Get Your Summer Garden Started: Planting Tips and Progress Updates

[ChefBeckyD]

Well, my garden is half-done.

Yesterday, I went out to work on it, only to find that our wonderful roofing help had been dumping shingles on it. (and I thought that was what we rented the dumpster for?:cry: ) So, I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up shingle pieces.

Today, after church, DH helped me rotatille, and rake, and get it ready for planting, and I planted 14 tomato plants (6 different varieties), 10 pepper plants (4 different varieties) and a row of white onions.

Then, I did a bunch of much needed weeding from around my raspberry bushes and rhubarb....and I am feeling so good that my summer gardening has begun - not just talked about, but actually stuff done!

I still have green beans, yellow beans, sugar snap peas, butternut squash, and carrots to plant...and a few pumpkin seeds. Plus, I am trying herbs in planters, last time I did this, the critters ate it all, but I'm hoping in planters, I can bring them into the garage at night to keep them growing. So I have parsley, basil, cilantro, and rosemary. (already had chives)

So - anyone else (Janet, I know you're with me!) a gardener?

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Well, my garden is half-done.

Yesterday, I went out to work on it, only to find that our wonderful roofing help had been dumping shingles on it. (and I thought that was what we rented the dumpster for?:cry: ) So, I spent yesterday afternoon cleaning up shingle pieces.

Today, after church, DH helped me rotatille, and rake, and get it ready for planting, and I planted 14 tomato plants (6 different varieties), 10 pepper plants (4 different varieties) and a row of white onions.

Then, I did a bunch of much needed weeding from around my raspberry bushes and rhubarb....and I am feeling so good that my summer gardening has begun - not just talked about, but actually stuff done!

I still have green beans, yellow beans, sugar snap peas, butternut squash, and carrots to plant...and a few pumpkin seeds. Plus, I am trying herbs in planters, last time I did this, the critters ate it all, but I'm hoping in planters, I can bring them into the garage at night to keep them growing. So I have parsley, basil, cilantro, and rosemary. (already had chives)

So - anyone else (Janet, I know you're with me!) a gardener?

DH planted a SHED on my garden, so no veggies or flowers for me this year!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

DH planted a SHED on my garden, so no veggies or flowers for me this year!

That would be cause for murder at my house! (JUST KIDDING!) DH wants me to have a good salsa garden - because he loves my salsa more than any other, and we ran out in February this year.

 

[Teresa Lynn]

this is what i remember my DH planting
onions
blue potatoes
peas
lettuce
radishes
dill
cilantro
zuchinni
yellow squash
acorn squash
about 8 varieties of peppers
and 10 types of tomatoes
we'll actually have fresh raspberries ready tomorrow with our hoemmade ice cream

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Hmmm- I grew mostly weeds, but the psycho yellow squash plant that wouldn't die came back this year- it's growing next to the shed. DH put a bunch of shrubery and twig clippings over my perenial garden, and the early thaw and then crazy April- where we had snow and freezing temps, killed most of the plants on the flower side. Oh well- once the weeds fill everything in, I'll have orange tiger lillies, so it's all good!

 

[raebates]

I love gardens. I just don't love gardening. You see, I have a black thumb. My mere presence kills plants. I can hear you gardeners now. You're thinking I'd be a natural at weeding. Nope. I can't tell the difference between a weed and a cute, little baby veggie.The Furry Guy is fabulous with plants. However, we haven't had a vegetable garden in several years. Neighborhood vermin decimated them in the years he was planting them. He generally grows several sugar pumpkins for pies and some tomatoes in planters.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

this is what i remember my DH planting
onions
blue potatoes
peas
lettuce
radishes
dill
cilantro
zuchinni
yellow squash
acorn squash
about 8 varieties of peppers
and 10 types of tomatoes
we'll actually have fresh raspberries ready tomorrow with our hoemmade ice cream

That is because your growing season is more than 4 months like ours is in MN! LOL

 

[Teresa Lynn]

oh i forgot my favorite cucumbers

 

[Teresa Lynn]

Gardening and wine amking are his passion mine is shopping

we have tons of grape vines and it ticks the HOA off becaue we have this huge garden and probably 60 grape vines in our back yard.

 

[Kitchen Diva]

I love gardens. I just don't love gardening. You see, I have a black thumb. My mere presence kills plants. I can hear you gardeners now. You're thinking I'd be a natural at weeding. Nope. I can't tell the difference between a weed and a cute, little baby veggie.

The Furry Guy is fabulous with plants. However, we haven't had a vegetable garden in several years. Neighborhood vermin decimated them in the years he was planting them. He generally grows several sugar pumpkins for pies and some tomatoes in planters.

I've killed fake plants.

 

[raebates]

I haven't killed any fake ones, but I killed three of those air plants that you don't do anything to. The Furry Guy won't let me near enough to touch plants. I'm just allowed to stand several feet away and admire his skill at growing beautiful things.

 

[Kodeysmom]

we planted 6 tomato plants, (4 different kinds) 10 pepper (4 different kinds) 2 squash, 1 cucumber, and some watermelon and cantalope. And we have about little 10 tomatoes right now.

 

[jbdowd0798]

My son has pots on the front porch from school. We have tomato (for my daughter), popcorn, sunflower, and bean. So we'll see what really takes. LOL

 

[lisa717]

ME me me....I planted a whole crap load of cukes(I make pickles)...a bunch of sweet peppers....tomatoes, summer squach and butternut ....I should get a few Hot pepper plants so I can make some salsa too..

 

[janetupnorth]

Becky, I wouldn't call myself a gardener...I'm a beginner...but trying! I've been letting my strawberry plants grow from last year so I can distinguish the weeds! There are a few pictures of yesterday's work on our blog...I have strawberries from last year and chives.This year I planted cucumbers, green peppers, jalepeno peppers, tomatoes, and roma tomatoes. I have some cherry tomato and cilantro seeds to start soon!

 

[pamperedlinda]

I planted mine 2 weeks ago. This year I have:

Tomatoes (Roma, Big Boy, Beefsteak, Celebrity, Mr. Stripey, Lemon Boy, Grape Tomato)
Cucumbers
Lemon Cucumbers
Onions
Red Onions
Yellow Bell Peppers
Purple Bell Peppers
Regular Bell Peppers
Anaheim Chili Peppers
Banana Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Okra
Sweet Potatoes
Japanese Eggplant
Regular Eggplant
Rosemary
Basil
Cilantro
Spearmint
Parsley
Squash
Zucchini
Green Beans
Peas
Chinese Peas
Long Beans

I think that's all.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Oh yeah, I planted 2 rows of wild flowers and sunflowers.

 

[raebates]

Flowers we have. The Furry Guy is a genius with perennials. Our entire property is blooming. It's beautiful.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Flowers we have. The Furry Guy is a genius with perennials. Our entire property is blooming. It's beautiful.

Pictures please - I love flowers! Last year I had so much basil that I kept putting basil bouquets (sp?) in my kitchen.

 

[janetupnorth]

I planted mine 2 weeks ago. This year I have:

Tomatoes (Roma, Big Boy, Beefsteak, Celebrity, Mr. Stripey, Lemon Boy, Grape Tomato)
Cucumbers
Lemon Cucumbers
Onions
Red Onions
Yellow Bell Peppers
Purple Bell Peppers
Regular Bell Peppers
Anaheim Chili Peppers
Banana Peppers
Jalapeno Peppers
Poblano Peppers
Okra
Sweet Potatoes
Japanese Eggplant
Regular Eggplant
Rosemary
Basil
Cilantro
Spearmint
Parsley
Squash
Zucchini
Green Beans
Peas
Chinese Peas
Long Beans

I think that's all.

WOW! What a list!

 

[janetupnorth]

I love gardens. I just don't love gardening. You see, I have a black thumb. My mere presence kills plants. I can hear you gardeners now. You're thinking I'd be a natural at weeding. Nope. I can't tell the difference between a weed and a cute, little baby veggie.

Yeah, that is me! I've actually been tempted to take pictures of what I planted so I can tell them apart from the weeds as the weeds pop up!

I got small plants this year rather than seeds because if I start seeds outside, other than a few common things like cucumbers, I'd pull the wrong things!

 

[Teresa Lynn]

we have okra too but we never have to plant it it always returns (one year we had so much we would bring it in from the garden in 5 gallon buckets on the go cart

 

[DebbieJ]

I just planted four tomatoes (two different varieties) and two bell peppers. We're doing containers. It's my first attempt, so we'll see...

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Flowers we have. The Furry Guy is a genius with perennials. Our entire property is blooming. It's beautiful.

Our yard used to do that- then we bought the house, and within 3 years, well...let's just say it isn't as pretty. I tried to repopulate the flower garden last year, but it looks like most the plants I planted died. I'm so bummed!!

 

[janetupnorth]

I just planted four tomatoes (two different varieties) and two bell peppers. We're doing containers. It's my first attempt, so we'll see...

I hung my Roma tomatoes this year - reminds me...I have one more to do!

 

[erinyourpclady]

Um.....there is some basil growing in a pot that DD brought home from Girl Scouts. I want to try something else but I am SO chicken!!

 

[CookingwithMary]

Tomatoes are growing well, have about 18 plants, assorted heirloom varieties. Bell peppers doing ok so far. They don't do very well here, but chilies do fine. Red potatoes are doing ok so far too. Had to replant winter squash due to gophers.Had a rare rain, so will wait to put out more plants, including okra, summer squash, herbs, eggplant, carrots, daikon, greens, green beans, radishes in a few days. Peas and cabbage won't be planted until very end of September, when the weather cools again.Apricots are ripening, just nibbled a few half ripe Peaches growing well, too. Bananas took a hit from the cold snap two weeks ago, but guavas are flowering well, hoping for fruit. The wild birds and parrots eat the guava flowers, so we get few fruit but that's ok.Big gardening chore today was gassing gophers, we've been overrun

 

[jbachen]

I just planted mine on Mother's Day. I have several tomato plants I started from seed, and they actually survived! (Not so much in years past.) Plus a couple of pepper plants I started from seed, and five different colors of peppers from the store. Then I have some pumpkins transplanted from our mulch pile where last year's Halloween pumpkins rotted away, plus cucumbers, zucchini, and some other kind of squash. Oh, and green and wax beans. I still have more weeding to do in another section of the garden, where I am going to plant watermelons and more cucumbers, and just let the vines take over the area.So I have a question for the experts out there... When you plant tomatoes, do you rotate the area in your garden where you plant them every year? Or do you add something to the soil to help them out? I have read that tomato plants can deplete the soil of calcium (IIRC) and should be planted in different spots from year to year, but I like to put my tomatoes in the sunniest part of my garden, which limits the options for rotation. So what do you all do??

 

[Teresa Lynn]

my husband keeps a very detailed notebook of where everything is planted, when it was and the temp etc. he always moves them around.
now if i could just get him to pick up the newspaper and throw it away each night

 

[CookingwithMary]

So I have a question for the experts out there... When you plant tomatoes, do you rotate the area in your garden where you plant them every year? Or do you add something to the soil to help them out? I have read that tomato plants can deplete the soil of calcium (IIRC) and should be planted in different spots from year to year, but I like to put my tomatoes in the sunniest part of my garden, which limits the options for rotation. So what do you all do??

Absolutely rotate the location, and never compost tomato, pepper, eggplant or potato plantsl. Helps control disease for us.

Depending on your climate and shade, try a few plants this year in the 2nd best location, and see how they do. Also perhaps try some, esp. smaller fruited varieties, such as cherry tomatoes, in pots.

HTH,

 

[merego]

DD and I planted cucumbers, peppers, cilantro, basil,oregeno, parsley, rosemary squash and green beans.
We also planted some flowers.

 

[pamperedlinda]

Here's my garden (and my son)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/017.jpg

 

[janetupnorth]

Wow Linda - huge garden! Nice...

 

[rennea]

Well I'm burnt to a crisp today!! We spent the whole weekend outside. My yard is really small so this year I planted:
Strawberries (to add to the one's I already had)
Tomatoe's (3 different kinds)
Tons and tons of different kinds of herbs
hot peppers plants

Redid two flower beds
planted a tree
6 planter boxes

 

[pamperedlinda]

Thanks Janet - I planted all of it last Monday - I was sore for 3 days! Thankfully DH has a tractor with a tiller so he takes care of the hard part, then he drove the golf cart through it to mark the rows...that is so much easier than the hoe!

I forgot, I also planted spinach, beets (red & yellow), radishes and shallots

 

[rennea]

That's more like a farm Linda then a household garden

 

[pamperedlinda]

That's more like a farm Linda then a household garden

Yeah, I enjoy gardening and I tend to get carried away with my planting. The neighbors love it though!

 

[rennea]

No food crisis around your place that's for sure!! Good for you, I wish I had the land for a huge garden.

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Here's my garden (and my son)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/017.jpg

Wow Linda! I can only dream of that type of real estate for my garden! But, I had to chuckle at your fence!

I have chicken wire all around mine to try keep out rabbits and other critters....don't think your fence would do the trick!

4 years ago, I grew 2 rows of the most beautiful looking sweet corn you've ever seen. I was giving DH a day by day update on when it would be ready to pick, and the day finally came! I walked out back to pick my corn, and there it all was, every single stalk broken and laying on the ground, and almost every ear had been partially shucked and eaten. NASTY RACCOONS! I CRIED :cry: :cry: :cry: , and then I called DH at work to tell him.....and he laughed at me! I was so angry, I almost didn't let him have any of the salvaged corn that evening for dinner!

Since then, I have refused to grow corn (can't handle that disappointment) and I put up a scarecrow, and a chicken wire fence. (I know it won't keep coons away, but it helps me psychologically. )

 

[pamperedlinda]

You can't see it very well, but the fence is actually lined with field fence to keep the dogs in. The garden is in the corner so we put up some extra field fence around the garden to keep the dogs out of it.

I know how you feel about the corn. I grew corn 2 years ago and didn't realize it until it was too late that the Japanese Beetles ruined it. I was devastated - it didn't seem to bother DH too much. It was silver queen corn too - the best!

 

[Jennie4PC]

Linda,
My DH would love your garden spot. He wants a big garden. This yr DH (not me) planted 8 tomato plants, 1 row of lettuce, 2 rows white onions, and 1 row of green onions. The only thing I care about are the tomatoes. We are thinking about doing peppers in the back by the fence. We also have rubarb that came with the house.:yuck:

 

[Kitchen Diva]

Thanks Janet - I planted all of it last Monday - I was sore for 3 days! Thankfully DH has a tractor with a tiller so he takes care of the hard part, then he drove the golf cart through it to mark the rows...that is so much easier than the hoe!

I forgot, I also planted spinach, beets (red & yellow), radishes and shallots

Okay, are you related to Martha Stweart?!?!?!?!

Amazing garden or should I say what an amazing mini-farm! How cool is that?

 

[pamperedlinda]

Okay, are you related to Martha Stweart?!?!?!?!

Amazing garden or should I say what an amazing mini-farm! How cool is that?

I love channeling my inner-Martha! (except for the whole jail thing) LOL
:chef:

 

[janetupnorth]

You can't see it very well, but the fence is actually lined with field fence to keep the dogs in. The garden is in the corner so we put up some extra field fence around the garden to keep the dogs out of it.

I know how you feel about the corn. I grew corn 2 years ago and didn't realize it until it was too late that the Japanese Beetles ruined it. I was devastated - it didn't seem to bother DH too much. It was silver queen corn too - the best!

I could see the lining in the picture. I first caught by seeing it in the bottom right corner of the picture. Then when you look closer you can see the rest.

 

[pamperedlinda]

I could see the lining in the picture. I first caught by seeing it in the bottom right corner of the picture. Then when you look closer you can see the rest.

That is actually a tomato cage that we haven't installed yet. Instead of tying-up the tomatoes we make tomato cages with field fence and cut holes around it to get at the tomatoes. It's so much easier than constantly tying the tomatoes, just keep as much of the plant in the cage and all is good. Now, if they get too big, you might have to tie them some. You do have to steak down the cage though. I'll get a close-up picture if you want to see it better. These cages work well with other plants too (peppers).

 

[janetupnorth]

That is actually a tomato cage that we haven't installed yet. Instead of tying-up the tomatoes we make tomato cages with field fence and cut holes around it to get at the tomatoes. It's so much easier than constantly tying the tomatoes, just keep as much of the plant in the cage and all is good. Now, if they get too big, you might have to tie them some. You do have to steak down the cage though. I'll get a close-up picture if you want to see it better. These cages work well with other plants too (peppers).

Sure, I'd love to see it...I have some of that in a pile from when we had a few chicken and it would be great to reuse it!

 

[lacychef]

Wow Linda, you are quite the gardener!
I had big plans to try to plant some veggies this year, but haven't had the time yet. I wish I'd have inherited my mom & grandma's green thumbs they have, but I'm not as good! I love to plant flowers too. This new house of ours has nothing planted around it, so I've got some work to do!

 

[pamperedlinda]

Tomato CagesHere's the pictures:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/001-2.jpg

close-up of the holes:

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/002.jpg


another hole (look towards the bottom half of the plant)

http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc293/lindachild/003.jpg

You need to stagger the holes and have several of them so that you can reach inside and get the tomatoes. Put the cage on the tomato plants before they start filling out, it's easier to get the cage over the plant w/o breaking it. Also, when you cut the wires, don't cut them flush with the hole - cut the wire longer and bend it back, otherwise you might scrape your arm on the wire and have a long gash that goes from the inside of your upper arm all the way to your wrist (wanna now how I know that ouch!)

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Hey Linda!

I see the wire now! Guess I should have looked closer!

I use tomato cages too - so much easier than having to tie them up.

I didn't have enough for all of my tomato plants this year though - but at the Memorial Day Parade (which passes right by our house!) the local Hardware Store (where I used to be the Housewares buyer!) was passing out great coupons, so I snagged a couple, and as soon as the brownies are out of the oven, I am going to go buy some more cages, plus I want one of those attachments for a water hose that is an expandable sprayer.....I've decided I NEED one!

Then, home to finish the garden, and make potato salad (again - mine is famous!) and then head over to my BIL & SIL's for Hamburgers on the grill, and to see their new lambs!

 

[ChefBeckyD]

Linda,
My DH would love your garden spot. He wants a big garden. This yr DH (not me) planted 8 tomato plants, 1 row of lettuce, 2 rows white onions, and 1 row of green onions. The only thing I care about are the tomatoes. We are thinking about doing peppers in the back by the fence. We also have rubarb that came with the house.:yuck:

Oh - how lucky you are! If you need ideas for using the rhubarb, let me know - it really is so very yummy!