I've been gone for awhile. Work, school, puppy, and life got in the way of my net fun.

It's been a very cold spring here and my gardening project/battle is finally getting into full swing. This week the last of my kitchen veggies are getting in and I'm beginning the annual flowers and catching up on weeding. I thought I'd check and see how the other gardeners on the board are faring.

This year the quarry includes
3 different kinds of peas,
6 different kinds of tomatoes
carrots,
about ton different kinds of radishes
pie pumpkins
3 different squash
turnips,
spuds -
loads of sweet onions
2 different cabbages
Cucs - pickling
who knows how many different kinds of garlic
loads of lettuce

I also added some permanent additions, 4 new trees, rhubarb, and finally moved the strawberries to their permanent location. So far everything but the asparagus seems to be going along well. I'll need to try to get asparagus again, I just think I started late in the year.

Challenges this spring:
Very cold wet weather - I waited out the issue but the length of the growing season is a slight concern.
Wandering dogs and kids - fence goes up next week.
One annoying cottontail - peter rabbit would be wise to stay out of farmer Thom's garden.

Really cool stuff this spring:
landscape fabric to cut down on weeding.
my new flame weeder aka the propane flame thrower
excellent cheap cedar grove compost
All my blueberry transplants lived through the winter.
The steer manure composting I did last fall seems to have paid off greatly

Well that's it for the farm report for me for now. We're pretty well rained in the next couple days and then we're back up to 70 degrees and the garden battle rages on.

This is my first year to try my hand at vegetable gardening. I bought Mel Bartholomew's Square Food Gardening book. I was over anxious and planted a bit too early and the cool temperatures mixed with too much rain pretty much wiped out my first planting. I'm doing some tomatoes, zucchini, pole beans, lots of lettuce, spinach, and my favorite: three varieties of etemome (soybeans).

Of course, I waited one day too long to put up fences around it and my puppy dug up several plants and generally made a mess. Live and learn!

Good luck with your garden this year

oh definately a learning process. I cannot tell you about the brown thumb I have with flowers. Downright lethal.

I planted my stuff too early too! I planted flowers in my front garden bed and the end of last week we had a freeze warning. Not all the flowers were effected, but... all my garden veggies were! I planted them in planters until we get our garden bed done, and they were in my insulated garage and they still died.

I don't know how the seeded plants did yet, guess I'll have to wait on that.

All I know is that this is the first year having my own gardens (flower and veggie) and I'm a bit nervous, since I can't keep any plants alive. My hubby had given me a plant for my hair school graduation-my thought "gee, thanks"-when we we still dating and it stayed at my mom's and did well. We moved into an apt. and she brought it back to me...it died.

I just hope I can keep the outside plants alive because I love fresh garden veggies and don't want to pick through the crappy choices at the grocery store. If anyone has any tips, send me a pm and let me know

I have to take some time to chime in with all the gardeners. Hurray for gardening! We have been in San Antonio for almost a year and gardening isn't as easy hear as it was in Alabama. Still, I feel for you guys in the north, what with your freezes and your shorter growing season. I worked in Belcourt, ND for a month once and heard all about. It was September when I went there. When I arrived it was balmy green and beautiful. By the end of the first week the trees were turning and it had already sleeted several times.
For amusement I garden by the moon and the full moon approacheth. I am applying fertilizer and watering like crazy. No veggie garden yet. I am still trying to adjust to caliche and blazing heat and dry weather. Our property is newly developed and we still have a large area of denuded earth- topsoil scraped away duirng development. It is a sunny spot. My eye is on it for the vegetable garden but it is going to take a lot of topsoil.
I am trying my hand at organic gardening. It appeals to the chemist and the biologist in me. I am not so good at aesthetics-for me its all about the science and the chance to get my hands down in the dirt. It is about the chance to make things thrive just to see that I can.
Green thumbs run in my family. My ancestors were farmers and farm laborers. My parents owned a hobby farm and that is where I grew up. Now I live in one of thoses new suburban neighborhoods that could have been the setting for Over The Hedge complete with a budding fascist HOA. But I garden anyway and wait for them to send me letters when they don't like what I do. Last time I checked I still live in America, land of the free.

I've been busy like you, Melissa. I've put in:

6 various apple trees
1 peach tree
Sweet corn
tomatoes
Cayenne peppers
Jalapeno peepers
Cucumbers
radishes
scallions
shallots
chives
English garden peas
75 strawberry plants
3 blueberry bushes
bush beans
2 types of carrots
kale

And all the fencing to protect my little babies from the deer ( why oh why can't I just shoot them *now*? )

All I need are overalls and an Amish straw hat and I'm set.

Well... check your laws but you might be able to with permission from the dept of fish and wildlife.

Here it applies sometimes if you have photographic evidence, and a statement of damages along with a statement of preventatives applied.

I finally got out and took some photos today. Forgive the weeds since spring quarter just got out I've had no time to do much other than water and watch the darn things grow. I need to break out the torch tomorrow and take care of them.

The main garden, the raspberry bushes are on the far left.
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies%20016.jpg

The new addition side garden with all the stuff I don't dig up every year. Strawberries, rhubarb, and horseradish (yum)
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies%20017.jpg

I have a thing for blueberries. I have about 10 plants and about 4 different varieties. I'm excited about Darrow which is a type that gives half dollar size to quarter size berries.
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies%20003.jpg

I put in an orchard this year so I wasn't expecting any yield. Happily the asian pear trees surprised me.
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies%20025.jpg

I love squash. This is the first bloom of the year since the zucs got in so late. This is paty pan which I've never eaten before but sounded good. I've got loads of zucs, pumpkins, spagetti, and these two paty pan squash. Gourds anyone?
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies%20023.jpg

On the south side of my house is a bed I usually plant tomatoes and peppers in. Last year the plants looked a little exhausted so I decided to plant a bunch of sunflowers instead. There are about 20 different kinds of sunflowers from 3' to 8' tall at maturity. I can't wait to see how they look when this is all said and done.
http://www.inarifarm.com/mistyspuppies%20009.jpg

Shoot them and put them in the freezer for the dogs and you too if you like deer meat.....It makes sense to me...lol

 Quote: karma lloyd

Shoot them and put them in the freezer for the dogs and you too if you like deer meat.....It makes sense to me...lol

In Missouri property owners may obtain a permit to shoot deer that destroy crops but they are forbidden to harvest any part of the dead deer (let them rot or feed the coyotes and dog packs). Ridiculous, I know, but since The State owns the wildlife (even if it resides and feeds on private ground) they decide what can legally happen to them if we object about the deer grocery bill.

If you decide to thin the herd on your property keep in mind that they have new babies now that will starve to death if their momma is shot. The local poachers here have killed at least 3 deer this spring, the last one we know about was a doe with new babies (one tiny fawn was wandering around my neighbor's yard for two days, they don't move around much at that age unless they are starving).

Try some electric fence before you blast the deer out of your garden or yard in the spring, then hunt them this fall.

http://www.premier1supplies.com/fencing.php?species_id=7&;