Raising Sweet Corn, Pumpkins, and Squash.

[Green Power]

But, I didn't even disc or till the ground last year, only plowed/cultivated and broke that up with a rake in the spring. Now that I have a tiller I'm interested to see if there'll be a difference.

If you don't want to use chemicals something else you can try (if you have a bottom plow) is breaking it as deep as you can. It's not going to stop the weeds and grass from coming back, but burying the seed deep will slow the regrowth down and limit the amount that returns the first year.

I mainly strip till now, but I still try and break a certain amount of my land every year. We still get good results from the round up ready products, but breaking does help.

My only problem with that is it drying out the ground ever so slightly, But then again this will be close enough to the house that we could irrigate.

 

[AGRIMAN]

My only problem with that is it drying out the ground ever so slightly, But then again this will be close enough to the house that we could irrigate.

Yes, you will loss some moisture, but one decent rain will put it back. Unless it's extremely dry, the moisture will raise back in a few days. Nevertheless, it will help some in controlling your weeds/grass.

 

[Green Power]

Yes, you will loss some moisture, but one decent rain will put it back. Unless it's extremely dry, the moisture will raise back in a few days. Nevertheless, it will help some in controlling your weeds/grass.

And it will save the use of chemicals.:thumbsup::cool2:

 

[RSKY]

I believe it was either sixteen or twenty rows fifty feet long. Six rows Bodacious (75 day), six rows Peaches and Cream (83 day), and six or eight rows Kandy Korn (89 day). Planted the garden from north to south, rows run east to west, with the earliest maturing to the north. Coons got most of the Kandy Korn. Bodacious is the best for cutting off the cob, Peaches and Cream the best on the cob. The Kandy Korn seed was some left over from a couple years ago.

Next year I'm also going to try the very quick producing Early Sunglow Hybrid. It matures in 62 days so it will come in a couple weeks before anything else. Or if you loose part of your crop you can plant it later in the year and have a very late harvest. Of course in KY you would have to irrigate it. This type has to be planted away from other types or it will cross pollinate and you won't get much. If you look at some of the seed catalogs online they will tell you which strains can be planted together and which have to be separated. Also always plant four rows of corn. Because corn is pollinated by the wind and not insects. Planting at least four rows will ensure the ears are pollinated.

Another type I want to try next year is a triplesweet variety called Honey Select Triplesweet. The seeds cost about twice as much as anything else. Supposed to be a very sweet corn that retains it's sweetness better during processing.

If all goes as planned next year I will have four 60' rows each Early Sunglow, Honey Select, Peaches and Cream, and Kandy Korn all planted at my mother's farm where I have my main garden. There will also be four 75' rows of Bodacious at my oldest daughter's house. Gonna have a small garden at her place with most of the peas because of the deer problem at Mom's.

According to the KY Extension booklet one needs to have 10-15' row feet of corn for each person for fresh eating and 30-50' for each person for preserving. I am growing for myself and my wife, two daughters, two sons-in-law, and two granddaughters. So eight people each needing around 60' of row to eat and preserve means I need nearly 500' of row corn. We will have more than that but we give quite a bit away to anyone who needs it.

LOL, I have a spreadsheet with each plant type listed and when I will plant it, when it should be ready to pick, how long it should produce, and where I got the seed. I keep this year to year but lost 2012 and earlier due to puter trouble. I have another spreadsheet with a diagram on where everything is planted. I try to never plant the same thing in the same place the next year.

I am no expert on gardening. Make lots of mistakes especially when I skip a few years as I have done in the past. I am trying to reestablish gardening in my family so my children and grandchildren will have at least a little knowledge to fall back on if they need it in the future.

This guy "webcajun" has the best videos for "old, fat, lazy people" gardening. He even harvests some of his veggies riding in his golf cart. Just do a youtube search for him. There are several others with gardening videos that are entertaining if nothing else. I can kill an afternoon watching them.

Keep us informed on your plans.

RSKY

 

[Green Power]

How far apart did you plant your rows? Did you do a bigger row spacing for different varieties? How far apart where they when they transitioned varieties? Thanks for the reply, it sounds like you will be doing quite a bit.

 

[RalphVa]

One of the biggest problems with spaghetti and acorn squash is the squash borer. You'll probably be okay the first 2 years, then they'll find them. After that, I'd go to butternut and cucuzza. Both these have solid vines that the squash borer have trouble getting into. Cucuzza, in particular, is a VERY prolific squash, not the tastiest but okay fried if you pick them young. You can control squash bugs with permethrin. Just lift each squash and give them a spray. The bugs are usually going to town on the dark side of the squash fruit.

Just give your corn ears (when fairly small/young) a squirt of vegetable oil on the silk to control corn worms. Organic. Can also use BT or the newer (like a BT replacement and still organic) is Colorado Potato Bug Killer (works on them, too).

I've successfully used the 2 sisters method: squash planted among the corn to cut down weeds. That works. Adding climber beans to the list just makes a mess.

There's increasing evidence that glyphosate (Roundup active ingredient) is a culprit in increasing incidences of celiac disease.

Ralph

 

[forgeblast]

Gardens alive has a large variety of organic spays/bug controls.

 

[Green Power]

One of the biggest problems with spaghetti and acorn squash is the squash borer. You'll probably be okay the first 2 years, then they'll find them. After that, I'd go to butternut and cucuzza. Both these have solid vines that the squash borer have trouble getting into. Cucuzza, in particular, is a VERY prolific squash, not the tastiest but okay fried if you pick them young. You can control squash bugs with permethrin. Just lift each squash and give them a spray. The bugs are usually going to town on the dark side of the squash fruit.

Just give your corn ears (when fairly small/young) a squirt of vegetable oil on the silk to control corn worms. Organic. Can also use BT or the newer (like a BT replacement and still organic) is Colorado Potato Bug Killer (works on them, too).

I've successfully used the 2 sisters method: squash planted among the corn to cut down weeds. That works. Adding climber beans to the list just makes a mess.

There's increasing evidence that glyphosate (Roundup active ingredient) is a culprit in increasing incidences of celiac disease.

Ralph

Squash Borer, what is that? I may try raising butternut squash year 2. What is permethrin?

I will probaly try the vegtable oil on a couple and see the results and so on.

I may try two sisters on some plants.

Things like that is why i try keeping round up far away from me. Thank you for the reply Ralph!:thumbsup:

 

[RSKY]

I plant my corn rows 3' apart. We use one of the hand pushed planters with changeable plates for different seeds. Makes for much straighter rows. Some types of corn cannot be planted together because it will cross pollinate and the results will not be what you want. I don't know enough about the subject to even begin to talk about it. I just look at the seed package or the info online in the seed catalogs.

My plans for next year are as follows. In early March I will use the old Ford tractor to disc the garden three or four times. A week or so later, depending on the weather I will take my little Kioti in with my 4' tiller and till it north-south three times until the soil is very fine. Right before I plant an area I will run the tiller east to west to help mark off the rows. I have to back up into the garden to do this because of fences.

I am planting, from north to south, four types of English Peas. I have never raised these before and am relying entirely on the online catalogs for instructions. I'm planting four different types to see what everybody likes best. Then the next year I will concentrate on that type. They are to be planted in double rows 1' apart with 4' between the double rows. First row will be two staked varieties. Next row will not be staked. These will be planted sometime in late March. At the same time I will plant the first row of potatoes. The English Peas take from 60 to 70 days to be ready to pick. The potatoes take between 90 and 110. All this depends on the weather.

Next will be four rows of Early Sunglow Hybrid corn. This is a very short stalk, very quick maturing variety. It will be planted in mid April. Should be eating fresh corn on the cob by the first of July.

Next is at the end of April when I do my big planting. There will be another row of potatoes. Then three rows of Kentucky Wonder Green Beans (there is no other kind in my opinion) which have to be staked. Then there will be an experiment with Lima Beans. Wife says easier to buy them because she hates picking them but I'm going to plant several different types to see what the family likes the best. There will be half a row of King of the Garden, half a row of Willowleaf, half a row of Fordhook 242, half a row or Jackson Wonder, and a full row of Thorogreen. What will probably happen is what happened to one of my wife's cousins. He planted several types of green beans to see what he liked best and his wife mixed them all together. Too much trouble is what she said.

On the same day I will plant four rows each Honey Select Triplesweet, four rows Peaches and Cream, and four rows of Kandy Korn sweet corn. All these can be planted together.

All rows are spaced three feet apart with a skipped row between plant types. Also the beans have a skipped row between them so there will be 6' between the rows of green and lima beans. I made that mistake last year with my KY Wonder green beans and we had to walk on vines to pick them.

The same day or the day after I plant my main garden I will move to my oldest daughter's house and plant the pea patch. Daughter is 31 and she would eat purple hull peas at least two meals every day if they were available. They are her favorite vegetable. Since the deer ate all 650 row feet of peas I planted last year we are moving them to her house. I will plant three rows each of three different types of purple hulls and three rows of black eyed peas. Rows are 80' long, spaced 3' apart with a skipped row between types. There will also be four rows of Bodacious corn. As far as I'm concerned that is the best type to cut off the cob for cream style frozen corn. I will also leave space for some tomatoes, straight neck squash, and maybe a watermelon plant of two. Had a smaller garden there last year and the four year old granddaughter would go out all the time and eat the cherry tomatoes until her mouth would get sore from the acid. They had to make her understand that she could only raid the plants every other day. Gonna make sure all tomatoes there are bush type.

Next I go to the youngest daughter's house. She has the least space and only has tomatoes, squash, peppers, and such. I will probably move the bell peppers there too.

Finally I will till up the small patch at my house. I have only about a 25' x 15' space and that is pushing it. My vine type tomatoes for salsa and spaghetti sauce go here. Also several cucumber vines for pickles. Squash for the grill and to be fried. Okra in two different varieties will be planted.

I am negotiating with a friend who has commercial chicken houses to get a couple trailers of manure for the gardens. Much better than getting cow manure. The chickens are raised inside and their waste does not have seeds in it. Got some cow manure two years ago and put it on my little patch at my house and some type of weeds nearly choked it out. Had to Roundup the entire spot three of four times to try and kill it out.

I am going to try a gutter garden at our house and maybe the youngest daughter's too. We are going to try carrots, tomatoes, hot peppers, bell peppers, and maybe even some peanuts and cantaloupes just to see how it works out.

My wife works at the local university during June and July. She leaves for work and I leave for the garden about the same time. I work from 8:00 to about 12:00 and then call it a day, I am retired you know. If all goes to plan I will start in early March and not finish until late September when we usually take a two week vacation somewhere.

All this work is to provide fresh and preserved food for three families. We also give away a lot to other relatives and friends. Watermelons, pumpkins, and usually cantaloupes are usually more trouble and take more space that they are worth for me to try and raise. Better bought at Wal-Mart. Peas, limas, and corn is usually frozen while green beans are canned in a pressure canner. Pickles are done in a water bath canner. Have read of several ways to preserve potatoes but usually they will all be gone before winter.

I got carried away writing this but I was finalizing what I'm planting and getting ready to order seed when I read your post so typing this has helped me plan it all out. I put it all on spread sheets anyway.

RSKY

 

[RalphVa]

Squash borers go into the ground after boring through and eating the insides of the squash vine (your first indication of them will be some frass around the base of the vine and sudden stoppage of any growth and fruit production; fruit likely won't rippen). They come up out of the ground around June and become moths that lay some eggs along the stem of the vine. The caterpillar hatches inside the egg and immediately goes into the vine. Only time you have a chance of getting them is when they come out of the ground or to keep them from laying the eggs or wiping the eggs off. There are traps for the moths, but they're mainly to get a population count rather than to control them.

Like I said, you'll probably not see any for the first 2 years unless someone nearby has been growing squash.

Ralph