Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

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madhatter
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by madhatter »

skiadikt wrote:
madhatter wrote:
skiadikt wrote:here's what i got. 11 raised garden beds covered in black landscaping cloth (not plastic). 50'x90' 5 ' high fenced in plot. my plan is to mix 2 bags of organic raised bed soil into each bed. starting small with 2 beds and take it from there. already have brussel sprout seedlings going. since i'm late will probably rely on store bought seedlings for everything else. tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, asparagus are my faves. eggplants, green beans & peas as well. anyone need to board horses ...
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not sure what this is ...looks like a compost bin that they grew squash in...great idea and I like the way the pallet keeps the fruit off the soil...
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these are supposedly blueberry bushes. got 10 of these.awesome keep them fences around til the forest around you greens up or the deer may eat em...
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you got some top notch stuff to work with there....

with all those beds you can set up a real good rotational system whereby all your plants nutrient needs are met...

you only really need to enrich the beds of the most nitrogen heavy users...



asparagus requires a dedicated planting area as it's a perennial...it requires well drained VERY rich soil...you are on the right track w horse boarding....if you got a close by neighbor farmer you s/b able to get a pile dropped at your place and compost it down...it composts quick and doesn't really smell either..


root vegetables and nitrogen fixers ( like peas) can be grown in any of those beds as is...

time for peas right about now...install some green wire garden fence through the middle of one ( or more) of those raised beds and plant your peas on either side of it...do the fence first so the peas can climb right up it as they grow and you don;t have to damage the pants installing the fence...


mrs hatter and I need to take a ride over and visit soon for a more detailed discussion...you got yourself the makings of a nice gentleman's farm there... :Toast
my beds are approx 4'x16'. for the peas, is that just one garden fence down the middle with seeds on either side or do i have room to do 2 fences say a foot apart?

planning to order the asparagus crowns. these seem to be highly rated:

https://www.gurneys.com/product/asparabest-asparagus
one row of fence down the middle one row of peas on either side of the fence...asparagus likes VERY rich soil, choose your bed/beds or plot wisely as it;s gonna be there for all eternity...also prep that bed up good///lots of manure...
mach es sehr schnell

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Mister Moose
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by Mister Moose »

Any one want Lupin seeds?

I harvested a bunch from wild last year, gave them cold storage, and have way more than I'll ever use.
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tyrolean_skier
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by tyrolean_skier »

Mister Moose wrote:Any one want Lupin seeds?

I harvested a bunch from wild last year, gave them cold storage, and have way more than I'll ever use.
Are you talking about these flowers?

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killyfan
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by killyfan »

Mister Moose wrote:Any one want Lupin seeds?

I harvested a bunch from wild last year, gave them cold storage, and have way more than I'll ever use.

Yes please!!! Would love to have some - if you can tell me how to properly sow them in the sunny field in front of the house. Do you just throw them out there in the spring and pray that they take? Or is it better to wait until fall?
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Mister Moose
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by Mister Moose »

tyrolean_skier wrote: Are you talking about these flowers?
Yes, except these are from wild and are just blue, no other color.

killyfan wrote: Yes please!!! Would love to have some - if you can tell me how to properly sow them in the sunny field in front of the house. Do you just throw them out there in the spring and pray that they take? Or is it better to wait until fall?
I just put about 30 in starter mini pots to see what happens, If they sprout well I'll put them outside after Memorial day. The wild ones are already up and 6 inches tall in the field where I harvested them last fall.

If you just throw seeds you might get some, but I'd think it would be a far lower low rate of success. The good thing about these is they are perennials, and once established in favorable areas do very well on their own. They love cooler climates of VT NH and ME.
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by killyfan »

killyfan wrote: Yes please!!! Would love to have some - if you can tell me how to properly sow them in the sunny field in front of the house. Do you just throw them out there in the spring and pray that they take? Or is it better to wait until fall?

Mister Moose wrote:I just put about 30 in starter mini pots to see what happens, If they sprout well I'll put them outside after Memorial day. The wild ones are already up and 6 inches tall in the field where I harvested them last fall.

If you just throw seeds you might get some, but I'd think it would be a far lower low rate of success. The good thing about these is they are perennials, and once established in favorable areas do very well on their own. They love cooler climates of VT NH and ME.
OK great - I'll take some of the seeds please. I have a perfect spot for them and they are my favorite wildflower. Just googled this link:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/orname ... upines.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by MrsG »

I had to google too :oops: . . . would love some - have a perfect spot for them where we had to have several trees removed - thank you - love the color too!!
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tyrolean_skier
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by tyrolean_skier »

If you have any seeds left over after giving them to Mrs.G and killyfan, I will take some and try to plant them near my condo in VT since you said they do well in VT.
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by Mister Moose »

Plenty of seeds. They come in pea like pods (relative of peas) so you can shuck 'em. Blue only.
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by f.a.s.t. »

I'm finally getting rid of an eyesore this spring, an ugly, old railroad tie retaining wall along this big border. It's being replaced with a dry-stacked stone wall. It's harder than a jig saw puzzle to get the stones to fit tight.

I am going to build a wall and I am going to pay for it.

I am going to make that wall great again.
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by freeski »

Thank you for not using precast McStone...
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Mister Moose
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

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f.a.s.t. wrote:I'm finally getting rid of an eyesore this spring, an ugly, old railroad tie retaining wall along this big border. It's being replaced with a dry-stacked stone wall. It's harder than a jig saw puzzle to get the stones to fit tight.
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It looks like you had some leaning with the old railroad tie wall. Same thing will happen with your stone wall. Ground exerts pressure and at 2 feet you start having support problems. If you haven't finished yet look into techniques to further stabilize all your hard work. If your wall starts to shed rocks and tumble over the next 5-10 years, that is why.

You also need to have good drainage behind the wall (I see that pile of crushed stone) and a good foundation to take the weight and the frost.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the Lupine seeds at about 2 weeks, I didn't write down the date. They were placed in mini peat pots with 1/8" or so cover and kept moist. No pre-soak.
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f.a.s.t.
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by f.a.s.t. »

Mister Moose wrote:
f.a.s.t. wrote:I'm finally getting rid of an eyesore this spring, an ugly, old railroad tie retaining wall along this big border. It's being replaced with a dry-stacked stone wall. It's harder than a jig saw puzzle to get the stones to fit tight.
wall%20(2).JPG
It looks like you had some leaning with the old railroad tie wall. Same thing will happen with your stone wall. Ground exerts pressure and at 2 feet you start having support problems. If you haven't finished yet look into techniques to further stabilize all your hard work. If your wall starts to shed rocks and tumble over the next 5-10 years, that is why.

You also need to have good drainage behind the wall (I see that pile of crushed stone) and a good foundation to take the weight and the frost.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the Lupine seeds at about 2 weeks, I didn't write down the date. They were placed in mini peat pots with 1/8" or so cover and kept moist. No pre-soak.
20170522_135221-1[1].jpg
I spent about 6 hours on the wall Saturday and only got half way through. A website on dry walls said to place a stone long way into the ground every three feet to give it strength. It's also important that the stones are level on the top and that each stone sits on at least two stones, not stacked directly on top of the stone below. Getting it to look right is very hard. I am backfilling with some of that gravel, but most of that gravel is going to go between my raised beds. That website also said that once you finish your first wall you become a "waller". I had a friend describe this work as therapy.

I have many lupines in a small meadow behind the bed in the photo, they are a great plant.
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by MrsG »

Mister Moose wrote:
f.a.s.t. wrote:I'm finally getting rid of an eyesore this spring, an ugly, old railroad tie retaining wall along this big border. It's being replaced with a dry-stacked stone wall. It's harder than a jig saw puzzle to get the stones to fit tight.
wall%20(2).JPG
It looks like you had some leaning with the old railroad tie wall. Same thing will happen with your stone wall. Ground exerts pressure and at 2 feet you start having support problems. If you haven't finished yet look into techniques to further stabilize all your hard work. If your wall starts to shed rocks and tumble over the next 5-10 years, that is why.

You also need to have good drainage behind the wall (I see that pile of crushed stone) and a good foundation to take the weight and the frost.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's the Lupine seeds at about 2 weeks, I didn't write down the date. They were placed in mini peat pots with 1/8" or so cover and kept moist. No pre-soak.
20170522_135221-1[1].jpg
Planted my lupine seeds today . . . I did soak, and also rubbed a bit with sand paper . . . I'll report status in a few weeks - wish me luck :oops: :wink:
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tyrolean_skier
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Re: Madhatter's 2017 Garden Thread

Post by tyrolean_skier »

We ate our first string beans from the garden tonight. We've been eating a lot of lettuce from the garden too. We finished the green leaf and now are eating the romaine lettuce and the red leaf lettuce. Here are pictures I took right after I had taken out two of the green leaf plants. All the lettuce plants are much bigger now and have to be eaten fast before they got to seed. The tomato plants are much bigger too and the middle plant has some fruit that should be ripe very soon.
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