So it has begun... the manure is fermenting on the beds. We're rototilling next week. The 09' garden battle begins.

Just three weeks ago my garden looked like this
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies7weeks%20113.jpg

During the 09' season assuming the game is not called due to weather I will break my back in the sun to actually get a decent harvest out of this 30 x 30 foot lot. I am more than likely to be penalized for swearing at a tomato plant or cursing the corn gods for striking blight upon my neat rows.

Also in the plan for team improvements this year is a rain barrel watering system. I'm also bringing in two cherry trees and an asian pear tree. Moving the semi permanent plants to their own garden by the swingset so I don't have to disrupt them completely every year. I may also attempt to bring asparigus in.

My foes the neighbor hood cats, raccoons, and bunnies will also be dealing with my new electric fence. The lines are drawn it's only a matter of time before they taste the bite of my defensive line.

I would love to hear about your fantasy team this year.

I really wanted to try a small raised bed garden with some water absorbing polymer crystal thingies(forgot the name :grin this year but I highly doubt the Army would let me bring it to boot camp. Last year my poor plants got fried in the heat and even watering twice a day they didn't make it.

What kind of cherry trees? I've seen some really pretty flowering cherry trees in catalogs.

Hi Melissa,

We are planning on putting in a vegetable garden this spring not only for the wonderful, fresh goodies but as a "just in case" things get much worse with the economy. We have also built a way too large chicken coop we have named the "Coop de' Gras" (my husband is tall and tends to think bigger is always better LOL!) We plan on starting with egg layers and I hope never need to add "meaties".

I'm a landscape designer by trade but this will be my first attempt at a serious vegetable garden. I've done tomatoes in containers but no other veggies. I'm a big fan of composting (my son used to call me "worm woman") and we are blessed with great sandy, loamy soil so the soil issue is taken care of. By the way, you may want to check out http://www.inthegardenradio.com. Andree Viette His has a list of fantastic bed/soil amendments which I swear by.

We have bunnies, raccoons and LOTS of deer in our area so the garden will definitely have to be a fortress, as will the chicken yard - to keep out hawks and owls. I'm sure there will be a huge learning curve the first season, but I'm looking forward to getting my hands back in the dirt!

Barbara

ahhhh..gardening...my other favorite thing to do to de-stress!
We just moved into a new place, so I didn't do much last year.
we just had some grass put in.
So this year I will have a few beds to do what I want with.
I love love love Clematis and plan to have quite a few of them.
http://www.beginner-gardening.com/images/clematis.jpg
There will also be an area for some tomato plants, just a few though. I find it gets to a point when we're over run with tomato's and even giving them away doesn't help!
i don't do alot of perennials...just a few. I like having the option of putting in different annuals every year.
I love portulaca's
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/75/193310443_c937977160.jpg
and i always have impatients.....they are so easy to care for.
http://www.dextermaine.org/postcard/images/may04/impatients.jpg

If something other then the spurge and dandelions survives I'm declaring victory and taking a few naps.

 Quote: steve strom

If something other then the spurge and dandelions survives I'm declaring victory and taking a few naps.

I am rooting for the crabgrass. I have the greenest yard on the street when we have drought years because of the crabgrass.

We do a huge garden every year, my sister is a greenhouse grower so I get lots of plugs. We did a bigger vegetable garden last summer, hoping to save some money. We did tomatoes, various peppers,green beans,squash,eggplant,broccoli,cucumbers and various herbs Plus we canned some things. Worked out great.

 Quote: Wendy Lefebvre

I find it gets to a point when we're over run with tomato's and even giving them away doesn't help!

Hahahaha! Around my hometown, people lock their car doors so other people won't put bags of cukes and okra in them!!

A real garden goodie is Stella de Oro daylilies. Bloom like gangbusters, will take an occasional dog-watering and just get bigger and better every year.

Mine:

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/OkieAmazon/74785.jpg


Criniums are also very tough

http://i41.photobucket.com/albums/e257/OkieAmazon/395966-R1-019-8.jpg


You can see some my tomatoes peeking in that second pic. The Criniums will get a bit more battered by the dogs if you aren't careful.



Edited by Connie Sutherland (01/20/2009 03:56 PM)
Edit reason: change photos to links

 Quote: Becky Shilling

... Hahahaha! Around my hometown, people lock their car doors so other people won't put bags of cukes and okra in them!!

And zucchini? Zucchini guts are my favorite summer dog produce. No need to process, very low sugar, very low cellulose, and, if not free, pretty darned close.

What kind of tomatoes are those?

The one sad thing about the California Central Coast summer climate is the morning fog, temperate day temps, and cool nights. A few tomatoes bred just for this Mediterranean climate do well here, and lots of them do great in the Central Valley, but they are still just not the kind of spectacular tomatoes produced in the miserable hot humid summers I grew up in on the East Coast.