Jacquelita and I put up a garden

[wolf]

I am so jealous of people with gardens. I can't even grow dirt properly in my current setting.

[busterb]

Here's a few photos of my garden. http://www.flickr.com/photos/busterb/

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by warch

Resist the roundup. For weeds, or to make a new bed, you can spade the dirt, turn the greens under, put down 3-4 sheet layer of newspaper, cover with soil, compost, then chips to hold it down and make it not butt ugly. you can plant right through the paper. the paper, greens will feed the bed. Some tough weeds you just haveto dig out, then mulch well to keep them pullable and learn to live with in moderation. But organic is worth it. If you have some funky diseased plants, leaves, pick, remove, and dont compost.

I'm battling prairie grass. massive roots. I'll post a pic when I get it together. This weekend is a big farm work session.

and foot! Zone 4 represent! We best get crackin.

Here are some photos from a few weeks before last frost. (mid april)

My Protegé, Elfin Bedwe'er, demonstrating his bed leveling technique.
The chicken wire keeps the neighborhood cats from availing themselves of the facilities, as it were. It comes up after the plants get established, or in some cases after seeding, then it is replaced by floating row covers.

Behind me is 6x6 remesh. The ultimate in pea fencing, cuke trellis, or tomato cages. I'll show more pictures when I get them.

[footfootfoot]

Elfin B is almost fully trained to collect rocks and load up the dump truck. He is a liitle shaky on the whole "let's move them to the rock pile" part of the program, but he shows promise.

Also you need to keep him on task, sometimes he thinks that seedlings and tomato plants need to go in the truck too. That's when we call in the enforcer, SWMBO.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by busterb

Here's a few photos of my garden. http://www.flickr.com/photos/busterb/

Why is there razor wire in your backyard? Are you growing something valuable?

[wolf]

Buster's property backs up onto a prison.

[warch]

Great pics, foot. You're serious! Floating row covers, eh?! Posh.
The community veggie plot I work on just this weekend got some donated cukes, tomatos, cabbages, brussels sprouts and peppers. We're a little more rustic (and less effective) in our arrangements and critter barriers. I'll try for some pics. The harvest goes to our neighborhood seniors org, and all that they want are tomatoes and more tomatoes.

That dump truck pic is ridiculously cute.

[Undertoad]

The first zuke has arrived. It's so cool! The first sign of a yellow squash is now happening as well. I would have more pics but I can't find the batteries for the camera!

[Jacquelita]

Honey...

I think I have them

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by warch

Great pics, foot. You're serious! Floating row covers, eh?! Posh.
The community veggie plot I work on just this weekend got some donated cukes, tomatos, cabbages, brussels sprouts and peppers. We're a little more rustic (and less effective) in our arrangements and critter barriers. I'll try for some pics. The harvest goes to our neighborhood seniors org, and all that they want are tomatoes and more tomatoes.

That dump truck pic is ridiculously cute.

I got the row covers through Fedco (www.fedcoseeds.com) check the organic growers supply section. 250 feet of 83" wide row cover was only 37 dollars. It seemed a better alternative to losing my entire cuke crop (like last year) to the evil striped cucumber beetles.

They gave the cukes bacterial wilt in fifteen minutes. I set the seedlings out to harden off, I went in the house to get a cup of coffee, came back and they were covered in beetles. I maybe got ten pounds of cukes from eight plants.

Not again.

Each year I meet a new critter, and each year I figuratively close the barn door after the horse has fled.

It keeps me off the streets, as my dad used to say.

[busterb]

I'll pass on what little I've learned about home gardens. In a small spot only plant determinate plants, as the indeterminate plant will grow out of any cages you put around them, they will grow over a 4 ft. cage and fall over. This pertains to tomatoes. In a few weeks I'll post a photo about this at above link. Beans you have no control over unless you plant bush type. Most places you buy plants aren't marked as being determinate or not. Bonnie plants sucks about this. I planted some winter squash, butternut, one year they tried to take the whole garden and yard. Couldn't give them away as the rednecks around here don't grow them.

[Undertoad]

TEN DAYS since the last set of pics and look! Look at the change!



First zucc!



Yellow squash forming!



The peas have begun a fight with the beans that they cannot win.



Bounty!

[warch]

Yum! We're about 2-3 weeks behind.

Ouch. I have a 1" red stripe of third degree burn across my lower back from the sun. I was out working in the garden last Sunday, beautiful here, and sunscreened my entire uncovered person. I didnt realise that when hunched over, my shirt road up enough to expose a bit of my back above the waistband. No tattoo there, but maybe it will be come the trendy new farmer tan. Still stings, waiting for the itchiness, then the peel. ick. I definitely know the sunscreen works. The rest of me was fine.

[footfootfoot]

Warch,
Is that the gardener's version of "plumbers crack"?

[warch]

It a little higher and horizontal...but yeah.