Friday, June 6, 2008

Our (finally successful) garden!

We have lived here for 5 years now, and gardens are not something we have been successful at. Our first year we did a garden out in our back yard...way out in the back behind our garage. We actually saw only one zuchinni, that was then eaten by some animal. Needless to say, we felt defeated and didn't try the next year. Last year due to the over abundance of dear that live just out past our back yard, we decided to try planting the garden directly behind our house. It worked quite a bit better, but was still a small and so so on the successful scale. This year we decided to try Square foot gardening, I think more because our neighbors have done it for years and have great success with their gardens. Luckily, they built a fence around their garden this year and donated their "box tops" to us to ward off the various animals (about a million of them!) We are really enjoying all of our little gardens! here are our peas (sugar snap and sweet) beans, and tomatoes.
Strawberries
Vanna and beans, squash, zuchinni, and peppers
Corn
Spinach and lettuce
And last but not least, our carrots, that will never get thicker than pencils due to Brents planting method (put as many seeds in a container as possible)

8 comments:

Nanna said...

Laila,

The garden is beautiful! What makes it "square foot" gardening? Do you have different plants in each of those little squares?

Dad and Ramona

AmShaZam said...

I'm thinking of putting such boxes around my strawberries to ward off our neighborhood "rodents"...

somestratt said...

Dad and Ramona, It is square foot gardening just because it is measured and planted by square feet instead of the traditional row garden. It this method you don't plant a whole row of something to the point where you have a ton of excess with nothing to do (completely different if you are a farmer of LOVE canning) And you can plant whatever you want, some plants take the whole sq ft. others can be planted 4-6-9-16 to a sq. ft. It has been fun, and is teaching Brent and I a lot about gardening.

Amber. For strawberries you will want something across the top too, because once they get red the birds LOVE the strawberries! But, when you get to harvest them they make REALLY GOOD fresh strawberry shakes. I like to crunch in a graham cracker for kicks!

Jeannie said...

Wow, that looks so good! Did you also put down a weed block and mulch?

somestratt said...

Jeannie, yes, each box has a weed block on the bottom. Then the soil is a mix of peat moss (because as Val says you gotta have you peat moss), Vermiculite (little white popcorn stuff), and compost/manure. Mixing it was a dozy, but it has been a great for the plants.

abstowe said...

You guys have done a ton just since last week! Good job!

AmShaZam said...

Ditto to that...great job on your garden!

somestratt said...

Thanks. Call it striving to save money and be a little more self sufficient...it can help you do a better job on lots of things.