Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

Tallahassee said:
Going to share this with the wife, since she always compares eating turnips with dirt.
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Love them. I use purple top turnips with white flesh. Not sure how rutabagas would be. Never tried them this way...
 
FunnerGunner said:
My beets never look like that but I have more seeds to experiment with until i find the right growing spot. For supposedly an easy crop, I always have a tough time (granted I usually stick it in the least fertile part of the garden)
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I do beets in very loose soil in 2-gallon pots. Dense sown and I harvest the big ones to make room for the little ones to fill in. I have been eating one a day raw for almost
3 weeks. I pick them between a golf ball and a squash ball in size. My tongue is permanently red...
 
One other observation about the Japanese Beetles...

I have a swimming pool that catches most of mine. Garden has zero, pool 20 or 30 a day...

Edit: Ok, one more. Seems like the Jap Beetles like the Jap knotweed the most. Must feel like Mom's "Home-cooking"...
 
Has anyone noticed a lack of bees and other pollinating insects? Last year I had tons of bees and other insects working in the garden. Even the cucumber beetles likely spread some pollen. This year nothing. I have a tons of white clover in the yard and not a single bee out there. Lots of flowers and I always put salvia in the garden to attract bees. I have a few bumble bees flying around and thats all. :(
 
Cowgirlup said:
Has anyone noticed a lack of bees and other pollinating insects? Last year I had tons of bees and other insects working in the garden. Even the cucumber beetles likely spread some pollen. This year nothing. I have a tons of white clover in the yard and not a single bee out there. Lots of flowers and I always put salvia in the garden to attract bees. I have a few bumble bees flying around and thats all. :(
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Definitely less than last year. Now the wife wants to do bees.
 
I've noticed a decrease, but not a wholesale loss of honeybees.
All my plants that require pollination, are getting some attention.

I know zero about beekeeping, but have you considered it?
 
Cowgirlup said:
Has anyone noticed a lack of bees and other pollinating insects? Last year I had tons of bees and other insects working in the garden. Even the cucumber beetles likely spread some pollen. This year nothing. I have a tons of white clover in the yard and not a single bee out there. Lots of flowers and I always put salvia in the garden to attract bees. I have a few bumble bees flying around and thats all. :(
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No issues with bees 'round here. Yard is also heavily covered with white clover. They are quite active in all aspects, doing a wonderful job of pollinating the garden.

Lemon Spice jalapenos and Bonny Best maters coming in strong.
 

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enbloc said:
I've noticed a decrease, but not a wholesale loss of honeybees.
All my plants that require pollination, are getting some attention.

I know zero about beekeeping, but have you considered it?
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I work with a lady who started a couple of years ago. she loves it but there are some challenges.
Right now I'm overloaded in life so I don't want to care for another living thing.
Maybe someday if I get to retire it might happen.
 
Cowgirlup said:
I work with a lady who started a couple of years ago. she loves it but there are some challenges.
Right now I'm overloaded in life so I don't want to care for another living thing.
Maybe someday if I get to retire it might happen.
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I understand that completely!
~Matt
 
AppleSeeds said:
What is safe to use in the garden for weeds either pre-emergent or post? Or is hand weeding the only way?
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I use my grass clippings. It works pretty good and is organic as it gets.

NOTE: If you try using fresh clippings, leave a little room between the plant stocks/stems when first laying it out. The green grass clippings can produce a bit of heat during composition and can harm the stems. May be safer for you to set it aside for a couple of days first. I've been using it for a while with great success.

Any weed that makes it through the clippings gets hand-pulled. Much, much less weeding... but some.
 
enbloc said:
I use my grass clippings. It works pretty good and is organic as it gets.

NOTE: If you try using fresh clippings, leave a little room between the plant stocks/stems when first laying it out. The green grass clippings can produce a bit of heat during composition and can harm the stems. May be safer for you to set it aside for a couple of days first. I've been using it for a while with great success.

Any weed that makes it through the clippings gets hand-pulled. Much, much less weeding... but some.
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I usually do the same, just haven't had much grass to cut this year with the lack of rain. I don't water my lawn.
 
Question: Do we think it's too late to seed a fall broccoli crop?
My spinach row needs filler - thinking broccoli if it's not too late.
I'll be pulling my first pea planting very soon - i could throw some spinach there to keep that rolling.

Hey - how many of youz guyz let some lettuce go to seed every year utilize next years rogue plants as your spring crop?
I had a red leaf romaine start from last years bolt. The thing was/is Little Shop of Horrors huge, now at about 4' tall bolt with, what's shaping up to be a 'canopy' of flowers.
:)
I'm also letting some greenleaf go to seed now in hopes of free plants next year.


Bees: try more "pollinator" types of plants around the yard. Bee Balm comes to mind first - hummingbirds love the red ones too. I planted a raspberry hedge a couple years back - holy shit quantity bees. Wildflower/tall standing perennial flowers - i would think - would be helpful as well. Lavender? maybe? dunno....

I'm starting to get some banana peppers. Pulled 1/2 dozen or more yesterday. -must have missed cropping a few early buds?

Beets: Never had a thing for 'em but, have some in the garden for my parents. I took a couple and sliced them ~1/4 inch - tossed on indirect grill heat for ~15-20 min, then toasted to a little char. Butter 'em in the plate. Not bad! Quick/low prep tastiness.

</report>
 
AppleSeeds said:
What is safe to use in the garden for weeds either pre-emergent or post? Or is hand weeding the only way?
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I sourced some sawdust from a local sawmill. Laid two applications @~3" each pass. I needs a little time to pack. It get's rather hard once set but, when some weeds do pop through, they're easy to pull.
If anyone does this, don't use chainsaw dust cuz of the bar oil. You need clean shavings from a mill saw (or similar).
The sawdust is a bit acidic so it deters the weeds. You don't really want to mix it in the beds, just between rows/walkways.
I've got some random lettuce/tomatoes/peas, that were last years dropped seed, which are growing in my sawdust walkways so, plants don't hate it, just that you don't want to mix it in your 'planting' soil.

-might be worth looking into
 
daveyburt said:
Question: Do we think it's too late to seed a fall broccoli crop?
My spinach row needs filler - thinking broccoli if it's not too late.
I'll be pulling my first pea planting very soon - i could throw some spinach there to keep that rolling.
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Zone 5, Massachusetts
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Zone 6, Massachusetts

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I’m definitely liking this tomato string setup. I have some about 5’ tall already. Peas are about 7’.
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Colorado potato beetles have been feasting on my eggplants. Hopefully I got them all.

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Cucumbers have come back somewhat. Starting to get these boothbay blondes aka weird Maine cucumbers.

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This pic is a couple weeks out of date now but it shows what I’ve accomplished in the 12 months I’ve been here. It wouldnt have happened without being able to work from home. Thanks covid!

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enbloc said:
Jap knotweed is Evil...
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It is. I have a patch about 30x60 that I plan to tarp for a few years. The previous owner of my property had some fill brought in to cover the garbage /car parts that he dumped back there. It's been a long clean up process.
I had knotweed at my last property and i graded the area and turned it into lawn. I mowed it every week for 3 years and the stuff would still pop up in the spring.
 
Tarps can do a good job of sterilizing the soil, and then building it up again as a Living Thing to the right microbiome for your area and plant needs.

Knotweed is the kudzu of the New England... sorta.
 
I used a silage tarp a couple times in my process of turning my weed pit into a garden. I think it worked really well. My problem was finding it in the first place - I could find them online but shipping was more than the tarp. I did find this place locally that has silage tarps and tons of other supplies for great prices. They definitely cater to farms but are happy to sell to anyone. I got some incredible deals on pots and fertilizer too. But you do have to buy in bulk.

Brookdale Farm - Irrigation, Drip Systems, Row Plastic, and Growing Supplies in Southern NH
 

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