Vegetable Growing, help & tips

Do you have a Asparagus bed @FlKayak , I know down in Fla, they produce almost year round. Very good and healthy veggie. Mine stopped producing in august, but if you like asparagus, you’re in the right place to grow them. It does take 2 years to get a small crop, but after that an abundance.

I have never cared for asparagus but perhaps I should try it again. I don’t think I have ever had it fresh. I typically stick to tomatoes, collards, peppers, broccoli, etc… I also have a fairly large herb garden. The idea of paying grocery store prices for parsley or oregano is painful.

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If you have room try about 6 bulbs, but it does take a long time 2 yrs to get first harvest, kind of like strawberry’s, sadly. It is one of the best veggies for us & so much better than at the stores. Melts in the mouth like a filet mignon:)

Hello Litenin, Son & I put in a “raised bed” garden for the first time. Appprox. 90 X 100, (all fenced in) with about 16 raised beds & an area for a corn crop & apple trees. For being the first for us it has really worked out great. (Plus a 10 x 100 area fenced for next years potential chicken & eggs area).

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@wifni , Sounds Great, less weeds but a lot of work, congrats to you both & I’m sure it was fun. Also next year you’ll have free eggs & fertilizer for the crops!!!.

Fall planting season started in September. Has anyone started their fall crops? if so what are you growing this season?

I have two gardens one is 30x30 and I grow things there that are water critical. The other is about 150 x 150 I have 7’ fencing around to slow the deer down some. I’m in zone 8 in northwest corner of South Carolina. This earliest thing I can plant is snap peas/english peas in February. Most cole plants are put in in March. I plant 700 onions. 5 x 100’ rows of potatoes. Cabbage, carrots, leaks, broccoli, spinach, lettuce. I plant about 30 to 50 tomato plants, pinto beans, green beans, speckle butter beans, black beans, navy beans, lima beans, peas, squash, eggplants, peppers, okra, watermelon, cantaloupe, peanuts, sweet potatoes, corn, cucumbers. In fall, I’ll plant the cabbage, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, mixed greens, collards etc.
About the only thing I do not grow is Brussel sprouts ( just don’t grow good in my garden) and zucchini( I prefer squash). Beginning in January and February, I start plants from seed., such as, tomatoes, cabbage, peppers, spinach, lettuce- most other vegetables I can direct sow the seed. I do buy my onion plants.

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Loved reading your post. I wish I had the time and patience for that. I support the local farmers market. What you do is admirable. What a labor of love :+1:t2: Jon well done.

Like to see some pictures sometime please :+1:t2:

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Sounds similar to what we grow not as much now as you do as we have downsized a lot last year. Please share some pictures as the crops grow with us and hope you have a Great Harvest!!

Wow, that is a “crazy crop” ya got there! I only have three 4x8 beds and a dozen terra cotta containers, and they keep me busy. It must be quite the commitment to tend yours. Are you into canning, pickling, drying, etc. as well?

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Do you offer your crops for sale or have a stand at a Farmers Market? That’s a huge growing area you have.

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We used to sell at farmers market. But after the recent virus hit in 2019 and seeing so many needing help. Found out at our local food bank, they never received fresh produce to provide to those they served. Wife & I always enjoyed selling to folks, meeting them etc, but decided then, to grow for the local food bank only. Thanks to all the farmers for providing others with great nutritional food!

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Yes, we can, pickle, and dry. Some beans we cook then freeze in zipp lock bags and others we keep as dry beans like you get in the store. Potatoes and onions I store in a basement closet. I give a lot away to family and friends. I have been growing a garden for 40+ years and I have things organized and planned such that it doesn’t seem to take a great amount of time but does require some daily time during growing season.

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No, I give to family, neighbors, and friends.

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That’s great @eddie72 , sharing your produce/fresh food, with others. I am sure you receive many blessings in return!

Sounds like you are good at preserving your food. I have a crop of cabbage coming in soon, want to keep a few for us later. Tried bag freezing last year, no good. Any advice how to preserve ?

I suggest making the cabbage into a type of cole slaw and canning it. There are many easy recipes online and it is said to be health promoting.

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Great idea, we eat coleslaw a lot and will look up recipes. Canning may be the only way, I know the recipe, we found on bag freezing don’t work. Thank you my friend and very GL at the tables

Asparagus is a great tasting vegetable and very good for us nutritionally. Today we cut/picked our first crop of asparagus. A few weeks late but didn’t have a very cold winter here. Does anyone have an asparagus bed? If so how are they doing?

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I hope everyone has completed their vegetable garden planting, for the upcoming summer season. It’s not to late to do so, if you haven’t.

I would love to hear your planting experience’s and what vegetables are you growing, this year?