SkunkedAgain 2022 & 2023 Garden & GH

[SkunkedAgain]

Attempt number 3, man I hate trying to make a post on the forum since the change. This was a fair post but since odds are it will vanish as well just adding pics and I’ll try to edit after. 



This is my cattle panel GH, that I built last fall / early winter as the snow was starting to fall... It kept the soil bare all winter, so in February / March I started planting stuff that I thought would stand the still freezing night time temps... It was really slow to germinate, but now first of June, it's starting to look better... Things are changing so much everyday that these pics are old news in a couple days. 







This is my early ground to dry, so I planted it in March and tried the 30" market garden planting plots... I think the 5 rows in 30" is a little too tight for some crops like the turnips that are crowding out the rest of the stuff..







This is the pepper/tomato area we just finished yester day, added some cucumbers after the photo..



Weedy poor germinating potatos with cattle panel GH in the rear.



This is the area for the market garden, where I've planted lots and had poor germination, except for weeds... Just getting started on the Pumpkin/Squash area on the north end... Hope the later planted stuff with do better than the early has..



Last photo is old, but shows the ground stakes for the high tunnel that will hopefully have the trusses in place before too much longer... Got all but 3 completed now, but haven't had time to work it lately with all the other crop planting going on...

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I guess the background that got lost to this post is my daughter is really into gardening, and so her and my wife decided to start selling produce at the Logan, farmers market.  Well we have always grown a garden and farmed, but this is a whole new scale of things for us.  I'm sure we'll learn lots of good lessons this year... Hope we can figure out how to grow what is wanted by the market and do it without as many failures as I've had so far this spring...  From what I've seen in the cattle panel GH, I think the high tunnel will really help our results for next year...  BTW, the cattle panel greenhouse was a result of my redneck tendencies and using what was just laying around the farm... That and the wind storms really tore things apart this spring, so it will need a south wall reconstruction before winter... but it still really helped advance the onions and carrots this year.  Later J

[wiperhunter2]

Very impressive Jeff, cattle panel GH is doing really well. So the pipes you have in place on that last pic is where you slip the trusses into?

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Curt, and yes those pipe are where the trusses will slip in and bolt together. The CP GH started really slow, but it’s starting to look much better. The red onions were from sets so it’s kind of cheating a little but they really are looking good. Almost to my waist if I hold them straight. Ya know I think the high humidity is really helping things do better, the cabbage are really tender leaves, same with those humongous radish leaves. Too bad there’s nothing on the radish root yet. Some of the carrots are pencil sized and changing fast. It really is encouraging me for next year and the high tunnel. However I seen the temp hit 100 today in the GH so not sure if things will keep doing well when it gets this warm. I may have to get some shade cloth or open the south side so the breeze will keep it cooler. What do you do to keep temps safe this time of year? Later Jeff

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Planted 85 hills of pumpkins, 230’ of sunflowers and 24 hills of cantaloupe today, then got water going on it.

[wiperhunter2]

When we were up in Idaho the temp in the GH was 120 degrees by the time we got outside to open it up, it was very hot and humid inside. They close their GH during the night and open it back up in the day for two reasons, one because of the heat but also to let bees get inside and pollinate the Veg. Non flowering Veg of course are not the issue but any that flower need the bees to have a successful crop. They only close their GH at night when the overnight temp are under 60 degrees once the temps are above 60 they leave their door open all Summer. If you are getting a late start to planting you GH, like you are this year, I would not open the GH at all until the plants have sprouted, unless you are planting plants. The first year will be a leaning experiense for sure.
Once all your plants start producing your daughter will be very busy try to keep up with that many plants. Why so many Sunflowers? Do a lot of people buy those at the Farmers Market?

[SkunkedAgain]

We’re hoping they like sunflowers. Mostly for cut flower decorating. Thanks for other info. I raised the sides of the GH in the previous hot days and it dropped the temp from 103 to 95. So I think that will be good. Then we got frost on the morning of the 15th but I don’t think it damaged things very much. So I’m glad for that. Stuff is really growing and I don’t know how to get ahead of all the weeds, but I guess I’ll do my best. Later J

[wiperhunter2]

We’re hoping they like sunflowers. Mostly for cut flower decorating.  Thanks for other info. I raised the sides of the GH in the previous hot days and it dropped the temp from 103 to 95. So I think that will be good. Then we got frost on the morning of the 15th but I don’t think it damaged things very much. So I’m glad for that. Stuff is really growing and I don’t know how to get ahead of all the weeds, but I guess I’ll do my best. Later J

What kind of irrigation system are you using on the garden? Years ago I went from broad base sprinkler system to drip irrigation system for my gargen and it cut the weed down about 70 to 80 percent. Now I only have to weed in the Spring when the weeds and plants are small, once the plants are bigger than the weeds, I have to weed very little to the point of not weeding at all once the plants are so big they over shadow the weeds. I'll take some pics of what I'm seeing now and how little the weeds grow, to show you how well it works.

[wiperhunter2]

The first two pics are areas that have been weeded early in the season, few weeds grow back and once the plants get a little bigger I won't need to even weed for the rest of the season.




On the right hand side of the drip irrigation line below, you can see the area where I haven't weeded all year. It's not bad and can be easily weeded when I plant another row of carrots. Much less weeds than I had before I went to the drip irrigation system.

[SkunkedAgain]

I have a combination of watering methods going but the big area is sprinklers so it's grows plenty of weeds... Where I'm watering with my drip system I have also mulched the area between the rows so yes that area requires much less attention... We have drip tape for the new green house, so hopefully that will make the weeding less of an issue in there... Wish I had enough drip tape to cover the big area, but not at this time... Later J

[wiperhunter2]

I have a combination of watering methods going but the big area is sprinklers so it's grows plenty of weeds... Where I'm watering with my drip system I have also mulched the area between the rows so yes that area requires much less attention... We have drip tape for the new green house, so hopefully that will make the weeding less of an issue in there... Wish I had enough drip tape to cover the big area, but not at this time... Later J

Drip irrigation isn't cheap that's for sure, when I installed my first system years ago, it was about 70 ft long, I spent over $200. I had it divided up into two section, with a filter/regular on each section and I did it over a few years, to spread out the cost, I'm sure it would cost more now. We use to use grass clipping between the rows, before installing our drip system, that really help keep the weeds down, what kind of mulch do you use between rows?

[SkunkedAgain]

Curt asked if I would do an update on this years garden and greenhouse progress... I'll start with the progress on the greenhouse, first off the winter storms and wind was terrible on my GH frame work that was up, I had finished the end walls before winter set in and it got too cold to work, but winter ended up totally destroying my roll up door on the west side and while it was doing the damage there a side brace broke off and that let the winds bend and break the frame for the end wall rafter.  So I started off this spring redoing a lot of work that was done last fall, it took a lot of dollars for new panels and a lucky trip to the scrap yard where I found a perfect diameter pipe that I was able to use as a cast and  rebuild the end rafter.  After that I got the mounting brackets for the wiggle wire in place and then spring farm work hit, so not much has changed since early May, but hopefully soon I'll be able to get back on the greenhouse...

Here is some pixs of this springs plantings for the market garden:




The first corn for this year will be about the time the main corn hit last year August 20ish Sugar bun so it will be small ears
Up top picture shows the main garden with 3 more sets of corn following about a week behind each other planting to keep a fresh shot for each week at market.



Garlic is looking pretty good since it was fall planted, the late spring didn't effect it too badly..



Tomatoes were really slow starting to kick in outside, but they seem to be going now...



First crop of red beets, bunching onions and chinese cabbage should be ready for our return to market around the end of July when the cherry crop is ready..



Lots of different types of peppers this year, they are finally starting to grow as well...  Hopefully things will do well, it's been a lot of work... J

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I made a purchase this spring that has been a lifesaver and will hopefully become even more so as the summer progresses... Many of you know my daughter was the main reason we did this market garden, well, she was pregnant with twins this year, so I figured that meant I'd have to carry a bigger load with the garden this year, so I spent too much money and got the TerraTeck dual wheel hoe... Well I think it's going to pay for itself this summer by the labor savings it will create from helpers that I don't have to hire to pull weeds... Man it has really helped out alot... BTW my daughter did have her twins last week, and since they were pretty small they will be in the NICU for a couple weeks before they get to come home, but I'm pretty sure my wife and daughter will be doing other things this summer instead of pulling weeds... Anyway this is why my fishing reports have been a little sparce this summer... Later Jeff

[wiperhunter2]

Great pics Jeff, thanks for sharing it with us. I wish others would show us their gardens, and we all could learn from each other.
Hey Jeff, do you add any organic fertilizer to your garden every year, like manure?
Bummer about your GH taking so much damage this Winter, how does that effect that support you were going to get from the state on building the GH?
Your garden is looking good considering the late start and cooler temps this year.
I had never heard of a terrateck dual wheel hoe but I looked it up and it sure does look like a time saver, is this a manual man powered unit?
Congrats on being a Grand Dad, are these your first G kids? That's too bad they will need to be in the nicu for a couple of week but hopefully it will help them grow stronger before they come home
Sounds like you have your hands full with all that is going on there, little wonder you can't get out for any fishing.

[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Curt, yes these two are my first grandkids so I’m a little slow but catching up fast at two at a time. Both girls so I’m getting more out numbered.

I’m using some horse manure on G3 this year but I didn’t get it on the early stuff so we’ll see if it makes a difference. On GH I got an extension till the end of August so hopefully I’ll be done by then. Wheel hoe is manual but it’s easier than starting the tiller and way more maneuverable. Well got to run catch up later J

[wiperhunter2]

Thanks Curt, yes these two are my first grandkids so I’m a little slow but catching up fast at two at a time. Both girls so I’m getting more out numbered.

I’m using some horse manure on G3 this year but I didn’t get it on the early stuff so we’ll see if it makes a difference.  On GH I got an extension till the end of August so hopefully I’ll be done by then. Wheel hoe is manual but it’s easier than starting the tiller and way more maneuverable. Well got to run catch up later J

G3, what is that a referring to?  Good to hear you got that extension on the GH.