re: The 2021 Garden Thread

I think I'd like to jump in on this thread.

This is our second year gardening. About 7 years ago I planted a satsuma, fig, kumquat and pomegranate. The pomegranate blew down that April we had "showers" every week that were like mini hurricanes (2014?) I replanted a pomegranate last year. I made fig preserves last year, and the satsuma makes too many to eat. Kumquat is far in the back yard where all the shade is at and we call it the dead zone.

Last year we were almost too late starting. Did good with two cucumbers, 4 grape tomatoes, 5-6 varieties of peppers, and some okra. We planted muscadine and blackberries. They grew, but I haven't done anything with them. I know I need to cut the grapes down but I haven't done that. Not too sure how the blackberries are doing.

In the fall we planted a blueberry, right now it looks like its getting some little red tips at the end of the branches.

Late last summer I got some corn seeds and planted them just to see what would happen. I was pleased, even though one square was in too much shade and died off. We've moved the two squares farther in the sun. I'm getting the fertilizer that was suggested earlier in the thread and we are going to get that set up for a mid February planting.

Today we got seed potatoes. I had six grow bags that I was going to use last fall. I ordered seed potatoes last year but they never made eyes. These look much better. I'm not expecting too much with the potatoes. It just seems like its too hot down here for them. I was wondering if maybe in the heat of the summer the bags would do better inside with a grow light.

Last year I tried sunchoke in it's own container. They made beautiful sunflower-like flowers but the tuber growth was pitiful. Seeing how these things are supposed to be unstoppable I was a little surprised.

Last year we had a honeydew that vined beautifully, but never made a fruit.

Last year we planted two year asparagus crowns. They all sprouted. I didn't cut back the dead frons or mulch it, but it got a nice layer of leaves over the bed. I guess its a wait and see for this year.

I have herbs growing on the front porch, it gets almost no light which is great for the ferns up there. Fennel did great, chamomile looks like its coming back, parsley looks good too. The other 9 herbs, I don't know. The herbs are getting watered from the drip of the hanging ferns, which is on a timer to get watered twice a day.

Yesterday I started seed for beefsteak tomatoes and cucumber. I also started spinach, broccoli and radishes just for shits and giggles. I also had two brussel sprouts plants that I completely forgot I did last fall. They were growing and were about 4-5 inches tall with a really nice head on them. We moved them out of a pot into a bed with better sun just to see if maybe we can get some off of it before its too late.

DH had an old onion he found in the kitchen that was sprouting so we threw that in the ground and it has giving a nice supply of sprouts.

Let's see...is that it? I think that's it.
There's a stevia plant that would be great if we ever run out of the supply I got from my dad after he passed.

Oh yeah carrots. Last year I think I had worms eat them all. I put some seven dust in the dirt and put down three little rows in a plastic bucket. We'll see how that goes.

ETA, I'm in Baton Rouge, not Australia.

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Sounds like you dove in head first! You got a lot going on.

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Covid, a run on paper towels, and work from home (which we still are) had us go balls to the wall. It was a lot of fun.

You guys inspired us to start early and use the seeds I bought. Getting a grow light in the mail tomorrow. Can't wait for the summer front porch lunches of cucumber sandwiches and cucumber tomato salads.

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what do y’all find is the best tomatoes to grow in south La?

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I started some Dixie Red from seed. A bush type (determinate). (www.seedsnsuch.com)

This is my second year growing it.

I like it better than Celebrity, which was mentioned above. (I'm growing celebrity too.) Celebrity will produce a lot of small and medium size fruit with an occasional large one. Dixie Red produces a larger, more consistent fruit size.

This year I will have:
Dixie Red (Determinate)
Celebrity (Determinate/Indeterminate)
Black Krim (Indeterminate)
Cherokee Purple (Indeterminate)

I prefer determinate tomatoes, because suckering sucks.

Finally got a second grow light (led). I had been using one of those crappy lights like this one.

The led one is much brighter than my fluorescent light. I picked it up at Lowe’s.

Also, so far I’m a really big fan of that Seed to Spoon app. It’s real convenient to keep track of events when starting seeds. Also info on pests and different articles.

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Wait...tell me more

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Found this 2007 article from the LSU AgCenter.

I don’t agree with their taste test results. But I guess that’s subjective. I never tried a few of those, but I definitely wouldn’t put celebrities as number 1.

Street Pizza, this might be what you are looking for.

LINK

I can't find it on their website. I'll post of picture of the box when I get to the house.

IMO Celebrity tomatoes are a very solid meh when it comes to taste. They have been really reliable for me over the last couple years of growing them but very boring and I definitely don't reach for them to put on sandwiches. I think I mentioned this in an earlier post but I mainly use them for salsa.