Garden Progress

[Ranger99]

Mine's gone after the freeze.
I was just outside after I got
back and everything is withered
and dead. I gathered a jacket
pocket full of small tomatoes
and a couple of peppers off
what was left, and brought em
inside to see if they would ripen.
They'll probably just turn to mush.
I didn't have as many as the past
years, but I was sure proud to
have those fresh tomatoes that
I did get.
Maybe everything will work out to
where I can try again in a few months.
We'll see

[Bob Riebe]

Wow it is Two Thousand and Twnety One and it seems like Two Thousand and Twenty was just last week.

Been doing some net searching for Potatoes and Corn.
I found two places that still sell Precocious Sweet Corn , one of the few my brother had truly good things to say about.
May plant some of that but I , at this point in time, am leaning towards old school varieties that were around before I was.

Looking for potatoes, as I said earlier, tisn't what it once was with Ronniger merging with Milk Farm forming Potatoe Garden which went to the big potato farm in the sky last year.
One used to simply enter Potato Seed into a search engine and the main sellers would automatically be on the first page; now if you do not know what/or they once existed , unless you are a one who spend time doing deep searches , you may not find them.
I have found a few others but they are AAA league, not major league.
I have found 4 types I never had before and will probably get those.

Have not done hard core searching for tomatoes and squash but for tomatoes I pretty much know what I want; Squash -- no pre-requirement other than no Acorn Squash.
All vining plants will all go down South, though I may let some volunteer come up up North, and I am rather sure there will be some.

Fertilizers, and soil additives, I have not done the gallons and tens of pounds of material I used to do but as I want some thing other than foliar stuff I have had now for years and I want to see new stuff in the shed rather than ratting looking stuff that been here for years so I will do what I used to really enjoy doing and see what is out there that is not same old , same old but still affordable.
The fact that so many greenhouses and garden shops have closed turns it into mostly a computer search.

Corona Virus be damned, 2020 was one of the best gardens I have had in long time, so, it was a GREAT year and I have no great expectations for 2021.

[Dee]

If my new place has room for a garden, I'd like to locate some good ole yellow dent corn.

[Ranger99]

I sure hope this 40 degree April weather
doesn't mess up my work.
I have a feeling I'll be needing whatever
vegetables I can grow.
Everything was progressing fairly
decent before this cold snap.
I've had to dig a jacket and a coat
back out.  Don't care for the cold
weather at all

[wtxbadger]

Decided to go with all raised beds this year except for the corn, after fighting grass burrs the past couple of years it was time to do something different. Planted corn, yellow squash, blackeyed peas, pole beans, cucumbers, butternut squash and tomatoes. Also found some old okra seed and decided to go ahead and give it a try, I know it's way early for it but if it comes up figure we'll be ahead by a good stretch.

[Ranger99]

Hadn't thought about okra this time.
Last I planted didn't do good at all,
and the year before about 3 out of 4
pods were too stringy to eat no matter
when harvested, or how they were cooked

I guess it wouldn't hurt anything to
plant some and try

[Bob Riebe]

Snow came early but petered out early, but now weather is colder than average, so if this keeps up, planting may be late.

Corn seed acquired this year, so far but probably all as I do not have room for all of these and I have near as many unopened in the freezer.

Tall White
Tall Yellow -- These two are corn used by tallest corn competitors
Breeders Choice, sweet corn.
Aunt Mary's dent
Baxter's Yellow
Casto Family Heirloom
H&M Yellow Dent
Tait's White Dent
Country Gentlemen sweet corn
Blue Ridged White Cap corn

Also:
Black Sweet Potato Squash

I have so many potatoes sprouting now from last year, even though I am tired of planting last years varieties, I may do just that.
No way I will eat them all and it would be a waste to trash them.
I may order a new , to me, variety or two but it is silly really to plant far more than I eat or can give away.
Garden shops are just opening up here now so I have not ventured out see what is offered this year.
The other half told me to quit planting so many tomatoes also as she is tired of packing and freezing them and we simply do not eat near as many as we used to.

Did order 8 new roses.
It will be the finishing planting of a large rose garden for the first time in over a decade; after Ma died ten years ago I did not give it the attention I did for her for the twenty years before and have gone from near 40 down to 8 finally really bothered me.
There will be twenty some now and as it is a labor to take care of them in winter this is most likely the last hurrah.

[Bob Riebe]

It is 37 degrees to day at two P.M. ; most weather forecasts to the end of he month show too may days below average, twenties at night kill .
I can get potatoes and onions in but nothing more by May 1st; Corn will probably have to wait till June, without major warm-up.

[Ranger99]

Been in the mid 50's here all day with
cold north wind.  Upper- mid 30s
forecasted for tonight. Possible frost.

I couldn't even begin to say how sick
I am of the cold weather.

[wtxbadger]

Blackberries are doing good this year, put four quart bags in the freezer today. Sure looking forward to some blackberry cobbler.

[Ranger99]

That's some nice berries
They make a great cobbler

Unfortunately, I don't have anything
to post right now. Everything went
from beautiful to crap with all this
flooding rain we've been having.
I've had a couple of really nice
tomato plants go from really nice
to withered and dying just about the
time I have small nickel sized fruits
growing.  The experimental squash
was doing surprisingly great and
had a bunch of blossoms, but they all
withered and dropped off.
Doesn't look good

[wtxbadger]

Fingers crossed your garden turns around Ranger, thinking we hit the window just right this year. That generally doesn't happen, had a heck of time making a stand of corn. Reseeded three times, finally ordered new seed and it's up.

[Ranger99]

Need at least a weeks worth of
dry and sunshine. The back is
so saturated that I sink ankle deep
walking across the middle.
I can't remember when I've had to
water any of the vegetable plants

[wtxbadger]

Picking and eating tomatoes, cucumbers, pole beans and yellow squash. Butternut squash is struggling for some reason and not looking healthy, blackeye peas are blooming and starting to set and made a good stand of okra which will take a while to start making.

How is everyone else doing?

[Ranger99]

I lost several tomato plants, I'm
assuming from being too saturated
for a couple of months. Experimental
squash looked good, but I imagine it's
been too saturated too. It makes
blossoms, but they don't hold or make
any fruits. Have a few peppers
coming along.  Some tomatoes
that should be ready soon. Probably
won't make enough to put up.
The green beans might do pretty
fair, just have to wait and see.
Greens are scarce. They might do
better later on since the rain slowed
down.  Relatives in SA have lots of
tomatoes about ready to go. They've
had a problem with hornworms

[Bob Riebe]

Despite, and probably due to watering the gardens , heavily, at least once a week, both of my gardens are doing quite well
North garden is doing very well, corn came up with at least 90 percent germination , tomatoes are growing like gang busters including one planted weeks later that arrived looking like a stem with no leaves but by adding good planting soil and soil booster fertilizer it is now sprouting leaves.
Onion have done well from day one as have brocolli, cauliflower , chiles, beans , lettuce and radishes; only failure was English Cucumber seeds did not sprout but I now have volunteer squash I can move to their spot.
Potatoes do due being under a foot of mulch are now just coming up but that is normal.
It took me one 4 hour day to hand weed the garden but it looks good now.

South garden looks good but is right now a sea of green due to Purslane that was not pulled last year and went to seed than was roto-tilled under.
Most corn came but some old Indian corn seeds only came up spotty , which is not uncommon.
Potatoes there are now also popping out from under the mulch cover..
I spent 3 hours weeding and got probably 1/4 of the garden weeded so far but while doing it I heard bird sounds that I feared was Turkey talking to her chicks ; I looked but saw nothing, UNTIL, I got up to dump a pail of weed and approx. eight feet from me was Turkey hen digging a nest in a spot that was a corn plot that seemed to havee failed.
I stood yelled at her, and she looked at me and continued to dig; I walked over yelling and she kept on digging.
When I was six feet away I could see her chicks which hid under the Purslane, it was approx. five-six inches high, and when I was about three feet away she finally started to move away leaving most of the chicks behind.
Now I could have stomped on them, or even bent over grabbed a bunch and wrung their necks but at the time I was more interested in getting as much weeding done, so, I actually booted with my foot, a number of chicks out of the weeds boosting them in the direction of the hen who was already ten feet away.
If it was actual planting time it would have ended differently but they do eat nasty bugs, especially Potato Bugs; I am assuming this was a hen with her first gaggle of chicks as I could have grabbed her if I had wanted to and she did nothing to protect her chicks.
As I write this it is drizzling but we need a real inch or two of rain badly, it would also reduce my water bill.

[Ranger99]

Looks like I might have a
double handful of green beans
to take inside in a day or two
which was more than I expected.
A few peppers to bring in at
the same time. I don't think I'll
have any tomatoes ready, but
they won't be far behind.

I always look forward to that
first freshly harvested fresh
sliced tomato of the year.
It's in my top ten, or maybe
better

[wtxbadger]

Picked our first maters the last day of May, summer squash isn't doing good but we have been covered up with cucumbers and giving them to friends and neighbors. Starting to pick pole beans and the blackeye peas are starting to make. Have a good stand of corn and okra. Sure looking forward to fried okra and corn on the cob.

[Mule 11]

Had a couple frosts in May so planted early June. Only tomatoes peppers and strawberry’s. Won’t get berries till next year. I also look forward to my first tomatoes...

[Ranger99]

Brought in half a dozen tomatoes
today. Probably bring in a batch of
green beans tomorrow. Greens are
starting to come up out of nowhere
after I was sure they wouldn't make.
Squash plants look good, but won't
make any fruits. Mulched the plants
this evening to see if that would help
any

[Bob Riebe]

I spent ten plus hours this week end weeding South garden but now both gardens are fully weeded.

Will have to head South tomorrow to water that garden while up North there was a decent rain.
Corn is shoulder high up North and hip high down South.

Potatoes in both gardens look real good and tomatoes are growing quickly including one I mail ordered that looked like a green stick in the ground but about ten days ago it sprouted a leaf and now looks like one you would buy in a four inch pot at a nursery.

Squash were slow get going but now are expanding though volunteers are larger than those planted.

Taking a water bill hit but gardens are doing exceptionally well this year.

[wtxbadger]

Yellow and butternut squash were wiped out by squash bugs almost overnight so we'll be replanting them. Been absolutely covered up with cherry and celebrity tomatoes and giving them to family and friends. Blackeye peas are looking good and have a couple of quart bags of shelled peas in the freezer. Started picking okra last week but not enough for a mess to fry yet. After the bugs wiped out the squash they moved over to the the cucumbers and we will be replanting that as well.

[Bob Riebe]

Had been hot and dry, now it is hot and humid.
Probably better for the plants but we need badly; down over two inches for the year.
Small rivers have stopped flowing and some creeks have dried up; irrigation limitations are being put in place in some areas.
Corn stands not irrigated have now shown the blue-gray color of death but what yield they get will not be good and some sweet corn flelds that should be on average five feet tall look like rolling hills with some stalks cob-less.

Due to heavy watering both of my gardens look good but a wind came in before a supposed rain storm on Friday and knocked one-half of one over.
I stood up and tied up most of it but lost one whole row and a lot of stalks snapped off two-feet abouve the ground.

Trans-planted vines are now spreading out and flowering, while some I planted down South look good.

Onions did not like the dry weather as they are doing OK but I will have no truly large ones this year.

Tomatoes and Chiles are doing very, very well.

[Ranger99]

Some things did ok
Others not so good
The beans decided to go finally, so I've got
some in the freezer
The tomatoes are so so, and make just enough
to eat regularly
Peppers finally decided to go
Can't say exactly what happened to the cilantro.
It just withered one day and keeled over

( photos won't post.  Limit something something
blah blah)

[wtxbadger]

Still no luck on yellow squash or butternut, first planting of blackeyed peas have done fairly well and have a second planting that looks to be making a stand. First planting of tomatoes did really well and have Fall plants going, fingers crossed they do well. Okra has been middlin and thinking this is the last year we waste space for it.
Pole bean plants look really good and plenty of blooms but aren't making much. So far it's been a mixed bag on what's making versus what's not this year.

[Ranger99]

Squash has been a waste of time
and water. Foliage looks beautiful,
but it's useless without the squash.
Banana peppers decided to go wild
and I've used probably 3 dozen so
far, and had enough of the larger
ones to put up a couple of jars
this evening. That juice is about
the best thing you can drizzle over
some beans or greens
Tomatoes have been only fair.
I had enough to steadily eat what
grew, but not enough to put up.
For whatever reason, the cilantro
didn't make this year at all.  Might
have been too rainy and cool this
spring.  I have a few collards, but
only about enough for 4 or 5
spoonfuls after cooking.
The yardlong beans came on
sudden like, and I put about a
dozen quarts in the freezer. Right
now, they look like they're about
to keel over and die.
Can't figure this mess out except
for guessing faulty seed

[Bob Riebe]

Minnesota is in a severe to extreme drought but with constant watering the gardens are great; farms without irrigation are hurting badly.

Squash fruit are now on the vines and looking good, as are some musk melons I put in.

Just picked last of first two sweet corn plots and it is good; they Festivity and Martian Jewels sweet corn but as they were planted very close together I got some Festive Martians.
Corn down South should be starting to be ready this week, but due to evicting a nut-job renter have not been able to get down there for a week.
Pulled all the onions and they look good but are small; one-half dozen baseball, couple dozen hand ball size and the rest from golf ball to large marble size.

Some potatoes are turning yellow so will dig those next week; Tomatoes are producing profusely, with last planting , several weeks past first now starting to produce colored fruit, while first have picking fruit and setting more constantly.

One early was the type that sets a first batch and is then done which is good as we have more than we need or can use.

[Mule 11]

For me it’s all about tomatoes. I have a lot. Betterboys, and black krims and variations thereof. Garden is good.

[mcbammer]

Minnesota is in a severe to extreme drought but with constant watering the gardens are great; farms without irrigation are hurting badly.

Squash fruit are now on the vines and looking good, as are some musk melons I put in.

Just picked last of first two sweet corn plots and it is good; they Festivity and Martian Jewes sweet corn but as they were planted very close together I got some Festive Martians.

I thought I knew every type sweet corn there was but those two I never heard of . They must be open pollinated type .  Where did you  order the seed I like to  read up on them.

[Ranger99]

For me it’s all about tomatoes. . .

I mostly agree with this ^ ^
I've cut back on what I invest my
labor and water on, mostly because
of the cost of whatever at the grocery
store. Things like potatoes and onions
can be had here fairly cheaply, so
I buy those, and they're about as good
as what I can grow.
But there's no comparison when you're
talking about tomatoes 
I've never had a store bought tomato that
tastes anywhere close to what my home
grown tomatoes do.
I can take tomatoes off the vine out here
and just sit down and eat just those tomatoes
like it was an ice cream cone.
The flavor and texture is completely different
I always look forward to that first fresh tomato
every year