[chrismar]

Thought it'd be fun to have a similar thread to the warm and cool season lawn logs, but for gardens!

 

[chrismar]

4/15 - Fertilized the apples, nectarines, blueberries, strawberries and raspberries with 10-10-10
4/22 - Sprayed the apple trees and and strawberries w/ myclobutanil for rust (Cedar Apple Rust is rampant around here!) and other fungal diseases.
4/24 - Tightened up the raspberry t-trellis support lines. They had gotten a little loose w/ the rain and frost heave (the posts aren't cemented into the ground)

 

[chrismar]

Got my veggie babies today! These'll go into the ground in about 2 weeks:



The 2018 annual veggie garden will consist of:

* Tomatoes (Supersweet 100 (I), Sungold (I), Roma (D) and Big Boy (I))
* Peppers (Bell, Jalape˜no)
* Squash (Black Beauty Zucchini, Yellow Straight Neck)
* Burpless Cucumber
* Triple Crown Hybrid Watermelon (& Sugar Baby as a pollinator)
* Red Onions
* Herbs (basil & mint)

The perennial fruits haven't changed this year:

* Apples (Galarina, Honeycrisp & Stayman Winesap)
* Sungold Nectarine
* Caroline Raspberries
* Blueberries (Blueray & Bluecrop)

 

[probasestealer]

@chrismar

How long ago did you plant your apple trees and are they producing? I just planed peach and apple trees this past fall, so I expect it will be about 3 years before they bear fruit. Also, do you skip on Pre-Emergent around the trees (or is this an issue for you)?

Can't wait to see pictures, I've got everything planted they are starting to take off here in NC.

 

[chrismar]

This is the 3rd season in the ground for the honeycrisp and galarina. 2nd season for the stayman. I don't see any flower clusters on the 3rd seasoners and I do see some on the stayman. Which is too bad because the stayman needs one of the other two as a pollinator.

As far as pre emergent around them, I'm not particularly particular about not spraying around them, if that makes sense. In other words, I spray up to within a few inches of their trunk. I use prodiamine as my pre-m.

 

[chrismar]

A "pre" pic of the garden, prior to planting on a couple weeks:



Ignore the weeds. I need to get in there and pick those and lay down some more wood chips.

The bits of green you see in the beds are the strawberries (to the left) and raspberries to the right. The blueberries are in the foreground bed and in the far back barrel pot. They are slowly waking up.

 

[pennstater2005]

Has anyone here tried box gardening on a deck? I don't know if I said that right. I want to maybe hang deep boxes over the rails and try just a few pepper plants and maybe other stuff.

 

[zinger565]

Has anyone here tried box gardening on a deck? I don't know if I said that right. I want to maybe hang deep boxes over the rails and try just a few pepper plants and maybe other stuff.

In college I gardened on our 2nd floor deck. Just a couple small planters. I did some greens (butterball lettuce and arugula) since they were quick to grow, low root requirement, and continuous harvest. I also planted hot peppers, those turned out great!

I tried to stay away from anything that was too reliant on large fruit production (cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes) as at the time I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up on watering very well and didn't have the room for large planters to provide the nutrients for my laissez-faire way of tending to them.

All in all, it's definitely doable, even more so if you pay attention to the plants. Biggest worry is too much heat (depending on where your boxes are) and not enough moisture (need drainage holes, but sometimes too much water gets away).

 

[chrismar]

Has anyone here tried box gardening on a deck? I don't know if I said that right. I want to maybe hang deep boxes over the rails and try just a few pepper plants and maybe other stuff.

Like @zinger565 I've done plenty of container gardening, but not in deck boxes. I've grown pretty much anything and everything in 5(ish) gallon pots. I don't see why it wouldn't work if there were enough soil for the roots. You'll have to water and fertilize more than you would if they were in the ground, most likely.

 

[pennstater2005]

Has anyone here tried box gardening on a deck? I don't know if I said that right. I want to maybe hang deep boxes over the rails and try just a few pepper plants and maybe other stuff.

In college I gardened on our 2nd floor deck. Just a couple small planters. I did some greens (butterball lettuce and arugula) since they were quick to grow, low root requirement, and continuous harvest. I also planted hot peppers, those turned out great!

I tried to stay away from anything that was too reliant on large fruit production (cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes) as at the time I knew I wouldn't be able to keep up on watering very well and didn't have the room for large planters to provide the nutrients for my laissez-faire way of tending to them.

All in all, it's definitely doable, even more so if you pay attention to the plants. Biggest worry is too much heat (depending on where your boxes are) and not enough moisture (need drainage holes, but sometimes too much water gets away).

Good info zinger! We have some large clay pots that just sit on the deck and we usually do flowers in. Those I could move around if needed due to heat. And they drain well. I like the idea of maybe peppers, lettuce, etc.

Has anyone here tried box gardening on a deck? I don't know if I said that right. I want to maybe hang deep boxes over the rails and try just a few pepper plants and maybe other stuff.

Like @zinger565 I've done plenty of container gardening, but not in deck boxes. I've grown pretty much anything and everything in 5(ish) gallon pots. I don't see why it wouldn't work if there were enough soil for the roots. You'll have to water and fertilize more than you would if they were in the ground, most likely.

Are the pots you're talking about clay. That's what I'm considering using. What else would grow good in those besides maybe peppers and different types of lettuces? Plus, I get chipmunks on the deck and birds. I'd have to keep them away somehow.

 

[chrismar]

Are the pots you're talking about clay. That's what I'm considering using. What else would grow good in those besides maybe peppers and different types of lettuces? Plus, I get chipmunks on the deck and birds. I'd have to keep them away somehow.

Not clay, but they are supposed to look like it, but they're actually plastic. There's two in the picture above. The orangey looking ones. Now they're relegated to housing some annuals and herbs around the raised bed garden.

A better question would be what haven't I planted in them! I've done everything. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, beans, herbs. You name it, I've probably tried it, or something similar. I wouldn't recommend anything that gets too big, like a squash or zucchini. Tomatoes and peppers do just fine in pots. I'd probably stick to determinate varieties of tomatoes since they don't get as large and unwieldy as indeterminate, but I've grown both with good success.

 

[pennstater2005]

Are the pots you're talking about clay. That's what I'm considering using. What else would grow good in those besides maybe peppers and different types of lettuces? Plus, I get chipmunks on the deck and birds. I'd have to keep them away somehow.

Not clay, but they are supposed to look like it, but they're actually plastic. There's two in the picture above. The orangey looking ones. Now they're relegated to housing some annuals and herbs around the raised bed garden.

A better question would be what haven't I planted in them! I've done everything. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, cucumbers, beans, herbs. You name it, I've probably tried it, or something similar. I wouldn't recommend anything that gets too big, like a squash or zucchini. Tomatoes and peppers do just fine in pots. I'd probably stick to determinate varieties of tomatoes since they don't get as large and unwieldy as indeterminate, but I've grown both with good success.

Definitely going to try this. We've got about ten large clay pots. Half flowers and half veggies! Wife is looking forward to this.

 

[chrismar]

Pinched 95% of the flowers off the blueberry bushes this morning. This is only their 2nd season in the ground and I want them to put most of their energy in root development.

The raspberries are growing like crazy and the strawberries are starting to bloom. I'll probably get the other veggies in the ground this weekend. The extended forecast doesn't show any frost threats for at least the next 10 days, so I think it's safe.

Over on the orchard side of the yard, the stayman is blooming but none of the other apples are (they don't even have any flower buds!). I hope there's a pear or crab apple tree close enough to get those babies pollinated! I'd love to munch on a fresh apple from the backyard come September/October!

 

[zinger565]

Pinched 95% of the flowers off the blueberry bushes this morning. This is only their 2nd season in the ground and I want them to put most of their energy in root development.

The raspberries are growing like crazy and the strawberries are starting to bloom. I'll probably get the other veggies in the ground this weekend. The extended forecast doesn't show any frost threats for at least the next 10 days, so I think it's safe.

Over on the orchard side of the yard, the stayman is blooming but none of the other apples are (they don't even have any flower buds!). I hope there's a pear or crab apple tree close enough to get those babies pollinated! I'd love to munch on a fresh apple from the backyard come September/October!

Good luck, sounds like you've got your hands full with the berries and apple trees!

Pick up our starter plants from the co-op tomorrow. They'll sit for a day or two to get used to direct sun, then go into the garden. I found some "organic sourced" 10-10-10 fertilizer that we'll put down.

 

[Powhatan]

Put in the first load into our new compost tumbler. On a roll (pun) now. :lol:

 

[zinger565]

Planted our starter plants today:
- 2 Spineless Beauty Zuchinnis
- 2 Red Beauty Bell Peppers
- 1 Sun Gold Cherry Tomato
- 1 "BBQ" Rosemary
- 1 "Aroma 2" Basil
- 1 Anaheim Hot Pepper
- 1 Habanero Hot Pepper

Also trimmed back one of my hop plants. Although I'm worried about my other plant, hasn't come up or sprouted at all. I did some exploration digging, and the rhizome seemed alive.

 

[chrismar]

Planted my veggie babies yesterday as well:




And my berries are looking pretty tasty:






Overall (crooked). It'll look much, much different in 3 months...

 

[chrismar]

Sprayed the fruit trees and raspberries with immunox and triazicide. I'll probably do one more spray in 10-14 days and be done for the season.

I may even have my first apple! I sure hope so!!

In the veggie garden my onion sets are finally starting to show their shoots above ground. Everything else finally looks to be over it's transplant shock and is starting to show new growth. Things will be bustling very soon!

 

[probasestealer]

@chrismar looks good!

I almost have my first zucchini. I need to get some updated pics

 

[chrismar]

We've got our fist apples and nectarines!




Raspberries and strawberries are out of control:




... and we've even got some tomatoes and jalapenos!




Overall: