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[Beekissed]

Henless, your place is beautiful!!!! Didn't know Texas could look so pretty. I always picture desert when I think of TX, don't know why that is. I like how you have your orchard laid out and it's a lovely spot.

I just placed mesh laundry bags over my apple tree saplings, though they didn't fit as well as I liked....trying to prevent damage from the cicada hatch. Found one of the red eyed boogers in the garden the other day...tossed it to one of the hens and she snapped it up.

Supposed to have more help tomorrow in removing leaves from the garden. I will say this...the area under the leaves is very black and rich looking, so they might have helped the chicks compost down more, especially where they were the thickest.

It's raining again today....we've had tons of rain lately. Supposed to get sunny and hot weather next week, so things should grow like crazy.

Hope to get the garden completely planted before then.

 

[henless]

Thanks Bee. I live in an area called the Piney Woods of East Texas. We have tons of trees! All 5 parts of Texas are different. I came from West Texas many, many years ago. It's flat and almost treeless.

I added another raised bed today. I used the top row of cinder blocks I had for my asparagus and made a second bed for my strawberries. It doesn't look as pretty (level) as my first bed, but it'll do. I made a run to Lowes this morning and got the last tray of strawberries. These are Ozark Beauty. The ones I already have are Quinault. I planted them today. I just need to put some pine straw on top.

We've gotten some nice sun over the last couple of day. More rain is due almost every day next week. I just hope it's not a gully washer.

 

[digitS']

I enjoyed those piney woods . I enjoyed just about all of Texas that I saw on a couple of occasions.

By West Texas, you might not be talking about what we travel into from New Mexico ...

From El Paso to Pecos (?), there are the most exciting badlands! I don't know if I could live there but it was fun traveling through .

Steve

 

[ninnymary]

The BTE method seems to be working for me. But I used very little leaves and then took them off in a couple of places. For the first time I am able to grow yellow crooked neck squash! I've harvested several times and the plants looks good. Everything else is growing really well.

The only problem I had was that I may have used too much horse manure in one spot. I planted an herb sage and it died. You could tell it was the manure that did it. I've been watering that spot frequently hoping to leach some of it out and replant another edible sage.

Fruit trees are all doing very well. Blueberry plants also look very healthy.

 

[Beekissed]

Mine is all looking MUCH better after all the leaf removal...and it seemed to make a difference by the very next day, even. We've been having too much rain, so many things in the garden have been affected by that but we are coming up on some hot weather and only threats of thunderstorms but not much rain predicted....maybe I'll see more improvement then too.

Got everything planted that needed planted except some annuals in the flower beds. Will continue to fit plants and seeds into open areas of the garden until I have it filled to capacity. No wide open spaces this year.

Also heard back from a lady giving away horse manure...says she has years of it in a pile, will load it on my conveyance with a Bobcat and I can have as much as I want. The good Lord does provide!!!

My Roma maters have little tomatoes already, so they are recovering somewhat from transplant shock and all the leaves leaching into their space...I even had to sucker a few of them. Even the cauliflower that was looking sickly and very bug eaten looks better today. Today we had no rain, sunny skies and perfect weather....the rest of this week and the next is showing stinkin' hot and humid weather, so the garden should spring to life.

My son's BTE is doing well so far...time will tell how things grow there but it will help to get some aged horse manure on there to help things along. He put out annuals today and I have more seeds to plant into his little garden but pretty soon that thing is going to be adorable with all the color and lush growth. He's got tomatoes, strawberries, sweet peppers, watermelon, yellow squash, sweet onions, chives, basil, cherry tomatoes, half runner beans, cukes, garlic, green onions, lavender, honeysuckle, clematis, two grapevines, some Oro lilies that were already there, as well as a nice, big bleeding heart that was there but much bigger since adding the wood chips. Then we planted impatiens, petunias, vinca, portulaca, violas, and another pretty flower that I didn't recognize nor did it have a label.

I've still got to plant some lettuce, spinach, and carrots in his space too.

 

[thistlebloom]

I'm so glad your garden is perking up and starting to grow for you Bee.
Your sons garden sounds like it's going to be productive as well as pretty.

 

[ninnymary]

You've worked so hard on it that you deserve a beautiful productive garden Bee. I know it will take off soon and then we will be hearing your praises again.

Mary

 

[Smart Red]

Glad the garden is improving. It's the pits to pour yourself into a veggie garden only to harvest weeds.

 

[Beekissed]

Well....it's official and I'm now committed to this method of gardening. Yesterday we sold the Troy-Bilt Bronco tiller. We are now a no-till kinda people.

 

[ninnymary]

You did the right thing Bee. Your excess of leaves aren't going to last forever. All that organic matter you've added has to be a good thing. Just give it time.

Mary