bwhite829
Senior Member
Posts: 176
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:02 pm
Location: Pensacola, FL

Just moved my garden yesterday and have some questions

Hi all! I moved my garden as of yesterday...the frost left alot of greens droopy so I just pulled them up and moved the garden while I had a break from crazy weather here. I've got enough greens @ my grandparents about 5 minutes down the road so it wasn't a big deal....Here's a pic of the new garden. My wife hated how the garden was because it took up the whole yard previously but I'm glad she pressured me to change it because they now are in a spot that gets much more sun throughout the day and now have 4 uniform beds and one smaller bed for a cold frame and for herbs, instead of an odd shaped bed so they will be easier to manage as well. I'll also be able to have an easy string trellis about 5 ft high along the fence for tomatos, peppers, cucs, etc.

My spring plan is: 2-3 tomatoes on the back trellised on the fence for 3 of the large gardens, the 4th garden will have pickling cukes on the ground and lemon cukes for cuke salad on trellises, the other 3 will have summer squash in one and sweet potatoes around the summer squash for living mulch, acorn squash in the other on the ground, and spaghetti squash in the 3rd on the ground. The small one will probably have okra with either herbs or alliums...haven't decided. I figure okra will be good because when it gets cooler the okra will die and that'll leave that area for a cold frame. I'll also have peppers in 5 gal buckets in between each garden against the fence trellised as well.

My questions are as follows:

"Keep them away from squash. The problem with sweet potatoes and squash is they will compete with each other as they both like to spread out." This quote was from ghorganics(not familar w/ validity of website)...I won't be planting them near any running squash, just bush squash(straightneck & zucchini) and they are slips that I'm starting now from the sweet potato harvest from my grandparents last yr. He keeps them in a row and cuts them down if they spread too far and has a bumper crop each year. I figure as a ground cover and trimmed down I'll have enough for my expecting wife, our future child, and I throughout the next year since we eat them every now and then and are not an everyday staple in our diets. Would this be a problem or should I be okay as long as I make sure everything gets enough food/water?

Also, I couldn't find anything as far as alliums for okra companions. I've been unsuccessful @ getting good bulbs and have had bumper crops of green onions(which I don't like) but love sweet onions and go through those like crazy. How can I ensure I get good bulbs with okra if they are companions and how can I store them for long periods? Is it like storing root veggies over winter, if so thats easy...If I can't plant them next to okra I'll have to decide okra vs onions which is not an easy decision for me, but my wife isn't a fan of okra so I'll have to go w/ onion if thats the case.

Thanks, I know I'll get some great info on here!
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bwhite829
Senior Member
Posts: 176
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:02 pm
Location: Pensacola, FL

I said trellised because they are typically caged but it would work to use okra for supporting peppers? What kind should I use? Don't know the variety I have now but not sure how sturdy the okra I have is.

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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

Pepper aren't vines like tomatoes and don't usually need a lot of support, maybe a stake once it is getting heavy with fruit.

I think ghorganics is a good site with reliable info.

I've never grown sweet potato, so can't say much about that. It would help to edge a sweet potato bed with marigolds, to deter nematodes. Tall things would be good with them especially aromatic herbs to deter pests, so dill, savory.

In general I would say about your plan, think more about succession and cold weather stuff. All the things you are talking about (sweet potatoes, okra, squash, cukes, tomatoes, peppers) are hot weather stuff. Maybe it is already getting late where you are for cold weather stuff for spring? At least you can plan for fall. Spinach does really well planted late and over-wintered. I plant broccoli very early (starting about now) and put it in the ground a month before last frost date. Then when it is warm enough, I plant tomato seedlings behind it. By the time the tomatoes need the space, I can pull the broccoli.

If you are doing annual herbs, don't segregate them in a herb bed, they are really good companion plants popped in around the edges of everything else. Think about filling in any spaces with plants that attract beneficial insects, especially things that have nectar in tiny florets. This includes parsley, dill, carrots (if left in the ground to bloom in the second year), yarrow, alyssum, tansy: https://www.farmerfred.com/plants_that_a ... enefi.html

For onions, you would want to plant short day onions in the fall.

Having your gardens right up against tall solid fencing in two directions, seems like it would make a lot of shade....

bwhite829
Senior Member
Posts: 176
Joined: Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:02 pm
Location: Pensacola, FL

Thanks for the info. Once April comes around our temps can get worse than the temps I've seen in Cleveland when I go visit in law in August. Our greens are done typically in March or early April. We typically put greens in around Sept and they typically last all winter. This is actually the first winter we lost any greens. I did get some bush beans to plant and am wondering how to incorporate those in early spring before the hot stuff takes off....should I put them with okra and peppers or can they grow in 5 gal buckets ? If they can how much should I expect from 4-5 plants?

FYI that is actually the sunniest part of the yard...only a little martial shade from the 2 story house in the morning and full sun the rest of the day



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