Have you actually taken a look at the spuds first hand yet? Nice healthy looking green growth at the surface, doesn't always mean an equally good spud..
I have pulled a few volunteers from out of my compost, and often they are not to appetizing looking..Wire worms, and other bugs seem to enjoy...
Thanks for the explanation of your construction methods. Nice that you had the materials on hand you could use. Wish I had a junk pile like that..lol
I have never heard of this "poly-fastener before, so I googled it. What a great system for attaching plastic to a framework!
I found this...
I can't remember how to post pictures here?
Can you do it directly from your computer picture files, or do you need to link them from a Photobucket type of account?
I used to dump a lot of stuff in the chicken run, but because of our lengthy rainy season, I had to limit it. It really began to smell like a compost heap..
Nowadays, after I have tossed in some buckets of weeds for them to feast on for a day or two, I rake up all the left overs up, and compost...
Nice job on the garden. Jim! Looks easy to care for, and you can simply mow between most of the beds.
I opted for building similar raised beds for my garden, starting last year. I got half done, and have been working on the other half this spring. Rather than growing grass between the beds, I...
Farmer Fred was in the fertilized egg business. He had several hundred young hens, and 10 roosters to fertilize the eggs.
He kept meticulous records, and any rooster not performing well, went into the soup pot and was replaced.
Keeping track of this took up a lot of his time, so he bought some...
Wow! That is a super looking home-made greenhouse.
My old one is on it's last legs. I had been seriously planning on a getting a new pre-fab one, but after seeing yours, I'm thinking maybe I should built one myself.
Could you please elaborate a little more on it's construction?
Like, how...
I planted garlic in a container one year, and it came out just fine. I planted them in mid-October. I was a little worried the bulbs may freeze over winter, as it can get pretty cold at times around here. Shouldn't be a concern where you are though.
Less chance of it rotting as long as the...
The rhubarb I harvest now, I stew, adding sugar to taste, vanilla extract, and a touch of cinnamon. I love those stand up freezer bags, which I fill using a canning funnel, to keep the zip top clean.
By my next harvest, the strawberry's should be ripe, so I stew up the two up together. I can...
I dig a pretty deep trench to begin with, and then just drag the soil I dug out of the trench, back over the plants as they grow.
I basically run out of dirt to be able to keep mounding them any higher.
Should I actually try piling straw on at that point..or, should I mound with straw...
Wow Steve..you must be gardening on an old creek bed?
I bet your drainage is good though..lol
I can't get onions to grow anything like that, in the season I have, even if I plant onion starter bulbs. My Walla Walla's do well from seed onions, but the yellow and red are just not as big..
Could you dig trench's along side the plants, that is deeper than the root system? Water should naturally drain into the trench, leaving the roots quite a bit drier.
This is one advantage in raised beds. In your case you need to lower the ground around them, to create this same advantage.
I agree, leave the thinner spears to fern. It will pay back in big fat spears the next year. I have a good production of spears that are huge..some are at least 2" in diameter at their bases. When you start getting ones like that, it's pretty easy to leave the smaller ones to grow..:)
Huh..Never tried eating it before..that's a new one. Might have to do a test tasting, before adding it to a salad..just in case..:sick
I notice my hens don't seem overly fond of it, least compared to the other weeds I toss to them.
I've always called that weed "spring"..lol It is one of the...
As mentioned, egg shells will take quite a long time to make a difference. I use Bone Meal. It is finely ground, and can be used quite rapidly by the plants.
BER has not been an for me, perhaps because of the bone meal.. It's late season blight that usually kicks my butt. Seems to always occur...
Chicken manure is fantastic. I add it green to the top of the bed in the fall, and it rots down enough by the spring, that it won't burn the plants. Good production of nice fat spears, has been fantastic for years just using this method..
I love tarragon chicken! On a BBQ, and using fresh leaves it would probably need to be tossed with a little olive oil, then it wouldn't dry out and blacken.
If you dried and ground it first, it could be added to a rub.
Keep in mind mint is not an evergreen, so it won't look so hot fall into spring when it begins to sprout up again.
A simple easy-care ground cover, that is an evergreen, and has the added bonus of purple spring flowers is Myrtle, also known as Vinca or Perrywinkle. It can really spread though...