Garden Status 2012

jason

Seanchaí
Staff member
A break off from this thread. Share how your garden is doing, tips, questions, problems, and other garden related items.
 

jason

Seanchaí
Staff member
Well so far this year, I built some garden boxes to go on the inside of the garden along the chain link fence. I'm hoping this will help with the grass from growing into the garden from the yard, and it will allow me to put in more permanent things.

The winter garden is doing ok still. The broccoli is flowering before I can get any heads though. Got some decent carrots, some Chinese cabbage, kale, radishes, lettuce, spinach, Kohlrabi and bunching onions so far. The regular cabbage is still rather small. I may try and plant some more carrots soon, but the heat is coming rather quick.

I started some seeds for the spring. So far I have started:
Foodhook Zucchini
Cucumbers
Space master cucumbers
pickle bush cucumbers
cantaloupe
eggplant
watermelon
crimson sweet watermelon
okra
pea super snappy
seminole pumpkin
sweet corn
tomato black krim
tomato big boy
tomato beef master
tomato better boy
tomato rio grande
sweet pepper
jalapeno
caribbean red peppers
despagne peppers
chili peppers
sunflowers
asparagus

Some should be ready to transplant soon, but my tiller is leaking oil, so it may not be until next week I will get to plant. I have two of my compost bins ready to be tossed into the garden and tilled in.

I may start some seeds this weekend. I'm hoping to get three different start dates this year so not everything comes in at once.

Since my writing on the stakes gets washed way and unable to be read, I borrowed a wood burner and marked numbers in the stakes. I plan to keep a list inside in what is in each numbered row.

I also plan on starting herbs this week in the pots.

I also took about an hour of my day saturday and went to a Florida Master Gardener program on spring gardening. I haven't read over the packets yet. But the one guy said he starts corn in January inside, and prefers to have his corn about a foot tall by now. He said now is the time to be planting cool and warm weather crops. But I do worry with how warm it has been if the cool weather crop will come up.

Oh, my blueberries are flowering already. They are still small, but I may be able to get some berries this year.

I also need to figure out my strawberry situation. The squirrels have been eating them. They do not bother my garden inside the chain link fence, but they will go after my strawberries, or my daughters strawberries. I'm thinking of moving them from the fence around the yard to five gallon buckets placed in the flower bed. The other option I have heard of is a eight inch or greater pvc pipe. I've been told they cannot climb the slick walls if it is eight inches, and to make them three to four feet tall. But right now buckets are on sale, or they were last week at home depot for just over two dollars.
 

jaya

Active Member
We got some snow last night. Way to early for a garden. I will plant some spinach in a couple weeks. I do like living in an area that has 4 seasons though.
 

jason

Seanchaí
Staff member
We got some snow last night. Way to early for a garden. I will plant some spinach in a couple weeks. I do like living in an area that has 4 seasons though.
The problem with here though is the summers are brutal on plants. Things like tomatoes will not produce if the temperature at night hits, I think, 84 degrees. If you want something to produce in the summer you need to get some hybrids typically which means I cannot save my seeds, which I want to start doing.
 

jaya

Active Member
Summers are brutal to people down there as well. I was stationed at Ft Polk, LA and got tired of the heat rather quick. I also hate the extreame cold. There are some plants like spinach that do not even do well here in the summer. We do have a spring and fall crop for that though.
 

BlueKnight

In search of light
All right! Nothing for me yet but preparing soil and starting seeds next weekend. I have to put up some fencing to keep chickens out (they ate everything last year). Starting seeds for: watermelon, cantelope, peppers (bell, jalepeno, bananna), tomatoes. Will also buy a bunch of staryed plants.
Jason, you are the man! I might not plant anything and just raid your garden!
 

PatrickWilliams

I could tell you ...
We have had an unusual winter. Almost no snow. It is, however, still as cold as the dickens (so, check the weather report if you've ever wondered how cold the dickens actually are) and right now gardens are still a dream of warmer times to come. I can hardly wait. My wife manages the garden and there's always tomatoes, various greens, herbs and spices, beans and peas and a number of other tasty comestibles (as well as the occasional flower or two).
 

jason

Seanchaí
Staff member
Well I planted two rows of corn. I mixed in some watermelon and cucumbers into the rows. I transplanted two Seminole pumpkins also, a bunch of onion starters and some asparagus. This weekend if not raining I want to move some more of the starters into there.
 

Zack

Active Member
Tomatoes

Planted 3 weeks ago and awoke to find 12 blossoms this morning.
Peppers are coming along nicely.
 

jaya

Active Member
Spinach is the only thing I got planted so far. It might be warm but I still think it could frost here. Most will not be planted for another couple of weeks.
 

jason

Seanchaí
Staff member
All the garden is planted. The Seminole Pumpkins are starting to really take off. The first batch of veggies is getting about sixteen inches tall. The corn is getting eaten up. About midnight on Sunday I went out and sprayed for bugs. I guess I'll have to stay up late or get up early to get them at night.

The rest of the garden is planted. Although I still have to pull out some of the cool weather crops. I might just freeze what I have in there.

Thinking about getting a truckload or two of compost and putting it in the paths. See if that helps too.
 

FF Sparky

Member
My gardening this year (if and whne I finally get this house) will consist of removing all the fallen trees, cutting down other trees( I don't like tree, I like nice green soft grass) Next year I may contemplat a garden or two.
 

jason

Seanchaí
Staff member
My gardening this year (if and whne I finally get this house) will consist of removing all the fallen trees, cutting down other trees( I don't like tree, I like nice green soft grass) Next year I may contemplat a garden or two.
I've been replacing my scrub oaks, or whatever they are slowly. These things are horrible, the grow fast, but do not last long. I've lost 3 limbs/tops this past year, one taking out the power lines. Everyone I've replaced in the back yard was replaced with a fruit/citrus tree. Saving up for an avocado tree for the wife right now.

I did get into the garden yesterday though. Great day for it, and got a good tan. Weeded a whole bunch which is long overdue. Some of the potatoes are starting to come through. Some of the last of the seeds are coming up too.
 

BG_TRBL

Watcher of the posts
Still figuring out where to put ours! Little late I know, but Wife just told me she wants one again this year.
 

Custer148

Masonic Traveler
It was a great March here (high for the month 90 degrees). Then April comes along and it has been in the 20s overnight the last 3 nights, it has not been kind to the plums bushes & all the other fruit trees, the peonies that have budded already, etc. All I have done is get the garden spot tilled up & started putting in some raised planter beds.
 
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