How does your Garden Grow?

[Stephen Graf]

#7246

Not really archery related, but…

2 years ago I built some raised garden beds, not sure it was the right thing to do. I wanted them to last, and I didn’t want to use pressure treated wood, which could leach into the soil. So I made them from block and covered them with stucco. I have a solar / gravity fed watering system installed, so watering is easy. Weeding is even easier 😀

It is truly amazing how productive raised beds are compared to in ground planting. And way less time spent weeding. In the end, I am happy I spent so much effort building them. They will last my lifetime, and probably a few more.

Everything is growing like crazy this spring!

[David Petersen]

#59772

Steve — Your garden is SO far ahead of us, it’s disgusting. And Jody in AR is already eating strawberries. Here at 8000′ we only got our garden planted last week so everything is in infant stage. Last year we had to replant three times due to late frosts, so this year I installed a greenhouse frame that we can put plastic over for cold snaps. I also have to double fence everything–a heavy fence for bears and deer and a smaller fence for chipmunks and squirrels. I left a pot of strawberries, in flowering stage, outside the fence one night and the deer ate them all. But it’s something worthwhile to do when you can’t be hunting or fishing or camping. You are the real deal in self-sufficiency; I am just a dabbler.

[tailfeather]

#59934

Those beds look great, Steve. I hope you’ve been getting more rain than we have, it’s terribly dry. Here’s a few from around our place, including one of my favorite little chicken chaser and garden “helper”.:D

[tailfeather]

#59936

If it isn’t too much trouble, could you explain your solar/gravity watering system?

[Bruce Smithhammer]

#59961

It may not be archery-related, but thanks for sharing anyway, Steve! It’s great to see pics of other folks’ gardens.

I’m afraid we’re still much along the same lines here as what Dave described, but our strawberries, rasberries, mint and rhubarb are all looking healthy, and hopefully our carrots and beets will thrive this summer. Apple trees are blossoming as well, so hopefully we’ll have the makings for some good pies this year! We’ve been getting a decent amount of rain this spring (as opposed to it still snowing, as is not uncommon in May for us), which is great to see, and making the job easier. Now if I can just stay ahead of the weeds…:D

[Etter1]

#59976

I really wish I had some more sunlight here at the house. Looks great guys.

[Ralph]

#60006

Sure ain’t no garden here!

Yours looks great! Mine wishes it had more water. 😛

[Ptaylor]

#60033

I love seeing your guys gardens. They look great! It doesn’t matter if its not hunting related, cause nothing goes better with backstrap than fresh greens, home grown potatoes, and wild mushrooms! If you’ve already put this much effort into harvesting an animal, you might as well go all the way with the meal.

I feel for you guys that are still getting frosts, and for those of you in a drought. In Humboldt county there is no lack of water and close to the coast we haven’t had a frost in a couple months. Below are some Fuji apples, the two herbs in the pots are oregano and mint (the mint is already making fine mojitos…!), and salmonberries already ripening in the wilds.

preston

[Jason Wesbrock]

#60177

tailfeather,

That photo with the chicken is priceless.

[Stephen Graf]

#60729

tailfeather wrote: If it isn’t too much trouble, could you explain your solar/gravity watering system?

I had a well drilled for irrigation and water for the animals. I have Solar Panels powering the water pump. During the day, it pumps water into a tank up on the hill. The overflow is directed into a pond.

The output from the tanks go’s to the sheep pasture and to the garden beds. I have a quick disconnect riser on every other bed to hook a hose to. When it’s time to water, I just hook up the hose, which has a shower head on it, and water the garden.

Actually, I get the kids to do it. I have a pretty good picture of the kids watering, I’ll attach it later.

Your chicken chaser is a cutie!

[David Petersen]

#61160

Well, we caught the culprit who was eating the strawberries before I fenced in the garden, and drinking the outside water dry each night. Everything is safe in our yard, unless you’re a yellowjacket.

[Stephen Graf]

#61918

Wow. I starred at that picture and could swear that deer looks like a yearling…

Glad the strawberries are safe!

[wahoo]

#62516

garden no grow – too early – cold . Spinach good found my 1st mushroom apricots looking good.

[SDMFer]

#62557

I broke my own rule of planting before June 1 here in Laradise. I have been appropriately punished by a few light frosts and 50+ mph wind gusts today.

Looking like I’ll be replanting after the 1st (maybe the 7th).

Definitely jealous of what you guys have going on in more garden friendly locales.

[James Harvey]

#62778

Steve, that’s a super garden mate! Good to see you’ve employed some American labour there as well 😉 I’m the kind of guy that doesn’t water his cactus enough 😳

Dave, you have it real bad with ugly pests like that. Lucky guys like me have majestic rats and elegant cane toads pesting our neighbourhood 😀

[WyoStillhunter]

#63302

SDMFer wrote: I broke my own rule of planting before June 1 here in Laradise. I have been appropriately punished by a few light frosts and 50+ mph wind gusts today.

Looking like I’ll be replanting after the 1st (maybe the 7th).

Definitely jealous of what you guys have going on in more garden friendly locales.

I also live in Laramie…at about 7500′ elevation. It was 38 F. at my house this morning but no visible frost. We have not planted, yet. Of course all sorts of stuff is starting to sprout but nothing we want except a few handfuls of volunteer spinach.

I was in mid-Missouri over the holiday weekend and saw all sorts of gardens well on their way to producing. BUT there are no elk in Missouri! Life is full of trade offs.:D

[Stephen Graf]

#64070

ausjim wrote: Steve, that’s a super garden mate! Good to see you’ve employed some American labour there as well 😉 …

Kids ARE great! I figure I’ll get about 5 good years out of them before having to send them off to college. Problem is, by then I will be so used to their excellent help, I’ll be helpless when they are gone, and will have to learn how to do get by on my own again.

Now if only I could get my boy to stop making faces when the camera is out…

[coastalbendbows]

#8203

my garden doesnt grow to well in the florida sand. But it is a choice every season of what to grow. This year we chose green beans. I dont have much room in my yard to plant a garden so its mainly just the flower beds. I wish I could plant a big garden but I dont want to sound too greedy .

Nice pics

Shawn

[Stephen Graf]

#8745

A big garden is the opposite of “too greedy”. Really any garden is the opposite. You invest your time, your money, and other resources, and if you are lucky enough to get a good harvest, you end up giving a lot of it away…

I lived in Florida for about 10 years, and was never able to get much to grow. Too many aphids and other sap sucking, leaf eating, fruit munching critters to grow without pesticides.

I never tried raised beds while in Florida though… I’m a big believer in them now. You can grow so much more densely in a bed, then in the ground. And it would give you the opportunity for better soil…

[tailfeather]

#9054

I like that irrigation system, including having the kids involved. It’s good for them! I remember having to pick a 5 gal bucket of butterbeans (or field peas, etc) before I could go swimming. Hated it at the time, but am awfully glad for it now.

Raised beds are great. We have some permanent raised beds…we interplant in them and just keep plant rotations going, while amending the soil with compost each planting. Really cuts down on the weed problems, and takes less water if you mulch it heavily.

[coastalbendbows]

#9976

I’m in the process of making myself some raised beds for veggies and the like. We had a huge garden growing up as a kid and I did enjoy all the fresh veggies.

Florida sand dont grow much. I like the pics that ive seen so far.

[Mark Turton]

#10138

Great thread nothing like feeding family and friends from the garden. My contribution is fetching, building, carrying, digging, watering and mowing anything else is strictly under the supervision of a responsible adult.

Mark.

[William Warren]

#11608

The family garden, brings back memories of planting and all the hoeing and then going across the road and hoeing the neighbors garden too. I’ve tried everything here including raised beds but nothing does well down here in the hollow. The place I lived at before was great though. I could till 1/2 acre and not worry too much about what the critters ate. There was always plenty for us.

[Stephen Graf]

#12146

Hay Duncan! Nice to hear from you… Need any cabbage? I need to give the rest away before the worms make poop out of ’em.

[William Warren]

#12821

Steve Graf wrote: Hay Duncan! Nice to hear from you… Need any cabbage? I need to give the rest away before the worms make poop out of ’em.

Well since you offered, I could use a cabbage. Its just me and the missus now. Bob moved to Texas last summer and is now on his own.

[William Warren]

#12826

I did not mention in my last post that I do manage a winter garden down here in the hollow when the leaves are off and there is more daylight on the beds. spinach and turnip greens grew very well last winter and when I’m not too lazy I can get some really good lettuce going in Feb thru early April. Of course the salad bar is closed to all ungulates and stays covered with deer netting. An added benefit of the turnips if they bolt early is the bees love them since at that time they are about the only flowers in bloom. I left them blooming for weeks just for the bees.

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