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WhiteBearDog
06-18-2009, 22:48
I know you must think i'm nuts. Well, not nuts but desperate! I just started a garden... had tomatoes (vines were loaded), peppers, beans, onions, cantalopes, lettuces, potatoes etc... Well, tonight we had a HORRABLE storm charge through and it:mad: DESTROYED :( my beautiful garden :eek:. Its a total loss.:datz Here's the pics now...
http://app3.sellersourcebook.com/users/9001/june_16_2009_016.jpg
http://app3.sellersourcebook.com/users/9001/june_16_2009_014.jpg


So, a few weeks ago I had entered a contest to win a tiller. It would have helped out me and my parents all. I'm really bummed with the loss of my garden but don't want to give up the slight chance who knows, maybe, just maybe, I could win. Anyway, I would so much appreciate it if you would come and vote for me.

Here is the link...

http://tricities.upickem.net/engine/Details.aspx?contestid=6622&pagetype=VOTING&SubmissionID=977415

Thanks!
Sandra from Kingsport ( who won't be eating fried green tomatoes for a long while. :(

Reid
06-18-2009, 23:00
Aww man. How big is that? 30x30?

Jofish
06-18-2009, 23:21
Plants are very resilient. I think you'd be surprised by what will still grow there. I bet it isn't a total loss. And you could always go out and buy a few small tomato plants - they'd be ready by the end of the season.

emerald
06-18-2009, 23:27
You can probably salvage some of your plants. Don't be in too much of a hurry to tear out everything and throw in the towel.

TOW
06-18-2009, 23:27
with all the rain we have been having lately i thought i was going to lose my garden as well when some kind of white fungi spread itself under my tater vines one morning....so i immediately tore those vines out and exposed it to direct sunlight and after it had dried a bit i turned the ground to find out that the clumps of dirt with the grass roots attached to them were acting like a sponge and keeping the water in one spot and not draining off enuf.........it has not returned, yet.....

warraghiyagey
06-18-2009, 23:29
You shoulda entered a contest for a free chainsaw . . . :)

Jayboflavin04
06-19-2009, 00:20
Chain saw:D....That really sucks about your garden, but I am sorry I had to laugh!!!

Pokey2006
06-19-2009, 00:37
This is still very early in the growing season. Being from New England, I'm actually shocked that tomatoes can be ripe in June!

Tomatoes are especially tough plants. And some of the others are root plants. Don't count them out yet.

Dances with Mice
06-19-2009, 06:50
Not all is lost. The vines will bounce back if care is taken getting the tree off.

But you don't want the tiller. I gave mine away years ago and wished I'd given it away sooner. I now spend less time using hand tools than I did using the TroyBilt, all things considered. And my garden's not small, (http://ray-garden.blogspot.com/)

It's easier to garden smart than to garden hard.

bigcranky
06-19-2009, 07:26
Hey, DWM, your blog looks just like my wife's blog (http://azaleastozinnias.blogspot.com/). Garden, bluebirds, snakes.... I enjoyed it.

Dances with Mice
06-19-2009, 08:44
Hey, DWM, your blog looks just like my wife's blog (http://azaleastozinnias.blogspot.com/). Garden, bluebirds, snakes.... I enjoyed it.Raised beds! The only way to go. Since I started using them I harvest more and spend less time weeding or turning soil.

The bluebird couple raised one brood then took a few weeks vacation and have just returned for a second round of nest building.

Some of the DRT photos show W-B members Mother Nature and SmokeStack.

CowHead
06-19-2009, 08:49
I like my garden its in the lefthand corner of your grocery store

tiptoe
06-19-2009, 20:54
Wow, what a mess. We've been having huge rainstorms in Connecticut, too, but fortunately, the trees have stayed upright. As everyone says, your garden will recover more than you think once you get the lumber out. (Even if you leave it there, the vine crops will just grow over it.) I'm a gardener, too, and I'm hoping my son will keep the place in shape while I hike DWG to Duncannon, starting tomorrow. With rain gear!

WhiteBearDog
06-20-2009, 16:13
you Shoulda Entered A Contest For A Free Chainsaw . . . :)


No Kidding!!! Lmao!!!

strnorm
06-21-2009, 01:31
Sorry about your garden, My garden went thru the same storm, several storms, not as bad as yours, but it is coming around, i am now getting peas,carrots,green peppers,beets,and green tomatoes.Storm [strnorm] on WB.:sun

Homer&Marje
06-21-2009, 06:17
Just built a brand new garden for myself at the new place....been working it for about a month now....everything is doing well.

Get that tree off your plants and they'll be fine. Send them that picture....maybe they'll feel bad and give you one:D

Pokey I got tomatoes the size of golf balls already....red and green peppers are blooming, potato's are huge, zuchini is doing ok...in some spots, pole beans are sprouting, carrots are HUGE!! so is the celery.

The herbs are doing real well, chives, creeping rosemary, sage, basil, oregano, lemon balm (like thyme but shaped like mint) and mint (tried to kill the mint. Impossible:D)

WhiteBearDog
06-22-2009, 19:52
Sorry about your garden, My garden went thru the same storm, several storms, not as bad as yours, but it is coming around, i am now getting peas,carrots,green peppers,beets,and green tomatoes.Storm [strnorm] on WB.:sun

It was a doozy huh? Where about in Kpt are you? I'm in Colonial Heights.:cool:

Blissful
06-22-2009, 20:12
I once went away for a Christian women's convention (no less) and came back to find golfball size hail had destroyed a good part of my garden. I so understand...

Erin
06-22-2009, 20:46
I am a garderner too. Don't give up. We had nothing but wet and now it is in the 90's. Just get rid of the tree, fix up your stakes, rebury the uprooted, water, and you are good to go. Those plants are tough.

Jan LiteShoe
06-22-2009, 23:34
Not all is lost. The vines will bounce back if care is taken getting the tree off.

But you don't want the tiller. I gave mine away years ago and wished I'd given it away sooner. I now spend less time using hand tools than I did using the TroyBilt, all things considered. And my garden's not small, (http://ray-garden.blogspot.com/)

It's easier to garden smart than to garden hard.

Nice blog. You're canning already?
I must be remedial.
:)

I did get some local blackberries today though. Cobbler tonight, jam tomorrow.
:banana

bigcranky
06-23-2009, 08:15
Nice blog. You're canning already?
I must be remedial.

Just get on the short bus and start canning. Not too late <g>.

Haven't seen any blackberries yet. Looking forward to some good blueberries this year.

Jan LiteShoe
06-23-2009, 08:42
Just get on the short bus and start canning. Not too late <g>.

Haven't seen any blackberries yet. Looking forward to some good blueberries this year.

Got the jars sterilizing as we speak.
:sun

Blackberries are just coming in down her in zone 7b/8a. Southern highbush blueberries have been bearing for about three weeks, the rabbiteye blueberries have been coming into their own in the last week or so.

"JustStartWalking" I'm sorry about your garden. Anything you put so much hope, love and time into, it's painful to see. I hope you'll give us an update, because I think you'll be pleasantly surprised how much does rebound after careful cleanup. Also, it's not too late to plant more, depending on your zone. You can root suckers of tomatoes if none remain for sale in your area.

Jim Adams
06-23-2009, 08:45
Your garden should make a pretty good comeback...at least you had some common sense and learned before you planted....my first garden I knew nothing...planted 39 tomato plants....I fed the entire county!!!! :)

geek

Dances with Mice
06-23-2009, 08:51
Nice blog. You're canning already?
I must be remedial.I've got a wide row of carrots to dig and can.

I planted about 4 or 5 packets because last year I had really bad germination. This year I think I had 200% germination.

I've got about 2 pounds of blueberries (rabbiteye) frozen already and they're just starting.

This year it looks like I'll be using up the last jar of last season's tomato sauce just as the new crop ripens.

Once you tell people that you do home canning many of them remember a stash of old jars they have that they'd love to give you. I've gotten a lot that way. Some lady at work keeps telling me that she's going to bring me a couple cases of wide mouth pint jars. Haven't seen them yet though.

Pedaling Fool
06-23-2009, 09:09
Not all is lost. The vines will bounce back if care is taken getting the tree off.

But you don't want the tiller. I gave mine away years ago and wished I'd given it away sooner. I now spend less time using hand tools than I did using the TroyBilt, all things considered. And my garden's not small, (http://ray-garden.blogspot.com/)

It's easier to garden smart than to garden hard.
Raised Beds!!! Why didn't I think of that!? :datzI've been killing myself trying to keep this tiller running -- piece of crap -- I'm ready to start working less hard.

bigcranky
06-23-2009, 09:35
Raised beds are *awesome*.

Dances with Mice
06-23-2009, 09:36
Raised Beds!!! Why didn't I think of that!? I've been killing myself trying to keep this tiller running -- piece of crap -- I'm ready to start working less hard.Right. Once I spent an entire weekend trying to get my tiller to start. Sunday evening I was thinking about the wasted time and how if I'd just gotten a shovel and started digging I would have already been finished and be a lot less stressed. So that's what I did. Then I gave the tiller away to the first person who would come get it.

With raised beds there's no need to dig up the entire garden at once. You can just prepare the beds you need to plant. It only takes about 30 minutes to turn over a 12 X 4 bed, once it's established.

10-K
06-23-2009, 10:10
You can be grateful you weren't tenting under it. That takes the widowmaker concept to a whole new level. :)

I agree that you can salvage a lot of it.

Lyle
06-23-2009, 10:48
Last fall I decided I wanted to expand my garden space - AGAIN!

I have a combination of raised beds - GREAT and conventional tilled garden.

I tried a very simple method. I laid out some old cedar fence posts that I had around, then soaked some newspapers and covered the grass between the parallel cedar posts. Covered this with several inches of some partially composted hay, and let it go for the winter. This spring, I just used a hand trowel to pull back the compost and puncture what was left of the newspaper, and planted my tomatoes. I was amazed at how light and full of earthworms the soil underneath the newspapers had become over the winter. I planted the tomatoes, and they took off like crazy.

Absolutely the easiest garden plot I have ever started, and very few weeds. Each fall I will just add more compost and another layer of mulch and keep going - NO DIGGING!

Homer&Marje
06-24-2009, 06:24
Finally got some shots of the garden. I plan on doubling it next year, possibly with another table for some more herbs...depends on how much I dry this summer and what I might need.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ldP-jp9aBzY/SkH9GYjF2iI/AAAAAAAABwc/VYsDmMGZRvA/s512/SDC11399.JPG

It is a raised bed, but in the front and the sides I tried to replace some sod so that the grass would grow back..
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_ldP-jp9aBzY/SkH9GmA2uGI/AAAAAAAABwg/iUAH_nYW6SI/s512/SDC11400.JPG
My herb table is great. I highly suggest growing lemon balm. It's a mint type plant, very nice lemon oregano/thyme flavoring on your food. I use it for chicken, fish and in a cilantro tomato sauce for grilled flank steak. It's very invasive though, must be separated.
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_ldP-jp9aBzY/SkH9G8GP0xI/AAAAAAAABwk/cDXNukQqNvM/s512/SDC11401.JPG

And last my favorite, creeping rosemary. Perfect herb for a hanging potter.
http://lh5.ggpht.com/_ldP-jp9aBzY/SkH9HIbvszI/AAAAAAAABwo/kSVUeQTQ1bQ/s512/SDC11402.JPG

Dances with Mice
06-24-2009, 07:37
Finally got some shots of the garden. I plan on doubling it next year, possibly with another table for some more herbs...depends on how much I dry this summer and what I might need.That looks great, simple and productive. I'm interested in your compost bin - my daughter in Richmond would like to start composting but I don't think my pile it up and let it rot method would be appreciated in an urban area.

For drying herbs in the summer I wash them then just put them in a paper bag and leave them outside on a hot, sunny day.

Here's an idea for a smoker (http://ray-garden.blogspot.com/2009/02/pot-smoker.html) that would blend right in with your garden. A good one-handed project.

Homer&Marje
06-24-2009, 08:20
That looks great, simple and productive. I'm interested in your compost bin - my daughter in Richmond would like to start composting but I don't think my pile it up and let it rot method would be appreciated in an urban area.

For drying herbs in the summer I wash them then just put them in a paper bag and leave them outside on a hot, sunny day.

Here's an idea for a smoker (http://ray-garden.blogspot.com/2009/02/pot-smoker.html) that would blend right in with your garden. A good one-handed project.


Compost bin was built out of scrap and screws. 2x4 frame with plywood walls. some 2x6 as a "floor" for it that are not tight together so it can get air. I took some old straps of my old backpack and made the front plywood wall hinged at the bottom, loose on the sides and clipped at the top....I put some leaves in there with some sod and dirt and have been adding all my compostables including a bunch of coffee grounds from the restaurant.

I stir it every other day usually and when it comes time for fall I will drop the front down and shovel it into the garden. Everything I compost in there over the fall and winter will get shoveled in in the spring, and then tilled. Surgery time!! Got to go!

Homer&Marje
06-24-2009, 13:11
here is the pics of the front of my composter. i assume the plywood in the front will get replaced every year due to warping. the sidewalls r much more securely fastened so they should last longer in theory.

u can compost in any container like a large trashcan...just have to turn it often. lots of worms help..... put a few dozen in

Pedaling Fool
06-24-2009, 16:13
I don't use a container; I either bury the stuff directly into the ground or I mix into my leaf pile. I suppose a container would enhance the decomposition process, but I'm just lazy, besides the stuff still decomposes fairly quickly.

I've noticed that the leaf pile (~3-4 feet high) attracts all types of things, I've seen large worms at the base, many different types of insects, which attract lizards, frogs and various birds.

Saw one of these the other day

mudhead
06-24-2009, 16:45
my daughter in Richmond would like to start composting but I don't think my pile it up and let it rot method would be appreciated in an urban area.

F

I can't imagine one of those plastic composter units would be odor free.

She might have to be selective about what she adds. Coffee grounds are a good start for her.:sun

Dances with Mice
06-24-2009, 17:05
I don't use a container; I either bury the stuff directly into the ground or I mix into my leaf pile. I suppose a container would enhance the decomposition process, but I'm just lazy, besides the stuff still decomposes fairly quickly.

I've noticed that the leaf pile (~3-4 feet high) attracts all types of things, I've seen large worms at the base, many different types of insects, which attract lizards, frogs and various birds.A big fat blue tailed skink was quite upset when I shoveled out one of my piles this year. But in the area where my daughter lives I'm concerned that the urban wildlife attracted to a compost pile would include rats.

So how'd the surgery go, Homer?

Homer&Marje
06-24-2009, 17:16
mine is well ventilated as u can see and has no strong odor even when up close. just dont throw any meat products in it.

I grew up with a giant leaf pile near the edge of the woods in my backyard that we called the wormpile... all compost and fireplace ash and yard waste went into it....used the dirt 4 the raised beds and my brother and i had an endless supply of nightcrawlers, centipedes and salamanders 4 fishbait

WhiteBearDog
06-25-2009, 15:27
Well, Dad and I finally got all the trees off the garden. Took two days to do that then rake up the broken limbs, leaves and broken plants. Yesterday I got my tomatoes staked up again and this morning my poles beans standing. I lost several tomato plants. Over all, it's not too bad but not what my garden before.

Homer&Marje
06-25-2009, 16:09
plant some late season growers in place of what u lost....it will help to salvage the season at least mentally

mudhead
06-26-2009, 12:32
Well, Dad and I finally got all the trees off the garden. Took two days to do that then rake up the broken limbs, leaves and broken plants. Yesterday I got my tomatoes staked up again and this morning my poles beans standing. I lost several tomato plants. Over all, it's not too bad but not what my garden before.

You have time. Be glad it was a couple mater plants and not the driveway, or a swingset. You needed more sun anyway.

Slugs seem to be doing a number on my patch of dirt. At least a tree is quick.

WhiteBearDog
06-26-2009, 18:37
You have time. Be glad it was a couple mater plants and not the driveway, or a swingset. You needed more sun anyway.

Slugs seem to be doing a number on my patch of dirt. At least a tree is quick.


Actually, it's doing quite fine with the amount of sun. Wish I had a pic of it BEFORE the trees fell. I've been lucky with bugs too. No snails/slugs, tater bugs and beans are doing fine.:)

Homer&Marje
06-26-2009, 20:22
I had bore bugs kill my zucchini last year....remembered to put some charcoal ash around them today to prevent that

Homer&Marje
07-27-2009, 09:04
Hows everyone's garden doing? Did you recover anything after the tree damage?

No bugs in my zuchini this year...their doing great thanks to a few bee hives near by.

Beefsteak tomato and the Italian Plums going wild.....bell peppers are going nuts and I started picking celery and carrots this week.

bigcranky
07-27-2009, 11:09
Great results from the cukes and the squash. Pole and bush beans going very well. Some eggplant, but they are late, same with the peppers. Blueberries are producing well, but the bushes are still too small for a large harvest.

The tomato situation is ugly. We're getting okay production from the yellow pear tomatoes, but they aren't all that tasty. The Early Girl and Cherokee Purple are rotting and/or being eaten before we can pick them. The Romas are okay, but are coming in batches that are too small to make enough sauce to can. We did can four pints of salsa using the Romas and some Poblano peppers from the grocery store.

We have about six small melons. We'll see how they look in a month or so.

http://azaleastozinnias.blogspot.com/

tiptoe
07-27-2009, 12:54
My garden is doing very well this unusually cool and rainy summer. Right now I'm spending lots of time picking blackberries, wineberries, and blueberries. Bush beans are comin' in, and I still have lettuce. On the slow side: tomatoes, squash, cukes, basil -- all the heat lovers.

It's great to know that so many WBers are also gardeners.

Homer&Marje
07-27-2009, 14:44
I've just started noticing some of my plum tomatos falling off early, like while one side is yellow the other is almost red, they fall off and get eaten by bugs...so I started picking them and ripening them on the counter...

All my herbs are doing fantastic....cut fresh every night basil, chives, rosemary, parsley, lemon balm, sage and oregano.

Pole beans got planted late but they are 4' tall so doing good for a late start. I harvested my lettuce a few weeks ago and planted cherry peppers in it's place...not hot enough for them though and they are struggling.

Reid
07-27-2009, 16:04
Hows everyone's garden doing? Did you recover anything after the tree damage?

No bugs in my zuchini this year...their doing great thanks to a few bee hives near by.

Beefsteak tomato and the Italian Plums going wild.....bell peppers are going nuts and I started picking celery and carrots this week.

We are having a horrible time due to the lack of bee's. I welcome any science that can help cross pollinate. It's been a big issue lately about the lack of bee's and how they are all dying.

tiptoe
07-27-2009, 16:22
Here's a link to a vegetable gardening site that I work on in my "other" life. Gardeners are invited to take a look; I think you'll find answers to a lot of your questions and solutions to a lot of the issues you've raised here. If you become a member (free), you can post your photos and even your gardening questions.

http://www.vegetablegardener.com

Autumnwind
07-27-2009, 16:26
Have you tried pollenating flowers by hand? Just touch each flower and they will pollinate. Last few years the bees were not here either so we just gave them a little help and it works. Give it a try. And get out the weeds along with giving them some food. 10-10-10 works awesome. Good Luck.

Pedaling Fool
03-13-2011, 19:51
Plants are tough and gardening is a lot easier than advertised. I’ve read a lot about gardening since getting into it and found that growing stuff is much easier and maintenance-free than many books and people would have you believe.

Last year I grew, among other things, watermelons and tomatoes. I had some fruits that were not wanted due to bruising, so I threw them in my various compost piles. Earlier this year I re-mulched and threw the compost down under the mulch and the other day I noticed some plants coming up, I thought they kind of look like tomatoes and watermelons, but today I confirmed the watermelon-looking seedlings are in fact watermelons (I found one seedling that had yet to shed the seed’s shell).

So without any effort of planting seeds in little containers for later transplant in my garden, I got some watermelons (and probably tomatoes) started next to my:bananatree!

weary
03-13-2011, 20:07
Nice blog. You're canning already?
I must be remedial.
:)

I did get some local blackberries today though. Cobbler tonight, jam tomorrow.
:banana
That's why I like living in the north. It'll be late May before my ground dries out enough to plant. Untill then I can forget about gardening.