((Serious Gardening))

[Othercat]

We take our gardening seriously but only because we depend on it to feed us through the year. We grow corn, green beans, peas, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, green peppers, and onions. Plus raspberries and strawberries for jam. Here's one of last years gardens (we have 3) after we finally got done planting. This year's garden isn't doing so well. For some reason the dirt is really clumpy.

 

[NanaKat]

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Big garden! And lots of work to can, freeze and preserve all that produce.
How are you watering your gardens...irrigation or sprinkler or Mother Nature?

Clumpy soil can indicate several things...
1) may have been disked when the soil was a little too wet which should have been made better when you tilled. If the clumps weren't broken before rain...they can remain big clods for a long time.
2) May need humus added....if you are tilling in the stubble from corn, beans, etc...and the soil is still clumpy might need to add straw bales. An easy way to do that in a smaller scale garden is to use the straw as mulch down the rows and till it in in the fall. For a garden that size, wheel barrow it in each time you go pick, then wheel barrow out the produce....or tractor. Composting in designated areas within the big garden will give you humus material to spread with the tractor and disk/till in in the fall or spring also.
3) Soil might need gypsum to "soften" the soil. A soil sample will show what other trace minerals might be needed. And will give you specific quantities. You'll have to ask the county extention office to figure the gypsum.
4) NC doesn't have too much clay soil like we have here, but if there is a lot of clay in the soil...a load of sandy loam...in your case...several loads might help next years garden.

 

[Cats Critters]

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I got home last night, but haven't downloaded pictures yet. But they are coming.

 

[Zonoma]

I don't know that I'm a 'serious' gardener but I do enjoy it. In the summers, my kids and I pick our salads every day for lunch. Though this year everything is in disarray. Having surgery and building a chicken coop and the crazy weather meant the garden didn't happen like it should have. I'm okay with it, though, because I've been wanting to restructure it for a few years now. That will just happen a little sooner.

 

[Kassaundra]

I have been cutting my spent bramble (raspberry) canes today, I was wondering does anyone give these to the chickens? At first I thought they would really enjoy picking at the few fruits left on the canes and the fleshy left over centers, but then I wondered if the thorns would hurt them, either in trying to eat them, or scratching and cutting their feet or pricking their feet causing bumble foot?

Anyone have any experience w/ this?

 

[NanaKat]

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Wise choic...there is always time for a fall garden if your restructuring is completed in time.

 

[NanaKat]

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When we had raspberries, we didn't give them to the birds...worried about the same thing...would the thorns be a problem...we erred on the safe side.

 

[Kassaundra]

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When we had raspberries, we didn't give them to the birds...worried about the same thing...would the thorns be a problem...we erred on the safe side.

That's what I was thinking err on the side of caution.

 

[silkiechicken]

My chickens hang out under the Himalayan black berry bushes all the time... thorny as ever and they seem to do fine.

 

[Smittenroade]

MY chickens (and probably yours too) are really smart. They always seem to try and nest and hang out around the thorns. It's much easier to get away from a large predator when you have that extra shield of protection. Not to mention makes them REALLY frustrating to catch during the day