Garden 2012

[fastivaca]

This coming weekend is traditionally the big "get out and plant your garden" weekend in our area.

It's too bad our next road trip doesn't take us near your place again.

[freshtiva]

This coming weekend is traditionally the big "get out and plant your garden" weekend in our area.

Did you ? Get out and plant your garden that is.

[festivaWES]

I'll be too late to plant this year. But watch out for me next year Marcus!!

[200KGPGTP]

It's not too late!!



Also, my tomatoes have gone straight up mad, over 4 feet tall, COVERED in blooms. I should have ripe cherry tomatoes within a week

[freshtiva]

I'll be too late to plant this year. But watch out for me next year Marcus!!

You've still got time for a lot of stuff. Tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn at the least can be planted now, then there is a whole group of fall planting for late harvest this year or early spring next year. At least you can plow up a spot, get the soil tested and ammended and ready for next year.

I ended up with four quarts of pickled cauliflower from yesterdays harvest. Its gonna be good !!

[freshtiva]

Canned six more quarts of cauliflower over the weekend and still had the sink full. I blanched, vacuum packed, and froze the rest. Progress #9 peas are coming on. Weeded the 100 foot row of them yesterday. Need rain, hauled another 500 gallons of water last night.

[freshtiva]

Dug ten gallons of potatoes today and picked 20 heads of cabbage. The drought has taken its toll. Ive been carrying water for eight weeks hoping for a rain. Its not gonna happen in time to help most of the veggies. I cant remember a worst gardening year. It wasnt the best year to expand !! Still may be able to fill the freezer before winter.

[200KGPGTP]

I've had decent luck so far. My tomato plants are at least 10 feet tall, Picking hundreds of cherry tomatoes a week. Full size tomatoes just started ripening, looks like I'll have about 8 softball sized ones ready all at once.

I've had zucchini out the anus, though it is slowing down.

Picked about 30 ear of corn, it is DELICIOUS.

We already have orange pumpkins, and they aren't stopping. Hundreds of gourds.

Dug a couple dozen carrots yesterday

Watermelon did NOTHING for the longest time, but it has FINALLY taken off in the last week and it is going NUTS. Even have a few baby melons

Definetely doing a few things differently next year, weeds are insane.

[freshtiva]

Five quarts of home made sauerkraut from home grown cabbage.

[blacklabels]

The kraut looks mighty tasty!

[neanderpaul]

Marcus you are the man!

[neanderpaul]

This is a chiltepin plant. Hot peppers. 8-9 on a scale of 1-10. Tiny. They will turn bright red.

Cukes are the only thing we've gotten any quantity of so far. I brought 3 to fourthtiva.

I planted 8 new to me varieties of tomatoes. Then 12 volunteer plant sprung up. I transplanted them along the the fence line.


A volunteer sunflower came up too! We've never planted those. It was a gift from the birds.


The Juliet tomatoes were the first to ripen. Just a handful so far.

They grow in an interesting pattern.

These are yellow pear tomatoes.

I planted six corn. They are producing silk and are over 7 feet tall.


There are more pics to come. I need to weed and take more pics.

[freshtiva]

Ive never heard of the chiltepin. Just googled it though, nice ! Aztec in origin and the official pepper of Texas. Huge sunflower ! Not sure your corn will pollinate, it usually has to be planted in mass for the wind to do its stuff. Thanks for the pics, nothing taste better than home grown !! I like to harvest something and have it on the table in 15 minutes. It doesnt get fresher than that.





"Definetely doing a few things differently next year, weeds are insane. "


Me too Buck. The rabbits devoured my bean crop. Going to have to build some fence or get a dog. Im also planning a rain water catch system. Maybe using a gravity fed drip hose from a 2500 gal poly tank positioned under my shop eaves. Going to get some clean wheat straw for mulch next year to keep the weeds down and retain moisture. Need to work in more organic matter into the soil as well. Gardening is a year around venture.

[drddan]

Paul and Markus, awesome gardens. Makes me hungry to look at this thread!
Even in the middle of a drought, and losing some, what you have gotten looks great, and also looks like a lot of work, to keep them going.

Good job, mates!

Clutch, I just ate some homegrown watermelon. Man, was it good! Yum.

[Safety Guy]

Marcus wrote:

"Im also planning a rain water catch system. Maybe using a gravity fed drip hose from a 2500 gal poly tank positioned under my shop eaves."

Now you're talking! Make nature do as much of the work for you. Don't forget to research the initial rainfall filter (most of the dirt and bird doo will be in the initial rainfall so it needs to be run off before filling the main tank) and all the other little things first.

Karl