I did not need to fight with tree roots of trees I wanted to keep alive. but you could till close as you can until you start hitting roots and then you could use cardboard to help smother up to/around tree and tilled area and cover with soil to grow above roots,,
I might smother the grass around tree[to help stop it from spreading back into garden] but instead of using soil close to tree use wood chips about 3 feet out around trunk, if you go this route it might be a good place to use plastic on top of cardboard and under wood chips so in a couple years the grass is not coming up threw chips.

do you use kiddy pool to grow in? lol how about cutting hole in middle big enough to go around peach tree and a cut to open from hole in center to outside edge to wrap around tree then plant something inside pool you want to control spread of ? thinking mint? would still use cardboard under it to smother grass out

 

I did not need to fight with tree roots of trees I wanted to keep alive. but you could till close as you can until you start hitting roots and then you could use cardboard to help smother up to/around tree and tilled area and cover with soil to grow above roots,,
I might smother the grass around tree[to help stop it from spreading back into garden] but instead of using soil close to tree use wood chips about 3 feet out around trunk, if you go this route it might be a good place to use plastic on top of cardboard and under wood chips so in a couple years the grass is not coming up threw chips.

do you use kiddy pool to grow in? lol how about cutting hole in middle big enough to go around peach tree and a cut to open from hole in center to outside edge to wrap around tree then plant something inside pool you want to control spread of ? thinking mint? would still use cardboard under it to smother grass out

I'm going to dig by hand as much as I can, take the top soil out, lay cardboard down, mix top soil with well composted chicken manure and whatever other organic matter I find around here. Then put the potatoes on the cardboard and cover well with soil mix. At least that is what I was thinking.

The kiddy pool was for my ducks.

But when they flew the coop (literally...I didn't clip their wings enough...) I tried growing sweet potatoes in it. It was a fail. Pup will inherit it to play in this year.

 

he is sure looking good ,,,I like the way he is looking like he is waiting on command
attention /focus

 

he is sure looking good ,,,I like the way he is looking like he is waiting on command

Thank you. He's a good boy. Loves to dig in the garden though, so we'll see how that goes.

 

I'm going to use this thread as a journal of sorts to record the changes and improvements I make to my garden. So y'all know what I'm working with:

View attachment 508986
Because of our elevation, we are probably closer to zone 6a, but this is what comes up for my zip code.

View attachment 508987
This was my 2022 garden layout.
View attachment 508988
This is how the garden looks now. I planted soft red wheat for a cover crop, but it only grew well in a few rows.

View attachment 508992
This section is shown on the far right of my diagram.

View attachment 508993
This picture is from May 2022 (hubby always tills for me on Mother's Day) but it is to show what I have between the 2 garden sections.

The tree in front was a volunteer peach tree, and our best peach producer. But the roots made it difficult to till the garden from end to end. So, about 10 years ago I split the garden into two sections, and the center, unused strip became the weed pile and garden junkyard.

I do best if I break up a big job into much smaller jobs. So my goals to accomplish before last frost are:

• get junk yard cleaned out
• expand potato bed into the unused strip
• build additional potato bed at south east edge of existing garden
• move trellis to North side of garden, to be used for peas. It just makes more sense than trying to till around it, cause peas go in early.

Ok, I've got about 4 weeks to git er done. 😁

Looking forward to your progress. I really love looking at peoples layouts and have been watching a ton of gardening videos lately. I’m in Zone 6a and just started seeding a few things. Definitely adding more flowers this year. Hoping for more pollinators.

 

I love flowers in and around the garden. The herb garden has bergamot, hibiscus, Comfrey, and assorted other flowering perennials. That will get some major attention this spring too.

 

You should ask the mods to "pin" your thread!

 

Good suggestion!

"I do best if I break up a big job into much smaller jobs." Oh yeah! You can eat the whole elephant... one bite at a time.

Looking forward to watching how you fill in that nice blank slate you have!

 

I fight with grape roots in the two beds nearest the grape fence. Twice a year I have to use the broadfork on those beds and pull that fibrous mess out or it would eventually the top 6" would be almost impenatrable!

 

Yesterday, I worked at hacking away at the brambles, digging up roots, and general cleanup.

Here is a view from the other side:

Filled a contractor's bag w/ broken pots, buckets, and disintegrated plastic. Yes, mtnairkin, I know...

This is the plant, covered with frost, that takes over every square inch of open space and spreads its roots far and wide. Probably not a good enough picture to ID it, I'll try again later.

Another obstacle I forgot to mention, is another volunteer peach tree seedling, and a hawthorn seedling. I'm going to relocate them now, while they are small, but don't know where yet.

 

Comfrey is also good as a compost starter. I think mine spread via critter transport. I dig the roots 2-3x/year and still have plenty. And yes, the blackberry is an ongoing battle. Good luck fellow gardener!

With respect to the peach tree, perhaps an adaptation of WB's idea re the kiddie pool: build a raised bed around it and plant that. Killing an established tree seems like such a tragedy! Shade loving stuff such as spinach might be happy there.

 

With respect to the peach tree, perhaps an adaptation of WB's idea re the kiddie pool: build a raised bed around it and plant that. Killing an established tree seems like such a tragedy! Shade loving stuff such as spinach might be happy there.

agree ,if needed I would give up part of that area to keep a peach tree ,,if nothing else ,smother the grass and wood chip it then set a small patio table and chair there as a "resting " spot close to garden could move it around for shade during the day and it would be handy to use all season long ,,like a outside tea nook

 

Lunch break. This is what I got done so far today.

Two wheelbarrows full of weeds dumped, most plastic and trash up.

2 bags full off deteriorated plastic mulch and pots.

The peach tree is staying, but I can't till for about a 6' radius around it without tearing up its roots. So in that area, I'm thinking I need to work on top of the roots. It doesn't create too much shade, as sun goes down over the mountain to the west. The small peach seedling, I think will be OK to move. Along with the hawthorn seedling.

 

If that peach is still dormant you should be able to safely move it. Just get as much of a root ball as you can handle and then prune the tree back to help compensate for root loss.

 

looks good ,there is no rules that say your gardens have to be square plots ,,how every it works best for you is the plan



agree with weed , and be sure to keep it watered over the summer to help it get started again

 

Oh yeah. I was talking about the small one. That big one is waaay too big to move.

 

dam weed I was going to try talking her into transplanting the big one too!!!! lol no I'm just kidding
when you go to transplant the little one I would dig a ring out around it so I could get a second shovel depth under the tree , to try and keep any deeper roots as intact as I could. are you going to try separating the peach from the hawthorn?

if so I would get root ball out and submerge it in water let water help you get the root balls apart ,,,note this does reduce the chance of successful transplant of both [more disturbance to both root balls] , but in the long run might be better for both trees

 

Nice ,,,glad its working out for you.
why did you plant a hawthorn ?,,I have a bunch on this place,was thinking of transplanting some into fence line to make a living fence,, those thorns are nasty if someone trimmed/trained them into fence they would slow any one/thing

 

Nice ,,,glad its working out for you.
why did you plant a hawthorn ?,,I have a bunch on this place,was thinking of transplanting some into fence line to make a living fence,, those thorns are nasty if someone trimmed/trained them into fence they would slow any one/thing

My daughter is an herbalist and wanted it for medicinal properties.

 

good info ,,thank you ,,,I knew it had benefits, but had not dug to deep into it ,,as a side note if you want /need any seed by happy to ship when they set fruit again. same for plums I got that are wild

 

You know, it's starting to look like a garden!

I think you and I have two different plants sharing the common name "hawthorn". Yours looks like a tree-type hawthorn belonging to the Crataegus genus (a rather native plant) and mine is a shrub of the genus Rhaphiolepis that originated in Japan and Korea. However they are both in the Rose family.

 

Mine is supposed to be Crataegus phaenopyrum. It has very sharp, long thorns!

 

After lunch yesterday, I started removing the sod and edging out what I think will be the potato bed.

The soil is quite rocky, I'm pulling the largest out as I go. My plan is (4) 20' long hills. I think it will work.

It rained all night, and is drizzling now. I'll spend today with inside planning, and seed starting.

This is not to scale, but pretty close. The colored spaces are permanent. Everything else is kinda flexible. The plan is to put potatoes in the section starting at the grapes and jutting out past the peach tree. I think I'll make the turn more gradual at the tree, for ease of mowing.

 

Hey, you're going great guns with that garden. Are you doing that digging yourself or assigning hubby to do it?

 

So far it is just me digging. Did get daughter to dump wheelbarrows for me. That sod is heavy! After she dumped it, I thought, should have thrown it in the chicken pen. Oh well, there will be plenty more. The tiller is buried in the garage. Hubby will get it out to till for me in May. I don't want him tilling this new section, as there is too much stuff buried that can damage tiller.

 

I used to get poison ivy something terrible as a kid... I was outside dawn till dusk in the summer, and I'd break out all over. I remember mom literally bathing me in calamine lotion.

But I guess I built up a resistance that served me well later in life. We'd be out in the field for 2 weeks, doing Army stuff, and I'd only get maybe 2 or 3 single blisters on my hands.

 

I agree way to knock it out of the park

 

Rain and wind interfered with outdoor work, so inside it is.

I don't have a large area to start seeds, so I pick a few that are harder to find locally as plants.

Planted two pots each of Green Tomatillo, Corbaci Peppers, and Black Beauty Eggplant.

These are planted in coconut coir. I repurposed a bakery container to make a mini greenhouse.

As soon as seeds germinate, lid gets opened.

Cut up my last Delicata winter squash from last year,

and saved the seeds.

These stored well, and tasted good, so they are getting grown again (with the possibility that the seed is now a hybrid because I grow many winter squash varieties. Serendipity!)

 

There are several different strains of winter squash, pepo, moschato, etc. They will only hybridize with a like variety. Check your packets or catalog for the strain.

 

That's some great progress on the sod removal. That's some hard work there and I'm thankful that those days are behind me. Who needs a gym membership when you have a garden?

Another bite of the elephant....

 

I'm getting tired just looking at your pictures.

 

Yeah, I got all the above too. May your 'surprises' be pleasant ones.

 

Good that you're growing two tomatillo! You'll need two in order to get fruits. I learned that by accident last year, the first time I've ever grown them. They make a great salsa, btw.

Edited to add: great way to repurpose old plastic food containers too. I do the same thing

 

That is good to know about the 2 plants. Grew this same variety last year and they made excellent salsa

 

I didn't know it takes two either but doggonit, even one produces more than most people need. Matter of fact, yesterday just cooked up a batch of beef and tomatillos (has a name that I don't remember). That's what I'll be eating for the next couple of days.

 

Grow Your Own Tomatillos

 

Still pouring and 42* here. Soil is too heavy to work even if I wanted to brave the elements. So more indoor pondering...

My sweet mother-in-law brought me a bag of miscellaneous seeds. Some look quite interesting! I've grown the Asparagus beans before, they were fun. Never tried growing luffa plants! I think I'll definitely try these cukes and peas. Food for thought...