Your 2025 Garden

[CatInTheHenHouse]

They all were dated for 2024. They came from different seed sources. All had good seed in the past too.

Could something have eaten them?

 

[NanaK]

I planted 3 kinds of beans in a single row late summer for a fall crop last year and none germinated. I can't believe I got 3 bad packages of seed. I'm doing a germ test this year of all my bean seed in a controlled environment without extremes. Last year we had 3-4 days of extreme heat after I planted. I can't believe that the heat was the culprit either. That is something that has never happened before.

Gardening is sometimes like keeping chickens. Sadly sometimes we loose one and don't know why.

 

[NanaK]

Walked through the garden Saturday. Picked some collards for the chickens. They were happy about that.

 

[Nomadicus]

I'm planning on picking collards Wednesday to go with the purple hull peas and a sweet potato. There are some buggy leaves that the chickens will have an opportunity to turn their beaks up at. Not sharing the prime leaves with them. They get out most days now and have access to clover and wild mustard.

 

[Apis mellifera]

Still early for me but was checking out seeds and was a bit surprised to see Burpee is charging almost a dollar a seed for some tomatoes. Need less to say I won't be ordering from Burpee.

 

[Nomadicus]

Still early for me but was checking out seeds and was a bit surprised to see Burpee is charging almost a dollar a seed for some tomatoes. Need less to say I won't be ordering from Burpee.

It's not just Burpee. Sad to say Burpee sold out some years back and is no longer a family business. I believe Ball Seed bought the rights to the business name. I too looked at their catalog and see a few new things I'd like to try but most likely will not. There is not enough flat ground here as it is to plant everything I'd like to. What I have noticed is that instead of by the ounce and pound a lot of companies are offering seed by the count now. Maybe they want us to think we are getting a bargain when there are a 100 seed in a package of beans or corn. This year our black eyed peas will come from the grocery aisle instead of a seed catalog. My parents did that all the time. One thing I want to plant this year that also comes from the grocery aisle is Great Northern beans. They will green shell and freeze.

 

[CatInTheHenHouse]

People who use marigolds to discourage pests of the four-legged variety, how do you arrange them in relation to your crops? Do they need to make a solid perimeter? I got seeds with the intention of growing them to help keep out chipmunks, rabbits, deer and so on, but I’m also planning to use beneficial nematodes and I’m sketchy on if those will be safe if I put the marigolds in the same planter since they’re supposed to kill off the non-beneficial root knot nematodes. I can plant a few in smaller pots and put them around the planters but I don’t know how crazy I would need to get.

 

[NanaK]

People who use marigolds to discourage pests of the four-legged variety, how do you arrange them in relation to your crops?

I plant french marigolds and zinnias in the garden for root knot nematodes. For this they seem to work very well.

The marigolds never stopped the 4-legged creatures. The deer and rabbits reach over or go through them. The only thing I've found to stop fuzzy critters is netting or a fence.
I still get a few voles sometimes.

I do not know about how they affect the beneficials.

 

[Nomadicus]

Enough seed for 24 heads of cabbage were planted earlier today. I would like to plant a dozen plants every other week this year now. Enough to keep 5-6 families in cabbage.

 

[Nomadicus]

While out today I'm going to look for some Bok Choi seed and might pickup some lettuce too. I like to grow semi head lettuce. I've never grown romaine before so that is on the seed want list too. I'm expecting sticker shock when I find the new racks of seed on display.