2012 Vegetable Garden Photos. Show us yours!

[hendi_alex]

Our garden is far ahead of last years. That is partially due to mild weather and partially due to very early starts to some transplants.

Container tomato, 'Juliet' has already given us one fruit and has more changing color now. About 13 tomato plants are in the ground or in permanent planters.
[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6910947058_4e730e99c5_o.jpg[/img]

'Sweet Cluster' in container.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7095/7057030159_4357c5effc_o.jpg[/img]

Kale, parsley, cilantro growing together.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7136/6910945738_e2649c6971_o.jpg[/img]

Sweet peas just starting to produce.
[img]https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5346/6910944966_4524c1de49_o.jpg[/img]

Squash getting close to blooming size.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7116/7057026551_4445e86e1a_o.jpg[/img]

Garlic growing inside perimeter planted strawberries. Berries started turning this week.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7047/6910943360_51d0d18b6c_o.jpg[/img]

Corn just breaking through.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7057028283_5c92d5a66f_o.jpg[/img]

Container grown pepper plants.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7045/6910942548_68101c72a5_o.jpg[/img]

Cucumber plant. Largest of about a dozen plants of various sizes.
[img]https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/7057027455_31d0a2ea44_o.jpg[/img]

[orgoveg]

Wow! I know South Carolina is warmer than Ohio, but I wouldn't expect you to be that far along. It's still really early here and my small garden is never impressive anyway. Nonetheless, I'll share what I have so far. You'll see, perhaps, the ugliest contraption I've ever built. Deer have become a problem and this is to keep them out of the section that they like to eat. I'm not finished with it. I know I could have just bought standard deer fence, but I like to use what I have lying around. When I replaced my roof last summer, I saved the coax cable (television/internet/phone cable) from the satellite dish that was removed. That will run in between the steel wires at the top.

Started in this section is Fordhook giant Swiss chard, onions, scallions, wild black mustard, dwarf blue kale, seven tops turnips, black seeded Simpson lettuce, music garlic, and Danvers 126 carrots. Right outside the fence is oregano. It's time to do some weeding again. You can barely see one end of the grape vine apparatus. The only things you don't see are blueberry bushes, sage, asparagus, wild yarrow, wild lamb's quarters, and some volunteer onions. The big weed in the lower left corner is mullein. I once grew it intentionally for its medicinal qualities and the stalks for starting fires with the drill method. It's too early to plant the warm weather stuff.

In the cold frame, I have German Johnson tomato, Rutgers tomato, jalapeno pepper, and cayenne pepper.

[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/abaction/100_2194001.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/abaction/100_2193001.jpg[/img]
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[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/abaction/100_2191001.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i256.photobucket.com/albums/hh194/abaction/coldframe.jpg[/img]

[Timlin]

LOL! This is so funny I can't believe where you both are this early in the season. (We also make do with what we have lying about so I love your deer fence) I can't imagine tomatoes at that advanced stage! *envy* (Alex you have lovely soil!)

Here we just seeded our chard, peas, radish, spinach and beets so to send you a picture would be just bare earth. One tiny tray of seedlings have germinated and peeked out to see the world so today we opened the greenhouse.

Our earliest plant out date is the end of May or the end of the first week of June (often that first week of June will be cold and nasty after weeks of warmer weather).

So you see I'll join into pics of gardens a few months from now.

[mhannum]

Wow, we have posts from Canada to South Carolina - talk about a difference in climate and temperature!

Lovely gardens... and a tomato already? Amazing!

[panhandler]

here is what we have going on so far...

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10100760368547370.2689713.23911673&type=3&l=ec4d301e84

[orgoveg]

Nice setup Panhandler. You have a chicken coop. That makes me really jealous. Our city recently had a public debate and court decision to determine that we are not permitted to raise chickens (or anything else that could be considered "husbandry"). We pay big taxes on our land, but we can't have chickens on it. Yet, all the dope dealers can have pit bulls and rottweilers escaping to run loose and terrorize my kids. Ohio just changed the law so that pit bulldogs are not considered "vicious" (which would require that they be adequately restrained and the owners would have to carry liability insurance).

But I can't have chickens?

[Ruffsta]

it's way too early for most of us honestly.. I know my plants aren't ready to go outside... that and the stupid weather is not cooperating..

[panhandler]

Actually, I am not supposed to have them either. Currently our City ordinance limits chickens to areas greater than 150' from habitable structures. however, they are in the process of revising that ordinance as part of our City wide sustainability plan. I just talked to my neighbors prior to getting the chickens to make sure they wouldn't report me.

[Ruffsta]

I'm not into the chicken thing at all.. but I tell you what.. if I owned land and I pay taxes.. nobody but nobody is gonna tell me I can't have 2 or 3 chickens!

this is america afterall.. it's not like I am trying to run a chicken farm.. I'd tell them where to put their lips and where to go!


kinda jealous of texas though... step foot on property see what happens next! now if every state was like that - I bet their would be a lot less bs..

[hendi_alex]

Nice beds panhandler. I would have to fill the holes in those cinder blocks though. In my yard, there would be at least one huge black widow per three open spaces. While I've gotten over my spider phobia, I still don't like too many black widows living in my work and play zone.

[orgoveg]

I would like to think that I have "connections" to get the law changed as the City Law Director is an old family friend. His job is to protect the City government according to existing laws, so he wouldn't be much help in changing a law. I could just try to get away with it and my neighbors are all friends but I know that the City can make my life miserable by nitpicking at other things. I generally abide by all laws so that I can sleep without looking over my shoulder. (I might go over the speed limit and set off a firecracker on July 4th).

[panhandler]

@hendi_alex - I usually plant the cells in the cinder blocks with marigolds or other annual flowers, I just haven't gotten around to that yet. However, I welcome all spiders into the garden as they help with pest control, but if I did see a black widow or a brown recluse I would probably be a little less inviting.

[applestar]

Here are a couple of pictures:

A row of arugula and turnips. Mixed row of broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, and cilantro under the insect barrier tunnels.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/97312410.jpg[/img]

Rows of snap peas with 2nd sowing just starting to sprout in between rows. the plan is to replace the first peas after harvesting with corn for an experimental mini patch here. Celery along the path. Big leaves to the left is overwintered winter mustard getting ready to bolt.
[img]https://i290.photobucket.com/albums/ll272/applesbucket/6bd7fb59.jpg[/img]

[Brant]

Alex, I find it odd that your squash and peas are so small but you already have tomatoes. Sorry I don't have any pics right now but my tomatoes are just now starting to ripen and I've been eating squash and peas for weeks now. In fact, just one of my squash plants has given me nearly two dozen delicious fruits already. My peas are actually already done producing, they started going crazy about a month ago but now they are all turning yellow and dying from the bottom up (maybe the heat? I really don't know why this is the case).

[mattie g]

I'll post pictures as soon as I can get home from work before dark! I've got everything in the ground now, but no chance to take pictures (I forgot to take them this weekend).

Nice setup Panhandler. You have a chicken coop. That makes me really jealous. Our city recently had a public debate and court decision to determine that we are not permitted to raise chickens (or anything else that could be considered "husbandry"). We pay big taxes on our land, but we can't have chickens on it. Yet, all the dope dealers can have pit bulls and rottweilers escaping to run loose and terrorize my kids. Ohio just changed the law so that pit bulldogs are not considered "vicious" (which would require that they be adequately restrained and the owners would have to carry liability insurance).

But I can't have chickens?

Good, because they aren't. It's irresponsible owners (especialy those dope dealers you mention) that raise them to be aggressive and give perfectly loyal, loving dogs a bad name. And those owners should be held responsible should their dogs harm anyone...just as the owner of *any* breed of dog should.

(Sorry for the rant, but I've got a pit mix and can't leave well enough alone)

[hendi_alex]

Brant, I started my earliest tomato plants in mid December. They were in 3 gallon pots and had fruit set before going into the garden. The squash were not started until about six or eight weeks ago and the sweet peas were started about the same time. With the early onset of very warm weather, I doubt that the peas will get any size at all before turning brown from the heat. We have been harvesting sweet peas for a week or two now, but the vines are still very small, maybe 14 inches at most.

[RogueRose]

My pics are in my siggy!

[Brant]

Alex,

Ok that makes sense now. Bummer about the peas. I planted mine in January direct into the ground. The ones in full sun grew to about 6 feet and only 4 vines produced about a two quarts of peas a week, but the peas in the shade only got about 2 feet long and they produced tiny, miserable little peas. Live and learn!