2018/2019 SFG in Brooks, GA

I was afraid that was the bed you were referencing. I think the company can bury specially treated wood blocks in a cage, outside the bed.

Planted one each of my 8 different varieties of tomatoes today.  About 2 weeks later than last year.  I was waiting until the low temps remained above 50 *F but that just hasn't happened yet.  The next 10 days have at least 5 days with the low temps between 40-50*F.  I know that is warmer than most other parts of the country but not as warm as I like it to plant out my tomatoes.  My largest tomato (2 feet tall) a Brandy Boy already flowering.


And a picture of the 4 x 10' bed of tomatoes.  I used 6 Texas Tomato cages and 2 smaller type cages and planted 8 tomato plants in this bed.  Planted them 2 feet apart trying to allow more air to circulate around them to keep them from getting Early Blight so early in the season.

yolos wrote:Planted one each of my 8 different varieties of tomatoes today.  About 2 weeks later than last year.  I was waiting until the low temps remained above 50 *F but that just hasn't happened yet.  The next 10 days have at least 5 days with the low temps between 40-50*F.  I know that is warmer than most other parts of the country but not as warm as I like it to plant out my tomatoes.  My largest tomato (2 feet tall) a Brandy Boy already flowering.


And a picture of the 4 x 10' bed of tomatoes.  I used 6 Texas Tomato cages and 2 smaller type cages and planted 8 tomato plants in this bed.  Planted them 2 feet apart trying to allow more air to circulate around them to keep them from getting Early Blight so early in the season.

I am just going to sit here daydreaming among the tomatoes.

Me, too!

I guess I will have to keep you entertained with pictures of my tomatoes growing until yours get growing.

Okay, I'll help. Here is a volunteer that sprouted in the house at its mother's knee over the winter. I planted it in the Salad Bar about 3 weeks ago. It's now huge and blooming, but our nights have been so cold I don't see any fruit, yet. It should produce red cherries all year long -- that's what its mother did last year. I wish I knew the variety, but that info is long lost to the whims of time.   


Yes, those are cuke sprouts at the base -- the downside of cold composting.   I know I should pull them out, but I just can't! 

Very nice CN. Maybe leave 2 cucumbers?

A few pictures to update today.  

My Live Oak tree beside my garden keeps getting bigger and bigger.




My first baby tomato (Brandy Boy).


Pictures of my Alaska and Strike Shell peas flowering and my first actual pea pod from the Strike bush peas.




My potato bed.  


My lettuce and spinach beds ready to start harvesting the outside leaves.






Cucumbers have just sprouted.  Planted Silver Queen corn yesterday.

Today I planted Rattlesnake Pole Beans in my 2 x 9 foot bed.  I put wheat straw down the middle to help with water retention and also put burlap over the planted bean seeds to help keep them moist and keep the birds from eating the seeds.

Wow you are off to a great start yolos. Amazing how far ahead you are compared to my area.

The tennis balls are fading. But, the bed is still holding, and you are off to a great start.

sanderson wrote:The tennis balls are fading.  But, the bed is still holding, and you are off to a great start.

Not only did the tennis balls fade but the orange paint on the braces is completely gone.  There is not one spot of orange paint left at all.  Here is what the right side supports looked like last year.


Last year the right side of the bed collapsed and I used old 2 x 4 's to rebuild that side of the wall.  It is holding up real well.  But the left side of the wall collapsed this year.  So I bought a 2 x 12 to rebuild the left side wall.

I didn't even notice the new 2" x 12" left side. Nice.

Peas are almost ready to start harvesting.  I have been eating a few while I am out doing gardening chores but the big bulk are just about ready to harvest.

Harvested another batch of lettuce.


I have a question.  It takes a couple days to eat all the lettuce I harvest each time.  So I always wash it thoroughly and then run it thru a salad spinner and then lay it out on paper towels to completely dry.  Do you all dry your lettuce or just put it in the fridge wet.????

Peas,,Yummm!

I put lettuce in the fridge after washing and spinning several times.  I would think drying it would make it wilt too fast.

Wet, if it is to be eaten within a day or two.

Time to harvest and shell my first batch of English peas planted 2/19.  They took a lot longer to mature than they have in the past due to the much colder spring than normal.  But spring has almost ended here in GA.  I noticed some powdery mildew on one stand of peas.




2 pounds of unshelled English peas.  Mostly the early maturing Strike Pea and Alaska Pea.

Never thought of seedling for shelling peas in Feb. Since snow peas overwinter here just fine, do you think I could seed for shelling peas in October. Zone 9A.

sanderson wrote:Never thought of seedling for shelling peas in Feb.  Since snow peas overwinter here just fine, do you think I could seed for shelling peas in October.  Zone 9A.

Probably.  Here are a few quotes from an old time farmer who farms in Augusta, GA.  He knows what he is talking about.  Looks like he is in 8b so it should be close to your zone.

Soil temp must be at least 40*F.

Smooth seeded varieties like Alaska or Willets Wonder will tolerate adverse conditions better than wrinkle seeded varieties.
   
Shell peas will handle any weather but frozen ground before bloom.  Blooms and pods are susceptible to freezing.  As long as they are not budding or blooming they stand temps down to 22*F.

Smooth seeded Willet Wonders or Alaska plant around Thanksgiving for an early spring harvest.  They will grow to about 2-3 inches and stop growing until spring.  Wrinkle seeded peas are iffy to over winter.  Plant these 2/1.

The plants overwinter best if exposed gradually to increasingly cold temps.


Hope this helps some.

Harvested another batch of English Shell peas today.  So far I have harvested 5 lbs of peas in their shells, this converted after 2 hrs and 15 minutes of shelling into 2 lbs of shelled peas (7.5 cups).  That will be at least 5 side dishes for our family and just getting started on the harvesting.  Only two varieties out of 5 have started maturing.

It is getting too hot for my peas.  Had to try to put up some shade cloth.  It was hot, hot today.  For the next 3 days it is going to be in the low 90's*F (in the shade).  Then starting next Tuesday the temps will drop down to the low 80's*F.  So the peas will have to survive thru next Monday without burning up or I will lose half my crop.  I tried to set up a little shade but don't really know if this is going to be adequate.  They get full shade from the live oak tree in the morning but they get long hot sun in the afternoon.


I don't really want to get out my good long (35 foot) shade cloth so I hope the above works.  The middle set of peas are producing right now so they should survive until I finish harvesting.  But the Pea varieties on either end have not started to produce yet but they are flowering so if they will just survive until Tuesday I may escape a partial crop failure.

Spinach is bolting.  Lettuce has not started to bolt yet.

Oh, no! I hope they make it until it cools.

You have convinced me to grow shell peas this fall. But it looks like 24-36" is the max height.

sanderson wrote:Oh, no!  I hope they make it until it cools.

You have convinced me to grow shell peas this fall.  But it looks like 24-36" is the max height.

Alaska Pea - The height as stated on the packet of seeds does not agree with what I have grown in the past.  For instance - Alaska Pea so far this year is between 5.5 feet (in pot) and 6 feet (in ground under an oak tree).  Last year they reached the top of an 8 foot trellis by the end of the season.  The Alaska pods are not as long as some other peas but they are the earliest maturity of the vining shell peas.  I have been picking these for a few days now.

Green Arrow - 4 feet tall as of today and a few of the peas are just barely mature enough to get a few peas.

Progress - 2.5 feet (in pot) and 3.5 feet (planted in the ground under the oak tree).  - long pods. -  a few of the peas are just barely mature enough to get a few peas.

Wando - 4 feet (in pot) - a few of the peas are just barely mature enough to get a few peas.  This is supposed to be more heat resistant but we shall see if it fares any better than any of the other peas in our heat.

Strike - 2.5 feet - a truly bush pea.  Matures much earlier than any other pea.  Not a long podded pea.  Tends to get powdery mildew every year just as it is maturing if planted in mid February.

All of the above are English Garden Peas or Shell Peas.

So far I have harvested 7 pounds of peas in their shells.
Strike Pea - 5 pounds
Alaska Pea - 1.5 pounds 
Others - .5 pounds

So, Strike peas come in way early, then Alaska peas.  That is the reason I plant these two peas every year.  It gets so hot so fast that the others can barely survive until they begin to produce.  I have never tried it, but next year I plan to try to plant some around Thanksgiving and see what happens.  Maybe the Strike peas will be thru producing before it gets too hot and maybe beat the powdery mildew.

What are the taste differences between them, Yolos?