While it's fresh in your mind, what improvements will you make on next year's garden?

[microchick]

Same here. Thanks for the input @lazy gardener. Luckily I do have a water hydrant that services both our orchard and garden area so that isn't a problem for me. I did deep mulch my few tomato plants and they did well. It seems my biggest problem is root crops and beans in the area I use for my garden. Funny because once upon a time there was a corral and goat pen on the site.That was almost 10 years ago tho. The ground is rich and black but we have talked about getting the soil tested. Maybe 2017 is the year.

Once I get through the hard part, preparing the soil, planting, etc, the weeding and upkeep doesn't bother me much. I just crawl around on hands and knees, lol. Nothing like getting up close to your work. Once again, I much appreciate the straw bale gardening idea.

One of the reasons I enjoy planting pumpkins and squash is that once established and strawed, they require little work until time to process.

Hey @chickadoodles, 'splain please the kiddy pool method of growing tomato and egg plant? That is a new one on me.

 

[lazy gardener]

I've heard it said that Boron deficiency is often a problem for failed root crops. A very tiny bit goes a very long way, and it's super easy to poison your soil with it. So, I'm throwing this tid bit out for you to research. I'm thinking I might do a trial with a very tiny area this spring. I have a hard time with carrots and with beets. I grow fantastic radish. I'd suggest that you try a variety called French Breakfast. They are not sharp flavored at all. You need radish to grow fast in order for them to be tasty. They also do best in colder weather.

 

[chickadoodles]

Same here. Thanks for the input @lazy gardener. Luckily I do have a water hydrant that services both our orchard and garden area so that isn't a problem for me. I did deep mulch my few tomato plants and they did well. It seems my biggest problem is root crops and beans in the area I use for my garden. Funny because once upon a time there was a corral and goat pen on the site.That was almost 10 years ago tho. The ground is rich and black but we have talked about getting the soil tested. Maybe 2017 is the year.

Once I get through the hard part, preparing the soil, planting, etc, the weeding and upkeep doesn't bother me much. I just crawl around on hands and knees, lol. Nothing like getting up close to your work. Once again, I much appreciate the straw bale gardening idea.

One of the reasons I enjoy planting pumpkins and squash is that once established and strawed, they require little work until time to process.

Hey @chickadoodles, 'splain please the kiddy pool method of growing tomato and egg plant? That is a new one on me.

I am still going to do kiddie pools this spring. I love them and so do the plants!

 

[microchick]

Chickadoodles, how are your strawberries doing in the kiddie pool during cooler weather. I'm a lot farther north than you are. It's not above freezing here today in Macon Co Missouri and I just had to go out and break out the water on the chicken's outdoor waterer. Silly things won't go inside to drink out of their heated water holder till they go in at sunset.

I got two Pine Berry plants along with a mail order of plants last year (BTW avoid Burgess like it was poison) and they were about the only plants I got in that shipment that did really well. My big problem was my back kept me from really giving them a good weeding. They have multiplied like crazy for me but depending on how well they tolerate zone 5b winters I wouldn't mind transplanting them to a kiddie pool set up. I could even raise the bed then if needed for ease of care.

I'm sold. I tried the bag garden this summer but I don't think my soil supported the plants...Or I underestimated the amount of water they needed. Maybe a mix of both. I wondered if you could plant and grow butternut squash in the container bags. I made my bags out of the woven plastic type chicken feed bags. I love any gardening that I can do that will save my back more wear and tear. Two weeks ago I had to have an injection of steroids and zylocaine into the left SI joint in my pelvis. I have arthritis in my lower back along with unstable vertebrae and a lumbar scoliosis. It will never be good but it can be better, especially if I live in the boundaries of my limitations. Of course I've never been one to do that and my doctor knows it.

Never give up, never surrender has become my motto.

 

[chickadoodles]

Here is Larry Hall's FB Rain Gutter Grow System page link

https://www.facebook.com/groups/144745362329424/

Microchick my heart truly goes out to you. I also have degenerative arthritis in my lower back and pelvic. I have a hard time bending over is why I wanted to do the kiddie pools. I have them up on pallets so I don't have to bend over. Tomorrow night it's going down to 27* here. But I do have pine straw piled up on my strawberries. I guess I will find out if my strawberries will make it or not after this weekend. They make it thru the last frost ok. But if you do the kiddie pool there you should probably pack some kind of bedding around and on top of it or put plastic over it some how.
I read a few years ago that many people that live where they have a lot of snow put their strawberries in some type of box on wheels so they can roll it in and out of the garage each spring and winter. Makes sense to me. I really love gardening and if you want more info on the soil mix for the bags Larry Hall has a Face Book page that they share the mixture they use in their bags for tried and true results.

I could not do all that mixing with my back and hips is why I took the easy out and did potting soil. I did have to add Epsom salts to the water here and there. As the leaves tell you what they need. Larry's bunch is very helpful on the problems and fixes.


* Edited to add the link. For some reason my browser froze up.

 

[lazy gardener]

Chickadoodles, how are your strawberries doing in the kiddie pool during cooler weather. I'm a lot farther north than you are. It's not above freezing here today in Macon Co Missouri and I just had to go out and break out the water on the chicken's outdoor waterer. Silly things won't go inside to drink out of their heated water holder till they go in at sunset.

I got two Pine Berry plants along with a mail order of plants last year (BTW avoid Burgess like it was poison) and they were about the only plants I got in that shipment that did really well. My big problem was my back kept me from really giving them a good weeding. They have multiplied like crazy for me but depending on how well they tolerate zone 5b winters I wouldn't mind transplanting them to a kiddie pool set up. I could even raise the bed then if needed for ease of care.

I'm sold. I tried the bag garden this summer but I don't think my soil supported the plants...Or I underestimated the amount of water they needed. Maybe a mix of both. I wondered if you could plant and grow butternut squash in the container bags. I made my bags out of the woven plastic type chicken feed bags. I love any gardening that I can do that will save my back more wear and tear. Two weeks ago I had to have an injection of steroids and zylocaine into the left SI joint in my pelvis. I have arthritis in my lower back along with unstable vertebrae and a lumbar scoliosis. It will never be good but it can be better, especially if I live in the boundaries of my limitations. Of course I've never been one to do that and my doctor knows it.

Never give up, never surrender has become my motto.

Gardening in any type of container is limiting due to the container requiring more maintenance in terms of added fertility and water. In container gardening, one afternoon of missed water can result in an irreversible set back that dwarfs production for the remainder of the season. I think the kiddie pool system bypasses both of those issues. MC, if I was in your sandals, and wanted to grow butternut squash, I'd work up a small area, wouldn't have to be very big, and you could even do a lasagna style, perhaps a bed about 3' x 8'. Then, I'd put up a heavy duty trellis on the north side of the bed, and plant the squash just in front of the trellis. I'm very fond of cattle panels. They are indestructible, and require little in the way of support. You might do a google search on use of cattle panels in the garden. Your butternut will happily climb the trellis, and leave room in the front for greens, beans, cabbage or such. Put down some mulch, and you will bypass any weeding issues. Several years ago, I grew 185# of squash. No, that was not a typing error. One hundred eighty five pounds of squash in a hill that was about 4' x 6'. Had similar yield this season in my HK bed.

 

[microchick]

@chickadoodles, bending is my weak point also and I find myself more and more avoiding doing that particular motion as much as possible so I understand where you are coming from. Consider yourself hugged.

Like you I'm learning to modify the things I like to do with what my back will tolerate. The local MFA manager is a little lady who is my height and weight and petite in build. She showed me how to lift 50 pound feed bags so I don't hurt my back. Basically I make sure to have them loaded in our big van so all I have to do is slide them out, bear hug them and carry them into the shop that way. All I have to do is loosen my grip on them and they slide upright to the floor without me having to bend. I do feel the weight but it's the easiest way to get the job done without running for the muscle relaxers and the Ultram bottles.

Being able to do the gardening that I love is an ongoing challenge. For flowers I've gone to using planters a lot and large pots that I set up on rock to make access easier. This summer I eliminated beds that I knew I couldn't get down to take care of. I created them 4 years ago with the thought that when we retired I could really concentrate on planting. Then the back injury and subsequent problems happened and as I told my husband when I had him move the rock edging I'd put down, I have to be realistic.

It is the same with my gardening. I have to be realistic and figure out a way to produce food for us without causing further irritation to my back. You and @LazyGardener have given me some solid ideas to expand upon.

Yes, cattle panels and hog panels are worth their weight in gold around a farm. We don't have cattle, don't have hogs but we sure have cattle panels, LOL. Right now most of ours are being used and I recently told DH that we needed to pick up about 5 by summer. for various chicken coop and garden plans. He even uses them as racks to store his RC airplanes.

 

[lazy gardener]

@chickadoodles, bending is my weak point also and I find myself more and more avoiding doing that particular motion as much as possible so I understand where you are coming from. Consider yourself hugged.

Like you I'm learning to modify the things I like to do with what my back will tolerate. The local MFA manager is a little lady who is my height and weight and petite in build. She showed me how to lift 50 pound feed bags so I don't hurt my back. Basically I make sure to have them loaded in our big van so all I have to do is slide them out, bear hug them and carry them into the shop that way. All I have to do is loosen my grip on them and they slide upright to the floor without me having to bend. I do feel the weight but it's the easiest way to get the job done without running for the muscle relaxers and the Ultram bottles.

Being able to do the gardening that I love is an ongoing challenge. For flowers I've gone to using planters a lot and large pots that I set up on rock to make access easier. This summer I eliminated beds that I knew I couldn't get down to take care of. I created them 4 years ago with the thought that when we retired I could really concentrate on planting. Then the back injury and subsequent problems happened and as I told my husband when I had him move the rock edging I'd put down, I have to be realistic.

It is the same with my gardening. I have to be realistic and figure out a way to produce food for us without causing further irritation to my back. You and @LazyGardener have given me some solid ideas to expand upon.

Yes, cattle panels and hog panels are worth their weight in gold around a farm. We don't have cattle, don't have hogs but we sure have cattle panels, LOL. Right now most of ours are being used and I recently told DH that we needed to pick up about 5 by summer. for various chicken coop and garden plans. He even uses them as racks to store his RC airplanes.

Last spring I had 8 panels delivered. There is a feed company that will deliver bulk supplies, so I ordered some feed and a bunch of panels to get up to the total minimum for free delivery. No matter to me that they were a bit more costly than TSC. Worth every penny for the free delivery. Those 8 panels fenced in the garden. i need about 3 more to do some trellising in the garden and orchard. Plan to cut each panel in 3 pieces, leaving the tangs from the cuts in place so the panels can be used "on end" resulting in sections that are 50" W x 5.5' tall. The tangs will be set into the ground to help stabilize each section.

As for carrying feed bags, I'm short, so even doing the bear hug is difficult. I bought one of those wheeled luggage carriers and was using that to unload grain. I lean the back of the carrier up against the back of the cargo area of the car, or against the tail gate of the truck, then slide the bag down the handles till it contacts the luggage platform. Then, simply roll the bag(s) to the waiting barrel, for me it's easier to slide the bag off the carrier and into the barrel laid on it's side, then stand the barrel up. If you can't bend, that's definitely an issue. You could even use a dolly, rolling the barrel to the car/truck, and slide the feed bag down into the barrel that's already mounted on the dolly, then trundle the filled barrel to it's storage location with the dolly. Hmmm... I need to re-think my strategy.

 

[chickadoodles]

@chickadoodles, bending is my weak point also and I find myself more and more avoiding doing that particular motion as much as possible so I understand where you are coming from. Consider yourself hugged.

Like you I'm learning to modify the things I like to do with what my back will tolerate. The local MFA manager is a little lady who is my height and weight and petite in build. She showed me how to lift 50 pound feed bags so I don't hurt my back. Basically I make sure to have them loaded in our big van so all I have to do is slide them out, bear hug them and carry them into the shop that way. All I have to do is loosen my grip on them and they slide upright to the floor without me having to bend. I do feel the weight but it's the easiest way to get the job done without running for the muscle relaxers and the Ultram bottles.

Being able to do the gardening that I love is an ongoing challenge. For flowers I've gone to using planters a lot and large pots that I set up on rock to make access easier. This summer I eliminated beds that I knew I couldn't get down to take care of. I created them 4 years ago with the thought that when we retired I could really concentrate on planting. Then the back injury and subsequent problems happened and as I told my husband when I had him move the rock edging I'd put down, I have to be realistic.

It is the same with my gardening. I have to be realistic and figure out a way to produce food for us without causing further irritation to my back. You and @LazyGardener have given me some solid ideas to expand upon.

Yes, cattle panels and hog panels are worth their weight in gold around a farm. We don't have cattle, don't have hogs but we sure have cattle panels, LOL. Right now most of ours are being used and I recently told DH that we needed to pick up about 5 by summer. for various chicken coop and garden plans. He even uses them as racks to store his RC airplanes.

I feel for you. I have not hardly been able to walk all week. My leg is out of place and I can't get it back in.

 

[microchick]

I feel for you. I have not hardly been able to walk all week. My leg is out of place and I can't get it back in.

Ouch!

Have you ever been to a DO? I've been going to them for the past 30 years but it was my current DO who went hands on with me. It didn't happen overnight. It took him about 6 months, many adjustments, several injections into trigger points and lately my SI joint, but he finally got me through the acute stage of my injury and into the 'chronic' phase. Now I pretty much know when the chronic pain gets to a certain level that it is time to go back in for another adjustment or when the pain goes acute on me again. Take care of yourself no matter what.

Lazy Gardener. I'm the whole sum of 5'2" tall. I laughingly say that I see the world from armpit level. Bear hugging the bags means that they are usually hitting my knees but that makes them closer to the ground, lol. As long as I don't have to bend to pick anything heavy up, I can pretty well carry 50 pounds short distances. We do have two dollies around the place but they are mainly set up for appliances. Maybe I can get DH to make a platform dolly for me. That man is a talented welder.

Two years ago when my back was at its worse he got me a garden wagon for my birthday. At the time he didn't think it was much of a good gift until he got a chance to use it and now he admits that it it's one of the handiest things to have on a farm next to a tractor. I use that around my garden a lot, harvesting veggies,hauling mulch, etc. I could probably use it for unloading feed also since the sides fold down on it. Thanks! Now you have me rethinking things,