Garden tips

[Bird]

I use the same kind of cages for my tomatoes, but don't know why I hadn't thought about using them for the cucumbers. I'll have to try that next year. And this is the second year I've tried a few of the Super Bush tomatoes that they claim are sturdy enough plants that you don't need a cage. Last year the wind laid them down early and they never got straightened up again and this year they are so heavily loaded that they're lying on the ground, so I reckon I'll continue using the cages.

Bird

 

[W5FL]

Bird,

I live on a hilltop location about 400 ft elevation above Ft. Worth. Beautiful panoramic view, but the weather is something else. The wind blows all the time. My corn gets blown completely to the ground two or three times a year. The tomato cages get blown off and finally used 1/2 in rebar to stake them in the ground. I think I will try the cages on the cucumbers this year. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bet the garden would be a lot further along this year if Kubota's M Series introduction had been in November when they said rather than in April like it was. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Bird]

Wen, the wind is tough around here, too, all Spring. Of course in the heat of the Summer when you wished you had a breeze, we won't have any. When I bought the place, there were some tomato cages here made of light wire with mesh too small to get my hands through, and I used a bunch of 1 x 2 stakes to keep the wind from blowing them over, but when I made my new tomato cages this year out of concrete re-enforcing wire, I cut it so I have about 4" of wire on each section that sticks right into the ground and none have ever blown over. Of course, the plants grew so big that you can't even see any of the cages now. Sure going to be a job to separate the cages from the plants this Fall./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif And it's time for us to start giving tomatoes to anyone who'll take them; just don't know how long it'll last. My wife just came back from the neighbor behind us who bought some kind of netting to put over their tomatoes and says the grasshoppers have eaten through the netting to get to the plants./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif

Bird

 

[dfranksmith]

If anyone else is interested, get a free catalog:
http://www.willhiteseed.com/, 800/828-1840 or 817/599-8656.

 

[W5FL]

This mail order seed place is local to me. We run out there each year and buy all of our seeds. They always seem to have everything in stock and the farms where they grow the seeds are nearby. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[JimBinMI]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins.

Bird,

Just add a set of wheels to the biggest one and you should have an Orange wagon to pull behind your orange tractor before Halloween! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[Thomas]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins...Jim

Good morning out there Jim.
I notice you have a great sence of humor even in the early AM. )

Now if Bird was to put a set of wheels on the biggest pumpking and haul it round,and the pumpkin was to break open with all of those seeds have you wonder what might become of those seeds?

Those seeds might be Kubota seeds.

Bird, if you should put a set of wheels on your biggest pumpkin please go slow, and the rest of us Kubota owners that grow pumpkins will try and be careful with those seeds Jim. )

May you have pleasant weekend and be extra good to yourself.

Thomas..NH

 

[Bird]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins.

JimBinMI, have to keep the priorities straight; the grandkids want the Halloweed stuff, I just want the pumpkin pies./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins.

Bird,

I'm with you, LOVE pumpkin pies! You can send some north whenever you have an overstock! /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif Don't forget the whipped cream!

JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[Bird]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins.

Yeah, and I grew up eating real whipped cream, but nowadays it's Cool Whip./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Bird

 

[JimBinMI]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins.

Bird,

That "real whipped cream" just reminded me about my Mom's banana cream pie with real meringue! /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif
I must be hungrey!/w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

JimBinMI

We boys and our toys!

 

[Thomas]

Re: Garden tips...Pumpkins.

Home made whipped cream also home made strawberry ice cream,now what could be better than that.

OOPS forgot home made strawberry short cake w/ home made ice cream top of w/ home made whip cream.....ahhh some of the good old days.

Thomas..NH

 

[gordon]

Some fresh tomato sandwiches sound pretty good right about now I love them. I started using the concrete wire about 12 years ago had some left over from the driveway. My wife had bought some cages from the garden store about 3' high those things were useless.
When I first made the cages seemed like everyone was joking on them then halfway into the growing season they saw how good they were working and before I knew it I had orders to build cages for them. That was when I lived in town people think different, they think that if it doesn't come from the store and look pretty it's no good.
Then they saw the cukes and said that will never work I replied seeds are cheap I did the cukes two different ways in a round and also took a piece straight with poles on the ends seems they did well both ways. So people were always coming over to see what I planned to do next---like I had some special plan about gardening the good thing was I guess I had pretty much no idea what I was doing but it sure was fun trying new stuff.
In town I had a small lot just over an acre so I used a square foot method alot less weeding worked great for me at the time and I still use the same style today. You pretty much plant your plants real close together and thats it.
I'm so glad I don't live in town anymore I love it in the woods. I don't miss the better than the jones syndrome. The only thing I do miss about living in town is having a store less than a mile from the house other than that I can't think of any other reasons that I miss living in town. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[W5FL]

Gordon,

That is why all country houses have pantries. Now the store is even closer!

We got 3.6 inches of rain over the last couple of days - actually 3 inches came during a deluge last night. If all the soil didn't wash away it should do wonders for both the garden and the coastal. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I have not tried this but I heard of growing watermelons, or any type of melon, on a fence. When the melons come on just tie some pantyhose to the fence and put the melon down in the hose. This will support them and keep them off the ground. Also, for tomatoes I have made the tomato cages out of reinforcing wire and then filled the cages with compost. Then plant the tomatoes around the cage. Do not water the tomatoes, instead water the compost and let the water and nutrients drain down to the tomato plants. As the plants get larger you can tie them to the cage.

 

[jyoutz]

I always plant bush cucumbers, because they don't spread everywhere and don't need any support. The cukes taste the same as any other. Gurney's seed company sells them in their catalog. Also, where I live we have a short growing season, so I have been planting short season (80 day) watermelons and canteloupes. Not only are they faster to mature, but most of them have a more compact bush-like vine and don't take up as much room. The only thing is that the the short season melons tend to be a little smaller in size, but taste the same.

 

[Bird]

I'd heard of bush cucumbers but don't believe I've ever seen any. And for the melons, I think I've planted a different variety every year for the past 5 years, more out of curiosity than anything else. But the best watermelons we've had were called "ice box" melons that were small, but tasty.

Bird

 

[jyoutz]

Bird, bush cucumbers grow on a small compact vine, kind of like a canteloupe vine, but more compact. The cukes taste exactly the same as the climbing vine type. You can order this seed from Gurneys seed Co. Where can I get these icebox melon seed?

 

[Bird]

jyoutz, I bought the ice box melon seed at a local feed store, and forgot to write down the name of the seed company. And with my usual luck, the feed store changed hands and no longer has them, and the new owner didn't even know where to get them./w3tcompact/icons/frown.gif So now I'm trying a different type to see how they do.

Bird

 

[Kevin_mc]

Don, I like to plant Ambrosia cantalope but I don't like to weed so I use straw or old carpet to cover the ground. This still lets the water and nutrients into the soil but keeps down the weeds. Ambrosia is a very sweet 4-6 lb. melon.

Here in East-Central Missouri I build my greenhouse tunnels around late November using straw bales, 12ft wide 6ml poly film and 11ga fence wire.

Start by laying your your poly film on the ground and cut the film to the length that is 4ft longer than you want your tunnel.

Lay several bales of straw down on one edge of your plastic with the bales end to end the length of the tunnel . The bales will make one side of your tunnel. Make sure to leave
about 2 ft of poly film on each end of straw bale wall.

Cut several 5 ft. lengths of the 11ga wire, bend them in half and use them as staples to push through the bales and poly film then into the soil. This holds one side of the plastic in place and keeps your bales steady as they rot during the winter.

Then place another line of straw bales parallel to the first but not on the poly film. Leave about 16 inches between the two rows of bales (I use this so I can get my tiller between the row. Make more wire staples and put them through these bales to keep them steady.

Now cut some more lengths of 11ga about 6 ft long to creat your hoops. Put one leg of each hope in each row of bales. I put the hoops about 2 ft apart.

Now pull the plastic over the entire thing and hold down the one side of the plastic with bricks or something heavy.

work the soil before putting up the hoops. You can grow lettuce and spinich all winter and you'll be the first one in town to have tomatoes next summer. Once the soil and bales get wet everything inside the plastic stays wet.

You can vent through the ends on days when it will get to warm. I like this because I can open the vents before I go to work and the frost doesn't get inside the tunnel.

I know this was long and maybe confusing. I'll try to remember to take pictures next time I build and post.

Kevin