Garden Update

Hoss Garden:

There has been a lot of rain here in south Georgia, Greg has been cleaning out a lot of the garden to make room for the next crop. Greg still has the Jing Orange Okra growing, everything else has been extinguished except for the okra and cover crops. Greg is getting excited about starting the fall crops. Lots of transplants coming up but we still have all the rain coming in, Greg plans on using the silage tarp on the plots to get them ready once the rain stops.

Raised Beds:

Greg and Sheila have pulled up all of the Zinnias, planted Jambalaya Okra, and recently planted some Sweet Dumpling Squash (winter squash). Greg has started some herbs in the greenhouse to transplant into the raised beds when ready. Sheila has also planted 3 different varieties of sunflowers, Sun Spot, Sungold, and Mardi Gras - all dwarf varieties.

Questions & Answers Part 1:

After Gardening for so Many years and seeing so many different other gardens. If you started your garden all over again, what would you do differently? Greg says, "have smaller garden plots, and we have a goal now to grow our own food all year round. Smaller plots make things so much easier to manage, you can use crop rotation, cover crops, and even give some plots a rest. In smaller plots, you can plant everything in 2 weeks intervals so your plants are ready to harvest at different times, giving you fresh vegetables for a longer period."

What are the easiest things to grow for beginning gardeners? Greg says, "Summer Squash is the easiest thing to grow by far, low maturity date not much room for error. During the fall for beginners, the best things to grow would be Radish, beets, and any leafy vegetables (Collards, turnips, and mustards). Something you could try would be Broccoli, it is not the easiest but highly rewarding."

What is the correct height I should put my grow lights at? Greg states that the general rule would be 6-10 inches from the top of the plant.

What are your favorite blackberry varieties that do have thorns? Greg is not a fan of blackberry varieties with thorns. Years ago, he did a trial with the thorn and thornless to see which one tasted better. There was not a significate difference in the taste. Greg would not recommend anyone growing the ones with thorns. His favorite is the thornless Apache Blackberry.

How long should the Hortanova trellis netting last? Greg states that it really depends on how it is stored when you are not using it. He hasn't had one go bad before and has used it for many seasons.

I have heard my whole life not to plant rows east to west only north to south. Do you gentlemen have a certain direction that you plant your crops? Greg has never heard of this theory. The main thing he says you would need to worry about is when you create the rows, is erosion. When it rains the way the water runs you want to plant your rows perpendicular to the flow.

What would you recommend for a cover crop in raised beds? Greg says, "Summer Cover crops are very limited because they all get pretty good sized and are very hard to extinguish in a raised bed. Buckwheat would be the easiest summer cover crop. Winter cover crops will almost all be fine to be grown in a raised bed, Diakon Radish, mustards, clover almost cover crop."

Could field peas be used as a cover crop and tilled into the soil? "Absolutely, Red ripper and iron clay pea. The red ripper pea would be better if you can chop it up in the end. If you have to use a lawnmower or similar to till them down the Iron Clay pea is better.", Greg says.

Questions & Answers Part 2: