Gardening Fever

[Benjamin]

Oh, and before I forget! We make some applesauce with our apples and that gets canned too.

I've only had fresh picked apples once in my life, from an orchard back in Massachusetts at 7 YO and the experience was unforgettably one of the best taste bud exercises I've ever had. My mouth still waters to this day when I think about those apples.

 

[Benjamin]

I've spent the last couple days finishing planting my garden. Being a woodworker I'm pretty handy with a tape measure and according to my understanding of correct spacing I meticulously measured out the rows and plant and seed spacing. This was a lot of work and detail but I'm anxious top see the results.

I had to get another trailer load of worm dirt to finish topping of my raised beds. I ended up using twice as much as I originally intended.

I planted 11 tomato plants in a large raised bed and they looked great, but the very next day I had a gopher mound come up into it - I was mad and people were laughing ay my resolve to murder every last one of those illusive invaders. There is a definitely a learning curved with trapping and baiting but I'm determined and I've been gathering many weapons and I'm smarter than they are, SO their days are numbered!

I've also done a lot planting around the property and been running driplines, one thing I've learned over time is that everything needs to be low maintenance.

Like everything else, I've noticed that selections are limited or unavailable but I've finally finished planting 14 raised beds and this should be by far the nicest garden I've ever had.

 

[kyredneck]

We average about 7" of rain where I'm at in the Sonoran Desert.

Is it legal for you to catch rainwater from the structures on your property? I've heard it's not legal in some western states (I can't imagine being denied that basic survival tactic) We're not on city water here, besides collecting rainwater into our 11,000 gal cistern we've a rain barrel at every downspout.

 

[Benjamin]

Is it legal for you to catch rainwater from the structures on your property?

First, maybe I should have said we average 7" a year of rain, incase that was unclear. Yeah, actually on new construction they are coming up with more and more regulations requiring builders to catch their runoff in order to prevent flooding. However, having been in the construction business and acquiring several permits for myself I've learned that you ask these bureaucrats if there is any rules against anything like that being they consider it their job to find one, or invent one and make you abide by it.

We're not on city water here, besides collecting rainwater into our 11,000 gal cistern we've a rain barrel at every downspout.

I'm on a community shared well meant to provide for 100 acres, which I manage and we're 600' deep into a huge aquifer, it is great tasting water and costs us only $1.40 per 1,000 gallons to pump.

 

[Benjamin]

I planted 11 tomato plants in a large raised bed and they looked great, but the very next day I had a gopher mound come up into it - I was mad and people were laughing ay my resolve to murder every last one of those illusive invaders. There is a definitely a learning curved with trapping and baiting but I'm determined and I've been gathering many weapons and I'm smarter than they are, SO their days are numbered!

The afore mentioned tomato invader became a casualty of Special Gopher Operations today. Just pulled him up 14" from the presumed comfort and safety of its underground tunnel used to launch an attack on the wrong person's garden!