2024 gardens

gimruis wrote:

I’m kinda new to the gardening, last year was my first season.

I dumped some leaves in my garden last fall. The problem is that a lack of snow this winter didn’t really break them down much. Should I just leave them in there or remove them before I start using the garden again this a spring?

Gim…..what type of leaves??? i’d refrain from oak for sure…..maples are good. just till or dig them in!!!

is your garden right at ground level or raised garden??? if there ground level……use the mower and mulch them up prior to tilling!!!! i try to get them mulched in the fall before snow…….you’d be surprised how many leaves you can add when there mulched. and its good for the soil!!!!

Thanks. They are mostly maple leaves. The previous winter with all the snow, they were much more broken down and decomposed than this year.

I’ll leave them in there and try to dig them into the soil after it rains this week.

The garden is raised and enclosed. I planted tomato, cucumber, and bell pepper last spring. Bell pepper was a complete bust. Tomato was OK. Cucumbers were ridiculous. I had way too many to eat myself even though I ate a lot of them. Had to give some away to neighbors, parents, and co-workers. Will be planting less of those this spring. I need to spread out the planting a little more too. Last spring I think I planted items too close to each other.

Feeling my age today. Spent the weekend shoveling and moving countless wheelbarrows of wet maple chips that had been piled up for 2.5yrs. Followed that up with loads of composted horse manure mixed with about 35 cu ft of bagged soil for my new raised beds. I planted some red pontiac and kennebec seed potatoes in two 40gal livestock troughs. I started 72 tomato plants on Wed. About 1/3 of them germinated already. 34 pepper plants ranging from 1.5-4″ tall now. Gonna get some cold hardy stuff going inside this week and direct sow lettuces, turnips, radishes, snap peas and probably carrots on Thu.

buckybadger wrote:

but our leaser put in 35 acres of sweet corn on Friday, April 12.

I wanted to plant some already but at 475 bucks for about 8lbs of seed didnt wanna push my luck.

JEREMY wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>buckybadger wrote:</div>
but our leaser put in 35 acres of sweet corn on Friday, April 12.

I wanted to plant some already but at 475 bucks for about 8lbs of seed didnt wanna push my luck.

This has the pivot irrigator to help (watering through nights where it gets around 28 or colder can save it). With sweet corn if you are one of the first to market with a quality, well-known name it is extremely lucrative. In a good year with early summer heat and humidity, we can eat sweet corn by the 4th of July. Some years it’s more mid-July when they’re hauling to grocery stores though. There’s risk involved. Over the years it’s been pretty rare for cold damage, but wind has laid down a lot of it mid summer. If you’ve never hand picked wind blown mature sweet corn…your back thanks you.

There’s no way I’d pay the money you mentioned and just start planting it in my backyard. Definitely give it some more time.

Its pretty easy to get the money back. At 7 bucks a dozen last year it adds up quick. I think all varietys are different the stuff got this go round says soil temps 65-75 are ideal. If the coming weekend forecast was better I might try it. If your one of the first ready you can almost sell it for whatever you want.

glenn57 wrote:

has anyone noticed the asparagus starting to pop out of the ground???

in about a week my winter onions should be game on!!!!!!

I checked today and it has started at my place outside Ellsworth WI.

sweet. It’s on its way!

60 yrs ago, my grandma sent us kids out to scout the road ditch by their farm for wild asparagas. We always found some , but we were told not to cut too short or it wouldn’t come back next year. And she was right. It was always in the same place as the year before. Kinda like morels I guess.

wkw wrote:

60 yrs ago, my grandma sent us kids out to scout the road ditch by their farm for wild asparagas. We always found some , but we were told not to cut too short or it wouldn’t come back next year. And she was right. It was always in the same place as the year before. Kinda like morels I guess.

Asparagus is a perennial that can grow for 20+ years. That’s why it was always in the same place

I’ve got some asparagus about 1/2″ tall here now. Got my inground rows prepped and ready for tomatoes and whatever else now. I planted about 75 snap peas on the edge of the raised bed with the netting.

picklerick wrote:

I’ve got some asparagus about 1/2″ tall here now. Got my inground rows prepped and ready for tomatoes and whatever else now. I planted about 75 snap peas on the edge of the raised bed with the netting.

Well I think you win for best garden setup, especially being on the lake!

Thanks. We like it here. I try to improve the garden each year and it’s coming together nicely. It’s about the only physical exercise I get so I’m paying for it after being lazy all winter.

Gonna give the garden its final till and finish getting the fence up this afternoon. Hoping to get my broccoli, cauliflower and brussel spouts transplanted soon. Shouldnt get cold enough to hurt them anymore.

Next week is GO TIME for me.
Looks like it’s going to be go time for grass mowing also.

my garden tiller guy’s truck broke down or it would of been tilled yesterday!!

My garden has been tilled for five weeks. I planted the onion plants a little bit ago today. I check my onion bag from last summer’s garden and I still have about 20 nice onions, so I’m still set.

Asparagus is up now but we need some moisture.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

My garden has been tilled for five weeks. I planted the onion plants a little bit ago today. I check my onion bag from last summer’s garden and I still have about 20 nice onions, so I’m still set.

Asparagus is up now but we need some moisture.

yea but Jimmy, your in a different time zone then where I’m at!

Hi, my name is Pat and I have issues. I already have 57 tomato plants that I started on 4/10. It was cold, windy and wet all weekend and I got bored Sun and started 72 more. I’ll be selling and giving away most/all of the 2nd round. I spent two hours weeding one of my asparagus beds yesterday and probably have 10 more to go before I get both of them done. My wife is typically on weed patrol but she blew her knee out last Sep and it really got away from me. They’re on year 3 and there are a few nice ones now.

picklerick wrote:

Hi, my name is Pat and I have issues. I already have 57 tomato plants that I started on 4/10. It was cold, windy and wet all weekend and I got bored Sun and started 72 more. I’ll be selling and giving away most/all of the 2nd round. I spent two hours weeding one of my asparagus beds yesterday and probably have 10 more to go before I get both of them done. My wife is typically on weed patrol but she blew her knee out last Sep and it really got away from me. They’re on year 3 and there are a few nice ones now.

throw some Hellmans on there, that’ll kill them weeds!!!!

its bee so wet around here i cant get the garden tilled!!!!

“Garden” update.

The first ~15 acres of sweet corn was poking through ever so slightly this morning. The goal is still to be eating and selling it by the 4th of July according to our leaser. Some rain is OK and helpful, but we don’t want the driving pounding stuff yet as sweet corn isn’t nearly as tough as field corn in infancy or as it’s getting ready to poke through

Eelpoutguy wrote:

Next week is GO TIME for me.
Looks like it’s going to be go time for grass mowing also.

X2 on both of those statements for me as well.

throw some Hellmans on there, that’ll kill them weeds!!!!

I put Miracle Whip jars on the corner posts and the critters won’t go near it now. Maybe I’ll try good old real mayo on those weeds.

^^^^^^^

Anyone taking advantage of the new Cannabis law and planting?

bigcrappie wrote:

Anyone taking advantage of the new Cannabis law and planting?

Who wants to know?

bigcrappie wrote:

Anyone taking advantage of the new Cannabis law and planting?

I am. Been growing outdoors for many years. I like to start feminised seeds mid-late April and put them out in late May. Some like the autoflower strains, as they finish quickly and can avoid killing frosts in Sept, but I have not tried them. I have not had trouble with plants not finishing but a cold, wet September with early frost could be a problem. Happy to answer any cannabis garden-related questions.

We ate our first Asparagus last night at dinner. The onion plants are in now.

We’re headed for the Amish gardens this afternoon. I’m leary of planting tomatoes yet. Or the pepper plants. This spring’s weather has been unpredictable so I’ll likely wait a couple weeks before those go in the ground but will probably buy the plants today and repot them to larger pots tomorrow. I’ll wait a couple more weeks for the carrots, beans and lettuce.

Cutting back this year. Only ten tomato plants.

its been so wet i cant get the garden tilled yet….getting a bit antzy also. my ground isnt all that soupy but sheez a few dry days in a row would be nice. it dumped another 3/4 here last night!

I started turnips, beets, arugula, prizehead and butter crunch lettuces inside yesterday. I’m going to be direct seeding another round outside when I put the transplants out in 2-3 weeks. The 75 sugar snap peas I direct sowed in a raised bed on 4/21 started poking up yesterday. I’m going to do more weeding in the asparagus beds tonight. I seeded a 72 cell tray of crackerjack marigolds on 4/18 and only got 21 to germinate. Not sure why.