What did you do in the garden today?

[mylittlechicken]

I grow bamboo here (bahahhaa sorry let me rephrase, Bamboo is taking over here!

I chipped a few 10 foot bamboo poles. They are drying out...I know I chopped them to make bean supports but not quite sure how! Was going to try a TeePee type like an upsidedown tomato cage? But seems simple to make tho harvesting may be a pain in the butt. What's the best ways to utilize all this bamboo to make supports?
Last year I used bamboo as "stake" supports but by end of season single poles were too flimsy. (towards the end things started leaning lol bad but they made it most of the season.

Well I did a teepe too with dead tree branches, but yes it is not very practical. I just let my beans grow, I have on there right now and remove that afterwards. The Bamboo sticks are not working for me either, cause we get into the storm season and they are not heavy enough.
So I spend my morning to get a fence we had before in the backyard from our Potbelly Pig over where I want to plant the beans. Happy that is done now.

 

[Beour3rd]

I have found that the eating of the plants is not where the problem comes from. As you thought, they are too interested in the bugs and such to bother them. The problem comes from them digging and scratching at the base of the plants. They WILL uproot plants given enough time. I have cheap aviary netting around my garden (super cheap at $20 for 5'x 100'). It won't keep out other garden fans, but my chickens won't go over it because they don't see it and therefore assume it's some invisible fortress. I even use it around my property. Anyways, back to gardening, during the planting season I limit 4 chickens being in there and Only let them stay in for an hour or two. My whole flock with an entire day would demolish it.

yeah ive been thinking much the same. limit the birds and surround it with something. i think i will next year and find out what it goes like.

 

[Beour3rd]

Very nice!
Ive been thinking small low A frame structure to allow light to surrounding plants but still dunno

i was thinking simply using chicken wire in a frame around the garden. not sure if that would work, but i think it would be doable.

 

[MumsyII]

My bean bed before growth. I used a hog panel bent over and attached to steel t posts with wire. I stuck bamboo poles in the dirt and up through the hog panel.




It turned into a wall and canopy of beans. I'm still harvesting.

 

[Angelicisi]

Well that is just lovely.

My bean bed before growth. I used a hog panel bent over and attached to steel t posts with wire. I stuck bamboo poles in the dirt and up through the hog panel. It turned into a wall and canopy of beans. I'm still harvesting.

 

[MEMama3]

My bean bed before growth. I used a hog panel bent over and attached to steel t posts with wire. I stuck bamboo poles in the dirt and up through the hog panel. It turned into a wall and canopy of beans. I'm still harvesting.

I'm envious!

 

[MumsyII]

These images are of my garden last year when we first put the beds together and the fence up. Nothing more than cheap cedar fence planks, one inch chicken mesh, and round posts pounded into the ground. We had the old hog panels on hand. We bought 2"x2" to frame the fence and gates. The raised beds are filled with DL.
My flock is kept out during the growing season. I have just turned them in during the day because all the root vegetables are harvested and all the vine crops. They don't bother anything inside the hoop houses where the cukes, squash, and tomatoes are growing. These images show the 'bones' of my vegetable garden during last early Spring and late winter.

 

[scriptkiddieJR]

today i chased out someone who shouldn't be where they are

 

[goddardd]

Ok gardeners, I could use some timely advice. I live about 30 miles NW of San Antonio, TX.
I have been planning my first garden for a long time.
I have actively embraced the project now and am putting the hard structure together.
I live in a rocky area, so have chosen to do raised beds.
I had the opportunity to purchase 20 steel warehouse bins that are 2ft wide and 4 ft long. They are 12 inches deep.
My plan is to garden on the east side of my home, as the west sun here in Texas is ferocious!
I plan to put the bins on cinder blocks at an appropriate height for me to get one of those roll along garden chairs.
I'm going to have my husband drill holes in the bottom of the bins.
Next I am planning to get ten 55 gallon barrels and put a spicket in each one.
I'm either going to make barrel stands out of landscape timbers or use cinder blocks to elevate each barrel.
I'm going to position the barrels under my roofline to collect water when it rains.
I want to connect each barrel spicket to a soaker hose and run it into the bin to water the roots of my veggies.
So my first question is how many holes and how big should I make in my containers for proper drainage?
Also, I was thinking of putting a layer of weedblock cloth in the bottom of each bin the help hold in the soil.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!!
Diane in Texas

 

[Angelicisi]

Sounds great! What a good find. And the rain barrels are a good idea, my gardens thrive on rainwater.
Drains...
On our wood boxes, we built them then added water to see where it pools, then put a drain in each corner because that's where it flowed to the most and i use weed cloth to line it before my soil so over time it doesn't come out but most importantly so the soil doesn't block the water from drainage, rain is heavy here. lots of drainage and if using metal I would vent the sides a lil bit.

Heat would be my main concern with the steel beds.
But! I only think that because TX is close to Louisiana and I don't know if i could get away with steel.
I have these big wrought iron planters...beautiful-but the dirt gets to hot for the roots and shading then causes other growing issues.