Due to the nice clear weather I have decided to get going on some spring time projects.

First one moving some of my Raspberries. I had recieved some starts from a friend 4 years ago. Had so many that I gave some to the neighbor. His went wild, I believe due to the South Facing location and the wall behind them that allows them to stay warmer.

Mind have kind of been floundering, so today I moved some to a nice South facing location.

I had made the rocker box, pictured below. It works pretty good for removing large rocks and weeds.

I have 2 screens, one is 1x2 mesh, the other in 1/2 x 1, the second one is pretty much useless.

More to follow

Trash from the dirt I rocker, house has been here for 30 years. Nice

Finished area, I added 10lbs of coffee grounds and 1/2 wheel barrow of compost (chicken manure,grass clippings,leafs, and cedar chips from the chicken house) Might be to hot, I am the trail and error type. Should read a book about it.

Oh! There's the raspberries. I couldn't take my eyes off the melons.
I'm not sure the cedar chips are a good idea as cedar trees are somewhat toxic to other plants growing around them.At least, I think that's the way it works.
I'm getting my small garden area ready also. We can usually plant a few things in February but the way the weather's been this year, I may wait until March when the frost is no longer an issue. It was cold enough this morning to hurt some plants.

Good Job on the plantings!

Also what KK said on the wood/bark. It won't "add" anything to the soil and will rob the soil of beneficial ingrediants. Raspberry plants aren't too sensitive, but until they are well estabished, I would just leave the soil exposed and add fertilizer. You'll be hoeing newly sprouted weeds for a little while now since the soil has been disturbed, so why put stuff in your way?

I need to get out and cane mine....but, but, but there are fish to chase.

Thanks,

The compost is made with the combonation listed. Its pretty well composted. Must be 50 worms per shovel full of compost. The chips are the fine kind that are used for I think hamster bedding we use them in the nesting boxes.

I mixed it in the rocker box thingie. Shoveled the dirt and compost into the rocker thingie. rocked it and ended up the the last picture.

Currently building some smaller planter boxes for the deck

My raspberries went wild last year. I had to thin them out and my dad has replanted the ones I thinned out. I had some large berries last summer. Yes they do like the southern exposure.

Probably a good weekend to get out in the yard. Finish the pruning. Maybe a few other things too. It would be nice to get out and fish too at least for a day.

I will start my peas in a month.

What about beans, is it to early for beans????

Ugh ok, feels like spring. I am off most of March and would like to pursue the double stripe.

How about tilling is is it too early for tilling

I agree with Stam. Don't jump the gun or you'll have to re-plant everything later. Tilling in some fertilizer now is fine and starting some seeds in containers.........indoors.

I get anxious too, but I don't start planting until the end of April and tomatoes go in around Mother's Day.

By the way, besides my rather large veg garden, I have a small nursery of trees from seedlings to 6 footers. Cedars, hemlocks and spruce. I'm selling them cheap just to cover my cost of the potting soil and containers. A lot less than a real nursery.

Snake

I will just keep building more planters for the deck.

I've got to get a camera and start posting pics. Stam, our gardens look pretty much the same........similar dimensions and 8' fence to keep deer out, but I've got a grape arbor for an entry way, small goldfish pond, and green house.

Hey Jason, I'm freaking out. Your dog could be my dog's twin. Red cattle dog named Kit, a 4 1/2 year old firecracker. Very cool.

Snake

Mom's rhubarb pie.......drooool

I'm garden friendly. Lots of peppers, speaking of I pickled Japs like Stam but mine were too hot to eat. Last year my Anaheims were loaded. Didn't know what to do with all of them so gave a ton away. Cutting back on the peppers this year.

Butternut squash is now the king of the garden. I train them to climb and they do really good. They store real well in the shed until January then they start getting rotten.

Early girl tomatoes are the only tomatoes I've grown for the last 6 years. I'm tempted to switch for variety, but it's hard to risk the guaranteed results.

Artechokes? If you have the room, you gotta try them. Cool plants and if you let the choke bloom the flower is really cool.

So you soak WHOLE japs in the brine overnight, drain, then pickle/can them?

I just pickled them whole and my 100% beaner wife can't eat them. Maybe the brine cuts the heat.

Like you said Jap heat is hit or miss. I read hot ones come from struggling plants. It really suks making a batch of atomic buffalo turds that come out too hot to eat and then other times they aren't hot at all.

For the peppers do you plant them againt a wall or something? (to help retain heat) I tried them but the plants didn't do well.

Thanks Stam. I'll try that

I did tomatoes againt a wall last year and they were better than ever, so peppers like that also.

Is there anything else that likes the extra heat?

Nice looking garden, stam.
When we lived outside of Ephrata, we had a 75 x 150 garden with 12 fruit trees, raspberries, asparagas and several other year to year things already planted The woman we bought the house from was showing us what was planted and was real proud of the Evergreen Blackberries she got to grow in the hot weather there. She got kinda pissy when I laughed and told her when I was kid my Dad had me chop blackberries when I was a bad kid and asked if she wanted to dig them out and take them with her as I was getting rid of them. She gave us a long speech about how difficult they were to grow and how I should not tear out what she'd spent all her time cultivating. Since she had our money, I just asked her again if she wanted them and she left in huff. The years we have a pethora of peppers, I crank up the blender and make sauce to put on enchiladas, tacos etc.

So, anyone have a trick to burn the hide off the Anaheims?
I planted some Poblanos last year and they did good. Fatter than an Anaheim but about the same flavor.

And those seem to be quite colorful worms indeed

And they work, as it seems