2022 Gardening Thread

[glenbo]

We've done the ball ornaments. The birds catch on quickly. Most of our tomatoes are small varieties because that's what we like most. I don't remember what kind of cukes we tried but will try again.

 

[BuzzinSATX]

We've done the ball ornaments. The birds catch on quickly. Most of our tomatoes are small varieties because that's what we lmost. I don't remember what kind of cukes we tried but will try again.

I got the trick from an old timer and it seemed to help me out. Maybe we have dumber birds….

good luck

 

[FireInTheWire]

I will not have another garden until I build a green house. Hail, grasshoppers and southern winds are no joke.

 

[jordanmills]

We do container gardening in grow boxes. Almost everything works well. Unfortunately mockingbirds get at least half of our tomatoes and every year, little white bugs ruin our cucumbers overnight. I've given up on cukes.

Birds tend to go after tomatoes because they're thirsty. Try putting an accessible source of water in sight of them.

Imidacloprid can probably help with the white bugs. Not sure what those are from that description, though.

 

[jordanmills]

I just got some of mine tilled yesterday. Then started barfing. Stomach bug going around my family. I have an old tiller that my neighbor gave me that I got running again, but it seems a little dangerous. No dead mans switch, and if you let go while it's running and engaged, it will just keep going. Also I still have some buried roots in the bed, so that makes it a lot harder.

Last year, I did the corn wrong, and just planted a couple of rows. I need to break ground on a square bed out on the end of my existing garden and plant in a big square, maybe six rows. That should pollinate better.

Another thing I'm trying is crushing pecan shells (and cracked rotten pecans) pretty fine and mixing them in. It lightens the soil, but I'm not sure if it does much else. I'm also crushing hardwood lump charcoal down pretty small then soaking it in fertilizer and lactobacillus to see if I can get something like tera preta going.

I have no tractor in suburbia, so breaking the ground is going to be a challenge. The tiller definitely does not like it. But it's st augustine grass over typical houston gumbo, so it needs some serious help.

Last year I had tons of cucumbers, far more than we could eat, until they got something and died back. Did a little corn and hope to improve. Tomatoes are easy enough. Also doing squash, zucchini, eggplant, chard, and collards.

 

[jordanmills]

Oh I also am working on putting together a grow box that is mostly enclosed and piping the condensation drip from the AC into it. If I can get that working right, it should let me grow lettuce in the summer using "waste cooling".

 

[popper]

grow lettuce in the summer using "waste cooling". Good luck with that, I tried years ago in DFW. Nice thick bitter leaves. Needs cool weather to grow anything but kale. Helped make gopher baskets couple weeks ago for the kids place, they planted a bunch of fruit trees, didn't get the pecans in the ground yet.

 

[jordanmills]

grow lettuce in the summer using "waste cooling". Good luck with that, I tried years ago in DFW. Nice thick bitter leaves. Needs cool weather to grow anything but kale. Helped make gopher baskets couple weeks ago for the kids place, they planted a bunch of fruit trees, didn't get the pecans in the ground yet.

Well the idea is to keep it cool so it doesn't go bitter and bolt. Target temperatures are 60-65 F, so I think I have a chance.

 

[Younggun]

I just got some of mine tilled yesterday. Then started barfing. Stomach bug going around my family. I have an old tiller that my neighbor gave me that I got running again, but it seems a little dangerous. No dead mans switch, and if you let go while it's running and engaged, it will just keep going. Also I still have some buried roots in the bed, so that makes it a lot harder.

I learned on a tiller like this when I was around 12 or 13. I had to lean back the entire time or it would drag me around the garden, lol.

But it was old and heavy. Did a much better job than most similarly sized consumer tillers for sale today. Probably better than the nice big self propelled tillers, but at 10 times the work. You could bury that old one up to the engine if you wanted. Had to rebuild the engine after using it a couple times. OLD Briggs and Stratton on it. Good memories.


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[Axxe55]

I mainly want to grow vegetables to make salsa out of. And I want make some homemade pickles too. Also planning on doing some herbs as well. I'll use some small grow boxes so they can stay on the back porch.

 

[Axxe55]

I got the trick from an old timer and it seemed to help me out. Maybe we have dumber birds….

good luck

I can remember my grandparents would hang those shiny tin pie pans in the fruit trees to scare the birds away.

 

[jordanmills]

I learned on a tiller like this when I was around 12 or 13. I had to lean back the entire time or it would drag me around the garden, lol.

But it was old and heavy. Did a much better job than most similarly sized consumer tillers for sale today. Probably better than the nice big self propelled tillers, but at 10 times the work. You could bury that old one up to the engine if you wanted. Had to rebuild the engine after using it a couple times. OLD Briggs and Stratton on it. Good memories.


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Good times. This one might be about old enough to be that one. It's a troy-bilt horse junior with with a Tecumseh HH-40 engine. Neighbor gave it to me I guess because it didn't run and he didn't want to deal with it. New fuel lines and replacement carb and she runs solid and starts on the first pull.

It just likes pulling off in any random direction if the tines don't bite.

 

[Younggun]

Good times. This one might be about old enough to be that one. It's a troy-bilt horse junior with with a Tecumseh HH-40 engine. Neighbor gave it to me I guess because it didn't run and he didn't want to deal with it. New fuel lines and replacement carb and she runs solid and starts on the first pull.

It just likes pulling off in any random direction if the tines don't bite.

That’s how that one handles. If it got to bouncing it was liable to grab and take off randomly. Once it was buried up pretty good it was fairly controllable, but still made for a heck of a workout.

I kind of miss it.


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[Axxe55]

Hauled three loads of cow manure yesterday from the pasture.

 

[Younggun]

Planted green beans, potato’s, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers for slicing and pickling, lettuce, and corn today. Waiting for things to warm up a little more for the okra and black eye peas. Got 2 rows left in the garden to fill with something.

Second pic is the corn patch.

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[Axxe55]

Went over to my father's house yesterday and got six more big tubs for planters. Wife picked up squash, cucumber and green onion seeds the other day. Just waiting on the last frost day to get started planting.

 

[Axxe55]

Planted green beans, potato’s, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers for slicing and pickling, lettuce, and corn today. Waiting for things to warm up a little more for the okra and black eye peas. Got 2 rows left in the garden to fill with something.

Second pic is the corn patch.

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That's a nice size garden!

 

[Sam7sf]

Younggun awesome thread. Good luck on the corn.

I planted a test run of lavender in late December. Ended up doing ok. My methods deviated from the instructions to save time but they seem to work.

 

[BuzzinSATX]

If you like asparagus, plant seeds now but understand you won’t be eating any until next year. But asparagus is a perennial grass and will grow more and better every year if cut back periodically. Plant at least 3-4 dozen seeds. If fertilized and watered, over time it will take care of itself.

 

[BuzzinSATX]

Another plant that will thrive with a little love is blackberries. Plant them around the perimeter on the west side to help block afternoon sun. They will thrive with a little water and attention. So will goji berry bushes.