Geting the soil ready for the gardens this year?

[DaMadman]

Are you folks getting the gardens ready for planting Yet?

I have mind plowed and about half tilled.

I will have to take the Backhoe off the tractor and put the plow back on to plow it into rows once the tilling is finished and the ground dries out a little.

I can't wait to start seeing those plants sprouting in the garden in a couple months.

I normally plant toward the end of April which is several weeks to a month ahead of everyone else in my area that waits until the middle of May to plant.

I will wait to see what the weather is like to decide exact planting dates but It is going to be soon

[denton]

It's a little wet to get out just yet, here. Temperature is right at 32 F right now, mix of snow and rain coming down.

My grandkids pulled up all my blackberry plants, and floated them down the creek, so this year I stocked up on those, plus some jumbo raspberries... as though I can get to them before the small fry do!! Anyway, those will go in soon. The rest of the stuff will wait a while.

I really miss my blackberries... and it's two years to get more!!

[GoodOlBoy]

We usually plant on good friday, but I have yet to break the soil this year. . . . . want to garden don't know if I will GET to garden.

GoodOlBoy

[gspsonny03]

Originally posted by GoodOlBoy
We usually plant on good friday, but I have yet to break the soil this year. . . . . want to garden don't know if I will GET to garden.

GoodOlBoy

Hope everything is going well with you GOB. Don't really know how to take this statement, but if you need something let your freinds know. We're here for you.

[skeet]

Heck If I had anything in my garden it would have to be doing the backstroke right now. Too much rain.:rolleyes:

[GoodOlBoy]

gspsonny03

I appreciate the concern, and the sentiment. Thank the good Lord above it ain't to do with health, for the first time in a LOOOOONNNNGGGG time my health is actually purty darned good. Even the arthritis ain't near as bad as it could be!

Just that now that my health IS purty good I have 432,139 projects that have to be taken care of. . . (Plus we just added 31 to the chicken count at my house this week. . . . . make that 432,140 projects I think my pens may need expanding!)

Werkin' full time at werk, and overtime at home. You know how that goes!

GoodOlBoy

[Rocky Raab]

I planted sugar-pod peas on March 1 and 21. Have radish and lettuce in. I'll get the tomato pots and beans in the ground on May 1.

My neighbor's apricot tree is starting to bloom, my first sowing of peas is up - and it's snowing today.

Ain't that just Spring for ya? It won't hurt the spinach I planted last fall; I'll be eating that in two weeks.

[wrenchman]

still to cold and wet here i am getting ready to put down some lime to till in

[scooterman27006]

man i never knew there were so many farmers in here lol - now my passion lies somewhere in between the perfect load and the perfect garden with a few weeds as exception - have all my garden planted and it is wet and warmin up here in nc -- so you wondering how - well i got winter rye about to take over in the big spot but i bought a greenhouse few weeks ago and that is the stuff for the ones that like to get early start - i have never grown anything during the winter but i will try it this year but it seems to be the stuff to get seedlings started before i really put them in the ground - now for you fellas that always wanted a greenhouse let me tell ya about what i bought - or better yet go to harborfreight.com and check the 6x8 poly greenhouse out heck of a deal and i shopped around a lot - now it cost about 28.00 to freight ship it to your house but that is bargain too- its just big enough and looks great very well built and says it can withstand a 80 mph wind well time will tell that but anyhow for the money if you want a greenhouse this is it - only thing you got to build a deck or platform to put it on unless you can figure out a way to anchor it to the ground somehow - sad part i spent half of what i got in greenhouse on lumber for something to put it on lol - just thought i would mention it to all you greenthumbs

[earschplitinloudenboomer]

Still to wet to till, weather calling for snow next week...still hoping to get in some time for the morel mushrooms.

[M.T. Pockets]

We've got frost in the ground yet. I'm tilling up a new garden in a couple weeks - right next to my bench rest. So this year I'll be able to shoot a group and pull weeds while the barrell cools off.

[DaMadman]

Originally posted by M.T. Pockets
We've got frost in the ground yet. I'm tilling up a new garden in a couple weeks - right next to my bench rest. So this year I'll be able to shoot a group and pull weeds while the barrell cools off.

Now there is a multitasker if I ever seen one. Hahaha

Yeah I know all about the too wet business, that is why mine is HALF tilled. I got about half done and the rains came in. I was hoping to till in the rest of it this weekend but the wetherman said more rain, so I guess we will se how it goes.

Well good luck to all of you on your gardens and other outdoor projects.

I was gunna plant some taters this year but if I don't get them in soon I think I am gunna skip them till next year. Around here we try to get the tater in around St Patty's day. A little lat won't hurt but gotta get it done soon or it will be of no use

[Classicvette63]

Still too wet here to till. I'm chaffing at the bit because this will be my first garden. Wife isn't so thrilled with having a stand of corn in the back yard, but she'll get over it.

[GoodOlBoy]

Just tell her on any good farm ya gotta be raising the three Cs.

Children
Cows
Corn. . . . .

Just don't get no better than that. . . .

Or as the old song goes. . . .

"Raisin' sweet corn, kids and tomaters. . . . ."

GoodOlBoy

[earschplitinloudenboomer]

Classicvette63;
Plant the variety of corn called Peaches and Cream. It's a white and yellow mix, is very sweet and tender. Once your wife tries it, she'll probably help you plow nest year.

best to you and yours...
ears-

[M.T. Pockets]

Classic, a little pointer on the sweetcorn. Don't plant it too thick, give some space between the plants for bigger, fuller ears. My father in law grows sweet corn for Green Giant and they space them quite a bit. Do you have good soil ? The best supplement there is would be some good old cow yard dirt. Not pure manure, but dirt out of the cow yard. Not much odor, just the right amount of fertility. Yes, Peaches & Cream is good stuff.

[DaMadman]

Originally posted by Classicvette63
Still too wet here to till. I'm chaffing at the bit because this will be my first garden. Wife isn't so thrilled with having a stand of corn in the back yard, but she'll get over it.

Well since this is your first garden I will tell you something that I had to find out the hard way.

When you plat your corn, plant it in short multiple rows instead of one long row. If you plant it in one long row it will not "cross spit" (pollinate) properly and you will get little bitty ears that won't develop properly.

Good luck with your first garden. It is something that is very enjoyable and very addictive and even competetive to a point.

[DaMadman]

I've never tried Peaches and cream corn, I always plant Silver Queen, because it is the sweetest variety you can grow around my area. I might have to look for this Peaches and Cream variety and palnt some this year

[GoodOlBoy]

Peaches and cream IS a good sweet corn. I will third fourth and fifth that.

Wish plain old field corn seed wert so durned high down here now. Even yeller dent is $12 a pound fer seed! Sheesh.

GoodOlBoy

[M.T. Pockets]

GoodOlBoy, $12 a pound for regular field corn is robbery.

Check with a seed dealer (maybe a local feed store or Farmer's Co-op) and buy a bag like the farmers plant. A standard bag has 80,000 kernels and weighs about 50 lb. (it's the number of kernels that count).

You should be able to find a bag of good hybrid corn for about $100 which comes to $2 a pound. You can pay up to $200 a bag for the hybrids with all the genetic traits, but you probably don't need all that. Here in the cornbelt you could find 50 lb. bags for under $100 that grow pretty good corn.

Depending on what you're planting you can maybe get a good buy from a dealer on a leftover or broken bag, or holdover bag from last year. Unless you plan on making a living off the corn you plant the difference in yield would be minor from the top end stuff.

[earschplitinloudenboomer]

I'm a likin' this thread!

[GoodOlBoy]

MT that IS from the seed dealer. I am a farmer have farm tax exempt, farm truck tags etc etc buy disel for the tractor at alot less than ya see on the pump that sort o thing. Truck farmin we call it. Ain't the size of them big boys which is why I buy it by the pound not the bag. From the CooP (Which just delcared bankrupcy and is going to shut down) it was $12.50 a lb for corn seed. Don't matter what type neither. Heck purplehull seed comes to $1.38 a lb and charelston grey watermelon (rattlesnake melons fer those of us from the country) is $.83 a pound. Even black diamond seed (which ain't real popular around here) is $1.12 a lb. Why corn is that high you can get me to do nuthin but guess.

earschplitinloudenboomer I am lovin this. I grew up on the small farm I am on now. It was close to 40 acres back then. Ain't got but 8 acres of it left after family (great grandmother) pulled a boogey woogey and sold part of it out from underneath us. I am still lookin fer a nice size truck farm around here that I can afford to buy. 70 to 80 acres should be anough to raise the three Cs and get a few squirrel and catfish in there to boot.

GoodOlBoy

[M.T. Pockets]

GoolOlBoy,

You need to take a trip North sometime. I could find you a farm truck and you could fill it with seed and bring it back to Texas. Take US Hwy 59 North out of East Texas til you get to Minnesota and you'll end up a mile from my hunting shack where I grow my garden. My dad just sold his '63 Chev. C-60 with a 20' box & hoist for $900. 292 6 cyl. ran good. I could find you a fleet of them for $1,000 - all the farmers here want semi-tractors now.

Sorry to hear about the price of seed corn. No excuse for that. Next April you could bring up a truckload of 10-15 onions and I could have my buddy with a DeKalb seed dealership get you all the seed you want.

I absolutely love to eat fresh garden vegetables with wild game. Self reliance feels good too.

[GoodOlBoy]

Don't tempt me MT. I ain't plantin corn this year BECAUSE of prices.

1015s and noonday onions both we got commin out our ears. Heck noonday aint that far from where I am. FM1015 is better than a days ride towards the mexican boarder. FM1015 is why the onion has the name 1015 for those at home. It is a Farm to Market Road that passes through the town of Presidio and into Mexico. Weslaco and Presidio are sister cities on the Tex-Mex boarder.


GoodOlBoy

[Lilred]

Time..aint never heared tell of that word..lol
But, i'm werkin on it ..Lilred got other stuff in the pot she's gotta finish first for I can even think bout a garden, but I'll git 'r dun soon!