How Does Your Garden Grow-2010

[SteveA]

After the last several years of horrible growing seasons here in the Lakes Region I came close to throwing in the towel.

But, I really like having a garden, so I'm giving it another try. So far, (fingers crossed) it's looking good.

Also decided to try those "Topsy Turvy" planters. To really test them out I put in a new raised bed garden in the part of the yard that get the most sun. (About 6-7 hours from 11am to 6pm) Too many big pines for a true "full day" of sun.



What I did with these "hanging planters" is a test. I planted 5 types of tomatoes, roma, early girl, better boy, grape and cherry, I put them in both the hangers and in the ground. Same soil, same sun... I'm looking forward to see which method works out better. So far, the hangers are a little leggy, but seem to have set a slightly greater number of buds.

The other garden is in the same spot as always and I've got the usual peas, beans, squash and cukes.



How is your garden growing?

[hilltopper]

Originally Posted by SteveA

How is your garden growing?

Unless you started with larger starter plants than I did, my garden's not going as well as yours! The only problem I've had is I started cukes from seeds but something is continually eating the young plants. I think the culprit is slugs so currently I'm beering them to death.

I made my own upside down tomatoes in 5 qt. painters buckets and they are doing just OK. My father "helped" me water the garden one day and really put it to the upside downers. In a closed system like that they don't need much water and that was too much. They're still drying out.

Potatoes, squash, bush beans, and in ground tomatoes are looking good.

[SteveA]

... some bigger plants. The early girls are the biggest, I bought those first and started them early.

Before I built the support you see in the picture for the TT hangers I had the first few hanging on plant hooks on the sunny side of the garage and they got off to a very fast start.

[phoenix]

much better than the last two years. We have had lettuce and onion tops tomatoes growing well. Strange was I planted sunflowers, they got up then one morning there were little holes evry six inches and all the seedlings were gone but two. I think it was the chipmonks. Other than that cukes, beans squash etc all seem to be doing well. this heat will help

[TOAD]

Rabbits are getting real fat off of mine!

[Slickcraft]

Beginning to show some promise, time will tell.

[hilltopper]

Originally Posted by phoenix

I think it was the chipmonks.

I tried growing sunflower seeds last year and the chipmunks were having none of that!

[jmen24]

Certainly not like that, great job.

My best laid plans of getting going on the garden this year have not come full circle. Oh well, there is always next year.

Something to do with over 80LF of large stone retaining wall, over a 1000 bricks and 60 or so yards of loam have gotten in the way of my gardening time.

[SteveA]

While, so far so good.

The only problem child so far are the green beans... lot's of growth, all the way over the top of the frame.. but no beans yet. Peas are more than making up for it tho...

Lot's of green tomatoes, cherry and plum doing the best. Peppers just starting to show up.

Look what happens when your ignore your squash for a few days and don't really look under all the leaves!

[tis]

I had a huge zucchini that grew too big. I have had about 8 tomatoes. I don't ever remember having tomatoes before cucumbers, but the cukes are not big enough yet. A couple of days and I should have some.

[hilltopper]

Is anybody else battling tomato hornworms this year? This is the third year I've had a garden in this spot and the first year I've seen hornworms. I've only got six large plants spaced far enough apart so my plan of attack has been picking them off as I find them (versus an insecticide/pesticide). Never seen something that's so cool and nasty looking at the same time.