Raised Bed Gardening

Radar67 · July 02, 2009, 09:28:35 AM

smiley_clapping smiley_clapping smiley_clapping smiley_clapping

Great class Dodgy!

SwampDonkey · July 02, 2009, 04:43:04 PM

Now what about waxed beans and soldier beans, two varieties consumed in excess in these parts at times. :D

DanG · July 02, 2009, 10:15:37 PM

As near as I can determine, wax beans fall under the color vs. ripeness category. I have no idea what you would have if you left them to mature, then cooked the seeds. I have a feeling they would be good to eat, though.

I never heard of soldier beans, but I've had enough military experience to know that I don't want any personal experience with them. :

Paul_H · July 03, 2009, 12:08:59 AM

Libby's Pork and Beans are my favourite peas :P

Don K · July 03, 2009, 10:35:43 AM

Just called my wife from work. Her and the stepson got up this morning and picked 8 buckets of peas. We're rolling now. 8) When I was inspecting the patch yesterday afternoon, I warned her what was coming. I expect another haul like that Mon. or Tues. morning. Will be eating good this winter.

Don

Radar67 · July 03, 2009, 11:49:18 AM

When did you say it would be a good time to visit? ;)

Jeff · July 03, 2009, 11:54:14 AM

My choice would be any day right around supper time.

zopi · July 03, 2009, 12:50:12 PM

Black eyed peas....didn't listen the first time. :D

SwampDonkey · July 03, 2009, 04:17:02 PM

What about yellow-eye beans? ;D

zopi · July 03, 2009, 04:45:50 PM

jaundice...

Mooseherder · July 08, 2009, 07:27:07 PM

The Tomato plants have been producing and are good. The seed was from Ferry-Morse, "Roma VF" and disease resistant. The carrots are good too. ;)

SwampDonkey · July 08, 2009, 07:36:56 PM

My peanuts aren't going to make it. My beans are being targeted by ground hogs. My tomatoes are sick and my cukes slow. The new spinach planting is growing like weeds and my root crops are flourishing. The peppers are very slow as are the parsnip. Too much borax I think on the garden and cool and damp weather. I'll have to dilute it this fall with leaves and Miracle Grow soil.

Is there some volcano that blew up that took summer away? :D

WDH · July 08, 2009, 08:38:04 PM

The whole summer migrated south to Georgia

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WH_Conley · July 09, 2009, 12:23:06 AM

Hey Donk, only thing I can help ya with is the whistle pigs. Need some 22 shells?

Don K · July 13, 2009, 01:41:33 PM

Has anybody ever grown any broomcorn. I planted some Red this year for my wife. Wierdest stuff I've ever grown.

I assume the plants turn red at maturity. The seed was blood red.

I'll post a few melon pics as well.

I have about six varieties of red and yellow melons this year. Good luck with the deer so far. Throwed in one of some red okra I am trying this year. I have a few extra pics in the gallery if anyone is interested.

Don

Radar67 · July 13, 2009, 02:05:12 PM

Your pictures are making me hungry, especially the melons.

Don K · July 13, 2009, 02:11:05 PM

Yep me too. Those melons are small yet, but I look at them every day with slobber dripping from my lips. :D

Don

Norm · July 13, 2009, 02:16:40 PM

Boy your garden is awesome Don. I got my melons in late and they are just starting to bloom. I have never had any luck growing them and this year I am determined to get a melon.

I've never grown broom corn, what is it used for?

SwampDonkey · July 13, 2009, 04:30:20 PM

Dad started some corn in the house before planting in the garden. He set it out and it is now flowering........at ground level, instead of growing 8-10 feet first. :D :D

Don K · July 14, 2009, 06:17:44 AM

Used in making good old house brooms. The straw is what you see hanging out in the pictures. You remove the seeds and what is left is what makes the broom.

I got a late start on everything this year, but hope to do much better next year.

Don

fishpharmer · July 14, 2009, 07:02:09 PM

Don, your garden looks great. I say we have a FF melon cutting :D ;D How do you keep all the weeds out?

I don't guess I ever seen that broom corn before. Looks like it will make a fine broom. Where did you find the seed? Don't let the dust bunnies eat it. :D ;D

Your wife must be a Crimson Tide fan to want okra like that. Have ya aet sum yet?

Don K · July 15, 2009, 06:30:03 AM

I ordered the seed from a heirloom seed outfit, don't remember which one as I ordered from 4 different companies this year.

The spots that look weed free are deceptive. I tilled during dry weather and the sun burnt all the little helpless weeds, but after our last rain a new batch is coming on and I better get after it or they will take over.

Actually my wife is a dye-hard Auburn fan as well as my stepson. I love to rile them up every fall. I've had one small batch so far. It is just coming on. I just liked the looks of the red in the catalog. Tastes like okra. It turns back green when you fry it.

Dodgy Loner · July 15, 2009, 10:57:48 AM

Picked my first cantaloupe of the year yesterday. It actually ripened about a week prematurely, because the end split open. It was not the sweetest melon I've ever eaten, but it was still full of flavor

. I've got lots of melons planted this year: cantaloupes, crenshaws, honeydews, two varieties of charentais melons, and five varieties of watermelons. Hopefully I'll have several ripe melons to bring to the pig roast 8).

zopi · July 15, 2009, 11:39:26 AM

Scored big last weekend...Southern stated gave me their entire stock of Veggies..400 plants or so..I've got a couple hundred peppers and atl least 150 tomatoes in the ground..don't know how many of them will make it, but I've got them mulched and keeping them wet...come about september I may be buried in produce...

Dodgy Loner · July 15, 2009, 04:00:02 PM

I don't get much morning sun at my house, due to being located directly to the west of a small peak. This makes gardening pretty challenging. I've determined so far that onions, tomatoes, winter squash, cantaloupe and sweet corn do not do very well without full sun. I've had better luck with my potatoes, broccoli, green beans, black-eyed peas, butterbeans, and carrots. Fortunately, I anticipated the difficulties I would have, and I got 800 ft² of space at a community garden to plant in addition to the 500 ft² that I planted at my house. I finally got around to taking some pictures of my plot at the community garden today.

The setting is beautiful. My pole beans (Kentucky Wonder) are just starting to produce heavily.

My black-eyed peas are doing nicely and I have been picking them every few days for the last week and a half now. Between the two rows of peas is where my bush beans were planted earlier this year. When they stopped producing, I planted another crop of peas, which are just coming up. When my first crop of peas stop producing, I'll plant green beans in their place.

My tomatoes are packed with fruit, but I'm still waiting for the first ripe one. It's a determinate variety (Fletcher), so when they start coming, they'll come all at once!

I planted North Georgia Candy Roasters, which is an old heirloom winter squash. These things are about 18-20" long right now, but they'll be 25"+ by the time they're ripe. Here in the mountains, it used to be traditional to make candy roaster pies for Thanksgiving instead of pumpkin pies.

I'm trying the Moon & Stars heirloom watermelon, just like Don. It's coming along nicely.

The honeydews are doing nicely also.

There are two varieties of French melons in this picture. The dark ones are Petit Gris de Rennes, which is a 400-year-old heirloom. The light ones are Edonis, which is a modern hybrid. The Edonis are developing more quickly, but the true test will be the taste test ;D

This is a cantaloupe (Sweet Granite) that is planted primarily because it matures earlier than most melons. It is, by far, the least vigorous of my melons, though, and I have been unimpressed so far. I will not be growing this one again.