Is your garden all planted?

[sheeshshe]

I JUST came inside from getting the last of it in the ground! YEAH!!! its a good feeling!

[stella1751]

I JUST came inside from getting the last of it in the ground! YEAH!!! its a good feeling!

I just came in from ALMOST finishing the prep on a new bed for the Habaneros. Rocks have been cleared. The soil has been spaded and raked. I spread peat moss, bone meal, and vermiculite on top as amendments. I am currently trying to convince myself that a new bed with peppers as its first crop doesn't need compost. If I am successful in deluding myself, all that is left to do to make it perfect is to add two bags of top soil, work the soil (by hand, can't help myself), and screw the rest of the bed frame on.

I'm exhausted. The Habaneros, poor rootbound guys, will have to wait one more day for rescue

[lily51]

Yes, the garden is never really done! Reminds me what someone said about laundry...it gets done about a week after you die!
Soil is hardened into concrete by rain, then immediately to 90+ F and then wind, wind, wind. I can understand why homesteaders on the plains went crazy from it (wind).

[BrianSkilton]

Yep, and what Lily said dirt is concrete and the wind is getting old. Anything below 40-50 is normal. What part of Ohio are you from Lily?

[hendi_alex]

Come on down. Land is cheap here and taxes are very friendly for retirees. We have a long growing season which is year round for a few things, but March through November for most veggies. We only have a couple of snows per year max, and it is usually here today gone tomorrow. Routine temperatures below 26-28 degrees are rare, and some years it hardly drops below that even for a few days. January and February generally have lots of highs in the 60's. The summers are hot, but usually only for a couple of months, and even then the mornings and evenings are rather pleasant.

[gardenvt]

Much of the garden is in despite cold, wind, torrential rains (April and May both broke records for rain), hail, flooded basement twice and bugs.

So far, 22 tomatoes, 6 eggplant, 15 peppers and three 8-ball squash are in their containers - have 6 containers ready for cukes and melons. Onions, leeks, shallots, beets, lettuce, spinach, basil and tons of herbs are in the raised beds. I have brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower to plant in a raised bed. Carrots, radish, turnips and arugula - I just haven't had time. Kale, more lettuce, spinach, beets and other plants will go in later in the season.

I had the containers mostly ready to be planted (cleaned all the pots, mixed the soil and filled) and DH helped level and moved things into an orderly fashion this weekend. I was feeling pretty good (and VERY tired) about the containers until I remembered that we do have those 6 containers to go. But, that will take about 1/2 - 1 hour (more?) depending on whether things go as "planned."

We were gardening in a very small space - just containers. I think it was maybe 12 by 15' or even smaller. We expanded that to about 35 x35' (maybe larger) actual planting area and built 5 raised beds (3 are 3x8x20" deep and 2 are 4x8x12"deep). We have hauled topsoil, compost, manure and mulch from the driveway to the back of the property. We have put newspaper down to kill off the grass and covered with mulch. The area is somewhat sloped so leveling every container took time and DH worked VERY hard this weekend to do that. The result is quite attractive with the rows of containers appearing to be terraced. The space between rows is very comfortable.

We woke up this morning to a severe thunderstorm, hail and high winds. High winds and 90 degree temps is enough to keep me out of the garden. Once the wind calmed down a bit, we "strolled" through the garden feeling pleased until we found striped cucumber beetles on the squash (they took out the cukes last year). So out came the pyrethrin/rotenone (not sure I want to use that again) and the plants were sprayed along with the eggplants that are in very close proximity.

So the answer is "no" - we're not done but we have sure put in a lot of garden time. I'm certain a lot of other folks can relate to weather, increasing garden space and then having other things crop up along the way. It has been a most unusual weather season so far. I hope that will change.

Is there any good cure for cucumber beetles or will I have to give up on that family of plants?

[lily51]

I'm in north central Ohio. Sounds like everyone has been fighting the weather this year. "We" (son, husband) just finished planting corn half an hour ago! (Don't know if this is a or a ) Glad to be finished, but June 2 is pushing the limit.

Raised beds are the only chance I have with the clay on our knoll. Also helps with weed control. Even with that, the conditions were far less than perfect this year. Still, am glad to be outside at last!

[stella1751]

I planted a small bed (20 square feet) of corn yesterday morning before I tackled the Habanero project. Up here, June 1 is a good time to plant corn; in fact, this year I plan to succession plant four beds of corn, each 7-10 days apart, so I will probably be planting corn close to or on July 1. I found a super short-season variety: 55 days

It feels good to have the first plot of corn seeds percolating while I continue work prepping beds for the pepper seedlings! No fuss. Moisten once a day. I am hoping that by the time I need to plant my second bed of corn I will have finished setting out all the pepper seedlings. Then I can finally concentrate on the funnest aspect of gardening: sitting back and watching my plants grow

[Halfway]

Got the cukes in so it is now complete. I have about half dozen starts still sitting in trays in case I lose a tomato or pepper to these crazy winds.

But it is nice to be in the ground, woooohooooo!!!!!

[DoubleDogFarm]

Is your garden all planted

Like a dog chasing it's tail

Eric

[gardenbean]

Is your garden all planted

Like a dog chasing it's tail

Eric

As matter of fact was at a local farmer's market last weekend and a young cucumber plant yelled out my name and naturally I had to buy it!! So now I have to figure out where to plant her. Who really is ever finished in the garden?

[DoubleDogFarm]

young cucumber plant yelled out my name

Apparently my little idea is working. I've hidden a little microphone / speaker in the plant racks. Bean, oh Bean, over here.
I sold ( 84 ) 4" pots last Saturday.

Eric

[TZ -OH6]

It will all be done by this weekend (knock on wood)...even though I have to paint some windowsills etc. before I can plant in areas next to the house.

[stella1751]

I was so proud of myself yesterday, so proud. I finished the new bed, put up enough frame to discourage the dog from making himself to home, and set out all of the Habaneros. What a triumph!

We froze last night. Not enough to kill all the plants, but clearly long enough to devastate the two smallest. One is now recovering nicely, but I do not have high hopes for the littlest one's chances of survival.

Tonight the forecast low is 35. All plants will be covered. (It was only supposed to get down to 39 last night, so I didn't cover anyone.) I planted nothing today. Back to the grind tomorrow, when we have some reasonable weather in the offing

[SPierce]

I was so proud of myself yesterday, so proud. I finished the new bed, put up enough frame to discourage the dog from making himself to home, and set out all of the Habaneros. What a triumph!

We froze last night. Not enough to kill all the plants, but clearly long enough to devastate the two smallest. One is now recovering nicely, but I do not have high hopes for the littlest one's chances of survival.

Tonight the forecast low is 35. All plants will be covered. (It was only supposed to get down to 39 last night, so I didn't cover anyone.) I planted nothing today. Back to the grind tomorrow, when we have some reasonable weather in the offing

Augh, you're just having horrible luck with the temps this year! I got snowed on while I was there, too.

And, I'm officially done planting as of yesterday. I have one lone gourd plant I'm not quite sure what to do with- but I'll figure it out eventually !

[gixxerific]

NO!!!

My garden is never fully planted.

[DoubleDogFarm]

NO!!!

[gixxerific]

NO!!!

The look of shock leads me to explain.

First off there is the spring garden than the summer garden than the fall garden than overwintering. Than what do you do between all of this. Well let's see what seed I have. Maybe if I start this it might grow, maybe not but why not try. Than there is succession planting. I still have lettuce and whatnot incubating in the basement to replace the ones that are bolting now. Than again there are the extra peppers I haven't yet planted and the sweet potatoes I need to find room for and the empty pots I need to find something for and the plants that didn't germinate so I need to try again, and the , and the, and the.........................................................................................................................

[DeborahL]

Eric, what breed are the dogs in your picture? A dog who looks just like them lives next door.
He has that same serious (stern?) expression but is a total love bug once he trusts.
I don't know the owner well enough to ask.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Labrador Retriever. ( Black ) Fishing dogs, net retrieving.

Originally from Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.


Eric

[DoubleDogFarm]

Off Topic.

Peppercorn
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Dogs%20%20Jacob%20and%20Pepper/DSC03364.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Dogs%20%20Jacob%20and%20Pepper/DSC03366.jpg[/img]

Jacob
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Dogs%20%20Jacob%20and%20Pepper/DSC02911.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Dogs%20%20Jacob%20and%20Pepper/DSC02921.jpg[/img]

Eric

[applestar]

and the , and the, and the.........................................................................................................................

I'm with ya, Gixx. I can TOTALLY relate.

p.s. hi, Pepper, hi, Jacob! ...oh yeah, you too Eric.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Good morning Applestar, what a beautiful day. Blue sky, may reach into the 70s.

Off to the Market, no rest for the wicked (weary).

work work work

Eric

[Gary350]

I have not planted CORN yet.

It has rained every day since February and temperatures have been cold. Now temperature is 99 very day and no rain.

I may wait until Late July to plant corn if it matures in late September cooler rainier weather it will do much better.

[stella1751]

And we froze last night, two weeks after our average last frost date. Feast or famine. I'm actually glad now that I am behind on my planting; I barely had enough containers last night to cover everything I've planted.

Maybe today my energy will return. Super chilies await their day in the sun, but I have no beds prepped or made for them

[DeborahL]

Thanks, Eric, they're beauties. OK, back on topic !

[lily51]

Doubledog...your Jacob looks like our Daphne. She's 14 or 15. We've had labs since we were first married 38 years ago. I love those faces !