This could be the day! The sun is out, the phys. therapy on my back seems to be working, and I'm ready to be outside! Think I'll go out after I post this and plant beans, carrots and onions, add some herbs and flowers. It's just been one of those dreary springs in more ways than one.
Even farmers here are having trouble (only 11% of Ohio crops planted as of last week) ,and it's certainly worse for them than for me and my little garden space.
I finished up the last of the planting for the year. I planted my 2nd batch of corn (5 rows), re-planted some beans that didn't make it through our bad weather.
Today I begin planting. I put out some plants early and have been jumping through hoops to keep those alive in the snow and rain we've had the past two weeks. The last rain was two days ago. The ground should be dry enough to work today.
Today I plant corn. Tomorrow, I prep a bed for my Habaneros and, if time permits, set them out. The day after, I prep a spot for some of the Super Chilies. And so on and so forth. A week from today, I hope to have everything planted but the rest of the corn.
It feels great to be in growing mode instead of survival mode!
Finally planted my peppers and eggplants yesterday and can now say that I am done planting for the summer season. Now it's off to hoe and get those pesky weeds....
Kind of interesting question, as the garden is continually planted February or March, through November. The planting is almost never 'done' as something is always finishing up and then the space get replanted in something else. This past week garlic and lettuce finished up and edamame and green beans were planted. The week before some replacement cucumber seeds were planted. Next week the potatoes will come up, and either squash or cucumbers will get planted in that spot. After the green beans planted this week are about 2-3 weeks old, I'll plant another batch, for a continuous harvest. So it is not like the planting is 'done' but is more of a continuous rotation of plants as one crop follows the other.
Its getting there. I have a ton of tomatoes and peppers to get in the ground but most everything else is planted. I had to let the ground sit for two days after it stopped raining so I could work it and then it got too hot for me to function outside other than for a couple of hours before dark. I don't do well when its 90F out.
95% is done...one half row is still open for my own seedlings that got a late start at my house. will be a couple weeks (4?) until they are large enough for the garden. the rest is in and ready to go. some peppers and tomatoes are already producing fruits! some beans are blossoming and others are near. some are just sprouting after a delay in planting.
(hendi_alex, I live in Lugoff, SC...neighbors!)
Slowly getting there, almost all my toms are planted, eggplants as well, still have a bout 45 pepper plants to get into their final containers, as well as build a trellis. My pepper plants are looking sad, they have been suffering major aphid attacks...
Good to see both a near neighbor and fellow gamecock fan on the forum. My wife and I both graduated from Carolina, where my wife works, retired but is still doing contract work in admissions. My daughter graduated from the honors college, so we are strongly connected to Carolina. My wife and
I lived in Mayfield Acres in Lugoff for about ten years. We purchase my childhood home from my parents where I lived from age 8. Was a river rat from age 8 up until age 28. Now live a few miles off of Bishopville highway in Antioch community.
Garden is a sandy hill, but with many year of compost and working the soil, the main gardening areas finally produce pretty well. You should give some thought to a fall garden, as most years it performs very well, and with almost none of the watering or pest concerns of the summer garden.
Every row is planted now, but most of my cool season crops are seeding, or dying off. In their place I will plant more corn, squash and green beans. In august I will start planting the cool season plants again.
A couple of days ago I said I was done planting except for some more corn, but that is not really so. This morning I planted a 50 foot row of potatoes on another plot. Today I am going to harvest a row of green onions, and that will get planted with peas. I plan to plant radishes and spinach as space becomes available. I will also plant some more Egyptian Onions from time to time. I guess one is never done planting.
I still have some late-started (end of April-ish) tomato and tomatillo seedlings that are almost ready to put out, but much of my stuff is off and growing.
I was a little late on the squash this year...just put seeds down over the weekend. I threw in a row of carrots, a row of eggplant (Black Beauty) and a couple pumpkin (Dill's Atlantic Giant, actually...saw them at Lowe's and couldn't resist) while I was at it. I have roughly half a row of corn that didn't come up; I may re-seed with corn, or just use it for radish.
Now that I think of it, I planted on May 1...need to go get pics and compare them to what I took then. My early girl plants in particular seem to have gone berserk; if they keep this up I'll be waist-deep in tomatoes in a month.
sheeshshe wrote:I JUST came inside from getting the last of it in the ground! YEAH!!! its a good feeling!
I just came in from ALMOST finishing the prep on a new bed for the Habaneros. Rocks have been cleared. The soil has been spaded and raked. I spread peat moss, bone meal, and vermiculite on top as amendments. I am currently trying to convince myself that a new bed with peppers as its first crop doesn't need compost. If I am successful in deluding myself, all that is left to do to make it perfect is to add two bags of top soil, work the soil (by hand, can't help myself), and screw the rest of the bed frame on.
I'm exhausted. The Habaneros, poor rootbound guys, will have to wait one more day for rescue
Yes, the garden is never really done! Reminds me what someone said about laundry...it gets done about a week after you die!
Soil is hardened into concrete by rain, then immediately to 90+ F and then wind, wind, wind. I can understand why homesteaders on the plains went crazy from it (wind).
Come on down. Land is cheap here and taxes are very friendly for retirees. We have a long growing season which is year round for a few things, but March through November for most veggies. We only have a couple of snows per year max, and it is usually here today gone tomorrow. Routine temperatures below 26-28 degrees are rare, and some years it hardly drops below that even for a few days. January and February generally have lots of highs in the 60's. The summers are hot, but usually only for a couple of months, and even then the mornings and evenings are rather pleasant.
Much of the garden is in despite cold, wind, torrential rains (April and May both broke records for rain), hail, flooded basement twice and bugs.
So far, 22 tomatoes, 6 eggplant, 15 peppers and three 8-ball squash are in their containers - have 6 containers ready for cukes and melons. Onions, leeks, shallots, beets, lettuce, spinach, basil and tons of herbs are in the raised beds. I have brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower to plant in a raised bed. Carrots, radish, turnips and arugula - I just haven't had time. Kale, more lettuce, spinach, beets and other plants will go in later in the season.
I had the containers mostly ready to be planted (cleaned all the pots, mixed the soil and filled) and DH helped level and moved things into an orderly fashion this weekend. I was feeling pretty good (and VERY tired) about the containers until I remembered that we do have those 6 containers to go. But, that will take about 1/2 - 1 hour (more?) depending on whether things go as "planned."
We were gardening in a very small space - just containers. I think it was maybe 12 by 15' or even smaller. We expanded that to about 35 x35' (maybe larger) actual planting area and built 5 raised beds (3 are 3x8x20" deep and 2 are 4x8x12"deep). We have hauled topsoil, compost, manure and mulch from the driveway to the back of the property. We have put newspaper down to kill off the grass and covered with mulch. The area is somewhat sloped so leveling every container took time and DH worked VERY hard this weekend to do that. The result is quite attractive with the rows of containers appearing to be terraced. The space between rows is very comfortable.
We woke up this morning to a severe thunderstorm, hail and high winds. High winds and 90 degree temps is enough to keep me out of the garden. Once the wind calmed down a bit, we "strolled" through the garden feeling pleased until we found striped cucumber beetles on the squash (they took out the cukes last year). So out came the pyrethrin/rotenone (not sure I want to use that again) and the plants were sprayed along with the eggplants that are in very close proximity.
So the answer is "no" - we're not done but we have sure put in a lot of garden time. I'm certain a lot of other folks can relate to weather, increasing garden space and then having other things crop up along the way. It has been a most unusual weather season so far. I hope that will change.
Is there any good cure for cucumber beetles or will I have to give up on that family of plants?
I'm in north central Ohio. Sounds like everyone has been fighting the weather this year. "We" (son, husband) just finished planting corn half an hour ago! (Don't know if this is a or a ) Glad to be finished, but June 2 is pushing the limit.
Raised beds are the only chance I have with the clay on our knoll. Also helps with weed control. Even with that, the conditions were far less than perfect this year. Still, am glad to be outside at last!
I planted a small bed (20 square feet) of corn yesterday morning before I tackled the Habanero project. Up here, June 1 is a good time to plant corn; in fact, this year I plan to succession plant four beds of corn, each 7-10 days apart, so I will probably be planting corn close to or on July 1. I found a super short-season variety: 55 days
It feels good to have the first plot of corn seeds percolating while I continue work prepping beds for the pepper seedlings! No fuss. Moisten once a day. I am hoping that by the time I need to plant my second bed of corn I will have finished setting out all the pepper seedlings. Then I can finally concentrate on the funnest aspect of gardening: sitting back and watching my plants grow
As matter of fact was at a local farmer's market last weekend and a young cucumber plant yelled out my name and naturally I had to buy it!! So now I have to figure out where to plant her. Who really is ever finished in the garden?
Apparently my little idea is working. I've hidden a little microphone / speaker in the plant racks. Bean, oh Bean, over here.
I sold ( 84 ) 4" pots last Saturday.
I was so proud of myself yesterday, so proud. I finished the new bed, put up enough frame to discourage the dog from making himself to home, and set out all of the Habaneros. What a triumph!
We froze last night. Not enough to kill all the plants, but clearly long enough to devastate the two smallest. One is now recovering nicely, but I do not have high hopes for the littlest one's chances of survival.
Tonight the forecast low is 35. All plants will be covered. (It was only supposed to get down to 39 last night, so I didn't cover anyone.) I planted nothing today. Back to the grind tomorrow, when we have some reasonable weather in the offing
stella1751 wrote:I was so proud of myself yesterday, so proud. I finished the new bed, put up enough frame to discourage the dog from making himself to home, and set out all of the Habaneros. What a triumph!
We froze last night. Not enough to kill all the plants, but clearly long enough to devastate the two smallest. One is now recovering nicely, but I do not have high hopes for the littlest one's chances of survival.
Tonight the forecast low is 35. All plants will be covered. (It was only supposed to get down to 39 last night, so I didn't cover anyone.) I planted nothing today. Back to the grind tomorrow, when we have some reasonable weather in the offing
Augh, you're just having horrible luck with the temps this year! I got snowed on while I was there, too.
And, I'm officially done planting as of yesterday. I have one lone gourd plant I'm not quite sure what to do with- but I'll figure it out eventually !
First off there is the spring garden than the summer garden than the fall garden than overwintering. Than what do you do between all of this. Well let's see what seed I have. Maybe if I start this it might grow, maybe not but why not try. Than there is succession planting. I still have lettuce and whatnot incubating in the basement to replace the ones that are bolting now. Than again there are the extra peppers I haven't yet planted and the sweet potatoes I need to find room for and the empty pots I need to find something for and the plants that didn't germinate so I need to try again, and the , and the, and the.........................................................................................................................
Eric, what breed are the dogs in your picture? A dog who looks just like them lives next door.
He has that same serious (stern?) expression but is a total love bug once he trusts.
I don't know the owner well enough to ask.
Jacob
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Dogs%20%20Jacob%20and%20Pepper/DSC02911.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h300/eric_wa/Dogs%20%20Jacob%20and%20Pepper/DSC02921.jpg[/img]
gixxerific wrote:and the , and the, and the.........................................................................................................................
I'm with ya, Gixx. I can TOTALLY relate.
p.s. hi, Pepper, hi, Jacob! ...oh yeah, you too Eric.
And we froze last night, two weeks after our average last frost date. Feast or famine. I'm actually glad now that I am behind on my planting; I barely had enough containers last night to cover everything I've planted.
Maybe today my energy will return. Super chilies await their day in the sun, but I have no beds prepped or made for them
The sun is out, the phys. therapy on my back seems to be working, and I'm ready to be outside! Think I'll go out after I post this and plant beans, carrots and onions, add some herbs and flowers. It's just been one of those dreary springs in more ways than one.
) Glad to be finished, but June 2 is pushing the limit. 
