((Serious Gardening))

[Smittenroade]

Quote:
Lets pray that next summer isn't as bad...I could make a whole thread on all the problems we are having on our ranch from that horrible drought. Wildfires, topsoil blown away, ponds dried up, no hay, trees dieing ect.

Texas is like Satans new ashtray.

 

[Kansaseq]

Hi Everyone!
Is anyone gearing up for their spring planting? I'm planning a bigger garden this year, with heirloom tomatoes, peppers, okra, beets, squash, some cucumbers, lavender, basil, and catnip. Should be an interesting garden, if it doesn't die again from the heat and drought like it did last year. I'm just waiting for my neighbor to come till up the plot again this year so I can start. What's everyone planting?

 

[happyhensny]

Going to try raised beds this year. My underground crops do not do well, our soil is rocks and clay.

 

[Kassaundra]

My garden is expanding this year too. This will be the first full year of the "Chicken Garden", I've already been planting onions, garlic, potatoes, aspargus, peas. Today I plan on planting more of those plus broccoli, brussel sprouts, greens, root veggies, and start peppers, tomatoes in the house. I plan on planting all the usuals squash, cukes, okra, beans, herbs, edible flowers, sorghum sweet potatoes, and I'm sure I'm forgetting some things. I wanted to plant out quinoa this spring but do not have that area prepaired so I may try it this fall instead.

 

[NanaKat]

Yes...alrady have the raised beds worked ith compost and many are planted: Carrots, Sugarsnap peas, spinach, lettuces (Romaine and Red leaf plants and then seed too), radishes ( 3 varieties), Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes, onions ( 5 varieties), cabbage (3 varieties), Brocolli, collards.
Tomatoe and pepper plants are up and growing along with more lettuce and brocolli.
Only have 3 beds to finish cleaning and turning. Turnips are growing out the wazooooo.
Hate it that the fruit trees are blooming early. We can get a freeze late in March that kills the fruit.....

 

[Kassaundra]

Yes...alrady have the raised beds worked ith compost and many are planted: Carrots, Sugarsnap peas, spinach, lettuces (Romaine and Red leaf plants and then seed too), radishes ( 3 varieties), Russet and Yukon Gold potatoes, onions ( 5 varieties), cabbage (3 varieties), Brocolli, collards.
Tomatoe and pepper plants are up and growing along with more lettuce and brocolli.
Only have 3 beds to finish cleaning and turning. Turnips are growing out the wazooooo.
Hate it that the fruit trees are blooming early. We can get a freeze late in March that kills the fruit.....

You have tomatoes and peppers up and growing outside?

 

[sumi]

Hi everyone, am in an awkward time now as autumn's approaching and it's too early to plant winter vegetables. Our winters are very mild, i.e. no snow, and our summers are hell.
I've just sown some carrot seeds and I'm waiting for some potatoes to start sprouting so I can plant them too. The green beans have done their bit now and I must just harvest seeds for next year and the tomatoes, peppers, herbs and spinach are still going strong. My zucchinis are trying, but they are getting stung before they reach an edible size. Any organic suggestions would be most welcome! Luckily I've managed to get a good crop before the bugs got interested and I've frozen some. Would like to fill the freezer a bit more before season's over though. I did freeze quite a lot of beans and we should be o.k. over winter with those and winter vegetables. I'm going to turn the tomatoes into pasta sauce for winter.
My aim is to grow as much food on our farm as possible so we can cut the food bill a lot. Food prices are insanely high in our part of the world. Between my hens, my pigs, which we slaughter, and my garden I'm hoping we'll be able to get at least half our food from our land by winter.
I'm quite proud to say that very nearly all the food in our freezer came from our fruit trees, our pig (r.i.p) and our garden!

 

[Kassaundra]

What is getting your zuchs?

 

[sumi]

I'm not sure what they're called, but they look like tiny wasps. They sting the fruit and lay an egg which hatches into a little worm which makes the fruit rot. One or two stings can wipe out quite a large zucchini. I really don't want to spray poison in my garden, but I've been unable to find an organic solution. Any advice would be much appreciated!

 

[Kassaundra]

Are these what your talking about?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_vine_borer