Better Be Planting This Year. 2022+ And Up MEGATHREAD

Finalizing prep and cleanup for the garden space, going back and forth on E/W or N/S orientation.

Space is ~40' and runs E/W with a ~12' width N/S. My inclination is to do what we've done in the past and run the length E/W, three 30" rows that run the length of the garden. Orientation is such that when the sun rises, plants are not directly shading their neighbor, just slightly when spaced out. Full sun throughout the day from morning till at least 530p when the neighbors tree starts to throw shade on the Westerly side.

Difference in the number of plants is negligible. Plants include peppers, tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce.

Thoughts?
 
flippinfleck said:
Orientation is such that when the sun rises, plants are not directly shading their neighbor, just slightly when spaced out. Full sun throughout the day from morning till at least 530p when the neighbors tree starts to throw shade on the Westerly side.
Click to expand...
I don't think you can do better than Full Sun for that length of time. As long as you have no trouble getting in deep to harvest the ripe fruit, I think you nailed it.

Love a photo if possible. Your others were great of your indoor setup.
 
enbloc said:
I don't think you can do better than Full Sun for that length of time. As long as you have no trouble getting in deep to harvest the ripe fruit, I think you nailed it.

Love a photo if possible. Your others were great of your indoor setup.
Click to expand...

I'll see about getting a picture or two once the beds are strung up.
 
enbloc said:
I don't think you can do better than Full Sun for that length of time. As long as you have no trouble getting in deep to harvest the ripe fruit, I think you nailed it.

Love a photo if possible. Your others were great of your indoor setup.
Click to expand...

Basic idea.

Still have to string the last bed and walkway, ran out of orange string. Next up is a load of compost, some rake work, and then putting the fence back up. We did expand some this year, hence the color difference and grass clumps.

Beds are 30", paths are 18".
 

Attachments

  • 20220419_193715.jpg
    20220419_193715.jpg
    907.8 KB · Views: 6
That's a very nice bed. All the best! ~Matt.
P.S. Thanks for the photo!
 
All of those little hairs on the stem of a tomato plant are potential roots. When you plant them sideways it provides exponentially more root area and therefore increased ability to take up nutrients.

I visited a lady's hydroponic tomato garden once. She had a large tank filled with her hydroponic solution and she would periodically pull the plant down into the solution as it grew taller and she would coil the roots in the tank. Stretched out the roots would have been about 15' long.
 
Choctaw said:
All of those little hairs on the stem of a tomato plant are potential roots. When you plant them sideways it provides exponentially more root area and therefore increased ability to take up nutrients.

I visited a lady's hydroponic tomato garden once. She had a large tank filled with her hydroponic solution and she would periodically pull the plant down into the solution as it grew taller and she would coil the roots in the tank. Stretched out the roots would have been about 15' long.
Click to expand...

Yup, tomatoes are a vine and will develop roots on any part of the plant that is in contact with the soil. If I have tall leggy plants, I always plant them deep and laying on their side to develop a large root system. The plants grow very fast and healthy.
 
An old guy used to stop by where my dad worked to sell his tomatoes to the employees. My dad said he had the prettiest and best tasting tomatoes he had ever eaten. His said his secret was an old 55 gallon drum with several small holes poked around the sides near the bottom. He would plant tomatoes in the ground around the drum. He would fill the drum with compost and manure. When he wanted to water his tomatoes he would just put water in the barrel and let it filter down through the mix. They call it compost tea nowadays.
 
This is a ~530p shot that shows the shade from the neighbors tree. Once that thing gets leaves, it's quite a bit worse. Sun will be in a different spot then as well.

Compost delivery expected tomorrow. Then it is just a matter of waiting for planting.
 

Attachments

  • 20220422_171833.jpg
    20220422_171833.jpg
    884 KB · Views: 6
edin508 said:
Decided to expand this year. Just took this shot, the section closer to me is all new this year. This new area will get a lot more sunlight than the older section so it should give me some better options for figuring out what goes where.View attachment 606937
Click to expand...

What'd you use for fencing? Typically use chicken wire here because it's cheap and does the job.
 
edin508 said:
Slightly taller stuff, 3' tall, 2x4 holes I believe, galvanized fence from Tractor Supply. I bought a roll for another project and it works fairly well for this too.
Click to expand...

Sounds like the stuff I use for vining veggies. Didn't need my fence quite that tall but I like the way yours looks.

First run of plant starts are still happy. Wife has started referring to them as happy little trees. I don't think she realizes we are doing tomatoes.
 

Attachments

  • 20220423_211330.jpg
    20220423_211330.jpg
    839.9 KB · Views: 4
I built four 2x6x7.5" raised beds and bought two planters for tomatoes. After much deliberation I decided on skinny beds along the side of my house. This area gets by far the most sun in my shady yard, and is out of the way of my principle fetch playing area (keeps me and the dog sane) as well as where I get oil and eventually propane delivered.

I was going to do two 15" tall beds, but my GF's mom suggested shorter. The only thing that really needed that depth was carrots, and I have a shorter variety so I'm hoping it works out. I lined the bottom with stapled-in landscape fabric to retain the soil and keep the grass from growing through the relatively shallow beds.

I am adding soil this week, I may have to run to the store for another two or three bags. Planting shortly after, probably this weekend I guess. My neighbor actually suggested planting on mother's day, so I may hold off a bit.
 
Here’s my progression since last year. I bought a new place last July and had to start from scratch. Soil here is very heavy clay. And I am near the bottom of a hill so it is pretty wet. Ideally I would have gotten a lot more compost this year to start the beds better but spring has crept up on me. I’m hoping for the best at this point. There are tons of worms here so that gives me hope.

Where I started 4353D9F7-9BFB-45AB-BAAA-565D323395DC.jpeg

Cleared
32131E1B-0F83-47CA-A068-05344988C2CB.jpeg

Tarped
71E7CED5-7388-4370-9311-425F48F59232.jpeg

Tilled
E0C62CFF-304A-4FC8-8BA0-7AC651F556BB.jpeg

Compost consisting of a big pile of leaves, later mixed with the straw I had in my chickens winter pen.
20EDD893-272D-41F9-9AEF-A50CFDD38793.jpeg

Compost on the garden
866FA968-F732-4711-8E33-450AC31040FD.jpeg

Lots of these guys
8FFB7CFA-DE49-457E-9698-A94001D233B3.jpeg

Tilled again and raked into beds
C7DE766C-35C4-4B4A-B779-F5E1FE2E473D.jpeg

Seedlings getting big inside
image.jpg image.jpg
 
Boarder700 said:
Here’s my progression since last year. I bought a new place last July and had to start from scratch. Soil here is very heavy clay. And I am near the bottom of a hill so it is pretty wet. Ideally I would have gotten a lot more compost this year to start the beds better but spring has crept up on me. I’m hoping for the best at this point. There are tons of worms here so that gives me hope.

Where I startedView attachment 608158

Cleared
View attachment 608149

Tarped
View attachment 608151

Tilled
View attachment 608152

Compost consisting of a big pile of leaves, later mixed with the straw I had in my chickens winter pen.
View attachment 608154

Compost on the garden
View attachment 608156

Lots of these guys
View attachment 608155

Tilled again and raked into beds
View attachment 608157

Seedlings getting big inside
View attachment 608167View attachment 608166
Click to expand...

The amended soil looks great! I think your garden will thrive just fine.
 
APFSDS said:
I was going to do two 15" tall beds, but my GF's mom suggested shorter. The only thing that really needed that depth was carrots, and I have a shorter variety so I'm hoping it works out.
Click to expand...
You could also consider a second tier stacked on one end for just long carrots... next year.

1650945528615.png 1650945536819.png
 
People, be careful where you are getting your compost from, if municipal wastewater sludge or short paper fiber waste is mixed in with it, it may contain PFAS. You are better off getting it from a local farm (which does not mix in short paper fiber waste with the manure) than some of the larger commercial operations making compost from supposed "organic" waste from industrial sources.

www.epa.gov

PFAS Explained | US EPA

Basic Information about Perfluorooctanoic Acid (PFOA), Perfluorooctyl Sulfonate (PFOS) and Other Perfluorinated Chemicals (PFCs) including how people are exposed and health effects
www.epa.gov www.epa.gov
 
Last edited:
In a bit my folks will be headed up to Canaan to refresh our supply of
cowpots.com

CowPots

CowPots are an American made, biodegradable, plastic-free, seed starting pot using composted cow manure. CowPots are a sustainable alternative for growers.
cowpots.com cowpots.com

[party]
 
I found another helpful site that can help people plan their garden location (probably for next year). Put in your address and it will calculate the sun's position and what the shadow for an object of a specified height will look like based on the date and time. My location is kind of marginal during summer solstice, but it's really the best spot based on how my yard is laid out.

SunCalc sun position- und sun phases calculator
 

Similar threads

Bacon time of the year
Replies
4
Views
112
pastera
pastera
Homemade buns and rolls
Replies
1
Views
284
grey
grey
Calcium Hypocholite - local and cheap water sanitizer!
Replies
6
Views
395
240Geezer
2
FREE….seed starting and basic garden planning & questions seminar. 4/6/24 Hardwick MA
Replies
7
Views
268
mousegunguy
mousegunguy
Just picked up a Power station
2
Replies
37
Views
2K
fshalor
fshalor
Back
Top Bottom