Getting Garden Ready

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Well folks, you might not believe it, but I've been out the last couple days tilling up the large garden space we have here. We didn't work it up last year so it's pretty tough in spots, but I'm getting the job done. My DW has provided some excellent fertilizer from her rabbitry and a couple pick-up loads of horse manure were added for good measure. I'll work all that in real good, then set up the raised "square foot" beds and get ready for planting. It's a lot of work, but I can already taste those vine-ripe tomatoes and that ice cold watermelon ~ YUM-YUM!

According to the weatherman, my efforts will be put on hold because of the rain we're supposed to get tonight, but there's plenty to keep me busy elsewhere! As soon as I get the website put together there will be pictures of our farm and projects for everyone to view. You'll get to meet our extended family, too :8). I'll keep you posted!

May you all have peaceful rest tonight!

-- Phil in KS (pemccoy@yahoo.com), February 18, 2002

Answers

That sounds SOOO nice Phil!! I have garden fever really bad. I think I just like to play in the dirt! I usually wait til tax day (April 15) to set any plants out, the last frost is usually over by then. I start my plants in the middle of Feb. to get them about 8 weeks old before I set them outside. I've got some eggs in the incubator and a list of outside jobs I need to get finished, I guess I'm ready for spring! Best wishes!

-- cowgirlone in OK (cowgirlone47@hotmail.com), February 19, 2002.

Sounds nice, Phil!! I always get "dirt fever" this time of year - ususally I can count on the weather to keep me from going out and playing in the dirt; but I did manage to get out last Sunday and Monday and move some soil and manure around. (Paid for it later, too; as this winter weary body prostested loudly!!) I got a new flower bed laid out (3' x 30') along the south side of our shed; and set 4 new raised sqare foot beds in the garden - even got two of them filled with soil and compost before I wore out!

We got rain Monday night, Tuesday and a bit on Wednesday; then snow on Thursday :o( Warmed up again today, but I was sleeping (work night shift) so I missed most of it. The ground is still a bit soggy right now. It's suppposed to be warm tomorrow, so I think I will go throw some compost around and over my daffodils, tulips, mums and peonies that have come up; to protect them from the 10 to 20 degree weather predicted here for Tuesday - bummer!

I'm getting ready to start my tomatoes indoors tomorrow - hoping for an early spring!! May 1st is about our last frost date here in central Illinois, but I hope to have some plants in the garden in late April. They'll have taken over the kitchen by then! I've also been keeping busy by preparing pre-spaced squares for my square foot garden - by gluing seeds to 11" x 11" paper towels with Elmer's glue at the recommended spacings - a trick I learned from a fellow on another forum last year - sure saves time during planting season!

Cowgirl, send Phil some photos of those chickies for the website - that way I won't have to go to the farm supply and hover over the tubs of baby chicks there!

-- Polly >^..^< (tigger@moultrie.com), February 22, 2002.


We have nice weather here in southern Ohio too. Yesterday (Saturday) was warm enough that I got out to prune my apple trees and dig some in the garden. Every winter, as the weather allows, I turn my 20 by 25 foot main garden plot with a shovel to a depth of about 9 inches. As I turn it I bury last fall's leaves under the garden. This keeps the plot fluffy and by the next winter, when I turn the garden again, the leaves have broken down into almost-humus. This year I ran out of leaves before I ran out of garden, so asked my neighbors if I could have their leaf pile. They said sure and rolled their eyes, and I felt as if I had made a major score! Now I am waiting for it to get light so I can go next door to raid the leaf pile and start digging.

-- Scott McAlpine (scottmcalpine@juno.com), February 24, 2002.

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