Garden 2021

[UrbanHunter]

Went out and worked a little in the garden... I found a preying mantis and a couple of bell peppers... I takes so little to brighten my day.... My 3rd planting of bush beans came up. Now if I can just finish the rain water irrigation system and get all the planters organized so I have room to move I can sit back and just start harvesting....

Last night the wife made something for dinner (not sure what to call it), it was shredded cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, and potatoes grilled in bacon fat, with fried bacon crumbled in, usually she adds vinegar and I don't like it, but last night she left it out and I thought it was great. Everything but the bacon came out of the garden... I got to find some of the bacon seeds......

 

[UrbanHunter]

I trimmed down a pallet to hold 4 square containers, then attached a set of uprights in the middle and made a 7' high trellis between the 2 rows of 2 planters, added a little wire fencing and now I can support the last batch of tomato plants. It is hot and humid here, everything looks, wilted including me...

 

[Biggkidd]

Went out and worked a little in the garden... I found a preying mantis and a couple of bell peppers... I takes so little to brighten my day.... My 3rd planting of bush beans came up. Now if I can just finish the rain water irrigation system and get all the planters organized so I have room to move I can sit back and just start harvesting....

Last night the wife made something for dinner (not sure what to call it), it was shredded cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, and potatoes grilled in bacon fat, with fried bacon crumbled in, usually she adds vinegar and I don't like it, but last night she left it out and I thought it was great. Everything but the bacon came out of the garden... I got to find some of the bacon seeds......

I'm always having more bacon seeds than I want come get some. American Guinea Hog piglets that is. My oldest daughter took one to Richmond as a pet so don't try the I live in a neighborhood thing. lmao

 

[UrbanHunter]

I put up chains above my raise beds to give the cucumbers something to climb on.

I harvested my first Kohlrabi, I have tried to grow it before in the raised beds but the bugs got into the base. This time I started them indoors and continued to grow them in shallow containers, the white butterfly's that make the green caterpillars gave me fits, but I got a crop.

I am enjoying the new raised beds, with the layered planting and making the tomatoes grow up I am getting some interesting results, the spinach on the North side is shaded and is growing like it is 20 degrees cooler, the bell peppers on the South side are happy with the extra sun, the cucumbers hanging over head are getting full sun all day and are putting out runners to the chains. I am seeing lots of bees and other fly insects, I think there are advantages from having more flowers in a small space. The only thing that set me back was my tennis ball lettuce attracted slugs and I lost 1/2 the plants to them. The transplanted broccoli that is in a container between 2 of the rows likes the extra shade, it does not appear near as wilted as it brothers that were left in the other container.

 

[Neb]

Don't dismiss the tennis ball lettuce

Itmay be a sacrifricial crop and saving your other crops.

Ben

 

[winds-of-change]

I put up chains above my raise beds to give the cucumbers something to climb on.

I harvested my first Kohlrabi, I have tried to grow it before in the raised beds but the bugs got into the base. This time I started them indoors and continued to grow them in shallow containers, the white butterfly's that make the green caterpillars gave me fits, but I got a crop.

I am enjoying the new raised beds, with the layered planting and making the tomatoes grow up I am getting some interesting results, the spinach on the North side is shaded and is growing like it is 20 degrees cooler, the bell peppers on the South side are happy with the extra sun, the cucumbers hanging over head are getting full sun all day and are putting out runners to the chains. I am seeing lots of bees and other fly insects, I think there are advantages from having more flowers in a small space. The only thing that set me back was my tennis ball lettuce attracted slugs and I lost 1/2 the plants to them. The transplanted broccoli that is in a container between 2 of the rows likes the extra shade, it does not appear near as wilted as it brothers that were left in the other container.

I LOVE kohlrabi. It’s almost impossible to find in stores. I like to just peel it and eat it raw.

 

[UrbanHunter]

This year I have done so much new stuff it's hard to imagine. My tomato patch is now 5' tall, full of bloom and some tomatoes showing. I am on my 2rd planting in the covered raised beds and the picnic table tub crops seem to be doing fine, they are almost ready for the second planting too... The first tub planting of salad stuff will need to be moved under the table, I am thinking of putting them on 2X4s so the slugs don't have direct access to the containers..... I could spray the bottoms with pam, climb that you.. you .... slugs....

I need to get my indoor growing stations cleaned and moved with their new wheels. I am going to add lights to one of them to make it more intensive. I am thinking that each of the 4 levels can represent a different time of the year by increasing the amount and duration of the light being applied.

I ordered 2 pumps today for my multi-level indoor drip irrigation test. I need to move the "Experimental Station" out doors first, who knows if I get up early it could happen before church time...

The trouble is there is just so much to do and I still need to do work stuff (I still like money) and I cannot totally disregard the Honey Doo's.

It's hard to believe that the plants I set out in March in these window box containers have actually produced something you can eat.... without being moved to better digs....

 

[Biggkidd]

I'm always having more bacon seeds than I want come get some. American Guinea Hog piglets that is. My oldest daughter took one to Richmond as a pet so don't try the I live in a neighborhood thing. lmao

UrbanHunter sure you don't want some bacon seeds? More showed up today.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Thanks @Biggkidd, I looked them up (honest), and I don't think I would have the space unless I kept it in the house and the wife say's no dogs, I can't even have a rabbit.... Like I could sneak a pig in unnoticed... You just want to see me sleeping in the shed....

 

[Bacpacker]

Picked another mess of snow peas, our first boysenberries, and a pint or so of blueberries.

 

[Newbri]

Went to the land today and was happy to see all that was growing there already. My sister is focusing on banana, my cousin on banana and cacao.
But other than that, I saw pineapple...

...guava, and apparently avocado trees will get going soon.
I tested out planting the beetroot, got the soil I needed to see how it will grow at home. And for a little construction project - as a sidenote - I found a big pile of red dirt that I can use to make terracotta bricks. So it was a good outing.

I'll probably be back next Sunday.

 

[Newbri]

There's a berry bush I saw the last time we were there but that was almost exactly a year ago and a lot has changed since then. I want to find it and start growing more of them. But they seem to hide themselves pretty well.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Watered the garden, moved the indoor bush beans outside, the had some beans on them so I picked them first, live or die it doesn't matter as I have already had 4 harvests off them and I have planted 4 larger planting outside so far this year. It is already above 80F (26C) and it is expected to by 95F (35C) with 95% humidity by 13:00.... Don't mind the heat, but despise the humidity.

The birds have discovered the chains I hung for my cucumbers to vine on, I think the birds think they are swings.

While watering today I found one of my young trees that is near the hidden entrance to my garden area had a broken branch at about 4' high, tells me that a person was in my yard looking between the grape vines and the fence to see the garden area.... The gap is only 2' wide, and I have electric fence wire on both sides (on the fence and on the edge of the grape trellis), I normally don't have it connected...

I have had law enforcement drop in wanting to see what's growing (they see if from the helicopter) , once they are convinced that it is only veggies they are happy, but usually those guys knock first... The Okra can get them confused, what do you expect from city folks...

 

[Amish Heart]

Wow, Urban. Cops wanting to come see? That's nuts. Sounds like it's time for you to turn on your electric fence, too.
I noticed yesterday that I have some peppers and Yellow crookneck squash just about ready to pick.

 

[UrbanHunter]

Right now I have 6' tall tomatoes growing on a vertical trellis with cucumbers growing over head in a little tiny space hidden from view, from the air it does look a little suspicious. The okra plants can be seen from the road and that has drawn a couple of visits.

The local officers know me and we're good, it's when they get new blood that things get interesting.... I like to keep an okra packet sitting around because it helps in the discussion...

 

[Biggkidd]

Less than a month and it'll be legal to have here, NEVER thought I'd see the day!

 

[UrbanHunter]

Yep, Pot will be legal and Tobacco with be outlawed...

I can see in about 20 years a great many of the population will have COPD and some new lung diseases. My baby sister loved her pot, smoked like a chimney, she died long and slow at a young age.....

I can do without it, I have too many people I want to annoy to shorten my life with stuff like that.

 

[Biggkidd]

Sorry to hear about your sister. Yes tobacco is on the way out which may just kill me it is my worst habit. But then again I have been on borrowed time since 05 so everything since then I feel like has been bonus time. lol Took the Docs from april till Oct to figure out I had MS and the spinal taps 5 of them dang near finished me off. Had spinal fluid leaking inside for months. I didn't know until then that stuff is highly poisonous if it gets outside the cord or brain cavity. When that stuff leaks out your brain shrinks as it dries makes migraines feel like a walk in the park! None of the other symptoms were any fun either...

 

[joel]

About okra & pot a few years back. A LEO just out of the Academy, saw young okra about 30 inches tall in a garden, no one was home. He called it in & pulled up all the plants. When the home owner found out she sued & the Judge gave her high price for market value, at the best she could have raised off her crop in the best years conditions. The poor officer will never live down pulling vegetables as pot crop.

 

[UrbanHunter]

About okra & pot a few years back. A LEO just out of the Academy, saw young okra about 30 inches tall in a garden, no one was home. He called it in & pulled up all the plants. When the home owner found out she sued & the Judge gave her high price for market value, at the best she could have raised off her crop in the best years conditions. The poor officer will never live down pulling vegetables as pot crop.

That's not FUNNY... pulling my okra is one of the few things you can do to me that will draw lead...... Most of the things I grow are for the wife, okra is MINE.....

 

[Bacpacker]

Here are a few more recent pics. 1st one Beans, onions, and taters after working them this week.

My first bell pepper. I also saw last night I've got banana peppers on as well as some other bells and a bunch of japalenos

My fig cuttings are growing well. Gonna plant them this fall.

 

[joel]

Here in South Carolina, we plant okra April 10-June 30 with not problems, only deer seems to like it more than men do. Never had a bug problem with my okra, lost of 30 inch plant is not funny.
The rookie mistake was funny, for everyone but the gardener, who could have replanted for a Fall crop.

 

[Bacpacker]

Here in South Carolina, we plant okra April 10-June 30 with not problems, only deer seems to like it more than men do. Never had a bug problem with my okra, lost of 30 inch plant is not funny.
The rookie mistake was funny, for everyone but the gardener, who could have replanted for a Fall crop.

Old farmer friend of ours told us how to cure the 30" plant deal.
When you cut a pod, cut that leaf with it. Our okra usually gets 5-6' by the end of the year. Much easier on the back.

 

[joel]

Bacpacker,
What kind of fig do you have, I have a Greek green fig plant, no fruit yet, five different kinds of fig cutting & about 60 Brown turkey fig cutting potted up. Nice garden you have there.

 

[Bacpacker]

Thank you
They are Brown Turkey Figs. We've had fruit a couple years, but they never ripen before cold weather. I'm trying to get new plants on put them down in the field where they'll get a lot more sun.

 

[joel]

Early ripen figs
https://mountainfigs.net/mountain-figs/ripening-order/

 

[Terri9630]

Less than a month and it'll be legal to have here, NEVER thought I'd see the day!

Here too.

 

[UrbanHunter]

You know if you grow it and sell it at the farmers market it could be a good cash crop... Yea... That's the ticket, for a retirement plan I'll become a drug dealer... yes, but isn't that wrong? With all the new politics right is wrong, and bad is good... so I must be perfect

 

[UrbanHunter]

My tomatoes are now taller than I am, I saw several little cucumbers on the overhead cucumber plants, so now we are in that waiting pattern where you can see the fruit but it's not ready to be picked.

I told my wife that the way I see it by the second week of July we will be ready to start canning tomato products. Her response was not what I expected, "Mid July, you've got to be kidding... Last time you did this we were canning till the first week of November." I responded, don't worry, the way I have the tomatoes supported it will easy to put a frost shield over them and can keep them going till Christmas (I was telling a tall tail, I hope). My goal is to get 40# of tomatoes per row-foot of tomato plants.

 

[joel]

There are many people who invested in the companies that the first legal pot farmer bought from, by the time the third state had became legal, the supply companies stock went though the roof & investor cashed in a big wind fall. Better than Bit coin for some investors.