nosta
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Location: Upstate South Carolina

hit or miss wrote:Nice gardens folks! I'll have some pics sometime, if it ever warms up and I have something to show. I'm really wishing I had some of those huge boulders in my yard, they are cool! 8)
they're for sale...but you have to move them. 8)

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hendi_alex
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Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

[A couple of questions: Should I wait a few more weeks to mulch with straw? The weeds are starting to hurt my back, but I wanna make sure the ground is well warmed before mulching.

And, I have the cucumbers (bush spacemaster) and melons planted inside those old tomato cages. What is the maximum number of plants I should grow inside each cage?

And, when the peas and spinach peter out, I was planning on planting corn there. What's the latest I can plant corn? Any suggestion as to which variety? (I've never grown corn before)]


The ground warms so early here, I just mulch as soon as I'm ready to do so. For lots of things I only mulch the perimeter to keep the weeks from encroaching so that doesn't really affect the soil temperature in the planting areas which are easily weeded with minimal effort.

My inclination would be to plant thee cucumber seeds per cage and then thin to the two strongest plants. Any more and you will have such a jungle on your cages that it will be hard to find the cucumbers. Heck, if you get six healthy cucumber vines, then you will be giving away cucumbers by the basket full. For succession planting following peas and spinach, I go ahead and plant the corn for example right beside or mixed in with the other plants. By the time the corn starts getting any size, the other crops will be finished. The peas will even give the corn a bit of nitrogen. I don't particularly care for the triple sweet varieties of corn. I love silver queen and the past couple of years have also planted Double Delicious (SE).

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jal_ut
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[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/slate_slide.jpg[/img]

OK, there is nothing to show right now. Things are just starting to wake up. Here is a shot looking East from my garden in the fall.

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jal_ut
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SPierce,
Is it possible I could plant some plants in my clay soil, and not kill them?
Yes, indeed. The main thing to watch with clay soil is; Do Not Work It When Too Damp!

If you can work even a little organic matter into that native soil it will most likely grow some good crops.

I move strawberry plants in the spring. I like to move the new ones not the two year old ones. They transplant quite well.

I had a similar thing happen one time. I had some strawberries planted in a container. Next thing I knew, they had jumped out and in two years I had a 12 foot wide patch of strawberries. These were June bearers and the variety sure put out a lot of runners.

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SPierce
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Location: Massachusetts

jal_ut wrote:SPierce,
Is it possible I could plant some plants in my clay soil, and not kill them?
Yes, indeed. The main thing to watch with clay soil is; Do Not Work It When Too Damp!

If you can work even a little organic matter into that native soil it will most likely grow some good crops.

I move strawberry plants in the spring. I like to move the new ones not the two year old ones. They transplant quite well.

I had a similar thing happen one time. I had some strawberries planted in a container. Next thing I knew, they had jumped out and in two years I had a 12 foot wide patch of strawberries. These were June bearers and the variety sure put out a lot of runners.
Thank you ! I just really, really want pumpkins this year, and would like to be able to grow more vining varieties without having to worry about room. I will make sure they get plenty of compost mixed in with the soil.

and, yes, I get the ever expanding strawberries as well. I started last year with 6 plants, in half of a 4x4 bed.

This year they've taken over the entire bed, and the space in between the bed, as well!

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Spicy Chicken
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Location: Wisconsin

Nice gardens every one, Wow!
Last edited by Spicy Chicken on Mon May 09, 2011 11:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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hendi_alex
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Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina

Update with a little more detail.

Tomatoes:
Trying a few tomatoes in smaller than normal pots, only three gallon. Am pruning all suckers and allowing central leader to climb a single rod support.

Juliet
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2310/5702857801_6b06b051a2_o.jpg[/img]

Grape
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5224/5703426998_182242f942_o.jpg[/img]

Patio
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2165/5703424834_4aea09b769_o.jpg[/img]
Plants in larger 25 gallon containers:

Sweet Cluster
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2419/5703426240_949e55fbf3_o.jpg[/img]

Juliet
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5142/5703425874_095c0583cc_o.jpg[/img]

In ground tomatoes, various slicing tomatoes:
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/5703426690_952623fa54_o.jpg[/img]

[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5181/5703425368_b771e62819_o.jpg[/img]

One of about 8 container grown egg plants:
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2034/5702853063_2081b82cb7_o.jpg[/img]

First cukes of the season
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2777/5702853351_d15b1d0bd7_o.jpg[/img]

One of four zucchini plants. Just picked our third small harvest today.
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5184/5703405607_c8e446f94e_o.jpg[/img]

Beans mixed with romaine. Have three beds of beans with more to be planted.
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5026/5703423728_0ee3e23874_o.jpg[/img]

One of three lettuce beds. Has been heavily picked, pinching outer leaves as they get size.
[img]https://farm3.static.flickr.com/2580/5702853643_c3d39a7ddd_o.jpg[/img]

Sugar Snaps, already showing effects of the heat, but still very productive and very tasty.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3354/5703406455_d8798d9974_o.jpg[/img]

Corn is now 1-2 feet tall.
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5228/5703406061_202d5f7bf6_o.jpg[/img]

One of a dozen or so pepper plants in 3 gallon pots.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3415/5703405227_b0850c06d9_o.jpg[/img]

Strawberrries are down to a trickle but our many beds still provide plenty for our daily forage.
[img]https://farm4.static.flickr.com/3453/5703424030_ddea8acbf3_o.jpg[/img]

Raspberries just getting started:
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5301/5702854881_72b127fdd6_o.jpg[/img]

Blueberries beginning to turn:
[img]https://farm6.static.flickr.com/5102/5702854543_6250d73258_o.jpg[/img]

Lunacy
Cool Member
Posts: 91
Joined: Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:16 pm
Location: Los Angeles

Wow! Am I impressed with you guys! Spicy Chicken should be disqualified though, because that's not a garden, it's an incredible farm! And yes I am jealous! :D

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Spicy Chicken
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Location: Wisconsin

Fair enough.

It is only my garden, but removed the pics anyway, sorry!

Jeff.

Lunacy
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Posts: 91
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Location: Los Angeles

Spicy, surely you didn't remove the your pics because of my jest!? :oops:

Your garden is incredible and all should be allowed to see it. I was only joking because my simple backyard garden is probably 1/8 the size of yours. But I really loved the pictures as it gives me something to hope for.

DoubleDogFarm
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Lunacy,

The truck is loaded, I'll be right down.
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Farmers%20Market/VegetableGardenMay7th2011014.jpg[/img]

I've been busy with the repair business and growing starts for sale, my garden is way behind from previous years.

Eric

garden5
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Location: ohio

Amazing gardens, everyone.

Spicy, we're only kidding :lol:. Your pics are really great. I'm sure I'm not the only pepper grower here who would love to have such a great farm/garden like that.

Mine has weeds all over it since I've not had a chance yet to cultivate it due to the rain.

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lilcee
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Posts: 203
Joined: Thu May 20, 2010 1:22 pm
Location: Florida

Amazing gardens. Love to see pics of what everyone is doing. I have a small garden - 2nd year planting here. I used to live in NY and had a huge garden but here in FL the soil is so much different so am having to learn all over again (it's been prob 35 yrs since I had a garden)

Peas
[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1461.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1455.jpg[/img]

Beans
[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1460.jpg[/img]

Volunteer Potatoes
[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1454.jpg[/img]

Okra
[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1453.jpg[/img]

Squash
[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1452.jpg[/img]


[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1451.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1450.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1449.jpg[/img]

Carrots
[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1448.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q200/lilcee1947/100_1446.jpg[/img]



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