((Serious Gardening))

[annie3001]

thank you!! if you look closely at the picture, you can see I had a solid metal structure already in place. just adding the twigs. going to add some more once the rain stops around here. i had this vision and did most of it today in the rain.

btw: some people make neat things with twigs, they make tables and chairs. i searched about online and found great ideas. i loved not spending much money on this project.

 

[Carols Clucks]

I keep saying I am going to save the 4' straighter limbs to attach to the fence for a less HD look

 

[ChicksterJo]

annie, the twig arbor looks awesome!! Would be very romantic in the moonlight and if it was wider, I would put a bench (maybe made out of twigs/branches?!) on the side. It would be cool to make one but I don't have enough trees here. We only have some two or three year old peach and nectarine trees.

 

[Cats Critters]

I'm on vacation and have lots of cool garden pictures to show you when I get back, but I just wanted to say I harvested my first peas of the year last Saturday.

 

[annie3001]

Quote:
Thanks,
I added some more twig like things, i forget what you call them now, um twine (lets just say - I had to pull them off a pine tree and pull real hard) um still dont remember what the heck they are called, anyways, i wrapped them around the top and they bend etc. looks massive now.

I even added some stepping stones there too, sure looks pretty and the chickens want so desperatly to go inside. ha . poor kids. ha.

 

[ChicksterJo]

Cats Critters, I want to see some pictures

I'm hoping to have a bigger garden someday but not here. It is the desert and I have to do a lot of work to get things to grow, and the plants must be watered twice a day in the summer. We have a metal arbor with a cute little gate..in its box in the garage

 

[Smittenroade]

I just wanted you all to know some cool facts that I found about the soil on your property.

Did you know you can go up to your local agriculture department at the county office and request soil information, you can request them to test your water and even check into some programs the government has for your district. I did all these things and found some VERY useful information. I found our soil content is mostly different types of loam and drains water fairly well and what crops would do good here. And she told us that our pond/mud hole isn't fish quality. I also found a program where if we fence off our property and put a couple livestock, like goats, cows ect they will dig us a fairly large pond. They send out a biologist to do soil and water samples, its pretty neat information.

Use the government, we pay for all this stuff and not many people know it is pretty much all free! If you don't use it, the money will go elsewhere anyways. (probably in pockets)

 

[gilavina]

Quote:
I just found this thread tonight, but if you are still looking for info on what to do with the squash...I can tell you what I was taught to do and how I still take care of all the extra winter squashes I grow. Once the winter squash vines start to die back the butternut squash will start to turn to a golden color and you can tell when they are ready to be cut from the vine easily. If you take your fingernail and can easily indent the skin it is too soon to cut them off. Once the skins have hardened well and I have cut them from the vines (leaving a stem on them which helps to keep the squash from spoiling before its time) I then put them on my picnic table outside under a tree and let them further cure for a couple weeks. Then I take those and put them into metal mesh trays and store them in a cool area. I put them in the basement in the fruit and canning cellar and they will hold for months. You can eat them pretty much right away after they have been cured, but can also store for quite a while.
I don't know if that is exactly the kind of info you were looking for, but that's what has always worked for me.

 

[gilavina]

hello all you gardeners!
Its good to see so many people that garden!

I am growing a decent size garden, but wish it were bigger. Its roughly 3,000 sq feet and I have tons of veggies growing including: rainbow swiss chard, several kind of lettuce, spinach, 4 kinds radishes, 4 kinds carrots, bunching onions, 11 kinds of other onions, 2 kind garlic, 3 kinds of peas, 3 kinds cabbage, 4 kinds cauliflower, 3 kinds broccoli, kohlrabi, brussel sprouts, leeks, 17 varieties of tomatoes, 3 kinds of corns, 10 kinds pole beans, 10 kinds of bush beans (both snap and dry), 4 kinds potatoes, sweet potatoes, 11 kinds of peppers, 3 kinds of beets, jicama, 2 kinds pumpkin, butternut squash, argonaut squash, 5 kinds cucumbers, 6 kinds summer squash, 2 kinds watermelon, 2 kinds cantaloupes, ground cherries, basil, fennel, and tons of other herbs, and I know I'm missing lots of other veggies.
There is also a perennial bed with Strawberries, black raspberries, asparagus and rhubarb. Then for the orchard I have 3 kinds apples, crab apples, 2 kinds pears, cherries, plums, peaches, 3 kinds grapes, gooseberries, blueberries, cranberries and still adding more cane and bush fruits. I am also hoping to add some almond and hazelnut trees this next year as well.

 

[galanie]

Quote:
Yes, I did know that. My mom did that before my folks bought their house way back in 1969. While most of Houston has a nasty sticky black clay, this area is zoned for vegetables and has a really nice sandy loam. Since she was an ardent rose grower, this was a big thing. I still have the map she got from them.