Gardening

On Sunday Billy and I took advantage of the beautiful weather and went to town on our veggie garden! We sifted the rocks out (there were A LOT!), added a yard of composted manure, and we mixed it all in with the rototiller. After raking it somewhat level, we planted lettuce, peas, carrots, potatoes, and onions. We’re holding off on the tomato, cucumber, and green pepper plants until it warms up a bit more. It was a lot of work, but I’m glad it’s done and we can’t wait to start eating garden-fresh veggies!

@RalphWiggum, how’s your raspberry project coming along?

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@Sharon

I’m making good headway! It shouldn’t take me too much longer to have everything ready for planting.

I did shred my hand yesterday. Ouch!

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Carrots, lettuce, spinach this week. I started herbs in the planter yesterday.
I brought my Rosemary planter out a little early this year, crossing my fingers that it makes a comeback.

In the fall I bag up all the leaf and grass clippings and store them until spring. I shoot a little water in the bags to help them rot down. What comes out in the spring gets spread across the garden as even as I can get it then tilled in. I wait a week and then re-till. Great planting medium.

I’ve has carrots, beets, swiss hard and lettuce in a week already and see some poking thru now. I plant these in a box garden at the end of the garage where floor heat helps keep things warm even when its fairly cool weather.

Going to till again today, then get the shallots and a few spuds in, maybe a few onions but they’re so cheap to buy I may not even bother with them. Beans next week, then the tomatos and peppers and squash.

Youch, Ralph, that looks painful! I take it you weren’t wearing gardening gloves?

Took a tree down that left the hosta patch with too much sun. Moved those plants and got the area ready for tomato plants. Probably put those in next weekend.

-J.

Sharon wrote:

Youch, Ralph, that looks painful! I take it you weren’t wearing gardening gloves?

That was with gloves!

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

That was with gloves!

Oh man! You must’ve been hauling !

I got mine done and got a few thing in the ground this weekend.

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Carrots and radishes in.The rest will have to wait a bit.Sure love the flavor of home grown food!

I must say that it looks like all your hard work paid off Ralph. The stone work really turned out nice. Look out, now your wife has seen your talent and will cook up many more landscaping projects for you.

I filled up a Topsy Turvy with some peppers this weekend.

mplspug wrote:

I filled up a Topsy Turvy with some peppers this weekend.

We did one of those with strawberries a few years ago. It worked pretty nice, but I think the birds got to most of the strawberries before we did.

I was about ready to throw it in the trash. The root balls on the plants were pretty developed and not easy to working to the side of the thing. Then I got ticked trying to hang a bracket.

Hindsight is 20/20 but I should have gotten the smallest plants possible and figured out how and where I’d hang it first.

Yeah, they can be frustrating! I’m short, so watering mine wasn’t one of my favorite things to do. I usually ended up nearly as wet as the strawberries did.

elk_addict wrote:

I must say that it looks like all your hard work paid off Ralph. The stone work really turned out nice.

Thanks! I am happy with the result. For reference, this is where I was a few weeks ago. 237 blocks and 2 yards of dirt/compost hauled up the hill! Lots of hours, aches, and sweat, but it should last a long time.

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Back to the top! I pulled my radishes last night. They’re not my favorite thing, but they’re so quick and easy that I have to plant them.

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My beans and cukes are just starting to sprout. Still not quite up yet though.

Most everything else is doing well. I’m having a problem with green beans not sprouting, but I planted a row of purple beans, and they’re coming up like gangbusters (I need to thin them). I replanted some greenies last night and added a row where I pulled the radishes.

I’ve also got lettuce, snap peas, and raspberries in another garden, all doing well.

#1: Radishes, broccoli, carrots
#2: Purple beans, tomatoes, peppers

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You can see the little busted terra cotta pot in one of my pics. I put that in there as a “toad house”. Yesterday, my 3-year old was helping me out in the garden. He picked it up, and there was a big, fat toad in there! You cannot imagine how excited and happy he was over that toad.

Ralph Wiggum wrote:

“toad house”

Is that a real thing or did you just think they would like it? We have a bunch of toads and you know I’m all about helping the critters.

We found a tree frog hanging out in the Topsy Turvy.

I wish we had space to garden. There is a little patio on the side of the house that gets know use and we discussed making it into a patio garden by just putting a bunch of potted vegetables there.

update: Googled toad house and it is indeed “a thing”.

ps. I love radishes

mplspug wrote:

Is that a real thing or did you just think they would like it? We have a bunch of toads and you know I’m all about helping the critters.

I saw it on a news segment, and about that time, a neighbor was tossing out a bunch of little pots. Perfect! I figured it might work, and it surely did! Free pest control…right?

I didn’t even see the terra cotta pot until you pointed it out. What a fun idea! Pug, I love all your frog pictures on facebook!

I should make some toad houses and see what I find in there. I love picking up rocks, logs, etc. to see what critters and bugs lie beneath! Attached is a picture of a tiny toad I found while out playing in the woods a couple of falls ago.

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My potatoes are starting to bloom and the strawberries are red…picked a few already. Looks as though the raspberries will be popping about the time the strawberries are finished.

We’ll be dining on spinach and beet greens by this time next week and the lettuce will be on the table then too….maybe Sunday on the lettuce.

The Shitaki mushrooms are about done for this spring now and I think I’ll start a dozen new logs soon so next spring the yield is a bit better. My current logs are in their 6th season and are getting pretty slow to produce numbers of mushrooms.

I was out of town at work for a few days, and my daughters pulled my fence down. Needless to say, the neighborhood rabbits have been eating well. It looks like somebody took a weedwhacker to the tops of most of my plants.

Sharon wrote:

Pug, I love all your frog pictures on facebook!

Our morning ritual includes watching the return of Herman.

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wimwuen wrote:

Needless to say, the neighborhood rabbits have been eating well.

Ha! I’ve seen a little bunny sitting outside my fence a few times. I told the wife that I’m go to start carrying when I go back there.

She then told the neighbor what I said, who responded, “We don’t care.”

somewhat related… just bought a new house and the yard is overgrown with weeds 2 ft tall. i am not willing to use roundup. you guys have any alternatives to getting rid of lots of weeds? i was thinking of using a vinager spray and then pulling everything out by hand. Any thoughts on that would be great!

You’re totally opposed to chemical herbicides or just Roundup?

well roundup gets the most attention but im opposed to putting chemicals in the ground that drains into my lakes and water and creates a corrosive environment so im looking for a more natural approach