Gardeners: how are your gardens doing?

[88GT]

So the official garden thread wasn't created, but who cares, right?

Anybody want to share pics? Updates? Headaches? Heartaches?

I'll share my "learn something new every year" item for 2013: I planted green beans (pole) back in mid-May. Had decent germination rates and sprouts were looking good. About the 2nd day after germination, something had devoured my beans. Just an inch or so of stem protruding above the soil surface. WTF! (I know, you're thinking rabbits, aren't you? Think again.) I plant a 2nd time. Same thing, good germination, but this time I'm watching more closely. Turns out I have a very large pill big population that will feast on young seedlings when there isn't enough dead organic matter in the soil. I went out last night to Sevin the seedlings (what was left of them) and the plants and soil surface was crawling with pill bugs. Who knew? I lost a few plants so I'll have to make a 3rd planting for some, but at least I am armed. I've booby trapped the soil with DE. Take that.

Otherwise, this has been a very rough start. I lost almost 10 tomato plants and 2 eggplants to sun scorch and pill bugs. The zucchini which has ALWAYS done well is languishing with just one true leaf. It germinated over a month ago and has one stinkin' leaf.

The good news: the onions, peas, peppers, and potatoes are doing fabulously.

 

[nmcampbe]

I had some bean leaf beetles in my first green beans. Had to replant about half of them because I did not catch the beetles in time. Most of my tomatoes withstood the cool windy week we had after I planted them and are taking off now, lost four plants that snapped in the wind. My strawberries are going strong right now. Overall i am quite pleased with everything at the moment. At least I am not having to water as much as I was this time last year!

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

OK, that's something I've never even heard of. Pill bugs eating bean plants. Probably something you wouldn't have believed if you hadn't seen it yourself. Hopefully the 3rd time will be the charm. I figure that if I don't learn something new each season, it's because I wasn't paying attention.

I planted my beans late and they haven't sprouted yet. This year I'm trying two different heirloom dry (pole) beans. We had a good year with green beans last year and we still have lots of jars so we're taking a year off from them.

Over-all I'm getting off to a better than average (albeit late) start. Asparagus was productive, as was the Rhubarb (but I need to plant more of both). Romaine lettuce, Spinach, and Mustard greens are really coming on right now. Picked some nice Turnips today to give to family. Garlic looks really good, and so far so good with Tomatoes and Peppers.

I planted two Peach trees and some Raspberries year before last and there are a few little baby peaches and lots of baby raspberries.

 

[sgtonory]

I had a deer that keep eating my plants. I did a little night stalking and took care of the issue. Mess with my plants and bad things will happen to you.

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

The only real pest we get is a neighborhood dog who evidently gets let out at night to wander, likes to walk on soft wet dirt, and leaves very large tracks.

I have a plan for him that involves a length of rope, a tree branch, a piece of bacon, and a large anvil.

 

[LEaSH]

I think snail/slugs are eating my beans' leaves.

But there are pillbugs under every big rock, too. So maybe pill bug are nomming on my plants.
Pepper plants look weak and starting to yellow. I might move those.

Potatoes are looking nice.

 

[red_zr24x4]

Haven't lost any tomato or peppers yet. Zucchini, cucumbers look great, yellow squash is coming in. Green beans are about 2" tall now. No sign of the carrots or the khalirabi .

 

[Cameramonkey]

lettuce doing great, regular sugar snap peas are great.

Tried a hybrid pea that supposedly doesnt have the string that needs to be removed... They are right but they arent as tasty, only half as high, and they grow slower. Never again.

Planted beans and beets the same day. beets are hardly germinating, beans sprouted so quick I swear they are growing as fast as bamboo. Tomato and pepper plants doing good.

Looking forward to expanding the garden next year. we are running about 15'x4' now slightly raised(3"). I hope to expand it to 25 x 5 (or 6 if the wife allows) and make it a raised bed (10"). we have just enough to snack on things like beans and peas as they mature (my kids are like locusts) and I want more yield to be able to actually COOK them.

 

[chezuki]

Here's the little one in the back yard. We have a bigger one at the inlaw's farm. Pics coming soon.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Potatoes are going gang-buster at almost waste high now...

Beans are 1 foot plus and starting to send out the vines

More lettuce than we can possibly eat so we've been selling/donating a lot of it.

Tomatoes are mixed... I tilled up a new spot for them this year and some are doing good but plants just a couple feet away are really struggling...

Peppers are same as tomatoes... some doing good with others struggling...

Oregano doing great (already established plot from years past).

Garlic not doing so well

Carrots: just got them planted this week...

Going to plant watermelon to back-fill the lettuce plot as it gets too hot for the lettuce.

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

I'm late getting my stuff in this year, I just got my beans and some of my tomatoes in.

 

[Expat]

Ours is doing well. We have finished eating asparagus. Sugar snap peas are producing well right now. Lettuce and greens starting to bolt. Just started eating some broccoli. Beans and taters look good.

 

[dirtfarmerz]

The peaches, apples, plums, cherries, and apricots have fruit. We're eating cherries and mulberries now. One type of the apricot trees dropped all of the fruit. We're selling green beans at the Minnetrista Market. Zucchini will sell next Saturday.

Try to avoid pesticides. It will mess up your soil and you. Check out the link at the bottom of the page. It is very frustrating to work hard and then see your plants struggle or die. Healthy plants do not normally need pesticides. The best liguid fertilizer is Amsoil fish and/or kelp. We also use chicken and cow manure that our critters offer up daily. Send me a message if you need compost (1 hour N/E of Indianapolis).













Roundup Red Alert! What You Need to Know about the Pesticide Poised to "Push Us All Off of the Cliff" | Rodale News

Pests & Pesticide Facts

 

[Mgderf]

My cherries are ripening now, I have the first crop of peaches coming in on a tree I planted two years ago.

Potatoes are waist high.
Radishes have been harvested and more to come.
Carrots are looking good as are the onions.

I'm really excited about my sweet corn though. I planted it 3 WEEKS before mothers day. I had to cover them about 4 times before the frost finally abated, but my corn is waist high today!

 

[grunt soldier]

well my green beans still aren't popping wtf!! (they are now all up in full force thankfully) maybe the seeds are no good now. this is the 3rd year of use for them. I'll give them a few more days for I hit the store and buy some new ones.

the rest of the garden is doing great. I'm so ready for fresh fruits and veggies on the daily.

Won't be long before I got some new potatoes




Scapes are getting good sized already since they just started showing 3-4 days ago. these are delicious if you guys haven't had them. they have a great mild garlic/green onion flavor. you can probably find them at your local farmers market in the next few weeks




garlic is doing great. I can't wait for this. it's 1000 times better than store bought. if you don't grow it grab some from the farmers market and try the different varieties. some of my favorites are Siberian, Bogatyr, spanish roja, and purple Italian




cabbage is forming up well




broccoli is finally getting big minus the plants I harvested. I think they grew to quick under the grow lights and went to fruiting before it was ready.




tomato's are getting big and flowering like crazy. even got some baby's forming up. won't be long on the fried green tomatos




Peppers are starting to produce. decent sized peppers. I can't wait. I love walking out the garden and picking them.




Asparagus is still trying to produce and putting out some big boys. I'll probably pick these even though it's a little late.




and last but not least my first apples ever. they didn't produce the first 2 years but this year they have a good amount on them. these are honey crisp and my favorites (stupid expensive in the store so I'm pumped) there are some big ones already too!

 

[dirtfarmerz]

well my green beans still aren't popping wtf!! (they are now all up in full force thankfully) maybe the seeds are no good now. this is the 3rd year of use for them. I'll give them a few more days for I hit the store and buy some new ones.

Jade green beans have been the best for us. They grow fast and look better than anything we have tried. We plant a few times, about one to two weeks apart, so we have them later in the season.

 

[1988-4551]

Those are some nice spreads. Our peppers and tomatoes are doing well. Just planted a few tobacco plants today which I am excited to see how they do.

 

[hoosierdaddy1976]

i was late getting my garden together this year. radishes are doing well, about halfway there. potatoes are doing well, one small area of them as a first time thing this year. two types of peas in, one about halfway, and one late planting just popping up. tomatoes look good. peppers, cucumbers, and watermelons are hit and miss.

 

[CindyE]

Lettuce and kale is doing great. This is our 2nd year of asparagus, it's really good, but not plentiful, and we aren't supposed to pick all of it yet.
I started my tomatoes and peppers indoors under grow lights. They didn't seem to grow real well this year. Once they were in the garden, the pests attacked them. Rabbits and cutworms especially. I was able to salvage most of the tomato plants, not sure if any peppers will make it, I bought some bigger plants yesterday because of that. The cutworms got some of my pepper seedlings, cukes and zucchini. I made collars for the remaining ones, and planted a few more cukes and zucchini. The last few years I've had really bad luck with cukes and zucchini. I believe some of it is due to the squash vine borer. Also get lots of squash bug infestations. I covered some of the gardens with lightweight row covers yesterday to see if that will cut down on the bugs.
Strawberries are getting ripe, but they are very small. Onions doing well. So far so good on the sweet potatoes, a new crop for me this year. Broccoli Rabe going to seed already.

 

[eldirector]

We've had some slug/snail issues. Treated for them the other day, so we'll see. They were eating the cabbage and broccoli. BTW: We've been eating fresh broccoli the last couple of weeks! Good stuff. Picked up another bunch to plant for broccoli well into the summer.

Bush beans and sweet corn are up about 6-8 inches. Tomatoes and peppers have a few blooms and are growing great. We lost a bunch of cucumbers and onions to the water-logged soil. We re-planted and so far, so good. The Celery doesn't look too good, but is still holding on. My wife's herb garden is growing like a weed.

Tell you what, I haven't had to water anything yet this year! Especially after last night (3 more inches of rain). I haven't even run the lines from the rain barrel. We are soaked.

Now with pics!