2017 - It's Time to Discuss Your Garden - Post Here

[JohnyMac]

The heirloom seed catalogs are coming fast and furious. This is my alarm clock to get my growing lights, heating mats, and to start planning this years redoubt garden.

Our goal in past years was to grow 80% of our vegetables. We buy the rest from local farmers like, corn, asparagus, melons, etc. In 2016 we reached 60% or so of MrsMac and my annual veggie usage. Not bad however we will continue to work our way to that magic number of 80%.

This year we are going to focus on less variety (Broad) and focus on more of a harvest of picked veggies (Depth).  Here is my initial list:

> Carrots,
> Green Beans,
> Lima Beans,
> Acorn Squash,
> Butternut Squash,
> Potatoes,
> Tomatoes,
> Rutabagas,
> Sweet Peppers,
> Some herbs (Cilantro, Dill, Basil, Garlic),
> Cucumbers,
> Salad fixings (lettuce & radishes)
> Swiss Chard
> Pumpkins, and
> Spanish onions

I will not be growing:
> Melons* (Cantaloupe, & Watermelon),
> Spaghetti squash,
> POPPING-Corn*,
> Cabbage*,
> Brussel sprouts*,
> Broccoli*,
> Sweet potatoes* and,
> Hot Peppers*.

Things may change though as I get closer to 1) planting seedlings next week and 2) if I get some free seeds 

* Just don't seem to grow well in this cool environment.

What are your plans and thoughts?

[gadget99]

Interesting timing of this post JM.

A local shop here that deals in diy type excess stock is selling off its excess seed stock.

We could not pass up the sale. £5 for 100 seed packets.

Needless to say the cashier did not bother to count our purchase.

[JoJo]

 I don't understand why you can't grow cool weather crops like cabbage, brussels sprouts or broccoli when you can grow tomatoes. Do you think it might be because of day length or being shaded part of the day?

http://www.johnnyseeds.com/growers-library/vegetables/library-vegetables-day-length-production.html.

Sweet potatoe's need a long day and warm soil.
 

[Jackalope]

   That sounds like a good garden Johny.  We'll be planting much of the same stuff, plus beets, kohlrabi, and kale.  Because of our cool climate I don't plant corn or melons, though hot peppers seem to do well here, so I plant lots of those.  I planted our garlic last fall, so hopefully we'll have a bumper crop this year.  We generally don't start our seeds until the beginning of April because we can't plant anything until the first week of June due to killing frosts, except for cold hardy plants like kale.

[Kbop]

I have two new experiments this year.  I'm going to patch a few spots in the yard with Corsican mint.  I'm also going to try and keep a Camellia sinensis alive - it might make a good addition to my sun room.
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@Johnny, nice list!
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@JoJo, the cool weather plants, like cabbage and broccoli will bolt when the daylight cycle gets too long.
this makes the plant start to flower.  it makes them taste bitter and makes stems woody.   This has a good explanation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolting_(horticulture)
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@Gadget99, nice haul!

[Kbop]

@JoJo, sorry about that, i miss ready your post

[JohnyMac]

I have tried starting seeds inside for "The not going to try list" but still they get so big and stop growing and go to seed. Again this year I am looking for depth not breath.

A few things I did last year that I will do again this one.

I used 48" wide news paper from a 1,000' roll to cut down on weeds. It worked good not V-Good as I hoped. So this year I am going to double up on the sheets, e.g. two instead of one.

Last year, I fertilized twice a month using fish fertilizer. Just sprayed it on the plants at night. Was easy BUT the weeds in the walkways liked it too. I used a weed wacker for those devils. This year I am going to buy a 18" rear tine tiller to till the garden pre/post season and run up and down the walkways twice a month.

This past fall I laid 200 pounds of ag-lime as well as spread winter cover rye.

This April I will try to scrounge up some mature manure to spread before I till it into the soil. I have had the garden for going on four years this year. I added manure the first and second year. Last year I just used the aforementioned fish fertilizer.

Good stuff folks...Keep it coming.

[JohnyMac]

Well the garden is coming together.

Planted carrots at the end of April in a raised bed and of course my garlic is doing well which was put in last fall.

Monday planted lettuce, radish, swiss chard, cilantro, and dill seed.
Tuesday planted onion sets
Wednesday planted rutabagas, bush bean and potato seed, bell peppers, and some Black Grime tomato seedlings.

A lot more to go in and with the rainy weekend coming up the rest of the garden will go in slowly over the next week week and a half.

How is your garden coming together?

[Jackalope]

   We'll be planting some this weekend, and then we'll plant tomatoes, peppers, etc. the first weekend in June.  We had frost a couple nights last week, and we typically don't plant fragile plants until the first weekend in June.  My wife planted beets, lettuce, and onions a couple of weeks ago, and they seem to be doing well.  Our garlic is growing very well.  Between the rain and a heavy infestation of black flies, it hasn't been much fun working outdoors this year.

[JohnyMac]

Sounds good Jackalope!

Tried a new insect repellent that seems to work pretty good.

This is my recipe:

8 oz H20
8 oz Witch hazel, and
20 drops of Lavender Oil.

Put in a 16 oz spray bottle you buy from the dollar store. You need to shake it up just before spraying your self so the lavender oil dissipates. Don't know how it works on black flys but seems to work very well with no-see-'ems, fly's in general, skeeters, and ticks.

I usually wait till past Memorial day to start planting but looking 10 days out the lowest temps are in the mid 40's. Our goal this year is to supply 80% of the vegies MrsMac and I eat in a year.

[JohnyMac]

Well the garden is finally in. It became a long drawn out project this year as I was juggling finishing the newly put up ceiling (About 80% complete), and the greater than average rain-fall, to get the garden in.

Today between showers I will be putting up the electrical fence around the garden and a meadow just south of our cabin. Once that is done I will open up the cattle gate to let the neighbors Scottish Highland bovines in to cut the grass.
 

My bush beans have been in the ground 15-16 days and are not coming up so I think all of the rain earlier in the month may have killed them. I will probably have to replant them.

[Nemo]

Wow, thats some fuzzy meat.  Do they get any real weight to them?  I am not at all familiar with those critters.

Nemo

[JohnyMac]

Females top out at ~700 lbs. and bulls ~1,000 lbs. They are a dual purpose protein. You can milk 'em and raise for meat. But with those horns, I think I will eat 'em rather than milk 'em.

[Nemo]

Hide would make some warm clothing.  Unless that hair/fur is scratchy as poison ivy.

Nemo

[Jackalope]

   They almost look like yaks.  In any case, they look like they are comfortable in northern climes.

    My garden is going well, especially the garlic and the potatoes.  Tomatoes are okay.  The peppers are so-so.  My apple trees have set a lot of fruit, so it looks like a good year for apple cider.

[JoJo]

WOW cows with their own Gilly suit.

[JohnyMac]

Well we are about 40% ahead in rainfall this spring so my garden is just starting to give up its produce.

We have picked radishes and lettuce to date however, since Sunday we are now picking yellow squash, zucchini, garlic, pickling cucumbers, and tomatoes.

Canned seven qts of garlic/dill pickles last night.