AMKuska's 2023 Garden

[flowerbug]

i think a finger stuck in the soil will also work well enough. if it feels cold it is probably too cool yet, but if it just feels cool it might be ok. if it feels warm then you're all set.

the problem here is that it is fairly impossible to stick fingers into the garden soil in about 2/3rds of the gardens and since those tougher ones are the ones i am most likely to want to plant early with sacrificial peas and beans (to help improve them faster along with trying to get some early crops) it makes it a bit of a challenge... it works out in the end. i'm normally not too frazzled by some failures as there is a lot of other things going on that work out - diversity in all ways helps - in time, in space and in varieties (and fencing!)...

 

[AMKuska]

i think a finger stuck in the soil will also work well enough. if it feels cold it is probably too cool yet, but if it just feels cool it might be ok. if it feels warm then you're all set.

the problem here is that it is fairly impossible to stick fingers into the garden soil in about 2/3rds of the gardens and since those tougher ones are the ones i am most likely to want to plant early with sacrificial peas and beans (to help improve them faster along with trying to get some early crops) it makes it a bit of a challenge... it works out in the end. i'm normally not too frazzled by some failures as there is a lot of other things going on that work out - diversity in all ways helps - in time, in space and in varieties (and fencing!)...

If the soil is tough, I heard planting with beets helps drill the soil and loosen it deeply. I've never tried it myself though.

 

[flowerbug]

If the soil is tough, I heard planting with beets helps drill the soil and loosen it deeply. I've never tried it myself though.

i've planted daikon radishes and turnips which do work well for growing green manure and the radishes certainly will drill some holes.

it all works to improve things over time, but with so many gardens and other things to deal with i rarely can concentrate on all of them. so i pick one or two each year and try to get them amended as much as i can.

 

[heirloomgal]

There's an old, old saying here that if you can drop your drawers and sit comfortably on the soil, you're good to go.

 

[AMKuska]

There's an old, old saying here that if you can drop your drawers and sit comfortably on the soil, you're good to go.

I bet my neighbors would love to see that!

 

[AMKuska]

My grow tent has become an impossible jungle. I decided to take every plant out, clean it, and put them back in. That way I could address each plants needs as I went through.

As you can see, this one got a bit out of hand.

Here's how it looks all neatened. I unfortunately don't have enough medium pots so some of them are still in their tiny start cups. I keep telling myself in just a little while the weather will clear.

Planted one of the giant tomatoes (not pictured, it was taller) in the raised garden bed buried 2/3 of the way. I covered it with a cloth to hopefully protect it from the cold. Even if it doesn't work I don't have room for all the big pots.

 

[AMKuska]

Update: I peaked under the cloth expecting to see a wilted, unhappy tomato. My tomatoes tend to be dramatic. I was very surprised to see that it looked better than ever. If it survives the week I'll start putting more and more out.

 

[Crealcritter]

No, they're at the highest risk for tornadoes and we do not want to meet a tornado.

Don't forget about hurricanes

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[AMKuska]

Don't forget about hurricanes

Jesus is Lord and Christ

Don't worry, I charted average hurricane paths all the way back to the 1960s and compare them to house locations when looking at possible homes. ;-)

 

[flowerbug]

our forecast is getting warm this week with up to the mid-70sF. eek!