2012 - retired from years of training and competing with dogs… I’ll try gardening – how hard can that be?? After all, I have 3 acres and vegetables and fruit can grow here, there and everywhere! I’ll get the dogs to help. Totally fenced yard so we can have fun and not worry about critters coming in. Sandy soil, no experience, no clue, no problem!
Spring – buy book, start compost heap, put dogs to work to get leaves from woods to compost heap. Get “stuff” from a neighbor who has sheep, chickens, goats and a donkey. Another neighbor delivered more “stuff” (she has horses!) Dogs thought “stuff” was great so the compost bin had to be secured. Turned a 12x24 deck/dog run with a roof into a garden shed.
Started some seeds inside – all died. …bought tomato plants. Read about raised beds so with back and knee “issues” I thought, “wow, I’m there!” Bought concrete blocks and built a 2x20’ bed along fence (2 feet high) and planted tomatoes. At one point helpful dog dug a reservoir outside the raised bed! The failed watering system I created (wouldn’t it be nice to just turn on one faucet and have everything be watered, I thought) that gave him the opportunity to “help” is another story but it did remind me that water doesn’t flow uphill. (I was lucky he didn’t want to put the reservoir inside the bed among the plants!)
In June I was slowed down a bit when I fell and broke my hip a week before another dog was scheduled for back surgery. I didn’t KNOW I broke my hip until after her surgery so then - surgery for me… home again.. lots to do! Had been documenting gardening adventure in photos and currently am only about 500 behind. Figured I could look back and compare.
Tomatoes grew… a lot! Who knew I wasn’t supposed to plant them so close together. Others I planted in pots grew also. Apples on old tree #1 rotted on tree (gotta figure that out) and there were so many pears the tree fell over. Apple tree #2 had apples but I had to fight wasps to get any. Planted a peach, cherry, plum and 2 nut trees I have hope for. I think the pawpaw and fig simply won’t make it. Planted 4 blueberry bushes, raspberries, strawberries, 2 grapevines and a blackberry bush.
Fall came…brought in 300 tomatoes before the cold and all ripened on my porch. My neighbor supplied me with greens that I didn’t know existed and other vegetables that I had to look up to see how to prepare them. Bought a juicer with plans for all my tomatoes. Worked outside until Dec. 16th (see picture below) thinking this will be a short winter!! Wrong again!!
So here it is… 3rd week of MARCH and this is what my raised bed looks like. It’s 2 feet high and the snow is to the top.
I’m starting seeds indoors but what I really want to know now is: when will the last frost be?!?! I doubt mid-May when it usually is!! We’ll see! I bought a variety of seeds with the intention of having only a few plants of each since there is only so much my vegetable-eating dogs and I can eat. I like the idea of planting extra to donate to food banks. That’s really a GOOD thing!
This year I’m getting chickens which will SURELY will be an adventure! The dog run turned garden shed will be converted for the chickens and the garden things moved to a garage size shed. My dogs will have to learn the chickens are part of the family but a good fence will be essential. The helper dog delights at chasing away hawks that hunt in the adjoining fields so that will be his contribution to chicken safety for sure! Should be a fun summer and for me that’s what is all about!
