I want to try and plant some Chinese Chives in there as well. I have a few recipes that call for them and they are next to impossible to find without driving to Burlington

I am going to try some sq ft gardening this year. Anyone follow that process?

I've been thinking about it. Unfortunately, doesn't look like I'll be able to install a garden this year. Fencing in the yard will be #1 priority (and cost). Next year I'm going for the nice big garden and have been looking at the sq ft process. Also been looking at companion plantings.

yes i do to a degree....on square foot
 

Mels method was deeper soil in raised beds that is intensively planted
with a trellis on the North side for veggies that climb.

But the Most important aspect is to instantly REPLACE anything you harvest BY having a replacement crop ready "in waiting" either in flats
or pots....so that it's one operation thus keeping the square foot producing.
Using this method a family of two needs only a 4' x 8' or a family of 4... a 4' x 16' foot bed.

i am using pots for broccoli , corn and tomatoes because the varieties are designed to grow in pots.
There's allot of advantages namely being able to spread them apart if they get crowded
and or need some shade plus weeding is much easier too.

garlic chives same thing , 400 seeds here with free shipping

Garlic Chives Seeds - 400 Seeds

keep it in mind
 

that much of our food comes from almost 1500 miles away or more

and alls it'll take to shut that down is a huge sun spot that fries
all the computers nationwide or a Big earthquake in Cal on the rumbling
San Andreas fault.... no cars will work.... :confused: so better be prepared... is all...
not for doomsday , but a difficult time.

i'll let them speak
 

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6.../tomatos-1.png

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...b1/peppers.png

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...1/brocolli.png

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...ob1/onions.png

Got my peas in the other day and some radishes in yesterday. Planted some Daikon Radishes this year to see how they do. will be starting the Zuchini and summer squash in the house this week as well

Started the Basil and Chives in the house so they will be going in next month when it warms up.

Thinking about splitting the garden in two and making one half all perennial, Rhubarb, Asparagus, Strawberries, Herbs etc.

good idea !

When should I buy my 'mater plants? Mid-May or so? Going to set up an earth box on my deck, two plants should be plenty for me for the summer.

Any varieties that do particularly well up here?

Hey Kevin, do you want a couple of established Garlic Chive Plants? Got to many and I want to rip a couple out to make room for some Onion Chives. Just come by my house with a couple of gallon pots/buckets and I'll dig them up for you.

Then we can hit the ponds and wet a line....

EARLY GIRL OR BETTER BOY do well up yonder :)

may 15 last expected frost

a couple or more pieces of rebar
some PVC cheap tubing in 10' lengths
and a piece of plastic kept on the ready
for an unexpected and unwelcome snow
is always a good idea to have around
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c6...ob1/tunnel.png

Thanks TDF! I have some French chives and garlic chives in pots on my windowsill... Waiting till the second week of may to put them in my planters. But I will def take some for my gf, she'll be psyched.

Thanks for the suggestion raven... Looking forward to fresh mater, basil and evoo salads this summer. Yum
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Man Rav I miss starting all my plants from seed. Just too darn busy to do any veggies again this year. Only got time for the usual flower beds and not much time for that either. Too much working on the house. My garden has been eaten by weeds and such. Maybe next year. Wish I lived near you to raid your beds. All looks great.
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sprayed the blueberries today praying I timed it right to take care of those darn winter moths which have killed the buds last 2 years for me. I went from a 55 gallon drum of blueberries for 10 straight years to zero last 2. I hate spraying chemicals but it is the only way and lots of time before harvest so not a problem at all with tainted fruit.

EFF THIS FORUM:love: Last 2 weekends I put in about 20 hours just in my front yard. Cleaning, moving stuff in the beds, totally ripping up and redoing a bed, edging, pre weeding. Next weekend = an easy $600 + in mulch and another 12 hours. Not including pulling out 2 white pines and a blue spruce and replanting a screen along my driveway. Oh yeah and I need a lawn! My HUGE front lawn needs to be totally redone. 8 years ago it was taken care of by the builders who built the house. They spread #^&#^&#^&#^&ty loam, hydro seeded and we got a massive rain storm that moved what was there for loom. The lawn was crap for 2 years. So they came back with a truckload of mexicans with wheel barrows and shovels. That didn't work so I made 2 attempts at slice seeding, didn't work. This is the 1st year I'm doing this stuff myself instead of paying someone. What a pain in the AZZ but it feels good at the end of the day.

what's slice seeding?

Raven ...U R the green thumber of S-B....great information ....:)

Half way done with 2013 garden
 

Planted all the early stuff. Getting the potatoe bed ready to go. Watching some You Tube videos on what other people do in this regard. I may dig out the 20" raise bed and plant the tators down deep and fill over the plants as they grow taller. More work to do but it sounds like it will maximize the space I utilize for the planting. I may try a 30 gallon drum ans fill that as the potatoe plants get taller. Just watch a video and the guy got something like 40#'s from the barrel. Can you tell I am carb obsessed?

Friends of mine swear by this method.

so you broad cast seed by hand while eating a slice of PIZZA ? :huh:

happened to buy some weird lookin Garlic in the gardening section at JoB LOT
the udder day and i could hardly drive home it was so STRONG... powerful !

A good one that worked for me was to turn over the plot, include P and K in the soil lay the cut pieces of seed potatoes on the surface and cover with about 16 inches of salt hay. No digging and shovel loss, as you just lift up the straw when ready and are able to harvest young ones early for a white sauce/pea/onion casserole, then later the larger ones for baking potatoes.
I found the Green Mountain potatoes were best for this method.

yeah? so where do ya git salt hay?

do ya take a bale of hay and sprinkle some salt on it
to make it SALTY? :huh: enquiring minds need to know

If ya live in an area near salt marshes U can usually find someone that sells it...sometimes U can get salt straw off a beach

I watched a bunch of You Tuber's and how they planted thier taters, but to tell you the truth many of them are idiots. Just because they uploaded a video doesn't mean thier garden grows. I am going to, in my 8' x 4' raise bed, dig down and make some rows and plant the seed. Cover over with some loam and compost a few inches at a time. I am going to continually cover as the plant gets taller. The compost is generally acid rich environment, which potatoes generally like. I have grown them with success in this bed

Rav, like FR said. I think any kind of hay or straw would work as it's purpose
is to keep the sun off the tubers. Salt hay packs better though and doesn't blow around.
Nice to lift the hay and see the potatoes laying on top of the soil and being
able to pick the size you want.

i tried the french fingerling potatoes
ordered from georgia
and was NOT impressed with the results

I always liked the Green Mountain as being grown in New England they
adapt well to our soil and weather conditions.
Like squid oil Rav, try them and you won't be sorry. :)

i grew them one year and had lots of them
after that my seed potato provider sold out
every time i went there :wall: