Old and New Raised Beds

My old beds made out of 2 X 12 by 16 feet cedar planks are holding up very well. I had to do some deep turning this year due to some root invasion issues; the weed barrier cloth I had stapled on when building them is likely totally disappeared at this late date. The new bed is for an heirloom blue Navajo flour corn I got from a fellow member of Seed Savers Exchange. I will be growing some beans/peas in among the corn to provide nitrogen fixation as well.

Carrots from last growing season!

I dug up the rest of the carrots from last year (about 12 days ago) that I had covered with 8-10" of pine needles. With all the snow we had this winter (up to 26" deep at one point here in Spokane) they have lasted far better than in previous years. Most of them are still firm and good tasting! What a nice surprise!

Broccoli Collars

I tried these last year but I made two mistakes; many were too small in diameter and they were too tall. Since the goal is to provide a barrier to those pesky cutworms I made them shorter so the roots can mature without being restricted. They also have a vertical slice in them so they will be easy to remove once the danger is over and the plants are well established. Remember cutworms travel just below the surface and wont climb over the lip. They totally worked last year to prevent the plants from being chewed through. Try to go organic and natural as often as you can!!

Some Harvests 2016

Early Garden 2016

Apple Blossom Bodes Well

In 2014 I had a bumper crop of apples perhaps because one of my nearby neighbors put out some beehives on his property. In 2015 I had a very poor crop of apples making me wonder if he lost his bees or because of a late spell of cold weather after they had bloomed (?). This years amount of blossoms is HUGE! Let's hope for a ton of apples this fall!

Not One Cutworm Has Made An Appearance!

I am not sure if I came up with this on my own or saw it somewhere... I planted my broccoli starts in the garden inside of a bottom-removed yogurt container (the larger ones work better). The hole below had some worm castings added and the soil around and inside was lightly sprinkled with home mixed organic fertilizer (bone meal, blood meal and green sand). So far, so good. Last year at this time I was SO frustrated! Remember cut worms burrow just beneath the surface and will not climb over the top of the lip of the container.