Garden Time!

[alforddm]

My son and I cleaned everything out from under the rabbit cages and dumped it and then hubby disked the area. This is my first year to have a real garden. I told him the area he disked was larger than I had intended :lol:

I've done a bit of gardening in the past but it was always in my father-in-law's garden mostly just helping him plant and weed. I wanted my own as I can't try different things like mulching instead of tilling in his garden plus he always chooses what to plant.

The good: There isn't a stone in the entire garden and we dumped 17 wheelbarrow loads of rabbit manure/hay in there before he disked it. This was pasture before so the soil is pretty much untouched.

The bad: Our soil tends toward sand and is fairly acidic. This was pasture before so it's pretty much untouched. :lol: I may still need to lime it a bit. I'd planned on adding wood ashes but it's been fairly warm this year so I haven't used our fireplace much.

I ordered my seeds from baker creek yesterday. I'm excited to get started.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

Wow!!! That is a large area- you should be able to grow lots of food for you and the bunnehs.

A couple of days ago I planted peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts (a first!), assorted lettuce, red and green cabbage, kale, and spinach.

I also planted a row of Larkspur and planted Hollyhock seeds between the plants that are spaced far apart with the intention of transplanting them to different areas.

I may have jumped the gun a little- we are getting snow right now- but I figure I can always replant if necessary.

 

[alforddm]

Wow!!! That is a large area- you should be able to grow lots of food for you and the bunnehs.

A couple of days ago I planted peas, broccoli, brussels sprouts (a first!), assorted lettuce, red and green cabbage, kale, and spinach.

I also planted a row of Larkspur and planted Hollyhock seeds between the plants that are spaced far apart with the intention of transplanting them to different areas.

I may have jumped the gun a little- we are getting snow right now- but I figure I can always replant if necessary.

I'm hopping I can start getting stuff in the ground around Feb 15th. I ordered a kale that can also be used as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and carrots for early plants. I forgot the radishes which are hubbies favorites so I'll have to get those local. Everything except the radishes are new to me so I'll have to see how things go. Most of the later season plants are things I've done before, squash and pumpkins, tomatoes, corn, watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, sweet potatoes, and okra. I also ordered some plantain, dandelion seeds, milk thistle, stinging nettle, burdock, yarrow, and some other stuff that I plan on just scattering around and seeing if it will grow (not in the garden in the yard lol). I had wanted to get some walking onions but I didn't realize you planted those in the fall. I'll probably get some onion starts locally and then do the walking onions in the fall.

I also still have a bunch of lablab seeds left over from my failed attempt last year. So, I'm going to give those another shot. It was just to dry last year and I planted them in an area I can't easily water.

I already have some comfrey plants (which I need to split and replant soon) and my asparagus, two apple tree, several plum trees, and two muscadine vines. I may actually get some fruit off those this year. Hubby says we are adding pears, peach, and cherry this spring as well. I also planted some jerusalem artichokes last fall which I'm hoping will come up.

It's kinda funny. I just turned 40 and feel better than I have felt in years. After years of trying to use traditional medicine I've found some herbs that seem to really help. The rabbits have helped so much because they got me to researching plants. I love my rabbits!

I hadn't intended to write that much. :lol: :lol:

 

[Stephanie]

With virgin soil like that, I'd advise using a LOT of mulch. And, in the fall, bury it under as many leaves as you can get a hold of, then turn them under, or leave them, next spring. I'm getting ready for my 3rd year on my suburban garden. 1st year was almost a complete and total washout. There was not enough water in the entire state to keep that thing hydrated, being that the soil was sandy clay. So, at the end of the first year I buried the whole thing under 2 feet of leaves. When it came planting time, I didn't till. I just raked the leaves aside and planted. I only had to water a few times. This past year, I actually managed to get a few bags of green beans and some squash in the freezer. With the new addition of rabbit pearls this year, I'm very hopeful for a nice yield this year. I'll be planting peas in a couple weeks. And, I have plans on starting quite a few plants indoors this week. I was out in the garden yesterday, picking a few greens for the rabbits, when I realized that the ground was quite a bit softer than it had been when I first started it. I know I saw a lot more worms in the soil when I last planted than when I began. A whole lot. So, I think I'm actually getting somewhere with it.

 

[MoonSpiritMom]

I am sooooo jealous right now. I'm still under 2 ft of snow.. and will be for a few more months. It's not super cold here.. but i can't get to the ground.

I am going to start my seeds in the next few weeks though!

 

[alforddm]

I am sooooo jealous right now. I'm still under 2 ft of snow.. and will be for a few more months. It's not super cold here.. but i can't get to the ground.

I am going to start my seeds in the next few weeks though!

I'll be the one jealous of you during the summer when it's over 100 degrees with humidity and I'm lugging frozen milk jugs out to the rabbits.

 

[DBA]

spring fever is here!
I can't plant anything outside yet, but I am getting a greenhouse or two in the next couple of weeks.
so far inside, I have a bit over 200 hot peppers started, as well as some romaine lettuce, and a few other small odds and ends.
February 20 I will plant about 600 bell and sweet peppers, and then on about march 15 I will start about 400 tomatoes.

Planting doesn't start here outside until about the very end of April to the end of May. First week of jue I will be planting about 2.5-3 acres of pumpkins and (almost) and acre of sweet corn

 

[HansenHomestead]

My indoor garden has been going for about a month now. Lots of yummy things! Getting ready to transplant our tomatoes into hanging buckets tomorrow!

 

[imajpm]

I am sooooo jealous right now. I'm still under 2 ft of snow.. and will be for a few more months. It's not super cold here.. but i can't get to the ground.

I am going to start my seeds in the next few weeks though!

Lol me too! Can't put anything into the ground here until June 1st. Aside from planting carrots and a few other things that germinate in lower temps. Bunnies say, just plant carrots and forget the rest!

 

[EnglishSpot]

Here in northern Ohio we've still got months of really cold weather left, unless global warming does us a favor and shortens winter considerably. I think we'll not get as much cold since Erie hasn't frozen over.

I'm still contemplating what I'm going to grow this season. I really liked having kale, okra, tomatoes, parsley, sage, and collards last year. I've really loaded up the flower beds with rabbit berries, so they should produce radically for me! I'm hoping my strawberries take off!!

The corn I grew last year was neat, but way too time invasive for the small crop we got. I'm definitely going for marigolds, the buns loved those!!! Maybe carrots again. Hmmmm......

 

[akane]

My husband nearly fell on the several inches of ice while taking a carrier with a cockatiel in it to the car. After the utter and complete disaster that was my seed growing attempt last year I'm not doing it this year. I'll buy started what I want and direct sow the rest. I wonder how well my 2014 corn seeds will grow.

 

[FourRingCircus]

imajpm - I bet you're not too far from my sister and her family - they are in the Cour d'Alene/Moscow area.

I am trying seed starting yet again this year :roll: . I have a BUNCH of new stuff purchased, but have never actually succeeded in growing them then getting them outside so my hopes aren't terribly high (the minor detail of hardening them off... I had no idea I had to do that or what it even meant I need a mentor to hold my hand and guide me :roll: ). I still have some work on the raised beds I built last year (put cardboard down, now I need to get some more soil from somewhere to fill in the top). Then with my new chicken coop being in a new area I am going to take down the old run and turn it into a garden area. It's picked clean and I am sure is good and fertile. Pretty well packed down, but I know if I till it up I'll just expose new weed seeds. Maybe I'll finally break down and buy one of those broadforks I have been eyeing. Also, a hoe. I have spent too many years getting everything prepped only to let it get overtaken with weeds b/c the amount of hand weeding was so overwhelming. I suck at gardening... but I really really want to succeed so I keep trying each year - it's a personal mission. The definition of insanity? (or so I have heard) Doing the same thing over and over expecting different results... I should be well on my way to garden insanity at this point :lol: .

As for rabbit manure - DH's grandpa uses that spray on his hay field that ruins gardens - it even stays in the manure. I know I asked about it once before, but no one had ever had any issues with hay... I know the chemical is popular, so maybe it's not as big of an issues as some make it out to be? I have only ever put the bunny berries on my rose bushes and fruit trees... I'm kind of scared to do it on my garden :x I want to say it mainly targets broadleaf plants, which includes tomatoes I am pretty sure (that's what DH's cousins said).

 

[MoonSpiritMom]

I am sooooo jealous right now. I'm still under 2 ft of snow.. and will be for a few more months. It's not super cold here.. but i can't get to the ground.

I am going to start my seeds in the next few weeks though!

I'll be the one jealous of you during the summer when it's over 100 degrees with humidity and I'm lugging frozen milk jugs out to the rabbits.

It can pretty hot here in the summer... it got up to 38 C here last year.. well at the farm... the new house has much more trees so is shaded quite a bit more then the farm was. I may be lugging out frozen milk jugs full of water too! lol you never know.

 

[Knacker]

I am sooooo jealous right now. I'm still under 2 ft of snow.. and will be for a few more months. It's not super cold here.. but i can't get to the ground.

I am going to start my seeds in the next few weeks though!

I'll be the one jealous of you during the summer when it's over 100 degrees with humidity and I'm lugging frozen milk jugs out to the rabbits.

It can pretty hot here in the summer... it got up to 38 C here last year.. well at the farm... the new house has much more trees so is shaded quite a bit more then the farm was. I may be lugging out frozen milk jugs full of water too! lol you never know.

Hot summers indeed. Having experienced a few summers at Mable Lake I can guarantee you will be hauling frozen water jugs out to the rabbits.

 

[imajpm]

imajpm - I bet you're not too far from my sister and her family - they are in the Cour d'Alene/Moscow area.

lol yep 50 miles or so from C'DA. 91 day growing season bit less than there perhaps. Greenhouse is on the list of things to do

 

[FourRingCircus]

imajpm - I bet you're not too far from my sister and her family - they are in the Cour d'Alene/Moscow area.

lol yep 50 miles or so from C'DA. 91 day growing season bit less than there perhaps. Greenhouse is on the list of things to do

I bought a garden planner type thing and on the back it shows the growing season for each area - it was fascinating to see all the ranges!

 

[alforddm]

I found http://www.zukeeni.com/ It's pretty cool you can add all your veggies by type and even variety and it will show you when to plant if your doing indoor/transplant or outdoors. Plus, it has a neat garden planner where you can enter you garden size and it will help you plan out where you want to plant things. You can even do circles and triangle spaces ect.