Farm Getting Garden Ready.

[Publius]

I spent most of my week-end and Monday working up the soil in my garden and putting all the trash under and it took a bit of work on my part, but got it done. I still have to do repair to the fence around the garden the deer had pulled some of the wire and fence posts over when they run into to it over the winter.
I'm just now cutting seed potatoes and starting other seeds and we have 100+ pounds of potatoes left from what I grew last year.

 

[SusieSunshine]

I'm starting my first garden in Texas. This climate is totally new to me, so I am experimenting. I'm using 2 hard plastic kiddee pools for raised beds. Husband drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. I filled them with pebble gravel, enriched garden soil, sand and topsoil. I planted tomatoes and 10 varieties of peppers. The pepper seeds came from Pepper Joe's as a "test" kit. Free!!!

My tomato plants are starting to produce. 3 babies growing! Yippee!! The pepper seedlings are beginning to take off. My fingers are crossed. If I am successful, I'll expand next year.

 

[Publius]

I'm starting my first garden in Texas. This climate is totally new to me, so I am experimenting. I'm using 2 hard plastic kiddee pools for raised beds. Husband drilled holes in the bottom for drainage. I filled them with pebble gravel, enriched garden soil, sand and topsoil. I planted tomatoes and 10 varieties of peppers. The pepper seeds came from Pepper Joe's as a "test" kit. Free!!!

My tomato plants are starting to produce. 3 babies growing! Yippee!! The pepper seedlings are beginning to take off. My fingers are crossed. If I am successful, I'll expand next year.

Some times you need to experiment growing foods you like and don't be surprised if the local soil and or climate prevents you from being successful.
Like I cannot grow Carrots here because of the clay-shale soil we have and I would have to setup a raised bed with sand just for carrots.
Look around or ask at the local seed and garden supply store whats popular in your area.

 

[TerriHaute]

I've been working on getting the garden going too. We are still getting occasional freezing temps at night, so I can't go full bore yet. But, I did till the driest, sunniest area of the garden and planted the cabbage and onion plants there that were started in the greenhouse. I planted peas too, but something ate most of the seeds. The tomato and pepper seedlings in the greenhouse are doing well, and I have been busily transplanting them. I am going to plant some stuff in the garden today that will be OK with the cool night time temperatures: turnips and Swiss chard. The lettuce that was planted in the raised bed is about two inches tall and ready to take off soon.

I always keep an eye on when the neighboring farmers plant to cue me in on when to plant corn and beans. There is a big field across the street that has always been either corn or beans but I realized last week that it is winter wheat this year! Can't wait as wheat is beautiful to watch turn golden and ripple in the wind.

 

[Publius]

We just got a heavy rain and this will help with weed control, last year we had a major battle with the weeds and just have to wait a week or so to re-till and put all the weeds under before they can go to seed.
Got all the potatoes ready and curing I have Onions to plant and it will have to wait until the soil dries out enough to work the clay.

 

[ericha]

Some times you need to experiment growing foods you like and don't be surprised if the local soil and or climate prevents you from being successful.
Like I cannot grow Carrots here because of the clay-shale soil we have and I would have to setup a raised bed with sand just for carrots.
Look around or ask at the local seed and garden supply store whats popular in your area.

I dont have suitable soil either, ive found that making a mound suitable for carrots is not that hard. A little peat moss, some compost and dirt all mixed up will make some great carrots.

 

[Publius]

I managed to get the garden tilled but after that it has rained every few days and just enough to keep it wet so I cannot do anything with it the place is turning into a green carpet of weeds.
May 15 is supposed to be our final frost date but lately the weather has that feel to it like we may get a frost in late May. The mid section of the country is under Frost warnings.
I have a good number of plants started in plastic 4"X4"X4" deep planter pots and coming along just fine.

 

[Freeholder]

I've slowly been working on my gardens. The small kitchen garden, which was fenced and built last year, has been weeded. I need to finish filling one bed that I didn't do last year, and then I can plant some cold-hardy stuff in there. The bigger garden hasn't been tilled yet -- I'm waiting for a neighbor with a tractor-drawn tiller to have time to come over and do that. The fence posts are up around the garden/orchard area, and I've got chicken wire to put up to keep the rabbits out. Will need some help with the field fencing (to keep the dogs out!). If the neighbor doesn't get over here with his tractor, I've got a small tiller, but it would take me a while to do it with that, as it's still in sod. We are still having frost most nights, and will into early June, so there's no big hurry on a lot of stuff.

Kathleen

 

[Publius]

Today I decided to pull the tiller out and set it up to till only one inch deep and do some weed disruption and I hope to hit it again tomorrow afternoon and expose some more of the buried weeds to wither and die top side in the sun.

 

[TerriHaute]

I have been slowly working on the garden too. My energy level is not what it used to be. Plus, I am babysitting DS' dogs (bulldog and pug) for a couple of weeks while he and his family are traveling, so my spare time right now is a lot less. Added to that, we had four cold rainy days last week, so nothing much got accomplished garden-wise.

Several of the plants that did get into the garden have been munched by rabbits. Until this year, we never saw a rabbit around here because the foxes were so thick. But the next door neighbor keeps rescuing more and more animals, including dogs, and some of the dogs he now has are escape artists. In spite of his ongoing efforts, the neighbor is still unable to keep the dogs contained in a consistent way, and they have driven off all the foxes. As a result, we have a lot of rabbits and I have seen more mice and chipmunks than ever the past few months. Wish he would teach the dogs to hunt rabbits, but it seems they prefer chickens.

 

[moldy]

A friend has come out the last two days to help me get tomatoes in the ground. The main garden is done, and corn is planted, but I still have peppers, more tomatoes and my vining crops to get in (squash, melons, pumpkins, cukes)..

Never enough time this time of year!

 

[Publius]

I have tilled the garden a few times so's to kill off any weeds and may give it another go yet.
A few photos of what I'm working with and this year I decided to replace all the fencing wire as it's rusting in many places and breaks easily so time to replace its lasted some 17-18 years.
The fence post that holds and houses the fence charger needs to be reset this year to because of the deer running into the wire over the winter, I have enough fence wire to go around the whole property four or more times.
We have rain in the forecast and see if I can beat the rain and get all the grass killed off at the fence line.
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/atta...nt.php?attachmentid=108690&stc=1&d=1400777932
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/atta...nt.php?attachmentid=108692&stc=1&d=1400778002

 

[SusieSunshine]

My little raised beds are doing good. I have several tomatoes growing. The pepper seedlings are starting to take off. I use tomato cages upside down to give my plants some support. I'm using garden bricks to hold them in place. I bend the legs down and in for safety. All in all, I am happy with the way the pools work. I'll expand my garden next year.

 

[Publius]

The weather is not allowing me to got work done and got the Onions planted and starting on the Potatoes and trying out a new attachment for the rototiller! It's a 10" furrower and tis doing the job for me and saving me allot of time and work and as shown makes a trench that perfect for planting potatoes. Much, much faster than using a pick-axe or hoe to dig the trench.http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/atta...nt.php?attachmentid=108969&stc=1&d=1401825325

 

[naturallysweet]

The weather is not allowing me to got work done and got the Onions planted and starting on the Potatoes and trying out a new attachment for the rototiller! It's a 10" furrower and tis doing the job for me and saving me allot of time and work and as shown makes a trench that perfect for planting potatoes. Much, much faster than using a pick-axe or hoe to dig the trench.http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/atta...nt.php?attachmentid=108969&stc=1&d=1401825325

That's how I planted my potatoes, and most of my tomatoes. Not with that particular device, but with another one attached to one of my tractors.

We used to stretch a wire across the field to keep the rows even and straight, then dig individual holes with hoes or shovels. But it's so much easier to get a tractor to dig a nice, deep, straight path to plant everything.

 

[Publius]

That's how I planted my potatoes, and most of my tomatoes. Not with that particular device, but with another one attached to one of my tractors.

We used to stretch a wire across the field to keep the rows even and straight, then dig individual holes with hoes or shovels. But it's so much easier to get a tractor to dig a nice, deep, straight path to plant everything.

Yeah its called a Potato plow and can be used to plant them too but it will make a 15" wide furrow and if you're not carful it will dig it a little too deep.

The 15" potato plow is great to digging up potatoes it will get that job done so fast and all you have to do is stop at the end of the row and pick up the potatoes and on the next row.

 

[Publius]

We're getting so much rain it's not funny and it's keeping me from getting some things planted.
I did get the fence wire redone and its up and running and last night while being a little restless and sitting on my back porch I hear a deer out back snorting really hard and repeatedly! It blundered into the electric fence and they don't like it.

 

[Midnight Blue]

I'm doing an all potted garden this year. So far I'm doing tomatoes and zucchini. Also hoping the plum trees do well this year.