2018 Garden Thread

[DChance]

On 2/4/2018 at 9:11 AM, jdmidwest said:

 

Ok I need some help with fruits. We moved to a property with peaches, tame blackberries, grapes, and I have planted strawberries last year.  

1. I sprayed peaches religiously last year and they seemed to be doing great, but slowly lost fruit until harvest time, and by the time they were ripe I had barely any fruit. only a couple trees had any left. 

2. My blackberries turned out well, but i see you all talk about pruning them back. What is the rule of thumb yearly practice on this?

3. My grapes are also weak.....not sure about these, what is the care for grapes? 

4. Lastly, just planted strwaberries last year and they are doing great, but I want to transplant them to a different larger bed.....is this as simple as digging them up and transplanting or is there a specific process? 

thanks all.

[BilletHead]

     Mr. Chance,

  Don't know much except the Blackberries. The ones I had I just trained the new shoots up and then back into the ground to reroot. As far as pruning you should do that now. The shoots that produced berries last season need to cut off at ground level and pulled out,

   Billethead 

 

[ness]

Haven’t done blackberries, mine are black raspberries. But I think they work about the same. Once a cane has borne fruit it should be pruned out in late summer. These older canes will look woody and won’t bear fruit again. I think you’d be fine doing that now. Then there’s the general clean up this time of year to reduce the overall size and open up the plant and encourage growth. 

Should be able to dig up strawberries and move them if they’re just a year old. They’re pretty tough. They will eventually peter out and need to be replaced. 

[BilletHead]

           Self wicking planter tub?

  So I have been reading and watching you tube on self watering planters using a wick or capillary action to water your plants. Several links for using double or stacked five gallon buckets. I know it all depends on height you are trying to water and what your dirt or potting soil will draw upwards. I am sure there is a formula for this but I am a hack and we will see what these will do. My tomatoes and peppers do root clear to the bottom of my tubs so I may have to water direct to soil at first until roots get deep enough and once that happens I should be golden. I use the containers cattlemen feed supplement to the heard. These things are everywhere and I have found if you ask the farmers have some stashed somewhere on the farm. You need two of them for each planter. I am making a few for a test and see how it goes. For mine I am using standard sewer drain pipe and inch and a quarter water pipe. Depending on how your tubs slide together will depend on how deep your well will be. I cut three pieces of the sewer pipe for the upper tub to rest on the lower tub.

  Then a section of the same pipe and draw a circle and cut it out of the upper bucket and slide it in. This will be your wicking chimney of sorts. Drill lots of little holes in this all the way around. Then lots of holes in the bottom of the upper bucket bottom. Section your watering pipe and cut an angle on one end. Hole in upper tub to insert it,

  See where we are going yet? Will need a side drain hole in bottom tub approx. where the inner upper tub rests on your spacers,

  Put your inner in your outer . Then push your holey wicking center pipe tight to the bottom,

   Fill with your potting mix. Pack tight in wicking pipe and then to the top,

  So in theory you water down the small filling pipe and it fills the bottom, when full it will drain out the side hole. Water will wick up to plant. We will see how it works this summer. If it works it will save allot of water in BilletHeadVille. I got two made this afternoon. First one the well will hold a little over four gallons of water. The second one I made to hold five gallons even to the overflow,

  BilletHead

[jdmidwest]

8 hours ago, BilletHead said:

            hahahahha,

       What's your rush? Do you remember the story about the old and young bull on the hill looking over the big heard of heifers in the valley below?   

BilletHead

Ness won"t be able to see them over all the tomato bushes sitting in the window sill waiting for the snow to melt.

[ness]

1 hour ago, jdmidwest said:

Ness won"t be able to see them over all the tomato bushes sitting in the window sill waiting for the snow to melt.

Oh, you guys just keep it up. When I’m eating BLTs in June and you guys are looking at marble-sized maters I’ll get my revenge!!!

[BilletHead]

8 minutes ago, ness said:

Oh, you guys just keep it up. When I’m eating BLTs in June and you guys are looking at marble-sized maters I’ll get my revenge!!!

           We are counting on your early harvest, that and an address and google maps. A treat for the dogs while you are at work. Yep that is all we need . If lettuce is out of season I will bring that and the bacon, skillet and portable stove. Hope I don't start a fire on your dry cracked deck. I will try to time it with a fresh rain,

  BilletHead

  PS Hope Ruby doesn't insist on lobster tail infused treats.

[Stein]

On 3/6/2018 at 9:37 AM, tho1mas said:

Lettuce in the raised garden came up yesterday. Too small for picture. Also, my indoor broccoli has one little start. Broccoli is new for me - anyone had any luck or problems with it?

We grow it every year but not from seed but purchased starts.  My wife just plants a 6 pack and what we get is what we get.  Quality varies every year from good, dense heads to thinner, spindly heads.  Pretty low maintenance and don't seem to be  bothered by pests.

[tho1mas]

Thanks - not many folks seem to grow  it.

[ness]

14 minutes ago, tho1mas said:

Thanks - not many folks seem to grow  it.

Checked my notes -- last grew it in 1993