In addition to raising chickens and planning an aquaponics project I'm expanding the vegetable garden beds this year. Much to the dismay of the guy who cuts my lawn. I'm fortunate to have a neighbor who runs a lawn service and gave me a great price on cutting the grass. This frees my time up for more interesting adventures. But the more projects I get going the more difficult it makes it for him to cut the grass. Every action has an opposite and equal reaction. Thanks Jimmy for making it possible to do the more fun stuff.
This year's vegetable list is :
Tomatoes (7 different kinds)
Potatoes (sweet and golds)
Cabbage
Onions
Radishes
Green Beans
Lettuce (Iceberg)
Bell Peppers (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red)
Basil Parley
Sage
The Lettuce, green beans and the bell peppers will be part of the aquaponics project. Hoping the evenings will warm up enough to move the tilapia out to the raised pond next weekend. It's going down to 38 here this weekend. I purchased 30 tilapia fingerling's (1-2inch) about a month ago and they have more than doubled in size while living in the 30 gal tank which are their temporary living quarters.
This will be the first time I've tried turnips and carrots. Wish me luck. I'm also planning to build a potato box. The last time I grew potatoes it was in some old tires. Worked well, but didnt' look so good in the yard.
The potato box or stacked tires works on the idea that potatoes are like tomatoes. Bury the stem and it sends out roots. As the potato grows you keep building the box higher or stack another tire and fill it with dirt. The stem turns to root and you get more potatoes. The tires worked pretty good because they warm up the soil (the black rubber holds in the heat and moisture) and when harvest time comes you just knock over the tires and dig out the potatoes.
I'm going to build 3 or 4 2ft square boxes and stack them up as the potatos grow and take them down once harvest time is here and hope for as many potatoes as I got with the tires. I got almost 50 pounds with 4 tires.
The carrots, potato box and pumpkins will be part of the new raised beds going in this weekend if the rain holds off. Sorry Jimmy, but at least it's a square bed.
This year's vegetable list is :
Tomatoes (7 different kinds)
Cabbage
Onions
Radishes
Green Beans
Lettuce (Iceberg)
Bell Peppers (Green, Yellow, Orange, Red)
Butternut Squash
Golden Globe Turnips
Carrots
The herb garden is pretty much the same as last year;
Basil Parley
Thyme Dill
Oregano RosemarySage
The Lettuce, green beans and the bell peppers will be part of the aquaponics project. Hoping the evenings will warm up enough to move the tilapia out to the raised pond next weekend. It's going down to 38 here this weekend. I purchased 30 tilapia fingerling's (1-2inch) about a month ago and they have more than doubled in size while living in the 30 gal tank which are their temporary living quarters.
This will be the first time I've tried turnips and carrots. Wish me luck. I'm also planning to build a potato box. The last time I grew potatoes it was in some old tires. Worked well, but didnt' look so good in the yard.
The potato box or stacked tires works on the idea that potatoes are like tomatoes. Bury the stem and it sends out roots. As the potato grows you keep building the box higher or stack another tire and fill it with dirt. The stem turns to root and you get more potatoes. The tires worked pretty good because they warm up the soil (the black rubber holds in the heat and moisture) and when harvest time comes you just knock over the tires and dig out the potatoes.
I'm going to build 3 or 4 2ft square boxes and stack them up as the potatos grow and take them down once harvest time is here and hope for as many potatoes as I got with the tires. I got almost 50 pounds with 4 tires.
The carrots, potato box and pumpkins will be part of the new raised beds going in this weekend if the rain holds off. Sorry Jimmy, but at least it's a square bed.
