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oceanwaves1
- Full Member
- Posts: 18
- Joined: Thu Jun 12, 2008 11:43 am
- Location: New Hampshire
Hi everyone,
This is a great site, and being a first time gardner I'm hopeful I'll learn a lot. I have a small garden with cherry tomatoes (6), two types of reg. tomatoes (10), pickling cukes (5), peppers, red & yellow (6), yellow squash (4) and zucchinni (3). It's fenced with marigolds all around. I've done nothing for pest control at all, but reading all the topics, I guess I should do something??? LOL....ahhh...so new at this! Good to be here, try not to laugh at me too, too much...(a little is okay, I'm laughing myself...)
This is a great site, and being a first time gardner I'm hopeful I'll learn a lot. I have a small garden with cherry tomatoes (6), two types of reg. tomatoes (10), pickling cukes (5), peppers, red & yellow (6), yellow squash (4) and zucchinni (3). It's fenced with marigolds all around. I've done nothing for pest control at all, but reading all the topics, I guess I should do something??? LOL....ahhh...so new at this! Good to be here, try not to laugh at me too, too much...(a little is okay, I'm laughing myself...)
I'm so happy for everyone! You guys are all blowing me out of the water. When I grow up I want to be like all of you.
Here's what I've got-
15 assorted tomato plants, will do less next year
10 strawberry plants all in one pot
2 cucumbers
3 bell peppers
2 rhubarb plants
1 planter of mesclun
1 asparagus patch
If all goes well; I'd like to try chard, spicy bush basil, eggplant, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, beans and a few others next year while cutting back on tomatoes.
In the nut department I have-
walnuts
hazelnuts
pecans
chesnuts
In the fruit department I have-
pawpaws
persimmons
apples
peaches
pears
apricots
(eliminating all prunus spp.)
editing to add chestnuts to the above nut list.
Here's what I've got-
15 assorted tomato plants, will do less next year
10 strawberry plants all in one pot
2 cucumbers
3 bell peppers
2 rhubarb plants
1 planter of mesclun
1 asparagus patch
If all goes well; I'd like to try chard, spicy bush basil, eggplant, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, beans and a few others next year while cutting back on tomatoes.
In the nut department I have-
walnuts
hazelnuts
pecans
chesnuts
In the fruit department I have-
pawpaws
persimmons
apples
peaches
pears
apricots
(eliminating all prunus spp.)
editing to add chestnuts to the above nut list.
Last edited by TheLorax on Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
[quote="applestar"]Jenny - you said something about planting soybeans if you can get the seed... I just wanted to mention that just for kicks, I planted dried soybeans I had in the fridge since last fall (purchased in the bulk section of a health food grocery - Whole Foods) 2 in each hole since I had no idea if they were viable --- and they ALL sprouted! 
[quote]
Ooh, thanks! That's a good idea. My local extension agent is asking some of the farmers she works with for "leftovers" for me, because the feed & seed carries soybeans, but only in 50 pound bags and bigger. If I get to a health food store, which I do hope to this summer, I'll get myself some "backup beans." If the extension agent comes through, I can always eat 'em!
[quote]
Ooh, thanks! That's a good idea. My local extension agent is asking some of the farmers she works with for "leftovers" for me, because the feed & seed carries soybeans, but only in 50 pound bags and bigger. If I get to a health food store, which I do hope to this summer, I'll get myself some "backup beans." If the extension agent comes through, I can always eat 'em!
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fabulousmindy
- Full Member
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:44 am
- Location: Columbus, OH *Go Bucks*
Hi everyone-
My garden is suburban so it is only 6 X 18 in the back yard. This is the third year, we till and amend every spring. I have
10 green bean bushes, planted burpee heavyweight 2 and had TERRIBLE germination rates, planted a second batch to compensate, still no beans yet
3 types of basil, which the japanese beetles really enjoyed, so I had to get out the seven last week
2 fairy tale eggplants, mini striped variety- these will probably not produce due to my ambitious need to over plant my small ptach they have been overshadowed by zuchinni...
3 zuchinni - I am so happy these are doing sooo well. Last year I had awful powdery mildew and no zuchinni
one cubanelle pepper-experiment and I lost the tag so I don't know what size or color to harvest at
18 (or just say way too many) tomatoes. These are struggling, may be it is the spacing. We have had really odd weather this year. Unusually cool and rainy. My tomatoes have a ton of foliage and blossoms (which are not falling off) but very few green tomatoes. I usually have a lot of ripening going on now.
any how the tomatoes varieties are
6 specialty tomatoes purchased as plants (tangerine mama, razzle dazzle, italian ice, golden mama and honey bunch)
1 Mr. America plant I found at Lowes
the rest I did from seeds (my first attempt)
5 beefsteak
3 better boy
2 yellow pear
1 sugar lump cherry
My garden is suburban so it is only 6 X 18 in the back yard. This is the third year, we till and amend every spring. I have
10 green bean bushes, planted burpee heavyweight 2 and had TERRIBLE germination rates, planted a second batch to compensate, still no beans yet
3 types of basil, which the japanese beetles really enjoyed, so I had to get out the seven last week
2 fairy tale eggplants, mini striped variety- these will probably not produce due to my ambitious need to over plant my small ptach they have been overshadowed by zuchinni...
3 zuchinni - I am so happy these are doing sooo well. Last year I had awful powdery mildew and no zuchinni
one cubanelle pepper-experiment and I lost the tag so I don't know what size or color to harvest at
18 (or just say way too many) tomatoes. These are struggling, may be it is the spacing. We have had really odd weather this year. Unusually cool and rainy. My tomatoes have a ton of foliage and blossoms (which are not falling off) but very few green tomatoes. I usually have a lot of ripening going on now.
any how the tomatoes varieties are
6 specialty tomatoes purchased as plants (tangerine mama, razzle dazzle, italian ice, golden mama and honey bunch)
1 Mr. America plant I found at Lowes
the rest I did from seeds (my first attempt)
5 beefsteak
3 better boy
2 yellow pear
1 sugar lump cherry
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fabulousmindy
- Full Member
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:44 am
- Location: Columbus, OH *Go Bucks*
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hendi_alex
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 3604
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
- Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina
Hi honey,
Now that sounds a little intimate doesn't it! I'm like you with a fairly small garden. I've got ten or less tomato plants for fresh tomatoes, and probably have given aways at least 50 pounds. So I'm wondering what the heck someone does with more than a dozen or so plants. Same is true with other things. I plant two egg plants, usually two yellow squash and two zuchinni and one again give away dozens of fruit over the course of the season. This year I did do a separate plot of about 10 roma tomato plants. They are strictly for drying.
I guess like everything else it gets down to one's goals. For my wife and I, we like to sit down to a summer meal and say that we grew the tomato, the cucumber, the cantalope, the greens, etc. and usually only the starch and the bread came from the market or from ingredients at the market. In the past we froze peas, corn, okra, greens, etc. but no longer do that. But absolutely can't imagine the use for over a couple dozen tomato plants and 6-12 cucumber vines for example. Is nice to hear folks with the big gardens being so self sufficient however. Sounds to me like some ought to consider setting up a road side stand, or maybe marketing organic produce to local restaurants.
Now that sounds a little intimate doesn't it! I'm like you with a fairly small garden. I've got ten or less tomato plants for fresh tomatoes, and probably have given aways at least 50 pounds. So I'm wondering what the heck someone does with more than a dozen or so plants. Same is true with other things. I plant two egg plants, usually two yellow squash and two zuchinni and one again give away dozens of fruit over the course of the season. This year I did do a separate plot of about 10 roma tomato plants. They are strictly for drying.
I guess like everything else it gets down to one's goals. For my wife and I, we like to sit down to a summer meal and say that we grew the tomato, the cucumber, the cantalope, the greens, etc. and usually only the starch and the bread came from the market or from ingredients at the market. In the past we froze peas, corn, okra, greens, etc. but no longer do that. But absolutely can't imagine the use for over a couple dozen tomato plants and 6-12 cucumber vines for example. Is nice to hear folks with the big gardens being so self sufficient however. Sounds to me like some ought to consider setting up a road side stand, or maybe marketing organic produce to local restaurants.
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fabulousmindy
- Full Member
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Mon Jul 14, 2008 10:44 am
- Location: Columbus, OH *Go Bucks*
Will you explain about the vacuum bagging? I promise my tractor is redrootsy wrote:Small roadside stand and Saturday at the local market at the fairgrounds.. rest gets canned and vacuum bagged and put in the pantry or freezer.
Who said tractors.... I loooooove tractors... as long as they're RED
I know about the problem of biodiesel in the cold, but thanks for the warning -- it's a good one. Becomes even more of a problem if you run straight vegetable oil. I bet we'd have less trouble with both those problems than you do, just because of temperatures!
I have a small garden in my small yard! It measures about 18' x 8'6" and is new this year.
I grew everything from seed and not everything made it due to my error in over seeding and crowded seedlings. However this is what I have in the garden now:
- 6 Big Boy Tomatoes
- 3 Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Black Prince heirloom Tomatoe
- 4 Green Peppers
- 1 Jalepeno Pepper
- 5 Broccoli plants
- 3 Cucumber Plants
Depending on the harvest from this year I may do less tomato plants, different pepper plants (hot and sweet) and add space between plants for cover crops later in the season.
Mike
I grew everything from seed and not everything made it due to my error in over seeding and crowded seedlings. However this is what I have in the garden now:
- 6 Big Boy Tomatoes
- 3 Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Black Prince heirloom Tomatoe
- 4 Green Peppers
- 1 Jalepeno Pepper
- 5 Broccoli plants
- 3 Cucumber Plants
Depending on the harvest from this year I may do less tomato plants, different pepper plants (hot and sweet) and add space between plants for cover crops later in the season.
Mike
vacuum bagging is just what it says... a polymer bag that you put your food into. The bag is placed into the vacuum pump / sealing machine and the air is evacuated and while still pulling a vacuum the bag is heat sealed.JennyC wrote:Will you explain about the vacuum bagging? I promise my tractor is redrootsy wrote:Small roadside stand and Saturday at the local market at the fairgrounds.. rest gets canned and vacuum bagged and put in the pantry or freezer.
Who said tractors.... I loooooove tractors... as long as they're RED
I know about the problem of biodiesel in the cold, but thanks for the warning -- it's a good one. Becomes even more of a problem if you run straight vegetable oil. I bet we'd have less trouble with both those problems than you do, just because of temperatures!
Food Saver is the popular brand. I've had one for 5 years or so and will never put anything in a ziplock bag or freezer paper again. Vacuum bagging virtually eliminates freezer burn and keeps food fresh in an "almost" airless environment. I vacuum bag all of my meats, from venison to beef and chicken if it is going to be frozen and stored. It extends frozen food life from months to a year or more...
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hendi_alex
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 3604
- Joined: Sun Jul 06, 2008 7:58 am
- Location: Central Sand Hills South Carolina
I'm into succession planting, so a snapshot at any point in time does not really give the picture. Start the year out with harvesting over wintered crops like collards, kale, arugula, mixed greens. Make early plantings of sweet peas, early spring mesclan mix, radishes, spinach. Don't do a plant count but are planted in some modified version/hybrid of square foot/intensive planting technicque. So maybe 4 x 5 foot planting of sweet peas. 2 ft x 5 ft spinach. Ten linear feet of radishes. 3 x 5 foot mixed greens. Gives enough for my wife and me plus some export. Will usually do at least three succession plantings of radishes that extends harvest time for about two-three months. Also is good to take advantage of micro climates, so the last radish planting may get moved to a raised bed that is shaded half a day. Same is true for later plantings of arugula. Next comes a 4 x 5 foot block of sweet corn. Later, squash, cucumbers, cantalope, green beens, tomatoes, egg plant, peppers go in. Egg plants are usually limited to two ichiban plants in large containers. Sometimes plant as many as ten or twelve bell peppers but get mixed results from them. Planted none this year, but do have six jalapenas. Performed well last year. The three jalapenas that were overwintered have produced pretty well, but this years young plants are suffering. Usually plant about a dozen indeterminate tomatoes of various types. generally have two zuchini and two crook neck squash. Try to keep at least 3 cucumber vines in production at any given time. Plant a succession of those. I keep a nursery area of container plants including replacement tomato plants. Those plants are used to plant fresh plants as some get spent from production/disease. Also experiment with various container approaches with 3-6 tomato plants. Mid summer it is time to renew some plantings and start some late season pants: peas, more cukes, squash. Late August/early september it is time to pull out spent plants in some beds and plant fall winter things like collards, kale, turnips, winter salad mix, arugala. Last year plant six collard plants, a dozen kale plants, a 4 x5 bed of turnips. 3 x 5 bed of salad greens. Then the cycle starts again. In general I only plant enough to provide for the two of us, plus to include a margin of safety in case the crop doesn't produce as well as usual. We export lots of tomatoes, and most years export a lot of squash and cucumber. Will experiment with a few new things next year, edible soy beans will be one thing.
We have a blueberry hedge about 25 feet long and then have another dozen or so individual blueberry plants, including about six that are in containers. We have two producing pear trees. Also have a small strawberry bed of about 5 x 10 feet. Bought six pomegranates this past season. Two died. One is struggling, and three are doing very well. All three that are doing well were bought from a vendor who shipped in potted containers. The other three were ordered from a vendor who ships bare root. Two of the plants never broke domancy, the other started out healthy but is looking very poor now. So will probably have three plants going forward. Have two large pecan trees, but they don't produce. Nice paper shells, wish they did! Finally have about half a dozen rasberry plants but want to increase that to perhaps a dozen plants.
Finally, try to keep parsley and basil going year round. Usually about a half dozen parsley plants and 6-8 potted basil plants. Am somewhat challenged with cilantro but like to keep at least six clusters of plants growing. Have three pots of thyme, a small patch of oregeno, plant numerous planting of 12-24 dill plants but generally have very poor results. Have 12-14 fennel plants, for the butterfly larvae. Would like to expand the selection of herbs grown, but need to find a good use first.
We have a blueberry hedge about 25 feet long and then have another dozen or so individual blueberry plants, including about six that are in containers. We have two producing pear trees. Also have a small strawberry bed of about 5 x 10 feet. Bought six pomegranates this past season. Two died. One is struggling, and three are doing very well. All three that are doing well were bought from a vendor who shipped in potted containers. The other three were ordered from a vendor who ships bare root. Two of the plants never broke domancy, the other started out healthy but is looking very poor now. So will probably have three plants going forward. Have two large pecan trees, but they don't produce. Nice paper shells, wish they did! Finally have about half a dozen rasberry plants but want to increase that to perhaps a dozen plants.
Finally, try to keep parsley and basil going year round. Usually about a half dozen parsley plants and 6-8 potted basil plants. Am somewhat challenged with cilantro but like to keep at least six clusters of plants growing. Have three pots of thyme, a small patch of oregeno, plant numerous planting of 12-24 dill plants but generally have very poor results. Have 12-14 fennel plants, for the butterfly larvae. Would like to expand the selection of herbs grown, but need to find a good use first.
Front garden is nearly all herbs which I use for food, medicine, household and beauty products. Back garden has many herbs in it too. I grow...
parsley, chives, fennel, dill, lavender (2 types), rosemary (white and blue), angelica, sweet cicely, lemon balm, lemon verbena, thyme, marjoram, oregano, lovage, hyssop, sage, alchemilla mollis, marsh mallow, bay, bee balm, catnip, Rosa gallica, santolina, winter savory, houseleeks, feverfew, valerian, violets. Mint----spearmint, applemint, chocolate peppermint and Moroccan mint.
I can't compete on the fruit or vege front as most that I grow and look after are not in my own garden! I do get to take lots home with me though.
In my garden are (or were this year)....tomatoes, alpine strawberries, rocket (arugula?) broad beans, artichokes, raddishes, sweetcorn, broad beans, rhubarb, raspberries, red/black currants, and blackberries.
I normally grow a bit more than that at home but this year I have just been too busy.
parsley, chives, fennel, dill, lavender (2 types), rosemary (white and blue), angelica, sweet cicely, lemon balm, lemon verbena, thyme, marjoram, oregano, lovage, hyssop, sage, alchemilla mollis, marsh mallow, bay, bee balm, catnip, Rosa gallica, santolina, winter savory, houseleeks, feverfew, valerian, violets. Mint----spearmint, applemint, chocolate peppermint and Moroccan mint.
I can't compete on the fruit or vege front as most that I grow and look after are not in my own garden! I do get to take lots home with me though.
In my garden are (or were this year)....tomatoes, alpine strawberries, rocket (arugula?) broad beans, artichokes, raddishes, sweetcorn, broad beans, rhubarb, raspberries, red/black currants, and blackberries.
I normally grow a bit more than that at home but this year I have just been too busy.