Nice thumb. I guess it was your other one that you mangled to ****.

I've got a heavily treed lot so I'm not sure how much success I'm gonna have so I'm just trying a lot of stuff and see what works.

I took a lot of the trimmings from the trees to make a raised bed:







Playing around with Earthboxes to see what works or doesn't/. I want to eventually build a conservatory so I can grow a lot of stuff that won't do well in Dallas (lemons, blueberries, etc but thats probably a pipe dream)





If the lack of sun doesn't sabotage my efforts, I'm afraid these guys will:



They were all over my arugula so I soaked it in water and tried to pick them off all the leaves but I suspect I will end up consuming a few.

All my herbs (thyme, parsley, basil, chives, rosemary, cilantro, sage, marjoram, tarragon & Thai basil) are all doing well but Ive got nothing from my tomatoes, etc, but its still pretty early so there's still hope

horse farms are fantastic for manure and have a constant supply. I worked on one in Northern California and we had weed farmers come in weekly.

lol yea it was the other hand but was actually my pinky finger. dat swelling

i was told in no uncertain terms not to expect a full recovery, but i got lucky and it's fully functional again. def gonna be some horrible arthritis when i get older but hey, thats what opiates are for

def cutting it close with space but i added some tarragon and variegated basil in the last little empty spaces in the bed yesterday. i also quite like that idea of the raised bed with the stick frame, that's cool

Took some updated pics.

I've got a fig tree on a cart so I can try and move it around with the sun. Composter is doing a good job and even producing worms. Not sure if its enough worms to feed chickens, but thats something I'd eventually like to get. I took care of 3 chickens for a neighbor and they cranked out an egg a day each. Would be pretty cool if they could survive off my scraps, yard worms and the worms from the compost so I didn't have to buy feed but I'm not sure if thats possible.



Tomatoes are getting taller and bushier, hopefully that means tomatoes are coming



Thought I'd post the following because it a cool way to start seeds. You use the small device to get them started and then when they bud, you can move them to the 2" squares. Once they're big enough from the 2" squares, you simply plant them right in the garden. No containers to deal with and the roots don't wrap around like they would in a container.

Soil blocks are great. Finicky but fun and effective.

never would have thought of this! good lookin out yimyammer

think i blanched them a little too long as they were really limp and difficult to get back open (or maybe i didnt dry them out enough, idk), but they turned out well for a 1st effort

good job amigo, wish I was there to scarf one

I'm learning that, seems like they could have been designed a bit better so for the smallest blocks, there is a deeper hole for the seeds and for the larger ones, a nice square so the small starter blocks can be easily inserted. I had to use a bamboo stick to make the hole bigger for both sizes. Not too much trouble but adds a bit of tedium.

I don't use the micro blocks at all. Too much hassle and too delicate for watering, I just start directly in the 2" blocks.

Good god those squash blossoms look delicious.

apparently this little dude wanted to come by and say whats up, found him hanging out on one of the tomato plants. hopefully he's getting a good meal out of any bugs that are around



couple other freeloaders-

that old branch raised bed is a awesome idea!

Oh! Peek-a-boo ...



Those squash blossoms look amazing!! Just got started planting my garden yesterday - hopefully will have the ingredients to make some fresh salsa by the summertime

yea i'm hoping to do the same if my jalapeno plant ever starts producing peppers

funny story with the cat, she was an indoor kitty (we have 3) and she was being super spiteful and obnoxious about getting outside- it got so bad that we made her an indoor/outdoor kitty and as soon as we did, the bird problem i was having with my strawberries completely went away. i figure now that she's out there during daylight, they're keeping their distance and not coming down to the ground as much.

good kitty

My garden's got a 'cat' on duty as well




Not sure if the statue will be able to match the success of your real-life kitty in keeping the neighborhood critters away from the goodies - have a feeling the squirrels and birdies are probably outside right now laughing at me for believing the statue might actually work




Was a bit embarrassed at first to post the pic of my mini-garden, especially since the plants are all puny and looking like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree right now But have even smaller container gardens in the past, with tomatoes and herbs that came pre-planted at the nursery - and it's pretty neat how it's possible grow tasty stuff without a ton of space and stuff

Hope my lettuce doesn't dry out like last summer - have tried using a special potting soil, so will have to wait and see how that goes

Tomato update:

I hope you at least got Mexico to pay for it.

Greg,

I think you guys need a bigger wall to keep the Americans out.

My garden is a mess and it's pretty cold so I'm feeling uninspired to get out there and make things better. Possibly I need to go take some pics and post them here to shame myself into doing something.

Meh, a large step is all you need to stop the rascals.




I lost my hot peppers in transplant to community garden.

I assume this has something to do with not being able to harden them off in the place I actually intend to plant them and slightly different wind/sun conditions?

I spent a week gradually increasing their time outdoors, and then three days with overnights.

Any suggestions for next time?

I'm thinking I should have probably moved them to plot and left them there for a few more days before transplanting.

first cucumbers of the season




gf picked those yesterday while i've been out of town. planning to make some pickles and eat a lot more salads in the coming weeks

Might make for better food pr0n if you take the Tums and fish flavored hairball cream out of the shot.

i keep it 100

Planted some red-veined sorrel, spinach and coriander seeds. Not too sure whether the coriander will grow being winter and all but what's a few seeds on a punt I say. I am on a gambling site after all! Will take pics when they start coming through(notice I said when and not if). Feel a little peeved as both packets clearly contained way less seeds than the 100 stated, like less than half easily

Am contemplating getting a mulberry tree but possibly don't have the room with all the other fruit trees I want.

A mullberry tree sounds like a great idea!