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Post by daylilydude on Apr 23, 2017 15:37:46 GMT -5
Everyone has something interesting growing in their garden.
My question to everyone is:
How big is your garden? How many plants (and how many varieties) do you plant?
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Post by paulf on Apr 23, 2017 20:43:58 GMT -5
My garden is about 50'X50' and every year around 35 different tomato varieties and 10 different pepper varieties get planted. That is along with beets, green beans cucumbers, zucchini, several different herbs, radishes and lettuces. In another space out in the country goes melons, ornamental corn, pumpkins and whatever else comes along.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 23, 2017 23:44:25 GMT -5
I grow between 35 and 40 tomatoes every season, and maybe 15 varieties, plus or minus a few. Like the peppers, I plant a few early ones, to put out under WOWs, just to get some before the usual time. And always new ones, as I am always looking for varieties that are heat resistant - I don't have to tell you about the way most tomatoes stop producing when it gets into the mid to high 90s! This is why I grow a lot of cherry and similar tomatoes - while they may stop producing, as soon as it cools off, they flower and have tomatoes all over them in no time.
I have always had unusual things growing in my garden, mostly due to my love of Asian cuisines. Today I put 2 kaffir lime trees and a curry tree outside, which I have to bring indoors when it gets cold. I'll have bitter melon, wax melon, and a sweet Thai melon, and right now I have growing in my greens row some bok choy, misome, senposai, komatsuna, tatsoi, Chinese kale, plus the more common things like lettuce, kohlrabi, and chard. And 4 varieties of garlic are doing great - just under 140 heads, plus however many shallots fit in the rest of the row.
I forgot to mention the size- about 40 x 40 ,plus a lot of container gardening up the side of the house, the front flowerbed for peppers and lemongrass, and a raised herb bed, and another flowerbed for mint (totally surrounded by concrete!).
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 24, 2017 7:50:57 GMT -5
One raised bed 3x15; 2 that are 3x10; 2 that are 4x4. I also have black raspberries, red raspberries and black currants along the fence and a number of gooseberry bushes and 3 Nanking Cherry bushes in containers. There is a small herb patch in one of the 3x10's containg Lemon Balm, Egyptian Onions, Feverfew, Sage, Thyme to which I add a few Parsley, Sweet Basil and Summer Savoury plants. There are also Lovage and Anise Hyssop that reinvent themselves amongst the flowers as they desire.
The plan for this year is as follows: Tomatoes: approx 9. Peppers: about the same Squash: 3 bush butternut this year Midget Minnesota melons (2) Zucchini: 2 4 varieties of Pole beans including Lima. Also bush wax beans and bush green beans. 3 Japanese Okra for container. I put Spinaches and Lettuce wherever I find space after planting the others. And this year, I also planted two short rows of Green Mountain potatoes and have 4 other varieties in potato bags and barrels.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 24, 2017 7:59:26 GMT -5
pepperhead212, I haven't grown Bitter Melon for about 8 years. The squirrels beat me to it at our last house. But I was gifted some new seed by a friend this year and I'm thinking about giving it another try here. Do you have problems with wildlife eating them??
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 24, 2017 8:38:47 GMT -5
bluelacedredhead I had no problem with squirrels, though I keep their numbers low by trapping. And I had them on a net trellis - maybe they would have trouble climbing that? I had large numbers of fruits from just one plant, but, surprisingly, it stopped producing when it got into the high 90s - like my tomatoes! I got another variety - Jumbo Choice hybrid - that says it produces in tropical conditions. I'll find out...
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 24, 2017 9:01:05 GMT -5
I'm growing a dozen tomato plants this spring. Ten are in Earthboxes (five boxes; two plants per box) and the two others are in 5 gallon buckets. One plant of each variety. However, I have two 5 gallon buckets left and I might just try direct-sowing some Healani plants in them as an experiment to see how heat and humidity tolerant they truly are.
I could plant more tomatoes, but because of space issues I limit myself to 10-14 plants per season so I have room to grow other things.
The good news is that I have a second tomato season in the fall, so I can try another 10-14 plants then.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 24, 2017 16:01:44 GMT -5
Okay, I'll give it a try then pepperhead212. I have a trellis that i usually use for Malabar Spinach. Maybe they can share this year.
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Post by bestofour on Apr 24, 2017 19:50:40 GMT -5
I have 2 in the ground garden areas that are having a rest this year. One is about 50 x 50, another is maybe 30 x 40. I have 2 8x12 raised beds that right now have lettuce in 1 and green peas in the other. The plan is to put blue lake bush beans in the one where the lettuce is now and tomatoes where the peas are now. For the past 5 or 6 years I've planted squash in straw bales and last year and this year that's where I'm planting cucumbers too so I have 10 straw bales that have been fertilized and are enjoying these gallons of rain that we've been getting for days.
I'll have 10-12 summer squash plants 4-5 cucumber plants 10-12 tomato plants not sure how many blue lake bush bean plants
I also have blackberries, a pear tree, an apple tree, and 2 plum trees.
Until this year I've always planted potatoes in the smaller ground garden but this year I planted a few in containers so we'll see what happens with those. Potatoes are so cheap at the farmers market that I had decided to not even plant them but I couldn't stand it.
Because we have so much space, over the years I've planted just about everything but have decided to stick with what I know we will eat and eat a lot of. I like growing different things but it's a lot of time and work just to end up giving it away.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 24, 2017 20:33:32 GMT -5
bluelacedredhead I forgot to mention another vegetable I will be growing - a snake gourd, India short variety. Have you ever grown these before?
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 24, 2017 21:03:37 GMT -5
pepperhead212 No, that's one I've never tried. Is this your first year for them?
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Post by paulf on Apr 24, 2017 21:04:10 GMT -5
I forgot about the peaches, pears, apples and blackberries. Today we went to a greenhouse and picked up a bunch of flowers and I was going to get a 4pak of cabbage....got home and it turned into kohlrabi. Picked up a pak next to the cabbage. Oh well, tomorrow we are going to another nursery and I will get cabbages this time.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 24, 2017 22:34:02 GMT -5
pepperhead212 No, that's one I've never tried. Is this your first year for them? Yes, I've never tried them before. Since I can't grow summer squash here (SVBs), I am looking for a neutral tasting veggie, that maybe I can pick small, before seeds develop, as a substitute. Or, maybe it's something good on its own, full grown...I'll find out.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 25, 2017 6:43:46 GMT -5
pepperhead212 I emailed my friend who is Asian and most knowledgeable of edibles to see if she has any feedback on Snake Gourds. I'll let you know. I have SVB's here too but I'm too stubborn to give in to them. I usually only raise zucchini and some kind of winter squash anyway. This year, it's Bush Butternut because this plot is just too small for rambling things like Musque de Provence that I grew last year.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 25, 2017 7:55:34 GMT -5
bluelacedredhead I gave up on growing any non-moschata squash years ago, as the SVBs run rampant here. I was lucky to get one squash from a plant before it would succumb to the bugs. And nothing from pumpkins or other winter squash.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 25, 2017 8:48:19 GMT -5
So the only answer was that they grew longer than anything she's ever grown. But no insect problem. I don't remember having problems with SVB's either when I lived in Zone 4? So sorry, can't help with that aspect. Can't wait to see what happens with yours though. Hopefully, all good!
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Post by bestofour on Apr 25, 2017 22:03:52 GMT -5
I had to look up the snake gourd too. Interesting and evidently full of good stuff.
I've heard that wrapping the squash seedlings with foil at dirt level helps keep the SVB out. Any truth to that?
paulf, will you plant the kohlrabi too? Don't think I've ever tasted kohlrabi.
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 25, 2017 23:36:38 GMT -5
The foil thing is a myth for preventing SVBs (believe me, I've tried all of them!). They just fly in, lay eggs on the stems, and be on their way!
I grow a lot of kohlrabi every spring and fall, with all of my other brassicas and greens. The flavor is sort of like a peeled broccoli stem, with a hint of turnip in it. The leaves can also be eaten, though you have to be harvesting a lot of them, to make a dish of the leaves. They are fast growing - just over 40 days, and you can start harvesting. They are good peeled and sliced, in stir fries, salads, and any where you want that crispiness. Or you can peel and cube them, and braise them, with some butter, and maybe some juices from a roast - the way I first had them, made a friend's German mother, and after that, I had to grow them! I've tried many varieties, and Kolibri is my favorite variety - a purple variety, that dosen't become woody, like some of them do. Grand Duke is my favorite green variety, also one that doesn't become woody, gets large (about 5"), and has much larger leaves than most.
One warning: rabbits also love kohlarabi! I learned this one year when I planted all of my greens, and went out the next morning and only the kohlrabi was chewed down to stumps! Since then, I cover them immediately, and keep them all covered for a few weeks.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 26, 2017 6:23:56 GMT -5
Plus Kohlrabi look like cute little Aliens in your garden
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 26, 2017 9:17:50 GMT -5
bestofour, kohlrabi cut into sticks or chips is also good for snacking; it's a great veggie to serve with a dip. This is OT a bit, but pepperhead212, can you use cubes of kohlrabi in a soup or stew or would they turn into mush and fall apart? If so, how long before serving would you add in the kohlrabi?
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Post by pepperhead212 on Apr 26, 2017 23:16:27 GMT -5
Laura_in_FL I have never had them break down from cooking, even when frozen in a dish, and reheating. It seems that it would take longer than it takes to break down potatoes, and they take about as long to tenderize in a soup or stew.
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Post by Laura_in_FL on Apr 27, 2017 9:18:42 GMT -5
Dave, that's great to hear. I am cutting carbs now, so I am looking for more ideas to use lower-carb veggies like kohlrabi. I'm done jacking the thread now, sorry. Who else wants to tell us about their tomato plants?
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Apr 30, 2017 7:51:42 GMT -5
I attended a Plant Faire at a botanical garden yesterday. Mostly I was interested in native plants and the Bonsai club. However, I did buy one tomato plant from the Junior Master Gardeners. It is a Blance de Quebec, a white which apparently turns yellow the more sun it gets? The young girl who was describing it for another customer said she grew them last year and they were Delicious. Now how could I walk away from a variety I had never tried, when a 10 year old Master Gardener in training gave a personal rave review? $2 well spent I think.
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Post by meandtk on Apr 30, 2017 14:27:34 GMT -5
We set out 137 tomatoes this week. A few look too weak to make it, but most should.
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Post by paulf on May 1, 2017 7:29:24 GMT -5
I have ten days to get everything ready to plant tomatoes. The 14th we are going fishing in Puget Sound for a week. Bad timing I know, but the trip has been set up for almost a year and the plane tickets are bought so not much can be done. It is either plant before or wait until the third week of May. Maybe the weather will finally co-operate. Tired of wet, cold and windy.Good thing I have a person to watch over things for that week.
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Post by september on May 1, 2017 10:43:07 GMT -5
Paul, I know the feeling! For years my husband liked to spend his June 6th birthday on a week long Canadian fishing trip. It was touch and go whether I would be able to get everything planted before we left, because the first week of June is often my busiest do or die week of the summer! Since he retired, he's not as set on it anymore, since he has lots more free time to do what he wants. So I'm off the hook now. Good luck with your gardening schedule and I'll look forward to the fishing trip report!
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Post by daylilydude on May 1, 2017 10:45:12 GMT -5
Yeah what she said... and need pics to prove the size of the big one that got away...
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Post by Laura_in_FL on May 2, 2017 11:08:38 GMT -5
daylilydude, you KNOW there are never pics of the one that got away!
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Post by daylilydude on May 2, 2017 18:39:24 GMT -5
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Post by tomike on Aug 1, 2017 18:10:25 GMT -5
Small but beautiful brookies caught in Canadian waters just this spring....... They did not get away....
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