garden plans for 2012

[nikki4612]

I'm a square foot gardener in southeast Louisiana, so I can grow just about all year. Right now all I have growing are my herbs and some lettuce. I really wanted to get a number of lemon, satsuma, and grapefruit trees planted but I need hubby's help with those and he broke his foot. So no new trees this time. I did have one small Meyer lemon tree in a pot that produced 3 dozen gorgeous lemons with no pesticides at all. If you don't live where Meyer lemons grow, they are huge, juicy and have very thin skins. Once you eat a Meyer, you'll never want those tough, dried out lemons in the grocery store.

I don't use any pesticides so the buggies did have a field day with my cucumbers this year. We had such crazy weather this year that we didn't get hardly any tomatoes. I' m going to try again next year. I use the LSU Ag Center planting guide to decide what to plant. Mostly green leafy veggies, salad items, and herbs. I dry my excess herbs in a dehydrator so I have lots. I also freeze them in ice cube trays. Basil works great for this.

Have a wonderful Christmas everyone.

Nikki

 

[BarredBuff]

I would like to grow oranges but I don't think it will work in Kentucky's weather...........

 

[Denim Deb]

Small, indoors and in a pot.

 

[bittibuddha]

1) How big is your garden area? Traditional garden rows / raised beds / pots or containers / combo? Is your garden on your property or do you have a community garden plot (or a combo of both)?

I have two community garden plots the first is near my office - 20x30 and has 12 raised beds. The other is a tiny little plot near my home just about 10 x8 with mounded beds. I currently live in a mid-rise condo, so have nowhere closer to attempt to grow things.


2) What are your gardening goals? Fresh eating during the season to supplement groceries / preservation for the rest of the year through: canning / freezing / dehydrating / root cellaring or other cold storage?For the past few years, Ive viewed my attempts at gardening as an ongoing experiment to see what works and what doesnt. Im still feeling fairly detached to the actual harvest, and more focused on learning everything there is to learn about the process. What produce I have managed to harvest has mostly been eaten fresh, but I am looking to find ways to preserve things with my limited resources of counter and storage space.

3) Did you have pest problems in 2011 and how did you deal with them?
I think my larger garden was visited by chipmunks and rabbits who were undeterred by the deer fencing. As its a community garden, however, my options are limited as to what I can do about them.

4) Did you have plant disease problems in 2011 and how did you deal with them / how do you plan to deal with any aftermath in the coming years?
My few squash plants seemed to be affected by powdery mildew since it was a particularly wet growing season.

5) What is one thing you want to improve about your garden in 2012?
Watering remains the primary issue at the large plot the communal spigot is very far away (too far for a hose). Still mulling that one. But this year, Im continuing my explorations of learning what grows well in my partially shaded garden and what does not.

6) What specific challenges do you face where you garden and do you have any questions that perhaps someone here can help you with? (This can be anything--water availability, slope, shade, soil, weather etc.)
Im going to try going vertical this year with home built trellises for peas, beans and squash. Would love to know ways other folks have found to build them inexpensively and effectively. Would prefer to upcycle as much as possible in their construction.

7) What is one triumph of your 2011 garden year? (Plant varieties that did super well / a new technique you tried that really paid off / just the fact that you did something new or even began a garden for the first time (yay!) / ways to extend your season / you got some member/s of your family on board for the first time etc.)Carrots and potatoes! I had more than I could eat (so gave some away) for whatever reason, root crops had a banner year this year, while everything above ground seemed to flounder a bit in the changeable weather.

Also: I tried starting seeds indoors for the first time (with mixed success). I'm looking to expanding that experiment this season.

I'm also going to try out row covers to get a jump on spring plantings of peas and lettuces.


Karen/Bittibuddha

 

[so lucky]

Karen,
I am going to try starting more seeds this year, too. Using what I have learned through experience and research, I am going to use regular flourescent lights, placed about 4" from the soil, and raised as the plants grow. I am going to put a fan near to oscilate--will have to experiment with that--to simulate breezes, and make the plants sturdier, theoretically.

 

[hqueen13]

Yay! bittibuddha, you made it! Nice to see you here too... these are lottsa smart folks!

 

[peteyfoozer]

1) How big is your garden area? Traditional garden rows / raised beds / pots or containers / combo? Is your garden on your property or do you have a community garden plot (or a combo of both)?

the area set aside for the veggie garden is about 40x70 ft. Its a combo of rows, and raised 4x4 containers.

2) What are your gardening goals? Fresh eating during the season to supplement groceries / preservation for the rest of the year through: canning / freezing / dehydrating / root cellaring or other cold storage?

HOPEFULLY we will have a better year this year and be able to freeze, can and dehydrate the surplus. There is a huge walk-in on the ranch, but it doesn't keep things too well as the humidity is wrong. The old root cellar caved in and we need a new one. First I need a successful garden!

3) Did you have pest problems in 2011 and how did you deal with them?

The puppies were the biggest pests. They were still young enough to be locked in the yard and had a great time digging and chasing one another through the corn. My son's visiting Lab picked all the melons to play with.

4) Did you have plant disease problems in 2011 and how did you deal with them / how do you plan to deal with any aftermath in the coming years?

We just had a really cold summer.

5) What is one thing you want to improve about your garden in 2012?

I'm relocating everything. I hope to get it all on a drip system and well mulched.

6) What specific challenges do you face where you garden and do you have any questions that perhaps someone here can help you with? (This can be anything--water availability, slope, shade, soil, weather etc.)

We have a really dry, fast draining soil, which is also really hard. Lots of thistle and goat heads fill in any bare spots. I've been dumping tons of pooh everywhere along with all the dead leaves, and composting. Hoping it helps.

7) What is one triumph of your 2011 garden year?

Our raspberries did great! I only had to fight the chickens for them.

 

[the funny farm6]

I didn't get a garden last year becouse of the weather- first to wet and soupy to till then so dry the ground cracked.

I do have a few questions though...

1) what kind of sunflowers do you grow for chickens?
2) I have always been told not to grow cucumbers, zucini, pumpkins, and watermelon in the same garden...can you?
My garden is @ 25 X 30-40ft.
3) I plan on growing herbs in pots on the porch this year.
And a large area for mint and dill on the side of the house.

And for our green beans we just take a couple of cattle panels and bend them over so they make a kind of a tunnel. Then you can pick beans in the shade.

 

[Denim Deb]

I've always grown those in the same garden w/out a problem. I just don't have them right next to each other and my garden was only about 25x25. I use a combination of square foot and traditional growing methods.

 

[BarredBuff]

funny farm, I would keep the mint in a pot as well. It takes over! It is taking over a little herb garden behind our house, I hope it dies. Then I can buy a replacement and put it in a pot. And I grew sunflowers for my chickens and I got the mamoth grey striped, they don't like em they are to big for em to eat. Get a small seeded variety, for sure.