# This Year's Garden



## RedGinger (Jun 15, 2011)

What is everyone growing in their garden this year?  We have a later, and shorter gardening season here than other areas.  Finally, I have the garden ready to plant some vegetables.  The only perennial I had was Catnip.  My cats go crazy for it, dried.  I think I will plant some heirloom tomatoes, Rosemary, Basil, Cucumbers and a few other items this year.  I wondered what grows best in your climate, as well.  Happy gardening!


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## OsiaBoyce (Jun 15, 2011)

An acre of okra..........no beans-no peas-no squash...........okra.

 Gonna go in the okra selling business.

 I start em out in these so I can get a more even spacing. This is around 3,000 plants here.


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## OsiaBoyce (Jun 15, 2011)

........and hay if it ever rains again.


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## GuntherHess (Jun 15, 2011)

strawberries did well this year. Lots of big asparegus early on. Cucumbers good. Getting squash and zuccini now.  Beets didnt do too well (but I dont care, the wife eats them).
 Garlic looks good so far. New potatos are about ready to dig. Will have raspberries pretty soon. Peppers and tomatoes have a ways to go.


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## cowseatmaize (Jun 15, 2011)

> strawberries did well this year. Lots of big asparegus early on. Cucumbers good. Getting squash and zuccini now. Beets didnt do too well (but I dont care, the wife eats them).
> Garlic looks good so far. New potatos are about ready to dig. Will have raspberries pretty soon. Peppers and tomatoes have a ways to go.


Amazing what a few degrees latitude makes.


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## RICKJJ59W (Jun 15, 2011)

We planted  lots of goodies this year.[]
 Tomatoes 
 White eggplant 
 Cantaloupe  
 Water Melon
 Beets 
 Snap peas
 Asparagus 
 and pontil pears


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## RedGinger (Jun 15, 2011)

I'm a couple weeks late, but we did have an early June frost.  Didn't do seeds this year, so I'll be buying the plants.  No squash for me, as everyone else grows tons of it.  Sounds like some great gardens, guys.


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## LC (Jun 15, 2011)

I never put out a garden because I have no luck with them . Doesn't matter what I do or what other people suggest , they just do not turn out . The last garden I put out , the only thing I could get to grow was blasted green beans , and I picked them till the frost finally killed them off, the things I wanted more just never developed .

 So far this year we have already had thirty one inches of rain , pretty much what we get in an entire year . The ground has finally dried up and there are some late gardens around me that have been planted , don't know if they will make or not . The rain sure put the farmers behind as well . I live in a rural farming area . Some got out some late corn , but most of what I have seen around here are more so soybeans .


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## GuntherHess (Jun 15, 2011)

I have found that you have to experiment. Eventually you find stuff that will work in your soil.
 I live in a limestone house on a limestone yard so it makes acid loving stuff tough.
 It takes a couple years to get the soil worked decent.


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## ktbi (Jun 15, 2011)

We live in the middle of the produce capital of the United State, so pretty much everything is available.  I only have oranges growing anymore at home, but have had tomatoes, corn, cukes, potatoes, and my kids had a spice garden. There are roadside stands all over the place and prices are very good. There are probably 30 stands within 10 miles of my house. I bought some small avacadoes for 30 cents each a couple days ago and a guy knocked on the door about an hour ago with crates of locally grown strawberries and cherries. Corn and nuts are two of the major crops in this area. Without a doubt, we are spoiled here.   Ron


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## RedGinger (Jun 15, 2011)

Get some things that are easy to grow, like Cucumbers, herbs and stuff.  Perennials are hardy and easy to grow.  I got come cheap fertilizer in a box last year.  It started with a P, I think.  You just dig a little around your plants, sprinkle it in, cover it up and water.  It really helps them take off.  To help my tomatoes, I used milk.  You can used powdered milk in a jug with water and pour it all over the plant.  Or, use fresh or spoiled milk.  It gives the tomatoes some minerals they need and prevents blight.

 P.S.  Some people swear by Epsom salts for their plants.  Personally, I find they do a better job in the bathtub. []


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## RedGinger (Jun 15, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  ktbi
> 
> We live in the middle of the produce capital of the United State, so pretty much everything is available.  I only have oranges growing anymore at home, but have had tomatoes, corn, cukes, potatoes, and my kids had a spice garden. There are roadside stands all over the place and prices are very good. There are probably 30 stands within 10 miles of my house. I bought some small avacadoes for 30 cents each a couple days ago and a guy knocked on the door about an hour ago with crates of locally grown strawberries and cherries. Corn and nuts are two of the major crops in this area. Without a doubt, we are spoiled here.   Ron


 
 I would love to be able to grow citrus plants.  Nothing beats the smell of the orange blossoms.  I love avocados and nuts too.


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## myersdiggers1998 (Jun 15, 2011)

pontil pears??? rick????[]


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## RED Matthews (Jun 15, 2011)

Hello, Well we are in NY now and I planted six Celebrity tomatoes in three earth boxes.  When planted I put a half of a tea cup of bone meal under the little potted plants, and fill the box on up with dirt.  Then we water them with water that was heated and had about two table spoons of baking soda in the water per cup.  This process has worked extremely well for the last three years.  We also will have two of the same plants in hanging Topsie-Turvey potting pails, where the plants grow up-side down.  
 From there it is Roma beans, Kentucky Wonder beans, cucumbers, peppers -Squash etc.
 RED Matthews


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## cyberdigger (Jun 15, 2011)

How I wish I had a garden this year.. I love growing annual veggies and herbs.. please everybody allow me to enjoy this growing season vicariously through you all.. []


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## kwalker (Jun 15, 2011)

Tomatoes. Nothing's better than Jersey grown tomatoes and sweetcorn []


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## rockbot (Jun 15, 2011)

Got an early start on my eggplant this year. Just had eggplant parmesan last night. Just love the stuff!


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## cyberdigger (Jun 15, 2011)

How is it that eggplant gets used as a substitute for meat?


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## RICKJJ59W (Jun 15, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  rockbot
> 
> Got an early start on my eggplant this year. Just had eggplant parmesan last night. Just love the stuff!


 
 Eggplant Parm is one of my all time fav dishes []


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## RICKJJ59W (Jun 15, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  myersdiggers1998
> 
> pontil pears??? rick????[]


 
 hahaha  I was reading through and thought,wow no one saw that [8D]


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## RICKJJ59W (Jun 15, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  cyberdigger
> 
> How is it that eggplant gets used as a substitute for meat?


 
 It does sort of have a soft meat like texture.
    I love fried egg plant too.its good cold to.


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## ktbi (Jun 16, 2011)

The best thing about eggplant is that no one else in the family likes it so it's all mine  Ron


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## LC (Jun 16, 2011)

I have never eaten eggplant but would like to try it . Only problem is , the Misses doesn't like it , so we never have any to try !


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## LC (Jun 16, 2011)

Love cucumbers Laur , but they do not like me , gives me indigestion something awful . My favorite vegetables of summer are SWEET CORN and tomatoes . I could eat good sweet corn every day of the month .

 I am curious , has anyone ever tried eating field corn ? I tried it a good many years ago . Catch it when the kernels are small and tender , lay the sugar to it in the boiling pot as it cooks , not bad , but never made it a habit to eat it , have too strong  a love for the good old sweet corn .


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## rockbot (Jun 16, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  RICKJJ59W
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
 Yeah, if you make it right the consistency and flavor is great.


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## RICKJJ59W (Jun 16, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  ktbi
> 
> The best thing about eggplant is that no one else in the family likes it so it's all mine  Ron


 
 same here[]


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## cowseatmaize (Jun 16, 2011)

> Then we water them with water that was heated and had about two table  spoons of baking soda in the water per cup.  This process has worked  extremely well for the last three years.


What's the theory on that, plant health or to sweeten the soil and make the tomatoes sweeter. 
 I think I understand warming the water to not shock the roots of a tropical fruit.
 I always took a 12" plant, broke the leaves off and buried it so only 3 or 4" showed also. That seamed to get the roots down to where the water is. The old leaf stems just rooted.


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## Stardust (Jun 16, 2011)

I love eggplant [] Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and pumpkins for the kids. One year had one up in a tree. [] []  I mostly have wild flowers now and although my granddaughter thinks the bottles grow like potatoes I'm gonna have to tell her one day it's one of those things like the tooth fairy and the Santa ~ I need to get a working on the bottles because they want to dig every time they come over. Why, I think they are here now ; ) . Talk to you all later...I grow more things that I'll tell you about later.


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## rockbot (Jun 17, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  Stardust
> 
> I love eggplantÂ [] Cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and pumpkins for the kids. One year had one up in a tree. [] []Â  I mostly have wild flowers now and although my granddaughter thinks the bottles grow like potatoes I'm gonna have to tell her one day it's one of those things like the tooth fairy and the Santa ~ I need to get a working on the bottles because they want to dig every time they come over. Why, I think they are here now ; ) . Talk to you all later...I grow more things that I'll tell you about later. Â


 
 I still think that is awesome Star! got to love it.


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## RedGinger (Jun 19, 2011)

We have our garden in and the place looks great.  I have some rose bushes our neighbor gave us, and I'm just waiting for those to bloom.  I love roses.  The nice man at the garden center we go to gave me a free Begonia!  I told Joe we should go there because they are really nice people.  

 Joe salvaged two Rose of Sharon trees and those will bloom in August, probably.  They are really pretty.  One is from a couple years ago, and one is from this year.  We have four different kind of tomatoes.  One is "Better Boy" and another is "Lemon Boy" or "Golden Girl".  Neither of us can remember lol.  Also have a Beefsteak plant and a "Celebrity" tomato plant.  Last year, it was "Pink something or other", "Mortgage Lifter" and " Cherokee Purple" tomatoes.  We also got Basil, Cucumbers, "Black Beauty" Eggplant, Rosemary (in remembrance of our friend, Lobey), and Jalapeno peppers.  I'll have some pics soon.


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## rockbot (Jun 19, 2011)

Lots of tomatoes this year Red. I love tomatoes. We can grow mainly cherry tomatoes cause the fruit flies attack the larger varieties.[]. Cucumber are the hardest to grow out here too. The melon fly will lay its eggs in the blossom end and by the time the cucumber reaches maturity the inside is mush!

 Started my lettuce last week.


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## rockbot (Jun 19, 2011)

Kale. We use this in Portuguese bean soup. Delicious!


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## towhead (Jun 20, 2011)

I didn't plant anything, but have a ton of *wild raspberries*.  -Julie


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## Stardust (Jun 20, 2011)

My raspberries have gone crazy wild from a small plant I got from a friend. My Rose of Sharon has babies all the time and I give the away all the time. The color depends on the acidity of the soil where they are planted. I call them the giving tree. They are great for when a friend has a new baby or a wedding in the family, so Laur watch for the young trees that will show up nearby or in your yard. I have cape cod roses, lots of flowers that I love to take photos of. I also have to make a scarecrow every year. They are so much fun. The Bunnies tend to want to eat the veggies and any low growing sunflowers. Last summer, the mother bunny had babies in my flower tin wash bucket (it was my Nana's that my mom gave me) right by my back door where I tie my dog out. They were underneath a light covering of leaves. I went to clean the leaves out and to my surprise I thought they were moving potatoes at first. LOL! My mom had just passed away and it was like a little gift and a message that all was well right in the bucket she had given me. [] star ~*


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## cyberdigger (Jun 20, 2011)

Moving potatoes.. LOL! [] UR funny Star!


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## towhead (Jun 21, 2011)

How cool Star!  Did they survive?  -Julie


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## RedGinger (Aug 8, 2011)

How is your garden coming along, this Summer?  I'm going to post some more pictures later.  I think I'll be able to harvest the tomatoes and eggplants just in time, this year.  Here's an eggplant.  Luckily, I was able to keep the flea beetles at bay long enough for them to get past seedlings.  Next year, I'll be more careful about removing everything from the garden and rotating crops.


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## RedGinger (Aug 8, 2011)

Jalapenos


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## RedGinger (Aug 8, 2011)

Tomato. I have more of them now, but I messed up when trying to re-size my pic from today.


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## RedGinger (Aug 8, 2011)

For some reason, this plant has decided to produce very large cucumbers.  I decided for kicks, to let this one stay on and see how big it gets!  I know it's no good for eating at this point, so I'll have to find a contest or newspaper to call about it (if it gets truly monstrous)!  I'll have to try again later with my pic.  The re-sizing isn't working.


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## RedGinger (Aug 8, 2011)

Okay, here is the biggest cuke in all of bottle forum history, I think.


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## RedGinger (Aug 9, 2011)

It's amazing how vegetables grow so fast overnight.  I would like to try drying out this cucumber, like a gourd, when I finally pick it.  I haven't been able to find any info on this.  I know it might be hard to do, as they are made up of so much water (couldn't think of the technical term for it).


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

My garden has been a total disaster this year. Too hot and too little rainfall.  It's hard to get veggies to grow when the temps are 104 and 105 degrees. My water bill from the city doubled, and this was just enough to keep the plants alive.

 The eggplants are just starting to produce.  They have never been this late.  It's hard for plants to produce fruit when they are struggling just to stay alive.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

Tomatoes were complete failure.  The Largest one was only the size of a tennis ball. What the blight didn't kill, the heat did a number on.  Now with all the thunderstorms, the survivors are putting growth everywhere but no tomatoes.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

Sweet potatoes may have time to make before the frost kills the vines.  It was a struggle trying to keep the vines alive.  The bamboo fence is to try to keep the deer out.  They can completely destroy a patch of potatoes like this overnight.  They even pull the runners out of the ground to nibble on.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

I love those tiny butter beans. But the crop has been small this year.  These bushes should have lapped in the middle.  i lost a lot of plants from the heat and drought.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

In a good year the beans will have 3 and 4 beans per pod.  This year it's been mostly one and two beans.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

The Purple hull peas never made much of a bush before the heat did them in.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

The Sadandy peas did a little better.  We were able to put some of these in the freezer.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

The peppers are just starting to make after the thunderstorms.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

Jalepeno


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

I have been trying for several years to get my scuppernong vines to producing.


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## logueb (Aug 12, 2011)

These look ready to pick, so I'll see you folks later.  Buster


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## RedGinger (Aug 12, 2011)

> ORIGINAL:  logueb
> 
> My garden has been a total disaster this year. Too hot and too little rainfall.  It's hard to get veggies to grow when the temps are 104 and 105 degrees. My water bill from the city doubled, and this was just enough to keep the plants alive.
> 
> The eggplants are just starting to produce.  They have never been this late.  It's hard for plants to produce fruit when they are struggling just to stay alive.


 
 I thought that was a picture of my eggplant at first, except your leaves look a lot better.  Try fertilizing them now, with the fruit set.  We have had the same high temp problem, but it's much cooler now.  My eggplants are the same size as your's.  At least you have a longer growing season.  Just as my tomatoes and eggplants are ready, the frost comes.


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## RedGinger (Aug 12, 2011)

Pour milk all over your tomatoes and leaves, Logue (soured, spoiled, powdered mixed with water, fresh, whatever) and report back to us.  It is a germicide/fungicide and give them some of the nutrients and minerals they need, like Magnesium.  It will get rid of the blight. 

 It looks like you have a lot of gardening experience already, but I like sharing what I have learned (I've only recently gotten back into gardening).  Try pruning your tomatoes.  I clip off the suckers and a few extra vines.  Also, making sure no leaves are touching the ground helps reduce exposure to pathogens like blight, and also pests.


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## RedGinger (Aug 12, 2011)

One more thing.   When we had our heat wave, I watered at night.  I know they say to do it in the morning, but this worked for me.  We set up the hose to spray the plants for a good 15 minutes or so every evening.  It helped a lot.  My climbing roses flowered once.  I did trim them, and they are still growing "vines", but I think next year I will need to fertilize them earlier and with something stronger than the brand I have used.


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## OsiaBoyce (Aug 12, 2011)

I know what ya mean by hot -n- dry Buster. After this years drought we're getting out of the cow busniess........................a run of over a little over 100 years.

 I'm not happy about it a little bit. It was my busniess partners idea [][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][][].

 Any way, I gave up on gardening because
 a. coons eat my corn
 b. I hate picking butterbeans.
 c. I hate shelling peas.
 d. I always plant way,way,way to much, and that makes it much to of a job.

 ...............but not really.

 I love okra, fried okra that is. Plus the fact it's $6.00 a lb., maybe I can make a couple of bucks as late as it is.


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## OsiaBoyce (Aug 12, 2011)

Food fit for a god, or some po azz country folks.


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## OsiaBoyce (Aug 12, 2011)

Didn't get a peach or plum one, and only a few pears. They didn't bloom so no need to keep the grass cut.


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## OsiaBoyce (Aug 12, 2011)

Grapes didn't fare well either.


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## OsiaBoyce (Aug 12, 2011)

........................and I didn't spray my apples. Now I got a knotty wormfestarama.


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## RedGinger (Aug 17, 2011)

Eggplant is looking good...


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## RedGinger (Aug 17, 2011)

I need to pull some weeds, but growing season is almost over and I haven't felt up to it.  I'm hoping my tomatoes will hurry up and ripen!


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## RedGinger (Aug 17, 2011)

Re-sizing issues again!  This is the Rosemary I planted for Lobey.  I'll bring that and my Basil in before the frost.  Brrrr.  I don't think I'll make it through another Winter here.  But, I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.[]


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