Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? · Page 18

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Jakethesnake86
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#341

Harvested 2 grocery bags of tomatoes, a few zucchini and squash, a watermelon, cantaloupes and a 2 gal bucket of half runners. Our second set of half runners is now producing. We planted them June 26th.

Some of the corn looks great (really green), some looks burned up. Got me thinking, some of that corn was small when I applied the fertilizer, some was 8 inches tall. I wonder if it didn't help the bigger corn, but burned up some of the smaller corn?

That's what I'm thinking, bc I know I gave them the correct dose. Could that be the issue?

From now on I'm going to wait until the entire crop is at least 8 inches tall, which will mean some of it will be much taller before they get their dose of fertilizer.

BUT It could also be the plants were small and the sun melted them. The sun melted my wife's zinnia flowers. She watered them everyday too. So Idk

What do you think, Jake?

Got a ton of rain last night, so no watering today.

That's the garden report

RobertHively wrote:

If the leaf is actually damaged I’d say it’s probably nitrogen burn. As a general rule it may look ugly but it’ll grow out of it without much if any permanent harm.

Do you suppose the corn is different heights from sprinkler not hitting it? Usually corn will stay pretty uniform. I think you’ll be fine. Yield will not likely be as good as your first planting but I’m curious to see how it does.

I’m the snake

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#342

Jakethesnake86 wrote:

It's not going to be as good as I wanted. I don't like the 12 inch spacing I tried, and many burned up bc of either my error or bc of the hot temps and drought conditions. Maybe both. Gonna do my fall corn differently next yr. Go back to 7 inch spacing, that you recommended ,and only apply fertilizer when all of em are around 8 inches, or more, tall. It's a learning experience. At the very least I should have fresh corn for a while.

The spring corn grew at different rates as well. I think it's the way the sun sits in this mini gorge. It's an east/west property but on one side of the plot there's a black walnut tree grove. So the spring corn grew best in the middle 50% of the 1,750 sq ft plot. The 25% on each of the ends didn't grow as fast--I think bc of less sun. I am the sprinkler. Well, me and the water hose. I split the plot into thirds and give each part equal time.

This winter I plan to build a 4,500 sq footer on my "big flat". It's really the same flat but there is a small drainage ditch that leads to the creek. The ditch kinda makes a 60/40 split of the entire bottomland that we own. Anyway, it's all sun all day over there. Prolly will move my melons and maybe beans over to the 1,750 ft plot. Not sure what I'm going to do with the 2,600 sq ft "main garden" other than a ton of tomatoes. I am for sure not going to grow very many zucchini and squash in it next year. We have gotten nearly 600 this yr. Lol Too much. Like I said, it's a learning experience.

Thinking about growing some tobacco next year just to try it. Checked the laws on it and in this state you don't need a permit to grow it as long as you don't sell any part of the plant. You ever grow it as a cash crop or for fun? Is it a tough plant to grow successfully?

Thanks for all of your help.

Jakethesnake86
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#343

Hmmm. Never grew any tobacco even playing around. My guess is I’d go with a balanced fertilizer. I’d use a little more nitrogen but certainly nowhere near the amount used for corn. I’d assume the extra nitrogen would increase leaf production. But. I know absolutely nothing about growing it. However A well balanced fertilizer at around 300 pounds per acre should at least give satisfactory results if I was just trying to play. Maybe Todd’s a handful at the most at the base of the plant of some of the nitrogen you’re running. Might kill them / might send them to the moon. Most research I’ve read on growing tomatoes suggest I’m crazy for running nitrogen on them but I have fantastic results. I’ve killed lots of tomatoes in the process but if you can give almost any plant a good healthy jump start it typically results good yield.

I’m the snake

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#344

^

https://victoryseeds.com/products/corojo-99-tobacco

The H is for Hivelyland 😟

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#345

Most research I’ve read on growing tomatoes suggest I’m crazy for running nitrogen on them but I have fantastic results. I’ve killed lots of tomatoes in the process but if you can give almost any plant a good healthy jump start it typically results good yield.

Jakethesnake86 wrote:

How tall are your nitro tomatoes, Jake?

Some of our tomatoes are nearly a ft taller than our 8 ft fence. Started the entire garden with triple 19 and around mid July I gave each tomato and pepper plant a little triple 12 as well. They are still producing quite a bit of fruit.

Sunday we plan to can another 32 pints of marinara.

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#346

https://imgur.com/a/olkvXu0

Added a second pic to show you guys what it should look like.

We can continue to water our two gardens because they are adjacent to deeper spots in the creek. Forecast doesn't call for rain anytime soon, but I think those deep spots will hold up regardless.

jeebling
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#347

RobertHively wrote:

Wow that is incredible. Nice work.

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#348

^

Hey thanks Jeebsy.

Forgot to mention to you that this cold weather hasn't hurt any of our plants in our gardens. It was 42 degrees this morning!

According to the 10 day forecast we will be back to summer temps (day & night) for the foreseeable future.

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#349

Got some marinara canned. 9 gallons of frozen/cored tomatoes only yielded 14 1/2 pints this time. Wife also cold canned a pint on banana peppers and a half pint of jalapenos.

I picked about a pint worth of cherry tomatoes, a couple squash and assorted peppers.

It's hot here, but not humid. Low 90's, windy...dry. Trees in the forest are starting to turn yellow and brown. Even the leaves of the evergreen Rhododendron/Mountain Laurel trees, that line the creek, are starting to turn yellow. I guess this is our version if the desert.

Gonna have to move our water pump intake down the creek a few yards, in order to tap into a deep pool of water, to water our corn plot. Had to cut down a sapling (Sycamore) with my ms 180 chainsaw, and a little brush around it. Took about 5 min to do. The deep pool that waters our main garden still has plenty of water available.

We're gonna water both gardens around 6:30 this evening.

That's the garden report

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#350

Mid 90's, windy, dry. Same ol...

I noticed that in the corner of the corn plot with the most shade, the beans and corn are doing best there. Prior to the drought that's the area where the corn grew the slowest. I guess corn likes the shade better than full sun when it doesn't rain.

The corn is pretty decimated, and within the row of bush beans you can tell which ones are getting full sun. The part of the row in full sun looks melted and burned to a crisp, but as you go down the row, from full sun toward partial shade, the bean plants start looking better and better.

Idk. I water every other day, which is more than most people can do. The tomatoes, eggplant, beans and peppers, in the main garden, are still doing well. They were well established before the drought began though. I guess it's harder on younger plants.

I plan to give them all a good soaking this evening, but the corn plot may be a lost cause. That reminds me, only 1 of the 5 eggplant came up and none of the lettuce. Other than beans, the fall garden is not going well.

That's the garden report.

Jakethesnake86
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#351

My best yielding tomato plants are usually bout 6ft. My phosphorus levels stay a little high typically. I have residual after my corn. I flip flop rotate the garden.

When they get close to or begin blossoming I’ll take a good handful of 0-0-30 and put around the base. Seems to help fruit pretty well

I’m the snake

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#352

Canned 4 pints of half runners, a pint of banana peppers & a half pint of jalapenos. Picked 7 medium sized bell peppers as well. We'll eat them fresh.

Got my first couple tabasco chili peppers this evening. They're small but hot. I grew them in place of cayenne this year. I'm may try making my own hot sauce again... I have 4 plants that are loaded. Just gotta wait until they turn orange, then red, before I harvest.

Got another gallon bag of frozen and cored tomatoes. Couple more gallons and we'll can marinara again.

Corn is about the same--not good. The healthy ones are slow to grow. Glad the spring crop went well.

Today it was mid 90's but no wind, and humid. Rained last night. Not enough to make a difference to the water level of the creek, but enough to not have to water until Sunday. Still haven't had to mow. I plan to do so at the 3 week mark. I think that's great. Back in the spring I woulda had to mow 3 or 4 times in that time frame.

Jake, I figured tomatoes fertilized with nitrogen would be super tall. I googled the Celebrity tomatoes, that you're growing, and saw that they were a determinate variety. They look good; I might try them next year. The Beefsteak tomatoes and cherry tomatoes we're growing must be indeterminate varieties because I have some that are 9 feet tall. Still producing and still have a lot of green tomatoes on the vine.

14 weeks of growing down, bout 6 to go.

Jakethesnake86
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#353

Try a few of those celebrity I think you’ll be pretty satisfied

I’ve got broccoli up now. Planted some kale but not seeing any yet

I’m the snake

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#354

^

I have them on the list of seeds to buy.

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#355

Rained all afternoon and evening yesterday. It's raining right now too. It's been months since we've gotten this much rain. Temps in the low to mid 70's...lovin' it!

Wife is canning 8 gallon bags worth of tomatoes into marinara right now. It will yield us another 14 to 16 pints. I plan on going out and picking some more tomatoes and peppers in between rains.

That's the garden report.

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#356

We picked 18 tomatoes; got another gallon+ worth for sauce, after they were cored.
Got about a pint of cherry tomatoes
28 bell peppers
50 banana or Hungarian wax peppers
12 jalapenos
4 cherry bomb peppers
5 tabasco peppers
3 eggplant
Picked our last watermelon.

Best year for watermelon and cantaloupe we've ever had. We got 19 watermelons and 52 cantaloupes and the majority of them were quality.

Checked 2nd set of beans, will pick Sunday. Corn still looks bad. Most of the survivors are too small for 36 days in... 3rd set of beans (Roma bush beans) are flowering. Planted them August 1st.

Watered for about an hour this evening. That's the garden report.

jeebling
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#357

Coming up on some easier days soon?

RobertHively
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#358

^

Got another 4 or 5 weeks if we're lucky.

But it's already easier than it was. Mild temps, low humidity. Easier to work that way.

Jakethesnake86
Herf-A-Holic

a year ago

#359

Second corn crop came off little wormy but good

I’m the snake

BuckyB93
Herf-A-Holic Topic Starter

a year ago

#360

Pulled the last of the veggies from the plants. Green peppers, hot peppers, ripe tomatoes and green tomatoes. Closing the door on this season. I'll make some relish out of the last survivors.

I think next year I'll do a change in plan for the deck garden. Use a few of these raised bed thingies rather then the grow bags.

https://tinyurl.com/3dudy2hd

I like the grow bags that I've been using for the past couple of years but this year it seemed that the the soil dried out every other day and needed I to water them every couple of days.

I'll buy a trash barrel, drill some holes in it for drainage and air flow for a compost/soil barrel. Reclaim the potting soil from the grow bags, add some more organic stuff (coconut hair rather than peat moss) and layer it. Dirt, chopped up organic brown matter (leaves) , green (grass clippings) and so on. Prolly mix in a of manure and then let it compost until spring. Maybe go to the bait store to get some worms and toss them in there. Will also toss in kitchen veggie scraps over the fall/winter/spring. I'll tell my Son to pee in the barrel now and again. Human urine has some good plant nutrients.

Mix the up the barrel every couple of weeks and let Mother Nature do her thing to make some more rich soil for next years fresh veggies.

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