Wow, I really love this thread. Your pics are so cool and i loved reading how you started and tended your garden.
Please tell me more about the potatoes.
Where did you get the starts of the potatoes? (I guess you use a piece of potatoe with an eye?)
How did you plant in mulch? I'm not exactly sure what you did, do you mean you literally took the potatoe piece and just placed it in a pile of mulch?
and I love the gate your husband made - with the morning glory it looks so beautiful. A true work of natures art:-) I'm going to look into this gardening by the moon, i think my mother agrees with that method too.
thanks
Here's a couple pictures of my very first garden! :)
Glenda, also, what 2 potatoe varieties?
Hi MsRobin..... I'm on the fly so I don't know if I'm spelling them right, but I planted Russett and Kennebec potatoes. :)
Thanks, Glenda. Maureen asked some questions in the post above my last one....I was wondering the same thing. I've just read through both of the VERY long threads on growing potatoes in straw, but they went off in other directions. I'm starting a CSA with hopefully 10-20 families, so I need something like yours that is really easy to both set up and harvest.
Wow! Impressive! You did good! And amazing how you helped others, newbies and oldies alike. I love the idea of the weed fabric between rows -- and I happen to have some in storage, hopefully the kittens haven't destroyed it too badly, they loved using it as a scratching piller.
I get to start a new garden this year. Thus far we have rototilled it (after using roundup) covered it with shredded leaves, rototilled that in. Covered all that in snow! Now wanting to cover one more time in shredded leaves and rototilling one last time. Thinking about taking all of that fine aisle dirt and making semi-raised rows, then using the weed fabric between rows. So much fun to look forward too. But, first to finish deciding on which seeds to order. You've given me something to think about on the open-pollinated varieties. Quick question:
What kind of corn did you use and did you have worm problems -- wait, you're up north, bugs aren't as bad as down south. I had no problem with corn worms while gardening in Montana, but Texas -- different story! (More fun to look forward to -- bugs!)
Gretagreenthumb, I was reading your post and was wondering, is it safe to plant veggies in a garden bed that you sprayed roundup in? I don't know much about roundup, so i'm just wondering. I want to get some of that weed fabric too. I don't grow corn here, (yet:-) but i bet you get way more bugs in TX than we do in NY:-)
Maureen -- it is my understanding that it is safe to plant the veggies. The chemical is suppose to just affect the green that it touches and be useless once it hits dirt. I go round and round with this issue myself, but have decided that I'd take my chances this once. One year ago I started a new bed (different house) and I dug every weed and grass up by the roots by hand. It worked wonderfully, but I haven't the willpower to do that again. New house, new garden, new rules. But, from here on it will be organic.
Yes, bugs here are numerous, almost makes me want to go back to Montana. . .almost! But, I love the extended warmth here too much.