Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

Not Current but photos of my first garden, got to weed first

I live in an apartment, but I am fortunate enough to have a quirky enough landlord/owner that happened to have a vacant lot. Right now my main enemies are too much rain, and a feral cat/cat owner that hasn't neutered her tom so he keeps breeding with the wild cats which in turn poop/ dig up freshly worked/planted seeds. My tools are one hoe, one shovel, one spade, and a four pronged hand cultivator. I have Kentucky Wonder Pole beans, Spacemaster Cucumbers, Charentais melon, Peaches and Cream corn, Mesclun lettuce, Monstrueux de Viroflay Spinach, Sugar baby Watermelon, and Cascadia Sugar Snap peas planted outside. I have 12 Cherry Sweet 100s Tomatoes about to be transplanted outside I started from seed, 14 Money Maker pole Tomatoes I also started from seed, 10 Bell Pepper Started from seed, 12 Jalepeno Started from seed, and the same amount ready to be transplanted into larger newspaper pots. I have a DIY Red Cored Chantenay paper towel seed strip germinating, and about 3X3 feet worth of more spinach, Radish, and Bulls Blood beets ready to go into the soil tomorrow when it is predicted to be a 7 day stretch of sunshine, I don't even want to mention how many seeds have said adios to being washed away. I spent $40 on seeds, ended up getting double because of a shipping issue ( not the companies fault it was actually auto populating on Fedex's end), I plan on putting more Sugar Baby Watermelons in as Hot Springs Ar. is a very long summer area. On tools I spent $30 (Pawn Shops/junk Stores) I used garden soil/egg shells/coffee grounds paper egg cartons, and newspaper for starting the seeds/transplanting seedlings. Sure I have hella weed seedlings in my seed trays, but heck I figure if it will sprout, and grow in there then it should do fine in the garden. I have spent nearly 50 hours pulling up weeds, digging, chunking rocks, and planting, since these photos, but I am so horribly behind on weeding, and planting because of the rain, and the terrorist of a 15 month old that likes to nap when he wants too, and not when I want to go outside. I will post current pics Wednesday after all the weeding and some of the planting is started.
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imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Its a good start. Unfortunately weeds are forever. I have learned to live with them an plant around them. Otherwise, I would spend all of my time weeding and not planting anything. But, I have not been very good at keeping up with the weeds and when it rains, the weeds take over.

Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

I embrace the weeds as I see them as free compost, we are without a vehicle so getting such things is difficult Mon. I am picking up a container, (taxi hates me), for composting. It must be awesome living in HI, I was overjoyed when we moved from Iowa to CO, thought I could garden, no it was the desert, then I got to AR, and was overwhelmed by all the 'wild' fig trees in abandoned lots/ hidden behind trees next to the courthouse, blackberry bushes, and lonesome peach trees growing in parking lots unkept.

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McKinney88
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Joined: Thu Apr 17, 2014 2:03 pm
Location: Memphis, TN (Zone 7)

Hey neighbor! I am in Memphis and I have just bout had it with all this rain!

Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

the only good thing for me is that I was having to lug water to my garden when it wasn't raining, hoping to buy a few hoses, haven't had the need to yet.^

UrbanFarmerJon
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Location: Central Indiana, Zone 5b

Nice start. If you plant lavender around the beds it will help keep cats out. You can also use any citrus fruit peels on the ground too...cars hate lavender and citrus.

I have a neighbor with an outside cat that I caught digging up my beds. I had a fence that was over 4
Feet high...he was walking on the privacy fence and jumping into the garden. I put chicken wire on top of the fence and haven't seen it since!!

Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

just went out to check on the watermelon seedlings, slugs have gotten a hold of one of the beds of lettuce ugh, cats have the nastiest runs I have ever seen, doesn't the feral cat breeder know that cats can't just eat tuna fish, then the woman has the nerve to put the tuna cans right on the edge of my garden/against the fence that I had to put up to keep her kids from riding their bikes through. Also had to put a anti home bum perimeter as there was a bum sleeping alongside one of the buildings under the eaves/ stumbling around drunk in the garden.

Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

has anyone had any luck with the ultrasonic cat repeller? I am thinking about getting one next week from ebay.

Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

also today I am picking up a machete...Kudzu, that stuff is serious now I have seen it first hand put on three feet in a day

mahniah
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Joined: Sun May 24, 2015 2:00 pm
Location: Connecticut

Heavy straw mulch prevents weeds, keeps soil damp, and enriches the soil.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

Thanks mahniah, the only way I am able to get items is to carry them, so getting a bale of straw is difficult, as I am usually with baby in the jogging stroller, and 6 months pregnant. I am going to grab the bags of lawn leaves besides the curbs this year, and work that into the soil after all my warm weather crops are harvested. I was able to get two hours of weeding in today, dug up an area 2X4 and 8 inches deep for the carrots, I also need to pick up a screen to sift out all the rocks the first four inches I filled with grass/tender weeds I had pulled up from under and around the pole beans. I pulled well over 80lbs of weeds and started a pile for compost. I am waiting to pull up the tiny weeds/grass sprouts around the melons, and watermelon until the plants have a deep enough root system, as the weeds are the only thing that stopped the soil from eroding as it is enough of a slope to wash everything I had originally planted in that area away.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

still have many hours of weeding to be done, a few pictures of the areas I am taking a machete to, my mangy spinach from slugs, fallen over peas from too much rain really stunted their growth. Lettuce bed in distress from slugs, and far too much rain. Cucumbers are doing okay, melon area, few short rows of corn, a small 'bee attractor' patch. I have to get control of this weed situation!!!! :evil: Then I need to work/machete about another 500 ft for the peppers, tomato, early jalapeño, get the cool weather area I plan under the shadow of the building. Picked up a letter rack that I am going to use to sift soil over a bucket which is going to be very tedious, but heck I want those carrots! Another 30 or so cucumber plants I want to put in, 5 more watermelon mounds to replant, and the rest of the area worked for an additional 8 sugarbaby watermelons.
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kayjay
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Cool set-up! I like those trellises.

I used newspaper and dried grass clippings for mulch. I have arthritis in my spine so bending down to do anything is bad news for me. I'll only do a little bit at a time.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

I raided the Thrifty Nickle up the street, but I still need tons more to be able to cover once I get the big stuff pulled up, I realize that I spend a better half sitting on my bum, instead of kneeling, my pants are all stained up. We went for a walk yesterday, and dude was like your shirt is soooo dirty, I was like no one should be close enough to me to see the dirt anyways! think the gardening is what is keeping me going really, I have yet to have the pregnancy waddle that I see in other ladies as far along as I am.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

found this on reddit
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Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

Just finished digging/sifting the soil one cubit foot for my carrot bed whew that took an hour just to sift a bucket/ save the worms throw them back, got the DIY paper towel with germinated seeds of the spinach, bulls blood beets, and radish, and carrots planted. Tomorrow looks like weeding, machete and planting the onions that I sprouted from seeds. Tonight is starting some more early jalapeños.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

Some things I have learned from my first time gardening:

Have the right tools for the job.
I like making seed tapes to germinate small seeds so they don't get washed away, and I have more time to work the soil without feeling rushed and really putting effort into planning locations and make the best use of space. I feel that I have a ton of areas I could have planted more, and did a better job like the lettuce and peas, the packet of the peas said they didn't need support, well to me a they appear they do need some sort of support.

Breanna.link
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Posts: 37
Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

Today's agenda:
Plant onion seedlings 1x1 area, replant 4 watermelon mounds, start preparing area for tomatoes and peppers double digging a narrow 2x6 foot area

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

everyday is a fight to keep the weeds at bay started sheet mulching, got twelve tomatoes in, and nine pepper plants.

cucumbers and beans outta the ears! todays bounty
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kayjay
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Wow, amazing! Do you like to pickle/can/freeze/etc, or do you end up giving a lot away?

imafan26
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Location: Hawaii, zone 12a 587 ft elev.

Sounds like you are quickening. I guess it may not be such a bad idea to have winter for a few months of the year. It is going to be hard to garden once the baby is born and you have even less time to garden. Too bad you don't have a garden partner to share the work. I am amazed with what you have accomplished in such a short time. There is a lot of work that needs to get done in when first starting a garden. It is good that you started small.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

right now we are eating about five cucumbers a day, I am just freezing the beans after I hull them. Root crops refuse to grow, cucumbers, melons, and larger seeds seem to be doing well, I decided that I can get caught up on the weeding for once after seven days of weeding an area the size I did today, last of the tomatoes, and peppers go in Monday, then I can really focus on harvesting/keeping control of the weeds, and taking back areas kudzu/ rocks/bricks have dominion over.

Breanna.link
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Joined: Fri May 29, 2015 9:22 pm
Location: Hot Springs Arkansas

More cucumbers today, tomorrow I am going to thoroughly pick the beans.



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