Garden Porn...Raven's Grove style

[ravensgrove]

gardens2011 pictures by ravensgrovefarm - Photobucket (http://s1140.photobucket.com/albums/n563/ravensgrovefarm/gardens2011/)

Ok so I don't want to sit here all night doing photobucket. Here's a link to a handful of photos from this season. Most of them were at the height of growing season. At this point things are mostly gutted out, minus the front long rows which have fall root crops, cabbages, greens at this point.

We have 3 primary garden zones here which I rotate yearly. Then two terraces with berries/grapes and two grow huts, one did peppers the other did tomatoes.

I started adding crop pictures and then it locked up. I'll try later on, maybe tomorrow after feeding in the a.m. when there are less people online and see if I can add more all in that one album.

We have a small year 2 orchard...one side fruits, other side nuts...we got one whopping apple LOL.

We fed ourselves, and 8 families in a CSA. 1/2 paid and 1/2 bartered with labor. And I also gave alot to the foodbank.

[izzyscout21]

looks tasty. I wish the hailstorm hadn't killed most of my crop this year. Ironically though, I do have a current abundance of carrots and sweet potatoes....LOL

[The Stig]

I have to tell you, that is not what I was expecting given the title.

Joking around aside, that looks fantastic. Thanks for taking the time to share it with us. You must have a helluva garden.

[izzyscout21]

That's some of the best looking howngrown produce I've seen in a while.

[bacpacker]

Nice pics of the produce. You had a great season. Plants look really good. I like the house with the tomato's in them. What size is the houses?

[LUNCHBOX]

Nice, now I want a salad to snack on. Is that weird?

[Kodiak]

Nice, now I want a salad to snack on. Is that weird?

That is weird! Usually its twinkies and hoho's.

[ravensgrove]

Backpacker: those huts are 8 x 12. We have 2 of them. My husband made them out of hog panels.

[ladyhk13]

ravensgrove can you come to my house and set me up? I do have a tomato plant that I just can't kill LOL! Really great garden there. Wonderful job girl.

[JustAPrepper]

Your plants look amazing! The produce was nice too but I'm really impressed with how healthy the plants look. Well done!

[ladyhk13]

ravensgrove...what do you do during the winter as far as your garden is concerned? Do you start seeds indoors or wait until spring to direct sow? Are your winters mild? Thanks so much for sharing your experiences with us.

[ravensgrove]

Lady,

I have a "winter" garden..meaning sown in early fall and it finishs out long about mid Nov of root crops and brasillicas. I have a short growing season, I am here in the Pacific Northwest. My season is May to Nov if I cheat on either end by hot bedding and using row covers. I actually start everything as seed in the ground both spring and fall with the distinct advantage of hot beds. We have several varieties of livestock here, I work manure into raised garden beds which raises their temperature so I can get stuff going much quicker than my neighbors. I use floating row cover to insulate until they are about 6 inches tall...cheesecloth works well or old white sheets which aren't too heavy. When I saw you were planting cucumbers a week or so ago I was like "where the heck does she live, Death Valley?" LOL. I am envious of what appears to be your very long growing season.

Justa: its rabbit poo I tell ya. Rabbit poo is God's gift to gardening.

[ladyhk13]

Actually I planted garlic last week and I had "volunteer (second round)" lettuce start to come up recently as well. I still have sweet banana peppers, sorrano peppers, thai peppers, tomato's, taters, "volunteer (second round)" dill, aloe, chives. huckleberry, doing wll and and one broccoli plant is trying to survive...I think that's all for now. I think we do have a pretty good growing season. Can plant around late March early April and it doesn't get cold until late Oct. or even far into Nov. sometimes so I guess cold weather plants are good past then (I've never grown any so I don't know the season).
I try to start my seeds indoors so I can put out plants for the harder to grow things or ones that take longer to get going. I do need to get some warming mats though. Last years I took water bottles and filled them up and put them all around my seedling planters and set them in the s. facing window so they would warm up during the day and have solar warmth. Most things sprouted fine but it was a bit disorganized by doing it this way.

Rabbit poo is great...the only other thing better is fish emulsion. Easy if you have tanks but a pain if ya don't.

[Sparrow]

I am so jealous of Raven's garden ... Irene killed 50% + of mine :(