***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.

[Dunit35]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Bermuda doesn't do shade. It's shade not water. You need to plant a species that can handle shade.

I was thinking fescue for the shade but part of my yard isn't in shade and the Bermuda still won't grow there.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Dunit35

I wish I could get my Bermuda to grow in the front yard. Hasn't grown in two years. Watering hasn't helped. Drives me nuts. The back yard will grow bermuda all day long. I have a large tree on one side, probably sucking up all the water.

We ripped out all the Bermuda grass in our backyard and I can't kill that shit fast enough! Popping up all over the place with pre-emergent used and roundup on foliage. It's full sun spot in backyard and it grows like a ****ing weed once it rains!

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

Not out here big dog. It's the heat most likely.



Don't be doing that. Pine is REALLY acidic and it will smoke off your stuff (unless you have high pH soils.

Go to the farm supply store and buy a straw bale. Pick up those ****ing needles and haul them out.

Heat makes fruit ripen faster, overwatering splits the skin. Prior to big rains I pick every blushing tomato on the vine.

[BucEyedPea]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

So when I water tomatoes with a soaker hose I watch the weather. Weather man says it's gonna be dry I leave that ****er on for hours. Then I don't run it again for sometimes days depending on how hot it is.
If the weather man says chance of rain I adjust my irrigation accordingly.

But you damn sure want to leave it on long enough to saturate the soil and off long enough that the root stock chases the moisture DOWN.

This is super important.

Is this why I have always gotten fungus when I've tried tomatoes?

I've given up but it is Florida. They grow well in the winter here but I get that fungus. I was using an Earth Box which is supposed to provide the water from the bottom up.

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

I ****ing hate gardening.

Thanks, though. I don't know shit.

I learned to garden by asking other gardeners. I pick the brains of every gardener I thinks worth a shit. Most of the time I come away with an enormous amount of technical input.
That's the thing about gardening is that it's about the technique that works for you.

Feel free to ask questions. I talked to my woman and we agree with buehler that you probably need to pull the garlic replant and re mulch.
Sorry man. Crop failure happens. It sucks but it's part of the learning curve.

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by BucEyedPea

Is this why I have always gotten fungus when I've tried tomatoes?

I've given up but it is Florida. They grow well in the winter here but I get that fungus. I was using an Earth Box which is supposed to provide the water from the bottom up.

Might be early or late blight. I don't think I've ever seen a fungus outbreak that was caused by overwatering on tomatoes. I've seen it on squash vines though and peas. Unpicked rotten fruit on the vine or ground can cause fungus.
If you see blight immediately trim and trim your transplants so that the leaves NEVER TOUCH THE GROUND.
Copper sulfate or raw cows milk sprayed on fungus will clear it up.

[MOhillbilly]

Also, Florida has shit dirt.

Worse than an Ozark hill side.

[Dunit35]

Originally Posted by lewdog

We ripped out all the Bermuda grass in our backyard and I can't kill that shit fast enough! Popping up all over the place with pre-emergent used and roundup on foliage. It's full sun spot in backyard and it grows like a ****ing weed once it rains!

I wish I could get it to grow in my front. Weed sprayer company came by and sprayed last week. I asked them about it and he said the tree was probably sucking up all the available water and I needed a better fertilizer.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

I learned to garden by asking other gardeners. I pick the brains of every gardener I thinks worth a shit. Most of the time I come away with an enormous amount of technical input.

That's the thing about gardening is that it's about the technique that works for you.



Feel free to ask questions. I talked to my woman and we agree with buehler that you probably need to pull the garlic replant and re mulch.

Sorry man. Crop failure happens. It sucks but it's part of the learning curve.

Nothing I can do to not replant ('cause that ain't happening)? I can pull the pine straw, so is there nothing I can do fertilizer- or chemical-wise to fix?

[MOhillbilly]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Nothing I can do to not replant ('cause that ain't happening)? I can pull the pine straw, so is there nothing I can do fertilizer- or chemical-wise to fix?

If you can take the pine up, I'd top dress with a half to one inch of good compost or rabbit manure (garlic & onions are heavy feeders ).
Mulch with straw.

[Iowanian]

I have about 10 mature fruit trees(apples, pears, peaches) and 4 grape vines.
I planted 15 fruit trees(from Stark Bros in MO) apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, apricot(the fruit, not the beemer).

I'm interested in people with big brains on fruit trees and the best thing I can do for the new ones, and how to address the "rust" on the leaves of a peach and adjacent apple tree.

I'm thinking pretty hard about planting 4 more grape vines, and adding a couple of blueberry and raspberry bushes.

I'm considering planting between 5-15 acres of fruit trees to start a walk in orchard, but with my work schedule I'm not sure I can put the time into them for proper pruning etc.

We have a decent sized garden, and I generally scoop a couple of tons of compost from a large pile we have scraped up from a former cattle lot, and then till that in. I've not done much with herbs, but I'd like to do at least some of the basics, garlic etc. I'd also like to start a strawberry bed, but they're a pain in the butt.

[MOhillbilly]

Cedar trees cause rust.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by MOhillbilly

If you can take the pine up, I'd top dress with a half to one inch of good compost or rabbit manure (garlic & onions are heavy feeders ).
Mulch with straw.

We'll take the pine up tomorrow. We did put a good layer of manure down when we planted, think we need to do that again?

[Iowanian]

Any idea how close they have to be? The fence row of the neighbors across the road has cedar trees. They'd probably be 100' at the closest?

A lot of my apples had spots on them last year. It was black or greenish and would rub off in your hands when you handle them. I'm assuming it's mold?

Last fall I had the entire preschool from our local district out for a farm day, and we picked apples, pulped them and I pressed cider for them. I had just gotten a new press and used it for the first time in front of about 75 preschool kids. Bold move I know.

The wife does a pretty good job of canning tomato sauce, pizza/spaghetti sauce. We make apple sauce and can grape juice for the kids in addition to canning jam. I'd like to do more of that as things slow down, especially as we get more fruit in 3-4 years.

We also need to figure out pickling and fermented stuff.

Time is my problem, not desire.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Iowanian

I have about 10 mature fruit trees(apples, pears, peaches) and 4 grape vines.
I planted 15 fruit trees(from Stark Bros in MO) apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, apricot(the fruit, not the beemer).

I'm interested in people with big brains on fruit trees and the best thing I can do for the new ones, and how to address the "rust" on the leaves of a peach and adjacent apple tree.

I'm thinking pretty hard about planting 4 more grape vines, and adding a couple of blueberry and raspberry bushes.

I'm considering planting between 5-15 acres of fruit trees to start a walk in orchard, but with my work schedule I'm not sure I can put the time into them for proper pruning etc.

We have a decent sized garden, and I generally scoop a couple of tons of compost from a large pile we have scraped up from a former cattle lot, and then till that in. I've not done much with herbs, but I'd like to do at least some of the basics, garlic etc. I'd also like to start a strawberry bed, but they're a pain in the butt.

Over the last few years we've cut all but one of our fruit trees down - two figs, a peach, a plum, and an apple.

The peach was too shaded and never fruited. The figs, one died, and they need two, so the other was ugly and never fruited. The plum, neither of us like plums, and those damn things go from not anywhere close to ripe, to falling off the tree overnight; and we despised cleaning those mf'ers up. The apple needed a second tree to fruit, and it didn't make sense where they planted it anyway. We still have the pear tree, but it hardly ever fruits.