Monday, May 22, 2006

good dirt


We put the tractor to use Sunday morning, scooping up old manure from the horse enclosure and hauling it back to the garden area. From there, I got some good exercise shoveling and filling the raised beds. These are all old beds from last year, but the soil had settled enough that they needed to be refilled.

ready for planting

I got three raised beds filled yesterday, which means I now have four beds ready to plant. However, the temperature dipped to 25 degrees last night, reminding me why it is not good to get too eager to plant here in Minnesota. The average last frost date is just that: an average. I do have peas growing already (middle left edge of the photo), but these should not be harmed by the frost. And I can probably get away with planting seeds any time now. Tomato, pepper, and eggplant seedlings will wait another week or so before I plant them in the cevered hoophouse beds.

We also lifted the enclosure where we were raising the meat chickens, exposing a rather odiferous pile of chicken manure. I think once it airs out a bit, I'll move most of it to a compost pile, cover the rest with dirt, and plant the squash there.

8 comments:

Sue said...

Your garden looks great! I wish I had a nice big sunny area like that. And horses and chickens for soil amending. Just a smidge jealous here....

R.Powers said...

Wow, that is a serious garden space! Mine seems like a toy compared to you guys. Way to go! Brrr on the 25 degrees.

Deb said...

Sue- ah yes, but chickens and horses require feeding! I am thankful for the fertilizer they provide.

FC- but wait, there's more! See my next post!

Anonymous said...

How fast can that tractor go on the paved road? I was thinking maybe you could drive it down to Missouri and do some work in the woods for me. Free beer!

arcolaura said...

You see how close together those front wheels are, Pablo? No rally driving with that thing.

Deb said...

Yeah, but for free beer...you got any Boulevard Wheat??

LauraHinNJ said...

Those raised beds look great - can't wait to see what you plant there!

doubleknot said...

I also gardened in raised beds. With the Florida sand it was the only way to go. I had chicken, rabbit and cow manure to work with. Your garden looks good and ready to go as soon as you warm up some.