2020 gardens

[SONNY]

I have been dumping water right over the rows. Tomatoes are hilled up to make a crater around the plants---ours hold right at 5 gallons of water---enough for 1 day! Potatoes are harder to wet down but hilled up helps make the water go down to the roots.
If you water every day it will eventually get down deeper but will not last long in this heat.
When you water----you need to put 4 gallons on 3 feet of bean row. same with sweet corn. ---- I usually go for 5 gallons per tomato plant, as that is what they will consume on the average.
I am using a 1,600 gallon tanker that my neighbor loaned me ---I transfer the water to a 110 gallon tote and drag it to the gardens and use a 3 gallon water can to water the plants.----lotta work and in this weather a gallon dont go even a foot, so you can see how much water is needed for even a small garden.

[Mht]

Happy 4th everyone. Beautiful morning for the garden in Raleigh NC, it’s supposed to be in the 90 plus degree range today. Had my first good picking of tomatoes today, about 150 pounds of heirlooms to go on my roadside stand. I’ll probably irrigate in the morning unless we get a thunderstorm this afternoon. I should be able to pick again Wednesday and should get more than today. It sure is good to be eating homegrown tomatoes again

[Bill]

I have four soaker hoses in my flowers and garden. Can not find new ones to buy ( Walmart Loews Rural King Ace Hardware) . It is a pain to keep moving them, they were out of them two weeks ago.
Bill

[Eugene]

https://www.amazon.com/MIXC-Distributio ... 51&sr=8-10

Or find the soaker tubing your size and length. Make up your own soaker hoses.

[Bill]

Good info, but I prefer a soaker hose that I can roll up and use for the next year.
Bill

[SONNY]

You can order them from Amazon sellers and get them in a few days. E-bay sellers also have them.
Some of the stores may say they are out, BUT go to their website and order them direct----some stuff is internet order only after shelf is empty. ------ thats what we do on most stuff we buy.

[SONNY]

A few pix. of the potatoes, summer squash, and tomatoes. Still no rain and got another 1,600 gallons of water to carry to the gardens.

[Bill]

Will check these sources out.
Thanks, Bill

[Mht]

I set up a drip irrigation system this year. 5/8 inch drip tape. 3/4 inch mainline. My local farm supply hooked me up with everything. A 6500 foot roll of drip tape was only 170 bucks. 500 ft mainline 90 bucks. Connector fitting from mainline to tape buck fifty each. Filter pressure reducer and hose connection about twenty bucks. Less than 400 dollars total and I have enough supplies to irrigate half acre garden for several years using new drip tape every year. Easy set up and use. Mainline and fittings are reusable and the drip tape can possibly be reused for a second year but at only a couple of cents per foot I don’t mind replacing it every year. I have about 1500 feet of rows and soaker hose surely isn’t cost efective

[SONNY]

was pulling a few scattered weeds and checked for potatoes under some of the plants. Golf ball to fist size now, so may be a few to dig. got a couple more light rains that might help a bit. The high winds did major damage to most of the corn, squash, potatoes, and tomatoes, so plants will have to recover from that,-----another set-back this year. Cant get rain without damaging winds.
this is a sample of the 4 kinds we have this year. norland, pontiac, kennebec, and some unknown white one that was labeled as kennebec but is not.

[SONNY]

been harvesting summer squash and finished the onion harvest.---now for the freeze-drying.

the freeze-dryer

squash

quart bag of finished squash

trays of onions

bags of finished onions

Still have about half of the potatoes to dig---got the early ones dug before the rain.

[SONNY]

squash plants

assorted garden harvest

[Eugene]

Sonny:

How is the freeze dryer working out for you? Is it worth the expense, time, effort?

Have you tried freeze drying meat? We use to buy sealed cans of freeze dried meat when Army stationed in Germany.

[ScottyD'sdad]

Garden i doing well. Since I gasse the woodchuck residence, and trapped the neighbor visiting woodchuck, things are groing well.
Ed

[Peter Person]

Garlic was pulled and braided last weekend. Yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, and green beans coming in daily. Our Swiss red raspberries are in full production. The blackberries are taking a break before round 2. The golden raspberries didn’t produce all that well this year.

I need to take up bow hunting so we can have some meat with our vegetables! This doe was about 40’ from me Friday evening in the apple orchard next to us.

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