The Sprout 2019

[kelbro]

Got mine in the ground last weekend. 20' x 30' garden. Okra, squash, zucchini, cucumbers, 4 different tomatoes, 7 different peppers, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, onions, garlic, eggplant, watermelon and cantaloupes.

Will work on irrigation (soaker system) next weekend. Plenty of rain this week.

 

[shavefan]

Spied this in my garden this evening...

Easter Black Swallowtail larva snacking on my cilantro. I love seeing these guys in the garden

 

[davent]

Spied this in my garden this evening...

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Eastern Black Swallowtail larva snacking on my cilantro. I love seeing these guys in the garden

That's so nice, so summery... here, last time i looked calling for snow flurries the next two days... good thing i can start things inside.

Walked past my major compost pile and find most of he top is covered by this bright yellow mushy substance, like diarrhea, i'm thinking racoon vomit, the racoons have been active during day, what next? Use a spade to remove it onto heavy duty bags then trash it. I take pictures of everything but this was too gross to look at, but no smell. Once last year there was a similar, smaller episode. Came in and did a google search and appears i've got 'Dog Vomit Fungus' a slime mold - Fuligo septica. Long story short, it's been too wet here and completely harmless, just too gross to photograph.

Mulch Molds, “What is Growing on My Mulch?”

Today did transplant my tomatoes from the six-cell packs i start seeds in, now in the 3" square pots they live in until planting out. Seventeen varieties, 46 plants, half for me and the rest among a neighbour's gardener and my sister and a couple nieces.

I managed to get some pictures.

dave

 

[shavefan]

I managed to get some pictures.View attachment 975861 View attachment 975862 View attachment 975863 View attachment 975864 View attachment 975865 View attachment 975866 View attachment 975867
dave

Everything looks so healthy and off to a great start! Looking forward to following your progress this year

 

[Alacrity59]

Man . . . SuperDave is a way ahead of me.

My little stuff is coming along.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

This tomato is a basket variety called Sarja's Love. I bet there is 75 flowers on a plant that's not even 12" in height. I've got 2 of them growing. It knows better then I do.

 

[davent]

Those look great Aaron, some of the tiny tomato plants are killer producers.

And thanks Mike & BT!

I may have managed a bit of an earlier start then you Mike being in the banana belt. And too pictures are a bit deceptive at this point, most of the tomatoes are doubles as i always plant two seeds per cell to cover non-sprouters, i think i must totally miss planting some cells, at this stage i can easily take one of the doubles and replant into a dud cell. In the next couple days i'll thin out the extras once i see the transplanting worked so no need to split and there hasn't been a last minute request call for extras.
dave

 

[davent]

Afternoon in the yard today, spread where i could and bagged up my finished compost. Garlic was fed and compost mulched as were the rhubarb and raspberries, doesn't look like we'll get any raspberries this year as there are no second year canes which is where the years berries form. The last two years the summers have been hot and extended and we've had a late flush of berries which i figure are there for the next years crop. Plants are growing new canes, netx summer's producers.

Years worth of garlic, three types, the ones i've been growing on since 1994, i think 'Music', appropriate, two new ones i bought from a local garlic farmer last summer, 'Yugoslavian Red' & 'Music'. Rhubarb is coming along well, thrives in the cool wet times of year.

dave

 

[Toothpick]

One garden of tomatoes. One garden of bell peppers. A garden of green beans (not pictured). Potatoes, squash, zucchini scattered about. Still need to do cucumbers, watermelon and cantaloupe.

 

[Buster]

Getting started finally. Today I planted peppers, zucchini, cucumbers and watermelon. My six year old wanted to grow watermelon so we direct sowed seeds on mounds together. Next up after I get the beds ready will be 6 varieties of tomato and yard long beans.

 

[davent]

Real nice day here today. Hardening off some of my early starts, got some seeds planted and the rain barrel that i hooked up last week has lots water in it so i could start using it.

Got shelling peas in that were given to me by one of the farmers at the market, planted Sugar Snap peas and Cascadia snap peas. French Breakfast, Watermelon radishes, white as well as golden beets and two types of carrots, Tendersweet and a rainbow mix package.

Compost piles i amalgamated into one big one last week was hitting 140F in spots, shaping up well.
dave

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Everything SuperDave touches turns to gold. I'd buy stock in Dave.

 

[davent]

No chance, what i don't screw up, the experiments that work out, Mother Nature's quick to point out who's really in charge.
dave

 

[davent]

Today's local daily republished a story from the NY Times on Brad Gates (Wild Boar Farms) and his work on breeding tomatoes. Interesting article, follow him on Instagram and the last two years have grown two varieties of his tomatoes which taste great and grow on vigorous productive plants, Indigo Blue Berry has been the last tomato standing in my garden the last two years, last year two of the Indigo plants produced over 400 tomatoes, 9 foot plus plants on a trellis.

This year have added five more of his varieties.

Reinventing the Tomato for Survival in a Changing World
Welcome to Wild Boar Farms - Wild Boar Farms
Instagram - @wildboarfarms


Feeding/watering all the tomatoes yesterday and found a couple of the early producers are already flowering, seeds started March 26 and still under lights in the basement, planting weekend is targeted for two weeks from now.
dave

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I've got a vole or a mole. I've been trying to see what differences there are in the way they pile up dirt around the whole. I'm thinking about placing a large rat trap by the whole with some peanut butter loaded. Then place a bucket over the trap and whole and see what happens.

 

[shavefan]

I've got a vole or a mole. I've been trying to see what differences there are in the way they pile up dirt around the whole. I'm thinking about placing a large rat trap by the whole with some peanut butter loaded. Then place a bucket over the trap and whole and see what happens.

My brother in law had a mole/vole problem several years ago. IIRC he tried a no kill trap like a Havaheart. Then they adopted an outdoor cat, now very few moles. . . or rabbits. He had a worse problem with rabbits, they lived under his shed and bred like, well, rabbits.

 

[Toothpick]

Still a bit early to spot all the plants in a photo. I just weeded a few today. Got to do a couple more tomorrow. Killing the weeds is an ongoing battle!

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Still a bit early to spot all the plants in a photo. I just weeded a few today. Got to do a couple more tomorrow. Killing the weeds is an ongoing battle!

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My brother has fought your same weed battle. He's switching to a cover crop and no-tilling. Here's an article that might help. Happy gardening.

No-Till Garden Cover Crops, How To Stop Next Year's Weeds This Fall!

 

[Toothpick]

So it sounds like you sow the winter rye in the fall. Let it grow till spring then mow. But the no tilling part is confusing me. If you don’t till you just dig a hole in the rye?

 

[Scarry Knight]

For the garlicianados...
Gourmet Garlic Gardens