@Jlee160: my Principe Borghese tomatoes this year blew my mind they were so productive and grew like weeds. They are the Italian heirloom for saucing and famous for sun drying and actually taste not awful fresh for a paste, and then they really shine flavor-wise once cooked. They are my new favorite paste. Mine grew about 7 rampant feet in all directions and I picked probably about 5 gallons per plant. I do not water once established and we had drought this year and bad late blight on other types but they did not care. Even got multiple hornworms that didn't even slow them down.

For slicers I was surprised by my Large Barred Boar guys - they seemed to do quite well in the drought and kept producing despite the other beefs dropping off, and they taste quite good, too, similar to Black Krim in my opinion.

Do you not water any of your tomatoes? What area do you live in?

DogsNDaylilies said:I was skimming and I thought I saw mention of another move that happened, but I don't see it going back--did I miss someone else's moving announcement?

We're in the middle of moving. Got contracts on both the house we're selling and the one we're buying, just trying to wade through the mountain of paperwork to get a closing date set. Supposed to be the 15th, but I have a suspicion we're going to be later than that. But the new place I'll have room to grow whatever I want, and it's completely bare so I'll get to set it up exactly how I want.

Yeah basically I do not water. I use hugelkulture (buried logs) and deep mulch no till, and the top soil is already black prairie gold that goes three feet deep before the B horizon of more clayey soil starts. The soil is almost never exposed to air and can stay mesic for nearly a month with no rain. I don't water after the plants are set in the ground and growing because once they reach this sponge layer they are usually good to go for a normal season like they are tapped into a tiny aquifer.

Used to be we only had a 2 week period or so in high summer to get through with no rain and really hot dry weather. The hugel is perfect for that bc it acts like a sponge that absorbs heavy downpours and slowly releases that reservoir with the help of deeply rooted plants like parsnips to wick up the moisture thru the soil profile. Anymore, we have two and this year three separate 3-week-plus drought stretches with drying winds so it is not as successful in these extremes, and my hugels are aging so they don't hold quite as much water as they are more broken down now after 10 years. To build the main hugel, I used an old woodpile of already partially decayed wood too rotted to burn, so had I used green timber the setup would probably still be cooking along on a slower breakdown schedule.

It's a great system I have highlighted for garden tours. Really dramatic to show how in July I can pull back the mulch and stick my hand right into moist tilth vs an untreated bed that is a foot of cracked concrete blocks in comparison. Highly recommend it. Also a great way to deal with storm debris on site if you are like us and have derechos and tornados and front line winds coming through on the regular.

okieheart said:

We're in the middle of moving. Got contracts on both the house we're selling and the one we're buying, just trying to wade through the mountain of paperwork to get a closing date set. Supposed to be the 15th, but I have a suspicion we're going to be later than that. But the new place I'll have room to grow whatever I want, and it's completely bare so I'll get to set it up exactly how I want.

Ooooh a blank slate! How fun!! (and what a lot of work... )

I'm moved in and mostly have my orchard planted... still waiting on 4 trees... (16 in plus 2 hazlenut trees in)
Tomorrow, I plant the 8 blueberry bushes I've received of the 10 ordered and then go to my neighbor to divide his rhubarb and take some for myself as well as get some of his strawberry runners for my asparagus bed.

Have my garden are mapped out and just need my neighbor to till it.

Meanwhile, I'm trying to save as many seeds as I can from stuff brought back with me from my prior state.

Steve

Hammerojustice said:...as well as get some of his strawberry runners for my asparagus bed.
Steve

Steve ~ I thought that I was the only one who did that!

I have not heard of it before, but it was a matter of space available.

evelyninthegarden said:

Steve ~ I thought that I was the only one who did that!

I have not heard of it before, but it was a matter of space available.

They are great companions to each other. Asparagus shoot up early & don't cause much shade for the strawberries, but may provide some shelter from the birds. And the strawberries have shallow roots which don't interfere with the long deep roots of asparagus. Plus the strawberries create lots of shade to keep weeds at a minimum which could interfere with the asparagus! Win win

okieheart said:

We're in the middle of moving. Got contracts on both the house we're selling and the one we're buying, just trying to wade through the mountain of paperwork to get a closing date set. Supposed to be the 15th, but I have a suspicion we're going to be later than that. But the new place I'll have room to grow whatever I want, and it's completely bare so I'll get to set it up exactly how I want.

Yay!! Sorry I didn't see the notice the second time I went back through. I'm so happy for you and your new growing potential--how exciting!

Hammerojustice said:
And the strawberries have shallow roots which don't interfere with the long deep roots of asparagus.

Do you happen to know some other, maybe more spring flowery bitsies that don't interfere with asparagus? Ideally a real weedwhacker of a perennial :P

dewayx said:

Do you happen to know some other, maybe more spring flowery bitsies that don't interfere with asparagus? Ideally a real weedwhacker of a perennial :P

I didn't know of any, but I did a google search and found these...
Tansy
Caledula
Petunias
Tomatoes
all of the above were according to https://www.almanac.com/compan...

https://www.gardeningknowhow.c... also lists:
planting parsley and basil near them
It also says that beets, lettuce, and spinach can be planted near them for multiple crops and the asparagus helps them out.
During Colonial times, grapes were trellised between asparagus rows.
Marigolds, nasturtiums, and members of the aster family
and then the co-planting of perennials... Strawberries, Rhubarb, & Horseradish
And to avoid garlic, onions, and potatoes near them

https://www.masterclass.com/ar... says:
Nightshades (tomatoes & eggplants) as they repel asparagus beetles and the asparagus deters root knot nematoeds
Basil/Parsley - attract pollinators and repel asparagus beetles and things like tomato hornworms
Coriander, comfrey, & dill - repel spider mites and aphids
members of the Aster family like marigolds & nasturtiums

There are other links too
https://www.companionplantingc...
https://homeguides.sfgate.com/...
https://gilmour.com/companion-...

There are more out there, but the only ones I knew for sure where the strawberries and tomatoes with the asparagus... the only problem with putting tomatoes in is potential root damage to the asparagus if you are too close...

Damn thanks, that really helped a lot!
I thinker around a bit and add some seeds to my swap wishlist

@Hammerofjustice - thanks for your post #2612688 - that is a tremendously useful trove of companion planting knowledge, and

@dewayx - thanks for bringing up the question that Hammer answered so well.

Perhaps not as useful as Hammer's post, but there's a supposedly dwarf form of pink Cosmos bipinnatus that would, in my opinion, be especially lovely with the purple-leaved asparagus. This hopefully shorter cosmos wouldn't add tussling with stakes to other garden chores. I bought a bulk package of these seeds from Eden a couple of years and will be listing them here.

karen

@dewayx - I have good results with common violets in the asparagus patch. They keep the soil shaded, do fine in drought, and are easy to pull if you want the space, and you can walk on them, and the flowers are edible. They don't seem to hinder the baby asparagus from growing up through them and offer them some protection. Violets are also an obligate host for some kind of butterfly whose name escapes me that can't lay on anything else.

I also found yellow or red wood sorrel does well too and is tasty and brings in pollinators in drought, as it keeps growing just with the dew.

Wild ginger is another that likes the shadier patches, but it can't handle foot traffic at all.

For crops, I've also found tomatillos like the partial shade with asparagus.

Zinnias and cosmos did well this year among established plants that get quite large but would be too big for young plants IMO. Marigolds have done well in the past and work well to shade out soil from hot summer sun.

Hello, first time trader here, thank you all for making this possible!
I hope you will enjoy my seeds : )

I planted a bed of asparagus & strawberries today that I grew from seed

antsinmypants said:I planted a bed of asparagus & strawberries today that I grew from seed

You grew the strawberries from seed too? Very cool

Yes. I grew two different varieties of strawberries from seed & they didn't bloom this year but they did get as big as my 2 store bought strawberry plants that I purchased last year & are much shinier & healthier looking

xululu said:Hello, first time trader here, thank you all for making this possible!
I hope you will enjoy my seeds : )

Welcome! I think you'll find we like pretty much all seeds, and are unapologetically enablers.

Does anyone know of a good source for nicotiana tabacum seeds?