what next

[Chic Rustler]

turnips are just about played out. the lettuce is bolting. I should habe a fairly large area to plant something in when I clear that stuff out. not sure what I want to plant next.

any good crops to sew in June? that I don't already have going?

what I have:
cucumbers
yellow squash
crookneck squash
acorn squash
butternut squash
tomatoes
peppers
potatoes
green beans
carrots
onions
garlic
melons
herbs

 

[Chic Rustler]

guys i planted ALOT of summer squash and zucchini. i ended up going with black eyed peas.
next up the lettuce patches will be done for so I will replant something there as well. may be more hot peppers if I can find starts somewhere


I really want to plant more beets and carrots in late sept for fall. we eat alot of both of those crops.

 

[Britesea]

 

[Chic Rustler]

seems like legumes will be a good follow up. maybe black eyed peas

 

[flowerbug]

ok, thanks, yeah, any of the cowpeas should like the heat. okra and eggplant are two others that come to mind.

the root crops do best here in cooler weather but Mom basically doesn't like them if they are not potatoes or carrots. i've tried turnips and other things but she doesn't like them enough for me to devote a lot of space to them. i mostly use them as cover crops like the diakon radishes.

she will eat beets but i think it is too late for them and last time we grew them some animal took a shine to them so she was upset by that and doesn't want to grow them again. i like the beet greens along with the beets and also the various chards but Mom hates chards. lol hard to find things she likes. thank goodness she likes beans and peas.

 

[baymule]

I was going to suggest purple hull peas. I have a cool weather patch that is done now, I need to pull up everything, weed, prepare the soil again and I will plant it in purple hull peas. I think I will can at least some of them this year. Typically, I prefer them frozen, they just taste fresher. I'll can some and we will give it the taste test.

How do you get carrots to grow well for you? I really suck at raising carrots. I would be glad to take pointers from you, maybe a step by step for carrot dummies? LOL

 

[Lazy Gardener]

I find the best way to get carrots to sprout is by watering the bed well, then covering with wet cardboard to hold the moisture in and hopefully keep down the weed sprouting. I check and replenish moisture every day, and remove the cardboard as soon as the carrots sprout. Old carpet works real well b/c it holds the moisture better.

@Chic Rustler Wood chips would be a natural for facilitating carrots, I would think.

 

[CrealCritter]

Great advise on growing carrots. The root grow first before you see any green. I've had success by double tilling the rows. Till deep, take soil out then till deep again and back fill. Sow the carrot seeds, water in well and place a board over the row. If your row is straight a 2x4 is all that's needed. Keep well watered and remove the board after 10 days or so. Green should appear in about 14 days. Thin after 3 to 4 weeks for baby carrots and keep well watered and weeded for mature carrots. Don't get in any hurry to pull. They store well right in the ground even until early winter. Providing they never completely dry out. They will split if allowed to dry and then a soaking rain comes.

What did you do in the garden today?

Romain :) Oh the best lettuce there is - without question. We're are you located? My lettuce bolted in June. I pulled it all up and gave it to the chickens. We were burnt out on it anyways so no love lost there...

www.sufficientself.com

 

[CrealCritter]

oh yeah I got zucchini too.

Small sugar pumpkins also. Delicious made into pies, pancakes, bread, cookies... Haven't tried to brew a pumpkin ale yet though.

 

[Britesea]

I love the taste of radishes, but they don't do well in the hot summer. Enter Rat Tail Radish Pods! They taste like radishes, but look a little like small pea pods. You can eat them raw (magnificent with dip), or stir fried (they lose some of their heat, but keep the taste) and I've been told you can pickle them too, though I've never done that. They will keep setting new pods as long as you keep picking them; pick them when they are young and not fully filled out because they can get a teensy bit tough when they get older. I'm not positive, but I think they also deliver less carbs than the roots do.