Gardens/plots for 2018

[2ndhalf]

Im not quite ready to starting thinking of gardening but I hope to try a couple weedless raised gardens this year

1) never tilling or otherwise disturbing the soil, so dormant weed seeds stay asleep, away from light and air; 2) designating permanent areas for walking and for planting to avoid compaction and the need for tillage; 3) maintaining a thin mulch of weed-free organic material to snuff out any weed seeds that blow in or are dropped into the garden by birds; 4) using drip irrigation whenever watering is called for to avoid promoting weed growth in paths and between widely spaced plants.

 

[RalphVa]

I like potatoes and I used to be out every day killing potato bugs. I don't like pesticides and the organic type don't work well. This year I tried potatoes under row covers. The wind caught them but that was due to not using enough dirt to hold them down. They do work. I would get potato bugs landing on the covers trying to get in.
I think this will be a better year. The covers and the hoops come from Johnny seed. We use bio degradable plastic to hold down the weeds.
Here is a pic from last summer. View attachment 534845

Use spinosad-containing organic pesticide to irradicate Colorado Potato beetles. One manufacturer calls it "Colorado Potato Beetle killer". Personal experience. Spinosad will also kill Mexican bean beetles and all the caterpillars that BT will. Completely organic.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

I do what 2ndhalf said, except that I use soaker hoses instead of drip system.

This year, I plan to order some peanuts and asparagus beans from Burpee. They have the best asparagus (e.g. long snap) beans. Tried some from Southern Seed Exposure in 2017. They weren't as good. Some lady asked the extension office about growing peanuts in Virginia. That hit me: I haven't tried them since putting in my raised beds!.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Timing is everything to grow peas in Virginia. I've found the last 2 years that putting them in at the same time as my potato pieces on St. Pattie's Day works well. I just sow them and let them flop. May put up some supports this year.

Then about mid August for fall peas. Haven't figured that out well.

Ralph

 

[RalphVa]

Anyone have the secret to growing okra in raised beds? Mine haven't ever grown very tall. This year, I plan to put some mushroom compost inside like a spool for bathroom tissue into the ground with a couple okra seed to see it that works.

Also cannot grow corn worth a **** either in or around my raised beds. Used to have gobs of okra and corn in the bottom land where my big garden used to me. After CHF, just cannot manage that.

Ralph

 

[Sonny580]

Might pay to get a soil test kit and test your soil.--See if it is missing something.--You can also pay a test lab to do your samples!-- I prefer to do my own, but that's just me!! LOL!!!
Our okra here usually gets from 3' to 6' tall.


This is a pic. of one of our sweet corn stalks from last year. ---- this is open ground in a 5 acre plot. thanks; sonny580

 

[Code54]

Check with your local extension office - here in WV our extension does free soil tests.

 

[RalphVa]

Might pay to get a soil test kit and test your soil.--See if it is missing something.--You can also pay a test lab to do your samples!-- I prefer to do my own, but that's just me!! LOL!!!
Our okra here usually gets from 3' to 6' tall.

View attachment 538236
This is a pic. of one of our sweet corn stalks from last year. ---- this is open ground in a 5 acre plot. thanks; sonny580

I've had it tested twice. Says everything is perfect. Okra in the bottom land got OVER 6' tall. I'd have to bend it down to get the top pods. Here in the raised beds, I'm lucky to get them to grow to 18".

Ralph

 

[oldballs]

Gardening as we get really old and infirm is a beeach.....but I'm still planing to get at it this season again.. All this tractor equipment seems to make me obligated to a large garden. Guess I better start thinking about a smaller patch.:thumbdown:

 

[RSKY]

Thanks. I've heard that one has to be careful with sand - that it can turn clay into something similar to concrete. We needed a temporary place to hold some small trees so I augered some holes around the edge of the plot. When I looked into one of the holes the sides looked like a smooth clay pot that had been fired in a kiln!

Also be careful where you get the sand. A local golf course bought some to put on their greens a few years ago and killed most of them.