What did you do in your garden today?

[flowerbug]

Front part of the property here is meadow. The grass seed infests everything. Trying to keep it hoed out is a daily chore and I'm thinking of getting an electric cultivator just to weed. I have an old mechanical one but it kills my lungs to use it so often.

i'm usually sitting down on a ground pillow and using a knife for a lot of the closer up weeding i need to do. it is a much slower pace than standing up and using a scraper, but i'm also much better at only removing the problem plants and leaving the rest alone.

I'm also spacing 4 feet on walkways this year. I have a small dog kennel I'm using as a chicken tractor to weed

chickens are very good at obliterating an area. it is too bad they can't be trained to not destroy garden plants you do wish to keep.

the idea of the moment would be to do double raised beds, with a nice grate used as the pathway so the chickens could run under the pathway grate and eat anything they wanted. it would have to be made habitable enough that chickens would want to go through those pathways to begin with, but that's a whole different line of thought. note this fits pretty well with my other idea of a pathway which would never have to be weeded and i was trying to think of a way to make them even less maintenance. i like this...

 

[Hinotori]

i'm usually sitting down on a ground pillow and using a knife for a lot of the closer up weeding i need to do. it is a much slower pace than standing up and using a scraper, but i'm also much better at only removing the problem plants and leaving the rest alone.




chickens are very good at obliterating an area. it is too bad they can't be trained to not destroy garden plants you do wish to keep.

the idea of the moment would be to do double raised beds, with a nice grate used as the pathway so the chickens could run under the pathway grate and eat anything they wanted. it would have to be made habitable enough that chickens would want to go through those pathways to begin with, but that's a whole different line of thought. note this fits pretty well with my other idea of a pathway which would never have to be weeded and i was trying to think of a way to make them even less maintenance. i like this...

Silkies are less destructive of raised beds. I have the gooseberries, currants, and a honeysuckle in their courtyard in raised beds. Grapes in pots. They prefer to eat the grass first but do like grape and gooseberry leaves. They can only jump so high, so can't denude too far up.

They don't touch the honeysuckle. I don't think it's edible at all. Provides shade and wind break for them and I get the flowers.

My big girls dig out plants so cant have stuff they can reach

 

[Mini Horses]

My goats love honeysuckle!! Every inch of it

 

[FarmerJamie]

Wife and I are having garden discussions. I have a preliminary budget laid out.

I think one bed will be salad veggies. Hopefully the wife can eat non-treated greens. Second bed is going to be mostly root veggies, carrots, beets, may do a few taters, just to have fresh (we don't eat a lot).

Considering two 4'x4' beds instead of the third bed. One for spices, the second for asparagus.

It's just the two of us, and I still have my organic suppliers for stuff in bulk to can. Going to ease into this

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yesterday we had temps were in the mid 70's. Crazy! But, I took advantage and cleaned out a raised bed. Harvested a small batch of carrots - or should I say I harvested a batch of small carrots? They weren't large, but definitely big enough to snack on. I re-planted golden turnips and radishes. Only put in a small amt of each and I'll come back and plant more in about 10 days or so.

I've got more broccoli that's ready to cut. What was I thinking when I planted so much? I prefer broccoli fresh, but I may freeze or maybe dehydrate some for soup.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I started cleaning out another bed. Have half of it done and ready to plant something. I'm thinking some spring peas maybe.

Pulled a couple of rutabagas and cut the broccoli that was waiting on me. I'm going to steam as much broccoli as I think we can eat but might blanch and freeze some too.

I'm getting excited about an early spring garden. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate!

 

[FarmerJamie]

Talking to the youngest last night, mentioned the gardening plans. She said she wants to help, so keep her updated.

What the what, that girlie girl never wanted to get her fingers dirty. Knock me over with a feather

 

[flowerbug]

Talking to the youngest last night, mentioned the gardening plans. She said she wants to help, so keep her updated.

What the what, that girlie girl never wanted to get her fingers dirty. Knock me over with a feather

i remain skeptical until people actually show up and do something - the show me state...

 

[Hinotori]

Talking to the youngest last night, mentioned the gardening plans. She said she wants to help, so keep her updated.

What the what, that girlie girl never wanted to get her fingers dirty. Knock me over with a feather

Can always get her some gloves. Mom wears gloves now because her hands dry out too much. Even when I was a kid gloves were an option because quack grass will rip up your hands when pulling it

 

[flowerbug]

i almost always wear garden gloves of some kind because they do help protect against small wounds and blisters (somewhat, as i may still get some blisters if my hands haven't toughened up yet).