Garden Updates

[nofishfisherman]

Reading through the pepper plant thread gave me the idea to start a thread to get updates on peoples gardens to see how things are growing in different parts of the state.

It would be interesting to see if any of my plants are ahead or behind others and for those that are producing the biggest plants and yeilding the most they can share their techniques.

Here is my update.

I'm in St. Paul so not too far north where its been cooler.

We have 6 tomato plants all different variaties that the wife picked out. They are between 2-3 feet high with some flowers and some small fruit at this point.

The pepper plants are small but flowering and starting to yeild fruit.

The potato plants are 2-3 feet tall and starting to flower.

The peas are 4-5 feet tall and we are starting to harvest the first batch with tons on immature fruit yet to pick and tons of flowers still blooming.

The leaf lettuce has been harvested once and regrown and almsot ready for another picking.

The cucumbers are starting to flower and are vining more and more.

Carrots, onions, shallots, leeks and Swiss Chard are about 12-18 inches tall.

And the herbs have all been picked at several times so far.

Oh and the Kale hasn't been picked yet but has been ready to go for quite some time.

As for upkeep I water every 3rd day or so and I try to water each indidual plant by mounding the soil up around the base and filling with water and letting it soak in. I've fertilized once early on using an organic fish and sea weed concentrate that I dillute with water. I will be putting on the second feeding this weekend most likely.

So lets hear your garden updates, how you are they doing?

[crothmeier]

im in southern mn, my tomato plants are all of 3-1/2 feet tall. i have 10 plants, 4 different varieties. I have fruit on some the size of a tennis ball, and smaller.

My peppers didnt grow much until the past 2 weeks. i have 6 plants, 3 kinds: green, jalapeno, and red chili. they are now flowering, but no fruit yet (maybe today) they are only about 2 feet tall

My kohlarobis (sp) are almost all done, i've picked 6, and have about 8 left.

Green beans started off slow like the peppers, but have really taken off with the warmer temps.

Onions are looking good.

Cucumber plan has not seemed to grown much since it was planted, however I have 1 6" long cucumber on it.

this is the first year i've tried a garden, next year i plan to expand. (hopefully!)

[nofishfisherman]

This is my second year and we doubled our garden. I think year 2 is more fun beucase you try out a few different things in the first year to see what works and what doesn't and what you wish you would have had more of or what went to waste last year. So this season I feel like we have it dialed in a little more but we still have a few trial pants growing.

[UdeLakeTom]

I have my best crop of weeds ever... they are outgrowing everything.

[glenn57]

dont spend soooo much time on FM!!!!!!!

[hoggs222]

Tomatoes are about 18" with a few flowers.

Peppers are just now flowering, with one poblano that's an inch long.

Green beans are starting to take off. I saw a few small beans today.

[vern]

My tomatoes, peppers & cucumbers are just like Nofishfisherman's description. The beans are about 10 inches without any sprouts. My beets get mowed down by the rabbits everyday so they're not doing so well.

[hanson]

I'll put some photos of my garden up in the morning.

This is MY first garden and it has really consumed a bit of my free time. Parents and grandparents are BIG gardeners, but this is my first. Really thankful I don't live in an apartment anymore.

I was a bit late getting the garden in as I was starting from scratch (patch of grass), and then had a bunny problem which I hopefully put the end to with a fence I put up Sunday. Half of my corn was eaten and it took me awhile to figure out why my peppers haven't gained any height. Next step is a new high power air rifle but I'm gonna wait and see what the fence does.

Got home from work today and the bunny was sitting right behind the garden. Was trying to sneek up on him with the camera but he scooted out when I got to close. Something looked different on the ground so I walked over and there is a baby bunny sitting there as well. Now its just me against a team of bunnies. Grrrr...

I've got corn, bush beans, onions, radishes, carrots, potatoes, peppers (red bell, green bell, poblano, chile, & jalepeno), tomatoes, and pumpkins (jack-o-lantern & giants) growing. I really want to double the size next year already with more tomatoe varieties, cucumbers for pickling, and some lettuce and herbs.

My tomatoes are doing pretty good, couple feet high now with blossoms. Pumpkins are just starting to get their vines going, their about a foot high and bushy but are going to start crawling soon (the giants are about a week behind the jack-o-lanterns). Radishes are looking good. Everything else is taking awhile, especially the corn and peppers as the bunnies were munching on them for awhile.

[leechmann]

Here's a few pic's of my garden. The peas and potatoes are blooming. I plant a sunflower on the end of each row, Corn is almost knee high and the carrots are doing well. Over on the right is my raspberry patch, and a group of smaller raspberry plants that I started last fall. I live in the Park Rapids area, which is in North Central MN.

[hoggs222]

Wow, you're garden looks great, seeing as those pics were taken in January!

[toughguy]

ya Winter 05/06 was a warm one if I remember right.

[KEN W]

I have 25 tomatoe plants of 11 varieties.The early ones have a lot of tomatoes on.Larger ones in full bloom.

Early bell peppers have fruit on,jalapenos blooming.

Radishes done,lettuce about done.Picked first kohlrabi and broccoli last night.

My potatoes are just starting to bloom.

We have been picking a cakepan full of strawberries every 3 days for 2 weeks.

Peas are filling pods now.

My early sweet corn is starting to send up tassles.....should be ready to eat by the end of July.I cheated and started a flat in the house on May 1.

Melons are just starting to have male blossoms.

[harvey lee]

My radishes wer great this year,. My leek onions are almost ready. The peppers are starting to flowers along with both the larger and cherry tomatoes.

My beets have been damaged by the rabbits again. I just planted a second crop of radishes.

[fishwater]

Here's what I do when I'm not in the boat. I'll have to try and get recent pics. This was taken on the 17th, well before the heat set in and the weeds took over.

[fishdale]

The bunnies are really going to town in my garden also. They seem to only eat the Beets and the peas. I think it should be easy to pick out the culprit now as the amount of beets they have ate they should be turning red.

Does anyone know if chipmunks eat things from the garden? I am not sure and just want to make sure I am giving the credit to the guilty party.

[hanson]

I'd been seeing one bunny in my yard from time to time and figured he was the one doing a little snacking in the garden. I put the fence up on Saturday and as I was looking out the back window last night, I had 5 bunnies sitting in the yard. Actually saw one of them try to jump the fence, only made it about halfway up. Like I said, had only occasionally been seeing one bunny and now they are out in force, 5 big ones and I know there is another baby one around as well. I think they are ganging up now and trying to figure how to get around that fence. Should be interesting.

[UdeLakeTom]

A couple of years ago, one got into the fence in a small hole I didn't see, it was quite comical watching it try to figure out how to get out when it saw me approaching. Needless to say, I found the opening and fixed it.

[crothmeier]

i put up a fence the day i planted my garden. i just dont trust those rabbits

[Rip_Some_Lip]

I had a small doe (according to the tracks) go through the middle of my garden last night. It ate some green bean tops and carrot tops. What do you put up to keep them out?

[UdeLakeTom]

An electic fence..There are some chemical mixtures that are supposed to work. They do a real good job on rabbits.

[maros91]

What do you put up to keep them out?

I heard planting Marigolds around is suppose to do the trick.

A friend of mine told me to hang up a bar of Dial soap to keep the deer out.

[harvey lee]

One can also use cayenne pepper around the garden to keep the pests out. One has to reapply every time it rains though. I was doing fine until it rained and I forgot to reapply the stuff.

beets are now mowed down.

[UdeLakeTom]

Originally Posted By: Rip_Some_Lip

What do you put up to keep them out?

I heard planting Marigolds around is suppose to do the trick.

A friend of mine told me to hang up a bar of Dial soap to keep the deer out.

The problem with marigolds, is they have to be the really stinky kind. so nowadays are stinkless, and they have to surround the whole garden.

[crothmeier]

i just got some 24" chickenwire and a few 4' fiberglass stake things and did a border around the garden the day i planted. You can still step over it, although its not pretty it does the trick. roll it up and put in garage for use next year!

[hanson]

Maybe I should start another topic but one of my corn plants (which was about 18" high) was flattened to the ground, actually cut off at the ground, when I got home from work today.

Seriously now... My fence is 24-30" high, all the way around, and dug down in the dirt about 3". I know they haven't gone under but sure have tried. Now I think I've got bunnies that are getting over my fence unless the squirrels are doing it? Unreal!

I'm going to try the rabbit repellant stuff around the perimeter and see how that works. Grrrr....

Remember... 1st time gardener here and now get to experience everything I used to make fun of my dad for getting mad about. I teased him A LOT, now its happening in my yard and understand.