Victory Gardens

[cbo111]

What variety is it? I planted watermelons today.

Its a Super Sweet 100, a hybrid plant purchased at Home Depot.

 

[Gumby]

This cherry tomato plant has been an epic producer. We have already harvested over 100 little tomatoes in the past couple weeks (in Florida). They grow like grape clusters. Very tasty!

I am reminded of this giant tomato plant at the EPCOT center at Disney World

https://www.wdwinfo.com/news-stories/tomato-tree-in-epcots-land-pavilion-breaks-world-record/

 

[KB]

For the past 15 years, I have worked in my county's Master gardener demonstration vegetable garden. Because of that, I have a lot of seeds, I usually start a lot of different seeds for the demonstration garden.

That is fortunate, because apparently many of the seed companies are out of seeds for this season.

I usually plant 8 different tomato varieties, two different zucchini and a couple of various winter squashes. I don't care for peppers or eggplant enough to grow any longer.

This year I already had all my tomato seedlings started when the virus hit, but I did add quite a few starts of chard, kale, herbs and direct seeded beans. I'm squeezing in plants in the corners or my raised beds. I also started quite a few six packs of two different romaine lettuces. It is hot and dry here in the summer and lettuce needs to be babied along in the shade, so I don't usually grow it.

Plus I have always had a share of the produce from the MG garden.

I wasn't able to get seed potatoes, but I had a partial bag slightly sprouted organic russets, which I cut up and planted in a large grow bag. The lettuces are in grow bags in a partially shaded area under my slatted patio cover. Hope they last long enough before they bolt.

I think growing as much as I can will help me stay out of the stores. I am well stocked up on meat and grains. I don't think the virus will clear out enough this summer for me to do much grocery shopping. I will try to get replacement seeds at the end of the season, so I will be prepared to plant my cool season garden and next springs warm season garden. Planning, planning...

 

[Gumby]

I have gradually been seed-saving more and more, usually with very good success. Although two years ago I tried saving fennel seed, but it would not germinate last year. I find it helpful not to have a need for the seed company, and it is cheaper. There are, of course, some things that I will probably never get from saved seeds, like artichokes.

This year, I have five tomato varieties. The campari volunteers and San Marzanos are saved from last year. Although I saved seed from the Brandywines, I was not entirely satisfied with them, so I am trying Mortgage Lifter this year. I am also trying Principe Borghese for drying. In fact, the only hybrid tomato I'll have this year are the Sungolds.

 

[38Chevy454]

Between today and Tuesday earlier this week, I planted 8 tomato plants and 6 pepper plants. Combination of types of each.

Might be a touch early with chance for frost still here until about 2 weeks from now. But DW was anxious to get some in the ground and started.

Mine isn't so much a victory garden, just for good eating!

 

[Arizona1]

The guy next to us in the SF Bay Area RV Park growing a nice victory garden on the front cap of motorhome.

 

[ugeauxgirl]

My DH has so far brought me two trailer loads of compost, a trailer load of "gin trash" ( compost) and yesterday a trailer load of mulch. Harvested my first cuke yesterday. We should have a ton of squash by this weekend.

 

[Winemaker]

DW bought bell pepper seeds in February and planted in our usual peat pots, none germinated.
She then took some seeds from some red peppers we bought at grocery store; they were poking through the dirt in 5 days. They're 12-15" now, but don't know if they'll produce peppers.

 

[FIREd]

Big planting day today. We have a large family garden and this year it got even larger. The weather and soil conditions were just about perfect for planting, so we went ahead.

We planted potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, lettuce, zucchinis, cucumbers, green beans, beets, celery, onions, shallots, green cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, pumpkin, and Swiss chard. I probably missed something.

The garden is at higher altitude so we have a short growing season (hence the relatively late planting), but it is usually very productive.

 

[Gumby]

Tomorrow, we will finally be able enter the community garden to tend our plot. Normal opening for the season is 4/1, but the lock-down order has kept us out. We are already several weeks behind in sowing the cool weather crops (beets, radishes, potatoes, carrots and cole crops), but I have been growing some in pots to transplant out, so we shall see how it goes. The tomatoes and peppers are under the lights for now. I won't take those out to the garden until after Memorial Day.

 

[Gumby]

We have made the most of our first four days at our community garden plot. I doubled tilled the winter wheat under in every planting bed, edged them by hand to define the paths, shaped them to the proper profile and raked them. We transplanted out the cabbages, broccoli and artichokes I started from seed in January and have been growing in pots since (found out that last year's artichokes did not survive the winter). We also direct sowed carrots, beets, onions, potatoes, chard, dill, radishes, chick peas, lettuce and English peas. The tomato, basil, pepper, eggplant, zucchini, brussels sprouts and cucumber seeds are all up under the lights indoors, and I've moved a few to larger peat pots. I would expect to put the zucchini out in about a week and the rest after Memorial Day. I still need to direct sow corn, bush beans, winter squash, pumpkins, melons, okra and sweet potatoes. I released beneficial nematodes into the planting beds today. I'll need to buy tomatillos from the garden center. I had some to start from seed, but they are purple and the young wife wants only green tomatillos. I also need to buy a flat of marigolds

 

[brewer12345]

The lettuce bed is producing like mad, and the kale, radishes and lambsquarters are coming along well. The hops are already 7 feet tall. We picked some baby turnips for greens yesterday. I figure we have a couple more weeks before it gets hot and it is time to put the heat lovers in. I am going to have to source some hot pepper plants, everything else is set

Not quite a garden thing, but we have 58 quail eggs in the incubator to replenish our laying flock. The roosters will end up on the grill.

 

[kyzymurgist]

Polar vortex hit KY two days ago and wiped out most of the summer vegetables despite my covering everything with plastic pails and flower pots.

I've learned my lesson about pushing the season years ago but early May has always been safe. Oh well, hope the local greenhouse still has a good selection.