fuzzi's "Gardens and Chickens...and Goats? Oh My!" Journal and More Thread

[fuzzi]

Garden beds being prepared for planting.

Bed #4

Bed #5 was just weeded, as it was already planted with collards, peas, turnips, and carrots!

Bed #3 soil turned

Bed #2 half done

Why I didn't finish bed #2

Blueberry plants waiting, their bed is not ready yet.

 

[fuzzi]

After I got home I went outside and finished turning the soil in bed #2, no sign of Toad.

With the soil in beds #2-5 turned, I decided to do raised bed #1, close to the house.

My stack of blocks were in the way, so I began moving them to where I am planning on setting up my rainbarrels, got distracted...and started setting up the first two rainbarrels instead!

I will be placing one rainbarrel under the downspout, then linking it to the second for overflow. I will have to cut my pretty new downspout, but I saw how the gutter installers did it, and I feel I can handle it myself. Once I cut the downspout I can finish building the rainbarrel base with the blocks, add the barrel and then connect them.

Wisp approves!

Lastly, I finished turning the soil in the first half of bed #1.

I might eat these collards myself...

 

[canesisters]

Looks great!!!!
Mine is always such chaos.

 

[Baymule]

Rain barrels, raised beds and growing! Those collards look good!

 

[fuzzi]

Thanks!

Heavy rains forecast for Sunday. I'm going to try to expedite the rainbarrel installation and overflow connection.

Tentative plans, trying to do a 3 year rotation for natural pest/disease control.

 

[Mini Horses]

I'm lucky to get thru yr 1 mainly tomatoes & potatoes get rotated. Others, somewhat. Real organized, right?

 

[fuzzi]

You're not alone, I've not tried to rotate more than a couple years before!

But I am tired of fighting squash bugs and borers.

 

[fuzzi]

First two barrels installed!

It was cold, and I was not motivated to go outside early, so I worked on my garden planting charts.

It felt a lot colder, barely made 50° by noon.

I used the barrel I placed yesterday as a height guide, measured the downspout, marked it, measured again, and confirmed it. Then I used a hacksaw to cut it. I'm going to try to find a close paint match to touch up the scratches.

In place.

After I took this photo I drilled pilot holes, then attached the elbow to the downspout with the original screws.

Level!

But when I attached the first and second barrel I noted that the downspout barrel was a couple inches lower than the overflow. Argh.

But I was able to raise the first barrel using two 16"x8"x2" blocks, and it still fit! I shimmed both barrels using a paint stick and a broken piece of lattice. Now they're beautifully level.

To finish I attached a hose to the second barrel for overflow. It's temporarily going over to and into my pond.

I dug up and placed a few groundcover plants around and between the barrels.

Addendum (3/15/25):

The final placement of the downspout

 

[Mini Horses]

great job!

 

[Baymule]

Your rain barrels are a fantastic set up. You did good!

I never rotated the location of tomatoes. I found their happy place and put up a permanent cow panel trellis wired to T-posts. I spaced the cow panels 18-20 inches apart and a foot off the ground. I sat on the ground and reached through the cow panels to set the plants. I put up 3 panels for a double row. At the end of the season, I didn’t rush out there to clean all the vines off, I let them get frost killed and dried out, then it was easy.