6/18/2012 Garden Video Updates

Here we go again.  As you can see the garden is going pretty well and my yields are already surpassing those of last year.  Next year will be even more awesome with the strawberries in full production and the asparagus finally ready for harvesting.  Enjoy and please leave any comments of things I should try.

Video Garden Update May 2012

Because of how infrequently I have been posting to updates to the blog I thought I would try something new to see what all of you think.  I am trying the vlogging thing.  Sounds fun but tell me what you think.

http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=1518256093723768541#editor/target=post;postID=1948196705578473776

Pallets to Garden: Cheap Alternatives to Raised Beds

I am kind of a freecycling nut though I do try and maintain some restraint most days.  However, I am obsessed with pallets for some reason because it is wood and very versatile.  While I was planning the latest addition of our raised bed garden I thought I would save a little money and use the pallets that Lumber Liquidators happily give away. 

What I did was rip the two sides off with a circular saw so I only have to remove nails from the center boards.  Next I would use a wonder bar (that really cool pry bar that is perfect for flooring too) to pop the boards off. After removing the nails I cut the boards into 12" sections and voila I had my supplies.  This did take a lot of time to do but there is something therapeutic about ripping, sawing, and beating a pallet to submission. 

Once I laid out my organically-shaped bed using stakes and string I would use the hammer to pound the boards a few inches into the ground and then overlap to create strength.  This created the boarder but my favorite part was the river rock drainage ditch and boardwalk to allow more access to picking and weeding.  The boardwalk was made from great little pallets that had a solid top.  I ripped it half and added the other pallet support inside to create more stability.  I love it.  Take a look at the pictures and let me know what you think.  Happy gardening.

Landscape marks the drainage path

Grass dug up and the boards going in for drainage path.

Pile of wood ready for miter saw.

Wood in place.  It's Hammer Time!

Scraps=Firewood

Leftovers for patches.

Done.  Now it just needs dirt.

I really like the stone waterway even if there isn't a big water problem.

Grandma told me newspaper to kill the grass works wonders.

Leah helping spread the topsoil.

Done!  I love it. (also Adah added a small sculpture since there weren't enough boards)

The boardwalk and waterway meet.  I truly love this part!

Now for compost and veggies!

Garden Repair at the In-Laws' House

Wanted to finally post some more travel garden pics from our trip up north.  I built this garden 3 years ago at the in-laws house and it had fallen into problems.  I had originally used wooden stakes to keep the landscape timbers in place but those rotted and shifted the beds.  I used the same method of using plastic/metal tomato stakes and drilling holes at the corners that I did in my garden.  I also angled the green bean trellis differently in hopes that it would support the weight better.  Still has work to be done but it is better.

Before.  See how the front beds are starting to slope down.

Stakes were not my brightest idea.

Disassemble and level first while mounding the soil in the middle.

I work while my girl plays.  Lucky girl!

Beds are fixed. Now time for green bean trellis.

When I built these I did it with all right angles.   However, they liked to topple.

Now they have more angle on the sides.

Attack of the Killer...Everything!

I was once in the happy land of "look how awesome my little garden is growing organically" and I started thinking that I was either smart, lucky, or prepared.  That was until I returned home from a 10-day trip in June to discover that I was under serious attack by multiple pests.  My zucchini plants were almost dead, my beans had new holes in the leaves, and my okra started to appear that they were attracting unfriendly guests.  So for the last few weeks I have been neglecting this blog and focusing my time on identifying the culprits, finding ways to kill them, and try to prevent it in the future. 

What have I been battling you ask?  Well, let me start with the dread squash bugs that have decimated my zucchini plants. http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1208.html  These little guys are mean since they attack the stalk and kill the rest of the plant.  I resorted to Sevin so I am not organic this year after all, but I read these things spread quickly after they devour one plant.  I killed them once and then they returned from their eggs planted on the leaves but I think I have them this time.  Here is what they look like and what they did to my plants. 

Eaten from the inside out :(

The next pest has been the green shield bug attaking my green beans.  At first I was stuck by how pretty they were but they are eating my garden so they are a pest and must die.  Here is some info and pictures of them. http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=519  Sevin was once again the treatment and now they have been fully removed from the garden.

 

The last problem I am encountering is birds eating my tomatoes but I will save that for another post as I figure out what I am going to do about it. Happy gardening!

Family Garden Tour: Grandma Tish's House

One of my favorite parts of spending a more than a week with family recently was getting to learn from my Mom and Grandma about garden techniques.  I love go up to the farm and seeing what new things they have growing and how they do things since I am still a novice.  So I thought I would post the picture of the people who are my gardening inspiration. Part one is my Grandma Tish and Papo's house and gardens.  Yes, it always looks like this.  They have the best maintained place I have ever seen and I think Papo's love of organization might be where I get it from.  Enjoy.

06/01/11...Garden Photo Update

I wanted to make a quick photo post before the dry spell of next week.  Let's hope things don't get too thirsty since I accidentally drained the rain barrel while filling the watering can.  I guess that is what happens when you forgot that you started filling until hours later.

Me and my little gardener!

Wildflowers are really coming up.

Sunflowers are a go though one on the end snapped from probably a critter.

It is getting hard to eat all that lettuce.

Shin high by the first of June.

Starting to get flowers.