Planted lettuce and a few onion last weekend the rest has been plowed and cleaned out my hen house and litter tilled in

Lots of Amish produce ,producers here and I have about all their tilling done ,plastic laid, and they have a lot of cold crops planted, greenhouses all full of tomatoes!!!

Week before last! Trying to post pic But photobucket being uncooperative.

Collards, radishes, squash, beans all up. Tomatoes trying to bloom. Peppers doing good!!! Went ahead a planted a big row of turnips too because I like em!

Woody! Say it ain't so!!
Tomatoes so soon! And here's me, fishin' through over two feet of ice.

Fun both ways, and the ways of geography.

Sorry forgot to mention cucumbers up too! Took this pic a few hours ago.

Wabigoon, got right at 2" of rain yesterday! Thought you'd like seeing all the green and leaves on the trees too!

There's still snow on the ground here and it's 18*F!

Yesterday it was nearly 80 in TX!

It cooled off! We had a front come thru last night. 46 this morning. Got up to 52.

I have peas and potatoes planted, with the peas up. It's supposed to be cold here this week, so I'm hoping it doesn't hurt them. I have a 30X96 high tunnel, with strawberries on one side. They are blooming, and some have green berries. In the middle I have a row of cabbage and broccoli, beets, carrots, radishes, and a few collards. The other side has 3 rows of green beans, which were planted last week. I sure hope they don't try to come up this week, as it's going to be too cold. The high tunnel will work pretty good as long as the temps don't get down past the mid 20's...and the forecast is calling for temps below that. I will have to cover the berries up. I also left out a portion in which I'll plant some tomatoes and peppers when it gets a little warmer. If I wanted to go to the trouble, I could heat it, and get a lot more use out of the high tunnel. But, I'm not that energetic. I do sell produce at a local auction, and picking it keeps me busier than I want at times.

Been plowing it weekly for the last month.

Hoping the cols snaps, the Bluebirds, and the Robin migration take a little extra "bug" from the area.

It's bad when it is too warm too early.
The weather most always swings back, and nips the buds.

for sure was over 80 the last couple days in Feb. mid 70's before that peaches all bloomed out ,now in the upper teens they estimate 90% of peach crop lost s w mo. always something!!

Damn!

Thought about working up the garden back in Feb. but my fall greens were blooming and the bee working them on warm days, so I did not. Started raining every few days and now it is too wet. Not going to plat a big one, but will try tomato's and peppers again. The last two years have not been good for my garden. Septoria the last two years on my tomato's, after a long wet spell. Have been unsuccessful on cayenne peppers both finding plants, and raising from seed. What are supposed to be cayenne always turn out to be something else, and then die about the time they start putting peppers on good. One day looking good and the next starting to wilt, and in a few days gone. Bell peppers too. miles

I had problems with peppers last year Miles. But 30" of rain in less than a month might have had something to do with it!

I realize that everybody does it differently, but I always plow my garden in the fall. Then as it gets dry in the spring, and I can plant, I work the ground then. I sometimes use a bottom plow, but most of the time I chisel plow for fall plowing. That helps it dry out better in the spring. When I plant early things like peas, potatoes, cabbage and the such, the ground is usually still a little on the wet side. So, with the ground already plowed in the fall, I can lightly work up a seedbed with a tiller, and plant. As it gets later in the year, I will work it deeper with heavier equipment.

My ground is not good for an early garden. Not sandy enough, but holds moisture well later in the year. The March winds will come along and dry it out in a few days and it will work up real good. Early on it is kinda gummy even when dry enough to work. I do work it up in the fall and plant a cover crop of mixed greens. I eat some, and the deer eat some but since I have bees, for the first time, I let them flower. miles

That's a nice garden Bob. You can raise a lot of veggies in one that size.

I have a hard time getting a tractor or even a roto-tiller in my three 8'X2' raised beds so I have to turn it by hand. Takes about 30 minutes.

I have big plans for this year....3 Tomato and a half dozen Pepper plants.

We can't even think about planting for another 4-6 weeks though.

Nope not even close, snowing today.

Plowed but now rain has set in.

Hoping to get patatoes planted. Maybe next week.

-5F last night and 6" of fresh snow on the ground so that would be a no for this area......grin

It's too wet to plow here.

No, but I was just shoveling, snow.

Got mine tilled and ready, but if it we don't get some kind of moisture, and the wind dosnen't stop it's all going to blow away.Man snow drizzle, anything PLEASE!!!

Thanks Charlie. You are correct. I generally give away more veggies to the neighbors than we can eat. And I just don't have time to put em up and all. Noticed this morning all the turnips were busting out. Btw, 40 here this morning in the creek bottom! A bit nippy!

Chit.....40's the high around here and we're dam glad to see it.

It did get up to 58 the other day though and the dog water ain't freezing at night any more so springs on the way.

Plowed the fall mustards under last month. Put three rows of onions down last week. Will over seed the onion beds with lettuce after this cold snap. Got fifty foot bed ready for strawberries which arrive Thursday. Got a 20 foot trench ready for asparagus coming in the same shipment with the berries. Got the Eggplant and peppers seeds started in the pump room under grow lights. Will get the tomato seeds started next week and the cucumbers, squash and watermelons the week after that.
I will not plant the above plant till after April 15, been burned too many times in the past with a late frost to plant any earlier. I am worried now that I am going to lose my peaches and plums tonight. We have been hovering right ove freezing the last 3 nights and tonight it could get below freezing. False spring back in February got the trees blooming too early. Apples have just started to swell so they should make it unless we get a freeze when they bloom.
Good luck to everyone this year hope your gardens are bountiful and pest free.

Haven't plowed the garden but plowed a foot of the white stuff today

will wait until the snow melts

We had back to back nights of temps as low as 15. I'm sure it got my peaches, but I care more about the apples anyway, so it is what it is, as far as that's concerned. It got cold enough in the high tunnel to bite the broccoli plants, but they should be okay. I covered the strawberries with row covers, and they came through okay. Keeping my fingers crossed, but am hoping this is the last real cold snap.

Still snow on the ground here. Should be gone by next week. When it dries out, Ill till it.

our snows about gone if we dont get anymore, but ground still frozen!

Everything is up



Last evening after watering.

Those greens look good! Woody, Interesting the difference latitude makes.
Last Friday we fished through near 3 feet of lake ice, back in Iowa, bare ground, and green grass. No garden up however.

I can almost taste those crunchy veggies, I hope you beat "Peter Rabbit" to them.

My herd of cats as well as my dogs keep the rabbits at bay. Actually I'm hoping the deer are kept run off too! Them are the critters I'm more concerned about. Lots of them here now!!! 40 years ago they were rare in these parts. Now they are all over!!! And they occasionally "patrol" just outside the fence!

This mornings storm played hell with garden. But it will pop back ok! I've got Cherokee purple tomatoes from the size of ping pong balls down to peas on the vines!!! Cherry tomatoes are loaded with little buckshot too!

We got about 2" rain in an hour. Wind is always what bothers me. But we did ok!

Good to hear it. We are getting rain just often enough that I can't work in my garden. Neighbor has sandy ground and has his sweet corn planted. I will put out tomato plants as soon as the ground will let me. miles

I picked a few radishes today. Just enough to have with breakfast tomorrow.

Tomatoes about the size of golf balls right now.

Sposed to get 6-8 inchs of snow here tonight! but they say Springs comeing!

We brought the tillers home from the shop.

Got the garden tilled up! hope to plant Taters soon!

Planted broccoli today. Everything tilled and ready. Have lettuce and Swiss chard coming up from last year. I'll let those grow for a while.

Just started today

I "plowed" mine today....grin

Big crop going in this year...three tomato and four pepper plants.

Planted 100lbs of taters 3 weeks ago got 50 mater plants planted 2 rows of pole beans and row of roma beans sprouting been eating lettuce and green onions for a week

We just started the garden.

Took a day off from cows and got in about 160 acres of hay barley today.





Borders dikes are a pain in the ass, that and the seeded ground is hard to distinguish from stuff that I had pre-worked last week. Don't want any skips!
(auto track/steer would be cheating....)



Moving up to the hills tomorrow and big fields. All pre-sprayed, easy beans.

You must have a big appetite Sam!

Richard, how easy would it be to have a big ranch and let the cows graze all winter!

Well Sam, using easy, and cows in the same sentence?

Should know better....grin

Another thing Sam, when hey talk about "Punchin' cattle, we know it's the cattle that do the punchin"!!

looks like a Ford hood

Richard, weeds can be harder to control than cattle!



Blanket, old Versatile 875, inline 6 cylinder Cummins that's been turned up to 350-400hp(?).



I love those things.


It will run hot if you're pulling a load up a hill with the breeze at your tail.



All kinds of power for most situations, big wide tires...

Sam, I know little about barley, beardless? What is six row? what rate do you s per acre? Big round bales?

Richard, planting wise we put down 2 bushel to the acre of seed and 100-110lbs of fertilizer(34-18?).


The better ground should grow 2 tons an acre or better, sandier stuff lucky to make a ton.
(flood irrigated once)


Rain helps....grin



Tricky stuff to get put right. Takes awhile to dry out and unlike alfalfa it has a relatively short 'harvest' window.

It'll turn to grain and the stem/leaves loose a lot of feed value. Bale it and it shells out....


But if you catch the right haying weather it makes great feed. We try to make 1300-1600lbs bales at 20% moisture or less.

Sam, we use oats for a cover crop for alfalfa, The oats are difficult to catch dry enough to bale, as you said about barely.
Do the cows turn their nose up at the barley hay, till they get used ti it?

If it's swathed at the right time cows love it.

Easy to chew and full of good flavor/nutrition.


They'll leave a nice alfalfa bale for good hay barley.



Get their bellies used to it before you feed a full serving.

And watch for nitrates. We have ours tested and rarely have a problem. Too much fertilizer on dryland is where the problems start.

Good times!

Any time driving a tractor doing something worthwhile is time well spent!

Oh yeah, I actually like seeding. Pulling a toolbar on the other hand is boring, mindless work.


Got up early and moved to some fields north of town.


Fed cows and worked on the drill for 5 hours this afternoon. Replaced all the sweeps, a bad hydraulic line and did some other maintenance.

Knock on 12" ultrawings, it was 95F and my puzzy(aka back) is sore as chit.

Wilbur Ellis was spreading urea and the semi driver must have felt sorry for me because he came over and helped pack chit around which I thought was pretty nice.

Whining over.......grin

Pussy.
Drink some beer and tune up for the morrow.......

Oh,
Btw,
It was 97 here Thursday......
Big thunder boomers yesterday.
54 today.
and mud.

Dude, it was warm but not muggy July/August warm. Cows were looking for shade though....


I think your cool air and t-storms are due to hit tomorrow.

We could use a little rain anyway.



Beer in hand!

Sam, how much N, do you use on the barley?

Richard, I am not exactly sure.


The 38-14 blend that we ran through the drill with the seed is 38 lbs of nitro and 14 lbs of phosphorus per 100 pounds of product?


We need a fertilizer guy on here because I don't know much that or sprays(rates...).

But we put down about 110 lbs/acre(of 38-14).

I double seeded/fertilized some of the better ground.

We'll see what happens.




You guys in a swamp over there?

Sam, not a swamp, if you are asking me. . We just got back out yesterday, after a rainy spell.

Fertilizer is not rocket science, N, P, K, N first number, P, potassium 2'd number, K, potash 3'd number., 10-10-10, would be 10 pounds of each, but you knew that.. What we need to know , is how to get hindsight in our foresight.

Nobodys getting much done around here. Probably got 7-8" inches in the last week and a half. Supposed to be wet this week as well.

Richard, wasn't sure if you got in on that big rainstorm.


Damn Ben, that is a lot of moisture!


Fertilizer is a thing unto itself.



Wilbur also spread our little patch of corn(silage) ground today.



How much do you put down on that?




Not the corn patch.

Wheat ground this afternoon.




Big ass rotary setup. We simply do not have the time or equipment to do it ourselves.
(those weeds are dying btw)

Wanting to plant taters but calling for a low of 23 tonight! have the ground tilled and ready to go!

I planted string beans last weekend, been raining and cool, and going into the 30s for two nights. Glad I didn't put out tomatoes yet.

Picking squash, tomatoes, and cucumbers.