Recent clean up with wood shaving

I continued the clean up today -

Moving raised beds, added compost, limestone.

I rearrange all the beds from north to south.  It is easy with bricks. And the walkways suppose to be wide, almost 30 inches. I am fighting the shade and hope the plants will not shade each other this year.

The wood shaving on the walkways. The white color will not warm the soil, so I use it only on walkways.

 New shelf's inside the greenhouse.

Radishes!

Greenhouse update May 8

Last fall I was renovating/rebuilding my hoop-house.
First it was simple PVC hoop-house with regular , not greenhouse plastic, wich did not survive the winter snow.
I decided to make completely new wooden greenhouse.
First of all - I am not a builder and my hubby can't help me. It is in my blood how to handle the hammer, I believe -my grandparents were farmers. 

 Greenhouse is 24 feet by 12 feet, it is also on a slope what makes me life more difficult.
I was hoping to finish it before winter 2014-2015 but hurt my finger very badly so I stopped and only salad, onions and some asian greens survived there.

 This spring is very fast,everything suppose to be done by yesterday! And I have about 1 hr a day to work in a garden, so building process is slow.

 There is an entrance - bricks raised beds, new compost, pine shaving between.
I/m cleaning it from the front will the end side.

 There is a lettuce and onions from last fall.

 My first goal is to make a good roof support and I will not be covering the GH with plastic till fall probably, do not have time for it.

On the very back of the GH I decided to make a tall raised bed for probably squashes or cuces. Right now there are leaves from clean-up, I will add compost and plant something.
The back side is still a mess.

Starting a first square foot bed

Some of the backyard in covered with snow, but the garden is full of spring sun. The forecast says there will be very mild night and good days like 40-50F.

So I decided to make One Good Raised Bed :)
I usually have 1-2 layers of  old bricks beds, but this one suppose to be a good example. I hope.

Last year it was a parsnip bed, parsnips were good but short and "hairy". I checked the soil - 4 inches of good loose organic soil and than red clay with rocks.

 No miracle the roots were not able to form. (I am gardening only 3 years and couldn't make all the beds fertile).
So I weeded, added lime, peat moss, "black kow", sand, urea fertilizer, 2x4 scrap woods and grid out of cord.

The first transplants are - spinach, chard, salad mix and Asian mix. I also sowed radishes and more spinach.

On the other bed with trellis (last year tomato trellis) I transplanted green peas - Lincoln.
All the plants we watered with warm water and covered with 2 sheets of row cover.

I have more peas transplants and I will wait till the first rows will survive.

Wishing everyone a nice spring gardening!

The First Ones!

 A lot of work in a garden done and time spent. And I get rewards! The First Ones:

The first asparagus, I am growing it 3rd year now and expecting  a yummy harvest this year.

 The first Rhubarb.

 The first Horseradish

 The first raised bed pest cover,for kale.

 Trellis for peas, not first, made of old bamboo poles, but I made more spider web crossing out of strings, to make then more solid.

 The green peas are not ready to climb yet, I guese we need some warm nights.

 Spring frost protection for young strawberries.

Frame support for 3 years old red currant bushes.

Wildlife inspection in spring garden

 Sunny April day - I was working on my herbs-flower beds. Last year there were 3 tiny - 1x1/2 feet patches - this year I made a big one along the fence.

 Tansy herb - happy and green.

 I also transplanted volunteer chives there.

 New roses - new buds.

 The garden beds are starting to be nicer, less messy.

 Fennel planted.

 New bed for peppers - garden soil + lime + compost + peat moss + black plastic and one month waiting.

 Red currant after nitrogen spray.

 Kale and kohlrabi were planted this week.

 Kale bed - this year on black plastic

 First green peas

 More braccicas.

 19+ containers with herbs and greens.

and at last wildlife inspections!
All the greens should be yummy and tasty.

Still cold outside

I am tired of waiting, where is the warmth?

We had snow at night again!
Anyway I have so much work to do, I am spending 2-3 hr last days.
There is my second butch of tomatoes , need to be transplanted.

 Basil at last! First time nothing was germinated, this time I used per-sprouted seeds.

 Chard on the windowsill is getting really large!

 My fennel - first time.

 Okra, I loved okra last year on the sunny porch.

 Celery Utah, transplanted and thinned.

 The biggest celery is now 4 inches long.

 Peppers.

 Greens on the top room.

 Mostly kohlrabi and broccoli are waiting to be planted outside.

 New container of cilantro.

 Borago - first time!

 Turnips.









 Asian greens.

 Yesterday with a help of my husband (thank you!) I added 5 more beds. Some are not finished and under black plastic. I do not turn the soil, just lay fall leaves right on the grass, than homemade compost+soil from woods.

I checked last year bed where I plan to grow carrots this year.  The soil is perfect, as I see, easy to dig, as butter! I just removed old mulch, ad turned the soil. Upper level is almost black, below the soil is more clay-look but can not compare with regular soil I have everywhere.
So my lazy raised bed method is working.

 Signs of sorrel

 I accidentally dump wood ash on the blueberry this winter. Now I am correcting this, removing all old mulch and adding a layer of compost.

 Strawberry Ozark beauty planted in early winter, now covered with black plastic.

 First irregular strawberry bed is cleaned and thinned from runners. There is mostly Ozark Beauty and Allstar. Last year I did not have strawberry, only some of them. So this year (second) I believe I will have a good harvest!