Fordhook Zucchini

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

April 26, 2011 Update

Hello everybody out there. Today I bought the lumber I need for the final bed. I will buy some of the dirt tomorrow on my way home from work and hopefully build some of it. I really need to do this because of the pumpkins and get them in the ground so they can grow.

I also need to get this bed built so I can get spots for the final tomatoes and the last of the squash that I have.

The Chianti Rose and the Amish Paste and the Midnight in Moscow have all sprouted and are doing well. The Chianti Rose really surprised me today because three little sprouts popped up. It won't be long until I will have to thin them.

The two Zucchinis and the Cauliflower that Andy weeded are showing some signs of stress. Hopefully, they will make it through, but I may have lost three plants to little hands.

That is it for today. Hopefully God will allow everything to keep on growing.

Monday, April 25, 2011

April 25, 2011 Update

Well there is a lot going on in the garden. So here is a quick recap. Pictures are included where available.

Finished the last 6' x 6' bed over the weekend and it is already full. I decided tonight that I really screwed up in my planning and over planted. I guess that is a good thing if I keep at it. I will need to build one final bed. This one will run the length of two of the 6' x 6' beds and will be the final holding place for my vegetables.

How things are growing:

Let's start with the little 4' x 4'. The broccoli is doing quite nice. Another head has started on it and it will not be long until Abby gets to have some more broccoli.

Packman Broccoli - still going strong
Abby's future garden snack














The Avens seems to have done its thing. It is simply building up foliage and not putting out any more flowers. Being as it is a perennial, I guess we will see what it does next year.

The Better Boy Tomatoes are still growing. I put stakes out next to them tonight. It will not be long until I will have to start staking them. I think I will build a twine trellis for them to grow up once they get going. I had to prune back some buds tonight to promote some more growth out of them before they start flowering.

Bed # 1 of the 6' x 6'. The Marigolds are still putting out some pretty blooms. They appear to be doing well.

The Zucchini is still growing. One of the ones in the back is showing some yellow on the edge of its leaves, but I think that had to do more with the fact we reached almost 90 today and it is still a young plant.

The Zinnia flowers are still growing some. Not much additional growth but they are going.

The Better Boy Tomato plant is also doing well in this bed. I also had to pluck some emerging buds from this one as well to keep it growing and not flowering.

Of the three Dixie Hybrid Squash I put in this bed, only two remain. I damaged one of them transplanting it to a Styrofoam cup and it never fully recovered. The first day it was in the ground it wilted and I soon plucked it out. I will probably replace it with a pepper plant in the near future.

Isaac went crazy Saturday for some Cauliflower. He wanted them really bad when we went to Walmart on Saturday. So I popped for the $1.75 and we bought some White Cloud Hybrid Cauliflower. We planted one in the first 6' x 6' bed and it is doing fine. We planted it Saturday night when it was cool.

Bed #2 of the 6' x 6'. In this bed I have the pride of our garden so far. 11 little Okra plants. I planted them from the Styrofoam cups and they are continuing to do well. They have added about a 1/2 inch of growth since the were moved last week.

Grow little Okra Grow!














I have also planted the four cherry tomatoes in this bed. They are doing well since they were just moved last Saturday night. Hopefully I can have some progress on their growth next week. Right now, still doing well.

In this bed there is also two more of the Cauliflower that Isaac wanted. They seem to have survived transplanting and are doing well. One even survived the tragic encounter with Andy's weeding ability. He also "weeded" two of the Okra plants as well, but they have survived so far.

Hopefully we will have some pictures of the 2nd 6' x 6' bed soon.

Bed #3 of the 6' x 6'. This one was just built on Friday and already it is full. How amazing is that! In this bed we have the 8 Poinsett Cucumber plants. They are doing well and have even showed some signs of growth since Friday via extra leaves that have popped out. I also will be building a twin trellis for these guys as well to grow up. I will be securing this to sides of the bed with the boards I got at work.

Isaac posing like the crazy gardener he is














In the back of this bed is the little project the kids are most excited about: Corn. Each of the kids got to plant 2 seeds of corn in Styrofoam cups. Each cup had their name on it and the plants are transplanted in the order of birth. All of them are doing well and showed additional leaves today.

Picture of one of Isaac's corn














Last but not least, planted along with the corn are Kentucky Pole Beans. I planted these the way we used to plant them when I was younger. This will allow them to climb up the corn once they have sprouted. I soaked them overnight in water to help them germinate. I should start to see little bean sprouts by this weekend if not before.

We also planted off to the side of this bed some more green beans that I will have to support with a twine trellis as well.

Out side the beds. Isaac's Strawberry is still going. I will re-purpose one end of the long additional bed I am going to build with his Strawberry plant in the fall. Right now it cracks me up because we have some wild Strawberries growing next to the house and Isaac likes to go and pick those and then sneak off and eat them.

Isaac staring at his All Star Strawberry
Isaac's Pumpkins growing














Right now all egg cartons are empty and disposed of. What germinated and took off I have moved to Styrofoam cups and are awaiting their day to grow big enough to be moved to their own bed. In these, I have Isaac's Pumpkins, which are going to force me to build the new bed quickly due to their size, three Roma Tomato Plants, one Better Boy Tomato plant (you may remember the tragedy of the other day) and the heirloom tomato plants. Three of the Midnight in Moscow plants have sprouted. Still waiting on the Chianti Rose and the Amish Paste Tomato.

Well I would say that is a good enough update for now. ... Almost forgot, the roses are still doing well. I have a Sunbright Yellow Rose and a Chrysler Imperial Red Rose. Both are showing signs of new growth and have really darkened their leaves. Hopefully they will continue since this is my first foray into rose gardening.

Sunbright Yellow Rose
Chrysler Imperial Rose

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Update - April 20,2011

Hello everyone. Here is an update from the garden. The Better Boy Tomatoes are still doing well. The Fordhook Zucchini plants have transplanted are doing well. Abby's broccoli is still growing as well. and has now sprouted its second small head. I will need to prune it soon and Abby will have some more broccoli to eat.

The seedlings are still doing well and I will probably transplant the okra to its permanent home this weekend. We will probably get a lot of production out of them. I am looking forward to this. They will go in the second 6' x 6' bed.

I transplanted the Zinnia transplants tonight to their permanent home. They are positioned next to the marigolds in the first 6' x 6' bed. These should entice several pollinating insects to the garden. If that does not entice them enough, I scored a good deal last night at Aldi. They were selling rose plants at a steeply discounted price. I got two rose plants for $2.99 each. If they work out great, if they do not, well I am out $6.

The second egg carton I started that had the pepper seeds in them are not doing anything yet except the Crooked Neck Squash which is sprouting its first head through the dirt. All three are looking good.

The tragedy that happened a few days ago was not as bad as it could have been. I did lose three of the Better Boy seedlings but two of the Roma tomatoes survived unscathed. Hopefully, they will be ready for transplanted soon for Styrofoam cups.

I also have another project I have to do this week. I need to build a couple of 4'x4' beds for Isaac's pumpkins. They are doing really good in their Styrofoam cups but they will need to be transplanted soon.

Still nothing from the Silver Queen corn, the heirloom tomatoes and other seeds started this week.

That's it for now.

Joe

Monday, April 18, 2011

Tragedy in Joe's Garden

We had a tragedy in Joe's Garden today. The small Roma and Better Boy seedlings that were going well were scorched today because I negligently left them outside to get some sun....all day. Luckily I noticed the mistake when I got home and quickly brought them inside and doused them with water. Within 30 minutes, the two Roma seedlings were back up to their normal selves but only one of the Better Boy Seedlings was back. The others were tragically lost. I quess I tried to harden them too much.

On the plus side, I did sow some of the heirloom seedlings I got in the mail. I planted two Styrofoam cups of the Amish Paste Tomato, two of the Chianti Rose Tomato, and four of the Midnight in Moscow Tomatoes. Two of these are for some guys at work that I talk about planting with. We will have to follow their progress to see how they do.

April 18, 2011 Update

Hello everyone out there. Just a quick update.

1. Cleared out the ground for the third and finally 6'x6' bed yesterday. Looking to build it tonight and then start filling it with dirt. Had some great help from a little helper named Abby.

Abby helping clear dirt















2. Abby and I moved the five Fordhook Zucchini and two Dark Beauty Zucchini to the 1st 6'x6' bed last night. They are now in their permanent home.

Fordhook Zucchini in its permanent home















1st  6' x 6' bed taking shape















3. Also moved the Dixie Hybrid Yellow Squash to Styrofoam cups. This was not that succesful though and I have worried they will wilt today. But we will have to see. If they do I will simply plant them in the beds.

Just a quick update.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

April 16, 2011 Update

Hello everyone out there again. The plants are doing great so far. Everything that was transplanted is doing fine and the Better Boy Tomatoes are still growing. The broccoli has started to form another head on it so hopefully Abby will have another bunch of broccoli to eat soon.

The seeds in the egg cartons have germinated and are sprouting up. My Dixie Hybrid Yellow Squash is truly amazing. It is now some 5" tall. I will transplant it to Styrofoam cups tomorrow. I did have a casualty in them as one of the spaces did not sprout. Again, I think it was due to too much water.

The Better Boy Tomatoes and the Roma Tomatoes are all sprouting up. I will need to thin the Better Boys within the next few days to insure that the strongest survive.

Did actually add some more plants to the mix tonight. I let Isaac, Abby and Andy plant some Silver Queen Hybrid Corn. We planted six seeds and put their name on it. I will have to let you know their progress. Also, added another egg carton full of seeds last night. Planted 3 Crooked Necked Yellow Squash, 3 Cayenne Red Peppers, 3 California Green Peppers, and 3 Jalapeno Peppers. I will also have to let you know the progress on them.

Abby and I attended a compost lesson today at Crabtree Farms. Learned a lot about composting and the wonder of getting free dirt.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

What I am growing

Hello Everyone!

I thought I would give you a quick update on what I am growing in the garden and where it stands right now.

1. Clemson Spineless #80 Okra.  I have these 11 little guys in Styrofoam cups right now to let them grow some. These will be laid out in one of the three 6x6 beds, crowded in some with a variety of tomatoes. This picture was taken on 4/10.

Okra in the Styrofoam Cups















2. Better Boy Tomato Hybrid. These are indeterminate plants, which means that they produce tomatoes all season long as long as I keep them pruned. I have 3 of these little guys planted in the 4x4 bed and 1 in one of in the 6x6 bed. It may be a little crowded once they take off but I plan on allowing these guys to grow up, instead of out. I have seen some people say that these can grow up to 7' high. We will have to see how they do in my garden. I did not start these guys from seed, but instead purchased them from Walmart.

Better Boy Hybrid Tomato















3. All Star Strawberry. Isaac really wanted this for some odd reason when we went to Home Depot one Sunday after church. He was so set on it I let him buy it and we came home and we planted it in a small container. It probably will not produce much in the way of strawberries this year, but if we take care of it and let it grow (and move it to a bed in the fall) we should have a good crop of strawberries in 2012.

All-Star Strawberry















4. One Packman Broccoli Plant. Unlike its yellow '80s arcade namesake (I am positive it was not named after that) it is doing pretty good and has already sprouted one small bunch of florets. Abby promptly ate it when I cut it back to prevent the plant from stunting its growth. Hopefully we will get a lot more out of this one. I will need to be on the lookout though for root grubs so they won't kill it. 

Packman Broccoli















5. Cherry Red Tomato. These also are Indeterminate plants. I have 4 of these planted now and they are progressing nicely. This picture was taken on 4/10 and already they have doubled their leaves. A few more weeks and I can move them to their permanent home in one of the 6x6 beds with the okra. These also will be grown up instead of out. I have also read that these can also grow to considerable height.
Cherry Red Tomato Seedling
















6. Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins. Not really looking for any kind of edible fruit from these two small plants but I am hoping that when the fall gets here that Isaac, Abby and Andy will have some nice pumpkins to carve for Halloween. Isaac was very keen on these. He did, however, not like the seed packets with a carved Jack-O-Lantern on them. He said it was too scary.
Isaac's Pumpkin's - Jack-O-Lantern















7. Fordhook Zucchini. These are mostly for Jocelyn, however, I hope they do well because there is nothing better than fried zucchini. I have 5 of these guys currently growing in Styrofoam cups. Of the 6 seeds I started in an old egg carton, 5 of them survived. Right now they are starting to get their second set of leaves. This picture was taken on 4/10.


Fordhook Zucchini















I have several other vegetables I am working on now, but I will have to get pictures of them tomorrow or Thursday. Here is a list of what else is growing right now.

Poinsett Cucumbers - 8 plants going right now, in Styrofoam cups
Dark Beauty Zucchini - 2 plants going right now, in Styrofoam cups
Zinnia Flowers - 4 plants going right now in Styrofoam cups
Sumter Cucumber - 1 plant in Styrofoam cup and one in a seed tray that I need to transplant to a cup.

I have some more seeds sown in a couple of used yogurt containers and a used egg carton.
Dixie Hybrid Yellow Squash - 4 seeds
More Better Boy Tomatoes - 4 seeds
Roma Tomatoes - 4 seeds.

My next plans are to sow some corn and beans and then plant some pepper seeds (green and red bell and some cayenne and jalapeno). I also have plans to sow some egg plant seeds and some more yellow squash and zucchinis. I have two heirloom tomato seed packets ordered but they will not be here until next week. One of the heirloom tomato plants is called Midnight in Moscow. It is a "black" tomato whose fruits are in the shape of a heart when you cut them. The other is a Blue Ridge Mountain heirloom that makes some Beefsteak type tomatoes that weigh up to 2 lbs.

Hopefully we will have another update tomorrow.

Joe Delk

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Joe's Garden

Hello everyone out there in Internet-land. This is Joe Delk and I have a garden. Or more aptly I am starting a garden. I plan on posting the progress of this garden here on the blog and letting everyone out there see it and put some input on it. Mostly I would like to get back to the tradition of growing some of my family's own food and share with others as the harvest allows.

I also want to tell everyone what I am doing and how it is going. I want to post pictures as well of what I am doing. Since we don't have much of a backyard, I plan on utilizing as much as possible the space we have and seeing which does best. Hopefully readers of this blog will tell me tips they have learned and what works best.

Thanks for stopping by and check back for updates regularly.


Joe Delk