Posted on 05/03/2020 6:55:54 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
problem with berrys is they got thorns, you got to get in there with heavy boots to stomp the cane over and get the good berrys
It’s worth the effort
We grew acres of strawberries its back breaking work
Glad you’re okay.
:)
YAY!!
24x4’ raised bed is 75% finished. Have to put the sides on tomorrow with the repurposed cedar fence planks. The frame is entirely scrap wood....spare lumber I never tossed out.
I have one more this size and a 16x4’ bed to build. Those will be 2x10’ lumber on the sides because I will be all out of cedar boards.
Attempting to start sweet potatoes and red potoes in growing bags. I ordered the darn bags almost 3 months ago and they just showed up! Let’s see how this goes.
My order of Heorloom 55 seeds arrived 2 days ago and my wife thinks I am cheating on her because I have had it next to me in my recliner for the last 2 days.
Unusually beautiful spring weather here in north western California. We did have one day of rain and then it cleared up plus warmer temps then normal. Lady Benders flowering sweetpea seeds have sprouted plus her tomato seeds in the green house. I still have not figured out what my old password for my Fotki account. I could just do a new account but I had a lot of photos in the old one...
You also need full sunlight.
I tried them once and they did not do well because I did not have any places where they could get enough sun. I tried anyways, but not luck.
WOW your view is fabulous where are you??
Thank you for your kind encouragement. There are 3 and a half boxes all told*, and the larger plants are almost 6 weeks old! But I had some help, by the grace of God. For (if may bend your ear) you see it was a very warm day about mid-March, and you know, you just feel like Spring might be on the way, and you are eager to get a head start. So - and wanting to give some of the (pre-COVID captivity) neighborhood city kids outside something to do in the garden plot (as last year) - I showed them how to mark the 20oz cups and fill them 2/3 full with the homemade potting soil, then put 2 seeds in (from last year's crop), separately, and then cover with soil, pat down and then I watered them, and the "nursery workers" took a couple home.
I later took the plants inside, upstairs to sprout, but since I do not have any window to use in a warm room that gets much sun, I used grow lights for about a month. When 2 seedlings come up in one cup, I try to separate one to plant it in a new cup of soil. I also planted a few more.
About 2 weeks ago I put 2 boxes outside in the sun when it was about 53 degrees, but about half of them died, not being hardened off. After that I put the most mature ones in a cool room that gets just a few hours of sun, and they actually grew better than being in a warmer room under grow lights and less sun. Praise God.
* 
Fence begats fence.
Did the perimeter fence and now I want to expand it to include the electric easement and corner of the property so I won't have to mow it. Some of it can't be mowed because of large rocks sticking up. I also need cross fencing. Also need to cut down some trees to bring in more sun and need to clean up brush piles and burn off leaves. The goats are all out of pasture. They're eating stuff as soon as it pops up, keeping it trimmed to lawn height. They came from a pasture situation evidently because they're not into going into the woods. The buck is bolder but sticks with the females. They ventured all the way to the back yesterday because I was out there so they felt safer. I don't see much poison ivy being eaten which is supposed to be a goat's favorite thing. Maybe they like it better when it's more mature. Maybe they don't know what it is. Weird. Last goats we had spent most of their time in the woods. I've seen the buck on his hind legs eating leaves but the does always have their head down like a cow or sheep. I guess they'll come around. Meanwhile the easement plus will give them another acre of pasture and save me mowing. More fence
Obligatory goat pic. Yesterday, all three of them were laying on the hood of the truck on the right, chewing their cud and soaking up some rays
As far as hardiness zones go we would be the equivalent of an American zone 10b. It has never been close to freezing since we moved here in 2016. I can leave my plants outside all winter. They don’t die but they do stop producing pods. The mountains behind us also create a microclimate that keeps the area about 10 degrees warmer than the interior of the country in winter and 10 degrees cooler in summer, so it also rarely gets into the high 90’s but it does stay close to 90 most of the summer with practically no rain between mid May and mid September. We actually chose the area because of the potential views. The weather was just a bonus.
I’m used to growing in Wisconsin - we grew Raspberries commercially for Market for decades. Always added compost, never acidity. It was a lot of work, but lucrative - taking home $3K on a Saturday was FUN, LOL!
However, there are always differing opinions in gardening. ;)
Between the China Flu, being locked down on the farm, missing my Dad and getting my garden in order, I’m losing track of days/time! :)
You are going gangbusters! So glad the Garden Bug bit you!
I’m trying to get him to adopt me! ;)
Great pictures of the goats! Keep ‘em coming!
For those of you who are interested in vegetable gardening, homesteading, foraging, DIY or prepping FReeper Oshkalaboomboom keeps a Knowledge Base of information many of you might find very helpful, especially in trying times.
It is organized in directories with a directory list in each one so you can get the list, see what interests you, skip over what doesn’t then come back and download it to your home, all at no cost other than a polite word of thanks if you find anything useful.
Send him a PM saying that you would like to access the Knowledge Base and he will send you a link with an access code.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.