2020 gardening thread

So far we have in ground
October beans
Derby beans
Pole beans
16 German Johnson’s
16 Mountain Spring tomatoes
4Cherokee Purple maters
16 straight neck squash
8 zucchini
8 spaghetti squash
Banana peppers
Yellow bell pepper

gonna plant a few more things once the sun goes down and work on getting my soaker hose installed. In the morning I’ll start some hills for more squash, watermelon, cantaloupe .

I’m gonna have a truck load of compost brought in this fall once everything is done and till it in. Then hopefully some winter stuff and maybe I’ll be able to keep it clean and maintain it til next spring without doing a lot more tilling. Gonna try to get a fence up around it this week also. In another spot I planted some wildflower seeds several weeks ago hoping to draw some bees. And some sunflowers. I think the squirrels got a lot of my sunflowers but there’s still several coming up. Like to have a couple hives of bees by this time next year also. Here’s a pic last night before the mass planting we did this morning.

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So far we have in ground

I’m gonna have a truck load of compost brought in this fall once everything is done and till it in. Then hopefully some winter stuff and maybe I’ll be able to keep it clean and maintain it til next spring without doing a lot more tilling. Gonna try to get a fence up around it this week also. In another spot I planted some wildflower seeds several weeks ago hoping to draw some bees. And some sunflowers. I think the squirrels got a lot of my sunflowers but there’s still several coming up. Like to have a couple hives of bees by this time next year also. Here’s a pic last night before the mass planting we did this morning.

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I have land envy, you guys are so dang lucky.
 
Got soaker hose on all the above ground stuff installed last thing yesterday before dark and ran it for a few minutes. Made some hills from peat this morning and piled the red dirt around them to hold them up. Put cantaloupe, watermelon, and butternut squash in this morning. I acquired a roll of 4x4 fence wire this week. Gonna cut it today and fashion tomato cages from it using hog rings
 
yes, serious land envy. @Pbj ak Whats your dirt prep? I dont see to many weeds there. Do you over winter plant then till in spring? how about fertilizer/ manure? just the area you plant or do the whole thing?
 
Someone (@Mirac) commented upstream on doing intensive buckets for lettuce. It works with radishes, and a few other (mostly cool weather) veggies.

Here are my three buckets for lettuce. Putting out about 4 or 5 more today, seeing as how they are doing so welllettuce.jpg

Also, I found an old recycling bin down by an abandoned railroad track switch, and decided to repurpose it for radishes. Mostly fill in the bottom, with about 5 inches of compost topsoil, and about 6 inches of commercial potting mix. Radishes are planted 3" apart, but the next container will have them 1.5 inches apart. Heavy water and heavy fertilizer (lots of load on the soil, here) is what I have been told. We will seeradishes.jpg
 
@Mirac

My wife weeded the garden a couple days ago. I guess the trade off for a bigger garden is it’s a lot of work. I like the food but man I dread it some days.

We just till it up when we start planting and will put a shovel full of chicken litter beside each plant once they’re big enough. There are some that don’t but most get the chit.

@Burt Gummer

My wife was talking about those speaker hoses. How do you like it? Our water pressure isn’t enough for 2 sprinklers so we were thinking of getting some of the soaker hoses you mentioned.
 
@Mirac

My wife weeded the garden a couple days ago. I guess the trade off for a bigger garden is it’s a lot of work. I like the food but man I dread it some days.

We just till it up when we start planting and will put a shovel full of chicken litter beside each plant once they’re big enough. There are some that don’t but most get the chit.

@Burt Gummer

My wife was talking about those speaker hoses. How do you like it? Our water pressure isn’t enough for 2 sprinklers so we were thinking of getting some of the soaker hoses you mentioned.

I used sprinkler hoses/drip hoses on my tomatoes when I lived in Mebane. They were great. I went outside, turned them on, came back inside and made the coffee, sat and drank it while reading the bible, and 45 mins later, my plants were all watered. Lazy man's way of watering plants, plus you don't have to use the wand to get in at the roots, as they don't spray up on the leaves. If you weren't so far away, I would just let you use the ones I have and see if you like them.
 
@Mirac

My wife weeded the garden a couple days ago. I guess the trade off for a bigger garden is it’s a lot of work. I like the food but man I dread it some days.

We just till it up when we start planting and will put a shovel full of chicken litter beside each plant once they’re big enough. There are some that don’t but most get the chit.

@Burt Gummer

My wife was talking about those speaker hoses. How do you like it? Our water pressure isn’t enough for 2 sprinklers so we were thinking of getting some of the soaker hoses you mentioned.
I bought a couple of these kits recently and like them. Hopefully building my rain barrel collection soon so it should work OK with it also. With the size of your garden, you might be better off ordering the 500' rolls of tubing.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000LO4FFG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Good looking out fellas I appreciate the heads up and the offer. I guess I’ll just have to invest and see how it goes. Anything’s better than walking back and forth to move one sprinkler.

By the way I forgot to mention @Mirac, boy it looks like once you’re finished you’ll be able to keep the squirrels out as well as your pesky neighbors lol. That’s coming along rather nicely.
 
Good looking out fellas I appreciate the heads up and the offer. I guess I’ll just have to invest and see how it goes. Anything’s better than walking back and forth to move one sprinkler.

By the way I forgot to mention @Mirac, boy it looks like once you’re finished you’ll be able to keep the squirrels out as well as your pesky neighbors lol. That’s coming along rather nicely.

If you don’t need a lot of soaker hose, go to harbor freight. They have 50’ for $8.50. I bought a 4 way splitter and about 400’ of that stuff and it works great. Gonna try to get a timer on it this weekend
 
If you don’t need a lot of soaker hose, go to harbor freight. They have 50’ for $8.50. I bought a 4 way splitter and about 400’ of that stuff and it works great. Gonna try to get a timer on it this weekend
When laid out on top of the soil, does it seep equally across it's length? Is it this one? https://www.harborfreight.com/home-...arter-inch-flat-seeper-soaker-hose-97193.html
I tried a couple different soakers that were rubber, even with the end downhill it was dry the last 10+'. All of the water flowed out at 10' at the supply side. I put in the Rainbird timer and soaker hose with 18" spaced emitters, some of the plants aren't getting enough water.
 
When laid out on top of the soil, does it seep equally across it's length? Is it this one? https://www.harborfreight.com/home-...arter-inch-flat-seeper-soaker-hose-97193.html
I tried a couple different soakers that were rubber, even with the end downhill it was dry the last 10+'. All of the water flowed out at 10' at the supply side. I put in the Rainbird timer and soaker hose with 18" spaced emitters, some of the plants aren't getting enough water.

it seems to do ok so far
 
How are you going to cook that turtle?


He's just hangin out in the garden. If it was a snapping turtle he'd be in the barrel gettin cleaned out.

I didn't do any last year. Got a couple of my friends riding me to do some this year. You want me to give you a holler when I get one or two?
 
He's just hangin out in the garden. If it was a snapping turtle he'd be in the barrel gettin cleaned out.

I didn't do any last year. Got a couple of my friends riding me to do some this year. You want me to give you a holler when I get one or two?
Yes! I would love to try that!
We seem to catch one or two snapping turtles at our house every summer. If I get one, do you want me to bring it over?
 
My wife (who never reads this forum) scanned this post and said "Bill writes VERY well. He should be proud of himself"
Just thought I would give you that feedback!



The place where I come from is a small town
They think so small
They use small words
But not me
I'm smarter than that
I worked it out
I've been stretching my mouth
To let those big words come right out
 
worked like a mule today, and gardening was one small part of this afternoon. Got 5 bell peppers in finally, and everything got the alaska fish fertilizer right before this rain.
My tomatoes are looking great, with romas already setting fruit. concrete remesh cages make it easy. Cherokee purples will enjoy this free water falling out of the sky this week. It's been pretty dry lately and I was considering adding soaker hoses after this little storm front dries up.

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You guys best load up on Daconyl and other fungicides, etc. When this rain stops and the sun comes out disease is going to run rampant.
 
I need a rain gauge..
That’s been some heavy rain. Squish squish squish out there this morning.

Strawberries are looking good..

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Going to be lots of fungicide and Sevin spread when this rain stops.
 
I hope I did not do a bad thing here. I went out and looked at my squash, which have been greening like MAD, and actually has lots of fruiting, but it is ripening much slower than I remember in the past (even with all the rain). I decided that the leaves were too thick at the bottom, so I gave them all a good haircut this a.m. I plan to put a good solution of dawn, KOH and milk on them either this afternoon -if it stops raining- or as soon as it does stop raining.

I did get my first zucchini this a.m. Plan to stake up my tomatoes today. They are starting to get a little long and need to be encouraged to reach up.
 
I hope I did not do a bad thing here. I went out and looked at my squash, which have been greening like MAD, and actually has lots of fruiting, but it is ripening much slower than I remember in the past (even with all the rain). I decided that the leaves were too thick at the bottom, so I gave them all a good haircut this a.m. I plan to put a good solution of dawn, KOH and milk on them either this afternoon -if it stops raining- or as soon as it does stop raining.

I did get my first zucchini this a.m. Plan to stake up my tomatoes today. They are starting to get a little long and need to be encouraged to reach up.

I've never ever pruned squash...I just cover the bottom vines up with dirt when they start to show. Supposed to keep the cutworms off. Now tomatoes get the prune work seriously this year.
 
I take off all the large and dying leaf stems off zucs and squash. Helps with air flow and keeping mold down. I plant mine in rows 4' apart and use 4' wide weed matt between the rows.
 
I hope I did not do a bad thing here. I went out and looked at my squash, which have been greening like MAD, and actually has lots of fruiting, but it is ripening much slower than I remember in the past (even with all the rain). I decided that the leaves were too thick at the bottom, so I gave them all a good haircut this a.m. I plan to put a good solution of dawn, KOH and milk on them either this afternoon -if it stops raining- or as soon as it does stop raining.

I did get my first zucchini this a.m. Plan to stake up my tomatoes today. They are starting to get a little long and need to be encouraged to reach up.

They have to be pollinated for the fruit to survive. I pollinate mine manually when possible. If you don't have enough pollinators the fruit will stunt, whither, and fall off. Best done early in the morning before the flower opens and gets used up.
 
I'm going to try and stake my zucs this year. Up, not out. I'f it goes good, I'll be able to stick a few more plants in the area for a longer harvest.
 
They have to be pollinated for the fruit to survive. I pollinate mine manually when possible. If you don't have enough pollinators the fruit will stunt, whither, and fall off. Best done early in the morning before the flower opens and gets used up.
I'm a plant fornicator too. ;)
But do not under any circumstances mess with the bumble bee's breakfast. They get really pissed.:eek::eek::eek:
 
How’s this ??
You use a qtip or something? I’ve never pollinated before
 
How’s this ??
You use a qtip or something? I’ve never pollinated before
Nope, I break off a male flower and stem, pull the leaves off to expose it's private parts, shove it into the female private parts and swirl it around real good.
 
Nope, I break off a male flower and stem, pull the leaves off to expose it's private parts, shove it into the female private parts and swirl it around real good.
I’m turned on now! Never tried that before. My dumb luck I would break off the wrong one
 
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