Baymule’s 2020 Garden

[digitS']

I have blamed the magpies for eating sprouting seed but haven't seen them do it. Pheasants have completely destroyed my lettuce harvest. Quail are likely garden raiders of greens and I'm quite sure that they eat ripe tomatoes but so do the voles.

There was so much coyote "activity" in the 2019 garden that the pesky rabbit pestilence amounted to little. They might eat most anything. Beans seem a favorite. Ground squirrels will even chew through plants that they don't eat but I won't tolerate their burrows near the garden and they won't travel far. Marmots will only travel a little further but seem quite selective.

Quite a few critters will eat radish leaves but flea beetles are especially hard on them. Hard on mustard greens, too. Slugs eat bok choy. Slugs, big and small.

Steve

 

[baymule]

Been working in the garden. Got about a third of this patch covered with cardboard and wood chip mulch. Still have some more boxes to put down, they won’t cover the whole patch, but will help.

Today our neighbor Robert brought his tiller over and tilled up this patch while I pulled weeds and grass to keep them from clogging up the tiller times. This is the patch that we are going to put weed cloth on. Look at this rich soil! What a difference from the powder white sugar sand we started with 5 years ago.

I pulled 8 wagon loads of grass from this patch. DH divided it up between chickens, sheep and pigs. They all enjoyed their snack.

This is the short tomato trellis, only 16 feet. Beautiful grass isn’t it? I got to pull all that out of there and get it ready to plant.

This is the long tomato trellis, 32 feet long. I gotta LOT of grass to pull! Then I’ll cover the soil with paper feed bags and wood chip mulch. I have tomato plants 2 feet tall, kinda leggy! I’ll just plant them deep.

To the right of the long trellis is where I plant the green beans. I dug a lot of grass out of it today. It’s going to rain tomorrow then be clear the rest of the week. It’s garden time!!

 

[baymule]

In the picture of the short tomato trellis is the burn pile. That is the branches of two big dead pine trees by the horse barn. The tree trunks got put to use as swales to check erosion. Tuesday morning, after the rain, we are going to light it up!

 

[seedcorn]

You’ve done well. It is very pleasing to watch ground go from can’t support weeds to is now producing garden plants.

 

[6884]

Looking good Bay!

 

[thistlebloom]

Very nice! Love that you are getting beautiful soil to work with now.

 

[Trish Stretton]

I'd just love to have space like that to play with and livestock, turning green here.

Have you considered just put the weedmat where you want the paths....well pegged down and do wide beds rather than single rows of things?

 

[ninnymary]

Do you get in between those trellis's to plant? Seems like there isn't enough room.

Mary

 

[baymule]

@ Trish Setton I usually plant double or triple rows. I’m doing one patch in the garden in weed cloth to see if I like it.

@ninnymary the trellis is 18” apart. I can get in between them .

I pulled the grass in the short trellis. The pigs, chickens and sheep appreciated my efforts. I held Ringo’s grass so he could bite it off easier. He is spoiled. LOL

Yesterday I finished laying out boxes and putting mulch over them. Then I started pulling grass from the long trellis. Still a lot to go.

 

[seedcorn]

I see dark soil on the roots! You didn’t wash the dirt off of the roots? What kind of bugs is poor Ringo eating and placing in his system? Oh, the horror......