Started the garden

[Sweetpea]

Hmmm...

My new greenhouse has quite a bit going in it right now, and I'm going to have to try the trick with the T.P. rollers!

L1A1, if you're going to drink CHEAP beer, at least it could be a DECENT CHEAP beer...

[Jailer]

Sweetpea it's actually not too bad with a little lime.

We've got netting over a small strawberry patch but luckily there are so many wild raspberries around that the birds can't keep up with them.

The rest we just plant enough to cover the wildlife needs plus ours so we get what we want out of it.

[waksupi]

I'd like to get some of your hot garlic to set this fall. The garlic I have is rather mild. Not much local selection unfortunately.

[Bad Water Bill]

If you feed them right tomato plants WILL grow quite tall.

I have been composting for over 40 years now and when I put in my 6" tomato plants in their basket with a 10' thinwall tubing for support neighbors USED TO shake their heads.

It has been a loooong time since ,at the end of season that my plants were less than 10' tall.

MM MM Good

One year I had a HUGH crop of cherry tomatoes. I harvested 400 (didn't put a dent in the bushes) and took them to the range for a graphic shoot for the kids with 22LRs.

Yes it did waste some food but the resulting splatter was something that brought a smile to the kidds faces when they were not munching some.

[DougGuy]

I'd like to get some of your hot garlic to set this fall. The garlic I have is rather mild. Not much local selection unfortunately.

Waksupi, I have 20 plants of that hot stuff, I'm sure there will be a little bit to share for seed.

Bill, a neighbor here gets composted leaf mulch from the city, they dump a load from one of their compactor trucks, and that's all he grows in. He keeps just adding more to his rows every year, and it keeps just breaking down more and more, he uses a little 10-10-10 (which you can get the same out of chicken manure if you want to stay organic) and man, you should SEE the tomatoes that come out of that leaf mulch! Unbelievable yields, 5' tall plants..

[L1A1Rocker]

If you feed them right tomato plants WILL grow quite tall.

I have been composting for over 40 years now and when I put in my 6" tomato plants in their basket with a 10' thinwall tubing for support neighbors USED TO shake their heads.

It has been a loooong time since ,at the end of season that my plants were less than 10' tall.

MM MM Good

One year I had a HUGH crop of cherry tomatoes. I harvested 400 (didn't put a dent in the bushes) and took them to the range for a graphic shoot for the kids with 22LRs.

Yes it did waste some food but the resulting splatter was something that brought a smile to the kidds faces when they were not munching some.

I know what you mean about the head shaking. When folks see how tall the maters get the number one question "Is that some kind of special genetically modified tomato plant?" Nope, just near perfect growing conditions.

[waksupi]

I keep a barrel of compost tea going all summer. When I clean fish, all the guts, heads and bones go in the barrel. The tomatoes love it!

[Outer Rondacker]

I still have four foot of snow on the ground. I found starting in the house is hard up here. It takes so much time to harden them. But its worth it. Love the pics guys.

[L1A1Rocker]

I still have four foot of snow on the ground. I found starting in the house is hard up here. It takes so much time to harden them. But its worth it. Love the pics guys.

Agreed! Love to see pics of other's garden setups. Anybody wanting to show us yours, please feel free to.

[Frank46]

Douguy, I like the height of your planters. especially the one with the onions in them. Wife is closer to the ground so she only wants 12" high. Spent the day getting rid of a lot of wood by burning. My brother in law made her some planters but they rotted out, pounded out the nails with my shiny eastwing hammer and then burned it. Gotta get me a good gas polesaw. With the new tractor it sits way higher than the old one. And getting smacked in the head with branches isn't much fun. Bought a new Kubota L3800 with front end loader and 5' woods bush hog. Eats up the back section fast. Frank

[snuffy]

You southern boys give me a pain a pill can't reach! I'll remember this when I'm outside in 75 degrees with a dew point of 60 when you're sweltering in 95 degrees and a dew point of 77.

I have plants started inside, peppers and tomatoes, will start some Kohlrabi and pumpkins about late April so they're just emerging in time for a May 10th planting in the garden. Some cucumbers as well.

Back when Mom was gardening, we always considered May tenth to be when we could safely put fragile tomato plants out, kind of the last frost day. This winter has been so bad, I think the spring will be delayed as well.

I use a lot of 5 gallon plastic pails for my tiny lot here in trailer park heaven. I also use planters called grow box, currently I have 7 of them;

http://www.agardenpatch.com/?gclid=C...FchQ7AodlQoAtA





The park also has some ground that they call a garden. They simply dumped some good black soil on top of some grass, about 6-8 inches thick, walla---a garden! Last year 2/3 of it was unused.

I had some tomato plants there as well as onions, green beans, and cucumbers. If nobody else uses the remainder, I'll plant some stuff for those that can't. There's a lot of elderly living here,,,---besides me!

[DougGuy]

Douguy, I like the height of your planters. especially the one with the onions in them. Wife is closer to the ground so she only wants 12" high. Spent the day getting rid of a lot of wood by burning. My brother in law made her some planters but they rotted out...
Frank

I try for 16" and time it settles I have 12" of dirt. I started compacting it a bit when I mix in leaf mulch so maybe it won't settle so bad now. The soil in my garlic beds was settling and this was leaving the bulbs really close to the surface.

The wood we use is recycled industrial pallets when we can get them, it's mostly #2 pine, but I treat them with Eco Wood Treatment which keeps the bugs down and slows the rot. I know they are going to rot, I will probably put new wood up on the outside and let the rot break down into the soil.

This stuff works: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Eco-Woods-EW...item4accf6924f

[Reg]

And snuffy said--- " There's a lot of elderly living here ,,,--- besides me !

Point well made. How many, when putting in a garden plant extra for the elderly ?
We put in quite a large garden, 50 tomato plants or so, up to 75 peppers of various types etc, etc. far more than we could ever use. What I do is at least once and sometimes twice a week load up all the extra and take it into town. We have a small HUD housing and it is filled with seniors. Some of those older gals are trying to get by on as little as $600.00 a month. There is a common room there where most of them get together every morning for coffee and that's where I try to be and drop off all that extra produce. Sure put a lot of smiles on a lot of faces. The administrator has told me that generally the fresh produce I bring in is sometimes all a few of those people get, They simply do not have the money. Also have a cousin who puts in even a bigger garden than we do, have been getting with her and taking in her extra as well.
If you have the extra produce, keep the elderly in mind. We all are getting there ourselfs, faster than most of us want to admit.

[9w1911]

spend the money on Heineken or another non GMO beer, unless you like genetically mutated corn and corn syrup in your beers

[Outer Rondacker]

I have been gardening for a few years now. I was wondering if anyone had any family heirlooom seeds they keep passing down they would like to part with a few so my wife and I can get our family away from the genetically altered stuff. I guess you can call this begging but I like to call it reaching out. If you can that would be great.

[oneokie]

I have been gardening for a few years now. I was wondering if anyone had any family heirlooom seeds they keep passing down they would like to part with a few so my wife and I can get our family away from the genetically altered stuff. I guess you can call this begging but I like to call it reaching out. If you can that would be great.

Knowing the length of your growing season would be a big help in knowing which plants have enough time to make a crop.

[snuffy]

Thanks Reg. Here's my ground garden from last year. (I couldn't get the upload to work to my attachments).





I put a table on the end of my driveway with excess produce for anyone to take as much as they want.

When I had a bigger community garden, I planted some pumpkins, when they were ready, I put them out for people to take some. A young man with his 5 Y.O. daughter came by when I was outside. He let her pick a pumpkin for carving. He was profuse with thanks, I just said you just made it all worth the effort! The big smile on her face was priceless! Funny how giving is a lot of times better than receiving!?

Starting seeds this time of year is a darn good way of breaking cabin fever.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I have been gardening for a few years now. I was wondering if anyone had any family heirlooom seeds they keep passing down they would like to part with a few so my wife and I can get our family away from the genetically altered stuff. I guess you can call this begging but I like to call it reaching out. If you can that would be great.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/show...nge&highlight=

[DHurtig]

Here is a photo of my kitchen garden.


The pots in the foreground are from left to right. Genovese basil by the antler, purple basil center and Thai basil on the right. To the left of the purple basil is chives and sage behind the purple basil. The purple flowers left of the sage are echinacea or purple cone flower. High and right of the sage is oregano and in the corner by the drier vent is tarragon.

There is also salvia, thyme and Missouri evening primrose in this bed. Space in between the perennials if filled with pots containing parsley marigolds and peppers.

Man do I have the bug for spring!

[Outer Rondacker]

Im in zone 5.

Thank you JonB.