STARTING OUR 2012 FALL/WINTER VEGGIE GARDENS - PT. 3

My car was towed to the mechanic yesterday morning after stalling out on me in the Home Depot parking lot Sunday night. My DIY self was buying a replacement bulb for the dusk to dawn light over the driveway...so, yesterday was a "get out of jail FREE" card!

Seems I worked outside all day long, and got lots done. It just seems like not a lot 'cuz of the labor involved. Here's what I did over the long weekend:

►Sowed 3 varieties of turnip seeds in 1/2 of RB #1 (7 Top, Purple Top, Golden Globe)
►Transplanted Soloist cabbages into empty spaces in RB #2
►Fed all the veggies with Mary Hemeny's recipe
►Checked all the brassicas for worms (they're lurking...)
►Emptied and rebuilt potting mix for 4 of 5 Earthboxes.
►Transplanted the remaining Soloist cabbages into two EBs
►Sowed mustard and collard seeds in two EBs
►Replanted some tiny, sprouting onion bulbs that were hanging on from January (I figured they'd make interesting, individual potted plants)

It was refreshing/rebuilding the EB potting mix that took most of the time and labor. I was working with sphagnum peat, pine bark fines, and old MG potting mix. It takes forever to wet the peat, and then it gets heavy!

All in all, everything is looking good, and I'm enjoying the fall/winter garden more and more, since I get to step outside and just watch stuff grow!

Didn't remember to take pics...

Linda

I haven't inspected my plants in about 2 days but I am anxious to see how they are doing. It gets dark by the time I get home and my son misplaced my flashlight over the weekend. Hopefully I'll find it tonight. Anyway, I basically took a 3-gallon diluted mixture of Bt and sprayed (soaked) all of my plants, underneath the hard to reach areas and underneath the foliage...got tired of them eating my cabbage so hopefully that will stop them for a while.

Got my tiller back from the shop today. Finally! There was a major backlog first, then I had to return it because another part broke.

I will finally be able to prep the beds for garlic and my other fall plantings. I'm only two months late for some things, at least we normally have fairly mild winter temperatures.

My bed is in progress...this weekend though I should have it ready for garlic and onions and some greens as well. The cold front knocked my tomatoes down a few times and most of the fruit fell off. I think they're done :( they're too banged up. Lesson learned on the anchoring part...

A little bit of frost this morning. The basil and luffa gourds already look burned. Time to start winter projects!

Funny thing, the cardinals showed up again this year just a couple of days before frost and they usually hang out all winter at my place. The rest of the year I see them around, just not in my yard. They are combing the garden now -- for weed seeds, I hope!

Hey, Ya'll,
I'm growing sweeties in a Rubbermaid tub. Should I wait right until the frost actually starts to kill them back, or rip 'em now? The leaves started turning a bit yellow, but they are still mostly green, especially when our roller coaster temps go back up. Like all this week in the 80s, again...

My neighbor ripped his a month ago, and they were still skinny. I'm trying to take mine right up to the wire, I guess.

Linda

Linda, I have carrots in the garden finally. Still having trouble with bunching onions. The weather here is crazy, down into the low 60's then right back to the upper 80's low 90's. Seems like every time I put beet seeds in the ground we get a pounding rain! It's a challenge to grow this year.
I've been adding vermiculite lately, Bud finally reminded me I used to add it and asked why I stopped!
Transplanted 100 tomatoes yesterday. Need to order the greenhouse supports today, before the tomatoes are too big to tie up. I'mm trying 2 heirloom, 4 greenhouse varieties and 4 hybrid indeterminate varieties which all need support. I still have 150 tomato transplants to go in that gh plus bell peppers and cucumbers. Haven't even started on the other greenhouse. That house gets determinate tomatoes, squash, hot peppers and okra (already growing) along with eggplants.
Something ate a 90 ft row of japanese sweet potatoes, 8 rows of squash seed and 1 row of cucumber seed. I am having trouble getting rat bait shipped to TX that doesn't cause secondary kill (if my cat or the local owl eats a mouse that ate the poison it won't hurt it), Texas doesn't allow that kind of rat bait, but will allow the deadly poison one! Finally left one of the cats out and he killed 3 palm rats.

Hey, Lily!
Nice update!

My beets were up in three days from seeding, under burlap cover. Speaking of Vermiculite, I covered all my seeds with either that, or the dust sifted from my pine bark fines. Leaves a nice, distinct line where the seeds are sown!

Turnips are also up, after 4 days under burlap.

Spraying Caulis and Broccs with Bt tomorrow for the cutworms and cabbage loopers that are making holes

Linda

Wow Calalilly, good luck. Never a dull moment on a farm, huh?

I need more Bt for the cabbage loopers and such. Aside from that, things are well. My Joi Choy/ Chinese cabbage are looking great and I am itching to harvest. However, they all look like Joi Choy even though I bought some Chinese cabbage as well (at least the vendor had them labeled as such). What say you? Here are 5 of the 6 plants I have. Got side-tracked so didn't take a pic of the last plant.

Also, I thought you were to harvest the whole plant but can you just pick leaves instead? I have some low-hanging leaves that would be better off sauteed or something.

Any suggestions on how long broccoli seedlings need before they can be transplanted into the garden? The 72-pellet tray I planted is beginning to get crowded! All of the seedlings have the first pair of true leaves, but the seed leaves are still very prominent. I know they will need to be hardened off. I expect that to take up to a week. Thoughts? Opinions?

David

p.s. anyone get onions yet from Dixondale? I thought they would be ready for purchase online eff November...

David,
This is my second go-round with broccoli. My seedlings had about 5-6 leaves, each bigger than silver dollars, before I hardened them off. I'm glad I kept them inside in the cool that long because the heat (and the subsequent worms) would have done them a job.

Here's what my broccoli seedlings looked like before I hardened them off and transplanted them out, and what they look like as of the last picture I took (give or take a week more of growth). They have caught on and are filling in like crazy. Just wish it would get cold and stay cold. They really take off in the cold, and love it!

I don't worry about anything but our blustery winds. WIND will do more damage than cold here, so I install my hoops simply to provide a windbreak for the veggies in my yard.

#1 Cauliflower seedlings
#2 Broccoli Seedlings after potting up to drinking water bottles
#3 Broccolis from a top shot looking down
#4 RB #3 planted 1/2 with cauliflowrs on the left, 1/2 broccolis on the right
#5 RB #3 close up of broccolis only, about 1 week ago. They are MUCH larger today.

I read somewhere online that the trick to a successful brassica crop is having your seedlings big enough at plant out so they keep growing right into the cool (which is why I'm praying for cool!!!).

Linda

David,
If you could lift them from the cells and space them out a bit that would help. The leaves need to be exposed to the light, or the wee plants being covered up on the bottom will begin to languish. You don't want to break their growing cycle with too many obstacles.

Linda

There's a downside to growing things on metal fences...

Nicole!

What IS that? LOL!!!

Jim,
You can harvest the outer leaves, cut and come again style, and your plant should keep growing until frost, bolting, or pests take 'em down.

Linda

This message was edited Nov 2, 2012 7:46 PM

Luffa gourds. I don't think they matured enough, though. I have to break open the one to get it out of the fence and it was still pretty juicy inside.

Huge harvest... but I'm not sure I'll get to use any.

John, I think you can order from Dixondale starting in Nov. sometime. I usually wait until late Dec to order. You then tell them when you want the onions to ship.

I sprinkled some spinach seeds on the end of the brassica RB, and . they're looking a bit pale. Any suggestions for a high nitrogen feet? I bought some fish and seaweed emulsions today. Both? Haven't fed them with anything yet.

I would use either one, but not both.

Thx.

John, bok choy is called chinese cabbage (brassica rapa chinensis). I have New Nabai chinese cabbage which is a little bok choi (like toy choy). If you want the one that makes a head, be sure to get napa cabbage or brassica rapa pekinensis. hope that helps.

I've got a bunch of Soloist (Chinese, Napa-type) cabbages growing. They look like green velvet. At first, I grew them just cuz they're pretty. Now I grow them cuz they're pretty AND the make a mmmean stir fry. I harvest the outter leaves, and they keep on growing.

About to go feed the beet and spinach seedlings with a light mix of fish and seaweed emulsion. Turnips and mustard greens are also up. The Collards are slower than the mustards, as usual ...

Linda

Finally gave up on getting my old tiller repaired. Three-hundred dollars later and the tines still won't stay in gear. I may send it back to the shop if they won't keep charging, but I can't keep waiting on the shop to do any fall gardening. My wife bought me a Cub Cadet RT 45, 18"-wide rear tine tiller as a combined birthday and Christmas present! Tractor Supply has it on sale.

I used it earlier to turn 2" of compost into my 20' x 25' winter garden area. I will rake up rows and seed beds tomorrow. I am FINALLY ready to plant garlic and some of the winter veggies! Next week I will do a quick till over the rest of the garden for weed control. I'm thinking of annual ryegrass as a cover crop for the rest of the garden.

I meant to take a picture of the tiller out in the garden. I forgot and got inside and took my shoes off before taking a picture. Here's a picture from the Cub Cadet brochure instead.

David

Very nice, David! Watch out. The whole neighborhood will want you tilling their gardens, now.

I agree with Solace- too bad we're not neighbors, Lol.

I have a Cub Cadet, hardly ever use it! Watch the counterweight on the front, that's the only thing we've ever had trouble with.
Finally yesterday I planted golden beets, purple carrots, cheddar cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. I am using red and silver plastic this year. I will plant my squash and cucumber pre germinated this time. I let the cats out and Lucky killed a mouse and Harley killed 4 palm rats down in the corner of the north greenhouse. Boo climbed a tree, got stuck and needed rescued. She is definitely not a hunter!

I borrowed my Mom's tiller this fall for my garden extension project and my dirt broke it. Rocks bent it all to heck. Since I've converted her to large containers to help with her dog problem and to make it easier on her back, she doesn't really care and doesn't want it back.

So I have a very nice, expensive rear tine tiller in my shed that looks somewhat like someone stepped on it. I don't know if I should sell it as-is, get it repaired and try to sell it or what. Getting it repaired would probably be painfully expensive.

Thoughts?

Nicole,

If the tines are the only problem, they aren't that expensive.You could probably order online and change them yourself. If it is repaired, then it will bring a better sales price, or with new tines you could try using it again.

Calalily-- If I was growing as much as you do, I wouldn't use the tiller either. I would have attachments for my Kubota and organize everything so that most of the work could be done with tractor implements. That and lots of mulch sheeting. I'm always impressed by the pictures you post of your growing beds and your produce.

Planting garlic, beets, turnips, spinach, carrots, and lettuce today! Or at least as much of it as I can before I'm exhausted. The soil really looks nice after the amendment with compost. Hopefully the soil is light enough now that it won't form a crust to keep seeds from sprouting.

David

It's not the tines, David; those are fine. It the body that's mangled a bit and also there's an internal brace for the body missing that I don't even see on the exploded diagram as a part. So the wheels won't turn because the body is jammed up against it. I pulled it apart just enough to roll it into the shed but there's not enough leverage to bend the body back in place without significantly dismantling it, I think.

I don't use a tiller typically, so I have no need to keep it. We were mostly done at that point so I finished up with a shovel and a digging fork.

This is a great thread!

Anybody here ever grew Komatsuna - Tendergreen Mustard Spinach? I was handed a handful of seeds. My concern is I was in a discussion about some other type of Mustard Spinach that had a slimy, gelatinous consistency to the thick leaves, and I'm not at all interested in that taste in my mouth. So, before I throw these seeds out, are they one and the same, or two different plants I'm describing?

Thanks!

Linda

I found the post below at a site discussing Komatsuna:

Buzz
July 3, 2011 at 9:29 am
Plant in full Sun to light shade. pH 6.6 – 7.8. Approximate germination time 2 – 10 days. Quick Growing! Heat and cold tolerant, leaves have a mild taste like a cross between cabbage and mustard greens. Pre-plant with plenty of compost and manure, Blood meal, Bone meal and Pot Ash, ensuring the bed contains ample nitrogen to promoting fast, healthy leaf growth (alfalfa meal, soybean meal, cottonseed meal, feather meal, blood meal, or fish meal). Prefers moisture-retentive, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. Mild flavor and can be eaten raw or cooked. Will bolt becoming bitter in hot weather.

Start harvesting individual outer leaves from each plant as soon as you see many new leaves pushing out from the center of the plant. Once you have started harvesting from a plant, trim any unusable outer leaves that have become tough, weather beaten, or bug eaten, promoting rapid growth of new leaves from the center. When plants start to bolt, pull up completely, unless you want to collect the seeds for subsequent planting DANGER SEED POISONOUS!!. High in vitamins A, K, & C.

Cabbage moth aka cabbage butterfly is a significant pest of this plant, covering the plant in fine netting works best. Alternaria mildew may become a problem. It helps to practice crop rotation, plant certified or treated seeds, use an anti-fungal spray such as baking soda or Neem oil, keep garden clear of host weeds such as wild legumes – yellow clover, etc. Deer resistant!

Looks like I'm going to have to seriously install the hoops this weekend. Had to cover all the RBs this morning, cause we're due for severe thunderstorms by noon. And, the sun is beaming out right now...

Sure hope I vented the plastic sheeting enough to not fry the seedlings before the rain comes...this off and on is a killer.

The good part is, I purchased perforated plastic sheeting from Territorial Seed Company, so once I put the hoops up, no more off and on for the remainder of the growing season!

I fertilized the seedlings with seaweed emulsion this weekend. That's about all I did. I was at a total loss, cause seedlings are growing everywhere, and there was nothing to be done outside except feed or water.

I was absolutely FORCED to go inside and do housework...shoot!

Linda

Guess I'll start building frames for the garlic and onions....

Didn't get nearly as far as I planned yesterday. I did get all the tilling done, but none of the planting. Today, I spent more time prepping the growing area. With my two dogs I have to put a little bit of fence around the area that I have planted. That keeps them from wandering into the area and digging, or just accidentally stepping on baby plants. The fencing makes it a little more difficult for rabbits to have free run of the baby plants, too.

This summer my fence was a horrible problem with weeds. I had too much to weed the fence by hand, and I didn't want to use a herbicide. As a result, everything grew up into and through the fence. My solution this time is to put a strip of weed-block/landscape cloth under the fence and mulch on both sides of the fence. Today I was able to stretch out the weed block, pin it down, and stretch the plastic garden fence. You can see how it looks, before the mulch, in the pictures below. The entire area is only 18' x 25' or 450 square feet.

Tomorrow I hope to get the fence mulched, rake rows for my garlic, and some of the seeds, and do some planting. Based on the amount of work completed today... I hope to at least get the garlic in the ground.

David

That's a beautiful patch of ground, David!

Linda, I've grown Komatsuna. It gets huge. I mix it with other Asian greens and saute or stir fry. It is great cooked with onions, garlic, coconut milk and lime.
David, we have a big tractor with a big tiller plus a bobcat with lots of attachments which we do use! We also use red, green, silver or black plastic film depending on the crop. This is our first year with the plastic film and I love it! No weeds!
Update on the seed and sweet potato eating critter: I let the cats out to hunt and Harley caught 5 palm rats, Lucky almost caught one mouse, caught one caterpillar and 3 crickets and Boo spent the day stuck in a tree requiring Bud to be lifted up in the bobcat bucket to retrieve her.
Yesterday we spent most of the day taking equipment in for warranty work, but I did manage to get 360 yellow squash seeds in the ground. I pre-germed them hoping to keep the mice/rats from eating them.

I have a Troy bilt weed eater (4 stroke) that uses a lot of seperate attatchments so I added a small tiller att. from sears which fits ..This thing is light easy to start and works great even has an electric start option ..Just thought I would mention this as an alternative to big hevy tillers..Works inside the raised beds too..

Thanks for the heads up, Lily! I love quick and EZ stir fry recipes! I went to the store where the seeds were purchased and, sure enough, the sign there say, "Tendergreen Mustard Spinach". But, it doesn't list which variety of tendergreen it is. My guess is still Komatsuna.

David,
Where're the walkway(s) for you to work in that beautiful patch of land, without walking on and compressing your soil?

One thing I discovered when I made my RBs is that narrower is better for reaching into the center. RB #1 is a full 4' wide, and very, very challenging. I make use of several pieces of lumber stretched across the width, so I can stretch inside without biting the dirt!

RB #2 is 3.5' wide, and RB #3 is 3' wide. Much easier to stretch across without falling in!

Linda

Linda after 10 years of doing raised beds i am now of the opinion that 2' is wide as I want to reach across But that said i do make some that are 3'x7' made from 10' pieces which is for me the cheapest way to go I use 2"x8"x10' mitre the corners and if i want them deeper add another layer using the apprapo width the reasoning behind this is the 10 footers are usually about the same price as 8' just me being cheap

Grits,
I'm getting culled cedar fence boards from the lumber yard for free...I was using PT 2x10' lumber, but Google "Ana White's $10 raised beds" on her website.

Free is better.