What have you done for garden prep so far?

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Brent S said:
Potatoes are a great crop to me. You get loads of produce for minimal work. That being said, you still need to know when and where to plant them. I also learned you need to rotate every year. I haven’t tried the sweet potatoes before, but think I will this time around.
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I think they are planted in late summer or early fall. I think I read that. If this works out for me, I want to plant sweet potatoes. I love them.
 
Here's what our garden looks like now. I think it'll be awhile before we can do anything. The orchard is left of the pig pen
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DrPrepper said:
I think they are planted in late summer or early fall. I think I read that. If this works out for me, I want to plant sweet potatoes. I love them.
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Sweet potatoes like it warmer than regular potatoes. I'm about to start my slips in the window sill now. Seems like you are not too far north from me?
 
Trellising is a great way to produce more on a small piece of earth. It’s also a back saver as well. I saw Picts of a green bean tunnel made from old concrete reinforcement wire where the couple were picking the beans hanging down inside. Cool garden feature.
 
After digging my third trench by hand today, hunny finally took putty on me and brought out his excavator. . . that will save me about a weeks work at least :) Still have more that needs hand dug cause I still have things going to seed in rows. He's pretty much been down for days with his neck and back.
 
Brent S said:
Potatoes are a great crop to me. You get loads of produce for minimal work. That being said, you still need to know when and where to plant them. I also learned you need to rotate every year. I haven’t tried the sweet potatoes before, but think I will this time around.
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Back in the old days the original homesteader on my place grew potatoes and sold them to the local mines. Apparently potatoes grow well here. We haven't tried growing them yet, but they are on our list.
 
I added more manure and got the second half of the greenhouse tilled and raked out. I may plant it later today, but am still thinking it’s a little early for the warm weather plants. I mowed the main garden and started tilling it but got tired and overheated in the sun. It’s sunday and I just don’t care to push it too hard today. as long as I am making some headway I’m content to let my age take it a little slower....
 
Got all the rows that hunny and I trenched tilled then added compost to each of those rows with my tractor. Majority got tilled in but not all. Did get to plant a couple different lettuces, Red Ruby and my absolute favorite Arugula, then planted my transplants of Ichiban Eggplant, then some Cauliflower seeds. Picked all my collards that went to seed, but still need to harvest. I have to start back to work tomorrow so that maybe a project for after. I wonder if I should tell my BIL that I will be back full time in the garden on Wed to come and help if he would like since hunny starts his work week then. He told his brother over dinner on Fri, the last day he was here that I and the tiller worked his butt off. . .
 
I rested and then went back out to till some more in the main garden. Got about half of it done and raked into rows. I will add some manure and till it in just before planting soon. I’m still vibrating from the tiller but it feels good to start the garden again.
 
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This is a prime example of why I use trenches and raise my beds. Its been raining all night and will continue off and on till this afternoon. The water will drain quickly and didn't go over my beds. These are transplants of tomatoes and peppers that were planted in raised beds with added compost, then added old manure and hay on top, then yesterday added some decomposed wood mulch from last year. Across the way, you can see my mustard going to seed and then some Arugula on the back side of the rows by my tractor. The front where the shoots are coming up is a bed of Contender green beans and the beds to the left are some squash that granddaughter and I planted a couple weeks ago.

I ended up threshing out my dried collards in a large garbage bag, then sifting the seeds thru a colander a few times to get out all the hulls. Ended up with a snack sized ziplock bag full to use this next fall.
 

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Maverick said:
Was able to till the garden though we still below freezing in the evenings, hoping we can start planting early next month.
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I think we just passed the threat of another freeze. Right now I’m debating wether to go out and till in some manure or not. My lazy side seems to be in charge at the moment.
 
Danil54grl said:
View attachment 8616 This is a prime example of why I use trenches and raise my beds. Its been raining all night and will continue off and on till this afternoon. The water will drain quickly and didn't go over my beds. These are transplants of tomatoes and peppers that were planted in raised beds with added compost, then added old manure and hay on top, then yesterday added some decomposed wood mulch from last year. Across the way, you can see my mustard going to seed and then some Arugula on the back side of the rows by my tractor. The front where the shoots are coming up is a bed of Contender green beans and the beds to the left are some squash that granddaughter and I planted a couple weeks ago.

I ended up threshing out my dried collards in a large garbage bag, then sifting the seeds thru a colander a few times to get out all the hulls. Ended up with a snack sized ziplock bag full to use this next fall.
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You may need an arc if the rain keeps up!
 
WGregMiller said:
We’re up against the same thing. Since I’m all powerful and can control the weather, and all. No kidding. As soon as we plant it will come one hellacious frost. Guaranteed.
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Yeah, I planted the greenhouse about two weeks ago as it’s somewhat protected, but haven’t been brave enough to plant the main garden yet. I probably will this weekend though. No doubt it’s a roll of the dice still.
 
Brent S said:
Yeah, I planted the greenhouse about two weeks ago as it’s somewhat protected, but haven’t been brave enough to plant the main garden yet. I probably will this weekend though. No doubt it’s a roll of the dice still.
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One year I managed to get 23 degrees in late April 2 days after stuff finished coming up.

My wife is really wanting to plant but I ain’t gonna do it.
 
WGregMiller said:
One year I managed to get 23 degrees in late April 2 days after stuff finished coming up.

My wife is really wanting to plant but I ain’t gonna do it.
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I have even thought that if it was to freeze one more time I would throw some sheets over the plants, but never seemed to actually do it. Yeah, I’ve lost a few plants, but luckily never all of them, yet....
 
When a freeze comes put a quart sized canning jar over them. . . . it acts like a mini greenhouse. I found this out by accident one year when I stored extra jars out in the gardening shed. I was almost in panicked mode cause I ran out of milk jugs, pop bottles and coffee cans and that was all I had left to cover with. They worked out great.
 
Brent S said:
I have even thought that if it was to freeze one more time I would throw some sheets over the plants, but never seemed to actually do it. Yeah, I’ve lost a few plants, but luckily never all of them, yet....
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We have before too. Worked fairly well.

The 23 degree time was on about an acre of garden. We didn’t have that many sheets. I don’t know it they’d have helped that night anyway. Just a lot of work down the drain. At least we just replanted and didn’t have to till it up again.
 
WGregMiller said:
We have before too. Worked fairly well.

The 23 degree time was on about an acre of garden. We didn’t have that many sheets. I don’t know it they’d have helped that night anyway. Just a lot of work down the drain. At least we just replanted and didn’t have to till it up again.
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I guess I was lucky. Only had to worry about the eggplants, cucumbers, tomatoes and peppers. There may have been a few melons mixed in there but I don't have anywhere close to an acre to worry about.
 
still got frost here, hard frost only this morning.
nobody plants anything around here until the frosts are over and the ground has chance to warm up.
 
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