So Opa, did you kids plant in rows or did they do that square foot gardening where they are all spaced out like bedding plants on equidistant centers?
I have SAND. It is 4-6 Fines Sand according to the soil survey. It is nutritionless! So I usually 'plant' straw at the base of my bed and in the pathways use alpaca manure and cover it up with straw. Try to put in tons of compost, but seems to disappear FAST.
I try the raised bed, but have to frame it to hold in a little moisture. Plus, sand is like water and seeks its own level, so mounding it up and expecting it to hold hills doesn't work.
The peas have been in since Paddy's Day and were blooming prior to that big storm last week. Planted lots of lettuce, beets, spinach, radish, and carrots seeds last week. Sowed them in way too heavy, trying to get ahead of the next batch of weeds! Put in sweet potato plants and pink petunias, purple alyssum, cosmos, and tall marigolds. All right before the hailstorm! have Celebrity, Early Girl, Romas Tomatoes to put in. Still weeding beds of the 6-8" ragweed that proliferated last week.
Got carried away and have seedlings to put in of black zucchini, gold summer squash, slicing cukes, cantaloup, and gold bell peppers. Then have to spread around the yard about 6 flats of flowers.
But have learned that I either use LOTS of fertilizer frequently during the season AND water with our really expensive city water (for every $1 we pay for water and we have to pay 35 cents for sewer charges whether it is going on the lawn or not!
Because of the low fertility and rapid draining of nutrients and water, I have found that I get far less production with the bedding spacing methods and have to space the plants further apart to get anything. Also, with the high humidity here, mildew becomes a problem. IF I use mulching and try heavy straw, the moles come in. I've even had the ducks nesting in the straw and then the coons raid the eggs and the whole crop is torn up.
But we will try again this year! With 4x8 beds, it does help outline my work for the day. I'm sure I can get through just 1 bed today and get it's work done!
It rained all night and the mower is iffy. Outta hay, too and they don't like the dry grassy stuff anyway. 1 bale left then have to figure out who has hay as it is too wet for the spring hay to be in! Kids got a parade today after church and tomorrow morning, too. She finally passed off the 'quads' (4 drums tied together carried by 1 person) to the next coming up classman and is playing the snare! So she will ENJOY this parade instead of passing out. (she's a little thing, smallest in her class all those years carrying those things!)
I got up and did my chicken chores early. Baby roo still trying to crow, funny noises. I pick him up and warn him, " hey, stop that, no roos in the town!". Last night removed a 'weeping, smelly egg' from the bator. Nothing is pipping. Temps and humidity are ok. Oh well, they were probably all those white chested ones anyway. Leaving them in a few more days!
Opa, great egg sales! How many total chickens do you have, anyways, and what did you plant in your garden? 'Ec--Prokta' are you homeschooled and how come you don't get more than 2 weeks vacation at a time? Hope you get in LOTS of outdoor playtime! Climb some trees for me, too. It's been a long time!
I have SAND. It is 4-6 Fines Sand according to the soil survey. It is nutritionless! So I usually 'plant' straw at the base of my bed and in the pathways use alpaca manure and cover it up with straw. Try to put in tons of compost, but seems to disappear FAST.
I try the raised bed, but have to frame it to hold in a little moisture. Plus, sand is like water and seeks its own level, so mounding it up and expecting it to hold hills doesn't work.
The peas have been in since Paddy's Day and were blooming prior to that big storm last week. Planted lots of lettuce, beets, spinach, radish, and carrots seeds last week. Sowed them in way too heavy, trying to get ahead of the next batch of weeds! Put in sweet potato plants and pink petunias, purple alyssum, cosmos, and tall marigolds. All right before the hailstorm! have Celebrity, Early Girl, Romas Tomatoes to put in. Still weeding beds of the 6-8" ragweed that proliferated last week.
Got carried away and have seedlings to put in of black zucchini, gold summer squash, slicing cukes, cantaloup, and gold bell peppers. Then have to spread around the yard about 6 flats of flowers.
But have learned that I either use LOTS of fertilizer frequently during the season AND water with our really expensive city water (for every $1 we pay for water and we have to pay 35 cents for sewer charges whether it is going on the lawn or not!
Because of the low fertility and rapid draining of nutrients and water, I have found that I get far less production with the bedding spacing methods and have to space the plants further apart to get anything. Also, with the high humidity here, mildew becomes a problem. IF I use mulching and try heavy straw, the moles come in. I've even had the ducks nesting in the straw and then the coons raid the eggs and the whole crop is torn up.
But we will try again this year! With 4x8 beds, it does help outline my work for the day. I'm sure I can get through just 1 bed today and get it's work done!
It rained all night and the mower is iffy. Outta hay, too and they don't like the dry grassy stuff anyway. 1 bale left then have to figure out who has hay as it is too wet for the spring hay to be in! Kids got a parade today after church and tomorrow morning, too. She finally passed off the 'quads' (4 drums tied together carried by 1 person) to the next coming up classman and is playing the snare! So she will ENJOY this parade instead of passing out. (she's a little thing, smallest in her class all those years carrying those things!)
I got up and did my chicken chores early. Baby roo still trying to crow, funny noises. I pick him up and warn him, " hey, stop that, no roos in the town!". Last night removed a 'weeping, smelly egg' from the bator. Nothing is pipping. Temps and humidity are ok. Oh well, they were probably all those white chested ones anyway. Leaving them in a few more days!
Opa, great egg sales! How many total chickens do you have, anyways, and what did you plant in your garden? 'Ec--Prokta' are you homeschooled and how come you don't get more than 2 weeks vacation at a time? Hope you get in LOTS of outdoor playtime! Climb some trees for me, too. It's been a long time!
e
