5-20-11 garden veggies

Oops! I'm a few weeks late posting this. Its been busy. So far this year I've really been pleased with how the garden has turned out. I have really been careful not to over-water and I think the drip irrigation has worked out great! Also I think the soil amendments have been key to the success as well.(compost tea, compost, worm castings, the seaweed, dry molasses and organic fertilizer)

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• garden
• gardening
• compost
• organic
• raised beds
• potatoes
• onions
• tomatoes
• beets
• allotment
• plants
• harvest
• square
• lettuce

[emsapowell]

I definitely need to do some things different next year. Great looking harvest there! I've been researching those drip irrigations, and since we pay for water that might be better than using a sprinkler twice every day. Also going with raised beds will be better too! And for my containers, if the homemade self-watering's work, then I'm going to be making LOTS of those this winter! 3 days now and my squash still have plenty of water even in this heat! AWESOME!

[gardenvespers777]

@emsapowell Thank you! I have been thinking about doing a rain barrel, but..I can't bring myself to cut the gutter to attach the diverter to it. I've been trying to ponder another way around that.. lol but haven't figured it out yet. But the drip irrigation works very well. Its going to be 100 degrees on Tuesday, so I may go a little longer with it. I like your idea of the self-waterers. I would like some containers to plant in as well.

Good to hear your squash is doing well ! :-)

[emsapowell]

@gardenvespers777 I've got an idea that I'm rolling around in my head for a cheap way to do drip irrigation. I'll have to think on it and figure out the mechanics/supplies I'll need to make it work, but I think it should do the job for me. I'll definitely do a video if what I'm thinking about works!

[gardenvespers777]

@emsapowell loll I can relate to that.."an idea rolling around in my head" lol.. I think thats the other the fun part of all of this.. Its like a puzzle.. how do I do this.. hmmm.. hmmm..

:-D

Me thinks we youtube gardeners are also "putterers" at heart.

[baconsoda]

Well...I have aproblem. I couldn't buy a cabbage that size anywhere here so I'm afraid this round goes to you. See when you are cooking carrots...do you add some sugar to the water? It doesn't add sugar to the carrots but keeps the sugar in the carrots, it's that osmosis thing.  Super harvest.

Best Wishes, Brendan.

[gardenvespers777]

@baconsoda lol Thanks Brendan and look! no gloves! lol

I don't really eat cooked carrots, unless I put them in soup. I like munching on them raw, that's I chose the little fingerlings. But maybe if I try adding the sugar that would make cooked carrots better. The carrots have been sparsely growing..so I need to figure out why...could be just not enough sun in that corner of the raised beds.

Petunia

[mhpgardener]

Suppose the carrot wasn't ready..then what ? You already pulled it up ! Nice haul there ! Simply beautiful !

[BalconyGrow]

Wow, looks really yummy.  :0)

[baconsoda]

@gardenvespers777 Carrots are hit and miss. I have reasonable luck with them but neighbours don't bother growing them any more because they are so poor. I think the difference is my raised beds because the soil here is an acid loam which carrots might not like but I have a neutral soil in the beds. The other point you made about light is probably worth looking at because any carrots I grew with other veg did badly when overshadowed. This is how we learn.

Best Wishes, Brendan.

[gardenvespers777]

@sumip90x lol Thank you! I didn't use my little gloves this time. ;-P

I am on the border between zone 7b and 8a.

Sure! I can do a quick video to summarize how I put it all together.

I think that the combination of the little "mix" of soil amendments I concocted (lol), the compost tea, using the drip irrigation (watering deeply and only once or twice a week), and what I did with my leaves in the fall... all that put together worked! lol