2014 CPA Lawn and Garden Thread

[NeffsvilleWx]

It's soon time to start those tomatoes and peppers. What's everyone planting this year?

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie, do you have any experience with butternut squash? I'm thinking of trying a bush variety this year because they'll be ready to harvest at about the same time our son will be starting to eat pureed food. It'd be great to be able to have some fresh produce for him.
 

[Eskimo Joe]

Moving from MD -> PA meant losing our 30 ft. x 18 ft. plot in the Westminster Community Garden.  This year it's an 8 ft. x 8 ft. back patio, but we are still excited!  Last year we had tremendous success in the beet (Detroit Dark Red) and tomato (German Gold, Cherokee Purple and Rutgers) department.  We are going to purchase seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange, as the idea of planting heirloom vegetables excites the both of us.

 

So here's what we are looking to do:

 

Herbs

Basil, rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint

 

Tomatoes

German Gold, Cherokee Purple, Rutgers, one more TBD

 

Vegetables

Beans, Chili Peppers, rest TBD

 

Flowers

Marigolds, one or two Sunflowers.

[JamieOber]

It's soon time to start those tomatoes and peppers. What's everyone planting this year?

 

 

 

 

 

Jamie, do you have any experience with butternut squash? I'm thinking of trying a bush variety this year because they'll be ready to harvest at about the same time our son will be starting to eat pureed food. It'd be great to be able to have some fresh produce for him.

 

I've grown neck pumpkins, which are sort of like butternuts on steroids. They seem to be pretty easy to grow.

 

Moving from MD -> PA meant losing our 30 ft. x 18 ft. plot in the Westminster Community Garden.  This year it's an 8 ft. x 8 ft. back patio, but we are still excited!  Last year we had tremendous success in the beet (Detroit Dark Red) and tomato (German Gold, Cherokee Purple and Rutgers) department.  We are going to purchase seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange, as the idea of planting heirloom vegetables excites the both of us.

 

So here's what we are looking to do:

 

Herbs

Basil, rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint

 

Tomatoes

German Gold, Cherokee Purple, Rutgers, one more TBD

 

Vegetables

Beans, Chili Peppers, rest TBD

 

Flowers

Marigolds, one or two Sunflowers.

 

Love cherokee purple. 

 

Have you checked out if there are any nearby community gardens? 

BTW, did I mention my family is from New Salem? My grandmother grew up there.

 

Fun fact: They used to call it "Bitchville" back in the old days, for some reason. 

[NeffsvilleWx]

Moving from MD -> PA meant losing our 30 ft. x 18 ft. plot in the Westminster Community Garden.  This year it's an 8 ft. x 8 ft. back patio, but we are still excited!  Last year we had tremendous success in the beet (Detroit Dark Red) and tomato (German Gold, Cherokee Purple and Rutgers) department.  We are going to purchase seeds from the Seed Savers Exchange, as the idea of planting heirloom vegetables excites the both of us.

 

So here's what we are looking to do:

 

Herbs

Basil, rosemary, lavender, chocolate mint

 

Tomatoes

German Gold, Cherokee Purple, Rutgers, one more TBD

 

Vegetables

Beans, Chili Peppers, rest TBD

 

Flowers

Marigolds, one or two Sunflowers.

 

Losing the plot really sucks, really limits your options.

 

We're limited to container gardening on our patio. Last year we had 4 30 gallon self watering containers and 4 5 gallon buckets and ended up with a decent harvest. This year, I'm adding another self watering container and maybe more buckets. We haven't finalized the planting list yet, but I really need to get to that.

 

Another question: Last year we grew Jalepenos in 5 gallon buckets, 1 plant per. They produced a ton of fruit but none of it had much heat to it. At all. The serranos in buckets did fine and the hungarian wax in the SWC did great. Is there a specific reason that causes hot peppers to be mild?

[mappy]

Oh good, garden folks! and Jamie

 

I failed miserably last year at trying to maintain the old home owners garden (though did end up with TONS of zucchini, too much in fact). The plot is dead, has been used as a compost pile since fall.

 

So, need advice on how to get it ready for growing, proper ways of setting it up, and the easiest things to grow since I'm such a novice at gardening.

[Eskimo Joe]

I've grown neck pumpkins, which are sort of like butternuts on steroids. They seem to be pretty easy to grow.

 

 

Love cherokee purple. 

 

Have you checked out if there are any nearby community gardens? 

BTW, did I mention my family is from New Salem? My grandmother grew up there.

 

Fun fact: They used to call it "Bitchville" back in the old days, for some reason. 

We already checked and the nearest community garden is 10 miles away.  No worries, good to go small for a year or two as we are getting married in May so priorities.

 

Oh good, garden folks! and Jamie

 

I failed miserably last year at trying to maintain the old home owners garden (though did end up with TONS of zucchini, too much in fact). The plot is dead, has been used as a compost pile since fall.

 

So, need advice on how to get it ready for growing, proper ways of setting it up, and the easiest things to grow since I'm such a novice at gardening.

If you need a hand, PM me and I can come down to your place and help break ground, condition soil, etc.

EDIT:  Good video for starters.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3L8-thJYTY 

[PennMan]

Losing the plot really sucks, really limits your options.

 

We're limited to container gardening on our patio. Last year we had 4 30 gallon self watering containers and 4 5 gallon buckets and ended up with a decent harvest. This year, I'm adding another self watering container and maybe more buckets. We haven't finalized the planting list yet, but I really need to get to that.

 

Another question: Last year we grew Jalepenos in 5 gallon buckets, 1 plant per. They produced a ton of fruit but none of it had much heat to it. At all. The serranos in buckets did fine and the hungarian wax in the SWC did great. Is there a specific reason that causes hot peppers to be mild?

Thanks for starting this thread!  I'm looking forward to another gardening season.  I have a 10X15' plot at the Penn State Community Garden.  Last year, most things did well.  Only real problems were my zucchini, cucumbers, and roma tomatoes.  Our extremely wet weather in June and early July (10-13" between June 11th and July 11th) allowed fungus to proliferate.  I managed three zucchini, a dozen romas, and zero cucumbers before the plants were pretty much worthless.

 

What kind of 30-gallon containers did you use?  I can get 5-gallon buckets from work but might do one larger container.  I want to supplement my garden plot with some containers on my porch.  I'm ~10 miles from the garden and it would be nice to have some lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes right on the porch so I don't have to make that run every other day all summer.

 

As for the jalapenos, I've seen the same thing happen at my parents' garden, usually in conjunction with too much rain as the peppers are growing and ripening. They've been as mild as regular bell peppers a few times.

 

I'm planning to reduce the overall number of plants in my plot this year and stick to what worked well last year, with a few new things thrown in most likely.

[Eskimo Joe]

Thanks for starting this thread!  I'm looking forward to another gardening season.  I have a 10X15' plot at the Penn State Community Garden.  Last year, most things did well.  Only real problems were my zucchini, cucumbers, and roma tomatoes.  Our extremely wet weather in June and early July (10-13" between June 11th and July 11th) allowed fungus to proliferate.  I managed three zucchini, a dozen romas, and zero cucumbers before the plants were pretty much worthless.

 

What kind of 30-gallon containers did you use?  I can get 5-gallon buckets from work but might do one larger container.  I want to supplement my garden plot with some containers on my porch.  I'm ~10 miles from the garden and it would be nice to have some lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes right on the porch so I don't have to make that run every other day all summer.

 

As for the jalapenos, I've seen the same thing happen at my parents' garden, usually in conjunction with too much rain as the peppers are growing and ripening. They've been as mild as regular bell peppers a few times.

 

I'm planning to reduce the overall number of plants in my plot this year and stick to what worked well last year, with a few new things thrown in most likely.

Get some Cherokee Purple or Rutgers tomatoes...you won't be sorry.

[NeffsvilleWx]

Thanks for starting this thread!  I'm looking forward to another gardening season.  I have a 10X15' plot at the Penn State Community Garden.  Last year, most things did well.  Only real problems were my zucchini, cucumbers, and roma tomatoes.  Our extremely wet weather in June and early July (10-13" between June 11th and July 11th) allowed fungus to proliferate.  I managed three zucchini, a dozen romas, and zero cucumbers before the plants were pretty much worthless.

 

What kind of 30-gallon containers did you use?  I can get 5-gallon buckets from work but might do one larger container.  I want to supplement my garden plot with some containers on my porch.  I'm ~10 miles from the garden and it would be nice to have some lettuce, peppers, and tomatoes right on the porch so I don't have to make that run every other day all summer.

 

As for the jalapenos, I've seen the same thing happen at my parents' garden, usually in conjunction with too much rain as the peppers are growing and ripening. They've been as mild as regular bell peppers a few times.

 

I'm planning to reduce the overall number of plants in my plot this year and stick to what worked well last year, with a few new things thrown in most likely.

 

I use 30 gallon storage containers from Lowes. I followed the instructions for the Earthtainer, which is basically a cheaper, bigger earthbox. The cool thing is that it's self-watering, and since you're growing in containers, weeds and many pests are a non-issue.

 

Here's the link to the design/how-to: http://www.tomatofest.com/pdfs/EarthTainer-Construction-Guide.pdf

 

 

Oh, and thanks for the info re jalepenos. Maybe I watered them too much

[mappy]

Thanks for the offer, Matt -- the garden is my "baby" as the hubby said, so I really need to figure it out on my own. I saved the video and will watch it later.

[sauss06]

we'll plant

Spinnach

Romaine

Roma Tomatoes X2 or 3

3 or 4 other Tomatoe plants to be determined

Yellow Peppers

Red Pepper X2

Green pepper

Bananna Pepper X2

Jalepeno

Broc.

Cali.

Not doing Cantelope this year, so i have room for something else.

I think i mat try my hand at blueberries (in a container)

[Eskimo Joe]

[JamieOber]

seeds.PNG

Love it.  Mexican sour gherkins are great. Taste like a cucumber dipped in lemon juice. Dragon's Tongue beans are good too. 

[sauss06]

Any of you do soil analysis’s, or do you just plant, fertilize and water?

Though we had a very large garden when i was growing up, my wife and i are kinda new to veggie gardening, this will be only our 3rd season so we are really still in the learning stages. when we orginally planted our garden, which is a raised garden,  we just mixed top soil (bought)  with compost our township makes and gives out for free. we just tilled it together. This past year we really didn't do anything to the soil and though we had decent crops, it wasn't like the first year. I'm thinking that compost is the key. We also used that compost when we planted some new flowering plants and shrubs and they took off.

 

Funny thing about this vegtable gardening, my brother works for a large Produce Company out of Fl. buying/selling produce all over the country. i always kid him about my being a supplier to them with my 12 X 12 garden  

 

you all have me interested in these Cherokee Tomatoes, i'm gonna check them out

[JamieOber]

Thanks for the offer, Matt -- the garden is my "baby" as the hubby said, so I really need to figure it out on my own. I saved the video and will watch it later.

How large is your garden going to be? One thing I wrestle with a lot is whether to go no-till or regular. I know there are a lot of advantages to no-till but I'm happy enough with our yields. Plus, I direct seed a fair amount of my stuff.

 

One thing that I stress to new gardeners, ignore people who tell you direct seeding is so hard. It's not. You have to for stuff like carrots and other root veggies, and for greens. 

 

My favorite seed vendors:

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ Ignore the 1997 web layout, they have great selections at the best prices. 

 

http://www.rareseeds.com/ Get their catalog, it's a work of art with inspirational quotes and photos of the founder and his family that are, imo, hilariously cultish. 

 

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ It's interesting to me to just look at the weird tropical stuff but they have a great selection of things you can grow in our climate, like kiwis: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/actinidia-arguta-baby-kiwi-seeds and, yes....palm trees!, like this: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/trachycarpus-fortunei-windmill-palm-seeds and this: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/butia-eriospatha-wooly-jelly-palm-seeds

 

I tried to find the thread but a while ago I stumbled upon a garden thread post where this guy showed off his "tropical garden" of palms, palmettos, etc. that he was growing north of Towson. 

[JamieOber]

Any of you do soil analysis’s, or do you just plant, fertilize and water?

Though we had a very large garden when i was growing up, my wife and i are kinda new to veggie gardening, this will be only our 3rd season so we are really still in the learning stages. when we orginally planted our garden, which is a raised garden,  we just mixed top soil (bought)  with compost our township makes and gives out for free. we just tilled it together. This past year we really didn't do anything to the soil and though we had decent crops, it wasn't like the first year. I'm thinking that compost is the key. We also used that compost when we planted some new flowering plants and shrubs and they took off.

 

Funny thing about this vegtable gardening, my brother works for a large Produce Company out of Fl. buying/selling produce all over the country. i always kid him about my being a supplier to them with my 12 X 12 garden  

 

you all have me interested in these Cherokee Tomatoes, i'm gonna check them out

 

You should always do soil analysis. You can get kits or you can contact PSU coop extension. I do it at the start of each year. 

 

Always add stuff to your garden, whether it's leaves and lawn clippings, compost, composted manure, etc. 

 

On those Cherokee purples, they have this sort of smoky taste to them. They are AMAZING on BLT's, man. I'd say it's almost what they are here to do, be on BLT's. 

[Eskimo Joe]

Any of you do soil analysis’s, or do you just plant, fertilize and water?

Though we had a very large garden when i was growing up, my wife and i are kinda new to veggie gardening, this will be only our 3rd season so we are really still in the learning stages. when we orginally planted our garden, which is a raised garden,  we just mixed top soil (bought)  with compost our township makes and gives out for free. we just tilled it together. This past year we really didn't do anything to the soil and though we had decent crops, it wasn't like the first year. I'm thinking that compost is the key. We also used that compost when we planted some new flowering plants and shrubs and they took off.

 

Funny thing about this vegtable gardening, my brother works for a large Produce Company out of Fl. buying/selling produce all over the country. i always kid him about my being a supplier to them with my 12 X 12 garden  

 

you all have me interested in these Cherokee Tomatoes, i'm gonna check them out

RE:  Soil

 

I *always* buy mushroom compost and either get manure from a local farm or buy some bags of aged product from Home Depot.  Mix the two with your top soil at a 1:1:1 ratio in early March.  Then get a 10 lb. bag of bone meal and mix it in.  Can't go wrong!

[renegade700]

If you want your peppers to have heat add a little sulfur to the soil.I have won a few bets with this trick.My serranos always seem to be fine but the jalapenos always seem to need a little more kick.

[sauss06]

You should always do soil analysis. You can get kits or you can contact PSU coop extension. I do it at the start of each year. 

 

Always add stuff to your garden, whether it's leaves and lawn clippings, compost, composted manure, etc. 

 

On those Cherokee purples, they have this sort of smoky taste to them. They are AMAZING on BLT's, man. I'd say it's almost what they are here to do, be on BLT's. 

since i haven't taken your advice and planted fall crops, what i normally do is with my last lawn cut of the years i try to collect those clippings and throw on the garden.

I'm definitly going to get some of those Cherokee Purples, they sound like they're right up our Alley.

 

RE:  Soil

 

I *always* buy mushroom compost and either get manure from a local farm or buy some bags of aged product from Home Depot.  Mix the two with your top soil at a 1:1:1 ratio in early March.  Then get a 10 lb. bag of bone meal and mix it in.  Can't go wrong!

The compost we get from our township is outstanding. They have only been making it for about 5 years or so.We had never used it before but after speaking with a couple gardeners who swear by it, we finally tried it planting some shrubs and such with great results. I'll be heading to get some before i plant this year.

[PennMan]

since i haven't taken your advice and planted fall crops, what i normally do is with my last lawn cut of the years i try to collect those clippings and throw on the garden.

I'm definitly going to get some of those Cherokee Purples, they sound like they're right up our Alley.

 

The compost we get from our township is outstanding. They have only been making it for about 5 years or so.We had never used it before but after speaking with a couple gardeners who swear by it, we finally tried it planting some shrubs and such with great results. I'll be heading to get some before i plant this year.

Make sure you mix those clippings with some leaves or something as well.  Grass clippings are pretty heavy on the nitrogen.

 

The community garden gets a load of compost every spring and I lightly covered my plot with leaves back in November so I can till those in in April.

[sauss06]

Make sure you mix those clippings with some leaves or something as well.  Grass clippings are pretty heavy on the nitrogen.

 

The community garden gets a load of compost every spring and I lightly covered my plot with leaves back in November so I can till those in in April.

Yeah, usually my last cut is primarily to mulch up all the leafs anyhow, so its a combination of Grass clipping/leaves etc.

 

like most gardeners, we have a compost pile, but i'm thinking of buying one of those barrels on a stand, that you put everything in and spin it every now and then. Any of you have one?

[JamieOber]

Make sure you mix those clippings with some leaves or something as well.  Grass clippings are pretty heavy on the nitrogen.

 

The community garden gets a load of compost every spring and I lightly covered my plot with leaves back in November so I can till those in in April.

Yeah, I definitely get the leaves on. We turn them in during the fall and I'm almost up to my waist in leaves.

[Eskimo Joe]

I'm such a hippie...I can't wait to make my own compost and mulch piles when I get my first home.

[JamieOber]

I'm such a hippie...I can't wait to make my own compost and mulch piles when I get my first home.

Ha, it's sort of fun in a weird way. 

 

BTW, you can save your cherokee purple seeds so you don't have to buy. Saving tomato seeds is simple, this is a great guide: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002084456024410.html

 

Now, the smell will be a bit like ass once you get to the point where they are done, but it's really easy.  

[Eskimo Joe]

Ha, it's sort of fun in a weird way. 

 

BTW, you can save your cherokee purple seeds so you don't have to buy. Saving tomato seeds is simple, this is a great guide: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/seedsave/2002084456024410.html

 

Now, the smell will be a bit like ass once you get to the point where they are done, but it's really easy.  

Awesome, thanks!

[mappy]

How large is your garden going to be? One thing I wrestle with a lot is whether to go no-till or regular. I know there are a lot of advantages to no-till but I'm happy enough with our yields. Plus, I direct seed a fair amount of my stuff.

 

One thing that I stress to new gardeners, ignore people who tell you direct seeding is so hard. It's not. You have to for stuff like carrots and other root veggies, and for greens. 

 

My favorite seed vendors:

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ Ignore the 1997 web layout, they have great selections at the best prices. 

 

http://www.rareseeds.com/ Get their catalog, it's a work of art with inspirational quotes and photos of the founder and his family that are, imo, hilariously cultish. 

 

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ It's interesting to me to just look at the weird tropical stuff but they have a great selection of things you can grow in our climate, like kiwis: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/actinidia-arguta-baby-kiwi-seeds and, yes....palm trees!, like this: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/trachycarpus-fortunei-windmill-palm-seeds and this: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/butia-eriospatha-wooly-jelly-palm-seeds

 

I tried to find the thread but a while ago I stumbled upon a garden thread post where this guy showed off his "tropical garden" of palms, palmettos, etc. that he was growing north of Towson. 

 

 

I want to say right now its at least 10x10 in size, maybe bigger. Ideally I'd want to keep it where it is now since there is already an abundant amount of soil versus grass around it.

 

We have discussed buying a tiller -- we actually removed a couple other garden areas from the front yard that we would rather have be grass, so a tiller is needed so we can plant grass there.

 

Thanks for the links!

[RitualOfTheTrout]

Any tomato varieties that are better against blight? It seems I always end up with that every year. Giant Beef Steak tomatoes that rot on the bottom before they get ripe. Once in awhile powdery mildew will stirke my Zuchini plants, and those damned cucumber beatles spreading the wilt to my cucumbers lol. I try not to use any pesticides or sprays, figure I get enough of that from the store bought veggies but sometimes its a real battle to keep things going.

[NeffsvilleWx]

You sure it's not blossom end rot?

[RitualOfTheTrout]

How large is your garden going to be? One thing I wrestle with a lot is whether to go no-till or regular. I know there are a lot of advantages to no-till but I'm happy enough with our yields. Plus, I direct seed a fair amount of my stuff.

 

One thing that I stress to new gardeners, ignore people who tell you direct seeding is so hard. It's not. You have to for stuff like carrots and other root veggies, and for greens. 

 

My favorite seed vendors:

http://www.fedcoseeds.com/ Ignore the 1997 web layout, they have great selections at the best prices. 

 

http://www.rareseeds.com/ Get their catalog, it's a work of art with inspirational quotes and photos of the founder and his family that are, imo, hilariously cultish. 

 

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/ It's interesting to me to just look at the weird tropical stuff but they have a great selection of things you can grow in our climate, like kiwis: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/actinidia-arguta-baby-kiwi-seeds and, yes....palm trees!, like this: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/trachycarpus-fortunei-windmill-palm-seeds and this: http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/butia-eriospatha-wooly-jelly-palm-seeds

 

I tried to find the thread but a while ago I stumbled upon a garden thread post where this guy showed off his "tropical garden" of palms, palmettos, etc. that he was growing north of Towson. 

I direct plant most things, beans, cucumbers, zuchini and have never had a problem. I usually plant a bit closer together incase some seeds don't take, then thin out once everything comes up.

 

How do you start your tomatoes and peppers indoors, and when do you do it? I have always been meaning to give this a try rather than spending $3-$5 per pot at the green house in the spring.

 

I've got a smallish space, probably 15x15 or there abouts so I don't need a lot of any given variety so I was always put off at buying seeds and only using 3-4. How many years can you keep seeds anyways?

[RitualOfTheTrout]

You sure it's not blossom end rot?

Well it starts with the leaves on the plant starting to get brown and wilted, usually starts from the bottom of the plant and works it's way up. Eventually the fruit starts getting little orangish black rotten spots, and its usually towards the end of summer but I've always attributed it to late blight.