Growing a vegetable garden - The Bayou Gardener

Fall Garden - Time to Plant

Lima Beans - now till Sept. 1st

Mustard Greens - now till March 15th

Turnip - now till Feb. 28th

Snap Beans - now till Sept. 10th

Beets - now till Oct. 1st

Swiss Chard – now till Oct. 10th

Kohlrabi - now till Oct. 30th

Lettuce – now till Sept. 30th

Irish Potatoes – now till Sept. 10th

Carrots – Sept. 1st till Nov. 1st.

English Peas – Sept. 1st. till Sept. 15th

Radish – Sept. 1st till Nov. 1st

Onion Seeds – Sept. 20th till Oct. 15th

My Planting Guide

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No need to side-dress your Sweet Corn ???

If someone tells you there is no need to side-dress your sweet corn then I'd tell em to come take a look at the photo above.  About a week and a half before this photo was taken I started side-dressing with 20-20-20 fertilizer.  I completed two rows then it started pouring down rain and was unable to do the row on the right.  You can easily tell by the color, height and the development of the ears that side-dressing does indeed make a big difference.  It's recommended doing so at 12" and 36 inches tall using Calcium Nitrate (15-15-15) at 2 lbs. per 100 ft. of row or approx 1.5 lbs. of 20-20-20 per 100 ft. of row.  I like using the water soluble fertilizer to side-dress because there is no need to incorporate it into the soil, it soaks right in.     

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Water Soluble Fertilizer for the garden:

Granular fertilizer is ideal for pre-plant applications. Before making the last pass with your tiller through the garden in the spring or fall, broadcast your fertilizer at the rate shown here, How much Fertilizer. Immediately after spreading the fertilizer till the garden again to incorporate it into the soil. Make your rows and plant. Most folks don’t plant their entire garden at the same time so I would suggest only fertilizing that part of the garden you plan on planting now.

There are only two groups of vegetables that don’t require side-dressing, beans / peas and sweet potatoes, everything else requires added nutrients during the season. If you’re side-dressing with a granular fertilizer you’ll have to incorporate it into the soil. If not done carefully you stand the chance of damaging the root system. Here’s when a water soluble fertilizer such as Calcium Nitrate or Peter’s 20-20-20 comes in. Mix the desired amount in your water can or tank and apply near the base of the plants. The water soluble fertilizer will soak in and there’s no need to incorporate it. With the ease of application you can divide the rate and make multiple applications until you reach the recommended amounts, feeding your plants over a longer period. Multiple applications is a little more work but well worth a try.

New Product from Hoss Tools

Hoss Tools has introduced its standalone seeder/planter for the vegetable garden. Like the seeder attachment for the Wheel Hoe this planter is engineered to handle both large and small seeds. Hoss has added a larger drive wheel and rolling coulters to its design. Included seed plants can handle everything from mustard seed to sweet corn. Blank seed plates are available and can be easily customized for your unique needs. With a suggested retail price of $299 this one will be hard to beat.  Visit Hoss Tools for more info. 

Video:  New Hoss Seeder

The Raised Beds - April Update