This month has found us having what I hope is the last frost of the year, as well as actually getting our garden rolling. There has been quite a bit of gardening activity since my last garden update. At my last update I had built my first raised bed garden about two weeks later I built the second raised bed and used the excess dirt from the first to fill it. Both raised beds are constructed of 8′ x 4′ 2″ x12″ boards butted together at the end and screwed together, they are constructed using untreated boards so they will have to be replaced in several years.
I chose to use raised bed gardens because of the low quality of soil here in our neck of the woods. I am hoping that the amended topsoil I am using will provide a good environment for my plants.
Over this past weekend I purchased a blackberry bush, a rasberry bush, some bags of organic compost, vegetables and a new 100′ hose. I planted the following, a L indicates the left garden bed and R the right garden bed.
- L – 2 rows of spinach (front)
- L – 3 sweet banana peppers (middle)
- L – 1 Cherry Tomato
- L – 1 Roma Tomato
- L – 1 Slicing Tomato
- L/R – Pole beans on the tepee
- R -2 rows of carrots
- R – 1 row of romaine lettuce now, 1 row in two weeks
- R – 2 mounds for cucumber (2-3 per mound)
- R – 2 zucchini
The pole beans are planted to grow up the tepee poles and hopefully create a nice mess of grean beans. We still need to get cages for the tomatoes and some trellizing for the cucumbers and zucchini. For the cucumbers and zucchini I am going to hammer rebar into the dirt and run string between the rebar for the plants to grow up. The blackberry and the rasberry bush are planted behind the beds along the fence, I am going to add twine to the fence sections for and train the fruit bushes to grow along the fence being careful to trim the suckers back.
In addition to the $127.00 I spent to get things going I have added the followign expenses:
$19.50 for the tepee stakes and twine
$20.00 for the fruit bushes
$9.50 for already started tomatoes and peppers
$8.50 for seeds
$8.00 Compost with Manure
$39.00 100′ Heavy Duty Hose
Total Spent: $104.50
Total Garden Expenses to Date: $231.50 with $0.00 return Why did I do this again.
In addition to the garden I have started I had previously planted two peach trees and a blueberry bush. After the recent cold weather spell I am hoping my peaches actually take and don’t die off the tree, it is hard to tell this early on so I am just hoping, we will see in a week or so. Below are two additional photos, one of the trees and one the blueberry bush. Stay tuned for additional updates, and wish me luck on actually getting something to grow.
{ 4 comments }
You did it for the fun =)
Where did you buy the fruit bushes? We went to Home Depot two weekends ago and were only able to find a few strawberry bushes. I’m also confused as to why you can’t seem to buy seeds for fruit bushes but only already started plants. Of course, this could all stem from our utter lack of knowledge about gardening.
@Mike I found the Raspberry and Blackberry bushes at Lowes, they also had some good sized blueberry bushes there. I am hoping they work out, I think it is hard to grow them from seed, plus it would be at least two years or more before they started bearing fruit.
I just came across this and now that it is the end of June, i am wondering how your garden is going? I’m pretty good at flowers, but woefully inadequate at vegetables.
Sounds like you should have a pretty good crop this summer and probably are already seeing the “fruits of your labor” – blueberries are just getting ripe here!
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