What did you do in your garden today?

[Trying2keepitReal]

I haven't had any concerns with the seeds I order from Baker Creek--though it has mainly been melons, squash, carrots, cukes and carrots. I do order more from Nature & Nurture Seeds--they have a Midwest heritage seed section.

 

[Mini Horses]

You guys have short season and also temperature issues. That limits so much. I'd say greenhouse and hoop coverings would be truly needed. I'm blessed with a long season but, some years the heat gets in the way with plant fertility, pollination, and the gardener! This year it wasn't bad summer weather....but, I had no garden.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

You guys have short season and also temperature issues. That limits so much. I'd say greenhouse and hoop coverings would be truly needed. I'm blessed with a long season but, some years the heat gets in the way with plant fertility, pollination, and the gardener! This year it wasn't bad summer weather....but, I had no garden.

Cold frames and hoop houses are on my dream list...hoping to have cold frames by end of this winter.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

If it isn't too hot today (!) I'm going to work on the last raised bed. It'll need more soil/barn dirt added to it to get it back to size. It's a mere shadow of its former self. Instead of its original size of 4 x 8 it might be 2 x 6ish. I'll be shoveling out of the small barn since it's much closer to the garden area. I think this bed will be dedicated to broccoli raab, broccoli and maybe some of that colorful cauliflower when my new seeds get here.

 

[The Porch]

I am looking forward to getting the new gardening area done. Today is closing day on our house and next Friday is closing day on the new house. We may be taking a load of stuff over tomorrow, the owner called and said the garage was empty enough for us to do that. If we do, I want to rewalk the place where I plan on building the coop and garden area. I plan on taking my time in preparation of the ground.
I typically start my planning Dec. 1. I order any seed I may be low on. I am going to get some pro-ordering done now on some things. I get all of my seed from Territorial Seed. I dont think I need to buy much, I saved seed this year.
Dec.1 2020



I love this book, Steve is the man that started Territorial Seed, he has a few other books.



I will have access to Shorts Farm, they have Organic Grass fed beef, and sell their manure. I plan on using quite a bit of it for this new garden due to not having enough chicken poo built up.
I like the no till method of gardening. But! the ground is going to need some leveling and preparation.
I also like Down To Earth products for building you soil up on the fly. I'll be saving coffee grounds & egg shells after we move for the garden.
https://downtoearthfertilizer.com/wp-content/uploads/2020DTEGardeningGuide-LORES.pdf

well, time to go open up the coop, coffee#4 and whip up some breakfast

He a great day!

 

[Mini Horses]

We may be taking a load of stuff over tomorrow

Sounds like it's close. I thought it was several hrs away. No?

 

[flowerbug]

My raised beds were just 4 boards screwed together filled with dirt. The boards rotted and I'm left with nothing much holding the dirt in one bed. Unfortunately, mounds don't last long around here. With our rain and gumbo mud a mound without something holding it in place tends to simply melt away. I actually left the rows in my garden this year to overwinter hoping they'd stay in place and I wouldn't have to till. Not so much... I probably should have covered them with cardboard or something at the end of the summer season - but I didn't. I let them lie fallow and now I'll most likely have to start over with tilling and rowing. Ugh... I may try layering some barn dirt on top of the rows and seeing if I can plant that way without tilling. It's a conundrum.

we have pretty heavy soil here with a lot of clay. it does wash away eventually but not easily.

i can see where having very fine silt would be a problem for a raised bed with a tamped foot border. what i might try is some very fine mossy plants that can be used as an edge. the creeping thyme i use up here may not work well at all for a place that gets a huge amount of rain, but it might be ok as long as it does get some dry spells here or there.

if you make your beds wider then they won't melt away as fast. thin rows will wash away fast. it just depends upon how big a space you want. i pefer a garden bed at least three feet across four is better. anything smaller than that is too small. i feel like i'm wasting too much space on pathways if i have too many and i have been known to plant in a pathway as i'm backing out of it after planting the neighboring garden beds too. i do leave enough room between rows of most plants that i can walk without smushing them.

one of my hardest things to do is to leave a lot of space between plants. often i hope that enough will just survive and then i may not thin them out afterwards. beans being the most common thing i grow here i'm trying to give them more space, but not always successful at that. next year i'm going to try wider rows and double up the raised area planting so perhaps it will be a good compromise. i sure know that what i did this year did help in a few gardens but i also lucked out so next year i'll try something a little different and see how it goes.

 

[Mini Horses]

We'll...nothing IN the garden, just FOR it. help!!! I'm an addict.

Urban farmer has the purple and orange cauli, and paprika pepper seeds. Fretted over costs...then the $7 s/h. Just annoying, for 3 tiny pks of expensive seed! So, I could add a pound of garlic, no s/h increase.....still!! Then got 10% discount for first order. Email said I could get $5 from Paypal for loading their app! Those two things wiped out the offensive s/h fee. 😁 the seed are still more expensive than I think they should be.....but, the addict in me took over! Order made. I have no control.

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

No garden in sight, under snow from yeaterday with more on the way after Christmas. Only 6 degrees here right now. BUT....I got this in the mail yesterday so planning, planning and more planning.

 

[Mini Horses]

Seeds arrived...finally. no pretty colored pics on pkg. But did get more seed than they advertised for each. Gonna let a couple plants go to seed for next time. Hybrid bàckground for sure but, so far out they're stabilized.

Is Spring just around the corner??? I feel it is after Jan hits. I mean we start seeds in Feb? Ok!! Not far off....