So I was going to draw something up to get an idea of what to plant where. But my computer is down. So instead a picture. From 7 till 10 there is sunlight over all but about four feet of the garden on the right by the pad. Then from 10 till about 3 it's fully covered in sun. After that the left and rear of the fence slowly starts to shade the garden. There really isn't a single part of it that gets less than six or seven hours of sun and it has great dranage cause the ground continues downhill long after the fence ends. None of it gets any direct sunlight after 5pm. I have carrots, cucumbers jalapenos habinaros sweetcorn beans two year old aspergus and tomatoes to plant. I was thinking of putting the carrots in on the left fence. But really aren't sure where to put the rest of the stuff. Maybe the Aspergus all the way to the right so it can be left alone and gets good noon and after light. Opinions and complaints are welcome.
Asparagus is a perennial that takes about 3 years to produce so, keep it up close to the fence where it will be permanent. as for the rest.. tallest to the North side of the garden so you aren't shading the other plants if possible. Are the cukes going to be trellised or sprawling on the ground? keep them away from the carrots. they will cover the carrots and shade them out. Keep the space tomatoes need as accurate as possible. They really do get bigger than we think they will or be very ruthless at pruning them and cage them, don't let them sprawl on the ground. You will loose more tomatoes than you get to eat.
Thank you. I was thinking of putting the Aspergus up against the pad cause it gets the best sun and will be easy to leave them be. And the corn in two rows up against the back fence. But may be rethinking that. In the hanging strawberry thread I asked if I could do something similar with tomatoes. I only planned on doing one plant this year.
trussed? trellised. A frame so the vines can climb instead of running helterskelter through the garden. You are constantly having to watch your step or they are growing over another row of plants or you miss the cukes 3 to 1 when harvesting. a trellis also keeps the fruit cleaner... no dirt, less insect damage. I didn't see the strawberry question. did you mean a hanging tomato? if you can find a small enough variety to grow, yes you can hang it, but most tomatoes require more water than most people can give them everyday and the plant doesn't produce very well. You can grow a determinate tomato if you want one that is a bit shorter (normally), but they generally tend to ripen n a very short window of time. or you could try the "dwarf" project tomatoes. I have seeds for some of those and I would send you some. there are many colors and sized available already. I even have a few plants that are left overs if you want me to try sending ayou a few if you aren't picky about color. I have a yellow one (fruit color) called Dwarf Golden Gypsy, I think a "green when ripe" one, and a dark orangey brick colored one called Tasmanian Chocolate, and several others. Just PM me your address and I will send you a few of whatever is out on the greenhouse left over from transplanting along with a few seeds if they don't survive the trip. These tomatoes produce less than a regular tomato but stay a relatively manageable size. a cage or a stake works well for them.
Yes trellised was what I meant. I've never done cucumbers before and am still reading up on them. I'd never heard the word before. But now that you've described it, it sounds like it's what I'll do. Thank you. It's great of you to offer to send me tomatoes. But it's not necessary. I'd actually picked some up already but they're not the small ones. So I suppose I'm going to plant them in the garden and use my basket for strawberries. I remember seeing those topsy turvy comercials and thought I could do it myself with a basket. But it sounds like I should probably just put what I already have in the ground. Thank you so much though.
Don`t believe everything you see on TV. Just plant them in the ground. As for your cucumbers I use those little cheap tomato cages for my cucumbers. The ones that are narrow at the bottom and stick in the ground. They work great. I put two plants per cage. Just plant the cucumbers and stick the cage over them and put the next one close enough that they touch at the top. Tie the cages together and use a stake if they get heavy. One stake will do for two cages. And you can see the cucumbers from all sides. Believe me,, cucumbers will hide from you. They are smart plants.
Ok thank you. I just put them in the ground. I found some heavy lattice behind the shed. I was going to use those instead of buying new stuff. Will it work?
Sure it will. Just thought you may have had to buy something. Be sure you can get to both sides in case the runners grow through the little holes in the lattice.
If you can put them in so they are the 4' tall and side by side... you will need a few of them to keep them from running all over, probably one 2' section per plant.. You need to keep training them up the trellis as they grow, too. Use fence posts pounded into the ground so they can't bend over, break or fall sideways. Zipties are the quickest way to secure them, too.
Thank you. I'm gonna have to get a few of those cages Mart was talking about. I only found three of those lattice pieces. I still have more than a month before I can plant corn
there is a "net" trellis made for cucumbers and climbing plants that can be found just about anywhere. I found mine at TSC on clearance a few years ago. They are fairly easy to use, too and take up very little space at the end of the season. I use cages and trellising and I can tell you the cages take up valuable realestate in my garden. I zip tie the trellis to my A frame basket rack for hanging baskets. You being a welder could easily make an a frame that would hinge at the top to fold away for the rest of the year.
