newbe SFG in Georgia year two

I have really enjoyed my first year garden, even after the arguably less than stellar results. My greatest failure was not using MM, I went cheap and the vegies suffered resulting in a small size. It is true that bugs took their toll due to me not knowing what to do early enough to win out against them. Actually it was a very productive year; much have I learned. In fact my last year's garden is still growing.
This year's upgrades include a new bed with MM, making a total of six 4'x8'x12". I have converted one old bed to MM so now I have 3 beds of MM. I am screening out the bark from the remaining beds of 'natures mix' (the cheap stuff I regret getting) and adding several inches of rabbit poo to 'sweeten' the mixture.
Today the misses and I planted potatoes. Beginning with taking off the top 5 inches of MM, so we can add it back as they grow.

I planted red's that we got from the store that had budded 3 squares @ 4 per.
We purchased 5 pounds each of red and white's planting @ the same rate and spacing. Red's (note the others already covered)
then the white's
All covered waiting to be "hilled", and covered with tulle


I will use this post to document this year's garden as it developes

Good job Pepper. You are about an hour south of me. I plan to plant my potatoes next weekend.

thank ya yolos

large update most things planted Mar 11.
Bed 1 (right to left) 1row(4 squares) rutabaga; 1 rwo purple kohlrabi; 2 rows brussel sprouts( 1 per square because I did not know how to space them; HELP with proper spacing); 1 row broccoli( neighbor gave me).

Bed 2 still has lettuce that has over wintered( when the new comes up this bed will be reconditioned and planted)

Bed 3 on the left are 3 big boy tomatoes, on the right 2 super sweet 100's. Still looking for the varieties to complete, I know I want 2 cherokee purples, leaves 3 more to decide/find. All indeterminates that will be trained to an overhead string trellis.

Bed 4 near half Kentucky Wonder pole beans(3sq deep 4sq long), back half Blue Lake pole beans. I used the same bed as last year planted the same but the bed has been converted to MM.

Bed 5 (the new addition all MM) right to left: 1 row of carrots( for carrot week 2013); next row front 3 sq romaine leaf lettuce,last sq is shallots; second row 3sq red sail lettuce, back sq is radish; third row swish chard 3 sq, back sq is more radish; row 4&5 is loose leaf lettuce mix; row 7&8 is cabbage.

Bed 6 all potato's 3 rows of red pontiac; 2 rows of white 's; and 3 rows of red's. All planted 4 'seed taters' per square. I removed half the MM to plant I will add it back as a "hilling". I am seriously thinking of adding another bed frame on top of this one to continue "hilling" with straw( comments welcome and solicited).

other tater sqs whites

reds covered area to the right back is store bought reds that started sprouting, already covered



More to come. Just praying for the weather to cooperate.

Hi Pepper,

Just wanted to say how awesome your beds look. Everything is so neat, tidy and organized. With everything you are doing at this time, you should be looking at a great harvest this year. Please keep us posted with these pictures as they are an inspiration.

Oops should have proof read better. Bed 5 should have been labeled left to right with the row sequence.

Bob please excuse me for not thanking you for your comments; you are too kind.
New update an over all shot of all the beds. I have numbered the beds left side front to rear 1 thru 4, right side front to rear 5 thru(what will be 8 ) 6.

Bed 1 all planted except the back three squares in rows (left to right) 1 thru 3. So far the plastic covering has protected them from the cold snaps.

Bed 2 still has the lettuce that over wintered, I plan to harvest it tomorrow. Then to screen and amend this bed.

Bed 3 My tomato bed all are indeterminate. I have added two Cherokee Purples in the center of the bed. The two to their right in the fore ground is a Golden Jubilee in the back ground is a Lemon Boy. When completed I will have 10 plants with an overhead string trellis.

Bed 4 The bean jungle is just starting to have plants break the surface. Picture shows two of the three that have broken free.

Bed 5 Also none the worse for the cold. Row 1 has a few carrots breaking, ya can't see the three shallots breaking, the back squares of rows 3&4 the radish are coming along nicely, the lettuce is busting up all through rows 4&5, the cabbage in 6&7 are showing the ground leaves needing a clipping.

Bed 6 Tater land the squared shot is visible in bed 5 pic. It shows how the different taters have grown at much different rates; some on the right need 'hilling' now.

Looking real good pepper. It is not as warm here as in Columbus but I planted my potatoes about a week after yours and some of them are just breaking thru.

The ones on the left side were planted on 3-12 a couple of them are about to break the surface. A lot of the white's eyes were not well formed. While the tallest ones eyes were about a half inch long.

I guess the temps are making a difference.

Once again pepper, your update has raised the bar. Plants are looking great so far and I am sure your cold temps are not near as difficult to defend against as ours has been. You are no doubt looking toward a bountiful harvest with all you have going on

wow! looks really nice! your soil looks so nice a soft! you do like i do with the grids...mark right in the soil. I look forward to seeing your progress. Thanks for all the efforts to post the pics and notations!!

Thanks all.
Bob you are right about the cold, strange that so few miles could cause such a huge difference. We are bellow the fall line from you. It is really hard to get snow in the river valley down here. Seems the river lakes, and being in the city causes a great heat dome; we pay for it in the summer though.
SG even the store bought "natures mix" mistake crap I bought last year was very soft; I think it's called 'friable". The rabbit poo seems to have made it stiffer but it was soaked when I tilled it in.

UPDATE TIME
Bed 1 is none the worse for the cold three days we had. I am having trouble keeping the flip top from leaning; the string helps keep it squared over the box frame.

Bed 2 Over the week end I screened all the big pine bark out then added three wheel barrow loads of rabbit poo then tilled. The color change if from adding the rest of the screened stuff back to level the bed.

Bed 3 The verdict is still out on the three 'cold burned' mater plants (the two on the left and the back one on the right). The make do 'tee pee' post still in place; 'case'. I have set the trellis poles in the ground next the top poles and spreaders.

Bed 4 Beans are starting to show promise at least the ones on the right; Blue Lake. The Kentucky Wonders are not so far along.

Bed 5 This shot is taken at the reverse angle from the rest to show the radish and shallots. This is my other flip top bed and also none the worse for the cold. I am using string on this one too; probably will cross brace both directions before it is through. I intend to put on the tulle this week.

Bed 6 The taters also got burned by the cold some worse than others some not at all. The Pontiacs on the left were planted several weeks after the rest.

Your gardening set up and gardens are truly beautiful and inspirational!! Please let us know how your gardening is coming along. Good going!

Looking good!

Well I have been busy and have not posted an update for 2 weeks now. I will do last weeks update then do another post with this week's update.
Bed 1 everything in this bed was transplanted on Mar 11; pictures in this post were taken on Apr 6. The misses harvested some spinach and lettuce after these pics were taken.

Bed 2 still not planted as seen through bed1's pic
Bed 3 Trellis poles are in, maters doing fine; those that got cold burned have been given a chance to recover.

Bed 4 the bean "jungle" soon you will understand the name I have been reporting this bed wrong; the Kentucky Wonder's are on the left, with the Blue Lake on the right. The Blue Lakes were from bulk stock , I did not soak them overnight so germination was not that good.

Bed 5 The carrots are just beginning to show and the lettuce mix is coming along(planted 3-21) the rest is doing great.

Bed 6 (from the west end) The red Pontiacs in the foreground were planted 3-12 starting to get their stride. I have started 'hilling' back the MM I had removed to plant. The cold burned plants are showing good recovery.

Nice! Despite the crazy weather, your gardens are doing GREAT!

Thanks Bob
I forgot to show the tomato trellis, I will be using a string trellis since all these 'maters are indeterminate.

Wow pepper it looks fantastic. Your trellises look big and strudy enough to make a green house out of them.

Very nice!

How tall is that trellis anyway?

Whoa! That is some heavy duty trellis you got going on there. Based on the 8' step step ladder, it looks like you are about 10' with those and should be more than adequate. Don't lose that ladder or you will be lost at harvest time LOL. I need to add you to my mentor list, you keep coming up with all these neat ideas

Bob is right I used the full 10 ft EMT. My ground is very sloped where this bed is so from the house it looks like a drunk man put it up.

Btw I have not drank in so many years I have forgot how long ago it was.

Ok now for this weeks update. The misses wanted to pick lettuce and spinach on Sat morning so these pics were taken Fri afternoon;4-12.
Bed1 Tulle is on the "fliptop", I happened to see a cabbage moth found a caterpillar, killed both. As can be seen everything is exploding. I still have not finished making all the tube clamps for the tulle.

Bed 3 Recent rain has these 'maters jumping. My string has been hung and training is evident. Also evident is the need for more strings for some of the additional branches. I am trying to let each plant have two main trunks. It seems like the cold burned plants are recovering one is somewhat stunted but on the mend.

Bed 4 I gotta find some more time in the day, my trellis still needs the drop strings DESPARATELY. The Blue Lakes have to be filled in where germination did not happen.

Bed 5 Tulle here also, same lack of tube clamps. On the far left the carrots are beginning to be visible from this distance. The lettuce mix is really coming along; next to the cabbage.

Bed 6 This angle shows the full sized; 12 inch frame; 'top hat' and how the first group has almost topped it. I only have one trash can of MM to 'hill' the last group of seed taters. I intend to keep 'hilling' with pine straw(needles) to the top of this topper frame.

This is the last group of taters, most have reached the top of the first bed frame. Yes it is time to add the final MM. This pic is from today.

Bed 2 Yesterday we planted a hill of Black Beauty zucchini in the left cage. In the other cages are hills of straight neck squash. Carmen sweet peppers are in the front corners with sweet onion along the front edge. Today I put burpless cukes in the back row.

Bed 4 revisited Yesterday we added a bunch of different kinds of pepper plants in the first row of the bean jungle.

Tomorrow I hope to get my carrot week seed and some more radishes in the last three available squares. NEW BED TIME the misses still has the "I WANT'S"!

Yep update time again
Bed 1 Has turned into a forest shading the butter crunch lettuce almost out( third row from the left). The "fliptop" is showing a design flaw; the plants want to grow past the edges of their squares; makes closing it interesting.

Bed 2 For one week old transplants things are looking good. I have added some pickling cukes on the right back. They did not want to separate so I did not push my luck.

Bed 3 All this rain had jumpstarted everything in this bed; really the complete garden. Got some more 'stringing' to do. The Cherokee's are exploding.

Bed 4 The bean jungle is taking shape. Today the misses and I tied string till "can't" still not done. Gotta finish tomorrow cause they are "huntin strang" they getting all tangled and stuff. Earlier in the week I planted replacements for those that did not germinate. The peppers are proceeding just fine.

Bed 5 Told ya everything is exploding! Gave this bed a major haircut after this pic. For the second week in a row we have harvested three plastic grocery bags of lettuce( 2 from this bed and one from bed 1). Today the chard took a hair cut too; it is not bad; hope it comes back like lettuce. Even could not resist some fresh radish.

Bed 6 Did ya notice how high it is getting in the back ground of the last pic? Well the misses got me 'clowning around' you can see the scale better in this pic; yep the top hat is bettern knee high, and the first group of taters is above that the Pontiacs are bout to make the top. Straw time tomorrow. Did I say the rabbit poo is working me to death! Those bags of lettuce came from bed 5.

Here is a bowl of chard making it's way to the table.

More later

Wow pepper, everything looks great. Your cool weather crops are sure monstrous.

PS - Watch out for SVB on your squash. This year I am planting in a 1/2 wine barrel and covering with tulle to keep those guys off the squash.