Growing your own food: April 2012

[Bettacreek]

This year, we're hoping to do a small plot on my brother's 14 acres of farmland. I bought some broccoli plants, two kinds of peppers (bell and wax) and some tomatoes for around the house. I want to do some lettuces and spinach around the house as well, so I can just step outside and pick it as I need it. The plot, we've got plans for it... We're hitting the auction soon to get started plants. We're thinking of adding the below:
Sugarbaby watermelons
Onions
Broccoli and Cauliflower
Beets
Peppers (bell and/or wax, not sure just yet)
Brussel Sprouts
and he wants to do sweet corn. I hate the idea of growing corn. It's so dirt cheap around here, but whatever, lol.

 

[Nigellas]

I've got tomatoes (grape and canning size), cucumbers, broccoli, zucchini, acorn and summer squash, corn, eggplant, green and jalapeno peppers and snap peas. I'm kicking myself because I forgot to save room for green beans.

I'm also experimenting with lettuce and kale in a shady area of our yard - so far they are both doing well, actually.

 

[hecatesmoon]

Hmmm....we have a few types of tomatoes, green onions, red onions, garlic and other herbs, carrots, corn, sunflowers, asparagus, lettuce, spinach, and potatoes. Oh and peppers. I think that's everything so far. We are running late, but we plan to get pole beans, pumpkins, egg plant, yellow squash, and watermelon in the ground.

 

[Gunmama]

We have beets, kale, leeks, carrots, peas, green beans, turnips, rutabaga, collards, strawberries, radish, lettuce, zucchini, crookneck squash, acorn squash, banana peppers, jalepenos, tomatoes, garlic, white potatoes, gold potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, watermelon, honeydew, cucumbers, onions, okra, bell peppers, chile peppers, purple sweet peppers, grapes and blackberries. Also have some parsley, basil, sage, oregano, fennel, chives and 2 kinds of mint.

 

[albert w]

Most of my loose leaf lettuce varieties bolted . Not sure why. They had plenty of water and no extremely hot weather yet. It's a real bummer because fresh salad is one of my favorite things from the garden.
Anyone ever have problems with bolting lettuce?

 

[Illia]

Have they gone through any form of stress at all? What variety are they? Are they hybrids? What temps have they been through?

I've never had bolting issues but some varieties can be pretty sensitive, and stress is another thing that causes plants to take immediate action.

 

[albert w]

Have they gone through any form of stress at all? What variety are they? Are they hybrids? What temps have they been through?

I've never had bolting issues but some varieties can be pretty sensitive, and stress is another thing that causes plants to take immediate action.

Not real stress. Temps have been average It's been a windy spring but always kept watered. Not sure about the verities. It's the same packs of mixed loose leaf lettuce that I've always used and done fine with. Man, is it bitter after it bolts! But the chickens and rabbits love it.

 

[bj taylor]

harvesting green beans, cucumbers, have had a great onion crop. they're drying now. the okra is about 6" tall & the black eyed peas are just coming along. i need to put a few more seeds in the ground. harvesting eggplant, calabaza squash, yellow squash, and the tomatoes are starting to come in. the sweet 100s are starting to crank it out. the celebrities are so huge. soon they will turn. the plum are really nice. i've been real happy with my selection. i've got lots of banana peppers, jalapeno, and the long hot thai peppers. oh and one bell.

what amazed me was the tomatoes. the plants are about 6 feet tall & 3 feet wide or so. i had no idea they would get so big. the foliage is so thick i have to dig inside the plants to get the tomatoes. i'm glad i planted according to my garden book (which is officially my most valued book) or i would have planted way too close.

i've never canned anything. i hope to make some salsa. then i can graduate from there. i kinda waited late in life to get interested in growing food, but it's now or never. i have two long raised beds. i hope to get the third built this summer so it can be cooking this winter.

the heat is starting to get tough. glad most of the garden will be finished soon. i would hate to baby sit it through the summer that's coming. i'll let the bed rest through the summer with a real thick cover of mulch & either plant a cover crop for the winter or do a winter garden, not sure which yet.

my father in law told me i had made a mistake using horse manure. my garden has been phenomenal. it's like jack & the beanstalk. i'm using horse manure again along w/lots of leaves.

i had put so many leaves i was afraid it would still be unworkable this past winter. when it was time to get started, it was great. the leaves had broken down plenty.

 

[YeOldeBarn6]

Oh good duckies!! Love this picture of them in there 'helping' you garden!

 

[YeOldeBarn6]

I have a question. I start out as seeds and then move them to transplant. But when I move them and replant, I kill them! I tease my friend that can grow her garden that it is a good thing I can take care of my goats better than my plants. Where I am living, I am unable to have a raised garden bed or any garden (landlords choice, not mine) so I use containers on my front porch (since I share a backyard with the landlord).