How do you deal with weather changes? 

In my Zone 5 climate, spring in particular can be a real challenge. It used to be you never planted in my area until May 31^st if you wanted to make sure your crops were safe from frost.In the last few years out climate has changed, plus I get impatient to plant and cheat the weather by using row covers, cold frames, hot beds and other creative garden covers.

This spring we had a beautiful early spring with temperatures above normal and many people planted early. Well today we had a cold front move in and anyone who doesn’t have row covers or other “garden cheaters” may loose a few plants or have them slow down in growth. Many people don’t realize cold weather may not kill a plant but it may shock it so bad that it will produce poorly or not at all.

In the last few years I have switched primarily to raised bed gardens.  I use frames on the beds so that I can put small holders on the insides of the frame to put PVC pipe. If I bend PVC pipe from one side of the frame to the other I can cover any garden area from cold wind sin a matter of minutes by simply covering the frame with plastic and pinning into place. I can extend my gardening season and have saved early crops using this method.

Two other simple and fast methods to protect plants are terra cotta plants or buckets placed over top of plants and one gallon milk jugs with the bottom of the jugs cut out. These jugs act as mini greenhouses. (Stake them in place so that the wind does not blow them away.)

If you have a weather tips please let me know. Mother Nature can be a challenge at times.

Tags: starting plants early, garden cheating, Mother Nature is a challenge, rwo covers, cold frames, raised beds, protecting tender plants

In my last post http://thegardenersrake.com/a-gardeners-dream-free-dirt-delivered I mentioned a Spill over garden. Exactly what is a spill over garden?

It can mean several different things but in my yard it’s a garden that has my extra plants, unique plants and foraged plants. You never know what may be growing in this garden.

It never fails I tend to have too many tomatoes and a few extra gourds. A trip downtown will lead to rescued plants or foraged plants along a road. I give away what plants I can but there are always a few extras that I don’t want to toss.

By placing them in one area I can give these plants away during the summer, transplant them later into pots or the yard or sell them at a garage sale.

Sometimes I am given seeds and I have no idea what they are or how large they will grow so these plants go in the spill over garden until I can identify them and find a home for them.

This garden is mainly raised beds. Other areas in this garden include

• a few extra empty beds for plants that I find need special care and need to be moved from other plants.
• Containers for specialized plants
• Fencing or lattice for climbing plants
• Teepee forms for vines or trailing plants

A Spill over garden can be the most unique garden in your yard. It’s a place to create, experiment and add any garden art you may have. My garden always has a shady area for relaxing and several benches: that way I can enjoy my plants and the outdoors.

Tags: Creative gardening, spill over gardening, foraging plants, using extra plants, selling plants

My life has had many twists and turns lately. I have just taken the attitude of sit back and see what happens.

Thursday morning I heard strange noises outdoors. A large truck was slowing down and entering my new parking area. The truck started dumping dirt and I knew that my morning would take a different turn. I called my brother to see if he had anything to do with it and had just forgotten to tell me. I was correct, my brother was redoing the slope behind his new garage and I would be getting four loads of dirt.

I checked the dirt out and it’s a high grade of dirt, not soil. But with added composting materials this will work into wonderful garden soil in a few weeks.

I decided to move all of my gardens to the front yard except for my spill over garden, so I would need a lot of soil for the new beds. I had the man delivering the dirt drop two of the loads (large dump trucks) near the smaller front bank where I had planned to put in raised beds in the bank side. Now all I will need to do its get my bed foundations in place (free cement blocks) and move the dirt and compost it into useable garden soil.

My garden work has been more than cut in half and all my supplies are free so what more can a gardener ask for? I had six large loads of dirt delivered. The spare dirt will go in another part of the yard. I do have to admit that the new garden area looks pretty bad at the moment but give me a few weeks and you’ll be surprised with the results.

TIP: If you need additional dirt or soil for your yard contact the road company or a construction site. They often have soil they need to get rid of. Most of the time it is free and often times they will deliver it for free.

Have you found or stumbled upon any useable finds for your garden or yard?

Tags: A gardeners dream, free dirt delivered, useable finds for the garden, raised beds, making useable garden soil, spill over garden