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TOO Garden Thread

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
Looks good. Hopefully this weather will straighten up for us to get stuff in the ground outside before too long.

Planting in about 3 weeks I think. Going to build small greenhouses over my beds and warm them.
 

Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
Turned dirt yesterday. Need to get some more compost in there and then hit it with my tiller. Almost time after this cold snap. Hope to work on a cold frame soon...tap stalk a in some upgrade so I will post after I remember my fuggin password I never have to use...dixks
 

Buckmaster

Senior Member
14,362
191
Portage
Can't find cedar so I'm going with treated pine 2 x 12 for this Spring's raised beds. My hope is to install four beds.
 
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Milo

Tatonka guide.
8,184
157
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394630514.155874.jpg
ImageUploadedByTapatalk1394630528.853389.jpg
 

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
Question with as little laughing as possible please!!

My SIL's Dad told me it was time to start my seeds inside, but the package says Days to Harvest as 50 and 53 days. (That's for squash)

When does Days to Harvest start? When you plant the seed, after it pops up........?????

I want to start everything inside the house, from seed, except for tomatoes.

I'm trying yellow squash, butternut, zucchini, bell peppers, cucumbers and yellow wax beans.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
Days of harvest is plant date to maturity, which would be when the plant produces. With the disclaimer that transplanting, and general crappy Ohio weather will delay that.

For the squash (any varieties), zucchini, and cukes especially, I'd recommend starting them in peat pots (you can get 'em most anywhere with gardening supplies). Really gives the roots some nice protection and holds water until they biodegrade and the roots just keep on going.

I've never heard of anyone transplanting beans, they grow quick and hearty (and a line of beans would be damn near impossible and frustrating to plant).
 

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
Thanks, Huck.

As for the beans, they are bush type and I'm going with grow bags (like container gardening), after starting them from seed.

Actually, I'm doing doubles of everything, grow bags for everything I mentioned, plus having the ground tilled up for a regular garden, but I'm worried that the first year of tilling might be disappointing and I am having garden vegies this year, no matter what!
 

Huckleberry Finn

Senior Member
15,973
135
This was from my most recent gig. Back when I used to do it "professionally".

Greenhouse #2 - wasn't heated, just used to store wood when we started. I ripped out the fabric on the ground and went to work with the compost and hand formed some raised beds. You can see Greenhouse #1 in the background, that's where the flowers and veggies were started.

Greenhouse #2 Start.jpg

We eventually ran drip lines.

This little run produced a lot of tomatoes...a LOT of tomatoes. I used to dread having to pick tomatoes before market day. At the end, we didn't "row" about a 10 foot long area and just planted flowers in mass to cut and sell as bouquets. It's unbelievably efficient to throw down straw...doesn't matter if it's old, but you get real value out of it by not having to weed (ever).

Greenhouse #2 End.jpg

--

We also built a 90 by 24 foot Cold Frame. I didn't think that we would produce much out of it since we had a late start, but it turned out to be fantastic. The plastic and fabric make me cringe a little bit, but laid, cut, and staked it all by hand in one day since we were behind schedule. After laying miles of plastic behind a tractor, this is a little crummy but it sure did do the trick.

Cold Frame Start.jpg

We ran double rows of drip tape down the plastic sections, which were gravity fed from a spring-fed pond, and put in the bi-pass valves to feed in fertilizer concentrate. The fabric in the aisles make it really nice...no weeding ever. We planted more tomatoes, tons of peppers, squash and zukes, and then a whole row of pumpkins that turned out to be a really good producers.

Cold frame middle 2.jpg
Cold Frame middle.jpg

I don't have a final picture, but the pumpkins grew up to where we had installed the horizontal crossbars of the frame. Roll down sides and we put doors on eventually.

Ahhh...that was a good trip down memory lane!
 
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yotehunter

Member
1,527
36
spencerville oh
The warm weather put me in the mood to start working in the garden so I planted 3 row of onions , a short row of garlic and started another bed of strawberry after thinning my old patch out. I know it may be a little early but the dirt worked wonderful, so I couldn't help myself. Its up to mother nature now.IMG_20140401_200523.jpgIMG_20140401_200523.jpg
 

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
Well, I get to start over. I guess I left the seedlings on top of the fridge too long and the plants are long and skinny. I researched it and I guess I should have taken them off the fridge as soon as they popped out.

On the plus side, I think I also know what caused my potted tomatoes to do the same thing over the past 2 years. They are on my front porch, but I kept them right under the railing so a shadow was cast on them. Supposedly, that will cause spindly tomato plants. I'll find out this year.

So much to learn!