This week another 3 pounds of broccoli...and I still have more in the garden! What was I thinking! Also picked 5 pounds of juicy oranges from the trees. I've picked oranges off the trees from December to May and they still taste just fine...so I haven't rushed out to pick and store. I go out in the a.m. pick a few, come in and juice them for breakfast...sweet and tasty. I made a really nice stew on Sunday and went out a clipped some celery, and a bit of sage...didn't weigh. I also gave a friend a knob of celeriac 10 oz. and 4 turnips: 11 oz. My girls' must be very happy: 34 eggs!
I think sharing what I grow is the best part of the garden...and I love everything about gardening. I don't open up the fridge and start sharing: I actually take them to the garden and let them harvest what they want. Each plant has a story and of course I have to share it! I have made many gardeners after just one visit to my garden. I have mountains of compost and plenty of seed and transplants to share: I have one friend that calls me a One-Stop-Shop. I have donated huge tractor tires to be planted in (for folks that can't afford raised beds)...I've begged cinder blocks from construction sites and fence posts from farmers for raised beds...I shameless! I was given 4 huge rolls (1,000's of square feet) of commercial weed barrier...so when I set someone up with a garden they get: weed barrier, a raised bed (cinder block, fence posts, tractor tires), organic mushroom compost, seeds and/or transplants and a small bag or worm castings and the recipe for compost tea. I usually go out and show them where to site the garden and then I check after they've planted and help them with their compost tea and tell them how to make a worm bin (I'll give them 500 worms if they build one)...although an irrigation system is ideal...I don't encourage that in the beginning...I think it's important for the gardener to go out and check their garden every day: thus if they water then they bond with the garden. When they have gardened a season and if they want to expand, then I help with an irrigation system. This last week was nice and sunny (it's raining now) and I had two families come out for garden bed set-ups,another family to get compost to top off the bed we made last year and half a dozen calls to see if I was still doing beds (this is year three).
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| Mushroom Compost Delivery: Two Loads Every April! |
18 comments:
Hi Lynda- I don't know how you found my blog but I'm sure glad you did. Seems like we are doing a lot of the same things.
My husband got his bees the same way you are going to get your next colony.
And I thought we were the only ones using cinder blocks for raised beds.
Anyway, I've only made it back to early Feb on your blog and look forward to reading more.
Please send Clint over to Texas when you get done with him.
Hi Lynda, This is the first time that I have been on your blog. I have to say that what you do is absolutely wonderful!!
I'm glad to see the cinder blocks being used .. as that's what I'm going to build my raised garden with this spring. After talking with my brother and finding out he's already replacing his wooden raised garden beds .. I think this will be a good fit. Do you think a weed barrier would keep out voles from tunneling up .. or should I put down some hardware cloth .. my potatoes were disappearing at breakneck speed last summer.
AWESOME!What you are doing is a wonderful service for so many people. Kudos to you. Your broccoli looks lovely.
Lynda, that's so amazing how you help others get started gardening!! What a wonderful way to give back. I sure hope I'm blessed with a lot of broccoli too! That tire planter is very ingenious. I never would have thought to do that. Very clever!
I love that you are using the cinder blocks. I recommended them to someone yesterday who was wanting ideas for raised beds. Sharing one's love of gardening is a great gift, I think!
First: Thank you for thinking what I do is good: but like everything else there's more than one or two things motivating me. #1. It's the right thing for me to do because I can. #2. AND I want to make sure everyone I know can grow their own food so when TSHTF they won't come and eat me or mine! ;)
Terry: I found your blog via Rural Journal...and I'm following you because: #1. I like your blog #2. we're probably related...my maiden name was Mann! You don't get Clint: HE'S ALL MINE! His uncle actually used to own the local hardware store and Clint would come to visit and hunt.
Mrs. Mac: If you don't have the good heavy commercial strength weed barrier I'd go with the hardware cloth. I've had no problems with voles, moles or gophers in the raised beds...chickens and squirrels are another story. I've gardened forever and I'm telling you, these cinder block beds are the best...if you plant the holes you get another 1/3 of growing space. One carrot per hole and they are HUGE!
EVERYONE: I really enjoy starting people on the path of gardening. Gardening makes us all equal. There are no barriers...kinda' like blogs!
Those blocks a look like a great idea. We have a big garden,two of them,but I wouldn't mind having a raised bed too. Blessings jane
Well Lynda, there's some of my husband's relatives in California (I'm sure I read you were in California) so yes, maybe we are related.
Thanks for liking my blog, I think you are too awesome doing what you do.
My family says they're coming here when TSHTF,
cause I have all the food. I only have 10 acres so they better come with serious skills.
Too bad about Clint!
I'm reading back to see what else you've done, Later
What a wonderful way to share your garden goodies! I am so envious of all that broccoli. I planted lots last fall, but less than half of it sprouted. Of course, I mostly sow directly into the garden. Maybe that's part of my problem(??)
I love my cinder block raised beds! I looked at several ways to go and decided those were the best for us and would last a very very very long time! Love using the weed block as well! It gives me more time to spend on my rows and such... instead of spening it trying to keep whats in between my rows mowed or weeded! LOL
I want to work on getting a worm bed going!
I really thought about cinderblocks for my garden, but decided with the space issues here they weren't practical. They would have warmed things up in our cold climate though.
I wanted to get a few more details about your cinder block raised beds. I've got a small side yard that is the only sunny part of our suburban lot. My thought was to use cinder blocks to create a raised bed over the existing grass. Here's my plan -- please let me know if I'm on the right track or if you have another recommendation.
Lay thick, corrogated cardboard boxes down on top of the existing grass / yard and wet down. (I have a ton of old boxes sitting in my garage at the moment.) Block out the garden site with cinder blocks, around and on the cardboard. Fill with a combination of top soil and compost.
Should I stack cinder blocks 1 or 2 rows high? I see both in your photos. Also, have you found an ideal width for the beds? My thought was one large bed about 5' x 12' to fill the space I have available. I think this works out to 4 blocks across and 9 blocks long. I see most of your beds are 3 across, have you found that's a better width?
Thanks in advance for your answers!
Emma
City Roots, Country Life
Emma: I don't see why the cardboard wouldn't work. I was given the landscape cloth and that's what I went with (I've made potato growing sacks out of it too and it works GREAT!).My beds are 2 blocks high...very easy on my back...I sit on the edge and do my planting/harvesting. I have a small stool I can use, too (really I'm not lazy, I broke my lower back in a car accident years ago and sometimes bending over is very unpleasant). I have a couple people at the community garden that have their beds 3 blocks high because of back issues. Any of the beds that are in the pictures that started out one block high are now 2 high! It's just so much nicer. It takes 64 blocks to make one of my beds...they are 3 blocks across (not counting the 1/2's forming the sides)...any more than that and it's almost impossible to reach in the middle. I made sure my aisles were wide enough to accomodate my small garden carts. One good thing about these beds is they are so easy to make fit your gardening style.
I'm so glad I finally found the time (and the good internet connection) to catch up with your blog! Good job with helping others start their gardens. The more people we can get to grow much of their own food, the healthier our population will become. But, as good as those veggies are, I'm finding myself lusting over your hot chocolate, peach cobbler and ice cream ;-)
here in Kentucky, we had a glut of broccoli last fall and I'm sure hoping for more of the same this year! yours look soo very yummy. thrilled for you
Thanks Lynda! I'm thinking about going 4 wide mostly because it makes the best use of my space. I don't have enough room in my side yard to do a second box, so even if I can't really reach what's in the middle, I can't gain it elsewhere. Thanks for the feedback -- I'm hoping to get my garden bed set up this weekend. =)
Emma
City Roots, Country Life
Now I just read about planting carrots in the extra holes .. great idea.
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