Topping off the raised beds with homemade compost

Because plant roots hold onto some soil as they are removed each fall, it becomes necessary to add more the following spring to keep the overall bed depth to a certain level. My large composting system is used for supplying this annual need, because to purchase bagged soil amendments would get pretty pricey each spring.
Anyway, since the 4' x 8' raised bed was increased to a depth of 14" last fall, quite a bit of compost was necessary to bring things back up to an acceptable level again.

After adding an entire wheelbarrow filled with it, the compost was blended in to the existing soil by hand. Although I wanted to add a second wheelbarrow's contents, I held off from doing so because the largest bed had yet to be filled, and we don't want to run out before both beds have adequate amounts... A total of 4 melons (biguns!) will be grown here, and 12" of soil should be more than adequate for growing some very healthy plants, I figure....This box will be my "happy place" as the season progresses...

Photo below - the middle section of the largest raised bed was filled too, and when settled later should amount to at least 12" of soil for the squash to grow in. Okra is typically grown in this section every year, but crop rotation demanded that something else take it's place this time around....

Photo below - I call this picture "Real men don't wear gloves!", Haha! Shoot......EG ain't no pretty boy, that's for sure....lol. I'm a Certified Alabama Redneck- remember? This is an everyday occurence, and i've even eaten a sandwich with hands this dirty before (at work). Hmmm.....I could have spared you that little secret, I guess....hehe...Sometimes us men get into situations where washing hands isn't an option.....

BTW, did you know that it takes twice as long to add compost to the garden when there's a 3 year-old German Shepherd nudging you the entire time with a blue-colored frisbee? Oh, it does......believe me.....hehe. Jude is also entertained by the occasional twig that is removed from the soil mixture - then tossed into the air...She's a real stinker, that's for sure!

In other news, the 3 yellow swp's have been planted with tomatoes already - although I don't know what the outcome may be....Stupice and Red Siberian were put in them, and I just hope the plants don't cook from the sun right now....They weren't properly hardened off...hmmm...Oh well, if they don't make it, there's several more to take their place later.

Lastly, if you'd be interested in attending a Southeast regional garden blogger's Roundup put on by none other than myself, please cast your vote at the poll on the sidebar....Yep, i'll be there, and hope you are too!!!!

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

The final 3 swp's for the garden

First of all, let me say that the weather has just been gorgeous all weekend long...Not too hot, and perfect for getting things ready for the upcoming garden. Me and the wife took full advantage of it by doing more seasonal chores around the property - mainly in the garden, of course...Anyway, these 3 swp's constructed from 5 gallon cat litter buckets were filled, then placed at the very end of the swp/swc area. I'm thinking tomato varieties Red Siberia and Stupice will most likely be planted in them later, and feel these 2 varieties will perform adequately in such small containers....

Photo below - speaking of swp's, here's the current progress of the cauliflower growing in a 4 gallon container. The abundance of sunshine is causing significant growth to it now, and so far no cabbage worms or other pests have made their presence known....Still, a thorough covering of BT will take place to protect it, because those pests can really do alot of damage in a short amount of time....

Photo below - here's a couple more swc's that were assembled and put into place next to the 24 ft. long trellis at the end of the property. The one on the left is made from an 18 gallon tote bin, and the other is constructed from a 16 gallon shop-vac bottom....Yeah, anything can be converted into a swc, it would seem. Ha! Anyway, these 2 will be planted with watermelons - although I haven't decided which varieties yet.......

Photo below - here's a closeup photo of how the tops of my swp's are put together. You can enlarge the picture by clicking on it, if needed. Soil is mounded pretty high, so as to shed rain water during the grow season, and I use nothing but white trashbags to make my moisture barrier from. The trashbag is placed on top, and I use my finger to poke a hole down through the center of the container's fill pipe. I then stretch the newly formed hole in the bag over the pipe by pulling down on it, which provides an excellent seal between the bag and pipe. Elastic from the sewing department at WalMart is then stretched around the lip of the container (and on top of the plastic trash bag) - then tied into a bow. Any excess plastic bag is then trimmed with a pair of scissors, and is now ready for a slit to be cut into the plastic for installing the transplant of your choice. This method of applying plastic mulch is of course my own design, and I recommend it above all others on the internet....

In other news, things are going as planned with the propagation of things, and i'll show some updated photos of it this week. Although initially skeptical of the abnormal springtime weather for this time of year, it seems that spring is truly here at last. Several warm season crops will make their way into the garden over the next week, but a careful watch will be placed over them for any surpise last minute frosts that are apt to take place.

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

The propagation of stuff continues

Carola and Mary - welcome, and thanks for following my blog....

With everything but okra started under lights in the shed, there's all kinds of goodies popping up these days...However, as can be expected each year, a few failures happen along the way too....For instance, just look at this pitiful little pepper seedling below. Even though the growing medium looks really dry, it was watered like crazy after emerging from the soil....Sigh....I just don't get it....

Photo below - on a more positive note, here's my little Amana Orange tomato seedling that's still hangin' in there! Oh, and it's even bigger since this picture was taken. Man, I can't wait to see some amber-colored fruit from it later in the season....and I bet they taste really good too - mmm...mmm....

Photo below - here's a few corn seedlings that have germinated under the lights already. In all, there are 72 cells - although only about 60 will actually make it to the garden later....There's just no more room for more (or is there...hmm....) hehe...As stated earlier, it's "Peaches and Cream" variety. Yuuuuummmmy.....

In other news, work remains very demanding right now - and I even have to work Saturday and Sunday this week....Boo!!! How am I supposed to build something around here? lol. Something tells me that it'll still happen regardless of the work schedule - I just wish Jude would hold the flashlight for me.. :-)

Topping off the raised beds with homemade compost will take place very soon, and I hope to get finished with this task sometime over the next couple of weeks. However, it's alot of shoveling for one person - but i'll manage somehow, i'm sure. The coldframe will need to be relocated as well, because it'll be more useful at hardening off some of the seedlings when needed.

That's all for today, but get ready for some progress photos next week!

Take care and happy gardening

EG

Wintersowing some tomatoes

Whew....working 10 hours, then going home and being called back into work for another 14 hours after only 2 hours of sleep can be pretty rough! Thankfully though, it doesn't happen that often......Anyway, let's do some gardening stuff.....

So, I had these old seeds laying around with nowhere to start them....I mean, the propagation systems are filled with seedlings - so what's a gardener to do in this situation? Wintersow them, of course.....If this method is news to your ears, then you can get all the information about it from wintersown.org, and also over at Tom's Blog - where he wintersows TONS of stuff each year......
Anyway, i'm certainly not the best at it, but it's quite easy once you understand how to do it....These recycled coke bottles were sown with Early Girl tomatoes, and should germinate hopefully in another week or so....

Photo below - In other news - check out the rhubarb! It's over-wintered great, and looks like we'll finally get to try some rhubarb pie for the first time later this year....I've heard it's really good. Anyway, although the compost within the container has settled quite a bit over the past year, it's still around 20-25 gallons of medium to grow in.....

Since removing the carrots growing in windowbox planters have been removed from the greenhouse, they've really took off....Using a finger to probe the growth under the soil, it's apparent that the carrots are pretty nice sized, too! I'll let the neieces pull them the next time they're over, and imagine it'll be fun for them....

In other news, 4 more swp's/swc's have been added to the existing ones in the garden, and very little work needs to be done to have them ready for planting later. Fertilizer, plastic mulch, and of course plants in them in about 2 weeks will finally kick off the gardening extravaganza once again.

Well, that's about it for today....Take care, and happy gardening

EG

Sweet potato slips and gardening prep

Jeremy, jenyspy39, and mediaOrganic - welcome, and thanks for following my blog....

I had planned on doing a post about growing your own sweet potato slips, but thankfully Liisa saved me from doing that since she already has......You can see her post at the link below, and she did an excellent job on the tutorial...
Liisa's post

In other news, the weather was beautiful over the weekend - so you know that alot was accomplished in the garden. My back certainly felt it on Sunday night, too - but I made sure to not overdo it....

Anyway, me and the wife cleaned all of the leaves out of the front flowerbed and applied a thin layer of new mulch on top - which made it look so much better....
We also cleaned out the planters that have the bench attached to it, and mixed in a wheelbarrow full of homemade compost into the existing soil. With a few flowers added in hopefully this week, it'll look really pretty once again. Here's how things looked when finished...

She cleaned all of the leaves off of the deck that had collected there over the winter months also, and I spent most of my time removing stored soil from the little playhouse, adding pine mulch to the mixture, setting up the swc's, then filling them to get ready for the upcoming planting of tomatoes and corn....Whew....talk about alot of hard work - there were 15 done - with only 3 left to go. Number 15 is the red one beside Jude's pen....here's a photo...

I also mixed compost into the 4 planters that will be used for peppers this year - that is, if my plants make it...
Needless to say, my back was killing me after all this work, but I did wear my back brace at least.....

The fruit trees were sprayed with fungicide/insecticide in hopes of thwarting any diseases or pests that might be present that could otherwise compromise fruit production. Although....no bees are to be seen anywhere yet, so it's unclear if these efforts are worth the time or not....

Anyway, that's a few things that were taken care of, and i'll try to get some more pictures later...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

More seedlings....Sorry! Hehe....

Man...after removing the tiny carrot seedlings from the window box planter in the greenhouse and transplanting them into the garden, they have really taken off! Here's a picture of one below, and i'm very pleased thus far with their progress. It looks like we'll have 2 different harvests of carrots this year - one in April, and the other in May. I'm sure the little nieces will enjoy pulling a few of them when the time is right.

Photo below - Here's a new addition to the tomato list - Rutgers, as I sowed more seed than needed for my friend James. So, with a few of the heirlooms not making it through the last little heat spell, these little fellas simply took their place. They'll likely be given to my sisters for their gardens, or even donated to a plant sale if not needed by family members...

Photo below - Here's some trouble........it's one of my pepper plants with an apparent fungus or disease. I'll keep an eye on things to see if it worsens (or even spreads to the other plants), and simply hope for an improvement. Thankfully, it's the only one with the condition so far.

Photo below - Here's some new plantings of squash, cantaloupe, and all kinds of watermelon on the top shelf of the little 2 foot long propagation system converted from an old aquarium stand a few years ago. I'm hoping they'll begin to germinate in another week, but can only keep them watered and wait for now....

In other news, all of the raised beds have been cleaned out finally, and are now ready for compost to be added to make them full once more. Rather than simply add it on top of the current mix in the beds, i'll likely blend it in for a more dissipated texture throughout the overall depth. Besides, compost on top dries out pretty quick, starts cracking, then looks just awful. Blech!

I've also placed one of last year's sweet potatoes into a partially filled glass of water, so that my own slips can be grown for this year's planting. If anyone doesn't know how to do this, let me know and a thorough post will be written on the process - I do it every year...
Well, that's about it for today - but the weekend should be full of all kinds of fun activities.Yeehaw!

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

The seedlings after potting up

Oregonflora and Joanna - welcome, and thanks for following the blog!

Are ya tired of looking at seedlings yet? Well if not, then EG has more to show you on the propagation front...I'd like to start off first by showing these little fellas in the picture below. The variety is Rutgers, they were propagated in the 2nd cat litter bucket propagation system, and are being grown for my good friend James McCoo at work....That one in the front is pretty leggy, so I decided to put them under my lights in the biggest propagation unit, and will let him take over once his grow light is in place...It appears that a 60 watt bulb isn't enough to make the plants stocky, so i'll be going with 100 watts next time I use the little propagation system....

Now for some of the others that were shown in the video the other day....... This first one is Brandywine Red, and looks really good at this stage. It was appreciative of the extra room in the large cup, and is looking much better since I can now water it much less than before. When the seedlings are tiny things in their little cells, I am the worst waterer of all time. However, I improve after potting up takes place.

Photo below - here's a Black Brandywine seedling of which seeds for it were shared by my good friend in Canada, Dan - who also taught me how to save my own seeds each year. You can certainly bet that seeds will be saved from this one at the end of the season, and hopefully i'll have lots to go around, too.

Photo below - remember the little "surprise" Amana Orange I showed in the video too? Well, it's still getting stronger, and I feel confident that it'll make it to transplant size later. I sure hope so, because it's the only one in there, and the ones last year didn't make it either...

Photo below - Here's some poppies that have germinated already, and lots more are yet to come. As stated previously, they're for my little girl that expressed her desire to have some for her own flowerbed at home, and it's a big secret - so nobody tell her, ok? Lol. Hopefully they'll be a big surprise, because she lives in Birmingham and doesn't get to visit very often.

In other news, I turned a couple of compost piles that were really wet from the recent rainfall, and also added more UCG's to hopefully get the internal temperature back up again. I'd like for them to dry out a bit, but with the wettest months of the year upon us - it's doubtful that'll happen.

I also pruned the rose bushes around the house, and could really benefit from a class on the proper way to do them. Yeah....i'm pretty pathetic at pruning roses apparently. Ha!

Six bags of pine mulch were also purchased for enhancing the soilless mix used in the swc's - mainly because I didn't want to add more perlite to it for better aeration properties. I figure 2 parts of mulch will be added to the current mixture of  Peat moss (6 parts) and Perlite (4 parts), which should definitely introduce more air into the root zone. Although the current mixture performs quite well, I feel it can do even better if altered a tad...

Take care, and happy gardening

EG

Spring cleanup in the garden

Aurora and Debra - welcome, and thanks for following my blog!

The time for prepping the raised bed has finally arrived, and you can bet that i'm like the Tasmanian Devil running around doing this, and doing that...It's my favorite part of gardening, because it's almost like a brand new beginning each spring. Pulling a few weeds here and there, and also removing any debris from last season allow me to make the garden emaculate, and everyone knows EG likes for his garden to be neat (perfect even).....Although previous years have been completely up to me to get everything done, the wife has decided to join in this time around. Whew! I needed the much welcomed help.....

So, all of the swp's have been removed and emptied so that the soil mixture can be allowed to dry for storage until use, and the lone coldframe will need to be removed as well....

During a break in the rain on Saturday morning, I took the opportunity to take a few pictures.Ok, lots of pictures actually - even more than I should have. Hehe....

Photo below - Napa cabbage in the coldframe situated in the main raised bed. Since the plants have a pretty good start on things and the sides of the coldframe aren't allowing sunlight to reach all of them very well, it will be removed from the garden after this picture was made...

Photo below - check out these carrots now....Temptation to pull one is eating away at me, but we'll wait at least another week or two before trying one...I'll most likely just dump the entire container out into the raised bed when harvest time comes, then sort through the tangled mess....

Photo below - the Santa Rosa plum tree couldn't wait any longer, and is quite pretty from the explosion of little white blossoms all over. Like I said before - it's too early, but there's nothing that can be done about it...

In other news, all of the squash and melons were started on Saturday - which caused me to have to get the 3rd propagation system going. They occupy 18 three inch pots on the top shelf, and there's 72 cells planted with "Peaches and Cream" sweet corn started on the bottom shelf. Getting a jump on the corn is mandatory to ensure harvest arrives before the peak of summer, because at that time the plants will just dry up and wither away. In all, there are 200 cells, pots, and cups with something planted in them under the lights.
Anyway, i'll put a post together about the newest additions in a day or two....

Take care, and happy gardening!

EG

A video of the trellis extensions

Luis and manisha - welcome, and thanks for following my blog.....

With the main raised bed trellises extended finally, I wanted to show you the results of my efforts by shooting a video of them. Yay! More Alabama Redneck narrative, to boot! hehe....

A new video of the Orchard

Here's a new video of the orchard shot last Saturday - with of course Jude making several cameo appearances, too. hehe...she's a little stinker....