2014 garden journal

[RootLoops]

here is our garden this year. i'll be using several different methods out here this summer including hydroponics later on. i've got a ton of free wood i'm going to get soon that i'll be using to make raised beds and borders, etc. i'm late planting out it seems like but i think we'll still get some stuff out of here this year.

here is a mini garden in a shady spot. there is a red bean, two cabbage, one buttercrunch lettuce, one squash, violets, cucumber, basil, thyme, marjoram, and sweet peppers



here's the worm bin, our old fridge



on the left are things planted in rows. corn, potatoes, peppers, a squash, a couple tomatoes i think. on the right are about 8 mounds i made and covered with a little hay and then some dirt. yesterday i planted tomatoes, basil, cilantro, catnip, purple dragon carrots, tigger melons, and peppers in here. some of these will grow up strings, i may get some cages at some point





the better boys i started in the closet



this pumpkin is growing from the kids compost pile



the kids market patch, whatever they grow from here they can sell at the farmers market down the road. i'll be adding more plants to it before long



patch of wildflowers



in the foreground is a strip of hairy vetch, beans and crimson clover. the vetch is crazy, i would have a lot more of the green manure crops i planted if i'd had a cover over it when i spread the seed, birds got a lot of it.

the triangle in the middle will be a fish pond that i'll use at some point for aquaponics. i'll raise shrimp in the bottom and fish in the top portion. it will be a lot deeper than this, i plan to have a shallow area and an end about four feet deep so it's going to take a lot of digging but it will be a while before i can get the parts for it







sage planted last year



some acorn squash i guess



mints



lemon thyme planted last year, it has beautiful flowers



squash mound, i thought these were white scallop but looks like they are acorn so i'll probably use the cord for a tomato to run up



corn, squash, and a tomato in this mound. the tomato is unknown it grew from the compost i mixed into the mound when i made it, it looked very healthy so i let it grow it'll be exciting to see what it is! there are mystery tomatoes all around

[lexusnexus]

Very cool garden, Root! I, too, would be interested in the mystery tomato. Watch it be the best one you grow. Also, very good idea to get the kids involved! A lot of life lessons and experiences for them to have. The satisfaction of reaping the rewards from one's hard labor is priceless.

[RootLoops]

thanks man! that's what i'm hoping anyway!

[jmhammRN]

I agree too - about getting the kids involved. I was in the garden quite a bit with my mother when I was a kid..................however, I was too busy making lakes, construction sites and war zones and never got involved with taking care of the garden. I had a nice spot under a tree, probably about a 10'x10' area all to myself. It took quite a few years but I guess just being around it all sparked an interest.

Good work and I look forward to seeing your progress.

[RootLoops]

thanks! i'm hoping we get a lot to eat out of here!

[Vespertino]

That's a nice parcel of land for your transplants! Lemon thyme is great, I find it's more vigorous than the other varieties- more drought tolerant and hubs loves it, can't go wrong.

[RootLoops]

that lemon thyme stayed green all through winter with no cover, it didn't grow any but it never showed any signs of frost damage even though we had several frosts and freezes this winter. the rosemary i had planted by it didn't survive the winter

[Vespertino]

It's funny you mention that, I lost my rosemary this winter, too. the plant looked like it was going to make it through until it warmed up for a few weeks and then we got slammed with a 19 degree hard freeze. It slowly died back after that. I bought two hill hardy rosemary plants to replace them, hopefully next winter won't be as bad.

[RootLoops]

rosemary works great for flea repellant if you didn't know already, we share a yard with tons of dogs(her moms stupid dogs) so we are always covered in fleas in the summer but they wouldn't go near you with the rosemary spray on

[Vespertino]

There's rosemary oil in a bug repellant I use (Badger Brand), good to know it works against fleas too I'd imagine it's hard to get piece and quiet with all those dogs around!

[Delerium]

Look at all that garden space you have RL! Everything looks great. Will you be building a greenhouse with that structure in the background? By the way i started all the mushroom samples you sent. Keeping fingers crossed! Wishing you a great garden season and looking forward to more updates.

[RootLoops]

Originally Posted by Delerium

Look at all that garden space you have RL! Everything looks great. Will you be building a greenhouse with that structure in the background? By the way i started all the mushroom samples you sent. Keeping fingers crossed! Wishing you a great garden season and looking forward to more updates.

it's a temporary greenhouse, but i'll be making it permanent with some wood and cement, i have the top off of it cause it's not strong enough to weather a big storm like we had a couple weeks or so ago. i just haven't gotten around to putting it back on.

good luck on the mushrooms i'm sure you'll do great

i did a lot of work today on the ponds and water slide for the kids, fish, and shrimp i'll take some pics in the morning if i remember it before the wife leaves. the corn in the mounds is growing crazy fast, the biggest one is probably over two feet tall now i'm liking the mounds more and more

[lexusnexus]

Maria (my partner) lost the rosemary from the winter freezes in which we were well below freezing for days, or even a few weeks at a time. This was unusual for us in the DC area. She had that plant for several years, as well as her thyme plants. Oh well, we'll starting over at her new home.

Dan