Due to the nice clear weather I have decided to get going on some spring time projects.

First one moving some of my Raspberries. I had recieved some starts from a friend 4 years ago. Had so many that I gave some to the neighbor. His went wild, I believe due to the South Facing location and the wall behind them that allows them to stay warmer.

Mind have kind of been floundering, so today I moved some to a nice South facing location.

I had made the rocker box, pictured below. It works pretty good for removing large rocks and weeds.

I have 2 screens, one is 1x2 mesh, the other in 1/2 x 1, the second one is pretty much useless.

More to follow

Trash from the dirt I rocker, house has been here for 30 years. Nice

Finished area, I added 10lbs of coffee grounds and 1/2 wheel barrow of compost (chicken manure,grass clippings,leafs, and cedar chips from the chicken house) Might be to hot, I am the trail and error type. Should read a book about it.

Oh! There's the raspberries. I couldn't take my eyes off the melons.
I'm not sure the cedar chips are a good idea as cedar trees are somewhat toxic to other plants growing around them.At least, I think that's the way it works.
I'm getting my small garden area ready also. We can usually plant a few things in February but the way the weather's been this year, I may wait until March when the frost is no longer an issue. It was cold enough this morning to hurt some plants.

Adding wood that has not been 'broken down' to some degree causes a nitrogen problem in many cases. The bacteria that breaks down the cellulose in wood is 'fixed' , and can be unavailable to the plant. Addition of nitrogen to the area in question may be needed. Cedar is also a bit acidic as I remember, and high acid ph also causes some problems in the plants ability to uptake nitrogen.
Generally speaking, I do not add wood to my soils for 'texturing', and prefer to use well rotted compost of one sort or another.

Good Job on the plantings!

Also what KK said on the wood/bark. It won't "add" anything to the soil and will rob the soil of beneficial ingrediants. Raspberry plants aren't too sensitive, but until they are well estabished, I would just leave the soil exposed and add fertilizer. You'll be hoeing newly sprouted weeds for a little while now since the soil has been disturbed, so why put stuff in your way?

I need to get out and cane mine....but, but, but there are fish to chase.

Thanks,

The compost is made with the combonation listed. Its pretty well composted. Must be 50 worms per shovel full of compost. The chips are the fine kind that are used for I think hamster bedding we use them in the nesting boxes.

I mixed it in the rocker box thingie. Shoveled the dirt and compost into the rocker thingie. rocked it and ended up the the last picture.

Currently building some smaller planter boxes for the deck

My raspberries went wild last year. I had to thin them out and my dad has replanted the ones I thinned out. I had some large berries last summer. Yes they do like the southern exposure.

Probably a good weekend to get out in the yard. Finish the pruning. Maybe a few other things too. It would be nice to get out and fish too at least for a day.

I will start my peas in a month.

What about beans, is it to early for beans????

WTF...it's february!

don't put anything in until may, except peas and spuds.

think man!...think!

beans...pshaaaaaw

Ugh ok, feels like spring. I am off most of March and would like to pursue the double stripe.

How about tilling is is it too early for tilling

I agree with Stam. Don't jump the gun or you'll have to re-plant everything later. Tilling in some fertilizer now is fine and starting some seeds in containers.........indoors.

I get anxious too, but I don't start planting until the end of April and tomatoes go in around Mother's Day.

By the way, besides my rather large veg garden, I have a small nursery of trees from seedlings to 6 footers. Cedars, hemlocks and spruce. I'm selling them cheap just to cover my cost of the potting soil and containers. A lot less than a real nursery.

Snake

maybe not too early but it could still be too wet, the problem with messin' with the dirt too much now is that if you "clump it up" with a rototiller now you'll be stuck with hard dirt balls all through the summer (similar to blueballs) not good, *if* you planted a cover of ryegrass or clover or peas just let it go until the first good dry spell in april then whack it down and grind it in.

Like stated before, if you must start growing stuff now do peppers and tomatoes from seed and start them indoors...and, you can put in your lettuce, brocolli and cabbage early too...even late march, start from seeds now.

Snakes deal sounds like a good one, you should check that out.

I will just keep building more planters for the deck.

I am envious! The only way I could get my soil to stick together is if I used Elmers glue!

I have been amending the sand and gravel here for 8 years. It's pathetic.

I'm lucky, good dirt here....I've been growin' stuff here for over 20 years and it just keeps getting better and better, this is last years startup, I've got a combo of winter peas, rygrass and crimson clover on it now, with a full row of garlic under a bunch of mulch since october, about 7 different varieties.



I piled about a yard of horseshit on the rhubarb..so aunty, if you like pie I can bring you more rhubarb than you can ever use when we go shrimpin.

I've got to get a camera and start posting pics. Stam, our gardens look pretty much the same........similar dimensions and 8' fence to keep deer out, but I've got a grape arbor for an entry way, small goldfish pond, and green house.

Hey Jason, I'm freaking out. Your dog could be my dog's twin. Red cattle dog named Kit, a 4 1/2 year old firecracker. Very cool.

Snake

Mom's rhubarb pie.......drooool

I'm garden friendly. Lots of peppers, speaking of I pickled Japs like Stam but mine were too hot to eat. Last year my Anaheims were loaded. Didn't know what to do with all of them so gave a ton away. Cutting back on the peppers this year.

Butternut squash is now the king of the garden. I train them to climb and they do really good. They store real well in the shed until January then they start getting rotten.

Early girl tomatoes are the only tomatoes I've grown for the last 6 years. I'm tempted to switch for variety, but it's hard to risk the guaranteed results.

Artechokes? If you have the room, you gotta try them. Cool plants and if you let the choke bloom the flower is really cool.

I roast them on the bar'B then peel the hide off, pull out the guts and freeze on a cookie sheet then vac-pac them.....never have too many! jalapenos heat is a hit and miss deal, one time they will kill ya', next time they are too mild, if they seem too hot cut them in half and pull the seeds out, the heat is in the seeds and gristle that holds them in place, brine them overnight in one gallon of water mixed with 1 cup pickling salt, then mix apple cider vinegar, sugar and water for the pickling solution...can't miss. I've done up to 5 gallons in a year and still ran out.

So you soak WHOLE japs in the brine overnight, drain, then pickle/can them?

I just pickled them whole and my 100% beaner wife can't eat them. Maybe the brine cuts the heat.

Like you said Jap heat is hit or miss. I read hot ones come from struggling plants. It really suks making a batch of atomic buffalo turds that come out too hot to eat and then other times they aren't hot at all.