What’s Cracking In The Garden 2022

[Avalon]

i 'scrape' the chips off of the top after the first several waterings in the bed, before i plant anything...

before i plant in a bed, i 'mature' the bed before i plant, it gets watered a few days before i put anything into it

those chips 'float' to the top, and you can run the side of your hand along the top of the bed, using a tool, with care, will achieve the same results, and gather those 'extra chips' up and take them away

took me a couple of seasons to see what was happening...the chips stay at the top, the dirt filters down a bit, scrape those wood chunks off and toss them at the bottom of another bed or your mulch pit will gladly 'eat' them


i have a base of dg but need to fluff it up because it'll pack down nicely, plants will grow in it, but they grow better with a bit of aeration in the dirt and that kellogs top soil and off-brand potting mix from the store works well for me...i mainly grow in above ground boxes, and they're mostly filled with that store stuff...

wood chips and too much sand in my mix...both were a problem for me, in the beginning

nice pics everyone!

i'll take some and share...

my cucumbers are about 12" long, lots of green onion seeds and radish seeds growing now (as in maturing now), a new bed of celery, second box of potatoes and damn aphids on two tomato plants, but i now have 5, maybe 6 of them, first successful grow of jalapenos...bitch to grow, i agree, very fussy in ways i can't figure out, green been plants that were supposed to be 'bush beans' that are finicky also...

i'm very blessed, my second year and i'm playing with stuff i never imagined...quantity and sustainability are what my goals are now, quality will come along as i gain more experience but the strawberrys are awesome

and i want to avoid as much as is practical buying fertilizer...there's much learning in my future but pics will come

good thread!

Nice garden, show us some pics. The cucumbers here get ridiculous in size. I used to take them to work and there was always jokes about them. I'm trying to decide what to do with all the cucumbers. I used to give away tons of stuff from the garden at work. Now that I'm retired and food is so expensive I will be preserving.

 

[Avalon]

Years ago I had another cat that invaded our taco bar. She went for the olives. Another time she invaded a meal she went for the corn. For all the things she could have had. If someone some day figures out cat behavior they are on another level

My cat got in the pot and laid on his catnip plant. He rolled on it till it was crushed to oblivion. When he didnt have a catnip plant anymore he started on the oregano plant. Cats unpredictability is one of the things that make them so endearing.

 

[spinalcracker]

Farmer I used to know 40 years ago would cut them down to about 2" off the ground. I thought he killed them until they came back 10 ft tall!

I envy you folks what have black dirt. Nothing but clay out west and the crap they sell in the big box stores as garden soil is a lot of wood chips.

the big box stores are getting better because if they want to compete with the cannabis grow stores they better start carrying some of the same products

and that is what it looks like they are doing

as far as soil , the big box now carries ProMix and Sunshine brands of soil and I can assure you that the stuff does not have a lot of wood chips

 

[Cigarlover]

So in the last week -10 days I have had a weasel(Killed by the cats) a opossum, raccoons, a bobcat and a rabbit all around the property. Something ate my lettuce and topped my peppers and dug up a bunch of my herbs.
Gonna be a tough year for gardening. The rabbit was down the bottom of the property where I was planning on planting more squash and peppers today.
20 freakin acres with stuff growing everywhere and they come to my tiny garden to eat the lettuce and tops of my jalapeños? WTF?

 

[EricTheCat]

My cat got in the pot and laid on his catnip plant. He rolled on it till it was crushed to oblivion. When he didnt have a catnip plant anymore he started on the oregano plant. Cats unpredictability is one of the things that make them so endearing.

One morning I noticed one of my chive plants was completely flattened. So I checked my camera system and learned that overnight a cat came and flattened it down completely then peed on it.

 

[coopersmith]

Sounds like my place. Im in the process of burying chicken wire around the perimeter of my garden to exclude rabbits and pack rats.

So in the last week -10 days I have had a weasel(Killed by the cats) a opossum, raccoons, a bobcat and a rabbit all around the property. Something ate my lettuce and topped my peppers and dug up a bunch of my herbs.
Gonna be a tough year for gardening. The rabbit was down the bottom of the property where I was planning on planting more squash and peppers today.
20 freakin acres with stuff growing everywhere and they come to my tiny garden to eat the lettuce and tops of my jalapeños? WTF?

 

[Avalon]

So in the last week -10 days I have had a weasel(Killed by the cats) a opossum, raccoons, a bobcat and a rabbit all around the property. Something ate my lettuce and topped my peppers and dug up a bunch of my herbs.
Gonna be a tough year for gardening. The rabbit was down the bottom of the property where I was planning on planting more squash and peppers today.
20 freakin acres with stuff growing everywhere and they come to my tiny garden to eat the lettuce and tops of my jalapeños? WTF?

The possum is innocent... they do steal eggs but otherwise are not the problem

 

[Avalon]

One morning I noticed one of my chive plants was completely flattened. So I checked my camera system and learned that overnight a cat came and flattened it down completely then peed on it.

 

[Cigarlover]

The possum is innocent... they do steal eggs but otherwise are not the problem

View attachment 262652

The raccoons steal my figs. Like me, they wait just until they are perfectly ripe before they grab em. Now I know when I check em and say one more day, it's time to bring them in at night. :). They also eat the cat food but they leave everything else in the garden alone.

The opossum is cool. He eats the cat food as well if he beats the Raccoons to it. He also eats ticks, snakes, anything dead that's been laying around for a day or two (Cat kills) Anytime I have chicken the cats pick the bones somewhat clean and then the opossum comes and eats the rest.
I need to set up a camera and dust off the 22 when find out what's getting into the garden.

 

[Avalon]

The raccoons steal my figs. Like me, they wait just until they are perfectly ripe before they grab em. Now I know when I check em and say one more day, it's time to bring them in at night. :). They also eat the cat food but they leave everything else in the garden alone.

The opossum is cool. He eats the cat food as well if he beats the Raccoons to it. He also eats ticks, snakes, anything dead that's been laying around for a day or two (Cat kills) Anytime I have chicken the cats pick the bones somewhat clean and then the opossum comes and eats the rest.
I need to set up a camera and dust off the 22 when find out what's getting into the garden.

domesticated possums have the most interesting personalities. I think they have both feline and canine tendencies. They are very loyal and affectionate like a dog but sneaky and curious like a cat.

 

[newmisty]

Nice garden, show us some pics. The cucumbers here get ridiculous in size. I used to take them to work and there was always jokes about them. I'm trying to decide what to do with all the cucumbers. I used to give away tons of stuff from the garden at work. Now that I'm retired and food is so expensive I will be preserving.

Tzatziki sauce.

 

[gnome]

Went out for a walk, ran into my neighbor who gave me the newest addition to my pomegranate collection. Rooted cutting just starting to put out new growth. Parfianka variety, which supposedly has excellent flavor & soft seeds.

Revenge gifted him some shiso (aka perilla or Japanese basil) and asian garlic chives.

 

[gnome]

i have a base of dg but need to fluff it up because it'll pack down nicely, plants will grow in it, but they grow better with a bit of aeration in the dirt and that kellogs top soil and off-brand potting mix from the store works well for me...i mainly grow in above ground boxes, and they're mostly filled with that store stuff...

wood chips and too much sand in my mix...both were a problem for me, in the beginning

Same here, the DG left to it's own can turn into crumbly concrete.
But a few years of wood chips, chop & drop, worm composting kitchen scraps and I'm very happy with what we've got. For sowing seeds in containers or rooting cuttings I'll mix in some straight perlite.

 

[spinalcracker]

it’s that time of year , thunderstorms and that means high winds and hail

man oh man , I have so much respect for people who have chosen to farm the land for a living

or at least those farmers who take care of the land and stay away from the scorched earth policies of companies like Monsanto

but yeah , it is a mental struggle some days when one has to deal with the possibility of loosing the entire crop



A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM MDT
FOR EASTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...

At 525 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 16 miles northeast
of Kit Carson, or 16 miles northwest of Cheyenne Wells, moving
southeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

 

[spinalcracker]

we are getting there

 

[newmisty]

it’s that time of year , thunderstorms and that means high winds and hail

man oh man , I have so much respect for people who have chosen to farm the land for a living

or at least those farmers who take care of the land and stay away from the scorched earth policies of companies like Monsanto

but yeah , it is a mental struggle some days when one has to deal with the possibility of loosing the entire crop



A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 600 PM MDT
FOR EASTERN CHEYENNE COUNTY IN EAST CENTRAL COLORADO...

At 525 PM MDT, a severe thunderstorm was located 16 miles northeast
of Kit Carson, or 16 miles northwest of Cheyenne Wells, moving
southeast at 45 mph.

HAZARD...60 mph wind gusts and quarter size hail.

If it were easy everybody would be doing it.

 

[Bushpilot]

Nasty SE of Denver…

 

[Buck]

i pulled potatoes from half of a box today, took some photos with my crappy camera, i'll post some when i edit them

my first 'successful' haul...nearly a half of a bag...a small bag

damn, doing a potato patch is a lot of work - prep it, plant it, fill it in, water, fill it higher, water, fill it higher, water...let it all die...remove it all
but then i gotta 'store it', that 'spare dirt', for my next potato adventure...

i'm working on 'dual' potato patches so i can always have some 'in the ground', that is gonna help with my 'spare potato dirt'


edit: i don't mix my potato dirt into any other bed otherwise i'll have potatoes everywhere but they're not good on the condition of the dirt, it's complicated, i don't have it memorized why, exactly, i just know not to mix my potato dirt with anything else...



but i can do better and i will



everyone affected by weather: sorry to hear that: GL

 

[Jarrod32]

it’s that time of year , thunderstorms and that means high winds and hail

Yep. Just had a fast moving t-storm come through here. Issued a tornado warning, but no reports of actual tornadoes. Also predicted hail, but we escaped that as well. A lot of wind, and about a half inch of rain in about 20 minutes.

 

[spinalcracker]

Nasty SE of Denver…

yep yep that is our location

 

[coopersmith]

We took a pretty good shot. I went out and looked after it got done raining, everything beat up. its probably just what they needed, we are good to go.

You cant do nothing about it anyway, take it as it comes.

 

[Jarrod32]

Blue dot is my location. Storm was moving south/southeast.

 

[coopersmith]

It looks like your gonna take a shot.

 

[newmisty]

On deck

In the middle of expanding the plot

 

[gnome]

i pulled potatoes from half of a box today, took some photos with my crappy camera, i'll post some when i edit them

my first 'successful' haul...nearly a half of a bag...a small bag

damn, doing a potato patch is a lot of work - prep it, plant it, fill it in, water, fill it higher, water, fill it higher, water...let it all die...remove it all
but then i gotta 'store it', that 'spare dirt', for my next potato adventure...

i'm working on 'dual' potato patches so i can always have some 'in the ground', that is gonna help with my 'spare potato dirt'


edit: i don't mix my potato dirt into any other bed otherwise i'll have potatoes everywhere but they're not good on the condition of the dirt, it's complicated, i don't have it memorized why, exactly, i just know not to mix my potato dirt with anything else...



but i can do better and i will



everyone affected by weather: sorry to hear that: GL

When did you plant them out?

I'm thinking to try a fall crop and then a spring crop next year.
I've never planted more than the odd sprouted spud tossed out with no planning, and gotten returns about equal to my effort.

Sweet potatoes are not picky, and the greens are tasty, too. I'm a bit late getting slips going, but about ready to plant out in beds.

 

[Avalon]

Tzatziki sauce.

you must have been reading my mind :) Ill bet I can make it and freeze it.

Can You Freeze Tzatziki? - 5 Tips For Perfect Frozen Tzatziki - Foods Guy

Is it okay to freeze tzatziki? What happens if you do? If you follow our 5 tips for perfect frozen tzatziki, you'll be able to freeze it without an issue.

foodsguy.com

 

[newmisty]

you must have been reading my mind :)

I can't help it!

 

[spinalcracker]

Blue dot is my location. Storm was moving south/southeast.
View attachment 262762

did you survive?

we got wet that’s about it

unscathed here

 

[Buck]

When did you plant them out?

I'm thinking to try a fall crop and then a spring crop next year.
I've never planted more than the odd sprouted spud tossed out with no planning, and gotten returns about equal to my effort.

Sweet potatoes are not picky, and the greens are tasty, too. I'm a bit late getting slips going, but about ready to plant out in beds.

my fourth(?) attempt is what is growing now, i'm removing my third attempt at growing, now...the best results i've had so far

where i'm at, we get so little 'cold' let alone frost, ummm...i'm figuring it's taking about 4 - 5 months from planting the eyes until i'm pulling them, i used to note the date when i plant anything, put that into a plastic bag with a few small rocks for weight and put that in the bed, not so much anymore because it really doesn't matter that much for me, i can just read the plants now, so to speak

but one large bit of advice: start your growth as low in the ground, or in the box, as possible

here's the part i originally didn't get: Burying Your Plants as they Grow

my first few attempts, i was burying the outer leaves, figuring the central stalk would rise through it all, but that was wrong

what i learned to do is to gather the plant towards the central stalk, and add some straw around the plant to keep it upright, it will splay back over what i've added, that's normal

i water over that for a few days, and the plants will continue to grow, several days later i'll top that off with my older potato dirt, allowing that dirt to filter through the straw

i'll water that for about a week, then repeat the procedure until either the plants flower or they will wilt and die (the flower part is 'perfect' the wither part is just o.k., both will produce spuds), my mounds will reach upwards of 10" or so, i'm working on making that higher as this is where the potatoes grow, inside those mounds (eventually the box will become full)

keep going upwards with these mounds and i have to add extended upward siding as the mounds soon are taller than my original box height, until the plants flower, or die, then stop mounding and stop watering the box, let it all dry out (the worms inside the box don't like this phase)

when you think it's all crispy plants, dead, on the top, you can begin to harvest what's underground

they are a lot of work when compared to growing tomatoes or other plants that you can simply pull the fruit from the vine

not real good photos, i didn't take any time and take any 'real photos', just shoot and go...

onion flowers / seeds, radishes in the background and a week old cucumber, gonna gut it for the seeds

cucumber patch and potato harvest

eh, if it weren't for my originally growing pot, i may not have begun this project....

here's what happens with my system of just picking seeds from my container...

i get inconsistent growth...i'm guessing some of these seeds i have are from hydroponic plants, they grow small and flower fast, which isn't how i'm growing 'em

but, in the past, that smaller one on the left, if i let it go, it may grow through its current state and get bigger by november, but i never know, it doesn't always work that way

 

[Avalon]

my fourth(?) attempt is what is growing now, i'm removing my third attempt at growing, now...the best results i've had so far

where i'm at, we get so little 'cold' let alone frost, ummm...i'm figuring it's taking about 4 - 5 months from planting the eyes until i'm pulling them, i used to note the date when i plant anything, put that into a plastic bag with a few small rocks for weight and put that in the bed, not so much anymore because it really doesn't matter that much for me, i can just read the plants now, so to speak

but one large bit of advice: start your growth as low in the ground, or in the box, as possible

here's the part i originally didn't get: Burying Your Plants as they Grow

my first few attempts, i was burying the outer leaves, figuring the central stalk would rise through it all, but that was wrong

what i learned to do is to gather the plant towards the central stalk, and add some straw around the plant to keep it upright, it will splay back over what i've added, that's normal

i water over that for a few days, and the plants will continue to grow, several days later i'll top that off with my older potato dirt, allowing that dirt to filter through the straw

i'll water that for about a week, then repeat the procedure until either the plants flower or they will wilt and die (the flower part is 'perfect' the wither part is just o.k., both will produce spuds), my mounds will reach upwards of 10" or so, i'm working on making that higher as this is where the potatoes grow, inside those mounds (eventually the box will become full)

keep going upwards with these mounds and i have to add extended upward siding as the mounds soon are taller than my original box height, until the plants flower, or die, then stop mounding and stop watering the box, let it all dry out (the worms inside the box don't like this phase)

when you think it's all crispy plants, dead, on the top, you can begin to harvest what's underground

they are a lot of work when compared to growing tomatoes or other plants that you can simply pull the fruit from the vine

not real good photos, i didn't take any time and take any 'real photos', just shoot and go...

onion flowers / seeds, radishes in the background and a week old cucumber, gonna gut it for the seeds
View attachment 262829View attachment 262830View attachment 262831View attachment 262832

cucumber patch and potato harvest

eh, if it weren't for my originally growing pot, i may not have begun this project....

here's what happens with my system of just picking seeds from my container...

View attachment 262833

i get inconsistent growth...i'm guessing some of these seeds i have are from hydroponic plants, they grow small and flower fast, which isn't how i'm growing 'em

but, in the past, that smaller one on the left, if i let it go, it may grow through its current state and get bigger by november, but i never know, it doesn't always work that way

nice!

 

[Jarrod32]

did you survive?

we got wet that’s about it

unscathed here

Pretty unscathed. No hail, some wind. Lots of rain in a short period of time. We seem to have survived.
We had a tornado warning, and this photo was taken not too far from our house. This is a large main transmission line twisted up and knocked over. This would be more than straight line winds causing this kind of damage...

 

[Buck]

nice!

except those occasional grubs i find, i toss them into my mulch pit as they're supposed to eventually turn into beetles, those giant june beetles, clumsy as all get out...but they supposedly eat the underground roots, yet, i hate to kill them outright because they're not doing much but surviving...i've not noticed any crop damage from them

but that leads me to rolly polly bugs...those suckers will eat the small sprouts that come up

they get tossed everywhere else, the rest is up to them

 

[Buck]

Pretty unscathed. No hail, some wind. Lots of rain in a short period of time. We seem to have survived.
We had a tornado warning, and this photo was taken not too far from our house. This is a large main transmission line twisted up and knocked over. This would be more than straight line winds causing this kind of damage...
View attachment 262841

cripes man....wow

mother nature can tear the crap out of just about everything, amazing

 

[Avalon]

except those occasional grubs i find, i toss them into my mulch pit as they're supposed to eventually turn into beetles, those giant june beetles, clumsy as all get out...but they supposedly eat the underground roots, yet, i hate to kill them outright because they're not doing much but surviving...i've not noticed any crop damage from them

but that leads me to rolly polly bugs...those suckers will eat the small sprouts that come up

they get tossed everywhere else, the rest is up to them

got any answers for the neighbors guinea hens eating my pepper plants.? They seem to prefer the jalapenos.

 

[coopersmith]

shotgun

 

[coopersmith]

Pretty unscathed. No hail, some wind. Lots of rain in a short period of time. We seem to have survived.
We had a tornado warning, and this photo was taken not too far from our house. This is a large main transmission line twisted up and knocked over. This would be more than straight line winds causing this kind of damage...
View attachment 262841

That corn looks like it took some hail.

 

[Buck]

got any answers for the neighbors guinea hens eating my pepper plants.? They seem to prefer the jalapenos.

chuckle...

i wish, i've got either my cat or one of the local opossums digging and pissing in my boxes, especially when i've got fresh dirt in them...once the plants fill in, that problem goes away, but, but...

one of those opossums are eating my strawberrys, actually climbing into the box and eating a few

again, i've got no problems with that because my plan was always to grow, just a bit more...in case...so, i'm beginning another strawberry patch in a different location, growing more will sustain . . . everyone (?), yeah right, lol

there are ground covers and stuff people recommend to use to prevent that from occurring but i've also found, over the years, i can be Accessory Rich yet the problem can still exist

sometimes it's just easier to plan accordingly and give up to the animals some of what i'm growing if only because they're gonna get some of it anyways

that doesn't work for all applications, like deer, but i've got zero issues with that...fencing would be a more definitive method for those animals but again, that's not in my plans

 

[newmisty]

chuckle...

i wish, i've got either my cat or one of the local opossums digging and pissing in my boxes, especially when i've got fresh dirt in them...once the plants fill in, that problem goes away, but, but...

one of those opossums are eating my strawberrys, actually climbing into the box and eating a few

again, i've got no problems with that because my plan was always to grow, just a bit more...in case...so, i'm beginning another strawberry patch in a different location, growing more will sustain . . . everyone (?), yeah right, lol

there are ground covers and stuff people recommend to use to prevent that from occurring but i've also found, over the years, i can be Accessory Rich yet the problem can still exist

sometimes it's just easier to plan accordingly and give up to the animals some of what i'm growing if only because they're gonna get some of it anyways

that doesn't work for all applications, like deer, but i've got zero issues with that...fencing would be a more definitive method for those animals but again, that's not in my plans

Exactly my plan with the strawberries too buckerooster.

 

[newmisty]

got any answers for the neighbors guinea hens eating my pepper plants.? They seem to prefer the jalapenos.

Fencing

 

[newmisty]

That corn looks like it took some hail (hell).

That said with a southern draw?