# What are you planting in your vegetable garden this year?



## Joseph Clemens (Feb 12, 2005)

Yes, I've planted _Luffa_, and grown two different species, one smaller than the other. They are edible when the fruits are young, and make nice sponges when mature, dried, and cleaned.

This year I am planting our garden with:

Sweet corn
Okra
Green beans
Watermelon
Cantalope
Giant pumpkins
Several varieties of squash
Several varieties of tomato
Lavender
Zinnia's
California Poppies
Potatoes
and whatever other plants capture our imagination.

This Fall I plan to plant other vegetables that grow best in cooler temperatures.


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## mgmoore7 (Jul 6, 2007)

Carrots
Pumpkin
Cantelope
Tomatoes (3 kind)
Pole Beans
Bush Beans
Herbs
Strawberries
Bell Peppers
Cabbage
Spinach
Romain Lettuce


Here in FL, all of this is already in full swing.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

cukes
zucchini
Yellow crookneck squash
tomatoes
tomatillos
eggplant
corn (probably)
speckled butter beans
dragon's tongue beans (new variety for me)
watermelon
maybe cantelope??
maybe okra??

In fall, will plant mustards, carrots, lettuce.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Early Corn
Full Season Corn
Popcorn
Indian Corn
carrots
potatoes
tomatoes (7 varieties including the heirlooms)
cauliflower
cucumbers
watermelons (Hey, I can dream can't I)
asparagus
cantaloupe
Brocolli
Brussel Sprouts
4 different squash (no pumpkins!)
radishes
several varietes of lettuce 
cabbage
daikon
horseradish
garlic
leeks
strawberries
2 new apple trees
1 new self fruitful pear tree (sans partridge)
3 new blueberry bushes
lemon balm
lavendar
bee balm
chocolate mint
chives
and last but not least - Lavendar

The Sun room is a jungle of plants and lights right now, really enjoy my morning coffee there. I guess I should get working on the new root cellar pretty soon!

We should start a beekeepers seed exchange because I know in addition to the birds and the bees most of us are pretty avid gardeners as well.


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## Natalie (Jan 14, 2009)

Its great to see how much everyone is planting, its nice to not have to go out and buy all the produce from the big stores.
I try to get whatever I don't grow at the farmer's markets but I still prefer to grow all I can myself.
I have been debating on growing rhubarb and horseradish as well but I was concerned about the leaves of the rhubarb plant, I heard they were poisonous and sometimes the hens will sneak into the garden on me and nibble whatever leaves they can.
I am going to add to the size of my garlic bed this year but I am not sure how much room I am going to need per how many plants.
I have one raised bed of garlic now, but I am going to plant another one.
I have been reading up on garlic this morning and its amazing how much debate goes on about when to cut the scapes, storing abilities, using the bubils for planting or just using the cloves and hardneck vs softneck.
Who knew garlic was such a hot topic?


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

*Garden phase 1*

Corn- sweet, popcorn, ornamental
Squash- Zuc, yellow, acorn, spagetti, hubbard, ornamental, birdhouse
Melons- red and yellow Watermelon, cantelope, crenshaw
Tomatoes- plums for sauces, grape, pear for snacks and various heorlooms
Okra- or course
Beans- sugar, green
Broccoli
Califlower
Eggplant
Brussel Sprouts
Kolrobi
Onions, garlic
Herbs-basil,oregeno,thyme,rosemary,cilantro,mint,bergomont,lavender,lemon balm
Peppers-sweet,red,grn,yel,purple,Hot-Jal, hab,carib(for my insect spray)
Spinach,lettuce and greens
carrots
Beets
Potatoes
Not planted but always around-
yellow,blk,red raspberries, straw, black, goose, dew and blueberries, rhubarb, grapes,aspargras,horseradish,apples,peaches,plums,pears,nectarines, apricots(if they didnt freeze w/ this snow!) mulberries, hazlenut, paw paws,persimmomns.
The bees are getting 
a stand of Buckweat, clovers, lavender, hyssop, asters, coneflowers and more.
My back aches just thinking of this fun about to begin!!!!!!


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## Hambone (Mar 17, 2008)

Tomatoes
Zucchini
Crooked Neck Squash
Onions
Carrots
Cucumber’s (Pickling and Slicing)
Bell Peppers
Jalapenos
Okra
Tomatillos
Rosemary


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

Sounds like there's going to be enough food for a big beekeeper's party at Natalie's house this summer! I'll bring the watermelons from my garden. I grow the Luffas and the ladies in the neighborhood get them to bathe with. They also like to rob me of my martin birdhouse gourds.


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## DaggerD (Feb 25, 2009)

All of these are heirloom and from The Seeds Trust

Asparagus- Mary Washington
Broccoli- Decicco
Siberian Pepper- Grandpa's Home Pepper
Bell Peppers- Early Mountain Wonder
Early Tomato- Sub-arctic Plenty
Early Tomato- Gem State
Brussel Sprout- Long Island Improved
Leeks- King Richard
Kale- Red Russian
Early Cabbage- Early Mountain Wakefield
Chinese Celery- Kan Tsai
Mache/Corn Salad- Verte De Cambrai
Red Romaine- Cimmaron
Spinach- Bloomsdale Long Standing
Red Leaf Lettuce- Red Saladbowl
Sweet Basil- Ocimum Basilicum
Italian Parsley- Plainleaf
Sunflower- Mammoth
Sweet Corn- Extra Early Bantam
Super Sweet Corn- Candy Mountain
Pole Beans- Northeaster
Pole Beans- Kentucky Wonder
Zucchini Squash- Cocozelle
Winter Squash- Mountaineer
Winter Squash- Ebony Acorn
Fava Beans- Windsor
Peas- Montana Marvel
Bush Beans- Purple Teepee
Parsnip- Hollow Crown
Carrots- Kinko 6”
Carrots- Scarlet Nantes
Radish- Champion
Bunching Onions- Purplette
Melon- Sugar Baby Watermelon
And two types of potatoes
Plus some new fruit trees


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

Weeds. 



MM


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## JIm in Annville (Jul 25, 2008)

1.corn two varieties
2. tomatoes 3 varieties
3. zuchini
4. peas sugar snap
5 Goose beans Heirloom variety
6. White half runner beans Heirloom
7. roma beans
8. onions
9. potatoes
Having a really tough time finding seeds for spagetti squash. If anyone has a connection give me a holler.


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## DaggerD (Feb 25, 2009)

JIm in Annville said:


> Having a really tough time finding seeds for spagetti squash. If anyone has a connection give me a holler.


The have some at The Seeds Trust.


http://www.seedstrust.com/

In the upper right corner of the page use the search button. Put in "33706".
That is the code for the spagetti squash.


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## berkshire bee (Jan 28, 2007)

You all forgot Collards!! Great in soups, as greens, and stuffed.


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## dragonfly (Jun 18, 2002)

MapMan said:


> Weeds.
> 
> 
> 
> MM


 I'm pretty certain I will grow alot of those too.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

JIm in Annville said:


> Having a really tough time finding seeds for spagetti squash. If anyone has a connection give me a holler.


I have about 20 pounds. How many do you want?

MM


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## Natalie (Jan 14, 2009)

Well it sounds like everyone has been busy gathering seeds this winter.
I get my seed catalogs in the mail in the middle of winter and it drives me crazy to have to wait all that time to actually get them started.
beeaware, I have been wondering about doing the birdhouse gourds, they look so cool.
Are they hard to grow and what about cleaning them out for the birdhouses?
I took my boys to the barbershop for haircuts today and the barber remembered that we had been discussing seeds at our last visit and he offered me some heirloom corn seeds that he thought were really great and he asked me if I wanted to come back up tomorrow and pick some up.
I told him I would share the seed potatoes and peanut seeds that came in the mail yesterday and it went back and forth until we worked out a trade of various things. I also share my fresh chicken eggs with him and we work out haircuts, its a pretty good bartering system we have and I wish it was more like it was in the old days in that respect.
People helping each other out.
Anyway, I need to get some netting because last year I grew some corn and it was going great when something(assuming squirrels) got underneath the netting I used and clean the cobs completely.
I have to find something more squirrel proof.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

Natalie said:


> Anyway, I need to get some netting because last year I grew some corn and it was going great when something(assuming squirrels) got underneath the netting I used and clean the cobs completely.
> I have to find something more squirrel proof.


Raccoons... They love sweet corn. I have to string up my electric fence when the cobs are forming.

MM


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## Brenda (Nov 23, 2006)

Green beans, corn, tomatoes, and peas. Maybe potatoes. 
I have strawberries, gold and black raspberries. yum...


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

Natalie,

The gourds are not difficult to grow but they do need lots of room. The vines can grow to near 50 feet in length. I just plant mine in hills where they receive sun most of the day and leave them alone to spread on the ground. They will need reasonable fertile soil and they need about 160 to 180 days of growing season in order to mature into 10 inch gourds. I harvest them and allow them to dry naturally then cut the bird entrance in the large end and remove the dried material and seed. Then hang them out and the Martins will move in. Gourds still make the best bird house.


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## beehoppers (Jun 16, 2005)

Natilie, if your corn stalks are pulled over, it is probably racoons. If the stalks still stand and the husks are shredded, it could be rats...feed your cats out there.
The garden will be much bigger this year. We are adding some Russian varieties of peas and watermelons, Israeli spinach, Italian onions from Baker Creek. Grapes the added fruit.


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## Natalie (Jan 14, 2009)

I bet you guys are right about the raccoons! I had been thinking squirrels for some reason(probably because I happen to see them around alot during the day) but the corn was all trampled like you say a raccoon would do.

My little boy really loves the idea of growing corn and I gave him his own section of garden and thats what we planted, everything was going great and then one day it was destroyed.
Thanks for the advice, I am going to have to get serious about protecting it.

Beeaware, I really like the idea of those gourd birdhouses, I love to grow all kinds of weird squash, I am the only one in the family that really likes to eat all the strange ones.
I have some room on the side of the house that I could use for growing gourds.

Has anyone here grown potatoes?
I grew some last year but I did it in a raised bed, I would like to try alot more varieties this year and I was wondering if you can grow them in whiskey barrel and how many plants you could put in a container that size.
I have heard of people growing potatoes in old tires and in haybales so I know you can use a small area but I am not sure if thats for just one plant or a couple.
I could grow them in the ground but thought this would save the digging around later.
I was also thinking of using a tomato cage and then just mounding the dirt over the plant as it grows since I know that you have to keep burying the new leaves.
Then you can just pull the cage off and let the dirt fall out and pick up your potatoes, no searching in the ground and I thought maybe there would be less potato pests that way.


It sounds like some people have some real interesting things going in the garden.
Its funny how where we live affects our food choices, regional availability or just plain what we were use to eating growing up.

I think I am going to search out some moon and stars watermelon, I tried to order it from 2 places and they were sold out.
I bought an heirloom variety of black watermelon that will be a new one for me to try this year.


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## MapMan (May 24, 2007)

Natalie said:


> I think I am going to search out some moon and stars watermelon, I tried to order it from 2 places and they were sold out.
> I bought an heirloom variety of black watermelon that will be a new one for me to try this year.


I have a local source for Moon and Stars - I know they have it... $2.10 for 50 seeds. If you would like some, Natalie (love your name - you must be a December baby) the place is just down the road, PM me with your address, and I will get them right out.

If anyone is looking for some unusual varieties, PM me - this is an Amish run seed place I recently stumbled upon, quite reasonable - 1 tablespoon of most lettuce seed is .50, 3 tablespoons 1.25, for example. Other stuff varies in price.


MM


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## BeeAware (Mar 24, 2007)

You can grow potatoes in tires by placing several "eyes" inside the tire and filling with good soil. When the plants emerge and grow several inches, add another tire and put soil upto within a few inches of the top of the potato plant. They are like tomatoes as they will root and produce fruit all along the stalk if covered with soil. You can do this til your stack is really tall. When harvest time comes, just knock over the tires and pick up the potatoes. Use fertilizer in which the nitrogen is lower than the P and K, such as 6-12-12.


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## Zane (Mar 28, 2008)

*Garden*

I'm using the tire method for the first time this year. I have tried many areas in the past but I have too much clay to get a nice batch. I have aquired some mulch and have filled my 1st 6 tires w/ it. Then when the plants get up to 6-8" I'll add another tire and keep adding "tire supers"! Hope it works out. Dad also use to say they will keep into winter this way too. You can also do carrots this way. if you use sand you can get some real long carrots for the state fairs!

Jim- Did you get your squash seeds yet? I have some for you if needed?

Natalie- Get some of the hair from the barber and scatter it around the corn field. I use dog fur and droppings too. It keeps my critters at bay.


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## Natalie (Jan 14, 2009)

Mapman, I am definitely going to take you up on that offer, I love to try different things.
Thanks for the compliment, my mom told me that when she was young my uncle came home for a visit from the service and he brought home a young woman to meet the family and my mother thought she was the most beautiful, elegant, glamorous woman she had ever seen and her name was Natalie.
The name apparently stuck with her all those years and she named me Natalie.

I think I will try a couple of different methods of planting potatoes this year and experiement a little.
I have heard of the tire method as well, I never thought about growing carrots in one.

I had no idea hair would keep critters away, thats a good idea. 
You guys are just full of helpful information and I appreciate all the tips you are giving.


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