this post was submitted on 10 Mar 2024
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I like to grow a little bit of everything, but right now I'm just setting up some brassica to go. I really should have put my first starts out today, but we had a storm blow through and the wind is supposed to be nuts through tomorrow, so we're gonna five it another couple days.
Frost date is still like, a month out, but I like to gamble. Got some broccolis, a couple kale, pak choi, couple lettuces. We'll see what happens.
My main goal for this year is to find a rhythm for succession planting. Trying to get some practice in with that so I can scale up in the event I find myself in charge of more than my little half acre in the burbs.
Got some Birdies Beds this year! Also dug a monster hugelkultur bed in my front yard. I'm planning on doing a little write-up on that later in the season. I'd like to get something growing in it before I do too much struttin.
Uh... Got a cattle panel squash arch, added a million pots (about 20) for deployable beneficials (marigolds, dill, etc.)... As I list it all out I'm realizing I've been busy. I'm easily doubling my capacity from last season.
Hopefully I don't fuck it up!
Nice! I love some variety too, but already had some bad luck with some bunch of stuff, so little hesitant to feed the voles again haha.
You won’t get a spade in the ground for atleast another month here, usually first week of May.
I would love broccoli and some of its sisters, but they bolt easy here for some reason.
What’s a birdie bed and a hugelkuktur? I obvs could google, but engagement!(?) haha
Cattle panel squash arch… I am imagining a walkthrough arch about 8 feet tall, 3 foot wide and 4 foot long you can weave any kind of plant in basically?
Best way to learn is to make mistakes!
This is my first real attempt with broccoli. I finally figured out Brussels sprouts, so I figured it's kind of a lateral move.
With the sprouts, I've found that heat is the enemy and there's nothing I can really do to stop them bolting in the summer, so I try to keep them growing during spring and fall. I have one in a container on my deck for laughs, but it survives every winter and bolts itself to death in the summer. Then the babies carry on the legacy.
Birdies is a brand name. They do a corrugated metal bed kit that is pretty reasonable and all my YouTube guys crow about them all the time, so here I am. The hugelkultur is an old German(?) agriculture technique. Dig a hole, fill it with logs and sticks, bury it, ta-da a time-release compost store right under your crop bed. Trying to build my homestead chops a bit, plus I think it's funny to absolutely wreck my lawn with vegetables
Oh shit, idk if they are the same thing, but me and some of my buddies actually made some remarks and were trying to figure out what they were. Those look a lot fancier though, the ones we saw looked like two window wells bolted together.
Like that.
My raised beds are made out of wood, imma carpenter, so I love me some wood I guess. Also cheaper I think than those…
Hell yeah! I'm a carpenter! Currently working in a cabinet shop, but I'm also working on going independent this summer.
I built my first set of beds during lockdown with what I could get ahold of. Ripped some 2x4 in half and sticked out a frame that I lined with cedar fence. Those will be going into their fourth season this year.
But I kinda want to upgrade and I've seen good plans to build stuff, but materials end up only being like $20 under what I paid for the Birdies. I liked how easy they went together.
There's all my raised stuff with the hugel in the background there
Nice! My plan to go independent didn’t turn out exactly how I wanted it, but I’m able to be a stay at home dad instead, so taking that as a huge W instead. Long story short, bought dad’s business hoping to expand and use his clientele for carpentry, I had zero help from him, but had to pick up his slack.
Nice! I was able to get mine done first year of covid before lumber prices got ridiculous, yours look a lot fancier than my 2x12 frames ones haha.
Beautiful looking yard!
My two raised beds, I may add another 2x10 on top so I don’t need to lean over so far, and gives me some space to move some more dirt around.
Built the retaining wall planters myself too, just 4x6s stacked and rebar dowels to hold everything. They are trenched in with 6” of gravel under though.
Eh, life happens. Been on a bendy road myself, but the important thing is being happy where you are.
Lol, thanks dude. More an invention of necessity than anything too deliberate. I grabbed the last stack of 2x4 the store had and the only cedar I could find was the fencing. I'm honestly surprised it's held up as well as it has.
And thanks again. I love your deck. Ours has needed reno since we moved in, but I keep spending the money on dumb shit like food and the mortgage. I like the boxes, too. They look sturdy. I bet it was a challenge to get everything so neat in that slope.
Yeah it’s tough though, dealing with carpal tunnel through all of that, than working in the yard last year I got a hernia, still waiting for a referral for that ughh haha.
It looks sooo much better, I would use cedar if it wasn’t for the price, like 3x the cost of PT when I source it. Cedar is naturally resistant and looks snazzy imo.
Thanks, I originally had it 2 feet longer but cut it back, hence why the beam is flush with the end instead of cantilevered, wanted the extra yard. Was a mid build change up. I’m lucky I can just write this stuff off as an expense for “my portfolio”. Wasn’t overly bad, was a couple year project as I built it down the side of the house. Would love to just rent the gear and go to town on a weekend, but that was all barrows and buckets over many weekends or slow days at work.
Preach. I hurt a bit more than I think someone my age ought to, but it's hard to tell which familial curse I'm contending with. Either growing up busting my ass or the rheumatoid arthritis lurking in my genes.
My god is cedar expensive. Especially during lockdown. The fencing worked out way better than I expected. It was very light and I assumed I'd be replacing staves as they failed, but no issues at all. So far.
Look on the bright side: you didn't rent any equipment, but you also aren't helping the hardpan get worse! Plus it's good for the vittles (I'm still nursing a sore back from the buckets and barrows I pushed through that mound of dirt, so milage may vary)