New Garden

[custosnox]

So we are finally in a place that we can have a real garden, and with spring being on us, we have made our first venture into having a vegetable garden.  Not sure what else we are going to put down, but we have plenty more room.  Right now we have rosemary and sage that was already there when we moved in, and just planted cilantro, garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cayenne.   

[Ed W]

I want a garden from these guys.

[Red Arrow]

So we are finally in a place that we can have a real garden, and with spring being on us, we have made our first venture into having a vegetable garden.  Not sure what else we are going to put down, but we have plenty more room.  Right now we have rosemary and sage that was already there when we moved in, and just planted cilantro, garlic, onion, bell pepper, jalapeno, and cayenne.   

Be prepared to cover them for the last frost. I have not put my stuff out yet so there will probably not be another frost but..... we almost always get one in early April. Peppers are not frost tolerant.  Fortunately, you can easily get some more through mid to late April at several places.  My favorites are Carmichael's and Conrad's in Bixby.

[custosnox]

Be prepared to cover them for the last frost. I have not put my stuff out yet so there will probably not be another frost but..... we almost always get one in early April. Peppers are not frost tolerant.  Fortunately, you can easily get some more through mid to late April at several places.  My favorites are Carmichael's and Conrad's in Bixby.

last frost?  There was a first one this time around?  I have been going back and forth on rather to go ahead and plant, but given the extremely mild winter I figured I would go ahead and chance it.  I'll be keeping an eye out on the temps.  If it looks like we might end up getting a freeze I'll cover the peppers and tomatoes.  Too bad I don't have any coffee cans.. do they even make them in metal anymore?

[Red Arrow]

last frost?  There was a first one this time around?  I have been going back and forth on rather to go ahead and plant, but given the extremely mild winter I figured I would go ahead and chance it.  I'll be keeping an eye out on the temps.  If it looks like we might end up getting a freeze I'll cover the peppers and tomatoes.  Too bad I don't have any coffee cans.. do they even make them in metal anymore?

Depending on the size of your plants, you can use milk or water gallon bottles with the tops cut off.  The lady watering things in the greenhouse at Carmichael's today suggested 5 gallon plastic buckets.  Since I plan on putting out about 90 plants, that's not really a viable plan for me.

[Red Arrow]

Not sure what else we are going to put down, but we have plenty more room.  

I had good luck with Okra last year.  It's very heat tolerant.  If you grow it, be sure to harvest about every 2nd day since the pods get very fibrous when they get too big.  About 4" long is about all the bigger you should let them get.  I also had some good luck with eggplant.

I had horrible luck with yellow and butternut squash and with cucumbers last year.  They were growing like weeds but squash bugs got them and within a week they were gone.

I'm going to grow some herbs in the area between our front sidewalk from the garage to the front door and the front of the house.  Part of it will be the Simon and Garfunkel area... Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  

[Gaspar]

last frost?  There was a first one this time around?  I have been going back and forth on rather to go ahead and plant, but given the extremely mild winter I figured I would go ahead and chance it.  I'll be keeping an eye out on the temps.  If it looks like we might end up getting a freeze I'll cover the peppers and tomatoes.  Too bad I don't have any coffee cans.. do they even make them in metal anymore?

I put my tomatoes and peppers in ever February.  I have large square plastic storage containers (from Walmart) that I use to cover them for the whole month of February.  They have been uncovered for the last couple of weeks and are around 2 feet tall.  I do Early Girl, Better Boy, Sweet 100 and then an assortment of Heirloom varieties.  My Early Girls are already setting fruit.  I'll do some large smoking peppers like Anaheim and Poblono and several varieties of habanero and Caribbean Red this year.

With both tomatoes and peppers I layer homemade compost, cow manure, landscape fabric and red mulch.  I have a drip irrigation line that runs the length of the garden just under the fabric.  I've found that the bright red mulch makes the plants set more fruit (reflected light and/or heat I suppose).  I'll start harvest on the Early Girls in April, and the remaining varieties will come ripe throughout the summer.

Looks like you have a pretty good setup except you might want to watch how much water you get on the tomato leaves because of that fence.  The fence is going to hold the humidity at a higher level because it functions as a wind break, and that can promote disease.

If you or any of your friends smoke cigarettes or cigars, keep them away from your garden.  The tobacco virus has become so virulent that any contact between people who handle tobacco and come in contact with tomato plants will transmit the wilt.

You may want to go to the Home Depot and get a box of DE (diatomaceous earth) in the swimming pool section.  Use it to dust your plants, and you won't have any aphids or loopers.  Don't buy the "ALL NATURAL DIATOMACEOUS EARTH" insecticide in the garden section because you will pay 1000% more for a small box, and it's the exact same stuff that you use for pool filters.  A big box from the pool section will last you about 100 years and you can share it with friends for the rest of your life. If you put it in a duster (recommended) make sure you don't breath it.  It's basically like breathing microscopic broken glass.

As you may have figured out, gardening is my favorite thing to do.  I spend at least 8 hours every weekend in the summer with my hands in the dirt. 

[Red Arrow]

I started peppers and eggplants in February inside in flats on heating pads (with thermostats) and a 4 tube florescent fixture that normally goes in a suspended ceiling.  I can raise and lower the light for access and to keep the light close to the plants.  I don't have any way to cover the nearly 90 plants I will put out so I wait until I am almost certain there will be no frost.  I also need to finish getting the dirt ready.  I want to send some samples to the OSU extension center this year so I need to get the samples soon. I have a drip system too with one dripper for each plant location.  It really works.

[Gaspar]

I started peppers and eggplants in February inside in flats on heating pads (with thermostats) and a 4 tube florescent fixture that normally goes in a suspended ceiling.  I can raise and lower the light for access and to keep the light close to the plants.  I don't have any way to cover the nearly 90 plants I will put out so I wait until I am almost certain there will be no frost.  I also need to finish getting the dirt ready.  I want to send some samples to the OSU extension center this year so I need to get the samples soon. I have a drip system too with one dripper for each plant location.  It really works.

I wanted to do some eggplant this year, but ran out of room.  Perhaps we can arrange a trade later in the season. 

[custosnox]

I put my tomatoes and peppers in ever February.  I have large square plastic storage containers (from Walmart) that I use to cover them for the whole month of February.  They have been uncovered for the last couple of weeks and are around 2 feet tall.  I do Early Girl, Better Boy, Sweet 100 and then an assortment of Heirloom varieties.  My Early Girls are already setting fruit.  I'll do some large smoking peppers like Anaheim and Poblono and several varieties of habanero and Caribbean Red this year.

With both tomatoes and peppers I layer homemade compost, cow manure, landscape fabric and red mulch.  I have a drip irrigation line that runs the length of the garden just under the fabric.  I've found that the bright red mulch makes the plants set more fruit (reflected light and/or heat I suppose).  I'll start harvest on the Early Girls in April, and the remaining varieties will come ripe throughout the summer.

Looks like you have a pretty good setup except you might want to watch how much water you get on the tomato leaves because of that fence.  The fence is going to hold the humidity at a higher level because it functions as a wind break, and that can promote disease.

If you or any of your friends smoke cigarettes or cigars, keep them away from your garden.  The tobacco virus has become so virulent that any contact between people who handle tobacco and come in contact with tomato plants will transmit the wilt.

You may want to go to the Home Depot and get a box of DE (diatomaceous earth) in the swimming pool section.  Use it to dust your plants, and you won't have any aphids or loopers.  Don't buy the "ALL NATURAL DIATOMACEOUS EARTH" insecticide in the garden section because you will pay 1000% more for a small box, and it's the exact same stuff that you use for pool filters.  A big box from the pool section will last you about 100 years and you can share it with friends for the rest of your life. If you put it in a duster (recommended) make sure you don't breath it.  It's basically like breathing microscopic broken glass.

As you may have figured out, gardening is my favorite thing to do.  I spend at least 8 hours every weekend in the summer with my hands in the dirt. 

I'm pretty sure we got Better Boy tomatoes, was looking at heirlooms.  Will likely get some poblonos out.  We have been discussing putting some berries in the corner. 

I did some guess work at laying the beds.  There was already fabric down, though it seemed all that was on top was some really old mulch and leaves, so cleared that out, leaving the fabric.  Put down some fresh top soil, and then a bag of Scott's garden soil.  Would love to do the irrigation line, but that's not in the budget yet. 

I quit smoking three years ago, so I don't have to worry about that, but on a rare occasion I'll have a visitor that does so I'll have to put an ashtray out somewhere  away from the garden.

Thanks for the DE tip, I've been meaning to get some (ex has a bad bed bug infestation.  Some came over with the kids last year and it was a long, hard fight to get rid of them, so I've been wanting to put some DE down to help make sure they don't come back), so that will be on my next Home Depot trip.

[Gaspar]

I'm pretty sure we got Better Boy tomatoes, was looking at heirlooms.  Will likely get some poblonos out.  We have been discussing putting some berries in the corner. 

I did some guess work at laying the beds.  There was already fabric down, though it seemed all that was on top was some really old mulch and leaves, so cleared that out, leaving the fabric.  Put down some fresh top soil, and then a bag of Scott's garden soil.  Would love to do the irrigation line, but that's not in the budget yet. 

I quit smoking three years ago, so I don't have to worry about that, but on a rare occasion I'll have a visitor that does so I'll have to put an ashtray out somewhere  away from the garden.

Thanks for the DE tip, I've been meaning to get some (ex has a bad bed bug infestation.  Some came over with the kids last year and it was a long, hard fight to get rid of them, so I've been wanting to put some DE down to help make sure they don't come back), so that will be on my next Home Depot trip.

Don't use DE inside.  It's quite an environmental hazard for humans to breathe. It causes serious lung damage.  I use it on plants because I'm not a big fan of chemical insecticides.  I always wear a mask.  It's heavy, so once it sits on the plant and is affixed with dew or moisture, it doesn't blow around. 

People used to think it was harmless because it was chemical free, but it has been found to be a powerful known carcinogen because when breathed in it loges in the lungs (like microscopic broken glass) and the lung is forced to encapsulate it with scar tissue.  Over time that scar tissue encounters mutations that can manifest as cancerous cells. 

[custosnox]

Don't use DE inside.  It's quite an environmental hazard for humans to breathe. It causes serious lung damage.  I use it on plants because I'm not a big fan of chemical insecticides.  I always wear a mask.  It's heavy, so once it sits on the plant and is affixed with dew or moisture, it doesn't blow around. 

People used to think it was harmless because it was chemical free, but it has been found to be a powerful known carcinogen because when breathed in it loges in the lungs (like microscopic broken glass) and the lung is forced to encapsulate it with scar tissue.  Over time that scar tissue encounters mutations that can manifest as cancerous cells. 

hmmm.. I've found it recommended in several places for bed bugs and other house hold bugs.  Particularly in cracks and crevices.

[Townsend]

Particularly in cracks and crevices.

Sounds like that might burn.

[Gaspar]

hmmm.. I've found it recommended in several places for bed bugs and other house hold bugs.  Particularly in cracks and crevices.

It's been recommended for years, but the ill effects have just recently been realized.  I used it for years without knowing how bad it was.  Indoors I would use something like Seven Dust, since you are not going to eat what you put it on. 

[RecycleMichael]

I used DE in many applications. It is great to get rid of a carpet stain left by the dog. Mixed with water it is a great metal polish. It works wonders to get rid of an oil stain on a driveway. I even use it as a soft scrub on shower walls.

Sucks to find out it may be killing me.