Garden reports where you at and whats next?

[Jags]

I have enough yard that I could have the garden a foot deep in grass clippings in a couple weeks.

I could make that happen...tonight.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Super levels of organic matter should fluff that up for you, I'd think. My soil is so loose that everything has to be staked/caged (I use the Florida Weave) to keep it upright. Haven't used a shovel/fork in years.

 

[PapaDave]

I could plant in last year's compost pile, but the weeds beat me to it.

 

[lukem]

I could make that happen...tonight.

I need a good method to pick them up. That's the only thing holding me back. I ain't raking 3 acres . I'm on a 3 day mowing cycle right now and taking off about 2" of the thickest grass I've ever seen (and I have 4000+ hours of seat time on a ZTR). The drought last year must have killed the weeds and kicked the grass into overdrive.

Thinking about a lawn sweeper...real hard.

 

[Jags]

Thinking about a lawn sweeper...real hard.

Ding, Ding, Ding. My preferred method.

 

[lukem]

Ding, Ding, Ding. My preferred method.

Hmm. Just need to find one that doesn't suck...then let mulching begin.

 

[semipro]

Tilling is entirely necessary if you really hate worms

I stopped tilling three years ago and I can't dig a hole now without finding worms, lots of them.
I just keep adding organics and am perfectly content now to let the worms do the work (not me and fossil fuels).

Edit: AP, funny but until you posted this I never really made the connection between tilling and worms.

 

[nate379]

Still have another month or so before a garden can go in the ground. Ground is still frozen.

 

[PapaDave]

May be a little early for the maters, but I planted 8 Big Boy plants today. Overkill if they all make it.
Put in a bit of Romaine seeds. Keeping fingers crossed.
Tried to get some old green bean seeds going almost 2 weeks ago. They still hadn't sprouted, so they got dumped. I have new seed, and plan to get those going soon.

 

[DevilsBrew]

Low around 30 tonight. Covered up the plants. I have lived here off an on for 30 years and I don't ever remember it being this cold and miserable on Memorial Day weekend.

 

[PapaDave]

Lettuce is coming up as of yesterday. The tomatoes are doing well. We planted several sweet potato plants 3 days ago also.
Had to cover everything (except the lettuce) last evening and tonight, with lows below freezing.

 

[basod]

I should have the first summer squash this week.
Cukes are blooming and a handful have set, also have about 6 infant tomatoes and couple of peppers setting.

Don't feel bad about the cold guys - it was 45F down here this morning

 

[jharkin]

My wife's vegetable beds are doing great. We have already had lots of salad greens and she pulled the first crop of radishes today. Onions are doing good , carrots coming up and the tomatoes are starting to take off as well.

 

[begreen]

Our beds are doing pretty well too. We already have too much lettuce and have started harvesting broccoli and spinach. Tomatoes, onions, garlic, potatoes, peas, beans and peppers all seem happy. However, the eggplant and cukes would appreciate a bit more warmth. It's supposed to get sunnier toward the end of the week. That will be much appreciated.

 

[semipro]

Its funny how much entertainment I get from my garden. Growing food seems to really bring home the miracle of "life" to me somehow.
The first thing I do when I get home from work is a tour of the garden. It just plain amazes me the differences that occur from one to day to the next.

 

[lukem]

Got enough lettuce and spinach to feed 900 rabbits right now. Everything else is planted and really starting to take off. Some of the taters have already bloomed.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Got enough lettuce and spinach to feed 900 rabbits right now. Everything else is planted and really starting to take off. Some of the taters have already bloomed.

I'm about to have the same deal. What can you with it all, beside eating as fast as you can?

 

[begreen]

Give excess to friends, neighbors or the local food bank.

 

[lukem]

I'm about to have the same deal. What can you with it all, beside eating as fast as you can?

(In best Bubba Blue voice): deys um boiled lettuce, broiled lettuce, grilled lettuce, lettuce soup, lettuce stew, lettuce and potatoes, lettuce sammich...

We just eat a lot of salad, either wilted down (use a lot that way) with a hot homemade vinaigrette, in a southwest salad, or plain old salad. I'm sure there are folks out there with more culinary savvy than me who use it in other ways.

In about a month we'll be completely sick of it, but that's OK.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Give excess to friends, neighbors or the local food bank.

I think that our local food bank mostly takes non-perishables, but that would be a great option

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Looks like blanch/bag/freeze is a great way to preserve. Canning would take tens of pounds fresh at once to get a canner load

 

[lukem]

Looks like blanch/bag/freeze is a great way to preserve.

Interesting. If you try it let us know how that works out for you.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

Interesting. If you try it let us know how that works out for you.

That is for spinach and cookin' greens. I'm guessing it ends up a bit like what you get in a box, except fresher.

Article I read said put servings in separate sammich bags in a big freezer bag.

http://www.simplycanning.com/freezing-spinach.html

 

[begreen]

Spinach cooks quickly and reduces greatly in volume when doing so. We just freeze it after that in ziploc freezer bags.

 

[PapaDave]

We blanched and froze green beans a few times. Works great.
My first batch of GB didn't take (old seed), so got some more today and have a couple other varieties to try too. Built another bed a couple days ago, and will get that set up and GB planted as soon as the rains die down a bit.
I might have to wait for the Amazonian sized skeeters to go home. Ticks seem to be almost non-existent, but the skeeters are BAD.