Our "Semi" Sustainable Oasis

This time of year there is one thing that Travis and I spend the most of our time on and that is gardening.  I guess you could say we strive to create a "semi" sustainable oasis.  Considering how little time we've actually been here and how early in the growing season it is, we are well on our way.  Typically, planting of any kind does not happen until after May 16th, our last frost free date, but this year has been different because of the mild winter we've had.

So today I will be chronicling the work we've done in are garden up to yesterday (6/2/12) and hope to try and keep all who read this blog up to date on our sustainable living adventures.

3/15 - Sprayed garden spot with Round up

3/21 - Plowed garden

4/12 - Tilled the garden for the 1st time.  After the grass has died, the ground has been plowed and rocks     have been removed the land needs time to "breath" before tilling the soil.

4/18 - Spread 18-46-0 fertilizer and gypsum on the garden

4/29 - Tilled the garden for the 2nd time, picked up rocks.

           Planted:  Row 2 - Red Candy Apple Onions

                         Row 3 - Farao Cabbage, Super Red Cabbage, Amadaeus Broccoli 

                         Row 4 - Farao Cabbage, Sugar Ann Snap Pea (56 days to mature) 225 seeds in 1 row

5/1 - Sprayed Fennel (in planters in the front of the house) for Aphids

                         Row 5 - Sugar Snap Peas (70 days to mature)

                         Row 1 - Walla Walla Garlic (1 bulb = 10 cloves)

                         Row 6 - Forono Beets (60 days), Golden Detroit Beets (53 Days), Hybrid Harrier Beets                             (50 Days), Tender Sweet Carrots (75 Days), Atomic Red Carrots (70 Days)

5/6 -                 Row 1 - Larksper, Zinnia "Zahara Starlight Rose", Zinnia "Super Giant Blend", Batchelor                                      Buttons "Fireworks Blend"

                        Row 7 - Golden California Wonder Yellow Pepper (4), Green Bell Pepper (4), Red Bell                                      Pepper (4), Ichiban Eggplant (8), Packman Broccoli (8)

                        Row 8 - Yellow Bell pepper (1), Sweet Banana Pepper (12), Jalapeno Pepper (6), Chili                                      Pepper (6)

                        Row 9 - Brandywine Tomato (2), Marglobe Tomato (8), San Marzano tomato (12)

                        Row 10 - Large Red Cherry Tomato (6), San Marzano Tomato (10)

5/28 - Weeded cut rows, put up cattle panels to hold up tomatoes, tied up sugar snap peas, put up post and           wire for green beans

                        Row 11 -  Foretex Beans

                        Row 12 through 15 - Gotta Have It Corn

           

          Also on 5/28 we tilled and planted a lower garden, all of which are our vining plants.  Everything in this garden was planted in hills and so after we hoed up the hills we covered them in black plastic to keep the weeds down and the plants warm.

                        Row 1 - first 5 spaces Hybrid Sweet success cucumbers (54 days)

                                      spaces 6 & 7 Armenian slicing cucumbers (64 days)

                                      spaces 8, 9 & 10 mango melon (80-90 days)

                                      hill 1 & 2 Costata Romanesca Zucchini, hill 3 Thelma Sanders sweet potato Acorn

                                      hill 4 empty, hill 5 Goddess Hybrid melon (68 days), hill 6 butternut squash, 

                                      hill 7 Argenot winter squash (140 days)       

                        Row 2 - hill 1 & 2 Table queen acorn squash (87 days), hills 3, 4 & 5 summer squash

                                      hill 6 Costata Romanesca Zucchini, hill 7 Thelma Sanders Sweet Potato Acorn

                                      hill 8 empty, hill 9 Goddess Hybrid melon, hill 10 butternut squash

                                      hill 11 Argenot winter squash

5/31 - In lower garden planted sweet potatoes in row 3

Our view from the "upper garden"

The lower garden 

6/2 - Trellised Raspberries, built by Travis.  In addition we weeded raspberries

6/3 - Today we tilled the aisles in the garden for weed control.  We had a tomato plant die and some extra space at the end of Row 9 & 10 (tomatoes) and so we planted 8 Okra plants.

Thank you for taking the time to read our blog!  We hope you'll enjoy watching our garden grow.  As time goes on and we begin harvesting the produce we will post about our canning and preserving process.  Stay tuned for more information and pictures on our raspberries.