[RedSpruce]

I’m in! Ordered seeds New Year’s Day. They’re on their way!

 

[RedSpruce]

The seeds arrived! Only one mistake. I accidentally ordered two packets of jalapeño instead of one and a packet of leek seeds. Oh well. I’ll be working off last year’s leek seeds.

We have a deck garden and a raised bed garden. There are actually four raised beds - Two larger and newer ones, and two smaller ones. The deck is raised high enough the deer can’t reach it. Because it’s off the kitchen I normally plant herbs there. But this year I am putting beans up there. The deer cleared me out of beans last year. We’ll put the herbs down in the raised beds.

Also in the plans is some kind of netting/protection from the deer. We had simple garden netting last spring and that helped. This year we’re looking at something more permanent. Maybe hoops or something. We’ll see. We’re exploring options the next two months.

 

[RedSpruce]

@MaggieTru mine too! 😂

 

[RedSpruce]

In discussions with hubby about how to best affordably protect our raised bed garden from deer this year. Any ideas? Don’t say fence. We’re on bedrock and fill. And clay.

 

[RedSpruce]

Alas! No guard dog here @Contrary Housewife. We’re going to look at ideas tonight…hopefully.

 

[RedSpruce]

We used netting last year, but had to take it off mid-summer. The plants didn’t have enough room to grow! Netting too small. Plus Hubby staple gunned it to the sides of the raised beds.

We’re thinking of sewing canvas along the edge of the netting this year, putting in grommets, and hooking them on big hooks. That way we can unhook the sides to harvest, and hook it back when we’re done. Just not sure how to get grommets into camvas. I think that requires a special tool.

Plus we still need a sturdier support for the netting than we had last year. Just had little yard long stakes last year!

 

[RedSpruce]

Hubby and I sat down to plan out what to do to deer proof the raised bed garden this spring. After we decided on a basic plan I spent this afternoon figuring out everything we’d need and the cost of it. It will be about $500 CAD, if we buy everything new. We’ll try to use stuff we have first, and see what we can scrounge. This will end up turning our raised beds into a three season garden, instead of one season. We have the money to do this. Just waiting for Hubby to think on it a while. Then we’ll have to start gathering supplies.

 

[RedSpruce]

@hikr00 we planted a raspberry and a blackberry cane last year. The deer browsed the buds off. 😔. I’ll have to talk to Hubby about protecting them this year too.

We’re under a foot of snow here rightnow. I want to get on the deck and into the deck box for the netting for the garden, and for supplies to start seeds.

Here’s our current plan for the raised bed garden…complete with pricing it out. Hubby thinks we only need 2x2 supports, but I think we’ll need 2x4s. Still I appeased him and planned for 2x2s.

 

[RedSpruce]

Cedars too?! Maybe that’s why ours aren’t doing so well. They eat the hosta buds and the Solomon’s seal buds too.

 

[RedSpruce]

RedSpruce, are you recycling trellising from somewhere else in your yard? I see it in your picture, but not in your price workup. (Nice drawing, btw, I can't draw for crud...)

Thanks! Good catch. I missed that. Usually we set up 6’ bamboo poles and string chicken wire between them. We have both already.

 

[RedSpruce]

@Contrary Housewife , you’ve motivated me to pull out my seeds to see what I have.

dalvay peas
Touchon carrots
Eureka cucumber
New Ace Pepper
Mountain Magic Tomato
Plum Regal Tomato
Early Jalapeño Pepper
Aldrin Beans
Custard beans
Korean radish
Blue curled Scotch kale
Bull’s blood beets
Chioggia beets
Rover radish
Kaleidoscope Swiss chard
Swiss chard mix
Seaside spinach
Redbor kale
Lakeside spinach
Black magic kale
Purple prince turnip
Prizm kale
White satin carrots
Red Sun carrots
Rally leeks
Red baron onions
Conservor shallots onion
Cantaloupe

Herbs:
Cilantro
Sweet marjoram
Lemon balm
Borage
Dill
Panorama bee balm
Forest green parsley
Prospera basil

I am not going to be able to fit all this in my garden this year. I’m going to have to pick and choose.

 

[RedSpruce]

I've got a lot of flower seeds I am debating planting. I've had fabulous sunflowers in the past, last year was a complete bust, and I can't grow zinnias to save my life, even though everyone says they are easy. But the pretty seed packets always catch my eye.

I think I got rid of everything from 2020 and earlier, but I'll have one more sort to be sure.

I have some nasturtium seeds and marigold seeds too. Mostly for pest control in the garden.

Some of my seed is from 2020. I have no idea if it’s still viable. I store it in my fridge. I heard somewhere that maintains germination rates over the long term. I have no idea if it’s true or not! But it seems to be working so far.

 

[RedSpruce]

@Contrary Housewife , yeah. That’s kind of my take on it. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. I may as well try the seed and see what happens!

 

[RedSpruce]

Picked up another plant tray, 2 larger pot inserts for when the plants get bigger and 2 bags of starter mix today hoping to start some seeds indoors tomorrow.

 

[RedSpruce]

Now you two have me thinking. Maybe this fall…

 

[RedSpruce]

Just checked out Aerogardens. They are very expensive in Canada. $1000 for the farm garden. I may have to think on this a bit longer. Make sure I have maximum three season production from my deck garden and raised bed garden first. Then go for the Aerogarden. I’ll be very curious to see how well it works @hikr00 !

I started leeks indoors this morning. Nothing else needs to be started until the end of the month.

 

[RedSpruce]

I watched a few YouTube videos by a couple of local gardening gurus, and decided to start more seeds. It may be a bit early, but they didn’t think so.

I planted shallots, red bunching onions, cantaloupe, New Ace bell peppers, jalapeño peppers, Magic Mountain cherry tomatoes, plum regal tomatoes, Prospero basil and Green Forest parsley. The last two are our most frequently used herbs.

I was disgusted to find only ten seeds in each tomato package! I will be finding another seed supplier next year.

 

[RedSpruce]

Yes hikr00. Exactly ten Magic Mountain cherry tomato seeds.

 

[RedSpruce]

Went for my walk this morning and the cardinals are busting their lungs out singing away! 😂 Spring will be coming soon.

 

[RedSpruce]

My leeks are up! So is the basil. Talk about fast germination! I see other stems unbending from below ground too.

I cracked out my Gardening Journal and updated it. I keep track of all expenses and yields, as well as plans and lists of what I’ve planted…and how it did. Also lists of what I made from the produce, and what I hope to make.