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Garden Gate:  Garden Plans 2017 - Now We Put Our Gardens to Bed  |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6792 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6792 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 03 2017 : 3:02:38 PM
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Hi Roxanne and welcomed to the Farm. Here's to you getting it done this year.
Alicia back in the day when I had gardens I would mark the rows with a D or M. Even then I needed help with keeping water needs straight. I tried to group plants together according to their water needs.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
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Kiltie Girl
True Blue Farmgirl
68 Posts
Jennifer
Bay City
MI
USA
68 Posts |
Posted - Jan 03 2017 : 6:57:23 PM
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Wow, Alicia! That's an ambitious garden!
We garden about a third of our one acre lot and then another small garden plot at our farm. We feed our family of six, plus give away quite a bit to family and friends. We also have a small roadside stand that we put our extra produce on.
DH is talking about expanding our acre-lot garden this year. We penned off a small portion on the north side for lambs & calves and he thinks we should add to the front side (south side) to make up for that space!
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Jenn
Farmgirl Sister #7120
"Leave room in your garden for the fairies to dance." |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1502 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1502 Posts |
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churunga
True Blue Farmgirl
3919 Posts
Marie
Minneapolis
MN
USA
3919 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2017 : 06:09:34 AM
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When should I start plants indoors to plant in May? I am planting herbs, tomato, peppers and beans.
Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6792 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2017 : 06:32:51 AM
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Marie, I no longer start seeds but when I did I followed directions on package. Usually seeds are started so many days before last frost. Good luck! What kind of beans?
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1502 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1502 Posts |
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churunga
True Blue Farmgirl
3919 Posts
Marie
Minneapolis
MN
USA
3919 Posts |
Posted - Jan 04 2017 : 06:44:23 AM
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Bush beans. I had slugs in my garden last year and plan to till up the soil and put down flour to keep them at bay. The last summer was the wettest we have seen in a long time so that's why I believe we had slugs.
Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1502 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1502 Posts |
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Bonnie Ellis
True Blue Farmgirl
2474 Posts
Bonnie
Minneapolis
Minnesota
USA
2474 Posts |
Posted - Jan 08 2017 : 7:35:25 PM
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Marie, go on-line to the u of m and get their chart on when to plant. E-mail me if you can't find it.
grandmother and orphan farmgirl |
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AutumnCountyGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
102 Posts
Kiersten
Suffolk
Virginia
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2017 : 05:17:13 AM
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I'm starting to think about planting my first garden! It will be a small garden on an apartment balcony but I'm excited to bring some fresh herbs and veggies into my cooking (I usually cook one large meal on the weekends). I was hoping there was an app or something that can help plan gardens. Does anyone have any good resources that they like to use?
Kiersten
https://autumncountrygirl93.wordpress.com/
Farmgirl Sister #7232 |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6792 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2017 : 05:34:20 AM
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Kiersten, I grow herbs in containers. One of the sources I use for a quick look at plants is Botanical Interest Seeds at
https://www.botanicalinterests.com/
For each seed they offer they give info on sowing, care, and harvest.
There's a lot of info out there on container gardening. Check out Amazon for books.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
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AuntJamelle
True Blue Farmgirl
569 Posts
Jaime
South Bend
Indiana
USA
569 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2017 : 06:27:46 AM
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DH and I have decided to simplify our garden this year! Last year it was so big we couldn't get the sprinklers to quite hit it all.
Our plans this year are watermelons, cucumbers (a couple different kinds) and acorn squash.
I also think I'll plant 6-8 tomato plants - would like to can diced tomatoes, maybe some salsa, etc.
Almost tempted to do them in pots on the deck though - easier to keep track of what's ripening and easier to weed! |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6792 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2017 : 06:47:39 AM
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Jaime, you listed quite a bit to plant. My great-niece and her husband grow cucumbers up on wire towers. Great for smaller gardens.
Kiersten, one year I grew 4 multi-colored Swiss chard plants in a 3' long 6" wide plastic planter. Harvested outer leaves for cooking and it lasted through several frost.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2017 : 5:59:41 PM
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Hi All, It's so exciting to hear about everyone's plans for this year's gardens! I'm trying something different this year to accommodate the shady yard we have. For the last few years i have tried growing tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash in pots strategically located in sunny patches around our yard. After success with tomatoes, minor success with cucumbers, and a total disaster with squash, i have decided that this year i would like to focus my attention on my berry plants and forego growing veggies. It hurts my little farmgirl heart, but the yields just aren't worth the effort of container gardening. In 2016 we planted blueberries (in the one sunny spot), raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries (in pots) to feed my obsession with jam making! I'm very excited about nurturing these plants this year and, hopefully, get mason bees next year to increase our yield.
The other area i want to focus on is creating a huge herb garden; culinary, medicinal, including yummy herbs for teas. I have had herbs for several years, but i want to really organize it and expand.
So excited to start these projects! I'm not real great at design - does any one know of a resource to help design my herb garden?
Happy dreaming of this years gardens!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2017 : 6:02:44 PM
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Hi All, It's so exciting to hear about everyone's plans for this year's gardens! I'm trying something different this year to accommodate the shady yard we have. For the last few years i have tried growing tomatoes, cucumbers, and squash in pots strategically located in sunny patches around our yard. After success with tomatoes, minor success with cucumbers, and a total disaster with squash, i have decided that this year i would like to focus my attention on my berry plants and forego growing veggies. It hurts my little farmgirl heart, but the yields just aren't worth the effort of container gardening. In 2016 we planted blueberries (in the one sunny spot), raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries (in pots) to feed my obsession with jam making! I'm very excited about nurturing these plants this year and, hopefully, get mason bees next year to increase our yield.
The other area i want to focus on is creating a huge herb garden; culinary, medicinal, including yummy herbs for teas. I have had herbs for several years, but i want to really organize it and expand.
So excited to start these projects! I'm not real great at design - does any one know of a resource to help design my herb garden?
Happy dreaming of this years gardens!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2017 : 6:03:59 PM
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Sorry for double post!
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1502 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1502 Posts |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6792 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 06:40:33 AM
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Dena, I deal with too much shade too. My largest patch of sunshine is the back deck but my neighbor's trees have grown and are now shading part of it.
Alicia, you do keep busy.
Deborah, seed catalogs and dreaming do go hand in hand. I no longer start from seed but transplant live plants. Except this year I have order one pkg of Sweet Annie 'Artemisia'. I couldn't find a live plant source for it but could order seed from Botanical Interest. It's one of my favorite herbs to use in wreaths.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
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churunga
True Blue Farmgirl
3919 Posts
Marie
Minneapolis
MN
USA
3919 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 06:54:16 AM
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Nice video Alicia. Seems as if your eldest daughter is a little camera shy.
I have been dreaming of a nice tarragon bush. I had one in a community garden once. It would grow to 3 feet, I would cut it back and a week later, it had all regrown.
Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
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YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6792 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6792 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 07:01:51 AM
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Marie, tarragon is one of my favorite herbs and I do envy you being able to grow it. Hope you do get another tarragon plant. Our Texas summers are too hot so I grow Mexican marigold aka Texas tarragon instead. It's a good substitute for us that can't grow French tarragon.
In my last post I said I would be starting Sweet Annie from seed but forgot to say I will wait and sow directly into the outside container after last frost in March.
Sara~~~ FarmGirl Sister #6034 8/25/14
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015.
Lord put your arm around my shoulders and your hand over my mouth. |
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dena91
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Dena
Pennsylvania
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Jan 12 2017 : 07:30:59 AM
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Alicia, Thanks for your encouragement :-). I checked out your links - what a beautiful website/blog! We are also homeschoolers with a relaxed/charlotte Mason bent. If you have time check out the thread i started yesterday on the forum entitled 'what did you do in your homeschool today?' I love to hear what others are doing; helps keep my creative juices flowing and is such an encouragement.
Also loved the vlog! We are hoping to add bunnies to our homestead this year so it was especially nice for me to see :-).
Hope you and the kids have a great day!
Sara, isn't shade just so hard to deal with sometimes? Granted, i love it in the summer, as our home is always at least 5 degrees cooler than most other places we visit during the week. But in terms of growing plants it has been very challenging. During the past 10 years that we have been here, our trees have gotten bigger too so we no longer have 6 hours in our upper lot but more like 4-5 (most of which is our sand mound). Oh well, with age and experience sometimes comes a greater acceptance for what will work. We are blessed to live in Pennsylvania Dutch Country so i can buy all the veggies i want within a stones throw from me.
Thanks for sympathizing with me :-)
Dena
Farmgirl 5620 |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1502 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1502 Posts |
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AutumnCountyGirl
True Blue Farmgirl
102 Posts
Kiersten
Suffolk
Virginia
USA
102 Posts |
Posted - Jan 18 2017 : 11:19:52 AM
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Sara, thanks for the link. I will check it out. It looks like a great website! That's cool you grew swiss chard. My mom has grown that in a container and it turned out pretty good!
Kiersten, Farmgirl Sister #7232
https://autumncountrygirl93.wordpress.com/ |
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DandeeRose
True Blue Farmgirl
1502 Posts
Alicia
Charlestown, IN
1502 Posts |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17023 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17023 Posts |
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Garden Gate: Garden Plans 2017 - Now We Put Our Gardens to Bed |
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Garden Plans 2017 - Now We Put Our Gardens to Bed
