isuhunter's 2015 Garden - Page 2

wormgirl · May 25, 2015

Lettuce can be harvested at pretty much any stage. You can pick off outer leaves and let the center still grow, but... frankly the center is the best part. You can harvest heads at baby stage, or full size. Many lettuces only hold for about 2 weeks once they reach full size. After that they want to flower (this depends on weather and variety). If you see it start to bolt (start growing UPWARDS, to start growing a flower) harvest immediately, as the taste really declines and becomes bitter. I'm sure others have better info than I do on this matter as well.

squirrel789 · May 25, 2015

Everything looks great!

Although I'm slightly jealous of all your space for growing, I wish you the best of luck! I'm sure it will be a bountiful summer

Cheers!

Mojave · May 25, 2015

Looking good!

isuhunter · May 30, 2015

Here are some more pictures -- When do you typically harvest onions?? i haven't grown them before

isuhunter · May 30, 2015

Here are some more -- the garden is really growing. Started harvesting some radishes.

forgot the pics

isuhunter · May 30, 2015

try again

a sunny day · May 31, 2015

Your garden looks great. I'm keen to see how you get on with weaving your tomatoes. Here where I live, my tomatoes would have all snapped from the wind by now, so if I was to try a weave set up I would need a couple of bamboo stakes initially to support them. Please keep posting your photos!

jmsieglaff · June 1, 2015

You're garden looks great! As far onions, I harvest mine usually in July. When the tops start to fall over is when they are ready. You want to avoid watering them the week leading up to harvest. Obviously mother nature can't be controlled with that respect, so if they are close to being ready and we have a lot of rain in the forecast I'll occasionally harvest them even before the tops fall. I tie mine in bunches and hang them in the garage to cure for a few weeks before remove the tops, trimming the root hairs and putting them in the basement for storage.

I see seed stalks forming on your onions, you'll want to cut those off ASAP toward the base of the seed stalk. Any onions that are sending up seed stalks may not keep as well as the ones that do not. I used to plant sets (the little bulbs) or purchased plants and always had a fair number go to seed. I've begun starting onions from seed myself and that problem as gone away.

isuhunter · June 1, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmsieglaff

You're garden looks great! As far onions, I harvest mine usually in July. When the tops start to fall over is when they are ready. You want to avoid watering them the week leading up to harvest. Obviously mother nature can't be controlled with that respect, so if they are close to being ready and we have a lot of rain in the forecast I'll occasionally harvest them even before the tops fall. I tie mine in bunches and hang them in the garage to cure for a few weeks before remove the tops, trimming the root hairs and putting them in the basement for storage.

I see seed stalks forming on your onions, you'll want to cut those off ASAP toward the base of the seed stalk. Any onions that are sending up seed stalks may not keep as well as the ones that do not. I used to plant sets (the little bulbs) or purchased plants and always had a fair number go to seed. I've begun starting onions from seed myself and that problem as gone away.

Good to know. I'll trim them tonight!

wormgirl · June 1, 2015

isuhunter, your garden continues to look great!

jmsie, for some reason onions intimidate me, the timing seems mysterious. When do you start your seeds? I did grow some sets last year but pulled them as green onions.

Are those seed stalks edible, like a garlic scape?

jmsieglaff · June 1, 2015

I start mine in mid January. They get 'haircuts' over their course of life under the lights and then in the cold frame. I usually plant mine out in mid April plus/minus a week. The plants were too small last year so I moved my start date up to mid January for this year and it worked out well. Since you don't transplant onions like tomatoes, I like to start them in a container about 2/3 full of a high quality soilless potting mix with nutrients and then the top 1/3 with my soilless seed starting mix.

I'm guessing you could eat the seed stalk although I never have.

isuhunter · June 8, 2015

more pics

a sunny day · June 8, 2015

Oh wow, more photos... thank you. You must be so pleased with how your tomatoes are coming along. And the weave looks great!

Worth1 · June 8, 2015

Hows the wife taking it.

Looks nice.

Worth

Misfit · June 9, 2015

Looking good; congrats!

-Jimmy

May 25, 2015	#16
wormgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 245	Lettuce can be harvested at pretty much any stage. You can pick off outer leaves and let the center still grow, but... frankly the center is the best part. You can harvest heads at baby stage, or full size. Many lettuces only hold for about 2 weeks once they reach full size. After that they want to flower (this depends on weather and variety). If you see it start to bolt (start growing UPWARDS, to start growing a flower) harvest immediately, as the taste really declines and becomes bitter. I'm sure others have better info than I do on this matter as well. Last edited by wormgirl; May 25, 2015 at 12:29 AM.

May 25, 2015	#18
Mojave Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: SF Bay area Z9a Posts: 821	Looking good! __________________ Bill _______________________________________________ When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the universe. -John Muir Believe those who seek the Truth: Doubt those who find it. -André Gide

June 1, 2015	#25
wormgirl Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Tacoma, WA Posts: 245	isuhunter, your garden continues to look great! jmsie, for some reason onions intimidate me, the timing seems mysterious. When do you start your seeds? I did grow some sets last year but pulled them as green onions. Are those seed stalks edible, like a garlic scape? __________________ Jenn Last edited by wormgirl; June 1, 2015 at 12:29 PM.

May 25, 2015	#17
squirrel789 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2015 Location: SW Missouri Zone 6b Posts: 121	Everything looks great! Although I'm slightly jealous of all your space for growing, I wish you the best of luck! I'm sure it will be a bountiful summer Cheers!

May 30, 2015	#20
isuhunter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2015 Location: Des Moines, IA Posts: 140	Here are some more -- the garden is really growing. Started harvesting some radishes. forgot the pics

May 31, 2015	#22
a sunny day Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Australia Posts: 96	Your garden looks great. I'm keen to see how you get on with weaving your tomatoes. Here where I live, my tomatoes would have all snapped from the wind by now, so if I was to try a weave set up I would need a couple of bamboo stakes initially to support them. Please keep posting your photos!

June 1, 2015	#23
jmsieglaff Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2014 Location: Southern WI Posts: 2,742	You're garden looks great! As far onions, I harvest mine usually in July. When the tops start to fall over is when they are ready. You want to avoid watering them the week leading up to harvest. Obviously mother nature can't be controlled with that respect, so if they are close to being ready and we have a lot of rain in the forecast I'll occasionally harvest them even before the tops fall. I tie mine in bunches and hang them in the garage to cure for a few weeks before remove the tops, trimming the root hairs and putting them in the basement for storage. I see seed stalks forming on your onions, you'll want to cut those off ASAP toward the base of the seed stalk. Any onions that are sending up seed stalks may not keep as well as the ones that do not. I used to plant sets (the little bulbs) or purchased plants and always had a fair number go to seed. I've begun starting onions from seed myself and that problem as gone away.

June 8, 2015	#28
a sunny day Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: Australia Posts: 96	Oh wow, more photos... thank you. You must be so pleased with how your tomatoes are coming along. And the weave looks great!

June 8, 2015	#29
Worth1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Den of Drunken Fools Posts: 38,539	Hows the wife taking it. Looks nice. Worth

June 9, 2015	#30
Misfit Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Baltimore Posts: 165	Looking good; congrats! -Jimmy