Gardening. Tips, and General conversation

[Nude in the North]

Is anyone interested in having some conversation about Gardening?
We don't have to limit it to what we can do nude. As in my case a large portion of my garden is out in the open where I must be clothed.
I just thought it would be fun to get something started where we could compare our gardens or share our knowledge.

Steve

[Nude in the North]

Just to get things started. I'll tell you about my garden.
I have over 2 acres of tilled land for my vegetable garden. I am trying to start a "farmers market" type of thing. We have had measured success the first 2 seasons, and hope to continue to "grow". (pun intended)

Our last frost date is in early may, so it will be awhile before I actually start planting anything. But I have received most of my seeds already. I plant many different things, but tomatos, onions, peppers, squash, pumpkins, and potatos are some of the best sellers.

Anyone else seriously into gardening? Feel free to comment or ask questions.

Steve

[danorganic]

You have a two acre vegetable garden? Wow you tend that all by yourself?

I am taking the Master Gardener Program currently. I am turning my backyard city lot into a vegetable and fruit garden mostly. And yet want to grow some privacy screens around it too trying not to shade out the garden. I have about a 1000 sguare foot vegie garden space. My whole backyard is about 80' by 80',guessing.
Dan

[Fuzzy Nuts]

We have a much earlier spring on Vancouver Island. I can put in my onions anytime that they are available in stores - usually find them late February but they could go in now. Our annuals all go in in late April and first frost is not until early October. With that being said I envy your size of garden - We just have a small plot in back yard to plant tomatoes, onions, lettuce, and cucmbers for our own use.

However backyard is completely fenced in so can do all gardeneing naked.

[Nude in the North]

Around here planting potatos can be done around the first 2 weeks of april. Onions shortly after that. But any tender annuals like peppers or tomatos are better left protected untill atleast the first week of may.

I'm still learning which varieties of onions and tomatos grow best in this area. But last year I had some Onions reach 1 pound.

I spend around 30 hours a week in my garden during the growing season. Over time I hope to learn better ways to save time and produce more.

But it's great therapy. I don't mind the work or the time spent in the garden.

Steve

[alfredr]

Potatoes: My dad always said, (in northern Illinois) that potatoes should be planted on Good Friday. A neighbor here in suburban Atlanta, Georgia (there are other Atlantas) told us that potatoes should be planted on Ash Wednesday.

Anybody have other guidelines for planting?

Corn should be planted when oak leaves are the size of a squirrel's ear.

Nude in the north, what do you use for equipment for two acres?

For those on the metric system, two acres is about eight-tenths of a hectare.

[Geo]

I don't have enough sunny space in my yard for a vegetable garden. We do have space for a small herb garden. We also have a compost bin that we have been adding leaves, food scraps, and water to, so we can use that in the garden. It is nice to have a project like that to tend to.

[danorganic]

Hey Geo a shade garden is always nice too.
I was just reading an article on the "No till" garden interesting concept, it is natures way and you can plant sooner in that you dont have to wait for the soil to be dry enough so you can till. Just let the worms till the soil and keep adding organic mulches to the top. I will be trying this in my raised vegetable beds.
Dan

[Big-Thinker]

I've loved plants since I was a kid. I have a garden, several types of berries, and a bunch of tropical stuff in a small greenhouse. I'm trying to complete the privacy of my yard so I can tend my whole yard & garden nude with no fear of being seen.

[RalphVa]

I'm a master gardener and editor of our local MG newsletter, every month. I'm also a naked gardener.

Cold crop stuff can be started NOW. Potatoes are typically put out on St. Patties' Day. We can put in corn and beans about 10 days apart through most of the summer, starting about the middle of May for corn and end of May for beans. Onions can be grown through the winter or through the summer, or both. I'm some out there now.

I've a 50x80 patch down below along the creek and a couple little ones up here by the house. I give all the extra away at church.

Am trying something new down below on the big garden. Had a solar blanket left from the pool. Cut it and some erosion fence up and put the strips between the raised rows. All the raised rows are now fully mulched. I just take away a little bit of mulch where I need to put seeds in.

Biggest problem I've had is trying to get winter squash to grow. Squash beetles eat it when very small. Then the squash borers attack it once it runs (if any get that big). Had to use Rotenone on colorado potato beetles last year because they got so bad. I'm all organic.

[vapaa]

Hi, Steve, I also like gardening,
but in our climate not all plants can grow,
so different Thuyas, Pines, Junipers, flowering bushes
are the anternative.
My dream is to build a greenhouse for our
palms, orchids and cacti.

[Nude in the North]

quote:

Nude in the north, what do you use for equipment for two acres?

I have a 3 ft. tiller I pull behind a riding mower, for the main tilling. A 17 inch tiller and a Mantis tiller for weeding between the rows.
A spade, a couple Hoe's, and a garden rake.

I was lucky enough to have a neighbor Disk the garden last fall. He saved me hours of cleaning up vines and tilling.

All the planting and Harvesting is done by hand.

Steve

[alfredr]

I have more equipment than I had had a need for while living in Marietta, but now out here in Rockmart, I'm going to get to put more of it to use. I have a 30+ year old Allis-Chalmers garden tractor with mower deck and an even older Gravely walk-behind tractor with the mower deck, rotary cultivator, rotary plow and the ride-behind sulky.

I grew up on a farm, maybe it shows in that I've held on to this equipment for years without a use for it. Now I have to get it back into shape along with reclaiming the garden space here that had been let go for several years: digging up the trees that are growing there and trimming, cutting down over-hanging trees so it will get more light. Although it is close to neighbors and I don't want to open it up enough that I need to wear clothes.

Danorganic: I have done no-till in the garden for several years. That's where the leaves go in the fall, sometimes even pick up more leaves from the landscaper's dumpster down the street.

[danorganic]

Well great alfredr. I have heard another say how they like the no-till garden. They just add leaves in fall and cover the bed for winter like you have been.

[RalphVa]

I'm doing no till for my veggie garden this year. The rows are all mulched, and I've laid down plastic between the rows to control weeds there, as I had an old solar blanket from the swimming pool, an old tarp and erosion fencing.

Think it's the right way to go after reading the book, Teaming with Microbes. Best not to till and to disturb the tunnels undergrow that the microbes and worms have made that are good for distributing moisture and nutrients to the roots.

I had to remake the rows of the garden 2 years ago after converting from my Gravely to little JD 4010. I used a disc hiller rig to do the rows with the JD and got 20 rows where I had only 13 made with the Gravely rotary plow, as I could do them much more uniformly with the JD.

Last year, I mulched ahead of time and just took away mulch where I wanted to seed.