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Here's the poop from the backyard chicken coop ... keeping tabs on the girls and checking the garden to see what's for supper. Now that's LOCAL!
Garden of Eat'n
Small Flock
It all started...
... in the spring of 2006. Rouse decided to build a raised bed for the purpose of growing blueberry bushes. Well, one raised bed led to another and soon we had four raised beds. Three were filled with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and wineberries. The fourth was planted with herbs and tomatoes.
One year later...
... Andrew came home after his freshman year at UNC-Asheville and announced that he wanted to put in a vegetable garden. He said he wanted to learn how to do it "before he had to." We all liked the idea of eating more local food. You certainly can't get any more local then your own back yard!
Rouse had recently pulled out two overgrown shrubs in the bed behind the house. He had no plans to improve the area until fall, so he gave Drew the go-ahead. Andrew worked hard preparing the soil... digging it up and adding turkey manure enhanced dirt and mulch. He planted pole beans, cucumbers, a variety of hot peppers, okra, eggplant, canteloupe, zucchini and yellow squash.
Drew's garden was a huge success. We enjoyed the fresh food so much Rouse and I decided we wanted a more permanent garden. And chickens, too! In September of 2007 Rouse built four more raised beds and starting clearing space for the chicken yard. See "The HENstory" on its own page.
Rouse had recently pulled out two overgrown shrubs in the bed behind the house. He had no plans to improve the area until fall, so he gave Drew the go-ahead. Andrew worked hard preparing the soil... digging it up and adding turkey manure enhanced dirt and mulch. He planted pole beans, cucumbers, a variety of hot peppers, okra, eggplant, canteloupe, zucchini and yellow squash.
Drew's garden was a huge success. We enjoyed the fresh food so much Rouse and I decided we wanted a more permanent garden. And chickens, too! In September of 2007 Rouse built four more raised beds and starting clearing space for the chicken yard. See "The HENstory" on its own page.
We had a successful fall garden, with lots of salad and cooking greens. In the spring of 2008, we added four more raised beds. I successfully grew lettuce, arugula, spinach, chard, kale, mustard and turnip greens, cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower, sugar snaps, tomatoes, peppers, okra, green beans, field peas, lima beans, yellow squash, zucchini, eggplant, sweet potatoes, plus, lots of herbs. I had less success with beets, radishes, and carrots.
See the "Evolution of a Garden" page for pictures and more about how our garden has grown!
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September
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- Still Raining!
- Still Raining!
- Blessed Rain
- Salad Greens Suffer, Cooking Greens Thrive
- Drought
- Garden Goodies Highlight our Family Feast
- Copperhead in the Okra
- Safety Glasses Should be Required
- Fried Green Tomatoes
- More Seeds in the Ground
- The Bugs Win (Again)
- Rooster Has a Name
- Late Summer Garden
- That pesky wabbit!
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Hi Sue! Enjoying your blog! I love the raised beds! I am interested in how they are made? I am wanting to try my hand at gardening next year & searching for lots of ideas & suggestions.
ReplyDeleteYou can tell by the discrepancy between the date of your comment and the date of my reply that I'm not used to looking for comments!
ReplyDeleteThe raised beds were built from treated lumber, bolted together at the corners. Quick to put together, but heavy. I'm lucky to have a husband that helps with the heavy work.
Once in place, we "chopped" up the on-site grass and clay / soil, then filled the bed with "topsoil" purchased from a local supplier, mixing the clay and topsoil together as we went. It's hard to find good topsoil. What we used is a mix of soil and composted turkey manure, actually a little too rich. That's why my okra grows beyond my reach!
This time of year is a good time to develop your beds. I've gradually added to my garden over the years. That's been a good strategy for me. Started with only 4 raised beds. Now have 15!