***The Official 2014 Gardening Thread***
 

So what is everyone planting this year? Trying anything new or different? I've already got potatoes in the ground and I'm trying an herb garden this year. I've started cilantro, oregano, and basil in planter pots from seed and will transfer to a 55 gallon drum cut in half length wise and laid on its side with drain holes.

Overall I'm going with tomatoes, green beans, peppers(jalapeño/bell), broccoli, lettuce, and the aforementioned potatoes.

I've got an herb garden as well, but don't tell the sheriff

The garlic I planted last spring failed. I knew to plant it in the fall prior but I had just moved and didn't get it in. Last weekend I went out to look at the garden and that damn garlic had shot up and was growing really strongly. I pulled one up and sure as shit it rooted really good over the winter. So I should have some real nice garlic this June.

Not doing a garden this year. With the n00b and having to drive out to it we decided against it this year.

Most of it's in varying stages of indoor growth right now. With maybe one or two exceptions, nothing's going into the ground until May.

i have a pomagranite tree, a cherry tree, a plum tree and a tangerine tree. Cherries are already coming out for this year. Also, have cherry tomatoes, bell peppers, going to try some sugar cane too. WE have a grape vine also, but that shit hasnt given us any grapes, i may have to plant it in a different area.

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Some cherries from my tree last year

I brought home some whiskey barrels and I want to do a whiskey barrel garden. Any advice from the CP pros?

gonna put some asparagus in the ground this year. from what i've read it needs good drainage and i'll reap the reward in 2 to 3 years.

trying a potato box this year (think of a tiered tire system). and of course towmaters out the wazu!

I'm bumping this shit. I wanna do some easy to grow stuff in pots down here in Phoenix. From my research it seems peppers and cucumbers are the easy ones to start with in our hot climate. I've never done any gardening in my life.

I've grown a lot of peppers here over the years, they love the sun and heat so they should do real good down there. I like the Anaheims, we stuff them with chorizo and cream cheese. Did jalapenos and pickled them for years but I don't have the ambition for that anymore, it's a lot of work. My mom started a bunch for me this year, I need to get them in the ground before they die. No idea what they are, guess I'll just be surprised when they come up. As long as they're not bell peppers, I hate those ****ing things.

Just keep the cucumbers off the ground (I learned that the hard way), make sure your plants have enough water, and make sure you don't fry them in the containers, and you should be good. You might want to try summer squash, too, since it's an easy grow.

My first group of tomatoes, eggplant and cucumbers went into the ground today. More will go in tomorrow, along with peppers, lettuces and (hopefully) tomatillos. Squashes are going in next week or the week after.

Thanks Bug-nasty. It's only the wife and I in our house and she doesn't eat veggies so these are all for me. I look for Anaheims but I like spicy and the wife doesn't so I'm not sure what I'd do with a bunch of spicy peppers.

I was thinking bell peppers because I like those sauteed, raw or in salads. I could eat them everyday. Sorry man. I'll make sure to have something else growing when you come to visit.

I'm planting these in a container. Any experience with that? 5 gallon out to do it I think or maybe even smaller since I don't need a big yield.

Yea both are going in pots so definitely off the ground. Easy to move to patio if the hot ass AZ sun starts scorching them which I heard can happen pretty easily here.

The more soil the better. More soil = more water holding capacity, which you need.

When inwas doing it in pots I used range buckets they use for mineral for cows. Worked well.

26 tomato plants in, potato row 50', hrbs in, next is corn, green beans, and peppers.

I haven't planted shit yet this year. I'm going to redo my yard and try to get some Zoysia grass to grow. My place was flooded out 3 springs ago and all I have are mostly weeds and those ****ing sand burrs growing in my yard now. I want to get some black dirt brought in and build some elevated yard boxes to grow my garden in as well as get my grass established. Got my flowers all growing indoors right now with a few tomato and pepper plants

Peas, potatoes, green beans, onions, peppers , garlic , tomatoes, cucumbers, okra, kale, Swiss chard, zucchini, yellow squash, black berries, and some shit I can't remember right now. (Carrots and beets.)
I'll put in melons in the next two weeks and the other odds and ends.

Kolorabi is another one I did lettuce and shit to but I over wintered a shit wad of cold weather crops so most of that stuff is done till late summer.

range buckets? Like the big 5 gallon plastic buckets?

Man I am the last person you want to ask about that, nothing survives around here in a pot. The Mrs tried to grow tomatoes in pots last year and that did not go very well. It just requires too much attention for us or something.

I'm not sure it will work either and I'm less then a green thumb. But I've read quite a few websites with people in Phoenix growing tons of shit and many in containers/pots. But if there's a person who could kill something...it's me.

Tomatoes are ripening and squashes are just starting. I lost all my pepper plants in the transplant (never using that company's starter material again), so they're a full month behind. The (asian type) eggplants have had it rough, but they're still growing slowly. Everything else seems to be on schedule.

Tomatoes are looking like a bumper crop, to date, and I'm told that they are delicious. This is the first year that I'm going to pot the suckers, so I'm hoping that extends the season. :thumb:

So I just found out that one of the bushes in my front yard is indeed Rosemary. I know, total n00b here. How do I use this stuff? Get it from the plant and usable? Yes, more n00b stuff here.

Cool link. Thanks.

Funny is we've lived here since February and it's never bloomed anything. I wonder if that's odd?

First time trying to grow any sort of veggies. I was told banana peppers and cherry tomatoes are fairly forgiving. We'll see how it goes.


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The first edible thing I've ever grow in my life.

Mint, chives, basil, dill, oregano. Maybe some lavender.

banana peppers can be prolific. I've got a little old lady neighbor that I usually give mine too. I guess she uses them in meatloaf.

gonna try basil this year, as I've got a killer pesto receipe that I got from the local farmers market.
and of course tomatoes. lots and lots of tomatoes.

Excellent salsa pepper

Companion plant your basil and tomatoe.

This year's weather has all my times off. We're coming up on the end of March, and I've still got several feet of snow on the ground. It looks like I'm not going to be putting things into the ground until late this year.

I am just about to place an order for some dwarf citrus trees and some cherry bushes, though, so that'll hopefully give me something to do while waiting to really get the planting going.

Go on???......as you can see I am new at this. I was just going to use a few sauteed in my other veggies at night.

I've got tons of cherry tomatoes too and a few have been at what I would consider the right size for almost two weeks but are not turning red. Still greenish/yellow. Should I be concerned?

For bulk pepper flavor it's my favorite pepper. Garlic,onion, tomatoe water, banana pepper is an excellent launch salsa.
I think we did 15-20 last year.
Char them over coals, scrape the skin, split and fill with cheese and bacon.

Anyway the capsiam cultivars list is endless with endless flavor possibilities

Just three types (72 total) bulbs of garlic. Planted in October.

Fresh garlic is the only way to fly.

And those scapes!!!

When it gets warmer they will turn. Don't over water or you will split them and dilute the sugars.

First year I planted 25 pounds of seed garlic. We planted a fair amount of garlic chives in a full shade raised bed last year and the did well. I'm expecting good things this spring

Is planting Apple trees considered gardening?

Holy shit. I didn't know that's why they split.

Is growing weed considered gardening?

Absolutely.

Hot weather and big rains when they blush will ruin a crop.

Pretty much a rule of thumb for most bush/vine type fruits and vegetables.

Was really counting on that rain last night. Didn't get squat....

(South JoCo.)

We scrambled to get plugs in yesterday. Got about 2/10 early.

Happy to have it.

I have a moisture meter I use and water with a soaker hose. I keep the soil at a mid-moist level on the meter but not up to wet or soggy.

What's the bet way to know how much water other than that?

I overseeded my new lawn last night. Got all kinds of rain today. w00t. Not sure if I'm going to win the battle over the weeds. I guess time will tell

What's a good weed killer that won't harm my garlic?

So when I water tomatoes with a soaker hose I watch the weather. Weather man says it's gonna be dry I leave that ****er on for hours. Then I don't run it again for sometimes days depending on how hot it is.
If the weather man says chance of rain I adjust my irrigation accordingly.

But you damn sure want to leave it on long enough to saturate the soil and off long enough that the root stock chases the moisture DOWN.

This is super important.

Straw bro. Heaps and heaps of straw mulch.

I've got quite a bit of pine straw (I have a sh'load of it due to all the pines in my yard), but some damn weeds are creeping in on me.

I mulch mine 12-14 in. with straw.
Commercial growers go even deeper.

Pine needles has a shitwad of acid in them btw.

To acid for garlic. Put the pine needles on blueberry plants. They LOVE it.

I tilled the garden Sunday afternoon. Planted potatoes, some more asparagus plants, onions.

ROFL Not out here big dog. It's the heat most likely.

Don't be doing that. Pine is REALLY acidic and it will smoke off your stuff (unless you have high pH soils.

Go to the farm supply store and buy a straw bale. Pick up those ****ing needles and haul them out.

Insert FMBs potatoes gif here.

I wish I could get my Bermuda to grow in the front yard. Hasn't grown in two years. Watering hasn't helped. Drives me nuts. The back yard will grow bermuda all day long. I have a large tree on one side, probably sucking up all the water.

I ****ing hate gardening.

Thanks, though. I don't know shit.

Bermuda doesn't do shade. It's shade not water. You need to plant a species that can handle shade.

I was thinking fescue for the shade but part of my yard isn't in shade and the Bermuda still won't grow there.

We ripped out all the Bermuda grass in our backyard and I can't kill that shit fast enough! Popping up all over the place with pre-emergent used and roundup on foliage. It's full sun spot in backyard and it grows like a ****ing weed once it rains!

Heat makes fruit ripen faster, overwatering splits the skin. Prior to big rains I pick every blushing tomato on the vine.

Is this why I have always gotten fungus when I've tried tomatoes?

I've given up but it is Florida. They grow well in the winter here but I get that fungus. I was using an Earth Box which is supposed to provide the water from the bottom up.

I learned to garden by asking other gardeners. I pick the brains of every gardener I thinks worth a shit. Most of the time I come away with an enormous amount of technical input.
That's the thing about gardening is that it's about the technique that works for you.

Feel free to ask questions. I talked to my woman and we agree with buehler that you probably need to pull the garlic replant and re mulch.
Sorry man. Crop failure happens. It sucks but it's part of the learning curve.

Might be early or late blight. I don't think I've ever seen a fungus outbreak that was caused by overwatering on tomatoes. I've seen it on squash vines though and peas. Unpicked rotten fruit on the vine or ground can cause fungus.
If you see blight immediately trim and trim your transplants so that the leaves NEVER TOUCH THE GROUND.
Copper sulfate or raw cows milk sprayed on fungus will clear it up.

Also, Florida has shit dirt.

Worse than an Ozark hill side.

I wish I could get it to grow in my front. Weed sprayer company came by and sprayed last week. I asked them about it and he said the tree was probably sucking up all the available water and I needed a better fertilizer.

Nothing I can do to not replant ('cause that ain't happening)? I can pull the pine straw, so is there nothing I can do fertilizer- or chemical-wise to fix?

If you can take the pine up, I'd top dress with a half to one inch of good compost or rabbit manure (garlic & onions are heavy feeders ).
Mulch with straw.

I have about 10 mature fruit trees(apples, pears, peaches) and 4 grape vines.
I planted 15 fruit trees(from Stark Bros in MO) apple, peach, pear, plum, cherry, apricot(the fruit, not the beemer).

I'm interested in people with big brains on fruit trees and the best thing I can do for the new ones, and how to address the "rust" on the leaves of a peach and adjacent apple tree.

I'm thinking pretty hard about planting 4 more grape vines, and adding a couple of blueberry and raspberry bushes.

I'm considering planting between 5-15 acres of fruit trees to start a walk in orchard, but with my work schedule I'm not sure I can put the time into them for proper pruning etc.

We have a decent sized garden, and I generally scoop a couple of tons of compost from a large pile we have scraped up from a former cattle lot, and then till that in. I've not done much with herbs, but I'd like to do at least some of the basics, garlic etc. I'd also like to start a strawberry bed, but they're a pain in the butt.

Cedar trees cause rust.

We'll take the pine up tomorrow. We did put a good layer of manure down when we planted, think we need to do that again?

Any idea how close they have to be? The fence row of the neighbors across the road has cedar trees. They'd probably be 100' at the closest?

A lot of my apples had spots on them last year. It was black or greenish and would rub off in your hands when you handle them. I'm assuming it's mold?

Last fall I had the entire preschool from our local district out for a farm day, and we picked apples, pulped them and I pressed cider for them. I had just gotten a new press and used it for the first time in front of about 75 preschool kids. Bold move I know.

The wife does a pretty good job of canning tomato sauce, pizza/spaghetti sauce. We make apple sauce and can grape juice for the kids in addition to canning jam. I'd like to do more of that as things slow down, especially as we get more fruit in 3-4 years.

We also need to figure out pickling and fermented stuff.

Time is my problem, not desire.

Over the last few years we've cut all but one of our fruit trees down - two figs, a peach, a plum, and an apple.

The peach was too shaded and never fruited. The figs, one died, and they need two, so the other was ugly and never fruited. The plum, neither of us like plums, and those damn things go from not anywhere close to ripe, to falling off the tree overnight; and we despised cleaning those mf'ers up. The apple needed a second tree to fruit, and it didn't make sense where they planted it anyway. We still have the pear tree, but it hardly ever fruits.

Deer and varmints usually clean up mine.
I've toyed with running a temp electric fence around my fruit trees and running some chickens in there when fruit is falling, and also to keep deer from pillaging the low hanging fruit.

The Amish are probably another story, I caught them twice last year. Sonnabitches.

My peaches and apples have been gangbusters 2 of 3 years.

400ft dude. I have the same problem. Rust is a fungus. Copper sulfate is supposed to help treat it but I've never used it.
Fermenting is so easy it's silly. Caldwells starting culture is your friend in fermentation.

So... if I do some container gardening with perennial herbs - large containers, like small tree planters or half oak barrels - do I need to bring them inside during the winter? The basil, thyme, oregano, and rosemary have survived winter in the ground before, but I don't know about the containers. I know I won't get a crop when it's cold, but just wondering if it'd kill anything.

Seriously, folks, I've got a black thumb. Any help here is appreciated.

Go the hardware and see if they can get anything to raise your soil pH. In ag (where it is required, not here) they spread gypsum. There might be some calcium type products that would help. I wouldn't put more manure down. It could be too much N and it will get hot on you and kill your stuff.

Most of the rust around here is fungal. There should be a fairly innocuous fungicide that can help. Wife had some ortho stuff she put on our tree. It's pretty close to all the same, if you could get a half gallon from a farmer buddy that is running it on his corn, you could get it done cheaper

Get ready to rebuild your fence if you put it up. We put some crappy fence around our grain bags, and you get to rebuild it 5 or 10 times before they get the picture.

I don't remember where you are at now, but I probably would. A container with side exposure will make the soil temperature lower than in the ground.

Central Alabama. It gets actually below freezing maybe a few times a year at most, and never for very long.

If I used a thick stone planter, would it absorb enough heat in the daytime to keep it warm enough to get through the few nights that the temp actually dips below freezing?