So I have been shoveling, shoveling and...oh, did I mention shoveling? Digging out all of the pathways and adding the dirt to the beds to make them even deeper. Then back filling the paths with mulch to fill it level with the beds. I was surprised to see how quickly the beds deepened when I pushed a piece of bamboo into one of the beds to make a trellis and it quickly and easily pushed over a foot down into the ground! I can't wait to put transplants out there! Here's the work I have done so far.
[img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v687/grnpez/gardenplot.jpg[/img]
Oh, if I hadn't mentioned. This will be my first year using a raised bed method. I have been growing in rows every year previous.
What does everyone else's garden look like right now?
-
DoubleDogFarm
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 6113
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm
That is very nice and alot of work. You could say its alot of good exercise with a bonus at the end! When I work in the garden the day passes too fast and I enjoy my meals better because I work up a appitite! If onlymost of those exercise people would find the worl of gadening as a excercise routine they would be much more happy! I can't wait to start digging!
-
rainbowgardener
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 25279
- Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
- Location: TN/GA 7b
[img]https://i602.photobucket.com/albums/tt102/rainbowgardener/snowy_benches.jpg[/img]GardenRN wrote:
What does everyone else's garden look like right now?
That's actually a picture from last year. Snow isn't quite that deep right this minute, but similar.
Your garden looks very nice. I love that you made everything curvy, not all rectangular and straight lines.
Oh no! lol. I'm so antsy I think to have to see my garden under that much snow would kill me. I have been working on the gardenall winter whenever we have a day that creeps into the 40's or 50's. It softens the dirt just enough to be workable. Yesterday hit 67! but that was a fluke and today it's back down to 36. 
Rainbow there is actually a part of the garden that you can't see well in the pic that is even curvier! I started playing around putting a stake in the ground and using twine to make perfectly circular areas of the path. It looks really cool! I'll have to try n go out and get a picture of that. Once I thought of using the stake and twine to mark out the circle it was really easy too!
Rainbow there is actually a part of the garden that you can't see well in the pic that is even curvier! I started playing around putting a stake in the ground and using twine to make perfectly circular areas of the path. It looks really cool! I'll have to try n go out and get a picture of that. Once I thought of using the stake and twine to mark out the circle it was really easy too!
the only "wildlife" I have a problem with here other than insects are squirrels and cats. The cats like to dig in the soft dirt and poop. Not a huge problem except that for reasons I don't understand they especially love to dig right near the base of new transplants!! Which kills them.
The squirrels steal a tomato here and there but not enough to really bother fighting. I have found though that home depot sells a product called "critter ridder" that seems to work great! It's a blend of hot pepper oils and spices that burn animals paws the same way the peppers burn your mouth. I sprinkled some along the top of the fence and just around the perimeter of the garden and the problems stopped for the rest of the year. 2 jars did a 1500 sq ft garden. I would definitely recommend it if you're having a problem.
The squirrels steal a tomato here and there but not enough to really bother fighting. I have found though that home depot sells a product called "critter ridder" that seems to work great! It's a blend of hot pepper oils and spices that burn animals paws the same way the peppers burn your mouth. I sprinkled some along the top of the fence and just around the perimeter of the garden and the problems stopped for the rest of the year. 2 jars did a 1500 sq ft garden. I would definitely recommend it if you're having a problem.
-
applestar
- Mod
- Posts: 30545
- Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 7:21 pm
- Location: Zone 6, NJ (3/M)4/E ~ 10/M(11/B)
Oooh! Can't wait for spring! 
Re: cats -- After some misgivings, I've had enough of the neighborhood cats trying to use beds that have edibles growing in them -- I am not about to risk Toxo. So I sprinkle ground cayenne and hot peppers in the area after picking up their mess. Because cats will sniff and dig around before going, they do quickly get the idea. They may also end up licking it off their paws/fur, and next time they smell the hot peppers, I guess they know better than to step in it. I warn my immediate neighbors that that's what I'll do if they keep using my garden. (The idea that cats can't be trained or that "They're only cats." doesn't fly as far as I'm concerned. Dog poop has to be picked up by law, so should cat poop. I deliver poop from neighbors' cats to their front door step if I catch them in the act.
)
When this idea was first posted by another member here, there was a spate of objections from concerned members that the hot peppers will cause significant damage to the cats' nasal membranes and eyes, but I'm sorry, I've chased them off enough -- verbally and with sprays of water from the hose -- so they KNOW they're not welcome. I do believe in giving them a chance to alter their behavior before using the hot peppers.
Re: cats -- After some misgivings, I've had enough of the neighborhood cats trying to use beds that have edibles growing in them -- I am not about to risk Toxo. So I sprinkle ground cayenne and hot peppers in the area after picking up their mess. Because cats will sniff and dig around before going, they do quickly get the idea. They may also end up licking it off their paws/fur, and next time they smell the hot peppers, I guess they know better than to step in it. I warn my immediate neighbors that that's what I'll do if they keep using my garden. (The idea that cats can't be trained or that "They're only cats." doesn't fly as far as I'm concerned. Dog poop has to be picked up by law, so should cat poop. I deliver poop from neighbors' cats to their front door step if I catch them in the act.
)When this idea was first posted by another member here, there was a spate of objections from concerned members that the hot peppers will cause significant damage to the cats' nasal membranes and eyes, but I'm sorry, I've chased them off enough -- verbally and with sprays of water from the hose -- so they KNOW they're not welcome. I do believe in giving them a chance to alter their behavior before using the hot peppers.
Last edited by applestar on Thu Feb 03, 2011 12:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
maybe this is a little too country of me but I don't care if the cats get a good burn from it. I don't go out looking to hurt ANY animal. But at the same time, you can't have a cat taking a junk in your strawberries every day either. Let's see those animal lovers just smile and turn the other cheek when they pick up a dirt clod, smush it in their hand only to find out it is a fresh cat turd rolled in soil. Yeah, that happened to me! And at that moment I was ready to use a rifle instead of peppers. Personally, I think the cats got off easy with the peppers.
-
DoubleDogFarm
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 6113
- Joined: Sun Mar 28, 2010 11:43 pm
Thank you.DDF, I'm jealous! nice looking plot! Is that a pond or a big creek in the back, in the upper right corner of that pic? Looks like you have one nice piece of land there!
The water is a series of ponds and streams. I decided to take advantage of the neighbors run off. Most of the time it is manageable, but there have been a few overflow floods.
Here are some picture from an earlier post. Scroll back to the top.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=130634&highlight=ducks#130634
Eric