From the ‘thumb’ of Michigan, USA

 
 
 
Putting in a Garden in Michigan

Life throws us some twists and turns, so these articles reflect that as well…

 
It was decided to get the property of Silver Creek Farm North ready for gardening/farming productivity. After traveling for two days, we arrived to find the trees planted last fall still standing. One tree didn’t make it through the winter, but the rest looked just fine. The Red Leaf Maple looked healthy and thriving and the fruit trees were not eaten by the deer—our double fencing idea worked! Hallelujah!
 
We only had a fixed number of days in which to get the first garden prepped and planted, so it didn’t take us long to get going on the task. First, existing plantings such as irises and lilacs starts had to be moved. Wilma wanted them replanted in beds near the house, thus necessitating clean up there. After moving them, it was back to the weeded area to turn it over and get it ready. Dan used his handy-dandy rototiller to make a pass at the first bed that is designated as the first hoop house location. He rototilled an area 20′ x 36′. Then he decided to borrow a tractor with a plow (Thanks, Ken!) and extend the garden out another 50′ feet and ready another bed that will be the large hoop house area.
 

 
There was still much to do to prep the beds. He took another pass at it with the rototiller, then we had to stake off the beds and the walkways, shovel the loose soil from the walkways onto the bed area to create a raised bed area. We still had to remove all the tall weeds and grasses and rake the beds. Then the planting could begin. It took three days before we could even begin to plant the first two beds, but we got it done.
 

 
On Thursday, we continued shoveling the loose soil from the walkways onto the remaining three beds. We ended up with five beds, 3 feet wide by about 30 feet long. Here you can see the pole beans planted into the soil. The soil is loamy sand and the guy in the governmental office said it would be fine for planting and growing food in.
 

 
After getting the five beds planted, then the watering system had to be set up. We ended up with soaker hoses, splitters, and one overhead sprinkler. 
 

 
Doesn’t it look like it’s ready to GROW?!
 

 
We gave the bed a deep, long watering to get it started. I had barely gotten back to Kansas and Dan reported that the seeds were sprouting all over the place. He staked the row with the peas and beans. Here’s a picture of how they were doing six days after being planted…
 

 
Pretty amazing… for no amendments being added to the soil at all. We sent in a soil sample for testing. I wonder what the results of the test will be.
 
Being in a county that doesn’t have all the ‘stuff’ that cities have available often means a trip to the city to pick up some of the specifics. That happened Friday to buy top rail fencing to make the first hoop house. Then Dan constructed a makeshift workspace on which to do the bending. He brought the ‘bender’ with him from Kansas. Here’s a test of the first rail. Looks like the bend will work fine. 
 

 
The first hoop is up and placed against the pole barn as a start. Looks like a lovely size and you’d be able to walk through it with no problems.
 

 
The idea is to create the first hoop house as an extension of the pole barn. I think one of the windows will be removed and a door will replace it to facilitate walking from the pole barn to the hoop house. It looks terrific!
 
Back here in Kansas it’s been a brutal week for the garden plants with two hail storms to beat them up. Wednesday night it hailed the size of my thumb top joint area along with drenching rains and winds to 70 mph. When I walked through the garden Thursday morning to assess the damage, it looked like the poor plants had been in a boxing match… pretty beat up. They’ve been working on recovery the rest of the week and then again last night it hailed more. I’m hoping enough of the leaves survived well enough to continue the photosynthesis process to grow and produce. This week looks like the first week for picking zucchinis with about seven at this stage of growth.
 

 
Dan had set up a timer system for the watering here which he attached to a board to make it easy to set up against the house in addition to transporting it back from Michigan. With all the rain this week, we’ve haven’t needed to use it much yet, but I’m sure it’ll come in real handy as the heat of the summer bakes on…
 

 
Have a good week… and Bon Appetit!
 

 
 
 
 Sorry, I lost all the pictures. I’ll try to get them back in the next installment..be well; peace…dan

but the rest looked just fine. The Red Leaf Maple looked healthy and thriving and the fruit trees were not eaten by the deer—our double fencing idea worked! Hallelujah!
 
We only had a fixed number of days in which to get the first garden prepped and planted, so it didn’t take us long to get going on the task. First, existing plantings such as irises and lilacs starts had to be moved. Wilma wanted them replanted in beds near the house, thus necessitating clean up there. After moving them, it was back to the weeded area to turn it over and get it ready. Dan used his handy-dandy rototiller to make a pass at the first bed that is designated as the first hoop house location. He rototilled an area 20′ x 36′. Then he decided to borrow a tractor with a plow (Thanks, Ken!) and extend the garden out another 50′ feet and ready another bed that will be the large hoop house area.
 

 
There was still much to do to prep the beds. He took another pass at it with the rototiller, then we had to stake off the beds and the walkways, shovel the loose soil from the walkways onto the bed area to create a raised bed area. We still had to remove all the tall weeds and grasses and rake the beds. Then the planting could begin. It took three days before we could even begin to plant the first two beds, but we got it done.
 

 
On Thursday, we continued shoveling the loose soil from the walkways onto the remaining three beds. We ended up with five beds, 3 feet wide by about 30 feet long. Here you can see the pole beans planted into the soil. The soil is loamy sand and the guy in the governmental office said it would be fine for planting and growing food in.
 

 
After getting the five beds planted, then the watering system had to be set up. We ended up with soaker hoses, splitters, and one overhead sprinkler. 
 

 
Doesn’t it look like it’s ready to GROW?!
 

 
We gave the bed a deep, long watering to get it started. I had barely gotten back to Kansas and Dan reported that the seeds were sprouting all over the place. He staked the row with the peas and beans. Here’s a picture of how they were doing six days after being planted…
 

 
Pretty amazing… for no amendments being added to the soil at all. We sent in a soil sample for testing. I wonder what the results of the test will be.
 
Being in a county that doesn’t have all the ‘stuff’ that cities have available often means a trip to the city to pick up some of the specifics. That happened Friday to buy top rail fencing to make the first hoop house. Then Dan constructed a makeshift workspace on which to do the bending. He brought the ‘bender’ with him from Kansas. Here’s a test of the first rail. Looks like the bend will work fine. 
 

 
The first hoop is up and placed against the pole barn as a start. Looks like a lovely size and you’d be able to walk through it with no problems.
 

 
The idea is to create the first hoop house as an extension of the pole barn. I think one of the windows will be removed and a door will replace it to facilitate walking from the pole barn to the hoop house. It looks terrific!
 
Back here in Kansas it’s been a brutal week for the garden plants with two hail storms to beat them up. Wednesday night it hailed the size of my thumb top joint area along with drenching rains and winds to 70 mph. When I walked through the garden Thursday morning to assess the damage, it looked like the poor plants had been in a boxing match… pretty beat up. They’ve been working on recovery the rest of the week and then again last night it hailed more. I’m hoping enough of the leaves survived well enough to continue the photosynthesis process to grow and produce. This week looks like the first week for picking zucchinis with about seven at this stage of growth.
 

 
Dan had set up a timer system for the watering here which he attached to a board to make it easy to set up against the house in addition to transporting it back from Michigan. With all the rain this week, we’ve haven’t needed to use it much yet, but I’m sure it’ll come in real handy as the heat of the summer bakes on…
 

 
Have a good week… and Bon Appetit!
 

 
 
Putting in a Garden in Michigan

Life throws us some twists and turns, so these articles reflect that as well…

 
It was decided to get the property of Silver Creek Farm North ready for gardening/farming productivity. After traveling for two days, we arrived to find the trees planted last fall still standing. One tree didn’t make it through the winter, but the rest looked just fine. The Red Leaf Maple looked healthy and thriving and the fruit trees were not eaten by the deer—our double fencing idea worked! Hallelujah!
 
We only had a fixed number of days in which to get the first garden prepped and planted, so it didn’t take us long to get going on the task. First, existing plantings such as irises and lilacs starts had to be moved. Wilma wanted them replanted in beds near the house, thus necessitating clean up there. After moving them, it was back to the weeded area to turn it over and get it ready. Dan used his handy-dandy rototiller to make a pass at the first bed that is designated asthe first hoop house location. He rototilled an area 20′ x 36′. Then he decided to borrow a tractor with a plow (Thanks, Ken!) and extend the garden out another 50′ feet and ready another bed that will be the large hoop house area.
 

 
There was still much to do to prep the beds. He took another pass at it with the rototiller, then we had to stake off the beds and the walkways, shovel the loose soil from the walkways onto the bed area to create a raised bed area. We still had to remove all the tall weeds and grasses and rake the beds. Then the planting could begin. It took three days before we could even begin to plant the first two beds, but we got it done.
 

 
On Thursday, we continued shoveling the loose soil from the walkways onto the remaining three beds. We ended up with five beds, 3 feet wide by about 30 feet long. Here you can see the pole beans planted into the soil. The soil is loamy sand and the guy in the governmental office said it would be fine for planting and growing food in.
 

 
After getting the five beds planted, then the watering system had to be set up. We ended up with soaker hoses, splitters, and one overhead sprinkler. 
 

 
Doesn’t it look like it’s ready to GROW?!
 

 
We gave the bed a deep, long watering to get it started. I had barely gotten back to Kansas and Dan reported that the seeds were sprouting all over the place. He staked the row with the peas and beans. Here’s a picture of how they were doing six days after being planted…
 

 
Pretty amazing… for no amendments being added to the soil at all. We sent in a soil sample for testing. I wonder what the results of the test will be.
 
Being in a county that doesn’t have all the ‘stuff’ that cities have available often means a trip to the city to pick up some of the specifics. That happened Friday to buy top rail fencing to make the first hoop house. Then Dan constructed a makeshift workspace on which to do the bending. He brought the ‘bender’ with him from Kansas. Here’s a test of the first rail. Looks like the bend will work fine. 
 

 
The first hoop is up and placed against the pole barn as a start. Looks like a lovely size and you’d be able to walk through it with no problems.
 

 
The idea is to create the first hoop house as an extension of the pole barn. I think one of the windows will be removed and a door will replace it to facilitate walking from the pole barn to the hoop house. It looks terrific!
 
Back here in Kansas it’s been a brutal week for the garden plants with two hail storms to beat them up. Wednesday night it hailed the size of my thumb top joint area along with drenching rains and winds to 70 mph. When I walked through the garden Thursday morning to assess the damage, it looked like the poor plants had been in a boxing match… pretty beat up. They’ve been working on recovery the rest of the week and then again last night it hailed more. I’m hoping enough of the leaves survived well enough to continue the photosynthesis process to grow and produce. This week looks like the first week for picking zucchinis with about seven at this stage of growth.
 

 
Dan had set up a timer system for the watering here which he attached to a board to make it easy to set up against the house in addition to transporting it back from Michigan. With all the rain this week, we’ve haven’t needed to use it much yet, but I’m sure it’ll come in real handy as the heat of the summer bakes on…
 

 
Have a good week… and Bon Appetit!