2013 Lawn, Garden & Orchard thread

[kirk1701®]

Going to try to start this off with the pictures from early spring and work forward to present.

Will try to take photo's as close to the originals as possible which is kind of hard but I try.
Here yu go, just mowed and spruced up today so I've been busy
Lawn

Dogwoods in center are gone and if you notice the fence stake dead center of the pic, have a Pecan tree in the back, no pollination so hoping to get one going in the front to pollinate it plus give us some afternoon shade in about ohhh 20 years :thumbsup:

Landscaping
Not much blooming yet due to the weather, not even my lilies have opened yet. But here's a look at the new Landscaping I did last fall, followed by some of the existing.

Like I said, nothing blooming yet but do have 6 Crape Myrtles on order for this area. I'm a bit tired of the Marigolds every year and besides, they take water everyday.

Roses should be blooming soon.

Anyone ready to go fishin' that dogwood tree just screams bass are on the bed :deathmetal

Last years Crape Myrtles we started, hoping for some shade on that brick this summer.

New to the landscaping this spring, extended the brick on out and 3 more crape Myrtles for shade.

Walkway through garden

Garden & Orchard
Not much garden yet and what gardening I do have we'll, the dam beans look terrible and might need to start over and replant when we get a steady heat in the forecast.

Fruit tree's however, AWESOME!!! That is when I can keep from breaking them off at the top of the ground. I've done had to replace a apple tree due to the tractor catching the sheet it was covered with for frost. Like I said, been a cold spring.

Peaches on the left, Cherry on the right and behind the garage 2 small apples.

The first one you see is the replacement apple. Next small guy is a plum I just got.

Another shot of the peaches.

Like I said, there is no garden yet.

Tomato cages just raring and waiting :mrgreen:

 

[kirk1701®]

Early May

All this for $24 and will fill 2 deep freezers :thumbsup:

Here yu go guys
Got it all done ahead of the rain coming in, this side at least I still have the side by the garage to break up and plant.

Had to take the fencing down, re till the first couple rows on the left and replant the beans I sowed early April, that was a mistake and I should never had started that early.

50 Tomato plants, the first tray in the pic a few posts up.
4 Bell peppers and the onions from the second tray went along the left side by the beans.

5 rows of Okra on the right side

I love the month of May
When I post the June 9 pics a month from now your going to Say holy siht what fertilizer did I use :lol
And by July, you won't see the gas tank from this angle :lol:

More to come from the other side when I get that done but its just a small spot for squash & zucchini and cucumbers

I'm beat and I look like a red beet and feel like I've been rolled up hard and put up wet : :mrgreen:

Oh and I lost 10 Lbs
I'm now 170 Lbs. which is 10 Lbs below my goal weight. :lol:


Mid May
We have beans up and Okra also popping up thanks to the 85 degree temps the last week :mrgreen:

Got the rest of the garden planted yesterday.
Cucumbers against the garage, Squash and zucchini (we love zucchini bread and zucchini & tomato's)
Some more hot peppers, green peppers, a hot pepper I'm trying for the first time from seed.

I grow my own beans I suggest you rabbits do the same. I don't go in no one else's pantry and help myself. :lol:

Dead rabbit gets put beside garden as a warning to those who attempt trespassing.

 

[kirk1701®]

Beginning of June, exactly 1 month later for garden :mrgreen:
Will have July Pics up soon and HOLY COW!!!! Tomatoes are as tall as me.

No photoshop needed, yes these are one month appart :lol

 

[kirk1701®]

Just took yesterday

Lawn
For not having any rain for a good two weeks were looking quit good, very little watering so far.

Landscaping
Got the bright idea to try some cantaloupe in the landscaping, well see.

And on this side, watermelon which seem to be doing good.

Little tired of the marigolds every year and too much upkeep so looking for something a bit more permanent. Got the Gladiolus coming up, should be blooming soon and some small crape myrtles to take their place next year.

More Gladiolus starting to bloom and roses fixing to bloom for the second time.

Crape Myrtles started last year and boy did they take off this spring as you can tell from the first post with this pic.

Crape Myrtles in the new addition planted this year.

 

[alsh]

I admire all your hard work. Everything looks great.

 

[chrissarah1988]

looks great kirk love how you have looked after your lawn

 

[kirk1701®]

Thanks guys
As you can see from the last photo the garden is a jungle, I'll have updated garden pics this week.

However I'd sad to say no peaches this year, don't know what happened, got nice dime size and bigger then started falling off till they were all gone. :hmmm:

 

[alsh]

Question. In some places, it looks like you're using wood chips as mulch. In other places, it looks like just the soil. Yet I don't see any weeds. None. How do you do that? Even on my best day, I'll have some, somewhere.

 

[kirk1701®]

Question. In some places, it looks like you're using wood chips as mulch. In other places, it looks like just the soil. Yet I don't see any weeds. None. How do you do that? Even on my best day, I'll have some, somewhere.

Some of the wood chips you see is new landscaping as of last fall, I could not keep grass there because it dried out way to fast and in full sun so the grass died out, I'd replant in the fall, next season repeat so I decided to do something different.

This year those area's I decided to see if I could use the land for watermelon and cantaloupe :thumbsup:
That has yet to be determined but the watermelon seems to be thriving :mrgreen:

The garden is just soil but to answer your question both these area's I keep the weeds down with a Pre-Emergent which is a granule product, spread like you would fertilizer to prevent the weed seed from germinating before it gets warm enough to sprout. Preen is my choice for these areas but in the garden you have to do it carefully because it will also prevent your seeds (beans for example) from sprouting. So it has to be applied after the beans and other seed are up then spray a little round up to kill what did sprout.

http://www.preen.com/

As for the yard, same theory goes using a Pre-Emergent made for lawns that prevents weeds from germinating and any winter weeds I hit that in the early spring with some weed killer which pretty much covers 90% of the weed problem. I keep a little 2,4D on hand in a spray bottle for any breakthrough weeds I find during the summer and a squirt here and there before they get out of control covers the other 10%.

Something like this so you get your Nitrogen, Pre-M and Iron all down at 1 time

http://www.lebanonturf.com/products/items/2254326/index.aspx

And, I have tomatoes :thumbsup:

Just in time too because were out of the 120 quarts we did last season.

 

[Ch3vr0n]

Damn dude, i remember when this whole thread started back on old Dirtywarez. You'll be able to start your own fruit & veggie shop from homel lol

 

[alsh]

Thanks for the information. Too late for the Preen this year but watch out next year.
Tomatoes are beautiful.

 

[kirk1701®]

Thanks for the information. Too late for the Preen this year but watch out next year.
Tomatoes are beautiful.

It gets better each year
You think you know all there is but I find something better to try next year and can't wait.

Now, this was the first year I used the preen in the whole garden which will keep the weeds down "IN THE WHOLE GARDEN".

What does this mean? Less weed seed will be grown in that area so next year there should be less seedlings but I'll still use the preen none the less.

I just wish I knew what happened with my peaches and if it was something I did wrong or something I could have prevented :hmmm:
They all fell off so I can't brag about my peaches this year, looks like we will be buying those too.