Snarkie

Okay, so I am pretty excited about my garden this year. As you may remember, last year was my first time and I made a LOT of mistakes. I learned from them, however, which is the important thing. So this year, I moved to the front yard which is the only location where I have full(ish) sun, and started over. I mixed my own soil using a little commercial potting mix and a lot of composted wood from the yard going back a decade or so, along with burned charcoal dirt from the 90's and fresh ashes. I also added activated charcoal and a little blossom fertilizer, but the rest is secret. As of May 1st, I have ON THE VINE: Everglades and Tropic tomatoes, banana peppers and cucumbers. My Tropics are so full of flowers, that if they all fruit, I'll have hundreds of maters from those three plants alone.

Today is May 3rd, and in the two days since these pics were taken, the potatoes have almost doubled in height and were hilled for the third/last time. I think I got it all figured out this time. I learned how to make Terra Preta, and next year, the soil will be even richer and more productive. I'll update as it progresses.

I reused the livestock fence in the center of the trellis again, but this time, I added the overhead crossties and added 3" brick wire for additional vertical climbing surfaces. This way, I can prune my tomatoes, but instead of a single vine, I can spread it to several different "stakes" and quadruple the output per plant. I'll keep you posted as to how it all works out.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

edwmax

Good looking. .... square foot gardening ....



All that lumber is costly! ... I bought a 2x10x8ft for trailer ramp. It was $18 for one. Ouch!

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Snarkie

Yeah, it is. That's the result of a stifled economy. I've probably dropped close to a thousand dollars building all of this, and I will never get that in return, but this to me, is a way to grow my own food and spend time in the garden and the neighbors coming over and people stopping by and asking if they take pics that makes it worth the expenditures involved. I think the call that a labor of love, LOL.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

cincinnana

Great use of space.....and skill.

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smeash

Thats a great design!

Snarkie

Thanks. In that high bed in the center, I have 6 tomato plants, 8 peppers, 6 cucumbers, 6 pumpkins and several clumps of basil, parsley and dill.

The left spud bed has 18 hills and will get a second planting of Brussel sprouts in July, while the right spud bed has 21 hills and will get a second planting of pumpkins in July. I love roasted pumpkin seeds! If you remember that huge bag of seeds I roasted last fall from 5 pumpkins I found on the side of the road, these are growing from the seeds I saved, so these are all free!

I spent all of last year through now, watching hundreds of YouTube videos to learn everything I can about gardening; from constructing the beds to making your own soil types to selecting and planting, along with companion plants to maximize the yields and repel pests naturally.

Last night, I had a dream the entire thing was infested with giant cucumber beetles the size of quarters, and hundreds of hornworms devouring the entire crop.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"

cincinnana

I know the feeling!!

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edwmax

Use Seven dust! Get some and keep on hand. You may want to start using as a preventative. ....

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*Dearly Depotted*

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It’s long been a dream of mine to be able to grow real bananas off my own plants! So, please wish me luck on my quest to fulfill that dream!

Snarkie

Thanks Max.

I have cucumber beetle traps, and plants that repel the hornworms, plus I have a UV flashlight to make them glow at night if they manage to land. I also will bird net the tomatoes, as the moths that produce hornworms are the size of butterflies. I want to avoid using anything other than Neem and peppermint if I can, to keep it all organic.

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Doug (D.A. Hänks) http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2955582/?ref_=fn_al_nm_1


The Only Eastern Redwood Forest in America




"Nuke my 'nanners, will you?!"