Building Raised Beds

Raised Beds

Strawberries......

Perennials

Good Idea

So, you think earthworms are outdoors creatures? Well, you can actually raise them indoors, and use their castings to improve your soil, indoors and out.
Container
Make it large and manageable, space 8 to 12 inches deep. They feed on the top layers of the bedding. Bins can be plastic or wood.
Drill 8 to 12, ¼-inch-diameter holes in the bottom and sides for aeration and drainage. Drill more holes if using plastic or bedding stays wet. Place a tray under bin to collect “tea” that drips from bin. Tea makes good fertilizer for houseplants.
Bedding
Options; shredded cardboard, newspaper, or coir (coconut husks); and peat moss. Mist bedding with water if it looks dry.
Cover bins to keep worms in dark. Keep temperatures between 40°F and 80°F for survival, place bins in cellar, warm garage.
Red wigglers thrive in temperatures between 55°F and 77°F (Worms from garden, night crawlers, prefer cooler and deeper soils.) Buy red wigglers through the mail or at a bait shop.
One pound of red wiggler worms (about 1,000 worms) can eat a 1/2 pound of scraps a day.
Food
Feed worms vegetable scraps, fruit peels, coffee grounds, tea bags, crushed egg shells, and even leftover pasta. No spicy foods. Avoid meats, fish, fatty and oily foods, and bones. Lay a thin layer on top of bedding. Worms feed in the dark.
A small amount of potting soil or cornmeal help your worms digest their meal.
Harvest
After 3 to 4 months your worms should have eaten the bedding and the scraps. Top layer of matter should be dark brown and the consistency of chunky sand. Harvest the castings. Push the castings to side, add more bedding and scraps. Worms will go to the new bedding and scraps. Dig out castings and add more bedding and scraps. Make sure to pick out stray wigglers and return

Peas

I have been able to get a fair harvest from the purple hull peas and yet, I feel that my garden didn't do well this year.  I hope that next year can produce better yields since, I invested quite a bit of money in this one and am not seeing any profit.  I love fresh veggies out of the garden and will try to find better ways to go the route on the coming seasons.

Summer

It's here in all it's glory with the heat and bugs along with the dry grass, wildfires and that 's just part of it.  The heat is horrible to the point of being so bad that Texans just give up and turn on the air.  It's bad when your car air doesn't work.  You will swelter in the heat a car builds during these months.  That's why so many deaths occur during the summer.  The heat is nothing to deal with, just keep hydrated and inside if at all possible.  Keep an eye on small children and elderly people, who are most at risk during this time.

Weather

The weather has been crazy here in Texas and it's not without disaster's.  There was a horrible hail storm last week that left very expensive damage.  I'm thankful that it didn't happen in my area of the state.  I could have used the rain that came with it, but since it went around my area, I suppose it's time to water.  The garden and the yard is giving me that look. 
Mowing the grass will have to wait about 3 more days because of my errands that need to be done.

Garlic

Planting Fall Bulbs

Planting Corn

Eggplants.....

Cucumbers

Pole or Bush Beans?

Corn Tassels

As you can see the corn is tasseling and I can't wait for the corn to start growing.
It will be good to have some fresh home grown corn.

 

Turnips

It's looks as though the turnips are taking their time as well.  Not only that but the leaves and stalks aren't looking as healthy as I had hoped for.  It's not been a great growing season, for the root plants.  The potatoes and onions didn't do well either....

Weather

It has been a good growing season this spring.  As we join the coming summer, I look at my garden which is coming into the harvest time.  I just picked the green beans and am looking at the corn.  The tassels have bloomed and I noticed some ears forming on several stalks.  The purple hull peas are starting to make, the okra is starting but taking it's slow time.  The tomatoes haven't fared as well as I had hoped and the cucumbers are sparse also.  The squash haven't done well either and I guess you may be asking, what do I expect from a 1st year garden?  The cabbage is heading slowly as well.  Darn it I sure didn't want to put any commercial fertilizer on it, to get a good harvest.  The rain has been much better this year, so I thought maybe it would make everything okay.  But, nay to all the above and I sure wish the harvest was alot better.