Spring Garden 2016

[Triple Creek Reaper]

Whats everyone got planned this spring? I let the garden go dormant this past fall except for the asparagus that keeps on growing & expanding. Had some time this weekend to get it all cleaned up and ready for a spring planting. Hit the store on Sunday and picked up some seeds. Decided we are going to try some watermelon this year, a smaller variety. I do not have much luck with any type of vine on the ground but my son made his pick. Other than that sticking with the basics.. maters, bell & jalapeno peppers, okra and collards. We plant large sunflowers every year for my wife in remembrance of her late mother.

For the last 2 years or so I have been working on this no till gardening method and between the old mulch, grass clippings and leaves, the surface of my garden is easily 10 inches above my boxes. Sure is nice not having to pull weeds anymore. Going to start the seeds this week and be in the ground next month sometime.

[jtcmedic]

Tilled up and wife planted peppers tomatoes, beans peas and potatoes. Have broccoli still going and cabbages
Can't wait had great tomatoes this year.

[treefarmer]

It's a little early and way too wet here in the Panhandle, but I'm more than ready. Glad to see the topic on the forum, it's always good to see and read about a good garden!
Treefarmer

[hunter1005]

In a couple of weeks when it gets a little warmer, I am going to be planting some silver queen corn, bells, egg plant, purple beans , zucchini, some straight neck yellow squash, cucumbers, sugar baby water melons and a few sangria water melons. Putting tomatoes in the buckets.

I do not have to till this round since I used a pvc pipe drip irrigation over the winter. After using a hoe between the rows a couple of times it eliminated (80%) of the weeds. So this time, just have to hoe where the pipe was and prep the new design.

Going to be interesting to see how well pvc pipe drip system works on the spring garden. It sure was nice only getting water to the plants and not the weeds over the winter.

[jtcmedic]

Beans and tomato grafts in the ground.

[treefarmer]

Been about a month since anybody mentioned spring gardens, it's finally gettin' dry enough to work the ground!
Well the big boys have been turning some dirt the last few days. They are having to skip some wet spots but it looks promising.
I had to recruit Miss Joy to help me hook up the bottom plows. That is a story all by itself. Finally got the plows hooked up and adjusted and have "broke" the garden and an old food plot. My bottom plows are a set of 4 -16" plows but I have removed 2 plows and am using it as a double bottom plow. They work well with the 46 horse power tractor. When they were 4-16's we pulled it with a 60 horse tractor.
Next step for the spring garden will be leveling the plowed ground with a disk. I have an International 370 pull type disk, it's about 9 feet wide so it should not take long to prepare a seed bed for our spring garden and the grandson's special food plot. Will try and post a few pictures as we progress. I do intend to plant some more of the red corn seed that we've been foolin' with for several years.
Treefarmer

[Triple Creek Reaper]

All of my seedlings have been hardened and are ready to put in the ground. Strange thing, I started all the seeds at the same time, everything came out at once expect for the bell peppers. I didn't see one plant pop out until 2 weeks after I started. They are catching up now but thought I got a bad package. I knew it was time to start planting as the 1st signs of asparagus and our raspberry plant started popping up.

[hunter1005]

ground Temperature has everything to do with it. 60 - 80 degrees.

West Central Florida -
I have silver queen corn already sprouting, purple beans and zucchini are starting to pop. planted 6 bell seedling and 2 egg plants, the seedling tomatoes have been planted / buried in buckets.

Waiting til beginning of April to plant sugar baby watermelons and the sangria watermelons. The ground is going to have to warm up after this cold front goes through before they can be planted.

[treefarmer]

Hunter1005, you're right on target mentioning soil temperature! Planting early in the central Panhandle has it's pluses, but the are some minuses too. Watermelons used to be planted in February and have you ever seen 40 acres of Styrofoam coffee cups covering tiny little watermelon plants? Labor intensive but if you make the early crop it is well worth the effort financially. But for home gardening a little later seems to make sense.

Just noticed last evening on the Panama City weather news, several years ago there was a stretch of 3 days in March that recorded low 20's, a record. We've also seen snow flurries in March. That said, the full moon is next Wednesday, the traditional "Easter cold snap" is usually on or around the full moon. Our soil temperature is in the low 60's with more rain forecast for the next few days, which will slow any work down in the garden plots for a few days if it's more than an inch.

Field corn will germinate with soil temperatures in the 50's and it is also traditionally planted early but because of too much water, very little has been planted on the big farms. Gardens are a different story but I still like to use the farm equipment to do my part of the garden. My wife leans toward the raised beds and I told her if I could get a tractor in it I would tend it for her . As we age it seems the small garden and raised beds are more practical than planting enough for the whole neighborhood.

Here is a look at the south 1/2 of our garden, also shows a little bit of the 5 raised beds and a corner of the north 1/2 . There is a lane with a couple of pecan trees that divides the garden. The north 1/2 is where I intend to plant the red field corn. As you can see it has only been "broke", that is turned with bottom plows. Disking is next and then planting.
Treefarmer

[hunter1005]

My spouse wanted raised beds once. But the minute I ask for her help in building them, that was the end of the conversation.

Plus if I have to turn the soil by hand in a raised bed, it is not happening.

[treefarmer]

Actually these were very easy to build. 4 used cross ties and some treated 2 by boards for the ends. Stacked ties, 2 on each side, tied together with the treated 2X material for the ends, makes 'em about 8' x 3' inside. Fill 'em with compost, you have the width of the tie as a seat when you work the plants. Ours are at least 10 years old. Add compost as needed, about every other year. The mushroom compost will not retain moisture so you have to keep watering the plants in the raised beds about every other day when it gets hot.
Treefarmer

[9dawgs]

Yes I like the raised beds. They're easy to get to and maintain. Plus I don't have room for a larger garden. I haven't done much with mine this year though. Y'all are making me want to get out there and put in some tomatoes :>) I've been so dang busy though I hardly have time to rake up all the leaves in my yard.

[treefarmer]

Here's an update on Panhandle gardening. IT'S WET!!!
Planted 7 rounds (that's 14 rows) of red corn Thursday along with 2 rows of yellow straight neck squash. The rain started that evening and as of this afternoon we've had 9.4" of rain. It will probably be a couple of weeks before we can replant. Most likely the seed will rot and most the fertilizer will be leached out.
The raised beds will be getting a lot of attention this week if the rain has stopped. Forecast is for rain to begin in the middle of the week.
Got a few pictures showing what it looks like and a neat picture of the west edge of the last storm this afternoon. There is a dove sitting on the power line and the 1st blue sky since Thursday, made me think of the account of Noah in the Bible, releasin' the dove from the ark.
Treefarmer

[hunter1005]

Yes the weatherman was WRONG. They said we should have 3 days of rain this weekend in west central fl. Not. The panhandle got hammered with all that rain. We got maybe half an inch.

Beans, corn, tomatoes are growing well. Having issues with zucchini and squash. Planted 8 seeds and only 2 popped up in 2 weeks. I replanted 6 more seeds, now I have to wait another week and see what happens to these.

[jtcmedic]

Well in central Florida our garden is doing well
Potatoes and beans

Lettuce and beets

Tomatoes

I tried planting beers none came up yet