Baymule's 2018 Garden

[baymule]

We just got a cloud burst and a whallopping 1/8th inch of rain! It settled the dust. At this point we’re grateful for anything. We had to laugh at the water sprinkler going in the rain.

 

[Mini Horses]

just have to ask.....do you really plan to wee on your garden? I read somewhere that plants like the moon, but I don't know if that included being mooned.....

Maybe I was thinking of trying several things at once! Water, animal deterant, personal relief, fertilize, plant by moon...….hey multi tasking.....you know I'm time stressed!

 

[baymule]

I overloaded myself with projects when I needed to be getting the garden ready. I had seedlings and nowhere to plant them. They died. I was up to my neck in alligators. Oh well. Add the late frosts and weird weather, they would have died anyway.

But we sure have the garden whupped into good shape now!

 

[baymule]

This morning I was in the garden st 6:30, watering corn, cucumbers and zucchini. Then I picked two wash pans heaped up with purple hull peas. We shelled out 9 pounds. I put 8 bags of 2 cups each in the freezer plus some for supper tonight.

And we had a watermelon!

 

[baymule]

Whew! My husband and our friend Robert worked on a HEAVY Feed trough for Wilbur the huge hog that we’re picking up Saturday. I measured and cut boards for a shelf unit I’m gonna build. I picked cucumbers, there’s enough for a small batch of pickles.

Then Robert and I picked the corn. I set aside 12 ears for DD and her family. We shucked corn. Robert went home with 25 good full ears I selected because they put up corn on the cob, so I wanted it to be pretty. We gave him some tomatoes too. The tomatoes aren’t big, nor are they many, but we had enough to share.

At 3 PM I was tired but still had cucumbers to cut up and a wash pan of corn to scrub, blanch and cut off the cob. I was sure glad I put a big beef roast in the oven this morning!

I got 5 bags of cream corn. Robert gave me the seed, bragged on it being a white sweet corn. Ummm it ain’t sweet corn. Tastes more like a field or yellow dent corn. Not that’s fine with me. I’ll make bacon baked corn.

Fry bacon in iron skillet. Take bacon out, dump cream corn in bacon grease. If there is a lot of grease, drain some out. Don’t stir it in. Crumble bacon over the top and bake in oven at 350 until the edges are brown. Yummy!

The picture makes it look yellow, but it is white.

 

[CrealCritter]

You do get the deals!! Hope Wilbur is friendly - cuz 5000 lbs is a lot of pig! And a sow too...geeze!

5000 lbs hog? That's a hog-a-saurus-rex

 

[Britesea]

I use peat pots all the time. One thing I have learned with them- when you transplant everything, gently peel away the net that holds the peat together; it can hamper the roots growing out. If the roots are already growing through, you can still try if the net will pull away- but don't try so hard that you tear the roots. Also, depending on the weather, you might have to transplant them into bigger pots before they are ready for the garden- there's not much soil there and the plants will outgrow them quickly. I always add a bit of half-strength liquid fertilizer too-- not many nutrients in them.

 

[baymule]

I love these peat pellets. I don't know if it because they work so well or because I love watching them expand. Thanks Britesea I always tear the netting off. @Chic Rustler I don't know if they transplant well or not. I haven't planted these type peas since moving here in 2015. In Livingston, I could plant them in January. Here, February is usually the coldest month and we still have to get through February. So I thought I'd try getting a head start. I'm going to plant them on the tomato trellis, they will be heat killed before the tomatoes need the trellis. So we'll see if this works.

@Mini Horses I still have a lot more seeds to plant......and more tomatoes. I dehydrate tomatoes and we use them in our salads. We refuse to eat a store bought red baseball. I also give dehydrated tomatoes to my daughter and son in law. Neither one will eat a fresh tomato.....

 

[baymule]

Fricken horse apples....i don't even pick them up anymore. Just mow em over and change the lawn mower blades more often.

Not those kind of horse apples!!! I meant the real horse apples, straight from the horse!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Agree...Mine started like gangbusters. Got lots of tomatoes and was thrilled to get them...first tomatoes I've gotten in several years. Bush green beans were just fair but we ate several big pots of 'em. Rattlesnake beans aren't producing like they have in years past. Lima beans were planted late so still don't know how they'll do. My zucchini and yellow squash have mosaic virus so I'm about to pull them up along with the spent green beans.

What's doing great?!? The Red Rippers! I've started picking a few and there's tons of 'em out there. Okra is looking pretty good - only about a foot tall though - planted it late too. Winter squash varieties are taking over the garden but I'm not seeing a bunch of squash on them. Hope they don't have the mosaic virus too...ugh. Maybe they just need more time. I think I'll try to plant more black-eyed peas and okra when I clean out some of the spent plants. Might even try more corn if I have any seeds left. Too early for fall veggies yet.

I need to add some more compost/spent manure to a couple of areas and hope for better the next time. Gardeners ARE eternal optimist's aren't we?