Mark In Idaho

Hello all in the Northwest High Country!  Idaho Falls here.

New to SFG but have seven of eight overbuilt beds done and just finished breaking and leveling ground.  The beds are 4' x 4' and 12 inches deep. After a search of the local garden centers and nurseries for the elements to mix my own soil I've decided to have a local garden center deliver their "raised bed mix".  Should have the beds down, leveled and filled this weekend and start planting as soon as possible after. Pictures to follow.

Looking forward to seeing and hearing about other high cool country gardens.

 from a low hot country gardener.  Looking forward to your pics.

Hi Mark. Welcome from Atlanta, GA!

I too look forward to your pics.

Have you read the All New SFG (2nd Edition)? What are you going to be growing?

countrynaturals wrote: from a low hot country gardener.  Looking forward to your pics.

I was stationed at Travis AFB, near Fairfield Vacaville. Always liked it when we could make a drive through Redding. Disappointed I never saw Bigfoot though!

AtlantaMarie wrote:Hi Mark.  Welcome from Atlanta, GA!

I too look forward to your pics.

Have you read the All New SFG (2nd Edition)?  What are you going to be growing?

I've been reading it.  Read the original version too. My wife likes to can so I imagine a lot of cukes as her and her sisters' favorite is pickles.  I'd like to get some daikon radishes and carrots pickled for sushi!  Had pretty good success last year with zucchini tomatoes and potatoes.  We're all looking to try some low carb options so maybe a rutabaga, parsnip and turnip or two.

Weather is being fickle, beautiful all week and as I have tomorrow off... Rain and even some flurries maybe!  Tough seeing some folks talking about trellising zucchini already!

My official Welcome!

[/quote]
I've been reading it.  Read the original version too. My wife likes to can so I imagine a lot of cukes as her and her sisters' favorite is pickles.  I'd like to get some daikon radishes and carrots pickled for sushi!  Had pretty good success last year with zucchini tomatoes and potatoes.  We're all looking to try some low carb options so maybe a rutabaga, parsnip and turnip or two.

Weather is being fickle, beautiful all week and as I have tomorrow off... Rain and even some flurries maybe!  Tough seeing some folks talking about trellising zucchini already![/quote]

I've thankfully had the opportunity to read all of them. Thank goodness Mel made it easier for us as he went...

There are several of us on here that do canning. I didn't see tomatoes listed..... or is that just a given, lol?

I've been reading it.  Read the original version too. My wife likes to can so I imagine a lot of cukes as her and her sisters' favorite is pickles.  I'd like to get some daikon radishes and carrots pickled for sushi!  Had pretty good success last year with zucchini tomatoes and potatoes.  We're all looking to try some low carb options so maybe a rutabaga, parsnip and turnip or two.

Weather is being fickle, beautiful all week and as I have tomorrow off... Rain and even some flurries maybe!  Tough seeing some folks talking about trellising zucchini already![/quote]

I've thankfully had the opportunity to read all of them.  Thank goodness Mel made it easier for us as he went...

There are several of us on here that do canning.  I didn't see tomatoes listed.....  or is that just a given, lol?

[/quote]
  Definitely tomatoes are a given! Along with the standard veg! Friday 4/14, I got 8 of my, I'll call them primary, 4 x 8 beds set and the raised bed soil delivered and in two beds.  It snowed and sleeted on me on and off the whole day.  Then when I was too tail draggin' dog tired to go on, it clears up!  My oldest son and I got the remaining beds filled Saturday. Now I am going to build two 1 foot x 6 foot beds for cukes and maybe melons and three 4 foot x 8 foot to grow three sisters and cover crops. Still six weeks out from last frost but feel like I'm way behind this year!

Saturday my oldest son and I got the beds filled with soil and the volunteer onions in a bed. Not the best pics, a Quaky Ash tree is in the perfect spot to block the ladder I was on but I think you get the idea. Where the pup is standing is where two more 8 foot by 4 foot beds are going.   Then I want to put a couple of 2 foot by 8 foot beds across the top.  Then strawberry towers along the sides.

Radishes and peas just poking up! Gotta get some cover over them now!

Mine are poking up too.  They should be pretty cold hardy at this point.
 

We're supposed to get low 30's tonight, rain stopped so I'm heading out to cover them!

Some here...radishes up, and maybe a turnip?  And leaves:  kale, spinaches, lettuces chard...Everything else, no.  Too cold

The peas and favas seem to be a little reluctant to wake up. And the carrots, they aren't up yet.  Supposed to be sunny and in the 70s for a few days, maybe that'll coax 'em up!

My son did me a "solid" and put the seedlings out on the south open porch.  After I made my garden rounds, I went over to where the flat was and several were droopin'  pretty good.  I rushed them into the house and gave them a drink, hope they bounce back. Not sure when he put them out but one poor lil' 'mater looked pretty cooked.  Time for a lesson, seedlings need to be introduced gradually to the outside world.

Got quite a bit in the beds and a cold front is moving through! Back down to the 30's with rain and sustained 25 MPH winds. Covered what I could and hope the others are hardened off enough to weather the weather!

Instead of working the garden I decided to build a soil sifter.  Measured not once, but twice, then just to be sure thrice! Then cut two pieces that were supposed to be 37 1/2 inches and one came out 36 inches and the other 33 inches. Quit in disgust for the afternoon and am still scratching my puzzler on it! Always tomorrow I guess. Really wanted to get it done and a potato bed sifted and filled!

Measure, mark, read directions twice, three times, and we all still have a story to tell.

I got the sifter box built so I can use it.  It needs a frame to use properly but I can get that done at my leisure.  Now I can sift some compost and soil for the potato bed!

sanderson wrote:Measure, mark, read directions twice, three times, and we all still have a story to tell.

I wood work like my mom cooks. Receipts for her are the jumping off point, then it's a free for all but it all turns out good.   For me plans are the general idea. I usually get the idea from a plan then follow a saw around the garage til what I had in mind comes to fruition.  Yesterday I carefully laid everything out, checked it several times before cutting, who knows how I messed it up. Today was better.

I was in your neighborhood this weekend grumping at the weather. Driving home Sunday after the storm cleared out the Tetons sure were pretty!

Turan wrote:I was in your neighborhood this weekend grumping at the weather.  Driving home Sunday after the storm cleared out the Tetons sure were pretty!

Been a crazy week! Temps up and down, frost and wind. There's an old saying about being as busy as a cat trying to cover something on a marble floor.  That's been me covering and uncovering the beds! Just got in from covering them again!

Were you in Idaho Falls or nearby?

Yeah those Tetons! In the morning on my commute I get to see the sun come up over the Grand. Friend of mine keeps offering me a job in St Louis.  Tempting to go back to be near the home folks but man oh MAN I love it out here.

We were two nights in Idaho Falls. We tried to play at the Ammon Scottish Fest but it got rain/snowed out, after a couple hours standing around trying to keep our hands warm enough to play an instrument.

Turan wrote:We were two nights in Idaho Falls.  We tried to play at the Ammon Scottish Fest but it got rain/snowed out, after a couple hours standing around trying to keep our hands warm enough to play an instrument.  

Neat! I didn't hear about the fest.  A lot of organizations and what have you are really good at letting you know what a fun time you MISSED around here!

Are you a piper?