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
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!!
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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- rainbowgardener
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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!
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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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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.
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!
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!
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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
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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!
My oldest showing off for the camera.
My oldest showing off for the camera.
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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!!
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!!
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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.