Anyone growing in the south?

[neil17]

Hey, I'm new to this site, but have been gardening for about ten years. I was just wanting to see if anyone was gardening in my region and wat kinda stuff people are growing. Even if not from my region feel free to share I love to see and hear about growings I think gardening is my top hobby!

[TWC015]

I'm in the South, though not as far south as you are.

Right now, my garden has a variety of crops growing. I have a few tomatoes left from summer, cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and a summer squash plant.

In November, I'll be planting garlic and onion transplants (experiment with onions - I just started the seed).

I grow almost all vegetables sometime during the year.

I like to get most of my gardening done between October and April since the weather is cooler and the moisture is plentiful. I try to get the warm season crops planted by early April to early May.

[engineeredgarden]

My situation is similar to TWC015's, and I have tomatoes, okra, green beans, and sweet potatoes still growing from the spring planting - and broccoli, lettuce, spinach, carrots, swiss chard, and cauliflower started for the greenhouse and coldframes.

EG

[gumbo2176]

Fellow N'awlin's native here. I live in Mid-City and have a pretty nice size back yard garden. I am in the process of getting a couple more rows ready for some stuff tomorrow. As of now, I have soybeans for edamame, cucumbers, Japanese Yard Long Beans, tomatoes, broccoli, brussels sprouts.

I have a raised bed for that I recently planted with carrots, beets, some Japanese greens called Mizuna Purple, Mizuna Green, and Romaine lettuce. In the conventional garden I have a half row of Buttercrunch leaf lettuce, some Mesclun mix, Arugula and a mix of other types leaf lettuce.

Tomorrow I'm putting in collards, spinach and Bright Lights Chard. If I have more room, I'll decide on what else to put in. I don't do cabbage or cauliflower for space reasons and they are a one and done plant.

The good thing about our climate is the fall with its relatively mild temperatures. Last fall was a freak with all those nights in a row below freezing. I've had tomatoes all through the winter before and that is a plus. Besides, gardening down here in the fall/winter is much easier than summer.

[csvd87]

Until I get a fence I have been gardening mostly to feed the deer. Ungrateful jerks... Don't provide me with any of their tasty tasty flesh.. but no, go right ahead and eat my garden... With exceptions to a few pepper plants. but they sure love my beans, peas, and swiss chard. Might invest in a bow, that way no one around here knows I'm hunting them, there is even a butcher that lives across the street Anyways... Way up here in the pacific northwest I have a fairly long growing season of around 200 days give or take. Even with enough time to get some peppers from seeds started in June All in containers however. Next year I will be starting the SFG approach as I have limited space. Actually, if I remember correctly... I got seeds about the middle of june for my Cayennes (long slim variety) and I have a few peppers on them at about 3 to 4 inches long with plenty of time to grow.

[neil17]

I just have tomatoes (2nd batch) first ones turned into fried tomatoes in the heat of summer, they were creoles. I know have tomatoes, brussel sprouts, broccoli, squash, zucchini, oregano, and lettuce for now getting ready to pull the squash and zucchini to make room for some more broccoli its a wonderful veggie!!!!! I may also grow some snow peas. I live in mid city as well small world gumbo. Sorry to hear about the deer csvd we have racoons terrorizing my farm plot ! Must admit can be quite annoying! I'm jealous about the green house engineered garden I'm looking into it but there not cheap and I kinda worry with our summer weather how long it would last. Anyway coolfront hit here last night bought us a nice change thank god it was hot and sticky humid but now 60's at night low to mid 80's during the day not to bad especially for the plants.

[gumbo2176]

Neil, I'm with you on the broccoli. My whole family likes it so it's a no-brainer for the fall. Plus, unlike cauliflower and cabbage, it keeps producing for a longer harvest with the side shoots coming in after the main head is cut.

I too have raccoons in the neighborhood, and have had them for many years. They were particularly bold after Katrina when I was one of only 2 people on my block getting my house back to livable condition in late 05. So far, the only thing they seem to want out of my yard is figs when they come in around late June/early July.

I'll be off shortly to the nursery for some seeds to put in today and I'll likely just pick up some already started broccoli and collards. I only want about 4 more broccoli to add to what is already there and maybe a dozen or so collard green plants for some good eating. Gotta take advantage of this cool weather. Hopefully, the end of summer heat has been reached.

[neil17]

Yea gumbo no complaints when I tell my family I'm growing broccoli, only when I said brussel sprouts were growing did I get a look as if (why are you growing that). Post katrina I was the only one on my block for many months such a weird time. The racoons are still by me as well they are quite bold and they don't so much eat my plants as much as dig up wat I sow I read they eat worms, so I assume thats wat there looking for.

I'm doing my best to enjoy as much of this weather as I possibly can! I don't remember the last time it was this cool I work outside too so I'm really appreciative!!! Oh as far as mid city goes I live toward the cemeteries on banks st.

[bwhite829]

I'm in Pensacola and starting my first garden! I've got the rows ready and just waiting on some rain to get the seeds in hopefully this saturday. I love cabbage. One of my fiance and I's favorite recipes are baked cabbage rolls. Basically wrap up a tomato and ground meat sauce up in cabbage leaves and bake them. Very delicious and 1 head of cabbage makes enough for me to snack on for a week, half a week for both of us! I've never eaten collards and didn't know what they were until my grandfather suggested it to me on saturday. I suspected they were like brussels, but then did research and that is definately on my list to get in on saturday as well..can't wait to try some southern sushi fushion recipes I've seen w/ some fresh caught king mackeral and collard wraps
I love salads w/ fresh kale and spinach and broccoli, so I want to grow that. I'm also interested in kohlrabi as my grandpa's neighbor said they are good in stirfrys. I love onions and carrots, so that is also something I want to try. The bad news is I'm only doing 3 full rows and 2 rows that are about 3/4 of the size of the full ones. I haven't settled on a list for sure yet as my space is limited. By next year, I should be able to double my list. My grandfather doesn't do fall veggies because they don't really like them but most of my favs are fall plants so he's going to let me use his plot for the fall, and then springtime he's going to mark off a good sized plot for me as well.

[gumbo2176]

bwhite, you didn't mention how long your rows are to get a scope as to what size garden you have. Cabbage and cauliflower are two things I do not grow even though I do like them. They take up lots of space in the rows and they are one and done, so once harvested, the rest of the plant needs to go. Also with cauliflower, once the head starts to develop you should pull some of the leaves over the head and tie them off to protect it from the sun.

I do broccoli and brussels sprouts because they produce much longer. Kohlrabi is a good root crop. I find the bulb tastes very much like the heavy stems of broccoli with just about as little flavor, so stir fry would be a good thing to do with them.

If you like cabbage, I think you'll like collards. They do have a much stronger "green" taste and I generally cook them down in a pot with seasoning ham or good smoke sausage with onions and garlic. Just chop up the leaves and stems in large pieces, add a little oil to a pot, fry off the onions and meat for a while, add the garlic cook for a couple minutes, then add the greens. They will cook down like spinach so don't be afraid to fill the pot with them. The greens will wilt and release their juices while slow cooking. If you want to, add a little water or stock in the beginning, but not more than a half cup.

My garden consists of five 45 ft. rows, with about 15' of row on one end for herbs, about the same on the other end of the rows for my cucumbers to grow on a trellis and a 12'x4'x1' raised bed for some root crops and Japanese greens.

Listen to Grandpa, he sounds like he's been there, done that.

[engineeredgarden]

neil - I should have been more clear...what I called a greenhouse is actually a hoophouse. PVC, plastic sheeting, and various temperature control components - that's all. (really cheap to build)

EG

[bwhite829]

bwhite, you didn't mention how long your rows are to get a scope as to what size garden you have. Cabbage and cauliflower are two things I do not grow even though I do like them. They take up lots of space in the rows and they are one and done, so once harvested, the rest of the plant needs to go. Also with cauliflower, once the head starts to develop you should pull some of the leaves over the head and tie them off to protect it from the sun.

I do broccoli and brussels sprouts because they produce much longer. Kohlrabi is a good root crop. I find the bulb tastes very much like the heavy stems of broccoli with just about as little flavor, so stir fry would be a good thing to do with them.

If you like cabbage, I think you'll like collards. They do have a much stronger "green" taste and I generally cook them down in a pot with seasoning ham or good smoke sausage with onions and garlic. Just chop up the leaves and stems in large pieces, add a little oil to a pot, fry off the onions and meat for a while, add the garlic cook for a couple minutes, then add the greens. They will cook down like spinach so don't be afraid to fill the pot with them. The greens will wilt and release their juices while slow cooking. If you want to, add a little water or stock in the beginning, but not more than a half cup.

My garden consists of five 45 ft. rows, with about 15' of row on one end for herbs, about the same on the other end of the rows for my cucumbers to grow on a trellis and a 12'x4'x1' raised bed for some root crops and Japanese greens.

Listen to Grandpa, he sounds like he's been there, done that.

I don't know the exact length of the row. basically it was enought where 1 average sized trailerful of maneure thinly covered all of the rows. Johnny(g'pas neighbor) said the kohlrabi are similar to water chestnuts when stir fried, so I might try it. How do you mean cabbage and cauliflower take up alot of space? I will try it this year, and depending on how it goes, I might add another row of each. In NW florida, would I be able to get 2 crops of cabbage and cauliflower? or would it get too cold too quickly? I've heard of cooking hamhocks in collards. I'm not a fan of traditionally cooked greens, but prefer good fresh greens chopped up for a salad. I do LOVE sushi so I'm anxious to try the collard substitute. I've always trashed the stem of broccoli, but I guess this is a wasteful no no? What do you mean "Japanese greens"? and how do you grow a raised bed? Is that making a bed out of lumber or something? I'm wanting to start a garden on my balcony once my fiance and I get married and move into an apartment to grow some camellia sinensis and other herbs and spices. What would be a good thing to grow in these conditions on the balcony?

And yes, my 85 yr old grandfather has been farming/gardening probably at least 90% of his life so he knows a thing or 2....He even showed me up while we were getting manuere and was slinging it easier and longer than I was(and I work out alot)....

[gumbo2176]

bwhite, cabbage and cauliflower need about 1 1/2 to 2 ft between plants and 2-3 ft. between rows. It is also not a good practice to plant the cabbages in the same rows as previously grown. They will be more prone to disease. This is nothing new since the same can be said for tomatoes and potatoes too.

Japanese greens are a variety of leafy winter plants, some similar to spinach, some cabbage and some lettuce. I have Mizuna Purple, Mizuna Green, and some small loose leafy cabbage similar to the bok choy plant who's name escapes me.

My raised bed is basically just a large rectangular box built out of lumber. I put a couple layers of cardboard over what little grass was left to kill it inside the box. I then filled it with good garden topsoil I purchased a few weeks ago and then added a good amount of composted material to it. I leveled it in the box and planted the seeds. So far the mizuna purple and green and the beets have sprouted. It will likely be a bit longer before the carrots pop up along with the romaine seeds I put in. The reason I have a raised bed is because my soil is clay based and is fine for regular plants but root crops have a hard time in clay based soil if it packs down.

Many herbs would likely do well in planters. Things like chives, green onions, sage, thyme, mint, parsley are relatively small plants. Helpful Hint: Put mint in its own container or it will take over everything. Things like rosemary and sweet basil will need a fairly large container. My rosemary and basil are huge and would require a 5 gallon bucket of soil to maintain them.

As for putting manure directly in the garden, I'm assuming it was well composted before you did that. Fresh manure has a tendency to burn plants.

[bwhite829]

bwhite, cabbage and cauliflower need about 1 1/2 to 2 ft between plants and 2-3 ft. between rows. It is also not a good practice to plant the cabbages in the same rows as previously grown. They will be more prone to disease. This is nothing new since the same can be said for tomatoes and potatoes too.

Japanese greens are a variety of leafy winter plants, some similar to spinach, some cabbage and some lettuce. I have Mizuna Purple, Mizuna Green, and some small loose leafy cabbage similar to the bok choy plant who's name escapes me.

My raised bed is basically just a large rectangular box built out of lumber. I put a couple layers of cardboard over what little grass was left to kill it inside the box. I then filled it with good garden topsoil I purchased a few weeks ago and then added a good amount of composted material to it. I leveled it in the box and planted the seeds. So far the mizuna purple and green and the beets have sprouted. It will likely be a bit longer before the carrots pop up along with the romaine seeds I put in. The reason I have a raised bed is because my soil is clay based and is fine for regular plants but root crops have a hard time in clay based soil if it packs down.

Many herbs would likely do well in planters. Things like chives, green onions, sage, thyme, mint, parsley are relatively small plants. Helpful Hint: Put mint in its own container or it will take over everything. Things like rosemary and sweet basil will need a fairly large container. My rosemary and basil are huge and would require a 5 gallon bucket of soil to maintain them.

As for putting manure directly in the garden, I'm assuming it was well composted before you did that. Fresh manure has a tendency to burn plants.

I've used nappa cabbage and am familar w/ bok choy as I've tried to make kimchi before(albeit failed misserably), so I know about that, but wasn't sure if thats what you were talking about. I just heard about mizuna this weekend but was unaware it was Japanese. Thanks for the info.

[neil17]

EG, thats cool I was thinking about buying something between that and a real one or building a real one from old windows. Here we have places that take lumber and window donations sorta a thrift shop for items to build your house so I'm thinking wit alot of work, I could build it out of window frames and it wouldnt be that expensive. Even better it would recycle, keep things out of the landfills too. I think it would be a bit stronger too.

[neil17]

Does anyone really have a good compost system that works decently quickly I have read depending on how often you turn and how well it is set up it can take from 3 months to 2 years to decompose I thought 2 years was a little long any ideas or answers to my problem?

[thanrose]

We actually have an advantage here in the subtropics. We have an advantage in warmth and year long microbial action. While a northerner can start a pile while the ground is frozen, it is a little slower to start cooking.

The key to a fast compost is warmth. You build a hot pile with the right balance of browns and greens, add water as needed, and turn the pile frequently. There are quite a few composting threads.

[neil17]

Ok thx for the help.