What are the plans for this year?
every year this time I am having grand plans to start the vegetable garden to dwarf all gardens.
But I need to concentrate on putting some hard scape in in the front yard, water control, etc…I had to get two bags of pine mulch and put it down in front of the porch and put rubber mats across. Even though the dirt does not get really soggy, with the amount of rain we had, it was just a mess stepping out of the house.
I’m getting ready to start seeds. Put in my order from Victory seeds (all heirlooms) and already have my heirloom tomato seeds. I wanted all open pollinated stuff so I can save seeds. I’ve also had much better luck with heirloom tomatoes than with hybrids in our hot humid summers. I stick to varieties known for having those tolerances. So much better tasting too.
I am also building cold frames…mini hoop houses…over my raised beds so I can get an earlier start. I hate that every year I put out my cauliflower and cool season plants in april when the plants are ready and then the bugs/worms show up. I think if I can be ready even a month earlier, I’ll beat them.
I had to stop on my hoop house project due to weather but when I get done, i’ll post pics. I think it will be a great way to harden off seedlings also…a mini greenhouse.
After about 5 years of trying to do the gardening thing, I’m throwing in the towel! We are going to make our garden area a big pen for our chickens and get a couple more laying hens-maybe try a few meat chickens in there too. I just can’t find the time to take care of a garden…full time job, teenage kid and hubby who want attention, two horses, two dogs…house chores, barn chores etc etc- the weeds just went crazy! I am going to continue a few things…I grow my herbs in a strawberry pot on the deck- love it!!! I also grow lettuce in a pallet- works perfectly! I will continue those two things but everything else will be courtesy of the local farmer’s market which sells things pretty cheap anyhow.
I just put cauliflower, red cabbage, mini red bell peppers, rainbow bell peppers, jalapenos, and celery seeds all in soil last night (starting them indoors). I also have about four kinds of tomatoes to start.
I am waiting on a delivery of supplies from Jung’s, a bazillion seeds from Heritage Creek, and one more seed packet from Burpee. Going to place an order with Gurney today for seed potatoes, onions, and maybe leeks.
We’re going to buy the lumber for 5 more raised beds this weekend. That will give us something like 18 raised beds. (I know, I know… that’s a lot). I should type up the list of stuff I’m going to try growing this year!
Greens should go in the ground this weekend - lettuce, spinach, kale, arugula, and then carrots, parsnips and a few other things.
We’ll see how this monster garden goes.
I just started thinking about the garden, being in South Dakota. We canned this year for the first time and loved it, but I’m really debating a garden or not this year. Really, though, most of our garden goes to waste. My sister did make pickles, and I made salsa and a batch of jalepeno jelly, and some pickled jalepenos and banana peppers, but so much didn’t get eaten that it makes me feel bad 
So not sure if I’ll garden or not. If I do, I might keep it simple and just do tomatoes!
I would, however, like to do some landscaping. I rent, so I’m limited, but I was going to approach my landlord about some stone paths and work on flower beds along the side of the garage and house. I think instead of gardening, I’d rather work on the yard. So maybe a couple tomato plants, a banana pepper plant maybe … and then some landscaping work. Maybe the time I save on weeding, etc., I can find time to actually go to the farmer’s market instead!
Hooray, I usually have to start this thread! I am always excited for gardening season. My garden is super little but I get the most out of it. Generally more than I can keep up with picking. It isn’t pretty by any stretch but it gets the job done! Last year I found a cucumber that was buried under the tomatoes and had never seen the light of day. It was at least two feet long and as big around as a football. I took it in and peeled it and it looked like it was made out of wood inside!
I just got the new Burpee catalog and they have come out with a sweet corn designed to be planted in a 24" container :eek:
I want to try that in my smallish veggie garden - “container” will be my version of the raised-bed/square-foot garden.
I section off the plot with garden timbers and fill the “squares” with composted manure over feed bags.
To justify the price - $5.95 for a pack of 50 seeds - I need to find something else to help balance the S&H.
Not really a Burpee fan, but I may try a couple pepper & eggplant plants from their Mix & Match section.
I am far too impatient to start from seed.
Although I have had luck Winter-sowing in the past:
Chard, kohlrabi & beets did well with this method.
My local Farmers Market sells nice tomato, veg and herb plants for $1ea.
Last year the yellow pear tomatoes from there took over the World.
Sadly, they were prolific, but tasteless.
I did make a tasty tomato/vanilla jam with them.
The Black Krim were outstanding and I’ll be looking for those again.
My plan is to grow things I use most, based on years past.
I loved growing greens: kale & collard, potatoes were fun & winter squashes - butternut & carnival - kept well into the cold weather.
I might try broccoli - Burpee is offering a heat-resistant one - and possibly brussels sprouts.
I would kill to be able to grow onions & carrots - 2 things that are my Permanent Fail no matter what I try
Hello -
Kinda related to what everyone is planning to plant…what is everyone planning on wearing in the garden? And what do you wish you had to wear but can’t find?
I have a gardening glove and apparel business and while my 2013 line is done, I am always trying to find what people want. A little market research for 2014…
Thank you!
I usually wear my pajamas in the garden! LOL The garden is the first place I go on a summer morning and I usually start fiddling and then watering and two hours later me and my baggy shorts and tank top and barefeet get back into the house…
Shoes are what I’m always trying to figure out… something easy to slip on, easy to clean but doesn’t need to be cleaned, but doesn’t fall apart when they get left out in the rain and water.
We had a long long wet spring last year and I’m expecting the same again. I’m planning my cool weather plants now, we get a nice window of spring in April and then the rains start and we don’t see the sun again until July…
I need to do something different too-we don’t know if we’ll be living here through the summer (job changes) so instead of the “in the dirt” garden I want to plant in containers but the containers need to be very very cheap. Pallets are on the list.
YYYAAAAAYYYY!!!
I am an avid gardner and now that I have a farm I have SUN!! We have been container gardening at the old house because it was basically a sidewalk on the south side. The rest was complete shade (which I had a lot of fun with). I feel for the young couple who bought our house. I don’t think they have a clue how much work that landscaping I did is to keep up. I got a bit carried away–formal hedges, etc. Oh well!!
My dad said he would buy me a rototiller if I will take over his tomatoe planting. DEAL! Any advice on those?
Also, I told him I want to do raised beds and he thinks I’m an idiot for spending the money when I have an acre of yard to plant on. I have yet to come up with a totally awesome reason why I want them, aside from not having to bend over…
I am also really trying to plan out my water use. Rural water is not cheap I find. Our well is capped because it is sooo nasty (37 feet deep) and I don’t want all those contaminates on my food. Any diy rain-barrel ideas? I was looking at barrels and they are a bit spendy. What do you all do for watering?
So excited for spring.
Of course I have a ton of things to do around the farm (like fence, build shelters, re-roof a garage, paint the house) and am probably biting off more than I should. 
[QUOTE=TrotTrotPumpkn;6785932]
YYYAAAAAYYYY!!!
I am an avid gardner and now that I have a farm I have SUN!! We have been container gardening at the old house because it was basically a sidewalk on the south side. The rest was complete shade (which I had a lot of fun with). I feel for the young couple who bought our house. I don’t think they have a clue how much work that landscaping I did is to keep up. I got a bit carried away–formal hedges, etc. Oh well!!
My dad said he would buy me a rototiller if I will take over his tomatoe planting. DEAL! Any advice on those?
Also, I told him I want to do raised beds and he thinks I’m an idiot for spending the money when I have an acre of yard to plant on. I have yet to come up with a totally awesome reason why I want them, aside from not having to bend over…
I am also really trying to plan out my water use. Rural water is not cheap I find. Our well is capped because it is sooo nasty (37 feet deep) and I don’t want all those contaminates on my food. Any diy rain-barrel ideas? I was looking at barrels and they are a bit spendy. What do you all do for watering?
So excited for spring.
Of course I have a ton of things to do around the farm (like fence, build shelters, re-roof a garage, paint the house) and am probably biting off more than I should. :)[/QUOTE]
Raised beds have a lot of benefits. not bending over is a huge one though.
drainage, complete control over the soil. in lose soil you can plant more in a smaller space, less weeds coming up from the ground…
But if this is your first year, hold up on building them, maybe one near the back door, for herbs and a nosh on the way to chores.
you can use anything that holds water to collect your rain water.
clean the gutters and place the containers under the down spout.
link several barrels (while not really pretty, those 55gallon drums work like a charm) with pieces of hose so they all fill up instead of you having to move pipe around (a piece of plastic pipe with an elbow or two, easy peasy)
then you can either get a submersible pump and water as usual (preferred) or just dip a watering can in the barrels.
if you raise the barrels up, you can put a faucet type deal in the bottom part and just fill the watering can that way.
also: water conservation! mulch and cover. Drip irrigation vs broad spraying, use every bit of moisture, like dew to your advantage.
My raised beds are only about 6 inches - so it doesn’t help much with the bending over. BUT it seems to be easier to keep weeds down in the raised beds (I’m doing a variation of square foot gardening, so there aren’t rows in my beds where weeds can grow up). And if you have poor soil like I do, raised beds allows you to bring in and control the soil better.
[QUOTE=Laurierace;6785736]
Hooray, I usually have to start this thread! I am always excited for gardening season. My garden is super little but I get the most out of it. Generally more than I can keep up with picking. It isn’t pretty by any stretch but it gets the job done! Last year I found a cucumber that was buried under the tomatoes and had never seen the light of day. It was at least two feet long and as big around as a football. I took it in and peeled it and it looked like it was made out of wood inside![/QUOTE]
spammer bumped last years up.
Now I can’t see it anymore…did they delete the whole thread?
[QUOTE=Alagirl;6786000]
spammer bumped last years up.
Now I can’t see it anymore…did they delete the whole thread?[/QUOTE]
I don’t know but who cares, it’s a new year so a new thread is a great idea!
Oh yeah! Just talking about gardening brings a ray of sunshine on an otherwise grey and grizzly day.
Every year I try to focus more on the things that are successful, try to improve and also try something new.
Beans are very successful for me and I never grow tired of eating or picking them. I love that they like poor soil so I can take advantage of the overlooked corners of my gardens. Each year I try to plant bush beans as a living mulch for my tomatoes. When it works, it works well, but I usually get the spacing screwed up because I direct sow the beans while the tomato is yet small. Everything goes great until July when the plants start becoming monstrous and the beans usually get blocked by the toms. This year I will try to remember to put down pails or bricks where I plant to put beans so I space the other plants better.
Lima beans I’m undecided on. I might try to find a radically new location for them. I LOVE lima beans but they are such a late crop in my area, they’re just hitting their stride when the rest of the garden is winding down, usually September. By then, I’m done with gardening too :lol: and I usually let the garden just go. The limas turn into a jungle and pods come ready at all different intervals so I never get a good enough picking for more than one or two meals. They don’t seem to keep for more than a day or two and are very slow on the vine, so I can’t really accumulate throughout the week for a big meal like I can with asparagus, etc. I do love them dearly though. I might see if I can grow them in smart pots with a trellis this year. So they don’t takeover the garden at least.
I need a better game plan with cukes too. I love them but I have terrible luck with them, beetles, powdery mildew and the fruit is generally misshapen. Cukes too are a candidate for a smart pot and trellis away from the main garden.
This year I’m going to experiment with vertical gardening, I have dreams of a strawberry and herb tower if I can figure a way to keep it stable and from becoming too dry.
Better engineered tomato cages are on the list this year too. I really need 8-10’ and much more sturdy than I’ve been putting up in the last year. I might do a combo of staking and trellising come to think of it. Every year like clockwork my toms hit the 8-10’ mark, over growing their 6’ cages and start crushing themselves under their own weight.
Carrots are going in smart pots this year too, I’m too lazy to till as deeply as carrots need :lol:
I start winter sowing in 3 weeks! got to start getting my containers together.
As far as garden wear, my stable wear does double duty. I’m gross coming home from the barn anyhow, so I run outside and garden for an hour before coming in to shower.
Preferred footwear are crocs, I can step in shallow mud, hose them off, and the holes allow for them to dry.
I’m going to be aggressive about weeds this year too, I’m planning a lasagna-type mulch. I did a half-assed one last year and even though the weeds eventually did take over, the thick green carpet really saved the garden in the hot dry summer. I only had to water 3-4 times the entire season and the toms did well despite the sweltering temps.
I’m building more raised beds also. Love them. So much easier than an in-ground garden and I have lots of good rotted horse manure compost to fill them. I grew some monster sweet potatoes in one last year that were unreal. I did a looser version of square foot gardening also.
My little hoop houses will double as holders for shade cloth and insect barrier also. I try to go organic and avoid the pesticides as much as I can. In our area, that’s not easy.
I hope to raise some extra plants to sell at the farmers markets this year. Last Spring I sold out of heirloom tomatoes. Hopefully this year I can add some other heirloom plants also. More people are going back to stuff like that now to save their own seeds and to taste a blast from the past. I have heirloom cauliflower, broccoli, brussels sprouts, beans, cantaloupes, salads, squash, cabbage and even beets. Plants are big sellers as well as the good veggies when they are ready.
I hope to sell salad mix this year as long as the heat doesn’t’ make the greens too bitter. I bought some New Zealand Spinach to see me through the doldrums of summer. I’m still cutting salads now…I have arugula, romaine, red lettuce and corn salad out there still. Still have chard that is edible also. Overwintering carrots, onions, parsnips for spring harvest.
I’m still pulling tomatoes and other stuff I canned out for meals. I canned a bushel of peaches I bought at the farmer’s market and they are so much better than the store bought ones. Have a lot of frozen veggies still too. I want to do some pressure canning and quit having to freeze so many veggies.
I was hoping to finally get my raised beds built but this year it looks like we will be putting in the fruit trees instead and getting the chickens set up. Although, I may be able to plant some peas on one of the fences, if I can protect them from the ducks and geese.
My gardening plans are the same as every year. Say I am going to cut back, because I dont need that much. Get all bummed out when putting the seed order together, and try to deny my self all the things I want. Freak out ,go crazy, buy a truck load of seed, start a ton of flats, grow a huge garden that resembles a jungle. Then work ,weed, water, spend my whole summer a slave to my habit. Sell and give away many truckloads of produce. Whine complain and say next year I gotta cut back this is out of hand.
Yup sounds like a good plan to me, cant wait!!!
I had the barn owner set a big chunk of manure/shavings off to the side last spring. It is enjoying benign neglect as it turns into beautiful compost for my poop potatoes! I put it in feed sacks in the spring and plant potatoes in it then dump them out on the garden in the fall before covering with leaves and the last of the grass clippings.
Had a fun talk with the guy at Lowes the other day.
He got the mulch off the pile for me, and we got to talking Rainy winterdays are slow business in the gardening section)
He suggested to plant a row of leaf lettuce around a flowerbed, then cut half the width at a time, as much as needed for dinner, then, by the time you make it around the bed, cut the other half…always leaving you a pretty green border and something to eat.
Right now it is snowing here…what a way to anticipate spring!
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