Veggie Growers Unite About This Page:

[saremca]

It's slow going around here because of the weather. It's been cold and rainy all summer so far. Here I am on July 8th sitting in front of my portable heater because it's still only 57 degrees outside.

My zucchini bed is doing well, considering. I have some fruit (only 6 plants this year) but they're still fairly small. My tomato bed is growing like crazy but tomatoes are slow to form (weather, I think). I have probably 20 heirloom tomatoes on the plants (15 plants), but normally I have twice that many by this point. My bed of greens (collards and swiss chard) is coming along nicely, but was attacked by a pest early on, and I lost 2 collard plants. Beans and peas are doing nicely and so are the herbs in pots, especially basil, which I've never had much luck with before this year.

I'm currently mulching the beds for fall planting (spinach, cabbage, leeks, kale and potatoes) so they're ready to go in 2 months, or maybe sooner if the weather stays the way it is.

Raspberries are doing okay. Too cold for them to produce too well. Our apple trees are FULL of apples so we'll have a nice amount to can and dry this fall.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by saremca

. Our apple trees are FULL of apples so we'll have a nice amount to can and dry this fall.

How do you keep the little critters off the apples? All of my apples have black marks on them, even though I used spray this year!

[saremca]

We are just lucky with our apple trees, I think. We don't do anything to them. The only pest problem we have to deal with are hungry squirrels.

[chezp]

Originally Posted by Sandra Bostwick

How much space do you recommend leaving? I think I may need to replant a few of my veggies. I put them three to a big container. (They looked so SMALL when I first got them)

Are gro-bags the upside down bags?

My dad originally told me to plant one tomato per gro-bag. I thought he was mad. He was right. Two per gro-bag is too much, they're going mad. There are two strawberries per gro-bag and that's fine. They're all in gro-bags that just sit on the floor, I haven't tried the upside down ones.

[Sandra Bostwick]

Originally Posted by chezp

My dad originally told me to plant one tomato per gro-bag. I thought he was mad. He was right. Two per gro-bag is too much, they're going mad. There are two strawberries per gro-bag and that's fine. They're all in gro-bags that just sit on the floor, I haven't tried the upside down ones.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM, I have them in pots, but I think I will spend some time separating them. They don't look so great, and my friends tomatos look like you could climb them and find a giant!

[minemoz1]

My basil is about a foot high now after a slow start due to spider mites. I have catnip (for my future cat) and cilantro that is just starting. My tomato plant is going crazy but no tomatoes yet. I planted the seedling late. Hopefully I should have some forming in the next few weeks. I'm grateful for all the rain, usually I start losing plants due to my forgetting to water them.

[stretch2864]

My garden has been growing like crazy this week! All of a sudden I have a bunch of zucchini that have set on as well peas, beans and roma tomatoes. My herbs love it out there as well. I have a ton of basil, dill, cilantro, and chives.

[Tigger1221]

I made breakfast this morning with potato's, onions, and peppers from my garden this morning. I have a ton of tomatos, I counted at least 15 on one plant alone, I am already salivating over the tomato sandwiches and tomato salad.

[3dogknight]

seems to be a good year for tomatoes. mine are going well but the strawberry plants look like they have had better days.

[chezp]

Originally Posted by Tigger1221

I made breakfast this morning with potato's, onions, and peppers from my garden this morning. I have a ton of tomatos, I counted at least 15 on one plant alone, I am already salivating over the tomato sandwiches and tomato salad.

How awesome! Now if only some of my 80+ tomatoes would finally start to turn red...

[KathyL]

My lettuce has come and gone. Sugar snap peas are almost gone. Many green tomatoes on my four plants. Each of my nine corn plants has at least two ears of corn starting to grow! Yellow squash has gone wild. Cucumbers and peppers have been slow due to the horrible weather we have had so far this summer but hopefully they will take off.

[stretch2864]

I have zucchinis popping up everywhere! They may become part of our daily menu! I finally have a couple of butternut squash setting on. Lots of flowers on the tomato plants as well as four still green Roma tomatoes. We are still eating lettuce as well as many herbs. The sugar snap peas are finally on and we have eaten some of them, and the beans are just starting to set on. Probably by the end of the weekend we will be able to eat some of them.

[Sandra Bostwick]

I have to give you an update. I am in LOVE with growing my own veggies. It seems so easy, as long as I net it from the deer.

So far I've gotten some early cherry tomatoes and this afternoon I cut up a fresh pepper and put it on a quesadia. YUM!

I love to sit and look at my veggies growing.

How is everyone else's garden going?

[minemoz1]

I used some fresh basil the other day for a tomato salad and Just harvested a bunch to freeze. I gave my mom some fresh catnip for her cat (which the cat LOVED!) My tomatoes are coming along nicely. Looks like I'm going to have a ton. I have 2 that are about 1.5 inches so maybe in 2-3 weeks I'll be eating them.

[chezp]

I picked another five tomatoes yesterday and have three cucumbers almost ready to pick too. The peppers are doing well and I usually get at least one or two strawberries most days, so all is good!