It looks like 7b or 8a.

thanks for the quick reply! I'm planning to plant tomatoes, squash, potatoes (in tires or a barrel), cabbage, lettuce, brocolli, cucumbers, watermelons, bellpepers, onions, carrots, okra, hot peppers, radishes, may plant a seperate section of corn and will for sure plant a spot for asparagus (then wait a couple of years patiently!) I also wanted to ask about using plastic in the begining for weed control but also through the season on and off to help with weeds. Is that ok? Thanks for all the help, you folks are so cool. I will be a part of this family forever!!! Bill

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.

As far as the corn goes if you goggle this site you should find a very good string with all the information you need on that subject. Planting corn is different than planting most things.

Did you look up companion planting while you were looking through the site? You want to do that because it can help you with the size and taste of your harvest.

I think if you keep at the weeding thing you will find that after a few years it becomes less of a problem. And like Weezie says weeding after rain is much easier than doing it while the ground is dry.

Are you going to compost? I just started gardening last year and I'm finding it is much cheaper if I am willing to compost. And I'm all about saving a penny or two or three lol.

Because full to note that potatoes try to grow up out of the soil and they have to remain covered so having some thing like straw around that you can cover them with is very important. Green potato is poisonous. I'm not trying to scare you it's just something that you need to know so you can keep an eye on where you plant your potatoes.

For yellow onions you will need "slips". I think that's what they are called. I'm not quite sure where you will find those. Otherwise I think those are a two year crop too. I'm doing garlic from seed as well as from bulbets this year. From seed is a two year crop also. That way althought I only started growing them this year I'll already have both years crops in now so it will be continuous after next year.

Personally I would stager sowing radishes, green onions, carrots and the like. Doing some every other week. That way you can harvest them all summer long. That's because I love fresh veggies and I'm only a family of one.

Yeppers time is an important consideration. Do you have a drip irrigation system all set up? Or how do you plan to water. That is very important as I found out last year. I hand water and it is a pain. If I owned the land you know I'd put a water source out there and drip lines even though my plot is small. Because with the really warm temperatures were have been getting the last few year it takes a bunch of water to keep everything growing.

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quote:

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Personally I would stager sowing radishes, green onions, carrots and the like

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I agree with Tammy!! Radishes and green onions don't take long to mature. In fact, you can harvest radishes in as little as 4 weeks!

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I'm planning a drip system but gathering info now. I'm running PVC now but need info on dripping. I'm going to get my soil tested this week, how much does it cost if I have someone do it. Everyone around me says our area is not that successfull for gardening, but they don't use this site! How soon can I plant after adding lime and fert? I'm waiting 3 weeks for the section I added horse manure, but not sure about other stuff. I'm starting my first compost pile tomorrow.

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.

Thanks Terry! What kind of fert. do you use?

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.

I've heard people say not to plant right after fertilizing, but I do it all the time--and I mean immediately after fertilizing. The only time I wait is after I till in winter rye, as the rye has the effect of retarding seed germination. In this case I wait 2 weeks before planting my seeds.
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I use Harmony. It's an organic dry granulated composted poultry manure.
==========================

I think it's advised to wait a while if using a chemical fertiliser or if the manures etc are still hot. Organic ferts as you describe Obywan are slow release and ready immediately. I use something similar as well as blood and bone, compost and well rotted manures. Basically dig 'em in today and plant whenever i like.

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The secret is the soil.

A good way to make sure that your corn does well is to first soak the seeds in sour milk for at least 2 hrs. before planting. This will also keep critters from digging up your seed.

SusieF

quote:

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Originally posted by detectorbill:
I'm going to get my soil tested this week, how much does it cost if I have someone do it.

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In most area's the county extension office will do soil testing for free, check out you county offices or call you local agriculture agent and they can advise you as to where to get your soil tested.

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DetectorBill

Horse manure is good but so is chicken manure as well. Last year I used about a half pickup truck load of it and athough my garden stank for a few days it worked GREAT. I had the best growing season ever.....That is untill the big drought hit but I got my Brocolli and my colliflower harvested before that (in june) and my tomatos and pepers did well, So did my potatos. My vine plants did`nt do so good because of lack of water.

Oh I also grew lettuce before the drought. plant that early and just put the seeds on the ground...DON`T plant them, then just through dirt on top of the seeds. Lettuce grows on top of the soil like raddishes and onions. BTW....I got over 4 BOXES of romaine lettuce. Grew it for giggles and to see if it would grow. If kept weed free they grow like weeds. I had a 6'x 1' of carpet lettuce (thats how well it covered the ground.)

Cucumbers and watermellons like and will take LOTS of space and will climb all over what ever they get there vines on/into. Water WELL and you will get a good harvest.

Raising them in rows and mounds have been done for like everrrrrrr...

Is is good especially for heating up the soil early... and getting warmth to the soil...
Is great for drainage, it's up higher so it drains much better, especially if you have a clay based soil area.... or a lower spot for your garden where water would end up...
Is good, cause then you don't walk on that area and doesn't compact the soil..

But, remember if you live in an area where it's warmer, it will dry out quicker...
so make sure you ammend your soil, like with Compost, for some water retention and nutrition..

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

thanks, was'nt sure if raising the mounds was good for anything. What about melons, cant. and watermelons, does it matter? I have good drainage. By the way, how far will watermelons travel, I put my patch 12' away from my garden.

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.

Here are some potassium sources:

Granite powder, Greensand, Langbeinite (Sul-Po-Mag), Kelp meal, and Wood ashes.

Not sure about the potash burning your potato roots. The granite powder and greensand are slow release while the potassium in kelp is in a relatively available form, but I doubt that it would burn. The Sul-Po-Mag is a source of quick release potassium, and some of the nutrients of wood ashes are soluble enough to burn plants. I use greensand myself, and always till it in before planting. 1 application of greensand (and probably the granite too) will last 5 years.

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Terry

May the force be with you

Be careful with too much woodash...a little is great, too much makes soil alkaline, and raises salt level.

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

Speaking of radishes, what am I doing wrong?
All I ever get are red, spicy-tasting strings.
Why won't my radishes make globes?


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My soil here is hard, lots of clay.

I can't till as deep as I would like. So this year I planted my carrots in a big pot, now I don't have to worry about the soil getting hard on them.

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One OS to rule them, one OS to find them:
One OS to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
In the Land of Redmond where the shadows lie.

I just had a thought...are you thinning your radishes? They need a little space or they won't develop.

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

No, you can't plant radishes too shallow (don't quote me! )
I'm thinking the recommendation is just to cover the seed...
It could be that your soil isn't rich enough? What all is in your mix?

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

I planted radish seeds today, I think I may have planted them (and my carrots) too deep. like a couple of inches. What should I look for or do?

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.

When I plant carrots, since the seed is so fine, I end up having to always thin them out. I make a humped up dirt row, then take my hoe handle and drag it lightly along the top middle part of the row,sprinkle my seeds along that drag line when that is done, I take my hands and gentle push a little dirt into this slight indention I made, pat it down and water good. Growing carrots in a container is a good way, esp if you have hard or rocky soil. I have light and fluffy soil with some small rocks, but have no problems with those few small rocks. I grow the Danvers half long, and over half of them get almost as big as full sized would. Radish is one thing I have never been able to get to grow right either, so gave up years ago. Maybe I'll try again, I have some fresh seed.

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I have sandy soil, and radishes do well. I plant them early (should have done that already!) They like cool weather.
Lettuce likes to be sown on the soil surface, or barely dusted with soil...lettuce and some others need some light to reach the seed to germinate. These are just things you learn as you go...

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Dave
Even my growlights are getting restless!

Thanks, all, for your posts about radishes.
The soil is bagged good quality potting soil, called E.B. Stone. So it can't be impacted.
I wait a whole month, cross my fingers, and pull. Sure enough, no globes, just strings.
I water well, and never overwater anything.
I'll try one more time, and after that, hello grocery store radishes forever !

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I got tater sprouts today! Thought I had set them too deep also, still may have, but I've got 4 sprouters... Oh Yea..

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I feel more like I do now than I did before I ever felt this way.

Or for the fine seeds a spray bottle of water...
And mist it good, depending on where you have it,
if it's full sun, a couple times of day..
but that does cut down on the dirt/seed displacement...

I do the worm castings too..
*when my son brings them to me...
he's an awesome finder of those casting..*

But mostly I sprinkle the sifted compost
or the seed starting mix soil..

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

should I allow them to 4-5" before covering with dirt?
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A bit taller is OK. Say 10". Hill the soil up around the stem, just enough to leave the top of the shoots exposed. If you don't have enough soil, you can use straw and compost, well rotted manures or mulches. You should bury the growth about 3 times thru the growing season.

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The secret is the soil.