UrbanFarmerJon
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Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

My Garden for 2015.

This year have decided to expand the garden and use more of a square foot approach to maximize the space I have and make it easier for my kids to get into. Here is a pic of last year's garden
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I have framed out the new plans for this year. On the left side will be by cucumbers and zucchini plants. The tomatoes will be in the 4 square boxes in the front of the frame. This is looking south east.
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Still need to make my trellis for the climbers and get it all leveled before I till it up and add some more soil to them. Since we had a freeze last night not too worried about timing yet!!

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rainbowgardener
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Location: TN/GA 7b

Looks good. Very neat and organized. You have more room. If this year is successful, maybe keep expanding the veggie garden next year, if you are serious about growing food! :) Don't know the ages of the three boys, but unless they are very young, you should have some built in help with weeding and watering chores!

UrbanFarmerJon
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Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Built my first trellise last night. Only 2 more to build and they will be ready for the garden.
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She will stand 5' tall when placed In the garden. Wasn't too bad of build. Stringing it was the most time consuming of the whole thing.

RedBeard1987
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Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 3:28 pm
Location: South suburbs Chicago. Zone 5a

Lookin good. I too am expanding my garden this year! going from 30 square feet to 750! I'm already planning for a bigger one next year. And were not to far from eachother I'm in zone 5 a south suburbs of chicago. good luck!

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kayjay
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Location: Southern Ontario

Really nice set-up. My space is small, also, and I pretty much use SFG guidelines.

UrbanFarmerJon
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Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Been busy working lately on top of extremely wet weather here so a little behind. Today got the beds all leveled. Installed 1 of the trellis and mix in half of the beds. Need to pick up some more dirt and get the square foot strings installed. The pole for the pole beans will ho in tomorrow as long as the rain holds off till 10 am as forecasted!!
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UrbanFarmerJon
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Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Finally got the bean pole up and the other trellis put up. Even transplanted my starts and got the seeds going. Now the waiting game begins!
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Whole garden
Whole garden
Planting broccoli
Planting broccoli

UrbanFarmerJon
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Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Haven't updated in a while, between heavy rains, freak hailstorm and temps in 80's, things are coming along nicely. 5 plantings in do far and hopefully will be able to harvest soon!!
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Enjoy!

lexusnexus
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Joined: Fri Mar 14, 2014 4:06 pm
Location: MD Suburbs of DC, 7a

Very cool. It's amazing what you can get into small space and get lots of produce out of it. For many years I had a small garden in my townhouse backyard. You just can't buy that taste at the grocery produce section, and have such satisfaction of the rewards from your own sweat and labor.

UrbanFarmerJon
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Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Haven't posted an update in a while, between work, vacation and getting a 5 yr old ready kindergarten, haven't had much free time! Everything is doing great, with the exception of my zucchini. I got about 4 lbs, before they got hit with powdery mildew, and I pulled them to save my cucumbers. Here's a few pics of the garden and harvest so far.
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Pole beans.
Pole beans.
Snack Attack Cherry Tomatoes
Snack Attack Cherry Tomatoes
Rabbits view...I'd be jealous too
Rabbits view...I'd be jealous too
Small beets.
Small beets.


Didn't get much broccoli and my head lettuce went to seed due to a week if high 90s late in july. Bush beans slowed down right as mybpole beans started to produce. Just planted the first round of fall plantings yesterday!

UrbanFarmerJon
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Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Lost this tomato branch due to weight, but they will still be eaten!
Too heavy every year....
Too heavy every year....
Radishes, spinach and simpson lettuce
Radishes, spinach and simpson lettuce
Purple peppers!
Purple peppers!
He picked the ones he planted all by himself.
He picked the ones he planted all by himself.

lexusnexus
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Location: MD Suburbs of DC, 7a

Looks like your garden master has got it right. It's fun, and educational, to get the kids involved with the garden. You should be rightly proud of him. SFG? Sounds like a home owners association. We don't have one here, thank goodness! Great job and production on the garden. :D

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rainbowgardener
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UrbanFarmerJon
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Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

That's the main reason I do the garden, for my boys to learn a few things and it gets then outside. I chose the SFG method do it would be easier for the kids to get in and pick/plant things. I will pull up the boxes in the fall, spread the current soil mix around and till up the whole area before planting a cover crop. Then will till it under in the spring, re set up the boxes in a different configuration next year. Figure in a year or two the clay will be well amended too

Igotworms
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Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 1:14 am

Everything looks great! I gotta have some kids to get some free help in the garden lol

UrbanFarmerJon
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Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Haven't given an update in a while. Starting to slow down for the year finally. Still have a round of carrots in the ground and some onions and a few green peppers too. Already planning next year's layout. So far over 83lbs of produce harvested from 40 sqf boxes, just shy of my 100lb goal, but it will be close once the carrots and onions are picked in a week or two. Heres a pic of today's pickins!
October and still picking!
October and still picking!
My oldest showing off for the camera.
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UrbanFarmerJon
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Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

This was by far my most successful year of vegetable gardening ever. I had 153 growing days this year. I have never had a harvest go past the middle of September and this year I pulled my last set of carrots on October 25th 2015. The new layout worked wonders this year and I am already tweaking it next year (going to gain about 15 more sq foot boxes to grow in . Wasn't my best year for Lettuce, Spinach or Bush Beans...more than likely due to the wet spring we had and the early hot weather shortly after it too. Total pounds of Produce this year was 86 lbs 7.41 ounces, just shy of my 100 lb goal. Here is a breakdown of what I harvested for the year:

Cherry Belle Radishes : 9.4oz
Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce : 3.5oz (Heat killed this one)
Mesclun Mix : 2.4oz (Flooded during a hail storm...never recovered)
Salad Select Spinach : .91oz (First year planting and too late in season)
Simpson Elite Lettuce : 2.4oz (Heat killed this as well)
DiCiccio Broccoli : 2.5oz (2 plants)(First year growing, need to start earlier next year) Carnival Blend Sweet Pepper : 8lbs 9.6oz (3 plants)(first year growing)
Italian Pepperoncini : 9lbs 3.2 oz (3 plants) (first year growing)
Fordhook Zuchini : 3lbs 4.5oz (3 plants)(Hail Storm wiped these out early)(first year growing)
Early Pride Cucumber : 6lbs 11.2 oz (4 plants)
Pickle Barrel Hybrid Cucumber : 12lbs 7.5oz (3 plants)(kids ate them so fast=no pickles)
KY Wonder Pole Beans : 3lbs .3 oz (12 plants)(Japanese Beetles hit hard overnight)(first yr growing)
Danver 1/2 Long Carrots : 11lbs 2.5oz (first year growing)
Jupiter Beets : 14oz (first year growing)
Golden Grande Onions : 5.5oz (first year growing)(didnt plant till late July)
Walla Walla Onions : 7 oz (first year growing) (didnt plant till late July)
Iceburg A Head Lettuce : 0-bolted in early heat, 2nd plantings didnt take
Snack Attack Cherry Tomatoes : 20lbs 11.5 oz (2 plants)
Better Boy Hybrid Tomato : 10lbs 5.8oz (1 plant)
Goldrush Bush Bean : 1lb 2.1oz (12 plants)(Beetles got & hail storm)


The best part this year for me was watching my 5 year old explain to other people what we had planted. Watching him drag my parents out to the garden every time they came over was so much fun. He would walk right in and start describing each plant and when it was ready to be picked!

Already planning next years layouts and getting the beds ready before it snows, hoping to be out there early next year for an even better year!!

vicky464
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Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2011 12:29 am
Location: Congers, NY

I like your fence. Is it doing a good job keeping the rabbit out? I had one living in my garden this year. Want to build a fence. Do you enter the garden by just stepping over the fence?

UrbanFarmerJon
Full Member
Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Apr 22, 2015 5:48 pm
Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

I used a 3 foot deer fence, that I cut in half, then used a metal fence on the top part. I have a 3 foot section on the left side that I didn't put up the metal part. I took a left over piece of the deer fence and just hooked it between 2 posts. To enter I just remove it a step over the 1.5 deer fence. It kept out the rabbits this year. I had a bigger issue with some local stray cats tearing up my beds, which is why I put the metal fence up so high. Also had to put chicken wire on the fence so they wouldn't walk on the top and jump down into the garden. I will snap a picture of it tonight and post to give you a better idea of how it worked.



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