How I ruined my Memorial day Weekend...

Brent Dowell

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Reno NV
Well, I spent some time thinking and thanking those that have made my living in the US of A possible, and then promptley got around to ruining my memorial day weekend.

Knowing that the last frost day for my area is May 15th, I started a few months ago trying to dig some post holes so i could expand the few raised beds we had to a real garden. Last year I pounded some t-posts into the ground and used chicken wire to keep the rabbits out. This year I decided I wanted a real garden.

The biggest problem is that the ground we have isn't really soil, but more like a collection of rocks, separated by some alkiline sand and weed seeds.

I tried renting one of those one man post hole diggers, but discovered all it was good for was punching myself in the abdomen. I used it and managed to get the 5 main corner posts, and gate posts dug.

Knowing that using a digging bar, or as my friend calls it, the idiot stick, was a lost cause, I found a cheap jackhammer on Ebay. That thing managed to cut my time for digging a post hole from 1.5 hours down to about .5 hours.... So to me, it was worth it. I finally managed to get all the post holes dug, raised beds built and filled, and the fence put up around it today.

I'm still not finished, I have some anti-rabbit-digging barriers to put in, I need to trim the tops of the fence posts, and of course, we need to finish off putting the plants in the ground.

But I'm darn happy with it and the Mater plants we put in the ground today seem to be kind of happy too....

Just wanted to share...

garden_052509.jpg
 
Brent - except for your garden, that picture could be a background shot for pretty much any Clint Eastwood Western . . . . I can't imagine gardening there!

I've never been anywhere in Nevada except between the Vegas Airport and "the strip" - and that was at 1 AM coming an and 9 PM coming out.

Cheers

Jim.
 
Awww, that's just the hills behind the house... :rolleyes:

The valley proper has a big sod farm and quite a few irrigated hay fields.

I've actually even got a few thousand square feet of grass out front of the house!!!

Our house was built in the late 80's and actually has some nice mature trees around it.

The wife and I put in a hillbilly above ground pool last year and spend about an hour every afternoon looking at the garden and wondering how long it will take for the tomatoes to get ready.

We actually have a pretty mild, if dry climate. The days in summer can be warm, but most every night cools down to a very comfortable temperature.

The raised beds make gardening easy, well, at least after you get it build and have good quality dirt delivered to garden in. As I figure it, an 8'x4'x1' raised bed uses 32 cubic feet of material, or just a little over a cubic yard (27 cubic feet) which is 8 wheel barrow loads per bed...

I'll put in a drip irrigation system and after that it becomes pretty self sufficient after the initial effort outlay.

Guess I started on my summer exercise plan... :thumb:
 
Brent - except for your garden, that picture could be a background shot for pretty much any Clint Eastwood Western . . . . I can't imagine gardening there!

I've never been anywhere in Nevada except between the Vegas Airport and "the strip" - and that was at 1 AM coming an and 9 PM coming out.

Cheers

Jim.

Jim, I've taken vacations in my truck and camper where I haven't seen other humans for days at a time out here in the west. Nearest human help were more miles away then could be walked in days... I know it's odd, but sometimes the solitude of the desert can be very refreshing. To make it odder, I grew up in the Iowa surrounded by trees, creeks and rivers.... :D
 
That picture looks a lot like some areas of New Mexico.
Watch the sun, though. It will burn up your 'maters - Been there, done that!!

Had a decent crop last year, not huge, but we had a much later start last year than this year. The plants would get a bit stressed from time to time though. The biggest problem we had were the tomato horn worms. I've got mixed feelings on those guys, as the moths they generated were completely amazing. Sort of like hummingbirds, but they were moths! But when it comes to tomatoes, well, I'm a take no prisoners kind of guy...

I'm leaving the posts pretty tall, so that we can rig some shade covers if we need them.

I'm actually thinking of rigging one of the raised beds with shade to try and grow some leafy greens....

Oh heck Rennie, that's relatively green and cozy compared to some of the other deserts between LA and Reno. :D
Looks like a lot of work, Brent. May you reap bushels. :thumb:

Vaughn, you are wise and well traveled :thumb:

Yes, this area is far greener than some of the other places I've visited around the west. I'm amazed at the tenacity of the weeds around here and the work it takes to keep the sagebrush and tumbleweeds from growing where you don't want them...

I'm hoping for bushels of tomatoes... I love to eat and can the darn things. I love the robust flavor and being able to control the salt level in the canned product.
 
brent that is one large back yard!!! i cant even see that far in mine:) your maters will taste better than any yu buy in the store:) save some for next april yu might be havun some visitors:)
 
Brent,
did I miss something... keep looking for the pictures, none there.. no pictures didn't happen?:D:D:D

We harvested first of the Broccoli yesterday.. got a few peppers showing, some squashes on the vines.. we've been eating lettuce and spinach for about 3 weeks now... After I got the garden all plowed and fixed up last year, one of my neighbors told me that some years back there was a roadbed right across my property where the garden is.. it is kinda rocky and so far have found a few old rusty car parts..
 
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Chuck, The first post has a picture up there...

You've got produce already? Man I'm jealous. We got a late start this year, but not as late as last year. At least next year I'll have no excuses!

We do have a pretty short growing season here, but the basics do pretty well. Next year I figure I rig up some cold frames in order to get an earlier start on things.
 
Okay, the picture popped up this time... I'm for east Texas originally,lots of trees and gree, but lived for a short time in Tucson... fell in love with the desert and mountains.. you have a great view out over the garden..

we moved to Tennessee to be closer to the granddaughter. That didn't work out so well, a month after we bought our place her mother divorced her husband and moved back to Illinois.. won't go there... too cold for my bones.

We would have stayed in Tucson, but got an offer of a job back in Houston that paid me more than both of us were making in Tucson. An offer I couldn't turn down.
Now that I'm retired, don't think I can afford Arizona.
 
Brent that garden looks good. What collection of plants are you going to put in besides your tomatoes?

I wish I lived in that much space. Boy no NN to bug you. No lawnmowers when you dont want them, can run your machines with the shop doors open and not feel you are imposing on your neighbors right to privacy when you sit on your own deck.

For a country with all the space in the world we are sure packed in here like sardines.:(

What I would really like is the ability to fire of fireworks without disturbing anyone.:D Did that a couple of times after a convention or two in Vegas. There is a reservation casino north of Vegas about 30 miles out. They have a store that sells all sorts. They have a launching pad as well for all the people stopping by. Area looks just the same as where you are. Not as green though. What fun I have had there. My only real vice besides woodworking.:thumb:
 
Well, So far ---

1 bed = 8 BeefSteak Tomatoes
1 bed = 8 Roma Tomatoes
1 bed = Bunch-O-Strawberries
1 bed = 4 EggPlants + 4 Bell Peppers
1 bed = Jalapeno + Anaheim Chiles
1 bed = 1/2 Yellow Squash 1/2 Zucchini
1 bed = 8 Tomatillos

That's about it so far. Pretty basic. There are some other misc stuff scattered around, like some cherry tomatoes, some herbs and stuff. But the real hard part is the waiting...

I'd love to light fireworks off, but this area tends to be a little dry, and I wouldn't want to get busted starting a brush fire. I did get my fire permit this year and now I do have the ability to burn my brush during the 'Burn' Seasons. Spring burn is pretty much over, so now I have to wait until the winter season to get rid of the rest of the brush I've collected.
 
If I may Brent, grab a half a bed for herbs...Chilatro, Basil, Chives, Thyme...so on. We have about 10 'mater plants with a table outside the front door that says (no...I'm not kidding) "If you live here...Take a bag" We live in a funky gated community and it's our way of fitting in, Lord knows we don't any other way. We get knocks on the door asking how much a bag is :rofl::rofl: The herbs go a long way in the kitchen. And neighboors always ask what we have growing. We have 2 bay laurel trees in the backyard for soups and stews and give-a-ways.
Your pic's look like an old friend of mine's place in Lone Pine, Ca. We hunt for arrow heads there a lot!
Sell the fruits of your harvest for more wood!!!:rofl::type::wave:
 
Well, I spent some time thinking and thanking those that have made my living in the US of A possible, and then promptley got around to ruining my memorial day weekend.

Knowing that the last frost day for my area is May 15th, I started a few months ago trying to dig some post holes so i could expand the few raised beds we had to a real garden. Last year I pounded some t-posts into the ground and used chicken wire to keep the rabbits out. This year I decided I wanted a real garden.

The biggest problem is that the ground we have isn't really soil, but more like a collection of rocks, separated by some alkiline sand and weed seeds.

I tried renting one of those one man post hole diggers, but discovered all it was good for was punching myself in the abdomen. I used it and managed to get the 5 main corner posts, and gate posts dug.

Knowing that using a digging bar, or as my friend calls it, the idiot stick, was a lost cause, I found a cheap jackhammer on Ebay. That thing managed to cut my time for digging a post hole from 1.5 hours down to about .5 hours.... So to me, it was worth it. I finally managed to get all the post holes dug, raised beds built and filled, and the fence put up around it today.

I'm still not finished, I have some anti-rabbit-digging barriers to put in, I need to trim the tops of the fence posts, and of course, we need to finish off putting the plants in the ground.

But I'm darn happy with it and the Mater plants we put in the ground today seem to be kind of happy too....

Just wanted to share...

garden_052509.jpg

.....where's the grass?

.....where's the trees?

:huh:
 
You mention about the almost non existent soil, one way of recovering it is composting all your organic rubish plus the weeds, plus your wooddust and shavings.

It rots fast and you'll get a continous source of good fresh soil.
 
As befits living in the old west, We've got ourselves a double barrelled composter. :D

We've been pretty big into composting for quite a while, and at our old house, a basic small suburban tract home, we would generate large amounts of green waste. When the city tried to make us pay for a green waste garbage can, we applied for and got an exemption because we just didn't throw away any green waste. We did have to have a city 'official' come and inspect our property. I had the double barrel composter setup and 3 other piles going when they came. We passed with flying colors.... :thumb:

The problem in the desert landscape is that we don't really generate all that much green waste. We've got some, but not much. We had a small garden last year, but nothing like we used to have. This year should be different, hopefully...
 
People tend to have strong opinions about the desert. You either love it or hate it. Personally, I love it. I love the wide open spaces, the solitude, being able to go on long hikes straight from the house.

So far this year I've only run into Goofy the Gopher snake. He likes to sneak up on me and scare the you know what right out of me. He's 4.5' long this year, and I think he's doing a good job of keeping the rodent population down and the rattlesnake population away.

Rattlesnakes I don't mess with. I know one guy and his wife out here who will poke and prod and get the rattlers in a bucket then drive them a few miles away from their house. I tend to favor a much less politically correct and somewhat more permanent solution. :huh:
 
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