This morning I planted about 30 sweet potatoes. For me, it seems to be boom or bust when it comes to sweet potatoes. I either have them coming out my ears or don’t get a single one. I’m hoping for a good year and if I’m lucky, I could get 5 to 6 sweet potatoes from each plant. I’ll be happy to get 3 or 4 big potatoes from each plant and that’s still near 100 sweet potatoes. That would be a great harvest . . time will tell.
Raised Bed
One raised bed is done except for mulching it. There’s leeks, multiplier onions, basil, dill, thyme, parsley, lavender, bee balm, oregano . . . and that’s all I remember. A few of them are perennials and a few of them are not. Around the outside of the bed, I have watermelons and pumpkins planted.
Artichoke
Remember last year I had 5 artichoke plants that produced 8 or 10 artichokes each and I was so happy to have them? I planted more from seeds and then during the Fall I went to MO and Vince cleaned out one tiny little section of the garden . . the section that had those 5 artichokes in there and he thought they were weeds and pulled them out. That was not a good thing to do! Of the seeds I planted, only two turned out to be real artichokes and looks like I’ll get a few artichokes this year.
Artichoke Seedlings
I have 16 seedlings that I started. There’s another pack of 4 – don’t think that I can’t count to 16! 🙂 I stated planting them this morning – dug little holes and planted one but they’re still too fragile. I’ll give the a few more days or maybe a week before I try to transplant them.
Asparagus
There are two big pots and this little cup of asparagus that I started from seeds last year. I need to get that planted in the garden.
Potatoes
The potatoes that are in the ground are blooming, as are the potatoes in the left plastic barrel. Figure this one out . . I planted four seed potatoes in each barrel. I’ve done everything exactly the same with both barrels. The one on the left is doing amazingly well. The one on the right – two potatoes have sprouted and they are struggling. Makes no sense!
Tomorrow I plan to pull up the lettuce that has bolted and I’ll plant the 6 tomatoes there. I had bought 6 tomatoes to fill in spots where the tomatoes I started from seeds died but none of them died so I have 6 extra tomato plants. Then I have to plant okra and I think that’s all the planting I have to do. The Spring, 2016 garden is about to be all planted!
shirley swift-bruner says
well, wish i could say mine was planted. today i cut the grass in the garden/orchard area. opened out cattle feed bags, laid them over the tilled garden, and covered them with cut grass. trying to get a head start on keeping out the weeds. i have more grass to cut for the next 2 or 3 days, so i’ll see how much of it i get covered.
dezertsuz says
How exciting to be almost finished! I heard yesterday that south Texas is in the only area of the country that will be slightly cooler than normal this summer. That could be good for you, if it isn’t also drier! I guess the potatoes in the right barrel were just not as strong. Your garden is looking great. Here’s hoping you have 100 sweet potatoes and your artichokes surprise you with more than you expect.
patti says
i have a ? about raised garden. i heard, and the ones i’ve seen, are about 2 1/2 – 3′ above ground level and the idea is two-fold. first to not have to bend as far and second that the earth gets warmth quicker.
i notice yours aren’t as “raised” as i’ve seen and in some ads they are about your height too. so i’m wondering now what purpose that height would serve?
we only do container gardening in homemade ‘earth-tainers’ so are limited as to what we can grow by not only that but also our short season. we can’t even think about having something in the ground for at least another month.
thanx for your great blog!
Diana Grindel (Casoppia) says
Love my raised garden beds- the onions are growing like weeds as well as the garlic. I hope to get some tomatoes, jalapeno peppers (Tams), green, red peppers and replant some more onions. I was surprised that the horseradish came up this year as I planted it in October and its growing like a weed too. I still need to plant the asparagus as soon as we build a couple more raised beds.
Raised beds can be any size you want them to be. One bed for the tomatoes is 3 feet tall, the pepper ones are 2 feet tall, and the other will be about the same. I like the beds as its easier to control the weed population.
I planted marigolds to help fend off insects, and hope the stick insects (as my granddaughter calls them when one scared her) come back this year. The lady bugs have been quite abundant this year. Also the large flies are out in gangs again this year-cannot wait for the bats to come around and take care of the insects like the flies and mosquitoes.
Enjoy your rewards from your beautiful garden!!
JudyL says
WOW! Your tomato beds are 3′ tall? My tomatoes grow over my head and they’re planted directly in the ground! I’d need a ladder to pick them if they were in 3′ raised beds.
sounds like you’re going to have a great garden this year.