How does your garden grow?
 

So hows the garden growing?

My garlic is doing real good and should be harvested in about a month or so.

Peas are flowering. Onions doing good as well as the potatoes, I've stopped fertilizing with some extra nitrogen recently and will just need to keep them watered. I just planted some pepper seeds as well as some transplants last week. I still need to get some squash, melons and some tomatoes in. Hopefully this next week, everything will be in the ground.

I'll bet our little Victory gardens will be crucial in the coming years. Feels like this Summer will be our last good growing season. I'm expecting by next year food will be, at the very least, very expensive if not scarce. If your not growing your own yet, its time to get started, you'll need the practice.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

So far mine is doing OK. Most of the stuff I direct seeded is up. This year I started most of my seed inside which is a first for me. Transferred them out to a mini greenhouse after which is working great. Wish I had more time though I wanted to transplant them a week ago. Should be able to get them in this week.

Yeah growing food is something everyone needs to practice. Saving your own seed is important too.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

2 pineapples fruiting right now... still a month to go before ripe. They will be small by agrobiz standards, but golden, sweet and fragrant!

Basil, Sage, Rosemary, Dill, oregano are perrenial here. Ravioli with sage/rosemary butter sauce!!!! MMMMMMMM!

My surinam cherry, grown from seeds collected from hedges produced it's first small tart fruits.

Salad greens recently planted are coming in.

I regularly harvest japanese sweet potato shoots and leaves...good in stir fry or soup. The last tubers I harvested were around thanksgiving... macrobiotic apple sweetpotato pie!

Burdock looks to have sprouted.

Daikon radishes are thriving.

Satoimo/Taro/Malanga has divided into many plants which I can harvest any time.

Peanuts planted by the squirrels have grown well, and I know there are some goobers under the soil.

Not bad for container gardening!

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Been experimenting the last few years. Last year tried 16 varieties of tomato's found 3 that will be my mainstays.

The year before did the same with greens and found half a dozen for that category.

This year it's root crops radish, green onion, turnips, corrots and the like. By next year I should have a basic scheme worked out for my specific conditions.

Then it's Katie bar the door, almost free nutritious grazing for me and mine. Yippie.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

I have miniature lime and lemon trees growing in organic potting soil, they have another year or two till they bear fruit but they're doing well sitting on my tortoise table in my 3rd story apartment. Half square foot of wheat is growing like mad under the same conditions, I grow it to feed the tortoise but I'm beginning to think it is fully possible to grow wheat and oats inside on a large scale. The parsley is just sitting there all stunted and small since it went a weekend without getting watered. The thing to note here is that my tortoise requires a full spectrum light with UVA/UVB output to synthesize vitamin D3 for healthy bone growth, the plants are al benefiting from this light in addition to that which comes through the window. That light may be the key to growing crops well inside urban dwellings.

I'll be out of the apartment and onto my acreage in a month, and it will be a most welcome return to right living. I'm thinking about getting a bunch of pvc and making an open air multilevel hydroponic garden with a solar powered pump that circulates water from either the existing pond or else a purpose built fish raising tank through the pipes to feed and water the plants. I could get a tank full of fish and two layers of crops using this method whereas I could only get one layer of crops with a more traditional setup.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Sounds like a nice set up with the aquaculture add on for some protein and free fertilizer.

Any specific type of fish in mind ? Catfish or some such I suppose to keep the pond clean.

One could do this in not many square feet. Suitable for a city lot even.

Post some snaps when it's up and running.

Maybe you could sell a kit or plans after refinement. You could call it The Home Grow-cery. Pays for itself in no time. Order yours today.

Might make a decent cottage supplemental income.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

QWAK,I am experimenting this year with a small 8'X10' greenhouse and asorted HYDROPONINC units I put together to demonstrate how almost any thing can be turned in to a hydroponic garden.

I decided to do a SILVER experiment after reading that it was common 100 years ago to put a silver dollar in the bottom of water barrels to keep the water from turning bad. SILVER is suposed to KILL single celled organisems so I figured ALGY too perhaps???:confused:

I put a SILVER ROUND in one 20 Gal. nutrent tank,the next I put one in the tank and another on the SURFACE of the growing media AFTER the alge had started to grow.

I also did one starting sith NO ALGE growing and a SILVER ROUND under the DRIP EMITER so it would be washed by each timed nutrent cicle.

Results of the experiment can be seen here.

http://www1.snapfish.com/thumbnailsh...07/t_=42015607

(you may have to create a screen name and pass word ?? )

Bottom line, SILVER had NO effect on ALGE! :albertein

PS: NOTE this could be a good place to STASH some BULLION as it is not likely any one would look in your poted plants, so a small stash would likely be safe from some one breaking in and looking for fast cash for drugs ----- in less you are STUPID ENOUGH to tell people you GOT BULLION!

the DUCK

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Being a duck, I would have thought you like pond scum. :aetsch:

:Sorry:

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

I'm going to have a killer crop of grapes this year, peaches are already bending branches, same with plumbs. Veggies are slow cause of persistant rains but we'll dry up soon and everything will take off.

Got my pressure canner ready to go.

After reading spuds post I'm going to try the dehydrator too.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

QWAK,bignome, IF you can't EAT IT why FEED IT? The purpose of the garden is to GROW FOOD, hopfully both effeciently and with the least time and effort.

The large 20 Gal tub units could be used on apt. balconies IF they have good sun exposure.

Just experimenting to see IF I can actualy grow FOOD,so far the Radishes and Lettuce taist great but to actualy be a part of daily food suplementing it is obvious that the greenhouse will need to be about 10X biger!

The PEAS are going GANG BUSTERS and I look forward to eating THEM I dbout any will make it to the house I like to eat them off of the vine.

the DUCK

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Everything I planted from seed is doing awesome. Everything I bought from Home Creepo, and garden centers in little pots is doing horrible.

BTW I'm using the Square Foot Gardening method. Using Cinderblocks.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Check it out, easy to set up with cinderblocks. Cost you less than 50 bucks. I'm not using Mel's mix BTW.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

http://www.liveducks.com/faqs.html#whatdotheyeat

No chocolate for you Duck! Seriously, don't tilapia eat algae?

http://www.liveducks.com/titles/title_faq2.gif What do ducks eat? http://www.liveducks.com/titles/title_faq3.gif Read my Care & Feeding page for basic duck and duckling feeding information.

Contrary to popular belief, bread and crackers are a dangerous food for ducks - occasional feeding of this is so-so, but your duck will suffer malnutrition if proper feeding is ignored. Chocolate is NOT safe for ducks and dogs. Avoid nuts and seeds. Duck have a different digestive system than most other birds and can't handle many of the same foods that are safe for some birds.

What they can eat off the menu: Aside from pelleted mash, their staple food (what they eat on a daily basis), they enjoy vegetable trimmings, algae, plants, snails, meal worms, night crawlers, coy food, feeder goldfish, and expensive landscaping.

Chopped, hard-boiled eggs are good for a treat. Some foods that are OK for adults are not particularly safe for a duckling, especially anything containing breads and certain dry foods, so check with your vet first.

Ducks in the wild eat a variety of plants, insects, and native foods that will differ from region and from breed to breed. Humans should never feed any ducks, including wild ducks

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Me too. Except using 2x6's with the 1/3rd vermiculite, 1/3 compost, and 1/3 peat mix. I just finished putting in our 8th (16 sq ft) garden complete with steel conduit trellises and 7" square nylon netting. Plus i have about 8 four sq foot portables with plywood bottoms for strawberries, lettuces, radishes, beets, and cherry tomatoes. To those unfamiliar with the Square Foot Gardening method this may seem small, but you would not believe the production you get out of each square foot in raised beds. You really maximize the space ... especially if you grow a vertical crop along the north wall of your garden.

We have sugar baby watermelons, cantaloupe, honeydews, tomatoes, cukes, beans, summer squash, and zuchinni all growing vertically up the 4 foot wide and 6 foot tall trellises. Rest of squares are filled with every kind of pepper growing, eggplant, onions, summer squash, carrots, spinach, swiss chard, bush tomatoes, arugula, all the herbs. Still harvesting broccoli here in north florida. Can't keep up with the vining vertical tomatoes. For every two we eat, the next day there are 4!

I'm totally new to gardening and am now hooked. Picking up the American pressure canner and a dehydrator this month for sure. Gotta buy one of those outdoor dual propane burners that Tn..andy recommended too for outdoor canner processing.

Best of all .. my kids are eating veggies like never before. We all are. And it feels GREAT!
:clap2:

Look forward to seeing this thread thrive ... hopefully like our gardens.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Forgot to mention that we are growing wheat grass indoors on 10x14" lunch trays on the window sill above the playroom. Great for the kiddies because from seed to harvest you're talking 7 to 10 days. We have an omega juicer and the wheatgrass shots are a great liver detox. Pure shots of chlorrophyl. My oldest son drinks shots of them with no chaser... yuck!!!!

ps... the used wheatgrass mats are great for the compost bin and the worms love 'em.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

I went with 3' X 20 raised beds this year.
Tried out a batch of non-hybrids from 1999. Stored Hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.

Blew me away when they all sprouted.
Corn, Peas, Squash, onions, carrots, beans, herbs, Cucs and tomatoes all coming up nicely.

Thinking of trying a Hydroponic greenhouse next

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

QWAK,Having a GARDEN brings you clocer to GOD! :cheerful: :grin: :albertein

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated
the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and
red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and
healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream
and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?"
And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add
some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure
that Man found so fair. And Satan brought forth white flour from the
wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size
6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Satan presented
Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man
and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil
in which to cook them." And Satan brought forth deep fried fish and
chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more
weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food
Cake," and said, "It is good." Satan then created chocolate cake and named
it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose
those extra pounds. And Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man
would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed
and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming
with nutrition. And Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the
starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and
still satisfy his appetite. And Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent
double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man
replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Satan said, "It is good." And Man
went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Satan created HMOs.

There is more money being spent on breast implants and Viagra today
than on Alzheimer's research. This means that by
2040, there should be a large elderly population with perky boobs and
huge erections and absolutely no recollection of what to do with them.

LOL,ROTFL:rofl: :banana: :elefant:

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Reminds me of that Andrew Dice Clay ditty...Mary Mary quite contrary...:aetsch:

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

We did not plant this spring, so I enjoyed reading about your gardens all the more.

Gardening is addictive!

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

One piece of advice for anyone trying the sq foot gardening using 1/2" electrical conduit in 6 foot lengths for trellises: scratch that and go with as high a trellis as you can comfortably reach. We are barely in June and we have 3 six foot tall trellises of tomatoes that are growing over the tops already. Most steel conduit comes in 10 ft lengths. When i put my next gardens in, i'm going with 8ft lengths for trellises. Might even try 10ft in one to see how it holds up. Probably need to use 48" rebar stakes to hold those suckers up!! We're even growing sugar baby watermelons (8-10 lb fruit), cantaloupe, honeydew melons, cukes, beans, zuchinni, and yellow crook neck squash vertically on trellises. You need to use old nylons as a sling to hold up the melons on the trellis netting. This is the trellis netting.

What a blast this has been for the kids. They are eating better than ever because "we grew it and harvested it ourselves" and the new catch-phrase at the dinner table is "Yummmy. Garden fresh!" Just this morning we had scrambled eggs with cut-up swiss chard, tomatoes, garlic, and radishes. Last night it was fried-green tomatoes and eggplant. 4 year old is eating salads. When i was his age i was eating FrankenBerry and Count Chocula for breakfast.

One other cool thing we're growing: stevia! Now... if i can just get some of those strawberries before they eat 'em.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth and populated
the Earth with broccoli, cauliflower and spinach, green and yellow and
red vegetables of all kinds, so Man and Woman would live long and
healthy lives.

Then using God's great gifts, Corporate Satan created Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream and Krispy Creme Donuts. And Satan said, "You want chocolate with that?" And Man said, "Yes!" and Woman said, "and as long as you're at it, add
some sprinkles." And they gained 10 pounds. And Corporate Satan smiled.

And God created the healthful yogurt that Woman might keep the figure
that Man found so fair. And Corporate Satan brought forth white flour from the wheat, and sugar from the cane and combined them. And Woman went from size 6 to size 14.

So God said, "Try my fresh green salad." And Corporate Satan presented
Thousand-Island Dressing, buttery croutons and garlic toast on the side. And Man and Woman unfastened their belts following the repast.

God then said, "I have sent you heart healthy vegetables and olive oil
in which to cook them." And Corporate Satan brought forth deep fried fish and chicken-fried steak so big it needed its own platter. And Man gained more weight and his cholesterol went through the roof.

God then created a light, fluffy white cake, named it "Angel Food
Cake," and said, "It is good." Corporate Satan then created chocolate cake and named it "Devil's Food."

God then brought forth running shoes so that His children might lose
those extra pounds. And Corporate Satan gave cable TV with a remote control so Man would not have to toil changing the channels. And Man and Woman laughed and cried before the flickering blue light and gained pounds.

Then God brought forth the potato, naturally low in fat and brimming
with nutrition. And Corporate Satan peeled off the healthful skin and sliced the starchy center into chips and deep-fried them. And Man gained pounds.

God then gave lean beef so that Man might consume fewer calories and
still satisfy his appetite. And Corporate Satan created McDonald's and its 99-cent double cheeseburger. Then said, "You want fries with that?" And Man
replied, "Yes! And super size them!" And Corporate Satan said, "It is good." And Man went into cardiac arrest.

God sighed and created quadruple bypass surgery.

Then Corporate Satan created HMOs.







Corporate Soul; to declare life to the inanimate objects of legal fictions, the creation of "IT", the lifeless "beast" of greed that feeds upon life to sustain "ITs" existance.

.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

I made big cages of 6 foot hog wire. My tomatoes eventually top that too, but it was the tallest I found in stock. The nice thing is you can move them around. You cut the ground end squares so you have tines to secure them.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

I knew i shouldn't have started bragging about my tomatoe crop. "pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall ..." No sooner did i post the above comments and all of a sudden our tomotoes were stricken with the dreaded blight of some sort. It has happened very quick ... leaves turning yellow and brown. It's spread its way to 3 out of 4 of our tomato patches. I scoured the 'net gardening sites last night and pretty much have read that there is no cure once the plants get the blight. Going to try spraying with a baking soda, vegetable oil mixture today and see if that'll save them. Also read that companion planting with basil may help curb the spread of any ground-based diseases (which i think blights are). Last night i cut off most of the dead limbs. What was once a proud, beautiful set of tomatoe producing plants know looks like a diseased pariah in our garden! Should have never started flappin' my big yapper. Arggggghhhh.
:haha:

We just got the canner and dehydrator today too, and were all excited about canning our first batch of 'maters ... Oh well.... If anyone has any down-home special cures for blight, my family and i sure would appreciate it.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Well, i trimmed all the dead and blighted leaves and vines off our tomato plants. Where there was once a beautiful wall of thick green leaves dotted with bright red tomatoes is now replaced by the skeletal remains of spindly tomato plants with ripening fruit. Gonna hopefully try a home-made concoction of hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and vegetable oil to save the last vestiges of my once proud wall of tomatoes. We shall see ...

On a ligher note, the honeydews, sugar baby's watermelons, and cantaloupe are taking over their trellises now. Okra coming up. Peppers galore. And more eggplant than we can eat. Man just one of those suckers fried up in a skillet feeds our whole family as a side dish at dinner. Harvested the last of our brocolli and had to pull it out. Can't wait until fall when we can plant tons of brocolli and cauliflower ... besides Asparagus ... this is our favorite veggie to put in the steamer.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

3JT - do you do any perrenials up there? How far north on the peninsula are you? Do you get frosts up there?

Down here, we are firmly sub-tropical. One frost in 7 years since I've lived there. Love my perrenials, cause you only plant once and just keep harvesting forever. Tomatoes are actually a perrenial, but they usually don't produce well after a certain point.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Basil grows as a perrenial here... though eventually it tends to go seed, and leaf production goes down. But it reseeds itself very nicely. I have a traditional genovese sweet basil, can't eat it fast enough. Also have some tiny Thai basil sprouts coming in. Be happy to mail some basil seeds if you like.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

This is our first year gardening so not sure about what will last as perennials. We have basil and harvest it everyday for salads and for BLT's and sandwiches. Everything in our gardens is new as of feb this year. We have basil, oregano, stevia, echinacia (sp), peppermint, spearmint, tarragon, parsley, arugula, cilantro and they've all been fine so far. We live in north florida right on the beach. Atlantic side. Definitely no frost. And its always 10 degrees warmer here than inland in the winters.

Re; perennials... I'll tell you the one perennial we would love to do is Asparagus. Have you tried those? If so, would love some "tips" ... pun intended.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Sorry, no tips on asparagus.

My 3 favorite subtropical perrenials are japanese sweet potato (greens & tubers), Taro (sold at publix as "malanga") & pineapple. Not sure how the pineapples would do up your way, though might work. Very tough plants, a treat, but not a high yield. Taro & sweet potato should do fine. Also, you might look into pigeon pea... a legume that will produce for 3 years, maybe more and fix nitrogen in the soil.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Three J Tribe, This may help your tomatos...it's from Jerry Baker the garden guru that uses all those whacky formulas..
9 parts water
1 part skim milk
mist on with a hand sprayer
I haven't tried this since we are lucky with our tomatos

For aspargus we use a dedicated raised bed full of compost..and of course start with aspargus crowns, we used Johnny's Seeds

We use raised beds for all of our vegatable growing. 20 beds so far and more planned this year, We use concrete blocks w/ holes up filled and planted w/ creeping thyme.
Bed site is prepped by double digging, add compost, sand, & peat moss.
works great in our heavy clay soil.
Good Luck

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Thanks Brewer! ... will try it. Already tried my baking soda/veg oil concoction. We'll see. Also just picked up a 55 gallon food-grade commodities barrel to use for rainwater collection to start our gravity fed drip irrigation system. Need to get some 1/2" poly drip pipe and the 1/4" micro tube with button drippers. Also going to connect another barrel to the first one which will give over 100 gallons of water storage just for our little plots. We, too, are using raised beds. We have 10 beds but we're doing the intensive sq ft gardening using 16 sq ft beds each, which is not alot of area, but yields high due to use of vertical gardening with trellises.

Just curious ... how big are your asparagus beds. Heard you need alot of room to get enough to feed a family. We've got 3 kids and they eat the stuff like cotton candy. So do I! I eat one bundle by myself. And at $3-$4 a bundle its getting expensive.

Thanks again for the tomatoe tip!
:beer:

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

QWAK,This may help as a source of hydroponic components also stuff for fish farming etc.

https://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/

Hope it is of some help.

the DUCK

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Do they sell it in pet stores? Also, does it have any negative or positive effect on human health?

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Three J Tribe, Our aspargus bed is 4'x16'. It's sufficient for the 2 of us.
Aspargus production here in SE Ohio depends a lot on the weather.Once the seasonal growth slows down we let the spears grow and mature into full foilage, this keeps the root system established.
In the winter we cut the dead foilage add compost then mulch.
For your consumption you might want to try 2 or 3 beds in rotation.

We also use 55 gal plastic barrels to catch rain water, we just use a watering can, but we created what I call "Disney barrels". We painted them to look like wood...fooled a lot of folks.

Best to filter the water for debris or it might clog that low pressure gravity drip system.
Good luck and take care with your upcoming hurricane season.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

Thanks for the tips Brewer! Asparagus will have to remain a dream for us for right now...

Picked up a couple more recycled 55 gallon food-quality feed barrels. Drilled holes every few inches thru one and am using for an extra compost bin. Using the others for rainwater collection. We don't pay for water but i thought it'd be nice to learn how to "harvest" rainwater from roof. Plus it's a fun project for the kids to learn how to setup a gravity-fed drip irrigation system. My wife thinks i'm a moron for putting this in (since water is free)
:haha:
Dug trenches from downspouts to our sq. ft gardens. Laid out the 1/2" poly tube from rain barrels to the gardens. Buried them and replaced sod on top. Then laid out the watering grids in each garden. This weekend i'll start popping in the flag and button drippers (Flag drippers pop open and are easier to clean debris) to each sq. foot and then start adding each subsequent garden to the chain. Need to make sure that there's enough pressure to reach all the gardens. Putting the barrels up on concrete block should do the trick... i hope.

Harvesting lots of peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, strawberries, arugula, swiss chard, radishes, beets, squash, carrots, lettuce. Cantaloupe, Hnydews, Sugarbaby watermelons, okra, and corn on the way shortly.

ps... for anyone buying land, there is nothing more important than having a reliable source of water.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

3 J Tribe, I agree, If you don't have water, you don't have sh*t,,
in the way back my former Fn law bought 110 acres of Idaho hillside that did'nt have any water, unless you wanted to drill 1500 ft!! and even then it was a gamble...Hauling clean potable water is a pain in the ass, cisterns work, but have their limitations.

Damn, those eggplants and strawberrys sound good!
Good luck with your new water/irrigation system.
Stay safe with the upcoming hurricane season.

Re: How does your garden grow?
 

3JT
try some calcium for your tomato plants, ground up egg shells.

also, tomato plants seem more sensitive to overwatering than a lot of other plants, I grow them in pots, when it rains to much here, I just take the saucers away, let the pots drain out, hopefully dry them out some....

HTH
Sarge