Kansas Hillbilly Backyard Garden 2013

Drop dead gorgeous.   

Everything looks marvelous!  I really like that bright pink one.  AND the bee staring at you from the milkweed...

what kind of milkweed is the 4th pic? (yellow)

landarch wrote:what kind of milkweed is the 4th pic? (yellow)

Asclepias curassavica  -- pretty easy to find locally, or I could mail you some seeds (or you could stop by this fall). It is getting pretty tall -- almost 4 feet in the full sun areas.

AtlantaMarie wrote:Everything looks marvelous!  I really like that bright pink one.  AND the bee staring at you from the milkweed...

Thanks! I think that is actually a yellow jacket or some type of hornet -- but they leave me and the kids alone -- they're too busy slurping up nectar!

That may be a "hillbilly backyard garden" but that aint no hillbilly camera!

A. curassavica is your first pic...scarlet/tropical/annual milkweed (red and yellow - KC Chiefs colors).  I have some blooming now as well.

I'm asking about your fourth pic down with a yellow flower labeled as milkweed...right after yarrow.

Here's a pic of my milkweeds started from seed that need to get in the ground soon (marsh, scarlet, butterfly, purple).




Here's a pic of a flat of catmint cuttings I started a few weeks ago.

Ahhh, no, that's mislabeled on my part.  I believe that's a coreopsis.  My bad.

I've had a hard time getting my purple milkweed to germinate for some reason, and can't find marsh seeds anywhere.

Also found our first monarch caterpillar the other day.  Haven't seen him since, but imagine he's munching down on milkweed somewhere...

What IS that bright pink one anyway...?

First two on my most recent photo post are zinnias.

Have quickly realized that, in the SFG format, composting is a HUGE necessity.  Replacing nutrients in this intensive gardening is the key to success...sooo, I'm working on some new composting piles.

Got about 40 bags of leaves, some sticks, and grass clippings from around the neighborhood.  Free paper bags (for use as weed barriers on new beds), and a good start to composting.



Made one big pile and kind of mixed it up a little bit.



Seperated into three smaller piles, about 4' x 4' x 4' to begin hot composting.  Watered down every 6" or so.  Measured inside one of the piles this morning, about one foot in, and it measured 110.4*F.  This is less than 12 hours after I made the piles!

Nice leaf score, and I love your automatic "leaf mixers"!

Few pictures below...but first, a summary of the 2014 Garden results.

I quickly learned that not having enough compost on hand was going to be detrimental to my efforts this year.  I'm planning ahead now, in the fall, for 2015.

Tomatoes:.......F....... (late frost stunted them, I believe)
Broccoli:.......F.......(I cannot grow broccoli to save my life)
Bush Beans:.......C.......(did okay, but not as prolific as I thought they would be)
Peas:.......C.......(okay, except the seed I got were not string-less)
Carrots:.......A+.......(my kids threw carrot seeds all over, and they were awesome!)
Peppers:.......B.......(didn't do much until late September, all the way through today -- it'll freeze tomorrow night)
Lettuces:.......B+....... (did good, and got some volunteers coming up now)
Okra:.......C.......(did okay, but got stunted or something - not the big plants I'm used to)
Butterfly Garden:.......B-.......(not bad for the first year, have lots more to plant next year!)

And now for some more pictures...

Peppers in late October, and bunches of them too!



We saved about 40 pounds of carrots and put them in the freezer, and gave away probably another 20 pounds.

Butterfly garden pics...

Nice pics! I especially liked the second to last butterfly one. And that kid's wheelbarrow is cool and looks like it came in handy for your little helpers.

Uh, did anyone notice something unusual in that first photo?

sanderson wrote:Uh, did anyone notice something unusual in that first photo?

Yep, SNAKE.      i DON'T DO SNAKES.

Kay

HAHA!  It's a toy snake that I stole from my kids and use as a decoy in the garden.  It really works well.

35º outside, 150º inside one of the compost piles this morning...this is day two (36 hours in). I love nature!

Wow, and all you put in there was material from the raked leaves? Leaves, grass, small twigs? No manure, coffee grounds, produce?

There's about 1 gallon (miniscule amount) of kitchen scraps in each pile.  I'll be saving some more up and have more when I turn in a few days...but yes, mostly leaves and grass clippings, with the occasional stick.

Plastic snakes work well in blueberry bushes, too, to keep birds, etc. out.  Just have to move them every day.

Turned one of the piles today.  Inside was still 140*F, noticed some nice "whiteness" starting, and definite browning and breaking down of materials on the inside.  Sorry if the pics post sideways -- photobucket and I are not getting along right now.

Inside of the pile.  Nice steam coming off of it.



My 4 year old helper piling things up while my 2 year old helper is, well, not helping somewhere.



Can see the pile I just turned (closest to the camera) versus the other pile started on the same date that isn't turned yet.  Newly turned pile is about 2 feet taller than the other. Nice and fluffy.



Can see unturned pile closest to the camera here, and some "new" water storage barrels - 5 down, 15 to go!

I'm watching this journey. Just thinking . . .can I do something like this for the winter pile