I can’t believe I’m already looking ahead to next year. I have learned that this approach works best for me. By now I see what has worked and what hasn’t. I know what changes I’d like to make and begin planning for them. I’m fortunate that everything is going well and my plans are simply to add more space for plants.

I start planning early simply to save money. I decide what I need and begin my search. Whether I find material on sale, or used at garage/yard sales, flea markets or the Habitat for Humanity Restore- just to name a few possible sources. Here’s a quick tip- Know what retail prices are for whatever you’re looking for. I like to be certain it’s a good deal.

The two projects I’m planning are an additional bed to grow raspberries and additional space for vegetables. I’m planning on using some existing space to grow additional pumpkins. I also have declared that next year will be the year I try bushel basket gourds. I’m planning on building raised beds and using some large containers. I’m already on the lookout.

There may be more projects coming for next spring as well. I may build some potato cages and add space for ……………? Time will tell. It’s not even August yet.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Another weekend is almost over. I was able to get through a couple of projects this weekend. I’ll be sharing them with you later this week. At this moment I’m happy because there appears to be no rain in the forecast this week.

I have not been able to get anything done in my vegetable garden since June. It poured down rain the last Saturday in June as we were leaving out of town. More heavy rain occurred while we were gone. When I arrived back home the garden was underwater in spots. The puddles went away but more rain last week kept it too wet to work in. It is finally drying out.

Tomorrow I will take my garden back from those pesky weeds. The mulch helps so much. If it weren’t for the mulch I would have a mess! I also have other odd jobs out there as well. My cantaloupes need some fencing to keep them somewhat contained. The gourds will have to be checked to be sure they’re staying in their cages. The cucumbers will be needing that as well.

The only problem I have with the weeds is they’re getting tall. I don’t want to just dump them in the compost pile. I’ll take the time to shred them before I add them. This will speed their decomposition.

I’m sure I’ll find more to do as I get into it. But the more I find, the longer I can spend doing what I enjoy.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I was not sure what I would find when arriving home today after being away. I had heard the stories of the heavy rain and storms that hit the area. I was anticipating at least some minor damage or problems.

My vegetable garden weathered the storm nicely. The worst I could find was some Indian corn bent over. The soil is still very wet but I hope to be able to straighten those few stalks tomorrow. Adding soil to the base of the plants should be enough to hold the straightened stalks upright. Everything seems to have doubled in size.

It never ceases to amaze me how much things seem to grow while I’m away. The new perennials are thriving and blooming. The only landscape related damage from the weather was just a few more sticks down in the yard.

I did have one nice surprise while walking through the yard deciding it would be a day or so before it would dry up enough to get anything done. I did it while snacking on some of the first black raspberries to ripen this season.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

The weather has warmed and summer is here. Our plants are thriving, or at least we hope they are. Now we have to be on the lookout for damaging insects and other problems.

Some damage is very evident. Other problems may be harder to spot. I like to just stroll around the yard and garden looking for bugs or evidence of their damage, if any.

Once the pests or their damage is found, steps can be taken to solve the problem.

An active approach helps keep our yards and gardens pest free. Many plant diseases, if present, can also be found early. This makes them much easier to deal with.

Observation is key. You may even want to keep a notebook of your observations. This is a great way to follow trends from year to year. As years go by you’ll be able to look ahead to potential problems.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I’ve been finding little surprises in and around the vegetable garden lately. Some aren’t that unexpected but some are a little more amazing.

As I have been pulling a few stray weeds lately, I’ve been finding tomato plants. These must have came from last years tomatoes that were tilled under at the end of last season. The seeds sat all winter and came up on their own. This is not a rare event but I smile every time I find one. Some stay where they are. Others are transplanted to wherever I can find room. I just can’t imagine discarding them. Who knows what they’ll grow into?

A more surprising find was not in the vegetable garden. I had a small bed of Red Sails leaf lettuce growing last year near our patio. I never took the time to do much with the bed at the end of last year. This spring while working on the front landscape I “stole” a few shovels full of dirt from that bed. Most of that soil ended up at the edge of the driveway near our front walkway and a large Lilac. I have a beautiful crop of leaf lettuce growing along the drive and under the lilac.

It always amazes me that no matter how hard we “try to make things grow”, sometimes they don’t need our help at all. Sometimes I feel they can do it better without our help. Nature is a wonderful thing. It never ceases to make me smile. That is something I can never get enough of.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I’m now harvesting lettuce out of the garden. It feels nice to begin reaping the rewards of the work.

Tomorrow I’ll put the last seeds in the ground. I left a short row empty for a later planting of green beans. The first sowing is thriving so it’s time for another planting.

I wonder how long it will take me to decide to try and add just one more thing?

I’ve done a couple of new thing this year. I’ve planted some extra zucchini in the pots of compost in the center of my tomato plant groupings. I’ll see if I can get something out of them as well as using them as a way to add nutrients to the tomatoes.

The other thing was plant a hill of cantaloupe inside an open barrel of unfinished compost. The cantaloupe are of a small variety and I think they will stay on the vine as it climbs out of the barrel. We’ll see. I can always support them if need be.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I’m very glad I put out my rain barrels when I did. In the last twelve hours 1.2″ of rain has fallen in my rain gauge. The four barrels are at least half full. That’s 100 gallons of water that won’t cost me a dime. None of the plants will be too thirsty for a few days anyway. It’s still raining now.

The storms of the past few days, mostly wind up until last night, didn’t cause much damage. A few sticks and limbs down was the worst of it. I don’t think any plants here will show any adverse effects.

My only concern is for a few rows of late planted seeds. My hope is the ground will dry out enough that they will germinate. If the ground stays saturated for too long the seeds may rot in the ground.

Now I’ll just wait for everything to dry up. Those sticks and limbs can be chipped and shredded and used as mulch for the raspberries.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

I now have four rain barrels to assist me with summer watering.

I was fortunate to get the 55 gallon plastic drums free. Their previous contents were not harmful. A quick rinse and they were ready for use.

The barrels are being used on a roof without gutters. I used a jigsaw to cut the tops out of the barrels. Hardware cloth was used to make a cover for the barrels. This helps to keep debris out of the barrels. The barrels were then lined under the edge of the roof to catch the runoff.

I plan on just dipping the water out of the barrels and use it for spot watering. I’ll still have to use the water hose. It just won’t be as often.

It wouldn’t take much to drop in a small submersible pump to empty the barrel. This could pump to the water to the garden or used to fill a bucket.

I could have made them with a drain valve at the bottom. But I was trying to keep costs minimal.

Adding a valve is usually easy. Most barrels have two openings on top. these are generally two inch pipe thread. Using reducer fittings will allow you to add a drain valve. The barrel would then be turned upside down and supported off the ground on blocks to allow space for the valve.

The second opening could be used to connect a second barrel and so on. This system would allow multiple barrels to drain from one valve.

This approach would work very well for connecting to a downspout. All that is needed is one hole cut in a barrel to allow the downspout to be redirected to the barrel.

Quick tip: I try to save as much water as possible. Whether it’s saving the water you rinse vegetables with or the water left from the ice that melted in the cooler. It all can be dumped into a rain barrel and be used on your plants.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Once you have decided a raised bed is right for you it’s time to get started.

The first thing is to decide where the bed will be located. A raised bed can be placed anywhere, even over a solid surface such as concrete. Any spot with enough sun for whatever it is you decide to plant will work fine.

Just remember, if you put a raised bed over a solid surface, a layer of gravel will be needed to promote drainage. Try to avoid placement too close to a large tree. The tree’s roots will try to grow up into the rich soil of your bed.

When the location has been decided, it’s time to decide on size. It is best not to make a bed over four feet wide. A wider bed makes it difficult to reach the middle.

A bed can be built of many different materials including natural stone and precast wall stones. The most popular choice seems to be wood or the newer “plastic lumber” that is now available. Do not use pressure treated lumber. Use a wood with natural longevity such as cedar, redwood or cypress.

When building a raised bed out of lumber, here are the basics: Purchase the lumber and cut it to size. Predrill the holes and fasten the bed together with screws. Support braces are used to secure the multiple stacks of the bed together to reach the desired height. Pipes driven into the ground and secured to the bed with pipe hangers keep the bed stationary. Pipes can be mounted just to the lumber of a bed positioned on a solid surface. These pipes should be positioned across from one another.

These pipes act as a support for an overhead framework for row covers, shade cloth or frost protection. Insert a smaller diameter rod into the pipe and the other end into the opposing pie to form arches. These arches will support your various materials.

After the bed is built it can be filled with a soil and compost mix. You will first want to add rock for drainage if on a solid site. Hardware cloth can be installed on the bottom as well to prevent rodents from tunneling into the bed. A thick layer of newspaper or landscape fabric can be added if desired to prevent weeds from coming through. After the soil mix is added it can be watered in. Allow it to settle for a day or two and you’re ready to plant.

Raised beds can be planted with most anything you would plant in a vegetable garden. Some vining plants can even be added and trained up a trellis system. Heavy mulching will help retain moisture and prevent weeds.

I’m planning on building a raised bed to grow additional raspberries. The options are nearly limitless.

I’ll see you in the backyard!

Raised beds can be a wonderful addition to your vegetable garden. They could also be your vegetable garden. Many types of plants can be grown in raised beds.

A raised bed can be a blessing for those with bad backs, sore knees or other ailments. They may be able to allow people to continue gardening who otherwise could not.

Gardening in a raised bed provides ease of maintenance. No rototiller is required.

The elevated nature of the bed allows the soil to warm earlier in the spring. This means an earlier start to the growing season. Since you don’t walk in the raised bed there is a reduction in soil compaction. A good soil mix is easy to maintain because you control what you fill the beds with. Any amendments you add remain right there in the bed.

Features can be built into the beds that allow for easy additions of frost protection, row covers and shade cloth. This feature will allow you to extend your growing time in the fall as well.

Next we’ll discuss options of what to plant in a raised bed. I’ll also include the basic steps for constructing your own raised bed[s].

Stay tuned!

I’ll see you in the backyard!