GARDENING 2025!

[Patchouli]

What are your plans for the coming year in your garden?
It has been kind of mild here so far for late autumn.
Back in early September I visited with a friend I hadn't seen since we were in our 20s. Her daughter's new property is near here and they gave me a tour of the property. I finally got to see a really big garden that had the shade cloth over the whole thing. That was so cool.
My plans might not include being here so I'm going to be making little plans for growing a few things on a very small scale.

 

[Pearl]

I removed a couple of raised beds that were getting in bad shape and were close to the deer breakfast area! I'll be planting all my usual things, tomatoes, peppers, cukes, squash in pots. Deciding where I might put a couple more raised beds!

 

[ClemKadiddlehopper]

Too soon. Still 5 months before garden season here.

 

[poltiregist]

I ain't doing much in the garden this winter . The squirrels dug up or ate my winter spinach , kale , and cabbage . Though I was up before dawn with my flashlight emptying wood ashes from my heater onto garden beds . I am in the process of adding mushroom logs to my gardening plan . I figure during the touted global winter mushrooms might be a nice dish to have .

 

[Amish Heart]

Only a high temp of 34 here today. No gardening, even the plants in the greenhouse want parkas.

 

[Patchouli]

I ain't doing much in the garden this winter . The squirrels dug up or ate my winter spinach , kale , and cabbage . Though I was up before dawn with my flashlight emptying wood ashes from my heater onto garden beds . I am in the process of adding mushroom logs to my gardening plan . I figure during the touted global winter mushrooms might be a nice dish to have .

Lion’s Mane was something suggested from farmers almanac. Can be grown indoors in sawdust. My LH had some Reishi growing and I didn’t do a thing with it, it continued to grow until I kinda killed it because I didn’t know what to do with it. It got kinda big.
>>Squirrels, little hungry jerks. I put a couple of pots that had leftover dried up/frost hit pansies out back. Squirrels ate them, the whole plant.

 

[RJ2019]

I've got two kinds of cabbage, broccoli and purple cauliflower that won't be ready until well after new year's. The elephant garlic will be ready in late spring. Other than that I need to clear off the top of my refrigerator and turn the grow lights on for seed starting by February.
The south end of my garden was completely taken over by Bermuda grass this year because I put in an irrigation system and it likes the water. It was really fun digging up the potatoes this year. So, I think I'm going to be running 10' wide sheets of black plastic over that section and suffocate it. I can cut holes in it for planting and plant a little earlier there, too.

 

[Amish Heart]

I start seeding under lights in February, too.

 

[Weedygarden]

Too soon. Still 5 months before garden season here.

Well the seed catalogs are arriving, so the planning has begun!

 

[Weedygarden]

I ain't doing much in the garden this winter . The squirrels dug up or ate my winter spinach , kale , and cabbage . Though I was up before dawn with my flashlight emptying wood ashes from my heater onto garden beds . I am in the process of adding mushroom logs to my gardening plan . I figure during the touted global winter mushrooms might be a nice dish to have .

I have a neighbor who has built coverings for his garden beds, maybe made of corrugated plastic. I have raised beds around the border of my yard and I have been considering making some. It didn't occur to me that that would protect my garden from squirrels as well.

 

[elkhound]

will be doing more plant propagation of various things...now that i got a better feel for it and much higher successes rates than in the past.

more grafting of fruit trees too.

can expand now at very little cost.

 

[elkhound]

ok yall...got off my rear end and looked through root stock types and scion wood and more...so i decided to just order root stock...scion seemed to be less cultivars this year and not really anything interesting like last year....so i went on and ordered since they fill orders as they are placed for early shipment in march...wont be buying any more root stock like last year for late shipment...learned that lesson..those trees just didnt grow as well.

so i ordered a bundle of

Malus ‘Antonovka’ Apple​

and bundle of

Malus ‘Budagovsky 118’ Apple​

i want to largest and most robust root system on my apple trees so they live longer...so first is standard size tree and second gets about 85-90% of standard size and super vigorous. probably just graft skillcult cultivars this year.


20 root stock with shipping and tax was $108...that rate of $25 sucks...shipping is killing stuff i tell ya....i have some last years stock i will be practicing to grow my own root stock this coming spring too with.

 

[Binky]

I'm taking a 3 months rest now and holding off from doing anything in the gardens until the beginning of March before I make any plans for next year's gardening projects. When March arrives I'll have better indications by then of what the weather will be like through the rest of spring and summer, so I can make my plans then. If the weather is nasty at the beginning of March I'll hold off doing anything outside for one more month and then start planting at the beginning of April.

 

[TexasCharm]

Squirrels are jerks right now.

We are turning our in ground garden area into a food forest.
The raised beds, which are falling apart will be dismantled and become a (mostly) in ground area.
Our yard (Little Eden) is mostly pretty plants, peppered with edibles.
Big pots with citrus and figs.

I'm frustrated fighting critters in my garden.

TG gonna go after dem waskily wabbits.. and other pests.

 

[Bacpacker]

Already have garlic coming up. Been getting seed catalogs for a month now. Gonna start crusing thru them and place orders for anything I need. Actually gonna sort thru what I already have on hand first. Been planning out my beds for this coming year.
Gotta haul some compost and top all the beds off. Clean off the dead fronds from the asparagus bed. Put down some fertilize on the garlic, asparagus, and onion and tater beds. As well as the blueberry and fig bushes, and fruit trees. Also need to prune blueberries and fruit trees.
Need to pre-order my onion sets right away. Always plenty to do.

 

[Snowman]

Remember that it Stills get Cold in Feb and even with the Ides of March, lest yee don't beware the April Fools...?!?

 

[Pearl]

Remember that it Stills get Cold in Feb and even with the Ides of March, lest yee don't beware the April Fools...?!?

Yes, but planning starts now!!

 

[Snowman]

Yes, but planning starts now!!

Better check the Almanac Now...!!!

 

[joel]

Normally I would say already.
However this winter is different:
I have five different garlic in the ground & shallots will be here next month.
I just plant the nine apple tree:
1)Carolina Red June, N.C. 1800, Ripens late June-July, subacid, small to medium, Blooms late.
2)Yellow June, 1845,ripen around Fathers Day, medium size, Late June - July.
3)Horse, N.C. 1800,Tart, Medium to large, soft yellow flesh, Late July to August.
4)Smokehouse, Pennsylvania 1837 medium size, July - August. It was found growing by a smokehouse.
5)Summer Banana, S.C. 1800,Medium size, August- September, yellow when ripe with Aroma of Banana.
6)Blacktwig (Mammoth), 1800, tart, Productive, medium to large, September - October.
7)Arkansas Black, Arkansas 1870, good Keeper, frim yellow flesh, Late October.
8) Joseph apple, 1910 Va., Joseph Popek migrated from Yugolavia to America, apple is Large red & sweet. Joseph Popek grandson name the tree after his Grandfather, no one know the Yugolavia name.
9) Old Fashioned Winesap, N.J.1800, also called Red Winter, immune to cedar apple rust, hangs on the tree as late as November. https://www.centuryfarmorchards.com/
Put four inch drain pipe around apple trees to protect the lower bark from rabbits.
A cage will have to be added to protect the leaves from deer & lime put out, mulch.
So I have lots to do.

 

[Neb]

Garlic is up and looking good. Just a lot less than normal since I had to start over from scratch.

The Elder cuttings have started to break buds and showing green.

Roots are starting to form.

The English walnuts have some buds that are swelling but they are a week or more behind the elder.

Ben

 

[Patchouli]

A lot of money in walnut lumber mister @Neb .
Maybe your grandchildren will appreciate that some day.

 

[Snowman]

There's alot of $'s in the Walnut Market also, and They are berry Healthy...!!!

 

[joel]

A lot of money in walnut lumber mister @Neb .
Maybe your grandchildren will appreciate that some day.

This real money is in walnut trunk about 98 inches long with no limbs or knots in it, called a veneer log.
This will take 60-80 years to become a cash asset.
In the meantime you can sale the raw nut & the outer cover on the market.
Less grand trees with limbs or knots will being some money, but not like a veneer log.

 

[Peanut]

Finding someone buying walnut is almost impossible when you suddenly have walnut. Example, a tree comes down in a storm. I've ended up cutting them for firewood in every case.

In my area it's not a high demand market, more of a specialized market. I know of several trees that were basically sold years before they were ready. Buyers know how much they'll need year to year and make arrangements a long time in advance. They don't seem interested in a sudden surplus. At least that's been my experience.

There are just no buyers in my immediate area either. There's no money in a single log I'd have to haul several hundred miles.

 

[Patchouli]

We had a friend who lived in Virginia around an Amish community. They had groves of walnut trees and would cut the wood themselves to make the furniture they used or would sell. I don't see an argument against that. My dad made a clock out of black walnut that came from the mountains my grandparents owned. It is a beautiful wood.

 

[Bacpacker]

Walnut is my favorite wood for lumber. Its a hardwood, but works very well. Typically has awesome grain and color

 

[Neb]

While the granddaughters may benefit from the mature walnut trees, my motivation is harvesting the nuts. I have two english walnut trees that are going on 7-8 years old. I have yet to harvest one nut! Walnuts don't happen fast.

Ben

 

[Snowman]

Probably the Last of Flowers here this year, gotta wait for the Loco Weather to get it Right...!!!

These started showing last week between the 1st frost 2 weeks ago and the frost of this week :

After watering the stems got weak so I propped them up : They will die like they are now as they won't open anymore...!!!

 

[Neb]

I started stratifying garlic seeds. About 1500 or so. Germination rate is something like 10% so may be enough for 150 plants. Could be fun exploring a bunch of different garlics.

The elder clones are not disappointing.

Roots forming.

Some buds are opening on the English walnut cuttings.

Ben

 

[TexasCharm]

Ordered seeds today... (Like I don't already have more seeds than I could plant) .. it's an obsession! I've got to sit down and decide what I'm going to grow and where..

This year I've had challenges and been frustrated and wondered if I would even be able to motivate to start seeds for 2025, but I'm stoked.

Happy Gardening 2025!