In my humble opinion I think we are close to an economic downturn, and think all of our growing plans should move higher on our lists. All I've learned for sure is its harder to get plants to produce than I thought. It takes practice and work. I figured I could just read directions and make produce. Boy was I wrong! I am getting better, but still have a lot to learn. I am sure of one thing, if things go south as most here think will happen, I want to be able to eat, even when the dollar has so little value that you can't afford things at the grocery.We had some unexpected cold dips here lately, so kind of glad I didn't get to it. (may even be near freezing tonight) What?
With the big changes going on at the ranch, we just have to put it off until next season unfortunately.
The only good news is that it gives me more time to make sure we do it right before the next opportune time.
I still want to get the koi pond done, and the herb garden started though, before the summer. So that is still on.
I got my gardens tilled finally, at the expense of not being able to use my arms without pain for a few days! I still need to rake some rows out, but am pretty close to planting the warmer crops. I have lots growing in the green house to transplant out in a few more weeks. I have truly never learned a skill that has been more rewarding in life than producing food for our table.We're working on putting in vegetable beds. Of course it dipped to freezing last night, so it's not quite time to plant yet, anyway.
Good idea. I think I'll use an old aboveground pool liner to line the koi pond. Maybe some sack-crete, too. My main challenge is getting the boys off their laziness to help me dig the hole, now. No tractor or backhoe, so we're digging it by hand. Fun times.
Anything heavy gets recycled/ incorporated into something close. Both Confucius and Brent say.My life would love a fairy theme, too. I might do that for her. The hole, hopefully 3'-4' deep, is plotted to be only about 6' x 6', with a trailing tail maybe a couple of feet deep off to one side. One shovel full and wheelbarrow full at a time. Roots and rocks, but they do have as bit of dirt in between cementing them together, so that's good. Are you using the dirt you dig out of the bottom to make the bank for the above-ground part? I was contemplating cementing some rocks into a wall for that, here. Lord knows we have plenty of them.
Are you using the dirt you dig out of the bottom to make the bank for the above-ground part?
If you go to lowes or Home Depot you can usually buy the broken bags for half price. The bags tear easily, so before you need to start a project start stopping by and collect a few. The regular concrete works great for the footer and regular mortar mix will stick the stones together on top of it. I carry a plastic tub in the back of the car and put the broken bags in it, helps contain the mess. I've been filling holes in my driveway for a few weeks now. I usually get 1 or two bags at a time, but recently they had five in one stop. I won't drive out to look for them, but when driving by a store I'll run in to see if they have any. Just look at the product on the shelf, and if there's a broken or ripped one just ask if they will sell it for half off. Most times they will.Here in the Ozarks we have plenty of rocks. While digging, we're being blessed by finding even more. I'm thinking of using them to build a rock wall above ground around the pond a couple of feet high or so. I'm just looking for the cheapest method, such as what kind of mortar or sack crete is cheapest, et cetera.
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.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.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.
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.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.
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