Gardening Thread - Show me your gardens!

We have 3 raised beds with green beans, tomatos, cucumber, and kale.
The bigger bed has tomatos, zucchini, squash, and sunflowers.
I decided to run a h2o line from the house so I didn't need to keep picking the hose up to now the yard.

 

Harvested 232 pounds of tomatoes today. Planted San Marzano this year with a couple other types thrown in. Total of 26 plants about 20 are the San Marzonos and that's all I picked today. Started all the plants from seed over the winter. Something to do. After bringing these into the house I don't think my wife is going to talk to me for a week. We have already canned 45 quarts of sauce. Done for the year with this harvest.

 

And that's why I only let my wife have three tomato plants these days. I got so tired of putting them up. A few years back, it was like a second full time job, and I don't have a mill.

 

Yes it defiantly becomes a second job when you garden like we do. It's only for a couple months though. Every year I say I am going to scale back and here I am still planting a big garden for no reason other than something to do. This year roughly 60'x40'. We found a local food pantry two years ago and give them a lot of what we grow. We still put up quite a bit, but its only three of us. We have the hand crank mill and it helps, but like most things, still a lot of work. Cussed and moaned as a kid pulling weeds, said I would never do this, and here I am. It is what it is, but I must enjoy it.

 

My boss cans every night until midnight. Then bitches he tired and sick of it, but does it again every year. Between sauce and salsa, I decided I had enough.

 

Pulled about 40 ears of corn tonight. It was funny how had 8 or so ready early then the majority of them got ready. Now theres a handful left that need a few more days.

 

Beautiful garden and landscape

 

Better do an AAL if you are going to haul that much weight regular

 

Thanks , I try make improvements every year. A little at a time .

 

People tend to underestimate what a difference this makes.
When I was living in the Farmington area I had an apartment and I literally dug up the end of the driveway and planted a garden in it and had a great yield. Where I live now has much more clay in the soil and after 4 years of improving it I'm finally getting the soil to the level of the driveway at my old apartment.

 

Learn this lesson from my growing up help my father in his 1/2 acre veggie garden. Place grass clippings in a black trash bag for 2-4 days in the sun. When you open the bag, the clipping should be stinky and warm. Spread 1-3 inches around the plants like mulch. The top will get hard when it dries and prevent most weeds from getting through.

 

We had screened topsoil put in one bed and compost mixed in all the others.
This Virginia clay/soil is much different than the nice black soil I had in New England.

 

I've been amending the soil in my garden each year since building the boxes. The "topsoil" I had delivered was high in clay, and got hard as hell. First year, I added a few bags of composted manure to each box. Last year I added some moss, then compost again this year. I started composting stuff this year and will add more next spring, with more manure or mushroom soil. It's starting to get pretty good. I alternate/rotate plants as well, and add some fertilizer each year.

My peppers are starting to take off finally. Second batch of beans are starting to flower, all is not lost this year.

 

You guys garden the wrong plants....

I have new little ones. Gonna try and not jack up my soil pH this time around. Been using Apple Juice to get my soil a bit more acidic.

 

Seems to me it's almost always soil related in the garden. Did a soil test last year and ended up adding some blood meal in to try to get it balanced a little better. Worked out pretty good. Have added peat moss in the past and that has helped. Everywhere is so different what works for one probably won't for another. Try to stay as natural or organic as I can with my garden, but not always able to and that's ok.

 

FYI...the 232 pounds of tomatoes made 53 quarts of sauce.

 

Sounds about right, depending on how runny you leave it.

 

Horridly alkaline tap water was jacking up my babies and soil pH. Everyone started to look horrible in my last round. Major leaf yellowing and drying.

I have switched to distilled water and now have a soil pH tester in each plant container. Staying between 6 and 7 so far.

The Apple Juice pH is 4.5 and seems to be working well as an acidifier/pH down. It's not super super acid-y like most of the other juices available. Most other juices are 3 or less pH. Plus it's got a good amount of sugar in it too and I would totally prefer to use the juice over the chemical pH down.