Bryan Greenbeard of Minnesota's 2017 Plans

The only plant I think I recognize is cat nip next to some horizontal wood. ??

Photo 1/2 looks familiar but I can't quite place it!  Most of the not-quites I've looked up seem to be in the buttercup family...geraniums don't quite seem right either...Post again once it has a flower? A lot of guidebooks/sites are arranged by flower color.

I think photo 3 is Black Nightshade:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/black-nightshade

Photo 7 - a thistle, maybe swamp?
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/swamp-thistle

Compare photo 8 with Groundsel
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/common-groundsel

photo 9 - mustard family; Yellow garden rocket seems pretty close from what I can see:
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/garden-yellow-rocket

10 - aster family, maybe compass plant - again, a flower would make it easier
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/compass-plant

11 looks like 1 and 2 to me

12 box elder seedling surrounded by stinging nettle?

13 I agree with Sanderson - looks like catnip.

14 stinging nettle again?
https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/flower/stinging-nettle

Saw Delphiniums at the farm/garden shop today and they look a lot like 1/2,11

If not stinging nettle for 14, could be vervain; was looking at mine today, and realized they gestalt similarly for me.

Many Many thanks for the help in IDign the wildflowers that drifted in under the pines.   One of my buddies came over today and gave me a hand with the yard.   We got most everything mowed under the pines. cept a few select plants that im keeping to see what they end up doing.   photo journal.

Girlfriend, her daughter in the wheelchair, and her other daughters daughter came over yesterday and planted everything in the big side of the raised bed that will be staying for the summer.

Today i picked up some chicks and hens and planted the chicks 2-4 per square and put some of the bigger ones on the front steps.  Yesterday the gals also planted everything on the steps cept the hens/chicks.

Turns out the garden level was just about right for Tiff in her wheel chair.. even planting outside of the patio.

27May2017
2 eggplants planted in 1 square.
4 Strawberries planted in 4 squares.
2 Raspberries planted in 2 squares.
1 Ghost Pepper planted in 1 square.
1 Roma Tomatoe Planted in 1 square.

28May2017
4 chicks planted in 14 squares.
17 squares empty.

5 squares worth of potatoes sprouting in the house still.

Need more herbs and a few more berries.


Any suggestions or feedback?   Thanks again for keeping an eye on my fence project.

I'll post pictures tomorrow of what wildflowers survived the pruning, its too dark atm to get good yard shots.

Looking good!

I am assuming the raspberries and strawberries are in an area set aside for spreading perennials?

How many squares do you recommend for them?  i was planning on 2 square per raspberry.     

The strawberries.. Im thinking of put in planters back here for them to live long term.

Personally I would not put raspberries in an SFG bed unless that bed was physically separated from everything else you are growing.  We have raspberries in our regular soil garden and we are forever trying to keep them confined to that one area. There are always new plants springing up a few feet away from the main plants.

I am assuming by "chicks and hens" you mean the plant described in the following article:  

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/hens-chicks/growing-hens-and-chicks.htm

If the chicks and hens are as described above, I'm curious as to why you are dedicating so many squares to them. We grow them in the regular garden and especially in "rock gardens". They love to grow around the rocks near our small fish pond and they multiply like crazy. They also do not mind sunny dry locations in our garden.

Concerning eggplant, I plant them at one per square rather than two per square as you mentioned. Maybe it depends on the variety.

By the way, you continue to do an amazing job with your new garden.

Good to know about the raspberries and SFG.   Been growing some at my folks for 7 years now  they have yet to spread at all.   this is from the same person.. so figured it wouldnt either.    It will give the little guys a chance to root out and get a tad bigger before going into the mean cold ground.

Eventually they are a part of the plan for under the pine tree's. (the raspberries)

Yes I am using those Hen's/Chicks that you linked.

Im using them to sorta reserve the spots that GF's older daughter is picking out plants for.. gave her her hubby and their daughter 14 squares to plant whatever they like.
since im a "Im gonna fil the beds this week with vegies/fruit thing"   I did not want to plant in her spaces..    So im hoping that the baby chicks will grow up into hens in the meanwhile.

Also cranberry hen's are not common over here.  all sorta of green ones, but not the red/green ones.   So im basically giving a square or two to mom, her sisters, a couple cousins once they get a tad bigger.

The area under the pines is roughly 10'x 110' or a crazy 1100 squares of area.  I wanted it filled with Native Herbs/Wildflowers (things people call Weeds) and Every type of berry under the sun that is hardy.

Ive been told by a few people that the pines need some trimming...  Not Sure.. i dont know anything about tree maintenance.

Ive got three different styles of wood storage,   this summer will be removing the two styles that didnt work as well and coming up with 10' x 5'x raised platform to store the wood on..

Far as the Egg Plants.. I can split those two up.. I dont even know what eggplant tastes like but GF brought over 3 plants.. apparently she thinks we will like it.

Sounds good GB.

So there are 11 sections to the fence, 12 if i count the gate as a section.. which i am.. but not in these pictures.

Also added a couple of the Pines along the fence that i want to plant under.

Section 09 and Section 10.. To the left and right of back gate im keeping whats in them and a few flowers between 01 and 02 sections.

NIce looking yard. I can imagine lots of wild clematis and columbines under those fir/ spruce trees. I am not all that knowledgeable about trees but what I have gathered is that you don't trim adult conifers unless that was started as young trees but you do cut out branches that die. Here is a link to help tell the difference between pine, fir, and spruce trees. http://www.finegardening.com/fir-vs-spruce-vs-pine-how-tell-them-apart

Here is a link of wildflowers that grow in our northern forests.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsinternet/cs/photogallery?ss=110104&navtype=BROWSEBYSUBJECT&navid=150130000000000&pnavid=150000000000000&ttype=photogallery&recid=&actid=&counter=STELPRDB5070077.16&cid=1206&pname=US%20Forest%20Service%20Pictures

Ohh i know neither are pines.  thats just me being lazy typer

Those columbines look very pretty.  thanks for the link.  didnt think of thecking with forest service. Many Thanks

The tall Spruce's have all been trimmed at some point in the past.. only on one half of them.. the western side.  asked previous owner if it was during their time or before.

The Fir's that serve as a side fence have never been trimmed.

Mini update today.

Yesterday brotherinlaw and myself built most of the framework for the first part of the compost compound. Today ran to home depot to get the remaining big screws we needed to secure the last two 4x4s to the framework.
Today also got it raised up in place, leveled enough and the sides put on. i used pine for everything. Here is a couple of pictures.
Its 3 feet deep, six feet wide.. and taller then me. more then enough room to get started. its never going to reach more then halfway up the pickets..

God Bless and have a great day.

The top also has 5 of the pickets to act as a shade.  will be using others to add an overhang of a few feet so when standing in front of it am shaded.

Nice! Are you going to divide the bin with a 3-4' divider so you can have a double bin? Makes it nice when turning the pile.

I am debating about dividing it in the center into 2 parts.  on paper that was how it was planned out/drafted out.  in person.. i like it so wide, will be building 1 or 2 more of these.   

Totally depends on how much of a pain in the tail it is to load it full of the grass clippings. as one big area.

Greenbeard wrote:I am debating about dividing it in the center into 2 parts.  on paper that was how it was planned out/drafted out.  in person.. i like it so wide, will be building 1 or 2 more of these.   

Totally depends on how much of a pain in the tail it is to load it full of the grass clippings. as one big area.

It's not the initial loading so much as the turning of the material to keep all parts "hot".  You could take the lazy route and just let the pile do its thing without turning it. But it will take much much longer to become compost if you do that.

Personally I would not want to have to turn that much material in one go. So if it was mine, I would divide it into two bins. Just fill one side then when you turn the material move it to the empty side.

You could take the lazy route and just let the pile do its thing without turning it. But it will take much much longer to become compost if you do that.



You guessed it.. im lazy and going to be doing absolutly nothing to turn or layers the compost.  its just gonna sit in its box and eventually make dirt. 1 year 10 years i dont care aint got no rush

Greenbeard wrote:You could take the lazy route and just let the pile do its thing without turning it. But it will take much much longer to become compost if you do that.



You guessed it.. im lazy and going to be doing absolutly nothing to turn or layers the compost.  its just gonna sit in its box and eventually make dirt. 1 year 10 years i dont care aint got no rush

Perfect!  I may end up doing just that if this turning exercise becomes too much for me. 

Only a gardener would . . .  grab and umbrella when the hail starts falling.   Most of your plants look great.

https://squarefoot.forumotion.com/t16644-only-a-gardener-would?highlight=only+a+gardener

No clue if this will work or not.  Trying to share an album off facebook here so i dont have to spend another hour to upload and label all the pictures here for you all to enjoy

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10213295839139753.1073741839.1510767628&type=1&l=0ec42f425d

It worked for me. Nice to see how well your plants are growing.

It worked. I'm glad you have a lot growing after all that work. It is paying off.