It's time...for the 2018 Garden Thread.

[Cooter Brown]

1 hour ago, 61bhs said:

Look what I found in the garden this morning while planting giant sunflowers!

That's fantastic.  How far are you from Cahokia?

[Yukon1]

I have two 4x8 ft raised beds which I planted this past weekend. Tomatoes (cherry, slicers and plum), peppers, cukes, summer squash, broccoli, parsnips, spinach, green beans and red beans.

Here is a picture of last year's garden taken in August. 

 

 

[Felix]

Had a decent crop of asparagus this year. Now I'll quit harvesting and let it grow out for the year.

 

 

I'm going with minimal garden this year due to a heavy summer schedule.  Small amounts of tomatoes, beans, peas, zucchini and cucumbers.  And a small herb garden.

 

 

[Felix]

 

I like it best on the grill.  This batch was oven roasted last week.

[61bhs]

I live in the Illinois river valley at mile 88.  I would think that I am 100 miles north as the crow flys above Monks mound. Beardstown was founded in 1829 on the banks of the river.  At that time there were several large mounds on the river banks that were moved to the low spots of which my garden was one .  In the fields around here before notill became the method I walked the fields and found as many as 20 to 40 artifacts a day.  I have never sold any of my finds but have given a few away. This is my largest find.

[Brad Eden]

I'm amazed. As I've  mentioned before, prior to this new place I had large in ground tilled gardens that produced copious vegetables to the point the kids sold them out front. I inherited ten 4x8 raised beds at new place. I learned why after trying to stick a shovel in the ground. It's all rocky gravel here, basically untillable. It's been a learning experience since I've been trying to bring back the soil with dubious results compared to the old place. I finally decided to try black plastic mulch this year. I typicallly avoid that and opt for mulching with straw because it's more "natural" and looks better. Well, I've never seem my vegetables grow so fast and look so healthy before. Usually after cool 50's down to low 40's at night temps like we have been having my vegetables are shivering and struggling and stunted. Not with the black plastic. I'm hoping this maintains til fruition.

[Kansas Big Dog]

I grow pickling cucumbers and can spicy dill pickles. Last year I canned about 60 quarts. I still have a dozen left from last year. My cukes are blooming well so I think I will not run out. 

 

 

I also can tomatoes. Crushed and sauce. I used my last quart of crushed last week, but I have half a dozen quarts of sauce left. I normally do 60 quarts of crushed using a hybrid celebrity variety of tomatoes. I also do 60  quarts of sauce. For sauce I use an heirloom Amish paste variety. These are my celebrities. 

 

 

 

You can  barely make them out, but I just set out 25 heirloom brandywine variety next to the celebrity for slicing and blts. It has been extremely dry, but we got a good rain last night which is nice. I have a well I water from so water is not an issue. 

 

This last picture is my asparagus patch. I set out 250 roots 2 years ago and let them go this year because it was so dry. I picked maybe 10 pounds we ate. Hopefully next year I will have enough to sell. 

 

 

[Kansas Big Dog]

Here is the asparagus patch. The ferns are 5 to 6 feet tall. 

[Marc Ret]

1 hour ago, Kansas Big Dog said:

Here is the asparagus patch. The ferns are 5 to 6 feet tall. 

 

When I was a child, my father had an asparagus patch that was roughly 25'x80'. Without fail, every year he would give away the first cutting to friends, family and church acquaintances. I hated the vile weed. Now my father is gone, the asparagus patch was tilled and turned to lawn and I love the stuff. 

 

I can't help but think of him when I see a pic like yours. 

[dogrunner]

My berries are just starting and tasting good.  

[dogrunner]

Kale is growing like weeds. 

[Korthaar]

I've picked two rounds of beans so far and set for another picking tomorrow. Have some salsa peppers and zucchini already. 

[Brad Eden]

Overrun with Kale, lettuce, and spinach. On second planting of radishes since I eat them like a snack. Summer and zucchini squashes flowered and a few inches long. All else greened up and flourishing and waiting to "veg out". Some cuke plants got hit by some sort of bug or maybe a magnesium deficiency. Not dead but struggling. Trying to bring them back with epsom salt mixed with water and some Neem oil/water spray. Tomato plants starting to flower and I see some tiny 'matoes forming. I'll take a photo later and post the progress.

[SelbyLowndes]

On 6/6/2018 at 7:49 PM, 61bhs said:

I live in the Illinois river valley at mile 88.  I would think that I am 100 miles north as the crow flys above Monks mound. Beardstown was founded in 1829 on the banks of the river.  At that time there were several large mounds on the river banks that were moved to the low spots of which my garden was one .  In the fields around here before notill became the method I walked the fields and found as many as 20 to 40 artifacts a day.  I have never sold any of my finds but have given a few away. This is my largest find.

 

 

Good mano and matate.  From looks I'll bet they buried that one every year as they moved about.  Too heavy looking for even the squaws to carry around...SelbyLowndes

[polecat]

Picked 2 tomatoes and some zuccs today. Had my first tomato June 19 one day earlier than last year.