2012 Garden Off To A Start.

[Midwest troutbum]

Some of the smaller tomato varieties, except for Roma's were a challenge to grow last year in St. Louis. The high humidity provided a ideal environment for plant diseases to thrive. They keep a stronghold and we faught hard for the few and considerably smaller tomatoes on our plot. Hope to keep the diseases at bay this year by planting plants further apart, keeping more in containers or our raised beds thus providing better air circulation. Limiting our selection to disease resistant strains will help, as well as close regulating any supplemental water and nutrients but inevitably it will be up to mother nature to provide the best natural conditions.

[jdmidwest]

Lettuce and radishes have come up and are looking fine.

I am going to try my first beehive this year if I can get a start of bees. Last few years, plants have bloomed and bloomed but never produced fruit. I hardly ever see bees pollinating them. So I am getting a hive and the equipment. I will be working with a local beekeeper to get a start of bees. When I get one established, I will split it and move one out to the farm.

[ness]

Some of the smaller tomato varieties, except for Roma's were a challenge to grow last year in St. Louis. The high humidity provided a ideal environment for plant diseases to thrive. They keep a stronghold and we faught hard for the few and considerably smaller tomatoes on our plot. Hope to keep the diseases at bay this year by planting plants further apart, keeping more in containers or our raised beds thus providing better air circulation. Limiting our selection to disease resistant strains will help, as well as close regulating any supplemental water and nutrients but inevitably it will be up to mother nature to provide the best natural conditions.

Yeah, same in KC. 100+ temps in late July and early August were tough on things. I try to keep maters pruned pretty well for better air circulation. And hit them with a copper-based fungicide at the first sign of trouble.

Everything's under lights at my house. I think my Black from Tula tomato seeds are a bust. Gonna have to get my hands on some more.

[3wt]

Already did my first tilling of clover second till is comming on soon and ill add in 8 striper carcasses and some peat moss. after that ill let it sit 4 weeks and tille weekly till about the first of may then in goes the Peppers, Maters ( California Beef Steaks) Okra, Cantelope, Water mellon cucumber and carrot. I love having my veggies right outside the door.

Im going ot do some hanging herb gardens as well this year.

Why so much tilling? I just till to loosen and amend and plant.

[3wt]

Some of the smaller tomato varieties, except for Roma's were a challenge to grow last year in St. Louis. The high humidity provided a ideal environment for plant diseases to thrive. They keep a stronghold and we faught hard for the few and considerably smaller tomatoes on our plot. Hope to keep the diseases at bay this year by planting plants further apart, keeping more in containers or our raised beds thus providing better air circulation. Limiting our selection to disease resistant strains will help, as well as close regulating any supplemental water and nutrients but inevitably it will be up to mother nature to provide the best natural conditions.

I've tried all that and still got blight something awful last year. I get some almost every year.

I'm trying to do some drip irrigation this year. I'm also doing all heirloom tomatoes, so arguably less disease resistance in those varieties. I break down and use daconil as an antifungal. Works better as a preventative so I won't wait until there are problems. Fairly safe as far as chemicals go.

[ness]

What heirloom tomatoes are you doing? I mentioned Black from Tula was a bust above, but they have since sprouted. Also doing Brandywine, Amish Paste, Cherokee Purple. Most of the other veggies are heirloom too.

[exiledguide]

Lettuce and radishes have come up and are looking fine.

I am going to try my first beehive this year if I can get a start of bees. Last few years, plants have bloomed and bloomed but never produced fruit. I hardly ever see bees pollinating them. So I am getting a hive and the equipment. I will be working with a local beekeeper to get a start of bees. When I get one established, I will split it and move one out to the farm.

We just got a catalog today that listed a hive for Mason Bees supposed to be 20 times the pollinator of the honeybee and non agressive. I never heard of them. Any info about them?

[exiledguide]

We just started gardening last year and have a lot to learn. This year I'd like to focus on bell peppers which didn't grow well for us last year. Any suggestions?

If I can find themm I really like to grow Gypsy peppers. Not as big as the big bell but as sweet as Bannana peppers but big enough to stuff.

[jdmidwest]

We just got a catalog today that listed a hive for Mason Bees supposed to be 20 times the pollinator of the honeybee and non agressive. I never heard of them. Any info about them?

From the little info I have gleaned from past experience and current research, bees have been bred for many years by bee keepers to try and get preferred characteristics. Of course you want gentle and good pollinators. Nobody wants to mess with an angry beehive when it comes time to move them or collect honey.

A quick search shows the mason as a certain species of bee that makes a mud nest and is not really for honey or hives. It is not a colony bee, it is a solitary bee. But it does pollinate. So does the bumble bee, which may be the same thing, but it bores holes in wood and makes a mess. You do not have to buy a hive or mess with them, from the looks of it, you just let them go wild. Kinda like the ladybugs you buy for pest control.

http://www.masonbeesforsale.com/

[exiledguide]

From the little info I have gleaned from past experience and current research, bees have been bred for many years by bee keepers to try and get preferred characteristics. Of course you want gentle and good pollinators. Nobody wants to mess with an angry beehive when it comes time to move them or collect honey.

A quick search shows the mason as a certain species of bee that makes a mud nest and is not really for honey or hives. It is not a colony bee, it is a solitary bee. But it does pollinate. So does the bumble bee, which may be the same thing, but it bores holes in wood and makes a mess. You do not have to buy a hive or mess with them, from the looks of it, you just let them go wild. Kinda like the ladybugs you buy for pest control.

http://www.masonbeesforsale.com/

Thanks for the info next question is there anywhere lady bugs are sold in the area I had some shipped to me when I lived in central Arkansas had to pay a ton to have them air shipped to me and my yuppie nieghbors complained about me infesting there yards with bugs.