Garden 2022

[Bacpacker]

Wow, what a load. That'll make anything grow

 

[UrbanHunter]

Today, I was watering my indoor growing station and realized that I have a couple of plants that have out grown their station and that I am out of potting soil. So I made a run to HD after work to pick up a couple bags and then I repotted a cabbage and a broccoli, the cabbage was about 18" across and the broccoli was larger than that. The cabbage appeared to be starting to make a head, but it looked loose so I moved them outside into a boot tray after repotting. I hope I don't shock them too much, the temperature where they had been is about 54F and the low tonight is expected to be 39F. I hope I didn't make a mistake. but I am excited about getting things rotating.

 

[Bacpacker]

That sounds great Urban. I'd love some fresh cabbage.

I plan to start assembling my new beds when I get home from work tomorrow. If all goes well I should have 3 filled by the weekend.

 

[joel]

Looks to be rotten too, well into the heat cycle.

 

[UrbanHunter]

It got a little colder than I expected, 32F but the water didn't freeze and the plants don't look too sad. The broccoli had been bumping up against the grow lights so it's a little sad, but I noticed a little head on it.

The wife thinks I'm a little off because I am trying to grow things in a 1 off manner and I keep focusing on the things that don't grow well here....

My goal has always been to have a steady supply of fresh veggies year round, but not have an overabundance at any given time... For example I would like to have fresh carrots every month without having to go to the store to buy any. Here we have lots of caterpillars that love cabbage and broccoli, I am trying to address that.

I am trying to make do with a postage stamp garden and it is a real pain, but I have created a 4'X4' indoor growing station where I can start plants and then move them outside just long enough to go to harvest. This allows me to be constantly rotating my crops and making maximum use of my space. but it is a lot of work...

 

[UrbanHunter]

Yesterday I ordered some more seeds (the wife found something I had to have), some insect netting, and some high hoops for insect control this year. Last year I had container broccoli growing well between my raised beds for tomatoes but the caterpillars got to it. This year I plan to net the whole works (kinda like mosquito netting over a bed) to keep the butterflies from landing.

My indoor growing station is now full of plants and the outdoor solar is now powering the grow lights 50% of the time.

Over the next 3 weeks I plan to double my outdoor solar and turn on my water collection system: The 10 day weather forecast has 4 days with 20 degree nights and from there on the lows should be just above freezing, so once I am past that point I will start filling my rain barrels. It is amazing how much easier things are when all you have to do is install 2 caps and close 1 valve to turn the collection system on. This year I will be able to use the solar to drive my irrigation pump, so I am slowly moving to a sustainable system.

 

[Neb]

Yesterday I ordered some more seeds (the wife found something I had to have), some insect netting, and some high hoops for insect control this year. Last year I had container broccoli growing well between my raised beds for tomatoes but the caterpillars got to it. This year I plan to net the whole works (kinda like mosquito netting over a bed) to keep the butterflies from landing.

My indoor growing station is now full of plants and the outdoor solar is now powering the grow lights 50% of the time.

Over the next 3 weeks I plan to double my outdoor solar and turn on my water collection system: The 10 day weather forecast has 4 days with 20 degree nights and from there on the lows should be just above freezing, so once I am past that point I will start filling my rain barrels. It is amazing how much easier things are when all you have to do is install 2 caps and close 1 valve to turn the collection system on. This year I will be able to use the solar to drive my irrigation pump, so I am slowly moving to a sustainable system.

Good point.

I should get as well since broccoli is planned for this year.

Ben

 

[LadyLocust]

Yesterday I ordered some more seeds (the wife found something I had to have), some insect netting, and some high hoops for insect control this year. Last year I had container broccoli growing well between my raised beds for tomatoes but the caterpillars got to it. This year I plan to net the whole works (kinda like mosquito netting over a bed) to keep the butterflies from landing.

My indoor growing station is now full of plants and the outdoor solar is now powering the grow lights 50% of the time.

Over the next 3 weeks I plan to double my outdoor solar and turn on my water collection system: The 10 day weather forecast has 4 days with 20 degree nights and from there on the lows should be just above freezing, so once I am past that point I will start filling my rain barrels. It is amazing how much easier things are when all you have to do is install 2 caps and close 1 valve to turn the collection system on. This year I will be able to use the solar to drive my irrigation pump, so I am slowly moving to a sustainable system.

You need a pet chicken. Don't feed it veggies or scraps - it will eat your bugs.

I have 32 pepper (Anaheim) sprouts and a bunch of hollyhock sprouts. I will get them transplanted from the flat to little seed pots tomorrow. Will have to start something else in the flats - can't have them empty you know.

 

[Neb]

Broccoli and onions have sprouted. I cleared the weed covers from 4 of my 5 potato beds. Looks like I have plenty of seed potatoes for this year. I still have 2 months until I can plant them and avoid frost damage. I also spotted 2 praying mantis egg cases before I accidently trashed them.

The Princess decided that the garden beds will be used as gardens instead of a nursery like last year.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

I have a bed of outdoor onions with about 1" of new growth above the soil line. I now have spinach at every stage of growth from seedling to ready to harvest big leaves growing in my outdoor raised beds, I will be harvesting on Sunday.

7 of the strawberry roots I planted in the house now have green growth showing, I think I will just keep them in the house.

This is the first time that I can remember the outdoor raised beds producing all year, usually between January and March they just give up but not this year.

I am getting closer to my goal of having a year round growing operation, now I just need to get it to be economical.....
Then again I may not need to reduce costs much, inflation may increase the cost of store bought veggies to match my costs

 

[Terri9630]

Got the onions planted. I want to put some hardware cloth over the outdoor garden. The hail about killed our corn twice last year and set the potatoes back a bit.

 

[Pearl]

I have a bed of outdoor onions with about 1" of new growth above the soil line. I now have spinach at every stage of growth from seedling to ready to harvest big leaves growing in my outdoor raised beds, I will be harvesting on Sunday.

7 of the strawberry roots I planted in the house now have green growth showing, I think I will just keep them in the house.

This is the first time that I can remember the outdoor raised beds producing all year, usually between January and March they just give up but not this year.

I am getting closer to my goal of having a year round growing operation, now I just need to get it to be economical.....
Then again I may not need to reduce costs much, inflation may increase the cost of store bought veggies to match my costs

Thanks for your posts, I'm enjoying following your progress!

 

[joel]

My onions are six inches high & elephant Garlic is eight inches high, but no beets or radishes as of yet.

 

[LadyLocust]

I might be a little anxious. I planted radishes and scallions a week or so ago (outside) before snowy weather so I might be seeing them soon - or they rotted and I will reseed.
I've started a few things inside, but today: I transplanted 16 hollyhocks & 36 anaheim peppers from flats to cells/pots. I also planted cabbage, broccoli, 3 kinds of tomatoes, savory and lettuce. Will see what happens. I haven't even started on the flowers yet. Well, except for the hollyhocks. Those seeds were several years old so I didn't actually think they would germinate. I have some other seeds I will do the same with. If they are that old, they need to be dealt with.

 

[Neb]

I might be a little anxious. I planted radishes and scallions a week or so ago (outside) before snowy weather so I might be seeing them soon - or they rotted and I will reseed.
I've started a few things inside, but today: I transplanted 16 hollyhocks & 36 anaheim peppers from flats to cells/pots. I also planted cabbage, broccoli, 3 kinds of tomatoes, savory and lettuce. Will see what happens. I haven't even started on the flowers yet. Well, except for the hollyhocks. Those seeds were several years old so I didn't actually think they would germinate. I have some other seeds I will do the same with. If they are that old, they need to be dealt with.

Agreed.

When I planted broccoli I planted a few varieties to check viability.

The pot in the top right corner has seeds from 2018 and no sprouts. All the others came up. All were atored together in non frost free freezer. So 4 years is pushing it for broccoli seeds.

Ben

 

[Bacpacker]

Checked a couple of my beds tonight. The one I just planted has a few radishes popping up, also saw 2 peas had broke thru. The other bed is where I planted my asparagus last year. I just put down some 0-46-0 fertilize (Phosphorus) a couple weeks ago. Tonight i s=found a couple spears up. Nice thick ones too. We'll get to pick a few messes this year before letting them grow out. Next year should be a nice harvest year. Bed we used to have, we would harvest until we got sick of eating it.
Got my new raised beds placed tonight. Gonna put down chicken wire and fill half way with old wood. Then fill with mushroom compost. Gottta make a run for that first thing tomorrow. Hopefully I can move fast enough to get a second load tomorrow afternoon.

 

[Neb]

While clearing rhe garden beds today I found another praying mantis egg case!

Yeah!

I have most of the beds on this side if the house cleaned up.

There will have to be a lot of sharing if trees and bushes sharing boxes with vegetables but it should be dun squeezing them all in.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

Last night the water in the boot-tray that I am using as a planter froze about 1/2" thick, I am glad that on Thursday I brought the plants back in.

Today I started cutting the new framework for the enlarged solar array, it sits in the middle of my raised beds and feeds my indoor growing station so it's gardening (sort of).

This afternoon, I moved 2 cabbages and 2 broccoli back out into the boot tray on the outdoor shelf for them, my netting arrived so I will also start making frames to hold that in place. When moving the broccoli I noticed the small head was about to flower, so I ate it, it's the little things that make life worth while.

About half of the onion sets I planted have come up, the bird netting over that bed has kept the animal (dog/cat) from making anymore deposits.

Some more netting and seed arrived today, the loops for the netting looks to be too short, but I think I can use green planting stakes to make new taller legs.

I did plant a couple of starter pots today, lettuce, cauliflower, and broccoli.

Last night I harvested a few baby beet leaves to add to our salad, they were a lovely purple-ish color with sweet taste, the salad was nice and we are looking forward to the first major greens harvest for the year, tomorrow. I have lettuce, spinach, beet greens, carrots, and green onions ready to harvest

 

[LadyLocust]

@UrbanHunter I like beet greens in our salads.
@Neb Ben, you already have things growing outside! Wow.
I seeded 6 different types of cottage flowers inside - will see what grows. I have to remember it's only March and we are likely to get more winter yet.

 

[Bacpacker]

Here are a few pics I took today. I've got garlic growing in 3 different beds, Also have asparagus starting to come up. Lay out of my beds so far. And the inside of one of my new beds being filled.

 

[Bacpacker]

I layed out a bunch of cardboard last night and set the beds in place. Today it got very gusty and I chased cardboard around at times. I'm trying to keep the weeds down.

 

[Pearl]

Here are a few pics I took today. I've got garlic growing in 3 different beds, Also have asparagus starting to come up. Lay out of my beds so far. And the inside of one of my new beds being filled.


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Great pictures!!

 

[UrbanHunter]

Went out to work in the garden, as soon as I stepped out it started raining. The temperature is about 65 and the rain wasn't too cold so I did a little weeding. I opened up all the raised lids to let the rain water the plants.
Raised bed with Lid closed:

What's inside:

Onions:
and the shelf with my broccoli, bucket carrots, and cabbage:

I got a little weeding done and then decided I was soaked.

 

[elkhound]

garlic is looking better after being under snow and ice for so long.

 

[Tommyice]

Looking good Elk. Is that Martin’s garlic descendants?

 

[elkhound]

Looking good Elk. Is that Martin’s garlic descendants?

yes..its all i grow now..keep trying other cultivars but this just out performs all others. been growing this since 05 or 06 so its really acclimated to my garden. i get a funny feeling looking at the garlic knowing he is gone now.

i have a few other items he sent me last few years i hope to expand and get into hands of others...makah tribe potatoes,amish bottle onion and golden shallots from back in the 40's.these shallots dont bloom you replant bulbs.they are totally different from potato onion. i noticed a few sprouting in garden other day so hopefully get a decent harvest this year.

 

[UrbanHunter]

I have 3 raised beds along the south side of the house 3'X8', one has onions up, the other has a small patch of hold over beets in the center 1/3 of the bed, I went out, dug and amended the soil a bit and planted 6-3' rows of beet seeds I just got. The package says they reach maturity in 50 days, I've got to see that. But if we could be harvesting beets by early June that would be something.

I have been having trouble with an animal digging up my open topped raised and making deposits, so this time I covered the two beds that have things planted in them with loose bird netting. I don't think it will take more than one time of getting tangled up in that stuff to make it think long and hard before jumping into one of those beds.

When I was a kid we had 3 poodles and they would run through the house like nascar's on banked curves, up the sofa into my parents room then hit the edge of the bed and jump as high as they could before landing in the center of the bed. The parents had a gold bedspread and I had a big orange Cheshire cat, one day the cat was sleeping in the middle of my parents bed when the dogs were let in from the back yard. They came racing through the living room, up and down the sofa into my parents room and then launched into the air! About this time the lead dog realized what was waiting for them, it's ears went straight up but she just couldn't fly... The dog landed in the middle of the cat, the cat started tearing up the dogs, I've heard car wrecks that were quieter... after that the dogs would race up to the bed, look over the landscape, and then run to the back door to make their high speed approach. My point is even dumb dogs remember a bad experience...

 

[WVDragonlady]

Started my summer veggies this morning.
Doing the old seeds in a paper towel in a baggie

Doing zukes, cukes, tomatoes, cantaloupes. peppers

I have to go back and start more seeds that I tried starting in the greenhouse weeks ago. Nothing germinated even though I was using heat mats and grow lights.
So much for following that guy in zone 7 Md and his cold frame seed starting info.

I'll start the seeds in paper towels and see if that works. Hopefully I'll get some starts to plant before it gets too hot.
I won't make that mistake next year

Live and learn

 

[UrbanHunter]

Started my summer veggies this morning.
Doing the old seeds in a paper towel in a baggie

Doing zukes, cukes, tomatoes, cantaloupes. peppers

I have to go back and start more seeds that I tried starting in the greenhouse weeks ago. Nothing germinated even though I was using heat mats and grow lights.
So much for following that guy in zone 7 Md and his cold frame seed starting info.

I'll start the seeds in paper towels and see if that works. Hopefully I'll get some starts to plant before it gets too hot.
I won't make that mistake next year

Live and learn

The only seeds I start outdoors in my covered raised beds in winter are spinach, they seem to like the cold to get started, then I bring them back inside to grow. I tend to start my seeds inside, then I move them to larger pots and eventually outdoors. I have some onions, parsley, oregano, and a little spinach that make it thorugh the winter under the covered raised beds, but that's about it.

FYI I am in zone 7 too, but I have spent years learning what not to do and every year I learn something else...

 

[UrbanHunter]

Well yesterday it got to 80F and rained, last night it got into the 30s and the high today is in the low 40s, rest of the week expected to be in the 40s and 50s followed be a freeze over the weekend. I hope the beets I planted on Sunday make it through all this shifting weather. They are in one of the 5 raised beds that are not covered and they have no protection from the cold swings, but they are on the south side of the house and get full sun, time will tell.

The broccoli and cabbage I moved outside seem to be doing okay, they are cold weather plants and can handle temperatures into the high 20s, but the 60 mile an hour winds we have been having is not helping them any....