# Garden Doing Well So Far...



## bcfishman (Feb 9, 2009)

I know it's way early for a lot of you northerners, but I started my Garden back in December. (I live in FL) This is the first year that I am attempting to grow vegetables on my own. My neighbor who lives across the street got me turned onto gardening with some of the stuff he grows.

I kicked around the idea a few times but nothing developed. On a December trip to Lowe's I came across the Ferry Morse Seed Display and went to town picking out what I wanted.
Here's what ended up in the basket... Also the quantity of each plant I ended up with
Beefsteak Toms-4
Cherry Toms-4
Sweet Toms-3
Yellow Squash-3
Zucchini-3
Cucumber-3
Broccoli-4
Cauliflower-4
Cantaloupe-3
Watermelon-3
Cayenne Peppers-4
Serrano Peppers-4
Jalapeno Peppers-4
Habanero Peppers-4
Red/Green Peppers-4
Banana Peppers-4
Spinach-2
Romaine-4
Onions-4
Celery-3
Okra-2
Basil-2
Beans-2
Papaya-2

I also bought a few of the bonnie plants due to some concerns my neighbor had. I bought a Beefsteak, Cherry and Mr. Stripey Tomato and a Chocolate and Yellow Bell Pepper.

I started everything off in Miracle Gro and Jungle Growth soil from Lowe's. I used blue solo cups to start the seeds in. I poked holes in the bottom with a hot nail. Soon, everything began sprouting. I was surprised and well pleased with the success I had had to begin with. After things started getting too big to be in the cups, I began buying black plastic potting containers from a local nursery. I continued to use the Miracle Gro and Jungle Growth while I transferred things to the next size containers.

Things continued growing and started to outgrow the 1 gallon containers I transferred things to. My buddy who works for a landscape / maintenance company brought me a bunch of 2.5, 3, 5 and a couple 7 gallon plastic containers he had in his garage. At this point I decided that buying $7 bags of soil was going to get expensive quick. I went to the same local nursery and got a cubic yard of soil for $39. This went a lot further than I thought it would and thankfully God provided more free containers while I was at the nursery. While waiting for the gentleman who was helping me, I saw a large stack of containers sitting next to the dumpster. I asked if I could have them and the guy said they're all yours. After loading up and heading back, I returned home to find I needed every single container I had to transfer the soil into.

My wife helped me a couple weeks ago transfer everything over to the final containers and things have continued to progress.

Here are some pictures of things in there current state. I still have to transfer the 2nd set of peppers to their DIY containers I made. They have worked well so far with the set of tomatoes I put in them.

Hopefully I will have more pictures to post as things progress. 

Thanks for looking.
This is a view of everything


This is my Cucumber, Squash, Zucchini Setup. (3 of each)


Baby Squash


Baby Zucchinis


Broccoli and Cauliflower


Watermelon and Cantaloupe


Some of the tomatoes




And this is peppers, okra, onions, celery, beans, basil and more.


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## ganny76 (Feb 9, 2009)

Looks great.  Why not use some of that yard you have and then you would not need all those containers?


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## darrin (Feb 9, 2009)

Looking good. Can't wait to see the peppers!


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## bigbaldbbq (Feb 9, 2009)

Very nice. I'm still trying to talk the wife into a garden for this year.


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## bcfishman (Feb 9, 2009)

FL soil is less than ideal for gardening.

Also, with the extreme heat we have during the summer, and the torrential downpours we have daily, my yard does not drain all too well when it's saturated.

With containers, I can move them onto my porch during the hot days and keep them relatively cool.

Lastly, using containers is supposed to help prevent soil insects from getting in.

My yard isn't too big, and making a raised bed would require a Heck of a lot more soil than I am currently using. trying to sell the wife on everything was hard enough. telling her I was going to drop a few hundred on dirt and cow doody wouldn't have gone over too well.


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## grothe (Feb 9, 2009)

Lookin good...can't wait for spring here!!!


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## ganny76 (Feb 9, 2009)

You are probably right.  The plants look good.


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## bassman (Feb 9, 2009)

Looking good so far, but only 3 zucchini plants?  Gosh, you should have at least 5 or 6.


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## smoke freak (Feb 9, 2009)

Its Feb.9 here in Kansas! What is the date in your world?


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## bcfishman (Feb 9, 2009)

Definitely Feb 9 here as well.

I covered the plants twice so far and thats because it got to 29 both nights.

They say we should be done with the "really" cold weather.

It's supposed to get into the 80's this week.

FL is a little different than those frozen tundras you live on.

Notice the palm trees in the picture.


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## irishteabear (Feb 10, 2009)

lol, Sure rub it in.  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





  It's slowly getting warmer here, yay!  Nice crop of veggies you're going to have.


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## beardo (Feb 12, 2009)

looks great I'v got maybe 6weeks before Ican start my garden,3or4 to get the seeds going. Tobad you cann't put in raised beds,I have 2 and love em.Your toms. look great my friend did some in containers last year he had great luck but a short season. I' heard there is as much root groth as branch groth thats a lot, But I sure like what you got there.   Beardo....


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## venture (Feb 13, 2009)

Wow!  I hope you have preservation methods in mind.  Or hungry neighbors who won't run when you come bearing squash.  LOL

Looking good!


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## cajunsmoke13 (Feb 13, 2009)

Nice garden.  Just tilled mine up.  Ready to go


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## rio_grande (Feb 13, 2009)

I am going to try this year to grow A Big Garden,,, Need to can alot this year to help through the winter


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## rickandtaz (Feb 13, 2009)

Looking good bc! I've got some tomatoes in an "earth box". Just two plants produced more than we could eat. I'm hoping to try some peppers soon and okra when it gets hot here.

You're an insparation!


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## bcfishman (Feb 13, 2009)

Thanks for the compliments everyone.

I am going to pick up another half cubic yard of soil tomorrow.

I want to get some more squash, zuccs, cukes, lettuce, spinach, okra and maters going.

I just bought two packs of specialty tomato seeds yesterday.

Brandywines and Yellow Tomatoes.

I have to finish two more earthboxes for my serrano and red/green peppers.

I also want to move my watermelon and cantaloupes to bigger containers.


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## rw willy (Feb 13, 2009)

Nice looking garden
The temp was the same as the wind speed here today 50! EEK
Can't wait till spring.  My garden goes in on Preakness Race Day.


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## flash (Feb 14, 2009)

There is always one more good one in March. My stuff is in the ground, but during winter we set up maters in large pots. Still you will find your set up will outgrow those cages and get top heavy. Brace them well or you will find them fallen over at times when winds get high.
 nice to have tomatoes during the winter time 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	




As long as you don't mind all the potting and transferring, go for it.
 Oh and it depends on what part of Florida you are talking about. I've seen 16 and 17Âº this year.


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## morkdach (Feb 14, 2009)

good looken start we had a couple on nice days here in kansas just enough to get ya thinken. got down to 12* last night but i'm still thinken


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## bcfishman (Feb 14, 2009)

Well I bought 6 more varieties of Tomatoes over the past couple of days. More novelty types, but I'm excited none the less. Also picked up a pack of multi-colored sweet peppers.

I wasn't planning on doing any spices, but decided what the heck and picked some up the other day.

Also, I was doing a lot of reading on gardenweb.com (awesome website) and saw people growing corn in containers, so Ill pick some of that up today at Lowe's.

I also got another half cubic yard of soil, and filled up another 20+ containers and will get some more Lettuce, Spinach, Cucumbers, Squash, and Zucchini going. I'm gonna get the watermelon transferred over to some bigger pots and make the cages out of extra 2x4's I have and run rope back and forth through the vertical supports for the watermelon and cantaloupe to grow on. It will be 4' x 4' x 8'. The neighbors behind me will wonder what the heck Ive got goin on back there.

Flash, I am going to pick up some 72" cages at Wal mart in a day or two. They have them for $2.47. I'll probably anchor them to the fence when they start to get bigger.

I'm having a blast doing everything and can't wait to start reaping what I'm sowing.


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## athabaskar (Feb 18, 2009)

I like your enthusiasm BCFishMan. The best way to garden is to jump right in. You will have some great success as well as some total failures. Just like actual farming. Beware though, it is damn addictive. I till more and more turf every year. Soon I'm going to have to move into the front yard. 

I'm negotiating with my neighbor about doing some sharecropping. 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






My potatoes went in a week and 1/2 ago. Peas the same day, and onions went in about a month ago. The last of the turnip and mustard greens came out just before the taters were planted. Cabbage too. We've been having some really tasty slaws for a couple of months now. I cut the first two asparagus spears for a salad the other day, and swiss chard and arugula have lasted all winter for salads. This weekend radishes and mesclun will be seeded directly.

I have two main garden areas both about 25' x 25'. I do a four year rotation to keep down diseases. Fertilizer is organic only and is usually limited to what we produce in our compost piles, heaps, bins and tumbler. My wife is the Queen of Compost (and proud of it). She used a rare day off last week to fill my pickup truck with horse manure - the bed of the truck, that is...

Anyway, good luck to all noob gardeners, and BCFishMan please update us ocassionally. I'm interested in how your venture comes out. I'm thinking you're going to have your hands full with some of those melons and indeterminite tomato varities. Florida spring time is vegetable heaven.


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## taterdavid (Feb 18, 2009)

started my pepper plants from seed this weekend, still awhile till planting, ussually around memorial day here in pittsburgh for most stuff


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## bcfishman (Feb 18, 2009)

Athabaskar,

It is addictive. Thats for sure. I just finished makin a bunch of markers for some of my other plants.

I got one of the varieties of the Corn planted along with the Cilantro, Oregano, Parsley, Rosemary, Assorted Bell Peppers, Brandywine and Jubilee Tomatoes.

I am still waiting for the 4 other varieties of tomatoes to show up.

Here are pictures of the 7 "novelty" style tomatoes. These are the ones I ordered and/or have planted. NOT TOMATOES I HAVE ALREADY GROWN.

Ananas Noire


Aunt Ruby's German Cherry


Brandywine


Green Zebra


Jubilee


Mr Stripey


Old German


Also, I just finished the watermelon trellis today. It is 4 feet wide by 4 feet deep by 8 feet tall.

Everything is a learning experience this year, and Im sure every year moving forward will also be.

Ill post more pictures in a week or so to show the progress.


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## alx (Feb 20, 2009)

Great thread BCFishMan.We started our onion seeds wednesday.Hope to have in garden mid-late march.I put onion sets in first of march and start snow peas at that time as well.Looks like a great start.


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