Post your 2017 gardens

I hope this will be an ok place to put this...

So I moved in 8 months ago, and always had plans to work on the flower bed on the right side of the house.
The previous owners, at one point, had a little garden / flower garden there, as there was some paver stones there and some roses and LOTS of mint in there, as well as some other things.

But, over time, it grew up with lots of weeds. The pavers were knocked over/fell over and it was just bad.

Today I decided to get at it.




That was where I was at around 1pm.
Worked on it for about three hours, mostly taking a garden rake to it. But also used a shovel to dig out the trench for the pavers to sit in, and a leaf rake to easily move everything to a large pile off to the side, which I now need to dispose of - compost pile probably.

I still have some work to go, but I really put a dent in it today.
I left some of the mint, as my mother is wanting some, so I'll spend some time tomorrow carefully digging it up and taking it to her.
I also left the roses in the back, not sure if I want to keep them or not.




I dont know what I'll put in there. Im thinking about some flowers or shrubbery, as well as some vegetables. I just dont know, this is all new to me.

I'll update further as I make more progress. I know that I need to get more pavers to finish off the line, dont know what happened to the ones that are missing.
Just wanted to share with the community.
 
Also, today I sprayed, in this area, some weed killer. It'll be a bit before I start planting things, as I really want to till this stuff up first. So, Im hoping, that by that point (a few weeks?) the weed killer will have 'went away' and wont affect my future plants.

Please, any advice is welcome!
 
HMP said:
Also, today I sprayed, in this area, some weed killer. It'll be a bit before I start planting things, as I really want to till this stuff up first. So, Im hoping, that by that point (a few weeks?) the weed killer will have 'went away' and wont affect my future plants.

Please, any advice is welcome!
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My advice is to figure out how much light you get during the day, amend that dirt as much as you can, and choose plants that like that amount of sun
 
Ikarus1 said:
My advice is to figure out how much light you get during the day, amend that dirt as much as you can, and choose plants that like that amount of sun
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Amend the dirt?

Doesnt get a ton of sun on that side unfortunately.
And the side that DOES get a lot of sun doesnt have much room for much of a garden
 
Came back from the honeymoon and had to harvest quite a bit.
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It's a mess though. My squash plants seem to not be too happy.

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HMP said:
Amend the dirt?

Doesnt get a ton of sun on that side unfortunately.
And the side that DOES get a lot of sun doesnt have much room for much of a garden
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Amend dirt aka compost, etc. You dont want to plant much in old clay with no drainage. Ive made that mistake before.

Hostas grow well on the shady side but they are also a deers delight.

Most weed killers wont affect new plantings the day after it has dried. 2,4 D and Glyphosate basically go inert in soil supposedly. Pre-emergents will affect seeds for a while after however so dont use preen if youre seeding a flowerbed
 
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HMP said:
Amend the dirt?

Doesnt get a ton of sun on that side unfortunately.
And the side that DOES get a lot of sun doesnt have much room for much of a garden
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100 lbs of black cow manure would be a good start. Mix it into the existing bed. Maybe some lime as well. Bone meal is what I'm adding for fertilizer. I don't put out 10-10-10 until they have been in the ground a few months anymore.

Match the plants to the amount of sun and make sure they are tolerant of each other. Plants have companions and antagonists. You want to plant companions together. They help each other.


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sr30 said:
It's a mess though. My squash plants seem to not be too happy.




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Make sure it's getting watered well. And poke around the base of the bone looking for squash bugs or holes and signs of vine borers. If you have any eggshells around start putting them at the base of the vine.


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It poured last week here while I was gone from that tropical storm.

Second start on seeds?


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sr30 said:
It poured last week here while I was gone from that tropical storm.

Second start on seeds?


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When squash is producing it easily needs twice as much water as you would expect. Have you gotten any squash off of it? The wilted leaves are lack of water most likely. The yellow/dead leaves could be bug damage. If the storm was bad it could be wind damage that weakened the plant too. I had some a few weeks ago but they all picked back up and are fine now. Layed a couple down good though.
 
chiefjason said:
When squash is producing it easily needs twice as much water as you would expect. Have you gotten any squash off of it? The wilted leaves are lack of water most likely. The yellow/dead leaves could be bug damage. If the storm was bad it could be wind damage that weakened the plant too. I had some a few weeks ago but they all picked back up and are fine now. Layed a couple down good though.
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There's def bugs. Likely wind damage too.


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BTW I guess I should have posted this in it's own thread, but I have a rear CRT tiller and a Troy-Bilt horse from the 80s. If any of you local to Charlotte (eastside mainly) guys need anything tilled up, just holler. I'll throw them on a trailer and bring them over and watch you use them as I drink beverages :D

I also plan on getting a small tractor, single or double plow and disc harrow for doing food plots soon, so that will be part of the deal.
 
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sr30 said:
Second start on seeds?


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If the plant is not flowering and looks really weak with a lot of bugs, you are better off pulling and re planting. Squash are pretty easy to start from seed if needed. You should have time. I would put a bunch of egg shells around the stalks of the new plants when you plant them. Then add more as they grow. I've been using Fertilome triple action as a bug spray too.

We cut most of a zucchini and removed it yesterday. It had new growth at the ground so we left the stem. But the bugs looked to have gotten most of it. Going to see if it re grows. WE have been pulling them if the bugs get to them instead of fighting the bugs.
 
chiefjason said:
If the plant is not flowering and looks really weak with a lot of bugs, you are better off pulling and re planting. Squash are pretty easy to start from seed if needed. You should have time. I would put a bunch of egg shells around the stalks of the new plants when you plant them. Then add more as they grow. I've been using Fertilome triple action as a bug spray too.

We cut most of a zucchini and removed it yesterday. It had new growth at the ground so we left the stem. But the bugs looked to have gotten most of it. Going to see if it re grows. WE have been pulling them if the bugs get to them instead of fighting the bugs.
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Grew those plants from seed. I'm going to replant cuz I want more squash.


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Im telling yall, diatomaceous earth will end the insect problems. It was the only way I could have any success last year. The beetles were eating the pigweed instead
 
I am jels of some of those gardens. We have a couple raised beds and the plants grow and grow, and produce flowers....then die. Very little produce. We get one squash or one cuke you think we'd won the lottery.
 
Chuckman said:
I am jels of some of those gardens. We have a couple raised beds and the plants grow and grow, and produce flowers....then die. Very little produce. We get one squash or one cuke you think we'd won the lottery.
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Done any soil test ? Or are they dying from lack of water and care which I have been guilty of myself? The soil test is a pretty easy process if you have never done them and free certain times of the year. Also depending if anything was sprayed in the beds or on the soil herbicide wise in the past that could have a impact and be causing you issues, most herbicides are gone pretty quickly but there are some that have longer lasting effects.
 
Chuckman said:
I am jels of some of those gardens. We have a couple raised beds and the plants grow and grow, and produce flowers....then die. Very little produce. We get one squash or one cuke you think we'd won the lottery.
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Self pollinate the squash, and possibly the cukes. Do you see any bees or moths working them?
 
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Our small garden, got smart this year and added the chicken wire to keep the rabbits from eating the plants.
 

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Been picking like crazy the last 3 weeks, just haven't been posting about it, (sorry folks )

Today's haul from the last picking 3 days ago. Cukes have gone nuts, hauled at least 6 full bags already, with some of them seriously too long or way to orange.

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The cherry tomatoes have been going good in earnest, about half a quart every day. The larger and romas are there, just not getting red yet, though I see some color turning on a couple.
Got 3 meals out of the beans now,( the japs really did a number on them before I reacted) some of the plants didn't get a good start from seed.

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Got lots of watermelon going good, can see them getting larger every day, hope I can pick them at the right time.
It's about 24" on the back side if the rail tie, where most of the melons are.

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We have the most delicious tomatoes this year...they're perfect! It's been 3 or 4 years since they were this good.

We've put up 30 some quarts of snaps, have eaten several quarts and given away 10 or more quarts and they're still producing like crazy and the 2nd plantings are only a few inches tall. We have too many snaps.

We have a 200' row of okra that's doing pretty good so far and the watermelon vines are loaded.

Our peppers are struggling but the cabbage plants have done exceptional.

The pumpkins have yet to pop up.
 
We don't grow squash because it's gross :) but we used to grow it. Squash bugs are the most irritating of the garden bugs and they are difficult to control. They love potato plants also.
 
Spent most of the day in the garden and yard. Pulled the zucchini up. Got a couple small ones and 2 large ones for seed. Cut down the kale and had to use the brush blade on my weedeater. Picked a decent run of beans. 3 baskets full of tomatoes. A few cucumbers, green peppers, and the first squash. Got a couple more sunflower heads to save the seeds.


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Second full basket of black krims.

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Cherokee purples and squash.

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I have a lot of tomatoes left but the plants are not looking very good. The krims are the worst. Should get plenty though. Just might not have any for the fall.

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Today's haul of tomatoes. More on the vines. Canned about this many yesterday.

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Our haul today.
Lots more tomatoes on the vines. Not much more on the cucumbers out there.
The peppers have been green forever and have just a couple small peppers showing.
The zucchini was cut for fresh Zucchini bread. :D
 
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Put all the canning stuff up. Put all the jars of tomatoes up. Went down to the garden. My table looks just like it did before I canned Sat. This will be the last big run though. The tomatoes are pretty much done. First planting on cukes are dead, thinking it might be something in that bed. Should have rotated them. Second planting in the big garden is doing well though. Lots of squash too. Beans have slowed down and the bugs are getting bad. Canning beans is done, we will just pick and eat what we want until the bugs do them in.

Going to plant a last patch of cucumbers and Crowder Peas in one bed. Might start a couple tomatoes and hope to get some late ones. Late August I'm going to re plant the kale. Got a couple eggplants coming along now too. I'm going to focus a bit more on a fall garden this year.
 
RATS !!!

Tree Rats specifically ... Squrrels !

Eating holes in my Watermelon .

My Wife says " you're going to have to shoot them "
I said " aww, that's a bummer " ... :D



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Saw one take off running and jump the fence when I opened the gate.


This was a larger one that they didn't get into yet. It doesn't look too red, but it sure is sweet.
I've make some funky wire cover over the last 3 that they didn't get too yet.

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Well this year has been a learning experience. First time I've ever tried a garden and I got mixed results. I got several Zucchini and it looks like I'll get some okra out of it. Green beans didn't do well at all, and I didn't get a single yellow squash. That was bad seeds I think though, because I haven't had a single female blossom so far. Decided this evening to pull the beans as they were looking bad and to pull any squash plants I wasn't holding out hope for. Got a few left that will hopefully surprise me.

Going to try and plant potatoes for a fall harvest and see how that goes. Next year I'll definitely expand, and definitely plan my planting a lot better. Hope everyone else's gardens are doing well.
 
Stick with it, you'll get better at it.
I'll be putting in some sweet potatoes this weekend myself. We still have a few Tomatos left, some eggplant and the bell peppers have a couple coming out now. We should have a couple handfuls of carrots soon too. The weeds were a bear this year for us, just could not put the time in to stay after it.
There's always next year !
 
Yeah, it's a learning process.

My beans are about done. Gonna pick and pull them up soon. Will replant after vacation. Tomatoes are nearly done and re planted 2 for some late tomatoes. Squash and eggplant are doing OK. Okra is being weird. Just not growing much or flowering. But if it waits until after our vacation that will be better anyway. Green peppers are doing fantastic. Planted some Crowder Peas for the first time and our 3rd planting of cucumbers. I did all our pickles as spears and the girls are on our 3rd gallon of refrigerator pickles. I need to get some to can for the winter if I can keep them out of them.
 
Anybody still at it? I decided to spend more time doing a fall garden this year. 2nd planting of beans is doing OK but it's a race to beat the frost. Green peppers are still going strong. Okra is about done. I have a few late tomatoes with fruit and a few I didn't pull up managing to bear some more. Planted Crowder Peas and they are doing great. Kale is coming up and so is my lettuce mix. Cauliflower is coming up. Planted some squash because I had room but it's not come up yet, may be a bust. Tried a third planting of cucumbers but made the mistake of trying to grow it around the peas, they over ran it and killed it. Oh well.
 
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