2025 Garden season

I picked up a 55 Cub from an 83 year old with health problems. Too bad it was a week after I had planted everything, so my rows are too narrow to cultivate with it. I did run it around some pumpkins, watermelons, butternut, cantaloupe, etc. while I had room before they vine out too much. He had an old mule drawn planter and made some brackets for easy hook up, so I'll test it out in a few weeks and plant some peas after I blow up my Irish taters.
 
I have horseradish here all over the place! neighbor got some last month to grind and made 39 pints for himself! --- did I mention he LOVES the stuff??? LOL!!
 
Since last posting I've set out 80 tomato plants, 200 cabbage, Napa cabbage, several varieties of peppers and a dozen of so Brussels Sprouts.

It's been long enough since setting the cabbage out, broke out one of the David Bradley's to cultivate the cabbage patch. Handy little garden tractor..!!
 

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got 4 or 5 db's here, never get time to use them anymore. Horse does a better job anyway and dont knock over the plants when they get tall.
Cold here and only thing growing is onions and tatoes. Waiting on sweet potatoes to make plants in the greenhouse and probably wont get much else planted this year. Just not able to do it anymore.
 
I'll join in the fun too, spring garden has been a blessing. Hoping for the same with the pumpkins,watermelons, and sunflowers
 

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if we dont get rain soon there wont be any garden harvest!!! --- Picked up about half of the short day onions since the tops went brown so I know they done! Got a yard wagon full this time. In a few days the rest of them will be done.
The long day ones are still holding up and have 3 weeks yet before they would normally be done.
 
Got what I'm going to mulch done yesterday morning. Worked on it the day before too, just too darn hot to do much. I have a good many leaves left so I'm ahead of the game for next year.

Heavy rains to the north and south of me, here I keep getting 3-4/10ths each time. Perfect rains must be living right.
 

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Even though we planted late due to the rain in May, so far the garden looks better than ever. I hilled the corn for the last time this morning after side dressing. if we get the rain they are calling for I won't get the Cub through it again! I plan to side dress the potatoes and rehill after the rain. So far the weather has cooperated which has been unusual for us. I keep trying to convince Debbie I need a High Clearance Cub, can't seem to succeed though!
 
Update on my fishing-line fence. All in all the fence is working with few exceptions. Only one adult deer dared to enter the garden to date; however, either a fawn or fawns get inside. The good news is that the Liquid Fence repellent has prevented any of them from chowing down. Everything in there - tomatoes, melons and pumpkins remain unscathed. Harvesting hard-neck German garlic now, which is not within the fenced area and with the pine straw mulch, the weeds were controlled easily.
 
I am curious about the leaf mulching because I have plenty of leaves. Are they as effective as wood chips, do you have to lay down nitrogen like for chips and do you find any insect issues coming in with the leaves? Thanks John
 
I am curious about the leaf mulching because I have plenty of leaves. Are they as effective as wood chips, do you have to lay down nitrogen like for chips and do you find any insect issues coming in with the leaves? Thanks John
Depending on the variety of leaves, some could be harmful. Oak and walnut come to mind.
 
I am curious about the leaf mulching because I have plenty of leaves. Are they as effective as wood chips, do you have to lay down nitrogen like for chips and do you find any insect issues coming in with the leaves? Thanks John
I would say more effective than wood chips. No need for an N underneath. Wood chips probably really don't need any as long as they aren't mixed in the soil, breaking down mixed in the soil is where it eats up the N. There is quite a mixture of leaves including Oak and Walnut, but they are mixed in and don't believe they are that many in one spot to cause any problems. I haven't noticed any in mine anyway.

I can't help but think being they are from the previous year and starting to break down, they act as a weak compost tea every time it rains. I have made compost tea and added to certain plants to see if it made a difference, and it definitely does. So I just let Mother Nature do it for me. Unlike wood chips they are pretty well broken down into fine compost the following Spring and plow down nicely to add organic matter to the soil.

I put them down probably close to 6" deep and you may get an occasional weed pop up through but usually an old Bull Pea vine, that's about it.
 
I would say more effective than wood chips. No need for an N underneath. Wood chips probably really don't need any as long as they aren't mixed in the soil, breaking down mixed in the soil is where it eats up the N. There is quite a mixture of leaves including Oak and Walnut, but they are mixed in and don't believe they are that many in one spot to cause any problems. I haven't noticed any in mine anyway.

I can't help but think being they are from the previous year and starting to break down, they act as a weak compost tea every time it rains. I have made compost tea and added to certain plants to see if it made a difference, and it definitely does. So I just let Mother Nature do it for me. Unlike wood chips they are pretty well broken down into fine compost the following Spring and plow down nicely to add organic matter to the soil.

I put them down probably close to 6" deep and you may get an occasional weed pop up through but usually an old Bull Pea vine, that's about it.
I put up a circle of 2x4 wire fencing about 6ft diameter and filled it up with leaves last fall so I have an ample supply. Good thought on the tea theory too. I am going to give it a try
 
I use wheat straw here,---no way to ever get enough leaves around here to do any good. I put what I can get in the compost pile with horse manure and mix it up every now and then with the Michigan 75 ag loader.
Straw does work but I still dont like the way it makes the ground slimy. leaves do to so I just compost everything down and spread that on top as thick as I can. After harvest it all gets pushed back up in a pile or plowed under.
 
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