Rahab's Garden

[Rahab222]

I'm going to try to post photos of my 2013 Spring Garden. I will post pictures of my 2014 Spring Garden as soon as I get everything planted, cleaned up and back in order. Right now I have tools, supplies and plants strung all over the place. I grew up on a farm with a 30-acre garden with lots of canning and freezing going on. Most of this was done by tractor. I'm in the suburbs outside Houston, now, so I'm trying to learn to garden on a smaller, hands-on scale. I've been doing A LOT of research and trying different methods. In 2012, I did container gardening, but wasn't getting a very large yield. My containers were on my front porch and patio, but all my tomato plants disappeared; as did one very large strawberry bucket, (2) plumeria plants and a citrus tree I had yet to plant. I was farming in the front yard because I was always sitting in the front yard visiting with the neighbors anyway in the evenings. After all the theft, I decided I was going to have to move everything to the fenced, backyard in 2013. However, I back up on the bayou and STILL, somebody climbed over the fence this winter and stole my gas powered weed eater, 18-foot, fiberglass ladder and edger off my back patio; along with half the oranges on my orange tree that were ripe and good to go. I think I was angrier over the theft of the oranges than anything else.

I have been expanding this year and using a variety of soil mixes to see what works the best. I have an 18' x 9' bed filled with sandy loam; (2) raised bed boxes filled with Mel's Mix; several 4' x 4' boxes filled with a raised bed garden mix; and just had my lawn man haul a yard of garden soil to the backyard today to fill a new, 8' x 4.5' raised bed box. In other words, I want to grow A LOT in a small, suburban backyard and testing to see which soil will give me the best yield. I also have a Lifetime composter and a compost bed.

So here's my 2013 Garden, featuring my Garden Dog, Lily. I'll see if I can figure out how to post pictures now .

 

[majorcatfish]

yup would like to see our gardens... by the way nice looking dog...

 

[Rahab222]

Thanks for the compliment on my Garden Dog, Lily. She's a miniature Australian Shepherd. Here she has her full coat. I'm preparing to take her in for her spring shave and pawdicure.

 

[Mike]

Very nice. More pictures please!

 

[Rahab222]

I'm planning to post more pictures when I get everything planted and cleaned up. Right now, I'm fighting my spider mite infestation on all my tomato seedlings from the west side of the house. I actually unplanted two tomato plants today that I just planted yesterday; so I could bathe them in the kitchen sink. I briefly inspected my other plants today that I've already planted. I'm going to have to deal with them, too. I'm cleaning up the seedlings first. I had to be gone today, so just got a few seedlings washed today. One thing I did find out, you don't spray your plants with the half rubbing alcohol and half water mixture without doing the soapy water bath and then clear water rinse first. I absolutely burned some plants I sprayed on my way out the door today, hoping I might at least stop the damage from progressing until I could get home and wash the plants down. Wrong move. The alcohol spray alone isn't a short cut to ridding plants of spider mites and their eggs.

 

[w_r_ranch]

This is one of the reasons I grow my own plants from seed. Many plants that are bought from stores/nurseries are infested with bugs/eggs because they do not take precautions & spray/fumigate. The customer then buys the transplants & unknowingly spreads the infestation to his own property. I've personally seen transplants that are covered with eggs. If you have to purchase them, I would recommend spraying them with a bottle sprayer containing either Sevin or Malathion as soon as you remove them from your vehicle (30 seconds well spent) & then 'quarantine' them for a few days to ensure that the problem is solved. Both of these products are very effective & have been used in agriculture for decades.

Remember the 'Seven Ps', it applies to integrated pest management as well.

 

[Rahab222]

Okay, I'll bite. What are the "Seven P's?"

I need to learn to plant my own seeds (prior to placing them in the garden). So far I've only had success seeding lettuce. My peppers come out tall and skinny - not worth planting at all.

 

[w_r_ranch]

Okay, I'll bite. What are the "Seven P's?"

Google it...

 

[majorcatfish]

think we have all been down that road once or twice.. it's a life long learning experience.