Gardening 2024

[bwframe]

Here we go 2024!

Here's to a great food forest to us all!

If all goes well in the last few days of 2023, I should have some surviving collared greens, kale and possibly a dab of baby spinach...

 

[bwframe]

 

[snapping turtle]

I have lots of post harvest work still to do.
work and life got into the mix and I have tons to do.
MI gardener seed order has been placed is all I have done since harvest other than covering with leaves.

 

[Magyars]

Placed aged chicken and goat compost in the raised beds last fall. I'll till it in first thing this spring. We'll be starting plants early in our greenhouse and hope to get a second crop in

 

[Mij]

When I went to feed I grabbed a big scoop of stuff off of one of the loafing shed floors and dumped it on the garden.

I‘ll till it in when time allows.

 

[bwframe]

I keep thinking I'm not gonna plant Blue Hubbard squash every year. People complain about them being squash bug traps. A buddy just last year was saying he gave all of his away, because they were hard to clean. I do prefer a couple other varieties.

I wasn't going to plant any Blue Hubbard last year. Then I was cleaning the last winter squash and discovered a bunch of dried seeds from other winter squash that I had failed to appropriately label. I was taking all the seeds to the compost, not knowing what was what. Decided last minute to throw all the squash seeds in a pile and cover with a few inches of compost, then a few inches of cardboard shreds.

I just hacked into a Blue Hubbard the size of a small beach ball. Pretty punkin meat, that didn't need a lot of seasoning to taste good...

 

[snapping turtle]

Park seeds arrived. Marigolds (Fire) San MarZio tomatoes and my rainbow bell pepper mix. My jewel strawberries should arrive in March.

Super Bowl Sunday I will get down the seed starter enclosure and build back better. Then by February 27 seeds will be planted (the bell peppers and maybe some tomatoes.

 

[stocknup]

Trying to get a jump start on a few things .......Some Kale , Lettuce varieties , early cucs , Peppers , and sprouting some herbs and flowers .
Also some cherry tomato starts .......
Onions and Strawberries scheduled delivery in late March . ( Starting a new strawberry patch location )

 

[snapping turtle]

We have the green house (seed house as it is indoors) setup.
the seed starting mix is made. I think onion seeds are getting planted today. Bell peppers and paste tomato’s will hit soil before the end of the month. Wife has a list and dates.

fruit trees should be in at the nursery before the end of the month. Potato and strawberry plants are ordered but the normally arrive next month.

Radish, carrots, cabbage, beets, will just get sown in the early beds. I have A tendency to plant lots of stuff direct into the garden early, peas and the above plus any cuc’s melon’s ect later in the spring about May Day.

This year we are trying to succession plant better. So new stuff will be going in all year and just the few very early thing will hit seed starting mix

 

[XDdreams]

Got around to some garden work today.

Built up two new piles of compost to cook for summer use in the high tunnel beds! I used collected maple leaves and my homemade compost leftovers from last year to get the new piles heating up and cooking.

Many years ago I collected a few soil samples from a local forest around and under rotted trees/logs and used that to build my homemade stuff.

Going to plant some brassica stuff indoors for transplant this week and direct seed spinach and radish in the upcoming weeks. The temp in the tunnel is close to 90°F.

 

[bwframe]

Shovel work for me. Neighbor's chicken coup cleaning. I thanked him for giving me

 

[XDdreams]

Shovel work for me. Neighbor's chicken coup cleaning. I thanked him for giving me


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That stuff is gold!!! Awesome neighbors helping neighbors.

 

[bwframe]

That stuff is gold!!! Awesome neighbors helping neighbors.

He gets all the produce I can make him eat also.

 

[XDdreams]

He gets all the produce I can make him eat also.

I'm trying to convince my wife to get chickens, but she is terrified of birds.. childhood trauma from bird attacks or what not..

I have a neighbor that hates vegetables, I try to get him to eat healthy and all he wants to eat are uncrustables. Old stubborn fellow. He feeds his turtles lettuce and cucumbers I give him while he eats his pb&j's.

 

[bwframe]

Air conditioner bed spinach coming along...

 

[bwframe]

I'm trying to convince my wife to get chickens, but she is terrified of birds.. childhood trauma from bird attacks or what not..

I have a neighbor that hates vegetables, I try to get him to eat healthy and all he wants to eat are uncrustables. Old stubborn fellow. He feeds his turtles lettuce and cucumbers I give him while he eats his pb&j's.

It took me quite a while to get the neighbor convinced to keep chickens. I really don't want anything to do with raising birds, other than eating the eggs, (and of course, the fertilizer.)

My compost gets egg shells also and a lot of fish parts.

 

[XDdreams]

It took me quite a while to get the neighbor convinced to keep chickens. I really don't want anything to do with raising birds, other than eating the eggs, (and of course, the fertilizer.)

My compost gets egg shells also and a lot of fish parts.

I don't want too many, maybe 3-5 laying hens. We eat plenty of eggs and it would be easy to keep them well fed with quality garden scraps and naturally grazing around. It would be fantastic to add their waste to the compost too.

It would be a win win minus her fear of them!

 

[bwframe]

I don't want too many, maybe 3-5 laying hens. We eat plenty of eggs and it would be easy to keep them well fed with quality garden scraps and naturally grazing around. It would be fantastic to add their waste to the compost too.

It would be a win win minus her fear of them!

She needs to face her fears. Just ask any therapist?

Win, win, win is her getting over the fear.

 

[Leadeye]

For you guys that raise chickens in town, do you have rat problems? Growing up ag we grain fed a number of animals, and always had trouble with rats.

 

[snapping turtle]

For you guys that raise chickens in town, do you have rat problems? Growing up ag we grain fed a number of animals, and always had trouble with rats.

problems and solutions