Ha-v-v, our second year.

Well here we are with our second year of SFG and thankful still for this method of gardening.
Ive added two new beds, 2'x8'x12'' for some potatoes. I set those boxes right down on the existing soil, then planted the seeds in the existing soil, with the idea I would put straw around the plants as they grow or MM. ( I will take suggestions on what to use for them, please offer).

I added the cast iron tub with hay and my compost, I learned that over watering this tub rots potatoes, so I stopped watering and Im seeing one plant pop up now. I also bought a tub to plant potatoes as well. (can you tell Im experimenting with my potatoes?)

My compost of horse manure and chicken poo came out really nice this year. It was put into the pile some time last year. I just let it set and nature do its thing. One of my great sons moved that compost to a tarp so I could cover it until I could sift. I even impressed our neighbor with how clean my compost was. I didnt tell him it still will grow weeds though. lololol Im learning.

This year I have started the pile again with hay and some manure from last year and Im waiting for someone to get time to get the chicken house cleaned to put in my pile again. I just hate the thought of going to the neighbors in this heat to dig horse manure. But I will do what I must.

Our goal is also to vermicompost as well, I have the bin ready to fill with bedding and have worms in another container.

A couple of my biggest goals are to keep my tomatoes down to one vine plants, two at the most because I missed that sucker !! literally. I figured if I keep it down to two it will still be better than last year, keeping down the disease threat and more production and to keep the weeds down in my walk ways, cardboard is doing that job so far.


March 2011 as we cleaned up the garden for the new planting season.


May 2011

Ha-v-v's Place << Link to photo album for May, the previous months are there as well. Even last year and some of my row gardening time as well. Feel free to wonder through the albums. I even have pics of the practice cabin as it went up in 08. I will put the house album up there as well. We have door frames going in now



Our front door frame framing our youngest
I have been reading other's progress and it looks so nice, I love all the ideas that flow from folks.

Cant wait to see more of folks gorgeous gardens.
Ha-v-v

The framed son is so cute.

Your Log Cabin is coming along nicely. Some big logs!

I will go visit your album.

You have been busy! And it shows you been working hard.
It all looks great.
Every picture is interesting.

I grew some purple potatoes and they ended up with a fungus. I guess because of
all the rain we had. I pulled them up so it wouldn't spread.
I had originally planted 6 purple potatoes. I ended up with 80 small potatoes.
The purple potatoes were so pretty --dark purple= almost black on the outside.
The inside looked kinda marbled.
When I cut the potatoes up, the starch was purple too. They tasted like potato.

Thank you so much !!! We have been busy thats for sure. I have three different mediums the potatoes are planted. The boxes are all hay except for the seed potato in the ground below the box. The pink bucket is all my compost we made last summer and was ready this spring. ( love that stuff) The bathtub is hay and our compost. We will see how my experimenting goes. I would love to have some blue and purples, that would make my day to have any potatoes The purple starch is something to look forward too. I have family that wouldnt touch a purple or blue potato, just because of the color. Not in the immediate family thank goodness I would be planting for nothing then.
Tomatoes are another crop I want to get right! This year it has been pruning and making sure everyone is getting the right amount of food in the mediums I have. That has been simple though.

So glad you had time to visit !!! Cant wait to see more of your progress
Ha-v-v

CarolynPhillips wrote:
The framed son is so cute.

Your Log Cabin is coming along nicely. Some big logs!

I will go visit your album.

Thank you, he is cute and funny to us as well. Yes our youngest Jedidiah, I am always assured of a laugh with these children. I love it! Yes huge logs and each time I watch my husband and sons work on that thing Im amazed at their strength.
We are having fun down here in the south
Ha-v-v