Need Garden Help

[RSKY]

As any dad with daughters knows it is hard to turn them down when they ask for something. Both of mine want me to plant a large garden next year so the grandkids can have fresh, chemical free veggies. Also Daddy pays for the seed, fuel, fertilizer, and provides the labor! But what the heck, I'm retired and in good health and have been promised more grandbabies to spoil.

My problem is what to plant!

Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans for sure. Nothing tastes as good as they do when picked young and tender. Or let them mature a little and shell them. Makes my stomach growl thinking about a mess cooked all day with new potatoes..... Oopps. Back to my problem. Anyway three sixty foot rows with eight foot netting should feed all three families.

Don't know what kind of little green English Peas to plant. My wife hates them. Can't stand the smell to even cook them. But both my girls love them cooked up tender and mixed in with dumplins', or better yet with a bowl of macaroni and cheese and a big glass of ice cold..... well, got side tracked a bit again. Anyway, does anybody have any suggestions as to what type I should plant. Having never grown them before I thought I would try The Thomas Laxton Improved, Wando, Knight, and Willet's Wonder Pea. Just plant a half row of each and see what everybody likes best. Then go hog wild with that type the next year.

As for Lima Beans I have four types I'm thinking of planting. King of the Garden, Jackson Wonder, Fordhook 242, Thorogreen (have been told these are the best), and Willowleaf (need a twelve foot step ladder for these), are the types I am considering. I also have some beans a lady at church gave me declaring they were the best. None of my family liked them but I'm still going to plant the seed she gave me. Well, that's six types, gonna be confusing.

Have got five kinds of corn but will probably just put out Peaches and Cream after next year since that is my favorite. Gonna try the others anyway.

And I have talked to a guy that swears Cherokee Purple tomatoes are the best so one plant to try them out.

And one Devil's Tongue hot pepper to take care of the son-in-law that claims he can eat any hot pepper!

Anyway, any suggestions would be appreciated as to what your favorites are in English peas, Lima beans, purple hull southern peas, and corn. My plans are to put out a huge garden, keep up with what we can and freeze, then adjust with a smaller garden each year after.

Thanks for your time.

RSKY

 

[Gordo 56]

One thing you may want to plant is spaghetti squash. It is easy to grow and it stores for a long time. We grew some from seeds this year from a squash we had gotten from the store. We just cooked one tonight. I cut it in half lengthwise scraped out the seed and pulp with a big spoon then I rubbed all on the inside of the squash with extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and put them on a cookie sheet and baked them about 45 mins at 350. when don you take a fork and scrape out the inside and it looks like spaghetti. We made homemade meatballs and we used our homemade spaghetti sauce from tomatoes we grew and caned from our garden. This makes a low carb spaghetti and meats balls. The squash also taste good by itself and makes a nice side dish with just a little butter and more salt and pepper.

Some other things that you might want to grow is Kale. It is very nutritious and it keeps growing all summer. Beets, cucumbers, radishes, and Jalapeno peppers are also easy to grow.

These are some of the things I grew this year and they turned out very well. I hope this gave you some ideas.

 

[MossRoad]

180' of Kentucky pole beans 8' high? Holy bean dip, Batman. I've got one 4' wide cattle panel in an arch with about 20 vines and that provides more than we can eat. That seems excessive and lots of work. What am I missing?

 

[jinman]

Instead of English peas, try sugar snap peas. They are good raw in salads and great steamed or stir-fried with other garden veggies. Also, yellow summer squash or zucchini is a good choice. Try onions too. Fresh young green onions are great in soups and salads. Cucumbers are always popular and pickle making is fun.

 

[RSKY]

LOL, growing enough to can for three families plus others. We did over 100 quarts this year. We intend to put up enough to last until next year.

 

[MossRoad]

I get 14 quarts off of the 4' cattle panel arch twice per season. That's 28 quarts. 4 panels would = 112 quarts in 16' of space by 6' wide. Less work, too. Give it try some time. The cattle panels last for years and years and years without replacing.

 

[Egon]

Consider planting at different times so all isn't ready at the same time.

Try different seed catalogs and go hog wild!

 

[charlz]

That is definitely a lot of green beans.... lots and lots of work to pick.

I like to grow some butternut winter squash, they keep in the garage most of the winter. I grow Burpee's Butterbush as they are a compact plant and do not vine all over the place. The fastest way to prepare them I have come across is to cut them in half length-wise, take out the seeds, wrap in saran wrap and microwave on high for about 8 minutes. You will know if you have not nuked them long enough as the thick part will not be as soft as the rest of it.

Spaghetti squash is also good to nuke, poke it with a fork or knife (deep so you reach the seed cavity) and nuke for 6-8 minutes. Cut in half, remove the seeds. Scrape/scoop out the flesh so it comes out stringy like spaghetti and eat with season salt, butter or even spaghetti sauce.

Zucchini and yellow summer squash are good sauteed with some mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil. You can also make lasagna where you use the sliced squash instead of the pasta.

As suggested some green onions are always nice to have on hand. I leave them in year-round as they hold up pretty good in the winter. I do chop some up and keep them in the freezer, handy for making omelets etc where you want to sprinkle a little in. One of the things I have come across but have not yet tried is to grill them with oil and a little season salt. Had some recently at a Mexican restaurant prepared this way and they were good.

I also grow hardneck garlic. Keeps well until the next harvest so you have a year-round supply. The hardneck variety sends up scapes which have to be cut off. If you cut them off when tender they are great rubbed in olive oil with some salt and pepper and grilled on the bbq.

Couple cantaloupe are also nice for fresh eating. At home you can wait until they are super ripe, very good and juicy fresh off the vine. Puts store bought cantaloupe to serious shame.

 

[forgeblast]

I buy my seeds from baker creek seed co Heirloom Seeds | Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co What I do with my daughter is when we get the catalog, we go through and pick out a few things we want to try together. I also let her pick one or two things she wants to try. She planted Chinese noodle beans this year, the beans are 3' long.

 

[farmgirl19]

I think it a sin to have a garden and not grow okra! It can be cooked with tomatoes, fried, grilled, frozen for use in soups, etc. none of those methods of cooking have slime, and if you like it boiled, add a little vinegar to teh water, and the acid will cut the slime!

I second the idea of yellow squash, as well as zucchini, Kentucky Wonder beans, tomatoes, onions, and Swiss Chard. The latter are cooler weather items, but the Chard can take the heat, and still keep one in greens!

I get most of my seeds from R H Shumway, Garden Seed | Vegetable Garden Seed | Garden Seed Catalog | Garden Seed Company | R.H. Shumway's and they do not sell GMO!