2011 Garden

[KLorentz]

While the future of my tomato and pepper patches is in doubt there will be a garden never the less.Everything else including a few herbs will be planted for this year.

Pumpkins/Winter Squash: This is one of my must plant crops after tomatoes and peppers. I have several to plant this year.Atlantic Giant,Winter Luxury,New England Pie,Dickerson,Australian Butter ,Turner Faimly, Kobacha and a couple others.My sisters kids have fun watching these grow.

Green Beans: The only one I have right now is Jade.This is a fine quality green bean that grows on bush plants and takes about 60 days.

Snap Pea: Lacy Lady 2 A good semi leafless snap pea with a nice sweet flavor and is a dwarf plant which does not need a trellis.Pods are about 3 to 3 1/2 inches.

Cucumbers: County Fair

A few carrots and radishes

Watermelon: Ali baba and Congo.

Cantaloupe: Amish

Other melons are Sweet Freckles and Tiger. Maybe a couple others.

Not sure about corn.What seed I have are a few years old and are an sh2 hybrid So not sure if they are still good.Also there is the issue of preventing a cross with local fields containing Frankencorn (GMO) .

After this everything is up in the air.At least there will be a few goodies out there this year.

Kevin

[newatthiskat]

Looks like a great plan. Keep us posted on how it goes. I can't really do corn here. Not enough room and too many criters attack it. Would love to grow melons but before I pick it just as it is fully ripening....they beak it open and eat it. They are smarter that am. TOmatos are left alone except for the stink bugs, tomato worms and grasshoppers.
Kat

[KLorentz]

Thanks Kat.The reason for the tomato / Pepper issue ain't critters. It is being able to buy supplies. But I ain't gonna complain over much.At least the rest will be there.


Kevin

[kath]

Looks like an ambitious garden; maybe no maters or peppers?
Jade is a good bush bean, and I've heard good things about the disease resistance of County Fair. Grew lots of the tendril-type peas, but never got a good yield from them, so we put fencing up and grow the taller ones.
Am curious about your watermelons and other melons...are they varieties that you've had success with in your climate? I have trouble being able ripen melons completely before they split (seemingly overnight) or to get sweet enough because the vines usually get diseased and die prematurely.
We've settled on butternut as our winter squash and use it for pies as well; we can save seed easily that way.
Have lots of Ambrosia corn seed. Tried lots of different varieties and this one is dependable for us in our smallish garden and tastes great. It's a hybrid so we can't save seed, but we like sweeter ones than the o.p. ones we've tried. Bought too much last year, so let me know if you'd like to try some while it's still viable. Scary about the local gmo corn. I need to find out what's growing in the field near us.
Good luck with your growing, and I hope you find room for some tomatoes and peppers. Thanks for sharing your plans.
kath

[newatthiskat]

Sorry about the supply issue. I am sending positive thoughts that the issues are resolved. If not eat alot of sweet corn and melons for me

[KLorentz]

Originally Posted by kath

Looks like an ambitious garden; maybe no maters or peppers?
Jade is a good bush bean, and I've heard good things about the disease resistance of County Fair. Grew lots of the tendril-type peas, but never got a good yield from them, so we put fencing up and grow the taller ones.
Am curious about your watermelons and other melons...are they varieties that you've had success with in your climate? I have trouble being able ripen melons completely before they split (seemingly overnight) or to get sweet enough because the vines usually get diseased and die prematurely.
We've settled on butternut as our winter squash and use it for pies as well; we can save seed easily that way.
Have lots of Ambrosia corn seed. Tried lots of different varieties and this one is dependable for us in our smallish garden and tastes great. It's a hybrid so we can't save seed, but we like sweeter ones than the o.p. ones we've tried. Bought too much last year, so let me know if you'd like to try some while it's still viable. Scary about the local gmo corn. I need to find out what's growing in the field near us.
Good luck with your growing, and I hope you find room for some tomatoes and peppers. Thanks for sharing your plans.
kath

I would most definitely be interested in your corn. County Fair is the best cuke I ever grew.Jung carries it once again along with Park so it may be easier to get this year for folks who want to try it.Oh and no need to peel. As for my melons they are all new for me. As to ripening I do not know as I am looking for the right ones to grow here. Neighbor grows watermelon every year and boy do they look good.I think it is a mater of finding just the right one.You might ask some members about your melon issues and see if anyone has any ideas especially someone from your state.

Originally Posted by newatthiskat

Sorry about the supply issue. I am sending positive thoughts that the issues are resolved. If not eat alot of sweet corn and melons for me

Thanks Kat. I will most assuredly eat some melons and think of ya.


Kevin

[rnewste]

Kevin,

Glad to hear about your experience with County Fair. This Season I am growing County Fair, Diva, Sweet Success, and Straight Eight. My only experience last year was Diva. Looking forward to the Spring...

Raybo

[barefootgardener]

Kevin, I have a feeling you will sneak a few tomatoes into the garden this year! I know how much you love them. For supplies are you talking about potting soil etc..for starting your plants? Hope it works out for you!

You have some nice crops to grow this year. You listed Ali Baba Watermelon..I tried to grow AB a few years ago, and it only got to about half the maturity..It takes a long growing season for it to reach maturity, and being in Michigan , as I am, you would need to get a jump start on it ...
I have success with Orangeglo , Cream Of Sackatchewan and Sugar Baby. Last year I direct seeded and they did great, we were lucky to have a hot long season to grow them to maturity..I have grown BlackTail Mountain and the melons got to be about 10 to 15 pounds, and the tendrils turned brown, the underside was a creamy color, but every single one I cut into, the flesh was pink, not red, and it was not very sweet..I tried twice...but same results. I love watermelon so much, and have tried quite a few..but some do better than others..and a lot depends on our growing season, great fertile soil..In Michigan, you never know what kind of summer we will have from year to year..

Good Luck!

Ginny

[KLorentz]

Hey Ginny,

Yep that is what I am talking about. Hope things work out for my melons too.Being 10 min from the Ohio border so it is not to bad. I figure if we can grow Atlantic Giant pumpkins around here surely we can grow watermelons with no prob. Besides the neighbor grows em pretty good.Here we have ( what I take to be normal) some good growing weather from about the last week in May to the end of October.So a little over four months maybe close to 5 months depending on how much rain we get in May.

Anyway been wanting to try Orangeglo.Never had a orange fleshed let alone yellow or white one before.


Kevin

[KLorentz]

Well things are looking up folks as far as the maters and peppers go. Being sent some peat pots and some seed starting soil to get the job done. So I got to look through my seeds pick out what to grow and go from there. My favorite from Greece Thessaloníki is one that will be part of the garden along with Cowlicks Brandywine.And my best producing slicer from last year Rose. I just could not get over the growth rate of this one folks. Not only where the maters good size but the plants went crazy too. Gave me plenty of fruits. Will talk about the maters shortly in General Discussion.


Kevin