Getting ready for Spring!

We are having perfect weather here, so I spent my day doing more on my veggie garden. I have metal fence posts, and attached every other one to the fence, then wired some 6' metal "bamboo" poles at the tops. I hope I am more windproof this year. I will add some cages, some mesh or wire,, and whatever else to support tomatoes, Pole Beans and Cucumbers. My soil is ready, and so am I !
The city is making a new Community garden very close to where I live, so I signed up for a 5x10' plot to grow corn. I just don't have room in my little garden.

Yup, the seacoast was gorgeous, a bit windy, but not like Snoqualmie Pass at all! Crowd em,? maybe you'll get more planted?

Oh, I'm soooo envious. We still have snow everywhere. Then we had monsoons on Sunday and everything is a mess! Right now I'd be delighted if I could even SEE the garden area. (Or maybe not. From what I can see, most of the fencing is down, some of the poles are askew, one trellis is tipped, and both of the gates are broken.) It's been a rough winter!!!

Your place looks lovely Jo!

Thanks, Sequee- my garden is my therapy for all problems- mine and the world!

Gorgeous Jo, my garden is my therapy, too.

Mine is, too, but I'm such a messy-Marvin! It's amazing what one can grow amidst total chaos!

Now we are having rain - 2" so far since it started yesterday afternoon. As if the melting snow wasn't causing enough run-off. So many roads are flooded out, and the local lakes and ponds are all over-flowing. I drove the sports car to work this morning and though I was going to do a floater ndown the white water rapids. Hopefully it will calm down by the time I have to leave work. I'm afraid to go into my basement. i'm thinking I will need a snorkle...

My DH just said "uh-huh" when I showed him your picture and said I would like this. I won't get my hopes up, haha.

sequee,
I wish we could have some of your moisture. We have had a really dry winter this year.

JoParrott,
Using blocks in front of the beds is a great idea. I am going to have to start collecting those to line my garden with. Are you using roofing shingles in the back to keep out weeds? If so how does that work for you. The gal next door tried that around her air conditioner and the shingles broke down after a couple years.

I used the roofing shingles just to make a walkway-

That looks great, JoParrott. I used cinder blocks to make my terraced garden, as well. It worked wonderfully, and was pretty simple to set up. Now if only it would stop raining long enough to putter in it.

BTW - my maiden name is Parrott.

Angie- hubby came from the hills of Tennessee-

How wide is your bed?

onyx- who is that question for?

JoParrott
Sorry, it is for you.

My lang garden is 3'xabout 55'-but the 12" against the fence has roofing shingles -I pulled the soil away because I don't grow back there- not enough air and sun.

That is a really good idea, putting a path where things won't grow. My beds are 3' as well. Yours just look wider in the picture.

What kind of soil mix do you have in there? I am planning on doing something similar and would love any help on ways to make my soil look more like yours. Last year I mixed in manure (horse and cow because it was free) along w/ peat moss (our soil is alkaline) and some vermiculite. I figured it was close to the "mel's mix" they use in SFG. I did mix all that w/ my existing soil though instead of strictly using that mix. Things are so expensive and I didn't want to spend too much.

Sorry for all the questions, your garden just looks so nice and I know you have a lot of experience.

onyx- don't apologize- we're all here together, and we can all learn- I know I am constantly picking up info that is new to me. Now- my soil- I have no secret recipe- my main supply is broken bags that Lowe's sells at half price. The one thing I don't buy at any price is "topsoil"- I have learned that bagged stuff labeled as topsiol is anything but! Other than that, I will buy most anything that is a bargain. I get 5lb bags of kitty litter at Dollar Tree- it really helps drainage and aeration. I also add my own kitchen compost in spots that aren't neing used, so it hads time to decompose. I don't have space for a compost pile- so make do with small areas. Pretty much just common sense.
By the way, I lost about 40 seedlings last night- they were in my new little greenhouse, and the temp went below freezing- I should have taken them in the house- now I will have to replant what tomato seeds I still have and hope they can catch up. I still have my WS jugs, but I am not too hopeful for those.

Ugh, Jo, losing seedlings is frustrating. I just started my cool season crops and but haven't had the courage to get my tomatoes going yet. I probably will in a few weeks.

Angie, you haven't planted tomato seeds yet? Maybe there's hope for me! I always jump the season, anyway, so possible this second batch will be even timelier. I spent the afternoon planting seeds in flats of 2 1/2" pots. Got them on the seed heat mat, and will make sure they don't get cold!

Jo, that looks excellent! Hope the wind is treating you well =D.

I started my tomatoes on the 22nd and peppers and eggplant today. Put them on the heat mat in the basement inside plastic bags. Now to watch them very carefully. I started my first batch in the GH and they started coming. Then, I left them in the plastic bags and it got really hot in there. I cooked them. Only three made it through my inexcusable neglect. Hate that! So, too hot or too cold. I think they should be started in a more even heat environment and then moved when the weather gets more even as well. Although, once they are up, I have never had them freeze inside my GH, not even in a plastic bag. I am farther south than you, Jo, and on the coast besides. We get freezes, maybe just not as hard as yours.

I think my worst experience with seedlings was the year a mouse ate off all the heads of the tomatoes and peppers. Boy was I mad! Now I cover them at night until they have their true leaves. Mice seem to leave them alone by that time.

JO- I am getting ready to start my tomatoes tomorrow in the GH. I think it's still plenty early, it takes a while for us to warm up.

Bee- Aren't those mice a pain?! I ended up building a big box with metal window screening on the top and the bottom to keep the little boogers out. I'm finishing my 3rd (and final) box today. The boxes were pretty easy to build and saved me a lot of frustration. They are 4ft x 2ft x 10" tall, so I can fit a good number of seedlings in them.

They especially loved my sweet peas, I planted them 4 times before I built my first box last year. Putting out traps did little but make myself feel better when I caught one.

Your boxes sound so perfect for the problem of mice. I save those big plastic ( I know, bad bad plastic) from the huge baby spinach produce I get from the Cash and Carry store that caters to local eating establishments and they fit over my single cell 6 packs. Fool them however you can. LOL