Great Lakes Gardening....Who Does It??

[Boltman]

Well we're doing it this year more then ever, with all the problems with veggies coming in from Overseas and from the great ole USA, we're going to put in the biggest Garden we've ever had. The BOSS has the garden already growing downstairs in the basement, right near to the New Big Jon Riggers waiting to be installed in th boat. She even bought a new Rototiller to go behind her Diesel Kubota Tractor, you heard me, it's HER tractor and she Loves it, she even Mowes the lawn too.......How good do I have hey?

I fully intend to help her in this Garden too, can't wait to taste those Tomatoes with a fresh catch of salmo or Steelies....

Well Guys, are you going to put in a Garden this year, or is this standard proceedure for you as Well???? Speak out let me know your skills in the dirt....:grin:

[glnmiller]

We grow a big garden each year. I till with a 4' pto tiller on a Kubota L2900. We grow about everything from Tomatoes, peppers, corn, lettuce, potatoes, squash, watermelon, pumkins, etc.. We are expanding the garden a little this year, and will be canning/freezing more than years past. I also plant 2 acres of food plots for deer.

I do all the tilling, planting and weeding. My wife does the harvesting. My wife and power equipment do not mix, she does no mowing. You got a rare one if she has her own tractor and uses it.

[Adam Bomb]

Tough to beat your own garden...We do it too. Will have sweet corn("gotta have it" and "peaches and cream") and, cherry tomatoes(sweet 1000's), Roma's and Jett Stars for sure, Jalepeno's, Green Peppers, Peas, Brussel Sprouts, Garlic and we just put in some Blueberry bushes. I dont have allot of room for a garden, but i get quite a bit in there. Fortunately my buddy plants a giant garden at his place and i can get cabbage, mild and hot bananna peppers, potatoes, mush melons and even green beans from him. We do allot of canning, so we have plenty for the entire year. It sure is nice to make you own spagetti sauces etc. from your own stock.

Now, speaking of canning, i gotta get somemore silver fish...I justed checked the pantry and im down to 6 pints!!! Might have to dig a couple outta the deep freeze and put em through the canner to suffice until i get back over there.

[Priority1]

We used to have a garden, but it takes too much time in the Summer. I do love the fresh vegetables, and buy at roadside stands and farmers markets. I sure do like BLTs, with fresh lettuce and tomatoes, and a ear of corn.

[Vitalidle]

Im want to plant a garden, but not sure if it will happen this year.

[1mainiac]

I will put in a small garden this year. I have a lifelong friend and former business partner that grows between 17 an 25 acres of fresh produce every year year so hard to beat stopping by and picking up a few bushel from him he also has a 7 acre orchard and will trade for fishing trips. I helped him build the farm from a old horse pasture and helped build and run his greenhouses for years. If I lived closer to him I would probably still work with him as he is always begging me to come back. The wife wants a small garden this year so will till up a little patch about 20 x 50 in the back yard and let her have it. But since I can get fruit and vegitables by the semi load is hard to worry about a small garden when I can be fishing.

[GLF]

I have been debating on putting in a garden this year. My wife does not seem to be interested in it. If I want a garden, I will have to do all the work.

[Priority1]

I have been debating on putting in a garden this year. My wife does not seem to be interested in it. If I want a garden, I will have to do all the work.

Mike, That's the boat I'm in, and I'd rather be in my other boat.

[GLF]

Mike, That's the boat I'm in, and I'd rather be in my other boat.

Yep....I would rather catch the dinner instead of watching it grow.

[Nucleus]

Yep....I would rather catch the dinner instead of watching it grow.

Or what about catching one dinner while the other dinner grows?

Well anyhow no garden for us, it is as easy as we do not have any suitable place/land for it.

Maybe a small green house when the kids are getting older.

/Kjell

[Adam Bomb]

I dont think gardens are all that much work myself. I work, fish and have a garden. I do most of the weeding/cultivating and watering in the mornings and evenings when its cooler out...all by hand mind you. I use a hoe, and a garden weasle to keep the ground busted up. Doesnt really take all that much time IMO.

Plus i love heading out to the garden just before dinner and picking my meal. Nice and fresh and extremely convenient. My garden is 10'X55' and i get a pretty good yeild off it.

[Boltman]

There's nothing like a fresh picked tomatoe.... for Dinner, with some salt and pepper... Yummy....

We've put in a small orchard too, not many trees yet. I'm starting a small Tree farn too, seems our local grocery store give out small Spruce trees for earth day and nobody wants them, so last year they gave me over 100 trees, 80 of them survived, I can't wait for another earth day soon.

Wehn I'm retired, I can sell them for landscaping or Christmas trees...Oh what fun what fun.

[GLF]

I'm starting a small Tree farn too, seems our local grocery store give out small Spruce trees for earth day and nobody wants them, so last year they gave me over 100 trees, 80 of them survived, I can't wait for another earth day soon.

When I was in the Navy, I went to the Sequoia National Park. I purchased a Giant Sequoia on eBay a month ago. I planted a Giant Sequoia in the back yard last week. Our tree is 4 years old.

Here is a picture of a Giant Sequoia in Manistee. "This is a picture of my son and state of MI giant sequoia, located in Manistee MI picture taken 5-05. There are 2-3 other sequoia's including an offspring of the biggest tree. It was planted in 1949 after carying it home in a coffee can."

Does anyone know where this tree is in Manistee?

[Boltman]

Awesome tree Mike, I can't wait to see a picture of in 30 years..... man I hope we still have computers then. It's amasing though how fast tree's grow...I look back at my old house when I had it in 1995 and the 3' trees I planted are 25 feet or higher....

[JWheeler]

Wow Robert, that's a sweet deal for free trees. I'd definitely take the short trip over to Swartz Creek for some trees. My backyard is in need of trees. We had a garden 3 years ago. I tilled it up and made back into being part of the yard. THere is no question that the fresh veggies are awesome. We just neglected taking the time to manage it. Now that we have a little one maybe it will be something to talk about.

What kind of trees can you guys recommend that are very hardy, and grow fast????

[Boltman]

Jason, VG's does this every year, and there's one near you in Burton I think, if not Corunna road isn't that far away from you, but I think there's one on Center road too.

I picked up over 100 colorado blue spruce trees, though very small, some day in the next 5 years they won't be so small.

[1mainiac]

well growing up our idea of a garden salad was a pocket knife and a salt shaker walking thru the garden. Having helped plant and manage gardens that took 40 people to pick has tempered my garden plans a bit over the years. In the mid 90's my partener and me were the 3rd largest fresh market tomatoe growers in MI and they were a secondary crop we had 140 acres of apples and planted the produce to keep the crew busy our peak year we planted over 50 acres of produce dave still plants around 10,000 tomatoes a year and close to 14,000 pepper plants mixed varities all the peppers and tomatoes are grown on plastic and the tomatoes are all staked. during peak he will pick 400 to 500 half bushels of tomatoes a day. So as much as I love fresh produce every time I think garden I remember back breaking work and would rather go fishing. Anyone who has ever been to the Grand Rapids Farmers Market since the early 80's has likely seen me or Dave there. They sell flowers and plants in the spring produce all season and christmas trees in the fall.