Gardeners: What produce are you growing this season?

Strokingdiction

I plans are always bigger the actual outcome but I've already planted tomatoes, potatoes and peppers outside under walls of water and polytunnels (I'm a big fan of plasticulture). I'm excited for my area's last frost date, a month from now, so I can plant the rest of my grow room's seedlings in the ground and put the flourescent light's away for another season.

Produce for this year:
Corn
Potatoes
Tomatoes
Carrots
Peas
Beans
A variety of greens
Cucumbers
and a variety of squash

This year I'm trying straw bale gardening for the heck of it in the test portion of my garden along with the three sisters style of planting beans, corn and squash.

What are you growing and are you trying anything different this year from previous years?

AmyEm3

I have a small kitchen garden. This year I was lazy and didn't start from seed so I will be buying starts. I grew most of my stuff from Baker Creek seeds last year and those plants grew so much better than the plants I bought. Oh well...I will try to be more on top of things next year.

various herbs
habanero peppers...lots of them
tomatoes
greens
acorn squash
green beans
potatoes
radishes
carrots

I am sure I am forgetting a bunch of stuff.

Hot peppers and pumpkins are my favorite things to grow--I don't have space to grow pumpkins anymore though.

Strokingdiction

I have a small kitchen garden. This year I was lazy and didn't start from seed so I will be buying starts. I grew most of my stuff from Baker Creek seeds last year and those plants grew so much better than the plants I bought. Oh well...I will try to be more on top of things next year.

various herbs
habanero peppers...lots of them
tomatoes
greens
acorn squash
green beans
potatoes
radishes
carrots

I am sure I am forgetting a bunch of stuff.

Hot peppers and pumpkins are my favorite things to grow--I don't have space to grow pumpkins anymore though.

Have you tried trellising your pumpkins so that they grow vertically, saving you the horizontal growing space? I've done that before for aesthetic reasons in the past. You can net the fruit and attach the nets to the trellis so the vine doesn't break under the weight as long as you're not growing an Atlantic Giant or some similar variety. Anything smaller than a sweet pie pumpkin probably wouldn't even need the additional support though I've never tried it.

Last year I didn't start my garden from seed due to a bout of late winter laziness and had to go the purchased route. I don't know if it's the quality of the stock, if it's just less transplant shock or some other variable I'm not familiar with but I agree that starting from seeds tends to produce more vigorous, healthier and better producing plants. Maybe I'll dedicate a part of the garden to purchased plants and do a side by side this year. See if the results mesh up with my expectations.

AmyEm3

I have a trellis and I grew some Jack-Be-Littles on there but I haven't tried it with bigger pumpkins.

Maybe I will try it with some sugar pumpkins this year.

wheird

Would a trellis be useful with any squash variety?

lmhbuss

I have a wee tiny above ground box and this year we are growing carrots, lettuces, spinach and cucumbers. I also have a trellis along the back fence and will try to get in some green beans and peas. I'm still not very good at this so it's always a crap shoot.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

Would a trellis be useful with any squash variety?

Not necessarily useful and it takes a bit more work, but you can do it and it's pretty:)

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

So far I've just planned sunflowers and sweet peas mixed together, and some herbs and tomatoes on my deck.
Now I'm thinking a pot of zucchini trailing down over the did of a big pot would be nice too, and beans climbing up my hot tub trellis.

fitgirlandfoodie

this year we're growing..
potatoes
beetroot
cabbage
brocolli
lettuce
tomatoes
carrots
peas
beans
radishs
asparagus
brussel sprouts
raspberries
strawberries
plums
apples
pumpkins
squash
assorted herbs
garlic
onions
red currents
swede
leeks
celery
cauliflower
peppers

I think thats it :-)

Strokingdiction

Would a trellis be useful with any squash variety?

Yes!

I trellis nearly all of my med to smaller variety squash (acorn, zucchini, etc) because it keeps the fruit cleaner and to keeps some of the pests off of them. Cattle panel, concrete reinforcing wire are mostly what I use for their durability.

RaspberryKeytoneBoondoggle

^. Wow! That sounds like a full time job!

Strokingdiction

I have a wee tiny above ground box and this year we are growing carrots, lettuces, spinach and cucumbers. I also have a trellis along the back fence and will try to get in some green beans and peas. I'm still not very good at this so it's always a crap shoot.

My first 3-4 years of gardening were almost a complete bust except for radishes. For me, it was my poor native soils and soil amendment became a big, ongoing project. Keep trying new things and you'll find what works for you. Nothing like finally having a successful garden that doesn't just produce really hot radishes.

Strokingdiction

So far I've just planned sunflowers and sweet peas mixed together, and some herbs and tomatoes on my deck.
Now I'm thinking a pot of zucchini trailing down over the did of a big pot would be nice too, and beans climbing up my hot tub trellis.

Do you train the sweet peas up the sunflowers? Just thinking about how pretty that would be makes me smile.

Strokingdiction

this year we're growing..
potatoes
beetroot
cabbage
brocolli
lettuce
tomatoes
carrots
peas
beans
radishs
asparagus
brussel sprouts
raspberries
strawberries
plums
apples
pumpkins
squash
assorted herbs
garlic
onions
red currents
swede
leeks
celery
cauliflower
peppers

I think thats it :-)

Wow, I bow down to that. Do you mound dirt around your celery as it grows?

MelsAuntie

5 varieties of gourmet hardneck garlic, sunchokes, red sweet bullhorn peppers, mini yellow and red sweet peppers, yellow and purple bush beans, 4 varieties of broccoli, purple, orange and white varieties of cauliflower, garlic chives, lemon cucumbers, green cucumbers, 3 vareities of eggplant, lettuce, mesclun, cilantro, parsnips, sugar snap peas, Amish pie squash, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes,6 vareities of heirloom tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, leeks, strawberries, blackberries, dragon carrots, various herbs such as mountain and white sage, marjoram, chamomile, flowers for pollinators, bunching onions, summer squash, zucchini, 2 varieties of radishes, golden and Detroit Red beets, and sweet corn and winter squash over at the other farm.
....but the main crop is hay.

fitgirlandfoodie

Wow, I bow down to that. Do you mound dirt around your celery as it grows?
[/quote]

haha thanks :-) yes! time consuming but we tried it without and it was a disaster

vjohn04

Well, I'll probably turn my garden three times this year, but right now I have planted:

Strawberries (I winterized them from last year so I will have fruit in a couple weeks)
Asparagus (one more year before I can pick since the roots are still grounding)
Blackberries
Broccoli
Spinach
Yukon Gold Potatoes
6 different kinds of tomatoes

Permanent Herbs:
Parsley
Rosemary
Mint
Chives

Flowers to attract bees:
Zinnia
Sunflowers

Lleldiranne

My brother is giving us some of his extra tomato starts.
We're also going to try zucchini, cantaloupe, and maybe broccoli.

This is our first spring in this house, and we're having to dig out a space for garden, but the soil looks much better that the last house we had - less clay and rocks, etc. We've been in an apartment for the last 5 years, so I'm excited to get to try a garden again.

Strokingdiction

5 varieties of gourmet hardneck garlic, sunchokes, red sweet bullhorn peppers, mini yellow and red sweet peppers, yellow and purple bush beans, 4 varieties of broccoli, purple, orange and white varieties of cauliflower, garlic chives, lemon cucumbers, green cucumbers, 3 vareities of eggplant, lettuce, mesclun, cilantro, parsnips, sugar snap peas, Amish pie squash, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes,6 vareities of heirloom tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, leeks, strawberries, blackberries, dragon carrots, various herbs such as mountain and white sage, marjoram, chamomile, flowers for pollinators, bunching onions, summer squash, zucchini, 2 varieties of radishes, golden and Detroit Red beets, and sweet corn and winter squash over at the other farm.
....but the main crop is hay.

Do you raise bees too? I ask because you said you had flowers for pollinators too. Or are they for the wild ones?

Also, do you live in an area where artichokes are easy to grow with mild winters or do you do something special? I tried a variety that was supposed to mature quickly but I didn't overwinter the plant well enough (end of season laziness).

Strokingdiction

Well, I'll probably turn my garden three times this year, but right now I have planted:

Strawberries (I winterized them from last year so I will have fruit in a couple weeks)
Asparagus (one more year before I can pick since the roots are still grounding)
Blackberries
Broccoli
Spinach
Yukon Gold Potatoes
6 different kinds of tomatoes

Permanent Herbs:
Parsley
Rosemary
Mint
Chives

Flowers to attract bees:
Zinnia
Sunflowers

What method do you use for growing your potatoes? In ground, straw or something else?

Edit: I Dan Quailed potato.

Strokingdiction

My brother is giving us some of his extra tomato starts.
We're also going to try zucchini, cantaloupe, and maybe broccoli.

This is our first spring in this house, and we're having to dig out a space for garden, but the soil looks much better that the last house we had - less clay and rocks, etc. We've been in an apartment for the last 5 years, so I'm excited to get to try a garden again.

Good luck! I'm trying cantaloupe again this year buy placing them under a poly tunnel and walls of water to see if I can actually beat the first fall frost. I've never been able to ripen them on the vine.

12by311

Probably a small plot of beans, cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, maybe corn (I HATE working corn, hubby's fav to eat).

My aunt has been wanting to give me blackberry vine to start for a few years. I need to do that!

rowlandsw

Probably the same as ever year: beans, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins in the fall, i think we're looking into asparagus too. We used to have a bigger garden but the ground went bad so we had to cut back while the nutrients rebuild. Plus the amish have such good deals at their farm stands we just get from them half the time. Last year was insane for green beans, they were growing faster than we could harvest them.
I think we're doing heirloom tomatoes again though.

Lleldiranne

My brother is giving us some of his extra tomato starts.
We're also going to try zucchini, cantaloupe, and maybe broccoli.

This is our first spring in this house, and we're having to dig out a space for garden, but the soil looks much better that the last house we had - less clay and rocks, etc. We've been in an apartment for the last 5 years, so I'm excited to get to try a garden again.

Good luck! I'm trying cantaloupe again this year buy placing them under a poly tunnel and walls of water to see if I can actually beat the first fall frost. I've never been able to ripen them on the vine.

I haven't succeeded at cantaloupe yet, but when I was little my grandma grew them. Like tomatoes, once you've eaten vine-ripened cantaloupe it spoils you for life from the store bought ones :laugh: How early does it frost for you?

MelsAuntie

5 varieties of gourmet hardneck garlic, sunchokes, red sweet bullhorn peppers, mini yellow and red sweet peppers, yellow and purple bush beans, 4 varieties of broccoli, purple, orange and white varieties of cauliflower, garlic chives, lemon cucumbers, green cucumbers, 3 vareities of eggplant, lettuce, mesclun, cilantro, parsnips, sugar snap peas, Amish pie squash, globe artichokes, Jerusalem artichokes,6 vareities of heirloom tomatoes, Brussels sprouts, leeks, strawberries, blackberries, dragon carrots, various herbs such as mountain and white sage, marjoram, chamomile, flowers for pollinators, bunching onions, summer squash, zucchini, 2 varieties of radishes, golden and Detroit Red beets, and sweet corn and winter squash over at the other farm.
....but the main crop is hay.

Do you raise bees too? I ask because you said you had flowers for pollinators too. Or are they for the wild ones?

Also, do you live in an area where artichokes are easy to grow with mild winters or do you do something special? I tried a variety that was supposed to mature quickly but I didn't overwinter the plant well enough (end of season laziness).

We have raised Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) for years, they are absolutely trouble free; plant and forget. They don't need weeding becasue they get 8 feet tall and no weeds survive in the shade under them. For globe artichokes, this will be our first year. We may have a local beekeeper put his hives in our garden, next to the hayfield ( flowering alfalfa), but we do have a good number of bumblebees ( not at all aggressive and good pollinators) with a nest up in the rafters of our garage. We use no herbicide or pesticides at all.

jackson7478

I just have a small garden, but it gets me outside. I have my seedlings started inside already.

Tomatoes - Many varieties
Radishes
Green Onions
Onions
Mini Cantaloupes
Cucumbers
Bell Peppers
Carrots

ETA: spelling

Strokingdiction

For everyone that plants a variety of tomatoes, do you bunch all of a single variety together or do you intermix them? I don't seed save and I love looking at a wall of variety (I do the same with my peppers except the jalapenos).

AmyRhubarb

I need to get my spring crops out so I can put my summer crops in! #californiagardenissues

Currently growing potatoes, onions, broccoli, garlic, strawberries, carrots and celery. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant started from seed in the house in January are ready to go in, and I will start squash varieties from seed right in the beds.

Just turned my front porch flowerbed into an herb garden this week - sage, garlic chives, dill, thyme, Greek oregano, Thai basil, globe basil, curry (new one for me!), lavender and catnip. More basil going in, plus whatever interesting herbs I come across in nurseries from here on out. :bigsmile:

Strokingdiction

I need to get my spring crops out so I can put my summer crops in! #californiagardenissues

Currently growing potatoes, onions, broccoli, garlic, strawberries, carrots and celery. Tomatoes, peppers, eggplant started from seed in the house in January are ready to go in, and I will start squash varieties from seed right in the beds.

Just turned my front porch flowerbed into an herb garden this week - sage, garlic chives, dill, thyme, Greek oregano, Thai basil, globe basil, curry (new one for me!), lavender and catnip. More basil going in, plus whatever interesting herbs I come across in nurseries from here on out. :bigsmile:

I am very envious of your California gardening issues. My mother likes to wax poetic about how much more fun it was to garden when she lived there. The increased growing season alone is jealously inducing! Our last estimated frost is 15 May where I am, so putting out tomatoes and peppers like I did a couple weeks ago is only possible with very special care and observation. I want ripe tomatoes in July and this is the only way I can do it.

Have fun with your awesome gardening environment!

ssaraj43

Next weekend I'll sow radishes,spinach,broccoli and sugar snap peas.

End of May I'll sow cucumbers,carrots,summer squash,butternut squash,greenbeans, pumpkins,corn and sunflowers.

I'll buy tomato and pepper plants and plant at the end of May.

In may plant some kale next weekend to hide in my shakes.

Really excited to get things going but it's still cold here :sad:

jackson7478

I keep my tomato varieties separate. Have yellow pear, white beefsteak, red beefsteak, red cherry, brandywine, tasty treat and patio tomatoes. As you can tell I love tomatoes.