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Old May 17, 2016   #76
Deborah
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I absolutely LOVE the sound of a baby laughing. How can there POSSIBLY be anything happier? There isn't!
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Old May 17, 2016   #77
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Everything look great and your daughter is beautiful.
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Old May 17, 2016   #78
clkeiper
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Looks great... the baby is the best part though. She is cute. better put a bag over her head before you take her out in public, though.
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Old May 17, 2016   #79
BigVanVader
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No way, she sells tomatoes way faster than me
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Old June 2, 2016   #80
BigVanVader
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Well fingers crossed so far all is going well. I feel like I need to accomplish more but I don't want to be to overwhelmed. The weather here is now settled into the typical hot/humid/evening thunderstorms which is when things get a lot tougher. I have a few minor disease issues and found a few caterpillars eating my bell peppers so the spraying regiment has started and has been exhausting. Can't keep Surround WP on the plants and gave up till the forecast changes. Cukes are doing great in the GH and I think it's something I will continue in the future.

My project last weekend was a new trellis for my tomatoes. I based it off Bill's (B54Red) design and conversation with him. I plan to add more bracing later but for now it works and I think I may even have room to plant some basil and more tomatoes between the existing tomatoes. Here are some pics.
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Old June 2, 2016   #81
PureHarvest
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Hang in there Van!
You are not alone!
Just know we all go through the overwhelming periods. You'll eventually find your way.
Juggling a full time job and little ones with market growing can get overwhelming. Not to mention the weather curveballs!
I have 3 kids under 10 and a M-F off farm gig. I am off every other Friday and wrote out my to do list for my day off tomorrow and this weekend. It really seems like a mountain:

Trellis clip new growth onto strings
Mix new tank of fert
Go get new mower battery
Do some weed mowing
Lay biodegradable plastic with tractor for sweet tater slips that will show up any day now, return layer to one neighbor and tractor to another.
Plant 350 tree and shrubs for my NRCS hedgerow planting before it rains Sunday
Spray copper on tomAtoes and potatoes before Sunday's rain
Lay down landscape fabric in walkways between potato rows
Sow more lettuce seeds
Plant lettuce seedlings to replace ones harvested
Finish wrapping black grow bags with white plastic pallet stretch wrap
Take cuttings off a few tomato plants that I want to get a few more plants of
Clean up the spot where I will plant the dwarf plants Craig is sending me for the Morty hunt and fill bags with promix
Fix broken pvc pipe going into my pressure tank from the well
Run lay flat hose from water hydrant to nrcs planting
Install 8 connection valves of drip tape into lay flat

I am more behind than I should be, because like you, I had a surgery this spring that cost me at least 2-3 weeks of full speed activity.

But, the thing is, I will focus on the good stuff:
It's not life or death. I have a full time income if my projects "fail".
My kids will help where they can and learn valuable skills.
I will learn a ton.
I am working outdoors doing what I love and getting dirty.
My tomatoes look great.
I harvested my first fruits today and we are gonna sample one tomorrow night (black beauty, 12 ounces, 14 ounces, and 8 ounces)
My potato crop is the best looking I've ever grown.
My wife will be helping me plant the trees and shrubs. We havent had much time to garden together in way too long.

Oh yeah, and I have a 30x72 new greenhouse coming at the end of June that needs to be up and fully outfitted for winter growing by the end of August. Which also means new seedlings need to be started in. Late July.

I, and probably we, all bite off more than we chew, but there has to be some times along the way where you really have to push yourself for a new venture to get off the ground.

You'll make it. Just start with the most important thing and roll on.

Keep your head up and enjoy the wins along the way even if they are small. Also think of where you are now from 5 years ago or 2 for that matter.

Sorry for the long rambling. I follow your threads along with a handful of others people here and I feel where you are man.

Enjoy the ride!
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Old June 2, 2016   #82
PureHarvest
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PS, I love the mini tunnel.
Rickyshaw needs to see that. I was just telling I'm he needs a "medium" tunnel for hail protection.
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Old June 2, 2016   #83
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Thanks PH, yeah I love it and I am learning to balance pushing myself and taking more free time. Little Cora is growing so fast and I don't want to miss anything. I love my little GH too, definitely making it bigger this fall. With one end open I don't even have to roll the sides up.
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Old June 3, 2016   #84
Andrey_BY
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Looking great!
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Old June 3, 2016   #85
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Impressive!
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Old June 3, 2016   #86
efisakov
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BVV, what cucumber variety is this? They look good. Nice tomatoes, too.
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Old June 3, 2016   #87
BigVanVader
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They are Sweet success, a greenhouse variety. They don't need pollination so every flower is a cucumber. I am loving them so far. Zero issues and loaded with cukes. Just as an experiment I also planted a few Sumter pickling cukes in the GH and they are getting loaded with cukes as well. I leave one end open and Bumblebees are always pollinating inside. Normally here my cukes would be covered with mildew by now and I can never get rid of it. The GH seems to have solved that issue.
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Old June 3, 2016   #88
Gerardo
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Everything looking healthy. Excited to see those sweet success doing well. keep on truckin!
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Old June 9, 2016   #89
BigVanVader
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Busy, busy, busy at my house. I have been pruning and spraying like mad to keep early blight and caterpillars at bay. I also added inline ball valves to each row so I can better control watering. We finally got a break in the rain but now with tomatoes starting to ripen I don't want to apply Surround to everything so plan to just hit the exposed fruit.

Sungold were first to ripen as usual, and Blush and Juliet are close behind. Taxi still hasn't started blushing which I'm a little surprised about, but nobody has tomatoes at market yet so I still have a good shot at beating most of the vendors. Here are some pics.

Cucumbers are producing like crazy and I have already picked over 80 squash, Golden egg is the clear winner this year. It is incredibly productive and I highly recommend trying it.
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These are the Orange Jazz after pruning. It's hard to see but they are loaded with big tomatoes. Another winner from Fred Hempel. I hope they taste as good as they perform.
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Close up of exposed OJ truss, Im worried about sunscald so these will be covered.
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I wanted to spotlight these Korean Gucho peppers I got in a trade. They are really early and loaded with peppers. Yet to eat one but they are a lot earlier than most hot peppers.
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GGWT is performing very well also. Very tall lanky plants.
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You little #@%$#@
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The inline ball valves, only 2$ each.
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Thrips are here...
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Taxi in the GH, come on little guy turn yellow please
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Sungold doing its thing.
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Old June 10, 2016   #90
efisakov
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Great outcome, except bugs. Wish you luck.
I spray with dishwashing soap and DE. It is organic. I am not afraid to use it even when tomatoes are ripening. DE may even create small coating to protect from sunscald. Just remember that it will not look appealing for the buyers. Someone on TV mentioned that last year, that they had problem washing it off.
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Last edited by efisakov; June 10, 2016 at 12:36 PM.
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