Thread: In the Garden 2015

Originally Posted by gssixgun

I have heard success with Bales really depends on the weather where you are at, basically a wet climate like I have tends to not do so well, where a drier climate tends to do better ..

I haven't ever tried it so just going by things I have read

The price and availability of straw has been the limit for me as I live in the city. Although Ma doesn't raise straw anymore she lives in the country and old straw is easy to get.

I use straw under the soil in the raised beds, as my very knowledgeable green thumb neighbor who I have an extreme jealousy of every time I drive by her garden told me it attracts worms hehehe

And I see that she puts straw over her early starts out in the garden to help insulate then from the May night time temps up here, I will try that next year..

That is another thing I read about the bales is that they actually retain and generate heat themselves

Yesterday's work

Got the posts set




And worked the 2nd section

Using the cardboard should prove interesting never seen so many spiders in one place as I broke down those old boxes














@ Jay

My soil starts pretty good but this is exactly how I got the 1st section into really good shape, I did the same thing last year minus the Cardboard, then added peat over the top of the garden in the Fall then left it... When I tilled that section this year I was amazed at the condition very happy with the results... One thing that was very noticeable was that when I turned that 1st section last month even after 3 weeks I had maybe 10 weeds sprout up in there so I am hoping that I did something right, and that is without using any chemicals

I hear that it takes about 3 years of work to build a good Garden bed up so that you don't need Raised Beds and can plant "In Ground"




Ok this pic is just pure bragging rights, the first official use of the "55 mph Workbench" built this for the Ranger so I didn't have to keep walking back and forth to the shop with wood

"Laziness is the Mother of Invention" for me

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Going to try an idea I read about in the FB Homesteading group I am in for the new section, putting down Cardboard, then a layer of Straw then putting in the raised beds and new Soil and Peat Moss.. This is supposed to near eliminate the weeds for the first year, then the cardboard basically disintegrates over the winter I hope

Glen, I have never used cardboard but i do use newspaper with great success to keep the weeds at bay. Usually cover the newspaper with mulch in between rows, easy maintenance for the weeds for sure. Left as is all winter, comes spring all tilled back in, that said im thinking the cardboard will work really well, time will tell...

Strawberries, Leaf Lettuce , Spinach and what we call winter onions. Green onions we let go to seed, snap off the tops re-plant and this is what comes up every Spring. Very Strong green onion characteristics one of these will flavor a whole pot of soup.




So before you guys get all jealous. The onion skins plugged up the garbage disposal. Before I could get it fixed another family member starts the dishwasher and I got a ton of junk coming up my sink. By the time I got it all bailed out and fixed, my wife ate that salad.
Glad the season is just getting started

Got the last panels of fencing up today, learned that Home depot really doesn't like that "Ship to Store" feature hehehehe

So on the first day of Summer everything looks pretty good, except we totally lost the Garlic for this year I don't know what I did wrong..

Trying a new Tomato "Amish Paste Heirloom" this year, and we are trying to grow the wife's favorite Cucumber "English"..

Her three raised beds are Pumpkins and Sunflowers..

I REALLY need to figure out how to transplant some of the Wild Strawberries that are out there by the garden into the garden so we get some inseatd of the deer getting them all







Done doing the "Farmer Glen" stuff for the day and heading out to the lake

Originally Posted by gssixgun

Got the last panels of fencing up today, learned that Home depot really doesn't like that "Ship to Store" feature hehehehe

So on the first day of Summer everything looks pretty good, except we totally lost the Garlic for this year I don't know what I did wrong..

Trying a new Tomato "Amish Paste Heirloom" this year, and we are trying to grow the wife's favorite Cucumber "English"..

Her three raised beds are Pumpkins and Sunflowers..

I REALLY need to figure out how to transplant some of the Wild Strawberries that are out there by the garden into the garden so we get some inseatd of the deer getting them all


Done doing the "Farmer Glen" stuff for the day and heading out to the lake

I used to use this product called Nitron A-35 & it IS some really good stuff. It's concentrated so a gallon will go a long way. It unlocks nutrients in the soil & enhances fertilizers & compost! I can't say enough about it. If I ever live out in the country again or have the space to grow a garden, I'll buy more. You can get it here:

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Glen,try starting you Garlic again in Sept.

Originally Posted by pixelfixed

Glen,try starting you Garlic again in Sept.

That's what we do too. As soon as they release (usually September up here) the garlic starts we plant and cover with straw. Use prepared straw or you will have a straw garden riddled with bugs and weeds.

For us it is a 9 month crop,do not use starts,just buy garlic bulbs at the farmers market.

I REALLY need to figure out how to transplant some of the Wild Strawberries that are out there by the garden into the garden so we get some inseatd of the deer getting them all

Shovel and transplant them. Next year they will be good to go. That way they will get rooted before fall.
Catch some fish. Bed of greens you will have one good meal.