Curious to see what tomato varieties produced best for y’all this year. My Cherokee Purple’s got in too late and gave me three juicy tomatoes early summer before the heat hit us. Have a couple started for the fall and hoping for better results with the cooler weather approaching. Also have Tommy Toe’s, Homestead, Black Brandywine and some hybrids in case the heirlooms fail. Anyone else doing a fall tomato planting and any good varieties I should try next spring?
Thinking I’ll plant broccoli, Brussels and lettuce as my fall/winter crops but don’t have them in the ground yet and wanted to see what people are planting right now.
Curious to see what tomato varieties produced best for y’all this year. My Cherokee Purple’s got in too late and gave me three juicy tomatoes early summer before the heat hit us. Have a couple started for the fall and hoping for better results with the cooler weather approaching. Also have Tommy Toe’s, Homestead, Black Brandywine and some hybrids in case the heirlooms fail. Anyone else doing a fall tomato planting and any good varieties I should try next spring?
Thinking I’ll plant broccoli, Brussels and lettuce as my fall/winter crops but don’t have them in the ground yet and wanted to see what people are planting right now.
Only thing I’ve done so far for fall is Pumpkins about a month ago. When I get chance I’ll plant some collards, kale, turnip, cabbage, and carrots. Gotta clean house on some chickens before I can plant any greens. I’ve kinda given up on the fall garden, always seems to get too dry or the bugs eat it up.
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
This is a great thread! I used to plant a garden every year when I lived in MD, but haven’t yet since moving here last year. I want to get back into it real bad!
I drive a tractor trailer & am gone a lot, so that limits what I can do, so how late in the year can I expect to plant & still have it produce? I like vegetables of all kinds, so that’s not an issue. Also, the soil at my place is real sandy. Any thoughts or suggestions on preparing the soil?
You have given some real fine suggestions, so thanks!
BTW, to the OP, I always did real good with any type of plum tomatoes & cherry tomatoes, but not so with the larger varieties.
I also did good with cucumbers, zucchini & squash, & green beans early, plus bell peppers, field peas & okra later. Never did well with some of the greens, as the heat or bugs would get to them. That’s been a problem with being a truck driver, the garden didn’t always get the proper attention it needed especially thru the hotter months.
Cool deal!! You’ll need all your spare time to keep the weeds out!
You run local or long haul? Either way, a garden can eat up a lot of time!! It’s mostly a prideful thing. IMO. Catch veggies in season and you can barely grow them for what you can buy them for. … But growing them yourself sure makes everything taste better!
“If Bruce Jenner can keep his wiener and be called a woman, I can keep my firearms and be considered disarmed.”
This is a great thread! I used to plant a garden every year when I lived in MD, but haven’t yet since moving here last year. I want to get back into it real bad!
I drive a tractor trailer & am gone a lot, so that limits what I can do, so how late in the year can I expect to plant & still have it produce? I like vegetables of all kinds, so that’s not an issue. Also, the soil at my place is real sandy. Any thoughts or suggestions on preparing the soil?
You have given some real fine suggestions, so thanks!
One more year until retirement!
If you start now getting your soil prepared and getting a good compost pile going, in a year you will be way ahead of the game. Sand helps with drainage, but if it’s too sandy you will need to add more organic matter. If you live in the Charleston area, you can get compost at a good price here: http://www.charlestoncounty.org/departments/environmental-management/compost-purchase.php
Take the time to visit your county extension office too. They have lots of good information about soil testing and other items of interest for home gardening. This is the link for Charleston County: http://www.clemson.edu/extension/charleston/
An alternative method bigjim is to build a raised bed using 2x10s or 2x12s. Make a rectangular frame box about 2 feet wide by 8-12 long, no bottom. Put them in a sunny place and Fill them with a mix of good quality topsoil mixed with compost and you have an excellent start. Weeds will be minimal, plus no sandy soil to worry about.
Thanks for the replies folks! I just got in from work & am catching up! I drive OTR but am back home very week. I leave from Timmonsville & go to various places in SC, GA, MI, OH, IN, IL, & NE. We haul parts from the suppliers for the Honda assembly facility near Timmonsville on I-95. They make ATV’s & 4X outdoor vehicles there.
I’ve been trying to build a compost pile since moving here last year, but time has not allowed me to really do it correctly. That & one of the neighborhood dogs tries to eat everything that’s put on the pile. He’s a friendly dog, but seems to have an insatiable appetite.
Back in MD, I planted a fairly large garden. It took up about 1/3 acre, which never seemed to be big enough, but that’s all the room I had. I know about the time it takes to tend properly. My father also planted a garden every year & I was delegated to pull weeds & stuff growing up. I hated it then, but really enjoy it now.
I live in Manning, near Lake Marion & the soil here is very sandy. It drains very good too, but not much in the way of top soil. My property I had in MD was also sandy, but had a good 6" of top soil, some of which was due to me working with it to get it like that. I guess I have a lot of work to do here. I used to raise some rabbits & nightcrawlers too, which can help the soil quite a bit, so I may have to get back into that. Won’t happen until retirement however.
I’m very aware of the cost versus reward for gardening, but I garden to save money just like I tie flies & make lures to save money. I would save too, if it wasn’t for the thousands of dollars I’ve probably spent over the years on supplies. Labor of love & something I very much enjoy & yes, garden fresh veggies do taste better!
