May 1 updates...

Hey Lower South SFG'ers,

How's things looking in your garden as of May 1st? How about some photos or video of your SFG - or at least a status report. Let us here from you so those in the northern climates might have hope (or at least be jealous).

Here's a video about my SFG and how it's looking as of May 1. You'll note that I've really mixed things up with different veggies all over the place. I did this on purpose in an attempt to discourage pest. Last year squash vine borers took out ALL my squash, cucumber, melons, and zucchini. Thus, I didn't want to plant those same crops next to each other this year.

I'd have to say that things are looking well and I've been able to eat a salad every day for the last 3 weeks! I had my first strawberry today (May 1) and as the plants are loaded with berries I expect to enjoy many more in the coming weeks!



If you can't see the video above, you can find it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yoEH8qaPp8

As ALWAYS, great video Tim. We harvested our 1st strawberry today too, my husband said it was yummy and sweet! I hope to post some pics today of my garden. I love how you have mixed/matched the squares, I'm trying to do that as well. I didn't realize that there were different types of nasturtiums, I will have to look at my seeds again!

Rebecca

Do you eat the nasturtiums?

Interesting deal there with the Earth Boxes and the Mel's Mix. I sure love your videos too.

First harvest of the new garden, spinach and chard.

Oh Campryn, I'd forgotten today was Beltaine. Was too busy celebrating Derby Day with mint juleps (mint from my SFG, of course). It's a wonder I can still type. I'm off to get my Celtic drum and drum the sun down. I know my neighbours think I'm a crazy woman -- and they are right!

Tim, I'll get some photos taken tomorrow and post them -- was too busy today making yet another lasagna garden bed (am out of Mels mix ingredients). This one for acorn squash and 21 peas. One of these days I really do need to quit planting stuff.

im so jealous, thats all i can say. i'm using this weekend as my "last frost date" even though most use next weekend i think. Salad everyday? I havent harvested anything yet, but im getting close to some baby spinach.

I predict you will be overrun with Tomatillos. I grew one last year and even though i didnt have much usable fruits (i didnt know about the two rule) it did fairly well and got awefully bushy in the one square i squished it into at the last minute. So youve got two in one square and all that Texas heat? I hope you like green salsa! I'm actually doing 2 this year in 2 x 4 area to give it space.

Thanks for the inspiration. Tomorrow I might post an update on something else you've inspired me to do - my butterfly garden is almost ready!

Hey Tim great video of your garden. sfg certainly provides opportunity to have a great mix of varieties and is attractive to look at. What you have developed is inspirational. At one stage this year I could pick 23 different things and generally have at least 8 - 10 things to pick so I practically live out of my garden. It looks like you can as well.
Ray down under

titans01 wrote:Do you eat the nasturtiums?

Yes. The leaves and the flowers of nasturtiums are edible. They supposedly have a peppery kind of taste. I've heard it's a bit like a radish but I've never cared for radish so I really don't know. I haven't tried a nasturtium yet as I'm wanting to get them established. They are supposed to be good companion plants and provide some color (flowers) and some kick to a salad. There are several different types - with varying leaf patterns and flower colors - but they fall into 2 varieties. Bush types grow 12" tall while the Vining/Climbing type grows 6-8 FEET! Read the label carefully before you buy/plant.

I'm a bit embarrassed to post pics of my garden as it is so messy compared with ya'lls. I used scrap materials for the boxes as eventually all will be bricked around with the thousands of bricks that were left on this property. But, here goes:

This is an overview of the garden area. Tomatoes, pole beans, peppers and okra (just peeking out) in the foreground. Then behind that two general beds and last the asparagus. On the far left are three blackberries and a general bed. Orchard is in the far background.



Tomatoes are doing well well, but I haven't done a very good job of pinching off suckers.

Here are close-ups of Beds 2, 3, and 4:







Here's the squash/ melon lasagna SFG bed:



And last but not least, two lasagna SFG beds, the first with lettuce, spinach, peas, tomato, and cukes just starting. The second with garlic, Egyptian onions from h*ll, and tomatoes and squash just starting which will replace the garlic.

This is the one in front of the house that I'm the most proud of -- it will eventually be bricked around. Roses in center are just starting to bud. In the background is the wild flower garden that is just now going to seed.

I"m taking over this thread.
This is the last of the fall planted lettuce. Planted a "gourmet" seed packet in a 2x4' area (8 squares) in early October and have been eating salad and giving huge amount away all winter. This last head was just too pretty not to share. It's going to a covered dish supper tonight. On the right is the 4 squares of Swiss chard that is finally beginning to bolt -- it too has fed me and most of my friends all winter/ spring.

Your plants look great belfry!
Don't you love giving away salad?! I notice my neighbor tends to hang around his fence if I'm stooped over my garden close to dinner time.

Wow, it all looks so great... you guys have much larger gardens than I have, I'm always jealous of the space you all can use. In my citygarden I 've been able to make a small vegetable corner, but I would love to be able to make more beds...
Other than that, my garden is doing fine. We've had some really great weather lately, and at the moment it's a bit like november but my plants have had a lot of sun to warm up the soil, and now a lot of rain, so they're growing like crazy.
As our last frost date has just passed, most of the summercrops still need to be planted. Under the cloches are my peppers, just planted those this weekend. In the blue and pink baskets I put my purple potatoes, which are starting up now (the other potatoes were a lot faster to grow, so I worried a bit about my vitelottes, and I was SO relieved when they finally showed!)
In the cold frame I have some lettuce, and tomatoes and squash waiting to be planted out. We too have been eating salads every day lately, I really love going out in the garden at dinnertime and pick some leaves here and there.

@belfrybat: your gardens look great!! it doesn't matter what material your boxes are made of, especially when you're planning on building around them. Once everything is growing, no one is ever gonna notice the sides of the boxes anyway. Love the yellow growing cages you got, have to look for something similar here in Holland. (you guys have WAY more nice gardening stuff in the states, it's a shame shipping to Europe is so expensive)

@argardener: are you growing your potatoes in leaf clippings? Or is that only a mulch? I'm growing half of mine in mels' mix, and the other half in a good potting soil, because I ran out of vermiculite They're growing equally good, but maybe the harvest will be different. This is the first time I'm growing potatoes, so I'm still figuring out what way would be best. As I move my baskets around the yard from time to time, a lighter material would be nice

Hey Mir, Nice garden! Have you heard about growing your lettuce on the fence? I have seen folks plant in gutters attached to fences such as yours.

Thanks for your encouragement, folks. Tim, meant to say I liked your video. You are a great teacher. Mir, your garden looks wonderful and manageable. I will be really crying come mid-summer when I'm working in maintaining everything in 100F+ heat. The lasagna gardens were made last summer actually to manufacture soil to spread around, but I keep planting them.

Camprn, love the gutter idea. I don't have a fence to use, but that really is innovative. I might try something like that on t-posts this fall just to give some interest to the garden. As if I need more planting room!

timwardell wrote:Your plants look great belfry!
Don't you love giving away salad?! I notice my neighbor tends to hang around his fence if I'm stooped over my garden close to dinner time.

I had to chuckle at your description of your neighbour. I took two huge bunches of Swiss chard and two bags of mixed lettuces and spinach to church yesterday and had folks lined up to get it. I am "greened out" at present -- this is the first year that the fall greens have lasted so long (due to the colder winter, I'm sure), and with the spring greens up and running I'm innundated. But happily so.

@camprn: that's a neat idea, gutters in the fence... I might just find a place for something like that (if I find the materials, as I'm already overspending on garden-stuff )

Hey Belfry, your plants look great and there is absolutely nothing wrong with your beds, I believe in making total use of what you already have available!

Mirjam, I just bought some of those rubber buckets this wknd. I was thinking of putting some of my extra tomato plants in them as I have no more room in my beds, I can't stand the thought of throwing them out! I was concerned that the rubber might get to hot though....

As for the potato bin, its is a combination of mels mix in the center, with some mulched leaves around the outer edge to hold the dirt in. This is my 1st year and we love potatoes.


Rebecca

Well - by garden is TINY compared to all of yours. But, it seems to be doing OK for a first attempt and I can see how this SFG can become addictive! Here are a few pics as of today.




SFG with a raised portion for carrots and canopy for lettuce. The rest is mostly herbs.



Cucumber and a blueberry seedling in self-watering container



Onions and shallots in self-watering containers. Dill, thyme and beets (not yet up) in regular pots.



Better Boy and Parks Whopper (planted 3/27) on right, and two grape tomatoes (planted 3/21) on left in Earth Pots self-watering containers.



Semi-dwarf mandarin orange in self-watering container and strawberries in regular strawberry pots.

Gloria, your garden looks so tidy! The white classic design helps with that, but still... I love your little shade-cover, it just looks cute

Rebecca, my potatoes are doing great in the rubber baskets, and I think tomatoes love a warmed up soil, so they must really do well in a pot like that. You should check the moisture more often maybe, but other than that I think they'll do great.
I can't toss extra seedlings either, so when I can't make a friend happy with them (we all have small gardens ), I too put 'em in pots everywhere. I'm all out of big pots at the moment though, so I might just build another box, as I do still have some old pallets lying around... SFG's are just going to take over my whole garden