Spring Vegetable Gardens

[Bubba Guidry]

Anyone started planting yet? If not, when? What are you planting this year? Trying anything new or different??

My soil is ready and all of my seed is bought. I used to wait until around Good Friday to plant, but over the past several years, I've moved that date up each time. I'm shooting for around the first of March this season, weather permitting.

I've got a 25' x 60' patch that I rotate pretty much the same stuff in every season.

Tomatoes (Better Boy, sometimes Celebrity)
Squash (yellow crook and straight neck)
Cucumbers (Straight 8 burpless slicers)
Bell Peppers (Big Bertha and California Wonder)
Pole Beans (Kentucky Wonder)
Okra (Clemson Spineless) <---- planted in early-mid summer after the *%#@! squash bugs wipe out my squash rows.

This year, I'm adding something new. I got some cherry tomato seed called Gardener's Delight that I've got started in the window, and are looking pretty good so far. Package reads, "Candy from the vine"! :dinnertime:

Gardening is a lot like fishing I reckon. You can get the same product at any grocery store, for a fraction of the cost, time, patience and effort, but once you've had a taste of the real thing, there ain't no more doin' it 'the easy way'!

Now, if I could just find a way to digest nut grass, I could start up a truck farm!

[NewCaneyFishingLady]

Hi Bubba,
I have planted all the varieties that you mentioned, except the pole beans. You have selected some good seeds. I had a garden until 2 years ago. Got fed up with the wild animals taking my veg's. Now, I plant on tomatoes in pots, near the back door. lol

You really should have your seeds planted by now. I planted a few tomato seeds of a type I have not tried before, Early Girl Hybrid, about 3 weeks ago. I guess the cold knocked them out. They have not come up yet. I usually start my seeds inside the house, late January.

You are right, gardening and fishing do have a lot in common. Never thought of that. Good luck with both.

[Bubba Guidry]

Hi NewCaneyFishingLady,

I actually buy the Better Boys and Bell Peppers already started in six packs, and just transplant them. Sorry, forgot to mention that. Everything else is seed though.

With wild animal and bird problems, I've had success with using toy rubber snakes (that actually look very real!) strategically placed around the rows, and a plastic, swivel-head owl that I move around every season. The snakes have caused me and others some near heart attacks in the past, but seem to work really well on the varmits.

[NewCaneyFishingLady]

Yep, thanks. I have tried both of those. The next year; the first year I was retired, I bought a 22 rifle and used rat shot almost 24/7. Didn't help. They like my garden, pear trees and pecan tress. Last year, I started feeding them bird seeds and using pots. That worked. The tomatoes were the best anyways.

[NewCaneyFishingLady]

oh, yeah. And the burpless cucumbers were really good too. May have find a place to plant those.

[JonW]

Pretty much everything you named Bubba, but my specialty is going to be Silver Queen sweet corn this year. I put up over 100 dozen ears last year just to see what type of time and effort would be involved to grow it, and I'm planning on planting enough to grow at least 500 dozen this year.

I love okra because it loves the heat and my black gumbo clay. I also love purple hull peas, but will plant them in TN this year. My granddad bought a commercial pea sheller and we're planning on planting an acre or more of them. Last time we did it we had enough peas for 3 or 4 years (3 or 4 families).

I'm gonna ease up a little on the peppers, tomatoes, and squash this year.

[dwaynez]

Jalapenos
tomatoes
Bell Peppers
Strawberry Plants ( did pretty well last year )