May Food Growing Mamas - Page 11

[lightheart]

I wish I could read everyones posts since I last visited, I'm swamped and short on time tonight just wanted to share that I left some what I thought to be hollyhocks, still not sure, they are pretty short) in my garden from the previous folks here at the house, I am sooo glad I did, a couple of them are blooming, oh how pretty!!! I know it's not food for our bellies but...

[dillonandmarasmom]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

Me! I'm in Northern CA (central valley).

Well, I just bought six tomato plants at Costco, I couldn't pass them up...$5.97 for a three pack of pretty large size organic heirloom tomatos. I planted them in 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot (hubby had a heck of a time getting holes into the bottom when he realized his drill doesn't work). I have Cherokee, Margo, Black Carin, and Beefsteak tomatoes going on Hopefully I'll actually get some results. I so wish I had full sun in my yard. I can always move them to the front of my house I guess if they really seem to be doing badly. I also had to stake them (they were really poorly staked) and I hope I didn't damage the roots. I also couldn't find very good soil. I dunno, I am such a beginner and I always feel like I am doing everything wrong.

Had to uproot my parsley. It wasn't doing that great and it had a disease I think...white spots all over it Luckily I had some parsley seedlings I'd started that I was able to transplant in the place of the old parsley.

As I was planting one of my kids pulled a lot of leaves off the tomato plant I raised from a baby...I was a sad panda. I gave her a good talking to but I doubt it did any good. At this age (3 and 4) they just can't help themselves *sigh* They also pulled every baby tomato off my new tomato plants and broke off one of the main stems.

Planted my lettuce seedlings too. I can see why people tell you to just direct sow it....was a PITA to transplant. I'm going to have to thin the seedlings soon too, although they already got naturally thinned a bit when I transplanted them.

Have pepper, green bean, two kinds of radish, and basil seedlings still going. Will have to transplant the green beans soon; next time I will direct sow them. Although direct sowing is so dangerous in my garden becuase of the kids and the cats.

Hi!! We're about 20 minutes apart...or, o I remember you being closer to Woodland (where I am)?

I try not to buy too many plants for transplanting anymore. i have had better luck direct sowing most of my veggies. I have blossoms (male, so far) on all of my cucurbits (I have honeydew, zucchs, and cucs), and my corn patch (about 130 stalks) are all looking amazingly healthy. The earwigs got to my spinach , but I caught many of them in cans of grease and tossed them, so now the spinach has a fighting chance.

My lettuce (which was planted between rows of corn) looks amazing! I may grow it like that from now on!

I have a teepee of snap peas that are very happy, so I will have another big harvest of them in a couple of months (if not sooner).

It is actually sprinkling here in NorCal. Whatever, weather! Love it!

Here's my other garden project blog for my CSA. thsi is a front yard garden for some friends.

http://devoda.wordpress.com/

That garden is full of squashes, corn, cucs, heirloom tomatoes, edamame, and many, many native flowers and herbs. It's going to be gorgeous!

[enkmom]

Well, you can certainly tell I am a beginning gardener!

Our lettuce and spinach have grown well and have been delicious. I thought our neighbor was cutting some - which I told him to do - until yesterday, when I saw a rabbit so fat he practically needed a boost struggled up into our raised bed and sat happily munching away. Did not think about this, and will need to add a barrier. Does anyone know if rabbits eat tomatoes, squash, etc?

The radishes are still too close together. I pulled a few up, and they are mis-shapen little things. I will have to do a better job of sowing next year.

The free eggplant seed from Baker Creek never did come up.

I will have to pull up some tomato, squash and wax bean plants, as they are too crowded. I hate to do it, and am looking for a place to move the transplants to, if they live through it. I just overplanted everything, worrying that something wasn't going to come up. The garden is really growing well, but it is far from pretty. The only other problem left to overcome is seeing if everything will bear fruit. One year I grew cucumbers that developed huge fat cucumbers that cut off at about 2 inches, and peppers that grew nothing but thick, luxurious leaves.

I never did get the watermelon planted. I wonder if it is too late?

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by dillonandmarasmom

Hi!! We're about 20 minutes apart...or, o I remember you being closer to Woodland (where I am)?

I try not to buy too many plants for transplanting anymore. i have had better luck direct sowing most of my veggies. I have blossoms (male, so far) on all of my cucurbits (I have honeydew, zucchs, and cucs), and my corn patch (about 130 stalks) are all looking amazingly healthy. The earwigs got to my spinach , but I caught many of them in cans of grease and tossed them, so now the spinach has a fighting chance.

My lettuce (which was planted between rows of corn) looks amazing! I may grow it like that from now on!

I have a teepee of snap peas that are very happy, so I will have another big harvest of them in a couple of months (if not sooner).

It is actually sprinkling here in NorCal. Whatever, weather! Love it!

Here's my other garden project blog for my CSA. thsi is a front yard garden for some friends.

http://devoda.wordpress.com/

That garden is full of squashes, corn, cucs, heirloom tomatoes, edamame, and many, many native flowers and herbs. It's going to be gorgeous!

I think more like 45 minutes. I'm just east of Sacramento, in Antelope.

We're not getting any sprinkles but it is cold and cloudy this morning, perfect for giving my plants a good soaking.

This morning I woke up to find, that yet again, one of the feral cats had pooped in my garden : It totally squicks me out and I know it's unsanitary but what am I supposed to do? Trash the whole thing over one turd that I promptly removed?

He also dug up most of my parsley seedlings and did a number on my basil.

I think there is something eating (taking huge chunks, and not just the low down leaves) my eggplant and basil. Should I set out some traps? Cups of beer or something? Scrap wood (which I don't have) in case it's snails/slugs? Either that or it's my three year old. Between my kids, the cats we have and the feral cats in the neighborhood, and the occasional bug, I will be lucky if anything makes it at all :

Some of my tomato plants seem to be coming back from their transplant shock

[WannabeaFarmer]

Gardening for me has been troublesome this year. I started everything indoors(dd wanted to do like mom, so she started her peas & beans)back in March. We prepped our garden with mushroom compost and manure. I planted the week after last frost and everything but the cold weather crops(spinach, basil, peas & beans) died...
I replaced some plants with store bought stuff...
Then 5 of those died too...
I did a soil test:
pH above 8.0
and non-existant nitrogen
Fixed that, soil levels came back around to normal, or starting to.
Still have plants dying...

Do you think its too late to sow seeds?
dd is very upset that her pink tomatoes and sweet peppers died.

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by WannabeaFarmer

Gardening for me has been troublesome this year. I started everything indoors(dd wanted to do like mom, so she started her peas & beans)back in March. We prepped our garden with mushroom compost and manure. I planted the week after last frost and everything but the cold weather crops(spinach, basil, peas & beans) died...
I replaced some plants with store bought stuff...
Then 5 of those died too...
I did a soil test:
pH above 8.0
and non-existant nitrogen
Fixed that, soil levels came back around to normal, or starting to.
Still have plants dying...

Do you think its too late to sow seeds?
dd is very upset that her pink tomatoes and sweet peppers died.

Most stuff needs about 70-90 days to mature from seeds...what is your weather like in early/late August through September? If it's still warm then you can still sow your summer crops, I'd think?

Alternatively, you can sew some seeds for cooler weather crops like butternut squash or something, assuming your summers are not super hot.

[WannabeaFarmer]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

Most stuff needs about 70-90 days to mature from seeds...what is your weather like in early/late August through September? If it's still warm then you can still sow your summer crops, I'd think?

Alternatively, you can sew some seeds for cooler weather crops like butternut squash or something, assuming your summers are not super hot.

It gets in upwards of 90ish some days in the summer and the lows hover around 56ish and september starts our cooler nights( like below 47ish). Yet its still about 70ish during the day. So maybe? I tried it today. I went outside and raked out the empty area and sowed some seeds, so well see?

[notwonamesalike]

pictures from our square foot gardens.

6.2.09

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3391976...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3391976...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3391976...n/photostream/

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by notwonamesalike

pictures from our square foot gardens.

6.2.09

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3391976...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3391976...n/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3391976...n/photostream/

It's so neat and orderly! And your one box is looking very lush

[Alyantavid]

Almost everything is up in my garden! Its been less than two weeks, so I'm very excited. My lettuce isn't doing anything though.

[dillonandmarasmom]

Originally Posted by Talula Fairie

I think more like 45 minutes. I'm just east of Sacramento, in Antelope.

We're not getting any sprinkles but it is cold and cloudy this morning, perfect for giving my plants a good soaking.

This morning I woke up to find, that yet again, one of the feral cats had pooped in my garden : It totally squicks me out and I know it's unsanitary but what am I supposed to do? Trash the whole thing over one turd that I promptly removed?

He also dug up most of my parsley seedlings and did a number on my basil.

I think there is something eating (taking huge chunks, and not just the low down leaves) my eggplant and basil. Should I set out some traps? Cups of beer or something? Scrap wood (which I don't have) in case it's snails/slugs? Either that or it's my three year old. Between my kids, the cats we have and the feral cats in the neighborhood, and the occasional bug, I will be lucky if anything makes it at all :

Some of my tomato plants seem to be coming back from their transplant shock

Oh man, I hate, hate, hate cats anywhere near the food garden. They must have the most vial feces of any animal on the planet. But, don't give up hope. Can you put out some containers of mint plants? Don't plant them, but place them all around your garden? Or, hmmm, let me get back to this. I have to try nad think of what worked for me this year...

ETA: I just found this site. I like the tips, though some are a bit outlandish

[Sustainer]

New Thread!

June Thread

Happy June, everyone!

[Talula Fairie]

Originally Posted by dillonandmarasmom

Oh man, I hate, hate, hate cats anywhere near the food garden. They must have the most vial feces of any animal on the planet. But, don't give up hope. Can you put out some containers of mint plants? Don't plant them, but place them all around your garden? Or, hmmm, let me get back to this. I have to try nad think of what worked for me this year...

ETA: I just found this site. I like the tips, though some are a bit outlandish

I do have mint plants around my garden. Well, one pot anyway.

I lol'd a lot at the "get a dog" suggestion from the link.