Back to Eden Gardening
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Nyboy
Garden Master
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LOL I have the same lawn
bobm
Garden Master
Since you have a lawn maintenance professional on your payroll ... why does your lawn consists of mowed crabgrass and WEEDS ?
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- #754
Beekissed
Garden Master
Henless, I can sympathize. I'm currently fighting the Bermuda grass in my son's tiny BTE and I'm losing so far. It's slowly spreading across the garden from one side. I'm going to keep fighting but so far I'm making little headway.
I can't even imagine trying to contain it from taking over an even larger area....that would just defeat me.
I like the idea of narrow raised beds....much more ergonomic.
I can't even imagine trying to contain it from taking over an even larger area....that would just defeat me.
I like the idea of narrow raised beds....much more ergonomic.- Thread starter
- #755
Beekissed
Garden Master
Took a few pics of some of the things growing in the BTE method so far this year...not all by any means, but just a few of the things. I think the third year must be the pay off year for this method, as things are just bursting from these gardens like never before.
I've planted this flower bed with various seeds and annual bedding plants over the years but this year I just threw down some seeds and got a full bed of flowers coming on strong. Never got such growth there before...after the rains this week, this group of flowers are heading up for blossom~zinnias, calendula, Bachelor's Buttons, marigold, Black-eyed Susan, tickseed, and various wildflowers.
Cattle panel rings around the apple tree saplings have been composting for two years, a combination of wood chip, leaves, straw, chicken litter, horse manure, etc. Planted them last year to spuds but got all tops and no spuds, but this year it seems a normal crop of taters. These are red Pontiac.
These two were planted a few weeks after those above.
The sugar snap peas are taller than me now...I've never had sweet peas grow that big in my life. Maybe y'all have, but in this soil I've never had them taller than a couple of feet tall, with spindly vines. This is one section....I have four of similar size around the fence of the garden.
Those Fortex beans everyone said would be hard to germinate...every single one has come up and are strong as can be.
Strawberries returned from last year's garden and have made more of themselves...I've had a handful of sweetness off them already this year.
The honeysuckle is having a banner year...the storms have brought down a lot of the blossom but it's still lovely and bursting with sweet scent!
And this is the year for roses in this garden method...they are blooming like crazy and the blooms are vibrant, the foliage dark green.
I'm very excited about year three of the BTE!!! As if you couldn't tell.....
I've planted this flower bed with various seeds and annual bedding plants over the years but this year I just threw down some seeds and got a full bed of flowers coming on strong. Never got such growth there before...after the rains this week, this group of flowers are heading up for blossom~zinnias, calendula, Bachelor's Buttons, marigold, Black-eyed Susan, tickseed, and various wildflowers.
Cattle panel rings around the apple tree saplings have been composting for two years, a combination of wood chip, leaves, straw, chicken litter, horse manure, etc. Planted them last year to spuds but got all tops and no spuds, but this year it seems a normal crop of taters. These are red Pontiac.
These two were planted a few weeks after those above.
The sugar snap peas are taller than me now...I've never had sweet peas grow that big in my life. Maybe y'all have, but in this soil I've never had them taller than a couple of feet tall, with spindly vines. This is one section....I have four of similar size around the fence of the garden.
Those Fortex beans everyone said would be hard to germinate...every single one has come up and are strong as can be.
Strawberries returned from last year's garden and have made more of themselves...I've had a handful of sweetness off them already this year.
The honeysuckle is having a banner year...the storms have brought down a lot of the blossom but it's still lovely and bursting with sweet scent!
And this is the year for roses in this garden method...they are blooming like crazy and the blooms are vibrant, the foliage dark green.
I'm very excited about year three of the BTE!!! As if you couldn't tell.....
thistlebloom
Garden Master
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Beautiful everything! That flower bed in front of the house is going to be a color riot when it's in bloom.
baymule
Garden Master
Wow! That is fantastic! I am excited with this method too and can't wait to get to year three. Your plants are healthy and vibrant. I bet this will be your best harvest ever!
- Thread starter
- #758
Beekissed
Garden Master
I think this is going to be a great garden year for everyone...the blossom and fruit loads out in the wild are just fantastic, but I'm noticing that the BTE is finally seeming more balanced and plant growth is healthy and accelerated compared to my old soil and traditional tilling. I was getting a little discouraged these past few seasons and thinking it just wasn't going to work for me, but this season has put my fears at rest.
I still needed to add a little nitrogen to some of the plants at the beginning of the season, but just a tad.
I still needed to add a little nitrogen to some of the plants at the beginning of the season, but just a tad.
ninnymary
Garden Master
Bee, with all my heart, I want the BTE to work for you in hugh ways. It's very interesting that those snap peas are so dramatically different than from years past. Perhaps BTE will be a big improvement but will also have much bigger improvements in some veggies or flowers. I would suspect that though many plants will like it and improve, that others will love it and just take off and grow almost beyond the norm. Who knows.
You and Bay have worked so hard to improve your soils that I really want to see all your efforts rewarded. I'm still using chips but decided to remove the leaves last year. They never really decomposed. I'm hoping with my homemade chicken compost and chips that those 2 items alone will be better than nothing. I've already noticed a difference in my herb/perennial garden bed. I planted pole beans to climb up an obelisk and it has the biggest leaves I've ever seen. I don't see buds yet so I'm a little concern of too much nitrogen. I have plenty of beans planted elsewhere so if they don't produce much, they still look beautiful covering that obelisk.
Mary
You and Bay have worked so hard to improve your soils that I really want to see all your efforts rewarded. I'm still using chips but decided to remove the leaves last year. They never really decomposed. I'm hoping with my homemade chicken compost and chips that those 2 items alone will be better than nothing. I've already noticed a difference in my herb/perennial garden bed. I planted pole beans to climb up an obelisk and it has the biggest leaves I've ever seen. I don't see buds yet so I'm a little concern of too much nitrogen. I have plenty of beans planted elsewhere so if they don't produce much, they still look beautiful covering that obelisk.
Mary
- Thread starter
- #760
Beekissed
Garden Master
Mary, I made a big mistake putting leaves on top of my chips in the garden, so I'll not be using those anymore either. They put a fine layer of decomposed material on top of the chips and the weeds took off in that layer and went crazy this spring.
I'll be spending this season hauling chips to put over that layer of soil on top of the chips so that I can still get good moisture retention and weed suppression in this BTE. I'll still put leaves on the orchard as I don't have enough chips sourced to give them any mulch, but never again on the garden.
Please take a pic of your bean tower...I'd love to see that!
I'll be spending this season hauling chips to put over that layer of soil on top of the chips so that I can still get good moisture retention and weed suppression in this BTE. I'll still put leaves on the orchard as I don't have enough chips sourced to give them any mulch, but never again on the garden.
Please take a pic of your bean tower...I'd love to see that!
