What's Growing in the Garden

[trc65]

We've been highs only in the 50's and lows around freezing all last week. About the same this coming week. Soils aren't warm enough yet, at least around us for morels. Did see some one in south Fulton Co found some "blacks" along the Illinois river. Couple weeks too early for any yellow morels.

 

[Mr. Peet]

Last Monday night, third night in a row with spring peepers. Marked the calendar 6 weeks out for last killing frost. Interesting to see how close the old wise tale will be this year.

 

[Alan R McDaniel Jr]

I've started my own squash plants in approximately 2" pots. It was old see and to save space, I put two seeds in a pot in case one didn't germinate. All did. Now I'm wondering when if ever, I can separate the two and repot. Is it easier to divide now or wait until there is more root development? Or just plant in the garden as a pair? Regardless, I want to transplant into 4" pots and let them grow until they're big enough for the garden. Timing for the 4" pots? Now or later?

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I haven’t had any good luck starting squash. But with others, whenever I get two or more seedlings in a pot, I leave the strongest looking one and try to pull the smaller one(s) with a bit of root attached and immediately put it in another pot, water good and put it in another flat. I plant the originals in the best soil/location and the transplants in the lesser soils/locations.

Our last frost is usually early to mid March (rarely in April but it has happened) so I usually just seed directly in the garden. Tomatoes and peppers are the only thing I start early… I tried starting sweet potatoes early this year and it was a flop. The deer ate anything that was still alive last week. I had some pole bean seeds and I broadcast them in a plot outside the fence with the sweet potatoes and a few extra tomatoes. The deer got them too.

Alan

 

[trc65]

Officially started in the veg garden. Tiller started in first pull so got at it. Potatoes are in, and got an area tilled for a new planting of black raspberries. Kennebec and Dark Red Norland.

 

[trc65]

And the true sign of spring, picking the first asparagus!

 

[trc65]

Hoping for a good pear crop.

 

[Nature Man]

Hoping for a good pear crop.

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That’s a really good size Pear tree. How much pruning do you do on it, and other fruit trees you have? Chuck

 

[trc65]

That’s a really good size Pear tree. How much pruning do you do on it, and other fruit trees you have? Chuck

Two of the pears, Bartlett and Stark Delicious are standard pear trees as I bought them at a year end sale for almost nothing and they had no semi dwarfs left. The bottom half is pruned fairly well as that is what I can teach with a 6 ft step ladder. The top half is "wild".

All of the fruit trees need annual pruning to keep them productive. I've got 3 semi dwarf apple, 2 standard and one semi dwarf pear, a standard apricot, semi dwarf sour cherry, standard sweet cherry and 2 peach trees.

I probably spend 8-10 hours a year pruning and cleaning up afterwards.

I've also got red and black raspberries which need annual pruning and strawberries that need annual renovation.

Then there is insect and disease control on all of them......

However, I've got a freezer full of fruit, more jams and jellies than we consume in a year and many jars full of applesauce, peaches and pears.

 

[Nature Man]

Two of the pears, Bartlett and Stark Delicious are standard pear trees as I bought them at a year end sale for almost nothing and they had no semi dwarfs left. The bottom half is pruned fairly well as that is what I can teach with a 6 ft step ladder. The top half is "wild".

All of the fruit trees need annual pruning to keep them productive. I've got 3 semi dwarf apple, 2 standard and one semi dwarf pear, a standard apricot, semi dwarf sour cherry, standard sweet cherry and 2 peach trees.

I probably spend 8-10 hours a year pruning and cleaning up afterwards.

I've also got red and black raspberries which need annual pruning and strawberries that need annual renovation.

Then there is insect and disease control on all of them......

However, I've got a freezer full of fruit, more jams and jellies than we consume in a year and many jars full of applesauce, peaches and pears.

Thanks! I asked because at my former residence in Northern California I had a number of fruit trees that I pruned each year. Only one stayed in a dwarf size (which was a Mandarin Orange), the rest needed pretty extensive pruning each year. Then, like you said, was the spraying for insect control, which I did twice each season in the dormant months. There’s a lot of work to optimize fruit production. Chuck

 

[Mike Hill]

Two of the pears, Bartlett and Stark Delicious are standard pear trees as I bought them at a year end sale for almost nothing and they had no semi dwarfs left. The bottom half is pruned fairly well as that is what I can teach with a 6 ft step ladder. The top half is "wild".

Have you tried summer pruning to keep the size down?

 

[djg]

This year, I planted my potatoes a little after St Pat's day. They haven't emerged yet. I tilled the old spot and amended the soil with compost and fertilizer, tilled again and then used a tulip bit in a drill to dig holes in the loamy bed. I did not go down to the clay base that I have. I'm going to dig down today to see if they are sprouting yet. My guess is they rotted from all the heavy rain we had. Plus, that compost I use holds a lot of water that would aid in the rotting. So, Ill probably be replanting them. Should make a note for next year to wait for April before planting.

Same with my first planting of pole peas.

 

[trc65]

Have you tried summer pruning to keep the size down?

I haven't. These pears are the two trees that received a heavy dose of glyphosate and dicamba 3 years ago. Most of that damage was ground level to 12 ft or so. I left the tops of these go as that had the only normal growth and where fruit set. Now they are getting too large to control their size without making an absolute mess of the tree.

That's why I have a third pear (semi dwarf), and thinking about ordering another. When the smaller pears start bearing, I will probably get rid of these problem trees.

 

[sprucegum]

I've started my own squash plants in approximately 2" pots. It was old see and to save space, I put two seeds in a pot in case one didn't germinate. All did. Now I'm wondering when if ever, I can separate the two and repot. Is it easier to divide now or wait until there is more root development? Or just plant in the garden as a pair? Regardless, I want to transplant into 4" pots and let them grow until they're big enough for the garden. Timing for the 4" pots? Now or later?

View attachment 271053

I used to just plant my squash in the garden, usually they did ok. Now I start them inside, better germination, and the bugs and birds don't eat them. I won't start them until May, we often get frost until late May or early June.

 

[trc65]

This year, I planted my potatoes a little after St Pat's day. They haven't emerged yet. I tilled the old spot and amended the soil with compost and fertilizer, tilled again and then used a tulip bit in a drill to dig holes in the loamy bed. I did not go down to the clay base that I have. I'm going to dig down today to see if they are sprouting yet. My guess is they rotted from all the heavy rain we had. Plus, that compost I use holds a lot of water that would aid in the rotting. So, Ill probably be replanting them. Should make a note for next year to wait for April before planting.

Same with my first planting of pole peas.

Get a cheap temperature probe if you don't have one for grilling, etc. 4" soil temp should be minimum of 45° for potatoes although warmer is always better.

 

[trc65]

Working on moving my legume trellis, don't want to build up too many soil pathogens. It's easier than it was the first time as the cattle panels have lost some spring, but still a lot of work. Got to get it moved so I can plant peas before it start raining later this week.

 

[djg]

Working on moving my legume trellis, don't want to build up too many soil pathogens. It's easier than it was the first time as the cattle panels have lost some spring, but still a lot of work. Got to get it moved so I can plant peas before it start raining later this week.

How many years in a row can you plant before moving them? Mine trellis is more permanent.

 

[trc65]

Commercial production would grow beans/peas on a three year rotation with at least one year of corn (grass) to try and minimize disease inoculum.

Even all the garden "experts" say to rotate crops. However, even if you rotate crops in your garden every year, it really isn't doing much (anything?). Soil borne pathogens (fungi, bacteria and nematodes are readily moved when any soil is moved. That means you are spreading inoculum when tilling, walking with dirt on your shoes, using a trowel in different parts of the garden, ect. If you completely cleaned the tiller, shoes, etc when walking from part to part of your garden, you might reduce inoculum transfer.

Even on my large garden (main plot is 60x60 ft), I do try to rotate, but the effect of that is minimal because there are too many susceptible plants and too few non host plants (corn) to rotate. However, I still do what I can to rotate, because it's too ingrained in me to not do it.

If you've got a semi permanent trellis system, go with it and don't worry about it. Practice good sanitation - removal of plant material after the season, and removal of diseased or dead plants during the season. Additionally, do everything you can to promote good plant health. Good soil temps and moisture for quick germination, proper fertility, avoid over watering.

If a problem develops to the point you are having difficulty getting a crop, there are soil fungicides/seed treatments available, but those tend to be expensive and only available in large quantities.

One thing I'm doing this year is growing my lima beans as transplants. I always have problems with them germinating / emerging and playing around last year, it worked very well. Of course, lima beans are planted about 2 per foot for the climbers I'm using, so only about 30 transplants are needed. Snapbeans and peas are a little different though when you need 8-10 per foot.

It's great to talk about Integrated Pest Management (IPM) in the home garden, but the reality of the situation is many of those strategies are negated by the small spaces and close proximity.

 

[2feathers Creative Making]

I haven't. These pears are the two trees that received a heavy dose of glyphosate and dicamba 3 years ago. Most of that damage was ground level to 12 ft or so. I left the tops of these go as that had the only normal growth and where fruit set. Now they are getting too large to control their size without making an absolute mess of the tree.

That's why I have a third pear (semi dwarf), and thinking about ordering another. When the smaller pears start bearing, I will probably get rid of these problem trees.

If you can let them reach 12 inch dbh that should be some mighty fine pear wood to do cabinets from since there aren't many lower branches

 

[Mr. Peet]

How many years in a row can you plant before moving them? Mine trellis is more permanent.

We do 2-3 years max, then rotate. Fixed trellis gets peas one year, beans next year or two then climbing cherry tomatoes or one of the quashes. We just mix it up. If we have a bad year garden wide, we don't plant anything the next in that spot. We focus on landscape bed gardening that year. A year of rest does wonders. I might drop some compost, manure or even ash in the idle garden, or not.

 

[trc65]

If you can let them reach 12 inch dbh that should be some mighty fine pear wood to do cabinets from since there aren't many lower branches

Yeah, I have no plans to cut them down, even after the semi dwarf start producing. I've got an extendable picking pole that I think goes to 15'. Climbing to the top of a step ladder gives me ~25 ft or so of reach. Not ideal, but I love fresh pears!

If they get to the point I can't get production off them, will continue to grow for lumber.