Anyone Getting Ready for 2023 Garden?

[progressive hunter]

You have (40) 50ft beds????? WOW, Then the cover cloth would work best for you. You must sell a bunch or have a really big family to feed

been trying to sell but refuse to get up at 4 am on a saturday for the farmers market, we do a lot of canning and do have a big family,
this is the 6th yr for this garden and we both had full time jobs even though I shut down last yr, my problem is a bad back and cant reach the ground worth a damn, so the whole garden doestnt get the full planting or the 3 rotations for some plants.
I am trying to find a young cpl that wants to get into the farming business and let them run it with our help for our cut and I will do chickens for eggs and meat for personal use, I also plan on at least 2 pigs for next yr,,

I could easily dbl the size of the garden and not effect the property at all..
my choice is cut grass or grow food,,

 

[JustAnotherNut]

been trying to sell but refuse to get up at 4 am on a saturday for the farmers market, we do a lot of canning and do have a big family,
this is the 6th yr for this garden and we both had full time jobs even though I shut down last yr, my problem is a bad back and cant reach the ground worth a damn, so the whole garden doestnt get the full planting or the 3 rotations for some plants.
I am trying to find a young cpl that wants to get into the farming business and let them run it with our help for our cut and I will do chickens for eggs and meat for personal use, I also plan on at least 2 pigs for next yr,,

I could easily dbl the size of the garden and not effect the property at all..
my choice is cut grass or grow food,,

Get the family out there to help if they want to eat.

If you have, or can afford the materials.........make raised beds tall enough you can sit on the edge without having to bend over?


But I do understand not always able to keep up with it all. I have 6 berms/swales about 3ft wide and 25ft long that were pretty much left to their own device and need dug/cleaned before I can plant, plus a few raised beds and containers and I'm trying to develop another area about 25ft wide and 15ft long into a few more berm/swales. The whole berm/swale gardens are sloped. I have chickens, but need to build a better coop system at the back of the newer garden area, plus to fence it all to keep the dogs out.

I'd love to have more livestock, but the neighbors would complain

 

[progressive hunter]

Get the family out there to help if they want to eat.

If you have, or can afford the materials.........make raised beds tall enough you can sit on the edge without having to bend over?


But I do understand not always able to keep up with it all. I have 6 berms/swales about 3ft wide and 25ft long that were pretty much left to their own device and need dug/cleaned before I can plant, plus a few raised beds and containers and I'm trying to develop another area about 25ft wide and 15ft long into a few more berm/swales. The whole berm/swale gardens are sloped. I have chickens, but need to build a better coop system at the back of the newer garden area, plus to fence it all to keep the dogs out.

I'd love to have more livestock, but the neighbors would complain

all that is in the plan,, although I would love to allow someone else to use it to make money and pay me enough to cover taxs while I get all I need for personal use,,
currently waiting on the neighbor to go through probate and buy their 3 acres and using the cleared acre for an orchard of multiple fruits, we do currently have about 200 feet of boysen and blackberries that we are adding too,, it also has a 40x80 shop on it,,

 

[Dekster]

Get the family out there to help if they want to eat.

If you have, or can afford the materials.........make raised beds tall enough you can sit on the edge without having to bend over?


But I do understand not always able to keep up with it all. I have 6 berms/swales about 3ft wide and 25ft long that were pretty much left to their own device and need dug/cleaned before I can plant, plus a few raised beds and containers and I'm trying to develop another area about 25ft wide and 15ft long into a few more berm/swales. The whole berm/swale gardens are sloped. I have chickens, but need to build a better coop system at the back of the newer garden area, plus to fence it all to keep the dogs out.

I'd love to have more livestock, but the neighbors would complain

No-dig gardening just isn't effective in my heavy clay soil. All the crap you add just sits on top and never penetrates the ground. I DM'd back and forth with Charles Dowding years ago when I tried it, doing everything he suggested, but it simply did not work well. The organic matter wasn't able to get worked in, my veg was being choked out by weeds, and the water just ran off (and I needed to water a ton more often).
Tilling organic matter in the clay, over time, helps build up the soil. It isn't like I plow 18 inches deep every year. I till the top couple inches a few weeks before I plant when rain is in the forecast to help get the water soaking into the ground and then get maybe 6 inches down right before I plant at most. It just depends on what I am planting in the area that year.

 

[progressive hunter]

No-dig gardening just isn't effective in my heavy clay soil. All the crap you add just sits on top and never penetrates the ground. I DM'd back and forth with Charles Dowding years ago when I tried it, doing everything he suggested, but it simply did not work well. The organic matter wasn't able to get worked in, my veg was being choked out by weeds, and the water just ran off (and I needed to water a ton more often).
Tilling organic matter in the clay, over time, helps build up the soil. It isn't like I plow 18 inches deep every year. I till the top couple inches a few weeks before I plant when rain is in the forecast to help get the water soaking into the ground and then get maybe 6 inches down right before I plant at most. It just depends on what I am planting in the area that year.

thats where back to eden comes into play..
with heavy clay you want to till as best you can and dump at least 12" of wood chips and let it sit for 3-5 yrs and till it from time to time and also add chips selectively when you can,

it takes a while but works really good,,

 

[JustAnotherNut]

No-dig gardening just isn't effective in my heavy clay soil. All the crap you add just sits on top and never penetrates the ground. I DM'd back and forth with Charles Dowding years ago when I tried it, doing everything he suggested, but it simply did not work well. The organic matter wasn't able to get worked in, my veg was being choked out by weeds, and the water just ran off (and I needed to water a ton more often).
Tilling organic matter in the clay, over time, helps build up the soil. It isn't like I plow 18 inches deep every year. I till the top couple inches a few weeks before I plant when rain is in the forecast to help get the water soaking into the ground and then get maybe 6 inches down right before I plant at most. It just depends on what I am planting in the area that year.

It's hard rocky clay here too, so I understand the challenges but when we moved here 25 years ago we had a couple of truck loads of dirt brought in. That and whatever compost I can create to add to it, is what I garden in. Shovel only goes so far before I hit 'concrete'. It's a pain trying to dig fence post holes.

 

[JustAnotherNut]

all that is in the plan,, although I would love to allow someone else to use it to make money and pay me enough to cover taxs while I get all I need for personal use,,
currently waiting on the neighbor to go through probate and buy their 3 acres and using the cleared acre for an orchard of multiple fruits, we do currently have about 200 feet of boysen and blackberries that we are adding too,, it also has a 40x80 shop on it,,

Actually that may be a good idea........to have someone pay you and provide all your veggies and make them do all the hard work.

 

[Dekster]

It's hard rocky clay here too, so I understand the challenges but when we moved here 25 years ago we had a couple of truck loads of dirt brought in. That and whatever compost I can create to add to it, is what I garden in. Shovel only goes so far before I hit 'concrete'. It's a pain trying to dig fence post holes.

No-till is method that only works well on a larger scale with GMO crops and chemical oversprays. That is where the practice originated. Sure it is doable in small garden patches I suppose but I do a tad bigger area. For context, my house sits on a piece of land that was the bottom of the hill when they were grading for the subdivision. I have crap back fill from all the other foundations that were dug as they worked their way toward my lot. The bulk of my growing likewise is done in a field where worst practices were done for eons until it was depleted then left fallow for about 25 years where bermuda grass and weeds built up only a trace of organic matter just on the surface. I have added dozens upon dozens of pick up truck loads of compost to it but it still doesn't do much but sit there and bake in the sun on the surface of what is essentially hardpan unless I till it in.

 

[progressive hunter]

Actually that may be a good idea........to have someone pay you and provide all your veggies and make them do all the hard work.

I would of course help when I could,, being young and flexible is something I miss,,

 

[whoisit]

been trying to sell but refuse to get up at 4 am on a saturday for the farmers market, we do a lot of canning and do have a big family,
this is the 6th yr for this garden and we both had full time jobs even though I shut down last yr, my problem is a bad back and cant reach the ground worth a damn, so the whole garden doestnt get the full planting or the 3 rotations for some plants.
I am trying to find a young cpl that wants to get into the farming business and let them run it with our help for our cut and I will do chickens for eggs and meat for personal use, I also plan on at least 2 pigs for next yr,,

I could easily dbl the size of the garden and not effect the property at all..
my choice is cut grass or grow food,,

We are old and being under supervision or supervising is not like it use to be , now everyone want to be in charge. Finding someone to help out is tricky. Finding anyone you would want around doing manual labor is even trickier.

 

[progressive hunter]

We are old and being under supervision or supervising is not like it use to be , now everyone want to be in charge. Finding someone to help out is tricky. Finding anyone you would want around doing manual labor is even trickier.

money is a great motivator,,

 

[Likkmee]

We are old and being under supervision or supervising is not like it use to be , now everyone want to be in charge. Finding someone to help out is tricky. Finding anyone you would want around doing manual labor is even trickier.

Get some Mexican 35-45 yo girlz. They can grow materz on a sidewalk (seriously)

 

[whoisit]

money is a great motivator,,

Be careful, lots of evil people looking for someone with 'money'.
Just saying be careful. I'm sure your find somebody ,just trust but verify,lol.

 

[progressive hunter]

Be careful, lots of evil people looking for someone with 'money'.
Just saying be careful. I'm sure your find somebody ,just trust but verify,lol.

and have a back hoe and 40 acres to bury them in,,

 

[whoisit]

Get some Mexican 35-45 yo girlz. They can grow materz on a sidewalk (seriously)

A good example of a bad idea. Many have gang or cartel family members. Long as you know them it may be ok.

 

[whoisit]

and have a back hoe and 40 acres to bury them in,,

LOL,You sound like Bobby Brown song I Am 911.

 

[progressive hunter]

 

[progressive hunter]

 

[Dekster]

Started a couple hundred yellow maters last week that are coming up already under the lights. Planted about as many flag leeks for 2024 this week. If I am lucky, I might get about a quarter of those eventually in the ground due to their high fail rate once they get tall enough to flop over into the soil. Also started some buttercrunch lettuce. Bought 5 pounds of seed onions for red scallions but will be probably 6 weeks before I plant them. Those I get when the getting is good because their availability has been erratic for the last 5 years or so.

 

[Dekster]

Normally plant potatoes today being all Ides of March but it is cold, wet, windy, and generally yucky. I can throw one in a flowerpot and pretend I kept up tradition I suppose.