The Garden is In!!

Gardening time!!

Well..It's that time again..Its been a few years for me..but the garden is IN!!..Well..with the exception of the turnips..which I never plant until  June...you can plant them earlier..but if you want them for winter storage and less apt to get root worms..you plant them June-July. Least that's what  the old timers say!
It's my first full sized garden in a good 10-12 years...and thanks to my husband..my son and his friend..who did all the heavy lifting and soil moving..I was able to get it in without rupturing my hernia any worse.
My Garden started out as a lawn..and last summer my son and his friend ( the same one who helped today)  Laid down old roofing tin over the grass to kill it off..Then this spring we took the tin off and laid down landscape fabric  ( this is shown in a previous post call " the tin comes off" Two weeks ago my soil was delivered...clay based and mixed with well rotted manure..it will do nicely!

My Son Helped me to level it and rake it smooth..He was not thrilled..but I am grateful for his help!

Then I planted my beets..mangle and cylinder...I planted onions all around the border to discourage the dogs...as well as a 2 foot high chicken wire fencelette..( It's not a real fence)  I do this because my dogs have a healthy respect for chicken wire..and need only gentle reminders to stay away from it.

Today we finished...( except for the neeps) We have nine, 3 sister hills...

This is them..the soil is a different colour because I cheated and bought it by the bag..In each hill is five baby stalks of sweet corn..it has to be 5-7 inches high before the beans are planted..so I started them indoors..

In amongst the stalks of corn I planted climbing green beans..they will grow and wind around the stalks..The vines will strengthen the stalks..and the stalks will support the vines..and at the base of the hills in between them all..I planted pie pumpkins and buttercup squash.

Beans, like other legumes, have bacteria living on their roots that help them absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form that plants can use. (Corn, which requires a lot of nitrogen to grow, benefits most.) The large, prickly squash leaves shade the soil, preventing weed growth, and deter animal pests.  This is a native companion planting technique...and my first attempt at it.

The Bottom left of the garden( and picture) marked off in a square of yellow cotton is where I have planted my pickling cucumbers and dill.

The middle bottom of the garden is where I have planted 13 Tomatoes plants, six red sweet pepper plants..a small row of leeks..and I have interspersed the peppers and tomatoes with french marigolds to deter bugs also...the leeks will help there as well..The two rows on the far right of the garden are my beets...mostly mangle but with a half row of cylinder beets fror pickling.

The last 6x10 piece in the top left of the garden is reserved for Neeps...( you call them turnips)  I am hoping for goats this summer..and will be saving the mangle beets and some of the turnips for them as fodder..if this all works well ( I have never gardened in this neck of the woods before..not even really in this province)   I may be able to squeak in another 100 square feet next year and add sweet potatoes!!!

I have chives  and garlic planted in containers at the edge of the compost...and in another container..parsley, sage and rosemary..I am not sure how invasive these can be ( the herbs) so I planted them in a container for testing.  Watch the blog for updates..as Tomorrow I collect 6 fertile turkey eggs and put them in the incubator!!!

Have fun folks..and remember..even if you live in an apartment..you can have a little container garden  on the patio or balcony!!

CHEERS!!!

Update as of June 29th!

It's a JUNGLE out there!

Tip of the day?

Plant French marigold between you tomatoe rows to discourage bugs..and save you eggs shells..just rinse them..dry them and crush them up..scatter these crushed shells around the bases of the tomatoes plants and work them in..you tomatoe pl;ants will LOVE them!

Cheers!