2018/2019 SFG in Brooks, GA

Time to start a new Brooks, GA thread for this year.

I was out running errands yesterday and drove by the Tractor Supply Store.  Of course, since this is early February and time to plant potatoes, I had to go see if they had put out their seed potatoes yet.  Sure enough, they just put them out on the floor.  So I bought my standard Russet Nortokah potatoes and also some Red Norland potatoes that I will use to add to a pot of green beans when the time comes.

When I got home, I decided to see what kind of English Garden Peas I had in stock.  They would be the next thing to plant in my area.  Surprise, surprise (they are my favorite thing to grow) I had 9 different varieties already in stock.  So I will have to decide when to plant them and what varieties to plant.  I will also have to do a test germination to decide which ones will actually germinate.  But here are the varieties.  Alaska is my favorite in the Spring and Strike Pea in the fall.

Yummmm. Red norland and fresh green beans is so good. How do you like the dwarf grey sugar? I usually grow the Oregon sugar pod, but have been eyeing those

aliceingardenland wrote:Yummmm. Red norland and fresh green beans is so good. How do you like the dwarf grey sugar? I usually grow the Oregon sugar pod, but have been eyeing those

I only grew the dwarf grey sugar peas one time and I do not remember the taste.  Also, I have found that most dwarf vegetables do not produce enough for me (kind of a waste of space unless you are growing in containers).  I almost always grow the English Shell peas in early spring (and try to harvest before the onset of hot weather) and in the fall (after the weather cools down) but try to plant early enough so they will mature before the heavy freezes occur.

Thank you for the reply! I mainly just grow snow and snaps mostly in containers, may give it a try. Also on my to try list is Tom Thumb. Didn't I see that on your pic of your peas? So many peas in my head...Soooo many

Aha yes I did see it! I'm not going too pea crazy after all.

I planted my seed potatoes today in one of my 4' x 8' beds.  20 seed potatoes of Red Norland and 25 seed potatoes of Russet Norkotah.  If we get a hard freeze, I have a bale of wheat straw to cover the tender shoots and a 6 mil plastic cover if needed.

For the next ten days there are no days with a low of less than 52*F so I am okay for at least 10 days.  Highs will be between 60-80*F.

I planted half a bed of Alaska and Progress #9 Garden peas today.  I have a 2 x 6 bed for Alaska, Progress and Green Arrow (each will get a 2 x 6 bed.  I pre-sprout my peas before planting and about half the Alaska and Progress sprouted but the Green Arrow have not sprouted yet so I am waiting to see if they are viable.  Hopefully they will sprout and the other half of the Alaska and Progress will also sprout.

I still have to plant the Wando and Strike Garden Peas and the Dwarf Gray Sugar snap peas.  I am doing a little bit at a time hoping to have some that can withstand a hard freeze when we get our next one.  I am planting about 2 weeks earlier than usual due to the exceptionally early warm weather.  I have plenty of peas left to plant if we do get a hard freeze and some of the peas die.  Because of our early warm spring we have to get the peas in the ground as soon as possible.

I learned something new about peas this year.  Did you know that smooth seeded cultivars of peas germinate better in colder soils than wrinkle seeded peas but they are not as sweet.  Based on this information I should be planting smooth seeded peas in early spring and wrinkled seeded peas in the fall.  

I also planted seeds in containers for 8 different varieties of tomatoes.  I always plant two containers for each variety.  I tell myself that I will pick the best of the two containers to plant but I usually end up planting both plants of each variety.  Not this year.  Only one plant of each variety will be planted in my garden.  

Juliet Hybrid (grape)
Brandywine (Heirloom) (Sudduth Strain)
Brandy Boy Hybrid
New Big Dwarf (Heirloom)
Gilbertie (Heirloom)
4th of July - new for me - 45 days to maturity from Transplant ????
Early Girl
Better Boy - I have not tried this one in 5 years so thought I would try again.

yolos wrote:I learned something new about peas this year.  Did you know that smooth seeded cultivars of peas germinate better in colder soils than wrinkle seeded peas but they are not as sweet.  Based on this information I should be planting smooth seeded peas in early spring and wrinkled seeded peas in the fall. 

That's neat to know! Thanks for sharing.

yolos wrote:
I also planted seeds in containers for 8 different varieties of tomatoes.  I always plant two containers for each variety.  I tell myself that I will pick the best of the two containers to plant but I usually end up planting both plants of each variety.  Not this year.  Only one plant of each variety will be planted in my garden.  

Juliet Hybrid (grape)
Brandywine (Heirloom) (Sudduth Strain)
Brandy Boy Hybrid
New Big Dwarf (Heirloom)
Gilbertie (Heirloom)
4th of July - new for me - 45 days to maturity from Transplant ????
Early Girl
Better Boy - I have not tried this one in 5 years so thought I would try again.

I got into trouble last year by not being vicious enough in thinning all my seeded tomatoes...ended up with 18 tomatoes...all of the seedlings made it!  Put them in my 3x7, theoretically enough room, but just too crowded.  This year, I am going to be pickier about what I put in!

Finally finished planting my early spring peas.  This week I planted the following.  This should be a good amount if it does not get too hot too soon.  Hopefully we will not get any hard freezes 

Alaska - English Shell Pea - 2' x 6' bed, 3 Whiskey barrels
Progress - English Shell Pea - 2' x 6' bed, 2 Whiskey barrels
Green Arrow - English Shell Pea - 2 x 6' bed, 1 Whiskey barrels
Wando - English Shell Pea - 2 Whiskey barrels
Stike - English Shell Pea - Bush - 45 day - 4 x 6' bed, 2 Whiskey barrels
Dwarf Gray Sugar - 4 x 6', 2 Whiskey barrels

This week I also planted my Russet Norkotah and Red Norland potatoes.  They are in a bed with a hoop of 6 mil plastic if needed to keep from freezing the tops back.

That should be all I plant until last freeze date when I will be transplanting my tomatoes.  Maybe a few cool weather plants will slip in before the heat arrives.  Onions, radish, kholrabi, lettuce, spinach.  No broccoli this spring.

I am growing kohlrabi for the first time!  Am excited!  Does it yield all summer, or can I succession in fall stuff after it peters out?

Scorpio Rising wrote:I am growing kohlrabi for the first time!  Am excited!  Does it yield all summer, or can I succession in fall stuff after it peters out?

I don't know.  I grew it a few years ago but can not remember but I think it is a cool season crop.  I looked at the back of the pack of seeds.  One pack says Mar-Apr and July-Aug so I am not sure.  Another pack says Mar-Aug.??????????????

Yolos, You are just a busy little beaver! I haven't even filled the seed pots!

I decided since I had so many seeds of various kinds of vegetables that I would plant a few seeds of each variety in my two 36 cell self watering seed starting trays to see how all these seeds will do in my garden.  Planted between 3 and 6 cells of each variety.


In one Tray I have:
Celery
Kohlrabi
Bunching Onion
Bok Choy
Baby Choi
Swiss Chard Mixed
Swiss Chard Ruby
Tatsoi Savoy

In the Second Tray I have:
8 varieties of Johnny's Salanova Lettuce
4 varieties of various types of Spinach

Spring has almost sprung.  My peas are up but slowly growing in the chillier than normal weather we have had this last week.  Some pictures of the peas.  Mostly English Shell Peas of various varieties.






Potato bed (4' x 8') covered at night to try to save the tops from dying back from the cold.


My seed starting station.  It has been moderately warm during the day so instead of using my light set up, I have positioned my seed trays outside during the day.  They are protected on 3 sides and soak up a lot of heat sitting on the stone steps and sitting beside the white house.  I bring them in during the evening and early morning.  Sun will hit that area from 10 am until 5 pm so they are getting plenty of sun on the sunny days.  On cloudy days I just leave them inside under the T-8 and T-5 lights.

I looked up English shell peas and it looks like they are more bushing than vining.  ?? We have been having light rain, then sun, light rain, then sun. . . I also have been taking the 7 trays of seedlings outside when the temps are above 60*F and sunny. Then back indoors under the lights.

sanderson wrote:I looked up English shell peas and it looks like they are more bushing than vining.  ??  We have been having light rain, then sun, light rain, then sun. . .  I also have been taking the 7 trays of seedlings outside when the temps are above 60*F and sunny.  Then back indoors under the lights.

Actually I have more vinning varieties than bush.  I am growing a bush variety called Striker.  Here is a picture from 2016.  They are about 2 feet tall.  DTM 47.  These were planted in the fall.


Also pictures of my Alaska English Peas from the 2016 season.  Based on the plants reaching the top of the 8' conduit, these (at least for me) are vining.  The packet says the height is 2.5 feet.  But my MM is super charged and I always get taller plants than the packet says.  These were planted in the spring.


So my advice is to experiment.  I experimented with different varieties in the past and found that Alaska worked the best for me for vinning and Striker the best bush with short DTM.  I am also experimenting again this year to see if the Wando pea will last longer into warm weather than the other peas.  It is supposed to be better for continuing to produce after the weather starts to warm a little.  We shall see.

Thank you, Yolos.

sanderson wrote:Thank you, Yolos.

You are welcome but I made a mistake.  The bush English peas with short DTM are Strike peas NOT Striker peas.

I have peas growing in 5 different spots in my garden.  These are Dwarf Gray Sugar Peas and are looking the healthiest.


Tomatoes are ready to plant.  I am waiting until Sunday to plant them because we will be having night temps in the low 40's F on Fri and Sat. 


I tried to plant my lettuce, spinach, bok choy, chard, kohlrabi yesterday but when I started digging around in the bed I had decided to use, I found what look like termite larva in the bed eating away at the side boards.  This is the new bed I made that was real pretty and was next to the pool.  So now what do I do about the bed.  How to get rid of the termite larva but not kill us when we eat the food.

Beautiful plants, Yolos.  I am so, so sorry about the termites.  I wish I knew of something that worked in an active bed that wasn't poisonous.  I just removed the old wood worm box yesterday and the lower row of boards had termite damage.  I found having all table tops took care of the termite trouble but your garden is way too big to undertake that project.

sanderson wrote:Beautiful plants, Yolos.  I am so, so sorry about the termites.  I wish I knew of something that worked in an active bed that wasn't poisonous.  I just removed the old wood worm box yesterday and the lower row of boards had termite damage.  I found having all table tops took care of the termite trouble but your garden is way too big to undertake that project.

+1

Yolos wrote:How to get rid of the termite larva but not kill us when we eat the food.

Diatomacious earth?

DE, worth a try.

I have a pest control company that services my house every three months so I think I will contact them and see what can be done about the termites.  I do not want to waste the MM.  I don't mind trashing the wood in the bed.  It was the bed I made with those concrete blocks that hold the wood sides so it will be easy to replace.  But I want my MM.  It costs more than the wood.  I don't think the DE will work because the termites are down in the bottom of the box where it is continually damp.  I think the ground must be dry for the DE to work.

Here is a picture of my 4 x 8 bed of potatoes planted from seed potatoes (Russet Norkotah & Red Norland) on 2/18.  I added a 2 x 4 top hat to the whole bed to hold all the straw I plan to heap on the potatoes as they grow.


Picture of my Salanova Lettuce transplanted today.  Started from seed on 2/27.  The back row are just planted Fortex Pole Beans that will climb the trellis on the back of the bed.  I also transplanted chard, spinach, Bok Choy (sp) in other parts of the garden.  I used pine shavings under the lettuce to keep the dirt off the leaves.


A couple of my whiskey barrels with five different varieties of peas growing.  Planted from seed on 2/24.


Next to be transplanted are my tomatoes.  I have one 38*F night in the 10 day forecast so I am not sure whether to plant them now or wait until the end of next week.  I do have back ups of every one I will plant so I guess I can transplant again if needed.  Seeds were sown 2/19 in small 2 inch pots and then transplanted to these extra large fast food cups.