How does your garden grow

[Dragggon]

Well I just went out to have a lil nature walk in the yard inbetween rain showers and look at my garden and wow was I suprized :)
already I have radishess of 2 types that are ready to eat and in just a 2 foot walk "it started pouring" this is what I thinned out these were all poking out of the ground and there are tons more there looks like ill need to plant more so there are some for the potluck gettogether in Tacoma in June
there are several types of greens and herbs already to eat also.

So lets all show how our gardens are feeding us this year........

next looks like a ton of STRAWBERRYS MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

[PATH301]

How long ago did you start your garden?

[Dragggon]

I forgot to put it on my calander so the exact date I am not sure but it was about the third weekend in April so about a month ago

the radish are from seeds( also planted turnips, onions, salads greens of many types peas, and
hopefuly giant pumkins( only one seed sprouted so far) just for the heck of it to see how big i can grow one..... as you might of seen other pictures of last years things lol big cabbage( 16 lbs) spinich lettuce radishes squash 20 lb and they all were still good tasting :)

and I had gotten a few starter plants( squash, peppers, herbs and tomattos *10 diffrent types this year)

then also the strawberrys are plants 4 years old that I thin and transplant where ever there is nothing else there are now several hundred strawberry plants in diffrent garden areas

[juliebove]

I've had radishes for a little over a week now. Did mint from plants so I've been eating that. Walla Walla onions came up really fast so I've been cutting off some of the green part and leaving the bulbs for later. Have had two strawberries but so far the rest have been eaten by critters. Haven't gone to look for a few days though what with all the rain we've been having. The vegetables and herbs are close enough to the kitchen that I can go to them without getting soaked. Have to walk across the lawn to get to the berries.

Am hopeful about the apples, pears and cherries this year. Trees are loaded with baby fruit. One kind of apple got weird last year though. Tree was loaded but the fruit had brown spots in it and was inedible. Not sure what caused that, but I'm doing organic (to an extent since the trees were here when we moved in and likely were already sprayed) and I don't want to spray them with anything.

Have planted two kinds of tomatoes, two kinds of cucumbers, two kinds of sweet and two kinds of hot peppers, wax beans, peas, chives, several kinds of onions, cilantro, two kinds of parsley and rosemary. Still too early for those, although everything is coming along nicely. Not doing any lettuce this year because last year I had TONS! I get some every week in my organic produce box and that seems to be enough most of the time.

[rawpriestess]

Many people ask us what our "secret" here at the Enchanted Castle Gardens is so here is my reply:

Sure, this is how we do it, first we use only raised beds, with compost, we use heavy stones as the outside walls on each bed, this keeps the soil fresh, no soil contaminants can get into the soil, and the stones help to keep the soil warm, also easier to weed, and pick and plant.

Then we put crystal or stone pyramids at each compass point on the outside wall corners, then we place a small crystal point under each plant, we use no pesticides or chemicals of any kind, haven't since we bought this place, 16 years ago, and we never fertilize either, we do rotate crops each year too.

We also water the roots, not the plants, and with only lake water, totaly organic and no chlorine, makes gorgeous plants, you will see our garden at planted, 1 month, 2 months and 3 months, it is amazing, that is just the one small vortex garden that we have, we have a total of 16 separate gardens on our small 1/4 acre property, and we also have a High Priestess temple that is our grape arbor, and a huge deck with honey suckle and flowers, we also have fruit trees, and one other garden just for our rhodies, we like to grow things. LOL

planted ------------- 1 month ------------ 2 months ------------- 3 months

[Dragggon]

Ok its time rawbeeeeess lets see what you have grown so far this year we have been eating greens radish 2 types squash berrys turnips pea and a few peppers soon tomatos


here is a pict of a small hand ful of turnips i grabed when Christine said she needed some for rawviolies lol she laffed said she only needed one that size the small are hens egg sized and the large are bigger than a cue ball

SO LETS SEE WHAT YOU ALL HAVE GROWN

[Lay-Lay]

I will try to post some pictures. I have vegetables and fruits coming out of my ears right now. We planted such a beautiful garden, but it is producing sooo much that I have been giving a bunch away.

Squash, Zecunni, cucumbers, corn, cabbage, kale, tomatoes, collard greens, red leaf, garlic, okra, melons, radishes, beets, beans, and so on and so one

[Mary]

Had to jump in on this thread, because gardening is one of my passions!

Due to family situations, I did not get my vegetable garden planted this year, which is kind of depressing. However, I've plotted out the area where I want to put it, and will clear and rototill it later this year when it's not blistering hot! Last year, I had it on a strip adjacent to my driveway where it got full sun all day. However, this fall, I'm going to put in raised beds. I'm blessed with a 3/4 acre lot, and bit by bit, I'm transforming the lawn into my little paradise! We've only lived here 4 1/2 years, but I'm slowly converting the property.

The first spring we lived here, I put in my mini-orchard of figs, peaches, apples, persimmons, almonds, pomegranate, pears, cherries, medlar, quince, orange, and lemon trees. Last year, I planted the first part of my herb garden, which features healing and cooking herbs. I had hoped to put in the second part this spring, but late rains and family challenges prevented me from doing so.

I've just tasted the first of my figs this year, and it looks like both my persimmons, pears, figs, oranges, lemons, and pomegranates are going to bear heavily this year. My peaches got hit with peach leaf curl due to the heavy late rains, so no peaches this year ! I have a ton of wild blackberries at the back of my oak grove, so I'm looking foward to snacking on them too!

I hope to put in a lavender labrynth next year as well, but the vegetable garden and raspberry patch are going to come first as I don't have a lot of gardening time with two kids. I will plant cover crops, such as fava, to enrich the soil this fall to be tilled under in the spring in time for planting.

Draggon and Raw Priestess... I'm interested to hear how you used the rock for your raised beds - did you buy rock? I have some large stones that I have been using to border my herb garden, but not enough to contain a raised bed. I'd be interested to hear what you guys did.

I'd love to post some pictures, but I'm not sure what's okay to upload in terms of space on the site. Please let me know if I can add some pictures, and I'll put some up.

Thanks!

Blessings,

/|\

Mary

[Dragggon]

Raw priestesss had the stones here when I moved in they were left over from lake work so I made many raised gardens from them.
they are local from the quarry I belive they are called Blue stone

[Dragggon]

OK I know we have a few gardners here so share the fruits of all yer hard work lets see some gardens and what you grew

[sport]

My garden is in the bay window on the top floor of my house but the site that we bought and will have our fantastic garden on next year has 2 gooseberry bushes and I have harvested twice so does that qualify me as a gardner.
I want to be a gardner. Gardners live longer.

[rawpriestess]

YES, sport YOU ARE A GARDENER, AND



YOU RAWK!!!, or is that YOU ROCK!!! (gardens'--rocks--teehee)

[rawpriestess]

YEP, I bought several tons of 2 man blue stone for the bulkhead on the lake side of our property.


then the county said we couldn't do that, so we had literally tons of big squarish stones sitting in our yard, after a couple years, we finally decided to make our gardens raised beds (we had made walls, and all kinds of things, only to tear them all out with the rocks, just way too many rocks) now everything looks really nice.

So, we didn't dig out the grass or anything, just along where the rock line was, so we wouldnt' have grass growing up through the rocks,
then we made a line out of the rocks, and filled in with compost behind the rocks, the rocks held the compost in, and the compost held the rocks up, then we planted. everything looks great, is easy to mow up against, easy to weed and pick and the rocks keep the soil more warm from the sun, and keeps most critters out, (so far)

Also, no rocks to mess up our rototiller or rakes, etc, since we added all new compost to the beds.

it works for us, each year we just rototill the soil, and plant, then we harvest, and eat all summer and fall, and we dehydrate and freeze alot, and now we have a cool suck and serve (food saver) so that is even better for freezing and keeping things from the dehydrator. YES!!!

then during the fall, we rototill everything under, and allow it to compost naturally, then in the spring, we sometimes, remove the first 2 inches of soil, if it was a tomato garden and will have a ton of seeds, or we sometimes leave it, if it was a strawberry garden, then we don't rototill, we just allow it to grow, we also usually add about 2 to 4 inches of fresh compost each year, didn't do that this year though, way too busy to do much in our gardens. YIKES!!!!

anyway, that is how we do it, and it works beautifully, will have to get you all some garden pics.

[Mary]

Hi Raw Priestess!

I really love the idea of using rock for the raised beds! We already have a lot of large granite blocks on our lot, but not enough to do raised beds. I think I will contact the local landscape supply and see if I can get some stone delivered to do that!

I'd love to put some pictures up of my garden... how and where should I do that?

Thanks!

Mary

[Lay-Lay]

I keep forgeting to take pics....mental note lay-lay....take pics of garden.