So I just wanted to post to show my progress for the 2014 growing season already.

Here are some pictures to hopefully get you green thumbs aching.

Striped Romas

Italian Romas

Red Siberian

San Marzano Romas

Hibiscus

Dwarf Lime Tree

Dwarf Lemon

New Grass Seeding

As you can see I have a lot started and more to come. I wanted to get a jump on tomato season this year and I have Jalapenos planted as well but they haven;t come up yet. I pretty much use Botanical Interest Seeds so If you guys want top quality seeds you should pop over to https://botanicalinterests.com/ and look at their selection.

Ok thats all for now, but Ill keep you posted as the projects come together.

Grow Good Things.

The cold of winter is still upon us but as we get into the New Year we can be out there getting ready for the spring, even with snow and ice out there. I have my green house in action keeping some Dwarf Lemon and Lime trees alive. We have a close call earlier when the heater I was using died and we had sub teen temps around here. I was able to save them, but they did take a little damage. The Hibiscus we have took a bigger hit but I was out there watering last night and saw that one has started regrowing at the base of the plant. I am going to cut off the dead branches and let all that energy be channeled into the healthy regrow of this plant. I am crossing my fingers for the other one to do the same, so I just continue to water. As we are getting into January I will be starting about mid month to get some of my plants ready for the Spring. I will get the pots and the soil ready in the green house, so that I can get tomato, peppers, and some flower starts going and get them nice and big before they go out into the big bad world. I am starting much earlier this year than I have, but I want to be prepared and I want to get the plants out earlier as well. Along with some help out in the garden I think I could potentially get the plants out in the beginning of May.

Well there is the update. I will post some picture soon. One of my resolutions is to be more on top of this blog. So I hope to hear from some of you and Any questions you might have please post em here and Ill answer then.

Remember Grow good things,

-Doug Bookey

If we look at my previous post I was in progress with the back yard redo and had accomplished or started these things.

• Demolition of part of existing fence: This will help open the backyard up and make it feel bigger. Currently it is cut in half and feels like two different areas neither very inviting. DONE
  

  Hard at work

• New Garden boxes are in progress: I am currently going from a large 14 foot long by roughly 6 feet wide box down to three 4×6 cinder block boxes and possible one 4×4 cinder block box. The reasoning behind the cinder blocks is over time they should last longer and will allow me to have a more uniform look. I am completely removing another large box that was 16foot long by 6 foot wide. This is historically where I have planted my pumpkin, but that will be moved to the side of the house as I have made room for it there.
  

  Boxes coming together

  Now I have completed the 3, 4×6 Garden Boxes and I can start on the other tasks on my list.
  

  

  Completed Boxes.

  So that is where are now. I am going to be moving alot of dirt out of where the old garden box was and where the Greenhouse will eventually go. So I can put in the slab that the greenhouse will live on.

Til Next time

Grow good Things.

In an attempt to make my backyard flow better and to better accommodate the greenhouse and rest of the backyard things, grills, seating, grass, etc; I am redoing the backyard. This includes demo, creating new garden boxes,  roto-tilling, planting new grass, laying some new concrete pads, move greenhouse,  and general cleanup.

Things that are already done or are in progress.

• Demolition of part of existing fence: This will help open the backyard up and make it feel bigger. Currently it is cut in half and feels like two different areas neither very inviting.
• New Garden boxes are in progress: I am currently going from a large 14 foot long by roughly 6 feet wide box down to three 4×6 cinder block boxes and possible one 4×4 cinder block box. The reasoning behind the cinder blocks is over time they should last longer and will allow me to have a more uniform look. I am completely removing another large box that was 16foot long by 6 foot wide. This is historically where I have planted my pumpkin, but that will be moved to the side of the house as I have made room for it there.

There are plenty of things still to be done as well and those are as follows.

• Rototilling the backyard: I am looking least forward to this, though it will have the biggest impact in the end. Right now the backyard is an uneven mess due to years of digging dogs and lazy owners competing again each other for dominance.  Rototilling will allow me to even things out and plant grass from seed in order to get a more uniform look and also with the redesign of the whole yard this will help with the flow as well.
• Rebuilding the Pizza Oven: Two year ago I built a wood fired stone pizza oven. Why did I do this? Well cause they are awesome and it is something I always wanted to do. But like most projects I did it too small and with to narrow of site on the longer term life of the object. So this summer I am rebuilding it bigger and better. I need to purchase a 5ft by 5ft by 2nch thick piece of flagstone for the base. Once I have that then the rest will come together and it will be repeating the steps I already have done once before. I will need to make the oven bigger as well but that again is not too difficult. once the oven is completed, I will be attempted to build a brick enclosure over the whole thing.
• Planting grass: This is definitely a continuation of above and I think I said what I needed to there.
• Pouring some concrete pads: I am in desperate need of a foundation for the greenhouse and right now it sits on the ground and does not bode well for time being kind to the structure of it. I need to pour two pads in total, Greenhouse pad and one for the grilling area. I have two grills, what man needs to grills you might ask, well I do. I like to cook on charcoal for some things and gas for the convenience of it That being said I need a place to do this and in the past they have lived in many places on the patio we have, but are generally in the way there. I have a big enough yard that I can pour a small say 6×6 or 4×6 pad and build a cover for it that will allow me to keep dry and do what I need to do. I think by setting up these different areas it will help break things up and also allow for a general flow.
• Move the greenhouse: Once the pad is done I can then move the Greenhouse from its current location to the new location. I am going to build the pad larger than it needs to be to allow for further upgrades to the greenhouse and if I want to rebuild larger.
• General Cleanup: As most of us know as you live in a place for long enough you acquire crap. It just happens. in my case it happens alot. I need to get rid of things and clean things up. That includes plants, debri, things that I have held onto for who knows why, but I just might use it some day.
• Running electrical: This falls into the category of things I want to do but do not have the skill set to do. So anyone reading this that has tips and tricks let me know. I want to run all new circuits if possible and do it correctly.

I know it seems odd to be starting all of this at the end of March, beginning of April with the growing season rapidly coming upon us, but there is no time like the present and things like the concrete pads and moving of the greenhouse, and electrical are all longer term projects. I need to get my butt in gear to get the garden boxes done so that I have time to plant in them this year. I already have tomatoes and peppers started in the green house and the rest can be started when the last frost has past.

Pictures to come.

Remember to get outside and Grow Good things.

So if you are like me and you are growing in a backyard garden. With that I love the prospects of growing potatoes, but the space that they can take up in the garden can be more than I am willing to give up. So I went online and found some ideas for smaller footprint gardening, square foot gardening, vertical gardening, etc, and found some ideas. So what I did is put together some potato bins that utilize smaller footprint and use vertical space to our advantage.

Step 1: Gather Materials

So I had some 2 by 4s that I had left over from some trellis’ I built for some vining plants and some cedar fence posts that I had purchased for another project that never panned out. *See Figure 1*

Fig 1. 5 foot Cedar fence plank

The 2 by 4s I used were 12 foot long so I cut them into 4 foot lengths and then used my table saw to split them in half. I did this mostly because this is what I had and discovered that the 2 x 4s whole would be to big for what I wanted to do. So I split them in half.  I also use 2 inch #6 wood screws and I had my Dewalt 18 v drill and a phillips head bit and that’s was all the materials and tools that I used.

Step 2: Assembly

First thing is that you want to do is set up the a template so that it makes cutting the cedar planks to the 18 inches much easier. Fig 2*

Fig 2: Cedar Plank Template for my Chop saw

Once I cut all the planks that I needed I then cut the 2 x 4 x 12s I had down to 4 foot lengths and then split each of them in half with my table saw. Then take two of of the now split 2 x 4 pieces and assemble them using the cut cedar planks. I did one on the top and one on the bottom as in Fig 3*

Fig 3: What the assembles side looks like.

I did add in a second plank after looking at it and this will us more room for the soil to go into and give us the depth needed then we plant our potatoes. Created one more of these and was read to start connecting the two so that the box form could come together. Fig 4*

Fig 4: Connecting the two supports.

As the two sides start to come together you will want to leave a open one of the sides with the two planks on the bottom and 1 on the top. this way you have the open space to see the potatoes as they come up and then put on the next plank and cover with soil.  Fig 5*

Fig 5: Side left open so that the potato plant can grow up.

Now that you have assembled the bin. Repeat until you have as many as you want and then place in your growing area or on your patio if you like. Fill with good amended soil and put you favorite seed potatoes in place and watch as they come up and as they do add a new plank as the plant get to 5-8 inches tall and cover until just the top of the plant is above the dirt level. Do this until all the planks are in place and you now have a 4 foot tall small footprint potato plant that could give you a yield somewhere between 80 to 100 pounds of potatoes. Here in Fig 6* it shows what my final product of 5 potato bins looks like all in place.

Fig 6: Finished Product in Place and ready to be filled with soil and potatoes.

Hope you all can use this and let me know what you think about it.

Remember to Grow Good Things.

My good friend Marnie Brennan the Garden Coach of Reno/Sparks sent me these tips to share for winter watering.

Winter watering consists of a monthly soaking to the newly planted and established trees, as well as evergreens and larger shrubs during long periods of dry cold weather. It is the best way to ensure healthy and proper plant growth. Winter watering is not just for survival, but to help your plants thrive. We see that the result of prolonged periods of dry soils in the winter months can cause injury or death to parts of the root system. Plants that have been affected can seem perfectly normal only to resume growth in the spring, but they are using their stored energy. Some plants may be weakened to the point that some or all parts will die in the late spring and summer when temperatures increase. One way to help this situation is to choose plants that are suited for our region, and have better drought tolerance abilities. How well the water moves through your soil profile is important to know for good water management. It is equally important that the plant has stored nutrients for winter use.  Here are a few things that, if incorporated into your gardening routine, will help your plants thrive.

• Water when we have not had measurable precipitation for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Use a soaker hose for long deep watering on your large shrubs and trees.
• If possible, water between mid morning, and before 2:00 pm. This way the water can saturate into the soil before freezing.
• Trees, large shrubs, and newly planted material are the most important to water during the winter.
• Drain your hose when you are through to keep it from freezing and cracking

These are great tips especially for our region. We are all at the right elevation where we get precipitation, but not as much as the high elevations so keeping your trees and shrubs watered is very important.

So remember until next time.

Grow Good Things.

So winter is here or will be here soon for most people reading this. So what does that mean. Well we have a lot of preparation that can be done to get a jump start on your garden next Spring. First thing is start a compost pile this link which I found on Reddit’s Gardening Subreddit: http://blog.pennlive.com/gardening/2011/11/my_homemade_compost_bin.html is a great little how to on building your own compost heap and some dimensions on how it can be best setup. Why should be compost? Well not only can you use it to amend your soils with organic matter, you are also helping the environment. Composting your yard clippings and vegetable food scraps helps break those things down and create a useable substance rather than just throwing them away in the trash where they take up space at the landfill.

Get your self a soil test. There are lots of ways to do this You can buy a home kit and get a rough idea of what you need to amend to your soil or you can go our and get full soil test done by a Laboratory that will give you a nice report of what you are deficient in. I like A&L Labs West They have a variety of tests that can be done and for a little extra you can get a graphical read out and recommendations from the lab on what you should add and how much. This is really important if you have no idea whats in your soil to begin with and this can help you to get a starting point and start to organically build up your soil. If you do this then you can really improve your yields and health of your garden.

Cleaning up your yard and doing some weeding will help your areas be ready for spring. Weeding out flower beds and vegetable areas will allow for your areas to get a head start on new sprouts and bulbs coming up. An area full of weeds chokes the ground and causes slow growth and also steals nutrients from the plants that you want to get them. Yard maintenance in the winter can save you lots of time in the Spring and allow you to focus on other things like starting your own vegetable and flower seeds.

I like to get alot of my chores done now as it gives me free time to do more in the Spring couple that with the amending of your soil to help break down and add to your soil and a compost pile and you are well on your way to having a health and happy garden the following Spring.

Remember Grow Good things.

As fall approaches and you start to notice all of the tomatoes and other veggies out there that aren’t quite ripe. The thing to do it cut off the tops of the plants. It won’t hurt the plant, quite the opposite. It will stop the plant from getting bigger and concentrate on ripening the vegetables that are currently growing. You can also start to clean up the plants some as you harvest as well to help keep the plants healthy until first front or until you have taken everything you can from them.

If you have winter squash going like honey boat or butternut you can leave them on for as long as it takes for them to ripen. Even after a frost that will kill the leaves the squash will be fine. I would pick them before a hard freeze and let them sit in a dry place and you can enjoy them all winter. They have a tough outer skin that will keep them fresh and edible all winter.

Next time we will be talking seed saving and clean up for the fall and what we can do to prepare for the next years season, starting in the fall.

Until then Grow Good Things

-Doug Bookey

As we approach July herein the Truckee Meadows it is important to be on top of your garden. Weeding is a must as well as checking for pests. Be they insects or animals now is the time to be alert of the things your plants need. It is good to keep a high amount of water on those hot days. Remember to water early in the morning and later at night to help retain more water that your plants will need with the high heat we have. Spend an hour or so inspecting your plants for insects. If you have Squash, pumpkin or even cucumbers the Squash beetles can be big pests this time of year. Use a organic insecticide or if you want to really get them little pests use something like Sevin which is chemical based but will get rid of most pets.

Weeding is super important right now as the weeds love the sun and the copious amounts of water that you are giving your other plants. One weed that goes to seed can take up to two years to get rid of as the seed pods can lay dormant for that long.

Any questions please let me know

Grow Good Things,

-Doug

The weather has finally turned the corner here in the Reno/Sparks area to the point that we can start putting our vegetable starts into the ground and planting seeds directly into the soil as well.

If you have vegetable starts now is the time to start hardening them off for a few hours at a time. This will allow them to survive those still chilly nights and get used to the direct sun and the wind that we have in our area. Set them on the area they will be planted and this will allow them to get used to the kinds of weather they will experience when they are planted.

If you are direct seed sowing into the soil now is the time to get some of those seeds into the ground. Cucumbers, all of your squashes, herbs and ever flowers can all go in now and be ready to come up in place. You can also still plant some of those colder weather crops and get a healthy yield before the heat becomes to much for them.

I will be posting some pictures of my greenhouse and vegetable starts this evening but in the mean time. any questions go ahead and ask in the comments and I will get back to you soon.

Remember Grow Good Things,

Doug