# New Garden...Advice Welcome



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

I decided last minute I wanted to plant a garden at our cabin outside of Waller. Up until this year we've only had the water I hauled in, but I now have a well and pump that I can run off the generator. The garden will be located near the well for easy watering. I know the ideal thing is to start working the soil last year, but that didn't happen. I'm going to work it tomorrow and build the fence to keep the hogs out. Not exactly sure on size, but thinking around 32'x48'. I have plenty of room, but need to keep it manageable since I can't be there every day. 

I'm looking for advice on what to plant and whether I should do seeds this late or should I buy plants? I know I want corn, tomatoes, zuchini, peppers (various ones), and maybe some mellons. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,
Brandon


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Corn needs a lot of space. Zuccini plants are huge. Your garden size will work. I'd buy plants. Dirt is a touchy subject. I'll let lark hit that one. Different soil is everywhere. Out here its like gardening on the beach. So I use different additives to give the dirt some backbone.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

Rubberback said:


> Corn needs a lot of space. Zuccini plants are huge. Your garden size will work. I'd buy plants. Dirt is a touchy subject. I'll let lark hit that one. Different soil is everywhere. Out here its like gardening on the beach. So I use different additives to give the dirt some backbone.


Thanks. I'm actually planting between two gravel pits and there's a good amount of clay. I have 100-200# of chicken chit and an unlimited supply of cow manure. In a perfect world I'd sample the soil and go from there, but not with such short notice.

My grandparents had a 3 acre garden when growing up and I miss all the fresh veggies. If I didn't have to deal with hogs I'd go a lot bigger. Our place was originally rice fields, then corn fields, until a decade ago when it went to just a cattle operation.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Your good, chicken poop is King. Hope its cured. If so till it in and roll. I'd use ttape on a timer and your good to go. Good luck! 
You can't beat homegrown.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

My philosophy is to grow what you (and your family) like. For example, I'm not a big fan of zucchini so I don't grow a lot of it...but love the yellow crook neck squash, so I grow a lot of that. So, first recommendation would be to decide what you like best and grow that....and don't waste time growing things you don't like to eat. 

Corn is probably my (our) personal favorite. I stagger successive plantings from seed about three weeks apart through July and last year we had fresh corn all spring, summer and up until Sept. It was absolutely wonderful. Ask our neighbors and extended family, LOL. 

Similarly, with Tomatoes, I like to plant one batch early (usually with the early girl and celebrity strain) and another a bit later with the larger beefstake type and roma types and a third later planting which I make in a location that gets late afternoon shade. We have fresh tomatoes all the way through to Sept. I use a combo of plants and seed as starters. 

Peppers, yes, again planting what you like and will eat/use. I prefer to buy pepper plants as starters and usually set them out only after the ground warms. Often, they will make it through the entire year, but last year was an exception for us as we hit 19 deg. We grow lots of japs, bells, mild, hot all kinds. 

Mellons...I don't grow them much except some cantaloupe. The ***** here will always get them before I do, always, and besides my neighbor gives us more than we can eat, LOL. 

Beans are a staple for us. Green beans, both bush and pole from seed , although I'm leaning more to pole for ease of picking. Pintos are a great garden veggie. The taste of home grown pintos are absolutely to die for...if you like pintos and we love them. A nice benefit of beans is that they are a legume and soil builders. Limas are a bit too slow growing for me, but are rewarding in the taste category. 

Another, even better soil, builder, are the cow peas...crowders, purple hulls, black eyes, etc, small peas, big peas, all kinds of peas...the more the merrier. I use them mostly in the hotter months both for eating and perhaps more importantly for soil building. They are an absolutely great summer cover crop that you can shred, re-grow, shred, re-grow, etc, all the way up until frost. I can almost guarantee that you will never have nematode problems or other soil borne diseases if you use this practice....and you can not beat them for rotation planting. I always, always bring them in behind my onion and potato rows to replenish the soil for the next year. 

Speaking of cover crops, crimson clover, vetch and albon rye are almost always in my gardens during the cool months. The albon rye is great as a nematode deterrent and soil builder. 

Note: A barren garden soil is not a good soil, IMO. Mine never, ever rests. It always has either a producing crop or cover crop growing or both 12 months out of the year. I never, ever let the weeds grow there and go to seed. 

Last of the summer crops would be okra...a big favorite of our family. We save seed every year and grow tons of okra...much more than we can use or even give away. It is so easy to grow. 

Have tried other such as peanuts but not worth the trouble. 

Sorry to ramble on, but once I get started its hard to stop LOL. One last thought, its getting late for bringing in manure unless it is already composted. I'd go slow there for now. 

We can talk about fall gardens and potatoes and onions and cabbage and kale and ....well you get the picture...when the time comes. 

Good luck.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

Sorry for the delayed response, but I was able to break free for a couple days and head to the cabin. Thanks for all the info Meadowlark. Times like this is when I really miss my Grandfather, he retired from the local Soil Conservation Service and worked closely with professors at A&M on his own garden.

I am definitely wanting to plant what we eat. I know being a new garden with no real prep that I'll be lucky to grow much. But like mentioned I will try to keep it going year around and make soil adjustments as needed down the road.

Here's a few pics from the past couple days. Had to build a pen to keep cows and pigs out. Also buried a water line from the generator powered well so I can water.






























Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Looks great! I'm still about a week out on my big garden. Got my taters coming up in a smaller garden and my onions growing in some other gardens. 
I have 1 big garden and 5 smaller gardens. 
I have to have fences around all my gardens because the chickens will eat everything. 
Its a pain because I have to do everything by hand besides the tiller.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

You are clearly off to a great start, BrandonH. 

I'm sure we are not as good as your Grandfather, but the "regulars" that post here have a lot of experience and are always willing and eager to share. Heck, we even have a "Yankee" who contributes some pretty smart stuff on occasion when he isn't fishing in Key West, LOL. 

I like your lay- out...and it looks like you will be using some equipment to work the ground some. That makes life so much easier. I tell folks who ask me why we have such a big garden that working a larger garden with the right equipment is far easier, significantly more productive, and just more fun than working a small garden by hand or with limited equipment.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

Meadowlark said:


> You are clearly off to a great start, BrandonH.
> 
> I'm sure we are not as good as your Grandfather, but the "regulars" that post here have a lot of experience and are always willing and eager to share. Heck, we even have a "Yankee" who contributes some pretty smart stuff on occasion when he isn't fishing in Key West, LOL.
> 
> I like your lay- out...and it looks like you will be using some equipment to work the ground some. That makes life so much easier. I tell folks who ask me why we have such a big garden that working a larger garden with the right equipment is far easier, significantly more productive, and just more fun than working a small garden by hand or with limited equipment.


Thanks. Yes we have all my Grandfather's old equipment...tractor, tiller, disc, cultivator, seed planter, etc...

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I'm ready for a good crop of everything. Might be the year. No freeze from here out will make it good. I'll let the ground warm up and plant from there.


----------



## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

You cats that never gardened in black gumbo will never know how soil like in BrandonH's picture can be dirt ****.


----------



## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

dirt poorn!


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

The only thing I've noticed about having smaller gardens around my shack is being on a hill some areas grow certain veggies better than other areas. I still rotate crops.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

I can't keep up with my zuchini. One day they're 3" then a couple days later they look like this. The golden zuchini are the best and surprisingly the extra large ones are just as good as the smaller ones.


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

BrandonH said:


> I can't keep up with my zuchini. One day they're 3" then a couple days later they look like this. The golden zuchini are the best and surprisingly the extra large ones are just as good as the smaller ones.


Good job! Anything you grow taste so much better than store bought.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Ever try zucchini bread? 

Good to see you're "growing" . 

Was talking to a friend just the other day about some way to preserve squash...but I haven't found a way.


----------



## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

I slice , and dehydrate squash and it keeps quite well .


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

Paul Marx said:


> I slice , and dehydrate squash and it keeps quite well .


Thanks...Good to know.

Sent from my SM-G925V using Tapatalk


----------



## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

Meadowlark said:


> Sorry to ramble on, but once I get started its hard to stop LOL. One last thought, its getting late for bringing in manure unless it is already composted. I'd go slow there for now.
> 
> We can talk about fall gardens and potatoes and onions and cabbage and kale and ....well you get the picture...when the time comes.
> 
> Good luck.


I, for one, like and appreciate it when people that know more about something I'm interested in "ramble on". I really learn a lot reading about gardening on this forum and others. I'm a stressed desk jockey at my job and I can't wait to get home, change into shorts and a T-shirt and piddle in the garden. Then after dark, I read about gardening until bedtime - that is, when my wife isn't talking to me.


----------



## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Meadowlark said:


> Ever try zucchini bread?
> 
> Good to see you're "growing" .
> 
> Was talking to a friend just the other day about some way to preserve squash...but I haven't found a way.


We haven't found a way to preserve zucchini whole, but Teri has found that shredding it before freezing it works. She shreds it then put it in Qt ziplock bags. As she zips the bag closed, she is holding the bag vertical and pressing all of the air out of the bag at the same time. Getting all of the air out of the bag prevents freezer burn. Vacuum sealing should work too, but she doesn't bother. She has made zucchini bread 6 to 8 months after freezing this way, and the bread turns out great. My favorite is her chocolate zucchini bread.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Dick Hanks said:


> We haven't found a way to preserve zucchini whole, but Teri has found that shredding it before freezing it works. ....


Thanks, we will try that...should work in casseroles. I've already about reached my limit of fresh squash that I can eat this year...Jackie did you see Dick's post?


----------



## Sugars Pop (Jul 10, 2008)

My wife makes stuffed Zucs with the big ones and it's great.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

Quick question about potatoes. All I planted were white potatoes and the plants look great. They did bloom a week ago, so today I dug a couple up and found some decent size tators, but a lot of small ones still firmly attached to the roots. The skin is still thin/delicate on the larger ones which leads me to think they need a little more time. Any tips on when to pull potatoes?


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

BrandonH, in my experience, the timing on the end of harvesting potatoes depends on the health of the plant and soil moisture. When the above ground plant starts to decline, its time to get the spuds out of the ground.... or shortly thereafter. 

If you get a big rain late in their growing cycle when temps are up, its a dangerous time for significant loss of the spuds to rot. 

Around here I've gone as late as Memorial Day, but Mother's day is more normal and earlier if you have wet soil. It is flat amazing how fast those spuds will rot in warm/wet soil.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

Meadowlark said:


> BrandonH, in my experience, the timing on the end of harvesting potatoes depends on the health of the plant and soil moisture. When the above ground plant starts to decline, its time to get the spuds out of the ground.... or shortly thereafter.
> 
> If you get a big rain late in their growing cycle when temps are up, its a dangerous time for significant loss of the spuds to rot.
> 
> Around here I've gone as late as Memorial Day, but Mother's day is more normal and earlier if you have wet soil. It is flat amazing how fast those spuds will rot in warm/wet soil.


Thanks...I will keep an eye on them.


----------



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I grew some dakota's I think that is what their called. I noticed they need more time to grow vs the reds. They make great fries. Next year I'm gonna buy more whites and pick them later than the reds.
One good year on the spuds this year. Remarkable crop I had. Could of waited a few weeks to dig them but I wasn't going to chance a flood.


----------



## BrandonH (Oct 15, 2006)

For those with more experience I have a couple questions. Since this was a last minute garden with no prep, just tilled and planted, the weeds have taken over to the point I can't keep up. From here on I plan on keeping something planted most of the year, so is there a process that would help with the weeds? Maybe till and let set for so long then till again? I plan on getting a soil test to see where I stand and if I need to add anything. 
Thanks.


----------



## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

For years now, I've been using cover crops 24/7.

See this recent thread. http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=2289098

The shade from the cover helps tremendously with weeds....better than anything else I've found...plus provides incredible soil building....but it isn't an overnight panacea. It takes time and a little patience, but the rewards are great.


----------

