Starting my own garden

[ollie]

A mild November has meant that we've had a last spurt from the plants that survived Irene and the big October snowstorm. I've just harvested a few celeriac heads, half a dozen leeks, a basketful of strange-looking carrots (we've never done well with carrots thanks to our clayey, rocky soil so we tried a variety that's short and fat) and a few glifeather turnips. There are a few more carrots and turnips still in the ground.

[Bobofdeath's Dad]

Originally Posted by Sujoah

Which plant is the easiest to grow? I'm going to go with grass.

As for vegetables, I have no idea. But good luck in your endeavors!

Weeds are definitely the easiest to grow.

Reading this post reminded me of my childhood, my parent's garden, my uncle's farm, and why I haven't gardened since.

My brothers and I "walked beans" on my uncle's farm. For you city dwellers just imagine hoeing weeds out of 200 acres of soybeans. We also usually planted 1 to 2 acres of sweetcorn out on his farm and 100 pounds of seed potatoes.

Then we had the garden at our house that was about half an acre. Snapping 3 grocery bags of beans or podding a grocery bag of peas was pretty routine.

My all time favorite memory was 100 tomato plants. My aunt worked for the Campbell Soup company. The workers could buy the same plants the company provided their growers. Well my dad got a 100 of them. Later that summer we found out they were bred so that all the tomatoes ripened within about a 2 week period. Lots of tomatoes.

My mom canned and froze vegetables for our own use. We sold corn for 75 cents a dozen and tomatoes for 15 cents a pound along with a lot of other stuff and used the money to pay for our family vacation in August.

As time passes I have gotten to where I am considering a garden of my own.

[ollie]

Hunh. A long time with no posts.

After a loooong winter, we were able to get out there today and do some planting.

Each year we try to do at least one project that has long-term rather than immediate benefits. This weekend we put in a patch of hazelnut bushes, a new asparagus bed, some groundnuts and a black walnut tree.

We're starting to see older projects pay off: high hopes this year for asparagus, blackcurrants, raspberries, apples, pears and more.

We're getting the annuals in as well and prepping for a batch of ~20 meat chickens.

Good to be out there, a fun weekend. Anyone else?

[Tornado]

I am going to get a late start his year. My broken ankle has made gardening impossible. I am going to have to settle for planters this year.

Sounds like you have a nice set-up going ollie. My friend has chickens but his geese/ducks?(now I cannot remember what the larger birds are) keep snapping their necks.

[Maklar the Silver Prince]

Its really great working weather, especially in the morning. I've been able to get a lot done at the farm due to that. Sounds like you've got a really nice garden going.

It also sounds like your going to have a ton of asparagus. I love the stuff, and its all I've ate for several nights, but let me tell you, don't eat too much of it. It has turned my urine a light green color.

[ollie]

I'm happy to eat as much asparagus as possible for the month it's around. Radioactive wee is a small price to pay.

That's too bad Tornado; hope you're up and around again soon.

Our garden sounds better when I only list what's working! I try not to mention the crabapples, the cherry tree that's still technically alive but a surprise when we see leaves each year, the redcurrants,... and that's without each year's batch of failed annual projects. But it's all fun and we're getting better.

We just impulse-bought 15 mixed-cochin bantam chicks. Crazy little fluffballs by the looks of it. They'll arrive next week and, if everything goes to plan, be out in the garden in a yet-to-be-buiilt structure before the meat birds arrive at the end of June. We'll see.

[JC McMinis]

My wife and I have just under 4 acres. Last year we had a decent sized garden thay produced well for us. This year I expanded the main garden and then tilled up a second plot that is bigger than the first. This year we planted both white and red potatoes, green beans, broccolli, leaf & iceberg lettuce, carrots peas, eggplant, green peppers, jalepenos, cayanne peppers, 3 or 4 variaties of tomatoes, corn, okra, yellow squash, zucchinni, cucumbers, 4 variaties of pumpkins, cauliflower, cabbage & red onions. We also have several elderberry bushes that were here when we bought the house. We are also slowly adding various fruit as well. We added 2 apple & 2 peach ttees & next year we are thinking about adding grapes and maybe even starting our own berry patch.

[JC McMinis]

Part of my garden



Tomato cages I made.

[Tornado]

Nice. I like the tomato cages, that is a smart idea.