What did you do in your garden today?

[frustratedearthmother]

I shoveled some poop/potting soil water. I had a big ol' cart full of barn gold and organic potting soil mixed together. Then it rained. A lot! I totally forgot to put the cart under shelter so it's full of poopy water/mud. I shoveled some of it into the raised beds. The water will drain out, right?

 

[Alaskan]

I shoveled some poop/potting soil water. I had a big ol' cart full of barn gold and organic potting soil mixed together. Then it rained. A lot! I totally forgot to put the cart under shelter so it's full of poopy water/mud. I shoveled some of it into the raised beds. The water will drain out, right?

It should...

As long as the beds have drainage.

I would just pour the slop onto the beds, but pick an area where nothing will be growing for the next few weeks at least.

 

[CrealCritter]

Our garden did just OK this year. It did great the beginning of the season, we had all the greens, beets and spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts we could ever ask for.

Then someone turned off the sky water and Texas shared their heat and I couldn't keep up with the water it really needed to grow well. We had several boil orders also and I really didn't want to water with boil order water. We did end up getting enough sweet corn to put up, which was a blessing. And we did get two cuttings of hay, which was also blessing.

Onions, peppers, tomatoes and squashes and melons didn't do very well. We got enough for some fresh eating and sharing a little, but not much to put up.

Some seasons are just better than others. You'll never know if you don't sow. So I'll bush hog it, lime and plow it under. I decided im going to plow, check the soil PH, lime if needed and till the west side garden. It'll be a new garden and first time sowing in it. it's a little down hill from the east side garden so the soil is more moist. Chickens and Ducks have been running it for two seasons, so the soil might not need much nitrogen.

Positive thing though the 100 foot row of asparagus we transplanted last fall is looking great. We might get to eat some early spring.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[flowerbug]

Thanks.... Hadn't thought about that.

i planted some daffodils and tulips in smaller containers thinking they'd be better off due to our mostly clay subsoil. most of them didn't do well at all. yes, we did lose some tulips to the heavier soil and poor conditions for them here but others have soldiered on and done ok and are still alive and flowering.

after a few years i was able to bring in some sandier topsoil and put in an actual large raised bed for the tulips and planted a bunch of different varieties. we still get too much of the wrong kind of weather for some of those varieties and they have died off through time. my plans of cross breeding and having an extended garden out front i discarded because the micro-climate is just not right here. too many fogs and dewfalls settle out here, frosts too...

so i moved on to other plants that will mostly do better. beans and peas are not as finicky if you get the right ones that finish early enough here. outside the fences i can grow onions and garlic, etc. so it is working out ok in the end.

 

[flowerbug]

I shoveled some poop/potting soil water. I had a big ol' cart full of barn gold and organic potting soil mixed together. Then it rained. A lot! I totally forgot to put the cart under shelter so it's full of poopy water/mud. I shoveled some of it into the raised beds. The water will drain out, right?

at least you had it in a cart and not in a barrel or buckets! that makes things a lot easier.

that swampy smell is wonderful! *phew!*

 

[flowerbug]

@

Our garden did just OK this year. It did great the beginning of the season, we had all the greens, beets and spinach, broccoli, cauliflower and brussels sprouts we could ever ask for.

yes, we had the early peas and beans survive and some nice pea pods, peas and fresh beans from those for an early harvest. the frosts didn't kill them all off.

then everything pretty much shut down for a month even if i was keeping it watered it just doesn't do as well as if there are rains.

Then someone turned off the sky water and Texas shared their heat and I couldn't keep up with the water it really needed to grow well. We had several boil orders also and I really didn't want to water with boil order water.

what is boil order water?

Onions, peppers, tomatoes and squashes and melons didn't do very well. We got enough for some fresh eating and sharing a little, but not much to put up.

we had a few rounds of subprime melons - i added honey or brown sugar to them to help them out. the groundhog ate a bunch of them along with a bunch of the squash. i'm thinking next year i will not be bothering with any squash or melons inside the fenced gardens because they took up a lot of space and didn't produce much in the end and attracted the groundhogs in there through the fence, on top of there being weeds all through i'd like to keep after to knock them out completely so i may leave a few gardens half fallow so i can scrape them a few times. strawberry patch also still needs to be turned under.

i don't think i'm going to get everything done the way the weather is going. we'll see, it is always a mystery...

 

[farmerjan]

I've found fedco trees to be a class act, sounds like fedco seeds are the same. Glad you are happy with them.

Take time and write a review of the potatoes. I know they read their customers reviews and take notes. Customer reviews probably factor into future decisions for their divisions. I got nice hand drawn illustration for a question I asked last year. When you get one of their catalogs in the mail, they are very unique. You'll see hand drawn artwork throughout. Someone at fedco is really talented at drawing plus their catalogs are printed on unwaxed plain white paper, which I very much appricate.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

Got a catalog from Fedco with fruit trees, root stock and berries and stuff... Interesting...
I do plan to write them with notes on the potatoes I grew, yields, what I liked / didn't like. I have written some notes to myself on the "garden plan" I had on the notebook paper as I planted things.
Tomatoes and all are done for sure... Had 39 last night. Might be a few peppers left out there to pick...
We were dry also and did not get what I got the year before; and that was much more neglected from the knees being "new".... but we had more water...
Not going to complain... next year the garden will get changed around some... expanded in one direction... and I hope to add more stuff to the one side that is not as productive; that side is closer to the property line and the pine trees across the fence. I suspect that lime will be in the future here also.

 

[murphysranch]

What will the lime do for gardens? I've picked up some Sweet Lime, (I think) at estate sales.

 

[farmerjan]

Ag lime raises the PH of the soil if it is acidic... neutral is 7... low numbers are low lime=acidic... higher numbers means the soil is alkaline....
Most vegetables do best in the neutral range... give or take a bit.
Pine trees and some plants like blueberries prefer ranges in the lower end...

 

[flowerbug]

What will the lime do for gardens? I've picked up some Sweet Lime, (I think) at estate sales.

it will raise the pH (aka make the soil more alkaline and less acidic) as some garden plants will not do very well in highly acidic soils. other plants like blueberry bushes do like acidic soils.

as acid soils are more sour lime will make it sweeter. i've not willingly tasted dirt to know this...