Springtime Garden Thread... [Archive]

Caminofeld

03-22-2015, 09:42 PM

Hey guys/gals, this is an extension of Fabio's healthy food thread (but started anew as not to hijack the original). Springtime is here and I'm constructing a makeshift greenhouse on the hill my house is built into (gets full sun all day) out of hay bales and old windows and just figured a thread on gardening stuff would be great for brainstorming/inspiration. I'll post pictures later, but here is my tentative plan I'm working with...

Step 1: Makeshift greenhouse
Step 2: Plant the usual garden in the front yard
Step 3:Start cultivating hillside that gets full sun within the fence of the backyard (fence plus dogs should keep deer/vermin away.
Step 4: Terrace the new garden and plant with crops requiring most water at bottom, run hose to top of yard.
Step 5: Finish chicken coop, get chickens.
Step 6: surround coop with rigid fence and put goats in to keep swamp grass down and for predator deterrent (and dig trench under fence/fill it with concrete to keep predators from burrowing)

I was really impressed with PlastikosMD's garden pics on the other thread. I'm on a serious budget right now, so nothing fancy for me, but should work just the same

tripledog

03-22-2015, 10:45 PM

Thank you for starting this thread. I will be watching this thread as well as fabio's. I could kill an air fern, so any info I am able to absorb from this thread will be put to good use.

MRSOUND

03-22-2015, 10:54 PM

I will again be raising hot peppers to warm myself and others up. (Pepper jam and hot pepper powder) May also do some watermelon this year per the wife's request. They will not be in any proximity to my peppers as 2 yrs ago they strangled 3 rows of my peppered. Unexceptable! My garden is 10x20 in the back yard with full sun. Seeds are already started and sprouted sitting on the kitchen table. A lot are ready to be transplanted out of the "pods" into small pots. I still need to till it up as soon as we get some warm dry weather.

RapidRick

03-22-2015, 10:58 PM

Well living in the dez I've got a corn plant that is starting to tassel and some green cherry tomatoes, chard, and kale, carrots, green onions, red beets which are still going, and planting zucchini, summer squash, edamame, and bell peppers. Don't dis me yet, July, August, and early Sept. can't grow anything since it's too hot.

I'll just watch and take notes, I'm going to retire in Montana. LOL

hoosierlogger

03-23-2015, 05:33 AM

I am getting some goat poop for the garden as soon as my coworker cleans his barn. Going to load it up, plow it with the neighbors 5 bottom plow, then till it all in with the power box tiller. My garden is usually 20 x 60. I like a lot of room between rows of colossal tomato plants. Last year the garden didn't do worth a crap like most others aroung this area, but in the years before we have had 6, tall tomatos that overwhelmed the cages and toppled over. I made some more stout cages and support them with fence posts.

I'll grow the usual tomatos, bell peppers, onions, habaneros, jalapeños, sweet pepper, for stuffing with cabbage, and okra. Going to try to grow some big pumpkins this year. I want to brew some fall beer in one.

Swinger

03-23-2015, 06:30 AM

I am a huge fan of your ghost pepper jam and has me ready to go on a pepper growing spree myself this year. Lots of work to do in the garden yet though.

fabiodriven

03-23-2015, 07:43 PM

Great thread! I was planning on starting one similar. Great minds think alike! I have a few trees to topple before I can start tilling, but that's number one on the agenda as soon as this cursed snow leaves.

atc007

03-23-2015, 07:53 PM

I will be starting our peppers,tomatoes and cukes within a week. I use the seeds out of the veggies we have here, Free seeds.Start em in egg cartons,then transplant. If you don't watch yourself you can end up paying your local garden center more for the started plants than you can buy the veggies for,,,Still better to grow your own even at more cost... Does the goat manure need to age a few years or can you use this years? I only know cow poop. :)

Caminofeld

03-23-2015, 10:18 PM

Glad this thread is going strong, I hope to get lots of inspiration and great ideas for this year and the future!

Heres what I'm starting with this year...

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This is the South facing hill that gets full sun every day it's available...figured it would be a good spot for the makeshift greenhouse (which will be up and running by the weekend)

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This is old faithful...has yielded excellent veggies since I bought the place 2 yrs ago

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This is the site of the new garden (within the confines of the fence line, terraced, and with hose at top for easy waterings). I redid half the fence last year and plan on finishing the rest within a month. Hopefully between the fence (which will have 4' wire fence attached and piano wire strung a foot above) and my 2 pitties running around, the deer will leave my garden alone (all the neighbors complain regularly about crop damage)

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This is the chicken coop and garden that came with the property...I started redoing the coop last year (had to redo everything except for the box) and built a bridge over the swampy part. My final springtime task is to finish the coop and build a rigid goat fence around it, overlapping the stream in the corner to provide fresh drinking water. Hopefully the goats will keep the crazy swamp grass at bay and fend off smaller predators!

It's gonna be a ton of work, compounded by my fiancee and I still in major pain and agony from the accident, my awesome but crazy toddler Luke running amuck, a new bun in the oven :):):) little miracle baby girl due who survived the accident and will be saying hi to the world in late August :):):), and a recently adopted 3 month old male pup and 2 year old female...but I figure if I can survive a catastrophic car crash the I can accomplish anything:):crazy::idea::)

Caminofeld

03-23-2015, 10:32 PM

Also quick question: I shoot into a hill on the back of the property and plan on eventually planting corn below, but about 50 feet to the right. Do I need to bulldoze out the hill to get rid of lead, or will mother nature suck up the bad stuff before it reaches my crops?
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I was thinking about even moving the range to the treeline to put more distance in between my bullets and the crops.

RapidRick

03-23-2015, 10:49 PM

Lead does not breakdown or move in soil, though it may translocate in plants to a certain extent.

BTW, you might look into "hugelkultur" or German mound gardening. It might be of interest to you in your area with all of those woods. Kind of thinking out loud so to speak.

86T3

03-23-2015, 10:56 PM

Bren_downe

03-23-2015, 11:14 PM

I'm pretty excited to be doing garlic for the first time this year. We planted it in mid October and mulched it with seaweed. Should be ready by mid July.
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I also plan on doing a greenhouse this year. I have one of the hoop/tarp sheds. Ya know the ones with the zipper doors. The tarp is pretty much destroyed. I was going to toss that and replace it with some 6 mil plastic from lowes. Not sure how I'm going to secure it down. Or keep the snow off in the winter.

Not sure why the pic is upside down.

Caminofeld

03-23-2015, 11:24 PM

Caminofeld, chicken poop is the best fertilizer there is. Try to find where they dumped it and put that in your garden. I buy some from a local egg farm and it is like putting a turbocharger on your plants.

Way ahead of you buddy, already have some lined up for pickup this weekend. I second your opinion too, because the farmer next door sprays his fields with the stuff every year. The surrounding properties smell for a few weeks, but it pisses off the yuppies in the area so I'm all for it. The better part of my community actually acts "extra redneckey" to scare them/drive them out lol. Gunfire, loud exhaust, stars n' bars, spraying chicken poo, bat houses, etc. BTW reason we can't all get along is that the yup's are very intolerant and have tried to protest the "obnoxious" farming because it gets dust on their cars and makes too much noise. GRRR...:mad:

Caminofeld

03-25-2015, 01:23 AM

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Had a hectic day today (Dr appointments galore, a baby mama who has no sense of timeliness or urgency, a dog with massive diarrhea, and the list goes on)...however, I managed to take a few hours to start straightening the garage and storage spaces as well as start the greenhouse project. It took me about 45 minutes to get the old windows down from the rafters of the garage, upon which I found 2 of the things I hate most in life: mouse poop and lead paint. I scraped them well, and plan on having them repainted by the weekend so I can complete the project. The approximate dim's are 9' x 7', so hopefully it will yield quite a bit.

Question: what's everybody getting straw for these days? I remember a few years back getting it for around $3/bale, but the cheapest I found today was $6.50...Inflation?

hoosierlogger

03-25-2015, 05:28 AM

Does the goat manure need to age a few years or can you use this years? I only know cow poop. :)

From what I hav read, goat manure does not require composting, will not burn plants like chicken and horse manure. It also is dryer, Pelletized, and has the least smell of the manure family.

Cow and horse manure introduces a lot of weed seeds to your garden due to them not processing their food efficiently. A horse will only digest about a third of what they eat. Talk about poor gas mileage!!

atc007

03-25-2015, 08:21 AM

Very cool. Yes, cows and horses are not the greatest of digesters. Straw,,, depends on wheat or oat,,but I would guess anywhere south of $5 a bale is stealing it. With all of the "horse people" it drives the price way up. They tend to have a lot of disposable income for their pets,and only the best will do. Straw being the best bedding there is.

Caminofeld

03-25-2015, 02:12 PM

Thanks for saving me a few $$$! I did some shopping around and found a local farm selling them for $3.50/bale. I'm very excited to get started. Should I put something underneath to keep the cold from reaching the plants? We got a frost coating last night.
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Caminofeld

03-26-2015, 01:37 AM

Alright, did a mock-up today and everything looks pretty good. I caulked everything tonight, and will paint them tomorrow in hopes of having everything ready for the weekend.
Can anyone tell me if tiny gaps in-between the windows matter at all? Hopefully we're getting out of the frost season soon! Also, this is my first time green housing, so any helpful tips or advice would be greatly appreciated,

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atc007

03-26-2015, 10:44 AM

I have never seen anything like that in my life! I get the concept though :) I simply start plants inside and plant the garden late may.. Onions,lettuce and radishes early may,Late April down where you are. Onions always should get frost or snow on them up here lol.. Hence the term,onion snow.

hoosierlogger

03-26-2015, 11:15 AM

I would think gaps between the windows would allow excess moisture to escape. Thus helping to keep mold from growing on the straw.

Best part is when you are done with the bales you can spread them around the base of the plants and over the ground to keep the weeds down. My neighbor bags his grass and spreads it out in his garden for that purpose and he has good success with it.

I have seen articles on bale top gardening. That's where a couple shovels of dirt are placed on top of the bale and the plants are grown on them. Making it easier to manage the plants without a lot of bending over. Never tried it, but have thought of how awesome picking 2 5 gallon buckets of green beans would be without having to bend over so far.

ironchop

03-26-2015, 11:44 AM

My neighbor bags his grass and spreads it out in his garden for that purpose and he has good success with it..

we did too. Learned it from my mom when I was growing up..also used it to mulch wife`s flower beds but she likes the look of wood mulch better

what about hotboxes? We had those in Indiana when I was little and I remember getting tomatoes or something in the dead of winter.

you make a box with a 30 degree lid made out of a window sash with hinges, bury the box in the ground to below the frost line, add an incandescent light inside to make heat on super cold nights/days and plant veggies inside.

anyone use pallets? My wife is going to try a vertical method of this and brought home thirty pallets for the job

http://www.onehundreddollarsamonth.com/pallet-gardening-101-creating-a-pallet-garden/

http://lifeonthebalcony.com/how-to-turn-a-pallet-into-a-garden/

these are great for apartment dwellers or people with very little space or no space to garden in

Caminofeld

03-29-2015, 08:51 PM

Finally got it done...and with some room/seeds to spare if I want to get ambitious in the next month or so. I had to trim one of the bales down to make on of the windows fit, so I used the extra straw as a base to A) keep cold from transferring through ground contact, and B) to raise the pots up a bit for more sun. Now I can focus on finishing the fence, then the garden within:) I'm also tossing around the idea of catching the rainwater from my top garage and making a miniature water tower to water the new garden.

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hoosierlogger

03-30-2015, 08:23 PM

Neighbor plowed my 20X60 today. My son was having a blast picking out roots and worms.213386

atc007

03-30-2015, 08:49 PM

I went snowmobiling this am....And you're turning sod lol......

hoosierlogger

03-30-2015, 09:24 PM

I went snowmobiling this am....And you're turning sod lol......

The time to do it is when the neighbor is on the tractor. He will till it with the 5' tiller box in a couple weeks then I'll get the cold weather plants in. Then nothing else will go it for a couple weeks. I'll run my rear tine tiller through it after he gets it loosened up.

Caminofeld

04-02-2015, 10:59 PM

In true Springtime gardening spirit I spent the entire 68 degree day today doing brush removal. To add to the agony of being constantly slapped with thorn branches and spending the majority of the day on an incline, I decided to try and shave my legs with a chainsaw (swimsuit season is right around the corner). Results were marginal at best. I guess it's time to invest in a pair of those assless chaps I've been hearing so much about...213509213510

hoosierlogger

04-03-2015, 05:28 AM

Chaps are a great idea. They have saved my legs acouple times.

czac

04-10-2015, 09:20 AM

BTW, you might look into "hugelkultur" or German mound gardening. It might be of interest to you in your area with all of those woods. Kind of thinking out loud so to speak.

That's an interesting thought... two seasons ago I made two good size planter boxes for my wife, she wanted to put flowers in them so it looked nice coming up the driveway. Then, a neighbor came by with about 30 tomato plants he'd started and now had left over and we had no where to stick them as the gardens were full so we threw a bunch into the planter boxes and they grew like crazy! Last summer, she put a few lettuce plants in them and we had more lettuce than I care to eat. lol

We do have a good sized garden down back but the damn weeds come in too fast and heavy, we cant keep up with them. even in the 12x16 raised garden we have closer to the house, the damn grass and weeds are a killer. I don't want to have to spend my every free minute pulling weeds. lol

czac

04-10-2015, 09:24 AM

Caminofeld

04-10-2015, 10:44 AM

We do have a good sized garden down back but the damn weeds come in too fast and heavy, we cant keep up with them. even in the 12x16 raised garden we have closer to the house, the damn grass and weeds are a killer. I don't want to have to spend my every free minute pulling weeds. lol

There is a post on this thread about pallet gardening. I just delivered 10 pallets to my best friend, who has the same problem with weeds. He is going to do a burn with some old brush, then a thick layer of straw, then the pallets. His weeds are insane too, so i'll let you know if this method works.

czac

04-10-2015, 11:21 AM

There is a post on this thread about pallet gardening. I just delivered 10 pallets to my best friend, who has the same problem with weeds. He is going to do a burn with some old brush, then a thick layer of straw, then the pallets. His weeds are insane too, so i'll let you know if this method works.

cool, thanks! I can get all the free pallets I want from work! lol Our problem is where we put the garden was all woods and over grown with wild Raspberry bushes, wild grapes, wild roses and Wild Barberry, its an invasive plant so it grows like crazy. I mowed it all down as close as possible then rented a big tiller and tilled up most of the weeds, as much as I could but all it takes is one root left and they come right back. we have planted blue berries along one side and real raspberries along the top part, we usually put in carrots, pole beans, squash, peas and, tomato's... I also have to increase the fence up t 8 feet as now the Deer have discovered it and like to stop in to feast. lol

ironchop

04-10-2015, 12:22 PM

Im still wanting to build a food dehydrator... was gonna make one last summer but I broke the glass panel I was gonna use. It was a nice sized shower door I got for free that morning off craigs list. I was taking the aluminum hinge bar off it and moved it the wrong way and the whole door sort of exploded all over me...lol what a pain it is to sweep up all that safety glass!

I got an electric dehydrator from wally world. It was the most expensive model they had (about $60) has five or six trays blah,blah.

It came with an instruction manual with a timetable of how long you should put specific veggies into the machine in order to fully dry them......let`s just say the manual was highly optimistic on some veggies and downright nowhere near correct on others. Flat beans took twice the recommended time, for example.

I don`t think these affordable units are very efficient. You would waste a lot less electricity and still get the same results if you were to naturally dry them like you originally intended unless you plan on buying a better dehydrator than I did. I used the cheaper model I borrowed from a friend and got about the same results. Both eventually dried the veggies and meat but it did take a lot longer than they suggest. At least whereas these two brands were concerned, I didn`t get any more value for the price difference in the two which was about half as expensive as mine cost so pricetag, as usual, does not reflect efficiency.

Another thing to keep in mind is that foods with an odor like onions will now emanate throughout your entire house instead of just the kitchen. I think we all cried for three days after I cut up seven big yeller onions and started drying them. Didn`t take long to fill up 1500 sq ft with a very powerful onion odor so beware.

One thing I will say is that the dehydrated foods plump right back up after boiling and do not seem to have lost any flavor at all when dried. Cooked, you couldn`t tell the difference between fresh and dehydrated IMO.

One thing I like about drying is that it doesn`t require a freezer or a mason jar and a pressure canner or hot bath in order to preserve these for later. I went with Ziploc baggies, marked the date and type, and tossed them in the pantry for later.

dman10

04-10-2015, 12:36 PM

When it comes to berry bushes we use a propane flamethrower and burn it. Seems to work pretty well.

czac

04-10-2015, 01:40 PM

I got an electric dehydrator from wally world. It was the most expensive model they had (about $60) has five or six trays blah,blah.

It came with an instruction manual with a timetable of how long you should put specific veggies into the machine in order to fully dry them......let`s just say the manual was highly optimistic on some veggies and downright nowhere near correct on others. Flat beans took twice the recommended time, for example.

I don`t think these affordable units are very efficient. You would waste a lot less electricity and still get the same results if you were to naturally dry them like you originally intended unless you plan on buying a better dehydrator than I did. I used the cheaper model I borrowed from a friend and got about the same results. Both eventually dried the veggies and meat but it did take a lot longer than they suggest. At least whereas these two brands were concerned, I didn`t get any more value for the price difference in the two which was about half as expensive as mine cost so pricetag, as usual, does not reflect efficiency.

Another thing to keep in mind is that foods with an odor like onions will now emanate throughout your entire house instead of just the kitchen. I think we all cried for three days after I cut up seven big yeller onions and started drying them. Didn`t take long to fill up 1500 sq ft with a very powerful onion odor so beware.

One thing I will say is that the dehydrated foods plump right back up after boiling and do not seem to have lost any flavor at all when dried. Cooked, you couldn`t tell the difference between fresh and dehydrated IMO.

One thing I like about drying is that it doesn`t require a freezer or a mason jar and a pressure canner or hot bath in order to preserve these for later. I went with Ziploc baggies, marked the date and type, and tossed them in the pantry for later.

yeah ... I have planned to make a big, outdoor one to just keep in the sun and let nature do its thing. As long as it doesn't attract bears should any be nearby and looking for a snack! lol But seriously, I was gonna make a good sized Solar dehydrator, they are pretty straight forward in design and seem to work pretty well. I wanted to try drying Strawberries and stuff like that. I thought of the little electric ones but they didn't seem worth it and we have a tiny house so counter space is hard to come by...lol

czac

04-10-2015, 01:49 PM

When it comes to berry bushes we use a propane flamethrower and burn it. Seems to work pretty well.

yeah, my wife wanted one of those so I got her one and she almost burned down the yard and herself too, ended up with a good 2nd degree burn on her leg... lol I still tease her about it because her pant leg caught on fire so she took off her pants, left them and her shoe burning in the garden and ran across about 2 acres and into the house in her drawers! lol,lol,lol.... and all that time I was in the garage working on the trike! I told her when she went out, take the hose because you may need it! Did she listen to me? NOPE!

http://www.brokenfencephotography.com/photos/i-KPxrdPX/0/L/i-KPxrdPX-L.png

ironchop

04-10-2015, 01:57 PM

yeah ... I have planned to make a big, outdoor one to just keep in the sun and let nature do its thing. As long as it doesn't attract bears should any be nearby and looking for a snack! lol But seriously, I was gonna make a good sized Solar dehydrator, they are pretty straight forward in design and seem to work pretty well. I wanted to try drying Strawberries and stuff like that. I thought of the little electric ones but they didn't seem worth it and we have a tiny house so counter space is hard to come by...lol

Please post some pics if/ when you build the solar unit.

I`m definitely interested.

czac

04-10-2015, 02:21 PM

you got it... this is the plans Im going to use.... if I can find more free glass. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XID-nxU5K0

MRSOUND

05-10-2015, 12:12 PM

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My hot pepper plants! Just about ready to go into the garden. I'm hesitating because last year we got frost Memorial Day wkd and I lost half my plants. The bottom tray (2nd pic) is the watermelon plants just breaking through.

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El Camexican

05-10-2015, 03:13 PM

How do you germinate your pepper seeds Mr. Sound? I learned a few tricks down here if you need them.

MRSOUND

05-10-2015, 04:46 PM

I just soak them in water overnight then plant them in miracle grow potting soil. Initially they are started in "pod" size planters. Then I transplant them into pots they are in now (about 4" square)

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MRSOUND

05-10-2015, 04:47 PM

Any tricks would be appreciated! Always up for easier and or better!

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El Camexican

05-10-2015, 08:20 PM

Any tricks would be appreciated! Always up for easier and or better!

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Well my Dad is what one friend described as a "Garden Nazi":lol: He's always got the best garden in the hood and grows way too much of everything. He also likes to experiment, so a few years back he tried to grow what he thought were jalapenos, but they turned out to be Serrano chiles. They were awesome. Too hot for any of us at the time (I eat them like candy now), so a few large bags ended up at an East Indian buddies place and my Dad became a chile grower.

So while he's growing his up North I started growing them in my planters down here. I found though that only about 1 out of every 10 seeds would germinate and after talking to my Dad found out he was having similar issues and we both noticed that the ones that did germinate were taking a week or two.

At the time I had a chili pequin tree growing in the yard and I noticed that hundreds of plants were popping up in my planters which were a few yards away, but no plants were growing where the seeds were falling. That's when I realized the seeds were passing through birds an germinating after a trip through the tubes.

Not wanting to chase birds or sift through my own droppings I decided the best thing would be to heat a cup of water in the microwave and then put the seeds into the hot water and leave the cup in the sun a couple days before putting the seeds in wet paper trowels.

The result was about a 75% germination rate, so if you're having any issues you might try this.

PS. I will email you the Brainerd stuff soon, promise!!!