Garden 2024!

[joel]

This is what Lowes sent me, without the blooms..

 

[Snowman]

I Know how You Feel...!!!

 

[Snowman]

The potatoes are looking good.

View attachment 130271

After I whack more weeds I can work over 2.5 raised beds to process and plant.

Ben

'bout how many 'taters do You get with that size RB...?!?

 

[Neb]

'bout how many 'taters do You get with that size RB...?!?

This is my first year with 2 foot tall raised beds. So I can't say.

Ben

 

[Snowman]

OK, Now what is in that RB for the 'taters to Thrive on...?!? Type of Dirt, Soil and Rock...?? I am Curious as I might give that a try in that NE Corner of the Backyard...! TIA...

 

[Patchouli]

@LadyLocust, please be careful with your beautiful japanese honeysuckle - they're terribly invasive. I cringe to say anything because I don't want to rain on your happiness..... but, well, we're struggling to save several acres from japanese honeysuckle. We have bush honeysuckle and vining (japanese) honeysuckle - both will take over an ecosystem, but the vining honeysuckle is harder to eliminate.
So it seems kinder to mention a warning rather than keeping silent.

Aw heck. I haven't put it in the ground yet but bought a Mexican honeysuckle with the little orange flowers. Does it take over too?

 

[Neb]

OK, Now what is in that RB for the 'taters to Thrive on...?!? Type of Dirt, Soil and Rock...?? I am Curious as I might give that a try in that NE Corner of the Backyard...! TIA...

It is based on a hugelkulture idea.

A 1/8 in wire fabric is at the base to allow for drainage and to keep voles out but allow worms in. Bottom 12 inches were filled with rotting logs that have been stacked for 7-8 years. On top of that is a layer of sticks and cuttings from last winter pruning. The bed was then filled to the top with Special Mix.

Special Mix is 50/50 leaf compost and mushroom manure the local landscape supply place. I believe it goes for $20 for a 1/2 cubic yard. I add bone meal to the hole for each seed potato. I have grown 10' tall corn in 6" of Special Mix.

I hope that helps.

Ben

 

[UrbanHunter]

Potatoes in the background:

Second and third planting of Spinach:

Squash

Current Irrigation controls Project:

I have some nice looking soft ball sized cabbages, the Baby-Choy appears to have bolted already

 

[goshengirl]

OK, Now what is in that RB for the 'taters to Thrive on...?!? Type of Dirt, Soil and Rock...?? I am Curious as I might give that a try in that NE Corner of the Backyard...! TIA...

For what it's worth, the best potato harvest I ever had was in 12" raised beds where I'd mixed in a whole lot of dead leaves the previous fall. Native soil, clay and slightly acidic.

Aw heck. I haven't put it in the ground yet but bought a Mexican honeysuckle with the little orange flowers. Does it take over too?

Mexican honeysuckle? I'm not familiar with that. Do you have the scientific name?
There are some honeysuckles native to North America. I'm wondering if 'Mexican honeysuckle' might be what it's known as in your area, but we call it something else in my area. I'd love to know!

 

[goshengirl]

@Patchouli, just did a little checking, and there's a bush called Mexican honeysuckle with the scientific name Justicia spicigera. If that's what you have, it's not a true honeysuckle. But I couldn't figure out if it was invasive or not. But since I did a search for "Mexican honeysuckle" with "invasive" and didn't pull up any articles, that's probably a good sign.

 

[Neb]

Potatoes in the background:
View attachment 130301

Second and third planting of Spinach:
View attachment 130302

View attachment 130303
Squash

View attachment 130304
Current Irrigation controls Project:

View attachment 130305
I have some nice looking soft ball sized cabbages, the Baby-Choy appears to have bolted already

Flowers on your spuds!

12 zone manifold. Nice.

Ben

 

[Amish Heart]

You get the biggest potato plant prize, Urban! Making mine look dwarf!

 

[Pearl]

@Peanut sorry to see that man !

i just came in from checking garden...i AM SO MAD RIGHT NOW...i am about to blow a gasket..something got through my electrified garden fence and chewed all over my bench grafted apple trees...i mean they grubbed some back to the wood stem....one they even bit through the scion piece i grafted...another they ate down to graft itself...so theres no bud to come back from that....i am so pissed off right now i cant see straight...something is going to die over this..probably a bunch of something...compost everything i tell ya...i be straight up honest...i spent as much as $50 for a single scion this year to get started on these trees better and faster....

you ever see a man in bibs with a brown barreled rifle...you know something is about to die...!! make a preacher cuss i tell ya...dam and double dam !

You will have to kill mommy deer!

 

[UrbanHunter]

Thanks @Neb and @Amish Heart, the secret is those high dollar pantry potatoes, wife kept saying where are you taking those things? We have been getting rain almost every day and things just took off. I've been harvesting spinach and lettuce every 3 days and I am still falling behind. I keep dreaming of what I could do with a real garden....

 

[Neb]

You will have to kill mommy deer!

Dear netting works. It is pain to manage but deer don't like it.

Ben

 

[Amish Heart]

Yep, Urban. You can vacation at my place anytime. I just plant stuff wherever when I have time.
Seriously, though, at least this year I'm looking up companion planting.
The bigger the ground garden, though, the more the weeds come. Next month I'll be screaming about weeds.

 

[Patchouli]

@Patchouli, just did a little checking, and there's a bush called Mexican honeysuckle with the scientific name Justicia spicigera. If that's what you have, it's not a true honeysuckle. But I couldn't figure out if it was invasive or not. But since I did a search for "Mexican honeysuckle" with "invasive" and didn't pull up any articles, that's probably a good sign.

Yes, I did a quick search and that is the name I found. Looking in the plant pot just now, there is no Latin name for it and unfortunately it says it is an annual. Given a mild enough winter it might make it through once or twice. Moderate to fast growth rate, depends on conditions whether it becomes invasive. Thank you for your response.

 

[elkhound]

You will have to kill mommy deer!

i dont think so....a deer got inside electric fence a few weeks ago...first time in forever...i have tomato cages stacked like firewood along fence..it got its legs through the cages and i could see it took about 3 big bounds in garden jumping about 10ft at a time in semi circle and went right back out..it broke insulators off posts,stretch wire and scattered cages outside fence..i bet it was a sight to see and i bet that electric eat him/her up and having cages all tangled up too.....

i do believe it was rabbits...i now have trees inside fence as usually with a second net fence around them...we shall see.

 

[joel]

Mexican Honeysuckle Care​

As evidenced by its tolerance to a wide variety of soil and growing conditions, Mexican honeysuckle plants are an excellent choice for carefree wildlife landscapes. When planting, choose a location that receives direct sunlight, though the plants will tolerate some shade. For best results, water evenly and consistently throughout the season, as a means to promote prolonged bloom time. Due to its ease of care, many growers may be left to wonder, ‘Is Mexican honeysuckle invasive?’ This answer may vary greatly depending upon where you live, as there has been evidence that the plant may become invasive in certain conditions. To specifically answer that question, it is important that gardeners first contact their local agricultural extension office. Local agriculture agents can provide detailed and specific information regarding plant culture where you live. Proper research and attention to detail is an important step to preserving native landscapes and habitats
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/mexican-honeysuckle/mexican-honeysuckle-care.htm#:~:text=Due to its ease of,become invasive in certain conditions.

I have use invasive plants in containers to control them, as well as weekly inspection & remover of new growth.
With some Goldenrod, I just pulled up the rhyzomes as the shoot grew outside of the bed.
I like the Mexican honeysuckle photos, so I could grow it in zone 8.

 

[Snowman]

Bought one of these :

and the Pic showed a White Rose Bush, this is what is showing this AM :

Tis U T Full, just isn't in Me Color Scheme...!!!

 

[joel]

If you are going to a Big Box store, then you may end up with anything.
Years a go I was in a K-mart & they had a sale on pink flower mix including pink Daffodils.
I score big time pink daffodils on sale, none of the other plant lived, but the daffodils are Ice Follies.
But the wrong color is still a multiply of the years & I got the flower every Spring after dividing them in a timely manner.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

A lady I clean for asked me this the other day!! She's going to try it next year, looking for more info and tips first!! If gets any good info/tips I'll pass them along!!

I would so appreciate it!! It has been a bit tricky for me to make it flourish.

 

[GeorgiaPeachie]

I believe it was deer that did in one my dwarf apple trees. Ate it right down to the graft.

Ben

Rabbits absolutely love apple tree bark and branches. But of course they could not bring down a tree. I give all my apple tree trimmings to my rabbits over the year.

EDITED to change “could” to “could not”. I really don’t like making silly mistakes when posting.

 

[Neb]

Radishes, lettuce, beans have germinated. Time to plant more radishes.

Ben

 

[Snowman]

New Progress on Fruit Trees :

1st(.001) pic is #3 of 6 Grapefruit Trees, still awaiting the beginning of #5...

2nd(.002) is the Mango and Royal Poincianas...

3rd(.003) is just the Mangos...

4th(.004) is the red Poin's and 5th(.005) is the Yellow Poin's... I turning them so they get the AM Sun...

 

[Snowman]

More pics of what is hiding out front :

+ Mother's Day Flowers are still Blooming despite the strong winds recently...

#5(.010) has a Surprise Bumbling around...

 

[Snowman]

Odds and Ends :

#3(.014) and more are Red Raspberries turning DARK in Color...!!!

 

[Snowman]

Backyard Progress :

Some Glads breaking thru around BushieBooBoo Resting Spot...

 

[Snowman]

Black Raspberries, Black Grapes and some Wild Red Raspberries :

 

[Snowman]

Now Grapes and Red Rasp's :

#044 is Wild Rasp's...