MennoNet.com

I didn't do much gardening the past few years. Decided to try a few three-sister plots that the younger children can take care of. Corn, beans, and squash planted in a circle. I may also try my hand at Canna Lilies.

And you?

Have seeds here some from previous years and some new and sweet potato plants on order. My oldest has really gotten into gardening and canning and is starting many of her seeds so gave her our grow lights, heat pads and stands and showing her what to do. Fun to pass on those things. Will get my tomato plants from her.
right now tho it is just waiting til time to plant and that is a bit off. Tho in the next month or 2 will prune blueberries and raspberries.

These small gardens are for the younger children. I personally could get by growing some Heirloom tomatoes.

I cut some Concord grape vines, and am trying to get them to root for new plants. I never had success before, hoping I can this year.

RZehr wrote: ↑Tue Jan 17, 2023 10:27 am I cut some Concord grape vines, and am trying to get them to root for new plants. I never had success before, hoping I can this year.

This sounds promising. I enjoy grapes.

We are doing the standard leafy greens, squash and beans. Tomatoes most certainly. My wife is choosing the varieties and I will be growing "potatoes in a bucket". I have a number of those 5 gallon buckets that will serve nicely for growing potatoes.

We are planning to start our own seeds again this year. This will be the 3rd year of using gallon size water / milk jugs to start the seeds in outside. Hoping to get the first ones planted this week.

We find the plants are much stockier and already hardened off and ready to plant in the garden, when grown in mini greenhouses.


RZehr, would it work to take a long grape vine and put part of it under ground in the spring? Kind of in a U shape. Might it root at that spot and then you could detach and plant it where you want it?

Yes, that is one way to do it. But I don’t have the original plant, my brother does a few hours away. I got some vine cutting from him, and by the time I remembered to ask him about looping one vine into the ground for me, he already had them all pruned.
I wanted to do it just as insurance, in case my cuttings failed. I also gave some to another person to try. My idea was to try multiple ways in hopes that I would get at least two good plants.

Deer ate all my grape starts so I gave up trying to plant a grape arbor. I wanted to put them on a slope where fencing them in would be difficult and un-scenic.

I have raised beds with chicken wire covers over them for the stuff like lettuce. I'm going to put in another bed this year and surround the whole thing with a 6 ft deer fence with about 2 ft of chicken wire around the bottom to keep out the rabbits.

Planning to put in:

lots of varieties of tomatoes
lots of varieties of peppers
lots of varieties of lettuce
zucchini
spinach
heirloom carrots
summer squash
cucumbers
snow peas
eggplant
green onions/scallions
going to try artichokes and asparagus which I have never grown before

I also have a separate herb garden where I have:
chives
basil (lots)
oregano
mint
tarragon
sage
thyme
rosemary
some other odd stuff I'm forgetting

I don't usually bother with stuff that is usually cheap and of good quality at the local stores like potatoes, onions, garlic, regular carrots, cabbage, etc. I focus on the stuff that is expensive and definitely better home grown like tomatoes and cucumbers.

I'm also going to put some dwarf citrus trees on the deck in pots on rollers so I can roll them into the house during the winter.

Some day I'm going to get set up to grow all my tomato and pepper starts from seeds. But I usually don't get around to it until too late and have to just buy them from the nursery.

We got our seeds from Johnny's today. Still waiting on Fedco which we ordered at the same time.

Sent off an order for Apple trees, cherry trees and grape vines today.

My sister will save some of her raspberry plant starts for us.