantaloupe, mint, thyme, garlic chives, and rosemary in containers. Will probably end up growing all the edibles in large containers rather than planting.