2016 Garden Thread

[Flysmallie]

It's not bad. In one week I almost have my BP in line and I've lost 5 lbs. 

But I'm hardly starving. Eating right and excercise have me feeling pretty dang good and it's only been 7 days. 

[ness]

10 hours ago, Flysmallie said:

It's not bad. In one week I almost have my BP in line and I've lost 5 lbs. 

But I'm hardly starving. Eating right and excercise have me feeling pretty dang good and it's only been 7 days. 

Good to hear, man! Keep it up. I've lost weight the last couple months and I'm feeling noticeably better. Sleeping better too. Joints don't ache as much now either.  

[ness]

Last of the stuff went in the beds today. Rabbits have been nibbling on stuff this week . Thinned out my radishes and beets some. Not a lot to see, but here goes...

Alpine strawberries in the center, BilletHeadHorseRadish to the right:

Pole beans at the back, bush beans then spinach in front -- spotty germination. I never seem to do well with spinach. I think I'll soak some seeds and fill in the gaps:

Maters to the rear, peppers next. Herbs in the pots in front:

 

Maters to the rear, beets, then garlic and some lettuce:

Snap peas to the rear, carrots (really good germination this year, which is kinda rare), lettuce from seeds, then lettuce transplants and the rabbit-thinned radishes. Need to get those gaps filled in and get the cage over the rest.  

Old Hinnomaki Red gooseberry and the two survivors from last-years planing -- another gooseberry and a red currant. Gonna root a branch off of each of them and get some more plants going: 

And, the rest of the mess going to my uncle this afternoon. A bunch of Cherokee Purple, Sun Gold and Brandywines. 

[tho1mas]

I think I would thin rabbits not radishes but you can't hurt them - they must be transplanted.

[BilletHead]

    Looking good there Ness Buddy!

We finished up our planting yesterday. Worked on cages this morning some. Like you Ness we have had a rabbit problem. First of all they have jumped into the tubs and bit off some tomato plants. They usually do three or four each year before they decide they don't taste good. Then when the lettuce got so big and we left the covers off a few nights. Well the little rodents jumped in there, dug a hole, made a nest but before the easter bunnies could lay eggs I evicted the nest and covered up with wire. Go figure they did not eat any of the greens? Maybe they were mad and that was the reason they nipped the maters. Put more lettuce starts under the peppers like I did the tomato plants. They look good in there and just like in the tomato tubs and bed we will see how they do?

BilletHead

 

[ness]

That's some serious rabbit defense going on there!

[BilletHead]

 I learned from Elmer Fudd to watch out for them wraskelly wrabbits ,

BilletHead

[jdmidwest]

I guess I am a little late posting, but the garden started about on time.  I replaced the wood in my upper raised beds and enlarged them.  I made the beds with concrete blocks.  I filled the cells with soil and have planted various things in the outer edges.  Mostly strawberry plants, but some sugar snap peas along the back of one.  A few pepper plants in the back of the other.  Spinach, lettuce, various tomatoes, and squash fill the main parts of the beds.

Planted the beds in the main garden yesterday.  I moved corn and okra into the raised beds in the lower garden.  My tomatoes are in the new beds closer to the house and in more direct daily sun.  The trees are shading the lower garden out pretty bad, I was going to remedy that this winter, but ended up getting my tongue cut out instead.  Maybe next year. 

The rest of the garden I am going to plant in asters this year to feed the bees.  Maybe they will grow in shade.

Had some tiller problems.  Would run on gas poured in carb, but not any longer.  I cleaned carb and still did not work.  Could not find a carb kit locally, had to order one.  Meanwhile, I picked up a new one at Menards and tilled the garden.  Next day, carb kit came in, reworked the carb and installed.  Tiller started on first pull and run like new.  Now I have 2.

[Quillback]

On Saturday, April 23, 2016 at 6:37 AM, ness said:

Good to hear, man! Keep it up. I've lost weight the last couple months and I'm feeling noticeably better. Sleeping better too. Joints don't ache as much now either.

I have been dieting since January, down over 40 lbs. now.  Sadly, I still need to lose about another 40, so probably have another 5 or 6 months to go.  But no doubt about the benefits, BP is down and my body (except for my right knee) feels a lot better.  Hang in there!

As for gardening, the tomato plants are doing well, and I am starting to harvest some broccoli.

Weatherman was reminding us the other night that 3 years ago in early May we got a dusting of snow.

[BilletHead]

   Looking good there JD,

Well done Quillback. I run about 185 year around but would like to loose ten pounds. I remember that dusting. I also remember the hard freeze a long time ago when it froze the headed wheat and all the fields turned black.

BilletHead