Garden Time, JINMAN ??????

[BB_TX]

Jim - You got all your cover material ready? Looks like they are predicting temps in the mid 30's for Dallas this weekend. Out your way and probably mine, that probably means a chance of frost. I don't have near what you do, but I would sure hate to lose it.

 

[jinman]

Jim - You got all your cover material ready? Looks like they are predicting temps in the mid 30's for Dallas this weekend. Out your way and probably mine, that probably means a chance of frost. I don't have near what you do, but I would sure hate to lose it.

Bill, I'm "holding my breath" because I have cover, but I may not be able to put it down this weekend. I bought clear sheeting to cover plants, but my schedule may not allow me to get it over the garden. I now have so much stuff planted that I don't have enough plastic anyhow. The heavy rains beat several of my plants pretty badly, and I've lost almost 10% due to that. It may be a case where I have to replant if I get a bad frost. Many things will survive, but my tomatoes, beans, and blackeye peas may take a beating.

It's a chance you take....

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Jim,
Gee it seems strange to think you guys may get weather that cold down there this time of year !

I got my fingers crossed for you, Im really looking foward to some great garden shots as the growing season progresses!

 

[TBDonnelly]

Well, I couldn't stand it any longer. Watching your garden go in. All the nice rain you've been getting......man.....I just had to get my garden started. First part of the week, high's here where in the 70's. Woohooo!

First, plumbed in a water timer and all the irrigation lines. Then planted 3 varieties of Tomatoe's, Zucchini & cucumbers.

Then Wednesday came. Temperatures dropped. For the next five days, highs predicted in the 30's and low's in the 20's and snow showers.

So anyway, here's a few pictures of my cool work. The first has my three helpers in it...on one of there lunch breaks. It's hard to get good help anymore.....but they are reliable, like clockwork.

Don

 

[jinman]

Don, every time I look at your hotbed, I think "Conestoga hotbed."

My wife asked me if we could build several of those 2' wide and 50' long for our whole garden.

 

[MarkV]

Good luck with the cold weather this weekend Jim. They are saying mid 20’s here in N. Georgia. All I have in so far are cool crops, lettuce, garlic and onions, so I am hoping mine will make it through.

MarkV

 

[scott_vt]

Mornin Don,
Wow very nice that structure gives new meaning to a raised bed garden ! Are your pipe arches made by you are did you purchace an aftermarket frame ?

Thanks !

 

[TBDonnelly]

Wow very nice that structure gives new meaning to a raised bed garden ! Are your pipe arches made by you are did you purchace an aftermarket frame ?
Thanks !

Thanks Scotty! The hoops are 1/2" PVC electrical conduit. The electrical PVC is "sun resistant" and flexible enough to make into the 'hoop'. I ran a piece of the PVC the entire length, along the top of the arch and zip tied to each hoop to add some rigidity.

Here's a link where some of the ideas came from....

Caution for Jinman: Opening this link could lead to another project.

A Pint-Sized Hoop House for the Limited Resource Gardener

Don

 

[billbill1]

Lows down to 17 in NE Kansas tonight, only cool corps out here too but I don't know how they'll handle this!!

 

[WayneB]

Hey Jim it was 15 F this morning, but our raised beds have a blanket on them, it happens to be about 10 inches of snow.

Last week I went out and turned the soil and thought about constructing the hoops so we could start our early greens, looks like it will be another week or so before we start them.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

Jinman,
Snow this AM?
Temp???
How much might you have to replant?

 

[jinman]

It only got down to 35º last night and no snow or precip of any kind yet. We got our tomatoes, peppers, and most of the squash covered with 12' wide 1-mil painter's plastic. The plastic just floats on top of the young plants, pressing them down, but not beating them up. We covered and weighted an area about 20' x 60'. The beans, peas, potatoes, onions, radishes, carrots, and turnips will have to fend for themselves. I'm hoping they pull through and next week I can finish planting without too much replanting needed.

Good luck to WayneB, TBDonnelly, and Bill, and MarkV on your gardens surviving too. I don't really have anything to complain about considering what you guys are getting. I looked at Don's beds with ice and sleet on them and that makes me shudder. Scottie! Weren't you in charge of seeing that this didn't happen.

 

[TBDonnelly]

I purchased some frost blanket material from Farmtek. I might have to use it sooner than expected....

Spun Bond Frost Blanket

Don

 

[jinman]

I purchased some frost blanket material from Farmtek. I might have to use it sooner than expected....

Spun Bond Frost Blanket

Don

Don, that's great looking stuff, but the price is OUCH! I noticed the 12'6" wide stuff is over 75 cents per foot. I bought 400' of 12' wide painters roll for about $40, so that's 10 cents per foot. I guess the difference is that stuff is very thick (12 mil) and mine was only 1 mil. You will get many uses out of yours and I'll get just one, probably.

Here's some pictures from this morning. The first is the row cover and the second is our onions, radishes and turnips.

...and it was snowing a very light wintry mix when I was out this morning.

 

[thingy]

Well,I ain't got to replant nothing here in southern w.va.,,,,cause I ain't planted nothing yet,,around here you don't plant anything before easter other than maybe peas,lettuce radishes,first week to mid april is about the right time to plant tators,cabbage,broculli,caulaflower,carrots,spinich, beets,[around here],,my neighbors from new york via fl. called my wife the other night and wanted to know how to protect their plants they had already set out,cause they heard of this cold coming,[it was 82 degrees here last tuesday,,and in the 80's most of the week before,it had been three weeks or so since it froze or frosted here,so,it was tempting],,my wife said nothing cause we hadn't planted anything yet,,,,city people,,you got to love them! Texas weather might even be worse than here now,,it was in the upper 20's last night, and wind blowing 30 mph or so,,with snow,,,ground is slightly white this afternoon,in the low 40's,,,thingy

 

[TBDonnelly]

I bought 400' of 12' wide painters roll for about $40, so that's 10 cents per foot. I guess the difference is that stuff is very thick (12 mil) and mine was only 1 mil. You will get many uses out of yours and I'll get just one, probably.

I only bought 40 feet of the 126" wide blanket. 400 feet would get pretty pricey! I'll probably have alot more opportunity to use it in my neck of the woods. This is spring, right? We just had a windy white out here. We really need to get Scotty workin' on this weather situation.

Don

 

[jinman]

TIME TO BRAG...

I planted radishes from seed on 3-3-2007. Today, it's been only 43 days and I pulled the radishes in the picture. The big ones are crisp all the way through, not pithy like they would be normally. Also, they are growing so fast a few are splitting open.

I had sliced radishes on my salad tonight. Yum!

 

[Egon]

Oh my my Jim, fresh veggies already!

I'm in Alberta right now and prime Ski Season has just arrived. Unfortunetly I will not be able to partake of it.

 

[jinman]

Oh my my Jim, fresh veggies already!
(

Egon, they are fresh and great for me, but I've found that people fall into three categories when it comes to radishes: love 'em, hate 'em, can't eat 'em. My brother loves them, but they do bad things to his digestive system. My wife hates them, but tolerates me growing and eating them. My neighbors love them and were happy to take about 1/2 of those I pulled off my hands. They put them into a stew. I've never had them in stew, but maybe I can convince my wife to hold her nose and make me some stew so I can see what it's like.

 

[BB_TX]

I fall into the "can't eat'em" category. I like radishes, cucumbers, and green bell peppers. But none of them like me. Red and yellow bell peppers I can handle.