***The Official 2014 Gardening Thread***

[dmahurin]

So what is everyone planting this year? Trying anything new or different? I've already got potatoes in the ground and I'm trying an herb garden this year. I've started cilantro, oregano, and basil in planter pots from seed and will transfer to a 55 gallon drum cut in half length wise and laid on its side with drain holes.

Overall I'm going with tomatoes, green beans, peppers(jalapeño/bell), broccoli, lettuce, and the aforementioned potatoes.

[HonestChieffan]

Originally Posted by HemiEd

Cool! We have really no choice but raised beds here on Tablerock. The soil, when the rocks are removed turns white as concrete when it is dry. My SIL said it is perfect for fig trees and they have done well.

I made a mistake last fall that I need some help with. I removed 9 large cedar trees and rented a wood chipper to dispose of the limbs. Perfect mulch, but the decaying process has robbed our soil of nitrogen.

What is the best product to use on the garden and flower beds? I appreciate any help in advance!

Plain old 13-13-13 is about perfect

[lewdog]

I planted some green bean a few weeks ago and they are really taking off. I've never grown them before, pole variety. I have them set up in a tripod cage setup. Do they automatically climb the poles or will I need to tie them to it?

[dmahurin]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I planted some green bean a few weeks ago and they are really taking off. I've never grown them before, pole variety. I have them set up in a tripod cage setup. Do they automatically climb the poles or will I need to tie them to it?

Just depends on the plant. If they are against the support they should take care of it naturally. If not you might need to help out. I prefer bush over pole myself, if ylu prefer pole, well. Nttawwt.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

Just depends on the plant. If they are against the support they should take care of it naturally. If not you might need to help out. I prefer bush over pole myself, if ylu prefer pole, well. Nttawwt.

Thanks for the help.

[HemiEd]

We have been eating all the strawberries we can stand out of the garden each day. I started out with a dozen plants last year and now have about a hundred. I am trying to keep them trimmed back from multiplying this year.

[lewdog]

I've had some bush sugar baby watermelons starting to come up. Been growing well and was bigger than a softball when I went out today and it had a huge split in it. I wasn't sure if I should leave it or just pick it since the split was rather large. What's the cause of it splitting? Too much water?


All this gardening is trial and error for me still. Finally took out the tomato plants with the insane heat we are having. Will trying planting again in September for some fall tomatoes.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I've had some bush sugar baby watermelons starting to come up. Been growing well and was bigger than a softball when I went out today and it had a huge split in it. I wasn't sure if I should leave it or just pick it since the split was rather large. What's the cause of it splitting? Too much water?


All this gardening is trial and error for me still. Finally took out the tomato plants with the insane heat we are having. Will trying planting again in September for some fall tomatoes.

IIRC, growing too fast/too much water.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

IIRC, growing too fast/too much water.

Well it's been over 115 degrees for quite a few days and going to be 110+ degrees for the next 10+ days.

Maybe that's the problem?!

It's hard to know how much to water when it's this hot. I feel like they need it everyday, but maybe they don't.

[Buehler445]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I've had some bush sugar baby watermelons starting to come up. Been growing well and was bigger than a softball when I went out today and it had a huge split in it. I wasn't sure if I should leave it or just pick it since the split was rather large. What's the cause of it splitting? Too much water?


All this gardening is trial and error for me still. Finally took out the tomato plants with the insane heat we are having. Will trying planting again in September for some fall tomatoes.

With tomatoes it is heat. Here anyway. I know ****all about watermelons. I'm no help.

There are a few ways that heat affects plants. Soil temperature is one. If you don't have mulch down, get mulch down. It will help your soil temp a lot, as well as reducing evaporation from the soil.

Another is reflective heat - sun hitting the leaves or reflecting off something else. Out here, if we try to double crop something after wheat (LOL - right) it has trouble because the wheat stubble is reflective and reflects sunlight and really heats up the leaves of whatever I've just planted. Some afternoon shade might be the answer. Or a mister to run during the heat of the afternoon to cool off the leaves. IIRC, there is a retaining wall or something close by that may be reflecting some heat back on the plants.

Ambient temperature is another, but it is usually the low humidity that causes problems. This is usually through evaporating moisture that the leaves transpire, it's pretty hard on the plants, especially if they have any drought stress.

As far as watering, my old neighbor had some deals you stick in the ground and attach a 2 liter bottle to that you fill up with water, and as the water is removed from the soil, it flows from the bottle to the soil, but if the profile is full, it won't flow any water. You had to knock out some notches based on soil type. Looked like it worked pretty well, but damned if I can find a link.

[lewdog]

And the Chiefsplanet curse lives on.

Returned from vacation to find my beautiful variegated Agave (pictured above) drooped to the ground and falling apart to the touch. Seems a common problem in the Southwest is infestation of Snout nosed Weevils that can kill an entire plant in days. Once they are in, you cannot stop the plant from dying. Certain species of Agave are more prone and this variegated agave is one of those. Seems you can try adding grub repellent into the soil every month during the growing season and that works for some people. Other options are to plant more resistant forms of Agave that are usually the thin leaved variety.

Live and learn but I am pretty bummed about this. I tried to save some baby ones to replant in a different portion of the yard. I am gonna dig up this soil and treat it. Leave it for 3-4 months and then plant a rose garden in this spot.

[lewdog]

Let's keep the garden party from 2014 rolling!

Managed to keep my tomato plants alive through the "winter" here. Covered them with a frost cloth about 4 times. I should have ready to eat tomatoes sometime in February. Holla!

[dmahurin]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Let's keep the garden party from 2014 rolling!

Managed to keep my tomato plants alive through the "winter" here. Covered them with a frost cloth about 4 times. I should have ready to eat tomatoes sometime in February. Holla!

That's awesome. This might he the best thread I've started. Thats a sad thought. Im panning on putting in some dwarf fruit trees this spring. Still cold for anything yet for me unfortunately.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by dmahurin

That's awesome. This might he the best thread I've started. Thats a sad thought. Im panning on putting in some dwarf fruit trees this spring. Still cold for anything yet for me unfortunately.

What kind of dwarf trees and where do you live?

I put in a dwarf Meyer Lemon tree last year. I hope it grows quickly.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Let's keep the garden party from 2014 rolling!

Managed to keep my tomato plants alive through the "winter" here. Covered them with a frost cloth about 4 times. I should have ready to eat tomatoes sometime in February. Holla!

Damn, I had no idea you could do that, very cool.

I have my tomato plants growing pretty well from seeds to put out in a couple more months.

Three of my fig tree cuttings are prospering.

[HonestChieffan]

This time of year my garden is growing in my head and its ideal.

But real world, there is much hope. I was able to till deep in fall and put garden up in beds. So it will warm faster and will dry faster for planting. The garden was overseeded with rye (grain rye not grass rye). Part will go till it heads out and then Ill weed eat it and plnat transplant crops into the raised bed no till. The rye tops will serve as a mulch and the root mass adds greatly to organic matter and I should have fewer weeds.

Where seeded crops will go I plan to work up just enough to plant rows or hills.

And another experiment will be straw bale tomatoes where I laid down straw bales last summer in a row and will plant about 12 tomato plants into the straw bales.Ive fertilized the bales 2 times and will do again soon.

I got garlic from a garlic producer in California and planted it in september. It looks great and will be my first time to try growing garlic in the garden