What have you done for garden prep so far?

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Brent S said:
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.
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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.
 
Arcticdude said:
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.
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I really wish I had enough land for pasture here. Having meat and fertilizer is a nice prepping addition.
 
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.
 
Brent S said:
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.
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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.
 
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!
 
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.
 
Rellgar said:
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.
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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.
 
Rellgar said:
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.
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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.
 
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Beautiful day today 81°. It dried the gardens so I can do my final round of tilling and plant some seed.

I put the seedlings out for a while to harden them, but the sun was very hot. Put them back inside. I'll do a little longer tomorrow.
 
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Yeah, pretty hot here too. The tomato transplants I put in the garden were suffering mid afternoon, wilting over and looking dead. I soaked them to cool them off, and hope some survive. I am seriously considering installing a shade cover over the main garden. The last few years have had brutal summers here but the greenhouse still produced well while the garden suffered. There is a product called seran used in central Florida on ferneries. It is a strong woven fabric that shades but let’s water through. It is black, but I would like to try and find some in white that lets just enough light through for good plant growth. Any leads would be appreciated.
 
Yesterday we had 59 degrees. Only a few patches of snow left around here. Another week of weather like this and I'll start tilling the garden.
Got the tiller ready to go. Changed oil and added fresh gas. The nice thing about the garden area is there's not a weed in it. That should make tilling pretty easy. To avoid frost I'm not going to plant most things until around June 1st. If I have time I might plant some tomato and pepper plants earlier and put hoops over the plants like someone suggested.
 
Arcticdude said:
Yesterday we had 59 degrees. Only a few patches of snow left around here. Another week of weather like this and I'll start tilling the garden.
Got the tiller ready to go. Changed oil and added fresh gas. The nice thing about the garden area is there's not a weed in it. That should make tilling pretty easy. To avoid frost I'm not going to plant most things until around June 1st. If I have time I might plant some tomato and pepper plants earlier and put hoops over the plants like someone suggested.
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Take a gallon milk jug and cut the bottom out. Place over plants. Take the top off and on to let in air, etc.
 
Brent S said:
Yeah, pretty hot here too. The tomato transplants I put in the garden were suffering mid afternoon, wilting over and looking dead. I soaked them to cool them off, and hope some survive. I am seriously considering installing a shade cover over the main garden. The last few years have had brutal summers here but the greenhouse still produced well while the garden suffered. There is a product called seran used in central Florida on ferneries. It is a strong woven fabric that shades but let’s water through. It is black, but I would like to try and find some in white that lets just enough light through for good plant growth. Any leads would be appreciated.
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https://www.gardeners.com/how-to/row-covers/5111.html
 
Lots of stuff coming up in the garden . My bamboo patch is also spreading out this year , the blue berries that I accidentally mowed down last month seem to be slive , My Wife's elephant ears are coming back up this year and had babies , one of Our fig tree is greening out the other hasn't done good in couple years .
 
Felt safe to plant seed today
Okra, 3 types of green beans, squash, zucchini, corn, cucumbers, watermelon and some marigolds to keep some bugs away.

I left the tomatoes out all day to harden and they did not wilt. The basil looks like toast though.
 
I did get to play out in the garden this morning after I got off at 8 am. Came home to feed after a 30 minute coffee break and then weeded the garden. After that i did take a nap for 2 1/2 hours. Did get to plant a couple more beds of green beans, crowder beans and then started in on the corn which I dig a trench of about 12 inches to plant and since I do not have any gas made up for 2 cycle engines I dug my trenches by hand. At least I got 1 and 1/2 rows done before the gas ran out. 9 Rows done in total I think. . . So MIL asked about me at lunch wondering where I was asking if I was working. Hunny tells her no. . . she is off today. I am sorry but maybe I am thinking wrong since I have had very little sleep but my thinking was he should have said yes she did work came home to do some more and is taking a nap now, but then again he didn't even come out of the house until 103 because he slept in. Sorry I am venting, BUT if you have a farm and animals are depending on you, you better crawl your butt out of bed to get outside before 10am. . . I am thinking momamabears post about hunny not on board here. . . yes some-days even when hunny 'helps' out sometimes it is a chore for you in the long run doing all the house chores garden and some of the feeding. When hunny was down after surgery and he tells me now I know what he deals with everyday with feeding the big cows, pigs and chickens, I honestly roll my eyes. . . and want to tell him that he needs to walk in my shoes some days, but I know that will never happen
 
robinjopo said:
Preach. To get mine to help do anything is more work than what he would do. When I have to ask a neighbor to help me while he is here should embarrass the hell out of him, but it doesnt.
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Sorry hun, but your husband reminded me of my neighbor, the "pretty' boy who hires out everything, , , but you are the hired out help here. . .come again maybe I should not speak my mind here. . . I am tired. I feel like you deserve so much more. . . Just glad that he is a good dad for your son.
 
Tomatoes are tough little buggars. I just plucked the free ones up from the greenhouse and stuck them in the ground out in the main garden. They wilted pretty bad, but have come back and all 7 or 8 survived. There are another five or so I will do the same thing with. I planted a row of tomato seeds, but it’s nice to have some further along. I sure wish most plants were as tough as these guys.
 
robinjopo said:
Psalm, is kolrabi considered cool crop?
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Probably . I read it's also called a German turnip . The tops can be cooked like greens or raw in a salad . The root is used anyway you would use a turnip or potato . They are coming up well .
I just tilled a 2nd place and filled it with 3 kinds of squash . Iv ran out of room in my main garden .
 
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