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dulahey

Brand New to Gardening

dulahey
11 years ago

Hello all,

My wife and I just bought our very first house. One of the most exciting aspects of this is that we finally get to have our own garden!

The people that lived there before us never had a garden and they built the house 9 years ago. Before that the entire addition was native land which may or may not have been farmed in the past. So anyway, the soil is basically untouched.

Once we get settled in, we'll go out and mark the specific area we want the garden to be in. Once we do that I plan on taking a sample to the OSU County Extension office and getting it tested. Beyond that, we don't really have anything specifically planned out yet. I figure the test results will help us finalize which vegetables we want to grow the first year.

What I'd like to get from the rest of you all is any tips/suggestions for a brand new garden. Should we install drip hoses? Or is sprinkler watering just fine? What's the best kind of barrier to put around the garden? Should we even bother with a barrier the first year since there's a good chance we'll expand in future years? I have a copy of the OSU Extension's Oklahoma Garden Planning Guide, is there any other guides/articles that you suggest I read?

Those are just some example questions, but I want to hear anything and everything you guys have to offer.

P.S. In the future I also want to try my hand at growing some grape vines.

Comments (102)

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well it was so nice out yesterday I finally got to play around with the sprinkler system the previous owners had installed. I had only seen a few sprinklers right around the edge of the house and assumed that's all it was.

    Well I was wrong. They have the entire yard covered. Every single square foot. Now I'm going to have to really figure out where to place my raised beds...

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    For those of you who grow grapes, can you recommend places where you have purchased vines from? Preferably in the OKC area, specifically the South side if possible. I actually saw some at Home Depot last night, but plants from there have always kind of worried me.

    Also, do any of you have any insight into dealing with a lawn sprinkler system and your garden? Should I just accept that as my watering system, or should I just disable the sprinklers in the garden area and stick to a drip irrigation system?

  • chickencoupe
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Howdy Dulahey!

    I don't know diddly, but I like to think I do cuz I have the bestus group on this forum to ask. They put up with me pretty well, too.

    Bon

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Charles,

    Your soil is sadly lacking in organic matter and I imagine it will drain incredibly quickly whenever rain falls or when you irrigate it. I have a band of sandy-silty soil like that at the western end of my garden. In our first few years here, which were mostly drought years, I couldn't get that soil to hold moisture well at all and nothing I planted did well there once the worst summer heat arrived. I just kept adding every kind of organic matter to it that I could, including lots of chopped/shredded autumn leaves, grass clippings, compost, composted manure, leaf mold collected from the woodland, etc. year-round. The first few years we rototilled it into the soil, but the last few years it has been added to the top and we just let the earthworms and other soil-dwelling critters work it into the soil. Has it made a difference? Certainly it has, but that soil never will be as good as the clay that has had similar amendment. Everything grows well enough in it though, although the July and August heat/drought of the last 2 years has been really hard on the plants in that part of the garden. Still, the soil we have there now is a huge improvement over what we found when we broke ground there in 1999.

    Dulahey,

    Using a sprinkler system with a vegetable garden can be tricky and I would always prefer drip irrigation. One of the main issues with any sort of watering that puts moisture on plant foliage is that it contributes to the development and spread of many diseases. Also, sprinkler systems waste a lot of water because a significant portion of the water evaporates in the air before it can reach the ground and the plant roots.

    As for grapes or any other nursery stock, I've had no problem with plants of any kind bought at Lowe's or Home Depot. Down here in extreme south-central OK there are not a lot of nurseries and I tend to shop a lot at those two stores and at Wal-Mart as well. The important thing is to be sure you're getting varieties that will grow well here in OK. Nowadays stores seem to do a better job of stocking varieties for our region, but I still see some varieties of some fruit in nurseries that I don't think is necessarily the best choice for this part of the country. I usually do my research and head off to the stores with a list of varieties well-adapted to this part of the country.

    Dawn

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks Dawn, I finally pinned down where I want to put my raised beds. I'm just going to line them up right in front of our North fence that runs east/west. About 8 feet south of that fence there is a row of sprinklers that are more misters than anything. The previous owners used to have a stockade fence that was more inside the property than the current chainlink. The stockade fence was just inside the property from these "misters". The misters were there to water that 8' of property on the outside of the stockade fence.

    Anyway, those misters are spaced about every 10 feet along the fence. My current plan is to see if I can replace those misters with Rainbird's drip/tube watering devices. But I've yet to research how well those work and how long they can be expected to last.

    I also found an old post from Chandra talking about where he got his soil for his raised beds. He mentioned an old farmer in Lexington who had the best soil off the 3 he got. I contacted the fellow and he has agreed to deliver an entire dumptruck to me for a very low price!

  • okak
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am also new to Oklahoma gardening and have read this thread for the last five years. We bought some land here several years ago and put in a small orchard and several flower beds.
    We are retired and moved here this spring. Coming from Alaska has been definetly a change but my dream of gardening has come true.
    I can not thank you all enough for giving us new gardeners your time, knowledge and experience. I have copied volumes of very much needed information and can't wait to play in the dirt.
    We are curently putting in raised cement block beds in our garden area and thought I would tell you about who we have gotten both our past and current soil from and have found it to the best compost and garden soil. I have gotten soil from places in Okc and Norman and this is by far the best we have found. It is Redbud Compost from Elmore City. I went to his business to see how he composts, what he uses etc and was quite impressed. He is currenty bagging compost and garden soil for Marcums but also sells it in bulk. He also works with the Noble Foundation.
    I am not familiar with the gentlemen in Lexington. I only know Redbud
    compost from buying from him but thought it might be another resource for us gardeners.
    Happy gardening,
    Jan

  • soonergrandmom
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jan, I hope you enjoy Oklahoma, and yes, it is a big change. Our mosquitoes are not quite as plentiful and definitely not as big, but we have hundreds of other insects to make up for it. Our crops have to stay in the ground a lot more days to get the same amount of daylight hours, but since we get s-o-o-o hot, we have to start early so we can harvest the cool crops before the horrible heat sets in. If you don't 'burn out' while your gardens are 'burning up', it is possible to get another crop in the Fall (if you get the timing right).

    My husband is retired now and we live in NE Oklahoma, but I have lived in Alaska 8 years, six in Anchorage and two in Wasilla. We moved from Wasilla to Norman and my kids all asked for new coats because they were 'freezing to death' and couldn't stand the wind.

    Alaska is a nice place to live, but not a great place to retire. Welcome to the Forum and welcome to Oklahoma. Carol

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Picked up all the materials to make my raised beds this week.

    I really wanted to make 16'x4' beds but I don't have a way to transport 16' boards home! lol

    So I just went ahead and went for the smaller 8'x4' beds. I got enough to make 5 of them and then one 4'x4' bed for permanent asparagus. Also picked up two of the stock fences that Chandra used on his beds and cut them in half. So 4 of the beds will have vertical capability.

    And as I am typing this, Mr. Calvin Beavers just called me and will be delivering my soil tomorrow afternoon! Looks like I have a busy week ahead with practically no sunlight.

  • okak
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Carol,
    Thank you for the warm welcome.
    We lived in Anchorage for 14 years then on the Kenai Penninsula for another 20 and loved it.
    I had a large raspberry bed and lots of flowers but we lived in a brown bear corridor and it was just to dangerous to garden so I am looking forward to this spring.
    Hopefully we will be ready to start maters etc this weekend as we are about finished with the potting shed. We picked up shelves and lights today so I am about ready.
    Jan

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Jan,

    Welcome to Oklahoma and welcome to the forum! I cannot imagine coming here from Alaska. Talk about a total change in the weather.....

    I hope you'll post often and tell us what you're doing and how it's going. We all learn so much from one another and we enjoy sharing ideas and experiences.

    This sudden January warm-up has me thinking that we might get to plant early again this spring and I'm excited about that. Planting early is about the only way we can beat the heat here, because we sure can't control the weather.

    Dawn

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well I dug 3 of the 8x4 beds today and "planted" the bermuda in other dead spots around the yard. Tough work doing it with only a shovel. Figured it's good for me and saves $80 bucks for a sod cutter rental.

    I'll try and get pictures uploaded later, but I started my row of beds right at the NE corner of my shed. This means the beds closest to the shed will get some shade at the end of the day. I think that was suggested by somebody on here. The closest bed will be a good spot for broccoli I figure.

    Each bed is directly next to an existing rainbird in-ground sprinkler. I'm still not 100% sure how I'm going to do it, but I'm going to convert those heads to somehow irrigate my beds. Either through rainbird equipment (emitter hosing) or just tap straight into the line in the ground with PVC.

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I also need to figure out where to put the 4x4 bed for asparagus. I'm not sure if it should be in the middle of the other beds, or at the end. I'm assuming it doesn't matter, but is there any special tips for asparagus location?

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    duplicate post! :(

    This post was edited by Dulahey on Wed, Jan 30, 13 at 20:59

  • soonergrandmom
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    One of the hard things about growing asparagus in Oklahoma is keeping the bermuda out of the bed. Since it is going to be there for 15 years, or more, I would put it where it would be easiest to keep the grass from creeping in.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My tip is that you not put it anywhere close to a grassy area where grass can creep in. My asparagus bed is about 10' from the north garden fence and I waited over a decade before planting it because I had such a persistent issue with bermuda grass and Johnson Grass (which makes bermuda grass look like a weakling) invading the garden from the adjacent pasture land that I wouldn't even plant asparagus until I was confident I could keep the grass out.

    Also, do all the soil improvement to that area that you need to do first, because once the asparagus roots are planted, the only way to improve the soil is from the top down by piling on organic matter as a form of mulch on top of the asparagus beds.

    My asparagus is on the north side of the garden so it won't shade out other plants since it can get fairly tall. I plant even taller plants, like tomato plants, pole beans or corn, to its north.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My tip is that you not put it anywhere close to a grassy area where grass can creep in. My asparagus bed is about 10' from the north garden fence and I waited over a decade before planting it because I had such a persistent issue with bermuda grass and Johnson Grass (which makes bermuda grass look like a weakling) invading the garden from the adjacent pasture land that I wouldn't even plant asparagus until I was confident I could keep the grass out.

    Also, do all the soil improvement to that area that you need to do first, because once the asparagus roots are planted, the only way to improve the soil is from the top down by piling on organic matter as a form of mulch on top of the asparagus beds.

    My asparagus is on the north side of the garden so it won't shade out other plants since it can get fairly tall. I plant even taller plants, like tomato plants, pole beans or corn, to its north.

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    The asparagus bed will also be a raised bed. Grass shouldn't be too big of an issue.

  • slowpoke_gardener
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I have never had Bermuda grass that was afraid of a raised bed. Unless you dig down pretty deep and have a solid barrier you will have some that will find a way in. The closest I have come to a Bermuda free bed was by digging and pouring a footing and building a rock and mortar wall, it worked very well, also cost plenty.

    Larry

  • soonergrandmom
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Most of my asparagus is in a raised bed made from 2x12 and I will have to dig out grass when Spring comes. I mulch it heavily in Fall with lots of leaves and try to keep it as clean as possible in the Spring, but I know that isn't enough because I had to take out some bermuda last year. Bermuda will creep toward water and root along the stem. It is evil.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I concur with Carol's and Larry's comments. Most of my edible garden is raised beds and bermuda grass sneaks in, creeps in and relentless attacks. Never turn your back on the evil bermuda grass. Keep in mind that some bermuda grass types spread by seed too.

    My brother tried to keep bermuda grass out of an ornamental bed by putting down black plastic and putting white marble stones over it. The bermuda came up under that mess of plastic and stone mulch and grew up through the openings in the black plastic where the plants were planted. When we removed the white marble rocks and the black plastic about 5 years later, there were white bermuda grass stolons running everywhere, both on top of the soil surface and down beneath it. I would have thought it would have been smothered out after 5 years under black plastic, but it wasn't. Bermuda grass is very aggressive.

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well I got my beds built and the soil to fill them with has been delivered. I just haven't filled them yet. I'm debating if I want to put some black plastic down first or not. At the minimum, I'm going to put a layer of cardboard and newspaper down.

    I just worry about not getting the plastic sealed well enough to block the bermuda, and then sealing it too well that it becomes a waterproof container! I suppose I can always drill some weep holes if I did that.

    Any thoughts from you guys?

    Pic is a little dark. Sun was setting last night after I finished.

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well the picture was there on the preview... lets try again.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your beds look great.

    My personal choice would be cardboard or newspaper instead of black plastic because they would decompose and help enrich the soil. Also, I have found cardboard and newspaper attracts many earthworms to the soil and that's always a desirable thing.

    You are going to have trouble with the bermuda. There is just no way around it. When I have raised beds like that, I have the best success keeping bermuda grass out by putting a layer of thick, high-quality weedblock fabric down all around the beds and piling at least 4" of mulch on top of it. If I use weedblock fabric that is 4' wide, than the issue will be that I'll be fighting to keep the bermuda 4' away from the bed, not fighting it coming up under the wooden bed edgings. In my experience, without that weedblock, the bermuda stolons get underneath the boards and run wild, using the ground directly beneath the boards as a superhighway. Then you have to lift the boards and dig out those stolons. Make no mistake about it. Weedblock fabric is not concrete. Weeds and grass can sprout in the mulch on top of it or in the ground underneath it and can grow right through it, but it is highly effective if you promptly remove any grass or weeds trying to grow above, beneath or through it. Otherwise, it is just a big mess and is ineffective. I never, ever, ever could maintain my large garden as well as I do without the weedblock fabric, especially in the pathways. By the end of each gardening year, the mulch is mostly decomposed down into compost and I shovel it up into the beds to enrich the soil and then put down a new layer of mulch. So, now only is the mulch on top of the weedblock fabric helping keep the bermuda away from the garden beds, it is serving as a sheet composting system. It is a whole lot easier to use my compost scoop to scoop up compost and put it in beds directly adjacent to the pathways than to shovel compost into a wheelbarrow at the compost pile and wheel into the garden and shovel it into the beds.

    Whatever you do, don't buy cheap weedblock fabric because it doesn't work at all. I made the mistake our first or second year here of buying the cheap stuff that is perforated with holes to "allow rainfall to penetrate". Oh yes, the rainfall penetrated the fabric quite well, and so did weeds and grass. Every one of those millions of little tiny holes had grass and weeds grow up through them. I practically break out in hives when I see the perforated-hole weedblock on store shelves.

    Please be sure you do not underestimate the bermuda grass. It is relentless about making its way to great garden soil and moisture. When people ask me how to start a bermuda grass lawn, I tell them (only half-jokingly) to rototill the soil and plant vegetables and they'll have a dense bermuda grass lawn in a couple of months. It happens to every gardener near me who just plows up the ground and plants. Within a couple of months the bermuda grass, Johnson grass and broadleaf weeds take over the garden. I see it year after year, and it makes me wonder why they don't come up with a weed-control plan to mulch or do something else to control the weeds.

    After all the hard work you've done so far, the most important thing remaining is to develop a good weed control strategy and then do everything you can to stay on top of the weeds. Nothing will take the joy out of gardening more quickly than having bermuda grass infiltrate your beautiful garden beds.

  • MiaOKC
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    There is a great thread about bermuda and raised beds that Chandra started. I'll link for you. I am also combating the devil's grass, bermuda, and am planning to put down cardboard, mulch heavily, and institute a brick/paver pathway around my veggie bed that is at least a foot wide so if I do have to resort to chemical measures, I can try to separate it from my edibles a slight bit.

    Here is a link that might be useful: raised beds and bermuda

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks for the tips!

    I suppose the best option is to just remove the bermuda around the beds and just mulch it. However, I don't think I can do 4' as suggested by dawn. That's a lot! I think I would probably start with 2'.

    What kind of mulch would you recommend? Preferably something cheap. I'm really trying to keep the costs down. Unlike many on here, I don't really have a huge supply of leaves. We're in a newer neighborhood and trees still aren't large and plentiful. Someone in that thread that Mia linked said they used straw. 20 bales for $100. I sure thought bales cost a lot more than that. But I could be wrong.

    I'm so sick of digging out the bermuda by hand... can I just use a weedeater and cut down the bermuda to the dirt? Then cover with cardboard, wet newspaper and then mulch? Or should I cave in and rent a sod machine?

    This wasn't something I had even been thinking about really, so I'm kind of at a loss of direction.

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    On the outside of the mulched walkway area, do you guys recommend some kind of edging to try and keep the mulch in the walkway? What types of edging would you recommend?

  • luvabasil
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I tried weedeating to nothing but sand..........the bermuda sent me a thank you note. I tried burning...another thank you note. I am going to try an exorcism next. Or a voodoo doll. Maybe if it were a voodoo doll made out of bermuda and I put round up on the pins before I stick the doll............hmmmm.

  • p_mac
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh Dulahey.....those beds looks beautiful...but I'm afraid you just sent out the "welcome" sign to ANY bermuda stolons. Since you will have good, fertile dirt in those beds that of course will be watered frequently...really, if you were a grass wouldn't you want to live there? LOL!

    Try the 2' barrier. And you might try the metal edging. I use it and when I weed-eat, I turn the tool vertically and cut way down next to the edging. That helps cut the stolons back some, although a few will just go deeper and under the metal. If you trim it weekly, you MIGHT be able to stay on top of it.

    I personally prefer cypress mulch that I get at the box stores on sale in the spring. Cypress is a natural insect repellant and I've had good luck with it.

    Paula

  • MiaOKC
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    My preferred mulch is eucalyptus. It is not always easy to get, but usually Lowe's & HD have it - they cannot keep it in stock sometimes because it is so sought-after. I have found it is the best at keeping ants at bay. Other mulches, even cypress, had the effect of calling ants in the millions and it was hard to work in the beds without ants crawling up my arms and over my legs in horror-movie fashion. My favorite edging is the rolled-edge black plastic kind. You dig a trench with a sharp shooter and pound it in. It is easier to make curves with (if you let it warm in the sun first) and you can make it nearly flush with the ground, and my husband likes it because he can put one mower tire up on it and mow right up to the edge without fear of breaking a blade like against a metal edging.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    That sounds like a terrific idea.

    It would be better if you could remove all bermuda grass within 2 miles of your garden,, but since you cannot do that, I guess 2' will work.

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, I'm also thinking of putting the 5" deep black plastic edging between the mulch and the bermuda of my yard.

    Would you also agree this is worth doing, Dawn?

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well I got the bermuda removed around the raised beds and then filled them up!

    Next up is getting the black edging installed and then getting the woodchips delivered and installed.

    Oh and also planting! Which can actually be done at any time now!

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you can get the black plastic edging down deeper than the roots of the bermuda it will be worth doing. In Fort Worth I used green steel edging but that was in the 1980s, and I imagine it costs a whole lot more now than it did back then.

    Planting of some things can be done now, but with caution and with the understanding that you may need to use floating row cover to protect young plantings from heavy frost, sleet, snow and freezing temps. Ever cold-hardy veggies can suffer damage or even death in late cold spells in February and March.

    I am about as far south as you can go and still be on the Oklahoma side of the Red River and it has been down to about 25 degrees with heavy frost in the last few days, though also as warm as the upper 70s in the last 8 or 10 days, and I haven't put anything in the ground yet. I will soon, but not until this week's cold weather and rain are through with us.....and then only if my 10-day forecast looks good.

    I wish I had a nickle for every plant that I've lost to late cold spells here. It has made me a more cautious gardener.

    Dawn

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Understood. I didn't necessarily mean that I could actually plant right now. Only that, since I got the dirt inside the beds, I could plant if I wanted to now.

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Oh, well, that certainly is true.

    Just because I am not ready to put stuff in the ground yet doesn't mean I'm not planting stuff.

    I have an unheated greenhouse that is full of flats of seedlings. I have some plants in containers that are on the patio. I have some plants in a large cattle trough feeder left over from fall and all I do is throw a frost blanket over them if I expect our overnight low to fall below about 25-28 degrees. I have some plants on the sunporch. I have another flat set up with peat pellets to start 72 more varieties of flowers and herbs, likely tomorrow, because today has been kind of hectic.

    So, while I am not growing anything in the ground yet, that doesn't mean I'm not sowing seeds and growing stuff.

    I have a light shelf indoors that will easily hold 16 flats of plants, and with some creative cramming together of flats and letting some hang off the edge of the shelves, I could put 20 flats there. However, it is empty right now. I've been moving everything out to the greenhouse to grow there just the very minute something in the flat sprouts. I have 50% shade cloth on it, but they still get better light out there than inside on the light shelf.

    To a certain extent, having the light shelf, greenhouse and container plantings help rein in my urge to put anything into the ground too soon because they enable me to play in the dirt with the seeds and the plants without actually putting something in the ground.

    The day that I will begin putting stuff into the ground rapidly approaches now, but I am further south than probably 98% of the people on here, so I can plant earlier some years.....if the weather is behaving. Right now it is behaving beautifully during the day but then getting too cold and frosty at night.

    Dawn

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So it's nearing time to plant, and as someone who's never purchased their own seeds before, I'm looking for advice on what to buy. I know most of you order specific species from catalogs, but as I was too late for that I'm just needing to buy locally this year.

    Unlike alot of you, I don't know all the different species and which ones are better adapted for Oklahoma. And the back of seed packets are far from informational. Can any of you give me advice on what to get? What to look for? Specific locations around the OKC metro area to go?

    Any advice is once again greatly appreciated!

  • Macmex
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Name the kind of plant you're interested in and then I'm sure we can help with suggestions. For winter squash I'd recommend something from the c. moschata family. These are butternuts of all varieties, Seminole, Choctow pumpkin and Old Timey Cornfield Pumpkin. Most of these have rather large plants. When I grew a more restricted growth style moschata I tried Burpee's Butterbush Butternut and Ponca Butternut. This was back in the 80s. I found the Butterbush to be the most restrained. But I thought the fruit was too small. Ponca, on the other hand was a nice size and only had 5-6' vines.

    George

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dulahey, I agree with George. We need to know which kinds of plants you're interested in growing so we can list varieties that have done well for us.

    I also agree with George's recommendations of the C. moschata kinds of winter squash (or even summer squash, in a couple of instances). Wondering why? Squash vine borers are a huge issue in our state. They will ruin a squash crop before you harvest many (or even any) squash at all. The C. moschata types of squash or pumpkins (pumpkins are winter squash) are resistant, though not immune, to squash vine borers.

    Sometimes, squash vine borers won't find a new garden during its first couple of years, unless you have other nearby backyard veggie gardens that already have been found by the SVBs. I actually went 5 or 6 years here before the SVBs found my garden, and during those years I happily grew all kinds of squash and pumpkins. After the SVBs found our garden, I've switched almost entirely to C. moschatas for winter squash/pumpkins, though I grew a couple of C. pepo plants last year that managed to produce 2 ripe pumpkins each before the SVBs found them in August and killed the vines.

    While we all have favorite varieties we like to grow here in terms of veggies, fruit, flowers and herbs (as well as trees, shrubs, etc.), almost any variety you plant will grow and will produce. It is just we choose favorites for various reasons--flavor, productivity, vigor/good health and good disease resistance, etc.

    Dawn

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Well, I'm wanting to grow all the typical vegetables people usually grow. I printed off the OSU fact sheet HLA-6032. Which is their list of good varieties to grow in Oklahoma.

    I have a feeling if I asked you guys for specific plants for everything I wouldn't find most of them in stores.

    I think I'll amend my questions in my previous post to only ask for good specific locations that carry a good selection. Should I just go to Lowes or something and grab whatever seeds I can get? Or a local nursery? What if they don't carry a variety listed on the OSU sheet? Should I just go with whatever this year?

  • lat0403
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I'd say about half of the varieties on that fact sheet are available in stores. Most of those seeds are carried by Ferry-Morse (and other FM brands). You can find them at Lowe's, Wal-Mart, pretty much anywhere that sells seeds. There are certain favorites that won't be available in stores, though. A lot of the people here grow Packman broccoli and I don't think you're going to find that in stores. You may find plants, but not seeds. Sun Gold cherry tomato is another example of that, except I'm not sure you'd even find plants. I think you should be able to just go to Lowe's with the fact sheet and find plenty to grow. You may miss out on some favorites, but there's always next year.

    Leslie

  • MiaOKC
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I am a "go to the store and get whatever" type of shopper. Don't ever get it together enough to order from catalogs or extensively research varieties.

    I was at TLC on Memorial yesterday seed shopping. I am already overrun with seeds, so I tried to limit myself (specifically looking for some ornamental things rather than veggies) but I still manage to get out of there with more packets than intended. Last year, I think I found HD had better/wider selection than Lowe's (then I never got around to starting anything last year anyway). I am a sucker for the pretty pictures on the seed packets, so I don't go too in depth on which varieties are best. In my experience, generally hybrid tomatoes are the only ones I get decent yields from. I love the idea and the mystique of the heirlooms, but they just do not set tomatoes for me like the hybrids. I still plant them (thanks Spring Fling!). That may be related to the fact I haven't put them in until after the Fling, and that has been a little later than our heat likes the last few years. And lastly, I am terrible at keeping track of which tomatoes are which once they are in the ground, so it's hit or miss record keeping for sure. Last year I bought only plants grown at Lowe's and while some may have been heirlooms, they got planted in March since it was so warm. I got most of the heirlooms from the Fling and put them in much later.

    After my first year, I learned "you don't have to plant the entire packet of tomato seeds." That's a good way to have 60 plants of the same thing, bearing at the same time, needing picking at the same time, and rotting at the same time if you cannot get to them all. Yesterday I finally got around to sowing my tomatoes and peppers, and I limited myself to 3 of each variety, since I can really only squeeze about 18-20 tomatoes into my 15x15 garden and have any room for anything else.

    You might try searching out "grow lists" on the forum and you will see lots of varieties people like. Then print it off and take it to the store with you and see if you can get any of them. My rule of thumb is cherry tomatoes are more successful for me than full sized, look for thin-skinned tomatoes (tough skins taste the worst), next successful is roma-style, and I eat a lot of these in salsas, etc. I only planted one full sized yesterday and it was Fourth of July, got at HD last year.

  • p_mac
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dulahey - it's still a bit early for most plants - but I highly recommend the "Red Dirt" brand that can be found at atwoods or many road side stands. It's grown in gurthrie and I've found both heirloom tomatoes & hybrids that have been gorwn right here in our climate.

    Last year - I actually found Pac-man brocolli at lowes!

    The important thing is to grow what you love. Try a few things just for kicks but don't go crazy. If we have a Spring Fling this year - you'll be able to pick up lots of interesting things!

  • MiaOKC
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    THERE'S THE S.F. WORD! I've been dying for someone to mention it but no one has... and I evidently forced the issue by bringing it up in my comment. :-)

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I ended up going to K&K (in Norman) this afternoon. They sell bulk seeds for cheap and all seem to be good for Oklahoma, so I just picked up what they had.

    Cool Weather Veggies:
    Chantenay Red Core - Carrot Seeds
    Danvers - Carrot Seeds
    White Onion Bulbs - Basically just for salsa
    Giant Noble - Spinach Seeds
    Bloomsdale - Spinach Seeds
    Mix Bag of Cherry Bell, Scarlet Globe, and White Icicle - Radish Seeds
    Siberian - Kale Seeds
    Calabrese - Broccoli Plants
    Raab - Broccoli Plants
    Ruby Perfection - Cabbage Plants
    Bright Lights - Swiss Chard Plants
    Jade Cross - Brussels Sprouts Plants
    Snow Crown - Cauliflower
    UC-157 - Asparagus Crowns

    Herb seeds:
    Slow Bolt - Cilantro
    Large Leaf Italian - Basil
    Broadleaf - Sage
    True Greek - Oregano
    French - Rosemary
    German - Chamomile
    True - Lavender

    Summer Veggie Seeds:
    Straightneck - Yellow Squash
    Crooked Neck - Yellow Squash
    Dark Green - Zucchini
    Long Green Pod - Okra
    Burgundy - Okra
    National Pickling - Cucumber
    Kentucky Wonder - Pole Bean

    And a few Marigold plants.

    All the plants, except for Calabrese Broccoli, come from Red Dirt in Guthrie. I had been checking on Atwoods in Norman, but they still have zero plants. Only potatoes and onions.

    Now I just have to figure out some kind of strategy of where to plant everything. I think I have everything we want to plant except for Tomatoes and Peppers, which will come as plants later.

    So if anyone has any suggestions on laying out the crops, let me know! There's a picture above that shows the 5 - 8'x4' beds. I have 4 cattle panels to be used as vertical trellises. I plan to grow Beans, Cucumbers, Tomatoes and Squash vertically. I'm thinking that I very well may not have room for Zuchinni, and that's okay.

    My basic thinking is just to put one of the 4 vine plants in each bed towards the north side. (Beds run east/west) Then just plant the smaller/bush/short plants in front (south) of the trellises.

  • p_mac
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Dulahey - you were just around the corner from me! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE K&K!!! They are a really good source and have serveral knowledgable gardeners that work there! Good choice in nursery.

    If I were you, I'd space those out some in the beds. That way when they're done, you can pull them and plant some of the warmer weather veggies and maybe even reseed some of the herbs. Just FYI - my experience with German Chamomile is thaqt it likes to be shaded so plant it under some vines.

    I'm sure The Tomatoe Queen (aka Dawn) will have some suggestions too as well as a few others!

    Mia - shush. =) Trying to let someone else enjoy playing "host"! But we'll discuss it later...hehe!

    Is it really here? Almost time to put some plants in the dirt????

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    11 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just came in from planting all my cool season crops.

    How much do you guys water during the spring?

  • dulahey
    Original Author
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Just an update on my garden. I picked several stems of Broccoli Raab last night along with a few small radishes just to thin them a little.

    I'm still waiting on the power company to drop off wood chips that I'll use to mulch the area around the beds with. I plan on putting cardboard down underneath the wood chips. I suppose it's fine now because it makes it easy to see where there is still bermuda inside the edging.

    Again, thanks for all the tips and advice from you guys.

  • Lisa_H OK
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Your beds are beautiful! Congrats on the harvest!

  • MiaOKC
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What a gorgeous setup, and those veggies in the beds look healthy and plentiful! Congratulations, and here's to continued success!

  • Okiedawn OK Zone 7
    10 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Congrats on the harvest. I am glad your plants are doing so well.

    We are mostly just harvesting lettuce, Swiss chard, a little broccoli from an overwintered purple sprouting broccoli plant that is now bolting (so I guess that harvest is over), green onions, a few cool-season herbs like cilantro and dill, and one sad little tomato from a plant in a pot. That tomato just didn't get very big before it turned ripe, but I picked it and we ate it. Today I'll be harvesting the first sugar snap peas, and that's always a happy day around here. Our high temps this week have hit the low 90s, which is not good for the cool-season plants so I hope that doesn't happen again for a while. The cauliflower and Brussels sprouts plants are just about large enough to start producing a harvest. With those two veggies it is hard to get a spring harvest as the heat often arrives too early. The recurring cold fronts that have made it hard to plant warm-season crops on time have been great for the cool-season ones.

    Dawn