Gardens a mess

[MontyJ]

I'm ashamed to admit it, but my garden is a train wreck. I was home this past weekend and took a good look at it. I was too busy last summer to do anything with it. I threw some corn and bean seeds in the ground and stuck in a few tomatoes then jetted off to Florida for business. When I got back, I was swamped with work and it never let up. Dew tried her best, she really did, but it's just too much for one person.
The weeds got out of control and I couldn't be there to help her. Now it's a tangled mess out there. I hate winter, but this year I'm not looking forward to spring with the clean up the garden needs. I wish my job didn't take me out of town so much

and here I am...200 miles from home again

 

[ninnymary]

If it's any consolation, my garden doesn't look so good either. My kale is half gone so the plants look weird, peas, that didn't do anything, are a mess, and my coop is dirty. I hate cleaning up and I can imagine what it's like for a big garden like yours. All I can say is break it down into small sections and do one each time you are home. Don't let it discourage you. You can do it!

Mary

 

[journey11]

January means a clean slate, Monty! Don't worry, you have plenty of time to get it all together.

I've been rotating my chickens over my garden. They've done a great job of clean up and breaking things down. (I'll have to snap a comparison pic sometime of the difference from where they've already been.) Maybe you can put your girls to work?

 

[Jared77]

I still have standing corn stalks in mine from the glass gem corn I grew. We got a frost and time hot away from me to get them dug out. It's covered with old straw and still has plenty of dead weeds and the skeletons of last years tomatoes & squash waiting to get turned under. I've got a 600 pounds of composted manure I bought for 50 cents per 40lbs bag that needs to be spread over it and tilled under the garden too. Those are all stacked up real nice in the garage just sitting there.

I've got an "asparagus bed" that I tilled late last season that is covered in straw too but no asparagus are planted in it. Its literally a dirt strip with straw over it. I still need to order those and get them in too.

Sorry your far from home but you're not alone in being behind on things.

 

[journey11]

I still have standing corn stalks in mine from the glass gem corn I grew. We got a frost and time hot away from me to get them dug out. It's covered with old straw and still has plenty of dead weeds and the skeletons of last years tomatoes & squash waiting to get turned under. I've got a 600 pounds of composted manure I bought for 50 cents per 40lbs bag that needs to be spread over it and tilled under the garden too. Those are all stacked up real nice in the garage just sitting there.

I've got an "asparagus bed" that I tilled late last season that is covered in straw too but no asparagus are planted in it. Its literally a dirt strip with straw over it. I still need to order those and get them in too.

Sorry your far from home but you're not alone in being behind on things.

That's actually a good thing to do for the asparagus. You could technically say you were ahead of the game! For some things like asparagus or strawberries it's better to prepare the bed a year ahead of time.

 

[Nyboy]

We have all been there,sometime life keeps us out of the garden. We loose control, hire a student cheap to help you get back in control, just be there to over see them.

 

[canesisters]

I agree with journey. After I picked the last tomatoes and beans, I just let the garden & weeds go wild. Then, a couple months later I expanded the chickens' run around the garden and let them have at it. Except for the large soil rings in the middle of the well-grazed grass - you can't tell that there was a garden there a few months ago.
I'm hoping to run some chicken wire around the gardens sometime in march to keep them out while prepping for planting.
We'll see what they think of this plan...

Marry's right. Just clean small sections at a time. And maybe this summer, take a break and only plant a small garden??

 

[Jared77]

That's actually a good thing to do for the asparagus. You could technically say you were ahead of the game! For some things like asparagus or strawberries it's better to prepare the bed a year ahead of time.

That was the thought. Everytime I see it for sale the ground is not really in condition to prep a bed. I've never grown asparagus before so I took a flyer on doing it last fall. Glad to hear I got it right.

 

[journey11]

That was the thought. Everytime I see it for sale the ground is not really in condition to prep a bed. I've never grown asparagus before so I took a flyer on doing it last fall. Glad to hear I got it right.

Oh, I know, there is nothing worse than finding a good sale and having nowhere to put it. I can't tell you how many bargain plants I have let languish just waiting on me to decide where to plant them.

 

[Nyboy]

LOL journey thats why I have to stay away from clearance . I buy like crazy with no idea where they are going to be planted.