Gardeners: What produce are you growing this season?

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Strokingdiction
Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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?
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Replies

  • AmyEm3
    AmyEm3 Posts: 784 Member
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    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    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
    AmyEm3 Posts: 784 Member
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    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
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
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    Would a trellis be useful with any squash variety?
  • lmhbuss
    lmhbuss Posts: 282 Member
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    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
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    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
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    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
    fitgirlandfoodie Posts: 1,014 Member
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    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    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
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    ^. Wow! That sounds like a full time job!
  • Strokingdiction
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    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
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    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
    fitgirlandfoodie Posts: 1,014 Member
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    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
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    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
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
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    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    Options
    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
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    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
    Strokingdiction Posts: 1,164 Member
    Options
    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.