Garden 08 - Page 5 - Machine Underground -Tractor & Commercial Equipment Discussion Forum

Mickey · 08-28-2008, 02:41 PM

Well, things are moving along and we've had fresh corn out of the garden twice this week. Looks like it will be time to start putting up our yrs supply within a next few days. The critters like this time of yr as both the dog and cat enjoy fresh corn.

Corn is running a week or two behind this yr in this area. Still early enough for the farmers to get their harvest in to the processors. One thing noted this yr, I've not seen anyone top their corn fields. This is SOP in this area. Maybe the cost of fuel is playing a part on this.

Our second planting is catching up and is maybe 1-2 weeks behind the first planting.

To date we've gotten maybe 6-8 small tomatoes. Most plants are looking good, lot of small fruit but not many wripening. A relative has recently mentioned they are also having a hard time with their tomatoes this year.

Oh, have harvested a few Cantilopes. Small but very tasty. Don't think we are going to have any fruit from the prune and plum trees this yr.

vansimplement · 08-28-2008, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickey

Mark, if you can e-mail me some of your tomatoes, I sure be thankful. As I've mentioned before, this has been the worst yr for them in the almost 40 yrs we've planetd a garden. Check out the pic. That is a tomato plant that has been in the gound close to 3 months and hasn't grown an inch. Have about 10-12 plants that will never produce any fruit this yr.
.

Well, maybe your tomaters just need more Shasta Tiki Mist... I'll bet that would help them grow. It's got what plants crave!
(A little joke probably lost on anyone who hasn't seen the movie Idiocracy)

**Ducati996** · 08-28-2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mickey

Well, things are moving along and we've had fresh corn out of the garden twice this week. Looks like it will be time to start putting up our yrs supply within a next few days. The critters like this time of yr as both the dog and cat enjoy fresh corn.

Corn is running a week or two behind this yr in this area. Still early enough for the farmers to get their harvest in to the processors. One thing noted this yr, I've not seen anyone top their corn fields. This is SOP in this area. Maybe the cost of fuel is playing a part on this.

Our second planting is catching up and is maybe 1-2 weeks behind the first planting.

To date we've gotten maybe 6-8 small tomatoes. Most plants are looking good, lot of small fruit but not many ripening. A relative has recently mentioned they are also having a hard time with their tomatoes this year.

Oh, have harvested a few Cantaloupes. Small but very tasty. Don't think we are going to have any fruit from the prune and plum trees this yr.

What do you think is affecting the tomato crop this year for you? not enough organic fert? Tomato's here are non-stop, I have 16 plants pumping out more than we can handle. Plum, beefsteak and others from Italy and they are humming along. My soil and weather is decent -not too dry and not crazy wet. Temps 75-80 for a while now...String beans are doing great, cucumbers too. Cantaloupe looks great on outside, but zero taste inside. We wont bother with them anymore always the same bland taste...
Pumpkins are really doing well this year - dont know why either. Corn was a 2 row experiment which didnt turn out well...so its a mixed bag this year for me. I would like to have a great corn harvest next year, but dont know what Im doing wrong, or the birds decimate the crop

Mickey · 08-28-2008, 10:19 PM

I'm not sure the cause for the tomatoes. I've been gardening for more than 35 yrs and seems like each yr there are one or two crops that doesn't do well. Typ try and plant more than we can use to cover our bases on the poor yield. Don't think it is working out this yr for the tomatoes. Typ we plant about 24-26 plants of various varieties. This yr I planted about 32. Six or eight didn't do anything. The others were slow in their growth but typ we have a few early fruit in July. The fruit I've picked so far is somewhere in size between a golf ball and a baseball. I even have 4-5 Brandywine plants and usually the small ones are around a lb each. Don't see anything approaching that size this yr.

Cukes, squish and melons are/were a few weeks late but was expecting that due to the extended cool wet spring. Planted some watermelons and they didn't even sprout. Much of the other crops did OK, just a little late compared to most yrs.

**gunmaker** · 08-29-2008, 12:57 AM

My cold crops did poorly this year. Tomatoes are plentiful on the vine, but have not ripened yet. We've had a nice crop of sweetcorn, but not enough to can. Beans were decent. Got a couple of melons and cantelope. Cukes did real well.
Duc, ya gotta plant at least 4 rows of corn for them to grow and be fruitful.
Ahhh well, I quess I'll start planning next years garden, this one has been dissappointing.

Mark / Ohio · 08-29-2008, 01:53 AM

My one tomato now has produced about 8 ripe ones. Others are complaining of the slow ripening here then again across town someone says theirs are fine. I think it has been the uneven moisture here causing part of the problem. We went from a soggy June to a dry hot July and August with very hit miss showers and storms. I did not do any additional plantings yet and getting a little late now. It was just too dry and hot to bother. Yesterday (Wednesday) though we had light rain all day with temps holding in the 60's. That was sure welcome relief. I may throw some turnips and lettuce in this weekend for the heck of it. But I took down my fence several weeks ago and otherwise have pretty much thrown in the towel for this years garden. Supposed to get on the hot side again next week. Still have a list of things I need to get done before the cool weather comes to stay that will keep me busy enough from now on this year.

Mickey · 08-29-2008, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gunmaker

My cold crops did poorly this year. Tomatoes are plentiful on the vine, but have not ripened yet. We've had a nice crop of sweetcorn, but not enough to can. Beans were decent. Got a couple of melons and cantelope. Cukes did real well.
Duc, ya gotta plant at least 4 rows of corn for them to grow and be fruitful.
Ahhh well, I quess I'll start planning next years garden, this one has been dissappointing.

Have to second the comment on planting corn. Corn has to be cross pollinated so what ever you plant, try and make the planted area a sq and not just one long single row. We freeze our corn and typ cut it off the cob. We'll do more than a hundred ears. Think we'll harvest and freeze corn on Mon. With the 2 plantings, we should have corn for a number of weeks.

Mickey · 09-02-2008, 12:57 PM

Well, yesterday was the day for putting up corn. Got out faily early and picked what was ready from the first planting. Head, actually ear count was 95 ears. Eat a few ears for lunch and then got started. Finished up with 44 packages of corn (off the cob) and in the freezer. Still about a third of the 1st plant left and second planting should start yielding some ripe ears by the first of next week unless winter starts setting in this week.

Mickey · 09-22-2008, 02:42 PM

Fall is in the air and the garden is on it's last legs. Kids were down yesterday and DIL wanted to take home some fresh veggies and fruit. Parlayed the harvesting into a great dinner meal. Dinner consisted of a chicken on the grill and 4 different veggies. Second planting of corn is past prime but still acceptable. Additionally harvested and fixed beets, chard & Zucchini for dinner. And to satisfy the sweet tooth we harvested 5 or so pounds of grapes. And did this while chomping on an apple off one of the trees.

Granddaughter is all set for Halloween and want to know if we had any pumpkins. Have one hill with 6-8 nice sized pumpkins. She now has her name on one of them.

**LoneCowboy** · 09-22-2008, 04:48 PM

We got a watermelon
Yes, really, out of Denver Colorado, 5000 ft elevation on a cool spring and we got a watermelon. Man, it's good. Might get another one if the weather holds for a little more.
We tried it (said what the hey, let's try) and there ya go. We've gotten canteloupe too the last few years.

Probably got one more big set of canning on the tomato's and then those are done. Still supposed to be 70/80's this week.