I thought I'd share a few pics of my garden with you since we've been blessed so far with a mild winter. Please excuse the dots on the first picture. I don't know what they are, especially since I didn't clean the lense and they're not in the other pictures.
This is a shot of my entire east plot a day after using the Mantis tiller on it. It looks pretty good, especially after the night of gentle rain we had. I figure that if I nicked any of the plant roots when I was tilling, the moist soil would certainly help them recover quickly.
These are five of my total of eight rows of broccoli. They are doing very well in my opinion. I'm going to apply organic fertilizer this weekend in anticipation of two days of rain forecasted for next week. That will be perfect for watering it in. You can see the weeds around the base of the plants. I don't believe in going 100% weed free due to the level of work involved and also the possible damage to the plants I want to grow. When the weeds are large enough for me to grab without kneeling, I do so and remove them as is convenient for me, since my knees give me a fit sometimes.
You may have noticed the lush green annual rye that shows in some of the pictures. That's what I sowed in order to have it grow through the winter so I will have the mowed clippings for nitrogen for my compost pile. It works great!
These are my youngest collard plants. In the spring, they will grow like the wind! It has been my experience that when I let the plants winter over and then the weather begins to stay warm, they really produce a great deal because the roots have really become established. That's why I do it this way. I'm really looking forward to the spring harvest!
Here is a shot of my one row of Swiss chard and two rows of buttercrunch lettuce. The Swiss chard is like the collards. When the soil warms in spring, look out! It's collard and Swiss chard harvesting time! Just a few more weeks...
Here is the garlic that my two year old and four year old grandaughters planted. I'm so happy that it's popping right up! Now they can see what their little hands planted. Rest assured, they will also do the harvesting when the time is right. Then they'll always remember Poppa's garden. Hopefully, that will serve as an inspiration for them to have their own vegetable gardens one day.
Well, that's it for now. I hope you enjoyed seeing my garden as much as I enjoyed sharing it with you for your enjoyment and interest. I'm really thankful for the garden as I know it's really not me that's making it happen. I'm just prodding it along.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week and we'll see you on the next Harvest Monday!
Be sure to visit DaphnesDandelions for more exciting vegetable gardening experiences in a northern growing zone.
Have a great vegetable gardening day!
Veggie PAK
At this time of year we'd normally expect to see that plot covered with snow.
ReplyDeleteThe regularity of your rows of crops must make it a lot easier to maintain the plot in good order, especially since you have your tiller. I imagine that by now you have got pretty good at steering that thing carefully to avoid inflicting damage on your veggies.
The weather has been pretty mild so far this winter. February is usually the coldest and windiest month, but here it is the ninth already and the weather is still nice.
DeleteI really like using the 18 inch plant spacing so I can till the entire garden in a criss-cross pattern. The beauty of the tiller is that it is only 9 inches wide! You can just about manicure a garden that has adequate spacing between the plants. I've been going across the rows approximately in the center of the plant spacing, which keeps me 4 1/2 inches away from each plant base. Am I hitting some roots? Probably. But for weed control with this degree of ease, combined with the harvests I've been getting, I'll keep doing it this way. When I clean up my garden I always observe the root size when I pull up the stalks of any plant, so I'm comfortable with how I till so close. This year, rather than use the spacing recommended for each type of plant, I'm going with 30 inch wide row spacing along with the 18 inch plant spacing. I'm looking to establish permanent row spacing for ease of planning crops and also for crop rotation. My tomatoes will be on single perimeter rows so they don't get crowded too closely. If the spacing is all uniform, then every planting time I'll know exactly how many rows my garden will accomoodate. I won't need to be trying to figure out how many rows I can fit in there.
Your garden is really doing well. You are definitely going to have some great spring harvests!
ReplyDeleteYour granddaughters will definitely remember planting that garlic. Wonderful memories!
Thanks! I hope I'll have plenty of veggies to keep the kids involved with and interested in the harvesting.
DeleteThis winter has been mild. I keep kicking myself for not planting some cover crops. Usually our ground is frozen solid but this year it could have grown all winter long.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad the winter has been mild, but I think it confuses the plants!
DeleteIt is so nice to see people with things growing in the garden this time of year. We have had a mild winter as well but mild is relative. There's still no chance of us growing anything outdoors this time of year in a Zone 5 garden. Thanks for helping me make it through this long winter. Only about 4 more weeks and I can plant my first seeds outdoors!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so thankful to be growing things in the garden this time of year.
DeleteSpring is right around the corner!
You can till between rows of plants? I haven't used a tiller, but I'm interested in them.
ReplyDeleteI till between the rows AND the plants. I have the garden spaced out for that purpose. I don't like weeding!
Deletewow - everything looks wonderful!! And in February too! Your grands are going to have so much fun digging those bulb up.
ReplyDeleteThanks! In February! Isn't that neat? When my grandkids are helping in the garden I feel like I'M the one having so much fun! I'm so grateful that they're interested in it.
DeleteOh I am very impressed with your blog and with your gardens! There isn't much I can grow right now here in Kansas but I have started my tomatoes and peppers inside. Looking at your photos makes me even more anxious for spring!
ReplyDeleteHave a great evening!
Thank you so much! Almost a third of the way through February, so spring isn't too far off! Good luck with your garden this year!
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