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!

 

[crowbar032]

Lots of good ideas here. Putting your beans on a wire/cattle panel is a good plan. Makes runner beans easier to pick. My white half runners go to the top of 48" field fence and then vine back down to the ground. Keep them picked and you should have eating beans until frost. For tomatoes, my favorite is Supersteak or Beefsteak. Some of the biggest ones this year weighed 2.5 lbs, and they make excellent juice. Since you have grandkids, I'd get a few "tommy toes" or cherry plants for them. Get your onions, lettuce, cabbage, and peas out early. If you time it right you'll have all of those harvested in time to plant fall greens and late cabbage. The "old timers" say to sow greens in the fall August 15. I did that this year and curled a soaker hose over the top and watered the seed in and got a good stand. For greens I plant kale and mustard and a row of turnips. I'd also get a shaker jar and fill it with those hot peppers you're planning on growning after cutting slits in the side of them. Fill the jar with vinegar and let it set in the fridge for a week before using. Cornbread with cooked greens splashed with pepper vinegar is good eating.

 

[farmer2009]

Go talk to a local lawn and garden store. Not the big box stores someone local. Don't know where you are here in western Kentucky, but I have a southern states that handles a lot of garden seeds and plants. Talk to them now and see what they can get for next spring and have them order it. They will know what will grow and can even recommend how much to plant based on yields, this is assuming we get rain. Plus all your seed is sourced and ready to go for next year.

Good luck

 

[RSKY]

I should have made myself clearer, I am actually having three gardens. The one at my mother's farm is 50' x 150' and will be only for veggies and other things we are going to can or freeze. I will tend that garden. The garden at my oldest daughter's house, which I will plant and take care of, will have only purple-hull and black-eyed peas plus whatever she puts in it. This is because of our deer problem at Mom's. I will also tend this garden. Youngest daughter only has a lot so her garden will be small and only the few things they plant. I will not tend it. At my house I will have the squash, okra, cucumbers (for three different kinds of pickles), and tomatoes.

My questions concern the two larger gardens. What type lima beans, English peas, southern purple hulled, southern black eyed, tomato, and corn would you plant. Lettuce, cabbage, etc. will not be planted because it can't be easily preserved for the winter and my family does not eat much of it.

And with the Kentucky Wonder green beans, we get the early beans to break and can, then let them set on the vines and get the 'shelly beans' as the pods mature. The last couple of pickings are for them. Also we plant a lot so we can finish with them and pull the vines up in a shorter period of time. Then something else has come in.

Everything will be planted on staggered dates so that hopefully everything does not come in at the same time. Also I realize that this is a huge garden area but the idea is to keep up with what we preserve and base future garden size on what is left in storage next year. When I was growing up nearly everything we ate came from the garden. Mom had about a half acre counting all the corn, veggies, strawberries, and other produce she planted. She worked that garden from sun-up to sun-down.

I have found that Southern States has the best prices on seed both online and in the stores. The local stores sell more than anybody else in this area. They also occasionally have an online coupon for $20 off on $75 purchase. I printed several of these off and used a couple online to buy seeds and other supplies.

I am going to put some of the tomatoes and bush cucumbers in buckets next year and see how they turn out. Also going to try ground cherries, tomatillas, sweet pepper, and hot pepper in containers.

Oh yeah, also gonna put out potatoes on three different dates so they will be coming in at different times. Have actually made a spread sheet with the supposed maturity of each type and will try to stagger it all. I know the rain and other factors will make everything come in at once but I'm going to try.

Yes, I'm having a huge garden for one year!

The 2014 garden will probably be the largest I ever plant. Our long range plans are to start a little more traveling after next year. But 2014 will be for short 1-week vacations, building a covered patio in our back yard, landscaping the back yard, and gardening.

After all, I am retired and need something to do! And this will help my kids and grandkids.

RSKY

 

[Egon]

From your plans and preparations it sounds like most of us should asking you for advice!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Daver1963]

Whatever you plant, here is a guide for spacing and timing. I saw this at a local CO-OP and snapped a picture.

You might want to get one of those one row push planters. I'm thinking of getting this one for next year.
Amazon.com : Earthway 1001-B Precision Garden Seeder with 6 Seed Plates : Hand Spreaders : Patio, Lawn & Garden

 

[Daver1963]

Some thoughts on the bucket planting: Up until the end of May we lived in the city and put out tomatoes and occasionally other items in large flower pots. We did this over the years. Just about anything you put in containers, but especially tomatoes will have to be watered every day when they start producing. You miss one day and they will wilt. We also used the spray feeders with miracle grow on them about once a week and that was with planting them in potting soil. Another thing we always did was to only fill the flower pots 3/4 full. That way as the tomatoes grew we would add dirt to the top for root expansion. Always seemed to help.
Tomatoes always did okay. Bell peppers gave us more than we could eat, but not really that many. We tried squash, but that didn't work at all.
This year we put out four tomato plants in early May and had to transport them to our new place in the country. Instead of miracle grow I put some triple 12 on them this year and they have made more tomatoes than we've ever seen.

 

[dmccarty]

I want to grow peanuts since we eat pounds and pounds of them every year. Peanuts pack a bunch of calories, protein and fat in a little space which make them great for my lunch. The wifey's family rents their farm land and when peanuts are planted, we get boiled peanuts that have been frozen. We love boiled peanuts and I will have to figure out how to can them at some point. Try some peanuts. They don't take up much space and produce quite a bit of food per SF.

Later,
Dan

 

[RSKY]

The last time my mother grew peanuts she pulled some plants and brought them to my wife who loves them. Mom and I both cautioned her about eating too many raw. She did not take our advice and ate nearly all in one day. I remember that as the week my wife slept in the bathroom.

 

[RSKY]

As for the container garden do a YouTube search on self watering containers and gutter gardening. I am going to try one or the other.

I am by no means an expert on gardening. I do know enough to know what questions to ask but that's about it. You can find a lot of knowledge on the Internet.

I especially like the Cajun guy who does just about all his work sitting in his golf cart. I think he's the one who has a huge garden and says, "I'm old, fat, and lazy, and this is how I do this".

Sounds like my kind of guy!

 

[ddb123]

The last time my mother grew peanuts she pulled some plants and brought them to my wife who loves them. Mom and I both cautioned her about eating too many raw. She did not take our advice and ate nearly all in one day. I remember that as the week my wife slept in the bathroom.

HAHAHAHA! :laughing: