Creal Critter's 2018 Gardens

[CrealCritter]

Weird spring but the weather finally broke. Time to plant the little 25' x 50 spring garden. But first, need to amend the soil at the head of the garden because the soil is worst there with 24 feed bag of some really nasty partly composted chicken coop beding.

You know feed bags say 50 lbs - yeah ok more like 100 lbs of wet compost. Next rake it out and till then sow seeds...

I'm almost doubting if I should so seeds or not because it's so late but maybe we'll have a cool summer?

 

[CrealCritter]

It would look a whole lot better with some veggies growing in it. This time last year we were picking peas and eating lettuce.

Oh well... Weather adheres to no one's agenda but I'm praying for a mild summer so I don't have to keep the garden in water. I'm also going to lay down feed bags white side up in between the rows with hopes it'll keep the soil cooler and moist.

I couldn't garden without old trusty - my troybilt rototiller. One of the better investments I made that's for sure.

 

[baymule]

For years, at our old house, I used paper feed sacks to hold down the weeds. It works.

 

[CrealCritter]

I make big hilly rows like that too - but mine are NEVER straight! And, I always put 'em too close together - but I like stumbling through my plants and stepping over and between everything, lol.

Yeah that's what my big summer garden looks like too. I usually plant semi straight rows but typically plant around the big chunks of dirt. My summer garden is in-between two hills and also about 30' from the creek so it's even wetter.

I was curious what my spring garden looked like last year so I pulled up some pics from May 14th 2017. We had already started picking peas and was eating lettuce and kale this time last year.

 

[CrealCritter]

Knocked down the chicken manure and tilled up the garden. I'm finally ready to sow seeds several years of amending the soil is starting to pay off. Soil is starting to look dark and rich, it's much better than when I first turned and tilled it several years ago. I tilled up countless red worms - that's a good sign of healthly soil with lots of composted organic matter.

 

[CrealCritter]

Workin' in the sun, it ain't no fun.
You rake -n hoe, 5 rows sowed
Sweat and sweat fresh veggies, you bet!
Momma's got me workin' all day.

 

[CrealCritter]

Five more rows done I think only 7 maybe 8 left to sow, I'm a little over 1/2 way done.

Looks like a late winter / early spring picture don't it? But this is May 1st. The trees are just starting bud real good and silver maples are leafing, red maples have just tiny buds on them. We had frost last night again

Seen a few wild iris's pop up while driving back up from the garden and stopped to take a picture. I'm pretty sure my granddaughters will find them tomorrow and pick them. So best get a picture now...

 

[CrealCritter]

Dang - your garden is so neat and tidy and the rows are nice and straight! Mine dudn't look like that, lol!

Yep rows hilled up and approximately 3' on centers and 3' away from the electric fence. 3' is good distance to snake old trusty (troy built tiller) around in the garden to weed and cultivate. I hill the rows for water runoff, we get some pretty heavy downpours several times a year from some of the thunderstorms that roll through. Gotta have trenches for water run off or the garden would become a swimming pool.

It doesn't help that the back of the garden is about 30' away from the first spring fed creek to cross my property either. So it's peretty low compared to the rest of the property. But I rarely have to water it so that's a plus.

 

[milkmansdaughter]

When I lived in Wisconsin, certain people were complaining about how much cows poop, and the carbon footprint of COWS causing global warming. A whole new series of billboards went up trashing dairy products... In the dairy state. They were not well received.
We live in a generation of fear and anxiety. While there are thousands of positive things to put on the daily news, bad news sells.
The Bible says the earth will burn up, and that there will be a new heaven and a new earth. Is that global warming? If so, it's a planned event. Cows or no cows, people or no people, cars or no cars... Eventually there will be a new heaven and a new earth. I don't fear it, and it causes no anxiety for me.
Gen 8:22,
While the earth remaineth, seedtimeand harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

@CrealCritter, last year's garden looks GREAT!

 

[CrealCritter]

Done and just in time for forcast rain tomorrow... Thanks to my youngest daughter. "Oh dad's working in the garden? I'll be right over" - I love my kids!