My garden for 2018

[SouthernFarmer1984]

I just finished putting in the last transplant yesterday, I have around 100 Bell Peppers, 45 Bush Early Girls and 43 Bush Roma Tomatoes. Last thing I have to do is staking the plants and doing some patch work on the cloth weed barrier where it ripped from so much foot traffic when I was working.

 

[baymule]

VERY nice, well laid out garden! How do you like the weed cloth? We use cardboard and mulch.

 

[SouthernFarmer1984]

Well I used the cloth woven like weed barrier as left over since we didn't have enough of the plastic mulch to stretch out, but personally? I hate it because the weeds are growing right through it And it rips so easy, But when I patch the spots it should double the cloth and help stop that. I won't use it again I will make sure if I do another section like in the picture I have enough of the plastic tarp. ^_^

 

[baymule]

We got a bale of cardboard and are de-taping it, laying it down and covering with mulch. Not completely weed proof either, but it helps.

 

[SouthernFarmer1984]

I love the black plastic tarp! It's 8 mil I think and that's pretty thick. The only weeds I see are inside the pots and the stragglers that grow on the outside where the tarp has been ripped for the opening with the pot. And I have water storing crystals so if it rains that's about 2 days of water depending on how hard and long it rained, I know when the plants need water, I told my mom " I know when my babies need water " ^_^ A gallon bucket gives them water for 4 days. And I only fertilize when the leafs start to turn a lime green you know when they start to yellow? And the flower blooms are give a dose of Epsom salt water to make the fruit bigger.

 

[thistlebloom]

Are you growing in the pots Southern Gardener, or do you transplant into the ground? Looks tidy.

 

[SouthernFarmer1984]

Are you growing in the pots Southern Gardener, or do you transplant into the ground? Looks tidy.

I start the seeds off in cell trays, and once they get 4-5 leafs then I transplant straight into the pot that's buried in the ground. ^_^ When my sister saw the pots she asked my mother " You did cut the bottoms off those pots right? " I felt like Bill Engvall I wanted to say " Nah I was gonna let em get root bound and die, Here's your sign "

 

[AMKuska]

that's a lot of tomatoes! What are you going to do with the harvest?

 

[ninnymary]

Why do you plant in pots instead of the ground? Are those 1 gallon?

Mary

 

[SouthernFarmer1984]

that's a lot of tomatoes! What are you going to do with the harvest?

Well my mom want's to use the Roma's mainly to make tomato sauce and can it since they are so meaty and less pulp and seed they are suppose to be the best for sauce making. That way we won't have to buy tomato sauce at the grocery stores for a while And we can just dice the early girls in with it and use the peppers to flavor it along with herbs and whatever else we want! ^_^

Plus if at all possible I would like to sell my crop for a profit, Going to take a drive to a local produce stand and see if the owner would be interested in buying anything, if not then my mother is going to be canning tomatoes and sauce while I freeze bell peppers.