TOPIC: Seed Bed Disaster - new plantings - some wild seng

Not all of the wild is looking bad though.

On down the hollow a bit there is a little patch of young stuff I have been watching for a couple years.

It is looking decent - but some are yellowing.

And here is another patch of young stuff I have been watching for a couple years. Last year these were all 2 prongs but this year 3 of them are lil 3 prongs.

They are in a deep ravine just below a waterfall on a hillside that faces due north. They seem to be doing just fine.

Now on to my 3 leafers (what I planted last fall/winter).

I checked on them today and found mixed results there.

As expected many were seriously stressed out from the heat/dry.

Some of the places I planted up higher on the hill they look like this:

You can still see many of them but they look like they died at least 2-3-4 weeks ago.



I wonder if those will come back next year - hope so - and hope we get more rain and less heat next summer.

Here is a pic of one place that I did single rake and scatter method. Back the first week in June this spot was full of 3 leafers.

Now there is no sign of them at all.

Now here is a pic of a spot that I did my double rake and scatter method.

Obviously makes a big difference to get those seeds a little deeper under the dirt/mulch.

It's more work to do that, but if your first year for those 3 leafers is extra hot and dry - might just get them thru surviving that first critical year.

Some of you probably remember that the first planting I did I used Hankins Method.

I planted a strip 5' wide by 100' long starting at the bottom of a hill and running up 100'.

Here is what the top of that Hankins Method planting looks like.

These are up higher on the hill and many are still hanging in there.

With Hankins Method I dug a trench and planted them 1\" deep.

Here is what the lower end of the Hankins Method planting looks like.

Not bad...

Have to say that from my observations today I am going to keep my plantings lower on the hill. In a first year hot/dry situation, being a little higher on the hill they are just not as likely to survive.

Also observed that single rake/scatter just does not get the seeds deep enough for them to endure a hot/dry summer.

Might work OK for you guys up north but not down here in Southern Middle TN.

Double Rake and Scatter works much better but is a little more work.

Hankins Method works much better (but MAN is a lot more work).

Any method that would get the seeds planted around 1\" deep should work much better in the south.

I am going to look seriously at using a planting stick and doing some single hole making, poke a hole and plant a seed, type planting this fall. No doubt that would be slower but I think you would get very good results, and a more wild like planting.

Hope you guys are having good luck with your growing.

TNhunter

Hey Guys...

Couple more pics to add for today.

Back around first of July I posted some pics of my garden stuff, including my little patch of cantelope and watermelon.

We have about eaten all of the cantelope - one left as of today.

Watermelons are ready now - cut my second one a little bit ago.

My favorite to grow is Charleston Grey - makes a nice sized melon, mostly just light green in color, no stripes. Lots of flavor though.

Pic of one of those below that I just cut and ate a good bit of (Yum).

TNhunter

What it looked like cut... YUM !



You know the best way to tell when a watermelon will be ripe ?

It is actually quite simple.

Look on the seed pack.

The pack will list a DTM (Days to Maturity).

Charleston Grey matures 85 days after planting.

Just mark your calendar with the day you planted it in your garden and 85 days later start picking and eating them.

There are lots of old wives tales on how to tell, but none that beat the simple DTM.

TNhunter