Going Back Over the Same Ground

[digitS']

or, Not.

Just thinking how this phrase both makes sense and maybe it doesn't, for gardening.

What are You thinking about for a New and Improved approach this year? Doing It Better? Made a Start, Moving Ahead?

Steve

 

[Zeedman]

It makes great sense; in all my years of gardening, I've never even come close to having the same garden twice. There is always new ground to be broken (or given up), challenges to be overcome, new things to learn, new varieties to try, new friends to be made.

My rural garden has challenged me with drainage issues, so DW & I mutually agreed to reduce its size by 1/3. We have been gradually bringing in topsoil for the remaining 2/3 to improve drainage, and built a movable raised bed to improve our garlic (which was wildly successful). We expanded the larger of our home plots by an additional 150 square feet, which involved pulling 2 stumps, taking down a tree which shaded that area, and bringing in 3-4 yards of topsoil to raise up the low ground. Of the 3 gardens we have, only one remains unchanged... and only because we need to re-route some buried wires before it can be expanded.

Because I am a collector, we grow the same types of vegetables most years; but the varieties change in rotation along with new introductions, so a different group every year. We make an effort to try at least one new vegetable, or one new technique, every year. Last year, we grew our own dry corn for the first time (thank you, @baymule ) and will be expanding that effort to 2 varieties this year. We will also be growing 2 varieties of luffa this year, trialing 5 new yardlong beans, testing 2 hyacinth bean varieties for photo-period sensitivity, seeing whether we can grow a peanut variety here, continuing our pumpkin breeding effort, and joining a national potato onion breeding effort based upon Kelly Winterton's "Green Mountain" seed.

And via SSE, TEG, and a couple other garden sites, I'm making a concerted effort to get more seeds into the hands of our garden friends in Canada, to aid seed saving efforts there. I'm truly inspired by @Bluejay77 's international outreach, and by the scale of @heirloomgal 's seed saving efforts.

This was how I planned to expand our gardening efforts when I retired, and DW & I couldn't be happier (unless we were also free to travel ). It remains to be seen if I'm in over my head this year.

 

[flowerbug]

i'm not sure what i am doing different this year. i have a project or two i need to get figured out and then the normal peas, beans, tomatoes, onions, peppers, garlic, ... keeping up with all the gardens. i'll need to be doing a lot of fine close up weeding of the creeping thyme transplants.

i contemplated not doing one of the projects at all, but it really needs to be taken care of since i've put it off for so many years already. erosion control... cleaning up a big mess.

 

[ninnymary]

I'm making a few changes this year. To start I'm going to use David Auston rose fertilizer on a consistent basis on the 4 roses that I have. I feel they need a little oomph and decided to get a fertilizer from the best.

Also in the center of my yard where the play structure was I amended that soil with lots of compost. Used some brick to make 4 sections where I have dwarf salvias for pollinators and in the of each section I'm planting my Petit Gris de Rennes melons which do well in my cool summers. I tried trellising them last year and it really didn't do anything. I'm excited to see if the surrounding brickwork will make it a little hotter and if it will improve them. I just started those seeds today. Darn critter will eat them if I direct sow.

I'm also growing a dwarf mulberry tree in a 20 gal. grow bag. It was bare root a couple weeks ago and it is now starting to leaf out.

Mary