my first vegetable garden w/ pics suggestions welcome

[speedster7926]

Ok I have posted some pics before about some problems I have had but I solved them and now these are some pics of my garden they are taken w/ my phone so not the best I got a U shaped raised bed that on the sides is 3ft wide and 12ft long and the main section is 4ft wide and 10ft long I planted the following: 5 husky cherry tomatoes, 6 green bell peppers, 1 chili red pepper, 1 cow horn pepper, 1 jalapeno pepper, 1 zucchini, 6 cucumber, 5 yellow crookneck squash, and 6 okra along the side then added 2 mint plants for smell and some pest control these are the pics:

the front of my garden
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00128.jpg[/img]

the back of my garden
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00127.jpg[/img]

the left side of my garden
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00126.jpg[/img]

closeup on the left front
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00146.jpg[/img]

closeup on the left back
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00145.jpg[/img]

closeup on the right front
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00147.jpg[/img]

closeup on the right back
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00148.jpg[/img]

and another cucumber on the vine still
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00150.jpg[/img]

and then these are some pics of what I have already harvested

my cowhorn peppers
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00125.jpg[/img]

my not hot chili pepper
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00121.jpg[/img]

my squash
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00116.jpg[/img]

and my monster cucumber I have 2 but only took a pic of 1
[img]https://i823.photobucket.com/albums/zz153/speedster7926/garden%20pics/IMG00131.jpg[/img]

any suggestions for this fall on what to do because I already have seeds to plant and I would like to know when to plant them inside and then what I need to do before I plant in my garden please I need all the help I can get lol very new to this

[supagirl277]

Did you know that mint is invasive? It will grow everywhere in your garden if you don't contain it.

[GardenJester]

yes, if you are going to grow mint in your garden, you should contain it. Plant it in a plastic pot and bury the pot. you can even use a bottomless pot to help with drainage, cause the mint root doesn't go all that deep but they do spread all over the place.

[supagirl277]

If it has a bottom and holes then you want to make sure you keep the roots from escaping the pot. They will go out and make new shoots. It's best to put it on top of cardboard on the ground so it can still drain, but there is an obvious separation between the roots and the soil below

[tedln]

They are all right about the mint. Other than that, you have a very nice garden. Looking at your plants, you must have done a very good job with your soil.

It appears you are growing in the shade of a pretty large tree. If you plant your garden early, before the tree puts on its spring leaves; the spot will look pretty sunny. After the tree is full of leaves, excessive shade will retard the growth of some plants. It's easy to tell people to plant where you will get full sun on your garden. The truth is some plants do better longer with some shade that modifies the intensity of the Southern sun. You simply need to make sure your garden gets enough either early morning or later afternoon sunlight. The shade will retard the growth/production of your garden, but it will live longer into the hot summer months.

There are a few other problems you may want to be watch out for when planting close to trees. Some nut trees like Black Walnut emit a chemical which prevents other plants from growing well close to it. Many trees in the Southern states also have a cycle where certain caterpillars grow on the tree in the spring and summer and their droppings really make a mess on the vegetables you plan to eat all summer.

What variety of cucumber is that. I'm growing three varieties this year including Armenian. I'm growing the Armenian simply because they grow that long and possibly longer. I think the Armenian has ridges running the entire length of the fruit and yours appears to have smooth skin.

What do you have growing on the fence in the background? Grapes or
Honeysuckle?

When to plant is a good question. In southern Florida, it's pretty easy to answer by simply saying almost anytime after early January. Southport is closer to Southern Alabama and Southern Louisiana in climate. It isn't that uncommon for you to get some pretty hard freezes even in January. My guess is to seed them inside in mid January for a mid to late February planting outside or seed them outside in mid February. You should miss any late frost that way.
Ted

[speedster7926]

To answer the cucumber question I didn,t look at the pot when bought. It came from walmart I will look soon ans yes those are grapes well skuplins or however you spell it but I do have honeysuckle everywhere and the tree over my garden is a red maple and a flowering pear but it still gets lots of sun just not eary sun unfortunately and yes I do know about the mint but I found that out like a week ago way too late though

[tedln]

To answer the cucumber question I didn,t look at the pot when bought. It came from walmart I will look soon ans yes those are grapes well skuplins or however you spell it but I do have honeysuckle everywhere and the tree over my garden is a red maple and a flowering pear but it still gets lots of sun just not eary sun unfortunately and yes I do know about the mint but I found that out like a week ago way too late though

Scuppernong or Muscadine wild grape. Those are supposed to produce large white or bronze fruit and be very good to eat. Do you use them or just let them grow as many people do. I wish I could grow them, but my climate is wrong for them. I have a friend who has the largest Muscadine vinyard in the state of Texas, but it is closer to the coast. He grows twelve varieties. Your variety is the state fruit of North Carolina.

Ted

[speedster7926]

Well these are dark purple and we def eat them last year we got almost 100 lbs lol they are so sweet

[applestar]

It's not too late to transplant the mint plants. "Transplant shock" doesn't exist in mint vocabulary. Mint actually pulls out fairly easily, especially from loose soil, but it will also spread easily in loose soil after getting established and it starts sending out runners. But if you're willing to just pull any that grows out of "bounds" it's not that bad.

Some of my strawberries and mint grow together in the same bed, and even though it's probable that the strawberries might produce more without the mint, they seem to co-exist pretty well. After the first flush of strawberries, the mint starts to really take off so I rip them out wholesale. This way, the strawberries don't get too shaded and more air circulation can be provided for less fungal problems. I just leave a patch so the mint can keep growing and and flower -- attracts all kinds of nectar-loving insects. Despite this rough treatment, I always have plenty of mint.

[speedster7926]

tedln the cucumbers that I have growing is a burpless hybrid looked at walmart today lol

[DoubleDogFarm]

speedster7926,

Very nice set up. Only thing I can think of is add more soil-compost. Fill in the box as you go. Other then that, Well done