Gardening

[TexanSam]

Anyone here a gardener? Each year when the soil temps rise above 50 degrees until deer season starts I'll be obsessing over growing stuff. For many years until I graduated college I worked on a cattle/row crop farm, then for a year I worked on a field research crew performing corn, soybean and sorghum field trials. Now that all that is over, I grow vegetables on about a half acre in between my back yard, and a common area that my landlord lets us use.

A couple weeks ago I planted sunflowers, sweet corn, green beans and cucumbers. On all the rows except one for control, I applied a starter fertilizer and a plant growth stimulating compound that we used on the research crew. It appears that the mix of the 2 really aided germination.

Sweet corn, day 7 after planting

 

[TheBenHoyle]

I'm a gardener, but up in Chicagoland we are still about a month away from planting much of anything. I do have fall-planted garlic starting to come up. Of course we just got about 8" of snow dumped on us. It'll be in the 50s today and all of that will melt making my backyard/garden an soggy mess.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I planted sweet corn,jalepenos,three different peppers and garlic.Corn sprouted in 4 days.
2 nights ago the rabbits found it and ate every sprout.Only the Garlic and Jalepenos have
survived all else failed to sprout.

 

[cgarner]

I plant a backyard garden. Planted 6 tomatoes, 6 peppers, 4 strawberries, spaghetti squash, cucumber, zucchini, and various basil.

 

[bushman13]

I had to give it up and move it inside after moving to high altitude. I do miss having one in the yard, but having no bugs is nice.

 

[TLowell02]

I tilled a 1/8 acre plot for my wife's garden. She has slowly started putting things in but the temps are so variable that we still have a week or two before the bulk of summer plants go in. Seems like we go from nights below freezing to day time highs in the 90's in just a couple weeks time which wrecks havoc on the peas, kale and such. I am most excited about the fresh herbs!

 

[cgarner]

My son loves fruit so we planted peach, nectarine and orange trees in the yard. We also planted 4 blueberry bushes. I want to plant more in the future.

 

[WildWill]

Just planted carrots and peas this weekend already have onions,shallots, and potatoes in. Definitely that time of year.

 

[cgarner]

That reminded me that I need to get some potatoes planted.

 

[Addicting]

I have 24 beans and tomatoes plants started indoors, to many variables outside yet. My 12 sweet peas are starting to get out of control and the weather needs to hurry up and warm up.

 

[gouch]

I've got spinach, onions and lettuce in the garden and cucumber, squash and tomato starts waiting for the weather to warm up.

 

[hank4elk]

We grew everything on the Central Ca Coast. Yeah I had a deer fence & all, but everything GREW.
Now here in NM I have an elk fence & wire cages around everything I plant & get mostly nothing...lol
NM rodents are too numerous. Ravens ravenous....
But I'm putting up my start tent today in hopes I can plant in June....maybe.
Oh the soil here has NO nitrogen. I'm trying veggies on straw bales this year & lick tub planters.

 

[Elkdog]

I started the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants 3 weeks ago in the seed starter. Tomorrow after dinner we’ll plant them in cow pots and put under a long grow light until we can plant in the garden. I’ll start pumpkins, melons and gourds about May 1 in cow pots. We usually plant Memorial Day. It’s not too unusual to have a snow into May so we wait.

 

[Fullquiver]

We are 8 weeks out from a last frost.. I still have 4 inches of snow in the yard here in NW MI Usually start with snap peas and beets and before low carb diet would plant potatoes.. i will start plants in 3-4 weeks for outside.. Won't plant corn or beans and sunflowers till last week of May..

 

[ardrhi]

I have about a dozen raised beds (photo from previous summer) to keep me occupied. And some fruit trees, berry patches, and herbs around the yard. Unfortunately most of it ripens during archery season and I'd rather go hunting. My wife's not really interested in it. Unless I tag out early, feel free to help yourself in September...
It's still early here, but I've started using green onions, garlic, and some herbs already. Asparagus and Swiss chard are starting to come up. Planted peas, broccoli, radish, and Brussel sprouts last weekend.

 

[tarheel]

Normally I would have pretty much everything in the ground by now but incessant storm systems has kept the soil saturated. Good thing though for we got a later than usual frost yesterday morning which would have fried most of what I usually plant. Can't wait to start stirring this red clay!

 

[TexanSam]

We grew everything on the Central Ca Coast. Yeah I had a deer fence & all, but everything GREW.
Now here in NM I have an elk fence & wire cages around everything I plant & get mostly nothing...lol
NM rodents are too numerous. Ravens ravenous....
But I'm putting up my start tent today in hopes I can plant in June....maybe.
Oh the soil here has NO nitrogen. I'm trying veggies on straw bales this year & lick tub planters.

During the winter (or whenever your non growing season is) plant you a cover crop with some legumes and jackhammer raddishes. That will help build the soil and then till it all back in or spray it an mow it to go no till style. That soil needs aerobic bacteria to grow nitrogen and aerobic bacteria needs organic matter. Might also help to plow in a bunch of cow manure or clay to help raise the CEC

I started the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants 3 weeks ago in the seed starter. Tomorrow after dinner we’ll plant them in cow pots and put under a long grow light until we can plant in the garden. I’ll start pumpkins, melons and gourds about May 1 in cow pots. We usually plant Memorial Day. It’s not too unusual to have a snow into May so we wait.

Where I come from a Cow Pot is what you haul cattle in behind a semi truck lol

 

[hank4elk]

Got some killer soil from lumber mill for trees & collecting local cow,rabbit & goat manure. Going to test some elk manure too this year on berries.
Very different @ 7500' in NM than anywhere I have been.

 

[TexanSam]

Got some killer soil from lumber mill for trees & collecting local cow,rabbit & goat manure. Going to test some elk manure too this year on berries.
Very different @ 7500' in NM than anywhere I have been.

I gave agronomy advice to a New Mexico resident and his state can't even give me a tag. What a scam lol

 

[hank4elk]

I gave agronomy advice to a New Mexico resident and his state can't even give me a tag. What a scam lol

Hell, I took some AG classes @ CalPoly but that don't mean sqwat in NM. The locals have AG degrees & can't grow anything but cows on native grasses...lol Tempted to get a dairy guy to bring a few loads from Clovis to spread in the flats here.