Garden 2020.

[Meerkat]

Sounds like San Marzano tomatos. We grow them some years. They are very good.

BackP are you still using from Baker Seeds? we used seeds from one sourcc that did'nt do too good this fall.

 

[Bacpacker]

I sure do. I'll order certain stuff from other places, such as tomatos and peppers from Totally Tomatos. But the bulk of my seed comes from Baker Creek.

 

[Meerkat]

I sure do. I'll order certain stuff from other places, such as tomatos and peppers from Totally Tomatos. But the bulk of my seed comes from Baker Creek.

I'm not sure it was the seeds we ordered from another seed supplier but they didn't do well at all.
So guess I'll order from Bakers Seeds again and see if they still have those little lemom squash too.

 

[Bacpacker]

I saw those somewhere in one of my catalogs. Let me see if I can find them again. I'll post up a link if I do. I plan on trying them as well.

 

[Bacpacker]

It was Baker Creek I saw them on.

https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/squash/summer-squash/lemon-squash

 

[Meerkat]

I saw those somewhere in one of my catalogs. Let me see if I can find them again. I'll post up a link if I do. I plan on trying them as well.

OK thats good I grw them one time about 15 yr ago. I really liked them they are bright yellow.

 

[LadyLocust]

I had more Roma tomatoes than any of the others. Hundreds of them on 3 plants. We made spaghetti sauce and it's not very tasty.
I grow a cherry tomato out front by the gate so I can just grab a handful as I walk by. Those were good but a big wind destroyed the plant.
I bought my seeds from MIgardener and had good success with the seeds. He charges .99 a package.

I'm not very good at starting them from seed - actually the hardening off part. I'm gone all day so can't bring them in if the weather changes which it does often that time of year. I buy organically grown baby plants and put them in the ground.

 

[backlash]

I actually don't spend much time hardening them. I grow seedlings in my shop, then move them to my hoop house, and as soon as frost danger is over I plant them in the garden. If they aren't tough to survive then they were obviously weakling seedlings.

 

[MoBookworm1957]

Meeee tooooo! I was thinking I might plant some lettuce in a pot for in the house
I'm just hopeless

Already got my lettuce planted in flower pot covered in quart bag as mini greenhouse.
Seeds just peeking thru the planting mix.

 

[Meerkat]

It was Baker Creek I saw them on.

https://www.rareseeds.com/store/vegetables/squash/summer-squash/lemon-squash

Thanks BaxkP .I'm just getting back to this thread so went to site and requested a catalog. Need to order some more veggy seeds . Plus put the lemon squash in cart to order next couple weeks.

 

[backlash]

I actually went to the store looking for seeds and flower bulbs. It is still too early but I have garden fever already.

 

[Terri9630]

I actually went to the store looking for seeds and flower bulbs. It is still too early but I have garden fever already.

Me too.

 

[Meerkat]

I actually went to the store looking for seeds and flower bulbs. It is still too early but I have garden fever already.

Me too.

Well hopefully I'll catch it from ya'll. I can't get into the mood for it.
Fighting this dpression from partial loss of site. Really miss driving!

 

[Tank-Girl]

Ripping out my 3 year old capsicums and replanting with large red hybrid called Harley.

I'm going to try to grow storage onions for the first time and a sweet bulbing variety.
Hunter River Brown.
Creole Red.
Texas Grando Sweet.

These varieties were chosen because they cope with heat and then for storage except the Texas which I want to grow for the kick of growing a huge onion and for drying.

I found a supplier that sells nursery grade weed mat for the same price as the thinner home gardener grade.
I am utterly sick of weeds growing through the thinner mat which then has to be ripped up and thrown in the bin after a single season.
Don't get me wrong it worked like a charm but I expected it to last for more than one growing season.

I am going to have to get silage tarps to bed down my garden properly at the end of Winter / veggie growing season.
Summer is just hell and the heat this year had a intensity I just haven't felt in all the years I've lived here.
The UV has been so strong you feel like you are being microwaved as soon as you go out in the sun.
The garden has gotten out of hand and I'm killing myself every morning and afternoon to get it back under control.
Better to tarp it at the end of the season and walk away from it and not touch it again till cooler weather.

So, more money spent on landscaping fabrics and I promised myself I'd install irrigation but fabrics have taken priority.

 

[backlash]

silage tarp

Why didn't I think of that? I hate weeding and every year I fight weeds constantly. This year I am going to put down weed blocking fabric and I am going to leave more space between rows so I can either mow or till between the plants.
I will be looking for a silage tarp.

 

[dademoss]

I am going to leave more space between rows so I can either mow or till between the plants.

I plant almost everything 1 mower width apart

 

[Support Gunner]

Why didn't I think of that? I hate weeding and every year I fight weeds constantly. This year I am going to put down weed blocking fabric and I am going to leave more space between rows so I can either mow or till between the plants.
I will be looking for a silage tarp.

The fabric is a joke. Lol Weeds will still grow through and you dont get the air flow and it block nutrients getting into the ground.

We researched alot about the fabric and decided against it.

What I found out works for us is Preen weed preventer. Till the garden, put it down and then reapply every 4 to 6 weeks. We barely had any weeds and it didnt hurt the garden.

My girls Aunt uses grass clippings in their garden to keep the weeds out. Just put a nice layer in the garden.

As for spacing, or garden is 30 feet by 25 feet so we are able to have about 3 feet spacing between rows.

An that 3 feet disappears when the tomatoe plants branch out. Lol

 

[backlash]

As for spacing, or garden is 30 feet by 25 feet so we are able to have about 3 feet spacing between rows.

An that 3 feet disappears when the tomatoe plants branch out. Lol

I thought I had left plenty of room between rows last year but like you the tomato plants filled all the space and it was a mess.
I'm going to make an archway trellis for the tomatoes this year. I'll use a cattle panel and plant 1 tomato on each side then keep the plant trained up the trellis. That's the plan but I know how plans work out sometimes.

 

[Support Gunner]

I thought I had left plenty of room between rows last year but like you the tomato plants filled all the space and it was a mess.
I'm going to make an archway trellis for the tomatoes this year. I'll use a cattle panel and plant 1 tomato on each side then keep the plant trained up the trellis. That's the plan but I know how plans work out sometimes.

Cattle panels are awesome for trellis. We use those for our cucumber plants. Was thinking about using those for tomatoe plants as well.

 

[Bacpacker]

I thought I had left plenty of room between rows last year but like you the tomato plants filled all the space and it was a mess.
I'm going to make an archway trellis for the tomatoes this year. I'll use a cattle panel and plant 1 tomato on each side then keep the plant trained up the trellis. That's the plan but I know how plans work out sometimes.

I started using the panels last year on cucumbers and tomatos. They worked really well. I did pick up a bag of these to use and help hold the vines up on the panels as they grow.

https://www.amazon.com/Support-Gree...1?keywords=plant+clips&qid=1580685505&sr=8-41

The ones I got were black, but they are easy to install and easy to remove

 

[Support Gunner]

I started using the panels last year on cucumbers and tomatos. They worked really well. I did pick up a bag of these to use and help hold the vines up on the panels as they grow.

https://www.amazon.com/Support-Gree...1?keywords=plant+clips&qid=1580685505&sr=8-41

The ones I got were black, but they are easy to install and easy to remove

Those are nice. We just used some green dollar general twine to help the plants get a start climbing the trellis.

 

[Meerkat]

I thought I had left plenty of room between rows last year but like you the tomato plants filled all the space and it was a mess.
I'm going to make an archway trellis for the tomatoes this year. I'll use a cattle panel and plant 1 tomato on each side then keep the plant trained up the trellis. That's the plan but I know how plans work out sometimes.

Good idea BackL.

 

[Meerkat]

I started using the panels last year on cucumbers and tomatos. They worked really well. I did pick up a bag of these to use and help hold the vines up on the panels as they grow.

https://www.amazon.com/Support-Gree...1?keywords=plant+clips&qid=1580685505&sr=8-41

The ones I got were black, but they are easy to install and easy to remove

Looks easier than the green tape or plastic ties. Thanks BackP.

 

[Terri9630]

My girls Aunt uses grass clippings in their garden to keep the weeds out. Just put a nice layer in the garden.

Be careful with the grass clippings. Some will root (Bermuda!!) and take over garden and you'll be fighting it forever.

 

[Peanut]

We sort of do it the old school way... I use an old set of John Deere 2 row planters set on 36inch centers to plant almost everything in the garden... Things like potatoes and tomatoes have to be planted or set out by hand. Even then using cultivators to lay out the rows they can still be set on 36 inch centers.

Using 36inch centers allows us to use a small Massey Ferguson tractor or an old ford 2000 to plow the garden until plants get to tall or spread out to far. By that time produce is so close to harvest any grass that does grow has no real effect.

Random garden pics from years gone by... Our garden is on a very slight slope which makes it easy to irrigate during really dry years.

Terri is right bermuda grass will almost ruin a garden.

 

[Support Gunner]

Be careful with the grass clippings. Some will root (Bermuda!!) and take over garden and you'll be fighting it forever.

Didnt know that.

 

[Terri9630]

Didnt know that.

I found out the hard way. They spread by rhizomes and if there are any nodes in your clippings it will send out roots.

 

[LadyLocust]

@Bacpacker Just wanted to thank you for the onion info. Finally had a chance to watch it and look into it a bit. Good info.! Need to figure out which variety I want.

 

[Bacpacker]

@Bacpacker Just wanted to thank you for the onion info. Finally had a chance to watch it and look into it a bit. Good info.! Need to figure out which variety I want.

You are very welcome!

 

[Patchouli]

@Peanut are you on either of those tractors?
It's nice to hear about everybody getting geared up for gardening!