My Winter Garden!

[tedln]

This post is for those who think it doesn't snow in Texas. We have had five snow events this winter in North Texas. It snowed once in Houston (South Texas) that we didn't get here in North Texas.

Things change a lot in one year. Below are a few photos of my garden taken about one year apart. The first picture shows the results of global warming on my garden taken today. The second picture shows almost the same shot from the same position taken less than a month later last year.

Please note that under the snow, I have some nice lettuce, garlic, and a lot of onions doing very well. The carrots and some more lettuce should pop up next week. As you can see, I have started construction of my hoops for the floating row covers to stop the squash vine borers. I got them up yesterday and the second squash bed will be done when the snow melts.

I have also moved my tomato cages to my new bed at the back of the garden leaving the front beds for squash and onions only.



Ted

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Flowers/IMG_1978.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Flowers/IMG_1979.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1454.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1453.jpg[/img]


After posting the dreary winter photos I took today, I decided to add some of my fond memories of last years garden and simply hope I can do as well this year.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1653.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1647.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1689.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1698.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1742.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1852.jpg[/img]


And to end on a high note, a few flowers from last year are in order.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_0332.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_0993.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1726.jpg[/img]

[gixxerific]

Interesting, kinda looks like my garden with the snow that is. Better get the floating row cover on or your snow plant mihtg freeze.

[Rob_NZ]

Not sure global warming is responsible but I do wonder if the US Marine Corps know you're gardening on one of their assault courses?

Seriously, I love your beds.

[tedln]

Hey Rob,

Yes, I know; the "Global Warming" pun was intended. I kinda thought the same thing about the assault course. I've crawled under the barbed wire with the guns firing over my head at night. The tracers look so close you want to grab one to light a cigarette.

All the wire isn't to keep the enemy out though, only my brown lab who is a vegetarian. He ate more the first year I had this garden than we ate.

Since we normally get very little snow in the winter, I thought I would share a few more shots of what we awoke to this morning. I will just call the shots "planning my garden" so they will fit in this forum.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Snow/IMG_2022.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Snow/IMG_2029.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Snow/IMG_2054.jpg[/img]

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/Snow/IMG_2033.jpg[/img]

Ted

[Rob_NZ]

Hi Ted,

For the beds themselves, are they normal fence posts [full rounds]? How did you anchor them in to the ground? Might be a silly question, but I can't see any batons.

Still droolin' over them beds, lol

[gixxerific]

Wow! ted you have a beautiful place there. I'm jealous.

[GardenGeek]

Snow has covered almost every part of the world this year. No one would be so unhappy with that than we gardeners as this is the part of year we love to start sowing
All we can hope is this snow leaves our garden fast so that we can use our soil to grow plants..

[tedln]

Hi Ted,

For the beds themselves, are they normal fence posts [full rounds]? How did you anchor them in to the ground? Might be a silly question, but I can't see any batons.

Still droolin' over them beds, lol

Rob,

Stop drooling, your getting my keyboard wet. In all honesty, there is nothing to drool over. I have less than $25.00 U.S. invested in each bed not counting the metal T posts which cost about $4.50 each. Each bed is made with nine land scape timbers which I buy on sale for $1.97 each. The cucumber bed has an additional six timbers for the uprights. Each timber has two flat sides and I simply lay them down stacked with the ends over lapping. I do cut three timbers into two equal pieces for the ends on each bed. I buy what we call spikes which are 12 inches long and look like over sized nails. I predrill the top two timbers with a 1/4" drill bit and then drive a spike through the predrilled holes into the bottom timber. I use two spikes at each corner and one spike in the center of each side. The only tricky part is making sure when you buy the timbers, you are ready to build the beds. When the stores receive the timbers they are still wet and in tight bundles. When they are removed from the bundles, they need to be used fast or they will twist so bad you can't use them as they dry. How's the weather in NZ? Tell us a little about what you grow.


Dono,

Thanks, we are very happy with our place. We got it about three years ago when we stopped traveling around in our RV. (I retired in 2004) The following photos are some before and after shots of our place. We keep seeing things we want to do, but I spend a lot of time in my garden and will be a volunteer at a 15 acre community garden this summer. I guess work on the house will slow down.

The following two photos are what it looked like three years ago.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/DSCN1883.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_0132.jpg[/img]

This photo is from two years ago.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_0408.jpg[/img]

The next two photos are current.

[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1864.jpg[/img]
[img]https://i291.photobucket.com/albums/ll308/tedln/IMG_1866.jpg[/img]

Ted

[tedln]

Snow has covered almost every part of the world this year. No one would be so unhappy with that than we gardeners as this is the part of year we love to start sowing
All we can hope is this snow leaves our garden fast so that we can use our soil to grow plants..

Yes gardengeek, I think we are all a little anxious. I must admit that while I complain about the snow and cold weather, I actually prefer it to the hot, hot doldrums of a mid summer Texas. It gets so hot sometimes, even the garden stops growing and just seems to wait for cooler weather to start growing again. Though my garden is currently covered with snow, I do have some things growing under the snow.

Ted

[gixxerific]

So when can I move in? I am a hard worker. Trying to talk my wife into getting away from our suburban lot but she don't want none of that yet.

off topic but about the snow everywhere. The local news was saying I believe on Thur that there was a possible snow storm heading towards Florida. If that took place, not sure if it snowed there or not, but if it did snow there would snow on the ground in ALL 50 states at one time.