What is your favorite gardening method, and why? Add pictures!

[Granmahen]

We live where its rather sandy so I have to amend, amend, amend. I use compost made from my chickens' and rabbits' waste along with leaves and grass and whatever. Though I don't double dig (I think its a waste of time unless you're going with potatoes or looooon carrots) I add compost to soil about one spade down then add more as a top dressing throughout the season. After two seasons, its looking better and worms are finally everywhere. Now if I can just get the chickens to leave the worms alone and just eat the pill bugs and slugs. I'm considering raised bedding next year, just cause it looks so neat and the water can get way down.

 

[theOEGBman]

Thanks! I thought your garden was very neatly done as well!

When I was growing up we used traditional row gardening and my folks still do this after all these years. My mother would like to try something different, but my dad is pretty stuck in his ways!

I'm pretty much changing a lot in the garden this year and it will look a lot different. The pic in the thread is when the garden was only half grown and there is another raised bed in the far right of the pic that you cannot see.

This year, those raised beds no longer have boards but will still be mounded. They will have fencing~of a type~around them and another permanent pathway right up the middle. This will give me 10~ 4ft. x 17 ft. beds to play with.

The bottom of the garden that looks kind of sparse in the pic, will be fenced separately and divided into four large blocks. Each of the blocks will have sweet corn with flowers along the outer edges. There will be beans planted within the corn on another edge and pumpkins in between the blocks and into the other edge of the corn. I will be planting some clover as green mulch around the corn as well, to fix the nitrogen into the soil.

I'm saving some space by planting most of my potatoe crop into my large compost bin in the garden. I will just keep adding mulching, manure, compost, etc. ~just like they do when they grow potatoes in tires. When its done, I will just tip over the bin and fish the taters out of the compost.

"Borrowed" the concept off a post on the SS. When I removed the bin earlier this spring, I found very large and crisp potatoes in the bottom of the pile....so, the wheels started turning. Then I read a thread about the same thing on SS and the light went on!

Thank you, Beekissed. I really like your idea, I might have to try that next year. I've got a whole new garden this year (new house) so Im just doing my rows for now. I really like how you used the branches for the support though, very cool.

 

[Beekissed]

Those just happened to be tucked under the hen house when I moved here...they are bean poles! They had to be about 25 years old, because the folks who cut and used them are long, long gone.

Since I'm not wild about beans, I figured they would be strong enough for tomatoes..and they were! Guess where they are now?

They are serving as roosts in my coop!

 

[theOEGBman]

That is so cool. They are really neat. They really add to the setting. That's amazing that they lasted so long as well!

Ahh, beans are amazing, haha. But I dont like tomatoes, so I cant say much. That is really awesome though. And now in the coop, how versatile!

 

[wifezilla]

I practice something I call "subtractive gardening". It works really well in difficult environments. You plant a bunch of invasive perennials and then just pull up what you decide you don't want

(anybody need some chocolate mint? )

 

[warmfuzzies]

Great Idea Wifezilla! I am planting poppies, globe thistle, blanket flower....

DH says I am planting WEEDS. I say, maybe that way they will survive me!!

 

[wifezilla]

Great subtractive gardening plants....

day lily
mint
hollyhock (spreads seeds everywhere)
japanese spirea (seeds and shoots. easy to transplant and prune)
lambs ears
bishop's weed
vinca
snap dragons
dianthus (supposed to be an annual but mine keep coming back )

 

[Hattie the Hen]

Hi wifezilla,

There are two kinds of pinks(dianthus), one lot are annuals, the others are perennial -- both look pretty similar. Very confusing, it took me ages to sort it out when I started growing them. The annuals you grow from seeds & the perennials from "pipings" : you pull out a piece (do not cut it) of a non-flowering stem & pot it up & :watering

Happy Gardening :tools

:rose Hattie :rose

 

[karanleaf]

Great subtractive gardening plants....

day lily
mint
hollyhock (spreads seeds everywhere)
japanese spirea (seeds and shoots. easy to transplant and prune)
lambs ears
bishop's weed
vinca
snap dragons
dianthus (supposed to be an annual but mine keep coming back )

:tools So,,,,, are ya shipping these out? Do Ya need my address?? My Lambs ear died over the winter Vinca is great stuff, I have lots of Hollyhocks I even have a couple of Black hollyhocks. what color are the daylillies??? Ok Ok I'll stop asking so many ?????s If ya do want to ship some I'll send ya some Postage and My address :watering

:happy_flower Karan

 

[Purple Strawberry]

Great subtractive gardening plants....

day lily
mint
hollyhock (spreads seeds everywhere)
japanese spirea (seeds and shoots. easy to transplant and prune)
lambs ears
bishop's weed
vinca
snap dragons
dianthus (supposed to be an annual but mine keep coming back )

:tools So,,,,, are ya shipping these out? Do Ya need my address?? My Lambs ear died over the winter Vinca is great stuff, I have lots of Hollyhocks I even have a couple of Black hollyhocks. what color are the daylillies??? Ok Ok I'll stop asking so many ?????s If ya do want to ship some I'll send ya some Postage and My address :watering

:happy_flower Karan

Me too! I would love some mint and day lilies.