Broke Ground For New Garden With Middlebuster!

[bp fick]

Travis, congrats on a fairly successful year.

We're basically just getting started up here. Everything is pretty much planted except for some transplanting yet to do.

Tomatoes are blossoming and setting penny sized green globes. My earliest ever!! Kinda excited. Potatoes are knee high already, peas are about a foot tall. The green beans have been slooooow because we are so done gone dry.
Germination has been difficult and erratic. Getting weary of watering and dragging hose.

Since this is sort of our livelihood now, you just work at it industriously and pray for the good Lord's cooperation with the weather. So far, He's a been a bit less then generous. :laughing::laughing::laughing:

 

[Damifino]

GARDEN UPDATE:

Here is some pics of the red potatoes I harvested the other day that I got left that hasn't been eaten yet, and the pea patch that's growing excellent. I done picked all the G-90 sweet corn. Been eating it like CRAZY. It won't be in the freezer long! :licking: :laughing:

Also got a pic of a young Timber (Canebrake) Rattlesnake that my brother found the other day up the road. Found a much larger one in the same area towards the end of last year. We don't see them often at all here in my location, but they are for sure becoming more common here. A man not far from here got a HUGE one in his back yard the other day... So yes, we DO have rattlesnakes here in South Louisiana!!

Travis,

Nice job, I like the way you documented the good things and the bad, it helps us all who are starting out.

I bet it's great having your grandfather by your side in this project, one generation teaching another, almost as good as that sweet corn, good luck on next garden going in with previously learned experience.

Also, ref to pic's 1 & 4, I have always been a snake & potatoes kinda guy. :laughing:

 

[Car Doc]

Also, ref to pic's 1 & 4, I have always been a snake & potatoes kinda guy. :laughing:

Good one! :laughing:

Good job Travis!

BP, I hear ya we have had almost no rain this year and what we did was in the form of ice balls!

I am real pleased with my garden this year after building it with a middle buster too.

I am able to flood irrigate the furrows and not have to spray water so that keeps the weeds very manageable and it saves water least I think it does.

I just bought a mini tiller so I can run it down the furrows and my 17"" will get the rest outside. Its the easiest year ever for cultivating I ever had very little hand pulling weeds and grass and almost no herbicides.

I did do my onions and tomatoes with preen there is no choice the grass is constantly in competition with them but the other crops grow up thru it and it isn't a problem where there is grass and the occasional weed.

 

[Travis_R]

Well folks, the garden is officially done. The small pea patch is still producing real good, but the main garden is over and done with. The watermelons are "living", but not "growing". I have no idea why they're doing this but they are. They won't get any bigger than the size of a canteloupe. We never got the first canteloupe to sprout out either, but tons of blooms on the vines...
Got it all bush hogged down. Fixing to start disking the ground and keeping it turned over til it's time to plant for the Fall. Not sure what all we want yet, but we're definately gonna plant more red potatoes. Too bad the corn has to wait til next year...

Being that it was my first time planting a garden, I can't complain. I was 100% satisfied with it. But there is much more room for improvement and things will be done differently next time it's time to row up and plant. I've for sure learned quite a bit!

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!!!

 

[bp fick]

Hey Travis,

As you think about next year's garden, you might like to do some reading. I know reading about gardening technique is one of my favorite pastimes. There are a couple of books I recommend, if you have an interest.

A good friend of mine, Jerome Lange, has written a couple books in a series.

Cumberland Books: Jerome Lange

Happy planning on next year.

 

[Arkaybee]

We never got the first canteloupe to sprout out either, but tons of blooms on the vines...

Travis

Cantaloupes do not have perfect flowers (i.e. male and female parts in the same flower) but instead have separate male and female flowers so they need BEES to pollinate them. If the bees have been decimated in your area that is probably the answer.

Next year you can "hand pollinate" the female flowers by taking the stamens with the pollen-bearing anthers and touching them to the pistil of the female flower (do a Google search for squash flower parts). Or, you can take a small artists paint brush and transfer the pollen by picking off some of the pollen with the brush and brushing it onto the female pistil. The female flower will be on the end of a tiny green squash-shaped fruit, which falls off if not pollinated.

This might be a lot of work if doing a lot of flowers but it will work and not too bad for a smaller quantity. Cucumbers have the same problem as does squash. A friend had to do this hand-pollinating technique to have any squash since there were no bees around his home.

HTH.

Arkaybee

 

[Western]

Arkaybee is on to something, Bee's are your best friend. A few other bugs as well, but bees are "driven" and a huge benefit to have. I have used a cotton swab before in a green house and it worked also.

I think those red potatoes are our favorite too! but no garden for us this year except as few squash and melons by the house. Sounds like you made a good go at it. congrats!