How's your veggie garden in 2012...?

[Slowmodem]

Thanks! It's just about the right size for the small amount of land that I have. I have a tiller, backhoe, disc harrow, turning plow and bush hog for it, along with the front end loader. It takes a lot of the effort out of gardening. And it gets harder to get around every year.

[Omie]

Well our 17F night the other night killed off some of my baby seedlings- the broccoli rabe, carrots raddichio, radish. But the freeze didn't faze my peas, sugar snaps, spinach, and lettuces at all. Good thing i bought extra seed packets just for the occasion! Nice weather in the frorecast for the next two weeks, so I'll be replanting the ones that froze, no problem!

[blueblood]

I just went out to my cold frame and put two lamps on my seedlings...started a fire in my wood stove inside...can't believe I am firing it up again...

[Walt B]

Last year we had 11" of rain. So far this year we've had 15". The garden is doing well.

The second planting of lettuce is coming up, good germination with the corn, tomatoes have blossoms starting, peppers look good, and squash and cucumbers are coming along. It won't be too much longer for the potatoes, and the garlics and onions will be early. The second planting of broccoli may not make it...starting to get warm, but we have small snow peas and the other peas will be in blossom next week.

We had great luck with the carrots we planted last fall. They were the best we've had here.

Walt

[brooksbeefarm]

We need a rain, had 3.5 in. rain three weeks ago and not a drop since Temp. the last two nights in low forties and upper thirties, with light frost to the east of me.With garlic, lettuce,radish, spinach,onions,potato, beets, green beans, and a half acre of sweet corn, up and looking good, the weather got my attention. All but the green beans and sweet corn can take a light freeze and i have till May 15, to worry about frost.With the weird weather were having i'm thinking about putting out tomatoe's, not so many that i can't cover them, and maybe an acre of sweet corn. Why not farming is just a gamble anyway. Jack

[Slowmodem]

I got the truckload of mushroom compost tilled into the garden. Haven't had time to plant things yet. Although, that's a good thing because it was 33F (0.5C) this morning with frost. It's been dry lately, and I need to get water on the fruit trees we planted, and moisten up the garden a little for planting.

[brooksbeefarm]

Greg, I've got to ask. What's mushroom compost? and what is it used for? Never heard of it. Jack

[Slowmodem]

Greg, I've got to ask. What's mushroom compost? and what is it used for? Never heard of it. Jack

Mushroom Compost comes from a mushroom farm. It is dark, rich, stuff they grow the mushrooms in (or on?). There's a Monterey Mushroom farm in Loudon, TN which is about 20 miles from here (as the crow flies).

I could make bricks out of the clay I have around here. So sand and compost are really good additions to the soil. I have a compost box and a tumbler, but it would take years to get a truckload.

My garden is 85 X 42 feet this year (maybe larger next year). I have to have chicken wire around it to keep Thumper out of it. I had netting up to 10 feet high, but Bambi would still jump over it. I may try electric fence this year if I have any extra cash.

If I get out today, I'll try to take a picture. Here's a picture of my dad standing in front of the dumped compost:

[gunsmith]

Greg:

I read an article years ago about using 2 rows of fencing, an inner row and an outer row, seperated by a few feet. This kept the deer from jumping it. Then the gardener went one step further and put fencing over the top and let chickens run between the 2 rows. I always thought that was an interesting way of doing things.

[brooksbeefarm]

Thanks Greg, I thought it must be something like that. Most of my farm land has 6 to 10 in. of top soil and then you hit clay, makes for good crops. I'm very fortunate. Jack

[Omie]

ooooh that mushroom compost looks like pure gold!

[Hobie]

You can always pick out the gardener by his or her reaction to dirt!

[Omie]

We northern-ish types are of course way behind you southern gardeners season-wise, but today was just gorgeous- 65F and sunny! I was out planting lots of seeds right in the garden:
Swiss chard, bok choy, some regular orange carrots, buttercrunch and head lettuce, scallions, and some more spinach. (can you tell we like lots of greens?)
Tomorrow I'll plant more seed for radishes and red leaf lettuce.
Still a month away from being able to plant green beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers- way too chilly yet!