Tennessee 2020 Garden

[imafan26]

Looks like a weed to me.

[Gary350]

I have not been successful slowing down sprout growth on these Red Pontiac potatoes in this early 75 degree warm weather. If I had a refrigerator I could probably slow them down for 3 more weeks. Today I made 116 cuttings that need to dry for 1 week before I plant them. Cuttings need to be inspected and rotated every day so none rot. Cutting large sprouts from the main potatoes hopefully will make small eyes start growing larger sprouts. There is a large range of sprout lengths 1" to 7" long soon as cuttings are dry the longest sprouts go into plastic cups then I will fill them with garden soil. When our crazy weather finally stops raining long enough to till soil then I will start planting potatoes in garden row #1. This will work out like successive planting cuttings will get planted in groups 1 week apart as sprouts grow longer. Harvest 4 months from now will be 1 day every week until all potatoes have been harvested. This will be better than harvesting the whole potato crop in 1 day we can eat a lot of new potatoes while more are on the way.

I still have 36 seed potatoes with several eyes on each there could be another 100 or more cutting if these eyes will grow longer sprouts.

Monday I will check the price of 1000 lbs of construction sand for the potato row. I am planning to do a double row of potatoes to save garden space, 80 cutting in a 40 ft row, 2 rows side by side 6" apart will be 160 plants. If I end up with another 100 cuttings which I hope I don't then I will need to make 3 rows side by side 6" between rows 260 plants in a 40 ft row

This year I am following instructions from 2 university studies that say to use 15-15-60 fertilizer 25 lbs for every 35 ft. Wow that seems like too much nitrogen for potatoes. I need to buy about 3 gallons of vinegar to neutralize calcium in 20 gallons of wood ash.

I still have 2 boxes of Kennebec potatoes that are growing very slow none of the sprouts are more than 1/2" long. There will be another wide row of potatoes in the garden maybe not until May if they don't pick up speed and sprout faster.

Buying seed potatoes is guess work but better to have too many cuttings than not enough to get a good crop of potatoes. Red Pontiac potatoes have been very good about sprouting quick 3 years in a row. If I get 2 to 3 lbs of new potatoes per plant like it says online this could grow 600 lbs of potatoes but 200 lbs is more realistic for TN hot 98 degree dry summer weather.

[imafan26]

How much space does it take to plant that much. I have only planted sweet potatoes and they take up a lot of space.

[Gary350]

How much space does it take to plant that much. I have only planted sweet potatoes and they take up a lot of space.

I plant cuttings 6" apart and 6" between rows. I like to plant double rows & triple rows & beds to save garden space. A 40 ft row will have 80 cuttings. 2 rows side by side will be 160 cuttings. 3 rows side by side 6" between rows = 240 cuttings. A 3 ft wide bed 15 ft long bed is 180 cutting. A 24" circle with 15 cuttings usually makes a 5 gallon bucket of new potatoes. I have tried several experiments potatoes seem to do best crowded close together. Fertilizer is 15-15-60 about 1/3 lb per plant. I don't get 3 lbs of potatoes per plant like most information says, June 15th rain stop it is 95 to 98 degree for 3 months with 1 small rain per month, soil is dry as desert, potatoes are not large. Picture shows Red Pontiac potatoes.

I plant sweet potatoes too. I rake vines into a 10 ft diameter circle. I usually get 25 lbs of potatoes per plant. I usually plant 5 plants but this year I am doing 10 plants in a 10 ft circle. I am planting WHITE sweet potatoes this year. I am buying slips they come in a 10 pack that is the only reason I am planting 10 plants. Sweet potatoes are truly a zero maintenance crop if I did not rake vines in a 10' circle there would be nothing to do. If you cover vines with soil every 16" vines grow roots then you get satellite potatoes around the mother plant. Sweet potato plants love 100 deg hot blistering sun all day with almost no rain, they are hot weather plants like okra.

[Gary350]

I am very out of practice growing my own seeds inside the house it has been 25 years. I have had 188 tomato seeds planted inside the house for over a week last night 3 plants popped up 1" tall. Stems are thin as a sewing thread 2 plants fell over died. I think this factory potting soil has no fertilizer so I added 1 tablespoon of 15-15-15 to 2 quarts of water for plants. Plants are outside in real over cast sun light in the cold 55 degree rain. Big storm on the way at 1 pm an triple big storm with 1" hail predicted at 7 pm. Plants need to come inside during storms but they can stay outside it is not going to freeze or frost. Next 2 days forecast is 80 degrees during the day & more rain. A lot of tomato plants can die and it will be ok I only need 100 plants. TV News said, 3 houses were broken into last night people stole food. Now we are having second thoughts about planting fun stuff like the 100 tomato plant experiment. We are going to get series about having a much larger pantry and growing more food than we originally planned. Now our plan is about 90 pints of corn. About 60 pints & 30 quarts of green beans. 200 lbs of Red Pontiac potatoes. 200 lbs of Kennebec potatoes. 125 lbs or white sweet potatoes. Hopefully 100 lbs of carrots. 150 onions. 100 quarts of tomatoes. 5 gallons bell peppers. Squash. Okra. Q-cumbers. Melons. Cantaloupe. Herbs. No garlic this year maybe I should grow 75 summer garlic.

[SQWIB]

Just an FYI, you don't need fertilizer for the seedlings at the most you can feed them a diluted mix once they get their true leaves, I don't bother feeding until they look like this.

[TomatoNut95]

I knew it, I just knew people would start breaking into peoples houses!! It's only going to get scarier. Gary, was anyone hurt or killed in those break-ins? Guess I better keep my hatchet handy. And my pellet gun. And my sword.

Also, planting tomatoes in the house causes them to get leggy right away. Tomatoes need very strong light as soon as they germinate.

[Gary350]

Rain stopped. Today I mowed the garden. I am surprised 12" tall chickweed mowed down so easy it turned into green water spray. LOL

We had very dark over cast gray sky all day then 4 pm sun came out. Sun motivated me to plant 3 types of melons in 15 small pots to transplant in about 5 weeks. I also planted 4 yellow squash in 4 small pots. This will give me a 1 month head start I always plant seeds directly in the garden 1st or 2nd week of May.

[Gary350]

I planted potatoes today 3/27/2020. It was very windy & 80 degrees yesterday I tested the soil it was dry enough to till so I tilled enough to plant potatoes. I am very surprised at this garden soil the 10,000. of compost material I hauled in a year ago has composted soil is like 7"of soft potting soil. I tilled soil again this morning then prepared a place for 3 rows of side by side potatoes total 12" wide. I tested the soil with ph paper in 3 places it was, 6ph, 6.5ph, 6.5ph. Better that 8ph last year. I made a 12" wide trench 6" deep. I found 2 university studies online one said use 20 lbs 15-15-15 fertilizer per potato row the other said use 35 lbs 15-15-15 per row. I weighted 35 lbs then after putting 20 lbs in the potato row I decided that seems like more than enough. I put one small bag of 0-0-60 fertilizer in the potato row. The 3 gallons of vinegar that I bought was only enough to neutralize calcium in 1 gallon of wood ash I put that is the potato row too. I covered fertilizer with 1" of soil. I put all the cutting I had in this row. In a few weeks the rest of the seed seed potatoes might make enough cutting to finish this row or Red Pontiac potatoes. I still have enough Kennebec seed potatoes to do another row like this but they are slow sprouting it might be another month before I can plant them. I covered cutting with enough soil to cover the sprouts so they don't sun burn. As sprouts grow taller I will cover them with 6" to 8" of soil. It is 80 deg again today & 80 tomorrow & storms tomorrow night. Potatoes are more work than I like but it only took 2 hours to till, fertilize & plant this row.

[TomatoNut95]

Beautiful garden, @Gary!

[Gary350]

I went to the garden store this morning they had 3 types of tomato plants I want & pepper plants that I want.

I decided to plant the rest of the Red Pontiac seed potatoes that makes 216. I decided I have more potatoes then we need I am not making Kennebec seed potato cuttings so I planted 45 whole potatoes an the end of the Red Potato row. Most of the Kennebec potatoes have 7 eyes that is about 315 plants. Most of the Red Pontiac cuttings have 2 to 4 eyes that is about 1000 potato plants all total including Kennebec. Next years I will do the math, how many cuttings do I need in the space I need to plant then count potato eyes when I buy seed potatoes. I bought too many seed potatoes this year. Potatoes are a 4 month crop harvest will be July 28. Cuttings are all covered with 6" of soil there won't be any plants for a month that is good plants need to grow new potatoes not leaves.

[Gary350]

About 4 pm I decided to make the tomato row and plant the 12 tomato plants that I bought. After pulling a string between 2 stakes I put marker stakes 18" apart so I could dig tomato plant holes. After digging 23 holes I put 1 empty green bean can full of wood ash in each hole. Then 1/4 measuring cup of 15-15-15 fertilizer in each hole. Stir well in the bottom of the hole with some soil. Cover fertilizer with 1" of soil then place the tomato plant in the hole and fill with soil. Push soil down compact it tight on the plant then pull in more soil to make surface level. Replace marker stakes with cages then give plants a drink or water. Water plants every day for about 1 week then never water again no mater how hot and dry it gets. I usually get about 25 lbs of tomatoes per plant. If I can find 4 Rutger plants they go in the next 4 holes. I will probably plant 4 Big Beef in the next 4 holes. Not sure what to put in the last 3 holes maybe Big Bertha bells peppers they are the best bell peppers I have grown.

[TomatoNut95]

You BOUGHT???? tomato plants after you planted a hundred and something seeds??

[Gary350]

You BOUGHT???? tomato plants after you planted a hundred and something seeds??

Seeds are not growing it has been about 2 weeks. I can plant seeds in the garden and I always have plants in about 5 days.

[TomatoNut95]

How strange that they have not cone up yet. How old is your seed? The older they are, the slower or less likey they germinate. Some of my seed that was like 4 or 5 years old took longer than 1 or 2 year old seed. And temperature is a thing to, I planted several seed about week ago and they already came up; it's been in the high eighties outside. I'm glad they're up, cause I got tired of misting them all the time. That is a downfall on that coconut coir based seed starting mix: dries out a lot.

[Gary350]

How strange that they have not cone up yet. How old is your seed? The older they are, the slower or less likey they germinate. Some of my seed that was like 4 or 5 years old took longer than 1 or 2 year old seed. And temperature is a thing to, I planted several seed about week ago and they already came up; it's been in the high eighties outside. I'm glad they're up, cause I got tired of misting them all the time. That is a downfall on that coconut coir based seed starting mix: dries out a lot.

Big Beef seeds from last summer & your Rutger & Bradly seeds. Not growing in plant trays. I sprinkled 15 Big Beef seeds outside in garden soil then let mother nature take care of them they are up and looking good. I need to sprinkle another 100 Big Beef seeds outside if I plan to do this 100 tomato plant project. The 1 and only seed in the plant trays that came up and lived got fatter and greener after I fed it some fertilizer. Tomorrow I plant Rutger seeds outside then see how mother nature does with them.

[TomatoNut95]

Rutgers aren't from me, I haven't had seed for Rutgers in years.

I never sow tomato seed directly into the ground I feel like they'll get washed away, or stepped on or won't germinate. What kind of soil are you using for trays and what is the temperature?

A week ago I planted one seed each of Splash of Cream, Purple Russian, Bonny Best, Yellow Perfection, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Mystery and Velvet Red all but Yellow Perfection and Mystery germinated. Also sprinkled Roma seed in a soil filled pot tray and they're up now.

I wish I had room to do more tomatoes, I got seed for Marglobe and Giant Pink Belgium. I might save those for the fall.

[Gary350]

Rutgers aren't from me, I haven't had seed for Rutgers in years.

I never sow tomato seed directly into the ground I feel like they'll get washed away, or stepped on or won't germinate. What kind of soil are you using for trays and what is the temperature?

A week ago I planted one seed each of Splash of Cream, Purple Russian, Bonny Best, Yellow Perfection, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Mystery and Velvet Red all but Yellow Perfection and Mystery germinated. Also sprinkled Roma seed in a soil filled pot tray and they're up now.

I wish I had room to do more tomatoes, I got seed for Marglobe and Giant Pink Belgium. I might save those for the fall.

Yes I figured that out today. I searched through everything I have 2 times looking for those Rutger seeds I thought I had. I must have dreamed that. I think that is called a brain fart. LOL

[Gary350]

Today I built a Lowered Bed 6"deep 3'x10' with soft sandy soil specific for carrots roots will be down where moisture is even in hot 100 degree weather. I got a 1 oz bag of Chantenay carrot seeds $3.99 at Farmers Co-op. There must be 4000 seeds in this bag. After sprinkling carrot seeds on the soil I covered them with 12 gallons of Florida white beach sand.

I went in search of Rutgers tomato plants or seeds just before lunch and was surprised to see the Garden center was completely sold out of tomato plants and most other vegetable garden plants too. Home Depot & Lowe's both are mostly sold out of garden plants too. I bought Rutgers seeds at Lowe's our 80 degree weather is gone Rutgers seeds need to be started inside the house in real garden soil.

[TomatoNut95]

I kinda wondered if vegetable plants might start disappearing. Good thing I got a Mr. Stripey before they vanished. Heard that people are also grabbing up baby chicks. I hope those people realize those little fuzzballs won't give them anything edible for months to come. Now there will probably be a shortage of chicken feed and supplies.

It would be very good if more people learned to be farmers. People need to learn how to go back to basics, toughen up and live off the land some.
I could be growing a whole lot more for myself and other people if I didn't have trash for dirt. Vegetable seed will probably disappear to. Maybe. Thankfully I've got plenty of squash, pea and bean seed on hand.

My BFF recently moved and was sending me pics of the wild turkey, saying that they, along with Mule Deer were quite abundant. If people get desperate enough, season or not in season, those turkeys and deer may start decreasing in population.
If I were a hunter I'd have plenty of hogs to eat, no season needed for those fleabags in this area. I could easily shoot an animal, but as for chopping it up for cooking...I'd throw up. Or faint. The shot animal would have to fall apart in front of me by itself.

I figured out that eggs are freezable. But not so much whole in the shell as is cracking the eggs into ice cube trays or muffin/cupcake tins and then freezing. According to the internet, frozen eggs can last a year.

[Vanisle_BC]

I figured out that eggs are freezable. But not so much whole in the shell as is cracking the eggs into ice cube trays or muffin/cupcake tins and then freezing. According to the internet, frozen eggs can last a year.

I mentioned before that, during the war, my mother pickled eggs in isinglass. They were uncooked and unbroken and kept for many months. If you're interested you can google isinglass pickling and get many hits.

[Gary350]

Heard that people are also grabbing up baby chicks. I hope those people realize those little fuzzballs won't give them anything edible for months to come. Now there will probably be a shortage of chicken feed and supplies.

If I were a hunter I'd have plenty of hogs to eat, no season needed for those fleabags in this area. I could easily shoot an animal, but as for chopping it up for cooking.

I figured out that eggs are freezable. But not so much whole in the shell as is cracking the eggs into ice cube trays or muffin/cupcake tins and then freezing. According to the internet, frozen eggs can last a year.

My grandmother said, eggs are good for several week not refrigerated but it is not worth the risk to loose eggs by not putting them in the refrigerator after 2 weeks. My father & wife use to raise pigs. Wife use to raise chickens. I have wanted to raise 1 pig for meat and 6 chickens for eggs but wife said, NO it is more work than you realize it will screw up our retirement and camping. Farmers co-op & TSC had baby chicks & baby ducks 2 weeks ago $5 each, last year they were 50¢ each. I don't know how it is possible to raise chickens less than the cost of a dozen grocery store eggs but if there are no eggs in any stores we would be glad to have home grown eggs $5 a dozen. During WWII all eggs were required to go to the military farmers had no eggs either. Grandmother said, MPs came and collected our eggs every day.

[TomatoNut95]

Raising chickens is way more costly than buying a carton of eggs. Buying supplies for a shelter, a water, a feeder, medicines and sacks of food. If you could make your own chicken feed, it might be more worth it. But chickens get sick or hurt easily which means needing costly medicines on hand. Probably a lot of the people that are grabbing up these chicks have never had them before and they'll encounter many problems in the future.

[Vanisle_BC]

During WWII all eggs were required to go to the military farmers had no eggs either. Grandmother said, MPs came and collected our eggs every day.

US civilians got no eggs during the war - I never knew that. Even in starvation-threatened Britain it wasn't that bad! In addition to dry powdered egg every adult was entitled to one fresh** egg per week. And I don't think the military spent any manpower on ration enforcement. Remarkable!

** "You know these Yukon eggs of ours — some pink, some green, some blue —
A dollar per, assorted tints, assorted flavors too."

[Gary350]

Yesterday it rained hard all day yard an garden were under 2" of water in several places so I worked in the shop. I cut up most of my scrap wood pile to build a 20" tall picket fence. I don't want to put up that 4' tall chain link fence again this year I can't climb over or get through & its a lot of walking around it to harvest from the garden every day. This wooden picket fence is made in sections, 5 sections 8' long, 1 section 3' long, 1 section 4' long. Hammer 2 wooden posts into the soil 1" apart so there is a post on each side of fence to hold it up. There are 2 post at each end of each fence section. Any time we need to mow grass lift the fence up take it away long enough to mow then slide fence down between the 2 wooden stakes again. Now I can step over the fence to get into the garden an remove the fence in seconds to till soil or get in with wheel barrel. Dog can not jump over. Dog has already ran a path through the garden she runs to bark at people and runs right over every thing in the way. Now dog has to go around. I still need 2 more 8' fence sections other side of garden near the metal building. Gravity & friction keeps fence in place.

Temperature got down to 40 last night and has warmed up to 52 today. It needs to get warmer for Rutger seeds to germinate.

[TomatoNut95]

Very nice fence!

[TomatoNut95]

Gary, can I ask some advice? I was wondering how I might go about drying some chives. Also, I have a patch of wild onions. Can I dry the wild onion greens?

[Gary350]

Gary, can I ask some advice? I was wondering how I might go about drying some chives. Also, I have a patch of wild onions. Can I dry the wild onion greens?

Buy a good dehydrator that operates at 100 degrees F or adjusts down to 100. I learned from experiments the hotter you dehydrate herbs the more flavor they loose. The very best way to dehydrate with no heat at 70 degree room temperature is a vacuum pump and bell jar. Watch the video. Put herbs in a bowl inside bell jar suck a vacuum it suck all the moisture out of herbs they are dry in a few minutes. You can dehydrate meat too to make jerky with no heat. Thin sliced tomatoes turn out like crispy red potato chips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybIVpyfXjeY

[applestar]

I figured out that eggs are freezable. But not so much whole in the shell as is cracking the eggs into ice cube trays or muffin/cupcake tins and then freezing. According to the internet, frozen eggs can last a year.

Frozen whole eggs —>

How to Make Egg Tempura


...also came across this — > More complicated, but looks yummy!

Fried Poached Eggs Recipe – Bruno Albouze

[TomatoNut95]

I got my mother a food dehydrator as a Mother's Day gift many years ago. She decided she didn't want it for some reason.....it may have been the fact it has to be on several hours. I carried it back...but looking back now I wish I had kept it. If I come across another machine, what brand do you recommend?

[Vanisle_BC]

TomatoNut, have you looked into using the microwave for drying food?

Like your mother, we bought & ditched a dehydrator because it took so long to do the job. I'm pretty sure we looked into microwaving and did a little of that but it was many years ago and I forget. Since then we've sundried in the greenhouse on racks, although only doing tomatoes & herbs.

What foods are you wanting to dry - is it only onion greens you're thinking of? I imagine sundrying in Texas might be pretty easy. A small backyard air dryer could work and I think there are plenty of designs online.

[Gary350]

Today I planted an onion bed with 150 brown onions. I mixed a whole 5 gallon bucket of wood ash & 1 quart of 15-15-15 fertilizer into the soil before planting onions 4" apart in 8 rows 4" between rows. Then I covered onions with soil and fence wire to keep cats from digging them up. Every year cat dig up onions I think because onions smell bad cats think this is the cat box. Cats already found white sand in carrot bed they were digging it up until I covered it with fence wire. I made 4 more 8 ft sections of wood fence today. I planted garlic too in wood ash & 15-15-15 I forgot to count it is about 8 rows about & 10 per row 3" apart.. Herbs in 2 gallon flower pots looking good, dill, fennel, 2 pots of cilantro. There are also 15 smaller pots of cilantro also has savory planted in same pots. That is what happens when I forget to marks pots then 2 days later can't remember so I plant different seeds in same pots. I bought a brand new box of white plastic spoons a weeks ago and I can not find them. I looked 3 times for 30 minutes each time can't find spoons. It will be easier to drive to store and buy new spoons than to keep looking for lost spoons. I remember taking spoons from grocery bag then thinking I will put spoons over here so I know where they are. yea right. .

[Gary350]

Today I noticed about 20% of the tomato seeds in the plant tray that have real garden soil grew 1" tall tomato plants. I dumped factory potting soil from the other 2 trays then filled trays with garden soil then replanted tomato seeds. I have all my herbs in 2 gallon pots, Italian oregano, common thyme, french tarragon, caraway, dill, fennel, 2 cilantro, lemon thyme, rosemary, peppermint, basil, parsley, in full sun they should all be happy expect plants that don't like hot summer weather they can be moved to the shade tree when it gets hotter. I shoveled up 130 gallons of saw dust then compacted it into 4 trash cans 30 gallons each. Maybe mud will dry up tomorrow enough to till garden soil where it was not tilled yet. 80 degree sunny weather for next 2 days has chanced to 74 and rain. It was 37 degrees last night there is nothing else I can plant in the garden until last frost April 20.

[TomatoNut95]

I wanted to dry some chives and wild onion greens. And possibly basil.
I plan on asking my step-dad (he knows how to build stuff(sometimes) I'm no carpenter) to build me a sundryer. I found the design I want in a garden project book I bought. I'd like it to made from light enough wood or with wheels on it so I can easily move it from here to there if need be. I plan to use it for drying tomatoes and peppers to make powder.

[applestar]

are those the fence you made @gary350? the pots line up look nice and tidy

[Gary350]

are those the fence you made @gary350? the pots line up look nice and tidy

I built an 8 ft long fence assembly fixture on the work bench. I drop the boards into the correct slots it only takes 15 minutes to put in 62 screws to hold boards together. It took about 5 hours to cut the boards on my cheapo Chinese table saw. Its not the best table saw in the world but it does what I want, fence keeps dog out of the garden. Cats are no problem in garden & 4 ft tall chain link fence does not keep cats out.

Why are letters I type so tiny I can barely see what I type. Is there a way to make letters larger?

[Gary350]

Last week when it rained hard for 3 days it washed soil off of my 37 ft long potato hill. I tried to pile soil up again but gravity makes soil slide down at 45 degree angle. I have no choice but to use 1x6 boards along both sides to hold soil in.

[TomatoNut95]

I don't like way the forum looks now.

[webmaster]

This is TEMPORARY.

It's going to take a few days while I familiarize myself again with this new template and get it looking great. Trust me, it WILL look so good once I'm done altering it!

[Gary350]

This is TEMPORARY.

It's going to take a few days while I familiarize myself again with this new template and get it looking great. Trust me, it WILL look so good once I'm done altering it!

Old windows I could push a key board button and make everything on my computer screen get larger but Window 10 does not have that option. What I see on my screen now is smaller than news paper print I have to get my face very close to screen to read this. If letters could get larger that would be great. An option to click to make temporary larger would be good too.