Planting Times

[Raven]

no worries Matey

fur flies round hee-ahh

[Raven]

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[Rockfish9]

this years garden is the best it has been in 10 years... although I have "suckered" and even pruned branches.. they look like an overgrown forrest( mainly due to my lack of dilliegance when on a fishing binge).. but they are loaded with fruit...the big boy's in the picture get any taller and I'l have to stake them from the dog wood!...you'd never know i gave 30" between plants...a mixture of organic and chemical fertilizer seems to be what they wanted..

[Raven]

i've got some of them Plumb jobs too
a tomato paste tomato
ate my first cherry tomato yesterday, always on JULY 10th
but the big boys will be soon

some corn and hubbard squash coming along nicely

and the morning glory vines are takin off....

been spraying for cucumber beetles with safer insecticidal soap

[Rockfish9]

yup.. mostly plums.. I make about 5 gallons of sauce a year( last year being an exception).... i grow a few big boys for the table...I dont have alot of room but make the best of what I have..

[vineyardblues]

That's all we do is the plums, and they are doing great , all green but the plants are huge...
As for the rest of the gaden , one tiny cuke , I would guess in two weeks I will have hundreds ... , been picking the seat peas for a week , a long wait for them , not sure the heat likes them to much
have to pick the couliflower tonight or before this weekend . I will post a pic
Peppers are just OK , squash is not so good this year but I did move them all to a new location and maybe better luck next year...
sweet potatoes ae looking good , as they did last year and I received crap in the fall. I changed brands as a local farmer told me I had planted the wrong ones for NE
The pole beans are 10 ft high
My reg potatoes are flowering as we speak
I planted spaghetti squash and they are wild , I had no idea they would run like a pumkin , and run and run
I have been watering every day and tossing in some 10-10 -10 2 times so far

And I can't wait to go fishing with Joe in the fall

[The Dad Fisherman]

Peas Good, Cabbage Good, Tomato Plants are taking off...

Zuchini and Summer Squash suck this year...same with da Cukes

[Raven]

zuchini's are flourishing ....and these all grown in big pots
but speaking of Fall....the fall garden out produces the spring garden 2-1
in my opinion, as it's getting progressively colder NOT warmer
and the cole crops love that....nothing wants to BOLT
the time to plant seeds IS right now

[The Dad Fisherman]

I'm putting in a couple of different beans in this week...want to also freeze some for the winter.

[vineyardblues]

Originally Posted by Raven

zuchini's are flourishing ....and these all grown in big pots
but speaking of Fall....the fall garden out produces the spring garden 2-1
in my opinion, as it's getting progressively colder NOT warmer
and the cole crops love that....nothing wants to BOLT
the time to plant seeds IS right now

I have some space , what u talking about for the fall ?
Peter

[Raven]

Originally Posted by vineyardblues

I have some space , what u talking about for the fall ?
Peter

definitively Broccoli , lettuce red sails is just awesome
Kale for soups and stews is unbeatable(another cole crop)
sugar snap peas,they go with everything,
celery , onions (scallions)
carrots, beets... all depending on what you like of course.

the germination rate for broccoli seed is nearly 100%
so don't sprinkle the seeds thinking -> OH i'll thin later.

Bad idea.... broccoli loves to be 12 inches apart and if
you transplant it ....they don't grow as big.

if they have neighboring plants touching them they head for the sky.
Better to deep water overnight with the hose trickling
then regular water on top of that....after they sprout

anytime its going to rain...water the crap out of the garden so the rainwater
can penetrate and not stay in the top 3 inches of soil because it gathers nitrogen out of the air as it falls.

for broccoli: Better to drop one seed into the palm of your hand
and carefully put it in place. I like to use a light topping
of vermiculite "coarse" on top to keep the soil from drying out.

the growers supply shop next to (home depot) actually in between HD and the 140 turn-off...
in Shrewsbury has it for a great price....much cheaper than those worms way thieves.

you can also experiment with pre-soaking and or pre-germinating seeds
until you see them double in size or noticeably swell
even a dozen at a time. 2-4 hours

Especially with sugar snap peas

i'd soak them over night then place them in a big zip log freezer bag
slightly open so they breath...(in the dark)and you exhale into the bag hole
to give them some c02 (on occasion)

....doesn't hurt to give them some B1 to stimulate the
root growth by a factor of 100 times normal. usually its
like 5 drops per gallon of water so the liguid will last a whole season
because yes...it's pricey but man does it work!

[Raven]

the reason my plants look healthy is because i take worm castings out of my bins
and add it to the plants on occasion to both fertilize my plants -intoduce worms
worm eggs and "bed run" the white worms extra small and the mini reds as they adapt better than tossing breeder size in there as they will wander...
then i replace the castings i took out with more loam /compost mix so they have fresh bedding. i have to order another 50 lb bag of purina worm chow again!$20.00 bucks at the local feed store ....actually in Acton

[Raven]

the tiniest frog...
sitting on top of
my plastic watering can sprinkle cap
half the size of my little finger nail.....
i let the faucet drip a little into a raised pot
that has a under liner on it creating an Oasis

[vineyardblues]

I play horse shoes at a farm and was talking with them last night
We both agree that our squash are gone for 2012 ... wtf happened ?
kind of just stopped growing and died away
same as my house , too hot this year maybe ?

[Raven]

what kind of Squash? as my butternut is going gang busters....
but yes the Zuchinni is saying goodbye much earlier than expected
so i am going to replant it...since i use pots [ie BIG pots ]
i have the option of moving them inside a protected heat-able space.
tomatoes are crankin as are peppers, banana peppers, carrots and broccoli
is now topped....but still producing from the side branches ...ok

but here's a cool tip (pun intended)
about Broccoli ...
you can leave the worn out vines (stalks) in the ground right thru october
and after you get your first fall frost they not only "Don't die"
but they get stimulated to grow again as if its Spring and they
soon rejuvenate. so leave some around even if for nothing else to grow some seed and you'll be surprised.

Also as an experiment i tried growing them on the North side of the house in complete shade
except for maybe the last 2-3 hours of the day of afternoon sun
and they grew just fine....plenty of tops for dippin in sour cream dip

so there is no such thing as
awe man i
haven't any sun on this side of my house
because that is horse "cagada" (s__t)
Try it and see

[Raven]

slug control:
instead of spreading poison or wasting good beer
i simply went around on rainy mornings when the slugs were out in full force
and sprinkled some regular table salt on them
and slowly but surely i WON the WAR.....

[justplugit]

Originally Posted by Raven

slug control:
instead of spreading poison or wasting good beer
i simply went around on rainy mornings when the slugs were out in full force
and sprinkled some regular table salt on them
and slowly but surely i WON the WAR.....

Another good control is to lay down a piece of plywood
which they will take refuge under during the night. Then lift and use the old
salt shaker in the morning.

[Bob Thomas]

First garden this year. Very pleased with the results so far. Ate the first tomato today and first crop of beans are just about ready. Ton of tomatoes but they're a bit small.



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[Bob Thomas]

Oh yeah...tomatoes (31 plants) broccoli, cauliflower, wax beans, green beans, cherry hot peppers, pickling cucumbers, banana hots and some herbs. Probably tone a bit down next year but I've become obsessed with the garden. Out there every day several times checking it over
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[vineyardblues]

Looking good Bob

[vineyardblues]

Up the fence

[JamesJet]

so you did have OK luck with Broccoli in the shade? I had some space on the north side I have always wanted to do something with and maybe I'll did out and amend the soil a bit and drop some seeds. Now is a good time for them?

[Raven]

Originally Posted by JamesJet

Now is a good time for them?

yes.... just remember that with cole crops ....i like to call them "cold crops"
there's always room for more water... i drop seeds in place....and i raise transplants too in flats in case those fail.....
i even grow corn in pots because sometimes it gets to hot and with pots
you gain the advantage of being able to move them any where they like it best...
just in case those fail ...as back up
for example corn grows best on the EAST side of the house...
plenty of morning sun but shaded in the afternoon... so experiment

[Bob Thomas]

VYB - that spaghetti squash?
JJet - i put my broc and cauli in and for the most part the area is shaded until around mid noon. Ben my old man who grows his in pure sun can't believe the plants though I see no heads yet. Leaves are big though
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[vineyardblues]

Originally Posted by Bob Thomas

VYB - that spaghetti squash?
JJet - i put my broc and cauli in and for the most part the area is shaded until around mid noon. Ben my old man who grows his in pure sun can't believe the plants though I see no heads yet. Leaves are big though
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Yes sir ,
Picked yesterday , will cook up tomorrow

[Raven]

got second growth coming fast of broc. shoots
but the squash is getting powdery mildew
what with 90 degree weather and rain
and my once luxuriant hubbard squash has some weird
white spots now.... like bleach splatter on a t-shirt
so i think the whole crop might fail before the fruit is ripe.

[Bob Thomas]

Well, the hits keep on comin! One of my tomato plants was producing fruit that rotted from the bottom. Can't remember the name but scrapped that. Then some of the other ones are producing very small fruit. Brocc. isn't producing anything but HUGE and I mean HUGE leaves. Beans are doing alright.

Seems like everything slowed down a bit. Hoping this rain we just had will help out a bit. Heaven knows we need more!

[Raven]

realized my bleach spots were due to safer insecticidal soap spray to foil the striped cucumber beetle which are small yet destructive.... so they're ok

BOB you may have over fertilized ....but that's just a GUESS.

Eating HG carrots that are so juicy they make store carrots seem like wood.

[Jenn]

Squash- The regular yellow squash & zuccini we put in late just started not about two weeks ago but are quickly failing. The new striped Zucchini I tried this year (supposed to be more disease resistant) has been the star of the show and STILL going strong! Amazing the difference a variety can make.

Replanted so lettuce mix, bunching onion seed (use like scallions) and more swiss chard just for giggles a week ago and all is popped already and looking good so far.

Going to dig taters in a few days I think.....what shall I try in their place? hmm....

[Raven]

peppers seem to take the longest to germinate.