#garden planning

[leebrontide]

Ok might have to have a rethink about hydrangeas. This “Eclipse” variety is one dramatic goth plant.

[fuckithomestead]

Garden Planning Seminar

Hey folks!

Seedtime (who I am affiliated with) is planning a 3-day garden planning seminar/workshop from April 2-4. It is a virtual seminar too, so no worries about having to go anywhere. It is completely free, and even though the webpage for the seminar looks like an early 2000s HTML insanity, they are a great company, and their planning website is really useful. The link to sign up for the seminar is HERE

The seminar is designed to help you build your produce garden from scratch, so is great for people just starting out.

They are live sessions (that will also be recorded for later reference) and have Q&A sessions after each session in case you have specific scenarios you want to discuss.

The seminar will also discuss how to set your garden up for "Perpetual Harvesting" for the Spring, Summer, and Fall, so that you can have fresh produce until the Winter comes.

When you sign up for the link, you'll also get a free account with their garden planning website that tells you when and how to plant different plants depending on where you live, garden planning worksheets, and a task list for your garden.

Once again, the link is HERE if anyone wants to sign up!

[thestudentfarmer]

Smallish post for the moment, to reply to some questions and comments made on prior posts :)

I've been asked a few times over the last couple of months about where I live as well as the grow seasons in my area.

I'm in a fairly populated area of the US, largely in usda grow zone 9-10.

Where I'm at in particular doesn't get snow, but further upstate does. (Those areas can't grow yr round, not without some adjustment such as greenhouses.)

Technically, I can grow almost all yr round. But once the Temps start hitting 100*f regularly it's too hot for us and most plants stop flowering or fruiting (pollen starts getting damaged at 95*f, but multiple 100*f days is bad for both plants and most pollinators) so we end up just letting what can struggle along till its cooler or we take everything up and solarise (Personally i Iet the plants that'll grow grow, keeps the soils covered, where it belongs and gives a fresh food source for my chickens that isnt trucked in everytime.)

In winter, we do get cold, but not too many frost days. When we do have frost days, often I can toss a few thin blankets over most crops at night and be good till the next day. If I only plant winter crops, I don't even need to do that.

I also do not follow a lot of the planting guides available. I often use them as a rough draft (like starting tomatoes in pots/grow cells in November around Thanksgiving. So their ready to be planted around valentines day).

Side note, 🌱🌱🌱🌱🌻🌻🌻 If your looking into starting gardening or farming and are in the USA, I 1000% would say check with your local county extension office or county extension ag office. Some of the larger state collages as well have offices dedicated to answering plant questions. You don't even have to be in the same state

I've asked for help with potatoes through 3 different counties (including the state I live in) each one has given valuable info, advice and several different answers. They are amazing resources if you don't have someone to buddy up with!

Sadly, I cannot give much info for such programs outside the states as im unknowledged in the possible resource shares. I believe most countries do have a similar equivalent though. 🌻🌻🌻🌱🌱🌱

Because I'm in an urban area (surrounded by neighbors and city), it does mess with the microclimate a bit. This means some crops do way better at different times than expected.

For examples, armenian cucumbers do great yr round.

Regular cucumbers? Only winter/fall. I don't grow them much, though cause they've tasted terrible.

Carrots are more a fall crop here and are much tastier and sweeter. Spring/summer carrots are hit or miss. Edible but less enjoyable.

Spinich? Haven't had any luck in either season yet. Either in ground or in raised bed or pots.

Regular potatoes? Soils too hard in the ground and the raised beds I've tried so far get too dry or too wet. :'( next try i intend to try a raised row/straw method.

Sweet potatoes? Vines grew and flourished well throughout the whole summer! I've yet to see what the spud harvest will look like yet, but I've gotten around 10 lbs of greens, plus a few pounds of vines that the chickens demolish quite eagerly. To me, that's a win, plus the vines trellis easily and can double as a nice shade structure when trained on trellis.

@oh-he-grows carrot seeds do smell fantastic! I was quite suprised how nice they smelled! Tbh I've been a little interested in collecting some umbells before they open next time and seeing if I might infuse some olive oil for a soap batch.

@tinyshe Thank you for your encouraging words! I hope as well to encourage more people to look into growing gardens, saving seeds, doing more small scale things to eventually make a positive difference for future and current generations :)

And to wrap up today a lil appearance from two of our lovely gals :)

🌻🌻🌻 Happy Homesteading🌱🌱🌱

10 8 2023

[artificial-condition]

Finished filling the new raised bed!

I mixed compost, peat moss, potting soil, vermiculite, perlite, and zeolite to make the soil. I might top it off with more compost later :)

[bumblebeeappletree]

Whatever sort of garden you have planned, it’s worth taking a step back and considering an overall plan before you get started. Take the time to observe the surrounds and get to know the site - this helps you decide what to plant and where.

Draw up a basic plan with the house and the features that you want to keep. You can measure it properly or just step it out. Think about the main factors that affect how and where plants grow:

- Sun: Think about how the sun moves across your space, and how that changes in different seasons. Where can you sit in the sun and where can you enjoy some shade?

Plants will also need different amounts of sun, with veggies and fruit trees needing at least six hours a day.

It’s good to have herbs in a sunny spot near the house.

You can always add a pergola with climbing plants to create some more shade.

- Terrain: How flat is your land? If it’s sloping, do you need retaining walls or simply a few steps?

- Water: Consider how water falls to the lowest spot - is flooding an issue? Can you use these low spots to grow thirsty plants instead?

- Soil: There are basic tests you can do to check how much sand or clay is in the soil, to get an idea of how well it will drain and hold nutrients. Testing for pH will also help you make the right plant choices. This can vary in different parts of your garden, so take a few different samples.

When you’ve considered all these elements, you can start to think about how you move around the site.

What parts do you need regular access to for the water meter, to reach the front door, hang out washing, or put out the rubbish bins? Do you need more paths? Different styles of paths and paving create a different feel, from straight and formal to twisting and picturesque, so bear this in mind, too.

Sightlines - do you need to block out fences or neighbours or do you want to enhance a particular view?

When you have all this information, you can enjoy the creative fun of planning your perfect garden.

Filmed on Gadigal & Bidjigal Country in Bronte, NSW

[tragic-cottonball]

Next Spring is in the ground! The rock piles will be dahlias, which I haven't bought yet but will soon.

[tinyshe]

Garden Review 23.07.07

I just about had a heart failure with the grocer bill! Some things are up 300% from a year ago. Real incentive to get those winter garden ideas firmly in the ground! Go! this weekend, there are list being made and goals being set! We are entering desperate times that require desperate measures but with conviction and fortitude that ‘we can do this’.

Most of my rooting/propagation barrel plants can be planted in the earth. I have a few slow poke/secondary rose clippings for the rose tunnel at the farm. Those can be put in smaller pot. In these barrels I will put things that will need some frost protection since they reside on the south side like cut and come again leaf lettuce and maybe peas.

Most everything from the summer garden be struggling except the toms that are lost in the weeds. The potatoes are dying back so there will be a harvest of new potatoes next week (from under the hazel tree row/hedge). Once those are up I will amend the straw and turn. Letting it rest a little before replanting. These potatoes under the hedge grow on the top of a small bed of loose twigs to keep them just a wee bit elevated so they don’t rot and then they grow in the straw bed. Amending the straw lets a slow feeding (in theory) to the plant. Not as productive as the potato barrel but a close contender. I am also trying growing in the shade under the elderberries and alpine strawberries but the night creatures went through a couple of times digging up everything. This was a three tier grow in progress until the night tillers.  The other experiment is worm bin verse hot bed (both just from potato peelings). These I am hoping to get a goodly amount of seed potatoes. My other/last experiment is some seed potatoes that are sitting bare ass in a small pot in partial sun. They are a rich green colour but no ‘eyes’ ... its been almost 4 month!

I’m halfway mortified that my brother is trying to get a visa so see me. It will just be for a 24 hr thing as part of another trip he is on (I’m like a detour). Things are not tiptop and the things are not best ... I bought some plants in a desperate move to have something pretty in case he can swing it... not that a few small plants can hide everything but it was what I did. These poor things need to get in the ground asap! Its another wtf moment. This is why I need pen to hit the paper and stick with the plan or I’ll be flopping all over , not accomplishing anything. Goal. Engage. Execute. GEE

Hens are very displease with me; I’m terrible, the neighbors too loud, there is a shortage of greens, life it intolerable for spoiled chicken-kind so they are showing signs of a strike. If I don’t meet their demands, they will start withholding eggy-kinds for extended periods, not just this small warning strike/face off we are experiencing. Both Bronte and Rossetti come into the coop to scold me when I’m scraping their bounce board. ‘eeEEEErrrRRR! mmmEEErrrrrr? cluck-bockbock!’ (like ‘wtf! get out of our bedroom and fetch the greens, nitwit!). Guilty as charged. I’m a bad chicken mother.

So in closing (because I am now stalling), I wish you all an awesome weekend -- get out and garden or at least be outside and enjoy!

[yardenercom]

How to grow vegetables in 6 simple steps?

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[leebrontide]

Eventually, the front yard will be largely consumed by the dwarf cherry shrubs (Juliete, Romeo and Carmine Jewel, two of each) and a retaining wall (hopefully with planting between stones.)

But, that's several years off. And around that, the main plan is to replace the rather sad grass with some lovely, furry, no-mow fescue

Isn't that lovely? And they're so fine that they ripple in just the faintest bridge, like a Miyazaki landscape. We'll be planting that in the spring, which sadly means I couldn't plant spring bulbs last fall, because the cardboard layering we'll be using to suppress the old grass would have murdered them.

I have some hope of getting poppies in this spring, but we'll see. I dream of a summer yard full of developing cherries and poppies and fescue blowing in the breeze.

Still, I'm dreaming of spring, and so considering what spring bulbs I can plant in the fall, for next spring.

I had bulbs in the old garden, but was never quite satisfied with them. Because I just bought things on impulse because I fancied them. Which is fine! And we had a very casual, mostly-tall-grass-and-wildflowers front yard at the old place, so the colors were all over the place anyways.

This time, I'm aiming for a mix of crimson, deep peach, yellow and a bit of white in the summer, in both the front and back yards, but a more narrowly edited pallet for the spring.

That's because, in the spring, the garden will be visually dominated by cherry, apple, plum and apricot blossoms. Which are all a mix of pink and white.

I don't generally like pink very much. But

I mean, hard to be mad at that after months on end of grey and snow.

So, for my spring bulbs, in the front, I'm working off of a mixture of pink, white, and pale yellow (the house is pale yellow), to offset and work in harmony with my trees blooming.

In order, these are Creme Upstar tulip, Anneline tulip, Charming Lady tulip, Butter and Sugar iris siberica, White Lion daffodil, Cream Beauty Crocus, and Pink Festival hyacinth.

So It’s a little bit precious, a little bit twee, but it will be undeniably dreamy and sweet and fragrant before the summer jewel tones take over. With my primrose lilacs to ease us from one into the other.

Gotta bring as many pollinators to the garden as possible if I want a bumper fruit crop and to support our little creature friends!

[gardenofmydesire]

Gardening Journey: Step by Step Guide for Beginners

Our New Blog "Gardening journey with our simple step-by-step guide for beginners"

Gardening is a rewarding and therapeutic hobby that allows you to connect with nature, create beauty, and cultivate your own green haven. If you’re a beginner eager to start your gardening journey, you’re in the right place! In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to kickstart your gardening adventure, even if you have limited space like a balcony. Step 1: Choose Your…

[shireland-farm]

Don't forget to get your free garden planning page from Seedtime

https://seedtime.us/jkmel4ukl4tonac09iap-5fs-sab?ref=abi77

I've used their garden planning dashboard since it came out and it's absolutely wonderful.

[dunsterhouseblogs]

Small Garden Ideas. Need some help with designing your garden and making the most of your outdoor space? Reading our blog is a good place to start.

[fuckithomestead]

So, progress of today (all while working on steps of bread baking in between working): Saw instagram video about airlayering trees to get mature cuttings Went on rabbit hole of researching airlayering Airlayering mentions putting a topping of compost over newly planted cuttings Start researching compost bins Join several local gardening groups on Facebook Continue researching compost bins Find an organic compost and soil amendment company nearby Research their products They mention bokashi as a composting additive Research bokashi Start comparing bokashi composting to worm composting Order a metric ton of seed catalogs Sign up for soil building class next month Start pondering whether I have room/time/energy to do bokashi, worm, AND traditional composting all at the same time Shake fist at Freyr because I know this hyperfixation is all his fault

[artificial-condition]

Raised bed #2- done ✅

[tragic-cottonball]

Front flower border: spring phase

[julochka365]

23/2.2023 - getting ready for the garden