Raised Bed Gardening - Cement Blocks > Greenhouse!

Week #6 2020

Nice growth spurt after 2 inches of rain.

Tis the Season for explosive Tomato growth!
Difficult to keep trimmed and tied up.

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Irrigation parts lying around, try to put together this weekend.

7 1/2 beds of Tomatoes and 3 1/2 beds of Peppers.

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Cherry Tomatoes started on all 5 upside down "baskets".

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Everything took a growth jump, especially the squash.

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Leaf Lettuce, Beets and Bush Beans.

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Pantry beds irrigation center, each black hose feeds 2 beds and allows fine tuning. Green hose is for direct/additional watering.
Will be converted to rainwater storage as source.
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Harvested out about 10 large "heads" of Buttercrunch Lettuce.

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Beans are climbing the fence.

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Peppers finally hitting a growth spurt.

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Family Gardens looking good.

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Ditto

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Dbl Ditto

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Week #7 2020

Getting full ... 4-5 months of indoor growing still.

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Irrigation configuired, automated for 15 minutes every morning ...

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... applied through 3/8" soaker hose, directly to base of plants.

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Pantry Garden, from South.

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Pantry Garden, from South, 2nd view.

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Pantry Garden, from North.

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Family Gardens, from South.

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Family Gardens, from North.

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Family Gardens, 2nd view, from North.

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Cucumbers making progress.

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Starting next crops of Lettuce for transplant as other crops harvest out.

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Cherry Tomatoes nearing the rafters.

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WEEK #8
Squash
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Mutant Squash
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Pantry Garden
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Front gate
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Raised beds
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Family Gardens
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Food Pantry
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High Tunnel

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Monarch Haven
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Pantry Garden
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Family Garden
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Good Work , I use-to grow the big squash ( fair pumpkins ) . I had a 3000 gallon cistern under my front porch, I have a few tips for
you.

1) Use high phosphorus fertilizer ( 10-48-10 ) for your fruit crop sand some root crops- more root systems -more fruit and ripen sooner
A) Tomatoes
B) Squash
C) Cucumbers - Best grown on a fence--away from the beetles and leaf mold. My straight 8's were 18 to24" long
D)Peppers
E) Potatoes
F) Radishes
1A) Decent pest control on the above plants are marigolds , the short growing variety. There good for beetles and radish worms
Cabbage caterpillars. The critters do not like the smell of the plant. I'm lazy , I let mother nature do it for me and get a nice
flower crop as a bonus
2) Don't mix acid loving crop with a alkaline crop , one or the other will suffer.
3) Try to plant the same height plants together and minimize spacing , Weeds don't grow well in the shade. Victory style garden
4) Another pest control is ashes from paper or wood . 3 parts ash to 1 part lime power. Put in a old sock. Dust in early morning
before the dew evaporates.


In my 15 x 40 garden I grew a 350# pumpkin and veggies for 4 different families and had a mulch pile warm enough to cook a thanks giving day turkey ( 170 degree )

Jim Jr
 
nicobie said:
Very nice, l'm jealous. How many people do you think the garden can feed?
Click to expand...
There are 33 plots for 33 families in the Family Gardens, providing a portion of their meals. Pantry Garden is on track for possibly 2000lb harvested for hundreds of our Food Pantry clients.
 
Week #9 2020

1st Cucumbers and Tomatoes this week.

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Some Tomatoes "got away" from me, some suckers have fruit started. Decided to cut suckers 2 leaves after fruit rather than cutting off the entire branch
 
9 1/2 Weeks

Forgot to take pictures in HT, last Friday

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Chili and Habanero Peppers

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Clumps of 8 Small "Tasty Treat Tomatoes" every foot

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Will need to build Trellis in the rafters, Cherry Tomatoes already at 8 feet tall


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Gobs of Roma Tomatoes!
Picture doesn't show well, over 100 in frame!

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Week #10

Harvesting every Monday and Friday, about a hundred pounds today. Piles of Squash and Cucumbers, with the 1st substantial Beans. Possibly another week or 2 till notable Tomato harvest.


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Most every Tomato variety showing color

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Growth and production, looking to be a banner year

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8 foot and 9 foot Sunflowers
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Family Gardens with glorious growth, volunteers picking up the slack of certain negligent farmers. Keeping track for who gets plots next year.

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Cherry Tomatoes at near 6 feet, with heavy strings of fruit.

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Nice crop of Eggplants, round and standard varieties. Just sprayed with Neem Oil to control Flea Beetles.
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Everything doing great, except Romaine Lettuce which was all tough and bitter ... due to prolonged heat?
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Entry looking great.

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Jungle of primo vegetables!
Roma Tomatoes, some showing color.
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Vandals!

Suffering Tomato destruction.
Borrowed hav-a-heart trap, Chipmunks -4 Me +1
 
Week #11

Small and medium Tomatoes ripening, Beefsteaks may take some more weeks.

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Romas!

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Half a dozen Milkweed patches in and around the gardens are being taken advantage by multiple Monarchs.
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Monarch Butterfly Life Cycles

Chipmunks -6 me :D
 
.
... August 1, 2019 vs August 1, 2020

High Tunnel progress.
Construction of the High Tunnel in 2019 was late-slow, planting did not take place until late July (2019).

8/1/19
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vs

8/1/20
Beets, Onions, Radishes were planted in March-April ... Tomatoes and Peppers in April-May.

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Already harvested Beets, Head Lettuce, multiple crops of Radishes, Green Onions and Herbs etc.


8/1/19
Planting, and construction, still in progress.

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vs

8/1/20
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Anticipating hundreds of pounds of Tomatoes this month.
Beds with determinate Tomatoes will be cleared and replanted for 3rd Season harvest.
 
Week #13
Certain crops are winding down, while others are ramping up.
Peas, cucumbers and Bush Beans are nearing their end, have pulled up some already and prepping beds for late season crops, Lettuce, Radishes, More Beets etc.
Tomatoes looking to fill the baskets, harvested about 40lb Friday, probably match that Monday and double that next Friday. Larger Tomatoes nearing their end, little new growth, just ripening their present heavy burden. Except the Cherry Tomatoes, still flowering and climbing over trellises and through the rafters.

High Tunnel crops are thriving, with little to no evidence of disease. Had an early problem with Aphids. Washed plants repeatedly with fan spray from pressure nozzle, then ceeded control to swarm of Lacewings that appeared.
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Outside Tomatoes not fairing as well, little new growth, all energy directed to ripening present heavy burden.
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Wild Sunflowers are the glory hogs.
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Prepping some areas for 3rd crops.
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Small sweet peppers, coloring up nicely. Cayenne and Habaneros been producing steadily, first hot Cherry Pepper.
 
.
... TOMATOSSSSS

Harvested about 60lb Monday and over 100lbs of Tomatoes Friday (160lb+ for the week) ... tied 2018 record, with major harvest still pending.
 
Time for canning! Just picked up 3 dozen new ball jars my self.
 
Week #14

Running the Cherry Tomatoes along the rafters ... will need step stool or ladder ...
Anticipating 2-3 months of continued growth-production.
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Set up a terrarium for Monarchs. I have the fear that they were being picked off by birds, so I brought 4 inside for safe keeping.

Sorry about poor picture,flash inside with wimpy preview.
Milkweed pushed through top of water container to help keep fresher.
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Added 2 more "cats" ... 1st chrysalis formed. 10 days? till emergence.
 
About 200lbs of Tomatoes this week. Starting to harvest a continuous supply of colored sweet peppers.

Will be pulling up Cucumber beds, leaves are browning up and haven't seen any blossoms in a while. Will plant Lettuce, Radishes, Swiss Chard and ?

2nd Monarch formed chrysalis.
 
Monarchs
Terrarium is now host to 6 chrysali and 4 additional caterpillars.
Just found enhanced info on Monarch life cycles, 8-14 days in chrysalis. Better, 24 hour notification before emergence, chrysalis goes transparent.
Monarch Lifecycle

1st emergence

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Uncaged for clearer picture

(pictures are high def, right click, " view image", click + to view HQ)

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Monarch wing coloring visible inside Chrysali

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Sources indicate 24 hours before 1st feeding.
Recipes:
25% sugar water or
20% honey water "
fresh ripe melon slice "
fresh cut or potted flowers

After about 4 hours of hanging, this beautiful lady started crawling around the top of the terrarium flexing her wings, eventually fell, then let crawl onto my hand.

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Releasing BF01 (butterfly female #1) today. She's revving up her wings since before daybreak. Just waiting for a little sunshine and warmth. Will release into the Family Gardens, which are fairly well overgrown with flowers.

She did take a drink of 25% sugar/water.

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Terrarium Status:
1 butterfly
7 chrysali
2 caterpillar (1 in"J" position)

Will be searching for more terrarium tenants.
 
2nd Monarch BF02 (butterfly female #2) emerged and released. Slightly smaller than #1 but more energetic, actually escaped my handling and soared high and far into a stand of Poplars.
 
Most all the outside tomato plants are dying, will likely make a final harvest then pull up a majority of the withered plants. Exception are some Cherry Tomato plants and a few with green tomatoes and some healthy green leaves. In stark contrast, inside the high tunnel, there is still a deep green healthiness and a continuous supply of fresh blossoms.

Peppers are coming into their glory with a bounty of deep red fruitage, piles of small red, orange and yellow sweet peppers and a constant supply of hot pepper varieties.

Transplanting Beets and Lettuce, planting more Radishes, Basil and Cilantro. Even planted a couple hills of Zucchini (testing purposes).

3rd Monarch chrysalis turning dark, so anticipating another "birth", today or early tomorrow. #10, and final, caterpillar in J position, for chrysalis transformation ... time to hunt for replacements!

Milkweed tip!
Place stem in water, but, freshly cut stem at angle, immediately before placing through small hole in covered water container.

Update:
3rd Monarch, female also.
100% female at 30% point.
1 chrysalis appears "defective", unusually dark and somewhat withered, removed for isolation and observation.
 
.
... 1st male Monarch!

Monarch #4, 1st male
Males have thinner black lines and 2 distinctive black dots on secondary wings.

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Compare Male

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to Female

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Garden:
Mid September coolness coming, possibility of frost forecast for this Saturday.
Planning on clearing some of the lesser productive high tunnel Tomato beds and transplanting in some hot Peppers and Herbs.

Monarchs:
Cooling temps creating fears of Monarchs not storing the energy necessary for their migration to Mexico.
As a judgement call, I intend on keeping remaining butterflies captive and supplying honey based "nectar" to "fatten then up" before releasing during next projected warm stretch.
 
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