What have you done for spring gardens?
- Thread starter Brent S
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The kids tilled about a half acre for the garden but only planting a 1/4 acre this year, the potatoes are already planted, my peppers are in the green house but waiting for the ground to warm up enough for the corn.
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Still waiting for the snow to melt, then for the mud to dry out. We're down to only 1-2 feet of snow in our garden area. Should be able to plant sometime in May. Going to build a greenhouse this summer so that next year we can get an earlier start.
Well, I got the potatoes and onions in the ground! My arms are beat! I had more potatoes than I thought and it took up 3/4 of the outside garden. I still have beans and peas to plant, not to mention the tomatoes and peppers started in the greenhouse, oh and cukes and squash . Damn, now I'm going to have to till up another patch! Oh well, still feel good about the potatoes. 
Yesterday I got the pump and water lines up and running again. Each fall I just bring in the pump and drain the lines for freeze protection. Some of the lines still hold water and I always have to cut out a few pieces though. One of these days before I die I'm going to bury the lines. . So now I'm back to watering on creek water vs county water. It has loads of chlorine in it, and the plants just do better from the creek. I still have some tilling to do, but it's still too early to plant the squashes and stuff for those areas.
. So now I'm back to watering on creek water vs county water. It has loads of chlorine in it, and the plants just do better from the creek. I still have some tilling to do, but it's still too early to plant the squashes and stuff for those areas.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I also want to put a small koi pond in, to aid in irrigation of the vegetable plots as well as please my wife. I have it plotted out and the ground broke. Anybody have any experience putting one in and getting it to hold water?
Use a liner for the koi pond.
We're putting in one this summer ourselves (but a much smaller one, and more for ornamentation).
I agree with you Brent, it's why I can't put it off any more than starting it this year. Same with the fruit trees. I just hope we have at least a few more years before the collapse...but like you, I think it's imminent. I have to get the garden started and some fruits in the ground this year though. Pretty much my next prepper priority number 1. That and more water barrels.
With our ranchhand leaving though, kind of threw things a bit in disarray. If she had at least given us some more notice, would have been nice. Oh well, what can you do?
We're putting in one this summer ourselves (but a much smaller one, and more for ornamentation).
I agree with you Brent, it's why I can't put it off any more than starting it this year. Same with the fruit trees. I just hope we have at least a few more years before the collapse...but like you, I think it's imminent. I have to get the garden started and some fruits in the ground this year though. Pretty much my next prepper priority number 1. That and more water barrels.
With our ranchhand leaving though, kind of threw things a bit in disarray. If she had at least given us some more notice, would have been nice. Oh well, what can you do?
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.
im sure glad that i aint there to help lol
Yikes, how big?
We have to hand dig ours, but due to location. We have a tractor, but it can't get in where we need it. But, it's a small pond form, and only one end will be in the ground. The pond itself will be more of a raised one. I can't wait to get it done. It's going to look pretty cool. Just need to allocate the money for both the pump, and the surrounding rocks for it. Have everything else (except the fish). Even have a nice fountain that will also pour into it. We're doing an herb garden around it, all with a gnome and fairy theme (something the wife always wanted).
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.
Anything heavy gets recycled/ incorporated into something close. Both Confucius and Brent say.
No, we'll actually be using that dirt for a planter area behind the fountain.
The rest of the pond form will be above ground, with rocks forming a wall around it. (probably about 4 rows of rocks, I haven't measured it yet, so that's just eye-ballin' it).
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.
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.
That's an excellent suggestion, thanks. We used an old above ground pool liner to line the hole we dug, over the sides and the two low (2 foot high) mud and stone walls we'd made on the sides. Now we're going to haul and pile more rocks to cover the liner part which is outside the hole, before building a low wall of rock and concrete on top of it.
I just came in from working the new garden area all day. I tilled it one final time, then hoed the rows. I had mowed the back of the property a couple days ago, blowing the leaves into rows with the lawn tractor. Anyways I picked up the mulched leaves and brought them down to the garden area. I have a giant pile of leaves now. I filled the areas between the rows in the new garden area. This helps keep in moisture, keep out weeds, and will help enrich the soil for next year. I still need to do the same thing in the regular garden. Not today though as I'm beat! I watered in the new area and will plant it tomorrow. Yes, gardening takes a lot of Manuel labor, but it really is satisfying somehow. I think we should have three day weekends as two just isn't enough to accomplish enough.
The empty jars are almost stacked to the ceiling. This is what fed us mostly through the winter, and is why I'm expanding the garden area this year. We just opened the last of the green beans I canned. Guess I need to get those seeds in the ground today . Oh, the cute little guy at the lower right was me, a long, long, long time ago!
. Oh, the cute little guy at the lower right was me, a long, long, long time ago!
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.
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.
i plan planting cantaloupe for mom this year.and i hope that i dont have a issue with the heat like you did..
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.
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.
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.
well,i decided to go all out on a garden this year.
what i already have planted,
tobacco in starter pots
Cayenne
jalapeno
habenero
here's what im planting today
cantaloupe
green beans
cucumber
black eye pea
tomato
okra
corn
what i already have planted,
tobacco in starter pots
Cayenne
jalapeno
habenero
here's what im planting today
cantaloupe
green beans
cucumber
black eye pea
tomato
okra
corn
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