What have you done for garden prep so far?

[Brent S]

I lounged around this morning, with a well deserved rest. It is the most perfect day I’ve seen in ages here. Must be 70degs and a mostly clear sky. The rain is coming this late afternoon though. I guess I have to go out and start the garden now. Also still have 9 more trees to cut up for next years heat. I will be lucky to get them cut and stacked in the next month.

 

[Arcticdude]

I lounged around this morning, with a well deserved rest. It is the most perfect day I’ve seen in ages here. Must be 70degs and a mostly clear sky. The rain is coming this late afternoon though. I guess I have to go out and start the garden now. Also still have 9 more trees to cut up for next years heat. I will be lucky to get them cut and stacked in the next month.

Rub it in Brent. It's 23 and snowing this morning. We still have 6+ feet of snow covering the garden.

 

[Maverick]

I’ll say... Brent, you’re a ###

 

[tmttactical]

Well if you all feel that way, I not telling you what my beautiful Arizona Temp is. So there.

 

[Robinjopo1]

I think we're going to have to raise our bees indoor too. Even if the yellow jackets didn't kill our hives this summer they never would have survived this winter.

I stuck my ear to the hives yesterday and there was some action in both.

 

[user 5745]

This year, I'll sow a few annuals that will provide food without hindering future plans: dwarf and climbing french beans, beetroot, spinach, green kuri squash, courgette, lettuce and corn salad, red and green kale, radishes and so on. The new garden is mostly lawn and the late winter skeletons of decorative shrubs right now. I need to see what comes up, and whether the extant gooseberries, blackcurrants and rhubarb are a) worth keeping and b) in the right places. Once I've mapped the garden, I'll start planning the best layout for infrastructure, growing beds, etc.

Initial ideas (not all happening this year!):

• asparagus and artichokes on the south boundary wall; trellis on the north boundary wall for brambles and other long-cane soft fruit, with soft fruit, tender stone fruit and herbs beneath where they'll get bags of sun and warmth from the stone - I'm determined to grow apricots
  
• top fruit orchard: apples, pears, damsons, cherries, maybe even a quince
  
• investigate really worthwhile perennial veg that will get on alright in odd corners without much attention
  
• return part of the sunken garden to a pond and make the rest more of a wildlife haven, and dig a smaller pond at the top of the garden - this is slug territory, so I'll need all the help I can get from hedgehogs, toads and frogs!
• construct raised beds for veg and strawberries to run N-S across the garden; lay weed-suppressing membrane and woodchip along the paths
  
• scrub the greenhouse and perhaps install another, so that I can go daft with early peas as well as tomatoes, cucumbers, aubergines, grapes, peppers
  
• get chillis and a lime tree going in the conservatory
  
• contact local stables to see about getting a big pile of good horse manure delivered to rot down over the autumn/winter
• re-roof the old shed for use as a fuel-wood store, then get the thing filled
  
• build at least 3 or 4 large bays for compost; leaf-mould will probably go in bags behind the conservatory
• construct trough planters with anti-slug legs for salad leaves
• investigate where to site animals: perhaps bees on the far side of the burn; hens might work in the orchard, as long as I can protect them from raptors
• install water butts on the house, garage and shed downpipes
  
• and on and on and on...

This will be a hell of a year

 

[Brent S]

Rub it in Brent. It's 23 and snowing this morning. We still have 6+ feet of snow covering the garden.

Ouch! The downside to this perfect sunny day is the plum trees are all blossoming allready. They are certain to freeze before long. The seasons are a lot different than they used to be here.
On the upside though, we got the garden 1/2 tilled and the greenhouse is completely tilled, raked out and watered in good. Having the kids help was a huge difference! They have piddled in the garden some before but not really been a lot of help. Now that they are on a health kick and only eating organic the garden holds a new interest for them, and welcomed help for me. We even got the trunk of one of the oak trees cut up today. It’s still on the ground but is one step closer to being in the firewood bins. After all that though I’m relaxing in the hot tub right now with a glass of muscadine wine. The lower back just isn’t what it used to be... the rain is moving in shortly and expected to fall all night and all tomorrow so some relaxing is in order for a bit.

 

[Robinjopo1]

Ouch! The downside to this perfect sunny day is the plum trees are all blossoming allready. They are certain to freeze before long. The seasons are a lot different than they used to be here.
On the upside though, we got the garden 1/2 tilled and the greenhouse is completely tilled, raked out and watered in good. Having the kids help was a huge difference! They have piddled in the garden some before but not really been a lot of help. Now that they are on a health kick and only eating organic the garden holds a new interest for them, and welcomed help for me. We even got the trunk of one of the oak trees cut up today. It’s still on the ground but is one step closer to being in the firewood bins. After all that though I’m relaxing in the hot tub right now with a glass of muscadine wine. The lower back just isn’t what it used to be... the rain is moving in shortly and expected to fall all night and all tomorrow so some relaxing is in order for a bit.

Brent, my plum trees have buds. Not good.

 

[Brent S]

I’ll say... Brent, you’re a ###

If it makes you feel better today is drizzling, 42 degs and gloomy....... it was great to have a taste of spring yesterday though!

 

[Robinjopo1]

It was raining so hard at 4:30 am it woke everyone. That's is a popular time for rain here.

 

[Danil54grl]

We had a beautiful day before yesterday so right after feeding I was out in the garden tilling but then got a text from my boss to come in for over night. She had 6 call ours this week and just trying to keep their head above water, so I only got about an hour out there before I needed my shower before getting granny lunch to her. Come home to fix dinner and try to take a nap before going back to granny for her dinner then work. I did 9 hours before calling it quotes at work because I never did get my nap in. I was in bed at 6 am - 11 am.
Yesterday was another gorgeous day. I asked my hunny to take granny lunch because I wanted to play. . . Got rows retilled and started redigging my trenches between each row. The ground is still too wet for planting, but at least it looks more and more like a garden verses were patch. I didn't get too play as much as I would have liked though. Making dinner, doing laundry, a little sewing and cleaning house were on the to do list also. With all the doctor appointments with both hunny and granny then work I feel like I just haven't been home much this week other than cooking and sleeping.
I have a few hours before I go to work tonight to do inventory but it is drizzly rain right now. Not sure how my shift is going to end up today. I am scheduled Sun for inventory and Monday floor. Since my scale is still broke I do the night before I am scheduled. As it stands, I will go in today at 3:30pm and work till 5:30 am Mon. Well see if I can do mon night instead.

 

[Robinjopo1]

It's to wet and muddy here to do anything. I'm changing mom's bed because she says it's too tall and she needs a stool to get on it. Not good at 86. Now I have no where to store her antique bed. It's sitting in the living room. Lol

 

[Brent S]

With the rain I decided to just take it easy today. I could plant the greenhouse but an still a little sore from yesterday, so that’s my excuse for being a bum....

 

[Arcticdude]

It'll be awhile before we can even think about working in our garden.

 

[Robinjopo1]

I found some sprouted potatoes in the pantry and put them in a pot with some starter mix, and watered . Put plastic wrap over it just to see if they sprout. They are under the grow light.

Another case of "We shall see."

 

[Psalm7]

Mud mud and more mud .
I wanted to get the first tilling done this week but supposed to rain all week . I get a vacation mid March so hope to till and start planting that week .

 

[Brent S]

View attachment 9369 It'll be awhile before we can even think about working in our garden.

Wow, it’s beautiful in its own way, but dosent look very easy to live in! Ever thought about a second place down south for the winter?

 

[Robinjopo1]

Mud mud and more mud .
I wanted to get the first tilling done this week but supposed to rain all week . I get a vacation mid March so hope to till and start planting that week .

Psalm, they updated us another inch. If we get as much as they are saying, out our little country roads around the lake, will definitely be flooded. They were close on Friday morning.

 

[Arcticdude]

Wow, it’s beautiful in its own way, but dosent look very easy to live in! Ever thought about a second place down south for the winter?

I could certainly use a vacation in a warm place right about now. Forecast is for temps near zero or below and more snow. You're right though, there's nothing easy about living up here. But I don't think I'd trade it for any other place that I've ever been. Once construction on our house is finished I won't care if we get snowed in. I'll just leave a vehicle down at the county road and use a tracked vehicle to get in and out.

 

[Brent S]

I could certainly use a vacation in a warm place right about now. Forecast is for temps near zero or below and more snow. You're right though, there's nothing easy about living up here. But I don't think I'd trade it for any other place that I've ever been. Once construction on our house is finished I won't care if we get snowed in. I'll just leave a vehicle down at the county road and use a tracked vehicle to get in and out.

if we are all right about a shtf scenario then living in a place like yours would be the safest place to be. Right now it’s a test of your determination!