Hey East, why are some of your plants in jail?

That is my redneck trellis

I tried some cuke transplants once. I direct sowed some the same day I planted the transplants. The direct sowed ones out performed the transplants.

I did the same thing last year with cucumbers and had the same results, also did squash both ways and the direct sow outgrew the transplants by alot

Good solution for a trellis! Goat panel?

Just some cattle panel I robbed from a dormant hog trap




I plan on doing that where I loose some, might even pull some of the weak ones now that I hear yall say this

Do you guys find your garden relaxing? I enjoy my yard and my garden, but I hate the equipment.

Bill, are you referring to shovels, rakes and such or mechanical tools like tillers?

Honestly, by the end of each season I find my garden a waste of time and money. I'm only going on my 3rd year now, but I've never done well with anything but peppers and a monkey couldn't even mess those up.

I can't ever seem to do well with tomatoes. Out of 12 plants the past two seasons, I may have been able to actually eat 3 full sized tomatoes. Last year my squash and cucumbers cross pollinated and looked like some toy you'd find in a porno. We tried green beans, not a single one of them even grew.

On top of that, you add up the endless hours of watering, sore back, sweat draining out of every pore in the body, and by the end of the season my attitude is "I'm done."

Then by the time March comes along, I think about how much fun it would be to have a nice garden that we can actually eat from and I decide to give another go at it.

For myself, I think it is just something for me to do when hunting season is over and lake season hasn't started yet.

hey tech, have you done a soil sample? I never did any good with maters till last year, it was the first time I bought the $4 test kit, I did what it said & if I remember right I had low P.H., I googled what to do & did it, I had more dang maters than I knew what to do with.


I meant to test it this year before I planted.

Oh, well it worked last year.

That is one thing I wish I would of done this year. I will next year and make sure to get it right. My neighbor (not 100 yards away) did well without adding, so I hope I will be alright

I was wrong, I had high ph. I added some aluminum sulfate. Garden had been planted for about 4-5 weeks & adding the AS didn't hurt it.

I like to expierement growing seeds different ways every year and I also did squash,cucumber,tomatoes and onions in big containers with good soil last year at the same time I did others in the ground and by far the ground ones did better, I actually thought the ones in the containers would do better because I used such good soil an such but it was not the case, and yes I enjoy my garden I just like being outside and it gives me something to do when I get home from work

Same here, I will usually crack a beer, turn on the radio and head out till dark

I have not. I will stop by Lowe's today and grab a test kit.

there has been many a beers disposed of in my garden

Had to make some wind breaks tonight. Which I like cause if we have another freeze/frost I have more that will fit right over the top and seal the top holes

I suppose its a bit early yet but just curious what the experts on here do as far as staking their tomatoes

Yes, I enjoy it. I look forward to coming home after work and checking it out. I like planting and maintaining the garden and getting my kids involved. The only tools I use is a trowel and my hands.

Beer gardens, now that's another thread.

I use tomato cages.

Tomato cages. Some will fall over when they get full of tomatoes. I use sticks to keep them upright.

My potatoes are blooming. I have gardened all my life, and have no idea what that signifies.

Hey Bill, what is it that you always say? Oh yeah, a picture is worth a thousand words. Come on man, show us what you got.

I use tomato cages too.

We grew cucumbers,crooked neck squash and zuccini squash on hog wire like that a few times.Then one year I planted cantaloupes and trained them to climb the hog wire but not too high.When they started turning color and smelling like they were getting ripe they would pull off the vine.I only had a few crack because they were too high off the ground.

My laptop is in the shop. I do not know how to upload pictures to the I pad.