Monday, April 20, 2009

Veggie Garden Update-April 2009

Tina's Veggie Garden Update in Tennessee: Hi all. The vegetable garden is coming along nicely, but I am a bit upset I don't have more space! It is not possible so I am really really having to do creative manipulating of the plants in order to fit cool season crops in with warm season crops. It is not an easy thing at all.

Above you can see some broccoli. I had no idea we already had heads forming as it was not so long ago I planted these starts of broccoli, Brussels sprouts and red cabbage. There is a bit of bug damage but it is below my aesthetic/functional level so I have not used any insecticides on the plants. If need be, I will apply some Sevin dust.
The elephant garlic is looking mighty good. The regular garlic and onions are also doing well. I expect I'll be able to harvest them in about a month or so. The crops are early this year. However, since this same space will be used by a warm season crop I am having to delay planting them. The peppers, and tomatoes have a spot and have been planted, but the corn, zucchini and cucumbers will have to wait. I have decided not to grow gourds this year, or if I do it will be scaled down. I have so many from last year still that I want the space this year for other crops. Instead I have planted yellow crookneck squash starts on the A-Frame trellis.
My new peas finally materialized. I learned a hard lesson last month when I planted old pea seeds. Only a very few (there on the left) germinated. The new ones I purchased had no problem growing. The green row on the bottom of this bed is radishes. The Brussels sprouts are in the furthest bed.
And finally-my bananas are returning! I think this one is promised to my friend Judie. I must get out there soon and dig it up for her.

I hope your veggie garden is growing well....

in the garden....

Skeeter's Veggie update:
Well, once again here in my Georgia Garden, the spring rains have gotten the best of me. We have gone from a 3 year drought into too much rain. But I am not complaining as our boat will finally see the lake this week! But as for getting the vegetable garden started, well, I should just go with a water lily garden instead. The garden plot is standing in water and no planting will be done in that spot for a long time. The few seedling I have (cucumber, beans, corn, tomato) are now in pots by the house soaking up the sun and hopefully, they will survive being transplanted a day ago. Not looking too good for now but I think some may make it. It may be time for us to move the veggie garden to a new spot. Gee, a bit depressing to think of all that horse fertilizer we placed on the garden going to waste being a soggy ick for now. But who knows, it may dry up in time and provide us with great crops such as last year.
The small bed I used in the flower garden to plant carrot, radish, lettuce and spinach seeds is doing great. The lettuce is just about ready for me to start nipping at it... As is the Spinach and look at that radish growing strong!
Even though we planted the cabbage a bit late, it seems to be trying to form a head now! Yeah, we will surely get to enjoy these veggies as they are far from the soggy veggie garden. Hum, maybe we should just incorporate more veggies into the Flower Garden instead of a traditional Veggie Garden. Something to think about...

On a happy note, I think my gardening is being passed along to my neighbor. He had a small plot of mostly tomatoes last year and this year, I gave him some extra cabbage and onion and now he has extended his garden! He has even planted blueberries for the first time ever. He said it was fun growing and eating the fresh tomatoes last year so he decided to try his hand at more goodies this year. I told him that when I am missing some bags of dirt, that I will know where to go looking for it. He laughed at me and then said he hopes the deer do not find his garden. Ha, in time, they will...

Hopefully, next month will be more exciting with my VEGGIE GARDEN UPDATE, In the Garden...

30 comments:

  1. Hi Skeeter and Tina, such a good start to the veggie season. Space is always a factor for us too. I have garlic and was wondering what to plant after it is harvested. I didn't know it could be dug so soon. How do you know when is the right time? Last year it was July I think when it was harvested. Both years it was planted in late September of the previous fall. That is so great that your neighbor has been inspired by you, Skeeter. Way to go!
    Frances

    ReplyDelete
  2. I agree, Tina! It seems there is never enough space to do what all you want in your little piece of serenity. I really wish WE had more space for a small vegetable garden, too. Great post of your veggies ;0)

    --Jamie @ J&R

    ReplyDelete
  3. Tina,

    Doubt you will have any luck with those peas it'll be too hot for them.
    You'll have radishes and salad greens any day now.

    We planted 5 blueberry bushes 2 years ago, the concrete truck killed 3 of them we thought all were lost.

    ReplyDelete
  4. You know I have that tiny little space, but we enjoy the few things we grow. A larger area would sure be nice, but so hard to take care of! Your gardens are coming along really well Tina and Skeeter!

    ReplyDelete
  5. my endless respect !!! it s a lot of work, but it s great to eat it fantastic !!! liebe Grüße von Kathrin aus Bremen

    ReplyDelete
  6. Looks good Tina! I went out yesterday for an inspection and found that the slugs had eaten many of the radish leaves, hopefully they will recover. The spinach and lettuce are doing great while several more snap peas just decided to emerge.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Mornin' Tina and Skeeter, first Skeeter I'm sorry about all the water and your garden not going as planned because of it. Guess you can take boat rides in that extra canning time. The brick trimmed garden looks good though and what is still okay looks great!
    Tina, your's looks great too. Love how pretty they are with the brick paths in between. Bob use to always have a garden when we lived in our first place and even in the second. But when we moved here with all the woods he never did. Ahhh I don't cook anyway so whats the use (joking). I do sometimes plant zucchini and tomatoes for his fried green tomatoes.
    Tina, I bought snow angel the other day and the lady said she couldn't get them because they weren't going to propagate them anymore. Apparently they don't make babies as fast as the other Heucheras so . . . that's big business for ya - poor angel doesn't produce fast enough so they canned her. Sure glad I got mine thanks to seeing it here!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good morning ladies! Both your veggie gardens look great! Skeeter, I hope your raised bed dries out in time for planting.

    My little veggie bed is so small, but it's still a thrill to finally have a spot here to grow some produce.

    ReplyDelete
  9. The two of you really have a great start on your veggie gardens! I hope by next month, I might be able to join you, but at this point I haven't planted a single thing in the veggie garden. Like Skeeter, the weather hasn't cooperated here--I'm thinking maybe I could grow some rice this year:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. Not much planted here yet. I did put in some strawberries a couple days ago. Skeeter, bad luck about the soggy garden. Still, I'll bet after the long drought you're glad to see the rain.
    Marnie

    ReplyDelete
  11. Morning all!

    Frances, Normally I think you know when to harvest garlic and onions when the foliage turns quite brown and falls over. Realistically though, I check mine each year prior to pulling them all. Usually I harvest in late May or even June. With these being as big as they are and getting ready to bloom I just feel they will be a bit earlier. I am planting corn here after I harvest all my onions. The corn can wait.

    The corn is in the Poa family I believe, and garlic/onions are in the Allium family so they are divergent enough to follow one another in my opinion. Normally when I rotate crops, I simply try to avoid planting crops in the same family in the same spot more than one year. I have six beds so it works pretty well for me.

    Jamie, The problem might be with the gardener wanting TOO much space:)

    Randy, I hope for the best with the peas even despite the quickly heating up area I live in. I sometimes really don't like this about the south-one day winter one day summer. I have two blueberry bushes here and they are wonderful for hand picked berries while walking in the garden. I never get enough to put up but hey-two are good!

    Linda, Every little bit of veggies in the garden are wonderful. Even a pot full of tomatoes or a tomato growing in a hay bale. That is neat too!

    Kathrin, Endless work in the garden for sure. Sigh.

    Dave, I hate those ole mollusks too. They are quite active with all the rain we've been having.

    RG, So glad you got 'Snow Angel'! I am always happy to hear about inspiring someone on here in some small way. Makes blogging worth it for sure. I agree 'Snow Angel' does not propagate itself so well because come to think of it I have not divided mine. But really, that is a good thing as it can put its energy into growing and no need to divide it so much when it gets woody like some coral bells do. I got a chuckle from your big business comment. Gotta love it! It is unfortunate not to carry 'Snow Angel' anymore as it is such a unique heuchera. You'll love it! I too am shaded by some mature oak trees. I know you live fairly rural from looking at your road picture, you could possibly still have a veggie garden but tucking in zucchinis and tomatoes works too.

    Linda, All veggies growing in the garden are a real joy. I love your veggie garden and am looking forward to seeing how it progresses.

    Rose, Wouldn't that be fun to grow rice? Ha! That would be most interesting too. Lots of rain but it will quickly seep in and we'll be hoping for it this summer.

    Marnie, Strawberries fresh picked-love em. Let us know how they grow.

    Skeeter, That is a bummer about your veggie garden being under water but you had so much success doing it last summer this way that I am impressed! Your resilience is admirable. Great that you inspired your neighbors. They'll thank you for it.

    Everyone have a super day...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I can't believe your broccoli has heads on it already! Mine have been brutalized in the wind the last couple weeks. They actually still look good. Shade is not an issue in my yard but sometimes I wonder if it wouldn't be nice. Then I would have more time for flowers and less for veggies!
    Heather

    ReplyDelete
  13. We started the veggie plot yesterday, it 45' by 30' and it looks big to me but maybe when it's planted it will look small. Your gardens look like they will produce anyday now.

    ReplyDelete
  14. It's all looking very good. I wish I had a veggie garden right now. I am going to try and get a few things in when I get back to MI. Im dissapointed though because I really wanted to start my own heirloom seeds. Especially tomatos. Maybe i can find some plants.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Everything looks good to me!!!! We worked some in the veggie garden this past weekend but nothing is planted yet and my seedlings are getting so big that they will need to be planed REAL SOON and it is not time yet in our cold weather.

    ReplyDelete
  16. My veggies are still in their winter sowing containers and haven't sprouted yet. I could direct sow some lettuce now, though, I think. It is frustrating not to have enough sunny spaces of veggies, isn't it? I sneak them in here and there, and like you, try to rotate what i plant, but that does require a lot of active thinking! :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. Tina- What a wonderful start to your garden. I wish I had some veggies growing. Hopefully it shouldn't be long now.

    Skeeter- I think it's a great idea to incorporate some veggies in with flowers. I'm actually thinking of doing some of that too...

    ReplyDelete
  18. I am visiting from Catherine's blog - congrats on winning her giveaway. I got hungry just reading about all your plants! Hope you have a nice day.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Love the part about inspiring your neighbor to expand his veggie patch. At my house, one neighbor just cut down his stunning wisteria vine while the neighbor on the other side planted a row of highly invasive scotch broom. Sigh.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Both gardens are looking great Ladies. Mine is doing ok. My squash looks as though it may start blooming shortly. Swish chard could be picked. All seems to be doing good in spite of the storm we had. The sun seems to have done a great job at refreshing the plants.

    ReplyDelete
  21. You both look like you have lots of good things growing! I don't have a lot of veggie space either and have to "reserve" places for tomatoes and peppers now so I make sure to have room for them in another month. It's great to see the garden bug spread to neighbors isn't it?!
    Tina I will email you today!! Congrats!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Well if that isn't the CUTEST little head of broccoli I've ever seen!

    I did a really dumb thing and mixed my old pea seeds with my new ones. No wonder only half of them are coming up!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Tina and Skeeter, Both of you are inspiring gardens!
    I am even getting a few plants here and there! Swiss Chard, Flashy Butter Oak lettuce, Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes and a lot of my herbs! It's just a baby step!

    I was looking at a garden magazine and the author of this one article was complaining she hadn't enough room for flowers....so she gave her vegetable bed over to flowers! I knew I had to tell you that story!

    gail

    ReplyDelete
  24. Wow, your gardens look great! And, I haven't even got mine in yet:) I know we'll be okay just won't have anything quite as fast as you two:0) It was a decent day today --a bit chillier and off and on rain but the flowers and yard love the rain. Have a great evening! Ciao!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Good evening everyone. I am entertaining house guests and just now turning on the computer for the first time today! Having too much fun outside to be inside at all...

    Tina, I am impressed by your gardens as always! I did not even think of the banana plant and mine is also coming up but yours seems to be a bit ahead of mine. And you gave it to me and it is warmer down here. Nothing seems to be normal any more... lol...

    Okay, I have hide enough, must get back to company now.... Ihope you all are having some of this glorious weather!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Tina - You have a nice angled planter too. I guess we are both a little off kilter, hehe. Looks like everything is coming along nicely.

    Skeeter - I hope your patch dries out soon. Should make for some nice moist soil once it drains. Your greens are looking great!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Hi Tina, the veggie garden seems to be coming along nicely. It seems like we never have enough space to grow everything we would like to grow huh? I'm using some containers to back up my small plot.

    Hi Skeeter, hope your soggy plot dries out soon. It's not a bad idea to stick some edibles in with the ornamentals. I've done this in the past very successfully. Glad you passed the garden bug onto your neighbor. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi girls! Everything is lookin' good! Wish I was there with you but no veggies here yet. I am planting yellow crooked neck squash this year tho Tina so I'll have to remember your trellis trick. I'm the opposite of Gail story ~ I'm making room in my flower bed for the veggies!

    ReplyDelete
  29. That is so great to see your veggie garden growing so well. Just so exciting to see the promise of home grown food right on your own doorstep.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi everyone, I am late getting back here. Thanks to all for the very nice comments. Nothing beats home grown veggies for sure!

    ReplyDelete

ALL SPAM WILL BE PROMPTLY FRIED. PLEASE DO NOT LIFT PHOTOS OR WORDS. THANKS!