Weeds in the garden

I was going to build one four by eight bed last fall to plant peppers in this spring. They had crossties on sale for $5 a piece and I wound up building 2 twenty food beds. My wife is going to shoot me because I've got the yen to build one more bed. I want to plant some aspargus. Don't tell her, I'm keeping it a secret until I've got all the materials at the house.

Your garden looks fabulous Jim! Your squash is a monster - lol...

What kind of 'maters are those in the last pic?

Living in the city, I can only dream of that much space... Sigh...

Jim,
How big is your lot? It looks like a farm? What do you do with all the produce? It is a beauty and a lot of work!!! You must be retired to maintain this huge garden. I have to post my veggie garden after I animal proof it. Belle

I have an acre where I live. There are farms all around me. Where I have the garden is off on the east side of my yard. It really isn't all that big of a spot. Most of the acre is in house, a big storage building and a big yard. I resigned my full time church about three years ago and took an associate pastorate so we could move back home and in our house. I am not close to being retired. I'm usually at the hospital two or three days a week and we average about five to ten home visits. Most of my spare time is spent in the yard. It takes a lot of work to keep it up. The raised beds really don't take much time or labor once the beds are built and filled. The slow part was always keeping it watered. I spent a lot of time this spring building an irriigation system.

We eat a lot of what we produce and put up some. I have a son that lives about 40 miles from me and we keep him in produce. Both my wife and I have a sister that lives close and we keep them supplied. Then there are about fifteen elderly widows at my church that we share with. You'd be surprised at the young folks that hint for fresh veggies and they'd take all I'd pick and carry to them. I figure if they weren't so lasy and would put up their toys they could raise a garden of their own.

I'll soon be 69.

Just my comment on weeds stealing nutrients.

If it grows in the ground it is taking up moisture and nutrients. You just have to make up your mind what you want to water and feed. I prefer it to be my vegetables and not a weed.

Another question for Jim...

How close are your tomatoes planted? They look pretty close and I heard that they won't produce well unless they are 16-24" apart.

I plant two wide in my bed and then three feet from plant to plant. Take a look at this picture and see if you think they'll produce.

This is just one limb that came out of the cage. You can see the cluster behind it, what you can't see is a cluste with about ten tomatoes right behind the limb that is out side of the cage and they are like that all the way up. All sixteen are loaded like that. The best of the bunch is the Amelias.

Jim - You may have already shared this - but what do you feed with and what time of day do you water? I don't know if you are allowed to give brand names - but I am just so impressed with your garden I would be thankful if you could share some tips. I love looking at a garden bursting at the seams and spilling over with fruits and vegetables - not weeds. We share with as many neighbors as we can. The rest we take to a food pantry - because families who pick up food boxes - get a lot of canned /processed food - their children need fresh greens to grow up strong.
Thanks for sharing the pics.

Wow Jim... That is some garden you have there... Billy would be in Heaven..

I just started putting a teaspoon of Miracle Grow around each tomato plant and watering it in. I started this 3 weeks ago. The only other thing I fertilized was the green beans and butter beans. There color didn't look right so between each hill I dug a hole and put about a tablespoon full of ammonia nitrate fertilizer. Other that that I just let the compost do the job.

I ran pvc pipe down the length of both sides of the beds. On the bean rows I drilled the smallest hole I could, every twelve inchs. Were there was a cage or cabbage, I drilled a hole. This sped up the watering process and was more efficient than hand watering. I ran the water as slow as I could to get a good soaking with out it running out the bottom. I can just turn it on and let it run and do something else. It waters the whole bed at one time. Usually takes an hour or so. I water in the morning if I am at home then. I have watered in the afternoon a couple of times and it is ok because I'm not getting the foliage wet. I have to water every three days. If we get a good rain which we've had little of, I water three days after the rain. My beds are loose and airy and won't retain water for a prolonged time.

Weeding is not a problem. Compost done right is virtually weed and grass free. I have a little coco and bermuda occasionally that comes from the bottom and that is about it. I have a few morning glories that come up, also. I try to check for them a couple of times a week.

Thanks for all the good comments on the garden. I garden because I like to and because I like fresh vegetables. I raise a lot more than I can use but that is a joy, because you can share. I have several little widow ladies in my church that would never have fresh produce except for the excess.

This message was edited May 24, 2010 11:06 PM

Jim41,
Your success and sharing is what Dave's Garden is all about!

Please forgive me for having you post the pics, but you have given us all a visual of what is possible. Thanks for your willingness to answer all the questions (that're gonna keep on coming...) we have in hopes of replicating your success.

I do realize we all come from different gardening zones/conditions, and that our successes will all be different. But, having your example, a real person we can identify with, and not just a picture in a magazine with no voice, makes all the difference.

Hugs to you on your giving heart, too. The widows are truly blessed!

And, if I might be so bold, I suggest your start some weekend classes for those lazy young adults. I suspect there are far more who might actually show up to learn than those who just hold out their hands....

And make em' earn their educations, too! They'll appreciate it more!

2 Thessalonians 3:10...

Linda, who is trying to
"Feed the world, one eBucket at a time!"

Thanks for the comments, Linda. I do have one young lady who is learning how to garden. On top of that she is a transplant from Mich. She was so disappointed last year trying to raise stuff in the ground. She lives where the black land starts and gumbo, while good for corn, soybeans and cotton, is not gardening soil. I talked her into building raised beds and she is so happy with them. She was constantly asking me questions about what to put in them and what to plant and a multitude of other gardening questions. Her husband asked why she didn't ask him, he'd been planting seeds all his life. She told him that he knew how to raise corn and cotton but Bro. Jim knew how to grow vegetables. (Her husband farms about 5,000 acres.) I carried her some new potatoes yesterday and looked at her beds. The are great and has cabbage, cukes and squash that are better than mine.

I think everyone on DG has a specialty. Mine seems to be growing cabbages in 5-gallon eBuckets!

Here's the very first cabbage I ever grew in an eBucket. Didn't have a worm hole anywhere in it. The head came in at about 11 lbs.

I was so new to gardening, I planted three cabbages at the BEGINNING of our brutal summer heat, kept em' alive through the summer, they took off in the fall, grew all winter, and I picked this one 9 months to the day I planted it.

Talk about labor and delivery!

Whew!

Now, I've learned a thing or two about growing cabbages...

This message was edited May 25, 2010 12:26 PM

Good looking cabbage for sure. I love cabbage. I cut one the other day and Jo cooked it with new potatoes and I had got my first couple of squash and she cut them up and put them in to. A little cornbread and I was in "Hog Heaven" as we red necks like to say.

Jim,
What're you growing potatoes in?

To date, I'm strictly container gardening. This is my first time growing potatoes. I've got Red Fingerlings, Kennebecs, Purple Vikings, and Yukons. Here's my potato patch. How's this for efficiency?

Gardening is an ever learning experience. I learn something new all the time. This winter I learned that lettuce won't die when the temps get in the twentys. I learned that carrots will grow in below freezing weather. I also learned on Dave's that I knew more than I thought I did. Been a time or two I was able to help someone solve a problem. I also learned that city folks could raise a big portion of their own veggies if they had the will. You guys have really got to love it to use all the different containers you use. Where I live, everyone has plenty of room and most have the tools to garden and don't.

And, I just harvested these over the weekend. They're tiny as all get out (that's a VERY small bowl of fingerlings - I think -- I lost track of what was planted where...), but I'm tickled pink with how EZ it was to grow them in the washing machine tubs, and the two SmartPots.

Next time, more, more, more!

That is pretty neat, girl. I used the last of my big dump truck load of gin compost this spring and I took my Midas tiller and tilled it up as good as I could. Took my hoe and build rows and planted my potatoes there. I also planted my okra there. I have one short row of fennel. First time to try that.

Not a very good picture but here is one of my taters. They are making pretty good and I'm giving most of them away. I like them new and don't want to have to fool with storing them. I don't care for potatoes after they dry.

Jim,
I volunteer at our church food pantry and during summer a lot of our parishioners bring in excess produce for our clients.You will be Bless more for your generosity.Belle

It is neat to be able to give something to someone that appreciates it. My little ladies, in their younger days, raised big gardens to feed their familes and canned it in jars to feed them through the winter. Now they aren't able and have no place to garden. They still love the taste of fresh produce. Hopefully it helps them make ends meet on their SS. My income is semi fixed now and I know a little about streching a dollar. Being an associate pastor mean you do all the work but don't draw much of a salary.

Gymgirl, the potatoes are beautiful and not a blemish. That is the stage that they have most flavor. A funny thing for me about new potatoes is that they don't elevate my blood sugar. The dried potatoes do. I guess the starch content is higher once they are dry.

I wanted to try some by building a 4 ft. sq. and adding a board and covering them as they grew. Didn't have time this year or the material. I've used up all my boards.

JIM41: Great field of potatoes!

BELLE: You've been on my mind for over two weeks now. Been meaning to let you know that I have a sister named Belle! Great name!

Well thank you Gymgirl,
Is she the one with a PhD? I read your thread at the beginners landscaping. Your e container gardening is new to me but it is good for those with put backyards. Belle.

I have a phd. Post hole digger. Red Neck humor don't you know.

Thanks Gymgirl. My dad always raised a bunch of potatoes when I was growing up and I hated those things. Took all day to pick them up and store them. With dad, you just didn't through them in a shed, you placed them one at a time with no two touching. Last year was the first time I ever raised any myself.

Belle: No, her DAUGHTER, Lolita has the Phd. in Pharmacy. Probably dispensed pills behind a counter for all of 6 months since she graduated at age 24 with her degree. Living large now.

The Education paid off!

I have a sister named Lolita ' She is very intelligent and manages her husband's practice. Did you ever get a garden design for her?.

Ok Here is my weeds, I mean my garden

Rouge Watermelons

Billy's weeds I do mean weeds... Actually we did get a squash already, and we plan on weeding this weekend

Squash that has been in the ground for maybe a month

One more

The question: 'what is a weed'.....I think it all depends on mindset. Lot's of folks think of things like oxalis and morning glories as weeds, yet I love 'em. So, I would say 'weeds in the garden' sorta means something you don't want growing in your bed or lawn.

I have a great appreciation for folks that have very organized gardens, but I'm a combination of live and let live and lazy, lol. At this moment I have several 'accidental' plants or volunteers - sometimes I randomly throw out left over seeds from my cutting board after making a salad. I've found sometimes these are the plants that end up doing best.

Also I wanted to comment on something Jim said:

You are very right about alot of city dwellers not knowing that they could be growing more of their stuff at home. Right now I live on a lot that's about 1/6th or maybe 1/5th of an acre, with a 1000sqft home and 200sqft shed.

Me and the gal have a driveway long enough for about 4 cars, but so as not to block her in I always park on the street. It's the type driveway that's two lines of concrete and grass growing inbetween. So three weeks ago I said to her "ya know, we don't use most of the driveway, mind if I tear up the back third of it to plant some cucumbers, zinnias, and cantaloupe?" Now we have some extra space for those lovely plants that like to ramble. :)

In New Orleans we have a place called Hollygrove Market and Farm, it's located in an area not super close to any grocery stores and it's mission is to provide locally grown crops to people in an urban area. They are also encouraging folks to produce more at home by providing them with the knowledge that urban farming is possible, and several community plots.

It drives me nuts looking at some of my neighbors yards where all they have is grass, meanwhile I'm thinking 'you have great light here, 8 hours plus....what I could do with that area....'

But that's just me and the way I think.

Weeds bother me so I mulch mine and it is weed free. I will take pictures soon. i am just too busy animal proofing it and been working on it for few days. i have 2 more days, Belle

" Lot's of folks think of things like oxalis and morning glories as weeds, yet I love 'em."

I've reached a compromise. I pull the majority of the MGs, but not all. Right now, they are twining their way up the supports along with the peas and beans. They are also permitted on the chicken fence. One lovely purple onre(I have three colors that volunteer) is growing on the turnips that have gone to seed:)

Gymgirl, Thank you. I have debated the wisdom of leaving my red cabbage alone, or tearing it out, along with the broccoli when it fail (we're on secondary heading there). Now, what do you know about my do-nothing cauliflower? Should that stay, or go? And I am very jealous of your babytaters.

Jim, you are a wonder, and a great source of all kinds of things:). You make me wonder about the babytaters. I've sadly taken them off the table becasse or BG issues, so didn't plant any this year. But, there is a (possibly All Blue) volunteer between my bales which is beginning to flower. Maybe I'll try just one....

Hey Cat,
If the cauliflower hasn't done anything yet, and the weather is getting hotter, I'd say rip it.

Cabbages, cauliflowers, broccoli, & kohlrabi are in the brassica family of veggies, and grow best in cool to COLD weather. Lettuce and spinach also do best in the cool temps (Someone just posted their lettuce wasn't destroyed by 38 degree temps...)

I have generally planted my seedlings out Thanksgiving weekend, but will be adjusting to a much earlier schedule (from September to October 15th-30th) starting this next fall season.

My cabbages play beach volleyball when it's 38 degrees outside. I don't even cover them up too much unless temps are dipping below 32 degrees for at least 2-3 days in a row...otherwise, just a sheet.

Also, greens (mustards & collards), turnips, beets, carrots (root crops) do well growing from the fall, thru the winter for harvesting early spring..

So, keep making LOTS of compost cause the brassicas LOVE growing in organic matter. I use lots of leaf decomp mixed with my own compost. They love it.

Linda

The defination of a weed that they gave us in high school agriculture is a plant that is in the wrong place. Ex. A stalk of corn is a cotton field is a weed. My wife loves periwinkles and sets some out every year to fill in a hole in the flower bed. The next year when the hole has filled tn by the surrounding plants, I pull up baby periwinkles that keep sprouting. The first year they were a flower the second a weed. Gee, I'm not even sure that makes since to me and I just wrote it.

Linda, on the other post you questioned me about my irrigation system and I answered you there, but I just thought of something you might want to try. I saw at Wal Mart last week, a quarter inch tube with seep holes every foot. The tube has a hose connection on one end. It was really cheap and I would try one of those first.

My garden looks so puny next to Jims... LOL thats ok cause sometimes you got to start out small to be big... Besides Jim has grass, I just have the darn desert....

MissJestr - you have such a great attitude - you're going to make a GREAT gardener :)

And, just think, you never have to mow!