Dreaming of Spring Gardening in the Middle of a Wisconsin winter part 2

[jvls1942]

it looks like our drought is over for the time being.
my rain barrel is overflowing.
here is a picture of my tiny garden in a box.
two roma tomatoes, one cherry tomato and a Thai basil.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We are getting decent rain here too. Could always be more, but I will take whatever we get.

Your garden is adorable Jim. What is that container?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

My garden is thriving. Trying to eat all the lettuce as fast as we can. Got a lot of green tomatoes. See if I get any ripe ones by the end of June. Only have a week, so I doubt it, but close hopefully. Green beans are taking their time.

 

[jvls1942]

I won't be getting any tomatoes for quite a while.
I just planted those a week ago.
the "planter" is made up of two tubs that I bought from
menards. they are for mixing mortar. about 2ft x 3ft and 8 inches deep.
the top one is upside down on the bottom one. I drilled tiny holes
all around the rims and tied them together with electrical
zip ties. about 10 total.
then I cut the bottom out , staying away from the edge
to maintain it's rigidity .
I drilled 1/2" holes about 2" up from the bottom of
the bottom tub for drainage. about every 6" apart.
So there will always be a layer of water in the bottom
to help keep the soil from drying out completely .
the soil I used is very porous , all excess water seeps out
in less than an hour.
to begin with , I use about five gallons of water at each
watering. the water is free, I syphon it out of the rain
barrel. see the yellow hose. I kink it at the tub to stop
the flow, then I don't have to prime it again.
It is much warmer than the well water.
I am going to top dress the soil with cow compost
and let it leach down to the roots. I already did that
with Tomato Tone..

 

[Callender Girl]

Jim, I admire your ingenuity and hard work. Uh, I just dig little holes and plop my tomato plants in.

I did go out yesterday and make sure the plants were all staked up so my tomatoes won't lie on the ground. We got an inch of rain Saturday -- a couple hours after I had hauled water out to the garden.

Lisa, it looks like you've been taking good care of your plants! Great raised beds!

 

[Sequel]

All your gardens are so lovely and so tidy! Wait till you see my messy one!

 

[Sequel]

I use wall o waters to grow peppers and tomatoes here. They keep the temp moderated while the plants are little and help keep the dirt from splashing and getting late blight. Eventually they get it but my plants are usually way later than others around here.
I have beans and cucumbers on hog panels, the grandkids loved the bean tunnels!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

All your gardens are so lovely and so tidy! Wait till you see my messy one! View attachment 3556359View attachment 3556361View attachment 3556363

Doesn't look messy to me. Looks happy.

I use wall o waters to grow peppers and tomatoes here. They keep the temp moderated while the plants are little and help keep the dirt from splashing and getting late blight. Eventually they get it but my plants are usually way later than others around here.
I have beans and cucumbers on hog panels, the grandkids loved the bean tunnels!

I use them too on my tomatoes to get a early start on them. I remove mine and add their trellis after the risk of frost is gone. Love them except for filling them. Always get wet doing that.

I grow my cucumbers up on a trellis too over two of my boxes. Makes picking them so easy.

 

[jvls1942]

I forgot to mention that the tub I used for the
top of the planter was one that had a large crack
down one side. I accidently ran over it with the
tractor a couple of years ago. Otherwise it
was just trash, now it is useful again.
today is extra smoky , thanks Canada ..
I thought the rain would have cleared the air.
nope..didn't happen..

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Jim that smoke was so bad around noon when I did my walking. Smelled like burning plastic. I was hoping with the cooler temperatures I could turn off the central air, but now I doubt it.