Garden Is In!

Our veggie garden is planted! Billy and I’ve been planting a veggie garden for years and I look forward to it each Spring. And of course in a couple months when we’ve got loads of healthy food to munch on! This year we did the usual – cucumbers, Roma tomatoes, carrots, lettuce, peppers, hot peppers, beans, and potatoes. New this year we planted grape tomatoes rather than cherry, and also trying our first watermelon plant! We bought a Sugar Baby watermelon and planted it out front with lots of sun and room to grow. Any tips on growing watermelons?

What are you guys planting this year?

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I started 3 types of heirloom tomatoes from last years seeds @ 18 plants each. I take the cream of the starts and give the rest away to neighbors, family and friends. This year we will have 12 maders set out in 6 cages. Mine are indeterminate. Carrots and kohlrabi and I was going to raise butternut squash and have about already talked myself out of them due to the major attraction of the stink bug that I’m hearing about. Anyone know how bad they get?

I have my seeds still growing in the enclosed porch. I will move them out the garden some night this week. It’s still early for me for tomatoes so I’ll probably wait at least another week.

I mainly plant peppers, tomatoes, and pumpkins. I love growing pumpkins but the downside is how much room they take up. I’m going to look at options of maybe growing them vertically and I can build some sort of shelving system to hold each pumpkin.

My other big task for this year is to build an enclosure around the tomatoes to keep the squirrels away. I fight with them every year and I am done with that battle.

My garden will be done planted by the end of the weekend. Mater’s, cukes kalarhbi, green beans, lettuce, spinach,dill, radishes, carrots peppers, jalepeno peppers.

I already got friggin rabbits eating tomato leaves, and pepper leaves. It’s caddy shack war on da bunnies!

Let’m eat Glenn, you’ll be replanting after it freezes for the last time. lol

I have 12 standard tomatoes….Big Beef, Celebrity and another I can think of right now. I have 4 Marietta plum tomatoes and 4 Romas. I need to pick up a super 100 cherry tomato for Ma and I still need a couple hot peppers to go with the 4 green peppers I bought with the tomatoes. I’ll wait out this friggin cold spell to plant anything. The lettuce and carrots are in now but nothing showing as yet. I’m afraid the lettuce and carrots will have to be re-planted with this cold rain. I had to get more heavy cages and 6 foot stakes for tomatoes. I took out our raspberry bed and will plant the tomatoes in where the berries were. Spinach, beets, cukes, squash and green beans are going in the garden proper. I planted 12 asparagus roots a week ago and some are already up. I like that. I have asparagus to pick today. Fire up the grill and baste the spears with olive oil and sprinkle with lemon pepper, then toss them on the hot grill. Ten minutes and I can eat like I’m in heaven.

Good wishes on everyone’s garden venture. Let the weather be favorable. Let the rains be modest. Let the hail fall on parking lots and let the harvest be bountiful!

it better not freeze. Save that for December. Besides I live a clean wholesome lifestyle, it wouldn’t happen to me….. I hope!!

“clean wholesome”….now that sounds like advertising for a yuppie health food. lol

We’re so wet down here I have to wait. Maybe Monday is we don’t see any more rain. Gotta feel for the farmers. We saw lots of standing water in fields yesterday, both planted and those that need planting.

Man send some this way. I watered the garden today. It’s dribbling here but not enough to chase me in. Sitting by a fire right now.with beer of course. Garden is in!!

We’ve had a couple little waves of wet here this afternoon and evening, but certainly not a deluge. Enough to not want to be out in it. The temps have dropped off big time already.

Denny O wrote:

was going to raise butternut squash and have about already talked myself out of them due to the major attraction of the stink bug that I’m hearing about. Anyone know how bad they get?

We’ve never grown squash but our beans seem to attract those annoying Japenese beetles. Is that the stink bug you’re talking about? We hang the bug collector bags in the front yard, way away from the garden, and it does collect a lot of those ugly bugs.

Raspberries and strawberries are doing their thing, asparagus is coming up great, been picking a couple bundles worth a day, rhubarb is perfect right now, nice and tender. Planted onions potatoes, carrots, beets, radishes, cucumbers, and pumpkins. Will wait until at least next weekend to plant the tomatoes and peppers, grandpa always said wait until after “iceman days”. Evidently that is the time period around May 18-20th that historically sees the last frost.

Raspberries are flourishing. I planted snap peas, broccoli, and carrots this weekend. I will hold off on beans, peppers, and tomatoes for another couple weeks. No rush–it just gives the deer more time to snack on them.

Dusty Gesinger wrote:

Will wait until at least next weekend to plant the tomatoes and peppers, grandpa always said wait until after “iceman days”.

Already making plans to combat japanese beetles. Dessimated pole beans last year. Funny that they leave beets, peas, cukes and squash alone. Only other thing they bothered was rhubarb leaves (supposedly poisonous to humans).

Going to try covering
the beans with netting this year …. will see how it goes.

trophy19 wrote:

Already making plans to combat japanese beetles.

They were pretty thick on my raspberries, too.

someone……….in central minnesota needs to do a rain dance that works!!!!!!

UGH!!!!!!!!:???::???:

Just built a little raised garden bed for my wife for mother’s day this weekend. I’m far from a craftsmen or carpenter, so we will see how it works :/. I’ll try to remember to post a picture later, it looks really nice but after putting it together I just feel like we should have made it bigger.

It’s U-shaped, 8 feet long, 6 feet wide with 2 feet of planting width throughout(and a two foot walked section on the inside of the U). Came together nicely for a back of the napkin plan :), but again, might talk her into adding another 4 foot panel so she really has some space if she ever wants it. Once it’s full of dirt it’s going to be A LOT harder to modify in any way.

I think she’s planning on doing carrots, onions, beans, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers for the most part.

I’ve got 21 of my tomato plants in along with 4 peppers, pole beans and beets before it started raining. Ma and I went shopping for some heirloom tomatoes today and found four that tripped her trigger. I found some more hot pepper plants to go with those the rain interrupted the planting of so I still have plenty to do. I’ll add two rows of beans in addition to the poles. Then its on to the cukes and squash.

One of my coworkers was working the edge of her garden this weekend, digging deeper holes, not sure for what reason, but stated she still had frost in the ground.
I’m not starting our garden quite yet, but we are not that hardcore like some of you guys are.
I do know that I am not planting 10 jalapeno plants this year. LOL those little buggers pumped out so many that I couldn’t even keep up last year.

Within the last couple of days those tree rats ate my cabbage and broccoli to the ground.Had to be them the garden is fenced and there are plenty of squirrels in the back yard.

CaptainMusky wrote:

I do know that I am not planting 10 jalapeno plants this year. LOL those little buggers pumped out so many that I couldn’t even keep up last year.

10?!?! I usually plant 2 and give tons away. They’re prolific. I’m pretty sure I have a bag of jalapenos from 2016 in the freezer still.

We threw caution to the wind and planted our raised bed gardens 2 wweks ago. Our radishes, peas, carrots, onion, and lettuce are all coming along well. Green and yellow beans are a bit behind. I’m trying potatoes in containers just for fun. The kids wanted to plant watermelon and pumpkins too out back where they have room. We also made small plots for strawberries, asparagus and zucchini.

Sharon wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Denny O wrote:</div>
was going to raise butternut squash and have about already talked myself out of them due to the major attraction of the stink bug that I’m hearing about. Anyone know how bad they get?

We’ve never grown squash but our beans seem to attract those annoying Japenese beetles. Is that the stink bug you’re talking about? We hang the bug collector bags in the front yard, way away from the garden, and it does collect a lot of those ugly bugs.

Not the Jap beetle Sharon,
https://www.google.com/search?q=stink+bug+iowa&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=9_WKTrA5C1vH2M%253A%252C4BkUxGBE0QVEnM%252C_&usg=__cCVLu0dJ05Q2itbsrfzlaaM6tGw%3D&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj9jrm47IbbAhWQ0YMKHeZVCQ0Q9QEIXTAJ#imgrc=IhSLc7hVW9dL5M:

https://www.thoughtco.com/worst-vegetable-garden-pests-4097358

Squash bugs suck sap from squash, pumpkins, melons, and other cucurbits in the home garden.

Description: Like many true bugs, squash bug adults are flat with wings that fold over their backs. The edges of their abdomens have light orange stripes, but otherwise, these pests are black or brown. Newly emerged nymphs are greenish in color with black heads and legs. As they progress through five instars, the young bugs darken to their adult colors. Squash bug eggs, found in clusters on the undersides of foliage, are bronze or yellow.

Life cycle: Adult squash bugs overwinter by seeking shelter in leaf litter, garden debris, woodpiles, or other protected places in the yard. When vines begin running in early summer, these adults mate and lay eggs on host plants in the garden. Eggs hatch in about 10 days. Nymphs develop over the course of 4-6 weeks. In late summer, it’s common to observe eggs, nymphs, and adults together in the garden, as generations overlap.

Crops damaged: Squash and pumpkins. Sometimes gourds, melons, or cucumbers. Both adults and nymphs damage plants by sucking on sap.

Signs and symptoms: Yellow spots on foliage of susceptible plants. Wilting or withering vines. Spots or entire vines turning black.

Control measures:

Hand pick adults and nymphs, dropping them in a can of soapy water to destroy them. Squash bugs flee and hide when disturbed, so this is easier said than done.
Use trap boards on cool nights in spring to collect squash bugs. Check under boards in early morning before bugs become active, and destroy any gathered underneath.
Monitor plants for eggs, and crush any squash bug eggs present.
Remove and destroy vines immediately after harvesting fruit to discourage squash bugs late in the season.
Limit places where squash bugs can shelter in the garden.

Nice job Sharon!

I grew up with a huge garden but this year will be my first time planting my own. I purchased some land next to my house with a huge garden! I think I’ll only plant half of it, but that will still be a very sizable garden. I’m sure I’ll have quite the learning curve. I look forward to it though.

Denny O wrote:

https://www.thoughtco.com/worst-vegetable-garden-pests-4097358

Squash bugs suck sap from squash, pumpkins, melons, and other cucurbits in the home garden.

Interesting. Good to know about these bugs! I’ve not see many of them before, so I guess we’ve been pretty lucky. The Japanese beetles have only been pesky so far – not much damage. But they sure to fly around when you rustle up the beans while picking! *shakes beetles out of hair*

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

10?!?! I usually plant 2 and give tons away. They’re prolific. I’m pretty sure I have a bag of jalapenos from 2016 in the freezer still.

I don’t remember how many we had, but it was about 3 times as we needed. My wife picked them out, neither of us are hardcore gardeners. Last year was really our first year of anything sizeable so we made a lot of mistakes. LOL
Its basically just a “salsa” garden with tomatoes, peppers, jalapenos, etc. Out tomatoes all went bad. I don’t think it was blight either. Not sure what the heck happened. Everything else was great!
On a side note, I am an excellent Raspberry gardener. LOL

CaptainMusky wrote:

Out tomatoes all went bad. I don’t think it was blight either.

I normally get tomato plants that my mom grows from seeds. Last year, due to an over-zealous deer, I had to replace one with a Home Depot plant. That plant had awful issues with blossom rot, while the other plants were fine. Last year was also a bad year for “late blight”, which is different than normal blight. From what I heard, the weather played a major factor, and most people had it to some extent.

I bet that was it Ralph! They looked great up to the point of the tomatoes ripening and then that is when all heck broke loose. The leaves wilted up, thought I had bugs or something, treated them, but no worky. It wasn’t lack of water or too much water, I know that, but everything else in the garden looked great.
These were all started from plants too, so perhaps there is something to that idea.

i am of the opinion that the weather last year played a huge part in sub par gardens.

so when I first plant my tomatoes, peppers and cabbage I put the old metal 3 lb coffee cans around them to help protect them some and assists in watering.

today I went out and took them off, it looked like this intense heat was affecting them. man is it ugly outside. the cans and picking up rocks where so hot it was almost to the point you couldn’t handle them.