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That's pretty amazing (to me), that family is still farming and working the land.
Where I used to live, there were several well known families with businesses that did well in the area...people would come from neighboring counties and states to buy the produce, eat at the restaurants, buy the meats, go to the garden, pet and farm animal retail stores. Been in business more than 50 years and still going strong!
 
GrannyG said:
Wow...check this out...I must be doing it wrong..the last time I put okra in square cement blocks, I swore NEVER again...could not get them out...this is interesting...
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I have a crack in my sidewalk and a weed always grows there. Maybe I'll plant something edible there.
 
Im thinking for this year about getting rid of the miracle grow soaker hose we have had for 2 year and switching over to a Rain Bird drip system.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of system or something like it?

We have 6 rows that are about 27 to 30 feet roughly.
 
I have used buried drip tape for the last 2 years. I like it but this year I am not going to bury it. I'm going to run it on my trellises and use drop lines to each plant. I seem to always cut the drip tape when I'm hoeing weeds and that is a pain. I have a fertilizer injector inline and I really like that system. I have one for my garden and one for my wife's hanging plants. With a water timer, it is truly a hands-off system. We can go away for days at a time and not worry about the plants getting watered.
 
GrannyG said:
Wow...check this out...I must be doing it wrong..the last time I put okra in square cement blocks, I swore NEVER again...could not get them out...this is interesting...
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That's amazing! Mine don't look that good in nice composty soil!
 
Yesterday my nephew came over and pruned my apricot tree. It had never been properly pruned and we never get any apricots from it. It gets killed by the frost or the wind knocks off the fruit or the bugs get it. Nephew is going to come back and spray it when it's time and he's going to help me set up a misting system to prevent freezing.
Today I started cleaning the garden area. I got all of last year's trellises down, all of the drip irrigation pulled up and raked up all the leftover dead plants. I really want to plant but it's still too early. Maybe some radishes and onions.
Today the temperature got up to 62. Best day in months.
 
I've been thinking alot about my garden for this year. With this crud I have going on, I've decided to skip trying to plant anything in the early garden. There is no way I'm up for that right now. Makes me sad to, my early onion slips arrived yesterday. Guess we'll be hitting up the farmers markets more this spring. I have a feeling fresh food is going to be slim pickings this year.
 
I got all the old bean sticks cut from the guide wire and pulled out. I'm going to need new ones this year. I think I'll get one of my great nephews to cut new bean sticks from a big cane break where my family has been cutting them from for over 70 years... (old pic of river cane). It won't take 20 minutes to cut a load. (Arundinaria gigantea ssp. tecta, or bamboo) It'll be late May before I need them.

I think it'll be dry enough to plow the garden up tomorrow afternoon, fingers crossed.

The plum tree at the edge of the yard is blooming. There should be lots of plums if we don't get a killing frost.

Bean Sticks 02_v1.jpg
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Bacpacker said:
I've been thinking alot about my garden for this year. With this crud I have going on, I've decided to skip trying to plant anything in the early garden. There is no way I'm up for that right now. Makes me sad to, my early onion slips arrived yesterday. Guess we'll be hitting up the farmers markets more this spring. I have a feeling fresh food is going to be slim pickings this year.
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Sorry BackP and hubby and I are pulling for you.
 
I got the old garden plowed up this afternoon. I had hoped to bring in a few tons of manure last fall but... oh well. I didn't get time.

I had to break out the chainsaw and trim some of the limbs off the fig trees before I got started.

The ground was still a little damp for plowing but all the weeks of rain had softened the soil deep. It was due for the break plow this year but it wasn't needed. The gang disk was going so deep the tractor could barely pull it at times. I had to keep my hand on the lever for the rear hydraulic lift and raise the gang disk occasionally when the tractor was pulling to hard.

I need a math wiz... I wanted to figure the square ft of the old garden so I got out my distance wheel. Its 118ft x 141ft x 175ft x 121ft. Its been a few years since I took high school geometry.

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Peanut said:
I got the old garden plowed up this afternoon. I had hoped to bring in a few tons of manure last fall but... oh well. I didn't get time.

I had to break out the chainsaw and trim some of the limbs off the fig trees before I got started.

The ground was still a little damp for plowing but all the weeks of rain had softened the soil deep. It was due for the break plow this year but it wasn't needed. The gang disk was going so deep the tractor could barely pull it at times. I had to keep my hand on the lever for the rear hydrolic lift and raise the gang disk occasionally when the tractor was pulling to hard.

View attachment 36011View attachment 36012
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Looks good Peanut.
Out little seedlings are doing ok so far but some a little leggy. Need to get the greenhouse covered in case we have abnormal cold April some are predicteding.
 
@Bacpacker I had made a post the other day that evidently didn't go through. I would plant them for you if I were nearer. Onions are relatively easy once they're in the ground. I do hope you can do some gardening. I know you enjoy it and it's good for you to boot.
My little thyme has sprouted. So cute :)
Also stuck a few bulbs in the ground. Nothing edible, but it felt good to have my hands in the dirt.
 
I had a few dollars left over from my grocery and fuel shop so I did what anyone else in their right minds do and brought seeds!

I'm AMAZED at my restraint in that I didn't buy any more tomato seeds!
I did stock up on hot weather varieties of eggplant, okra and brought more Kang Kong seeds (Asian water spinach).
I'll try to germinate Motherwort again. I'll try this winter and I'll cold stratify them in the freezer before I sow the seed.

I think I learned my lesson with growing comfrey in the heat and I'll plant it under the lemon trees where the ground is shaded.

I'm not sure I'll have enough round mashing/ roasting varieties of potatoes to do my extended potato garden.
I'll have enough Kipfler but I found I don't really like them. I made the mistake of roasting them. WOW.
The texture went leathery and tough. They are really only fit for boiling for potato salad and mashing.
 
We planted the hugelkulture pile today with lots of seeds I had frozen for past few years,plus some in raiaed bed. Hubby took picture a few minutes ago will post.
He also put out a few dozen of seeds we started inside last month.

We have to cut down a few trees shading the pile though.
 
Bacpacker said:
I mixed up some compost, cow manure, & peatmoss and split it between 6 - 1 gallon pots. Then planted 5 onion slips per pot. Put water in a bucket and set each pot down in it to water from the bottom. Set the out along our basement in the sun. They should take off from there.
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:thumbs:I bet that will work out good with the compost .
 
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