Massive Garden Project, Need Advice

Is there a stable in the area you could get manure from to fertilize with? Or maybe a compost pile you could get into to help make the necessary amendments to? Or a local gardening club to appeal to for materials or extras to give you something more to work with?

Any 4H groups to get manure from? Rabbit, goat, alpaca are all cold manures you could add directly and discreetly to in order to help the soil. I've side dressed with what I got out of the bottom of a composted stall cleanings from a neighbors horse farm. It didn't smell, and rapidly vanished but made a tremendous difference in what I grew.

Hi, everybody! I wanted to post an update.

The garden project got off to a difficult start. I had budget issues and ended up providing 100% of the seeds from my own stash. With the exception of a few seedlings the company purchased, everything else came from my own seeds. Now, since I have purchased "seed cache" types of bundles in the past, as well as being a long-time member of the Seeds Of The Month Club, I have, needless to say, a pretty healthy amount of seeds available.

Once I was able to start getting the soil amendments and fertilizers I had requested, the garden took off. I need to go in early tomorrow morning and do some more harvesting. The last couple of weeks have been incredible in the cucurbit bed.

I have some pictures I need to transfer from my phone to the computer. I'll do that and upload them shortly.

All in all, the garden at the winery has been pretty successful in the long run, and we are now preparing for the fall and winter plantings. The winery did post a picture of me with an armload of harvest from last Sunday on their Facebook page, which was pretty hip. They keep calling me a "master gardener." I keep telling them that I do not carry that distinction, but I'll proudly wear the distinction of "pretty darn good gardener." LOL.

That sounds so exciting! You certainly had your trials and tribulations on this one, but it sounds like you have made a smash hit in the garden!! Sounds like you have made some garden converts. Keep up the good work and WE WANT TO SEE PICS!!!!!

So happy for you. You certainly worked very hard for what you accomplished. Hopefully now that you have proven yourself you will get more support in the future. You sure opened their eyes! Congradulations on a job well done!

Mary

I can't wait to see pictures!

Way to go! So glad to see this project survived the initial issues and has flourished under your care!!!

I know this is a bit late for you but it may help in the future. I have two 4 x 12 beds and two 4 x 4 beds and I have put very little soil in them and paid next to nothing for the soil within

I started buy nailing galvanized 1/2 inch square wire to the bottom to keep the voles out. Then lined them with cardboard to keep weeds out. Then did what is called layered or lasagna gardening. I alternated layers of staw, green alfalfa before it goes to seed, leaves, compost, grass clippings, goat manure but any aged manner will do. I did this about 3 times to reach the top. On the first year I put about 1 inch of planting mix on top to have something to put my seeds in. that first year everything grew great. I added no amendments except trace minerals. In the fall or early spring you can add another few layers because it will compost down over the summer. One year I added a few inches of top soil to plant seeds in instead of planting mix as it was free. I'd say that the total cost over the last 4 years hasn't been over $10 per bed for the large ones. No soil is really needed. Each year the composition of the mix gets better as it continues to compost, Its now loaded with worms and I never added any.

This is a view of the cucumbers 4 weeks ago.



And this is what they looked like day before yesterday.

And this is what came out of them on Tuesday, along with a couple of other little goodies.

Yay for you, @grow_my_own !!

Not to be completely outdone, I had an AppleGreen eggplant a day or two ago. It was misshapen, but still! No ripe melon, yet.

But, those cucumbers..!!!



Steve