Time to Garden

With spring finally starting to come to the Midwest states it is getting to the point that I will need to start my seeds soon. I am fortunate to have a greenhouse attached to my house so I can start seeds or grow plants all year if I so desired. I also have a large garden (large for Chicago burbs).

With the season starting and having to ramp up my plants it got me wondering what, if anything, people grow around here. This year I plan to grow the following:
watermelon
cantaloupe
tomatoes
asparagus
Yukon gold potatoes
green and wax beans
butternut squash
carrots
broccoli
cauliflower
raspberry
blueberries
rhubarb

While this is quite a list some of those are perennials and are already established so require just watering.

Prabably these and a few odd things I may throw in the ground.
Perennials
Asparagus
Black Raspberries
Blueberries
Concord Grapes
Horseradish
Rhubarb
Annuals
Broccoli
Cabbage
Green of various types
Green beans
Kale
Kohlrabi
Summer squash
Sweet potatoes
Tomatoes
Winter squash

I am waiting on seeds from Pepper Joe's. I make a habanero sauce, so I figured I would try my hand at growing my own. I got Golden, Peach, and Tasmanian Habanero seeds on order. If I find I enjoy it, I will branch out into other vegetables. I really want to try my hand at tomatoes, as the ones you buy in stores have no flavor and aren't worth eating.

I'm growing 4 different kinds of hot pepper: Tabasco (seeds from my father's long time line), some hot cherry peppers, and two off the hook hand grenades, the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T and the Naga Viper.

At work we have some gentlemen that like things extraordinarily hot, and those last two should deliver. I had been growing Ghost chili's (Bhut Jolokia) the past few years.

Highspeedlane said:

I'm growing 4 different kinds of hot pepper: Tabasco (seeds from my father's long time line), some hot cherry peppers, and two off the hook hand grenades, the Trinidad Scorpion Butch T and the Naga Viper.

At work we have some gentlemen that like things extraordinarily hot, and those last two should deliver. I had been growing Ghost chili's (Bhut Jolokia) the past few years.

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I almost ordered some Butch T seeds, but decided to wait and see how I do. For everyone's info, we do have a gardening thread in the Mess Hall. Come on over and check it out. The Mess Hall has some very good cooks in it.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/445364-The-Sprout-B-amp-B-Gardening-2015

oc_in_fw said:

I almost ordered some Butch T seeds, but decided to wait and see how I do. For everyone's info, we do have a gardening thread in the Mess Hall. Come on over and check it out. The Mess Hall has some very good cooks in it.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/445364-The-Sprout-B-amp-B-Gardening-2015

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Thank you for the link.

Where I live the growing season is iffy for hot peppers (on the cool and short side). If we get lucky and have a hot summer they will fare well.

Last summer was awful for my Bhut Jolokia crop, but the summer before was pretty good. Can't wait to retire and move back to N.C. where peppers grow well.

I can't see anything but red.

Red tomatoes
Red peppers
Red bell peppers
Red Habanero's

What do you have...3 acres!

That will be a big ole garden!

oc_in_fw said:

I almost ordered some Butch T seeds, but decided to wait and see how I do. For everyone's info, we do have a gardening thread in the Mess Hall. Come on over and check it out. The Mess Hall has some very good cooks in it.

http://badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php/445364-The-Sprout-B-amp-B-Gardening-2015

Click to expand...

Thanks for the link!

Toothpick said:

What do you have...3 acres!

That will be a big ole garden!

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I don't grow to many of each plant as it would be to much produce. However I like the variety of plants.

h2oyeah said:

I don't grow to many of each plant as it would be to much produce. However I like the variety of plants.

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I was in Aurora (my hometown) in 2013 and had good luck with potatoes. Not sure what kind but I had about 20 or so plants. I was surprised at the abundance of potatoes they produced. Pain in the but to dig em out though. It's best to wait until the soil is really dry.

No luck with watermelon, probably because where I had it was very little sun. Tomatoes were out of control!
I think Northern Illinois has some very good soil for gardens.

Toothpick said:

I was in Aurora (my hometown) in 2013 and had good luck with potatoes. Not sure what kind but I had about 20 or so plants. I was surprised at the abundance of potatoes they produced. Pain in the but to dig em out though. It's best to wait until the soil is really dry.

No luck with watermelon, probably because where I had it was very little sun. Tomatoes were out of control!
I think Northern Illinois has some very good soil for gardens.

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I wonder how much of the soil came from the Plain states (Dust Bowl)

I do have good soil. I plan to keep the watermelons in the greenhouse. They like the heat and it stays plenty warm in there. Plus with it south facing it is 10 hr of sun in the summer.

I've tried watermelons, but while we have hot summers here, the spring weather is just to unreliable. I know some people grow them in greenhouses successfully, but I've just got a little plot.

I've had great success with tomatoes, especially last summer even though it was a new garden plot that formerly just been lawn. I also had good results with peppers. I grew a jalepeno variety and a sweet variety which made some nice salsas and sauces along with the tomatoes. I'm planning to grow the same varieties of those again this year.

I haven't started anything yet, spring comes late up here in the great white north, and I don't want the little plants to outgrow their pots before they go outside.

Golly, the ground has actually thawed out here and digging has started!!