Bri's 2017 veggie garden

[bri80]

Pepper starts looking very healthy:

And random stuff (lettuce, onions, carrots, cauliflower, swiss chard):

[imafan26]

I'm jealous, I don't see any weeds. Nice going Bri

[wisconsindead]

Looking very good!

[Taiji]

Those are prime pepper starts. Some of mine always seem to get a cupping/distortion of the leaves, especially the newer growth. Not all, but some. Not sure what causes that. Even in years when I don't have aphids on them.

Tomatoes look wonderful. So you use a trellis system. Do you tie them up?

[bri80]

Those are prime pepper starts. Some of mine always seem to get a cupping/distortion of the leaves, especially the newer growth. Not all, but some. Not sure what causes that. Even in years when I don't have aphids on them.

I think it's variety-related, personally... my young jalapeno plants always have some cupping. But I have noticed that, even though I use a slow-release organic fertilizer, too much in the potting mix for young peppers makes the issue much worse, so I dial back my fertilizer dose for peppers than other starts.

Tomatoes look wonderful. So you use a trellis system. Do you tie them up?

Thank you. I use soft ties (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B012ED48NA/re ... NA4976237/) to loosely tie the stems to the poles every foot or two, as needed.

[Taiji]

I see, looking more closely, I see some have poles and some are on a ladder type trellis.

[bri80]

That is correct. Sometimes, late in the season, I get some issues with heavy branches pulling the plant down the pole a little bit, but it's never been too big of a problem. It's a simple, easy way to support the plants growing upwards.

[bri80]

Quick update... I'm wondering if I mixed the neem oil too strongly (pretty sure I followed directions), because a few days after application all the sprayed plants developed some white dots on the mature leaves. It doesn't appear to be a major problem, I think they'll be fine, but still, I'm trying to reduce stress on the plant, not add more. I am undecided if I think it appears to have helped with the symphs or not.

Transplanted the first batch of peppers out today (3 more still inside, they took longer to germinate):

Broccoli (getting ready to head soon... wish they'd gotten bigger first, but early broccoli is always a little dicey. I'm curious if the symphs were a factor, too, I'll have to see how my direct-seeded broc does):

Peas don't seem to be affected by the symphs at all:

And tomatoes:

[bri80]

Just wanted to share this cool thing I built today. I built a simple frame and attached shade cloth to it, creating a mobile shade station. I can use it to cover cool weather crops like broccoli or lettuce in hot spells, and, as I am right now, use it to harden off freshly-transplanted vegetables that aren't acclimated to full sun yet.

For example, I transplanted out my peppers yesterday, so I put it over the pepper bed. On Monday it's supposed to get into the 90's for a couple days, so I'll move it to the next bed for the broccoli (hopefully 3 days will be enough for the peppers to get used to being outside).

And a look inside:

[applestar]

Nice! I've been thinking along the same lines. ...but not sure if I will get around to building one. Looks mighty useful though!

[bri80]

From a few days ago but the lettuce is doing nicely. Should be having fresh salads within a couple weeks! The broccoli down the middle is taking a little longer to get going, either because of cold weather (it finally turned summer-y this week!) or symphs or both, but I'm not too worried yet.

The other front yard bed. This is growing swiss chard, cauliflower, carrots, parsley and onions.

And planting the main potato crop today.

I also planted summer savory, dill, cilantro and yellow crookneck squash.

[bri80]

Lots of updates! I'm amazed and excited with how fast everything started growing now that the weather finally turned warm and sunny. All that cold, wet soil is now warming up and the plants are going crazy!

I couldn't be happier with how the front yard beds have progressed over the last week. It is amazing how much growth has occurred:

Peas killing it and finally blooming:

Peppers seem to be adjusting fine to being outdoors. Lost a couple leaves, and there's some slight yellowing on a few leaves, but new growth has already started:

And had a few extra starts so these guys will live in pots this year:

Almost time to harvest broccoli! I started these indoors a little earlier than normal and I think I'm getting smaller heads because of it. This should still be a decent harvest though. Also, usually I side dress fertilizer when the main heading starts but I completely forgot (this greatly improves side shoot production).

[bri80]

Random close-ups....

And some young lettuce and brussels sprouts:

[bri80]

First sizable lettuce harvest. These are thinnings from the two rows out front to make room for the rest to get bigger.

[KitchenGardener]

Gotta say that your plants and produce looks so healthy and unblemished! I wish my overgrown and densely packed garden would look as nice...

[bri80]

Gotta say that your plants and produce looks so healthy and unblemished! I wish my overgrown and densely packed garden would look as nice...

Thanks!

[bri80]

First broc and pea harvest:

And this was cool... it's hard to tell what it is, but it's a cabbage moth larva that'd been caught and partially eaten by a common garden spider. I see them building webs in my broccoli/cauliflower, now I know what they're doing! You can see the damage from the larva in the leaves.

[wisconsindead]

Looking really good!

[Taiji]

I too am so impressed with the robust healthy look of the plants that you set out; especially the pepper plants. Mine are ok, but not as nice as yours. I think next year I might try that vegan fertilizer mix that you use for your seedlings. I probably won't use it outdoors though; my gardens are too big.

One would never know that you have a symph problem. I'm thinkin this shows that healthy plants are better able to ward off pests and disease than unhealthy plants are!

[bri80]

I too am so impressed with the robust healthy look of the plants that you set out; especially the pepper plants. Mine are ok, but not as nice as yours. I think next year I might try that vegan fertilizer mix that you use for your seedlings. I probably won't use it outdoors though; my gardens are too big.

Thanks, Taiji. I don't know how big your garden is, or how much you spend on fertilizer now, but I'd certainly recommend trying it on at least a bed or two so you can judge for yourself whether the results are worth it. 1.5 gallons per 100 sq. ft. is a good standard application rate for most crops.

One would never know that you have a symph problem. I'm thinkin this shows that healthy plants are better able to ward off pests and disease than unhealthy plants are!

I agree, but it's also worth noting I didn't post pictures of my completely stunted, barely 1" large spinach plants that completely failed because of the symphs! Apparently spinach is their favorite. I will be growing it in pots for the foreseeable future.

[Taiji]

Thx. Sounds like a good way to start out with the fertilizer.

[bri80]

Update on things growing in the front yard:

Perennial herbs. You can see sage blooming on the left (I've never seen sage bloom here, in 7+ years gardening, but it's blooming all over town so something in the weather pattern must have triggered it this year), lavender and thyme blooming in the middle, and oregano and marjoram getting ready to bloom on the right.

Lots of progress on the lettuce and broccoli. Entering full-on salad mode for the summer, now! I love giant, filling all on their own salads from the garden. Store-bought greens just don't taste like anything - fresh lettuce is delicious. Broccoli is my second favorite thing to eat from the garden, so I have this type of bed succession planted. I sow it on April 1st, May 15th, June 15th, and July 15. The lettuce, since it's many different varieties that mature at slightly different times, can be harvested a little at a time for 3-5 weeks, and just when it's fully harvested, the broccoli will be big and taking over its space.

The other front yard bed, also showing great growth rate. This is growing my chard, cauliflower, carrots, onions, and a few random parsley plants tucked here and there.

[bri80]

And updates from the back yard beds...

Peppers doing well, even fruiting a little bit. New growth looks healthy.

Tomatoes... my poor tomatoes. They got kind of blighty before I noticed and stepped in with some organic fungicide. Normally I don't have issues with early blight, only late blight, but for whatever reason it was an issue this year. All the plants are fine now, growing, setting fruit, etc, but it was definitely a setback.

Eating lots of peas at the moment!

First potato sprouts.

Lettuce and brussels sprouts progress (this bed is also growing an experimental (for me) broccoli type but I can't remember which location, so I'm calling it brussels sprouts until it shows itself ).

May 15 planting of lettuce/broccoli in the same style as the front bed.

And yellow crookneck sprouts!

[Taiji]

Love the lettuce! My only failure this year thus far. I made the mistake of going with one variety from one vendor and the seeds just weren't viable. Now it's a little late. I guess I'll try a midsummer planting of something else for a fall harvest.

[bri80]

Love the lettuce! My only failure this year thus far. I made the mistake of going with one variety from one vendor and the seeds just weren't viable. Now it's a little late. I guess I'll try a midsummer planting of something else for a fall harvest.

I'm lucky enough to live in a place where, if I time it right and have the space available, I can have lettuce from the garden 7-9 months of the year. The trick is growing enough in the fall that can hold into the winter months, something I don't always have the room for in late summer.

[bri80]

"Salad season" is in full swing!

[applestar]

Looking yummy! Did you say exactly which varieties of lettuce you are growing? I'm looking for recommendations for this fall and next year.

[bri80]

Looking yummy! Did you say exactly which varieties of lettuce you are growing? I'm looking for recommendations for this fall and next year.

I grow mixes, so I'm not 100% sure on all the varieties. I combine these two mixes and then thin:
http://www.territorialseed.com/product/ ... blend-seed
http://www.territorialseed.com/product/ ... ganic_Seed

[bri80]

Lots of updates on the next few posts... definitely in peak growing season!

May 15th lettuce/broc bed

Yukon gold potatoes emerging

Siletz tomato and yellow crookneck squash. I planted dill in between the tomato and squash, they're still too little to see in this picture though.

Indeterminate tomatoes

Early broccoli, still waiting for side shoots

Peppers. I think this is a good example of the potential damage of the symphylans. The first photo are peppers that were started and set out earlier than the second photo. Obviously, the ones in the first photo were put in the ground with symphylans. The ones in the second photo are potted. Despite a 2-3 week head start, the potted peppers are out growing the in-the-ground ones. If I didn't have this to contrast, I might not even notice the stunting, but there you go. It is also possible that other factors are contributing (potting soil being more nutritious? warming up faster in the pots? reflection from light-colored house wall giving a little extra light?), but I suspect the symphs have something to do with it.

And peas... so many peas right now!

[bri80]

Cilantro on the left, summer savory on the right

Basil

Brussels/lettuce

Purple potatoes emerging

And a wider shot on the veggie garden

Blueberries!

This one needs some serious pruning come fall

[bri80]

And to the front...

April 1st lettuce/broc bed. Lots of lettuce harvesting from this one! Hopefully stretch that out for another 2 weeks or so before the broccoli fully takes over.

The other, mixed bed. Huge growth going on here. I love this time of year.

Just today's pea harvest. I have another full container in the fridge already.

[rainbowgardener]

Everything is looking good, happy and healthy!

Do you think about mulching? Most of your plants are big enough you could be mulching all around them. It helps keep nutrients and moisture in the soil and then the mulch breaks down to feed the soil.

[applestar]

You wouldn't know you are having any kind of issues to look at these. Looking great!


I was curious about pruning the blueberries. I have been thinking I might need to do that but have never tried except of course cutting off winterkilled twiggy branches.

Could we discuss this over in the fruit forum? I'd love to get some pointers.

[bri80]

Everything is looking good, happy and healthy!

Do you think about mulching? Most of your plants are big enough you could be mulching all around them. It helps keep nutrients and moisture in the soil and then the mulch breaks down to feed the soil.

Thanks! I mulch my paths because they are non-growing areas, or if I let something grow there (like the california poppies you can see in some of the pics, or I plant a larger shrub) the mulch doesn't interfere. I don't mulch in my beds for several reasons, many of which I'm sure some of you will disagree with, especially if you like to mulch.

1) Moisture. Most soil moisture is lost through transpiration from the plants, not sun hitting the surface of the soil. A bed with a full leaf canopy will lose a lot of soil moisture because there's a larger leaf surface area being hit by the sun, even though very little light hits the soil. Mulching around small plants may hold a little bit of moisture in the top 1-2", but that's about it. A plant with a deep root system and lots of leaf surface to cool will be sucking moisture from way deep down and that top 1-2" won't matter much. Bottom line: you gotta water your veggies whether you mulch or not.
2) I like to limit my "unknowns" I'm adding to my soil, so letting it break down isn't ideal. For example, is the hay/straw mulch I'm using been sprayed with something? Is it super high in certain nutrients because of the soil it was grown on that could throw my soil balance out of whack? Impossible to say.
3) Mulching would disrupt my ability to do things that help my veggies grow, like weed with a sharp hoe or side-dress fertilizer.
4) I grow living cover crops when I want to cover the soil to prevent leaching, like in rainy winter months when a bed is empty.
5) Where I live, I need the soil to warm up fast and stay warm - which is difficult. Nights are cool even in the middle of summer. If I want to grow certain plants (melons, for example), I need to use black sheets to try and warm the soil around the plants. Mulching is often prescribed to help keep soil cool, which I think it probably does help with, so that's the opposite of what I want.

I see a lot of advice given to people to mulch, and I wouldn't disparage that advice - everyone does things differently and maybe it works for you! For me, my opinion is that it is not helpful inside the veggie bed (although I will agree that it could be helpful around say, tomatoes to prevent soil-borne fungus like blight).

[bri80]

You wouldn't know you are having any kind of issues to look at these. Looking great!


I was curious about pruning the blueberries. I have been thinking I might need to do that but have never tried except of course cutting off winterkilled twiggy branches.

Could we discuss this over in the fruit forum? I'd love to get some pointers.

Sure... you want to prune when the plant is dormant, so later in the season I can post pics of how I do it, but if you start a thread in there I'll pop in.

[bri80]

First of what promises to be many months of chard harvests. Cooked this up with some snow peas from the back garden and doused it in lemon-tahini dressing. Life is good right now. It's mouth-watering.

[applestar]

They look great!

[bri80]

April 1st broc/lettuce bed after harvesting nearly all the lettuce. I have two huge containers of lettuce in the fridge, should last 1-2 weeks of daily salads. I would have liked to stretch the harvest out a little bit longer, but the broccoli is getting close to setting heads and I wanted to free up the soil space for the broccoli to put new roots into. Once I pulled the lettuce I threw down a ton of fertilizer, hoed it into the top surface, and watered. The broc will produce much larger central heads and side shoots with this extra growing room/fertility.

Breezy day yesterday knocked this one over, but I think it's going to be fine (lettuce carcasses visible)!

The other front bed. This is turning into one of my most productive beds ever. I normally like to give these kinds of veggies a little more space, but I decided to try a little closer spacing with more fertilizer and water. If I had a large garden, I wouldn't need to, but a little more intensive for this bed seems to be working out.

Parsley! I'm growing a lot more herbs this year. Never grown many herbs, so I'm learning.

My giant rhubarb

(lots of updates on the back yard garden coming in next posts)

[bri80]

Lettuce and brussels sprouts doing well

Potted peppers doing great. In-ground not so much. The symphs are definitely having an impact. As an experiment (I read about someone doing this and getting results with symphylan infestations), I planted a bunch of buckwheat around the peppers. Apparently the symphs love buckwheat roots. The idea is that they'll leave the peppers alone and go eat the buckwheat roots, allowing the peppers to recover. Once the peppers get big enough, and before the buckwheat competes too strongly with the peppers, I'll just cut down the buckwheat. Hopefully by then, the peppers will be large enough to withstand the symphs. *fingers crossed*

Peas - pretty much done harvesting these. Will see if I can get some seeds before I need to clear this bed to make room for some winter crops.

Yukon gold potatoes doing great.

And the May 15th lettuce/broc bed doing well.

[bri80]

On the trying to grow herbs more front... cilantro and summer savory

Dill

Basil (3 varieties mixed in). I planted another, staggered set of pots with basil, cilantro, summer savory and parsely.

The first blueberries are ripening

Sunflowers!