What's growing? The garden thread.

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nocsious3

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Aug 23, 2013
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I've been posting in the lawn care threads but I wanted to start something on gardening.

So fanatics, what's growing in your garden this year? I'll go first. My garden size roughly doubled this year as that was the plan. Luckily I got seeds back in January before Covid, as it's very difficult to find seed now.

Strawberries - Albion variety, The first few are ripe today 5/21
Blackberries - Chester thornless
Tomatoes- 6 varieties, mostly F1 hybrids, 12 plants total. All indeterminates
Pole Bean- Blue Lake FM-1
Green Bean - Derby, and BlueLake
Zucchini - Black Beauty and Sunstripe
Yellow Squash - Saffron
Pattypan Squash- Sunburst, and heirloom green
Watermelon- Sweetie Pie
Sweet Corn - I can't remember
Asparagus - martha washington
Peppers - assorted types, mostly bells but a few jalapenos
Garlic- some mystery variety a friend gave me years ago
Peas- don't know the variety anymore. I save seed each year.
Malabar spinach- waiting to plant until it gets hotter
Basil
Cilantro
Sage
Mint
Thyme
 

CYdTracked

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2006
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Grimes, IA
Well what I hope is growing vs what I actually planted could wind up being different. That cold snap the other week I hope my pepper and tomato plants come out of it OK as even covering them up I think they got stunted a bit. I seem to have the worst luck with timing some years, either gets too cold or we get hit with a ton of rain and my garden gets too saturated and the plants either die or really look bad.

Tomatoes - roma and cherry
Peppers - green bell and salsa variety pepper
Summer squash
Cucumber
Onions
Broccoli
Radish
Lettuce

I've given up in green beans, the Japanese beetles have just ruined them the past few years so using the garden space to try and stagger my lettuce out by planting some seed every 2 weeks. I have never had much luck with carrots either and I tried a cilantro plant last year that was a failure that is just cheaper to go buy fresh cilantro than grow it I think. Someone gave me some shallots to plant last year too that never did anything but rot for some reason so I pretty much haven't gotten too much more experimental with new vegetables lately. It's not like my garden has poor soil either as I brought in some composted manure from my parent's farm that probably is the richest and darkest looking soil in the neighborhood.
 
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Isualum13

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Apr 27, 2018
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I tilled up a small section in my backyard for a garden this year. Nothing fancy. Planted sweet corn, Tomatoes, onions, and a variety of peppers both spicey and some bell peppers. Also grabbed a section of chives from my parents house (so I didnt have to start from seed) and put those in the garden along with a couple bunches of asparagus roots. I dont exactly have a green thumb, but it's a learning experience that will improve with time.

There is a big ass tree in my backyard which might limit the yield I get as sun light is limited to half the day. But I am looking forward to some garden salsa, sweet corn, and BLTs this fall.

Theres a rabbit that has been hanging around my house lately so I bought some garden fence from the local hardware store. Dont think they would eat the pepper plants and know they don't eat tomato plants but I planted some jalapenos last year unprotected and something at thise off within a week. (I thought the critters stayed away from spicey pepper plants.) $50 got me a decent fence to hopefully keep critters out. Not very pretty, but functional.
 

nocsious3

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2013
882
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Well what I hope is growing vs what I actually planted could wind up being different. That cold snap the other week I hope my pepper and tomato plants come out of it OK as even covering them up I think they got stunted a bit. I seem to have the worst luck with timing some years, either gets too cold or we get hit with a ton of rain and my garden gets too saturated and the plants either die or really look bad.

Tomatoes - roma and cherry
Peppers - green bell and salsa variety pepper
Summer squash
Cucumber
Onions
Broccoli
Radish
Lettuce

I've given up in green beans, the Japanese beetles have just ruined them the past few years so using the garden space to try and stagger my lettuce out by planting some seed every 2 weeks. I have never had much luck with carrots either and I tried a cilantro plant last year that was a failure that is just cheaper to go buy fresh cilantro than grow it I think. Someone gave me some shallots to plant last year too that never did anything but rot for some reason so I pretty much haven't gotten too much more experimental with new vegetables lately. It's not like my garden has poor soil either as I brought in some composted manure from my parent's farm that probably is the richest and darkest looking soil in the neighborhood.

I've had success using the spectracide bag-a-bug beetle traps. I hang one at either end of my garden. Not in the garden but close to it. Some argue they draw in more beetles, and that may be true, but I was emptying the bag every 2 days during peak beetle season. The garden received little damage because the beetles are so attracted to the lure scent.
 

CloneJD

Well-Known Member
May 14, 2020
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In order of harvest:

Rhubarb
Asparagus
Spinach
Zucchini
Pole Beans
Sweet Corn ( put up ~ 60 pint jars)
4 tomato plants
4 bell pepper plants
Ornamental Corn
Pumpkins
Gourds

Fruit Trees - 2 Pear, 2 Peach, 6 Apple (5 varieties)
 

Gunnerclone

Well-Known Member
Jul 16, 2010
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DSM
Jack **** right now. Had freeze and frost warnings up to last week now the monsoon this week so I haven’t planted anything yet. I think we’re zone 6b or 7a.
 

LeaningCy

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Jan 18, 2008
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Nice cloudy day today in MN so I took the day off to plant and set up the fence. Our garden this year:

- Tomatoes: Roma, San Marzano, Beefsteak, Cherokee Purple, Cherry
- Peppers: Jalapeño, Serrano, Red and Green Bell
- Zucchini
- Buttercup Squash
- Eggplant
- Carrots
- Yellow Onions
- Green Onions

Outside the garden:
- Montmorency Cherry tree
- Raspberries
- Rhubarb
- Asparagus
- Mint
- Cilantro
- Basil
 
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VeloClone

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2010
45,603
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Brooklyn Park, MN
Theres a rabbit that has been hanging around my house lately so I bought some garden fence from the local hardware store. Dont think they would eat the pepper plants and know they don't eat tomato plants but I planted some jalapenos last year unprotected and something at thise off within a week. (I thought the critters stayed away from spicey pepper plants.) $50 got me a decent fence to hopefully keep critters out. Not very pretty, but functional.

I have fence all the way around our tiny garden (~15'x5'). Rabbits will eat a lot of it. You are right about the jalapenos - they probably won't touch them. We have had a problem with the squirrels the last few years taking our tomatoes and eating a little bit off of them just to discard them and steal another one. Another reason to hate the tree rats.

We have:
Tomatoes - Roma (3), Grape (1) and some my neighbor started - Big Boy or Beefsteak, I think (3).
Beans - Blue Lake Bush (will probably be planted today)
Peas - no idea, Mrs. Velo planted them.
Radishes - also no idea
Spinach -
Cilantro -
Basil -
Jalapeno - (8)
also:
Rhubarb - (4)
Chives
Garlic chives

And, yes, we make a lot of fresh salsa.
 
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ScottyP

Special Teams Coordinator
Jan 24, 2007
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Urbandale, IA
I planted two tomato plants in my garden box last week. Both of them were eaten by deer this week. Not having a great start this year.
 

VeloClone

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2010
45,603
34,888
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Brooklyn Park, MN
I planted two tomato plants in my garden box last week. Both of them were eaten by deer this week. Not having a great start this year.
LiquidFence-Deer-Rabbit.jpg


It works and is about as natural as you are going to find.
 

nocsious3

Well-Known Member
Aug 23, 2013
882
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93
We dodged the frost/freeze here in Kansas City. Tomatoes look fine, but the squash and watermelon is lagging from the colder spring. I waited with the peppers until after the last cold snap, so they are doing fine. 6a is my zone.
 

BillyClone

Well-Known Member
Mar 20, 2006
752
929
93
Ankeny IA
Garden - May 2020.jpg
This is my lowly plot - a couple of 2' x 5' boxes!

Due to the limited size, I try to rotate cool-weather and warm-weather plants through the same year.

The box on the left has kohlrabis (grand duke). They will be ripe by the end of the month. Box on the right has spinach (savoy) and assorted lettuce plants (buttercrisp, arugala, red and green leaf, etc.). I can usually harvest these until mid-June.

After that, I will put in tomato and pepper plants, green beans, and some squash. I don't start from seed - I get plants from Goode Greenhouse.

Not much, but it satisfies my urges to grow something and eat the fruits of my labor.
 

diaclone

Well-Known Member
Apr 16, 2006
8,181
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Metro Omaha
We decided to forgo a garden this year. Have gardened at a community garden for the past decade. All tomatoes to make salsa, canned tomatoes, and canned tomato juice. Vast majority were heirlooms - Cherokee Purple, Gold Meal, Aunt Ruby's German Green, Pruden's Purple, Kellog's Breakfast, Sungold, Black Cherry, Mortgage Lifter, Green Zebra, Caspian Pink, Brandywine and more......

Plan to be back gardening next year....
 

cowgirl836

Well-Known Member
Sep 3, 2009
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Planted over the weekend expecting warm temps - got 3 inches of rain the next day and coolish temps so I'm hoping my seeds don't rot.

Got plants from a local little farm place this year so I'll be trying some new varieties.

Crimson sweet watermelon
Blue lake green beans (went in yesterday)
Sugar daddy sweet peas
sugar baby sweet corn
some kind of multi-color carrots
Peppers - 1 Iko Iko, 2 Olympus, 2 Gourmet, 1 Sweet Sunrise
Tomatoes - 1 Brandywine, Sungold, Celebrity, Damsel, Defiant, 2 Big Beef, 2 Galahad

Basil in a different pot and we planted two varieties of raspberries this year - Caroline and Latham. Be interesting to see how that goes.
 
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CYdTracked

Well-Known Member
Mar 23, 2006
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Grimes, IA
I tilled up a small section in my backyard for a garden this year. Nothing fancy. Planted sweet corn, Tomatoes, onions, and a variety of peppers both spicey and some bell peppers. Also grabbed a section of chives from my parents house (so I didnt have to start from seed) and put those in the garden along with a couple bunches of asparagus roots. I dont exactly have a green thumb, but it's a learning experience that will improve with time.

There is a big ass tree in my backyard which might limit the yield I get as sun light is limited to half the day. But I am looking forward to some garden salsa, sweet corn, and BLTs this fall.

Theres a rabbit that has been hanging around my house lately so I bought some garden fence from the local hardware store. Dont think they would eat the pepper plants and know they don't eat tomato plants but I planted some jalapenos last year unprotected and something at thise off within a week. (I thought the critters stayed away from spicey pepper plants.) $50 got me a decent fence to hopefully keep critters out. Not very pretty, but functional.

The rabbits are thick in my neighborhood and are very destructive. I learned a long time ago putting up chicken wire fence around the garden is a must. Also have to be very selective about what kind of flowers and decorative plants I plant too because they will just destroy certain varieties. I was at the Grimes Earl May a coupe weekends ago buying some stuff and that guy that does the segment Saturday mornings on Ch 13 with Megan Salois was working so I asked him if a plant I was considering buying if the rabbits would eat it or not. He told me it doesn't matter what you buy, rabbits will basically try to eat any of them and eventually grow a tolerance for about anything so the best thing to do is as soon as you plant something hit it generously with some of those repellant sprays and follow up regularly. He said if you get them deterred from plants as soon as you get them in the ground they are more likely to leave them alone once they get a bad taste from attempting to eat on them. Also helps I have 2 dogs next door that have been doing their part to help control the rabbit population too. Always know when there is one in my back yard because they go nuts and start barking once they see one.
 

Macloney

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Feb 28, 2014
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Up Nort
The rabbits are thick in my neighborhood and are very destructive. I learned a long time ago putting up chicken wire fence around the garden is a must. Also have to be very selective about what kind of flowers and decorative plants I plant too because they will just destroy certain varieties. I was at the Grimes Earl May a coupe weekends ago buying some stuff and that guy that does the segment Saturday mornings on Ch 13 with Megan Salois was working so I asked him if a plant I was considering buying if the rabbits would eat it or not. He told me it doesn't matter what you buy, rabbits will basically try to eat any of them and eventually grow a tolerance for about anything so the best thing to do is as soon as you plant something hit it generously with some of those repellant sprays and follow up regularly. He said if you get them deterred from plants as soon as you get them in the ground they are more likely to leave them alone once they get a bad taste from attempting to eat on them. Also helps I have 2 dogs next door that have been doing their part to help control the rabbit population too. Always know when there is one in my back yard because they go nuts and start barking once they see one.

I've had really good luck with predator urine, particularly fox pee. Something like it is available at almost every garden center.

Smells bad and a little goes a long way.
 
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BryceC

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Mar 23, 2006
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I planted earlier but we got hammered by wind and my poor Roma tomatoes and cucumbers aren’t going to make it I think. Need to get some new ones.