# Garden progress Pics



## alx (Jun 28, 2009)

From the right to left of garden:

6 Rows Peppers



June 1st- the japs



4 weeks later. It was cool and wet until 21st.



Paprika starting to grow nicely



5 rows tomatoes-80% for canning



June 1st Big Boys



June 28 big boys far left


Young fruit



Some of the canner fruit



First ripe tomato






Left of tomatoes Beans Zuccini



Left of Beans and Zuccs-Butternut,Gourds,pumpkins and water,crenshaw melons ringing the garden


----------



## the iceman (Jun 28, 2009)

Geez, that's not a garden, it's a whole dang farm!


----------



## cajunsmoke13 (Jun 29, 2009)

Nice ALX,,,that is one great looking garden...maters and peppers look great..


----------



## 1894 (Jun 29, 2009)

My first thought as well   
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Looks great !!!


----------



## rivet (Jun 29, 2009)

Very nice ALX...keep em coming!


----------



## lucc (Jun 29, 2009)

Nice, well kept and a lot of work.


----------



## mballi3011 (Jun 29, 2009)

Great looking garden there. You don't have a green thumb you got a green arm.


----------



## slanted88 (Jun 29, 2009)

Man!...be proud of that garden! Nice!


----------



## thestealth (Jul 29, 2009)

Great garden man!!


----------



## rivet (Jul 29, 2009)

ALX, you have the garden we all wish we had! Congratulations to you  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Don't discount the fact that some of your bounty would be a good trade on the exchange FiU started up.

See the "classified" part of the forum and then go to the "exchange" threads.

You got the farm going on, buddy!


----------



## beer-b-q (Jul 30, 2009)

Nice looking garden, what do you use to keep the weeds down?


----------



## flash (Jul 30, 2009)

Very nice. Pulled out all but one of my remaining tomato plants today. All the onions too. Garden will be plowed under until Fall arrives. I'll start up some seed mid September for some Winter tomatoes.


----------



## fire it up (Jul 30, 2009)

Great looking garden ALX.
Almost makes me ashamed of mine, damned weeds have been taking up half of the time in the garden, not to mention I am STILL pulling off fruit due to blossom end rot, just need to get more liquid calcium, bone meal doesn't do a very good job working its way into the soil.
I'm about a week or two away from my first ripe tomato, it will either be a Ramapo or a Black From Tula, not sure who will win the race.
Finally handling the weed problem with newspaper and straw on top and that works pretty good, but now I need to put more poles in the ground and run some line (I use the Florida weave method for the maters).
Once the peppers are fully grown would love to do a swap with you on some.
I have cayenne, anaheim, white habanero, scotch bonnet, thai chili, no heat jalapeno and serrano going so if interested in any of those I would love to do a swap.
Hell, you're close enough I could either overnight you some Jersey tomatoes or even just make a day of it and drive on down and deliver some.

Have anything planned for fall planting/harvesting?
Keep up the good work bud, garden is awesome looking.


----------



## alx (Jul 31, 2009)

Thanks everyone...

Beer-B-Q- This plot was not gardened for 8 years and was loaded with weeds.I use a heavy annual rye cover crop and after 5 years or so i have choked out most weeds.Plus the ACTION HOE gets a workout after every rain...

FLASH-thank you.I am sort of right in middle of coast and the north-south climate differences still amaze

Rivet- Thanks.I will offer up some extra peppers from last year and will have some extra this year...will keep in touch buddy.I also make ketchup,chipotles in adobe,green chile in tomatoes ,neighbors fresh honey etc..

Fire it up-We will swap friend.I have planted fall broccoli,brussel sprouts,cabbage.Started my spinach,lettuces in pots for transplanting later.Fall leeks 6-10 inch tall.Will be planting garlic,onions,shallotts in oct-november.Great to have room for a garden that produces 12 months a year...

Gonna post some pics tonite.Been one month and garden is doing great.I have had .650 inch rain at garden in last month.I have missed a dozen storms by a few miles at best- maybe the fact i live between two rivers.......I deep water every third day in this weather.


----------



## alx (Aug 1, 2009)

Here is an update.1 month and 1 day since last pics.

Some Peppers are just blushing.Nothing has died yet 110 out of 110


June 28




July 30




Tomatoes are loaded. 1 out of 76 died.



June 28





July 30




Sunroom jast staring to fill up




First 2 zuccs got the SVBore.First row of beans are green beans.Second two for drying.


June28





July30 Planted 2 rows fall beans to right of spring beans







Butternut,gourds,pumpkins,watermellon have done great again


June28





July30






Sugar Baby-eating sunday




Growing a dills giant pumpkin for first time in 8 years




Butternut and some gourds








Jap i picked 10 days ago-4.5inchx1.5inch



Will be roasting Joe Parker NuMex green chiles next week



Some random pics











Leeks,Eggplant and Basil doing great





Time to cultivate.Rained 1.6 inches in last month.Plant 50 feet peas tomorrow along fence (at right of last pic)..


----------



## DanMcG (Aug 1, 2009)

thats an incredible garden you got there Alex. I can't find my garden with all the weeds. :(


----------



## alx (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks DAN.This sure is a crazy weather year all over country.

Was able to cultivate weeds after we had only 1.6 inches rain last month,but 2 inches last 2 days....


----------



## fire it up (Aug 2, 2009)

ALX, get any damage from these storms blowing through?  Had 10 tomato plants snap because of the heavy rain and wind yesterday and day before, and now there is more rain coming...such a horrible year for gardening


----------



## alx (Aug 2, 2009)

Literaly a hard storm outside at moment.Sorry to hear about damage.

No damage this year-except a deer trimmed a couple pepper tops.They all recovered and they have not been back.Ground hog has been messing with neighbors garden and rabbits...

I have been lucky with severe weather.Maybe its living between 2 rivers and the bay, but i have missed a dozen hard storms by just miles.

Did you get my P.M. few days back


----------



## cajunsmoke13 (Aug 2, 2009)

Awesome looking garden ALX


----------



## alx (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks Steve.Hopefully one time your up visiting i can share some of the bounty.

Definetly would like a few of you guys to try some of my dehydrated peppers etc...

I grow alot for KCBS and CASI cooks- my sister- and she does awesome making rubs with my spices.

This is my smallest garden in years,but i think that will change with the exchange program- always next year.....


----------



## fire it up (Aug 2, 2009)

Yeah, thanks for the reply.
Have been using some of the Anaheims but am letting some go to red.  The first of my cayenne peppers are starting to turn.  Thai chilis are just recently starting to set fruit and my serrano peppers, they took forever but now they have exploded.
Don't have any real japs this year, someone was supposed to buy them and never did so all I have is one plant of no heat jalapenos, which literally have no heat in them at all.
Also have 2 scotch bonnet and 2 white habanero plants but with this cold weather they are really, really behind.
I still need to get (or build) a dehydrator before the fruit gets out of hand and I have so many I have to can 'em or lose 'em.

That storm hitting you will be here in a few more hours but hopefully it won't do much damage, though it did ruin my smoke plans for the day.
Keep up the great work with the garden, it looks really good.


----------



## alx (Aug 2, 2009)

Thanks man.Storm dropped about a inch and let up.Going to pick stuffing peppers and a watermelon for dinner in a few minutes.

My peppers are just turning red.Remember to let red peppers get mature.

My biggest mistake used to be picking after they had been red only few days.

My paprika stay on for 2 weeks to get a real deep color and flavor...

Good Luck.We will do some swapping eventualy...


----------



## beer-b-q (Aug 2, 2009)

ALX, those peppers are awesome, I wish mine were that big.


----------



## carpetride (Aug 2, 2009)

You should really be proud of that garden, like others I've been fighting the weeds this year.  Got behind about a month ago and haven't caught up yet.  Lots of maters though.


----------



## alx (Aug 2, 2009)

It rained first 16 days of june so i was fortunate to get out with the tiller and action hoe before that.The tomatoes in particular grew so quick the plants shaded out the light for weeds.I Cover-Crop heavy since garden is on a 3-5% grade and this does help crowd out early spring weeds,but a battle none the less ....







Before the rain in june


----------



## alx (Sep 8, 2009)

1 month 7 day update...

Started peppers in feb. from seed and most are just getting the color i want






Tomatoes are done basicaly.Canned 200 quarts for extended family.....do not need mor and i like em when its hot-brings sugar out





Have filled sunroom 4 times with 1000 plus tomatoes






left side of 120x100 plot is vine plants.Picked about 70 pounds butternut.Gourds pumpkins doing fine











My big pumpkins are both 6 foot horizontal circumference






Front 120x30 feet is spring/fall area



Leeks planted in may






Need to cultivate






I let my genovese basil and dill -seed out for good creatures to grow


7 inch plus preying mantis finishing off bumble bee






Swallowtail butterflies lay larvae in seeded dill





Fall Peas planted july 26th







Need to cultivate-Dang crabgrass







Long purple eggplant







Broccoli on left.brussel sprout right









cabbage





Beets and Turnips









Some sunflowers that grew heads out of main flower stock










Time to get trenches ready for onion sets,shallots and garlic.


----------



## alx (Oct 18, 2009)

1 month and 10 days update.


Rained steady since thursday morning







110 peppers doing fine.Getting some yellow.Did not lose a single pepper this year!









This is what tomato patch looked like.Lost 1 of 76.







Today.Cover-crop liked the rain...








Squash,bean,pumpkin etc. area







60 foot trench for garlic and shallots to be planted early november






Snow peas have been producing heavy for weeks













Planted triple row- forty feet long onion sets last week in front of peas
Will use first ones in thanksgiving stuffing-as usual..








Leeks doing great.Will pick all winter and spring










Broccoli and brussels sprout doing awesome again







Eating 3rd one pound head tonite








brussels few weeks away from first picking.Plants 4 feet plus






turnips and beets are producing nicely











ground hog enjoyed a bit of cabbage







Cover-crop coming nicely






2 piles of double shredded leaf compost ready for next year







Astro the formerly ferrel garden patrol cat








Pumpkin that lived and a bunch of gourds i grew








Been another great year-knock on wood!!!!!!!!!!!!


----------



## fire it up (Oct 18, 2009)

Great end of season pics Alex, going out right now to take the last of the peppers off and throw them into the smoker, did away with all my tomatoes a few weeks ago, had a terrible season.  Maybe you need to ship me some of that dirt you are using cause you have a great looking steady garden.
What are you growing for a cover crop?
Got about 30 cloves of garlic in the ground a few days ago so first time growing garlic I hope it all works out.


----------



## beer-b-q (Oct 18, 2009)

Wow, how are you still growing things this time of year?


----------



## alx (Oct 18, 2009)

I just use annual rye.It sprouts quick its cheap and holds my soil well.Hard to tell from pics,but garden is on a incline.


Everything gets a good amount of my leaf compost and foliar fed.Basicaly started out with a sand box.Garden is very close to water.


----------



## alx (Oct 18, 2009)

I will have onions and leeks all winter.My brussel sprouts produce untill february.Peas will die after first hard freeze.I keep logs of temps-what i grow and apply that to my growing.Does help to have been doing this most of my life and mom grew up on a succesful veggie/meat/dairy farm....EVERYTHING i grow is from seed and chosen for its production/taste!!!  Lowest temp has been 40 degrees.May help that i am surrounded by water which is still warmer then night time lows...


----------



## chefrob (Oct 19, 2009)

great pics alex! i wish i had the time, space and climate to do that......great job! ever thought about opening a bed and breakfast?


----------



## erain (Oct 19, 2009)

alex, holy crap that is one heck of a garden you had this year!!!!!
	

	
	
		
		



		
			





simply awesome. that takes alot of work i know.  by the way, we dont call them monarchs up here... its some kinda swallowtail, i think its a black swallowtail to be exact.

anyway, great garden, great pix, thanks for sharing!!!


----------



## alx (Oct 19, 2009)

Thanks erain and chefrob.


I edited post.That is definetly swallowtail butterfly.Monarch got stuck in my mind!!!!!


----------



## beer-b-q (Oct 19, 2009)

Here we have already had temps in the low 30s at night.

Do you plant your onions from seed? If so what happens after it gets really cold?  Do they continue growing into the spring and summer?


----------



## alx (Oct 19, 2009)

Yes Paul i plant storage onions from seed indoors in february.I put them out april1st-14th on average.I grow short/intermediate day lenght onions.
Just like garlic they begin to bulb when day length is over 12 hours.They begin to brown in july and die.
Long day varities are grown in north and short in south!


I plant onion sets in spring and winter for scallions.The spring 'sets' bulb after day length goes above 12 hours.If planted in march they will die here by july-sets after second year do not store well.You are buying the first year bulb as a set in store.they only live 2 years-bieannuals.The 'sets' go to seed second year and this makes storage poor.

I also plant sets sept-early oct and they grow all winter like my leeks.

They sort of stop in dead of winter,but i have the earliest large scallions in town come march!!!!


----------



## doo dah (Oct 19, 2009)

Beautiful garden.  How many strands of electric fence do you have to keep out the critters?


----------



## beer-b-q (Oct 19, 2009)

Thanks Alex...


----------



## alx (Oct 20, 2009)

I only have fencing for peas and cuccumbers.Had a deer pay a visit and eat tops of 4 peppers,but they never came back.

This area does not have much open space left and the deer stay down near river-thankfully.

Took out a few groundhogs again this year and i trap the voles and moles.


----------



## alx (Nov 21, 2009)

Been about a month.Main garden is cover-cropped in annual rye.

Just cold weather crops left...

Pics are Right to left of garden..
Mustard,Turnip greens and Kale..




Pepper patch is germinating rye nicely





Tomato patch has been cover-cropped since oct.15.One reason i have few weeds in the1/4 acre plot







Squash,bean area etc.






50 foot raised bed with 3 types garlic and shallots
Hope the fox and racoon stay out...




Still some snow peas and scallions doing excellent










Leeks are doing great





Brocolli and brussels



Brocolli main heads have been eatin,but some nice side shoots forming







Will have some brussels sprout for turkey day







Most of leaves fallen from the big white oaks







Only need to make one leaf compost pile this year.I have 3 from last 2 falls ready to go in spring












Neighbors honey hives ready for winter











Picked up my oranges today for the winter









I will have fresh leeks,onions all winter and spring.Brussels grow to about february and brocolli january....


----------



## got14u (Nov 21, 2009)

Man I am impressed by all that you do....by the end of september I don't want to see my garden anymore..lol


----------



## rivet (Nov 21, 2009)

Very nice thread, Alex...beautiful indeed. Thank you for sharing the change of seasons; please remember to re-post early this spring when you get things going again.

Very nice snow peas' row! Wow. That's a lot, and a good thing if you like snow peas as much as I do. Excellent and they look so healthy.

I am impressed with your brussel sprouts. Strong main trunks and lots of pretty heads coming out. I've tried them for 2 years now with no success~ my main stalks start out green and thick, but then they thin out and the heads never really develop. Any tips you can offer? Been to the county extension and had both my lawn and garden soil analyzed (do that every year) and it's fine. I put the sprouts where I had cucumbers during the summer one year, and tomatoes the other. Could that be an issue?

Anyway, thanks for sharing the great pictures of your garden. Very nice to look at.


----------



## fire it up (Nov 21, 2009)

Great post Alex.  And nice looking dirt!  Compost can be pretty expensive so it is definitely a great (and greener) idea to compost your own.
Cover crop is coming along nicely, this is my first time doing one and it's there-didn't even think the seeds germinated since it is slow bolting but finally getting a nice solid green cover.

You should offer tours and classes about gardening  because you have one hell of a green thumb!


----------

