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Gardening 2023: Beets Offseason

Mrs Whiggins

By Mrs Whiggins
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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13050

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Seed catalogs have been arriving and display the lovely 4 color processing that tempts the fingers to reach for the wallet with optimism and dreams of blooms and bountiful harvests.

Last couple of years have been a challenge. Crazy heat, crazy cold, and this week I was surveying the effects of the extreme freeze on some of the cool season crops and also the fall planted flower seedlings (poppies, larkspur, snapdragons, etc). Yuck, not great. Lost pretty much all the snapdragons even though I had covered them. Grew 3 flats from seed into nice sized plants and too late to grow more I'm fairly certain. Beets, carrots, and lettuces all look sad due to the length of the cold but may rebound. Ornamental cabbages in the front are woebegone but may rebound with some sun and seasonable weather.

Oh well, on to the spring. Will start tomatoes inside here shortly as well as peas, etc for veg and haven't decided on which flowers. I've got a half dozen or so sweet peas (love the scent) that I'm babying along outdoors when the weather is nice and will transplant past the last freeze date. I always plant sunflowers, zinnias, etc but have plenty of good seed from last year. Looking at putting in tomatoes (Celebrity), cucumber, peppers, herbs, and I'm giving up on any squash save zuccinni I think. Just ran out of room and tired of fighting the bugs. Potatoes in soon, and the lettuces that I grow all the time save the hottest months for sure. I had some celery growing that I transplanted from seed in the fall, and it looked amazing (too small to harvest though) and the cold just wiped it out. Too much liquid in the stems of certain plants spells disaster when it freezes. But it was fun to grow anyway.

Anyone else have plans?

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Celery Man

Celery Man 21097

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towards the end of the year my boss (who is... a good guy but a little loopy) sent out an invite for "MANDATORY TEAM MEETING". First couple of slides were about the art of bonsai, something about how they are meticulously pruned to yada yada yada you get it, at this point I have linkedin jobs open in a separate tab and am looking for my next position. And then it turned out that the meeting was literally about bonsai trees, which were the team gift.

 

That was early December....

F3BC2F1B-C312-4796-A666-D556EA9AF579.thumb.jpeg.67c9afb9b450d41180b2fae6f5d22239.jpeg

 

This is now....

81E86377-DC0A-46ED-90BA-4CA0B0513C28.thumb.jpeg.d80c92c876a4f36b8337da1df4cbfa0c.jpeg

 

this may not really be the thread but I'm going to be keeping this thing alive and figuring out how I'm supposed to prune it

Edited by Celery Man
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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13050

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11 minutes ago, Celery Man said:

…. Seems clear the plant likes it

It does! It really perked up in the Before/After.

With respect to topic, I tend to think of the Gardening one as fairly broad in nature. Veggies may dominate most of the discussion, but to me it ought to include flowers and other similar things because the Lawn & Landcape thread seems more suited for diagnosis and discussion of lawn issues as well as overarching design considerations i.e. what plant would be good for this area of someone's landscape etc. I don't wish to clutter that thread when I have a photo heavy blooms post that might bury a lawn pest question. The Gardening thread never gets so large during the year that it is ever cumbersome, IMO. Post away with bonsai!

Bonsai is a neat hobby and when my children were little they so would have put tiny gnomes or tiny army people under that plant, haha.

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miguelito

miguelito 11505

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I think most of my onions survived the freeze last week.  Besides that, I just spread some crimson clover seeds as a cover crop in one of my beds.  Tommy James would approve.

Last summer sucked.  The plants gave up, and so did I, so I'm kind of starting my beds over this year.  Hence the cover crop.  It's supposed to add nitrogen to the soil.  I've also got a decent compost pile I'll be adding to the beds. 

I need to figure out my rain barrel system to get that water closer to the garden.

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NorthLoop

NorthLoop 14466

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20 hours ago, miguelito said:

I think most of my onions survived the freeze last week.  Besides that, I just spread some crimson clover seeds as a cover crop in one of my beds.  Tommy James would approve.

Last summer sucked.  The plants gave up, and so did I, so I'm kind of starting my beds over this year.  Hence the cover crop.  It's supposed to add nitrogen to the soil.  I've also got a decent compost pile I'll be adding to the beds. 

I need to figure out my rain barrel system to get that water closer to the garden.

You got any tips on onions? Mine always die shortly after sprouting. 

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miguelito

miguelito 11505

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Are you starting onions from seed, or from the sets (like green onion starters)?  I've never tried from seed.  The sets are pretty forgiving.  You need to loosen the soil pretty good so that the onions have room to grow.  But you just stick them in the dirt 1/2" or so and that's it.  I think you're supposed to fertilize them, but I'm bad about that.

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texasdago

texasdago 7770

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Bought four varieties of tomaters this past weekend at the Natural Gardner.  One was Juliet which did quite well for me last year.  I think I also got Super 100 (going from memory), black cherry and another one.  Going to go pick up some peppers.  Also need to replace some rosemary plants that were not happy at 13 degrees.  Good news is my chile tepin push is showing growth at the base so it lived!!!   

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texasdago

texasdago 7770

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1 minute ago, NorthLoop said:

Curious if we'll get another freeze in centex this winter. I would love to get my shit planted sooner this year. Last year I didn't plant until the first weekend of April. 

That's a good question.  I bought 4" transplants and potted them in bigger containers so they can grow but I can move them if there is a threat of cold.  We're usually 4-5 degrees colder than DT Austin.

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Mrs Whiggins

Mrs Whiggins 13050

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The early heat and then the early quite cold freeze just about broke me this past year. I have several commitments this May into early June that I cannot miss and that is prime season for growing so I'm adopting a bit of a devil may care attitude with the garden this year. I've got some tomatoes ready to go in and will continue with the lettuces and spinach as long as the cooler weather goes along, but I'm forgoing some of the regular veg and more high maintenance flowers in favor of keeping the lawn respectable while I'm working.

The bulbs have had a very nice time of it lately. The snowdrops(?) have been blooming for 2 weeks and the daffodils etc have been coming up and getting ready. I had some hyacinths in pots that have bloomed already and the scent was divine. Too bad they are more like annuals here, but I like to buy a small  bag of them in the fall for the reward that eventually arrives just as everything else looks droopy and gray. The white allyssum I grew from seed complimented the showy bulbs very well.

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miguelito

miguelito 11505

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I've got about a dozen tomatoes potting up right now.  I'll probably give some away, 'cause I don't have room for that many, and I'll need room for jalapenos, too.  Or I could build another raised bed, lol.

I'm seeing a cold front coming on Friday, with lows in the 30's Saturday morning.  I guess I'll keep the plants in the pots for now, giving them more time to grow roots, and another week to check the weather. 

My onions are looking good.  I have potatoes and garlic in, but not doing much yet.

Blackberries are starting to put on lots of new leaves. 

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Post Oak

Post Oak 20564

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We've decided we aren't going to plant anything this year.  Last year was horrible and I'm gonna take a break. I've got six raised beds that I'm going to work on improving the soil in and on top of that I'm just going to throw out native wildflower seeds. 

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SimonBolivar

SimonBolivar 11064

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35 minutes ago, Post Oak said:

We've decided we aren't going to plant anything this year.  Last year was horrible and I'm gonna take a break. I've got six raised beds that I'm going to work on improving the soil in and on top of that I'm just going to throw out native wildflower seeds. 

That's what's great about fruit. Even when you don't try in a year they produce. 

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miguelito

miguelito 11505

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If I'm just digging a hole for 1 plant, I'll put a handful of compost in the hole, and maybe spread some on the surface around the base of the new plant.

I do have 1 bed I need to rake and till this weekend or next.  I'll probably scatter a bucket of compost and mix it in pretty good. 

Watch out for grub worms.  I think they are OK in the compost pile, but you don't want them in the garden.  Earthworms are fine in both places.

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ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9046

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On 3/3/2023 at 2:44 PM, SimonBolivar said:

That's what's great about fruit. Even when you don't try in a year they produce. 

I’m a firm believer in fruit bushes and trees, for the exact reason you stated. Between our main residence and our getaway place, I’ve got 21 trees (mostly apple, but also peach, plum, and cherry) and 21 bushes (honeyberry, gooseberry, raspberry, Saskatoon, and currant). Plus a strawberry patch.

I’ll plant about 4 more trees this year (pear and mulberry), as well as at least a dozen more bushes (huckleberry, lingonberry, and blackberry).

My wife thinks I’ve lost my mind, but I’m incorporating a lot of the bushes into our landscaping. Besides, we’re gone for stretches from either property, so maintaining a bunch of annual vegetables and herbs is kinda difficult. 

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wild_turkey

wild_turkey 3296

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Planted some stuff in our raised beds this past weekend:

5592d087795363c9a159f0addb82e7aa.jpg

The far bed has tomatoes - cherry, Roma, and San Marzano. The cherry tomatoes last year were insane so I’m hoping for a similar year. I don’t think we’ve ever had much luck with San Marzanos but I wanted to try again anyways.

The closer bed has a mix of other things - peppers, strawberries, and cabbage. Would like to get some Thai chilies but the garden centers I normally use haven’t had any.

I have automatic irrigation lines buried about 3” down. Last year they were on the surface and sprayed everywhere, which worked but seemed inefficient. We’ll see how burying them does.

We have a compost bin going for a little over a year now. I mixed some of it into the soil but it didn’t look entirely mature due to me not turning it enough. Not sure if that even matters.

I’m a novice at this stuff but it’s still nice to do and we learn as we go.

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Hornbeliever

Hornbeliever 740

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On 3/20/2023 at 1:54 AM, ImissWallyPryor said:

Besides, we’re gone for stretches from either property, so maintaining a bunch of annual vegetables and herbs is kinda difficult. 

Interesting.  We have a place too but been hesitant to plant a fruit tree the last few years because a plant store told me they would need lots of water first two years.

Do you have irrigation system of some sort?  Or do you let Mother nature mother nature and see what survives?

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ImissWallyPryor

ImissWallyPryor 9046

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On 3/21/2023 at 2:18 PM, Hornbeliever said:

Interesting.  We have a place too but been hesitant to plant a fruit tree the last few years because a plant store told me they would need lots of water first two years.

Do you have irrigation system of some sort?  Or do you let Mother nature mother nature and see what survives?

They’re right. I’ve lost several over the years (I’ve planted almost 100 trees, and well over 100 bushes). I maintain 4” minimum of mulch water them right before I leave for a few days.

The trees in my yard can survive another week off the sprinklers. I use a hose timer valve if I’m gone longer. My RainBird timer went haywire and stopped working. That cost me two apple trees. I bought a Nelson timer that hasn’t failed yet.

As for the small orchard I planted at the cabin, it’s too far for a hose. My daughter (no pics) will go out there and dump a few gallons on each tree every few days when I’m gone.

Most of the trees are almost 3 years old. I’m almost out of the woods.

I’ve had problems with lilacs planted at the back of our yard at home. I installed a drip line, but a few died. I cut 6” off the top of the plastic pots and buried them about 1.5” deep around the new plants to direct the water directly down into the root zone. The drip lines do the rest. So far so good.

As mentioned, my wife thinks I’m abnormally obsessed with these plants. I remind her that they will live a lot longer than I will. My grandpa planted 8 apple trees in the 60s, and they are still producing today without any tending by him (he died in ‘79).

Edited by ImissWallyPryor
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Celery Man

Celery Man 21097

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On 1/2/2023 at 9:51 AM, Celery Man said:

towards the end of the year my boss (who is... a good guy but a little loopy) sent out an invite for "MANDATORY TEAM MEETING". First couple of slides were about the art of bonsai, something about how they are meticulously pruned to yada yada yada you get it, at this point I have linkedin jobs open in a separate tab and am looking for my next position. And then it turned out that the meeting was literally about bonsai trees, which were the team gift.

 

That was early December....

F3BC2F1B-C312-4796-A666-D556EA9AF579.thumb.jpeg.67c9afb9b450d41180b2fae6f5d22239.jpeg

 

This is now....

81E86377-DC0A-46ED-90BA-4CA0B0513C28.thumb.jpeg.d80c92c876a4f36b8337da1df4cbfa0c.jpeg

 

this may not really be the thread but I'm going to be keeping this thing alive and figuring out how I'm supposed to prune it

I have postponed learning anything at all about pruning little trees for about as long as I can.

02BC6EB9-36E7-4F01-B6E2-D762669AEE8A.thumb.jpeg.66d0b13d9956bc632de8414b08cff93a.jpeg

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miguelito

miguelito 11505

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Looking to make some homemade Sprite, huh?

 

I've got a key lime in a barrel. I've lost a few to freezes, so def. keep an eye on the weather. I think we're done with that for now though.  I was lazy and just covered the plants, but they still died. Now I put it in the garage.

Any good nursery should have some, maybe even the big box stores.

The plants are blooming now, giving off an incredible fragrance. 

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NorthLoop

NorthLoop 14466

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I don't have any advice but I do have a 6 year old avocado tree that my daughter started from a pit that's about 7 feet tall now. Every year I say I'm gonna prune it to keep it short and bushy but I've decided that I'm just gonna let it keep growing until I can't fit it in the door anymore when a freeze is coming. I've debated putting it in the ground but there's no way it would survive a hard freeze like 2021 even if i covered it and put lights in it. I bought a big ass plastic pot from a local nursery and am about to transplant it to that. It will probably stay in that forever. They say avocados won't fruit for 5 years minimum but I don't think I'm gonna see any on this guy for several more years to come. But we've come so far... I have to keep it alive. 

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miguelito

miguelito 11505

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I got some lemons from a friend, and just for the hell of it I planted some of the seeds.  They all sprouted, so I've been potting them up for a few years.  I don't expect any lemons for a few years, if at all, but it's still fun to experiment. 

I hear with citruses, the root stock is often different than the main plant, so seeds won't grow true to the parent plant.  I have another friend who also has some seed-grown citrus, and he's thinking about grafting something onto the base.  That's a little too much for me to try, yet.

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4th and 5

4th and 5 5005

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On 3/23/2023 at 8:03 PM, Post Oak said:

I'm wanting to get a lemon and lime tree this year and keep them in pots so we can bring them in when the weather gets bad.

 

Has anyone done this?

Any idea where would be the best place to get them?

Tips?

Thanks 

 

I have one of each and get lots of fruit. This spring they were covered in blooms. They go inside a warm closet with a grow light during cold spells. The closet smells amazing.

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