this season vs. last

[nofeargardener]

Thought it'd be phun to start a thread where we listed a small handful of things we plan to do differently this year in our veggie/herb gardens - - whether that's because of lessons learned last season, or just things we want to experiment with. I phigure I'll start 'er off with:

1 - use MORE compost, leaves, and grass clippings. (we have pretty poor soil here - very sandy).

2 - I need to hill my potatoes once the plant reaches 4 to 6 inches, and once again when it get's another 4 to 6 inches. I didn't do this last season. And while the taters were delicious, the harvest was meager.

3 - I'm gonna try planting a few maters on their side (vs. straight in) with just the top inch or two showing. I've heard they can develop a really robust root system that way.

4 - harvest MORE herbs... a lot more! I didn't save enough to get me through until this season... and we LOVE our herbs.

[BestoFour]

1. I moved my big garden spot to a totally different area.
2. Planted onions for the first time.
3. Not planting cabbage due to worms.
4. I'm going to try and stay ahead of the squash bugs. Pray for me.

[Pharmer Phil]

Mike, I think this is a marvelous idea for a thread!!

Havta think a bit about Our differences...
else it will all come out bad due to our current weather conditions

But, May I comment??
1. Leaves good
2. try for 3 Bro...just stop hilling when they start flowering (also the Mots critical time for foliar feeding and even watering)
3. Planting the mators on there side is something I have done for years...
Doing this keeps the roots close to the surface, warms them for a early start to the season...

So, after doing this for years...I feel WELL QUALIFIED to add this TiP:
Make sure you position the mators in their "trenches" with the root balls..
all going the same directions...and REMEMBER THE DIRECTION...so you'll know where they are while cultivating

spoken from experience...It really ticks ya off when you realize what that TUFF spot is ..that you were trying to hoe out

4. Mike...Here too, we use so many herbs...they sometimes get past their prime while we work the garden, do the canning, etc. this year some, of all varieties are going into the main garden...

[Christy]

Good idea Nofear
1- Making time. 10 minutes a evening get more done than 0 minutes waiting phor a good day off. so phar so good
2- Dig the garden out bigger. phor some reason it get bigger every year also need to work on the pumpkin patch bed.
3- Always try a new veg each year, new veg this year, Israel melon, yellow crookneck squash, eggplant.

[kansasterri]

This year I will plant some sweet potatos. I get a little panicky because the chosen area is getting very weedy while the slips have barely started, but it is really too cool anyways.

On the BAD side I was going to lay down newspaper to prevent that and I haven't, yet! I figured that I could just lift the papers 18 inches apart and lay the slips down, and our usual wet spring soil would do the rest.... But the soil is not wet. Not at ALL!There is just enough to keep the plants healthy, and from what I hear that is not enough for sweet potatos!

[Pharmer Phil]

Found out yesterday from one of the phellers that work for the farmer who works the land next to us that it will be corn in that field this year...
Which out here...means WINDBREAK...
If they went with beans this year, I would border the edge of our garden (180 feet) with 5-6 rows of corn...which..is alot of corn..
So, one thing different this year...NO Massive corn planting...

also, Last year my air pump gave out and I didn't do my compost tea for the m,ost part of the season...not this year, will get the tea maker hummin real soon to take advantage of the small immature nettle and equisedum for the brew

Terri, sweet potatoes don't do worth a darn here in Mn. just about have given up

[Compost Pharmer]

Phil, If you have wind up there like I have down here. be careful of the neighbors corn. Chances it is GMO. It will contaminate your corn.

[elkwc36]

Phil if you are growing corn also I'm sure you know all you have to do is either plant at a different time or plant a corn variety with a different maturity date. I know a farmer here who grows a non GMO organic corn variety that he sells and has it tested every year. He usually has GMO corn on 2-4 sides of his field and has never had any problems. From my experience and that of his in my opinion GMO corn doesn't cross pollinate as easily as many claim if you do a little research before planting. Jay

[Pharmer Phil]

Jay, We typically plant as soon as we see the farmers planting corn to beat the field corns maturation date...a couple years, we had to re-plant a few bare spots, nothing serious...about 5%
and I believe that You are correct about the gmo...It doesn't cross like they say...


I used to plant OP varieties like Stowell's Evergreen ..but it takes like 95 days...not so ideal when you have at least corn on either side of you for the season, sometime all around you.

We had a good crop of golden bantam one year, planted early...and then, there was some spots that needed re-planting...those few plants, 2-3 weeks behond...were Not the best tasting ears I ever pulled, but by then , the field corn pollen was so thick you could smell it in the air...

So for the last 7 years, because of where we are located, we have been growing 65 day corn....

CP, yep, we do have farmers planting GMO corn around Us...
But Bro, like I said in a post MANY MOONS ago...
Since the fields are but a few yards from our home...

I'd still rather have the GMO than them Damn AIRPLANES blowing God Knows what out...while crop dusting...

I love watching those boys fly dem planes...but at a DISTANCE...not as close as they used to be...

[elkwc36]

Phil I'm like you about the crop sprayers. The only damage from spray drift I've had on my garden here was by crop sprayers when they grew milo on the field next to me. I even had one keep the spray on and the drift got on me enough I had to come in and take a bath. That time it killed around a 1/3 of my garden.

I do enjoy watching them but not riding in one. My uncle was a crop sprayer and now his son is. He took me on a plane ride once and decided to show me what crop spraying was like. I promised the Good Lord if he would safely place my feet on solid land I would never ride with him again and I didn't. He was considered one of the best. But not my cup of tea. Jay

[Michael]

I will never plant dill again. Time for the garden. Keep a better eye on the bugs. Mulch, mulch, mulch. Soil. The harvests are not looking as good as I would like. Water. Compost. And lastly plan a bit more. I can barely move around in the garden. And this is my list for 2012.