Garden Question

[Hound dog]

Hmm. Maybe it's the type of peas? There seems to be a wide variety of types to each veggie, or at least most of them. Wouldn't surprise me. LOL

Now oddly........since I've gotten a bit more lavish with watering due to the intense heat wave, I have 2 blueberry bushes that are fighting to come back. The other two still have some green on them.....so they're still alive, just not doing as well. So maybe the spot isn't so bad after all. And heaven knows I've gotten plants that look just fine at the nursery only to put them into the ground and have them keel over even if I followed every direction to the letter. Had a few of those as perennials, thought I lost them for good, and had them come up the following year just grand, not to mention every year after that. So, dunno......maybe sometimes they stay in the pots too long.

My late planted corn, which pretty much went through heck and back because right after I bought it I wasn't feeling well for quite a while, is now doing amazingly well. I swear those poor plants turned brown in their nursery containers like 5 times before I got them into the ground. At one point I was actually going to toss them out.........but we got an odd soaking rain and they turned healthy green again, so I put them into the flower garden I wasn't using to see how they'd do. This is totally organic corn, not bio modified in any form......I must say I'm impressed. They love the heat and sun......and they're growing like mad as I've gotten rather generous with water for them too.

I'd forgotten just how much I enjoy being outside. I'd forgotten just how much I love to garden (don't care if it's flowers or food) and do yard work. It's very de stressing for me........and I have to watch it because I get started and I just do not want to go back inside no matter how hot the day. School pretty much required me to be inside 90 percent of the time. I didn't realize how much I missed this until I started doing it again.

 

[ThreeShadows]

Peas are a cold weather crop. They should have ripened in june.

 

[ThreeShadows]

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/how-to-grow-peas-zmaz77mjzbon.aspx

It's interesting that this author's peas took 90 days to ripen, that's longer than what I have experienced.

Wando is a heat tolerant variety but I don't think it's as sweet as others.

What is your agricultural zone?

 

[Tiapet]

The peas are ok to be planted now. Yes we an extension office here and they will test soil. They will provide a special box and you have to do it a special way and then mail it out to Nashville. It takes 2 weeks to get back the results though. As for the other plants that we thought weren't coming up, as of last evening difficult child #1 figured it out by chance as he was out there at just the right time. We apparently have RABBITS! There they were eating up the garden! So much for the plants that we had. I guess we'll have to put fencing the next time around though we've decided to create the box type garden next year since soil is pretty bad here. The only thing surviving for the most part are the tomato plants but that is because they are in those topsy turvy things. They just need to be kept heavily watered in this weather. We keep finding them wilted but as soon as they get more water they perk back up.

 

[Star*]

Well after the week I've had? I think someone planted a bumper crop of idiots because they bloomed & there's stupid people running around down here EVERYWHERE and they all called ME this week. ( OH you all were talking real vegetables huh?)

sorry.

 

[ThreeShadows]

Fall peas can be planted later. Not Spring peas. Peas have two seasons, depending on your agricultural zone. They are my favorite vegetable and close to my heart. My experience has been that they don't do well as a Fall crop here in zone 7a.

 

[DammitJanet]

Yeah you have to know what zone you are in and plant veggies for your area. I dont think you are in the area for peaches. Think Georgia peaches...there is a reason for that. You might grow much better cherries or apples or pears.

You said you have a fence. Even the dog kennel. Or even the front yard. Start grape vines. These will be with you forever! We have an old muscadine grape vine that Tony's grandma planted in her side yard when she built her house probably 75-80 years ago and it is still there even though both her and the house are gone. You would start the vines on a chicken wire cage that sort of looks like half a small barrel that just lays on the ground and you guide the plants up through it.

 

[Hound dog]

Can't stand grape vines. I'm not a huge fan of grapes and dealt with those in the last house we lived in. I couldn't rip them out fast enough. LOL

I have no clue what "zone" I'm in. I dunno why it would be different from Illinois, as it sure doesn't seem different weather wise, and we had a wonderful peach tree in the yard when I was growing up. Peach tree the bees are high up and bees weren't such an issue as they are with grape vines. I had bees swarming the yard before I pulled that darn vine out.

I like peas.......but I guess if these don't make it I'll try again next year. It won't kill me. I'll do more reading up on them first........they sound complicated. LOL

 

[AnnieO]

Lisa... Peaches don't grow for snot around here. Apples are great. Pears so-so... But yeah, peaches tend to mold from the inside out, plus they are so sweet that IF you can get any to grow you will have all kinds of bugs and bird droppings...

 

[Hound dog]

Oh, well darn. I was looking forward to peaches. I like apples ok.........but peaches are my favorite fresh fruit.

 

[Jody]

Lisa, you are in zone 5-6 along with me here in Illinois. I love to be outside too, but can't take that crazy heat of last week. This week is better. I am trying this beautiful Muhly ornamental grass. It has pink feather things, it is a zone 10. I don't know how it will do but I am going to try it anyway since the weather has been so hot. I have over 100 pots now at my apartment and am now out of room or I'de be growing some more things. Last night I had a hamburger, with red peppers and tomatoes out of the garden. It was delicious and I was so proud that I did not spend any money on that and it was nice to go pick it right out of my front yard. I was at Walmart on Saturday and saw the red peppers which are really high in Illinois and 1.86 each pepper and I thought not this year, I am not having to buy those. I will be taking my pepper plants in the house this winter, I have read that they can survive and produce all year. We'll see I have my doubts about that, but its worth at try!!! Next year i am doing zuccinni. I am so mad that I didnt get it planted.

 

[Hound dog]

Way To Go Jody!

Yes. It's nice to look at those high fresh fruit/veggie prices and say I don't have to pay that and mine tastes better. LOL

I may try a peach tree yet, if it's the same here as Illinois. Ours sure had no trouble whatsoever growing in the backyard when I was a kid. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. I like apples, but apples draw deer...........and while I'm in town......there is a neighbor not too far away that has quite a bit of land who has been feeding the darn deer apples for years and years. Nice I suppose, but now we have a herd that is NOT afraid to come into not only the neighborhood but into back yards and munch. At the last house we rented we also had an apple tree. I had the herd in my yard every morning and night once they were ripe. But I'm trying to keep them OUT of the yard now. (we only moved like 2 blocks away) I had them in my yard all darn fall and spring. Rowdy is so darn used to them (having seen them since his puppyhood) he doesn't even make a sound. ugh And now the yard is loaded with ticks, when I rarely saw one before. I've had to get onto Travis to keep the gate closed too.....but he always forgets.

 

[Jody]

Oh I love deer, but they are definately a garden nuisance. I am living in an apartment now, but I think I am going back to a mobile home. I need my own yard and not too much of one. I can't stand not being able to landscape my own place. I keep looking for a mobile home with a covered porch, but haven't found one yet. I would almost like to live outside during the summer and spring and fall. I hate winter but the holidays get me thru it.

 

[AnnieO]

Lisa... Plant marigolds and onions around the perimeter of your yard.

Bonus 1: less bugs.
Bonus 2: deer eat the onion tops... And LEAVE. They don't like cilantro, either.

 

[Hound dog]

Hmm. Knew about the marigolds (they're great for mosquitoes)........and I have wild onions growing all over the yard. Yummy. Which might be attracting the deer? Otherwise I've no clue what they found so tasty last fall/spring. I had nothing planted yet.

Stupid me just didn't buy marigolds this year. ugh

 

[AnnieO]

You have some weird deer. We planted old nasty onions, and the deer would come, take a bite, and skedaddle.

Maybe it's cause I buy white onions???

 

[DammitJanet]

The reason peaches may have grown when you were a child could be it was when you were a child...the weather has sure changed since then. I cant even grow apples in my yard because its too hot but I have one pear tree that does well some years. It isnt doing well this year though. The winter wasnt right I think. I think it bloomed too early and then it was just done. Maybe next year. Last year I had so many pears we made tons of pear jam.