What have you done for spring gardens?

[Billy Roper]

That's an excellent suggestion, thanks. We used an old above ground pool liner to line the hole we dug, over the sides and the two low (2 foot high) mud and stone walls we'd made on the sides. Now we're going to haul and pile more rocks to cover the liner part which is outside the hole, before building a low wall of rock and concrete on top of it.

 

[Brent S]

I just came in from working the new garden area all day. I tilled it one final time, then hoed the rows. I had mowed the back of the property a couple days ago, blowing the leaves into rows with the lawn tractor. Anyways I picked up the mulched leaves and brought them down to the garden area. I have a giant pile of leaves now. I filled the areas between the rows in the new garden area. This helps keep in moisture, keep out weeds, and will help enrich the soil for next year. I still need to do the same thing in the regular garden. Not today though as I'm beat! I watered in the new area and will plant it tomorrow. Yes, gardening takes a lot of Manuel labor, but it really is satisfying somehow. I think we should have three day weekends as two just isn't enough to accomplish enough.

 

[Brent S]

The empty jars are almost stacked to the ceiling. This is what fed us mostly through the winter, and is why I'm expanding the garden area this year. We just opened the last of the green beans I canned. Guess I need to get those seeds in the ground today . Oh, the cute little guy at the lower right was me, a long, long, long time ago!

 

[S Johnson]

We get unpredictable frost until late April, so I have a lot of seeds and tiny sprouts in pots in my windows right now, planning on planting some more tomatoes for a later harvest too, probably this week, then the jalapenos and bell peppers soon too, they never do well for me if I plant them too early. Already have lettuce, squash, tomatoes, and spinach sprouting up, and I planted some wildflowers on this unusable little patch, hoping to attract more bees to my area. We've had less and less here every year thanks to pesticides on nearby farms.

 

[Brent S]

We get unpredictable frost until late April, so I have a lot of seeds and tiny sprouts in pots in my windows right now, planning on planting some more tomatoes for a later harvest too, probably this week, then the jalapenos and bell peppers soon too, they never do well for me if I plant them too early. Already have lettuce, squash, tomatoes, and spinach sprouting up, and I planted some wildflowers on this unusable little patch, hoping to attract more bees to my area. We've had less and less here every year thanks to pesticides on nearby farms.

I'm from northern Ky origionaly, but am glad I live in a warmer climate now. With how the weather is so erratic now though we all take a gamble on when to plant. Last year we skipped spring and went straight to a hot dry summer. I didn't do well with squashes at all, it burned them up before they were big enough to handle the heat. Here's to a good season for all of us.

 

[jimLE]

i plan planting cantaloupe for mom this year.and i hope that i dont have a issue with the heat like you did..

 

[Brent S]

We get unpredictable frost until late April, so I have a lot of seeds and tiny sprouts in pots in my windows right now, planning on planting some more tomatoes for a later harvest too, probably this week, then the jalapenos and bell peppers soon too, they never do well for me if I plant them too early. Already have lettuce, squash, tomatoes, and spinach sprouting up, and I planted some wildflowers on this unusable little patch, hoping to attract more bees to my area. We've had less and less here every year thanks to pesticides on nearby farms.

The flowers to draw pollinators is a great idea. Form and function, I really like it. I had to spray my fruit trees tonight. I really hated to as there still blooming and I really hate to stop all the pollinators. I mostly sprayed sulfur to help stop the fungal rot that decimated the peaches last year, but did mix in a little insecticide. Oh well, I've learned that organic dosent produce, but I try to keep keep the chemicals down to a minimum.

 

[Billy Roper]

The four vegetable plots are done, my wife got them planted and I procured some top soil for her to layer over the native crushed rock and sand soil on our mountaintop. She also planted eight or nine different types of herbs in plant pots, plus a couple more strawberry plants and cucumbers.

 

[Brent S]

The four vegetable plots are done, my wife got them planted and I procured some top soil for her to layer over the native crushed rock and sand soil on our mountaintop. She also planted eight or nine different types of herbs in plant pots, plus a couple more strawberry plants and cucumbers.

A friend gave me a bunch of packs of seeds recently. There were lots of herbs in there, but I'm just passing them along to others. The only spices I regularly use are garlic, onion and pepper. Occasionally I'll use curry or some oriental spices in a stir fry, but I'm a pretty old fashioned meat and potato kind of guy. I do need to plant some garlic soon. I had the final tilling on my list to do today, but it just didn't make it. Tomorrow's another day. I did manage to weed the potato patch yesterday. Last year I discovered a bladed hoe like tool that slices weeds quickly and easily, well easier than pulling them out by hand anyways. I got the whole potato patch done in thirty minutes, yeah! Hopefully I'll get the last of the main garden tilled and planted by tomorrow. We are dropping pretty cold tonight, so I may be replanting the new garden shortly here too. I knew I was planting it early, but decided it was worth the risk.

 

[jimLE]

well,i decided to go all out on a garden this year.

what i already have planted,
tobacco in starter pots
Cayenne
jalapeno
habenero

here's what im planting today
cantaloupe
green beans
cucumber
black eye pea
tomato
okra
corn

 

[Brent S]

I ran out of room to plant all that I wanted. Dammit, now I'm going to end up tilling more area and creating more work! Somehow I like abusing myself with too many projects.

 

[jimLE]

i got just enough room left for pinto.so im fiction to add to what i already planted.

 

[Brent S]

i got just enough room left for pinto.so im fiction to add to what i already planted.

I did notice that the greenhouse really needs some weeding badly. The problem is when you have a really big area you don't tend to take care of it as well as a small area. I guess I'll vacuum pack some of the seeds and put them in the freezer for next year. Anyways, here's to a successful growing season to us all! I'm allready looking forwards to all the home canned stuff next winter. It's so nice to have stuff all year long that you produced with your own hands.

 

[jimLE]

yeah it is nice to have the vegetables you like most all year.especially when you grow them your self.i still need to learn canning,and get a vacuum sealer..

 

[Brent S]

These are the three main vegetable gardens I work on now. The top is the first area I tilled up, with a lot of potatoes this year and some onions doing well so far. I planted a lot of other stuff in it, but it hasn't sprouted yet.
The second is the middle of the greenhouse. Plants are looking well, but the weeks are getting a little out of control!
And finally on the bottom is the chicken coop converted to another garden area. I haven't had chickens in there for about a year now, and am hoping the nitrogen is broken down enough now to grow well. Several things are sprouting so far, and it's rewarding to see again! Spring is definately my favorite time of year.

 

[jimLE]

it all looks great

 

[Billy Roper]

Those pictures look great! We have beans and corn and cucumbers out of the ground, as well as an odd okra and such, poking their heads up. The garden plots we made are doing well.

 

[Arcticdude]

Got the garden area laid out and started putting in posts for the fencing. It will be 60'x120' in size. Next week my I'll build my wife some raised beds for her asparagus plants. It's still too early to plant anything else due to frost danger. Once the pump is dropped in the well I'll put in a trench to run water up to the garden area.

 

[Brent S]

Got the garden area laid out and started putting in posts for the fencing. It will be 60'x120' in size. Next week my I'll build my wife some raised beds for her asparagus plants. It's still too early to plant anything else due to frost danger. Once the pump is dropped in the well I'll put in a trench to run water up to the garden area.

I've built several homes now, and the first thing I do is get a well. You need water for just about every step of building.
I like the garden size your planning. I ran out of room to plant, with 20x 80 roughly. I have a large grass covered area, with full sun, and will probably expand into it next year.

 

[jimLE]

well.my black eye peas have come up.right along with what im thinking,is my pole beans.so i gotta start looking for canning recipes for them