2020 Garden Thread.

[Deadstream]

2 hours ago, Fish24/7 said:

Belgium tomato seeds

Belgium Seeds.   Its all good, enjoy.

[Fish24/7]

8 hours ago, Deadstream said:

Belgium Seeds.   Its all good, enjoy.

If mother nature provides like last year I want to try making wine with the fruit. 

[jdmidwest]

Noticed some of the stuff coming up finally here.  No pics, but it was the spinach I planted.

Traveling around this weekend.  Things are greening up down south of here like spring.  Everything south of HWY 60 has Bradford pears blooming out and things greening up.  Jackson Tn was budding leaves on trees.

[Fish24/7]

Planted 40 Belgium tomatoes. 36 sprouted,kept 25 of the healthiest looking.

All I'm messing with this year is tomatoes,peppers,beans,corn,and some flowers.

Really want to focus on the tomatoes this year. I had so many compliments on last year's crop. I want to make sure I have repeat customers again,and have already had people calling me asking if I will have them again this year. I'll be selling the starter plants this year too. Should have about 50 hopefully. Can only have about 20 in the house ,no room for more. The rest will have to be started outdoors after the last frost I guess.

I'm doing an entirely different set up in the garden than last year. I'm going to try to maximize the height of the Belgiums in a horizontal  method this time. Want to have at least 25-30 plants in the garden this year. But may have to cut back depends on how big they get. All the holes are dug,filled and waiting. I'm using amended yard dirt just like last year but I went the extra mile on soil preparation with special amendments this year. Spent a little more to do that but the goal is to maximize the harvest.

 

 

[Fish24/7]

Here's what I got this year.

HGO premium soil conditioner is loaded with nutrients and silica

Jobe's All Purpose

Jobe's Organic Bone Meal

Jobe's Organic blood meal

Jobe's Vegetable and Tomato

I like Jobe's food because of the biozome

ESPOMA garden Tone this has some really good stuff in it plus 3 kinds of bacillus I believe and humic acid

Scott's premium top soil with organic matter and peat

I'm a firm believer in feeding the dirt as well as  feeding the plants.

All this stuff isn't just for tomatoes but for everything I'm growing.

All used in moderation at different times throughout the growing season based on what the plants need.

 

The Belgium plants are heavy feeders though. I underestimated them the first year and have plenty to offer them this go around after experimenting with feeding schedules last year. They are my favorite 😊

 

 

[ness]

Here's my small garden roster:

Bean: Dragon Tongue, Kentucky Wonder bush
Beet: Cylindra
Lettuce: Forellenschluss, Red Salad Bowl, Slo Bolt, Tom Thumb, Webb’s Wonderful, Yugoslavian Red
Pea: Sugar Bon
Pepper: Jimmy Nardello, Sweet Banana
Radish: Early Scarlet Globe, French Breakfast, Watermelon
Swiss Chard: Fordhook Giant
Tomato: Black Krim, Brandywine (Sudduth’s), Celebrity, Cherokee Purple, Gold Rush Currant, Sun Gold

The only new things are the Gold Rush Currant tomato and Tom Thumb butterhead lettuce. Haven't done a currant tomato before. We like the little, sweeter cherries in certain applications. These are yellow/orange. Here's the description from Seed Savers Exchange:

Gold Rush Currant Tomato (2020)
(Solanum pimpinellifolium) Very early maturing variety with a heavy set of ¼” fruits borne in trusses of 10-12. Excellent tomato flavor. Sprawling growth habit. Indeterminate, 75-80 days from transplant. (SSE)

 

[Fish24/7]

Sounds beautiful and colorful and delicious ness!

I forgot about the lettuce! Mine didn't come up first go around ,guess to cold or too wet

[ness]

1 minute ago, Fish24/7 said:

Sounds beautiful and colorful and delicious Ness!

Thanks. I do place some emphasis on aesthetics.
 

Really getting the itch!! 70 degrees today, but 39 tomorrow though. 

[Fish24/7]

Frost Saturday night here !

Me too I enjoy my flowers just as much as the veggies ,colors and arrangements are important!

[ness]

Well, my babies got to go outside this morning. They could have been out many times by now, but I'm moving kinda slow right at the moment. We're  4/15 last frost date here, so I'll have this stuff out in the garden pretty soon. Need to get the beet, pea, radish and Swiss chard started!!

I've had these under fluorescent lights. This year I've left the lights right on top of them without raising them as they grow. I think this has helped give the tomatoes a little stockier stem. Still a little spindly, but not as bad as previous years. Lettuce looks good too.