Author Topic: Fritz's garden 2020 (Read 30715 times)

fritz_monroe · « **on:** March 24, 2020, 04:13:28 PM »

It's been a couple of years since I did anything with my garden. I decided that with the extra time at home, I'd get it back into shape. There are several trees that I have to dig out. I'm also going from raised beds back into the ground. Mainly because it's easier to keep the rest of the area cared for without having to worry about the beds.

Here's a shot of what I'm starting with. All those vines are mile a minute weed. It's come into my area with a vengeance.

Hopefully the new image hosting works for me. Let me know if you can't see the image.

LvsChant · « **Reply #1 on:** March 24, 2020, 06:15:08 PM »

The image hosting is working well... looking forward to seeing the progress.

bigbear · « **Reply #2 on:** March 24, 2020, 09:32:20 PM »

Yay! I enjoyed looking at your thread a few years ago. Looking forward to seeing it again!

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #3 on:** March 26, 2020, 03:18:58 PM »

Here's the progress so far. Tuesday I dug out 2 trees, but really didn't have a game plan. Yesterday was rain all day, so no progress then. But I did decide that I needed to plan what I was doing.

Game plan:
1. clear the brush
2. take up the old rotting bed borders
3. cut the thorn bushes and trees growing up through the fence, dig out the trees
4. dispose of the debris
5. till the area

So here's my progress today. I was able to clear out the brush and take up the rotting bed borders.

Here's a couple of shots of the garden area, just 2 different angles.

And here's the brush and other debris I took up. I wish I could get away with just dragging it to a different part of the yard to let it rot. But the wife is not having that.

Hopefully tomorrow I'll get that huge thorn bush and the rest of the trees cut and the dig out a tree or 2.

LvsChant · « **Reply #4 on:** March 27, 2020, 10:32:23 AM »

Nice progress... and perfect timing for a spring garden, right?

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #5 on:** March 27, 2020, 04:37:57 PM »

Third day, not a huge impact. I did take down most of a huge thorn bush and several trees, before I had chainsaw issues.

Wife suggested that since the garden beds are nicely defined, we could just redo the beds. The soil in them is great, I filled the boxes with straight compost, so it's good stuff. I may do that this year so I can continue working the area throughout the season.

Stwood · « **Reply #6 on:** March 28, 2020, 09:03:49 AM »

Good to see someone else gardening.
Our cleanup is hampered today due to rain again.Wife did get some carrots and lettuce planted in a raised bed yesterday.

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #7 on:** April 12, 2020, 05:49:34 PM »

New update. I didn't get a lot of work done on the garden this week. I was hoping to get the trees pulled out, but the rain and wind kept me in the house more than I wanted to be.

However, back in the Fall, I picked up a tow behind tiller off of Craigslist. Great deal, but it hadn't been run for about 3 years. I cleaned it up and today ran it in the garden for the first time. It really saved physical effort, but did not cut down all that much time. The first tilling took me over 2 hours.

Here's the start of the tilling. Can really see the previous garden beds.

And here's the garden after the first tilling session. Still can see the previous garden beds. I was able to really break up the ground, but I need to hit the whole thing with a rake to level it all out. Then hit it with the tiller again.

My work is on a split schedule for COVID-19. Last week was my "off" week. Tomorrow I go back to work.

LvsChant · « **Reply #8 on:** April 14, 2020, 02:54:33 PM »

Looking good, Fritz. Love those flowering trees...

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #9 on:** April 14, 2020, 05:01:36 PM »

Right pink one is a crab apple. Left I don't know. Little white ones are native plums.

I absolutely love this Magnolia in my side yard. A shame it can't look like this all year, but it's good for about 2 weeks a year.

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #10 on:** April 18, 2020, 06:21:53 PM »

Back to my "off" week. Got home last night and dug out a couple of the trees in the garden. Then got chased out by the rain. Today I was going to keep working the garden, but it was too muddy in the morning and by afternoon it got really windy. I can deal with cold, I can deal with hot. I can't deal with wet or windy, today was both.

Just a shot of what I'm dealing with. My own fault, I should not have skipped keeping the garden producing..

Stwood · « **Reply #11 on:** April 18, 2020, 06:44:05 PM »

Mmmm yea......a backhoe in there would make that easy.
Your manual hoe takes more effort

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #12 on:** April 18, 2020, 09:15:40 PM »

Yeah, I could as my neighbor to pull these out with either his FEL or his skid steer, but I like to keep my requests to the minimum. He already plows the 500' shared driveway and had moved 5 ton of stone for me. These just take some back work.

He absolutely would do it for me, but I don't want to abuse the friendship.

He's also told me that I can use his tractors and skid steer, but that's not gear that I'm comfortable borrowing.

Stwood · « **Reply #13 on:** April 19, 2020, 11:38:53 AM »

Understand that.

I have a rancher neighbor who owns property in front and behind us that I request his use of one of his tractors sometimes, mainly to lift/load something.
I return the favors by loaning tools, or working on something. Last year I helped him with rebuilding a hyd cylinder.

Works out well. He's plowed our garden, I've disked/tilled his garden.
They bring over lettuce, we throw back zucchini's....tomatoes.......

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #14 on:** April 19, 2020, 02:18:45 PM »

Well the trees have all been dug out and I tilled the garden. There's lots of debris in the soil, so I'll need to do a bunch of raking. I will likely till it once more before I plant. Since I let it go for as long as I did, there's lots of roots all throughout. I also have to get it broken up a little more.

My wife worked her butt off taking down all the crap growing up through the fence.

Here's the trees that I dug out.

And a couple of shots of the tilled garden.

A different angle.

LvsChant · « **Reply #15 on:** April 21, 2020, 05:46:32 PM »

Looks good, Fritz. Looks like nice soil...

Stwood · « **Reply #16 on:** April 21, 2020, 06:52:55 PM »

Yes. You have any rocks?

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #17 on:** April 21, 2020, 09:16:46 PM »

This area was the area that the previous owner had his garden. I still have to pull rocks, but not all that many. Just about all the rocks are soap stone.

As for the soil, when we moved in 10 years ago, I built 16 beds. I filled them with compost from the county yard waste recycle center. So that's why the soil is so dark. I plan on putting down a couple of yards of compost each year and tilling it in.

Stwood · « **Reply #18 on:** April 21, 2020, 10:06:27 PM »

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #19 on:** April 22, 2020, 02:45:07 PM »

Clean up continues. Garden itself is looking good, but still have all the trees and stuff I've taken out. I've made 3 trips to the yard waste facility so far. This trailer is #4 and there's at least 1 trailer worth of debris to take.

But boy are my muscles sore. Lots of work.

Stwood · « **Reply #20 on:** April 22, 2020, 03:13:45 PM »

A small affordable chipper would be nice for those times.
I've often thought of getting one.

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #21 on:** April 22, 2020, 06:08:53 PM »

Quote from: Stwood on April 22, 2020, 03:13:45 PM

A small affordable chipper would be nice for those times.
I've often thought of getting one.

I've thought of it, but in all honesty, I doubt I'd use it. My wife wants mulch on a lot of stuff, but seems to think that buying bags of it from Home Depot is the only way to get quality mulch. I picked up a trailer load of mulch from a "forestry products" place in town and spread it over the 1 flower garden. When thistle popped up 2 months later she came to the conclusion that it must have been that mulch, not that she hadn't weeded her flower garden for those 2 months.

LvsChant · « **Reply #22 on:** April 23, 2020, 05:48:36 AM »

A chipper is on our wishlist... I'd like to use all that tree debris for composting.

Stwood · « **Reply #23 on:** April 23, 2020, 07:28:22 AM »

Yes. I've got enough limbs out back from cutting 12 cords of wood to have mulch for a couple of years. Just need a chipper.

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #24 on:** April 25, 2020, 03:15:13 PM »

We've had a lot of rain, so I have to wait for some things. In my area, most of my planting is in May. I didn't do any cold weather crops since I really didn't think I'd be ready for them.

It certainly doesn't look like I did a lot of work, but my back says otherwise. I laid out the 3 long rows, they are about 50' long. I raked 2 of them into a hill, but my back couldn't handle the 3rd.

Just a shot of the mounded rows.

From a different angle.

I should end up with 3 more rows that are about 35' and 3 that are just 20'. I'll make the garden bigger next year, but can't do that this year. It will be about 65' long by about 30'. I'm not sure exactly what I'll do to take out the grass, but am thinking of using plastic over it to kill off the grass. I think it's called solarizing, but not sure.

Stwood · « **Reply #25 on:** April 25, 2020, 05:54:35 PM »

Yes. Cover with black plastic.

Lookin good there.

We got rained out. 5-6" last night. Rained and blew. Blew and rained. Low water crossing was out.
My onion bulbs seemed to have survived so far. 4-25' rows. I was concerned the soil would wash away, but I think the rain pounded the bulbs farther in.

Mona · « **Reply #26 on:** April 26, 2020, 05:32:47 AM »

It's a great start and if you can't plant jet anyway there is no reason to kill your back!
Do you start your plants inside or straight in the ground?

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #27 on:** April 26, 2020, 02:37:13 PM »

I have several previous years garden threads. I've been away from doing a lot of gardening for a couple of years. I always started everything from seed inside, but I'll be doing a lot of store bought plants this year.

LvsChant · « **Reply #28 on:** April 28, 2020, 10:04:28 AM »

It's looking great, Fritz

fritz_monroe · « **Reply #29 on:** April 28, 2020, 05:08:03 PM »

So this isn't actually gardening, but I added a Mason Bee box to the yard. I used to have honeybees, but just didn't keep the interest. Mason bees are much lower upkeep. Here's hoping I have a lot in the area. I plan on adding several other boxes to the yard, but this is a start.

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Author Topic: Fritz's garden 2020 (Read 30715 times)