2016 Garden

[sam03]

Well finally found some time to turn the garden over. I'm also trying the no till method in part of it. I have been collecting leafs for months and piling them in one area. Picked up some tomato plants, cucumbers, yellow squash, and okra. Also going to plant some seeds just wanted to get a head start with some seedlings. I have had terrible luck with tomatoes in the past and wanted to ask what kinds do yall plant and do yall have any secrets on success. I'm thinking of trying some in buckets switch it up a little.

[treefarmer]

Tomatoes in buckets seem to be a way to success as there are so many soil born problems that attack tomato plants. Tomatoes are one of the most expensive cash crops to grow in our area, beds are covered in plastic and a fumigant is injected for pests and disease. Growing in containers with sterile soil can eliminate a lot of these problems that are common in home garden soils. Proper moisture and nutrition can be easily maintained as opposed to those planted out in the garden.
We just experienced a new happening, squirrels digging up tomato plants in the raised beds. To curb this, I hope, I have added some Milorganite to the beds, hoping it will deter the tree rats. Milorganite will keep deer out of a pea patch! I got that tip from Iluv2hunt, here on FOHAF several years ago, he hasn't been around for a while, miss his posts.
When times get tough, we ought to be able to survive for a while on the squirrels that visit my wife's bird feeders, they love the sunflower seeds she scatters for the red birds (cardinals) and doves. Last Friday there were 17 out in the yard when we were drinking our morning coffee.
We've had close to 15 inches of rain since Easter weekend and the corn and squash that was planted either rotted or was sanded, waiting till it's dry enough to put a tractor back in the plot.
Treefarmer

[sam03]

Looks like you need a 10yr with a pellet gun to take care of your treerat problem.

[hunter1005]

Speaking of tomatoes. I started with 6 seedlings from Walmart.

I have 4 in buckets and 2 in the ground. I am using used coffee grounds (only) for fertilizer on all the tomato plants.
Let me tell you, they are going crazy. They are about 2 1/2 ft tall now and I nipped the first blooms off.
Now they are on there second bloom, well see happens when tomatoes start forming now.

[9dawgs]

Speaking of tomatoes. I started with 6 seedlings from Walmart.

I have 4 in buckets and 2 in the ground. I am using used coffee grounds (only) for fertilizer on all the tomato plants.
Let me tell you, they are going crazy. They are about 2 1/2 ft tall now and I nipped the first blooms off.
Now they are on there second bloom, well see happens when tomatoes start forming now.

Nice, what kind of tomatoes did you get? I just put in 3 Early Girls... Kind of got a late start this season.

[9dawgs]

I had to get my sprinklers up and working before I started my garden this year. Thing is I've been so busy I didn't have a lot of time to do it. I finally got into it and discovered several things were the issue with the sprinklers. First, the pump died (replaced pump), second well pipe was sucking air (dug up pipe and discovered a 10" diameter camphor tree root had grown over the top of a section of the pipe and about a 4" section of pine tree root had grown under a section about 4ft away. One was pushing it down and the other up and it parted at a coupling. Cut the roots and replaced a 10ft section of pipe), 3rd timer box died (replaced with a new Orbit 6 zone box), 4th several sprinkler heads were broken off (replaced heads and cleaned debris out of the others). Now the sprinkler and working better than they ever have since I moved into the house about 13yrs ago.

Next thing to do was make more raised beds. I had some old lumber from a deck demo so I cut them up and made 4each 3'x7' raised bed planters. I lined the edges with some weed block and positioned them between the sprinklers on the back of my property in direct sunlight. The hard part was digging out the sod to a depth of about 8". I did reuse the sod though in another part of my yard :>)

2016 garden 1.jpg

After that I needed to raise the sprinklers so they would spray the water better. I raised the heads up 5ft and attached them to some landscape timbers I sunk in the ground about 3ft.

2016 garden 3.jpg

Once I get those completed I tested the water works to see what they'd do. I think the coverage is great!

2016 garden 4.jpg

[9dawgs]

The next step was to refill the boxes with composted cow poop. I used Black Cow one year but that stuff is really expensive and I needed a LOT so I opted for the EarthGrow stuff at Home Depot for $1.77 per 40lb sack instead of the $5.17 for the Black Cow. I wound up buying 1,840lbs of it and hauled it in on my trailer. Yes one thousand eight hundred forty pounds... My back can attest to it.

2016 garden 5.jpg

After getting it all in I was a happy camper. I was going to wait until Monday to plant my seedlings but I went to Home Depot and got some plant today anyhow.

2016 garden 6.jpg

I planted 3 Early Girl tomatoes in the short bed, in the other beds there's, eggplant, summer squash, zucchini, okra, green onions, sweet potatoes, green, orange & hot peppers, yellow watermelon and cantaloupe. I hope it all works out!

2016 garden 7.JPG

[treefarmer]

Hey Jim! Looks great, we're still drying out up here in LA. Got a few plants in the raised beds, the weather has been so cool that things are really slow this season. It was 54 again this am. Just noticed the power line towers, looks like a good place to hang a deer stand.
Treefarmer

[sam03]

well out goat got out while i was gone and ate everything but the tomatoes so this week im starting over lol

[treefarmer]

Sam,
Sounds like it's time for a little BBQ, goat that is! Goat hash is good too or maybe y'all could have goat and 'mater sandwich's.
Goats are hard to keep in a pen, they seem to be able to figure out how to escape as quick as any domestic animal.
Good luck on your garden replant!
Treefarmer

[9dawgs]

Hey Jim! Looks great, we're still drying out up here in LA. Got a few plants in the raised beds, the weather has been so cool that things are really slow this season. It was 54 again this am. Just noticed the power line towers, looks like a good place to hang a deer stand.
Treefarmer

Haha, yeah I could put a stand up on those power line towers but I'd probably get hit in the head with a dang golf ball. I live on a golf course (don't get excited, it ain't what you'd think). It's a public course and those golfers are some real hacks... They hit that thing all the time. Makes a nice gonging sound too. I would like to tag a few of those guys sometimes though. I've had a car windshield broken (in my driveway! that means the ball flew over my house!) and a kitchen window broken. Plenty of holes in my lanai and dings in my siding.

On the garden front, I mulched my beds yesterday with some composted pine straw.

[hunter1005]

I found out my neighbor has a new goat. Guess who lets the goat out of its pen. The dog. Even when it is not supposed to.

[hunter1005]

Speaking of tomatoes. I started with 6 seedlings from Walmart.

I have 4 in buckets and 2 in the ground. I am using used coffee grounds (only) for fertilizer on all the tomato plants.
Let me tell you, they are going crazy. They are about 2 1/2 ft tall now and I nipped the first blooms off.
Now they are on there second bloom, well see happens when tomatoes start forming now.

Nice, what kind of tomatoes did you get? I just put in 3 Early Girls... Kind of got a late start this season.

Have no idea what kind of tomatoes they are. Look like vine ripe. I just saw the tomato seedlings and grabbed them.
6 tomato seedlings @ Walmart 2.50 total compared to the 3.00 per seedling at home depot. No brainer. Anyways they now have some tomatoes growing, the plants are doing really well with coffee grounds.

[9dawgs]

Cool! It's always good to see fruit coming up :>) I got attacked by a bunch of stink bug nymphs last year. Be on the look out when your tomatoes start getting big. I had holes all over mine. Pretty frustrating.

nymph.JPG

[hunter1005]

I have seen a couple of them already. But will fix that. dawn soap (spoonfull), cayenne pepper(1/4 cup) and water at least a gallon.

Bugs do not like cayenne pepper. the soap helps the cayenne pepper stick to the plant.

I try not to use sevin dust but DE food grade works pretty good also.