Gardening 2019, share your plans!

[Sueby]

Ohhh, so happy to find a garden spot on BYC! I love gardening! We've only been in the house 2 years, last year I was limited to container gardening. This year I have 4 raised beds we just put in & will continue most of the herbs in the containers. Hoping to add more raised beds every year. It's a pain between the septic system, the deer & the expense so adding on a little every year will have to do.

This year I'm doing carrots & onions - both new to me. Along with the usual cukes, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. It's a bit early here in CT, but I try to beat the pollen so I planted everything this past weekend. Hopefully the tomatoes don't hate me.

Some of last years containers early on & my favorites - the dahlias.

 

[Acre4Me]

Ohhh, so happy to find a garden spot on BYC! I love gardening! We've only been in the house 2 years, last year I was limited to container gardening. This year I have 4 raised beds we just put in & will continue most of the herbs in the containers. Hoping to add more raised beds every year. It's a pain between the septic system, the deer & the expense so adding on a little every year will have to do.

This year I'm doing carrots & onions - both new to me. Along with the usual cukes, tomatoes, lettuce, etc. It's a bit early here in CT, but I try to beat the pollen so I planted everything this past weekend. Hopefully the tomatoes don't hate me.

Good Luck! We are using raised beds previous owners had put in, but used terrible soil full of clay, so will be amending over the years. It all takes time and money, so only so much you can do at one time! Enjoy the new raised beds!

 

[Sueby]

Good Luck! We are using raised beds previous owners had put in, but used terrible soil full of clay, so will be amending over the years. It all takes time and money, so only so much you can do at one time! Enjoy the new raised beds!

So true, good soil is expensive to start & then takes years building it up to be great soil! & thank you!

 

[Kholts]

Well it was a busy Long weekend for us as we worked on the Duck run (to be finished still) & our new Garden Boxes. I should finally be able to plant in my Garden today( that’s the plan at least). It’s a couple days late but what can ya do?

Here’s some pictures. The garden boxes now have soil in them and chicken wire around them to keep the ducks and my dog out of them. My husband will be making gates tonight some time for the aisles.

 

[Brahmachicken240]

Some photos of the patio from today.

 

[Kholts]

View attachment 1786469 View attachment 1786470 View attachment 1786471 View attachment 1786472 View attachment 1786473 View attachment 1786474 View attachment 1786475 View attachment 1786476 Some photos of the patio from today.

That looks SO Beautiful!

 

[MarthaTheRooster]

How beautiful, your garden is goals! We didn't get to put out a vegetable garden this year but I have been working nonstop in the flower beds! I have a little fireball azalea started and started a cutting from my mother lilac bush. My hostas are getting HUGE, my lambs ear is taking off, and my morning glories are the best part of my mornings! I also have several potted plants that I moved outside and they are loving the porch life, new growth on everything!

 

[Brahmachicken240]

Hostas

Phormiums

Cordylines

Musella lasiocarpa

Musa basjoo bananas

Calla lily

Windmill palm

Geraniums and petunias

Gunnera manicata

Ligularia dentata

Canna tarouking

Canna panache

Fatsia japonica

Miscanthus sinensis Zebrinus

Passion vine

Canary island date palm

Bamboo

Silver spear

 

[firefowl]

leguminous cover crops for me, trying to fix some really horrible heavy clay soil that I want to use for row cropping. I only cultivated the surface of the bed with a 3 tyne cultivator as the soil was too hard to use a plough at seeding. Also I'm trying to avoid the hardpan that using a moldboard plough creates. When the rains came through I ploughed a row just to make sure my machine can actually turn that soil.

I planted directly into grass basically as the cultivator didn't turn the soil very much, a mixture of 4 different legumes with a couple that are known to have deep tap roots that break up clay soil. Spread them around everywhere with a push spreader. Got a good covering too, the plan is to slash them when they are in flower and have started but not completely finished developing seed. Then I haven't decided if I will till the residue in or leave and plant the new crop amongst the residue. Also I'm thinking if I get my hands a disc plough I may try disc crimping them to kill them

lupins, crimson clover, broadbean and fenugreek

I'm also keen on incorporating a rotational grazing system for the poultry by using a portable electric fence (which I have to buy). I can use the poultry to till the crop in on the vegetable bed and deposit organic matter. That will speed up the remediation of the soil in the vegetable bed, as my whole property has this horrible soil but the chicken run has excellent soil from having the chickens on it for so long. Just wondering how do you get into those portable electric fence jobbies, do they have a gate/entrance or do you have to improvise something?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Just updating from my previous post (#47). Raised veggie beds went from this:


To this. Everything minus one tomato plant was grown from seeds, mostly direct sown. Already harvested a few things like arugula and turnips, hence some bare patches:


My mostly perennial shade garden started spring like this:




And now looks like this: