# Getting back In the Mode!



## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Got my onions going & taters planted. Cleaned out another bed today. Gonna plant lopes and cucs in.
Got the big garden to clean out and another small bed for watermelons. Feels good. Nights are still way to cold to plant up here.
How's everyone else doing ? I know Lark is ready .
Lark you remember I burned my pasture and you commented about running the larks off. That pasture came back in about three weeks.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Rubberback said:


> ....
> Lark you remember I burned my pasture and you commented about running the larks off. That pasture came back in about three weeks.


No, I don't recall saying it would run the Larks off...just that I would do it here except it absolutely isn't safe being surrounded by jungle thickets. They don't call it the big thicket for nothing, LOL.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Meadowlark said:


> No, I don't recall saying it would run the Larks off...just that I would do it here except it absolutely isn't safe being surrounded by jungle thickets. They don't call it the big thicket for nothing, LOL.


My bad! I haven't seen the larks yet. I haven't seen the martins either.


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## 1528mac (Oct 17, 2016)

Rubberback said:


> ....Feels good. Nights are still way to cold to plant up here....


What? I'm 3 hrs north of ya and I've started fertilizing my straw bales yesterday. Going to plant'em on March 11. Counting on no more nights under 40Â°. One of these days I'd like to come by your way and get a case of them birds to grill. Haven't had a good quail in years. If ya ever get near to bid D, give a hollar....there's always a cold beer in the fridge, and soon maybe a 'mater in the back yard!

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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

1528mac said:


> What? I'm 3 hrs north of ya and I've started fertilizing my straw bales yesterday. Going to plant'em on March 11. Counting on no more nights under 40Â°. One of these days I'd like to come by your way and get a case of them birds to grill. Haven't had a good quail in years. If ya ever get near to bid D, give a hollar....there's always a cold beer in the fridge, and soon maybe a 'mater in the back yard!
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G530AZ using Tapatalk


Last year I was covering up mater plants in may getting ready for a freeze. 
I'm with ya ever near my shack come on by. Will swill a few for sure.


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## peckerwood (Jun 9, 2012)

I planted 10 bunches of onions the middle of last month,and yesterday hoe'd my garden. Hen-bit is really coming on strong.Last week I planted an English walnut,pomagranit,and persimmon tree. I've got to plant another variety of walnut for pollination, but am having a tough time finding another. The persimmon is Renda. They are dwarf that load up heavy every fall with tennis ball size fruit. I'm about a month away from planting squash,cucumbers and beans.Even then,I'll be nervous watching the weather every night. Like Randy said,I also lost lots of tomatoes the 1st of May.


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

Well , I got my taters , and corn planted , then we got a big rain . Some taters got washed out , but others are coming up , as well as my corn . I planted 10 grafted May Haw trees , with irrigation , and am getting growth already . I tried to run my spring tooth cultivator in the garden yesterday to help dry it out , but almost buried the tractor . I hope it dries soon .


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I've never had this happen my taters came up in less than 10 days. I still got some work on my big garden but now there's a rain delay. O well its still way to early to plant up here.


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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

Last several years my early potato shoots have been frozen back...some as much as three times. It reduces production of the new spuds because of the energy it takes to regrow, but other than that doesn't seem to hurt. 

I'd like to see a freeze free year this time and get a huge crop.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Mine froze as well. I striped all the dead off and got a decent crop. Even after all that rain. 
It would be nice to not get another freeze this winter but you never know.


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## Sugars Pop (Jul 10, 2008)

My garden is fairly small so I hedged on the weather this past weekend and put about $8 of seeds in the ground. Squash, Cucumbers, and Okra with twice as many sitting in the frig for standby if these freeze.


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

I got tired of moving my tomato plant in and out of the garage . I battled the darn rain , and planted 55 Big Beef , 11 Roma's , and 22 Big Zac's . The rest of the garden will have to wait till everything dries out AGAIN .


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## 1528mac (Oct 17, 2016)

Paul Marx said:


> I got tired of moving my tomato plant in and out of the garage . I battled the darn rain , and planted 55 Big Beef , 11 Roma's , and 22 Big Zac's . The rest of the garden will have to wait till everything dries out AGAIN .


That's some serious 'mater farming!

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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

I know . Keeps me from having to date anyone , but still get the occasion to trade some maters for a nice home cooked meal , and a night of entertainment . LOL


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## 1528mac (Oct 17, 2016)

Nothing wrong with bartering. 

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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

Sounds like you won't have to water them in. LOL! I'm hoping I get mine in next week.


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

I got lucky and didn't get the amounts they got in parts of Houston , but I got enough . As you know I use the buckets , and fill them with compost . Every time I needed another tractor bucket , I would have to flip the pile to reach semi dry soil . It sucked , but they are in now . Now I have to come up with more darn cages , and they don't give those away .


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## Dick Hanks (Aug 16, 2007)

Paul.... Have you planted the Big Zacs before this year? I know that they can get huge. What did you think of them?

Have you considered the big rolls of concrete reinforcement mesh for making cages? The rolls come in 25', and 100' rolls and are 5' wide. The mesh is 6" squares, and way heavier than hog fence. You can customize the diameter of the cages this way. The varieties that get BIG plants, I'll go an extra square or 2 wider in diameter. Allows for better air flow and less disease.

You cut the horizontal wires close to a measured out vertical wire. This leaves about 6" of wire stems on the other side. Take a heavy duty pliers and bend a 1.5" hook in these wires. The hooks are used to fasten the cage into a cylinder. 

I run a guide wire thru all of my cages to keep them from tipping in high wind. If you don't want to do that, cut the horizontal wires on the bottom of the cage. This will give you a bunch of 6" prongs to stick into the soil. I've been using this mesh for about 20 years now. Still haven't found anything better for the price, but it does take some work to make them.

My cages are probably covered with snow right now (they have been down since last season), but if you need a picture, I could try to dig one out of the snow.


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

Thank you Dick . I think this will be the cheapest route . I do have the room to store them when I'm done . It may have been one of your other posts , but for some reason I remember hearing to cut the wire at 6' long . That will make a good size cage . I'm also considering something with bamboo . I have tons of it .


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I make my cages like dick mentioned. I made 30 of them. Paid about 200 bucks but they will last 2 life times. I stake mine down it gets windy up on this hill.
I grow thirty plants a year. 2 cherry's maxs those are another forever picking. But I like munching on them when I'm in the garden. They really are the best tasting maters and great on salads. Sweet.


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## 1528mac (Oct 17, 2016)

I use that same wire, but I use it straight and support it about every 4-5ft. When the plants start getting big enough I start tying them up. Also when the meters get in a clump of over 3 I tie them up to take the weight off the limb and the ground. Almost use it like a continuse trellace. 
http://tomatoheadquarters.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/trellis-outside.jpg

Makes for a lot easier storage when not in use also. Flat!

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## Meadowlark (Jul 19, 2008)

1528mac said:


> ...
> Makes for a lot easier storage when not in use also. Flat!
> 
> ...


That's an excellent point 1528. I may give that a try this year.


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## Rubberback (Sep 9, 2008)

I got plenty of room to store them. I just stake them first. Let them get to growing and put the cage around them and done.


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## Paul Marx (Nov 13, 2009)

That's what I'll do .


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