Quote:
Originally Posted by jct32
I'm here in Oklahoma and the only thing I've gotten so far is some peppers. My tomatoes have started to come up but they aren't ripe yet.
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In North Virginia and that's closer to where I am too. Little green tomatoes, cucumbers just starting. Got a good amount of green beans and my first zucchini yesterday but other than that it's all just starting. Peppers doing well though.
I've got two halves to my planting, on my deck I have containers and pots, down at ground level I have a raised bed. Really seeing the difference the soil makes, as Ben said above. For the containers I used the same soil as last year, but composted at the end of last year, covered them for the winter, then used triple-13 before planting this year and everything is looking pretty good.
In the raised bed I used some "soil for raised beds" that was supposedly pre-ferilized, and it's lagging well behind. It doesnt even deserve a photo. In preparation for groundhogs/chipmunks/rabbits etc I now have it fenced off, but the main pest was a local cat that seemed to think it looked like a big litter tray. Spend enough time scooping for my own fur-babies without a neighbors cat using my raised bed.
I've started using a smelly vegetable food to try and help with the slow start, couldnt place the smell to start with, vaguely sweet but a little sickening too. Read the ingredients and it's ground chicken feathers and chicken manure. Not sure if it's helping yet with growth.
I went for variety in my containers, something different in every container, all planted from seed:
1. Zucchini: last year my zucchini just about failed, not sure why but I only got male flowers for the first few months before finally getting two zucchini late in the summer before squash bugs took over. This year much better so far, three zucchini already and the plants look healthy, been watching out for squash bug eggs and nothing yet.
2. Beets: Wasnt expecting anything more than beet greens, root veggies havent worked in my containers before, I dont think the soil in the container is loose enough to allow growth, but looks like I'll get a couple of beets. And a ton of beet greens.
3. Green Beans: First year for me. Going well, already got about 4 bundles of beans out of it, but they will apparently stop producing when the temperature is over 80 so they might not last long.
4. Parsnips: They still have about 2 months before harvest (110 days total), but looking good. Strong plants. No idea what to do with parsnips if we get any.
5. Brussel Sprouts: successful so far, looks like I may get some home grown brussellies. Had to thin out the container, so have about 12 plants spread through the original container and pots. Have to check everyday for cabbage worms and eggs, they've done a number on some leaves. Brussel sprout leaves fell just like cabbage leaves.
6. Peas: Just about harvest time. They're beginner level container gardening, cant go wrong. Easy-peasy, literally.
7. Egg plants: Plants growing, thinned down to only 4 in a container. Not sure if they'll work, never tried this variety.
8. Cucumber: This was a big winner last year, averaged two per day from 4 plants. This year the plants are flowering, but no actual cucumbers yet. Should be soon though.
9. Peppers: We got a huge amount of jalapenos last year, we have a lifetime supply cut and frozen, so this year it's banana peppers and cherry peppers. Banana peppers have started to produce, cherry peppers are growing but still green. They both got hit by Tobacco Hornworms. Only one worm on one plant of each, but they're huge (about little-finger sized) and do a lot of damage if you dont get them and squish them:
I also have tomatoes growing both on my deck and in the raised garden, all bought, not planted from seed. They're not very tall or strong looking, but starting to produce little green tomatoes, so hopefully soon. Almost all cherry tomatoes, but one "Big Beefy" that I bought by mistake.
So all going ok, despite nowhere near Farmer Ben's bountiful harvest.