What did you do in the garden today?

[erinszoo]

Dug and composted two garden beds. Planted peas, carrots, lettuce, spinach, and kale. I love this weather.

 

[jerryse]

i was under the impression poppies didnt transplant well. I grew them outdoor a year ago a plot 3' x 20' it was very pretty, I planted in late fall and overwintered them, I didnt have to do anything

This is true but Orientals are a short lived perennial and can be manipulated a little more than annuals . I have a small patch of double orange that sustain themselves . Trying for different colors . My last attempt finally died after about 3 years without self sowing . So time for some new colors . Love the reds and pinks .

 

[wyoDreamer]

DH cut down 3 trees in prep for starting the garden. We will need to cut down 2 more - one is huge!
The little pine we removed was rotten in the center and it was full of woodpecker holes all the way to the ground.
The Scotch pine was lopsided and leaning. There was a tree growing next to it that was removed at some point in time, so it had no branches at all on the upwind side. A couple of the branches broke off this winter, so it was weak.
The third tree was a little cedar with three trucks, one of which was snapped off.
The huge tree is about at the end of its life. The branches are starting to drop, I am always picking up after it. It is right next to the driveway and in the area where I am going to put a greenhouse, it will shade the greenhouse and will be impossible to remove once the greenhouse is built. If it falls, it would take out the greenhouse, hit the corner of the barn, or take out the backyard fence.

After the trees are gone, the next step is to strip the sod.

 

[HerbGir1972]

Pulled all remaining greens, cilantro, and turnips.
If it could just dry enough to plow

 

[lazy gardener]

I stood in the path to the chicken coop, and measured the snow depth: It came to mid thigh. Ordered some Adirondack Red potatoes, and some marked down seeds from Johnny's.

 

[jerryse]

You ever let turnips set flowers ? I leave survivors stay and harvest the flower buds like broccoli . Very easy first crop . I then let them set seed .

 

[hennible]

Very cool. I will have to try that

 

[jerryse]

Very cool. I will have to try that

Might be harder in your zone . Shogun will overwinter here in zone 5 but not purple top . Small sizes like radish size on purple top will overwinter IDK why . Some northern seed savers replant stored turnips in the spring to get seed .

 

[hennible]

Yup, The only root crop I can think of that you don't need to overwinter up here, is Jerusalem artichoke...

 

[erinszoo]

DH cut down 3 trees in prep for starting the garden.  We will need to cut down 2 more - one is huge! 
The little pine we removed was rotten in the center and it was full of woodpecker holes all the way to the ground.
The Scotch pine was lopsided and leaning.  There was a tree growing next to it that was removed at some point in time, so it had no branches at all on the upwind side.  A couple of the branches broke off this winter, so it was weak.
The third tree was a little cedar with three trucks, one of which was snapped off.
The huge tree is about at the end of its life.   The branches are starting to drop, I am always picking up after it.  It is right next to the driveway and in the area where I am going to put a greenhouse, it will shade the greenhouse and will be impossible to remove once the greenhouse is built.  If it falls, it would take out the greenhouse, hit the corner of the barn, or take out the backyard fence.

After the trees are gone, the next step is to strip the sod.

That's a LOT of work. We opted for raised beds so we didn't have to strip sod. Laid down old feed sacks to kill off the grass then built raised beds using permeable liner in the bottoms. Every year we just add compost and mix through the bed. Then in fall we burn the dead stuff and mix in the ashes. Over the winter we use the bedding from our rabbits and cover the beds so it breaks down into the dirt. Almost no digging required.