Veggie Gardens ...... Let's see yours

You have the same garden as I do. I wish I had put more thought into growing produce when we purchased our land (only 4 acres) for our house 11 years ago. The land is not condusive to gardening. Too much tree and wetland.

Looks good PT. That tractor is coming in handy.

 

Yeah my Dad burnt me out on them when I was a kid !

 

Tony, we bought big rolls of concrete remesh wire to make cages for the tomatoes. You can kind of see the cages in the first tomato plant picture. We had about 80 of the cages. Each needs a big t-post to hold it in place, otherwise wind will catch the big plants and knock the whole thing over. Some tomatoes, like romas will stay in the cages fairly well. Others keep growing out of the cages right from the beginning and you have to keep poking the branches back in. Eventually, there will be enough plant in the cage that you can let them grow however they want... and they easily get to be six feet across. I have pruned back tomatoes in the past but found that they do better if you don't pinch them back all the time. You'll get more fruit and less risk of disease. But they do get big!

For herbs, I grew shisho, basil, dill, cilantro and a big patch of nira (garlic chives).

So what kind of fruit trees/shrubs/berries does every one have? I will miss my fruit trees and blueberry bushes.

 

We have wild plums, black berries, raspberries, strawberries, grapes, peaches, apples, and cherries.

 

I guess I gotta catch me some carp :D

We have Raspberries, blackberries, 5 varieties of Blueberries, 2 types of Elderberries, Concord grapes, eating grapes (don't remember the name), 2 types of pear trees, 2 types of cherry trees, 3 types of peach trees, strawberries ... I think that's it :D

 

My little garden. This litttle 4x40 raised bed garden produces more food than I know what to do with.

I have 3 types of squash, 7 different peppers, cucumbers, roma tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, eggplant, okra, and about 9 different assorted herbs.

 

Looks great Preacher man! We're way behind this year. Crazy cold weather late in the spring.....had snow on May 2nd! Anyway got everything going now, 22 tomato plants (romas, jet stars, Arkansas Travelers and Cherokee Purples), 8 hills of yellow squash, 4 hills of zucinni, 8 hills of cukes, 100 feet of sweet corn, 50 feet of green beans, 50 feet okra, 20 feet of bell peppers and 20 feet of jalepenos

 

Thanks guys! Hook, I was going to go with raised beds for my veggies...yours look great!

Question for you southern boys.... I am guessing you get much more yield out of your gardens due to the long months of warm weather?

 

Oh yeah, Smash........shave ......would ya?

 

I do!!! Everyday

I even shave my sack

 

How many months do you get to grow?

I usually plant on Easter weekend. This garden should produce till August, then I'll switch to Fall crops. I can have a garden all year long if I want.

 

June 1st is pretty safe to plant started plants.....by September we are all but done

 

I have cherry toms, jalapenos, sweet red peppers, onions, garlic, and sweet carrots. Had them all started inside months ago. Pictures to come.

 

Christine how are your tomatoes doing so far this year.
Mine are doing pretty bad. Im blaming all the rain and cooler temps in central Illinois

 

We haven't had a garden for quite a few years now. I planted Nan-King cherry bushes, june berry and a couple wild plum trees after we bought this place. The apple tree, chock cherries and raspberries where here already. I always wanted to plant a couple blue berry but I don't think they would make it here with our winters.

The kids fight the birds for the nan-king cherry, june berry and raspberry. Even with the two bird killer cats we have, the birds spend a lot of time in our yard.

Tim

 

Tim,

I am putting up some netting system for our berries to keep the birds out....I guess that is supposed to stop bird damage while allowing us to walk in and out .... pics to come...

 

We have put up netting ( cheese cloth type ) on the raspberry in the past and it does work. Looks bad so the wife isn't too fond of it. Half the reason I planted the stuff was just so the kids could see the different birds and we enjoy watching them also. Dad was a big fan of birds and it rubbed off a little. It is a free for all for the most part so everyone is happy.

Tim

 

Here are some of our blueberry bushes ... and of course, Deerezilla .... :D

 

A little bigger than a garden, but its veggies.

First I had to mow and turn over the ground with a plow because my finishing cultivator would get plugged with corn stalks.



13' Cultivator finishes the seed bed very nicely.



The MaterMacc vacuum planter that I use. It can plant anything from lettuce seeds to pumpkin seeds. Here its set up as a 30" wide two row. I used it like this to plant a couple acres of soybeans for the deer and some sweet corn. I lock the left planter up and slide the right one to the middle for planting pumpkins and squash. The fertilizer hoppers are great on it for laying a band of starter fert to the side and below the seeds.




Approximately 1/2 acre of sweet corn that I'm test growing.



Left to right: (aprox seeds planted) 225 Yellow summer squash, 225 Zucchini, 375 Slicer Cucumbers and 500 Burpless Cucumbers. Behind them is 525 strawberry plants that are going to need weeding soon. Then beyond that are the small 3-6# pumpkins. About 1000 seeds planted.



Beyond the cukes and summer squash is 50,000 pumpkins seeds planted. They are germinated, but we need some sun and warmer temps. The cool wet weather has made the growing a little slow.



Not really a part of the veggie garden, but its the back corner of the same field. Soybeans planted for the deer. About 2 acres worth.

 

Now I know why you don't kill deer anymore............You're a vegetarian!!!