Who else is looking forward to planting the garden?

[canebreaker]

I planted 148 tomato seeds in the greenhouse Tuesday.

 

[mike4sigs]

Last couple of years we missed getting the Onions we prefer local so i ordered some from Gourneys

 

[tmschuller]

Doing raised beds this year for the first time. Planting all the vine vegetables out back by the manure pile. Anyone close need field fence for tomato cages?? In grant county..

 

[canebreaker]

I've tried tomato cages in the past, just not big enough. I made some with concrete reinforcement wire, 6 or 8 foot, not big enough. The Celebration 1,000's do great in an 8 foot cage. Average 1,000 tomatoes per pound. They average 1/4 to 5/16" diameter. A double hand full into the cornbread mix with chopped onion and warm pepper along with fried fatback is a meal.
I start my seeds in a 5X5 greenhouse first of February. Start of the garden, the rows are lined out. I drive a 1 1/2" metal rod 18" deep, wedge the hole then drive a 10' section of bamboo for my tomato stakes. By the stake I dig a trench, by the stake the plant is set, a couple of inches away a 2 liter drink bottle is set. 2 inches have been cut from the top of the bottle and holes drilled at the bottom. They are planted with 4 inches showing above the dirt. The rows are tilled until I see new growth. I add 6-12-12 fertilizer down the middles and till it in. Add a layer of cardboard, newspaper covered with leaf mulch, sawdust, wood shavings. No more tilling and weeding. No city water to my plants. My house and 2 outbuildings have gutters. They fill ganged 55 gallon rain barrels, total of 42. Water is pumped into 6 320 and 4 275 gallon totes. The water goes through a box that hold 100 lbs of 6-12-12 fertilize before added to the bottles. Last year I had 5 varieties 20 plants each this year I'm cutting 1 and adding 2 more. Big pink and Steakhouse were my big sellers last year.