The plan!

So…  I’m thinkin’ of having the squash-pumpkin vining type vegetables at the top end of the yard (north) along the fence because (1) there’s good sun and (2) there’s lots of room..  120+ feet along the fence and wire inside the privacy fence. The fruit trees are below the blue dot and the other vegetables are in that area.  The berries are along the fence line that curves northwest from the house and the grapevines are on the south fence line.  There’s space for something – don’t know what yet west of the woods…  should be fun! 

In the smaller diagram, the red marks are possible raised beds, the purple square is the future garden shed and the green dots are the fruit trees and plants!  Fun!!

    

Real Books!

New…..
                          
From last year….
       

A portable greenhouse!!

I love going to Stein’s Garden Center when
there are only 2 cars in the parking lot! 
Lots of personal service! 
Check it out!  $36 on sale!

Seeds! I am so excited!

They all arrived today!!  Bought them from a local seed place (ok..  local here is 60 miles north-slightly NE of Shawano) but it was mail order called St. Clare Heirloom Seeds.  I discovered them on Dave’ Garden website and they were one of the 30 most highly rated companies with all positive reviews!  I plan to only use a few from each pack and learn how to save them for future years!  Some are flowers and some are herbs (mostly medicinal), there are 6 kinds/colors of tomatoes (white/red/yellow/purple) including 2 cherry tomatoes (black/yellow), 3 kinds of carrots(red/purple/orange), 4 types of sweet peppers (orange/purple/yellow/red), pumpkins, squash, cantaloupe, watermelon, cucumbers, eggplant and lots of greens.  I thought about what I want to put in the mixture when I juice and added some that I didn’t plan to order (celery/broccoli/cauliflower) and thought about what the dogs like (carrots/melons/pumpkin/peppers/squash).  This weekend the temperature is to be a high of 3 degrees… oh…. where is spring!

Order Summary
Asparagus - Mary Washington Imp.    1.99
Broccoli - Green Sprouting Calabrese    1.75
Cantaloupe - Hales Best Jumbo    1.99
Carrot - Atomic Red    1.99
Carrot - Cosmic Purple    1.99
Carrot - Tendersweet    1.99
Cauliflower - Snowball Self-Blanching    2.25
Celery - Tall Utah 52-70    1.99
Corn - Country Gentleman    1.99
Corn - Silver King    2.50
Cucumber - Bush Crop    2.50
Cucumber - White Wonder    1.99
Eggplant - Long Purple    1.99
Flower - Coneflower - Echinacea    2.50
Flower - Morning Glory - Heavenly Blue    1.99
Flower - Rudbeckia - Black Eyed Susan    2.49
Flower - Sunflower - Mammoth Grey Stripe    1.99
Herb - Lavender Vera    2.25
Herb - Peppermint    2.00
Herb - Sage, Broadleaf    1.75
Herb - Thyme    1.75
Herb - Yarrow    1.50
Kale - Red Russian    1.99
Lettuce - Blend #1    1.75
Lettuce - Loose Leaf - Green Ice    1.75
Lettuce - Romaine - Parris Island COS    1.50
Melon - Cantaloupe - Minnesota Midget    1.99
Melon - Honeydew - Green Flesh    1.99
Pepper - Sweet   Orange King    1.99
Pepper - Sweet  - Emerald Giant    1.99
Pepper - Sweet  - Purple Beauty    2.75
Pepper - Sweet  - Sunbright    1.99
Planner - Clyde's Garden Planner    4.99
Pumpkin - Casper    2.50
Pumpkin - Long Island Cheese    2.25
Pumpkin - Small Sugar    2.50
Spinach - Bloomsdale Long Standing    1.75
Squash - Summer - Early Prolific Straightneck    1.99
Squash - Winter - Sugar Loaf    2.25
Squash - Winter - Vegetable Spaghetti    2.25
Swiss Chard - Rainbow Mix    2.50
Tomato - Black Cherry    2.50
Tomato - Brandywine (Black)    2.50
Tomato - Garden Peach    2.49
Tomato - Golden Nugget    2.49
Tomato - Heirloom Rainbow Blend    2.75
Tomato - White Wonder Beefsteak    2.50
Watermelon - Crimson Sweet    1.99
Watermelon - Sugar Baby    1.99

Book on Blueberries

(In my KINDLE library)

Blueberries in Your Backyard:
How to Grow America's Hottest Antioxidant Fruit for Food, Health, and Extra Money
(25-page Booklet) [Kindle Edition]

From the Author

Of all my books and articles, I am proudest of this one. Blueberries in Your Backyard describes the perfect storm that has caused berries prices to shoot sky-high in stores. For antioxidants and good health, no other fruit compares. But you will learn how to escape this dependency on store bought berries forever by growing some of your own bushes.

If you've heard that blueberries are difficult to grow, that could not be further from the truth. Once you give them the right kind of soil (the ingredients described in this book are affordable and widely available), blueberry bushes are among the easiest plants to grow in the home garden. With very little care, they grow like weeds and the berries are delicious. I recently added a picture of some of my berry bushes to this book; my kids are picking those berries right now!

A canoe!

Straw Bale Gardening

Video: Make a Straw-Bale Garden Bed

Straw Bale Gardening: Start to Finish

Gardening with Straw Bales - Step 1 - Wetting The Straw

Gardening With Straw Bales - Step 2 - add bone meal

Straw Bale Gardening

Straw Bale Gardening Video Pt. 1

Straw Bale Gardening Video Pt. 2

Straw Bale Gardening Video Pt. 3

Straw Bale Gardening Video Pt. 4

Straw Bale Gardening Video Pt. 5

Straw Bale Gardening Video Pt. 6

Lettuce in rain gutters

Hmmm….  I think the first one that the water can drain from the top on all the way down is a good idea.  Another idea I thought of was to take a fence panel and attach it to the house on the deck.  Then make a pull up blind of sorts with plastic to lower when it needs to be covered and it will act as a temporary greenhouse.

I’m starting to like the idea of hanging them like the second on the right.  It would involve plant hangers and potentially be more creative than permanently attaching them….  and if it didn’t work.. I could hang flowers on the hangers.

How long do seeds last?

Apples

Another way to extend the growing season!

Greens…maybe with some red…

Another idea….

Don’t think I would do it but it IS interesting!     

Underground greenhouse

 

Trellis

 

Seeds….

An idea…  put window on porch and hang seed packets like photos are hung
on these window frames.

     

 

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