# Spring Crops are done.



## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Well, After canning 10 quarts and 15 pints of maters and making fresh salsa for a month I pulled my tomato plants last week. I also pulled my white squash which did extremely well too. Around 200 white squash produced in 5 rows. I tilled in 2 yards of mushroom compost last Saturday and I will get my cover crop of purple hull peas in this evening. For a first year garden production was excellent.


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## w_r_ranch (Jan 14, 2005)

We're about done here too. Only things that will be left are the eggplants, okra & watermelons. I'm kind of tired of canning too, besides the fact that we're out of jars. LOL!!!


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

The chickens are getting white squash with their layer crumbles now. I didn't plant okra this year. I have some peppers left in the main garden and in the herb/flower beds. Im low on jars too. I need to pick some so I have em when I make apricot jam.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Yes, its summer crops here now....okra, peas, melons, peppers...and a couple of pumpkin vines for the largest pumpkin contest. Still have some corn and beans to put up but that will also be done soon.

Good to see you also use peas as a cover crop in summer...haven't really seen anyone else do that besides myself but its very effective for a healthy soil and fall/winter garden.


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

Meadowlark said:


> Yes, its summer crops here now....okra, peas, melons, peppers...and a couple of pumpkin vines for the largest pumpkin contest. Still have some corn and beans to put up but that will also be done soon.
> 
> Good to see you also use peas as a cover crop in summer...haven't really seen anyone else do that besides myself but its very effective for a healthy soil and fall/winter garden.


Got the cover crop advice from you.  That and I love purple hull and cream peas. Picked up half a pound of purple hull seeds from some folks I buy seeds from on the internet. I don't like looking at bare dirt.


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## monkeyman1 (Dec 30, 2007)

The cool fronts in the spring had a negative effect on our peas and corn. We re-planted cream peas and green beans a couple of weeks ago and corn yesterday. I've read where corn is a might less sweet the hotter it is, but the little dab of corn we were able to harvest was as sweet as could be, so we're gonna give it a try in the heat. Planted more okra yesterday too.

Pic is the first corn harvest...not quantity, but it tastes great.


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## HuntNFishNick (Jul 13, 2007)

Yes our Purple Hulls didn't fill out so we were thinking we planted to quick for them? Anyone else have that issue and i guess we are going to pull them up and plant some more where our Green beans have been! Corn for us has turned out good. Pops and mom made fresh cream style corn and gonna pick the rest tonight to freeze away for down the road!


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## jm423 (Sep 18, 2011)

We planted everything late this year, crazy weather. Peppers and maters just now cranking up, squash and zucs bearing. Blackeyes and cream peas-be picking by weekend. Sweet taters vining real good, first planting of okra stunted, but what I left (about knee high) bearing, second planting up to a stand. Planted more blackeyes where I pulled the beets up, gonna do same when I dig taters this weekend, hopefully conscript a teenager--watching them easier on 75 yr old back. Mrs Joe growling because peas and mustang grapes coming off same time and Arther(itis) visiting her. And seems as if I spend a lot of time dragging water hoses. Oh, well, keeps me out of mischief.


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## WilliamH (May 21, 2004)

jm423 said:


> We planted everything late this year, crazy weather. Peppers and maters just now cranking up, squash and zucs bearing. .


Same thing in my garden.


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## wet dreams (May 21, 2004)

I still have tomatoes running out my backside, I've sold close to 200lbs in the last week in front of my dads place @ 1.50per Lb, will be bringing another 50lbs or so today...WW


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## fishfeeder (Jan 29, 2009)

Meadowlark said:


> Yes, its summer crops here now....okra, peas, melons, peppers...and a couple of pumpkin vines for the largest pumpkin contest. Still have some corn and beans to put up but that will also be done soon.
> 
> Good to see you also use peas as a cover crop in summer...haven't really seen anyone else do that besides myself but its very effective for a healthy soil and fall/winter garden.


Please explain "cover crops"


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

In my own words...a cover crop generally consists of plants that are used to provide 1)beneficial nutrients to the soil, 2) increased soil fertility, 3) protection from weeds, and 4) help control pests and diseases. Sometimes you can even get a bonus harvest of good eating from them. 

It is a common practice in winter times and I use them then...but also figured out that my soils in East Texas were barren three or four months in the summer, before fall/winter...probably the worst time for weeds... so I started using cover crops in summer also. The benefits have been dramatic. Very little weeding, good natural fertility, and very few pests.

In winter, I like turnips, radishes, beets, rotations of crimson clover(adds N2 to the soil), vetch (also adds N2), rapeseed, and mustard, kale, and collards. Except for the clover, vetch and rapeseed (actually it is an eatable green), these also provide some bonus eating. 

In summer, I really like cow peas...blackeye, purple hull, zippers, etc. After getting all the peas we want, I let the first crop of peas ripen on the vine in early August and then come in with my shredder which scatters hundreds of seeds all over the area and presto soon you have a second cover crop which will last until the first freeze.


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## fishfeeder (Jan 29, 2009)

Thanks!

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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Here's a picture of what you get when you shred the peas in place....the beginnings of a great cover crop.


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## fishfeeder (Jan 29, 2009)

So by nutrients, it is basically after they are tilled in and they decomp...?

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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

That's only a small part it. Legumes can actually add N2 to the soil...a tremendous source of natural fertilizer. The process is known as nitrogen fixation.


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## fishfeeder (Jan 29, 2009)

Will refer back to this thread when i plant my winter garden. Sorry for the hi-jack OP...


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## chuck leaman (Jul 15, 2004)

My purple hulls have started coming up. They will be in the ground until late August/Early September when I get things ready for the Fall garden.


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