What did you do in the garden today?

[hennible]

This got me to thinking. Since our place is about 99.9% sand I'm wondering how long a bed like this would last. If we could build one and be able to plant in it for 2-3 years it'd be worth it. I need some place to put our root type veggies and the gravel in the AP system just is not the place to do so.

I will be re-mulching every spring ( or fall ). It may work to build a long lasting bed on sand if you if you were always adding to it.

Hennible that is a great bed. I did one similar for my parents years ago. If you get much rain you may want to think about some way to keep your soil in place. A border of some kind. I used some concrete blocks. 

Yes, good point. I'm going to add some long logs as edging. Wish I'd thought to use them in the first place.

According to my friends there- they have needed it.



We have been waiting for rain here. We began watering every other day. The ground is to hard to till in places.

How many here use cardboard or paper for mulch? I have been thinking of trying this. D

I've used both, but only as a weed barrier under wood or hay mulch. For that cardboard worked best.

 

[lazy gardener]

According to my friends there- they have needed it.



We have been waiting for rain here. We began watering every other day. The ground is to hard to till in places.

How many here use cardboard or paper for mulch? I have been thinking of trying this. D

Both are great, but best to place under an other source. Worms LOVE cardboard. I like to lay it down between the rows and beds, then cover with leaves, grass clippings, or hay, or what ever else I have available. I can't say enough about keeping a permanent source of mulch on the garden, which leads to very friable soil, which can be planted weeks before my neighbors can even think about starting a garden. I only till if I want to. But, letting the chickens glean the garden in the fall wreaks havoc on the permanent mulch. By the time they're done gleaning, the mulch has totally disappeared. Oh well, that's a small price to pay for more fertile soil, happy chickens and pest reduction. I love to go out in the garden at dusk. The top of the garden, if the mulch is not too deep, or has not yet been applied is covered with worms doing their worm orgy! It looks like the soil is wiggling!

 

[Double Kindness]

I have been so busy!! Tonight we go pick up more soil and stuff to fence off my hugelculture project and fix the enclosed area by my mated pair of muscovy ducks and bunnies. The last snow we got last weekend totally collapsed it.

We built raised beds this year, they are over 2' deep and filled with soil and compost to the bottom, which we also tilled up before placing the beds.

I have my cold weather loving stuff out, as I'm in Colorado, home of super crazy weather

My cx meaties go to freezer camp tomorrow and I clean out all the chicken and duck coops and pens, which got yucky to epic proportions with non stop rain for 2+ weeks with some snow storms, and flooding.. so yeah. Super yuck.

We also added 2 beehives and put them up on top of our barn/brooder/chicken condo.

. And I can't seem to be able to upload any more pictures.

 

[lazy gardener]

Fantastic idea about putting the hives on top of the building. I'll have to share that one with my friend who had a bear destroy one of his hives last month. My only concern would be lack of hasty exit if the hive got riled when you were working with them. But, I suppose, with the correct precautions, that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Double Kindness]

The nice thing with the hives being up, is IF they do swarm.. they are already up in the air and not on the ground

 

[Arielle]

Quote: Ahh. . .every piece of land has an obstacle to overcome. Perhaps starting to build up soil will give good produce in the years down the line.

Yes, hogs will expoit a weakness. Mine always knew when the charger battery went dead, and headed to the neighbors yard. lol THey passed by our house to get to the hill and dug holes. lol Fortunately the neighbors were ok with all that nonsense!!. lol

THe guy in VT keeps the fencing charged at all times. THe hogs also have a VERY large area. A boar and 10 sows needs lots of space. and he has two such groups.

I only know of a horse farm that used horse panels to fence in the horses when it turned out that NO posts would be going as the soil was too thin and the rock was only a foot down.

The hogs in VT are selected for eating in this manner; most hogs dont know how to eat off the land anymore. Used to having grain put under their nose.

I picked up produce every other day and fed it out over 2 days as a supplement to their grain. THey didnt know what to do with potatos. lol You will find solutions that work for you!

Quote: ROFL

Quote: LOOOVE winter squash. I keep mine on the stairs from first floor to second and they kept well. Kids would tell me which were spoiling and well tossed those to the chickens.

Remember to keep the stem on the squa sh at harvest time ; a must if you want winter keepers.

You can make most items into sauerkraut. Just need a large enough vat. Hay silage is made in concrete bunkers these days.

Great news on the AP front! Our pond has started to clear up after months of icky yucky green stench we are starting to see clear water. I can only see about a foot down into the water right now but every day it's getting a little clearer. If it gets to where I can see the bottom clearly this week then I can give it a good scrubbing, add in the red lava rock we want as a base for microbial activity and then this weekend we get to buy fish. YAY!!!!! After the fish are big enough to eat I'll be teaching my 2 year old daughter how to fish with a cane pole for our dinner.

RichnSteph

Clapping!!!! Teach a person to fish . . .

Note to self: When transporting cattle panels, IN ADDITION to cross tieing them with ratchet straps, hook the panels VERY WELL to the bed of the truck. I thought I had my load secured: 2 panels, cross tied, and standing up like an upside down U in the PU bed. They worked loose, and went rolling down the road. I thank God that there were no cars coming in either direction. I called my son who was working a couple of miles away, and by the time he showed up, a couple of good samaritans had stopped and were working on getting them secured in the truck bed for me. I'm so very thankful for the wonderful folks who will stop to help a lady in distress! Those panels are so tightly crammed into that truck bed, that there's no way I can work them loose without hubby's help... so they'll be going with me for all the rest of my errands today!

OMG . . . . I can relate. Had a similar event happen to my DH many years ago and I still start hyerventiling when I think of the close call it could have been. THank GOD, no traffic on the road at the time. Glad it turned out well for you as well.

Quote: LOL Make the best of your new life with little ones!! They give you a new perspective.

Built ( if you can call it that ) a new garden bed today.
Total cost:$0
Well, some gas and a few thousand calories

It's about 10x12 feet, first pic is cardboard then I put the contents of my yard waste composter on it, pic 2 is some beautifully aged cow manure, last pic is aged balsam mulch.

NICE!!

Quote: My mom always used the newspaper and used several layers and rocks to hold them in place.

Quote: Worms love most p laces that are moist and dark and cool!!! ANd my ducks can find them soooo well. lol

 

[politicalcenter]

We have some good soil where we garden and since we can grow greens year round I have been thinking about using my fall garden for pig feed...let most of it stay in the field and harvest when needed.

I have been soil building for several years...cow manure, goat manure, pine straw, etc.

We also pick up produce from a local produce stand but business is slow during the cool moths and we don't get enough. My pigs will devour potatoes but won't eat turnips. We have even harvested acorns and fed them to the pigs....best food ever!!!

 

[A-K-A]

I think i will try this cardboard for weed barrier in some areas i'd like to plant in the future. We still have a large amount of aged manure and bedding to remove from the old barn

 

[Tjschicks1817]

Nooooo my peas, those rabbits ate my peas

 

[jerryse]

Nooooo my peas, those rabbits ate my peas

Eat the rabbit .