Gardening anyone?

[Buckrun]

It is still cold and snowy outside but I am starting to plan the garden for 2011.

I also can a lot of the produce. I got tired of all the work of growing only to have fresh vegetables for a couple months. Now we eat the produce from the garden for 2 or 3 years.

We grow some things every year. Some things we only have to grow every other year because we can it.

I really have seen a lot of small gardens spring up the last few years. I also see a lot of stores selling canning jars. You go in one day and there is a huge pile of jars. Go back a few days later and they are almost gone. I never see canning jars at garage sales any more.

Also to buy jars at a garage sale you have to wonder what has been in the jar. Buying them new you will get rings and lids with them so it is worth a little more money to buy new.

I have 2 gardens here and a good friend that helps. They are really both of our gardens. They are just at my house. I also have a friend that lives east of Lima that has started gardening. We have been getting together and canning and sharing the vittles.

Anyone else put out gardens? Big small doesn’t matter. There is a lot of work in growing, weeding and canning the produce but it is worth it in the long run.

 

[Buckrun]

Well here are my tillers. The one on the left is the one that I am trying to put back together. It has counter rotating tines. The new one has dual rotating tines. Meaning it can rotate the tines either forward or reverse.

Trust me reverse (counter rotating) is better to till deep. It won't try to run away with you. We found that if you till deep counter rotating. Then go back over it just barely digging in forward rotating it levels the ground out real nice.

 

[Milo]

yep i sure do garden....i use a 4 foot tiller to get the seed bed ready and plant close so i have minimal weeds. have not canned yet but will this year with the kids...green beans and maybe some tomatoes.. freeze corn for sure.

 

[hickslawns]

Ours got out of hand last year. Going a bit smaller this year.

 

[rrr]

I've had a small garden in the past at home and worked on a produce farm for 4 years. I love it. Love having a green thumb. I think we had a Show Us Your Garden thread on here...Badger puts in a nice plot every year!

 

[Buckmaster]

I had 3 gardens last year. With canning I get about a 2-3 years supply so I crop rotate every year so I have different viddles every year.

 

[Beentown]

Yep I do two different gardens. Two at one place and another here on site. I need to start canning. My mom does it and I just help prep it. I think she is going to be "schooling" my wife and I this year.

Beentown

 

[badger]

I have new seed catalogs awaiting my orders for this years garden. Can't wait to start playing in the dirt, it's my favorite home activity in the summer. Days that I'm not working I'll have the smoker loaded with meat early and then start in the garden.

I'm going to do my best to get some early stuff in this spring. There's some early tomatoes that I plan on trying to have in the first of May. I brought home a bunch of empty 5 gallon water jugs from work. Figure I can cut the bottoms off them and they will work well to protect the plants from cold and frost. Have also been thinking of getting a new hot bed built before too much more time passes.

I'll try to get some garden pics up when I can. I'm on the laptop right now and most of my pics are on the mac downstairs. Had a super shitty day at work and don't feel like going down there right now.

You fellow facebookers can check them out in my pics there.

Looking forward to seeing this thread grow.

 

[uglykat26]

if i could find some one to till some land for me i would love to put a garden in , i sput a small one in last year , just a few jabenero peppers plants andsome tomatoes , but it yeilded almost a gallon bag full of peppers

 

[uglykat26]

hey ernie i bet i know what produce farm you worked for , it was most likely the same one i worked for , for almost 15 years....lol

 

[Curran]

The wife & I started a small garden two years ago for the first time & we've already been talking about what to plant this year. Our problem is space. There's just not enough space to put in everything that we would like to grow, without sacrificing too much yard / play space. We're planning on just tomatoes, peppers, onions, and a few types of herbs this year.

She's started making spaghetti sauces and canning those last year, and this year we're gonna try canning some hot & mild peppers. If anybody has some good canning recipes, or tricks of the trade I'd love to hear 'em. Won't been too much longer before we're out there playin' in the dirt!!!

 

[rrr]

No, not Queens, Garden Gate in Lexington

 

[uglykat26]

i still know them too....lol

 

[Johnch]

I plant a garden at my parents house down the road from me
At home I just have a few Tomatos and hot peppers in pots

I don't can , but I do freeze a lot
My mother can's and she dose enought for them , me and my brothers family

Love to make Tomato soup out of her stewed tomatos
Makes the store bought stuff taste like Krap

John

 

[badger]

I usually start my seeds the first week of April in peat pots or pots made from newspaper. With this set up I can keep the light inches above the seedlings and everything stays warm. I have also used a heating pad under the trays as a propagation mat.

All closed up.

A look inside

Opened and light raised for watering

I've found these flip top sport bottles are perfect for watering seedlings

 

[Buckrun]

I have a stand with grow lights. The lights hang by chain so I can adjust the height above the plants. This picture is from last year.

 

[badger]

Nice set up Steve! With as much as we have in common, I think we would make good neighbors.

 

[badger]

Garlic up and doing good, getting ready to plant the rest.

Ready to go!

 

[badger]

Weed control and setting up the soaker hoses.

 

[Buckrun]

I need a neighbor like you. We could use another gardner to work together getting everything done. I like a lot of what you are doing. I haven't used newspaper but have used straw.

I found a place that has horses and clean the stalls everyday. I think they throw out more straw than horse manure. I am going to take my trailer over there and start hauling it home. I won't have to buy straw and will get road apples as a bonus!

Only problem with horse manure is it has a lot of weed seeds in it. I hope I wont regret all the horse manure I have put in my gardens this winter.