Posted on 11/16/2018 6:45:04 PM PST by greeneyes
Ok...and thanks so much for your help...
You are most welcome.
That’s wonderful! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
It looks like ornamental grass to me as well, but not like anything that grows here.
I removed the snow from the front planter, chucked the bulb auger into my cordless drill and the ground isn’t frozen. Planted what bulbs I could find.
Went out to the raised planter bed in back and removed the snow and weeds. Rescued the small tiller from under the collapsed canopy and after numerous pulls, got it started. The bed is now smooth and marked for garlic planting. I will do so, now and then cover with straw.
Finally, I have planted garlic!
Waiting for the asteroid to impact on the garden!
The mice won another one...quite handily!
I got my indeterminates from Lowes. They usually carry different varieties. If you have a nearby Lowes, greenhouse or farm supply check with them now. They can tell you what they usually order for spring.
What I planted this year was the BeefMaster. Very meaty tomatoes that were perfect for burgers and sandwiches.
Be warned that indeterminates take a LOT of space both verticle and horizontal.
Cages are worthless, I used the Florida weave this year and was very happy with the results. If you use the weave or any trellis method make sure your to string is about 6 foot above ground. At that height you can let the plants flip over the top and grow to the ground.
We always planted deep.
When you get your plants you can snip the bottom leaves off and let them heal while you harden them.
When you plant all those fine hairs grow into roots. A bigger root system allows for better growth.
I use a 10-10-10 fertilizer and also apply lime liberally when I plant and when I hill the plants.
One other thing I do is plant by the moon.
Generally if it produces above ground (tomatoes, peppers, corn, etc) I plant on the increase of the moon.
If it produces below ground (potatoes, beets, carrots, etc) I plant on the decrease of the moon.
Never failed me yet.
Good Luck!
It shouldn’t be a soil problem unless you live where the topsoil was scraped off for construction purposes.
Get a soil test kit and give it a look.
Peppers are VERY sensitive to cold snaps. They will produce at 32 degrees but if the temperature drops to 31.9 they stop. They may produce small peppers but nothing to be happy with.
You might try covering your plants at night in spring if the temps range into the 30’s just to be safe. Or plant later and have a shortened growing season.
I assume you get plenty of rain in your area so that shouldn’t be a problem.
Hello Caww . . . They either look like dried artichoke flowers or an African flower called a Proton (I think) . . . Smile!
I do not know what has truly enabled all the fruitfulness, besides prayer and fertilizer, but we pray it is too the glory of God.
Lots of sun is crtical. In this densely populated NE city I know of no one in our neighborhood that even has as much unblocked Southward facing space to plant, if at all, as us, though in the spring and summer the house blocks the sun from most of the area until after about 12-1p - and tomato plants you are sppsd to get about 7 hours of sin a day.
And by about 4 or 5 PM the rear section of the side garden is blocked by the bldg next door. Therefore I have been planting the toms in the (overcrowded) front section, and front of the side garden, and the squash after that, which crawls. Soil condition is also critical. The best "crop" in NE soils is rocks, and the sols also tends to be acidic, and so I have used some lime the last 2 years, as well as soil amendments like Cow Manure , Peat Moss , Humus and Manure , Organic Lime , and All-Purpose Fertilizer 10-10-10.
Plus, someone gave us a large container of expired vitamin-mineral pills, which i put in the rain water i collected.
I may try a little Epsom salts this year, God willing, though i do not want to spend too much of the money the "picker" spends on this. Which reminds me that although all the squash and the toms on the side were started from collected seeds, the pickerr enthusiast (who does not eat many toms, but likes to pick them to be given away) bout about 8 plants the last 2 years (planted about mid-May) from the garden center. Which is where i get the sends for this years crop.
Thanks and glory to be God, and may He show Himself strong on behalf of those who are serving Him amid privations (Ps. 70) and on those with bad conditions. And to whom much is given of him shall much be expected.
Thanks I’ll check on those too!
You are so funny! Glad you got your bulbs in!
I have a Lowe’s close to me. I will check them out. I have two raised beds, one is doing well with herbs. The other I did not do well with the caged bush tomatoes. Another section is ground level area. Thinking I will move tomatoes there. I don’t use a lot of fertilizer. Afraid I will over do it. I replenish the raised bed with bags of soil that has fertilizer in it. We compost, so the ground garden area gets that compost.
That is very intriguing that you plant by the moon’s phases.
“That is very intriguing that you plant by the moon’s phases.”
My family has done it for generations.
Once when I was younger I argued with my dad about planting some corn. To prove his point he let me plant one field when I wanted to. We planted the rest by the moon.
The field I planted was terrible. Short spindly stalks and low yield.
The fields we planted two weeks later by the moon were beautiful. Tall thick stalks with huge ears of corn.
All of the fields got the same fertilizers and the same amount of rain.
I learned my lesson. Never argued or deviated again.
A good guide:
https://www.almanac.com/gardening/planting-calendar
Even if you use fertilized soil I recommend adding some powdered lime when you plant. That will give the plants the early kick they need for fast initial growth. I use lime very liberally, about three times during the growing season.
The cost is negligible compared to the benefits.
If you have been using your raised beds for a while you might need to work some lime into them. Just broadcast liberally and work it in about a week before planting then put a bit more in each hole or row.
Thanks so much. This is a great thread, with everyone’s experience, tips & stories!
And due to the shorter growing season here you can have a lot of them.
I think Sub Arctic Plenty Tomato will be worth a try. Thank God for variety.
Well, to Him be the glory, who makes the sun shine and rain fall even upon the unjust.
Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side. (Psalms 65:9-12)
The two horses that live at my house right now can't keep up with demand, so I bring in 15-20 ton a year from the neighbor lady's boarding facility. In the springtime I pick up all of the nasty waste hay that's left over from outdoor feeding.
With the resources that are available to me I'm able to make enough compost to use anywhere it's needed here, and I don't ever run out.
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