May 1, 2014

first bed is full

Today I filled my first bed in the new garden (actually the second from the edge, but the first one filled). I had half filled it last week and planted peas, and today completed bringing in topsoil and compost from a local farm. I planted broccoli (9 plants – a mix of early and late varieties), Asian greens, endive (escarole frissee and a broad leaved escarole) and 2 varieties of butterhead lettuce (Skyphos and Prizehead). It was a chilly day (45*F for a high) and rain is predicted all night…

March 26, 2014

time lapse video: making Skippy’s new garden

I am making a time lapse video of my new vegetable garden. So far, the video only shows us bringing the boards for the raised beds down to the garden area. The boards are 2×8 untreated pine. We also set out a few boards where the edges of the beds will be, just to see how they look. Time Lapse Video: Making Skippy’s New Garden I’ll extend the video as we create the garden and as the plants grow this year. Tomorrow we plan to make the raised bed frames.

March 11, 2014

garden-to-be

My husband and I shuffled through the snow to mark out the edges of my garden-to-be. I’m getting prices for putting in nice fencing around the plot. I’d like 4 foot post and rail. I’ll put some kind of wire netting behind it, like chicken wire, to keep the rabbits out. I’ll dig it down 6 inches to keep the woodchucks out. Then probably an electric wire at the top (or a 6 foot extension of plastic fencing) to keep the deer out. Alternatively, we’ve been thinking we may just…

January 18, 2014

snow on my future garden

That clearing in the center is where my new garden will be. I can imagine a rows of vegetables, a large bed of tomato plants, lots of potatoes, roses climbing on an arch, all sorts of greens ….

December 15, 2013

waiting for snow

This is our new back yard. My garden space to be is the open area in the center. My new tractor/lawn mower is the under the green tarp with the orange cart behind. We have a big pond that we look out on. Its 13 acres and frozen over now after a couple weeks of unusually cold December weather. Our old metal row boat is overturned on the shore, waiting (a long wait) for spring. The first flakes are falling now at dusk (the early 4 pm dusk) as our…

October 16, 2013

sideyard aerial – the last photo before we move 🙁

August 24, 2013

Skippy’s Vegetable Garden is moving

Skippy’s vegetable garden will move soon. The garden is at its peak, tomatoes ripening, big green basil plants, tall teepees of cucumbers and green beans. I am picking more than we can eat from this cute little garden. But, something else is going on too…. The cold frame is being taken apart and removed as we get ready to show the house to potential buyers. I wonder if someone will continue to maintain my little side yard garden? Or maybe it will be removed and replaced with grass. I wonder.…

July 8, 2013

garden after vacation

I returned to a bone dry community garden that I hardly recognized as it had grown so much! And so many weeds. I had weeded before I left and did not expect to see so many pigweed, lambsquarters, crabgrass, chickweed, plantain, etc, etc. My escarole frisee was so pretty when I left and I thought a week would make it perfect. Here’s the pretty photo: When I got back – one week later – it had bolted to 4 feet high! If I had the space to spare, I would…

July 4, 2013

Skippy is getting a buddy

We will be getting a new puppy soon! Suzie. She will be from the same breeder as Skippy. She is a cousin about 3 generations removed and is 3 weeks old now. We will bring her home at 8 weeks – sometime mid August. I have been telling Skippy that it will be his job to help train her.

June 22, 2013

summer solstice weeding

I am amazed at how fast the weeds are growing this year. But then, bet I say that every year…. I start weeding at one end of the garden and by the time I finish, there are big weeds at the far side again and I have to start over. As I remember, this weed phase is a late June/early July thing – the summer solstice weed race. Soon the vegetable plants will be big enough to shade the weeds. In late July/August, the weeds will wind down their growth…

weeks and counting until my last spring frost

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