Garden 2016
Not sure this warrants a new Subject Line, but wondering if the experienced gardeners here have started doing anything for this years garden. I was going to not renew my plot at the community garden (the weeds were killing us last year, LOL), but once I picked those beans I grew, I thought we would give it another year. Trying to do a better job this year than last year and hoping to get off on the right foot.
Bessie At least from a flower garden perspective, I think it's too early to be doing anything. Maybe veggie people are doing things, but not me. March can still bring a snow storm and I don't worry about much until April.
GC Most interested in veggie gardening, little bit of flowers, and would like to do herbs in small pots that I can hang on my backyard railing.
Bessie,
I have several perennial herbs in the soil, some of which are still green! But until the temperature is above freezing at night, you know that it is too soon to plant anything, either in pots or soil. I am also impatient for the fun of spring planting, but it looks like a four week wait for now. Meanwhile, a source of gardening expertise is Well Sweep Herb Farm in Port Murray. They have a variety of herbs, perennial flowers and veggies, plus seminars on how to raise them successfully.
DannyC Bessie a lot of veggies do well in pots and is easier
I'm sad I have to start my gardens alll over again this year since we moved :( They perennials were really starting to be mature at the old house. Oh well guess I will have to do a lot of trips to the green house this year.
Nosila Nosila - You could make a good start with just the perennials I have to pull up just so things don't get overrun. Plus I know from all the swapping there are others out there that could help. You may still end up at the green house, but could save quite a few trips. ;-)
GC Nosila, GC is right, the plant exchange helped me fill the front of my house, very grateful for those that shared with me. Hoping that we can get one together this year. Hoping to get some Tiger Lillies from someone that needs to thin theirs out. For those that have no plants to swap, treats are always welcome in lieu of, LOL.
Bessie - I can already help on those lilies, and also know at least two others that can probably help as well.
I just brought a whole bunch of perennial bulbs... Is it too early? I have noticed my Lillie of the valley and crocus coming up.
Htown987 It depends on what kind of bulbs.
If they're typical spring bulbs like tulips and daffodils they you want to plant them immediately. They may not get enough time to root because its way late in planting. But it's better than just letting them die because they do not survive until next year.
If they're summer bulbs like dahlia, crocosmia, or gladiolus, then it's way too early for those. They aren't very hardy and a good March frost can easily kill them all off. Plant those more like they're annuals. Wait until May.
I think about April 15th is the 50/50 point in our part of NJ for potential to get a frost. Five nights below freezing starting Fri 4/18 for example. Think the beginning of May gets you a 20% risk.
For spring veges like peas, I usually go end of March, beginning of April depending on the rain forecast (don't want to drown-rot the seeds) figuring it's 7 days till they sprout. For plants and summer seeds, May when I think it's over.
If feeling risky and going early on lettuce and leaf products, I plan to cover to protect on any cold nights.
Last year got pretty much washed out on first planting.
strangerdanger Think it's too early to pull the mulch off my asparagus beds? Didn't need to cover them till November due to all the warm, but now it's also warmer than normal. They did so well last year, hate to risk them now.
Dansker There are going to be overnight lows in the mid 20's over the weekend. I'd definitely say it's too early.
And ... I'm hearing some rumbling about snow too! Don't let this warm weather fool you.
Iris Years back you couldn't find tomato plants to plant after two frosts in May hit, one being towards the end of May. Now I just wait to June 1st! A lot less work as you don't have to keep covering what you already planted.
Magpie I don't know if this is considered Square Foot gardening, but, given your garden is fenced & covered, here's an easy weed & insect proof way to have a bountiful vegetable garden:
1) If you want certain veges (vege plants you can't get from local farmers/markets (including walmart/HD) or think of starting your vege garden from seeds, pls. DON'T - Instead start seeds inside, now, from and in seed starter kits from Burpee [many coupons on line] - as it's much easier planting vege plants, on the plant level, rather than starting from the seed point, outside/ground up.
2) After turning/churning your garden area outside (from when it gets warmer outside up to May (Mother's Day)....MiracleGrow dirt that feeds veges up to 3mos is good), AND cover your garden area with Black Plastic [Warp Brothers brand sold walmart & amazon in varies shapes which is close to cover your garden's area, from 1 to 6mil thickness (I like 3mil between the two) - that will block/avoid all the weeds around your vege plants/garden.
3) Around Mother's Day/time to plant the veges, (in good plant stage), simply punch a good/average sized HOLE where you plan to plant the vege [repeat in rows or diagonally]
4) Connect a hose to a sprinkler (banana shaped one is fine or sprinkler hose) with a TIMER - 45minutes to an hour every other day early in the morning [Not at night]
5) Then, to prevent the thousands of insects/caterpillars/bugs that feast away all your veges, (before you can eat them), I suggest at least once a week, spray your plants WITH ONLY organic, OMRI Listed, that can be applied to 'VEGETABLE' gardens (not Flower gardens) like "Safe Brand".
Of course there will be a learning curve, adjustments here and there, but planting vegetable plants into a fenced black-plastic garden bed (properly watered and bug sprayed) should provide as much success/abundance of veges (and fun/rewarding) as any Square Foot or Farmer gardening way I know of.
Best of Luck & Enjoy
LLC Thanks for the info LLC, I belong to the Mount Olive Community Garden, however, a lot of the info was helpful to me. Appreciate you taking the time to give all that info!
Creating my first raised bed veggie garden this year. Any tips on soil mixes (to purchase) that would be ideal? I require about 18 cubic feet of soil total.
Thanks!
CR37 CR37,
I just make my own mix. About 50% garden soil, 25% sand, and 25% peat moss. It has always worked well for me. I will also add in compost if I have it on hand. In that case, about 40% compost, 20% soil, 20% sand, and 20 peat moss. Creates and nice loose and easy draining soil.
MeisterNJ Where do you shop for your garden supplies, humus, manure, etc. Looking for a good price but good products.
I make my own compost out of yard and kitchen waste and buy sand, peat moss, and garden soil at Home Depot or local retailers.
The new Rutgers 250 tomato plants are available at Penwell Mills.
448 Penwell Rd. port Murray,N.J 07865
G.EdwardsHere, let me google that for you: ;-)
http://news.rutgers.edu/news/%E2%80%98rutgers-250%E2%80%99-tomato-seeds-go-sale/20160221#.VzZOneRzlX8
Old Gent 
GC, no need for snarkyniss, lol. I suppose I could have googled it myself, but thanks for the link.
Picked my first crop of leeks today, about a dozen. All of them were grown from bulbs that grew out of last year's crop (the ones I never got around to planting). I planted them last fall. Amazing how well they're growing.
MeisterNJ, I planted garlic in the fall and they're looking great. I should be able to cut the scapes by the end of the month, and pull the bulbs a few weeks later. This is what the garlic guru at the garden is telling me. I would like to try leeks in the fall.
I have garlic planted as well Bessie. I intermingle the two. There are also little leeks shooting out of some of the larger plants. I'll have to thin them out. Going to be a real bumper crop.
If anyone would like some tiger lilies or large hosta let me know. A friend carefully dug out a bunch of each today. I don't want to just toss them in the compost.
Greg Greg - Check the HL Plant Exchange thread. Bessie was looking for those. By "tiger lily" you mean day lilies, right?
GC-Yes day lilies. I never know the correct term! LOL.
Bessie, that would be great. I'm home most of the day tomorrow. Send me a pm at your convenience.
I've had good luck with seeds ordered from www.rareseeds.com which is the website for Baker Creek Heirloom seeds. They have an extensive variety of seeds from around the world with descriptions of their growing time (for fruits & veggies) as well as having hardy varieties. They also have live plants which get sent out in a time frame conducive to their growth after frost is over. A friend ordered a bunch with me and he had great results too!
Oddly enough I had great results with some blueberry bushes I got from BJ's I have three that I bought 2 years ago or so and planted in the fall. I had to put bird screening up last year but had a decent crop for having them in the ground less than a year. We'll see what happens this year, but they're off to a good start.
On the other hand, I bought live grape plants from BJs a good number of years ago. They were supposedly seedless varieties. Only one of the three produces grapes and they're fairly small and seedy. I planted two grapevines (again seedless varieties) from Walmart last year and planted them. They're budding out pretty well, though it takes a minimum of two years in the ground to start producing grapes. I just want to make sure they get started right so in a few years I'll have a nice crop.
Phil D. Would like to give Greg a big thank you for giving me some Tiger Lilly's and being so kind to even drop them off to me. That was mighty neighborly of you my friend. Definitely one of the bright spots of HL, getting to meet someone face to face after reading their words for such a long time. Hope to meet up again.
4catmom It's not just fantastic for the things available, go to the talks and events when they do their open house. I haven't really gone into the details yet on the Plant Exchange thread, but June 4 is a busy day for both the open house at Well Sweep, but also "Perennialfest" at Donaldson's. I recommend both, and hopefully a group of us can also go to those in conjunction with the exchange.
4catmom - Much to learn from the seminars at Well Sweep Herb Farm as well.
GC - Now that is a great idea: Coordinate a group visit to all of the best gardening providers in the area, in conjunction with your plant exchange. As previously said, You rock, pal.
Can anyone tell me why my radishes are almost all leaves and no fruit? Got a couple good ones initially and that was it.
Meister - You meant - "roots"? It was too hot, too fast, they went into "flowering". Radishes really don't like hot dry weather. BTW, I quit trying to grow radishes long time ago. I always missed time to plant seeds very early in spring and then suddenly we are already in summer weather. NJ...
Lena MeisterNJ - Burpee (seed company) video on growing radishes (pretty quickly):
https://youtu.be/O7t2wiL6mYw
So, getting very little in the way of flowers on my crispa spirea. Just a few around the base of the plants. Seem to be very healthy otherwise. Anyone have an idea why?
No flowers on my day lilies, think the frost got them earlier this year. One prolific apple tree has zero apples.
Peonies were excellent.
Asiatic Lillis went dwarf this year.
Garlic scapes anyone? What do you do with them? I cut mine yesterday and now have to prepare them. I only have a few. Never used them before. I know I could Google it for recipes but looking more for a recipe or idea that the cooks here have used.
Bessie - Chop them up into small rings just like you do chives or scallions. Very similar to garlic in taste, too strong to use in a salad unless you add chopped garlic into your salads anyway.
Just about any soup that calls for garlic you can use the scapes. Better for a soup that garlic cloves because they give up their flavor in liquid.
Mix some scapes with mayo and you get aioli. Mix some chopped scapes with cream cheese or sour cream for a spread/dip.
Take a bottle of vinegar, put a handful of uncut scapes in it and let sit for a week or so. Instant garlic flavor vinegar for salad dressings.
Fry some scapes in olive oil in a pan, let it get well done. Then take off the heat, and mix in some cooked pasta and toss for garlic & oil pasta.
Looking for recommendations for local nurseries that have the best selection and prices for shrubs, evergreens, ornamental plants, etc. I decided that in the fall I want to invest in some good foundation plants for our yard and get our garden in shape. It's really just a blank slate right now and I want more.
Fall is the best time to do this, right? Thanks!
Tracy Tracy - best bet is still to still make some of your famous baked goods. ;-)
Fall is the time to plant spring bulbs or other spring flowers. Otherwise spring is generally the best time to plant the things you're asking about.
Godlewsky's has some shrubs but not a huge selection, their inventory is less than previous years. But prices are decent. Donaldson's has good quality but has a price tag to match. They're very good at replacements and helping you succeed. Best place for perennials is Well Sweep, but not much in the way of shrubs.
Any detailed questions, feel free to PM me.
Tracy, if you can wait, you can find lots of plants on clearance once summer ends. Even the fancy ornamental shrubs and trees like Japanese maples. Fall isn't a bad time to plant. I've had good success with it. You can plant any time of the year, really, just a question of how much you want to babysit your planting in times of drought/heat, like now.
I have a lavender plant in a large container..it seems to be doing well but no scent at all. Does anyone know why this is?
2nd question, I have a 3 foot rose campion plant in a smaller container. Should I transfer it to a larger container?
There may be more questions to come in the near future..I'm a rookie with a lot to learn.
positive Peas on Earth. A good, not great year. Those winds took their toll. Also not quite getting the 5 and 6 foot plants. Prolific though. Am picking every day.
Need some help. These were given to me and said it was squash, looks more gourd like. I know gourds are a squash but is it edible?
Thanks!!
Cherie Crookneck squash, Like straight neck squash. I stir fry with a bit of garlic and equal amount of zucchini. Even hubby likes it!
Love stir fry squash. We've been enjoying it once a week.
Flower rot is back on my plum tomatoes. happened on the first few, but seems to have abated. I hope so.
Little olive oil. Some dried onion, basil, a little oregano. Maybe a touch of garlic. Done. Sometimes a few tomato dices after its sautéed
So I have several cucumbers growing ( for the first time), and did get one semi normal shaped one. The rest are almost round and very odd looking. Any ideas on why they look this way?
Might be the heat. My cukes are way off so far this year. Very slow. My zuck's have funny looking ends sometimes too.
Used Italian Pole beans this year. They are really long, like 8 inches, and pretty thin for the most part. Somewhat limp in the heat but very sweet. Love picking beans without leaning over in the sun.
Tomatoes starting to turn red, yippee, but looks like a small-ish harvest.
Maybe this helps Bessie -
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/cucumber/deformed-cucumbers.htm
Hot as well as dry are two definite factors.
Wondering if any of the gardeners out there sell any of their homegrown vegetables? I love fresh vegetables and would like to purchase some if you do..Thanks...
Joyful The guy on rockport rd by Snyder road has his stand out no tomato's yet but I bet they will be there soon.
Damn, flower rot continues on my plum tomatoes. I've put plenty of eggshells in the garden too because I thought it was a calcium deficiency thing. Hopefully it clears up.
No problems with cukes for me. I'm picking a few a day. I planted pickling cucumbers this year. Actually, I've had some that got huge real fast. So big that I won't bother pickling them. Going to make a cold cucumber soup tomorrow.
All of my plants are potted; tomatoes, parsley, oregano, basil and rose campion and are doing well except for my lavender plant. The flowers are turning brownish, but the stems look healthy. I know the roots don't like a lot of moisture, so I added sand to the soil. Don't know what else to do.
Heard from a quality source put Epsom salt in to help the plant absorb the calcium look it up online may help
Bonv Thanks Yep, I will try that. There also appears to be some sort of spray you can use.
@positive - perhaps they need to be trimmed? I have a lot of lavender and it just began turning brown. Will try trimming it back over the week.
Thank you Bonv, I will try it and I hope I do it right. Not much of a gardener, but trying.
Neither am I :-) I thought this was helpful: http://treesandshrubs.about.com/od/pruning/a/how-to-prune-lavender.htm
Yep...the guy on Rockport Rd by snyder has lots of tomatoes out. Twenty varieties,all organic, and lots of heirlooms. They definitely are the best!
I've got to get over there soon!
Bonv, I trimmed my lavender plants..crossing my fingers. Thank you for the advice.
Does the guy on Rockport Road have prices out or is someone there to take your money?
The guy on Rockport Rd ( tomato man) has prices out. Its self service. But he is usually there if you need help.
G.Edwards...stopped for tomatoes at The Tomato Man, can't wait to try them. He came out and talked to me for a bit and was delightful! Impressed with the price for heirlooms and the variety he had.
Tomato Man Update...I've now eaten 3 tomatoes, all delicious. I hope your tomatoes and produce last awhile, it will make for a very happy August & September for me. My garden was a bust this year so your're filling the need, lol.
Has anyone noticed the beautiful sunflowers on 57 its such a nice little patch so pretty! Looks like they have beautiful flowers up near the house! Picture perfect!! Just pass stephensburg Rd going out of Hackettstown . It's so nice to see beautiful flowers
Penny Bessie - that is my favorite salad during the summer. Had it last night with shrimp cocktail for dinner, light and just right. I have to check out Tomato Man.
justwondering If you're looking for a good tomato receipe, this is awesome:
Scalloped Tomatoes:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/scalloped-tomatoes-recipe.html
Bessie and justwondering - Tomato Man is the best, especially for heirlooms, which are great grilled...with shrimp cocktail, outstanding. Don't forget fresh horseradish and lemon.
MeisterNJ - Amazing how a Jewish lady from Long Island can come up with such tasty Italian style recipes. Love all of her ideas.
I'm getting squished by the squash... Tried an egg-shaped yellow this year, nuttier flavored than crookneck. Went with new bean trellis and long Italian pole peas. Ah, so nice not to lean to pick. Zucs and cukes are a bit slow this year as are my tomatoes. Need to beef up the soil, my bad. And cuke trellis too steep at 40-degrees --- cages or fence would have been better for some reason.
Peas were great but gave up the ghost in the first heat wave. Usually get some survival but not this time.
Some critter like a chipmunk or rabbit getting my peppers but nothing else. Think it lives in the garden since I can't find a fence hole.
Have potted tomatoes going for the fall sunroom --- might work, might not.... Trying to decide whether I want to do more peas, more beans or other fall stuff --- gotta think quick....
strangerdanger - Along with a ton of all kinds of herbs to be transplanted indoors in the fall, I just planted several varieties of lettuce seeds in four 6 square foot flats, hoping for germination in September and harvest starting in late November. I seem to do better with plants that are just green, no flowers, no fruit. Wish me luck.
It's almost time to start fall broccoli, radishes, and some more arugula. It's getting pretty chilly at night and by the time they germinate, conditions should be just right.
MeisterNJ - Arugula, endive, romaine, red leaf, Boston, iceberg, escarole, and spinach, all planted as seeds in my flats. Radishes...oh, yes! Want some hot horseradishes as well. Broccoli...never tried growing it but willing to give it a shot. Thanks.
Working on getting a prolific lemon tree for growth indoors year round. Will do whatever it takes to take care of it properly. Always need lemons. Any advice?
I brought my potted plants inside when it started getting cold, interestingly my parsley and rose campion are doing well. My basil plant took its last breath yesterday.
Happy that they latest this long, I guess I'm getting a little bit better at this..about time. Lol
hi Danny C. We had a meyer lemon tree for 3 years in a large pot. It was outside for the summer and in over the winter. It liked a lot of fertilizer and we harvested some good lemons. It was great the first 2 years but by year 3 it outgrew us.
There were a few reasons we gave it up this past spring. Leaves fall off quite a bit and it makes a mess in the house. It also had large thorns and became root bound in the pot. It needed more space but the pot was the max weight we could move around. We even had a little dolly just for moving it.
If you have a conservatory or greenhouse it might work better. Yield was about a dozen lemons a year, you get blossoms then green lemons, then they take a while to turn yellow.
This year I preserved some store bought lemons in lemon juice and salt, going to try some Moroccan dishes.
hktownie 
Thought you guys would get a kick out of this: look what I harvested today!
I had some misc. salad greens seeds left over from Spring, which I kind of just threw in one of my raised beds way late (Oct). Well, they grew and are quite cold-hardy! Nice and crisp despite being snowed on twice. It's kind of surprising to me to harvest *anything* from a garden in Dec in NJ! I know a few rabbits who are going to do a happy dance...
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