Garden Time, JINMAN ??????

hudlow · Apr 28, 2007

You all should consider yourselves warned. Everyone is considered guilty until proven innocent.

My wife is on the warpath. Some despicable varmint has come in the middle of the night and dug up about a half dozen of my wife's "pet" tomato and pepper palnts.

It didn't touch any of the store-bought plants we set out. It went straight to the ones she started from seed and just dug them out of the ground.

She insisted I get up and go look at the destruction while I was watching an important part of "Gunfght in Dodge City" which made me have hard feelings for the critter for sure.

She had to go to church this afternoon to help the women of the Lottie Moon circle set up for a wedding shower they're giving tomorrow or I'm sure I'd be out there right now devising some sort of protections for the rest of her plants.

I'm glad she had to go to church. It will cool her off.

Gentlemen, war has been declared and as usual I'm afraid the innocent bystander (ME) will be the one who pays the price.

Look out critters, she don't take no prisoners!!!!!!

hud

jinman · Apr 28, 2007

hudlow said:
Gentlemen, war has been declared and as usual I'm afraid the innocent bystander (ME) will be the one who pays the price.

Look out critters, she don't take no prisoners!!!!!!

hud

Oh boy! It sounds like one innocent bystander and one varmint may not get any rest until justice is served. So how do you feel about having to sleep outdoors in the garden Hud? Got a tent and campin' gear?

We lost about 10 pepper plants and a dozen tomato plants in a storm, but since I planted 66 tomatoes and 24 peppers, it wasn't such a big deal. My wife replanted the peppers and added about 10 more, so now we have about 34 pepper plants between the rows of tomatoes. I'll post a picture below from 3:00 pm this afternoon.

Also, I have to brag about my 50-day turnips. We picked a mess of turnip greens today and pulled a few turnips. Pictures are attached of the plants and the biggest turnip.

Finally, my potatoes continue to grow like crazy. I'm all set to have a mess of new potatoes by next weekend. YUM!

...and for those who think I never have weeds. Look at the little weeds in front of the potatoes. I spent all morning hoeing the garden and cutting weeds that size before they get to be a big problem.

Egon · Apr 28, 2007

Jinman, I'd post a picture of our garden but the dirt is still froze!

Bird · Apr 28, 2007

That is, indeed, a find looking garden, Jim. And speaking of new potatoes . . . I've always thought the new potatoes are the best tasting potatoes you can get. And I love the canned new potatoes. They can be dumped in with the green beans or served with a white sauce (gravy), and they make the best fried potatoes I've ever eaten. When I was a kid, I used to hate the job of sitting with a washtub full of water and new potatoes, scraping the peelings off for Mother to can them. In our later years, we learned a better way; just wash them thoroughly and can them with the peelings still on. Then when you open a jar to use them, the peelings can be very easily pulled off before they're heated, fried, or whatever. Of course, they're not bad at all to just eat peelings and all.

WayneB · Apr 29, 2007

Jim, what a nice garden! Just wondering what nation you are supporting with all of those plants! How many plantings do you do yearly?

snow is gone in New England, mostly gone!

Wayne

BTDT · Apr 29, 2007

jinman said:
Oh boy! It sounds like one innocent bystander and one varmint may not get any rest until justice is served. So how do you feel about having to sleep outdoors in the garden Hud? Got a tent and campin' gear?

We lost about 10 pepper plants and a dozen tomato plants in a storm, but since I planted 66 tomatoes and 24 peppers, it wasn't such a big deal. My wife replanted the peppers and added about 10 more, so now we have about 34 pepper plants between the rows of tomatoes. I'll post a picture below from 3:00 pm this afternoon.

Also, I have to brag about my 50-day turnips. We picked a mess of turnip greens today and pulled a few turnips. Pictures are attached of the plants and the biggest turnip.

Finally, my potatoes continue to grow like crazy. I'm all set to have a mess of new potatoes by next weekend. YUM!

...and for those who think I never have weeds. Look at the little weeds in front of the potatoes. I spent all morning hoeing the garden and cutting weeds that size before they get to be a big problem.

Jim, in the second pic, are those your tomato cages on the other side of the fence, they look galvanized. Nice garden. I picked these yesterday

jinman · Apr 29, 2007

BTDT said:
Jim, in the second pic, are those your tomato cages on the other side of the fence, they look galvanized. Nice garden. I picked these yesterday

Yep! You can see a few of our cages beside the fence. I have to make a lot more this year, but they are pretty easy to make. I just use some old hogwire/stock fence wire that we have rolled up. I take a piece of small rebar with a hook on top and drive it down over the bottom wire to hold them in place. It only takes two per cage. Last year this type of cage turned out to be ideal. The cone-shaped type cages are just not big enough. Last year, we ended up putting my homemade cages around most of the cones. I'd buy some cattle panels and make some really good cages, but as many plants as I have would "break the bank" at the price of cattle panels these days. This old fence works good and is just laying around not being used.

I can't believe you already have tomatoes. I'd have to have a greenhouse to get tomatoes this early. Your plant pictures from a couple of weeks ago looked great.

Egon: I hope you get a thaw soon. I think it was snowing in Colorado last week, but yesteday it was about 82º F here. So I don't think we will have anymore cold weather. Most of the nights are in the 50s with daytime in the low 80s...perfect growing weather.

WayneB: I always think that it's better to have too much than too little. I don't think there's any danger of too little this year.

We have lots of family and friends to share things with.

Bird: New potatoes with Kentucky Wonder snap beans is one of my favorite vegetable dishes. My beans are a little behind the potatoes, and my Kentucky Wonders didn't come up very well. I may have to substitute another kind of bean. I'll suffer through it though...

hudlow · Apr 29, 2007

jinman said:
Oh boy! It sounds like one innocent bystander and one varmint may not get any rest until justice is served. So how do you feel about having to sleep outdoors in the garden Hud? Got a tent and campin' gear?

I got to stay in last night!

That's a good sign. We worked on shoring up our defenses when she got home yesterday.

I used to could make her believe that if I'd just take a leak beside the garden occasionally, the scent would scare off coons, rabbits, deer, bear, elephant and wild mountain gorilla for miles around.

Well, she's figured that out now. Time to work up a new tale.

jinman that's one fine looking garden you got goin'. I like the looks of those turnips, but I like the greens even better.

hud

hudlow · May 4, 2007

Well we caught a little 'coon in a live trap that we suspect was the booger that was tearin' up the garden. I'm back in good graces.

I changed his address to a nice little spot about three river crossings away and warned him if he came back we were sending him to Louisiana where coons are being found mysteriously murdered on a regular basis.

I have finally found some Brandywine tomato plants that I've been looking for. I'm anxious to get them in the ground. I think they are the best tasting tomato of all.

We are in dire need a good soaking rain - or I'm afraid that gardening is going to be poor this season.

I've already started thinkin' about that first tomato sandwich, a cayenne pepper and a glass of iced tea.

That's good eats.

hud

JC-jetro · May 4, 2007

jinman said:
Yep! You can see a few of our cages beside the fence. I have to make a lot more this year, but they are pretty easy to make. I just use some old hogwire/stock fence wire that we have rolled up. I take a piece of small rebar with a hook on top and drive it down over the bottom wire to hold them in place. It only takes two per cage. Last year this type of cage turned out to be ideal. The cone-shaped type cages are just not big enough. Last year, we ended up putting my homemade cages around most of the cones. I'd buy some cattle panels and make some really good cages,

Jim this is the way I use cattle panels to make cages and trellises in my garden in town. bit costlier but they last for ever " stout and willing"

Cucumber trellis/cage:

Peppers, egg plants and more cucumber in the back.

My herbs, cucumber and 8 tomato plants, lost sunlight in the last couple of years due to neighbor’s shade tree. At time I was tempted to kill the tree wearing a ninja suite and attack it in the darkness of the night…. Only joking.

My three sided tomato trellis using a cattle panel cut 18” wide and however long. Tie them together with jewt twine that is totally biodegradable. Kind of pricey, each cage costs 5 bucks, but lasts for ever and easy to stack when not used. I had mine for over 10 years.