What have you done for garden prep so far?

[Brent S]

It's going to be 38° here tomorrow night. Winter is hanging on.

We are dropping to mid 40’s tonight. Not enough to hurt anything here.

 

[Robinjopo1]

We are dropping to mid 40’s tonight. Not enough to hurt anything here.

Might not hurt, but it stalls the growth. Soil needs to be at least 60°

 

[Brent S]

Might not hurt, but it stalls the growth. Soil needs to be at least 60°

Yeah, since I just planted the seeds today I’m not worried. These were the first warm weather plants I’ve put in the ground so far. Everything else are cold hardy plants. I feel pretty good about this being our last cold snap, but it is always a bit of a gamble. I can afford to go to the grocery store luckily if needed now, would be a different story after shtf.

 

[Robinjopo1]

seeds R fine. It's the plants.

 

[Danil54grl]

I weeded both the greenhouse and garden. I had several sheets of Sheetrock left over from ages ago and cut them up and laid them in the garden walkways. Everything I read said gypsum is good for the soil. We will see. I still need to thin the plants and plant the summer crops today hopefully.

When I first started the garden years ago, I found a bunch of old sheet rock someone discarded in the woods. I hauled it all back to the house, cut it up and laid in the garden. Keep in mind I had pure gumbo mud at that time and it worked good to help separate all those clumps to till up a lot better. Starting seeds in the gumbo can be a challenge but once you get it growing, it did ok.

 

[Petoski]

All snow finally melted, warm spring. Got the first of the early potatoes in the ground yesterday.

 

[Brent S]

When I first started the garden years ago, I found a bunch of old sheet rock someone discarded in the woods. I hauled it all back to the house, cut it up and laid in the garden. Keep in mind I had pure gumbo mud at that time and it worked good to help separate all those clumps to till up a lot better. Starting seeds in the gumbo can be a challenge but once you get it growing, it did ok.

I still have clumps of mud in some areas of the garden. I keep adding stuff each year, like leaves and mulch, but have a ways to go yet. The greenhouse is in great shape though as it gets more attention. It all takes time and is an ongoing process.

 

[Arcticdude]

This is the time of year that I do pre season maintenance on all of our equipment. Change oil, add fresh fuel and repair any damage from the winter. The snow is mostly gone around here except where the drifts were 8-10 feet deep this winter and on the higher elevations.
The rototiller is next on my list to get ready for use. The way the garden area is drying out I might be able to till it in another week or so.
It's 50 degs this morning and it looks like we have a thunder storm coming in over the mountains from the west. Just now starting to see the lightning and hear the thunder, the wind is picking up too.

 

[Robinjopo1]

It's colder than a witch's butt here. Cold rain. Hate it. Had way too much this Winter.

We are taking our son to see the classic Cary Grant movie "Charade" on the big screen today. At home he watches parts of it every day. There is a big fight scene and we have been telling him he cant jump up and fight like he does at home. Then my husband, son and my mom are going to KY to visit his mom and sister. I get come come home and have alone time. LOVE IT.

 

[Maverick]

We got the plastic rolled back in the garden spot, sun going to be out for about 4 days, Monday we will till the garden, repairs to the road should be completed by next Thursday. Normalcy should return next month... hopefully

 

[Arcticdude]

I still have clumps of mud in some areas of the garden. I keep adding stuff each year, like leaves and mulch, but have a ways to go yet. The greenhouse is in great shape though as it gets more attention. It all takes time and is an ongoing process.

This February we had so much snow that I couldn't get out to feed the cattle and had to feed them in the corral. The manure and wasted hay built up pretty deep. When the ice in the corral melts, and I can fill in the sink holes in front of the barn, I'll clean out the coral and make a big compost pile. It should be ready to go on the garden next year.

 

[Brent S]

This February we had so much snow that I couldn't get out to feed the cattle and had to feed them in the corral. The manure and wasted hay built up pretty deep. When the ice in the corral melts, and I can fill in the sink holes in front of the barn, I'll clean out the coral and make a big compost pile. It should be ready to go on the garden next year.

I really wish I had enough land for pasture here. Having meat and fertilizer is a nice prepping addition.

 

[Arcticdude]

I really wish I had enough land for pasture here. Having meat and fertilizer is a nice prepping addition.

Yeah. It's kind of like the circle of life. Cows eat the grass. Cows poop out free fertilizer. It can then be spread out to grow better grass or used on gardens.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Since I put too much nitrogen on the gardens last year, I've made a chicken poop, wood shavings and sand compost pile. I have sand covering the floor of the coop and run. I have the shavings in the nesting boxes.

I'm going to let it decompose before in use it. Lesson learned the hard way.

There are a few veggiesnthat really like nitrogen. Tomatoes and beans are not two of them.

 

[Danil54grl]

I still have clumps of mud in some areas of the garden. I keep adding stuff each year, like leaves and mulch, but have a ways to go yet. The greenhouse is in great shape though as it gets more attention. It all takes time and is an ongoing process.

Just keep doing what you are doing. You do have to make additions ever year. . . The soil will fight you. It's a struggle because it wants to go back to its natural state like you never even tried.

 

[Brent S]

I managed to thin all the plants in both gardens yesterday, as well as finishing planting all the summer stuff. I had a lot of tomatoes come up in the greenhouse from last year so I transferred them out to the main garden. Everything is looking great right now, I just hope I can stay on top of it this year. Last year we got busy with work an the garden became a weed jungle!

 

[Robinjopo1]

I've been adding for 20 years. My soil is total clay and so I dig a hole and fill it with lime, bagged soil, egg shells, banana peels, etc.

It has helped, but I still struggle.

 

[Proud Prepper]

My garden is smaller this year, since my tractor broke. I will add more plants into my pots, I'm mostly just using my raised beds. I am planting a row of new corn I'm trying for the first time.

I tried getting my son and daughter in law to manualy till the main garden. They just looked at me funny and couldn't understand what I was saying. Youth these days are made from a completely different blueprint.

 

[Brent S]

My garden is smaller this year, since my tractor broke. I will add more plants into my pots, I'm mostly just using my raised beds. I am planting a row of new corn I'm trying for the first time.

I tried getting my son and daughter in law to manualy till the main garden. They just looked at me funny and couldn't understand what I was saying. Youth these days are made from a completely different blueprint.

Lol. My son and daughter in law helped till the main garden and have disappeared ever since. Oh well, at least I got some help... it’s good to start eating fresh stuff again anyways.

 

[Robinjopo1]

My garden is smaller this year, since my tractor broke. I will add more plants into my pots, I'm mostly just using my raised beds. I am planting a row of new corn I'm trying for the first time.

I tried getting my son and daughter in law to manualy till the main garden. They just looked at me funny and couldn't understand what I was saying. Youth these days are made from a completely different blueprint.

Religar, I have never had luck with corn, but read that corn loves nitrogen. I'm going to try a row or two and add chicken poop for the nitrogen.