gardens and plots for 2017

[SONNY]

It's getting to be time to start thinking about the ole gardens and plots again for the coming year!
We have the onion plants on order and paid for.(Nov. 1 is when Virginia ordered them.----She found a place offering sweet potato plants at a discount for 500 lot order so guess what?-- we should have 1---500 plant order coming at planting time!---they too are paid for!
About time to do the ole seed germination testing on seeds that we have on hand!
Any of you folks thinking about your gardens/plots yet??? thanks; sonny

[Eugene]

Thinking, yes. Received a few seed catalogs.

Expanded the small 8'x8' garden plot behind the house and planted mostly to strawberries last fall. Kept some space in the small garden plot for radish.

Keeping the 3 asparagus patches and black berries.

Garden plot behind son's house, will probably just do several hills each of ice box sized watermelon and muskmelon.

3 farmers markets in town during vegetable production season. Easier and cheaper to purchase vegetables as needed.

Part of my decision to reduce the garden is that I am now have gal bladder problems and stenosis is flaring up again, limiting my ability to get around.

[ScottyD'sdad]

Planning on building up the soil, on half of the garden, with cover crops and manure applications. Crops normally grown ion that space, will be moved to another area, that was manured and cover cropped last summer. Usually plant over a quarter acre. Catalogs are beginning to show up. Should be ordering seeds in a few weeks.
Ed

[cub.bub]

It is our (the wife and I) New Years tradition. We draw up our garden map and plot what and where we are planting, this works out well because we have been receiving seed catalogs through the month of December.
However.......the "plan" usually gets doubled in size, the wife just can't bear to thin out her seedlings in the grow boxes, she thinks it's like murder.
ya gotta love er!
Bruce.

[SONNY]

10-4 on the seedling thin-out in the grow boxes!! LOL!----that's kinda how I am here,--- hate to waste plants!!!
It's good to rotate and build up part of the garden each year if you have a big enough area to do so!--A guy down the road here gives me all his horse manure, and I compost a big pile of grass, weeds, and whatever will compost down, then when it's done I spread it thick and plow it under! thanks; sonny

[paddy1]

Have received 15-20 catalogs. My garden mentor died last month, I have been planting his garden for the last several years. Now with loads of horse manure and leave compost we had our best tomatoes last year.

[Mike H]

gota find it first LOL
90+ inches of snow by the first day of winter and the lake effect machine is in full throttle [12'' more tomorrow]
but we did get the first seed catalogue today and been thinking about starting the brandywine and beef steaks
going to pot them this year because of the length of time to produce tomatoes
hot peppers are doing great next to the pellet stove.

Mike

[SONNY]

Mike!!---Don't send that 90+ inches of snow to us!! LOL!!!----It was light flurries here this afternoon, and they weren't even calling for snow,-- just high wind!----It was kinda rough outside today here, but I had a lot of stuff needing to get done so I made it for about 8 hours and had to give up for the day.
got some more seed books in the mail today and looks like seed prices remain high again this year!--We may have to obtain a few new seeds, but most will be saved seed and last year leftover, (if germination test proves o.k.)
Peppers are heat loving plants, so if you can put a grow light over them plus the stove heat they should do great! thanks; sonny

[Mike H]

here is a link for the gory details johndee.com
he is the local forecaster/neighbor to the north.
we hide behind the Huron mountain range so the doppler does not cover us from Marquette.
any ways with all this snow we will have a great growing season this coming year .

Mike

[Eugene]

0 degrees, been marginally above 0 for several days. Pretty much house bound. Going through the seed catalogs preparing the order.

Ordered native wild plums and native hazel nuts from Mo. DNR to plant on the acreage for wild life.

Ordering fruit trees for back yard at house and son's house; Manchurian apricot, Bartlett pear, 2 different dwarf plums, dwarf apricot tree.

Had dwarf plums beside the house. Prolific producers for about 10 years. Died, replaced with semi dwarf apple trees. One apple tree fell over and was removed.

Son has one Bratlett pear behind his house, planted about 5 years ago, doing well. Also has 3 Bradford pear trees which need to be removed.

The apricots, we'll see what happens, something to try. Have tried quite a number of different fruiting plants on son's property. Most didn't live or if they did live, produce fruit.

[SONNY]

Eugene!!! We are having the same problems with fruit and nut trees!---just won't produce! bought some halls hardy almond trees from OWEN nurseries, (house of wesley, and whatever other names they are currently using )---and they turned out to be some sort of wild peach trees, not good for human consumption,--the sweet cherry tree turned out to be a common old wild cherry,---the pear trees were just old flowering trees of some kind!!---Don't know if these companies are sending this stuff out to rip off the customers or what!

We have a tomato plant in the front room window that has a green tomato on it a couple inches in diameter and might just ripen!---We had some 2 years ago that did! Need to get a few new seeds for this year to add to our varieties assortment.
Still looking for a sorghum press, or plans to make a crude one.--also have some sugar beet seed I want to try too, and make sugar syrup.---I know it can be done! thanks; sonny

[Eugene]

Previously posted about receiving varieties of fruit trees I didn't order. Takes years to find out that the fruit tree is wrong variety and/or won't produce. That's why I have 3 Bradford (ornamental) pears behind son's house instead of Bartlett pears.

The only recourse is to kill and take down the tree, cut what you can into fire wood, and dig out the stump

[SONNY]

Very true!---my stump digin machine is a 27 hp. Vermeer sc 252 and the sprouts DON'T come back either!
After we find out what was sent is NOT what we ordered , it's too late to do anything about it!
found a sweet tato starting to sprout today so I put it in a jar of water to keep it going and might get a few more home saved plants! It is a different kind than what we have on order! thanks; sonny

[SONNY]

Well we just sent Vermont bean seed co.( they have other veggies too) a very large order! So with that and our saved seed and the seed that didn't get planted last year, we should be good in the seed department! thanks; sonny

[Eugene]

Son talked me out of ordering fruit tree seedlings from the seed catalog. His suggestion was to wait until this spring, then visit the big box hardware stores and check their selections of potted fruit trees.