WI Gardeners (or Zones 3&4) » Discussions » Introduce Yourself!

• life4us

  

  Leader
   

  February 4, 2010

  Hi! I'm Shawn, my family and I live in WestCentral WI, and we are under a slight warm up at the moment! Its 19 degrees! We have 2/3 of an acre and live within the city limits, so we are somewhat limited as to homesteading, but have a prolific vegetable garden, a 5 tree apple orchard, 2 pear trees, a stubborn blueberry patch, and red, black, and yellow raspberries as well as 4 flower gardens on our property. We are planning to move the blueberries this year and add 2 plum trees (somewhere). I really want chickens for the eggs and broilers, so I'm looking into a permit for that, but being within the city limits restricts us a bit...we'll see what I can come up with. I'm really looking forward to starting seeds in our South facing window sill, we grew lettuce there all Winter long last year. I think its too early to start just yet, but I am having a hard time waiting...my fingers just don't look right without soil under my nails! Haha!

  Hi! I'm Shawn, my family and I live in WestCentral WI, and we are under a slight warm up at the moment! Its 19 degrees! We have 2/3 of an acre and live within the city limits, so we are somewhat limited as to homesteading, but have a prolific vegetable garden, a 5 tree apple orchard, 2 pear trees, a stubborn blueberry patch, and red, black, and yellow raspberries as well as 4 flower gardens on our property. We are planning to move the blueberries this year and add 2 plum trees (somewhere). I really want chickens for the eggs and broilers, so I'm looking into a permit for that, but being within the city limits restricts us a bit...we'll see what I can come up with. I'm really looking forward to starting seeds in our South facing window sill, we grew lettuce there all Winter long last year. I think its too early to start just yet, but I am having a hard time waiting...my fingers just don't look right without soil under my nails! Haha!
• Katt

  

  Member
   

  February 4, 2010

  Hi! I'm Kat, my family and I live in Southeastern WI and it was a toasty 20 degrees when I left for work this morning! Heat wave!
  
  We live out in the country, right on the highway, on 1.3 acres in fixer-upper farmhouse. Last summer was my first year with a true garden and I loved it! The place came with 2 apple trees, an asparagus patch under one of said trees, a patch of chives in the middle of the yard and a random rhubarb plant. These will be moved to more convenient locations once the ground thaws. This year I'll be starting my own seedlings and hoping to get some berry bushes, herb/ettuce garden, and a few more raised beds in - that's if I can get hubby to till, de-rock, grade, and seed the lawn before the end of the summer. This place is a mess, but the price was right!
  
  Hopefully we can then add some chickens and a milk goat or two in the upcoming seasons; but that's still under discussion.

  Hi! I'm Kat, my family and I live in Southeastern WI and it was a toasty 20 degrees when I left for work this morning! Heat wave!
  
  We live out in the country, right on the highway, on 1.3 acres in fixer-upper farmhouse. Last summer was my first year with a true garden and I loved it! The place came with 2 apple trees, an asparagus patch under one of said trees, a patch of chives in the middle of the yard and a random rhubarb plant. These will be moved to more convenient locations once the ground thaws. This year I'll be starting my own seedlings and hoping to get some berry bushes, herb/ettuce garden, and a few more raised beds in - that's if I can get hubby to till, de-rock, grade, and seed the lawn before the end of the summer. This place is a mess, but the price was right!
  
  Hopefully we can then add some chickens and a milk goat or two in the upcoming seasons; but that's still under discussion.
• calds

  

  Member
   

  March 8, 2010

  Hello, my name is Calds and I live in Central WI with my family. We live in town on 2/3 of an acre. Last year we decided to cut the deer off from their free salad "buffet" by expanding and then fencing in our vegetable garden. It was our best year ever, until a chipmunk dug under the fence and moved in. He didn't eat too much so we let him stay. Besides, he was good company when I was weeding and watering.
  
  The biggest challenges for me right now are time, soil quality and water. The soil here is so sandy but with the addition of our handmade compost tumbler last year hopefully that will soon change. Also we don't have a handy source of water back by the garden so watering is a bit of a challenge.
  
  This year my goal is to better track our garden successes and failures and to start as much from seed as possible. I saved lots of seeds at the end of the harvest last year and then we went to Jung's last weekend for the rest. I started a spreadsheet for the garden this year and started a photo journal too. My broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and basil were started yesterday. I have never started anything indoors from seed for my garden so my fingers are crossed.
  
  I would love to commit to homesteading completely at this time but I'll have to work my spouse into it gradually. Until then I just try to do a bit more in that direction each day....

  Hello, my name is Calds and I live in Central WI with my family. We live in town on 2/3 of an acre. Last year we decided to cut the deer off from their free salad "buffet" by expanding and then fencing in our vegetable garden. It was our best year ever, until a chipmunk dug under the fence and moved in. He didn't eat too much so we let him stay. Besides, he was good company when I was weeding and watering.
  
  The biggest challenges for me right now are time, soil quality and water. The soil here is so sandy but with the addition of our handmade compost tumbler last year hopefully that will soon change. Also we don't have a handy source of water back by the garden so watering is a bit of a challenge.
  
  This year my goal is to better track our garden successes and failures and to start as much from seed as possible. I saved lots of seeds at the end of the harvest last year and then we went to Jung's last weekend for the rest. I started a spreadsheet for the garden this year and started a photo journal too. My broccoli, cabbage, lettuce and basil were started yesterday. I have never started anything indoors from seed for my garden so my fingers are crossed.
  
  I would love to commit to homesteading completely at this time but I'll have to work my spouse into it gradually. Until then I just try to do a bit more in that direction each day....
• Katt

  

  Member
   

  March 8, 2010

  Hi Calds! Welcome - so far it's been a dialog between life4us and myself - it's nice to have another voice around here...
  
  The sandy soil is a challenge - have you considered raised beds? The other option is what I call watering cans - you cut the top and bottom off of coffee cans or 2-liter bottles, bury all but 3-4 inches right next to each seedling when you plant it. Rather than watering the whole garden, just fill up each can/bottle. The water runs straight to the roots and you don't have to haul water all day long.
  
  Good luck with the garden!

  Hi Calds! Welcome - so far it's been a dialog between life4us and myself - it's nice to have another voice around here...
  
  The sandy soil is a challenge - have you considered raised beds? The other option is what I call watering cans - you cut the top and bottom off of coffee cans or 2-liter bottles, bury all but 3-4 inches right next to each seedling when you plant it. Rather than watering the whole garden, just fill up each can/bottle. The water runs straight to the roots and you don't have to haul water all day long.
  
  Good luck with the garden!
• life4us

  

  Leader
   

  March 10, 2010

  Welcome Calds! Wow! Sounds like you are on the right track with the seed saving thing! I am not ready for that yet. I am glad to see more and more organic seeds for sale in the general public now, though, and more heirloom plants at the local nurseries! We do try a few plants from seed each year, but I couldn't keep if I did the whole garden from seed! The daycare kids would have it trashed in a heartbeat!
  As for the soil, Katt is right, that is a challenge...Its a slow process for the most part, but you just wait, in a few years it'll be a thing of the past! I have found that if you put the word out, you can get some free compost and soil from a variety of different places...here, we have a pile of mixed dirt for free through our city mainentance dept...you haul! Gardening people are natural "gleaners". (Is that even a word?)
  I love the "watering cans" idea, we do that for our peas and green beans!
  ps. Be careful of that chipmunk...they are cute, but they multiply like crazy! We had one last Spring and he was so adorable, the kids even named him "Henry". Well, let me tell you, Henry must have been a girl because now we have a virtual chipmunk condo in the new rock garden out front! Its bad...I am letting my husband take it from here this Spring. No questions asked. They ate almost every single plant I put out there!

  Welcome Calds! Wow! Sounds like you are on the right track with the seed saving thing! I am not ready for that yet. I am glad to see more and more organic seeds for sale in the general public now, though, and more heirloom plants at the local nurseries! We do try a few plants from seed each year, but I couldn't keep if I did the whole garden from seed! The daycare kids would have it trashed in a heartbeat!
  As for the soil, Katt is right, that is a challenge...Its a slow process for the most part, but you just wait, in a few years it'll be a thing of the past! I have found that if you put the word out, you can get some free compost and soil from a variety of different places...here, we have a pile of mixed dirt for free through our city mainentance dept...you haul! Gardening people are natural "gleaners". (Is that even a word?)
  I love the "watering cans" idea, we do that for our peas and green beans!
  ps. Be careful of that chipmunk...they are cute, but they multiply like crazy! We had one last Spring and he was so adorable, the kids even named him "Henry". Well, let me tell you, Henry must have been a girl because now we have a virtual chipmunk condo in the new rock garden out front! Its bad...I am letting my husband take it from here this Spring. No questions asked. They ate almost every single plant I put out there!
• calds

  

  Member
   

  March 13, 2010

  Hello WI garden friends,
  
  I would like to create raised beds over my existing beds just to contain and build up the organic matter...but that requires a lot of money for all that wood so I'll have to slowly work into that. I am quite frugal for my gardening most of the time.
  
  I did invest in a heat mat for seed germination for starting seeds indoors and full spectrum fluorescent light bulbs. I found some 4' flourescent fixtures for sale at a rummage sale for $1 each so I guess I was okay on the bulb cost seeing how much I saved on the fixtures.
  
  I like the watering can idea, but I worry about the long term effects of plastic leeching into the soil. I still can't decide if there is any merit to all the hype about plastics in this world.
  
  We have grubs in our grass so the chipmunks are here to stay until I get around to dealing with the grubs with milky spore. I keep forgetting to do that. Since our yard backs up to a tree farm we get lost of furry visitors from there too. Three weeks ago it was a flock of 16 wild turkeys parading through. Truly awesome to behold.

  Hello WI garden friends,
  
  I would like to create raised beds over my existing beds just to contain and build up the organic matter...but that requires a lot of money for all that wood so I'll have to slowly work into that. I am quite frugal for my gardening most of the time.
  
  I did invest in a heat mat for seed germination for starting seeds indoors and full spectrum fluorescent light bulbs. I found some 4' flourescent fixtures for sale at a rummage sale for $1 each so I guess I was okay on the bulb cost seeing how much I saved on the fixtures.
  
  I like the watering can idea, but I worry about the long term effects of plastic leeching into the soil. I still can't decide if there is any merit to all the hype about plastics in this world.
  
  We have grubs in our grass so the chipmunks are here to stay until I get around to dealing with the grubs with milky spore. I keep forgetting to do that. Since our yard backs up to a tree farm we get lost of furry visitors from there too. Three weeks ago it was a flock of 16 wild turkeys parading through. Truly awesome to behold.
• Katt

  

  Member
   

  March 14, 2010

  Calds,
  
  Have you checked Craigs list or freecycle for wood for raised beds? I know in the Madison area (when hubby and I work) there are occasionally folks giving away railroad/landscaping timbers for free or $1 each. All you have to do is be the first one there to haul them away. The other option is some of the smaller contractors - they might be willing to stack up lumber from tear-outs and call you to come pick it up. Wood used inside homes is rarely treated (unless it's plywood, pressboard, or MDF) so you don't have to worry about formaldehyde or arsenic. You might even knock on the door of someone doing a remodel of their house - there is a lot of scrap wood usually. We re-used a lot of the 2x4 we pulled out of our place, but it's more typical to just toss it and use new.
  
  Heat mats are the best! I was given one for my seedlings and was amazed how quickly the seeds germinated! Less than 3 days to my first sprouts! Good find on the light fixtures, too!
  
  I'm not a huge fan of the plastic in the dirt idea, but I also don't like to have to water twice a day every day all summer long. So I do it for the water-loving plants like tomatoes. The vineys and such have to fend for themselves and take whatever water I send their way.

  Calds,
  
  Have you checked Craigs list or freecycle for wood for raised beds? I know in the Madison area (when hubby and I work) there are occasionally folks giving away railroad/landscaping timbers for free or $1 each. All you have to do is be the first one there to haul them away. The other option is some of the smaller contractors - they might be willing to stack up lumber from tear-outs and call you to come pick it up. Wood used inside homes is rarely treated (unless it's plywood, pressboard, or MDF) so you don't have to worry about formaldehyde or arsenic. You might even knock on the door of someone doing a remodel of their house - there is a lot of scrap wood usually. We re-used a lot of the 2x4 we pulled out of our place, but it's more typical to just toss it and use new.
  
  Heat mats are the best! I was given one for my seedlings and was amazed how quickly the seeds germinated! Less than 3 days to my first sprouts! Good find on the light fixtures, too!
  
  I'm not a huge fan of the plastic in the dirt idea, but I also don't like to have to water twice a day every day all summer long. So I do it for the water-loving plants like tomatoes. The vineys and such have to fend for themselves and take whatever water I send their way.