Did you grow something new in your garden last year?

[cmhyland]

Last year???? How about now?
I have broccoli and cabbage in the first pic and taters in the second pic.
I have cucumbers coming up now too. A couple years ago I got 576 cucumbers from a 20' X 20' plot. That was two 5 gal buckets full every two days!

You guys in the south have a long growing season.... We still have lots of snow on the ground.... That's a lot of cucumbers.... I assume lots of pickles were the result....

Regards,
Chris

 

[Stimw]

No pickles, but I did make a LOT of friends around the neighborhood!!
I was taking them up to the Firehouse and even hanging bags of them on the mail box.
I bought a new mattress and box spring at Big Lots, I gave a couple bags to the guys that loaded them on my truck too.
I have been putting Epsom Salts (magnesium sulfate) on my garden and I think it makes the cabbage and cucs sweeter tasting.

 

[Singalo]

Hi Guys,

Did anyone grow something new in the garden last year that was a a winner they will plant again?

I'm starting the new garden plan and going to make up my seed orders this weekend.

Chris

We look forward to putting a garden in. I hope to have one tilled up this year as we just moved in to our new home NOV. But we probably will not get to plant anything this year. Planing on just getting it tilled, maybe adding some fert to the soil. Was thinking of having to soil tested in fact just to see what we go to work with. We are looking forward to it.
Thanks,

 

[Stimw]

We look forward to putting a garden in. I hope to have one tilled up this year as we just moved in to our new home NOV. But we probably will not get to plant anything this year. Planing on just getting it tilled, maybe adding some fert to the soil. Was thinking of having to soil tested in fact just to see what we go to work with. We are looking forward to it.
Thanks,

Plant something!! Anything!! Even a hand full of things already started from the local hardware store. Plant in 5 gal buckets if nessary.
Harvesting your own crops is so rewarding and there are a lot of simple crops to get you started.
Till your plot ASAP even if it means renting a tiller for a few hours. The more you work a plot the better it gets.

 

[dave1949]

Yes, a plague of squash bugs :laughing: on my heritage Cinderella's coach pumpkins. Those are tasty and good keeping punkins with a deep-colored orange flesh. I have one in the garage still that is firm as could be.

 

[idaho2]

We planted Kale, grew over 4' tall used as a salad, stir fry, freeze it or dehydrated it, used in soups. Work out of state not able to get much of the wife's cooking. Have the same garden since 76'. We rotate or crops and esp sweet corn, every third year we don't plant any. Easier on the soil. Started 2 years ago by adding alfalfa pellets to the garden and til it in. Wow! what a difference.

idaho2

 

[Singalo]

I still need to figure out how to build a suitable chicken coop for 4-5 hens, and how to heat it in the winter when it gets below zero.

 

[dave1949]

I still need to figure out how to build a suitable chicken coop for 4-5 hens, and how to heat it in the winter when it gets below zero.

If you have a south-facing slope to work with, or you can pile dirt up around the north side, northeast and northwest corners, setting the coop into the dirt will give you the benefit of an earth berm and stop air infiltration from the typical winter wind directions. For a small coop, you can build the bermed walls using treated lumber stud walls with treated plywood sheathing. Cover the plywood with 6 mil black plastic before back filling.

You will need south facing windows for light, and those also will provide warmth that you can capture in stone or water barrels to hold the temperature up overnight. Good insulation in the roof and walls is needed to retain that stored heat. A deep bedding of straw generates some heat too as it decomposes in the lower layers.

If electricity isn't handy, a large kerosene lantern will make enough heat to keep a small coop warm on the really cold nights. If you don't mind the chore, you can make insulated shutters/panels for the windows that get closed at night and opened/removed in the morning. Don't over-seal the coop or the chickens will get a chill from the excess humidity in the air.

Choosing breeds with small combs is a good idea, large floppy combs can get frost bite damage. It's not fatal, just rots away and looks ugly.

 

[cmhyland]

I still need to figure out how to build a suitable chicken coop for 4-5 hens, and how to heat it in the winter when it gets below zero.

We had a 10X12 coop and we ran a infrared heat lamp. The key is don't build too much coop for a few birds. I like the Chricken Tractor type setup.

http://kerrcenter.com/publications/intern-reports/chicken_tractor.pdf

Regards,
Chris

 

[forgeblast]

We dont heat our coop. From what I have read and seen with our small flock, the more room they have the better, this way the will not get frost bite from the humidity in their breath.
Backyardchickens has a lot of info.

As for new things this year
I will try to put together a seed list that I am going to use,
but we are going to plant some hardy vine kewi, and goose berrys.
We do plan on replanting Jack-Be-Little pumpkins. they grew awesome and we give them to the kids to paint at my daughters birthday.