The SFG of Eden (MD that is)

While I don't have the established garden that is the "toybox" I wanted to share some first year experiences and insights as I go along. Hope nobody minds. And if you do .... just go on to the next thread - LOL.

Been working really hard on getting things ready to roll. Found a local lumber yard where I picked up 2x6s and have the first 3 beds built. Gonna be a bit short because they weren't 8ft they were studs which actually only measure 92" instead of 96" but what the heck a couple of inches isn't gonna kill anything. Not going to be able to do the MM because of cost, but I am digging as deep as I can in the existing soil, removing as much of the roots as possible, and adding peat and manure to it to condition it up. Back breaking - but I can do about 1 bed a day this way so I should be ready come the beginning of April.

Got a 36 gallon black plastic trash can at Lowes for $13 to use as a compost bin. Gonna get holes drilled hopefully tomorrow and transfer the little scrap can I have as well as some of the naturally decomposed grass piles left from last fall.

My herbs are coming up in their little peat pellets, and things are rocking and rolling. Pic's of the setup soon I hope.

Have fun with your garden! Otherwise it is just another job

Windrider, sounds like you are really on a roll there. Keep it up.

windrider1967 wrote:Have fun with your garden! Otherwise it is just another job

You are absolutely right!

I don't know how much building I will be able to do in the next few days - was helping my hubby on the new bed frame we are building and tangled with a dremel. He was cutting the front out for the drawer and my finger got in the way. took off about half my fingernail and a large slice of my middle left finger. Wrapped it up and sucked it up - but does it ever hurt. Prob need stitches, but gonna give it a shot on its own.

OUCH!!!! There must be something in the air... I accidentally took off the end of a fingertip with a big knife a couple weeks ago. In my case, there was nothing to sew up... the end was cut clean off, and too small to sew on. I just tried to keep it clean and some antibiotic ointment under the bandage. (I failed to use some on the initial pressure bandage...and when it dried out and stuck on hard, I had to rip it off. Even with soaking first... YIPES! )

Oh holy heck.....that makes my ache all over just reading it...both you and Megan. Man Alive! Sending healing vibes your way.....

middlemamma wrote:Oh holy heck.....that makes my ache all over just reading it...both you and Megan. Man Alive! Sending healing vibes your way.....

Thanks. Took some tylenol 3 w codine so I am not feeling much of anything right now. Looks NASTY, but put neosporin and re wrapped it. Hubby kept saying he was sorry when it was MY finger that got in the way of HIS tool. I'm gonna glove up and get back to work tomorrow weather willing

Do be careful tomorrow. Aside from the pain factor, the LAST thing you need is to get garden dirt into an open wound. If you haven't had a tetanus booster lately, you might want to think about doing so.

UPDATE:

Looks like I will lose a chunk of the finger because the dremel blade chopped under the skin so it is attached at the top and bottom, but not in the middle. Soaking in peroxide and keeping well covered w neosporin and wrapped. Should be ok. Raining like cats and dogs so the building and soil prep will have to wait at least for today.

ON TO THE GARDEN:

I realized I was thinking like a row gardener in a box (is that anything like a jack in the box?) I planned single boxes of each plant, planted at weekly intervals. NO MORE. I split the boxes into weekly plantings instead. Basically planting salad gardens weekly until it is time for the tomatoes and peppers to go in, then splitting into 2 plantings 2 weeks apart.

PLAN AS IT LOOKS NOW:





And before everyone hollers about the corn planted only on the outside squares - the three sisters planting will be vine crop in the middle of the box and 1 corn in each square with a companion bean/pea.

I also have single plantings of melons and squash that will not be boxed. At least for this year

Well it looks like I may lose part of the nail and a good chunk of the finger, but not too bad as far as it could been - can type again at least.

No garden work done today - we are a SWAMP, tho my strawberries are loving it. Did some planning - supplies still needed, planting dates and rotations etc ... Hubby thinks 16 tomato plants are too many. I guess I could drop it down to 10 - 1 for each person, and put in the extra as paste/sauce tomatoes. Still debating that.

Hopefully tomorrow will be dry enough I can finish building the beds at least .... we'll see. Gotta get up at 4 to drop hubby off for an out of town training - so I think it is bedtime. Good dreams everyone - lots of veggies and "subliminal" garden advice sinking in!

Please do take care of yourself and keep that wound cleaned out. I hear you on the typing thing!

We are completely swamped here and had the added entertainment factor of tornado warnings tonight. But in the end it was all just very heavy rain for us...thank goodness!

Goodnight, and happy veggie dreams!

Looks like all but one of the strawberries are going to make it. Fresh growth and leaves are coming up. Spinach is popping its little heads up and garlic shoots are showing as well. All the herbs are starting to sprout in my greenhouse trays. Looks like a good start to the season.

Gonna try and get the rest of the beds built today. For anyone out there with friends or relatives in Japan, I hope they are all well. The odd weather patterns, earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanos are almost making me into a prophesy theorist. Gonna definatly stock up on some seeds, just in case LOL

No relatives in Japan, but my extended family in Philippines dodged the bullet and were not in the tsunami zone.

Kay

Well the bed frame is done and IN. God does it make a difference.

Had a few minutes to snap a couple of pics with the iPod.

Strawberries are coming up out front



Spinach starting to pop it's little heads out



My herbs are starting to say hello also



Nice to actually see something starting to grow ! Even if I can't take a straight pic to save my life

Nice sprouts! (And congratulations on the bed frame!)

My iPhone rotates pictures when I don't want or expect it to, also. I think it's an OS problem, but, don't know.

Hope your finger is doing better. I know you are glad the frame for the bed is finished and installed. No more missing a good night's sleep.

Cute little sprouts too!

Thanks.

Yes the finger is feeling MUCH better. Still hurts if I catch it just right, but not too bad. No infection either, luckily.

The bed frame looks HOT! Gonna have to drop a pic up tomorrow - looks almost store bought. Hubby is good like that.

And yes the sprouts are cute, first year starting indoors, usually just buy seedlings, when I have bothered to garden at all. Have some alpine strawberries I am getting ready to start and Virginia smoking tobacco that i am gonna sprout for gifts at the Pow Wows this season.

Good night all

WOW the bed slept like a dream !!!!! Laid down and I was OUT! Haven't slept that good in a long time.

Looks like I am gonna have to step up the box building and garden prep. Out 10 day outlook shows lows in the hi 30s overnight and mid to hi 50s with some 60s. I don't want to go too nuts in case it drops back down - but I am hoping we are through the worst of it for the year.

I hope you are right, but in years past, March and April have been the worst of winter....

Next stack of boxes ready to move:



Last year we planted cherry tomatoes on the side of the house (don't ask why - bad sun and they never really got beyond green)



And I got a nice suprise when I was walking around today



I must have a dozen little free seedlings coming up. One reason my hubby likes to let part of the harvest go back to the earth the first year. Gonna let them get a bit bigger then CAREFULLY transplant them to peat pots for eventual movement to the regular garden. YAY

A little bit of light frost this morning, and I forgot to cover the strawberries, we'll hope no damage done. I did add a 3x3 out front for my garden herbs. I refuse to go all the way up the street for a few clippings for dinner.

Think I may try and get another bed dug in today. I am adding 2 bags of cow manure to the existing soil and am a bit confused on the peat moss. Saw a few references here that said not to use peat if you are using manure. I think I need SOMETHING to lighten things up tho and can't afford verm or perlite this year.

Here's to a hopefully warm day like yesterday.

I did not cover my strawberries at all this year, I was kind of hoping that I would lose them and get to start over, I need to add more soil and am dreading digging them up and replanting. They did fine, but then even though we had a colder than usual winter, and almost broke the record for snowfall in one season, I'm in NE TX so we had some warmer weather in between. We woke up to rain and a temp of 69, which is supposed to be our high today, it's so muggy out, my face hurts. Looks like a seed starting day inside today for me. I hope you get warmth and sunshine!!!!

Well - it has been a day. Took up the next set of boxes to Sherri's to set them in place and get at least one dug in, since I am not gonna be able to do MM this year. Took a flat head shovel and "marked" around the edges of the box so I knew where to dig. Figured I'd get smart and pull the sod off, knock down the roots and then dress out and turn what was there. I have 1 INCH of topsoil on top of sand. Drainage definatly shouldn't be a major problem - LOL. I was gonna do 2 bags of manure in each box - think I may have to go to 3 to get ANYTHING resembling soil. I did pull it out and mix as much as I could out of the box and then dropped it back in - cause rain is looming.

I know I am gonna have to break all the SFG rules this year - other than boxes and grids and do some severe fertalization. Miracle Grow here I come.

On the plus side looks like the strawberry I thought wasn't gonna make it has been growing UNDER the weed fabric. I teased out the stalk and dropped the fabric back underneath, so we will hope.

Don't beat yourself up.

The original SFG book used the boxes and grids with amended soil. You do with what you have.

LOL not beating myself up - just beating myself up with the digging involved. OUCH

Well we got down to 30 last night and it is still only 43. I may get out later to work on digging me some soil out back in the woods to put in the garden. Dragging by the bucketful does not thrill me, but you do what you need to.