Monthly Avatar Theme March 2013: Your Garden In March! part 1

The monthly avatar theme for March is, Your Garden in March! part 1
How does your garden look right now? Go out and grab a photo of your garden in its current state. We'll come back later in the growing season for part 2 and compare


I must admit, I'm pretty embarrassed. My garden is in complete shambles. Luckily, it's buried in snow
I have my work cut out for me getting it ready here in a couple of weeks, unfortunately, I just wasn't capable of getting it done in the fall





What does yours look right now. Hustling and bustling to get it picked up before a picture is cheating!!


By the way, it was great seeing everyone, but I'm ready to move on!!

Hi Rooster.....

I'm with you on the "moving on" comment. I gotta get my face off here before the FBI sees it and throws me out of the witness protection program

My garden is all over the yard so I can't post it all in one shot for an avatar.

Here are 3 separate shots and I'll use the table top for my avatar since it is kind of my pride and joy. I was able to get my strawberries in and many seeds in the table top this past weekend with the mid 60's weather we had, but now it is turning cold again and I will have to use the plastic on my PVC umbrella.

This year I covered beds with leaves because of the garlic underneath, you can see some poking through.


This 4x8 bed has some garlic too. There are worm tubes stored nearby.


This is Izzy stopping to pose on the compost heap while on mouse patrol..

Hi LM....

Love the cat watching over your compost just hoping to spot a rodent for dinner.

I took this pic earlier this week, does that count? Other than a bit less snow, it looks basically the same.

Thanks Bob, got 2 barn cats who take their daily multiple patrol duties seriously. They earn lots of appreciation.

It is not surprising that we have a March Part 2 to come. there should be a dramatic difference by then.

My first time WS containers are under cover some where in the middle of my avatar. It's pretty exciting to see if this method works. gwennifer was kind enough to send me some carrot seeds that will go into the low tunnel very soon.

OMG! These photos are beautiful! Wow! I'm with Rooster in that my garden looks like crud, except without the snow cover. So before and after is a great idea since this weekend is hopefully multiple storm debris clean up weekend. I'll take and post a before photo after lunch today, and share the crud.

CC

Happy March everyone... getting closer to planting time for some of you. I hope you dont have much more !

Here's my little patio container garden. I think I have 12 containers going, potatoes, some herbs, and about 16 starter plants growing inside. My husband is not a big vegetable fan so I think this should be more than enough for myself, a little for him, and some to preserve or share.

Here's my garden today:
From the south side this is bed 1 with the other behind it. Elephant garlic on the left, onions started along the long lines and carrots planted in several of the squares toward the back center. Tomatoes & beans will be planted soon along the trellises. My carrot week carrots will probably do in some of the squares on the right in this bed.



Bed 2 has been my problem bed. Garlic down the middle, spinach doing fine and a few lettuces, radishes and onions.



Bed 3 - Red sails lettuce almost ready to bolt - I haven't been able to keep up with it. And broccoli the side shoots (I think at least 6 of them) are all over 4" diameter and ready to harvest. The main head was much larger.



Bed 4 with my odd onion that multiplied and is now starting to flower. This was one plant and I have harvested several splits. We did not like the taste but I have had the room over the winter so have let it go to see what happens. After they flower I will be pulling them to make room for other stuff. The rest of the bed has onion starts along the long lines and res sails lettuce and broccoli that are almost done.

Here is one of our cats, Checkers, on the compost bin. She was following me around outside and when I got ready to shoot this, she jumped up and after I took the shot, she jumped down. :-) Guess I need to stop adding and get to work on this pile. I hope I can get it ready by May for my new beds.

My 2 beds from last year. I did finally get them all cleaned up at the end of the season, but I was really slow about it. You might be able to see the netting hanging by one ziptie. It was supposed to come down so I can put my tomatoes there with strings, but I couldn't reach that last tie to cut it and my dh never got around to it. You can see the compost, garage and house in the background.


The beds from another angle where you can see all the messy, weedy ground behind that we hope to dig up and separate the gravel from the dirt as we did the already finished section. When all is done I can fit 8 of the 3x6 beds there. You can also see a few of chickens in the background.


I just realized I need to update my signature line which still says 1st year SFG.

Winter in Brooks, Ga.

The following picture is one of my 3 x 8's. I have 8 broccoli transplants planted. I covered them this afternoon because we are getting a cold front coming through over the next few days. The broccoli are covered with cloches.


This is my 4 x 20 bed with overwintered kholrabi and kale. I am experimenting this year to see how low the temperature can go before it damages some winter veggies.


This is my first 4 x 4 I built in 2011. There are 4 squares of kale and 4 squares of brussel sprouts overwintering. The brussel sprouts have a few tiny sprouts setting on. I also planted 2 squares of carrots three weeks ago and 2 squares last weekend. So far, none have sprouted. In the background is my 4 x 8 bed of strawberries planted last spring.


This is my 2nd 4 x 4 I built. The right hand 8 squares are herbs overwintering. The left hand 8 squares are sweet peas planted last weekend. The small fencing should support the peas if they do sprout.


The following two pictures are two of my 2 x 2 beds. I have 6 of these small beds and will build 2 more this year. This year they will be for my tomatoes. The first picture are overwintering kholrabi and the second picture are two left over broccoli that did not head last year.

Beautiful, just beautiful! It's nice to see the people further south having such great success already.

OK, lets diss that pink dress...I'm so done with it!

Pre multiple-storm-clean-up photos.
This is my whole SFG. It consistes of 3 standard boxes up front, 5 kitchen cupboards in the middle, 2.5 in ground boxes on the rear right, and three black Earthboxes thrown in for experimenting:


The wood around the standard boxes is for a new box some day, but meanwhile I use them as anchors to keep the wind from blowing off the windows that I use for extending my growing season:


These are the 2.5 in ground, from Mels first book, SFG. I use 2 whole spaces for squash and such that last year climbed up the rhodie bush behind them. The 1/2 box (the triangle next to that black box) has strawberries in it:

The 5 kitchen cupboards. They are starting to come apart at the edges here and there but they've served me well. I think I can get another year out of them:

Today is gorgeous! 41 & sunny - perfect for cleanup and composting! Later, folks...

CC

Good stuff! I can't wait to see what everyone's gardens look like here in a few months.
Yolos, your beds look fantastic!

Garden? Where?

Its wonderful seeing what all is already growing down south, I am impatient to get there. I am a bit jealous of the amount of snow some of you still have, we need more snow. Sort of caught on a double prong there aren't I

Here is my garden looking from the north. The big bed on the left is all ready for pea planting in early spring. SO I think I decided to plant it in asparagus instead...... SO I do not have a bed all ready for peas then. O well. The garlic bed is covered with mulch and chicken wire to keep the chickens from scratching there. There is no sign of garlic yet, it is still froze solid.

Just starting to clear a few beds completely and top up with MM where needed .

I'm using stealth square foot grids of 1/5 " thick black neoprene tied through nine inch long seed labels after complaints from " the mangement on the other side of my bed " , about the beds looking like a timber yard

Looks spectacular as always David. Can't wait to see your garden in full force

Luckily for me, since I don't have any snow to hide it, I did finally go out and clean up the garden just a few weeks ago. I see something has been digging in it since.

It's so hard to decide on a pic for the avatar. My garden is a mess. I haven't been to town to buy more string for my squares. Last yr the string I got was evidently not for outside, even tho it claimed to be.

plantoid wrote: ...I'm using stealth square foot grids of 1/5 " thick black neoprene...

Love this Dave!

I must have been taking to much time and I was aborted out, and of course I didn't have it saved. Will try again! In the previous pic, you can see my pine tree trunk. My beds go around the tree for a little bit of shade for some time during the day.

4 x 8, snow peas with trellis in center of bed with a few radishes


3 x 8 bed, garlic and onions


3 x 8 bed, onions, cabbage in front, collards in back, broccoli in center, cut it due to blooming, will find the right time to plant someday.


4 x 8 bed, supposedly broccoli transplants, only time will tell, Egyptian onions.


3 x 8 Snap peas with trellis in center, kale in back row. See the strawberries blooming in the isle!


3 x 8 bed, shell type peas with trellis in center, cauliflower in back with a couple plants of comfrey on end 2 squares.


3 2 x 8 beds on back of garden, I took very old mustard seed and just sprinkled on top of the mm, well must be every seed germinated. Will cut for eating, then pull and put in beds up front that had Southern blight, and turn under, supposedly this will help prevent the SB.


4 x 8 bed, beets, kale, chard?, spinach on left, turnips and carrots on right. already pulled all radishes. This is remnants of SFG seed from Jung.


This is a strawberry growing in the isle, between the beds, from a runner from last yr!

I think I would be vying for the ugliest garde award, but then again ....perhaps the most improved award a few months from now, bearing in mind what it look right now.

Never mind, GWM., I can see the beauty to come.