If you can and preserve your produce you can easily grow enough for one person in that space. My greenhouse is about 20x20 and not only does it feed me with loads of fresh stuff but I can cases of stuff each season.
What have you done for garden prep so far?
- Thread starter Brent S
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Today I picked Arugula seed pods to save for planting and tilled my last 11 raised beds that still need planted. With us getting 6 inches of rain the last couple weeks, they are too wet. Figured if I till, it would at least dry out sooner.
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We're still a month or more away from doing any planting. We've decided to move the garden area closer to the house. We have about 6 feet of good black top soil there. Last week I pulled all of the posts (85) out from the old garden site and will reuse them somewhere else. When the ground drys out some more I'll transplant the berry plants and the cherry trees to the new garden site and build some more raised beds. But first I need to clear some brush out of the area. Since the tractor is still stuck I'll be doing it by hand.
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Sounds similar to here. Except in places we still have a couple of feet of snow left, mostly on the higher elevations of the ranch. The deer and elk haven't made it back up here yet, but the wild onions are starting to come out, so the bears will be out soon too.Snow is gone but the rain isn't, we have more rain than sun, nothing is drying out
They're expecting frost here tonight.... we covered everything up and we'll hope for the best.
This compost is for starting off seeds in the greenhouse, DG. We have a chap who drops off several tons of manure free to the allotment site every year(very lucky there!) and we help ourselves.
I found some peat based compost when I went on a hunt the other day and offspring got to the allotment to run the rotavator over it. This week I will be planting potatoes, peas, broad beans at the allotment and re-sowing leeks, greens, spinach and celeriac to replace evrything in the bad compost. The stores are just getting a few tomato plants in so I shall keep an eye out for the right varieties. The Lemon and Calamondin tree are due a re-potting too. I was really pleased I managed to get them through the winter without incident. I picked the last lemon a week ago, calamondins are just starting to ripen and there are flowers too, no flowers on the lemon yet though.
We dodged the frost here. It's chilly, but no damage at least. I'm going to play with the tractor some today to get used to it. I don't have a tiller yet for it but think I will use the backhoe to plow a line to plant the rest of the peanuts I bought. I did a good sized patch in the garden but still have a lot left in the Bag. My tomatoes in the greenhouse are just a couple inches tall, so I think I will buy a couple from a store before long here to get a jump start. The potatoes are big enough to mound dirt around them already. The best advice I can give on them is they produce better when the dirt is loose. That's not so easy in clay.
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Yesterday I tilled my rows again and a few were dry enough to actually mixing some compost and mulch. Since hunny stole my wheelbarrow this morning for a concrete job I did some planting. 6 more rows of corn, butternut & spaghetti squash, green salad bowl along with purplehulls, cream peas, & limas. I think beans that get dried grow in just about any kind of soil. So far everything is looking good except for my peppers. Think we have had too much cool weather and rain.
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As I look out my window and see the snow coming down sideways I get a little envious of reading about everyone's garden here. The good news is the water level has dropped a few inches in the pit where my tractor is buried. And it's finilally quit sinking too. The bad news is the trailer is starting to sink now.
I finally got all my grape vines fixed up. I had to replace all the wood posts, and for some reason some moron had strung them with barb wire. I had a big spool of the nasty stuff when I first planted the grapes so I used it. Was a drag when mowing the area and brushing up against it. Anyways, while replacing the posts I re strung it all with a heavy galvanized wire too. It was a buggar to unwind the barb wire out of the grape vines, but am finally done with it. Yeah! I've been working on it for weeks now, a couple hours here and there. Today was almost all day, but worth getting it completed!
Our stuff appears to have survived a moderate frost last night. 34f this morning, 45f tonight, highs back to the 80s next week... crazy weather...
Glad you don't have to replant. This really should be the last cold spell. Now I'm just hoping to not jump straight into severe heat and drought like last year.
No kidding. Last summer sucked...
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Me too Sally! Warm up and dry out a little. Just think Article, when it is late July & August you can rub it in about all your cucumbers & squash you can be getting. . . that time of year it just gets to hot and the only thing I cab grow then is dried beans!
I just got motivated to go out and plant the rest of the outside garden. The tender crops like peppers, toms, cukes, and squashes. I have a list of stuff higher on the priority, but Danil just reminded me how short our window can be here.
I haven't even thought about sowing squash, cukes, french beans and corn yet. Still far too early as we can get frosts as late as the end of May. I'll be sowing the winter root veg this week, carrots, swede and parsnips. I got a row of potatoes in and the Broad beans are planted out, but I ran out of energy before I could sow peas so I will do that little job some time this week.
The citrus trees look very smart in their new pots and compost, I have them outside during the day to enjoy the sun and then pop them back in the greenhouse at night.
The citrus trees look very smart in their new pots and compost, I have them outside during the day to enjoy the sun and then pop them back in the greenhouse at night.
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I bought my Tomato plants some green bell peppers and Strawberry plants today and some seed potato ,,,,I know I do not have enough seed potatoes I think I will buy some russets and put them in the dark for a week or 2,,according to the planting chart I have I have until mid may to plant them,,,,sounds late to me but what do I know
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and white onions,,,I have got to have my onions
I planted potatoes early as I'm hoping to use some of the first crop to seed a second fall crop. That way I can have some left for springs crop, and so on.... I'm working on sustainability just in case we can't go to the local feed and seed one day. And as far as onions go, definately one of my favorite flavors in most things I cook.
I got the cukes, tomatoes, okra, peppers and cantaloupes planted today and watered in. I still have more area to plant, but this was satisfying to get started.
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I planted the rest of the garden today. Corn & different beans. Hunny came home from work early so we cleaned out the old hay from the big pasture to pile up for compost. I used up the rest of my mulch today and found out that the dump is not giving any more away until May 6th. Glad I didn't start in on my walkways yet.
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I will get it all planted this coming weekend,between now and then I am digging out as many rocks as I can and maybe enlarging the area a bit,,,,if rocks had any value I would a rich S.O.B.
I think ours is pretty much finished. Went and bought a plastic owl to keep the €{*{*€€~^>|^]!!! tree rats from digging in it. That and some leftover fox urine from hunting to assist the owl. Seems to be working so far.
Were covered in them too. Lots of Quartz, which they say is a good indicator of gold, but so far just rocks....
My outside dogs keep the squirrels at bay, but the crows are a big problem here. I have wild rabbits all over too, but the fences have kept them from much damage so far. I learned early on in this gardening thing, every garden needs fencing here.
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at least Quartz can be pretty,,,,,
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Since you have experience digging rocks now, maybe you could take some of mine too. I have acres and acres of rocks on the ranch, but our new garden area doesn't have a single rock in it.
I just finished sowing the winter greens. The Kale and Brussels I sowed last week are up and Purple Sprouting Broccoli is now in. The Peppers are still sulking, I hope I don't lose them too. It's been cold this week so I've not done much outside.
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Sitting on the front porch in my rocking chair after work watching my garden grow in this gentle rain. . . my garden seeds that I planted a couple days ago are getting watered in and even have a few of the Silver Skins that I planted last week poking thru. Snow peas are climbing with some blooms and some pods forming. Zucchini started blooming today . . . yep, pretty happy on how it is going so far, except my pepper s are still not liking the weather, yet. Finally off tomorrow and should be nice out to do some weeding. Guess my break is over and need to go start folding clothes and dinner.
