This ain't no Garden of Eden

[Patriotic Stabilist]

I got it! Like I said it doesn't look like much yet but give it about 2 more weeks and it will be more defined.

Last year I added fruit trees: Nectarine, apricot, grapefruit, 2 peach, an orange, avocado, and an apple. This year I added a cherry tree.

Last year the little orange tree went nuts a dozen big oranges and the little peach too, the big peach, nada. The peach, orange, and grapefruit are loaded with blooms. The avocado survived the winter looking really good, don't know when it will produce, apparently it gets to be a huge tree, so I put it in the far corner of the yard, just in case, the papaya didn't make it.

I had 2 banana trees out but we got in the 20's a couple of times and lost them, one may make it.

I added 4 grapevines and 3 pulled through and look good so far.

I hope to be able to can fruit or make preserves or jelly but likely not this year yet.

 

[jinman]

I got it! Like I said it doesn't look like much yet but give it about 2 more weeks and it will be more defined.

Carolyn, welcome to TBN!

Well, it looks like a very nice and neat garden to me. I like your soaker hose manifold and the way you water your plants. That's one of my favorite methods because soaker hoses are cheap and easy to use. They're also made of recycled rubber from used tires. I hope you'll continue to post pictures or even start a thread of your own. You'll find lots of support and good ideas here.

I've finished with my sand hauling. I spread all the loads of sand I'd hauled. My total sand fill is something close to 100 yards. I smoothed out my piles and I've attached a picture. I had "Tom the Inspector" drop by with about 20 hens to scratch around in the sand and see if it met their standards. My wife, Kathy, got a good closeup of Tom showin' off.

Last night, Kathy asked me what I planned to do next. I told her I needed to start the retainer wall so I could fill in behiind and on the garden side. I explained that the retainer wall will be one side of an 8' x 80' hoophouse raised bed when I'm finished. She was concerned that I'd get involved in that and would not get any topsoil hauled for several weeks. She knows me pretty well. So, I told her I would haul enough topsoil so she could plant tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers at least. Then, I'll start the retainer wall/hoophouse part of the project.

I had hoped or a nice shower of rain with the front that moved through today, but so far only a sprinkle. Probabably as soon as I start hauling dirt, there'll be a downpour.

 

[Thumper & Buttercup]

Hey Jim,

That is looking great, really, I guess the inspector thought you made him a scratch box to poop in.

 

[Bird]

I had hoped or a nice shower of rain with the front that moved through today, but so far only a sprinkle. Probabably as soon as I start hauling dirt, there'll be a downpour.

Then I wish you'd get busy hauling dirt because I was hoping for a good rain, too. So far I've got at least .02"; maybe even close to .03".

 

[EastTexFrank]

Then I wish you'd get busy hauling dirt because I was hoping for a good rain, too. So far I've got at least .02"; maybe even close to .03".

Bird, that's not rain, that's just a heavy dew.

You should get some today. It's started here, not heavy, just passing showers at present but it's supposed to get heavier. Lots of luck.

 

[Bird]

Well, it's all east of us now, so we have a nice sunny day, and I figure I did get a grand total of about .03" of rain, barely got the pavement wet and it dried quickly.

 

[jinman]

Then I wish you'd get busy hauling dirt because I was hoping for a good rain, too. So far I've got at least .02"; maybe even close to .03".

Bird, I gave it my best shot, but I got no rain either. At least that high wind stopped blowing. That's one plus. . . and it's a bit cooler too.

 

[Bird]

Jim, about 1 p.m, I went and walked along the edge of the water at Lake Lewisville using a jig to see if I could find any spawning crappie with no luck, but I didn't even get my shoes muddy. And I was glad to have the wind die down, but with a few windows open, the wind blowing through the house has kept the house cool, and today it got warm enough in the house that I closed the windows and turned on the air-conditioner.

 

[Patriotic Stabilist]

We put a new roof on a couple years ago, also had to redeck it. Hubby used Tech Shield OSB board and that stuff is great. It's reduced our attic temperature to where its not that hot up there at all we also put on a metal roof. Used to be you opened the attic door in the summer it was like a blast furnace hitting you, now can't tell any difference.

In the past our electric bill had gotten to $250 a month, our house is 2000 sq ft. We had one last year that was $175, but hubby was home and it was 100degree days all month. Now most of my bills are under $100 a month or $65 to $85. However, we are adding on another bathroom, with its own water heater, a new walk in closet for me and a 1/2 bath in the garage so I expect that bill to go up some. But we also added insulation and put in dual pane argon filled windows and we have 2 foot overhangs. DD and I don't even turn on the AC till around June if the humidity doesn't get us. I open windows and doors and let the breezes blow, we added steel core doors also then I bought the old fashioned looking screen doors except these are vinyl instead of wood. She and I LOVE having the doors and windows open as long as possible. So now we have AC from June or later to September, that's about it. The windows really help in the winter too.

 

[jinman]

Hey Jim,

That is looking great, really, I guess the inspector thought you made him a scratch box to poop in.

No, they save that for my driveway. Actually, the cats think I've made them a great big sandbox. They are making sure I have plenty of fertilizer.

I scraped up about 12 yards of dirt yesterday. Some places the topsoil wasn't as deep as I thought and it was over clay. I'm looking for nice loamy topsoil. Of course, I have 33 acres, so I bet I find plenty to do this little 100' x 80' garden spot. I'll try to get some more pictures today.