Finally Got the Vegetable Garden In. Show Us Your Gardens.

Stiffwrists

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Joined
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Utah
Im a very amateur gardener. Finally put the vegetable garden in. A little behind schedule because I planted early last year and we had a late frost that killed off some of my plants. We do tomatoes, peppers, green beans, zucchini, cukes, watermelons. I'm sure we have some other gardeners in this forum. Let's post updates here on our growth, success and bounty!


**added 5/28/18 In the time since I posted this picture, I've had a few new seedlings pop up from the soil from the leftover vegetables that I just tilled back into the ground at the end of last season. I'm pretty sure that are PattyPan squash. I relocated them to their own spot in the garden and added another water line to water them.

**added 6/18/18. The plants are really starting to take hold!

**added a couple new pics. Harvested a few zucchini this week.

**Added pics 4/6/18. Green beans, cukes, zucchini. Watermelon getting bigger.
 

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I don't have much of a green thumb, but my biggest problem is the damned squirrels. The crows were terrible, too. This year, I got an elevated box, because my back just won't allow me to crawl around on the ground, and I put some netting to keep the birds and squirrels out, and some matting to help with the weeds. I planted sweet peppers, Fordhook limas, and bitter melons. I've got some plants sprouting now.

I wish I was out in the country so I could bring some firepower to bear on those stupid tree rats. Maybe I can set out some mouse traps to bust their little noses. They chew on the house, too. Can you tell that I hate them yet?

-- Tom
 
I don't have much of a green thumb, but my biggest problem is the damned squirrels. The crows were terrible, too. This year, I got an elevated box, because my back just won't allow me to crawl around on the ground, and I put some netting to keep the birds and squirrels out, and some matting to help with the weeds. I planted sweet peppers, Fordhook limas, and bitter melons. I've got some plants sprouting now.

I wish I was out in the country so I could bring some firepower to bear on those stupid tree rats. Maybe I can set out some mouse traps to bust their little noses. They chew on the house, too. Can you tell that I hate them yet?

-- Tom

I don't have to deal with any squirrels where I am. When I used to plant from seed, I did have birds pick them out before they could sprout though! Now I buy the little plants from the nursery.

Sweet peppers, Limas, and bitter melons? Interesting mix!
 
Since I have lived here the trees have grown to the point that they shade my back yard so badly that I can no longer grow anything. Even grass does not want to grow

But I do have a few tomato plants in the one corner that gets the morning sun. One of the plants has three tomatoes about the size of a half dollar

I hope to get a few home grown tomatoes
 
designs for raised vegetable beds

Found some interesting layouts and designs on this site , built a simple raised bed this year for tomatoes , peppers , egg plants so far , going to plant other things in big tubs. https://www.pinterest.com/search/pi...eq=raised gardens ideas&etslf=10680&term_meta[]=raised%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=gardens%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=ideas%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=how%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=to%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined&term_meta[]=build%7Cautocomplete%7Cundefined
 
Here are some photos of my "garden" for this year. I left out A LOT of stuff - many many many peppers as I am working on stabilizing a cross. I doubt I have the patience to see this through, but I am curious what I will end up with. I left out some hybrid peppers, tomatoes, eggplants, carrots and most of the corn.


One photo is starting the seeds (well, somewhat past sowing and germination) back in February under fluorescents. Another is some corn I planted in the center of some pompous grass just to see what will happen. And lastly the tomatoes that were started indoors, up-potted in greenhouse, and finally in grow bags (and a few in pots). Most are romas.


I spent most of today picking worm eggs off of them. Going to try and go as long as possible, or the whole season, without using pesticides.
 

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We had a pretty strong wind/storm last night. The little plants held up nicely. A think a nice storm strengthens them!
 
We had a pretty strong wind/storm last night. The little plants held up nicely. A think a nice storm strengthens them!


It definitely does. Whenever any fibers are damaged in the stem, they heal stronger and the plants get "hardened" more to the elements.
 
I have about 250 sq ft of raised beds right off my back porch, which makes for easy tending. I use the sq ft growing method and very little space is left.

I always over-do it on the produce, even though my wife and kids won’t touch veggies or fruits. I also grow peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries and apples. I end up thawing a lot of the frozen stuff in the spring and feeding to the hens.

Last year I grew Chinook hops in a bucket, they climbed about 20 feet up a dead poplar pole that I placed for them. Growing the same hops again, from the bucket as I don’t want them taking root. Invasive species.
 
Getting up in age I found that fighting the tree roots in the soil made it a task that began to win the fight. I went to Tractor Supply and purchased above ground 10 ft. livestock feeding troughs cut some drainage holes and put a layer of gravel in the bottom and filled the balance with top soil, cow manure and compost from my bin. No more fighting roots. no more bending to the ground to harvest, weed, and work. The mixture has produced a very high quality of vegetables and in some cases I have had to reach up to pick tomatoes.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-galvanized-bunk-feeder-10-ft-l?cm_vc=-10005
 
Getting up in age I found that fighting the tree roots in the soil made it a task that began to win the fight. I went to Tractor Supply and purchased above ground 10 ft. livestock feeding troughs cut some drainage holes and put a layer of gravel in the bottom and filled the balance with top soil, cow manure and compost from my bin. No more fighting roots. no more bending to the ground to harvest, weed, and work. The mixture has produced a very high quality of vegetables and in some cases I have had to reach up to pick tomatoes.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/countyline-galvanized-bunk-feeder-10-ft-l?cm_vc=-10005

I've been toying with the idea of putting in some raised beds. I'd like to see some pictures of these feeding troughs with the plants growing in them!
 
I have about 250 sq ft of raised beds right off my back porch, which makes for easy tending. I use the sq ft growing method and very little space is left.

I always over-do it on the produce, even though my wife and kids won’t touch veggies or fruits. I also grow peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, mulberries and apples. I end up thawing a lot of the frozen stuff in the spring and feeding to the hens.

Last year I grew Chinook hops in a bucket, they climbed about 20 feet up a dead poplar pole that I placed for them. Growing the same hops again, from the bucket as I don’t want them taking root. Invasive species.

My kids are more willing to each vegetables when they were grown in their own backyard. They all used to pick cherry tomatoes right from the vine when they were barely able to walk.

Do you use the hops for beer making?
 
My kids are more willing to each vegetables when they were grown in their own backyard. They all used to pick cherry tomatoes right from the vine when they were barely able to walk.

Do you use the hops for beer making?
Haven’t made any beer yet even though I have a brewing kit. I did make 4 gallons of peach wine last fall, very dry and about 13% abv. Wine is a bit easier to make than beer as far as I can tell. I racked twice in a 5 gallon glass carboy then bottled it up and gave most of it away!
 
Well, I broke down and sprayed the tomato and pepper plants with Dipel DF powder mixed in water. It is (bacillus t(something) kur(something). Makes worms lose appetite and die. I also found out I had mixed up my tomato seedlings. I'd labeled the canning/roma/san marzono ones as globe/slicing and vice versa... This kind of sucks cause I had amended the soil for the ones labeled romas with a lot of lime. San Marzano Redortas especially crave calcium more so than other tomatoes, but that seems to go for all pear tomatoes. So I had raked a couple scoops of powdered lime into the surface of the pots/bags and watered. This has worked in the past with success.



Here are some photo updates. I also included one photo of a sucker w/ a sucker growing off of it - they're about 1/2inch diam and 5/8inch diam respectively - this is why I think plucking suckers is rubbish if you let the plants sprawl versus cramping them on a stake or in a cage.
 

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Well, I broke down and sprayed the tomato and pepper plants with Dipel DF powder mixed in water. It is (bacillus t(something) kur(something). Makes worms lose appetite and die. I also found out I had mixed up my tomato seedlings. I'd labeled the canning/roma/san marzono ones as globe/slicing and vice versa... This kind of sucks cause I had amended the soil for the ones labeled romas with a lot of lime. San Marzano Redortas especially crave calcium more so than other tomatoes, but that seems to go for all pear tomatoes. So I had raked a couple scoops of powdered lime into the surface of the pots/bags and watered. This has worked in the past with success.



Here are some photo updates. I also included one photo of a sucker w/ a sucker growing off of it - they're about 1/2inch diam and 5/8inch diam respectively - this is why I think plucking suckers is rubbish if you let the plants sprawl versus cramping them on a stake or in a cage.

Those tomatoes look great. Heres some updates of a few of my plants. Zucchini, tomato and watermelon.
 

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Last season. My beds are roughly 10-12” deep. I fortify with chicken poop/tea that’s aged over winter. Also grass clippings and some compost (chickens eat pretty much all leftovers including KFC, they love their chicken extra crispy).
 

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Couple more.
 

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My vegetables are really starting to take hold. Been some warmer weather. Tomatoes are starting to set and will probably have the first zucchini picked tomorrow. :cool:
 

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