What Did You Do In The Garden?

[digitS']

Took down the plastic film over two, 20’ beds in the backyard.

As of now,

those beds are once again part of a garden!

Steve

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

Pulled out the overgrown greens and trimmed up a lemon balm that was 5 ft across and 3 ft high...put all of that into my coop. Smells great!


Harvested sugar snap peas, rhubarb and a softball sized turnip.

Lemon balm 5 ft across and 3 ft high! I had to google lemon balm to see pictures. I have some in the herb garden and I guess never did get enough water, but never grew anything like yours. I am almost tempted to dig some and put at the edge of the garden where it will get a lot of water, just to see because your softball sized turnip has me wondering just how good is my soil. I am very interested to see how your new garden area turns out with the hay.

 

[digitS']

Did lots of tilling.

The big garden is a little more than 25' x 40' larger than it was in 2018. I think that I can say that I'm again back to the same gardening space as before downsizing that year. I'm not sure why I bother to downsize when I turn right around and increase the size almost immediately .

Here's one reason: I believe the property owner is gonna push for me to take over yet another 40' x ?. It will be watered yet grow only weeds if I don't. I really dislike having those weeds right there. I've already told DW that birdseed sunflowers followed by oats might be my choice if I was to suppress weeds while readying that ground for 2020. If not weed control and soil building - what else? Heck's Fire! I've nearly enough ground to grow livestock feed ...

Put another layer of string on the peas. Some varieties are almost ready for a 3rd layer on the trellis. Several bags of chicken manure on the celery root, onions and tomatoes.

My tomatoes don't look anything like @Ben E Lou 's! They don't even look like MY tomato plants in another person's garden that were a gift! Dang it!

Much less exposure in that garden whereas my tomato patch shows too much wind, too much intense sun, and too many mornings down to 40° ! What is heartening is that my potted tomato plants at the foot of the backsteps look healthy and happy .

Steve

 

[Trish Stretton]

This week I bought a 6m length of retaining wall and made a part of one bed.....after I had spent hours carefully sifting though the now broken down woodchip to remove all the weeds from it.
This bed runs partway along the main path up from the courtyard and is 4 feet wide.
This part is actually only about 6 1/2 feet long cos I needed to cut a couple of pieces off to make the end of the bed and a spacer to keep it square....work in progresss.....
Good thing I asked the timber merchant to cut to size as it was so wet and heavy, I barely managed to lift the longer piece up to the garden.
This now has my shallots and some of my Elephant garlic transplanted into it with my favorite trellis ( A length of re-inforcing mesh) running down the middle for Peas.
I am trying to plant by the moon, so according to my book, I have to wait til Sunday to sow them.

Meanwhile, I started on the bed next to it. This one will run the width of the garden-5.6m and also 1.2m not down it like the other one will when its finished.
Four hours later, I have sifted through half of it, so around 3 meters by 1.2 (10 feet by 4). Worth it though, its beautiful black almost soil.

I did spend a bit of time enjoying watching the bees and then to my surprise, our native bird the Tui x2 decided to check out the Persimmons on the tree.
That did it, I'm not topping the tree now, it can grow as high as it likes if the Tui's like them too.

 

[Beekissed]

Lemon balm 5 ft across and 3 ft high! I had to google lemon balm to see pictures. I have some in the herb garden and I guess never did get enough water, but never grew anything like yours. I am almost tempted to dig some and put at the edge of the garden where it will get a lot of water, just to see because your softball sized turnip has me wondering just how good is my soil. I am very interested to see how your new garden area turns out with the hay.

GwR, not only did it get that big, but it put out so many cultivars that I gave away several and transplanted a few by my rose bushes...but have already had to cut those transplants back this year....they are already 2x2 and they started out a month ago as a mere handful of leaves.

 

[Ridgerunner]

In Arkansas I had a landscape bed out front that I had some perennials and some annuals. One of the perennials was lemon balm. That stuff was a s bad as oregano about spreading and making a big clump. Every spring when I set it up I used a shovel and removed a bunch of roots from the outside and took a clump from the middle and replaced that with compost. I did water it in the heat of summer, that may be your issue.

 

[thistlebloom]

Yesterday evening I put in sweet corn with my new buried in the ground soaker hose system.

I'm really liking this way of watering. Work has been hectic as it's crunch time for my clients arrival at the big job next Tuesday, and my garden has been neglected, I haven't even given it more than a passing thought as I pull out in the morning. But I got out there to water yesterday and dug down beneath the hose and the ground was still damp at 6". Yay!
The Painted Mountain corn finally emerged, as well as the pole beans with the help of this extra warmth we're getting.

There are still seeds I'd like to get in. Hopefully tomorrow. I've been taking advantage of the 4 a.m. light and trying to get to chores before I leave for work, but tomorrow I'm home all day!

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

GwR, not only did it get that big, but it put out so many cultivars that I gave away several and transplanted a few by my rose bushes...but have already had to cut those transplants back this year....they are already 2x2 and they started out a month ago as a mere handful of leaves.

I had no idea it got that big. I can imagine the smell is wonderful. I have been playing with the idea of surrounding my garden with big flowers or herbs. I do have part of one side with blackberries and another area with hollyhocks, bee balm, cone flowers but lots of weeds.

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

In Arkansas I had a landscape bed out front that I had some perennials and some annuals. One of the perennials was lemon balm. That stuff was a s bad as oregano about spreading and making a big clump. Every spring when I set it up I used a shovel and removed a bunch of roots from the outside and took a clump from the middle and replaced that with compost. I did water it in the heat of summer, that may be your issue.

I really believe it was the watering. I need a little tiller I can run and then I can do what i want when I want. I have too many weeds in areas where I plant flowers and even my oregano.

 

[ducks4you]

Did lots of tilling.

The big garden is a little more than 25' x 40' larger than it was in 2018. I think that I can say that I'm again back to the same gardening space as before downsizing that year. I'm not sure why I bother to downsize when I turn right around and increase the size almost immediately .

Here's one reason: I believe the property owner is gonna push for me to take over yet another 40' x ?. It will be watered yet grow only weeds if I don't.

Steve

Cardboard, Steve, cardboard. Also, rake it up and use PREEN all over it beFORE you put the cardboard down.
Here is how I would tackle this:
1) Pull/cut ALL weeds that have gone to seed. Burn or throw them away.
2) Mow it, then till or lightly rake it.
3) Apply PREEN liberally. The PREEN works for only 3 months and prevents any seeds that come in contact with it from sprouting, and isn't harmful.
4) Put down the cardboard and overlap it, then cover with bricks or 2 x 4's (or whatever extra pieces of wood OR maybe metal fencing. You don't want the wind to pick it up.
6 weeks should kill the weeds. Then you can figure out what you want to do with it.