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6 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
04/18
What a difference just six days can make!
Attachment 10318
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Transplanted 25 pepper seedlings into medium (18 per tray) pots on 4/16. Will do some more of the same in a few days.
Attachment 10321
04/19
One last look at the prematurely started cherry tomato seedlings mentioned in the previous post… Unfortunately, they have nearly outgrown the patio environment, and there’s just no way that they can be adequately accommodated another four weeks, until the average last frost date, when they can be reasonably safely transplanted into the garden.
Attachment 10322
On a happier note, the Opalka and Jet Star tomato seedlings mentioned in the previous post seem to be shaping up nicely, with the Jet Stars clearly taking the lead in that regard. Read online the other day that it’s normal for some tomato varieties to grow weird at first. While I haven’t found anything specific to either of these two varieties in that regard, it has already begun to appear that that is the case, which is a big relief.
04/20
More seeds started (96 cells on heat mat):
12 Chadwick Cherry Tomato (to replace those prematurely started seedlings mentioned above).
6 Fordhook Zucchini
12 Waltham Butternut Squash
6 Buttercup Squash
12 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin
6 Connecticut Field Pumpkin
12 Tommy Apple Melon Cantaloupe
12 Strawberry Watermelon
6 Marketmore 76 Cucumber
12 Wild Italian Fennel
Attachment 10323
Final seeds will be started as soon as heat pad space becomes available from 04/20 batch:
6 more Fordhook Zucchini
6 more Buttercup Squash
6 more Connecticut Field Pumpkin
6 more Marketmore 76 Cucumber
Just as with all other vegetable seeds (and herbs to some degree), more are started than will be needed in the garden; to allow for germination rate, for culling of weakest seedlings, and/or for replacement of transplanted seedlings substantially injured or killed by garden pests.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Where can I buy those containers?
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by
livewity
Where can I buy those containers?
You should be able to find these kinds of trays and pots at any garden supply store. Many hardware stores have them too. I haven't checked, but I'm pretty sure Home Depot has them as well.
Might be kind of hot items right now with the COVID panic thought, so stock might be limited or depleted?
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1 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Some strawberries on the balcony of my sister's condominium.
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7 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
04/22
Transplanted 17 more sweet pepper seedlings into medium pots.
04/23
Final (indoor) seeds started:
6 more Fordhook Zucchini
6 more Buttercup Squash
6 more Connecticut Field Pumpkin
6 more Marketmore 76 Cucumber
Transplanted 16 Jet Star Tomato seedlings into large pots.
04/24
Set up much-needed additional window area (roughly east-facing - morning sun only, but better than nothing) for seedlings in dining room, upon unused door-on-crates.
Attachment 10592
04/27
Transplanted 12 German Chamomile, and 6 Genovese Basil seedlings into medium pots.
04/28
Transplanted 8 Opalka Tomato (8 in total, culled all the rest) and 8 more (24 in total, culled all the rest) Jet Star Tomato seedlings into large pots, and 6 more Genovese Basil and 12 more pepper seedlings into medium pots.
As the vast majority of tomato harvest will be canned/frozen for sauce, it’s disappointing that the Opalka (sauce tomato) seedlings appear to be so much less promising than the Jet Star (slicing tomato) seedlings …which is why I chose to cull all but 8 of the former, while retaining three times as many of the latter, instead of the other way around. I’ll be kicking myself if it turns out that the Opalkas substantially outperform the Jet Stars in the long run.
04/29
Set up much-needed additional window area (roughly south-facing) for seedlings in bedroom, upon unused top-half of shelf rack for seedling heat mat in office.
Attachment 10590
Removed seedling heat mat from shelf rack in office, to allow additional window area (roughly south-facing) for seedlings.
Attachment 10591
Wish there were more south-facing windows.
Seems I’m forever moving seedling trays around to maximize available sunlight, with priority as follows: 1) vegetables 2) herbs and 3) ornamentals.
Transplanted 30 more sweet pepper seedlings (for a grand total of 84 pepper plants – nearly twice as many as last year’s 45 plants!).
04/30
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6 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
05/02
All seedlings outside for first time, one hour in full sun (beginning of hardening-off process).
As more and more transplanted seedlings require more and more space; as springtime sun moves ever higher in the sky; and as a nearby large tree regrows its leaves, less and less direct sunlight can come into the south-facing patio, As a result, I anxiously await a sunny enough day with low enough wind and high enough temperatures for seedlings to be brought outside for the first time (for me, that means mostly sunny and in the mid-to-upper 50s or higher, partly cloudy and in the low 60s or higher, or cloudy and in the mid-to-upper 60s or higher). Thankfully, that day was today!
Attachment 10784
Note:
While it can be quite tempting to maximize available sunshine by leaving seedlings outside all day (weather permitting, of course), best practice is to start with one hour on the first day, two hours on the second day, three hours on the third day, and so on (adding one hour each day), until the seventh or eighth day, when they can safely remain outside all day, or be safely transplanted into the garden, once the likelihood of frost has passed. Plants need time to adjust to the intensity of outdoor sunlight and climate (wind, and high/low temperatures and humidity). This process is called hardening-off. Last year, I rushed the process, and the majority of my seedlings ended up with sunburned leaves. While it didn’t kill any of the seedlings, it certainly was an unfortunate and easily preventable mistake.
Of course, wind is a major concern as well. Nearby buildings or other structures, and/or thick bushes, hedges, fences, etc. can serve as effective windbreaks. Keep a close eye on your seedlings and on weather conditions, and be prepared to take immediate action accordingly. An oscillating fan on indoor seedlings will help prepare them for outdoor wind, in addition to a number of other considerable benefits of air movement.
05/03
All seedlings outside for second time, two hours, mostly sunny (continuing hardening-off process).
Transplanted 5 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin, 4 Buttercup Squash and 4 Fordhook Zucchini into medium pots.
05/04
All seedlings outside for third time, three hours, mostly sunny (continuing hardening-off process).
Transplanted 6 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin and 6 Connecticut Field Pumpkin into medium pots.
05/05
All seedlings outside for fourth time, three hours (brought in one hour early due to wind), mostly sunny (continuing hardening-off process).
Transplanted 5 Waltham Butternut Squash, 6 Buttercup Squash, 6 Connecticut Field Pumpkin and 6 Waltham Butternut Squash into medium pots.
05/06
All seedlings outside for fifth time, five hours, mostly cloudy (continuing hardening-off process).
Attachment 10785
Crowded patio.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
You are certainly earning whatever fruits those plants bring you come summer and fall. It should be a great crop. Looks awesome Grinder and makes me want to do another garden again this year.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by
JCsAudio
You are certainly earning whatever fruits those plants bring you come summer and fall. It should be a great crop. Looks awesome Grinder and makes me want to do another garden again this year.
Thank you, John! It is a fair bit of work, and I tend to go the extra mile in any way I can. Sure wish I had a greenhouse, though. The plants would be better off, and I wouldn't have to keep moving them all the time. Now, when the time comes, if they'd just go ahead and transplant themselves in the garden, that would be great!
Given the considerably greater number of plants this year and the advanced maturity of the vast majority of those plants (compared to last year), if all goes reasonably well the harvest should be far greater than last year. Whereas most of last years' harvest barely fit into freezers, given the potential size this year's harvest, I'll be canning most of the tomatoes instead of freezing them.
My primary aim with this thread is to inspire others to give gardening a try, or to get back into gardening again. There's still plenty of time. :)
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9 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
05/07
All seedlings outside for sixth time, 5.5 hours, mostly sunny (continuing hardening-off process).
Attachment 11106
05/08
Herb and flower seedlings outside for a few hours; all others inside all day, due to windy conditions.
Attachment 11107
Transplanted three remaining oregano into round pots.
05/09
All seedlings inside all day, due to windy conditions.
05/10
All seedlings inside all day, due to windy conditions.
05/11
All seedlings outside for seventh time, 2.5 hours, mostly cloudy, brought in early due to rain (continuing hardening-off process).
Attachment 11108
05/12
All seedlings inside all day, due to weather.
Transplanted 10 Chadwick Cherry Tomato - 8 largest into large pots, 2 smallest into medium pots.
05/13
All seedlings inside all day, due to weather.
Transplanted: 2 Fordhook Zucchini; 5 Fordhook Zucchini; 3 unknown late sprouts; 6 Marketmore 76 Cucumber; 5 Tommy Apple Melon Cantaloupe into medium pots.
05/14
All seedlings outside for 2.5 hours, partly cloudy, partially shaded through new leaves on adjacent tree (cautiously resuming weather-interrupted hardening-off process).
Attachment 11110
Transplanted 6 Marketmore 76 Cucumber; 6 Tommy Apple Melon Cantaloupe into medium pots.
05/15
All seedlings outside for 4.5 hours, partly-to-mostly cloudy, partially shaded through new leaves on adjacent tree (cautiously resuming weather-interrupted hardening-off process).
Attachment 11105
Transplanted 11 Strawberry Watermelon – last of veggies; 10 catnip; 12 Lime Aromatic Basil into medium pots.
05/16
All seedlings outside for 5 hours, mostly cloudy, partially shaded through new leaves on adjacent tree (cautiously resuming weather-interrupted hardening-off process). Tomato seedlings out in garden in evening for first overnight.
05/17
All seedlings in garden for 7.5 hours, mostly cloudy. Tomato seedlings remain in garden all day and for second overnight.
Attachment 11103
Attachment 11104
Belatedly thinned basil (both types, Lime Aromatic and Genovese) and catnip.
NOTE: I should have known to thin herbs and flowers soon after germination. While it is necessary, thinning now might be too late - certainly far from ideal!!!
In hindsight, it has become clear that I started the majority of the vegetable seeds too early, as most seedlings have gotten a bit too big to practically manage – with some worse in this regard than others.
05/18
All seedlings in garden for 8 hours, mostly to partly cloudy. Tomato seedlings remain in garden all day and for third overnight.
Transplanted (and thinned) 6 Common Thyme into medium pots.
First seedlings (17 in total) transplanted into garden, one day ahead of schedule!
5 Jet Star Slicing Tomato
5 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin
3 Fordhook Zucchini
3 Buttercup Squash
1 Connecticut Field Pumpkin
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4 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Blah, blah, blah...
05/21
A total of 59 seedlings transplanted into garden. Many more to go.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Looking good Grinder. You inspired me to do a garden this year again but I didn’t go to anywhere near the tender caring great lengths you have to get things going. I just went to a nursery and purchased some tomato, Squash, and cucumber plants. I also have some carrot and potato. I did however mix in some leaves and manure into the soil for some extra nitrogen I hope.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Glad to hear it, John! Nothing wrong with purchasing starts. Wish I was better set up for carrots and potatoes, and beets, turnips, leafy greens and such. Maybe next year.
88 seedlings in the ground as of yesterday (32 tomatoes, 3 sweet peppers, and 53 squash and pumpkins. 8 of the 10 cherry tomatoes need another week or two for their roots to fill-out their large pots before I can safely transplant them).
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Didn't plan on having so quite so many squash and pumpkins, but given the number that died last year I started plenty of extras and then decided to go ahead and transplant them all. Now that nearly all of the squash and pumpkins are in, it's on to peppers (84 of them! LOL), and then cantaloupes, watermelons and cucumbers ...and then on to relocating perennial herbs from the garden, and then transplanting new ones (also outside the garden) ...and then on to transplanting all the flower seedlings.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Whoa! Just three tomato plants and two squash plants give me more than I can eat and you have 32 and 53 respectively. You may as well register your property as a farm so you can take advantage of the tax benefits. Looking real good.
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11 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
05/28
Transplanting continues…
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Finally began to notice (haven’t been paying close enough attention) Striped Cucumber Beetles and clear signs of their damaging effects on many cucurbit (cucumber, squash, pumpkin, melon) seedlings. Removed one each badly damaged and dying Fordhook Zucchini and New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin.
05/30
Transplanting continues…
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Cucumber beetles on every cucurbit. Massive infestation. Zucchini are hardest hit so far, looks like none of them will survive.
202 seedlings are in the ground:
24 Jet Star Slicing Tomato
8 Opalka Tomato
2 Chadwick Cherry Tomato
12 Connecticut Field Pumpkin
11 Tommy Apple Melon Cantaloupe
11 Strawberry Watermelon
10 Marketmore 76 Cucumber
10 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin
10 Fordhook Zucchini
10 Buttercup Squash
9 Waltham Butternut Squash
3 mystery squash/pumpkin
21 California Wonder Pepper
14 Red Marconi Pepper
12 Golden Calwonder Pepper
11 Sweet Hungarian Banana Pepper
10 Rainbow Blend Pepper
8 Purple Beauty Pepper
6 Cubanelle Pepper
06/01
Morning frost finished-off the cucurbits (all but a couple watermelon seedlings and one field pumpkin suffered serious frost damage). It’s just as well, as the cucumber beetle infestation was well on the way to killing them all anyway. A handful of pepper plants are badly damaged as well. Tomato plants and the vast majority of pepper plants have suffered no visible effects.
Attachment 11605
06/02
Transplanted final seedlings into garden:
12 Lime Aromatic Basil
12 Genovese Basil
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06/03
Removed all 86 cucurbit plants from garden.
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Relocated first 5 of 17 perennial herb plants (thyme, sage, catnip, fennel) from garden to new ornamental/herb garden area.
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06/04
Direct sowed seeds (leftover from April seed starting) in all 86 removed cucurbit locations:
12 Fordhook Zucchini
12 Waltham Butternut Squash
12 Tommy Apple Melon Cantaloupe
12 Strawberry Watermelon
12 Buttercup Squash
12 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin
10 Marketmore 76 Cucumber
4 Connecticut Field Pumpkin
Fingers crossed…
Relocated 4 more perennial herb plants (more thyme, sage, catnip, fennel) from garden to new ornamental/herb garden area. 8 more to go.
Attachment 11611
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Always enjoy seeing the updates to your garden... that sucks about the beetle infestation, I have a slug problem eating the few green bean shoots that I have, need to put some bowls with beer in up there to take care of them. Unfortunately, a lot of my garden has become overgrown, just not had time to pull weeds and so they are somewhat taking over. I do have the previously mentioned green beans, as well as some peas that are growing OK, a few potato plants, cucumber, rhubarb and a grape vine that are doing pretty decently though.
I also in among the weeds have turnips, carrots and radish, but, my 5 year old helped sow those seeds and so they are not in easily identifiable lines! Still, worst case I am getting the area ready to really work on things fully next year.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by
naiku
Always enjoy seeing the updates to your garden... that sucks about the beetle infestation, I have a slug problem eating the few green bean shoots that I have, need to put some bowls with beer in up there to take care of them. Unfortunately, a lot of my garden has become overgrown, just not had time to pull weeds and so they are somewhat taking over. I do have the previously mentioned green beans, as well as some peas that are growing OK, a few potato plants, cucumber, rhubarb and a grape vine that are doing pretty decently though.
I also in among the weeds have turnips, carrots and radish, but, my 5 year old helped sow those seeds and so they are not in easily identifiable lines! Still, worst case I am getting the area ready to really work on things fully next year.
Thanks. Yeah, garden pests... and weeds... Ugh! Ah well, we can only do what we can do, and try to learn what we can in the process.
Did you end up using any sort of mulch? Barring that, perhaps you could try woven ground cover fabric next year. I foresee a time when my wood chip supply will have decomposed to the point where it no is no longer adequately effective as weed control, at which point I will probably use woven ground cover fabric.
How cool and fun to have your 5 year old helping you plant the garden!
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
I did use mulch, what I think my main issue with the weeds was not putting a thick enough layer of mulch down. The areas is thicker its much easier to control. I'm likely going to use some kind of weed sheet next time and cut openings for seeds.
It's great having him help, he loves planting seeds and hopefully it gets him eating a wider variety of vegetables of he's growing them as well.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by
naiku
I did use mulch, what I think my main issue with the weeds was not putting a thick enough layer of mulch down. The areas is thicker its much easier to control. I'm likely going to use some kind of weed sheet next time and cut openings for seeds.
It's great having him help, he loves planting seeds and hopefully it gets him eating a wider variety of vegetables of he's growing them as well.
When I originally created the garden area from lawn, I simply used all the wood chips I happened to have at that time and did the best I could to distribute them evenly across the entire area. Fortunately, that turned out to be an average of about six to eight inches of well settled-to-densely packed wood chips. Even so, some pesky stuff still manages to get through here and there.
And then there's the considerable issue of dealing with such a thick layer of wood chips while planting/transplanting, which (in my case, at least) tends to preclude small/closely spaced crops such as carrot, radish, turnip, beet, lettuce, etc., which tend to favor loose soil in prepared beds. As the wood chips break down however, and presuming I finally get around to planting a late summer/early fall tillage crop of minowase daikon radish, my densely packed sandy loam lawn soil should gradually become increasingly light/loose, rich and fertile, without any need for tilling and its attendant disadvantages. It's been a hard slog, but for better or worse I'm convinced that this initial investment in considerable inconvenience and additional effort will pay off in the long run.
Good plan. Cutting (burning) holes in weed fabric for seeds/seedlings will control weeds far more effectively than planting in gaps between sheets.
Once you've introduced your boy to the joys of munching in the garden, he'll be hooked for life. :)
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Quote:
Originally Posted by
naiku
.... It's great having him help, he loves planting seeds and hopefully it gets him eating a wider variety of vegetables of he's growing them as well.
Watching this video the other day I thought you might enjoy it too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AllTcLmoDys
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3 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
06/06
Relocated eight remaining perennial herb plants from garden to new ornamental/herb garden area. As normal, freshly transplanted fennel plants looking droopy and sad. Like the others, they too will perk up in a day or two.
Attachment 11686
06/07
Remaining eight cherry tomato seedlings transplanted into garden (finally!). Culled one of the two earlier transplanted cherry tomato plants, due to unidentified pest/disease issue, and replaced it with one of the eight, for a total of nine Chadwick Cherry Tomato plants.
Attachment 11687
With all the herb plants relocated, there's an unobstructed path between the fence and tomato plants. Nice!
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6 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
06/09
Culled 30 dead/dying/damaged pepper plants, and planted Contender Bush Bean seeds in their place (2 seeds in each location, to be thinned to strongest seedling).
Attachment 12100
While there may have been additional issues, it seems clear that the frost had done far more damage to the pepper seedlings than was initially apparent; and there were a number that, while still in pots, had been particularly prone to being blown over in breezy conditions (perhaps due to weak root systems that had become compromised in some way), several of which had failed to achieve full health and vigor since being transplanted into garden, which pulled up easily today with few roots and same/similar discolored and bare (no roots) stem area just below soil level that I’d noted while dealing with those blown over seedlings.
Weeding and replenishing wood chips. With the herb plants having been relocated, and with thorough weeding of inner area of vegetable garden perimeter, began replenishing perimeter wood chips to help discourage weed invasion and make future weeding easier.
Attachment 12101
06/10
Continued replenishing perimeter wood chips.
Transplanted both rosemary plants into large enough pots to sustain them for at least the next couple years.
Began process of creating triangular carrot bed to the left of the garden gate.
06/12
Began the process of creating long, narrow bed to the left of the garden gate. Process ultimately consisted of the following: push larger surface chips to fence side, remove remaining chips down to soil level; sift all removed chips (0.25” mesh); remove upper 2-3” of topsoil; sift all removed topsoil (0.25” mesh); loosen soil in-place down to ~4” with shovel and then break up clumps and mix in some composted cow manure and some of the sifted wood chips; combine and thoroughly mix three parts sifted soil, two parts sifted wood chips, one part sifted composted cow manure and fill in prepared area to just above wood chip level; water thoroughly to settle soil; plant seeds the following day. Triangular bed had been prepared in the same way, but with about twice as much composted manure as the long, narrow bed.
06/13
Planted Scarlet Nantes Carrot seeds in triangular bed.
06/17
Planted seeds in long, narrow bed to the left of the garden gate: Scarlet Nantes Carrot; Nantes Coreless Carrot; Early Scarlet Globe Radish; Purple Top White Globe Turnip.
Attachment 12102
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06/20
Bean seeds have sprouted over the last few days and are looking so-so.
By now the vast majority of squash, pumpkin, melon and cucumber seeds planted on the 4th have either failed to germinate or were killed by striped cucumber, squash beetles, or some unknown pest(s) soon after germination. I highly doubt there will be any squash, pumpkins, melons or cucumbers at all this year.
Finished trimming lower growth on all tomato plants. Should have given them more of a trim while transplanting them into the garden, as it’s recommended to prevent foliage from touching the ground, and I wouldn’t have had to remove nearly so much low growth, and the plants could have focused their efforts on upper growth. It’s tough though, given both the average depth of wood chip mulch, and the need for sufficient depth of wood chips to anchor the tomato cages.
Attachment 12104
06/22
It appears that the majority of carrot seeds in triangular bed have sprouted by now. Similarly, it appears that the majority of radish seeds in the long and narrow bed have sprouted, with a few carrots beginning to emerge.
06/23
Bean seedlings aren’t looking very good. No idea what the issue might be. Appears to be some sort of leaf blight affecting first set of mature leaves. Newer growth looks okay so far, but will presumably be slow due to whatever the issue is/was with the first set of mature leaves. Weather has been unusually hot and dry for several weeks now, perhaps that has something to do with it. Fortunately, it appears that some relief may be on the way.
06/25
Replanted squash, pumpkin, melon and cucumber seeds (in spots where transplanted squash, pumpkin, melon and cucumber seedlings had been killed by insects and frost, and where subsequently planted seeds have either failed to germinate or whose seedlings have been killed by insects. As of today, with only 14 of those 86 planted spots having a surviving seedling, and with two of those 86 spots no longer available due to replenishment of perimeter wood chips, all 70 remaining empty spots were planted with leftover seeds):
14 Fordhook Zucchini
10 Waltham Butternut Squash
9 Tommy Apple Melon Cantaloupe
9 Strawberry Watermelon
9 Buttercup Squash
9 New England Sugar Pie Pumpkin
5 Connecticut Field Pumpkin
5 Marketmore 76 Cucumber
Transplanted four Greek Oregano plants into new flower and herb garden areas.
Tomato plants are doing very well, with only one (a Jet Star) showing serious signs of some sort of leaf blight. Bunches of tomatoes on each Jet Star plant are well on the way, with the Opalkas not far behind, and a few tiny cherry tomatoes.
All 52 remaining pepper plants are doing well (though some are now twice the size of others), and there are already a few peppers here and there.
Attachment 12105
06/26
Noticed this morning that some unknown creature has eaten nearly all of the radish sprouts. Not sure if turnip sprouts are up and/or affected yet. Carrots appear to be doing fine so far.
Both kinds of basil have not done well at all. I think it’s mostly because I planted way too many seeds, way too close together, and then failed to realize (until it was too late) that they needed to be thinned.
Received a bit of badly needed rain the last couple days, with temperatures down from crazy 90s to normal 80s.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Nice to see some more updates, sucks that you lost a bunch of plants, but it looks like you still have plenty growing!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Grinder
Noticed this morning that some unknown creature has eaten nearly all of the radish sprouts. Not sure if turnip sprouts are up and/or affected yet.
How are you dealing with bugs/pests?
It can be really frustrating seeing your hard work eaten by pests.... as an example my grape vine was doing really well, in fact I was thinking I might be able to harvest a bunch of grapes from it this year (planted last year, this year the cane is strong enough to grow grapes) but Japanese Beetles have started attacking it and are making short work of it. I sprayed the ground with a water and dish detergent solution to kill off the grubs before they emerge, but realistically, I am not sure I would not have to spray a huge swath of my yard to have any real impact. I'm trying to avoid using too many pesticides, but may have to if I want to actually get anything from the plants.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
I agree. It is incredibly frustrating to see all that effort, hope and potential so quickly and thoroughly destroyed by conditions and/or pests. However, I won't use any sort of chemical or pesticide, or even any non-toxic/organic substance that might harm beneficial insects or soil organisms. While I truly do feel like unleashing thermonuclear war on the little bastards, I'll just have to be patient and take the bad with the good, and trust that a balanced garden ecosystem will evolve in the long run.
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10 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
07/09
The vast majority of tomato plants have been severely damaged by some sort of leaf blight. At the rate they’ve been losing leaves, from the ground up, over the last several days, I’ll be surprised if all but a few of the healthiest plants aren’t dead within the next week or two. The cherry tomato plants appear least affected, along with a few of the Jet Star plants. Fingers crossed that at least these plants will continue to thrive.
Pepper plants are doing well, with a number of sizeable peppers already well on the way.
Bush bean plants (amongst the pepper plants), having had some sort of a rough start, now appear to be doing well.
The two carrot, radish and turnip beds are doing so-so. While the triangular bed with just carrots has only a few remaining seedlings left at this point, the long bed seems to be doing a lot better – mostly due, I presume, to differences in how the seeds were sown. It appears that broadcasting seeds and then a layer of soil worked far better than in holes and shallow rows. Also, the soil of the triangular bed was prepared with around twice the composted manure of the long bed – which might have been too much.
Sunflower seeds sown on the 3rd are sprouting.
Remains to be seen if any of the very few surviving squash/pumpkin/melon/cucumber plants will ever reach maturity, let alone produce anything. Odds are presumably slim to none.
Weather has continued to be far dryer and warmer than normal, which hasn’t helped matters.
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20 Attachment(s)
Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
07/13
Planted Contender Bush Bean seeds in additional failed squash/pumpkin/melon/cucumber spots.
07/14
Received some badly needed rain overnight. Apart from that, the dry spell continues.
07/18
Bush beans planted on the 13th have begun to sprout.
Long carrot/turnip/radish patch seems to be doing well (along with a number of volunteer cherry tomato plants - gonna just leave them be and see what happens; probably a mistake, but oh well). Triangular carrot patch, not so much, with just a handful of surviving carrot sprouts.
Attachment 12785
Two older field pumpkin plants seem to be doing well, with a couple/few younger ones that might make it as well. It’s late in the season though. I’ll be surprised if there are any pumpkins at all this year.
Attachment 12786
Basil (foreground) has finally taken off a bit, though for the most part it has continued to bolt/go to seed.
Attachment 12787
Pepper plants continue to thrive, with a number of plants already loaded with sizeable peppers. Bush beans (amongst the peppers) are doing well and have begun to flower.
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A number of newer butternut and/or buttercup squash plants (lost track), along with possibly a couple/few pie pumpkin (not sure what’s what at this point) and a couple cucumber plants look like they might make it - though, again, it’s awfully late in the season… The sunflowers, too, are well behind schedule…
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Tomatoes are already ripening on the Jet Star plants most badly damaged by leaf blight; which if I’m not mistaken, is further evidence that those plants are rapidly dying. The one most badly blighted Opalka plant’s tomatoes have begun to ripen as well.
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While it remains to be seen what sort of tomato harvest there will be this year, I’m a lot more optimistic at this point than I was a week ago. In any case, it seems clear enough that this year’s tomato harvest can only be a small fraction of what it might have been without this leaf blight.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
07/20
Three cherry tomato plants were blown over at some point during the night or previous day.
Attachment 12938
Added 4’ metal fence posts (one each) to support all nine cherry tomato plants, as their greater height and overall size and density make them much more susceptible to wind than the Opalkas and Jet Stars. Thus far, I’ve simply relied on the wood chips (and a bit of soil as well, in areas where the wood chips aren’t so deep), in conjunction with the plants themselves, to anchor the cages. In future, I will be sure to more deeply anchor the cages in wood chips and/or soil.
07/25
First tomatoes!!!
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The three cherry tomato plants that had been blown over are doing well and appear no worse for wear.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
I like these before/after threads. I find it so satisfactory. Which trimmer do you use for such a small area? (If you use it)
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Assuming I've understood your question, it's a Ryobi model P2009 13" brushless string trimmer, with one 4 Ah 18 volt lithium battery. It works well. No problems in four summers of more or less weekly use. Battery lasts 15 - 25 minutes (on low speed - no matter what I'm trimming, I've never found a need for high speed), depending on what I'm trimming and how long I'm on/off the trigger. If the trimming is particularly light, and if I'm very quick about it, I can sometimes do the entire yard (including the garden perimeter) on one charge.
In 2017, before all those perimeter trees were gone, I once cut gnarly full-grown grass and weeds all around and in-between them with the Ryobi. It took a number of days, at 15-minute intervals (each followed by at least 3-4 hours battery cool-down and charging cycle). Of course, such a task would be much better suited to a heavy duty gas-powered trimmer of some sort (and not let the grass get waist-high). With the trees gone, I simply cut the entire one-acre (+/-) area once a year with an old DR brush hog.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
By the way, the garden has been going strong, and I haven't given up posting garden updates. It's just that I've been busy, and I'm waiting 'til I can post pictures via hosting site - rather than continue to upload them here - to help preserve CAJ's finite storage capacity.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Great update! Your pumpkin vine looks like it did really well.
Our garden was not as successful as I had hoped, just got a handful of tomatoes. The rhubarb I planted is growing really well, but for the 1st year it is recommended not to harvest any, but with the way it is growing I should have plenty next year. The grape vine grew hugely and I had a few small bunches of grapes. Unfortunately, Japanese Beetles did a number to the vine itself and birds got the grapes before they were large enough to pick. Encouraging signs though for next year though. I think my biggest issue is getting enough water up there, the garden is about 250' from the house, I think if I used a hose then I am going to also need some kind of pump as the back yard drops and then goes up to the garden, that combined with well water means the pressure is not great to begin with.
I do have a question for you, what gate is that and how is it attached to the T-posts? At the moment I just prop some old fence up, but having an actual gate would be nice.
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
Thanks! Yes, a few of the field pumpkin (for carving) plants, and several of the pie pumpkin (for eating) plants did a lot better than expected, given this year's devastating cucumber beetle and squash beetle infestation, and given their late start as a result of the infestation. As young plants died, I planted seeds to replace them, until I ran out of seeds. Nearly all of the survivors were from the final round of squash, pumpkin, cucumber and melon seeds planted on June 25th, which is very late in the season. A few butternut squash plants, and several cucumber plants managed to survive as well.
The thick layer of wood chips greatly reduce the need for watering. Even this year, as unusually dry as it was, I only watered a few times once the plants were established, and mostly just the tomatoes and peppers. As I am loath to damage plants by dragging a hose around, and to minimize water usage by applying it only where and when it's needed, and to avoid wet foliage, all watering is done via watering cans that are filled by hose outside the gate - which might seem like a monumental hassle, but it's not that bad, and well worth the advantages.
Of course, the carrot/radish/turnip patches, sans wood chips, needed frequent watering until well established; and then periodic watering thereafter, as needed, depending on rainfall. Speaking of which, I plan to harvest all those today.
The gate is just an ordinary one from Tractor Supply. Having used both painted and galvanized over the years, I recommend the latter. Here is the one that I have: https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/pr...mesh-gate-4-ft
https://images2.imgbox.com/72/b4/G81Mxqpw_o.jpg
For additional critter protection, I attached a piece of fence material to the gate. I bought and installed a latch, but I just use the attached chain (for some unknown reason, the chain not shown in Tractor Supply's image of the gate).
https://images2.imgbox.com/81/25/I4dF7n7i_o.jpg
To mount the gate, I simply drilled an upper and lower ~0.25" hole in the T-post, and then enlarged each of those two holes to ~0.625" with a step drill/unibit. I then cut four pieces of 1/2" PVC conduit, and then opened them up a bit with a rat tail file, until they can be firmly screwed/threaded (I used channel lock pliers) onto the threaded portion of the hinge mount, as shown. It worked perfectly. If you have the tools and patience, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
https://images2.imgbox.com/63/26/WgHj2ho7_o.jpg
https://images2.imgbox.com/9f/69/foB1pLMZ_o.jpg
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Re: Grinder's no-till vegetable garden
10/28
And now, last but not least, the carrot harvest:
https://images2.imgbox.com/11/52/inPgQEVt_o.jpg
https://images2.imgbox.com/d6/54/bVqsUCOM_o.jpg
First time growing carrots, so I really did not know what to expect. Been putting off harvesting them for quite some time now, until there's more room in the freezers. However, with a few inches of snow and a severe cold snap on the way, I couldn't put it off any longer. I'd been kinda dreading the process, not knowing how much of a pain harvesting them might be. To my amazement and relief, they just pulled right up, nice and easy. No struggle. No digging. They clean up very nice and easy too. Beautiful! Today I'll be chopping all of them up and getting them into mason jars and then into the freezers.
In case you're wondering at their unusual appearance, this variety of carrot is called Nantes (Scarlet Nantes and Coreless Nantes). They are characteristically shorter and less tapered than typical store-bought varieties, and are therefore recommended for home growers, whose conditions might be less than idea in terms of soil composition and depth.
I'm quite surprised and satisfied with this first-ever carrot harvest, and will definitely be growing these again.
All in all, this year's garden was a great success. While it is never easy, and I always learn a lot, this year has been particularly challenging, and as a result I learned far more than ever. As always, I am deeply thankful for every bit of it.