Just got the garden done...
 

Just got this done (pic below)...not much...it is just
13'x15'...about 200 Square Feet (enough for us to get
started on gardening/canning/freezing). Did a raised
bed (they are the ONLY way to go in my opinion). Dug
down about 6", put down a thick 6-mil vis queen and
then added 8" high stones on the perimeter (free-bee
from a friends gravel pit...he-he). Took about 5 yards
of topsoil to fill it. The bed is "crowned" and has a
depth of 16" in the middle, and 12" around the edges.
I am planting all my "vine plants" like cucumbers,
zucchini, squash, etc., around the edges so they can
"climb" the fencing. Also doing corn, tomatoes, green
onion, green beans, green peppers, carrots, and
melons. Put down "Grub-B-Gone" around the perimeter
to keep the grubs out). My seedlings are looking
good (I planted them 2 weeks ago and keep them on a
shelf in the kitchen). Almost time to plant...we are
getting a real "soaker" tomorrow night, so I am planning
on planting this weekend. The threat of frost should be
gone by then...I hope.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Very nice! Wow, a yard and grass. Almost forgot what they look like living in my little condo in southern California. It always nice to get back to the parents farm in Michigan, but I still remember how much I hated pulling weeds as a kid. Funny how that sounds so inviting right now in my (hopefully) middle age.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Looks good. I'm in Michigan too. I planted today. This is the earliest I've ever planted in the north of Mich. Hope it doesn't get frosted. Tomato plants will go in the ground in two weeks. Asparagus is coming up. Been fencing land off for the cattle.....what a bitch! They are worth it though.

I don't do raised bed but it seems to be a very good method. I have a front tine tiller and it is no fun at all to prepare the garden. I love growing plants though. Very satisfying.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Your garden is almost exactly the same size as mine, Barrettone and you'd be astonished how much food you can grow in that space. I planted 5 different varieties of peas (Wando, Snowbird, Super Sugar Snap, Mammoth Melting, and Capucijner), the seeds for all of which came from last year's plants. The taller varieties are a foot and a half tall now (planted the 4th week in March). I also have Yukon Gold potatoes planted end of March, beginning of April. Of course I'm in NW Indiana, which is probably warmer than Northern Michigan. But this comprises my springtime garden.

Hint: peas are a cool season plant. I've seen them survive 28 degree temps overnight with no damage. And the potatoes take a while to come up anyway. They can go in early -- especially in raised beds where drainage isn't a problem as there is less an issue with the seed rotting in damp soils.

The peas will all be done and ready to pull by the end of June. I cut the plants off at ground level and hang them in bundles to dry in the garage (afterwards, harvest the seeds then the stems and leaves go into the compost heap.) I plant a second crop of potatoes the beginning of July (these will provide seed potatoes for next year), as well as several varieties of beans (Kentucky Wonder, Contender and Navy.) The tomato plants go in the garden at this time too. The tomato plants are on the patio now in half gallon milk containers; if they get root-bound before I have space for them, I'll transplant them temporarily into 2'x3' plastic storage tubs that I use to store soil. I'll transplant my Bell Peppers and Cubanella Peppers then as well. Most of the pepper plants I'll grow in containers because garden space is limited. My peppers do real well as container plants; tomatoes, not so much.

I'm thinking about a fall garden for the first time this year. I think it would be real cool to have a three season garden.:36_3_12: This is the sixth year for my backyard garden; how time flies when you're having fun!

P.S. Barrettone, if your seedlings have spent their entire lives growing inside, you might want to harden them off before planting directly into a sunny garden, or at least provide some temporary artificial shade. Don't want those delicate leaves to burn to a crisp on the first sunny day. That's a real problem for my plants; grown from seed under florescent lights in a warm kitchen, they're pretty delicate and cannot stand the full rigors of the outdoors without easing them into it gradually.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Thanks for the encouraging words Merlin. I am hoping that by planting judiciously, I can optimize what I grow. Using the perimeter fence for "vine plants" to grow up, I can then use the entire center for tomatoes, Green Peppers, green beens, etc. My big question is, what depth do you need to plant sub-soil items like carrots, potatoes, etc??? I only have 12"-16" in depth in the center before I would hit my plastic liner at the bottom. I have never done potatoes, but would like to. Please advise.:36_3_12:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

I'm not sure I would have done the plastic liner under the entire garden, but what is done is done. Choose your varieties of carrots carefully. Some are shorter and fatter than others. Those would work better.

As for potatoes, I've been doing a square foot garden routine and don't feel I have space to plant in rows and then hill them up. So I plant the seed around 4 inches deep and then mulch heavily with straw to protect the tubers from exposure to sunlight.

There's a thread going here somewhere about growing potatoes in containers. I've tried doing that in garbage cans, with lousy results. I think that the problem is like lack of sunlight at the bottom of a well (garbage can.) Some on this forum are stacking tires as the plants grow, or building up the sides of a wooden box as the plants grow. I bet that works much better. In any case, I think you should be able to grow potatoes in 12" deep soil. I've heard of people growing potatoes by planting them on top of gravel paths and then piling dirt up around them as they grow; if you can grow potatoes on gravel, you should be able to grow them nearly anywhere.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

I kinda HAD to do it...I am on a lot that only has 4" of top soil, and then sugar sand. Every ounce of water percolates down FAST, and causes a drought scenario in July/August no matter how much watering you do. Even with a fully irrigated lawn, I still get brown spots. So, it was NOT by choice, but necessity. Hope this clarifies why I did it.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Well, that does explain a lot. One of the nice features of a raised bed is good drainage and of course the plastic reduces that. You'll be able to tell after the first season if the plastic is hurting or helping. I hope for your sake that it works well for you because pulling it out would be a heck of a chore.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

It doesn't sound too inviting to me. I had to remove and replace a few skirting boards the other day to run some aerial cables.

With my age (66) and general unfitness the bending nearly finished me off! :bear_cry:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Oh, I have a plan for that. I just use a 1/2" thick by 3' tall pointed metal "probe" with a "t" handle to aerate the liner if I need additional drainage. No need to pull it out. I got that tip from an old farmer. He had to adjust the amount of drainage on some raised beds he did the same way I constructed mine. So, I do have an "exit strategy" if it retains too much water.:565:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Nice Barrettone :ok: ,last year I planted a garden of similar dimension with lots of variety, in the end I felt I had to much variety it was a pain in the arse....but Merlin feals otherwise, he knows better than I aaaaaand he lives closer to your neck-a-the-woods, not to mention...... he's perty crafty & cagey.
All's I know is I sure wouldn't mind eatin vittles over at Merlin's house some time, he grows & cans his own veggies ,mills his own flour and makes his own bread .....so do I, but I can tell by the way he posts that he is very meticulous and probably sets a very nice table .....when he feels like it.

I have 2 projects almost completed .....one is my 12'x16' root/wine cellar , all I have to do now is water proof, put on my double doors and back fill. While the roof to my cellar has been curing (28 days) I've built a 20'x20' cyclone fence yard with chicken wire fence over it and a 10'x10' chicken coupe in it . I have to finish the inside of the coupe and put wire over the top of the whole 20"x20" yard & coupe.....Andy lit my fire for the cellar and Techguy for the coupe. I have 6 hybrid laying hens under the heat lamp now ......4 more weeks and I'm throwing them in their new house/yard.
All in all I'm happy to have stumbled into GIM .:565:

Again, way to go Barrettone !!

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Merlin sets a nice table when company is coming: table cloth, linen napkins, stemmed glassware, that sort of thing. The rest of the time, for the two of us, it's strictly TV trays in the family room.

As for variety in the garden, there's not so much. Peas, potatoes beans and tomatoes (peppers on the patio, remember?) Although I do grow my onions in flower boxes on the patio too along with the herbs. But I learned my lesson the first year in 2004 when I attempted asparagus, beans beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, corn, cucumbers, lettuce, okra, onions, peas, peppers, potatoes, radishes, spinach, squash, strawberries, swiss chard and tomatoes. Now that, Nub, was variety. And way, way, way too much variety. Today's garden is much simpler. You should talk, Nub. I don't have a wine cellar or a chicken coup either :biggrin:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

All -

Just got the garden started!

/Users/johniversen/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2009/Fence/P1010366.JPG
/Users/johniversen/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2009/Fence/P1010367.JPG
/Users/johniversen/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2009/Fence/P1010368.JPG
/Users/johniversen/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2009/Fence/P1010369.JPG
/Users/johniversen/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2009/Fence/P1010370.JPG
/Users/johniversen/Pictures/iPhoto Library/Originals/2009/Fence/P1010371.JPG

And I'm absolutely not used to posting pictures.

It is 24' x 40', fence is 7' tall at the high points,

For them Pacific horned rabbits.

Now, I've been a carpenter for 40 some odd years now, so,

As long as I'm going to pay for the material

And bust ass to put it in, I'm going to do my best

To make the fence a pretty thing along the way.

Just my way.

scyth

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

,,,gardens??? what's dat? I had rain/snow today. Below freezing tonight...

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

OK gang -

Just got totally frustrated trying to post pictures via

iphoto and photoshop.

What stupidly obvious thing am I missing?

Thanks in advance.

scyth

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Scyth:

( Pacific horned rabbits....ahahaaa....I like that.....I call them "woods rats".... )

2 ways to get a photo on here.

1. Upload directly from your computer. Use the extended "Post Reply" ( not quick reply ), and scroll down past all those fool emicoms to Additional Options, then Attach Files..click it and a box will open allowing you to browse on your computer to find your photos....click one and it will attach to the message. JPG is a valid photo type file and allowed, and it seems you have Jpeg files, but it looks like you don't have the complete location of the file about....the first part is missing.

2. The second way is put the files on the web somewhere at a freebie file storage place ( I use www.digistash.com ). Then bring up the photo, right click over it with your mouse, select "copy image location", then click the postcard looking button at the top of the GIM message box ( you CAN do this with quick reply or advanced reply ) and a box opens.....right click again, select PASTE to put the copied location in the box, and hit OK....the info pastes directly into the message as [IMG]someplace from the web[/IMAGE], but what shows is something like this:

http://www.digistash.com/data/026a39...1_p124832.jpeg

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

ahahahaaaaaaaa.....Merlin, you just described our house to a "T".....

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Nub....WHERE are the photos ?......quit holding out !


:biggrin:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Barrettone:

( and like that handle BTW..... I assume you ain't talking the barber shop quartet version ?.....ahahahaaa )

Nice start on gardening. With that size layout, you could even cover it with a "hoop house" type greenhouse for extending the season on either end of the year.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

barrettone great job on the garden,

I just got mine done too last night too.... i planted 6 different peper plants. 6 tomato plants... red, yellow and green onions, broci, cauliflower, cabbage, green beans, chives, parlsey, dill, rosemary,thime,. and garlic. brussel spouts, and thats it.....

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Love the progress Barrettone! It is always motivating to see other "do'ers" out there especially when you have pictures to brag about...

Dave

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Tn...Andy

Yep...my handle is a word-play. Nice to know you can engage the bad guy at a mile and a half if you know how to do your job. The greenhouse is a good idea. If I didn't plan on relocating to my retreat within a year (where I already have one), I would build it in an instant.

headhunter

Thanks...I am planting 5 varieties of peppers and two kinds of tomatoes (roma's and beefsteak). The rest is just the standard fare...

Dave

Thanks for the kind words. I get a great deal of personal satisfaction from looking at my completed work. I come from a long line of farmers, and am trying to "rekindle" that love for gardening my family has. It has been a dormant art for about 15 years now. Hopefully, it all comes back to me. (Those days on my grandfathers farm were definitely "learning moments" that I am grateful he taught.) Thankfully, I also have seasoned experts like Merlin on this board to help guide me back.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

The address for your pictures is missing the beginning part.

It should start www.

and then have the name of the hosting site or your ISP etc.

I've got my garden done but a deer came the other night and ate all of my romaine lettuce plants. Besides putting up a fence does anyone have suggestions on how to keep the deer out or should I just skip the lettuce and eat the deer?

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

If I were you I would take the fence down completely and just harvest deer. They taste better than peas.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Better yet, harvest the deer, keep the peas.

Great job on the garden Barrettone!:ok:

What does everyone fertilize with? Andy, you using manure from your cows?

So far on my small sections, I've been using rabbit poop. I need to start composting when i clean out the chicken coop. It's too "hot" to use right out the bird. Anyone esle compost? Seems like a pain to me.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

I have a lazy man's way of composting....:sleepy13:

Dump about 5 yards of soil in a pile, dig out the center (like a big bowl). Discard all kitchen wet's in the hole and that pile will be good to go next year.
Till up the whole pile when ready.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Yes, and yes it is a pain. I don't turn it at all. Urinating on it seems to speed up the process. Urine is also a good nitrogen liquid fertilizer diluted at 10:1.
The price is quite competetive with other nitrogen fertilizers.

Edit: Go for the fence Bellvue Buddy, you won't regret it. Before I put it up I might as well not have had a garden for all the deer.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

I have two commercial compost bins going; living in the suburbs as we do, I could never get away with throwing my garbage into a heap in the backyard. They have plastic walls and lids, but no bottoms. It takes a long time to get finished compost this way because there's no way I can turn the piles. But I'm usually able to get enough out of the bottom openings each spring so that I can spread a little (1/8" or so deep) over the entire garden. If quantities of unfinished compost show up at the bottom, I put them back on top. But I'm not compulsive about sifting my compost; if a twig or scrap of leaf makes its way to the garden, it's OK with me.

Kitchen waste (melon rinds, egg shells, potato peals, radish tops, veggie scraps and such) I collect in a plastic storage container and empty every day or so into the compost heaps. It's really quite amazing how much good stuff would otherwise be going into the trash or disposal. Garden waste (stems and leaves from peas, beans, end-of-season straw mulch, etc.) I collect in a large garbage can and distribute periodically on top of the decomposing kitchen waste all winter long. Then, an occasional shovel or two of plain old garden soil keeps the smell in check.

I agree about the necessity for a fence by the way. The garden shares the backyard with our Boston Terrier, Molly, and we don't want her running through the garden :) The squirrels and birds still make their way in; but they don't eat much (the squirrels love green tomatoes -- they're such funny little clowns.)

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Found a photo of my lazy azz composting method.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Gotta love Alberta!

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

LOL, let's leave the "seasoned expert" moniker to Tn...Andy. Next to him, I'm just a hack.

BellevueBully, I don't see anything wrong with your "lazy azz composting method." Don't think you could get away with that in our straight-laced, tight-assed suburban neighborhood though. People around here edge the grass along their sidewalks and pick up every stray leaf that falls in autumn. And you obviously have lots of space -- something that's at a premium in my yard.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Once more into the breach - see if this works...........

And (drumroll) - thank you Andy!

OK.

The posts are cut so that the rails are lapped in flush,

And glued and screwed.

The S shaped lookouts are a tradition with me -

When I think of the gardens and fences I've had to move

On from, sometimes its scary.

The ground I am dealing with is clay interspersed with rock.

So the first thing you do is get another half dozen shearpins

For the rototiller, and bust it up as best you can.

Then - go to the local dump - and run multiple loads of compost

Back to the ranch.

(Actually, Port Angeles has a pretty cool program running.

You can dump your yard waste for free. They have a pretty

Sophisticated composting mill.

The reasons? No yard waste in landfill, plus profit

From compost. And it is good stuff, reasonably priced.)

Anyway, I've worked in about 8 vertical inches of compost

Into the ground already, and what you see is another 4"

Of topdressing.

Standard 2" X 4" hog fence is being applied to the fenceline;

That should be done this weekend.

Then I have to build the gates -

There will be a double gate on each long side -

And install them.

I'm a big fan of Ruth Stout style gardening, so

Going into the future, the garden will live more

Or less permanently under 8 - 10 inches of straw mulch,

Which will be tilled in every fall, between summer crops

And winter crops.

No raised beds.

The whole garden is a 24' x 40' raised bed.

I find this gives you a whole lot more latitude with

Regard to crop rotation and general use.

Next step is an 18' x 30', same style, but a foot lower in height

For the herb garden, on the best Southern exposure.


scyth

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

You are all looking really great. Scyth, your yard looks especially fantastic. Barrettone, I think the work you did looks great and I appreciate you sharing the tip about a plastic liner stopping the sugar-sand problem.

I'm proud to say I post on the same board as ya'll. Maybe I can get a few pictures of my backyard up next week.

P.S. Yes I compost! It's amazing just how much compostable waste there is in a house.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Good work folks

we compost with kitchen waste also .

I'll take pics of our raised beds soon

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

I took the pic of the almost finished cellar tonight........

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Here's a pic of when I started the cellar, not all the block had been delivered yet.........

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Another picture from the begin. If ya see something you don't like ....talk to the hand:wink:

It don't look it but it's 12'x16'
Vertical rebar every other block and horizontal every 2nd row.
When I got to the top and after I poured the walls I welded 3/4" rebar all the way around the perimiter to the vertical pieces then layed 3/4 and 5/8" rebar in a 10" grid .I used those sizes of rebar cuz I got them free.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Looks great, Nub.....and an extra hand is always helpful...

When does the blast door go on ?

:biggrin:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

The entry turns out 3' to accommodate double doors.......the fat hand is mine, it eventually connects to my fat head.:biggrin:

There are a lot more trees than this picture would indicate
My dad always called this place a rock pile......gee I wonder why, this kind of rock is a sure sign of oil.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

That's the way to do it! :553:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

we had some frost on monday night, losts a few plants, man has it been a strange spring here in ohio

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Coldest winter in a number of years, no?

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

(Rod Stewart - Mandolin Wind) :s1:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

First time gardening for myself and the Lady today too! It was a lovely day, we planted peppers, carrots and sunflower. Still germinating onion and chives. The garden belongs to our landlord who has been gracious enough to let us use it. Was only half the size last year but I helped him expand it.

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Yea...Jack tried nippin' my babies up here too, but my buddy Vis Queen held him off!!! Broke a couple of shoots on the bean plants, but overall, the rescue mission was a success. :10_1_20:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Been very cold around here as well, had snow and freezing temperatures over the weekend. Supposed to warm up now.

I'm hoping to have my seeds in tommorrow and then will put out some of the more sensitive plants I started like tomatoes and squash once I know the weather will hold.

Enjoying the long weekend in Manitoba (not me) lol

http://rstorage.filemobile.com/storage/1144960/233

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Besides the funny way ya'll talk, I always knew there was something fundamentally wrong about Canadians...... :biggrin:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Yummy.

The peppers look good too.:biggrin:

Re: Just got the garden done...
 

Is that what you meant??