2021 SFG in Brooks, Ga

Harvested the first of my fall broccoli today.  And 15 minutes later the broccoli was being eaten.  From garden to table in 15 minutes.

Nice!

I still have a few veggies growing in the garden.  It is real cold down here (at least for a southerner).  Broccoli is still growing.  Just harvested 4 small heads for dinner tonight that were beginning to open up a bit.



Just harvested the last of my SFG grown lettuce.  I still have a rolling, self watering planter on the back screened in porch that is full of lettuce.



Rolling planter that I roll in at night if the temps get too low.  Except I hurt my back a bit and cannot lift it over the 1 inch door frame so I don't know how much longer I can keep them from freezing.



I also have garlic and carrots still growing.

Yolos, Your harvests always look so pretty, no disease or insect damage. Ready for a glossy magazine.

Thanks Sanderson, but they look nice because bugs do not mess with them in the winter.  Hear is my solution to my lettuce Rolling Planter.  Hurt my back and can't lift it over the door frame to roll inside.  So I used some of my Christmas lights, a plastic cover made for this planter, and also some thermal blankets (space blankets?).  The lights are warming it up and the coverings are keeping it warm.   I opened it a little because it is actually a little too warm in there with it all closed up.  We shall see.

I finally bought a decent thermometer so I can find out exactly the difference between the temperature inside my hoop house and the outside of the hoop house that is in the SFG garden with Broccoli inside.  I measured the temperature about 5 pm tonight.  There was a 10*F difference between the inside and outside after only 2 hours of testing.  I used the outside lights that are C-9 incandescent.  They are not actually as hot as the old time lights but they will heat it up some and I think they will keep my hoop house warm enough.  I also covered the hoop house with 6 mill plastic. I uncover it every day so it actually receives about 4 hours of actual sun each day.

Here is a picture of the lights I used.  They are usually available every year at home depot.


Here is a picture of my rolling planter in my screen porch.  I walked by it and had to smile.  It looks beautiful facing the French doors.  This is a picture of the rolling planter looking outside towards the planter that is on the porch.  I had to uncover half the cover because it actually got too hot inside the plastic coverigng.

Thought I would take a minute to mention a vegetable that I recently discovered.  It is Common Sorrel.  One of the earliest spring greens.  It can be added to salads for a lemony spinach flavor.  I transplanted it to my garden early last spring.  It survived our hot summer and has also survived the 24*F we have had a few times this winter.  It got fairly large for a lettuce type plant.  At the end of fall I cut it way back and it has grown some during the winter (but not much).  It survived in a pot so it will probably survive at lower temperatures if it were planted in the ground.  It is perennial in zone 3 - 7.  So far it has lasted a year for me in zone 8a.  

PS - My 3 year old grandson went to this pot every time he went out to the garden.  There were much prettier lettuce plants in the garden but this is the one that he would go to and pull one leaf off the plant and eat it every time he was in the garden.

Here it is after almost 1 year in my garden.

I planted my potatoes yesterday - Russet Norkotah

I planted my Broccoli today.  Lieutenant Broccoli purchased transplants.  My seeded Broccoli will just not be ready to set out for another 4 weeks which will be too late to be able to harvest heads before it gets too hot.


Will plant my English Shell peas tomorrow hopefully.  The weather has just been wonderful.

Well I did not get my peas planted today but I did get the bed prepped.  Had to remove my cover crop first.  I then spent some time revitalizing my planting soil.  I added 10 gallons of my own compost (veggies, leaves, garden cleanup).  Also added 10 gallons of Miracle Grow Organic Raised Bed Soil (includes peat moss and organic fertilizers and composted forest products).  Also 2 gallons of coarse vermiculite and some Plantone organic fertilizer.  Set up the pea trellises.  I am now soaking the peas to get them to germinate better and will plant in 1-1/2 days.


Has anyone used this product.

So far so good.  The dreaded white butterflies have not shown up yet.  This year I am doing something different.  I am not planting my plants as close together as I usually do.  I am tired of leaning over a 4 foot bed looking for mature peas and not being able to see when aphids or other insects have arrived.

Broccoli - Lieutenant


Peas - Strike


Potatoes - Russet Norkotah

yolos wrote:
I planted my Broccoli today.  Lieutenant Broccoli purchased transplants.  My seeded Broccoli will just not be ready to set out for another 4 weeks which will be too late to be able to harvest heads before it gets too hot.

Wow! So when will it be too hot for Broccoli? July? August?

The Broccoli will bolt end of May to middle of June.  Last year I made my last harvest on 5/25.

Mark, any day now in our areas.

It looks GREAT, Yolos!

My grandson harvested a few fall planted carrots today.

Garden update - 04/13/21

Still harvesting large crop of carrots periodically.

Garlic which was planted last Oct/Nov.  The tips are turning brown for some reason but they do this every year.  Planted in a 2' x 4' area.


Strike Bush Shell Peas - Planted 2/28.  They are just now flowering.  Planted in a 4' x 10' area approx.


Potatoes - Norkotah planted 2/23.  Just noticed a flower bud on a few plants.  Planted 4' x 5' area


Broccoli - planted 2/24.  Purchased transplants - Lieutenant.  4' x 8' area.


Maxibel Bush Beans - planted 3/21 in a 2' x 8' area.  Planted about 2 weeks earlier than I should but they are slowly growing now.


Tomatoes - seeded in pots on 2/16.  Planted into garden 4/7 about 2-3 weeks later than normal due to cold weather.
This year I am going to try planting fewer plants and try to get them from getting diseased and dying.  So far I have
planted two Brandy Boys, 1 Brandy wine and 1 Juliet grape tomato.  Already flowering.

much to early in the season for garlic tips to show aging. could they be getting to much moisture ? is mix nutrient rich ?

I love it!  I haven’t started my hotties yet.  Maters, basils, peppers and eggplants as well as some squash go in this week! 

Heating pad, under lights.

Love hearing of your experiences!

Scorpio Rising wrote:I love it!  I haven’t started my hotties yet.  Maters, basils, peppers and eggplants as well as some squash go in this week! 

Heating pad, under lights.

Love hearing of your experiences!

I ceased planting my tomato's and pepper plants until mix remained steady in mid 60s and up even in evenings.
It is my belief that planting when ground is to cool actually stunts plant growth. When warm up occurs with plant growing again that shutdown was not good for them..when this happens to often plant will never reach it's original determined maturity.
This in my opinion is only directed toward warm weather plants...

Harvest time

Carrots - a little small but I needed the space for watermellons


Broccoli


Strawberries

Looks great, I love that shady area under the plants...

Looks great, Yolos!

Harvested peas today.  These are our favorite vegetable from the garden.

I well remember when a youngster sitting out in my grandma's garden shucking peas... They were so delicious fresh off the vine..

Harvest time again -

Broccoli - Too many came in at the same time so I gave 7 heads to my daughter to take to school to give to some of the other teachers.


Another dinner of peas


Tomatoes are setting on but it will be sometime before they are ripe.
Bush green beans are flowering so it won't be long.
I should have some new potatoes but I will leave them to grow bigger.
Watermelons and cucumbers are slowly growing.