Vegetable Garden

[pepperj]

We grow berries, plant a big vegetable garden.
We have a small hoop house.
(Putting up a 20'x60' this year)

So today I planted 46 strawberry plants outside, 5 in the hoop house around the garlic.
The 2 root systems don't compete for nutrients.
The garlic also is beneficial in keeping pests off the strawberries.
So everything goes with the lay of the land.
So it flows down the garden.

I put 2 layers of ground paper down.
(Organically certification)
Let's water in, but blocks the weeds and grass from growing.
This year I ran chicken wire over top of it.
Then put long U shaped wires to hold it down.
Cut holes planted the bare root strawberry plants.
Reason: It seems that Turkey hen takes a shining to my garden.
Scratches the ground covers off every year to the smorgasbord of worms and things underneath.
Hopefully this plan will work.

If anyone has garden ideas, please add your green thumb.
Questions /problems too!
GROWING OUR FOOD IS THE BEST FOOD.

 

[pepperj]

The Haskaps are in bloom now
The big Bumblebees are certainly busy, opening the blossoms up, working their magic.
It's a crop that a person has to put bird protection over.
If not, no Haskaps for the grower.

We got about 25 quarts off the bushes last year.
Hopefully we do better this year.

 

[robertk]

That’s awesome. I’m a huge fan of growing your own food. Chicken wire over the ground paper is a good idea.

 

[cajundetector]

We grow berries, plant a big vegetable garden.
We have a small hoop house.
(Putting up a 20'x60' this year)

So today I planted 46 strawberry plants outside, 5 in the hoop house around the garlic.
The 2 root systems don't compete for nutrients.
The garlic also is beneficial in keeping pests off the strawberries.
So everything goes with the lay of the land.
So it flows down the garden.

I put 2 layers of ground paper down.
(Organically certification)
Let's water in, but blocks the weeds and grass from growing.
This year I ran chicken wire over top of it.
Then put long U shaped wires to hold it down.
Cut holes planted the bare root strawberry plants.
Reason: It seems that Turkey hen takes a shining to my garden.
Scratches the ground covers off every year to the smorgasbord of worms and things underneath.
Hopefully this plan will work.
View attachment 2206065

Seems like a solid plan to me pepps🌶️!! That’s some good looking soil, nice and fluffy👍

 

[Tpmetal]

If you have access to a good mulch that matches the ph of the plants needs you can achieve the no weeds as well as adding good nutrients and fungal colonies. The key is have a 6 to 8 inch deep layer. So obviously you need a cheap source, and you must not use any bagged or dyed mulches as they will harm the plants or not have the same goodies needed.

 

[robertk]

I put 2 layers of ground paper down.
(Organically certification)

What ground paper are you using? How well does it work and how long does it last? The weed barrier we use (for landscaping, not usually the garden) doesn't look like that and honestly doesn't work all that great. It seems like things that let water through also let the weeds through.

 

[pepperj]

What ground paper are you using? How well does it work and how long does it last? The weed barrier we use (for landscaping, not usually the garden) doesn't look like that and honestly doesn't work all that great. It seems like things that let water through also let the weeds through.

This might the same product.
I'll take a photo of the make tomorrow to make sure.

Organic WeedGuard Plus

Our 100% biodegradable organic paper mulch provides effective weed control during your plant’s vital establishment period. Letting air and water penetrate while promoting strong and early growth, this helpful growing aid reduces water waste and bloc

www.veseys.com

 

[pepperj]

This might the same product.
I'll take a photo of the make tomorrow to make sure.

Organic WeedGuard Plus

Our 100% biodegradable organic paper mulch provides effective weed control during your plant’s vital establishment period. Letting air and water penetrate while promoting strong and early growth, this helpful growing aid reduces water waste and bloc

www.veseys.com

The thing is keeping the edges down. I did mulch last year and the turkey ripped it all over the place.
It would of been eaten if she wasn't sitting on a nest.
I tried dirt one year, but the paper just decomposed under the dirt layer. Then the wind blew the uncovered paper up.
8 ft T bars work well.
So hence the chicken wire.
2 layers of paper, as our friend says she gets a few seasons out of it then.

 

[pepperj]

Should arrive tomorrow, so no playing around.
Need to make some more beds.

 

[pepperj]

This is some greenhouse frames I bought off my tractor mechanic last summer.
Should be a 20x50-60ft hoop house when it's done this year.

I have now a mig welder to weld what ever I need together.

 

[robertk]

Should arrive tomorrow, so no playing around.
Need to make some more beds.

I've never had much luck growing onions, other than green onions. The rest never get bigger than a golf ball.

 

[pepperj]

I've never had much luck growing onions, other than green onions. The rest never get bigger than a golf ball.

Carrots are my nemesis. Seems like either extreme heat, or a thunderstorm takes place during germination period.

 

[robertk]

Carrots are my nemesis.

Oh yeah. Those too.

 

[pepperj]

Oh yeah. Those too.

Sometimes I get a crop, but every year.

 

[ncsuwolf]

We’ve al

What ground paper are you using? How well does it work and how long does it last? The weed barrier we use (for landscaping, not usually the garden) doesn't look like that and honestly doesn't work all that great. It seems like things that let water through also let the weeds through.

weve always used 2-3 pages of newspaper. Followed by straw. The folds in the newspaper tear easily and you can slide them right around the stem of the plant.

 

[Tpmetal]

I've never had much luck growing onions, other than green onions. The rest never get bigger than a golf ball.

Two factors for onions to get larger. Loose sandy/loamy soil and second is they are heavy feeders needing plenty of nitrogen early on to produce enough foliage to support a bigger bulb

 

[robertk]

Two factors for onions to get larger. Loose sandy/loamy soil and second is they are heavy feeders needing plenty of nitrogen early on to produce enough foliage to support a bigger bulb

Both could be issues in my garden, for sure. The nitrogen should be good (composted chicken house refuse is pretty miraculous as a fertilizer), but the soil is pretty dense. I'm working on that, adding compost and organic material, but it's gonna take a while. I'm fairly convinced that our garden soil was actually subsoil from when the basement was dug and it just got spread out across the yard. Lots of improvement to be done. But everywhere I dig this year, there are earthworms. I take that as a good sign.

 

[ncsuwolf]

Both could be issues in my garden, for sure. The nitrogen should be good (composted chicken house refuse is pretty miraculous as a fertilizer), but the soil is pretty dense. I'm working on that, adding compost and organic material, but it's gonna take a while. I'm fairly convinced that our garden soil was actually subsoil from when the basement was dug and it just got spread out across the yard. Lots of improvement to be done. But everywhere I dig this year, there are earthworms. I take that as a good sign.

My garden was in fact fill dirt. Kept finding saprolite and round rocks when id till it and dig holes. 2 years ago detecting the back yard I found a pbr can down about 18”. They had filled in a low spot in my backyard with subsoil, now I have the privilege to try to make it grow. When we bought house the pH was 3.9 in the yard.

 

[Tpmetal]

Both could be issues in my garden, for sure. The nitrogen should be good (composted chicken house refuse is pretty miraculous as a fertilizer), but the soil is pretty dense. I'm working on that, adding compost and organic material, but it's gonna take a while. I'm fairly convinced that our garden soil was actually subsoil from when the basement was dug and it just got spread out across the yard. Lots of improvement to be done. But everywhere I dig this year, there are earthworms. I take that as a good sign.

I hear ya, I live on a hill that has 4 inches of top soil then the rest is clay and rock. Every time I start a new bed I have to use a ton of compost, peat moss, and other organic materials. Even then the bed takes a couple years to really turn into something decent.

 

[pepperj]

Typically when homes are built, the site preparation begins.
Strip off the organic layer down to the mineral soil. Big housing developments one can see the large organic piles of dirt.

Build house, throw debris in back, bury with sand/sub straight soil, top with a low grade soil. (Enough to grow grass)

Bring in the screening plant, process the organic soil to a high value product.

Now the work begins to right the wrong, getting fertility back into the soils to grow our food.