Any vegetable farmers?

[Michael Wise]

Anybody planning a vegetable garden?

I'm itching so bad to get going, but think I need at least another week to get away from cold weather.

Tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, okra, onions, carrots, and corn here. Would like to start an asparagus bed, but haven't researched how well it does here yet?

What do y'all have planned?


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[crabgrass]

I got my up and running a few weeks ago with the colder plantings: Potatoes, beans, carrots, etc., and attempting asparagus. It's my first go-around, so I have no experience to relate beyond what I've done.

NC State has a good but dated resource for this:

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/ag-06.html

So far:
- Composted for a year, mostly clean lawn clippings. Last fall added them over the garden area and mulch mowed back and forth until I was satisfied with consistency. Did this twice (two layers).
- Re-hab'd garden that we found here, reset posts, and extensions to 8 feet. Rapped with Deer netting.
- Put 4' chicken wire for rabbit prevention. It goes down 3" below soil then out 6" towards the exterior. One side is complete, three and the door to go. VERY difficult to dig with all the roots.
- Did one-time till of soil and compost to loosen up bottom layers. Tough job.
- Pulled soil and compost into raised rows similar to the NC state drawing. It is a square with eight rows separated, and looks like a cemetery.
- Gave each girl a half-row for their own planting fun.
- Got seeds based on the linked article, including asparagus.
- Some things have started to come up, but we misplaced the map and don't know what we are looking at!

Next:
- Finish rabbit prevention (ugh)
- Replace four sprinkler heads in garden (it's own zone!) with drip lines, to prevent fungal problems.
- Prepare to plant summer crops soon.
- Start some plants in the screened-in porch.
- Thin out current plantings.

[Michael Wise]

Nice!

I forgot about potatoes! Started those a few weeks ago and have several 2" sprouts up.

Do you take new potatoes, or wait until the harvest is fully mature?

Also got a butt load of tomato plants started from seed sitting on the kitchen table under grow lights waiting to go. They're already hardened off, but I brought them in since its a little cool.


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[crabgrass]

Do you take new potatoes, or wait until the harvest is fully mature?

Not sure - I am new to this so I will read a bit and play it by ear.

Check out the link I sent. It has some decent planting times, and does a nice job of showing what can begun when something else finishes over three season.

My goodness - I did not know asparagus were so finicky to get started. It takes two years to get them producing as perennials. We'll see how my crowns work out.

[ckone]

I'm in.

I grew stuff all winter. In the beds right now are:

artichokes (overwinter)
Fava beans (overwinter that got freeze damage but are starting to produce)
Onions (Overwinter)
Strawberries (overwinter)
Parsley and cilantro that came back into bed that previously had them.
Potatoes (yukon gold)
carrots (mid February seed)
radish (mid February seed)

March 18th planting:
bell pepper
eggplant
tomato
watermelon
jalapeno
serrano
hot wax pepper
poblano

I need to update pics from my other thread.

[Ware]

Just built a 4x8 ft raised bed for my wife (I'm a carnivore). This is our rookie year - we've never grown vegetables, so where should we start? What can we plant now?

[Michael Wise]

No tomatoes or other frost sensitive vegetables yet. You and me might have a frost Monday or Tuesday.

After that, pretty much anything you want.

What are y'all wanting to plant?


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[Michael Wise]

Planting corn today.

First time corn farmer.


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[ckone]

Planting corn today.

First time corn farmer.


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good luck.

[crabgrass]

Just built a 4x8 ft raised bed for my wife (I'm a carnivore). This is our rookie year - we've never grown vegetables, so where should we start? What can we plant now?

Any fencing for deer or rabbit prevention?

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[Michael Wise]

Just to update.

I imagine my corn venture is a bust for this year. I thought I was above planting denser and thinning to proper spacing. I just planted to proper spacing and ended up with very spotty germination. And LOTS of weeds. Basically, its on its own now. I won't mow it down, but I'm not putting anymore time into it either.

Everything else is going good, though. Potato plants look good above ground. Hopefully its the same below ground.

Tomatoes have been in the ground. Some green tomatoes already here and lots of buds forming.

Squash germinated great and is bigger every day. No blooms yet. I still need to thin it out. That's tomorrow.

Okra is coming up. Just need some warm weather to move it along.

Cucumbers are up and getting closer to climbing the trellis.

Onions and carrots were a bust as well. Stuff planted inside the blocks requires lots of water. That part was not automated, so got neglected. Plus I step up on the blocks a lot. Squished some. Not sure if I'll plant much in the holes anymore.

Pics to follow.....


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[Michael Wise]

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[Michael Wise]

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[Michael Wise]

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[texasweed]

Just getting started? I am already harvesting tomatoes. Down in the Valley corn is almost done for the year.

[ckone]

Looks pretty good Michael.

My last go at corn was not that great either. I did proper spacing, but seeded several per hole then pulled the weaker one.

Harvested my first 2 tomatoes yesterday.