2016 Vegetable Garden & Husbandry Report Thread

[Well-Prepared Witch]

Sounds nice, JM! We've been pretty busy the last week around the garden and homestead. The three new garden beds are built and I'm starting to fill them with dirt, but that's a long manual process! We also are mulching the paths in the garden with wood chips that the power company provided. I just called them and told them that we could take any wood chips they have next time they were in the area trimming trees. Lo and behold a week or so ago they showed up and dumped a huge pile of wood chips for us! Free mulch! So I've been carting that into the garden as well.

We've even started planting, even though we're still a little bit before our official last frost date. So far we've got broccoli, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, radishes, celery, and the asparagus in. As soon as I finish filling the new beds I'll get the rest of the seeds in.

Chicks are growing. The Cornish crosses are HUGE - at least double the size of the layers.  I did lose one of the Cornish crosses to an impacted crop. Poor thing. But, that happens.

[JohnyMac]

I like your mulch/path plan.  I am thinking of planting a rye cover crop on my paths. I use the same seed for the field in the fall as a cover crop. A lady who I have been in communication with at Penn State suggested it. She said just let it grow and use a weed wacker on any blades over 3". My garden mentor uses freshly cut lawn grass for his paths.

I am on limited work restrictions from my local BOL doctor. I strained one of my stomach muscles three weeks ago cutting down, splitting and stacking some trees blocking the sun over my garden. Re-aggravated it this past weekend after a weekend of work on the cabin with my brother.

So I am going to play it good so I don't loose the rest of the spring.

Thanks for the update!     

[Well-Prepared Witch]

Today was the first day I cooked out of the garden!  I harvested our first zucchini of the year (ok, I pulled it a leeetle early, but it was so pretty!) and I've been harvesting peas for a week, but only a couple pods at a time.  I made a stir fry, which turned out not bad.  I tried it with bacon, because... well, bacon, and it wasn't as good as something like chicken or beef or strips of pork.  But it was definitely edible.  Neither my nor Mr. WPW had to ask the puppy to help dispose of leftovers.

[JohnyMac]

We have been eating lettuce, radishes and snap peas out of the garden for 3 weeks so far.

Sunday, I took 5 oz. of snap peas, 5 oz. of carrots sliced like pommes frites and a half of a Vadalia onion and quick fried them in a saute pan using sesame & olive oil. Delish!

I replanted in another plot more lettuce and radishes two weeks ago. 

I am disappointed in my corn as only about 1/3 of the seeds germinated, I replanted on Sunday.

My tomatoes are doing VERY well.

This reminds me I need to take some pictures and do a write-up.

Wellie, about how many sq ft did you plant this year? brat planted like 5 acres (I may be exaggerating slightly) 

[Well-Prepared Witch]

Radishes!  How could I have forgotten the radishes!  Our first meal out of the garden was from some German white radishes.  I'd never planted them before, you can betcha I'm planting them again!  I fried them in a little butter and it was DELICIOUS!  I got the seeds from Baker Creek.  So yummy!

Anywho, to answer your question, we have about, at a guess, 35' x 25' fenced off for the garden (I measured it way back when I put it in, but can't remember now exactly), but not all of it is planted.  We have six 4' x 8' raised beds, two potato planters that are about 3' in diameter, berry bushes along one short side of the garden and the other end is currently empty, but we're putting in a strawberry patch there next Spring.  I've got a 3' x 5'~ish pumpkin patch (just big enough for the plants to be established before they start growing out and getting big) outside the garden with a short fence around it.  Hopefully we'll get a couple pumpkins from the protected area even if the rabbits & deer get the rest.  (I ran out of fencing for that area, so figured we'd see. *shrug* There's always next year if it doesn't work.)  So, not a huge amount of land under cultivation, though the garden is generous and comfortable to move around in.