We're in zone 6b,
@Recovery4Me and
@DharmaGirl . Usually, mother's day is when it's safe to plant, but lately, that's been off by a few weeks or so - we plant some stuff anyway and just cover up what isn't frost tolerant as needed. We have a big fence around the garden for the deer and bears (if we're lucky - the fence didn't stop the bear cub a couple years ago), but also had to add squirrel and bird obstacles. The squirrel has turned one of the raised beds into a black walnut tree nursery, damn near. lol That can be a bad thing due to all the stuff that won't grow near a black walnut because of the juglone.
This is our 7th or 8th year of both of us gardening and me wild foraging (hubby doesn't forage, but he's starting to recognize and respect more of the wild things for their nutritional and healing potential). We've been at this house (my hubby's homeplace) for 5 years. Prior to here, we did mostly container gardening with one small raised bed spot.
We use grass clippings from mowing the lawn as mulch, along with some wood chips here and there, and pine needles for the blueberry bushes that like acidic soil. One of the tree trimming companies dropped off several loads of wood chips for free, so we have a LOT. We get some amazing compost each year from a local company that goes around collecting food scraps from local restaurants and such to craft some fine growing medium. We have a compost pile here, too, but we suck at keeping up with it/turning it, etc. - but excel at adding stuff to it. lol
Using screens/bird netting (which we don't like all that much after having a black snake get caught in it next to the blueberry bushes that we managed to cut loose and set free)/chicken wire/other physical deterrents we can come up with helps a lot with the bigger critters. A neem oil mixture is what we use to spray on a few things to try to help deter the insect critters - and it helps - until it rains - so we must rinse and repeat. This year we're also going to try a garlic/peppermint blend to see if it helps as well, if not more.
We aren't master gardeners by any stretch of the imagination,
@DharmaGirl , just masters of "Hey, let's try this" and hope for the best. lol We are fortunate to have some very helpful acquaintances along the way who are, and who have visited and offered helpful hints. I also used to volunteer at a couple local organic gardens in exchange for some of the bounty, as well as helped out and bartered with a master herbalist who taught me a lot about "weed" identifications and wild crafting tinctures/flower essences/etc.
You tube university has taught me a whole lot, too. I had more than enough down time via various dis-ease issues, when I was learning to finally accept and make drastic lifestyle changes, to research methods and order seeds - which was both a blessing and a curse. To me, having a good seed collection is better than gold - ya' can't eat the gold.
It's pretty damn therapeutic and incredibly self-empowering, except for when it isn't. lol
We planted a couple paw paw trees back in the autumn of 2017. They haven't produced any fruit yet, but they're still alive and healthy and grow a little taller each year. Fingers crossed for a long life and eventual abundant fruit production. They are so delicious. The place we bought them from has an informational workshop each year where you can sample all the varieties they sell. Mmmmm....
I'm also constantly sprouting seeds/beans of some sort indoors. (Mung bean, alfalfa, lentils, chickpeas, fenugreek, etc.) It's so easy to do and I love that you can do that all year around, and that they are little nutritional powerhouses. A friend grows microgreens and I get a tray of them from her about every 1.5/2 weeks. I typically go through about a pound of various greens a day, if not more, most days. That's why I love also being able to add the freebies of nature such as dandelion greens, wild plantain greens, chickweed, violets, red clover, etc., etc. to salads, soups, and smoothies.
We got a white and a black mulberry tree the other day from the same guy we got our paw paw trees from. Gonna scope out a spot and get them planted tomorrow. Fingers crossed that they'll like their new home. I noticed today that the black raspberry vines are blooming and it looks like we'll get a decent supply of them this year - whatever the birds will share with us. Looking forward to my morning break-fast walks. :) Have been nibbling on spruce tips the last couple weeks. They have a nice citrus twang to them - and loads of vitamin c. I could just ramble on forever about plants. :)
I love your variety of pots and raised beds.
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. Did you get a bare root or a two-three year old bush? Your selection of plants are awesome. Does the lavender really help you with mosquitoes? Keep me posted as well if you have time, please. So nice to chat on nature.
. Nothing like fresh eggs and great fertilizer for sure.
over how to proceed after several years. Funny, some cities have pigeons but they donot seem to coexist with roosters at all here.
