when are you sowing your garden this year? [Archive] - Page 2 - Colorado AR-15 Shooters Club Discussion Forums

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cofi

07-30-2014, 11:35

My gardens producing really well I'll get some pics up asap

hollohas

07-31-2014, 19:31

HoneyBadger

07-31-2014, 20:26

My gardens producing really well I'll get some pics up asap
so??

jhood001

07-31-2014, 20:59

Today's harvest. Regarding the carrots, there are a lot more where these came from as I only pick what we will eat that day. The rest stay safely in the ground until it's their turn.

http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/08/01/de2asa8u.jpg

Your jalepenos look small and mine always come out the same. Don't get me wrong - they're great for dicing, garnishing, and grilling, but they aren't big enough for stuffing. And that has kind of been a goal of mine for a while. I haven't figured it out yet.

And I don't believe it is a matter of leaving them on the plant longer. I've left some out until they've 'oaked' and they haven't increased in size at all. And at least in my case, it isn't the variety I'm planting.

Maybe it is just our climate and early onset of constant sun. Or maybe I'm doing something wrong.

If anyone has any ideas - please let me know.

Aside from that frustration of mine, everything in your pic looks green, clean, and awesome! And I'm jealous of your peas. Mine have burnt up 2 out of 3 years.

TheGrey

07-31-2014, 23:43

Honeybadger- how awful! Are you sure it was rabbits? We had a damn raccoon come trash our deck like a rockstar, and he got into all my patio plants.

Question for all the gardeners here: do you use fertilizer? I found some organic stuff that was making my pepper plants and tomatoes grow like crazy before the raccoon ended it. :(

Dave

08-01-2014, 10:46

Pulled 6 jalapenos this morning, all in the 3 inch long range. Looks like I need to get some meat for chili this weekend. [Lick]

hollohas

08-01-2014, 16:23

Your jalepenos look small and mine always come out the same. Don't get me wrong - they're great for dicing, garnishing, and grilling, but they aren't big enough for stuffing. And that has kind of been a goal of mine for a while. I haven't figured it out yet.

They are small. Some of these ended up as poppers, and while small, they were good. Wonder if it's just the variety? Some types of jalapenos maybe bigger than others??? I font know, I have only ever grown this type...

ChunkyMonkey

08-01-2014, 20:08

They are small. Some of these ended up as poppers, and while small, they were good. Wonder if it's just the variety? Some types of jalapenos maybe bigger than others??? I font know, I have only ever grown this type...

Variety most likely. We choose smaller ones for cooking mostly because they are tastier too.

ChunkyMonkey

08-01-2014, 20:13

http://i.imgur.com/x5wk4Oi.jpg?1

Getting close!

HoneyBadger

08-01-2014, 20:24

ChunkyMonkey

08-01-2014, 20:32

Your jalepenos look small and mine always come out the same. Don't get me wrong - they're great for dicing, garnishing, and grilling, but they aren't big enough for stuffing. And that has kind of been a goal of mine for a while. I haven't figured it out yet.

And I don't believe it is a matter of leaving them on the plant longer. I've left some out until they've 'oaked' and they haven't increased in size at all. And at least in my case, it isn't the variety I'm planting.

Maybe it is just our climate and early onset of constant sun. Or maybe I'm doing something wrong.

If anyone has any ideas - please let me know.

Aside from that frustration of mine, everything in your pic looks green, clean, and awesome! And I'm jealous of your peas. Mine have burnt up 2 out of 3 years.

Giant jalapeno plants usually produce 4-5" easy.

Edit.. https://www.ballseed.com/Growers/plant_info.aspx?phid=048300001023108

Great-Kazoo

08-01-2014, 21:41

Tossed some basil seeds in pots , who knows when. Did the first topping today. Even have something that looks like peppers. Wish we could devote real time to a garden, maybe next year

jhood001

08-06-2014, 13:45

Giant jalapeno plants usually produce 4-5" easy.

Edit.. https://www.ballseed.com/Growers/plant_info.aspx?phid=048300001023108

I'll pick some up and try them next spring. Thank you, sir.

jhood001

08-06-2014, 13:49

Question for all the gardeners here: do you use fertilizer? I found some organic stuff that was making my pepper plants and tomatoes grow like crazy before the raccoon ended it. :(

Yes. I use Alaska Fish Fertilizer. I spray it over my large beds in the fall after I turn them over. Sit's all winter and then I till in the spring.

I mix 2 tablespoons in a 5 gallon bucket and pour it in my potted stuff every other week or so.

Vanniek71

08-06-2014, 14:09

my garden sucked, something ate the lettuce, cukes and cantaloupe. The peppers are like 1/2" long and the basiil never grew.

I admit I have crappy dirt, been composting and adding it but it still isnt where it should be. on the other hand I got onions and zucchini out the wazoo!

HoneyBadger

08-06-2014, 14:32

On the other hand I got onions and zucchini out the Kazoo!
FIFY

hollohas

08-14-2014, 18:40

More jalapenos and carrot harvest today. Carrots will be eaten raw, put in with roasts in the crock pot and turned into baby food for my 6 months old.

Jalapenos will mostly be sliced and pickled.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/14/78231b1a2b319d2e48439d6ca3e1e041.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/14/5e7ca346241881db55aa9fd88a533a68.jpg

Irving

08-14-2014, 18:52

Got a potato from my cousin last summer to try and replant at my place. It very quickly died. This year it came up on its own and I tried to water it when I could. Unfortunately, it was directly underneath an awning and did not get near as much water from rain/sprinklers as I thought it would. Then last week while I was out of town, some animal came and ate the plant. This is what I was able to dig up.

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-4_kPhj2heeY/U-wR3YPvtPI/AAAAAAAALMc/Dolpr5UgQ5w/w999-h562-no/20140813_193306_Richtone%28HDR%29.jpg

Bountiful harvest indeed... At least I know where NOT to waste time planting anything next year.

hollohas

08-14-2014, 19:53

Irving, what kind of cartridge is that?!?! It's huge!

Kidding aside, I had a few tiny little taters last year too. You just never know what you're going to get until you dig them up.

hollohas

08-17-2014, 19:54

Irving, you have small potatoes, I have small corn. But man is it sweet. There is nothing like corn eaten within minutes of picking. There's just no way to get that taste from store corn or even most farmers market corn. Too bad it's only a couple bites.

Actually, my 5 year old didnt even let me cook hers. She ate it as soon as the husk was removed.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/17/50376fbe55358ab789e4b3c3e01be9e2.jpg

And 8 pints of jalapeno pickles from the garden too today.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/17/e1923b0a973ced9344c29625b2a02c96.jpg

HoneyBadger

08-18-2014, 15:47

Post rabbit apocalypse update:

Peas and beans are slowly recovering and sprouting. Some of the beans survived the attack and are sprouting new leaves. I don't know when they will start giving me beans again. I replanted most of the peas and this time the snap peas decided to sprout! They are growing about an inch every day and the snow peas are slowly sprouting and recovering. No idea when I'll start getting peas either.

Carrots look like their foliage is recovered, but I don't know what it did to the actual carrots. I'll pull one up in a few days and see if they are edible.

Green onions are growing. I'm not doing green onions again next year. I don't really know why I did them this year.

Strawberry plants are growing stupid, but not giving me any fruit. I don't know why I planted them inside the garden... Rabbits don't mess with them and they are perennials. I think I'm going to transplant them to somewhere else in the yard soon.

I'm going to have hundreds of Roma tomatoes in a few weeks... Romas are going to be in pots next year. They are crowding each other out and taking up a ton of space. As I said at the beginning of this thread, this is really just a big science experiment for me and I'm learning as I go! Another lesson learned: I'm going to plant things very differently next year. Trellis-climbers will be near the center with shorter things around the outside. I might do potatoes, squash, and zucchini in pots too.
http://i.imgur.com/8jTNLVm.png
http://i.imgur.com/EE2OqSJ.png
http://i.imgur.com/qiYTkdi.png

hollohas

08-30-2014, 18:59

Couple updates. Harvest is starting to come in. Not as good as last year but it's still good. Zucchini, cukes and squash have been disappointing. I had dozen and dozens of zucchini last year and 100+ cukes but only a couple of each this year. Oh well.

The trees are turning yellow so I'm getting worried the garden won't have much more time to finish...lots of food still left to ripen.

Tomato plants are out of control.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/30/5eef87ccf38999d426f993a44a868eed.jpg

Melons are doing pretty well.

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/30/f6fccce95d5e29e6d865f85049890a38.jpg

Jalapenos are killing it. The first picture is two days ago, lots of herbs for the dryer. The second is just today. You'll also see a bunch of jars of fresh peach jam (both traditional and a batch with some lemon thyme from the garden added).

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/30/4a9a5758fb81f23672c47b2dcadf2dc2.jpg

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/08/30/3a28063a4e868069d68dd34d8ea00779.jpg

hollohas

09-11-2014, 19:09

All this darn rain is making lots of my maters crack. Ugh. They're still good, i just hate that. And some forecasts are calling for a low of 33 tonight. Dang, that's early. Hope it stays a few deg above that because the squash and melons can't handle that low.

Harvest is still coming in. The below bunch of jalapenos from today brings my total harvest to 12 lbs from 3 plants. A bunch were turned into jelly last weekend. And my total tomato harvest so far is close to 30lbs. If the weather holds out a few more weeks that should double or more. I'll have enough salsa for a while with that.

Please hold out a few more weeks weather!!!

http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/09/11/aa09f84e2776dbe6fec209b0ed552f45.jpg

Brian

09-12-2014, 15:28

I'm going to plant things very differently next year. Trellis-climbers will be near the center with shorter things around the outside. I might do potatoes, squash, and zucchini in pots too.

Why is that? I had my climbers planned to grow on the sides of my raised beds, if it weren't for the wascally wabbits. Bad idea?

Brian

09-12-2014, 15:30

With the snow and cold, are my potato plants dead now? They were having a hard time for some reason anyway, just wondering if I should give up and dig them up now...

cofi

09-12-2014, 15:50

welp last cold snap killed the rest

i hated this years garden next year hoop houses ftw

HoneyBadger

09-12-2014, 21:27

Why is that? I had my climbers planned to grow on the sides of my raised beds, if it weren't for the wascally wabbits. Bad idea?
Mostly for ease of access. If the tall things are around the outside edge, how do you harvest things in the middle?

Brian

09-12-2014, 21:36

Mostly for ease of access. If the tall things are around the outside edge, how do you harvest things in the middle?

oh ok I see where you're going. I have a 4x10' raised bed with access all the way around, so that wouldn't be an issue for me.

HoneyBadger

09-13-2014, 16:05

http://www.goodshomedesign.com/how-to-build-a-hoop-house-glides-open-and-closed/

More helpful link to a "hoop-house" garden bed with a cover that slides open and closed: http://www.farmshow.com/view_articles.php?a_id=1486

Brian

10-05-2014, 01:38

buffalobo

10-05-2014, 07:39

OK, well good news. It looked like I might have some potatoes after all. So I have an unfinished basement, it's insulated and a walkout though so it's not as cold as it would be if it had bare cement walls. What's the best way to store these suckers for as long as possible?
http://www.gardeners.com/how-to/storing-potatoes-onions-garlic-squash/5021.html

Lots of good articles on storage. Read several for ideas.

Dave

10-05-2014, 08:05

Had potato leek soup last night with stuff from the garden. The bacon I used was the last I had stashed from a purchase from our local board pig farmer. [Lick]

HoneyBadger

10-05-2014, 08:54

End of the season for me... We harvested about 20 roma tomatoes, a handful of carrots that were all less than 3" long, and a handful of peas and beans. Pepper plants randomly started producing peppers like crazy two weeks ago and last week the frost killed everything. The tomato plants still have 100+ green tomatoes on them. :(

This is altitude and weather are a nightmare for gardening. I'll try lots of things differently next year.

Brian

10-06-2014, 02:25

I'm planning on planting some garlic this week, probably in a variety of places as I hear it helps keep some critters away from the other plants.

Also, I decided that my garden soil is too much "soil" (dirt) and needs more compost, maybe some sand and some other stuff to help it drain a bit better. I have a couple round compost bins (the kind that supposedly spin around to mix them up) and I'm thinking I might just dump the contents of the compost bin out on top of the garden and just do a little light mixing in with the dirt. Unfortunately, I'm assuming this activity conflicts with my garlic planting hopes, at least in the big raised bed.

The raspberry bed is completely empty with maybe two bare sticks poking out of the dirt. Guess that one is a complete start-over next spring.

What else should I be thinking about doing here in the fall?

Brian

10-06-2014, 02:26

Had potato leek soup last night with stuff from the garden. The bacon I used was the last I had stashed from a purchase from our local board pig farmer. [Lick]

How well do the leeks do here? I love potato leek soup.

Dave

10-06-2014, 08:32

How well do the leeks do here? I love potato leek soup.
Did mine in a wine barrel planter next to my jalepenos. I need to figure out what we did in that one because everything in there did great. One pepper plant gave us 52 chiles even with hail knocking a few out. As soon as we picked some there were new ones forming near the same spots a few days later. First time growing them for us, and we kept some seeds to plant again.. Our leeks did great and we pulled the three we planted when they got 1" diameter. The potatoes were small, but they were in buckets anyway. I'm pulling some herbs this week to dry out via the Blowhard 5000 method. Thyme and rosemary mostly.

This was out first year doing anything more than a couple of plants, and while a few things disappointed we had good success overall. I am not sure if we will plant next year since we are looking at moving after her youngest graduates in May.

rbeau30

10-06-2014, 10:00

I was pretty impressed with my 5 gallon bucket potatoes. They never got to the point of flowering, but I still got I would say an 8 to 1 ratio. I planted red potatoes, next year I think I'll expand to 8 buckets, and maybe even cut the bottoms out of some buckets and stack them so I get a bigger yield.

Tomatoes did extremely well. Well over 100lbs of tomatoes over what i sat in the garden and ate (I can eat me some tomatoes!). I got some (8) - 15 gallon tree planters from the garden center for 3 dollars each, and planted my extra seedling tomatoes in them so that extended the tomato harvest a bit. Zukes were awesome but could have been better if it weren't for a white powdery coating on the leaves that seemed to kill the plants off. Same thing with the cukes.

I need to plan out the tomatoes better next year, they got welll over 8 feet tall and fell over the trellis and over all the other plants. I am adding a third 4 x 8 raised bed this fall, so I can get some garlic into the ground before the ground gets too frozen. I also am going to fashion a hoop system to cover the newly planted seedlings in the spring. I also am going to do more vertical gardening, I have some trellis ideas for green beans and squash, so they take up less room. I also will have space for 3 more fruit trees. another pear (cross pollination with the existing one). The wife wants a peach tree, but I am not sure how that will work. Also going to need to prune the heck out of the fruit trees in the spring.

hollohas

10-06-2014, 10:12

... if it weren't for a white powdery coating on the leaves that seemed to kill the plants off. Same thing with the cukes.

.

Powdery Mildew. I had a big problem with it this year too. The extra rain doesn't help.

rbeau30

10-06-2014, 10:19

Powdery Mildew. I had a big problem with it this year too. The extra rain doesn't help.

I figured it was the wet season we had. I think I am going to research some stuff over the winter to help with diseases.

HoneyBadger

10-06-2014, 10:24

Powdery Mildew. I had a big problem with it this year too. The extra rain doesn't help.
I think that killed off my beans and peas after the rabbits had their way with them. I was going to ask about it, but I'm so darn frustrated with this year's efforts, I'm just ready to start fresh next spring.

hollohas

10-06-2014, 10:41

Powder mildew got my peas, squash (including zucchini) and cukes. Didn't bother my beans. I used some horticultural oil (jojoba) at first sign that slowed it down, but didn't eliminate it. The mildew finally won late this summer. It didn't kill the plants but drastically reduced their yeilds.

The spores stick around and can come back next year. I will be looking to plant resistant varieties for a couple years in an attempt to reduce the resident spores.

HoneyBadger

10-06-2014, 11:05

The spores stick around and can come back next year. I will be looking to plant resistant varieties for a couple years in an attempt to reduce the resident spores.
Whoa whoa whoa, hold the phone! The Mildew is going to be i the soil next year? Is there a way to kill it without affecting crop yield?

hollohas

10-06-2014, 11:33

I don't think there is a way to kill the spores that remain in the environment. It's suggested to not even compost infected plants because the spores will contaminate your compost. Fungicides can help control it during the growing season.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/garden/02902.html

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7406.html

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/pests/plant_pests/flowers/hgic2049.html

muddywings

10-09-2014, 11:26

Well since it is garden related, I show what I did from spring to fall.
New to me backyard had a three tier gravel pit weedfest with dead trees and other crap. I pulled landscaping blocks out and moved the rock from the middle to front (had to get a few more to finish it). I pushed all the rock into the front lower section so I expect some settling over the winter.
Top tier is still there but much smaller and will be lined with railroad ties.
The left side I plan to have two 12x4 garden beds and a smaller maybe 2x4 (herbs) bed. Right side (north/shaded) will have flowers and birdbaths stuff like that.
I still need the railroad ties for the garden sections (as well as quality dirt). The old area did have a sprinkler/drip line running around all the dead trees. I'm removing that valve from the sprinkler box by the house and running a direct line to the upper left. I plan on dropping in a new value box that can accommodate 6 valves (but I plan for only four for now). The sprinkler lines will run behind the railroad ties lining the back tier then pop out for each garden bed (different zone for each bed) and have drip lines. The rest will be covered with landscaping paper and gorilla hair with walking pavers eventually.
Any set up advise is appreciated.

50693

50695

50697

50699

Irving

10-09-2014, 12:17

Looks very nice.

Dave

10-09-2014, 17:23

Whoa whoa whoa, hold the phone! The Mildew is going to be i the soil next year? Is there a way to kill it without affecting crop yield?

Pasteurization would kill it.

rbeau30

10-09-2014, 18:07

Pasteurization would kill it.

I hear microwaves are used in soil pasteurization. Just need to take apart a few microwave ovens...

TheGrey

10-09-2014, 18:21

YammyMonkey

10-10-2014, 18:33

rbeau30

10-10-2014, 18:48

Peach trees can be hit & miss. My parents live in the Green Mountain area of lakewood & one of their neighbors has trees that produce really well every other year. The off years will see nothing and the good years see an overabundance of very tasty peaches.

I was going to order some from the Arbor Day Foundation Web Store, but apparently Colorado has import restrictions on plants and trees?

rbeau30

10-19-2014, 23:08

Added one 4x8 foot raised bed. Filled with a years worth of compost and EKO planters mix.

Planted two heads worth of garlic cloves for the summer!

Ill take pics in the morning!

EDIT:
51113

Brian

11-03-2014, 00:36

rbeau30

11-03-2014, 10:51

Can you plant garlic cloves in 5gal buckets or other containers?

I want to get some more garlic in the ground, but I am planning to redo my soil mixture in early spring (or still in very late fall if I get around to it).

Or... does garlic transplant well?

I have read that they do very well in barrel planters, like the whisky barrels or 55 gallon drum tops and bottoms. Haven't actually tried it yet. My 5 gallon buckets are being reserved for potatoes this upcoming year.

Dave

11-03-2014, 11:05

Haven't tried garlic, but I know from experience that leeks and bulb onions do great in wine barrel planters, and they are in the same family.

rbeau30

11-03-2014, 19:09

I have been watching a lot of this guy's videos. Good info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LCnF8_o6w4

Brian

11-09-2014, 01:13

rbeau30

11-09-2014, 08:52

Looks like it's going to be very cold for a while starting Tuesday. This is my first year planting garlic, so I'm not sure I know what I'm doing. Am I better of getting it in the ground tomorrow, maybe covering it with some black plastic, or skipping and hoping that it gets warmer after this "polar vortex" rolls through? I know it would have been better if I had planted it all this time last month, but... :)

My gut says to plant it tomorrow... but then again I used my gut in the spring and I didn't exactly have an amazing garden this year. LOL.

I say go for it... If they don't sprout up in the spring just replant some. Perhaps put some mulch over the top of it straw, chopped up leaves, shredded newspaper, etc.

I was out in the beds yesterday picking the last of the tomatoes. Today I'm going to pick all of the green tomatoes and do something with them run the tomato vine carcasses though the chipper. Wow it has been a year with a LOT of learning! EDIT: I will be dehydrating the green tomatoes to make "tomato chips" out of them.

UPDATE TO MY GARDEN:

I now have 3 - 4x8 foot raised beds. I am going to plan on doing a LOT more vertical farming this year to maximize my space. I also am going to try to find a place to put a smaller 2x2 or 4x4 bed so I can dedicate that to sunchokes.

- I got some red and white sunchoke bulbs in the mail. These supposedly grow with very little effort but they can take off and they are hard to get rid of, so a small bed it all I am going to do for these. Supposedly these are native to North America and grow everywhere.
- I just got my Scarlet Runner Bean "seeds" in the mail yesterday. Very Beautiful Purple/black beans. These are also native to north america, and are easy to grow. I hope to grow these on some sort of trellis, and let them dry on the vine and store them. I want to work them into my diet so I can rotate them out and have a good stock of them on hand.
- One bed has my garlic already in the ground for a couple weeks already. I have some hardneck and softnecks planted around the perimeter of the raised bed. We will see how that goes! I want to be able to get a good stock going and plant what I grow and eat what I grow on the above three items.
- I am going to plan out the tomatoes a lot more. I had 6 plants in two beds this year and they TOOK OVER! They got well over 8 feet tall this year and bent over the trellis' that I had. I had very little room for anything else. I am also going to plan on rotating the tomatoes every year to a different bed so the soil has time to recover. I have some heirloom "Indigo Apple" tomatoes I'll try next year.

- My goal this winter is to learn more about Pruning trees in time for the spring. My fruit trees are in desperate need for pruning. I want to start doing it the right way.
- I plan on adding a second pear tree in the spring. i have one small pear tree that did really well, I heard they need pollination from another tree so hopefully this will help.
- I found some Palisade Cresthaven Peach trees at a nursery in Elizabeth that I liked, and I am going to try adding them this year. I got on their order list for when they get them in the spring in time for planting.

Since I have so many fruit trees, I want to research building a solar dehydrating box. Get some of these fruits that we can't eat all at once from going bad, and also not have to make so much jam and jelly.

Ohh and research on how to help protect the stuff from hail will be on the agenda this winter.

YUM! (I hope) (Sliced Green tomatoes and seasoned salt)
52079

rbeau30

11-10-2014, 17:25

Okay, first batch of green tomatoes are okay I guess. The dehydrating seems to have REALLY intensified the flavor of them. I didn't put a lot of season salt on them so I don't think that is what it is.

Next batch I think I will put garlic salt and basil on them, and the batch after that will be plain.

I think I might just keep them in a jar to throw into soup or stew or something. Eating them like they are I think will take an acquired taste.

Dave

11-10-2014, 19:17

rbeau30

11-10-2014, 22:38

You might want to try kosher salt on them for about 5 to 10 minutes and then adding garlic powder and dried basil. The salt will help pull some excess moisture out and allow some salt to enter the cell membranes through osmotic equilibrium.

I'll do that next batch. I had so many Green tomatoes I don't want them to go to waste. Some of them taste good. Surprisingly, compared to raw green tomatoes which have very little flavor the dehydrated ones are quite intense.

I can always have them on hand to throw a handful of them in a stew or roast.

I need the ability to dehydrate more stuff faster.

rbeau30

05-08-2015, 11:04

Got my Rocky Mountain Painrted corn in the ground, they sprouted in 1 day. They are 2 inches tall already.

White Sunchokes are already a couple inches tall, Red ones are just starting to wake up.

I wish the wather would cooperate I need to till and plany my Zukes and maters. Although I am not complaining about the moisture, my grass seed is loving it.

Will be direct sowing the scarlet runner beans, and green pole beans monday next to the 8 foot trellis I built.

tactical_2012

05-08-2015, 21:53

Should I cover my fruit trees for this weekend's storms it is supposed to snow and drop below freezing. Trees were bare root and planted in march. They are starting to flower and leaf

Brian

05-08-2015, 23:50

Should I cover my fruit trees for this weekend's storms it is supposed to snow and drop below freezing. Trees were bare root and planted in march. They are starting to flower and leaf

Ouch great question. I was super excited about how well my apple trees were budding out this year. What do you cover them in? Black trash bags? Landscape fabric?

buffalobo

05-09-2015, 08:37

Cover would help to protect from frost/freeze, but may cause more damage from heavy wet snow.

If conditions are such that you shake/knock away snow then cover for over night protection. More than likely freezing temps will be short duration and shaking snow off to avoid breaking branches will be sufficient.

HoneyBadger

05-09-2015, 09:48

Anyone else planting rice this year? [facepalm]

encorehunter

05-09-2015, 12:00

I lost a lot of peaches and apples last night from the wind and rain. I am beginning to like the idea of rice this year. My garden is looking more like a swamp. The lambs quarter is loving it.

rbeau30

05-09-2015, 21:22

My peaches WERE Olive-sized. I am sure what blossoms I had are gone on my apricots. the rest of my trees haven't gone to full bloom.

My Hops WERE 3 feet up the twine.

We will see tomorrow what the damage is.

tactical_2012

05-09-2015, 21:47

Stopped by Holly Acres Nursery and they said not to cover the trees.

rbeau30

05-09-2015, 23:00

Stopped by Holly Acres Nursery and they said not to cover the trees.

well at least i feel better about something.

Brian

05-30-2015, 23:33

hollohas

05-31-2015, 06:33

OK so it's finally nice now. Finishing up a little fence-thing for my raised beds tomorrow. Is it too late for bush beans, pole beans, sweet peas, potatoes, etc.? I'm assuming not as I plan to dump some of those babies in ASAP.
Yard was a mess this year.
It's getting a little late for peas, but you're good on everything else.

I have everything in. 11 tomato plants, 14 pepper plants, snap peas, cucumbers, zucchini, bush beans, pole beans, eggplant, acorn, butter nut, spaghetti, sun burst squash, mini pumpkins, carrots, honey dew, cantaloupe, water melon, herbs, corn and okra. I also put in 3 blueberry bushes and have a bunch of strawberries that over-wintered.

I started my tomatoes, peppers, squash and herbs inside from seed. With the lack of sun lately I have had a heck of a time getting them hardened off. They need to be introduced to the sun slowly so they don't get burned but that's been hard to do. My solution was to get the lite, white crop cover fabric to cover them with. It allows a lot of light in but should block enough of to keep them from getting burned. Once they're established a little better, I'll uncover them. The side bonus of this technique is that is protected everything from the pea sized hailstorm we got a couple weeks ago. Everything uncovered got beat to hell, everything covered is in great shape. I might cover them with row cover every year to protect against hail from here on out.

The rain has been rough on the garden. The plants are so wet they just can't breathe. I'm afraid that if this keeps up I might get a problem with disease too. Hopefully the next few days will dry everything out.

Picture of the covers and clips used to hold them down.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/31/0d1a7fb696aa6e55745509ce35097d8e.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05/31/a0f7bcdac81a18c1d1659b72886973b4.jpg

Ah Pook

05-31-2015, 22:31

3rd day without frost! Finishing the raised beds this week.

So far, tomatoes, basil, mints, rosemary, thyme and jalapenos is all I got.

hunterhawk

05-31-2015, 23:30

Hollohas I wish I knew you had to harden them... I'm new to this whole gardening thing... Where did you get those clips? What are they originally for... I need to get some of those! Also where did you get that fabric? I set up that same type of system and was going to use 3m clear plastic but didn't want it burning my plants.. That mesh looks perfect!

hollohas

06-01-2015, 05:45

The clear plastic will work fine and I actually use that earlier in the season when it's still cold at night. Just make sure to open the ends during the day for ventilation as it will get HOT in there on a sunny day.

You don't have to harden them, that's just the best practice. They will most likely be fine but you might end up with some damaged or dead leaves. And even though they are still small plants, make sure to stake them because they actually need to get used to the wind too. Hardening them just gives them the best chance to get a solid, quicker start outside.

The clips are specifically made for this purpose as is the fabric. They are called Snap Clips and the fabric is called "floating row cover" or something similar depending on the brand. The fabric can be purchased on amazon or literally any garden supply catalog. The snap clips are a little harder to find. Amazon has them but they are crazy expensive there. I like to use a company called http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/

Snap clips http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_productdetails&productid=1725&s=Snap%20clips&cid1=-99&cid2=-99&cid3=-99

Fabric. http://www.charleysgreenhouse.com/index.cfm?page=_productdetails&productid=1782&s=Row%20cover&cid1=-99&cid2=-99&cid3=-99

Hers another source. I have some coupon codes for this place around here somewhere, I'll post later today.

http://www.burpee.com/gardening-supplies/garden-growers/floating-row-cover-prod001213.html?omn2pd=sh&catId=

hunterhawk

06-02-2015, 15:42

Awesome, thanks... Yeah I think I had some issues with not hardening. I had the burnt leaves so I figured I needed to keep watering... Ahhh newbie mistakes! My tomatoes are finally coming back after the hail and the squash is trying... Watermelon is toast!

rbeau30

06-15-2015, 09:14

Update on the rbeau30 farm. (LOTS OF PICS)

So I am pretty sure I lost 4 trees, and am on my way to loosing a plum tree.

BUT, looks like everything else is coming back.

Hops (and 3 dead trees)
59021

Garlic (planted last fall). I heard that garlic on the perimeter of your garden wards off rabbits and things. (The trellis is one of my cucumber trellises)
59022

Garlic Scapes almost ready for harvest
59023

Green Beans
59024

Scarlet Runner Beans
59025

Hoops that I put in for hail These are not attached to the raised bed so they can be easily removed for tilling. The coverings are just some cheap white bed sheets. Clamped on with 99 cent clips from home depot.
59026

Rocky Mountain Painted Corn experiment.
59027

Sunchokes (Left are red right are white) The red ones did not emerge as fast as the white tubers.
59028

newracer

06-15-2015, 20:36

We have zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber, tomatoes, beans, carrots, cantaloupe, bell peppers, and watermelon.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc129/newracer/D32AAE14-41A4-4D28-A5AB-04A6BE4B3EE9_zpsfrivcfik.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/newracer/media/D32AAE14-41A4-4D28-A5AB-04A6BE4B3EE9_zpsfrivcfik.jpg.html)

rbeau30

06-15-2015, 20:56

I really like how they are high off the ground... Having a bad back, I can appreciate having to bend over less with those.

I also want to learn how to do those concrete borders you have on your lawn.

newracer

06-15-2015, 21:36

I built the boxes myself. It is nice having them up high but it took a lot of soil to fill them.

I paid for the concrete curbing.

rbeau30

06-16-2015, 07:04

I built the boxes myself. It is nice having them up high but it took a lot of soil to fill them.

I paid for the concrete curbing.

A few folks in my neighborhood have that. I really think the look is really slick. Much better than the rusting metal borders that they usually use.

hunterhawk

06-16-2015, 07:36

rbeau30

06-16-2015, 13:56

Sooner or later I will be getting rid of my curbing! You can have it when I do! I have lots of it too... It's pretty old though...

the gardens are looking good! I'm pretty pumped for my first year! All this rain has definitely helped me! I am amazed at how fast my garden is growing.
59050 Notice curbing... This is what it looked like when I put them in.. Close bush is already gone.. Next year I will have another small box on the other side of the big one to even them out.
59051 You can see the tomatoes on the left that got killed by a hail storm.. This picture was taken a couple weeks ago..

59052 This one was taken June 5thish... And I know I have a more recent picture on my phone but I have to go into messages to find it but now everything is huge! I'll take recent pics later if I can't find it.

Last year my tomatoes got hit real bad. They bounced back though. What I did after they got decimated is I let a couple suckers grow and they pretty much came back. We had more tomatoes than we knew what to do with. We were harvesting tomatoes into October.

This year we were lucky enough to cover them before we got hit too bad. Our Green Beans didn't germinate well because of the hail. I think those tomatoes on the left should come back just fine. if they didn't get hit too much worse after that picture was taken.

Looks like a great start!

hunterhawk

06-17-2015, 08:20

Ha yeah... They definitely bounced back... The ones on the far left as you can see are coming on strong and on the far light the little ones I planted from seed can back up as well! So yes if I keep them all I will definitely have tomatoes but that is awesome because I love tomatoes, pasta sauce, fried green tomatoes, cherry tomatoes in salads, salsa, ok done with my bubba gump take off...

here is yesterday afternoon...5907259073... Crazy how fast this stuff grows! I wish my cucumbers would come back.. They are the slowest to come back... Well the watermelon never came back but at this point it's probably a good thing...

TheGrey

06-17-2015, 14:07

Those boxes look amazing! Newracer, just how much dirt do they contain?

My garden never got a chance this year; between the bunnies and the amount of rain, anything that sprouted either drowned or was eaten.

I'm looking at other options- hay bale gardening looks interesting, and not hard on the back.

hollohas

06-17-2015, 20:41

Tomatoes are growing STRONG. I ignored them for a week failing to prune, pull suckers and tie up and they went nuts. I had to spend some time getting them back into order. Darn things grow all gangly if you don't keep them in shape.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/17/65db38c93d87329a6eef1a8b16023e81.jpg

Strawberries have been awesome. I have picked about 12 lbs, eaten a bunch and made 12 jars of jam. Bush beans, carrots, peas, zucchini in the back left and cucumbers that are starting slow.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/17/d6a80849a5ac7fe934eb4684a2f2cfc0.jpg

Peppers, eggplants, squash, okra and pole beans. Beans are still small. Melon and more cucumbers are in the background not visible.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/17/be2f662174e3dd3a6d178ad8b113dfcd.jpg

Pumpkins and more squash.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/17/50c43f217c86c4d2bb8f92c03c65137d.jpg

Corn. Poles beans in there too. This is an experiment, not sure if they will work well in pots but so far they are strong. The beans are supposed to provide nitrogen for the corn, which I suspect it'll need being in pots.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/17/9f2fe85ea50dd341fbf8c7739eabe629.jpg

More peppers, herbs. These got beat up in some hail, I think they'll come back ok.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06/17/73a11d01660a7eaf8fa6adb1205b8555.jpg

hollohas

07-04-2015, 08:42

Update. Plants are all all taking off. Eating a few small squash, peas and peppers. We should have been eating peas for a month already but I started them late. Just another week or so before the green beans start coming in small amounts.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/04/c3df01aa164ed3a4fdd77634d4413356.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/04/7185468109151f3c39c13c409b4b2861.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/04/191da551c81216f9a15ab72f42363681.jpg

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/04/80e82339e7cda909e32dc9ae0ba8e0fb.jpg

rbeau30

07-04-2015, 19:06

Jealous!

My Sunchokes are growing strong.
59388

And the Rocky mountain corn has tassels and a few ears poking out ready to be pollinated!
59389

Tomatoes and Scarlet Runner Beans are on the right. The tomatoes on the containers are extra seeds that I sprouted... I usually just stick em in containers and see what they do.

Dave

07-07-2015, 08:56

Turns out the house we bought has a large patch of strawberries and a couple of rhubarb plants. We've already harvested about 12 stalks of rhubarb, which we diced, vac sealed and put in deep freeze. Waiting for strawberries now to make some jam and a pie. [Lick]

rbeau30

07-07-2015, 10:41

I love strawberry and rhubarb. I just planted a rhubarb plant. The first one failed I think from lack of water. Watered the second plant more than the first while it acclimated to the new home. (It reacted almost instantly when we came home from work and watered it) We have some strawberries but not enough to keep up with the birds and baby bunnies.

hunterhawk

07-10-2015, 07:42

rbeau30

07-10-2015, 12:03

I have been eating zucchini and I love it! So happy I finally put in a garden.. Other than that squash is coming in and tomatoes are still really green but have lots of them.. Broccoli is also almost ready.. The lettuce is huge as well.. Corn is also tasseling! My garden now looks like a jungle... Definitely put too much in but that's how you learn!

I have a great recipe somewhere for "Faux Apple Crisp" using zucchini. You seriously cannot tell there is not an apple in the thing. I am currently adapting the recipe to Apple pie. My first attempt was excellent.

hollohas

07-15-2015, 21:03

The hollohas farm is blowing up. Harvesting beans, squash and peas plus a few jalapeños. Had a good pound of green beans last night and will have a pound of small yellow squash/ small zucchini with dinner tonight. Thats just tiny harvests compared to whats coming. Everything else has a bunch of unripe fruit.

Tomatoes are a good 4ft tall at least. The plants closest to the camera are a large paste tomato variety that apparently are susceptible to leaf curl. Doesn't seem to be slowing down their fruit production though.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/15/863703951e5312f0f62448d3a10cab17.jpg

Cucumbers, carrots, bush beans, starwberries, more tomatoes, peas and zucchini in this picture.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/15/b1ee641d38fc95dd39beacb38f11afd1.jpg

Corn here with some pole beans climbing on them. Pots of herbs and peppers not visible behind the corn.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/15/92fb2f6fdb3a74f75c822381a58cbc48.jpg

Pumpkins, watermelon and spaghetti squash. I haven't seen many bees so I've been hand pollinating these every morning. Before I started doing that the tiny fetal fruits were dying and falling off. Now I have lots of them growing and getting big.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/15/e2c83097335066e0e95601cb05408afb.jpg

Below, the front bed has Jalapeños, green peppers, Thai peppers, okra, yellow and acorn squash, one eggplant and pole beans.

Cucumbers and strawberries in the bed behind. The strawberries are transplants that I dug up and put here to get established for next year so I can get them out of the other bed shown above...they are taking over and I want the bed for something else. I'll let the starwberries takeover the entire back bed in the picture below.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07/15/13527fb492131d450f79e3284dc0d4a2.jpg

I've setup an automatic watering system this year too. The large beds have standard soaker hose. The pots all have 1/4" tubing with mini sprinkler heads coming off a 5/8" mainline. Both are attached to the faucets with a two zone automatic timer. Beds get watered every other day, pots everyday.

Irving

07-15-2015, 21:29

Not including set-up and building of everything, about how much time per day, and per week would you say you spend maintaining a garden of this size?

hollohas

07-15-2015, 21:36

Not including set-up and building of everything, about how much time per day, and per week would you say you spend maintaining a garden of this size?
At the stage you see here? 20 mins per day now that I don't have to water the pots by hand. That includes the hand pollinating I mentioned in the morning and looking things over, harvesting stuff in the evening. That will get a bit longer as the garden really starts producing a lot near the end of this month...the harvesting part starts to take more time.

hunterhawk

07-15-2015, 23:58

I also live in littleton and my Garden is like a jungle! my neighnors are amazed (its my first time growing a garden) I have collected a few zucchini and everything else is right around the corner. I could be doing the lettuce and other greens but really havent been getting it! I need to asap.

I kept getting tomoatoe cages for a few of my plants and its killing me! I couldnt contain them.. so now they are all over the garden! wont make that mistake again! also a lot that i thought were going to die came back so im overcrowded but didnt want to kill them because I love tomatoes so much! beans and peas are coming but were planted to late. the cucumbers are coming but they had to totally come back from hail.. peppers are close and squash is close.. the corn looks just like yours!

what an awesome first year to have a garden!
yours looks great! much bigger than my garden but I do plan on expanding.. it was more than i thought it would be to start it up!

Lucky

07-27-2015, 20:03

For a few years I've done container gardening, each year I add more. I'm considering switching to raised beds and/or fenced rows next year because I keep adding to my wish list... it's all good practice for a massive vegetable garden(s) in the future. Much of what I grow goes to juicing, but pretty soon I'll need to start canning/blanching more to store and share. I want what I've grown in winter instead of just a few months of the year. My grandma had an awesome cellar, anything you can imagine- that's the goal.

Cucumber and beets for pickling, carrot, peas, onion, radish, tomato (I'm attempting catsup this year), sweet pumpkin for pie. Last year I juiced all of my spinach and lettuce, this year is was annihilated by late hail and never bounced back. I also buy organic asparagus and fresh eggs for pickling. Most were planted a week after Mother's Day but I may begin some starts inside next early spring, based on variety. Looking to add corn, raspberry, strawberry, cabbage for kraut, and potato (that 5 gallon bucket idea looks killer!) next time around.

Definitely interested in a seed swap if that's still on the table. My seeds are currently all Botanical Interests brand- fantastic, yet not heirloom. I'd be more than happy to swap pickles and beets for some heirloom seeds, and I'd for sure share any excess seeds down the road. Gardening and storage is so important, nice to see discussions and encouragement here.

rbeau30

07-29-2015, 20:14

Lucky

07-29-2015, 22:33

Thanks! I might post a picture or two. I see you and Tim K mentioned asparagus- he's right, pickled is amazing. I follow, and tweak, refrigerator pickling recipes with cider vinegar as I don't currently have a crock. It's a quick process, just 3-7 days to ferment then they're good for 1-3 months, average. If I were to share my asparagus recipe, would it go in that thread or with the other recipes?

Also, for anyone interested, that Ball jar sale is still on at the Costco in Englewood/Riverpoint Plaza as of 7/28. I picked some up but did not see any widemouth.

rbeau30

07-29-2015, 23:14

I would say either thread the pickling thread or the Canning, Food Preservation or food sales thread. I know the latter has quite a few recipe in it. Either way I am excited to see it and try it.

I have to make my way to Costco... I am running low on jars. All the stuff I give as gifts to non-canning folks seem to never come back. Wonder what they do with them?

Brian

07-30-2015, 22:20

I still have some seed potatoes that are in a box and have some good chitting going on. Any chance if I plant them this weekend that they'll result in something useful? Otherwise I suppose I'd just be throwing out the seed taters.

Anything I can do to make them grow faster? :)

Brian

07-30-2015, 22:21

Harvesting a lot of garlic this week. Pulled in all the softnecks as they were leaning over. The hardnecks still seem like they're going well, but I'll probably pull them out this weekend.

I set them out in the shade on a vented wood table for a couple days to dry out and then took them inside and set them on some cardboard. They do seem to be drying out quickly - not sure if that's good or bad. This is my first year with garlic and I'm not sure where/how to store it since we don't really have a root cellar.

HoneyBadger

07-30-2015, 23:18

Just planted part of my 4x14 raised bed out here on CA. The growing season here is pretty much all year. I'll post some pictures if I can actually get anything to grow.

Great-Kazoo

07-31-2015, 18:06

Just planted part of my 4x14 raised bed out here on CA. The growing season here is pretty much all year. I'll post some pictures if I can actually get anything to grow.

Without water ?

hollohas

08-02-2015, 13:52

Update
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/02/7816908cc00a369ff187e7df20168191.jpg

Squash (Yellow sunburst, spaghetti, table queen acorn, Waltham butternut), pumpkins, peppers (jalapeño, California wonder bell, burpee big thai), okra (Chant), blue lake pole beans, Boston pickling cucumbers, strawberries, melon.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/02/9a1ae095007df4779ce88615c7911582.jpg

Tomatoes: Cherokee purple, big paste, Burpee black pearl, Rutgers and a small yellow cherry tomato I have been harvesting seeds from each year. Not even sure what to call it anymore expect for "awesome".

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/02/39f27d3aec740cc36061ffd7062514fd.jpg

Fordhook zucchini, Italian ribbed zucchini, sugar snap peas, Roma tomatoes, strawberries, Danvers half long carrots, burpee tenderpod bush beans, English cucumber, oregano, lemon thyme, English thyme, cilantro, sweet basil, sweet heat pepper, hot lemon pepper, tangerine dream pepper, big Thai pepper, dill, Dorinny heirloom corn and blue lake pole beans (climbing up corn).

HoneyBadger

08-02-2015, 17:04

Without water ?
http://i.imgur.com/X3nJyBd.png
http://i.imgur.com/IDBUjv8.png

In the garden:
Pole beans, snow peas, sugar snap peas, Roma tomatoes, some other variety of good meaty red tomatoes, broccoli, Great Lakes lettuce, Kale, 2 types of spinach, carrots, radishes, onions, beets, Red and green bell peppers, and some variety of California sweet peppers.

In pots:
Summer squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, crookneck yellow squash, italian squash, butternut squash and cucumbers.

Since most things don't have specific growing seasons out here, I'm going to try to keep this going all calendar year long. I'll update as stuff grows (or doesn't).

HoneyBadger

08-02-2015, 22:22

At this stage of the game, how much time (daily or weekly) are each of you spending on your gardens? I would really like to spend no more than 10-15 minutes every couple of days for a total of no more than an hour each week. Is that realistic?

Dave

08-03-2015, 09:21

I think with ours only being a couple of kiddie pools of herbs, a 10x10 patch of strawberries and 2 rhubarb plants we average half an hour every other day. Most of this is manual watering though, plus weed removal.

Plus side is we harvested some berries and rhubarb and made cobbler yesterday. Also grabbed some palisade peaches from the Westminster Rotary Club stand at 104th and Federal, we got an 18# box. So we also made a peach rhubarb cobbler, plus we vac sealed a few bags of sliced and sweetened peaches as well.

rbeau30

08-03-2015, 10:30

Zukes are going crazy. Made some Faux Apple Pie today!

Green beans and tomatoes are just starting to produce. Rocky Mountain Corn is getting blown over, but I think I may have about 20 ears at least for the 14 corn plants I planted in my 2 x 6 raised bed.

Scarlet runner beans are flowering plenty, but no beans are getting produced. :-(

Raspberries should be starting out soon.

Grapes are growing like crazy, just no grapes forming yet.

Fruit Trees... well, lets just say they are having a hard time this year. I think my plum tree is dying and the pear tree as well. I saved one cherry and the other cherry tree does not look so good. Lost 3 other trees on the South side of the house. The apple trees look a little sickly, I lost a lot of branches.

newracer

08-03-2015, 22:16

We have some overcrowding going on. Need to plan better next year. The pumpkin is going everywhere.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc129/newracer/612F0D14-E521-4822-87A3-57685F0536A9_zpsiwmtxftm.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/newracer/media/612F0D14-E521-4822-87A3-57685F0536A9_zpsiwmtxftm.jpg.html)

Lucky

08-08-2015, 19:30

...
I have to make my way to Costco... I am running low on jars. All the stuff I give as gifts to non-canning folks seem to never come back. Wonder what they do with them?

It's truly a mystery. Maybe one out of 20 jars make their way back to me. Pickled beet and asparagus recipes on their way to Recipe of the Day thread. Enjoy!

rbeau30

08-08-2015, 21:03

the Costco on Parker Rd has lots of Pints. 6 something a case. Quarts are more hard to find. Nowhere near me.

rbeau30

08-09-2015, 18:35

Harvested hops today. It is in the dehydrator for a few hours.

60227

HoneyBadger

08-09-2015, 22:22

I've got lots of sprouts! I'll post a picture in a week or so. Also, all of my squash plants went batsh!t crazy when I gave them a little fertilizer! Doubled in size in just 4 days!

hollohas

08-10-2015, 19:37

Harvested hops today. It is in the dehydrator for a few hours.

60227
Awesome!!!!

hollohas

08-10-2015, 19:43

Garden has been productive. I've weighted and recorded my harvest each day. Some of the weights are:

10.5 lbs strawberries
13.5lbs zucchini
10 lbs yellow squash
10.5lbs green beans
12lbs cucumbers
8lbs corn
Plus carrots, peppers, tomatoes, okra, peas.

Grand total as of 8/10/15 is 71 pounds of food. When the tomatoes start ripping in mass this will go way up.

Canning some of those green beans tonight. There are 7 pints in there...

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/10/5235564a32c77514627d31d341583035.jpg

rbeau30

08-10-2015, 20:41

Harvested hops today. It is in the dehydrator for a few hours.

60227

3 Ounces total. (Cascade) Second year plants from rhizomes, two plants produced. One (Wilammette) died in the first year ( I'll get some rhizomes off the other to re-plant them. ) the other two didn't produce cones, but they didn't die, so that is good I guess.

Since the trees nearby where the hops are planted died this year the hops will get more sun, so that should be better for next year. I also need to put some mulch down for overwintering so the crowns underground don't get too cold.

They got hit hard this year by moisture and a late frost both of which hops do not like.

I guess I better get to brewing! Maybe this weekend!

Seems like everyone is doing well! My garden isn't all that great. Suffering from lack of water perhaps.

Rocky Mountain Painted corn is doing well I may expand the footprint next year for better pollination. Also I'll have to deal with preventing them from blowing over. I have 1 ear for 30% of my corn stalks and 2 ears for the rest. I harvested three ears so far. The rest is drying.

Drooling over your All-American Pressure Canner BTW

GilpinGuy

08-13-2015, 21:42

Grand total as of 8/10/15 is 71 pounds of food. When the tomatoes start ripping in mass this will go way up.

Excellent! I'm friggin jealous. Nice job.

I'm confused about my cucumbers. They sprouted nicely, got to 5 inches tall or so, then just stalled and never got any bigger the last month or so. Weird. I planted a bunch so I could dive into pickling for the first time. Next year I guess.

rbeau30

08-13-2015, 22:06

The same thing happened to me last year with my cukes. Although I had a lot of powdery mildew. This year I have less because I capped some sprinkler heads. Getting a lot less water to the garden though.

I also changed to an heirloom variety this year. They did better when I direct sowed them. They seemed as though they grew faster and had less shock than the ones that I started indoors.

hollohas

08-14-2015, 08:05

My cucumbers have been slow this year too. I tried to start them indoors and transplant them but they all died when moved outside. Even after hardening them off.

I had a huge problem with powdery mildew last year. This year I discovered a spray that helps keep it under control.

Mix water, jojoba oil, oregano oil, baking soda in spray bottle. I spray the leaves that are starting to show signs of mildew once or twice a week. So far, it's kept the mildew from getting bad. It doesn't make it go away, but it keeps it under control enough that the plants don't even notice it.

hollohas

08-16-2015, 13:12

Today's haul.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/16/4b8ee004e2a988cdf8abad2130773cb4.jpg

Irving

08-16-2015, 13:13

What are the little brown things in the bottom right corner that look like caramel tomatoes?

hollohas

08-16-2015, 13:26

A hybrid tomato called Black Pearl. They are awesome.

http://www.burpee.com/vegetables/tomatoes/cherry/tomato-black-pearl-hybrid-prod000971.html?omn2pd=sh&catId=

hollohas

08-25-2015, 21:50

Today's harvest. I'm getting about the same amount of varied veg every other day.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/25/649a78c0392aa7494efb61bcc3c70f20.jpg

PS - the big ass yellow squash on the left was grown purposefully that big so I can save seeds. I normally only let them grow as big as the little one on the middle.

HoneyBadger

08-25-2015, 22:12

Well shit. Yesterday I had a good looking garden with 6" sprouts. This morning it was simply GONE. Fucking little green caterpillars mowed down just about everything... :(

hollohas

08-25-2015, 22:14

Well shit. Yesterday I had a good looking garden with 6" sprouts. This morning it was simply GONE. Fucking little green caterpillars mowed down just about everything... :(
Damn! That sucks! I haven't seen any caterpillars until this year. This year I've seen a half dozen and killed each one. I'm sure there are many more I missed.

encorehunter

08-26-2015, 05:47

I have been having problems with grasshoppers. They have made my Swiss Chard look like it was in a war zone. At home, the chickens and turkeys take care of them. Here at work, they are almost a rolling mass. The chief said I am not allowed to to bring chickens to work.

Irving

08-26-2015, 20:27

Well shit. Yesterday I had a good looking garden with 6" sprouts. This morning it was simply GONE. Fucking little green caterpillars mowed down just about everything... :(

You got lucky. I must have Africanized caterpillars.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7r0vf-3iZX87g--E4RE_WRXODJ7h8zeruX1Q-ugkoYmB=w1698-h955-no

hollohas

08-26-2015, 21:22

Today.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/26/362d1571f46c4d35383e861e6e3fe068.jpg

rbeau30

08-26-2015, 21:27

^Jealous!^

I really need to stage a coup of my HoA and overthrow their power so I can utilize all of my backyard for garden space.

HoneyBadger

08-26-2015, 21:50

You got lucky. I must have Africanized caterpillars.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7r0vf-3iZX87g--E4RE_WRXODJ7h8zeruX1Q-ugkoYmB=w1698-h955-no
Ha! What the hell?? [Shock]

buffalobo

08-26-2015, 22:03

Ha! What the hell?? [Shock]

A burrow with 2 broken legs and a machete.[Dunno]

Irving

08-26-2015, 22:17

The machete comes later for that grape vine that is trying to grow back.

hunterhawk

08-27-2015, 23:59

My garden was doing great until all my tomatoes started getting eaten and i found holes being dug under my garden! I thought for sure it was rabbits as I would see a few rabbits in the yard daily but had never seen them touch my garden. Stopped seeing rabbits and still had stuff missing... I put out some corn and some half eaten tomatoes away from the garden under the bird feeder and watched as several rats came out to eat the corn and tomatoes! So now i waged war on Rats! I was wondering why i wasn't catching anything in my snares and it was because I had them set for rabbits! i went and bought several rat traps and just caught my first rat about a half hour ago! hoping to have 1 or 2 more by morning! will have to pull some of the traps in the morning so the squirrels don't get in them!

I hate Rats! anyone else seeing an increase in vermin this year?

Irving

08-28-2015, 00:00

I saw a mouse in my backyard a few weeks ago. Please post a picture of your rats.

hunterhawk

08-28-2015, 10:08

You asked for it! I hate these things! Only got one last night.. A little discouraged!! 60589

hollohas

08-28-2015, 10:10

I have had mice climbing my tomato plants and eating the fruit. Haven't seen any, but they've left "evidence" behind...

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/08/28/e14ba00621c8997d918454d3003967a0.jpg

rbeau30

08-28-2015, 12:25

I have had mice climbing my tomato plants and eating the fruit. Haven't seen any, but they've left "evidence" behind...

Ohh that sucks. And the ones exposed to rodent saliva are inedible :-(

Bucket trap. Make sure you have enough water in the bucket just in case the bodies start stacking.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D47P1TgZ7ZE

hunterhawk

08-28-2015, 12:33

I used that bucket trap in my garage and didn't catch anything! I put out mouse traps and caught 28! Gotta love this field across the road and a bag of birdseed in the garage! I quickly bought a metal bin and don't have problem with mice!

hollohas that same thing happened with me and it was rats! You might want to set some traps! They were eating my heirlooms and my cherry tomatoes! I baited with beaut butter and bread on some and tomatoes on the others and the only one that caught was the one with peanut butter and bread!

did I mention I hate rats?

HoneyBadger

08-28-2015, 16:19

Well, I replanted a bunch of stuff, and I'm giving some of the other stuff a chance to recover for about a week before I replant. Seems like I killed all the green caterpillars, but now something else is eating holes in some of the leaves. [facepalm]

Irving

09-02-2015, 21:50

The machete comes later for that grape vine that is trying to grow back.

Looks like the grapes were doing a bit more than just trying to grow back. Found these tonight when I was cutting them down for a second time.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OBiJUO3apvF4ImUSA_1vuOVJxVDrR8A1pjPehoy1miESr1ZCeG IyDIxkB4kmsF5LzQ4fc2dRYOyrJoksMlgXlAUt2ghsIIEx0q-Xr2xprxDC_pkStu2TXcnscRzzaUBjv7TsZfwEFcN9ZJVR05wHo KgJtEB8JC--CBDbqylUZ4aZPKtUTB7ehP6Cze5IUa_Cy_hfBT7gD658tiY0Ln 7GtHi-7tskwFqVCNuDx0ygcEhI2LR3mnBNb1kFWrpRw9cLEZwaeiK2tU qQuSviWKaE7aigOt30GBD-gKYFesiYYcf-NRocnLZ6wnXIHzKN9nGjPzz5DSH6KsP-Wjhh6FpfnuwxxVQlte5mHQfdGfymUzO5wq8FyKDHKpwOS1nRm9 gtr42bL25LMkWPF8nPFL8ibm853efEcTeY_XsWG-F5pEkkL3yBQWqCdLDdRQmHxBrD8iqkYm7F-5NlEpWMEz87Y4qr8Jl_2xza5ao79BIQLgDqwjnDnCTA7wK2wgF NXPMoENNwlIlYC48tmgQ4LwNZrjgT=w1698-h955-no

HoneyBadger

09-03-2015, 12:13

Looks like the grapes were doing a bit more than just trying to grow back. Found these tonight when I was cutting them down for a second time.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/OBiJUO3apvF4ImUSA_1vuOVJxVDrR8A1pjPehoy1miESr1ZCeG IyDIxkB4kmsF5LzQ4fc2dRYOyrJoksMlgXlAUt2ghsIIEx0q-Xr2xprxDC_pkStu2TXcnscRzzaUBjv7TsZfwEFcN9ZJVR05wHo KgJtEB8JC--CBDbqylUZ4aZPKtUTB7ehP6Cze5IUa_Cy_hfBT7gD658tiY0Ln 7GtHi-7tskwFqVCNuDx0ygcEhI2LR3mnBNb1kFWrpRw9cLEZwaeiK2tU qQuSviWKaE7aigOt30GBD-gKYFesiYYcf-NRocnLZ6wnXIHzKN9nGjPzz5DSH6KsP-Wjhh6FpfnuwxxVQlte5mHQfdGfymUzO5wq8FyKDHKpwOS1nRm9 gtr42bL25LMkWPF8nPFL8ibm853efEcTeY_XsWG-F5pEkkL3yBQWqCdLDdRQmHxBrD8iqkYm7F-5NlEpWMEz87Y4qr8Jl_2xza5ao79BIQLgDqwjnDnCTA7wK2wgF NXPMoENNwlIlYC48tmgQ4LwNZrjgT=w1698-h955-no
awesome! thats about enough to make 1/2 oz of wine!

HoneyBadger

09-07-2015, 16:16

Things are slowly coming back:
http://i.imgur.com/CjIHFldl.png

One of my beans took off and went straight up, but the others don't seem to want to climb... [Dunno]

Peas are looking sad... I think it's because of the heat.

Tomatoes are growing like crazy.

Cucumbers don't have any leaves left as something mysterious is still eating all the leaves. [Mad]

rbeau30

09-07-2015, 17:49

I am having issues with my runner beans and green beans. Too much direct sunlight and heat is making the flowers not develop into anything else. Going to have to find another place for them next year

Brian

09-10-2015, 15:52

Tomato guys... I have a couple pots of late-planted tomatoes. Honestly I know nothing about growing tomatoes.

One of the pots seems like it's doing well, but the leaves are rolling up a bit, and on one side, it's developed some white spots. Do I need to do something about this? Something contagious - maybe move it at least to get it away from the other tomato plants?
These are on the back deck where I see them and remember to water them daily, but they don't get a full day's dose of sun at this point in the season. Most of the sun is gone by 2pm-ish.
Lots of healthy looking green tomatoes so far, I'm hoping they start turning before we get any really good nights. I could probably dig up the type of tomato if it was important.

http://i.imgur.com/KQRsWt0.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/E7qABpK.jpg?1

http://i.imgur.com/s5EYG58.jpg?1

jhood001

09-10-2015, 17:23

Probably a form of blight. Get some copper fungicide.

Also make sure your pots are draining well.

Brian

09-11-2015, 11:40

Probably a form of blight. Get some copper fungicide.

Also make sure your pots are draining well.

Thx picked up some today and I'll give it a try. I'm pretty sure my drainage is good. There's a bunch of broken pottery in the bottom, and when I water, it doesn't take long before some of the water comes streaming out into the saucer.
Appreciate the tip.

hollohas

09-19-2015, 11:00

Still going strong. This was all picked just now.

http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/09/19/e82bad38c577a7d90e3e2b6a4dd50261.jpg

hunterhawk

09-21-2015, 02:05

Solid! Nice looking produce!

Brian

09-21-2015, 23:25

Picked the first small pile of 6-8 tomatoes from my late planted plants... going to have a BLT for lunch tomorrow...
The big tomato pot blew over a couple days ago and bent one of the branches, which was a bummer. That plastic trellis stuff it came with didn't hold up to any bit of wind, so I'm going to have to reinforce that plant well since it's still growing "up". I did "splint" the branch using a small wood BBQ skewer and some twist-ties, and surprisingly it looks like it's doing great now. I didn't expect it would "heal" that well so fast.

Anybody know if 12mo+ seed potatoes will be any good if planted next year? I still have some in the box they came in, chitted out but otherwise they seem ok. Maybe worth the experiment.

Brian

10-05-2015, 15:01

newracer

10-05-2015, 15:39

We have always blanched them in boiling water to remove the skins before freezing. They will be mushy when defrosted but are great for sauces and soups.

Hummer

10-05-2015, 16:37

How well do tomatoes freeze?

I have too many to use day-to-day but would like to save what I have now to combine with the next few weeks or so - make a huge pot of tomato soup of some sort.

I don't want to mess with canning, and am thinking about simply chopping them up, partially freezing them, and then vac-sealing in the foodsaver. Packs would go into deep freeze then until I'm ready to make some soup.

Anything wrong with that approach? I've never frozen tomatoes before, so I wasn't sure...

We have always blanched them in boiling water to remove the skins before freezing. They will be mushy when defrosted but are great for sauces and soups.

Yes, blanching and freezing tomatoes works great for stir fry dishes, too. We've been putting up garden tomatoes and roasting chilies big time for the past three weeks. Also have been canning catsup and roasted pepper sauce. With the warm weather the tomatoes and peppers are still producing. For cherry tomatoes and sweet-100's, I leave the skin on, slice them in half and freeze them on cookie sheets, then bag them for use later.

I'm picking apples and grapes now, too. (Yesterday, two truck loads of apples went to feed orphaned bear cubs at a rehab facility near Rifle). Making lots of stuff with apples including wines. The Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes have gone to make jelly, and for wines that are almost finished fermenting.... I'm racking from fermenter barrels into carboys today. The reds get picked Wednesday. And, the last of the peaches just went to making a gallon jug of peach cordial.

Mrs. Hummer has been making hearty soups and freezing in vacuum bags for me to take hunting. Just heat and eat, very easy, and great meals. It's harvest time and we're like the busy beavers prepping for winter.

In the photo, I'm pressing 212 lbs. of Gewurztraminer grapes which yielded 16 gal. of juice using an 80 liter Zambelli hydro press. Also have 115 gal. of Riesling. Both are fermenting with three different yeasts to produce wines of different characters.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Guns/Hunting/Pressing-Gewurztraminer_zpsj9dxdblv.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Guns/Hunting/Pressing-Gewurztraminer_zpsj9dxdblv.jpg.html)

rbeau30

10-05-2015, 16:39

Brian

10-05-2015, 22:45

That is what I do Brian before I can them for sauce.

I freeze them whole,
When it is time to make sauce, thaw them.
Run them through my peeler/seeder twice.
Simmer the juice down by half.

That should be a good start to your soup. It sure does smell and taste great with homemade maters!

What does a tomato peeler / seeder look like? Have a link? Is it the same thing as the kitchenaid attachment I use to turn apples into applesauce?

I asked good ol' mom today as well how she froze tomatoes. She said she's done both - frozen them with the skin on, removing it when they were thawed, or removed them in advance and frozen the insides only. Then she gave me how she'd always always go to the trouble to mix up the tomatoes with other stuff (onions, whatever) in almost all cases so that she had a good base to start with. Moms are cool. :) Glad mine's still around to offer advice on things I took for granted back when I was younger.

Brian

10-05-2015, 22:54

Yes, blanching and freezing tomatoes works great for stir fry dishes, too. We've been putting up garden tomatoes and roasting chilies big time for the past three weeks. Also have been canning catsup and roasted pepper sauce. With the warm weather the tomatoes and peppers are still producing. For cherry tomatoes and sweet-100's, I leave the skin on, slice them in half and freeze them on cookie sheets, then bag them for use later.

I'm picking apples and grapes now, too. (Yesterday, two truck loads of apples went to feed orphaned bear cubs at a rehab facility near Rifle). Making lots of stuff with apples including wines. The Riesling and Gewurztraminer grapes have gone to make jelly, and for wines that are almost finished fermenting.... I'm racking from fermenter barrels into carboys today. The reds get picked Wednesday. And, the last of the peaches just went to making a gallon jug of peach cordial.

Mrs. Hummer has been making hearty soups and freezing in vacuum bags for me to take hunting. Just heat and eat, very easy, and great meals. It's harvest time and we're like the busy beavers prepping for winter.

In the photo, I'm pressing 212 lbs. of Gewurztraminer grapes which yielded 16 gal. of juice using an 80 liter Zambelli hydro press. Also have 115 gal. of Riesling. Both are fermenting with three different yeasts to produce wines of different characters.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Guns/Hunting/Pressing-Gewurztraminer_zpsj9dxdblv.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Guns/Hunting/Pressing-Gewurztraminer_zpsj9dxdblv.jpg.html)

Wow, I'm jealous. Definitely going to have to try to find a way to stop by on the way to Moab next Easter.
There's no way I'd be able to grow my own grapes over here, but I'd love to be making some hard cider out of homemade apples. Had a buddy who said he thought he knew someone who'd let us come pick and press a ton, but I guess it didn't work out, since I never heard back.

Hummer

10-06-2015, 00:00

Wow, I'm jealous. Definitely going to have to try to find a way to stop by on the way to Moab next Easter.
There's no way I'd be able to grow my own grapes over here, but I'd love to be making some hard cider out of homemade apples. Had a buddy who said he thought he knew someone who'd let us come pick and press a ton, but I guess it didn't work out, since I never heard back.

That would be great, and you might get lucky because I try to do bottling in April and May. There is a cider plant nearby where I can buy unpasteurized apple juice by the barrel, and it's easier than using my own apple mill and press. A few years ago I made apple wines from a 55 gal. barrel of juice. This evening we opened one of the last bottles of 2009 Cranberry Apple wine. Still very good....

I'm not growing wine grapes now but I source them from several western Colorado vineyards, some free for the picking, some in trade for the wine I make, and some I buy. I'll get about 1000 lbs. of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc this week. 2015 should be a great year for wine in CO, maybe as good as 2012.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Wine%20Making/Cider--Hydro-Presses_zps68dbf226.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Wine%20Making/Cider--Hydro-Presses_zps68dbf226.jpg.html)

rbeau30

10-06-2015, 08:30

I have this one. http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/italian-tomato-press/

It is a little messy, and if you run grape tomatoes or something in it with thinner skins they sometimes get a little clogged. But it does a great job of getting the seeds out and it isn't a hundred dollars. I have used it for 3 years now and we have lots and lots of tomatoes every year.

61384

I have decided that I am going to have to start pruning my grapes, they are getting unmanageable. Do you have any tricks or best practices you can share? The ones I have I don't know what variety (some sort of purple wine grape I think. They have firm skins and while they taste great they really are not for snacking.) They make awesome Jelly!

Hummer

10-06-2015, 17:04

I have decided that I am going to have to start pruning my grapes, they are getting unmanageable. Do you have any tricks or best practices you can share? The ones I have I don't know what variety (some sort of purple wine grape I think. They have firm skins and while they taste great they really are not for snacking.) They make awesome Jelly!

Grape growers tend to prune several times through the season. There are so many variables depending on the type of grape, the weather, growth and other conditions that may change from year to year and month to month. But, pruning yearly is necessary for vine health and crop. Check out the various extension service papers via google on pruning grapes where you can learn a lot more than I can offer.

I'll soon be picking grapes in a vineyard that's been neglected for 5 years. Only about 20% of the vines are still alive and only about 20% of those have fruit this year. The lack of pruning prevents light from evenly ripening the grapes, the sugars aren't high enough in the shaded fruit so only some of it will be usable for anything but feeding the birds.

Irving

10-10-2015, 23:33

Retry a few posts down.

HoneyBadger

10-12-2015, 13:21

Cant see any of your pics irving... You have to post a link to the actual pic, not the page containing the pic.

Irving

10-12-2015, 14:18

It's the same problem we talked about.

HoneyBadger

10-12-2015, 22:43

It's the same problem we talked about.
And the same solution... Post a link to the actual picture, not the page that the picture is embedded in. [Beer]

Irving

10-12-2015, 22:51

I'll send you a pm about it, maybe. The pictures are of my yard with a 43'x5' box painted in the grass where I plan to build the raised bed. Once it's done I'd like some direction add to how to prep it for seasoning over the winter, then get some ideas of how a garden should flow as far as what to plant and where.

newracer

10-13-2015, 08:01

When you first posted I could see the pictures but now I cannot.

Irving

11-26-2015, 19:21

Okay, let's try these pictures again since I've made some progress.

This is what our yard used to look like. I've torn out nearly all the foliage as it was just too much to manage. This is the progress I've made so far. I'm trying to finish up the garden this year so I can fill it with dirt on top of all the branches, leaves, consumables, dog crap, etc I have in there. I want to fill it with dirt, stir it up, and let it sit all winter/spring. Then rototill it and put a layer of top soil or something before I plant a garden. I'd really like some tips from you guys, as I've never really tried to garden before. Let's check out the pictures.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p7f-fHlA8qFGOvWMk5WBUyQq7Ki3PSZ0RaBsoCiOwMSlov3m86-cWG-k9sjlo7f4kFfBuLE2HGuPlUCwlaiLWX5vHqgpK3HxSEVPBengj GNpk3NInxoBLE2-QN4c88S4v5mhhowF0RxL8j6H4fi5ezXzir50_rBmGwJqjbQ6wU QryCEzrSW1T7DRuO_7IG3Bau0JNwOUEgv9fCMl1lyeqiWp_DRP eSFwIWzpALVfBrDBKquMHckLm0AdA_LZKHMssBe4QWBTom8rgk-cKx5b-Pl9U8bgtwwv3bnD85sDOI1RRyyhfIJG0ffKzL-zo2furmSUOMsnDaXYqq621FH7gLNahO1P9S7bisttSigcHapEG 5owBSCl-BCpr_U8RI0IQbqroy9uF2EBAfCRmfw6S0NJdl1hRZqdUnkWdWf nJxe7asw0k3KvjBMJYm5sofS6ljPcuNIDdZVSOUeVqDwjZI6HK TcNQTWrXjWMcBxJ_8JFmv7vNZUVN505hVdvWstmv7YRFxcAS18 3A-cRn_UsFMAXKLfYt5dfURZL0PnDVx0Z=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/dwsmaO6xB1PunjpKZD4sHJEWrCZSJcGZw4h4qg6XoaKUo6NUU7 Np_859-qmOI6jw1t_N3koLRL7hoX6gUeBdpHpxZwu0rDWTV-yB94LyXV57OXRFWdd2LVDhx7LurYeWgqjRdtslre0HwatjvzZJ ip1-TabbXFkfCrXyBf9cxuWz8Lw9Qxr5MCSEAgjRxzCxB5yHQlmx9N 618QDfK8hgXdREt9ixyELctNPElEo93cLBr08u_5DW6uM0j_Su En7f3GldgK6IctyWA96etvELOpf8_ABjOaMzr8vcKCeF7F9Zk1 Dq7syKuY6deE3b4SsonxU9qay0itVCPih0XSPNrAUU_Ak2MyTr 0acBeLzVNu7fbak9sk1zVAOla0KnHuOrf4BdAKEL3EbpCWIeyz HNbnAk6SwehpxMHVrHrhCYHnjWYuXQyXfKcJp63S4d2q6smYdr JSXh-PBuvHpedO79EeKlItn6K2bhdX7dEZp1FVpJWuX_NGrtTH9i6Fj fLLOocZ70S8jS-OyLL_0hfm_G5EJ5hRqizqLuWdkxuO4u-d_j=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7BewVBqTWdWGv-HSUaCITWQJZA1bmQ6osNU6eCnGIubCb2TItlN4DHlhznCmj-T7PX3gdCTa1nO6WsuBH3SADJBreN4w92rC9yewhcNpY5foIXVc Q8MK7OlMbmDzJbUYY1IhPCDy1D2XADbn-YzdsVqSv3RzsDFBL6F6nLuCkLudcgCANaNlQ2qVI0TSuQgfr3K e8zZaAVONkmxnBoGrGHz8VUIXKQFLX46uNpnDliEz4uyF744i3 N8kQTkBmHl3EUVVYMzWkH5k1ClHzNm6o5YUDDUZr4cjPSZ14MT weT1SRqVbNGnzLn39dqrKfDnuuwX9xwN8QGtuKgPTRyyLvvKvl MLfJ_9svUr0Zsd8qyot2DqQdtHd5Z303Eu2rBGeuvRnVuZta27 0YgJ42jVjPon6nfDz8-GjZAlYnZKtuj_Sl1LkAQfBLfddcxRXVp1jEaWY8l9Oa2ULJE8t 1mhLX45kxm3P3ulYat7anMvJtEZ-i_o1ySJ3ocaKUYwHfcp_0WBeT-IWcb2j6Defe2O5IwpoLq3fbNOzosh6Ot2tuyaD=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/gtMwze20c-tqQgzs7vTnFMXlOqyQZXsFjV1mOEO0aVBWz739qC5WG0nqR9yZ rzVKj-JE1WozOHUvZOCb2F7Meb4vgoHNzAfdFTe6SAe7PNp5e1IEh1Bh 495E8h7rB7g7uJ_qr1D5aTPjaog4gfnynd3lBf4Ve4oJHg22HW EGj_bj5hZmYMTZcuW-T25D7zgTcG36exIRf0xNvv3PxXu-82u0NkNE3HPLlWQhAOyuvnWbZCw3gzsT9CKKmdCN9Dc_XyUt26 vxPTbQWLYa6WXso3S8O43GCBCaQN-PRttuMuavSGPft1NMLKpxaHiYix7gzfGsJc6UlIk0HNFHJpOs7 EnzsLBIDz3UEiyAGVXyUv-ztyFZFO_a3ibAXydXiirhyHqgfizkmSCapk1BPMSAYcmfrt6XY VD2Y1M3fNe-O2EozHNXczaUyOz-qbQYhZmbVTLe10LmGHQiIOFcsJznljt-v7XqNh8FtTjCMBYziJRBfcTlHRhZmCOk-5z0BMWaew233wCmkO9YeJHubJ2JuDjDsTCCk9QQlrMdMS3iU7E q=w1698-h955-no

**I was quoted $3,000 to remove all the foliage in the backyard and juniper bushes in the front yard. I bought a Ryobi Sawzall for $60 instead. What looks like a line of bushes in front the new fence in the picture above is what was left of a mature grape vine that I had cut down the year before. That's how much it grew back without the scaffold.

Found these grapes near the ground when I tore out the vine, for the second time.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/UU8VqiRnr4PItycM7icDtJyj2gzyxEURb6E4N16hK2AO692V1b emUqMtDfQToWAQhzdS16dpu5rZankHNsIVNhI7pJ1BDOoDad-Kmpqqu23gwHhgtJYddb_Ze-nEI6wMTNH0RpxuDCPuNvNNLi_8DR_SBH7uNasuLpcJuvyIB0Pg tl62c3Ic_wGOUUb61SwRDmfnPTcWsiXoyIYVmO6oDWnOgiSp9V 10qLL63e1FEAEVz7O4zI-nQy7qvrLLFvCdp2LbXhSfL-_aXyO3sKNYCBNSxQurQ1fxOgzuasUWa_fO1sv3yqdLJSYgErkw V7aoeMEuWHLL-x4ijlAjHqlEuahx5EDxNhRQH6ko6iEUy_INAqx_v0R1r0sxuiA gG0XFtegM1RKyUGw9LNuJ_s89Q5wGeWrVmvsL8ubklMPalzIsU INxySIFouR7XGzvOIu83Zjf7XsUi69PIhnYDn8k4foZdF8uGIx H4lwFc0UXxis8SzHLQqBTGralcbrpT_2TuFruOnR9UoJcPs6Bu 4QLT3Bqun1PJ3SYt-naofBHMc3G=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/arz0a_oJoWANTgdM-ZODY5qQVb6R-o2RH4ve6oZ8yDQB6ZxmgG6QQIW0M2ppLQzE5jzJBtGCzOUwSPK Bg6RXcoA0w9_g10nRY_MRT3jFoOch4Y0e8YGS1Qgfx3b9XoUEH WTvvycNbks8nRkeYQFpWwCB2EXEW8uxdOqtOF4UdMpLShWr3nU 2dh5JoJHrN9s5Ath99hCR61DcUBHEqs0nsrET0_BOh3BPwNhMD DLQvOGEngEHFZ1T09hP02qGgevyRYURMQmWnlCmMnFPTfMAGdj XfFGt-X5CYZtu5iqTIqx-m_i9ad5jJCvlGr40WTPnVu7iKY0K1PRbBiHPR76LSsGlRSa_xN w0r2tA-KRBEJrfO24_XrtjJkWTj6vmjQUB4JHRxwUj26nl8kldlUIrxQO kgv1CwfgoL6rc4btuAqOhAEUkx2MBllFwQeS7HoL_QHxM26jKm FFaNLT0NBlnQDTccqbqmFFlCRphHrxs3Bu3d1SbY1RX_N7VHIa x-z9-dh5dZKbNNrn2FnPmrZj6lBBaE8pwsNHWk3LUg_j4RKmM=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/bf8IqpRAKjo6S0sZFNOH_Cx7ER66eS1-_Wrqzy2o7_hj4ICLxN3fiLYGSCBaRRJGPek1t6oiwb-knTjNuOlUe-69MJBKUuSPBHSk8KEecceYkUk5_pMlDxQfEyvBsfu8swxhnIQf 9pFw-cRKWyA9THnd7cqawz4_NduChIRDrJGK8346KS4MnnMjDyn95Pf mBe0jy-fV5kXgItMBNJv8NC-wDtCiVXWmqxaobAip0GbbIZ6-XKaiGYDK5ClOL6cy_2MNF7WEsZmppB-phvQlslIt53jvR3G6mir4MNOTZ_2QkABC9d8EFRq8RmatsIlpT FHqMRsEyphPMv0o7tKkgYk8gy-1xf8QTVDX_80wUuvEeZhmnx7FVuWDktf9dom3TQ9MLjkUinreE Hlp0UM_QIUs9Wf-2mlYT2j7M8YvQc6CCabs_Gd37OuEsA7RVBluEo1aoO9ZCPmHcb fEK_pUhtMKUg8OIJ5a6hE-CX7uABOT9jOUgmIVeAsblrh9WLVLq0bDZrkO3zflxsIHrIcJT2 EcAQJcAQNK5h8MtguFBA0U=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/SGtJE1a4rkdVaHcisHvxfYED-N2C-OYlsRgzRLIXc22haET3EPZ6vUjL3yI3TuomTpWLew-zLTLHD3NZI5vtlUwcGasS0xGgFBrIG5wDoTO6DVJJCjSg72pXo ggyrmq7Um2iUx03VjpCoQrIKruSUVTzAYow3u619qPUtkIzlZM yUtrqhJvE1_DZFxB4rw3NwxyQ7AaHe_krWkRps8Oi_qhkynBtk dQ6CH7B-nC-vXf4z_WEcP3Lp9O4c19Mka1KwBOyT4LN2rx8O6uhQdZecafxWO SHraEuCS4BPhab6jKU4laE6ka9Ou1YSAxqov3KOpIhuogic_dX y9TYVZOTYI6N6m-pR7Mrfl05FCbugjuoWwvriJv39Nr8V4w-Bsecw_IaxAF2TwF_1rrCnd3mL-QP_cevn6StF5M2c5mnmLPNvDgEFTODvB0NZQwxRYm8Bb9i6TQm Do5r2OqqtkEmfw4vEQ3S5xnYXmCIyS6t3DIP11WR_wGlbW81GE 4FvL1taL__D-P43C_llWWqlcIJ6SdoQjmqvjmEt_XjFPu3XZ2b=w1698-h955-no

I traced my sprinklers so I could see how much room I had for a raised bed garden. I didn't want to try and level the yard and a garden seemed like a better use of space.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rvTQsB4AlU5RKW0fUV-2UDuDSX-Wx4VykNFw2G5QjVOYlCv8Ah8UVuDj5ffzC4bfygNYWmUgQnblh-VJGD9yZWtMVAn37wEeEv354MA0UNGQoUwUiH5IrJ_iJRIla99c qv_f1_cc8GRphvknHs5fGqqMh9GyLiNzrkTN9AegULsLQzDrSP mWiCahE1eb23lwSLoJg4tRI1OUDBxv1YErVpkR2nQgfGrkuNt-arxkW2PykOkqvAopgSmf8FJ8KU1A1nsIRvVTzp90C1Xn1nFYY-m8IrKrZ2niS8wMetKejG14Gf0cQQvoEbuyLiCgXjyEPDX1OO4N ze6UgREXjBBurc2eHPpao7PJ-MDP2uUzRlD2VaG8SJpi_Vu-mBNey8SHFOjLpEZ87MS64YM-e38aX-sZGBb1AISj3ucY88f9jLKH6aVfMBCEco_6B2NYmW35xF-jVoYEzkzB3UApNFNbwHDUFA4atWVpudwO48kD4DH-gwL7BJx9JG5nbiC4R67tN3L6EKPFj9MMtzS8141ibzeDcInTTP EWqHQPfrlilU3e=w1698-h955-no

I made a couple different draws of ideas and asked my wife to pick one. She liked the idea of multiple boxes so she could access them easier. We ended up with something in between.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/5hc0Y3ZmMXkcyLBa2D5V45FJPyVDcV5wV68s4yl4amdUi-TI3BVL34_92VQzOa9fqfo-IJPh0zYFTYAN9ncoWgxrbWW2wigSAW8xAxY1wIIUuLPdBqOTZV TPRk677k2OH54y_1yTGVpNcg3nm5Ab0S84lKDe4UWFfWXDHg7u 43u208iUhArKoQBrABqcPaZrPe24sAzm-GG1iEE49Kv2f4e2ON5h2KRuItSOeIQ7P87yuozr3a_TZx7h4U5 uTSpntjUnNuiDacxqluzaOzD27KLDDG2VUQuBXUm8AtHXRJp1H sHJxtR3bVYwiEuzlSevwNJpn7-y57l3l8VK0aN6tJP6D4-Kl3cAoTHGXx1Xdb1LISCGp1baI9IEK4hg60gTjw5bNXUAZPZ1s k5LuGyK46_ZEHQOBVNNoK40rQhomduIyFXkBxZGea_j12WCyxr 6x4RQtEJvbCeFMs9xYrHMURVsQfPJk5UaEvNFtVRoJM7s7hdvN DnIOY5elMjTttffNLksDWMC3TdU1CxFllOvo4pkoggoTLRsAJ9 rK6xu1Gah=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/kDsci3vLUVmJH5QYb16ouA3Ax_04w58-plJGDSZzCJvESGiMnxZnz80tN1nXpUJRbTMrUfxdnXo3hfr5Hv MphdJln9B5moo58djxN2ZOXbxYBJor2z-AxUAJsBJ0gWTD0AYRKt5R5__BMsFEN_FCGE62gZccHbrQcFn9Y GUqURxHOSSU6SA4JpXxDj4heGevD4lyPD--5LeL2_6PeD82qn73kl0FyW5GxDXa16c8tr3Pus5iW1Qv9Dbmqo xEHN0UsoxGDBJjW8P7dHQBHNOyWtP1GR_7bFCU11IE8nNvwV1Q 0nZlt9CZscJB5Cwxguoo7AC7pd1dJoXaI5qbRlK18bYff4BETm YiRFvzQIzXLz9aSnoMcqFITo5l2Wtvaf6jxb2W4-58B1eaDz6ksVG2fAfLYyZrXfdajiMboYAXqsdWAFT-hgIiftVRd4dmh6hTmP3Usm2HCdAjNy3izDT-EQ_izDGh63xdE6_ZkT1p2onRpsRDjUUWdHZD1JI-6eZKH6x6-3hHkpr7qH2s_SA68K2Jnk7CY5hR-OMiQgpY9g6S=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/VHc1SrhYPOkQP56Uv0-5bJIxv6nTqX0uPNJkrzHv87AmG2QejWAAo9JPxLaUGkTDYBjqI vdagNS0XczozNRWypt2zJb1jCnC3kaRQvn-wz88DXbLWZ8lQQtDplVwtCxvOtAqbFdMLjvYKDGp2C2-166mBKdI6Qxo53sF9K2cQBLSWyT2iTo3PRLsAP-SEr1TLbcEvrv5pu3P3GpwwzmOT4MZJZ0956gDLfZoFeDWaikMg Nm3aPduRnoreLilWwyoDBbD-xPRS0O22fkPMXUd4LVD61MPkBsokdWsFJpSmtARWj-_QFxjTRbmHTLYm5a9Bdpr35UEoIuWuc3diyZVNZCwsT5n7Ub0m Eyc7TINY-UFfAuah5yDwQhy1Ivw85sqZ37xNTuE-khmqCS5z-rwu0B8daAEnGmMLqzRX01ExlWP_Y2ZmeE_OhO9DVG8c9VA7o1p GNx-GiHgYmdN108pIi0UmyFhQswTJj-dzXNxVQsKaCvViVhjQKGL02Z374hmI75ZnJ3sq5htPTjJKfvYa HpoojaBLAML5thiT_Ysaqju=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Di4SSWP1BaONxyzKtSwy_v2-YVfVi7Am29V1ufXmwOIcoXmEOZ7VBZ2NFqAmNPLTKQPYwuNnzi VIkzU-cIDpqGNMMpefh4izZVLQMuqd2Agm3jRDnFfMBH0Ohchzjk3WA5 tmKi5u4brFUwcXyBzWMDekkgDAlOWdwrIWewdN8aQqVceiHPNT 54e1ufN0TlgevAkTMShYYwVNCgrmvoWRRXOxTdtTDtOBLe8InJ 6yNErG9xvK37n88wap0G6_oRT8_67OTfioiQBtNbDP1zsu9JUU Dgqlj-w0LeAGGkqjF16vhPxivzLpDQq9stpe5ekX0gjbzZU5COtsrhYg aCY1yOnccPZfsbK9kP3xqmPybiGp7wHazCJOfFLZXcFZPYMDuA FVZ7CI9Xj8n0GAddFLK_zqRm46QmObbOHIj6PvuIvn0ul7yZtI EwrxKYUqNB3U5cs6aHlqlUcBwjYrbp1aI_PYpp1Jbs9Igol2tt wt8VQBw6RqBNV3jHKcbnJCRQPtiCK_-NV_zGiUa2juqSh8sHAUMXdtBHTgvVmH_R9v2KNI=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sScQSddMe9Gzk_RoiuRS8yM1klOfv_1AWEaJzIv-vR14rZfG2nilARIZCDkpWyoXNIHI5-yuhzMF64AT_t16W6M-ZU4dtfYWHBqalvlXoSCoviU8HLd1uSnWp6RmXglq3J7BGIPfbL ugVub8vs6sfJS-EARf18v89ODUJ6VXMB1p_KqMAtz4skw5T57c3AxK4UOpM1Vg6E Q_QeLwtA3r8ecnYLfp2LsaThE-RqIhs8l0u5muWJeRKTqfKQ-OuTDW2j0BlVThxgIq2AnhDOmLw3hIRLuKW-f_8srCgCUnLMkXYdPoFGgCtzba6CEa350ngOY8O8lNLomkyxgG-j9EgsGzef-V13BA8b2USc1d5NVVvNWuDJRsePYp7EeCg-2P8-zV-JAqBPcgT72P2qjxnxJSX51oUHU5Sf-qnKicphj7o4nuKujC8e7AQHZX6-AqWevSPv7r0Ieui3jl0i8QEVWecVbS1rgEL0Jz-qlLE3SlfETA-sC5Erk51WZ3Z4BGULXJyVtTDR82ztTX-NpfMiO9aYjemY5VB-gwITrKtuJk=w1698-h955-no

The last photos are from today. I've gotten more of the trim up, but it got too dark to take a photo. I really need to button up the sides so I can start just filling up the whole box with sticks and leaves and junk in a hugelkultur/compost hybrid. I'll get a photo from the roof later so you can see how the gardens connect along the back.
Each of the three boxes is roughly 10'x5'. I'm going to put the chicken coop on top of the left cubby (middle of the last photo). I have some sprinklers that I'm going to pave over in another part of the yard, and had a fantasy of using that circuit to make a garden drip line or something, but that's all way outside my level of experience. As I said in the beginning, I'd like some planting ideas and general tips on how to plant a garden (what to plant and where, etc). This is way larger of a garden than I ever thought I'd have, especially considering the very small size of our yard (1/6th of an acre). I'm a bit concerned that if this garden is successful that we'll have way more stuff than we can use. What do you think?

GilpinGuy

11-26-2015, 21:34

That looks awesome. You can grow some serious food in that space. You can't grow too much. Can, dehydrate, ferment, barter and just give extra away.

I'm pretty much a novice gardener myself, so no advice except that you need to save all the chicken crap - compost GOLD.

Irving

11-26-2015, 21:51

I got the hugelkultur idea from your thread. While I paid someone ($300) to haul away all those cut down trees, I still had some left over yard waste. I knew I wasn't going to get around to building this very soon (heck I'm still not done) and didn't want it sitting around all year. I'm going to need a lot of fill dirt as well, and the only way to get it back there is with a wheel barrow. The gap between the fences is very high and the neighbor's dog gets in. I've got her mostly blocked off now, and the fill dirt will finish things off, but I can't have her coming into my yard if I'm going to be having chickens.

Irving

11-28-2015, 18:38

Bit of a repost from the chicken thread, but the garden is pretty much completed with the exception of the sides. Thinking about sacrificing one box per year as a chicken run, with the idea of rotating the run each year. Thoughts?

http://reclaimgrowsustain.com/sites/default/files/double%20run%20chicken%20coop_0.jpg#overlay-context=content/save-time-and-energy-fenced-chicken-coopgarden
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/QXyC2WLsw5VHhDDzoDfd3vCqS7yMg4pl_qFMXOFGJ18vu8U4Tm VvHyk7O0C3uojrpkpGKazZMXVhE767kYVQLVBO-eAPRtmi5ogeT9h9MQEW_NeG7QU0v6e5xRiX_fRho_5qyxegFRE n2ThnM8fN_4ffplo3eAkOaJmFiQN5EgyyTGuDZTuXBXpscWjjE EQHyKgYs62otgowIJHrozUr1L1Nu8xuHCypWwHQEwHHSdjhDcI jVZY5WQIpLzJD8lhrOkfyWLZhT5Jia0GqiUppo8jubRto-y4s__TGdVciu09mM1rfEHdKGrAUufb9cCHlcw-vih6Ir0p4qcNrdc7W0ze3keanJufU2Ry9OyhxT4Xf_6lgwS3YR TwDEmP64esDC3usM_jSALzsRkrlbEKsNCQVOHm1XQgjW4AY-mF2e2L1KQTEmdaydw-nVkG_o8GlsHp4aSHcUSDScoV2ZluSNQTomKWHsWEI4bIxZHTX8 A74TfTnTFtpmElmgAdGYPzN6ROWT6AE5MSOS6HdeZzghC8ccEg e_7GFGXbDl86qXNXU=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FER2rmDy5X_R3OVYiQme8PkpNmZFBJATW_Hejmx75kHVMIPgJ_-WLgWf9fVYodDTJuvAXnFXSPqpJMdGTAztnS_YSVpe9-lH3XVxHiiYGcI2K74GM99nM4TMayqVMjle-bvStmHCyRZSVuRGiWJ6tB_3b2xH-0L6A3hDuq5DF2ABFRrNzbvHRi9cOQKkOmwYal21TF4PTQezsVu NmnGNy6Z2HrwJ9CSCOFMiyYRzPeeRnTNmCKSYI_VayOP8MDrQ2-wNqbP3iIspT9WEMS7Tle5v4cT6wswgLDW8qPmUVQBfzGi8tB1f HByn4Q9CaLzS6LTVb1FwqrcZuGGiDtUPtPLsF8jAlWfOdd1rHE KpQVJAIpTs_Nxdxwo218kNAyQRwXLtVIBGv_oXhI7jEcuCy3YN 9rj1--HkbbqNNJmzW6G9SpmvMLziEQWgn32pUS8j1h_itSyzepO_FLVz 3CwwAamMXCjjgejY8EfjIZphYSXivg4_MTWfcWSdf3LN7Svwf6 oz29tUpUxEyRsBW4dJowgYhZl65HqOR57jUc9RI9-h=w1698-h955-no

Irving

12-02-2015, 00:48

Watched this film called Back To Eden tonight. It is about gardening in a way that uses little to no active watering. The reference to Eden is directly related to the Bible, so there is a significant amount of Bible reference. The actual video is somewhat boring and repetitive, but I felt that the method seemed sound and the information very useful. The whole idea is to mimic nature when growing things. I found the website and the full documentary is posted online. Hope this information helps someone.

http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/

https://vimeo.com/28055108

Irving

12-12-2015, 16:19

Got two Focus loads of free deadwood from a neighbor today. I noticed that a big branch had fallen out of their tree during the last round of high winds. I drove by their house every day till I caught someone outside to see if I could clean up the branch for her. She was pretty happy to have someone come get it.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9Xh17GrSm-W9gRA0Jaz1kHFcAjOZoVOj-MAveeTaQY_TAUJZhQGgiyXP12a_3_beg2ONiy7ivNi1vUbTUo5 n-e46S0uTLvGKMKKek1-x9QGj4vg5dBEb6RIUYHAKiyHI42r2e9mwtE69vIyvXXU0aU0A6 j_VPrY8y3NHFayrRrq5XA-2Gfp4-viDbK7OvT9ZKWgFasp9V4LBm7Y3OietIU-IylrN0dGjFq6ZtOXHSNrbx6s32-kiwfZXtL80FiuSmGoDELZjR0zRTPk4FFXEjR9hnrS4AOYWLE2U JuCZ70sLah8Wr90BPGbhpqhpLg85fKlZUJ3eEjQKn10V1Ucxrd nZMxxubdaBB7f1j7EGaSFqneIFxq_gnLw-BtRhjRnCydjLl1EUcvo-PC1l-abWkCnm1onKxeXezfz5Aj4mlOLUG5I8meEduFhs1af_JXWiaQW bEW1dcGT0Fo4QetAdt3wc2R2NYQ_my1tzuq8BLsBuRnFzG32VW rX0AJf_FN8vm_wQl3eoO7FhNLzain3FNgChRf5Lba5tpta1TNK meuCEK9K3HyvMR9bFcnocAhK869eNg=w1698-h955-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/hfXSsp0gpGBpqbIHGb3rhcWCN6B3eAt4BR_Rc5_1rFNCfjhRWI tokK56UjuqzbxEW-dPDrs0QJdNBg2STXeoWq5gRVymnrLdXe1sGPkkNeXkaSO5AKYv DksPJVrZQkweOgMfXZZh-ISQmBpuirTRM4FJTHD4vEBvx8l7YMJLJynYrizD7EdxqP-C6sAaN7DiB3rhnMldK5kBWOPzWAbYfzABI7TEcBpmdjguez_tW xN-wEia7Tn3_fDI3rDIAa2j779oFbn6MIH1qP-xfdPggDtsYGxmFSZQxS424u3HUP8hCPFzNgoRJcdEObVTBtDtT a5qMLKEaLS6niWozmprjm_cFVLphR8bJvvVdk0cse2jIsJJoyy P52OSQFkesaJTzRY48rcNhRtrlyl2Ht9q2piBQUIl6wBbFomg4 9QqQ-BSGpEdmMvu8YfvKPxpVjMtKzlZt8m-eGrBYXranAfa5aSBDUJ3qgAaKAmZpASIbsqqWuipof5pzJUddW gHTcSdyKLTXr6yGzfNqdeNe2FSswa1k1szI47A9QvpMzDUe_8-SvELDMwcnGtErmu9LomHTMkpNg=w1698-h955-no

Irving

01-28-2016, 14:45

I've gotten another windfall of filler material from my neighbor who wanted some trees removed in his backyard. Pictures are yesterday, then today. I'm ready to fill with dirt, but I really have no idea how to go about it. How much can be fill dirt, how much top soil, etc? I'm really looking for answers relating to depth so I know how much to acquire. I know we're all probably tired of these painfully slow updates, but I'd really like to have a successful garden this year.

Yesterday:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/p-XGCwn8tl9A2PmL28W-7956TXo_arkBwdY9AI4apyJrYhpaVyWH8rerZTawu6dp8OKk2h ZMNqbUy0JHq1Ds-zu82OVKCrZjHVvhqleaoDrFzVCHSIzpHdXZgno0hkdTfU2RHEJ-0yfwz2POliSxjbLf1TpqncgbU7vfOSLmCVuRUJCTBLP9IaK-0BNuevXRAMk3N-hYZKOg9Bi5eLuR4CUHSuCNpwI3KuzNCD9XuKpZaGufJ7Onjcxb cR9Ym55HchnmuY0OeRb0m5OUIRpWz6ERzVJtB9oSt3SeAoqoc4 xgkWr5fHmiMBHJGVH2ZSDnIkVhjDrb_19I5jIrxqQ4JeKzpJl7 kX1WkwMjgY8DhL9VRJviu9AVgBKVkx8KNAmlKk8Byz6l8ekHeo Q6AfA3BBt9zHbe-FKgnbmd8YEDhUu6gchaWjJ5Md0kPoxlzRNEAbMbnvdTxVxN7zl CXU1ciUl--ScZLQh2sQaaSWcJ50AZwD1IpS21MP9CDWBRxXSDnrdiUpzqGNi rzoTQM08kw5ZzevWJP7pV74QZQ4reW6OCkLPzzi83bvcgtQNz6 xphWWuTqA=w1698-h955-no

Today: All three boxes are just as full.
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/_EYNgGYpo1bsEyPe6pnWbnIK8wo5LNElCP60tAZ4P3KDyvIvTT xRazBmFH1eWbQu3D_4rBNaOc2SiTMYWdp_iXb8jW-oP3xsYhC1iMvpZDkvRxsDtvQfiGMypaW_ptGQYuofDMCtUY2GH 53L7Z0JRzLAfJ2xGJ81SlSe6Mjv51wrJI9RWkoIwSBKc56f5l0 OtHppWGlL-ncQy9KnL6iuPY6nFikw1cXpPVnSZMtUaHCPJqhErexVogC0BgQ RbveNaDncTj_I-9SwxSZYIBrifdhsSAoTBWgBGvlzz5jngWn0LV278Fck-Ip-4XFU_w0dlpkwD_jrFfDnNq_keUj748WMjAbD5h4mn6l2OxpFBx 8F-l7sXKxc8HXJlbTW1Xs-Z-4348fzYGgJGaiuSRLncaoJD-8LfJeKlQDL2FdcluWIxcc_xqACacgrSawW68LKurB5IPi6gPAy SUNznRbkTt-TeCJOeK_YyveiQV31O7yik6RC19GwfeEIv0SfzKNC3Akl-Xyi0aLDbhllKWBdxxt3X-fRWyGsfcIVvqji8nVcWXfSnIuyueQ5zaKSRFd2x5Sy3Q=w538-h955-no

TheGrey

01-29-2016, 00:53

Are you looking to create mounds, as with most hugelkulture? If so, I would think that getting the amount of soil that you would obtain to fill your planter boxes would be the way to go, because as your branches break down, the soil level will settle.

Before you put your soil in, have you thought about rigging up some sort of irrigation system that will be beneath the soil? Such as a PVC pipe with small holes drilled everywhere, with a connector for a hose outside of the planter box? I would have suggested a soaker hose (because I was intending to do something like that with a soaker hose for OUR surprise hugelkutur mound, thanks to one of our chokecherries giving up the ghost, but I've read that the hoses tend to break down or crack.

I would get on part filler dirt, two parts compost, and one part topsoil. My reasoning is that you're going to soak the daylights out of the wood before you put any dirt on top. I'd 'lasagne' compost and filler dirt, then dump in the topsoil. When it starts to get warmer, I'd add lots of worms (have you thought of starting a worm colony?) and some organic fertilizer that won't burn the worms, while starting seedlings inside.

That's what I plan on doing, but we don't have nifty planter boxes. I do, however, have five full-sized hay bales. I'm going to hay-bale garden, surrounding a small hugelkultur hill. Once the snow finally disappears from our backyard, I'll take photos and we can compare notes to see what's working!

One more thing- have you put something inside of your planters to keep the soil from oozing out of the bottom? I've seen that happen when there are heavy rains.

Irving

01-29-2016, 01:04

I haven't thought about a soaker hose, I just assumed I'd water with a regular hose every day after work, or some kind of mister set-up that you see in flower beds.
As far as soil settling, I imagine if have to refill to bring up the level year.

I wasn't going to make mounds, just fill the boxes until they are nearly flush with the top rail. Looking forward to seeing what everyone else does this year.

Irving

01-29-2016, 15:02

Now that I'm not falling asleep when responding I have a few more things.
How are you going to use the hay bales? Is it hay or straw?
I think I might need to add a board across the bottom, and then two vertical boards across the front of each box before any dirt goes in, as the weight of the branches is already pushing out the metal. I chose to lay the corrugated horizontally, and I still think that was the better way to go, but I can't be sure.
I thought of worms yesterday and plan to do that as well. Once all the wood is soaked and dirt has been added, I plan on soaking the dirt and covering the entire area with straw. Straw bales are pretty cheap at only $8 each. That white plastic bag under the chicken coop is actually one of those grain bags I got from HBARleatherneck. It is holding the remaining straw bale I bought for the chicken. Keeping it under there keeps it dry, and insulates the coop from below at the same time.

EDIT: What is everyone's feeling about tossing dog poop into the compost area? *Not the compost I'd use in a chicken run.

newracer

01-29-2016, 15:30

I cut the metal so the corrugations would go vertically and put a top rail on to try and prevent the sides from bowing out, they still did somewhat.

https://www.ar-15.co/threads/129519-when-are-you-sowing-your-garden-this-year?p=1885208&viewfull=1#post1885208

I could not think of or find any filler material that would have been significantly cheaper than bulk garden soil so I just used that for the whole bed.

Irving

01-29-2016, 16:13

Where did you get the garden soil, just a home improvement store?

newracer

01-29-2016, 16:15

in bulk from Pioneer.

TheGrey

01-29-2016, 17:55

It's straw. I may buy a few more, and make a couple of squares or rectangles, with the hugelkultur in the center. You prep the bales a couple of weeks before bringing out the plants, soaking them down, fertilizing and creating spaces for the plants.

I would not use dog poop in the compost. You don't really want proteins in your compost (so I've read) and there can be certain bacteria in dog poo that would raise havoc with the breaking down of material. I wouldn't want to add in any meat-eating mammalian poo- dog or cat. Add in alpaca, horse, sheep, plant, chicken, fish poo to your compost...but I'd avoid the plentiful supply you no doubt get from your canines.

Brian

01-30-2016, 00:58

Yep, dog poo = bad garden poo. Not a good idea. Really interested in your progress though.

Irving

01-30-2016, 02:24

Okay, easy enough to keep throwing dog poo in the trash then. Thanks everyone. Looking at it today, I really need put some extra support on my boxes like Newracer has done. I'm trying not to let what I think is a good idea turn into garbage due to laziness. It's a constant battle.

TheGrey

02-17-2016, 23:24

This link has terrific information as to what a square-foot garden needs. I would think the information could be used for any sort of gardening!

http://momwithaprep.com/square-foot-gardening-mistakes/

Irving

02-17-2016, 23:27

Thank you for the link, I was just browsing this thread today. Extremely interested in the PVC watering system.

TheGrey

02-18-2016, 02:22

I think I'm going to try it for some of my garden this year. I just have to figure out how best to set something up for the straw bale sections...

Irving

02-18-2016, 02:25

It seems like the idea is to build the system first, then plant around it. Having never had a garden before, this seems like a potentially large obstacle. I should be able to build the system simple enough to over come this though.

Irving

02-20-2016, 23:29

What about a mist system like you see for flowers? Seems like that might waste more water into the air than anything.

I built a screen for my compost pile today and never thought I could get so excited about dirt.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/rOdk5znxFPbWa8jzrfRwehPnAoqXLcGo2VW2mz5gx7EGSr06HJ S7KPwdqz6pPzAtsfGr-kiZRzbqFtbMyieusw6UGxUDAuFbMQFs5kw8IPdJwgUvYmaYIHB qhmLZzZJ4-O_y8pOmFHJDyNoXMr3TMUuxIf2tcVsodiHM6e7Y4c7e8KMRTqS G854LavvBouYIhgAlxRHARdGXjgXUWUHqALMVivtxTk-DiSPcojzp0GVsmT41UuBIGqqTqDG9JK0yC93iKVmyo-dcrDgefPSNobZoj5QBWkeNwX9GokOgcmMpFU9F-TbhuQirgGAQhBZ9xIGiJks6ue1I4r88GpmHpzUHpmxnS90n2TZ BFxHuewqVJaiK48NMCf9ngIzSxVHjb4-MbW0gTbmFq84uNyOZXDracxnwwju6cLHRoOzDVA4FoSwxcfP77 NnxZHEH7GELth5dVGK9CDfd2yTLpSmsKkmzUAqSvxB31Uz3j2i 2m7kjhOLbLLN253zeeQgopQCZV5KTk6IZttL2hfsuzhXozp5UW ENg92hwHZXxF-itGpiz2NLDjl5FMIaw-4Qvou1Ci2FdHw=w1698-h955-no

hollohas

06-01-2016, 20:25

Irving

06-02-2016, 20:38

So I've been slacking at filling my garden with soil. I had a free dirt deal going that never materialized, and now it's too late to be looking for deals. Do you guys/girls have a line on any places from which I should order some top soil? I can get 6 CU/YD from Home Depot for $162. Anything better than that?

Will it be too late to grow anything? Of course I don't expect some bumper crop with unestablished soil and very late planting, but I've spent too much money, and way too much time building this garden to not plant anything. Any help is appreciated.

Erni

06-02-2016, 21:24

Already harvested 5 lbs of strawberries this year. And they really won't start rolling in heavy for 2 more weeks.

Here's today's harvest.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160602/3c14a3a7b79160609ca6912dbd7af3a7.jpg
Wow, trully impressed. How many plants and what garden setup?

Here is my meager entry into gardening. My knees are for crap and I did not want to have to keep bending. So a raised bed garden it is. 3x6 feet with 14 cubic feet of dirt. Getting to a late start as the structure took way more time to finish.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160603/8722bc5a77e2c41398c255f70187cd30.jpg

TheGrey

06-02-2016, 21:55

That's an impressive strawberry haul!

My idea for straw bale gardening went south when I read that it was not a good idea to use anything purchased from any store but a feed store- the use of pesticides is quite prevalent. That left me to do some digging into other options.

And I came across Larry Hall's method of gardening.

Is it beautiful? No. As a matter of fact, it looks ghetto as hell. Does it work? All signs point to yes.

I'll put a link to his Youtube channel; there's an awesome amount of stuff there. But I'll also briefly describe the set-up, because I'm wound up on cold medicine and am excited about this prospect.

The basic self-watering system for a garden is:

Reusable Walmart bags ($.50 each) filled with a soil mixture, set into a hard plastic kiddie pool. You put the plants in the bags, fill the kiddie pool with water, and the bags wick up the water and keep the plants hydrated.

I hit Toys R Us at their Memorial Day sale, and got 6 3' kiddie pools for $5 each. I hit Home Depot and bought 3 bags of Eko Compost, 3 bags of 3 cubic feet of sphagnum moss, and 3 bags of perlite. The mixture is 2 parts sphagnum moss to 1 part compost, to about 1/3 bag of perlite. Mix well- the perlite will make the soil mix "fluffy". I also had earthworm castings, so I mixed them in.

Unfortunately, the Home Depot Memorial Day sale has some REALLY good deals on organic garden veggie plants, so suddenly I was like the Old Woman that lived in a shoe, with so many plants she didn't know what to do. I set everything up in the back yard, and found the direct sun is REALLY direct on baby plants, so I unrolled the top of some of he bags to provide a bit of cover for them until they get stronger. The tomato plants also got Epsom salts in the soil, and some of that Magic Tomato shaker stuff I had picked out one year.

That sized swimming pool holds five filled Walmart bags. On a hot day like today my back yard feels like the surface of the sun. Those bags wicked water up like crazy, and I filled up the pools twice this afternoon. There's a way to set up some sort of a float and pipes and stuff, but I wanted to see how this would work out before I attempted Larry Hall's rain gutter garden system.

Remember to wear sunblock, people. Either that, or invest in a lot of aloe. Ouch.

Here's the Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/larrylhall

hollohas

06-05-2016, 21:49

Wow, trully impressed. How many plants and what garden setup?

Simple raised bed. Planted 6 plants in spring 2014. Now they have spread. All of those came from an area 2.5ft x 8ft but they are dense. They are like weeds! They are a chore to keep contained. The runners even try to grow out of my sidewalk.

I gave a friend a dozen that I dug up last year and I transplanted another dozen to a 4x8 bed on the other side of my yard last year too. Both sets of transplants are super healthy this year.

My dozen transplants are completely filling the 4x8 bed now. After this year I'm going to clear all the plants from the 2.5x8 bed and just keep strawberries in the separate 4x8 bed so I don't have to work so hard containing them.

Strawberries don't really get productive until at least the 2nd year. No one gives them a chance. And those clay strawberry pots at all the garden centers are horrible. They are completely wrong for berries and will never let your plants be productive.

Picked another 3.5 lbs from the same 2.5x8 raised bed area today. Will be making jam this week.

HoneyBadger

06-06-2016, 10:07

FWIW, Kale is super easy to grow and produces a ton of edible foliage. 2 mature plants is way more than enough for most families. We have 2 mature plants and 6 young ones. In about a month we'll be giving away kale to everyone we know. Beans and Peas are finally starting to do well and it's probably going to be really hot next week, which will likely kill them. We get a big handful of peas and another of beans about once a week.

ronaldrwl

06-06-2016, 11:07

Typical garden hall this time of year:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=700587550044272&set=a.266713186765046.41248.100002791007856&type=3&theater

TheGrey

06-06-2016, 21:53

Well, I think that freak hailstorm/deluge pretty much slaughtered the garden. I'll know more tomorrow, when I comb through the carnage.

Great-Kazoo

06-06-2016, 22:08

Well, I think that freak hailstorm/deluge pretty much slaughtered the garden. I'll know more tomorrow, when I comb through the carnage.

Even with (to date) moderate hail storms. our "garden" has not even broken the surface yet. Basically have a lot of nice looking dirt.

TheGrey

06-06-2016, 22:24

Even with (to date) moderate hail storms. our "garden" has not even broken the surface yet. Basically have a lot of nice looking dirt.

This was a hellacious hail storm. For a solid hour, rain pounded everything, and we had walnut-sized hail. Much of our maple tree has been stripped of leaves, and the whole neighborhood smells like green, bleeding plants.

I'm saddened because I raised many of those garden plants from seeds, and took great pains to transplant them into a properly-mixed soil base.
Dammit, I had plans for those veggies and melons. I hope some of them can bounce back- I have canning recipes and dehydrating recipes I wanted to try!

I am grateful that our peach tree seems to have avoided most of the damage; the maple sheltered it.

Irving

06-06-2016, 22:26

When was this hail storm?

I just bought a bunch of plants today and dirt is getting delivered on Wednesday. I've got no idea what I'm doing so I've reached out to a friend to tell me where/how to plant stuff. Next year I can be prepared and hopefully grow stuff from seed.

HoneyBadger

06-06-2016, 22:39

No hail. Probably the only real advantage I have in CA over CO. Every time my plants started doing well in CO, it would hail. So frustrating!

Dave

06-07-2016, 07:30

Got into work this morning and everyone's complaining about the rain and hail last night. We just had a little bit of dew on the grass and cars this morning in my neighborhood. Though the hail we got 2 weeks ago tore up the rhubarb and strawberry patches. along with the trees. Though our apple tree has started to bear fruit, so this year we'll be able to find out what kind it is.

TheGrey

06-07-2016, 11:03

The hail came at about 4:30 pm last night, and it accompanied a massive deluge of rain and wind. I'll load up some photos, although none of them are of my garden in the backyard.

6576965770 65771 65772

Irving

06-07-2016, 11:50

Ahhh, just large enough to hurt plants.

TheGrey

06-07-2016, 12:46

There were some big splattery hailstones that came before that, but it was the combination of the wind and rain with the gravel-sized hail that took out my plants.

hunterhawk

06-07-2016, 23:08

Well no hail here but I do have to murder whatever are my ripe strawberries.. Guessing birds... Didn't see any tracks... Any other guesses?

TheGrey

06-08-2016, 10:55

Well no hail here but I do have to murder whatever are my ripe strawberries.. Guessing birds... Didn't see any tracks... Any other guesses?

I have yet to see any critter that will pass up strawberries. Robins love them. Bunnies love them. Mice love them. Raccoons love them. Sorry to hear about your strawberries! Have you tried putting any of that garden netting around them, to keep the beasties away?

newracer

06-08-2016, 11:42

We have some carrots just starting to break the surface. All the rest was bought already started, green peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, and pumpkin.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc129/newracer/23EC192E-3042-41B6-9170-BE0408E567C0_zps7eqxmdwo.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/newracer/media/23EC192E-3042-41B6-9170-BE0408E567C0_zps7eqxmdwo.jpg.html)

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc129/newracer/F567FBFA-60ED-4BFD-B881-E44B9DE299C7_zpsrunpvbml.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/newracer/media/F567FBFA-60ED-4BFD-B881-E44B9DE299C7_zpsrunpvbml.jpg.html)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

TheGrey

06-08-2016, 17:59

Good-looking garden, newracer! Are the hoses a drip-line for each pant?

newracer

06-08-2016, 19:26

Thanks. Yes those are drip lines to each plant. When I installed my sprinkler system I included a zone for the garden. The black hose is a mini-soaker hose for the carrots.

hunterhawk

06-10-2016, 08:51

Irving

06-13-2016, 21:26

Ok, here goes nothing I guess. No idea what I'm doing, but I've got to start somewhere.

Turned this
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/TOCqZt2gqBpLNHZjG1x6WZwCiVWE2HQo6Z2U2l_k1pf4vyY1R5 5LXh9gfLx3nVfTfQzDOESW88ohxiDI2ddyFXeE0V8ZmZEjYnHV lbwfkjKmDkrbeus1b-qNPQGIO1rFiRG2qTJWuemGo88FWrPRHmxJ9bszjFvFmLRddbcd 2P4ZjT1nGxE--W6duKbMHPXoSsvlx-cbbPFphgxeCZZ_H9zD3JNi1yFd-Jk4ODAKYxdmbFUNCv8IfdvsCeZHQXKpncD9roGA1c7dVsmokrt x4xjQMh9uIBTL18Svp84MBUW_C68GTL80zHu3pKHj3e3pA1dGv yWJxt0fxJkysiMJBP0i7an_UruTwC0ZAN3gVDVe0Lx8VA2Hbks MF_jfrdp9fkPC3rZZ8_nDuXORb1JZDG1OWSt_doV0IJwdhKdwd oI_2OxJRskArOGMtUb7e7Y6kXsZk6kV042VzQ46GZE00_xsE_S crHn34wnlzf_Sw8vgIrspwBMN308b281E8EieKzv9uSTXS0Acj _CVT-vNMbDFcZ1PrN_rpQbD6KGTCk-OLNDokbN6hPtD_YaJJ8wWy-rw3KlLIqh89moUfFn4Dsv8O_jSc8jv=w1698-h955-no

Into this
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/FVzy0fvaX6SY6gXT8rXJfQWdf-q8_LTYnkAvAHC4VtP3ONGIpwOSMVIVFVA9DVHH8I0hxNQAQMoY 70LTMAB9saR-h8o73pgRiM-ReKEx6WNLh3GiD528zowWgwMTgTIqs-SfJQs4RrL6Rld6t7b_uoPpwu_TYazBVXLLAADFyH9UQz3kB_Vi 6Wqb40u9uftsUS75A5YWeo4YX0Mny1TtpZMP0p_oVbywo8Sygk bcmhsBb2BF5SJoFf_Urt4Zc8s4qtrowDBWoqBA81MwWn8MuMNh ynefriIW2btlKuGGZpRujhRbJTeoJH0F-MpQp6bupF8mZKsWL0Vf1y-1YHB2Dhi1FJ50iADbmL8qAZBGd0xprQEIuDxwsbfdPofWkwgg4 3PE8tey8MhXW5Z8EfxYtMXwACeJz7q-H9zS8WQiMS69_WB6l7j962ftYn5M-bAwxujGkCqdbiqPp-piRly0KSIjy60VHmQEXnak41uqDfQoaQXOV3eKfwvL1gCB9jna e4kwW7qWRNtxJ4NO0lLP1axDT03TFRvIqxtLjc0n8q3C2fVeMi Sfnpzi-yrOcM9DalBp8jpeWiNsn-RkK2q7FXDa0PjFoBZR=w1698-h955-no

And then into this
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/Ife-bmS31MAC-X5wcC1jxwloAJ-yIsLyxhnYxiXPELtPd_dETTpT1tPOqnmwCKMHo4qEUtc-icCFkctNf18yyJzdEedItTAOz7UDKaWp37LzwRL-A9esUdgcqdNq8Na3X4onTjdqCZbFDrD7nlettO8NXyjznhgt7Z Ka8FoXZDC0ZUcFsuzuhQbeG-D8kECYWcJRtD2DV32dzRjNdS8zUIfmXclZxIkVJ4WXldlbnMxj Hz3hjyJ1sas8ll7xKh216drzqi7mDMbuVEwdFGC8FuH-h5I5X7jTRtc8M2W5nv14dIXlZvJ3YgzXKUVXx7qQDTGrby10jL ipqYdu7r1ITVkuqvpKf5ayfe8jL7jFErVEZ5xM2B3FdXDYxvRb kX_MGceGhB_9YPnsUdANTzy-sp_kKVuASI5t2r8OlS0nu415J4KV2sK7QCCuObEKT29h9gAqA3 jnCZ6BDyxLm4HFLhive3Rp4zb-WQ3s-JQw2Zxqj467adO3CjxjecPRTKTnvbeaOcNPlkkhyW5xNeF2l4D A1TSTX9cq79-f0ffqxZUBctocssjWj7LPh3xMMEOhnF-U1psv_TvaIHRWZhCmYpExkEmuZ7Nv=w1698-h955-no

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/85D_-rZvAByJXeE6zhyOAEc-4QGxULwlq7CywK9bSdbEbciWb9dZiZ0XfZOPC99gaqU5XnNxkP bSGvzFunTNJ-kl_OBJdWH5am-HXCBteihZGDYxNvItXEZJGZwMI-13_Nn3E0DcLMFgMqD9SjWF363yByJ_rDfwAiriJMO8tHDamUeO 9RmFHJUi1aeQH11fNHi1i8aWOXy11JNILO-e5tfrmXe7qQPQHyNFetyL1T_u7NxwGsT8cfNrW5M8JHcJ4TIcE LbWWAc5WWbxPQhll87Lg_Ar4l0DHzmUQ-VKWVCe27l1pAQhT1ehgjNCH18x45xG9W6h6dy4DasJbTxHCvmN DnbOm46NWGEtaXKcZD2DKXEkBqLfpHQclLdxK2jEWUU2Rq8zfe wQT9jqHjhpmzzQ8p367DClg4bW_hfmJ5iTMvZDrk021LaKsg-LLIzhewjtdtCY3jK5N2funkCfWK-ksqctB8dzyzhUVuLSceHgrFHBEF3Qyn4FNLXciBTgOIDs3lhEj Okv27yFgVazQbIJzQYIX02dSwHMSvZ9-yO2vKOjm7qwcShqPrWfaarB8URIrgp084o_kCVAT5TjkTkPCez hAfCH=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/y7iUigG_MvULVFvvAcDXhirGR0spDZtYpayTPwJJiK30pW-W1BE0-dO6AyiuOtHgXQNqhdQNeoemI5lpHFJ0R0Ea9ReaWi8FE3WrfPi _p4wC_EQHh00GW3JSORo85UeoBzdgdjtbdk7ce8JQtAvvix_vs 3oDoZSFbHIsWEwlPWT8TFhCWq1ScvlUHOxQHHrU8aWDFXXDznD NEQBtLWPO_W8IviDvwwQE-bXk_VvNO_zBEHoOwt8wZSdiEwaaS3TH1oxq_yS5aiDRAK3EHbw 3IaBQkMtoZbu9shM2b9-LtsjnYafsGXhSXqjg6cEmdU2oy7OjdZlc7E5JEt9rx-YXPaZdoq6G-7blr4Qj9y50ADAUNktXBrjl_2kbyt9jIf3MePKU8_iP9zCSjCo 3B5opR4lpOzRzf0lb3yr5_4iVY4bLyiMsgJCoqqdDuT1pJfFEz I8wbP5KlRfW_vrgHPpE76Mw3mfqiV3lOUt_IoJsT8MS1tuV1Yj inUwsJcoO_Anoo7BJI4SnpOxXvI2GNyOjkkvIRcR4aQXYaQDbK MlaMPuaGkxfT-svfJ7lSZoBqKJWsQEL6yy5g6cxQ-MhhvsBSakCB5WgQp5_=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/2bxzCsk6OQuehmTSbcpDQLQqsjnzEr96JqiwYwO81zavCnFEfw p_qWs_QV_l0nE5y1ZiUOH4uRI2qwBhoc2Tx8Ef3EZmc5-UIrWpygDkCAAF-1CexOasUYiOjaX8dEyMUUCF6vFucfnQehBGklvL_ti0MFqi0jK ktamk7eCV2vIhZqpSZmuoDmEQu3JUJoYbdIIqx94aZJKIacc_e slQeNOPoeZBIpyyv8oU5F-Cq92jJ0II9QIfDgRNVrdlnU2gLd4w1SHEJ5YBtnGP5DCn_BSc0 r5AEPtlKRSPMQrMOMW0Q9yK8vifD4bIe7ns9tfa-rZtlHZpuunDCRJS9AzSLD9rs3ph7x5tbp2xuAM5tj-QbwvTQWAh9uJ5zmNScQevahD8REzgGbwNeUMUMMwqXgZ6PYEuG O_OYGXF7dJXQammHGUR2evc4yfojsYQyLNO2wxfByrbua5HN-Adgff7VWKMr3v5pDPa_7wRApQsDQ3MVMRJE8fQuW7lRWlO4VlT vc0kxaG7ePEJBsZhx6vkxsOs_hIJDki2OXtvDf_ps3O0dlL_vN cbfcvstW7oQ3ujciHjL2H13qLz6LORivnq629abWovNkuF=w16 98-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/qxArLUxNoceY_FmnQ8F1v2SzvY2z9MMUypM4zLQs0CJGDyyS85 _IO4aWlZ1EGuLY4v8zWFfXOtJ8ux7z8p4lz_dzQs_3ia2scNCc 9tg3r1lw0w4j-g9WAmuFhV_Jab6fsgfkNXGAUC2PAmxGXJGmD8zarOEAPXRVI5m 6aJ9_lecRi4BTIF4gomlOBPMAh62sIy2ibLqo0gcy7i3GIRrJx iyiSI0qWdd6hOaIzkdS6Zf12tMoh5bDYVsji1ZVc-qIhhTfIxTXF0HLarpjfckCX1SIcgtdE556344ji19TQ0veD0t_ D_R_Y90zlHPS43RE2EOWH4Q0s1aR_bk-1V9RG6gbe3bP9TEnOB9BRFwvzvHtCY77zZ7NDFkeVfNw89AyqH u8PRVqeZWmXR_LPJ_jViD49eCWrvgVBIMKlfJEXDBch9v3ytF-tyB23JRvXdHf3bG1P4iW4L0lTdWGCUHaObRNjbgqbdPd3wzHr6 1SeESJvYuU25GfyL8dmnICStHRl8WMwUbUYeAbwxL5woyd-QtDHiY-7RfAb58daD0R_qrGfqbw-fS64lKyY3Df5S6_VaLCp3A7YWa8-iBHmvOyjP82t0GjkChO=w1698-h955-no
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/ZISfmQHwEg5pzrMkIBSbioIJS2d4HxV0YxuwqBCfzSZ5_RtoC8 jZ5rZrRaArTN-YA8svZVuE6-j5Qi0IXVkeq2vaU9S1Ne9yTuEedKgvOx6MVgcE7Ly3WXVfv_QJ snvLyVN8SssjgFBLiDhdClYUpFtOVXjSCGP4zEcKlU1fAsJyGc Dsr-bXk0kkT0cCRpb_WHdJgZMTTTzkUAfznfFgMRbQEv7FeEphNP5E X98Dn8zyynEqXTuaQ7JcHJfYCi5JEhiGuIEEcelXKUlbHEfLBj nRVE34NjNLouR8hoOkl5UvH2WBuzxDpZpajGp7yFe6Gs3QyzNs UFUgHafI8AXFVRBY7DrziLgP3hZXEskY2Vto1qG5fo1nZNX1IA R27nUVPRd1Ka8skuAYm9T4Bg-WP544dbafGc_ihlpZrM6X6w4xJpxTr0L-bT8a_5DC34MZvNTq6BCEOD57hB-SVYBPsZpayHyTgsBZ4QKU_V3hyrTVG9id0ZRid0qxqaFyMiM3N _iI6DDKq77vTnnhv3ZeXykl1rx-OVOsTqU2cZa_LB5xwzdpynDAh-0_sTgykpHcxD-R-r2FLqYWOHoTu-E4yjsX0zeaXm9F=w1698-h955-no

And finally into this
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/sAmjjCaC9qp96p_v_jJXhbgvEUGI9nwhvG-bbfddHdttevxh0byAyRYndIpVTdn6kviVCC4weoPM-BwpbUjrc4iccYgAftioPRkOhyRLrUhJ2qJNHvhJ3nb9ZoabyR0 1ttiM0UG7BNWaQyiPn3xlFCoObAvEUnwFaaLtXHSRFNLa2NniW 6fozkqfTjMbfEGKH4VxMcJdoDmoMzbN7ONT6cia9xGR81Tf4FP 9c0Byby4DUaJk9DbvALzqr_j0pZrZnHhAEqhv6VpIdF1rpNUaR JPxyCYqbI7iQLSNm8ZDQ59gz57v1wfw_DYa1M8o_heB5I2sROG R-UorMi3oFZJEgvlA7fjr2dS6V-K2mV0OdL72wwLXmm5xxds7rlWvCSmEVIvCsM1crENWKkUFMqTC-tUpuI1zrBleRH4jRFXeRvW7b_-M5FfqdKUNdXJgI8xLnb4lgX8Z2SYw2dJO6M1iIGyp-Hz18vr5tgA2EOgAulIiLATFUsk1T2Z7KMKdNd1QB0fkceRaXJ2 1Hqa4IptGjxiWT0SdlOBusooPiGoBXhEqoFKcYNBPALt7kE58s K0QM_7ykf2FWbyDmZqSafRe-EdVbYC2fL8W=w1698-h955-no

We'll have to see how this works. The side of the dog house roof facing the photos is more or less South. The fence actually shades the garden until about 10ish, unfortunately, but I had limited configurations available. I put some spinach behind the dog house, between some corn and tomatoes.
By number of plants, this garden is mostly tomatoes and peppers.

GilpinGuy

06-14-2016, 00:26

Those are sweet looking beds...and chicken house.

Irving

06-14-2016, 13:02

Hopefully it works out. If it does, we'll have more peppers and tomatoes than we know what to do with.

Irving

06-21-2016, 21:38

Anyone know what this is?

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pTLeU4RMQed3v3f8keYOS7On0bHpxY48L3NrvTkpcSWZHXklyq FmTAwSgpA2XZ8yerJ4DpFSDe5JzTkAjpi_Z5iFi4i0-PygWI9SCzuP2gYqPAGKziI_n3hSSsgp_XHieaLe0pvvFSaM2l-UuM7oohdhQZGU6haWayra8FTBv4UHpnaJxoZwWSoYiHG2jd1Yr 8Nk_jyrRJdAgD2gxM3rO9Bq3p20KvpoD8rW0QuuhldR-jT6NfOVdBV2k34jArucJLgCGhCVfJn9onr8vzF-vGuZItNjOmLT6rN0bw1uqiOBTxOgY-DdcGdlldg9VIXILGpIstir11Sx50fA1HseySpRu2GcgQ_mjT-7xVqK1td5tt-kXylLGrTsGo52ZlnsLyr66M6ixkswS8ChG4163HY4OHAuXACYy X6qAM2EMa9EdP3y5m-CIQcEzgzehELqR34CkSAIjijjn4hACsksxfLcW-Ls-QvSa4Xy6NzPL4UoAE0f_JNyCZf98iy761tiyandjjUCnd-dM-ezxDcLirWVds0SRKu4KJcXWlfr62Qru6tt9m3y4mHD1vuVb_T4 M9waZPUhYVIIInsZBAmvGAGbfqXbtUOt=w1698-h955-no

I noticed it coming up all over the garden this morning. I've already picked out about 100 individual plants. At first I thought it was grass that some how got into the soil and started to grow, which made me angry considering I have a hard enough time with my own lawn already. I thought maybe the soil was contaminated with seeds before it was delivered. Then I realized that it is the straw I laid all over the bed to help the soil retain the water. I've been watering like crazy trying to keep these baby plants alive, and apparently the heads of the straw have germinated and planted straw every where. Looks like I've got my work cut out for me staying on top of this.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-1gKwsSN-gfI_e9WCXpSFalcUEbZZOqion5yVRPtt2kU9GqJ0m3nZmmY0M1 7eC0bjHR8cphpqeSifOpGcLsaRXF8IFv90rL_FtNBa46-rJjB4Zj2aiVSPBHY2zbvdvMWPncnDGxMi8gb3zhTpuYyQesdpB x-gpG76qpgVW24CAOdWUY0Mkp7mPieUGwHX9eXcOGW43gAnkDGdO lSkOUvCRlmqbooAqyHho7xkr6sLO8Qc9BYAWc4OoEckuOaC0yF fSTL_6cKWF7utFTRudhXbbvqqjfKvKwp2NlOE-C182t0rCBwA4VBFpTck16OiVTc9sfVZ47kMlYuI2I0yBG4ZuiC Jz85_Tfdzjgngto1XZl5U6jxSTv7B2u1ZBC70wenUdC1d2-6n6SOzY81wNNZx6XdqPlICifHksL5S6bMeGBX9K9sSWUxBRWTA NdCyvpKfdmiA7w_L4Dqdkw02y8iaLyUKv-ti6Jntti70dPBdFA8NZD_0vXdV4Qa7M5ImHj6Tv5w12QiJ_Dkm bqjRRPJeXKNTecnVbDZ9XFkmi0vgMf2NipYhsEJhY66lx0NAa9 ZuOdmY-uFlJrdMyshwXErXGfojV_L_9ih=w1698-h955-no

hunterhawk

06-21-2016, 22:32

Ya it's wheat from the straw you put down.. Just a guess...

newracer

06-21-2016, 23:18

Yep I had the same thing when I used a bunch of straw to cover the mud in my backyard before getting grass.

Irving

06-21-2016, 23:39

Thinking I might just wait til it gets larger before I pull it out. Or, it'll be a nice character building exercise for my daughter.

hollohas

06-22-2016, 10:34

Regular straw will always have seeds like that. It will grow everywhere you put it. Ask for "seed free" straw next year. Costs more, but will make your life easier.

Irving

06-22-2016, 11:50

Well, I originally got the straw in anticipation of having hens. That fell through and I had a bale just sitting around and didn't even think about it. Good to know for next time though.

I see that most people don't bother covering their gardens. Do you guys find that it is not worth the extra effort?

hunterhawk

06-22-2016, 23:25

My garden has been fine with no straw out here. I water it once a day when it's still cool out.

on a side note I have already picked 3 tasty zucchini seems a bit early for them.. Anyone else producing anything? I thought my garden was doing amazing last year even though I pretty much replanted after hail.. But I don't remember getting veggies this early last year!
Definitely not mad about it!

Irving

06-22-2016, 23:38

Some of the plants I bought had some peppers on them, but I followed the advice of my neighbor and pulled them all off to give the plants a chance to grow and establish before they start producing anything.
My garden has a lot more shade than I thought and so far the plants have all recovered from being introduced to the outside and having been repotted, but none of them are exactly taking off like I had expected. Garden doesn't start getting full sun until about 10 am.

Dave

06-23-2016, 08:13

Had a few strawberries that I got before the birds ate them. The rhubarb though is going nuts. We already made a couple of pies with store bought strawberries and used some in smoothies. And we still had enough to fill 2 quart sized food saver bags to freeze. Still waiting for the apples to mature to see what kind they are.

However, I have little hope that we'll get much out of what we did plant since my neighbor has 12 birdhouses in their backyard and my wife decided we need 7 birds feeders and a bird bath in ours. She doesn't seem to think that having 8 or more birds plus the squirrels in our yard will affect the garden yield.

Irving

06-23-2016, 09:04

Single family bird houses or multi-family?

One thing I really got a kick out of is that I had a healthy population of bees immediately after planting. The very next day there were at least ten bees at a time. It's nice to see bees. All I've seen are wasps for years now.

Hummer

06-23-2016, 09:10

vermin 2, me 0 had a bunch more strawberries come in and something demolished them again.. time to make some moves! always battling something!

on a side note some of the leaves on my tomato plants and squash are turning yellow on the tips. causes? way to get rid of it?

It could be iron chlorosis. Try treating it with chelated iron.

Some good looking garden beds, guys. For mulch and weed control we use black landscape fabric to cover the garden except in the narrow planting rows. The fabric is then covered with wood chips which further holds moisture and keeps the fabric a little cooler. Much less weed control work. The fabric lasts about 3 years.

I used to rototill every spring but lately using the fabric I till when the fabric deteriorates. The wood chips get tilled into the soil. The decomposition of the wood chips pulls nitrogen from the soil so you should add a little more nitrogen to compensate.

newracer

06-23-2016, 18:38

No fruit yet but the plants are doing well.

http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/cc129/newracer/337B4CC1-82FA-48EC-84A4-3C2BB5AB697D_zpsiepb82ux.jpg (http://s218.photobucket.com/user/newracer/media/337B4CC1-82FA-48EC-84A4-3C2BB5AB697D_zpsiepb82ux.jpg.html)

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Bailey Guns

06-25-2016, 14:57

Strawberries have come and gone. We've had 2 or 3 cuttings of the lettuce already...what regrows is starting to taste a little bitter. I'll leave the rest...the deer seem to nibble on the lettuce if it's there and leave everything else alone. Pretty meager garden this year...more of an experiment. It's been 30 years since I've had a garden. Next year will be about a 1/2 acre of tilled ground. Besides what's in the pictures we have zucchini, summer squash and pumpkins. Lots of blossoms but no sign of the fruit.

Beefsteak tomatoes (probably another month):
http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt337/baileyguns/DSC_2398_zpsjyivoamp.jpg

Anaheim chile:
http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt337/baileyguns/DSC_2400_zpsoh5lqvfp.jpg

Jalapenos (on the menu for tonight):
http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt337/baileyguns/DSC_2399_zpsqgcreuqt.jpg

Plums - I'm guessing another 45 days on these:
http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt337/baileyguns/DSC_2402_zpsphtgednv.jpg

Blackberries - there were a few ripe ones on the vines this morning. Probably another 2 to 3 weeks:
http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt337/baileyguns/DSC_2397_zpsbjpjar83.jpg

Irving

06-29-2016, 23:36

I hope worms are okay with being relocated. I just caught 50ish (however many it takes to completely cover the bottom of a 5 gallon bucket) and distributed them among my garden. Plants are starting to get bigger. Basil, corn, and zucchini are doing the best, followed by some of the tomatoes, chives, and one of the watermelons. Nothing I have is even close to the size of anything else posted yet though. I hope they end up producing something for me.

Should I be picking the flowers off of peppers and tomatoes right now, or do the flowers turn into peppers and tomatoes?

buffalobo

06-30-2016, 06:52

The flowers become the fruit.

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Irving

06-30-2016, 06:55

Thanks.

So all the Finches that usually hang out in my snowball bush, now hop around in the garden. If something spooks them, they all fly up to the fence and wait 10 seconds before going back.

Dave

06-30-2016, 09:31

Peppers are officially dead. One big hail storm a few weeks back hurt them and some small hail, big rain and wind the other night finished them. I did order some blueberry bushes to plant, and as long as the dogs leave them in the ground I'm hopeful. They should be delivered tomorrow and planted Saturday morning.

Hummer

07-02-2016, 18:41

Picked the first round of apricots today. I didn't prune the trees this year so the crop is abundant but the fruit is small. It's a delicious variety.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Orchard/Apricots-2016_zps3583a1qv.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Orchard/Apricots-2016_zps3583a1qv.jpg.html)

We use apricots for many things but the first to get made are Apricot Margaritas! Yummy. Next will come the peaches....

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Orchard/Apricot-Margaritas_zpsuqndfe5u.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Orchard/Apricot-Margaritas_zpsuqndfe5u.jpg.html)

clodhopper

07-02-2016, 19:48

Started harvesting summer squash. I don't care for it but the wife is super happy. I installed a sprinkler system in the garden this year on its own zone, so it runs every other night and I don't have to think about it. Garden really likes it better than my inattentive habits. Lettuce is getting close to ready. Just gotta keep the dog from sneaking in and eating it. damn dog. Tomatoes and tomatillo plants are 3-4 feet tall and starting to fruit out. Corn is coming along too.

TheGrey

07-03-2016, 00:02

My plants are really struggling after that hailstorm came through. I managed to save a couple of zucchini? Cucumber? Squash? But they're not happy in the pots and their leaves are getting sort of pale. No flowers.

My peach tree has peaches on it! This is the first year. I'm so excited and hopeful.

DireWolf

07-03-2016, 00:24

I'm curious what the general consensus is on when it's too late in Colorado to get new seeds in the ground...Have we passed that point for this season yet? I picked up a variety heirloom seed bank recently and trying to decide if it makes more sense to start them now or wait till next year....

This is a new area for me, so any thoughts from the experienced folks here would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

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Irving

07-03-2016, 02:38

I'd say is too late, but some plants like spinach and beans grow twice a year.

GilpinGuy

07-03-2016, 12:36

We planned on selling our place this summer and moving, so we got nothing in the ground. Now we've decided to wait till next spring and move out of state. Grrrrrrrrr. Still got my birds though.

clodhopper

07-03-2016, 12:45

Too late for things that produce fruit. I start those things in the house in March, otherwise I am fighting frost in the fall trying to get stuff to ripen.

do some research, specifically as to how fast the seeds you have will grow. You can probably get leaf plants like lettuce, spinach, cilantro before the year is out. You will need to keep a close eye on them as lettuce prefers cool growing seasons and with our hot n dry summer weather, you will need a protected location and lots of water.

If you are new to gardening, start simple. Start with lettuce and such. Then do a salsa garden adding tomatoes and peppers. I have best luck with squash and tomatillos in our climate. Brussels sprouts and broccoli are still a challenge for me, but I think that is more an issue of space and how I need more of it. I play around with corn, but I don't have enough space to do much with it.

clodhopper

07-03-2016, 12:47

We planned on selling our place this summer and moving, so we got nothing in the ground. Now we've decided to wait till next spring and move out of state. Grrrrrrrrr. Still got my birds though.

I would have planted knowing I wanted to sell. Kinda of a welcome home gift for the next owner. Also, green looks better than bare dirt.

TheGrey

07-03-2016, 23:17

We have yellow jackets.

Those nasty bastards burrowed into the back end of a straw bale, and continued to build their burrow underground, right next to my garden.
They stung the living daylights out of my neighbor (he mows our lawn and takes on the thistles that pop up) and they got all riled up. I haven't been able to get near my garden, because I am deathly allergic to beestings.

I had a remaining kiddie pool that was empty, so Tom (my neighbor) Marined up and sprayed the inside of the pool with Raid wasp spray, and then emptied a can into the general area of the nest. Two flew out and crashed and burned; he them turned the pool upside-down over the area.

I panicked and went out and bought the remaining wasp spray at Home Depot.

More on this saga soon- especially since I finally saw a bloom on my squash plant.

Nobody told me gardening would be so, uh, eventful.

GilpinGuy

07-03-2016, 23:23

I would have planted knowing I wanted to sell. Kinda of a welcome home gift for the next owner. Also, green looks better than bare dirt.

Good point there! Turns out we'll likely wait till next spring, but I'll keep that in mind. [Beer]

Bailey Guns

07-04-2016, 07:06

We have yellow jackets.

They're terrible here. Stung x3 yesterday cleaning the wheat and other plants outta my gutters. Once on the forearm and twice on the back of each hand. Fortunately I'm not allergic though. Turns out they don't do well when sprayed with Black Flag.

TheGrey

07-04-2016, 10:31

They're terrible here. Stung x3 yesterday cleaning the wheat and other plants outta my gutters. Once on the forearm and twice on the back of each hand. Fortunately I'm not allergic though. Turns out they don't do well when sprayed with Black Flag.

My poor neighbor got stung at least a dozen times on his right hand. I was all for pulling out gasoline and napalming that section of the yard, but I have been told that I am overreacting.

Hummer

07-04-2016, 12:09

TheGrey

07-04-2016, 22:16

Yellow jackets have the worst sting, like connecting with a live electric wire. I've sometimes found their underground burrows and hit them with wasp spray and the flame thrower. In Palisade our biggest problem is with the European Paper Wasps that make their nests all around the house under eaves, fences and the farm equipment. I do battle with them constantly and get nailed 2-3 times a year.

UGH. Wasps of any kind scare me to death.

We now have ten cans of various wasp/hornet spray on our deck, ready for battle. KILL! KILL! KILL!!

Tom blasted the nest with two cans and then put the pool upside down over the burrow. After the sun started going down, he checked. Ding, dong! The wasps are dead!

On the plus side, it looks like my remaining plants are doing fairly well. My peppers look like they may even have some lumplets (or whatever the proper terminology is) that may grow into peppers. :)

Irving

07-04-2016, 23:20

My two honeydew are officially dead. Everything else send to be doing pretty well with a few exceptions here and there. The corn is really taking off, as well as the Beefmaster and Golden Girl tomatoes.

TheGrey

07-05-2016, 00:30

That sucks. I feel your pain. All of the melons I planted were killed from the hail, so we won't have any in the garden this year. I had some expensive Indian melons I was trying for, too. Dammit.

hunterhawk

07-05-2016, 22:18

my watermelon and cantaloupe are very behind everything else I have planted... so far i have harvested some strawberries until the rabbits killed them, zucchini (thought some of the ends are turning yellow on some of them) and today I had my first cucumber. Tomatoes are getting bigger and the peppers are close... broccoli is starting to form as well. and of our spinach and lettuce have been going for a while now as well... I really just want the tomatoes to hurry up :)

Irving

07-06-2016, 00:21

I have two water melons and one is staying to take off a bit and the other one is near dead. Are you speed to do anything special with spinach? I have two spinach planted and neither one of them is really doing anything.

Hummer

07-16-2016, 11:32

Rhubarb Apricot pie! Awesome delicious.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Home/Rhubarb-Apricot-Pie_zpsh8ta5yxs.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Home/Rhubarb-Apricot-Pie_zpsh8ta5yxs.jpg.html)

Hummer

07-16-2016, 15:20

Still processing and freezing apricots today, so we made apricot rhubarb pies (one for our neighbors), some rhubarb sauce, and a jug of rhubarb liqueur.

When the peaches are ready I'll make some apricot peach wine.... That's surviving in style.

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g292/COHummer/Home/RhubarbampApricot_zpsxcqgddwo.jpg (http://s59.photobucket.com/user/COHummer/media/Home/RhubarbampApricot_zpsxcqgddwo.jpg.html)

TheGrey

07-16-2016, 17:38

TheGrey

07-16-2016, 17:39

Question-
The peaches on my tree are ripening nicely, but it looks as though something has been at them. Some have brown patches, some have tiny holes. Any ideas as to what's happening?

Hummer

07-16-2016, 18:07

Not sure, I don't grow peaches other than two backyard trees so I'm not very familiar with all the pest and defect issues. The brown spots could simply be blemishes from rubbing against adjacent branches, cosmetic only. It might also be damage from late season frost on the peach bud which can create necrotic patches. Or maybe corneum blight, a type of fungus. The tiny holes are likely an insect sting where they lay an egg or eggs, possibly a borer, paper wasp or earwig. It may be localized damage so you can still use most of the fruit.

Peaches in CO don't usually require much pesticide control beyond the early spring tree oil spray which can smother eggs and larvae preventing further issues. Growers here also spray the bottom 2 ft. of trunk twice in summer to control peach twig borer, crown borer and earwigs. Any of those could cause stings in the fruit.

A very wet year can cause aphid outbreaks, a very dry year can produce mite problems. If detected try to deal with them early because they can sap growth from the tree.