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Post by bowdonkey on Aug 21, 2021 17:00:28 GMT
As if anyone cares. Anyway it's been REAL dry the last couple months. We got maybe 3 showers total that did little. Maybe kept the moisture levels up for a day. Anyway this is the second year in 20 I had to water the garden and easily the driest. Onions did terrible here. 20 miles away some had the biggest ever. Garlic was good, no complaints. Potatoes yield was the lowest ever. Two varieties did pull through, Satina and Rose Finn. Not the best, but acceptable. I did 6 varieties, each variety had some hilled and some under mulch. No difference in yield except where a bear got in the garden and dug out the ones under mulch. What a pain. I'll be dropping Russian Banana and German Butterball. They didn't do well at all. I still have Kenebec and Lehigh left to dig. Maybe this is something to keep under your hat. It's so dry the birches and poplars have lost most of their leaves already. Seems like they're always a hole in the plan somewhere. 🤔
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Post by shin on Aug 22, 2021 4:24:04 GMT
I had a ton of potatoes this year.. but I think that is because I left last year's small crop in the ground. Also the rain has been constant.. I hardly had to do a thing. I don't think you live nearby bowdonkey!  |
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Post by farmerjack on Aug 22, 2021 4:31:52 GMT
A couple weeks of near 110 degrees did not do much for my potato crop. Starting to have a problem with blight, so that did not help. Have been very careful to rotate my crops, but think may have to lay off the potatoes for a couple years.
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Post by countrymom22 on Aug 26, 2021 0:30:00 GMT
My onions did not do well at all. I had to plant a yellow onion when I usually prefer a purple onion, but it was all I could get. Didn't even get a half a bucketful. Green beans did really well and are still producing, though slowing down. Only had 2 volunteer tomato plants and they're doing okay, but since I'm the only one who eats tomatoes okay is a relative term!
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Post by bowdonkey on Mar 9, 2022 17:32:24 GMT
This year I'll be doing another potato experiment. I like the Ruth Stout method but it has drawbacks of vole and slug damage and the logistics of getting enough mulch to cover them all. So I kind of go in between, dig the trench with the Mantis, load the bottom half with compost, add a little wood ash, burnt bone whatever, a couple inche's of soil, then the tater and cover with dirt. As soon as they emerge I have the choice to hill or mulch. Works awesome. This year I plan to dig holes with the Mantis about 18" apart, 2 rows 2' apart, staggered plants between rows.. And then 4' to the next two rows. Just an experiment with spacing to increase yield in a given spot. In the hole I'll place the usual compost, wood ash, burnt bone or a Milkbone dog treat. I read the Milkbone package and thought this may be a less expensive and easier way to feed the plants phosphorus. Never tried this. It will probably take more time to plant, but less time to hill, and less shovel work. Peppers and tomatoes will get the same treatment. I'll let ya all know how it goes.
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