So, growing season is fast approaching. Thanks to schedule and heath issues, got off to a later start than intended this year for a few things. Mostly tomato seeds. However, they are started and many are growing. So are various pepper seeds and strawberry plants.
Of strawberries, I have 8 plants actively growing and planted 10 more this weekend. Going to keep planting more of them each week until I reach at least 50, maybe 100. This year, strawberries are remaining in containers. I think I still have too much salt in the soil for them and they're too sensitive to it.
So far, I have started tomato, strawberry, jalapeno, cayenne, garlic, cucumber and mint. Ordered seeds for tobacco, purple carrots and scorpion peppers. (Scorpion peppers are to sell and for various things like insecticide, dog repellant and pepper spray. No urge to try and eat them. May give some to the ex's new husband, who likes really hot foods. He'd probably like them.)
Going to stick with a lot of container plants this year to try and beat the weeds back. With me being absent so much last year, they really gained control and I have to take steps this year to regain control. Lots of tilling and burning until at least early summer this year.
I'm also keeping a much wider spacing between rows and in between larger plants. More working space to pull and cultivate.
I had planned on buying several tons of wood chips this year and mulching really deep. However, they doubled the price of delivery for the wood chips this year and I have other financial concerns more pressing.
I have done several limited burns to the garden so far and have several more planned. Getting those done before actual growing season gets here. It has to be done in seriously limited sections because it is so dry and I have so much overgrowth left over that a fire spreads out of control in seconds. (Not kidding on that!) Nearly trapped myself once this week when a fire spread behind me too quickly. If I had not been paying enough attention, it would have been really ugly. Still, not convinced the burns went deep enough to do that much good. Other steps will definitely be required.
Good thing is that I am now working from home and my schedule will be changing, so I will have time to work on things and get it in shape.
I also bought an invisible dog fence, which has so far proven quite effective to keep the dogs in the yard and out of the garden. So, when I start planting things out, they won't be dug up or scattered like last year.
Most of the garden won't be planted out as early as previous years. Going to give it time to till and burn several times before planting out. Maybe by the time I do plant out, I can afford the wood chips as planned. I will plant a limited run of lettuce but very limited. I think it will get too hot for lettuce very early this year. Not even trying broccoli. May not be the best option for me with current health issues, any way.
Over the fall and winter, I did get some portion of the solarium built up. If I can continue with that, it may wind up being cool enough for some cooler weather crops well into the summer. Dogs and wind have done some damage to what I have in place but it's more stable than ever before. Still a lot more to do with it. Even with the damage, this winter was fairly cold and the solarium did definitely help keep the place more comfortable than previous winters, especially combined with previous efforts of sealing off the crawl space vents and insulating part of the bathroom ceiling.
I believe this year I may finally be able to get some solar and wind elements built into the house. First elements in that vein will be solar heating, solar cooling and ceiling vents. Maybe install a skylight or two. I will also make a shot at a solar water pre-heating system. However, a bigger priority is insulating the ceiling of the main house.
On consideration, I have decided to also add a smaller solarium structure to the front of the house at some point. That one will take a while and will have to be much more decorative than the one in back. It should help insulate the house in winter and, if designed properly, help cool it further in summer. However, want to complete the one in back first and take a few lessons from it. I do still consider this project an experiment in progress. So, it is a bit rough for now. No finishing touches until I find out how it performs in all seasons. Besides, I am still limited by finances.
Of strawberries, I have 8 plants actively growing and planted 10 more this weekend. Going to keep planting more of them each week until I reach at least 50, maybe 100. This year, strawberries are remaining in containers. I think I still have too much salt in the soil for them and they're too sensitive to it.
So far, I have started tomato, strawberry, jalapeno, cayenne, garlic, cucumber and mint. Ordered seeds for tobacco, purple carrots and scorpion peppers. (Scorpion peppers are to sell and for various things like insecticide, dog repellant and pepper spray. No urge to try and eat them. May give some to the ex's new husband, who likes really hot foods. He'd probably like them.)
Going to stick with a lot of container plants this year to try and beat the weeds back. With me being absent so much last year, they really gained control and I have to take steps this year to regain control. Lots of tilling and burning until at least early summer this year.
I'm also keeping a much wider spacing between rows and in between larger plants. More working space to pull and cultivate.
I had planned on buying several tons of wood chips this year and mulching really deep. However, they doubled the price of delivery for the wood chips this year and I have other financial concerns more pressing.
I have done several limited burns to the garden so far and have several more planned. Getting those done before actual growing season gets here. It has to be done in seriously limited sections because it is so dry and I have so much overgrowth left over that a fire spreads out of control in seconds. (Not kidding on that!) Nearly trapped myself once this week when a fire spread behind me too quickly. If I had not been paying enough attention, it would have been really ugly. Still, not convinced the burns went deep enough to do that much good. Other steps will definitely be required.
Good thing is that I am now working from home and my schedule will be changing, so I will have time to work on things and get it in shape.
I also bought an invisible dog fence, which has so far proven quite effective to keep the dogs in the yard and out of the garden. So, when I start planting things out, they won't be dug up or scattered like last year.
Most of the garden won't be planted out as early as previous years. Going to give it time to till and burn several times before planting out. Maybe by the time I do plant out, I can afford the wood chips as planned. I will plant a limited run of lettuce but very limited. I think it will get too hot for lettuce very early this year. Not even trying broccoli. May not be the best option for me with current health issues, any way.
Over the fall and winter, I did get some portion of the solarium built up. If I can continue with that, it may wind up being cool enough for some cooler weather crops well into the summer. Dogs and wind have done some damage to what I have in place but it's more stable than ever before. Still a lot more to do with it. Even with the damage, this winter was fairly cold and the solarium did definitely help keep the place more comfortable than previous winters, especially combined with previous efforts of sealing off the crawl space vents and insulating part of the bathroom ceiling.
I believe this year I may finally be able to get some solar and wind elements built into the house. First elements in that vein will be solar heating, solar cooling and ceiling vents. Maybe install a skylight or two. I will also make a shot at a solar water pre-heating system. However, a bigger priority is insulating the ceiling of the main house.
On consideration, I have decided to also add a smaller solarium structure to the front of the house at some point. That one will take a while and will have to be much more decorative than the one in back. It should help insulate the house in winter and, if designed properly, help cool it further in summer. However, want to complete the one in back first and take a few lessons from it. I do still consider this project an experiment in progress. So, it is a bit rough for now. No finishing touches until I find out how it performs in all seasons. Besides, I am still limited by finances.
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