Aaaah, EG you have been bitten by the gardening bug. Come each and every spring, it will get itchy as hell. It will not let up until fall when you can prop your feet up and look at all the root crops that are stored in the ground for the winter and the fruits and veggies that are either frozen or cold/vacuum packed. Through winter, you will be planning/scheming how to improve the quantity and quality of your harvest. Then one day you will develop a slight itch, and you know its time to start the little seedlings. The itch will worsen as each day passes until you pass the last frost date and you get those buggers in the ground. As summer progresses the itching is replaced with anticipation of the harvest. Before you can turn around, it starts all over again, and there is no antidote.

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

WOOHOO!!! EG!

I'm joining you with 90 additional feet for 99 total.

I'm planning on joining my four 4x4 beds together to make 2 4x10 beds (2'x4' path will be included in each). That will give me an extra 16 sf. Plus the entire north garden that was newly built this fall. I think I'll have my hands full!

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

John - that's funny....ha! Yeah, i've got it pretty bad. I think about garden stuff all the time!

ribbit - you're going from 9sqft to 99? that's a big jump! You're gonna love it! Gotta have the trellises!!!! Tell the man!

Granny - your garden is gonna be huge! I will probably expand mine to around 300 sq ft. in a few years. I'm gonna try to be content with 169 for a while, though.

EG

HA! He actually suggested two-three more places at the ends of boxes that I could trellis, but I don't remember how the summer light hits the yard, so I'm going to be patient

I think I can

I think I can

and wait until next year to do those if it will work. Ok, so maybe mid year. However, I will remind him it was his idea if he balks. :) He's a good man. Even if I can't have a compost pile.

Did I say I had 9 sqft now? I meant 18.

I have two 9sqft boxes.
It's still a jump to making up 99 sq ft total, but 9 sq ft less of a jump.

ribbit - look at the next full moon, and that's where the sun will be next summer. :)

I was thinking about the 4 opalka plants in the 3x3 box, and decided that's probably too many plants for it. I bet it'll grow 3 though! Anyway, this box is gonna be special! Just wait and see. hee hee

EG

I had 80 sf this year, and am adding 120, so I'll have 200 plus an 8 x 10 area for a U-shaped raspberry patch. My DH wasn't too keen on the whole garden thing this year, so I did it without him. He changed his ways by the end of summer... now he helps me build...

Of course, he said I can't leave town at the end of July for a couple weeks ever again... he wasn't so into picking beans after work every day...

greenbean - My wife is not supportive at all when it comes to anything concerning the garden. While I build outdoor projects, tend to the garden and compost system - she simply sits on the couch and twirls her hair absorbing useless information from the various tv shows that she watches. Yeah....you're lucky.

Anyway, a 20% increase in garden size will be pretty significant for me, but I can't wait!

EG

Ooh.... more boxes = more plants = more yummies.
mmm.
:)

Heh tell me about it.

I had planned on building two (MAYBE three) 4 X 8 boxes.. so at most 96 square feet.

Then I ran across a craigslist add for 5 more boxes (after I had bought lumber) made out of recycled plastic. 3 4 X 8 and two 4 X 12.... so I got them....

Then the layout didn't look right so I ended up building in total 3 4 X 12 boxes and 5 4 X 8 boxes....

So before I even planted anything, I went from 64 square feet to 304 square feet lol. Then I decide to convert 3 4X4 boxes which just had flowers to veges.... so that's another 48... 352 total!

My wife is about to kill me I think - I'm just hoping I can convince her it is worth it when the garden starts producing next year.

Now I just have to decide what to grow in all of those boxes!

Dang this gardening thing is contagious lol.

greenbean08, I had resistance from Mr. H, too. But after a late season garden that produced beautifully, he was a bit more interested and actually helped me expand and build new beds for next year. He never will help me garden, but now he gives in to what I want to do with the yard. I guess he had forgotten about just how much food I used to bring in from my previous gardens.

Granny

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

Har...Har... Har. can I remind you giys of this post?
http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/sqfoot/msg0908213326715.html

John

Here is a link that might be useful: Johns Journal

Um....John. Notice the "maybe" at the end of my post in the other thread. Heh.

jwstell42 - My wife hates this garden addiction I have now...I've gotten to the point of constructing things now, and just waiting for her to notice them - which is usually several days later.lol. I constructed the 3 bin compost setup in about 2 hours one evening, and about a week later she said " what is that thing behind the house?" I was like, "what are you talking about?" hee hee.

EG

I'm planning on building two new SWCs next spring. It's not much new space but I pretty much maxed out to begin with. Any further expansion would take away from my kids play area, or be out in the shaded front yard.

That said, I've decided to forgo planting corn which was a failure for me. So that gives me another 44 SF to plant this year's winners or a few new experiments.

My total SF is 130 in beds, three SWCs, and about 60 SF of blueberry beds that I am also using for garlic this year to come.

Here is a link that might be useful: Sinfonian's garden adventure

Sinfonian - good for you on the extra swc's. :) I'm going with corn one more time, then i'm doing something different. My garden is gonna look completely different next year, and I can't wait!

I'm really concerned about the economy this coming year, and really like to be prepared for bad times ahead. Although it would be kinda tricky constructing more boxes on a slope, I could easily expand to 500 - 600 sqft. and believe me....if I see things really taking a turn for the worst, i'll build every bit of it - only out of necessity though....I'm also planning on preserving at least 3 times the amount of food as I did this year.

EG

Granny, my DH is sorely missing the fresh tender zucchini we were eating daily this fall. We've bought a couple at the store, but they don't even compare. He discovered his new favorite way to eat zucchini this year - thin sliced the long way, with olive oil, garlic, s&p and parmesan. Let it sit about 10 min and eat it raw. Fresh and tender matter when you eat it that way!

jwstell - Wow!! That's about all I have to say!!

EG, mine was really not thrilled about the compost bin. We had this kinda strange, rolling compost tumbler once. It was more of a backyard conversation piece than anything - everybody asked us just what exactly that thing was... We never got the mix right (didn't know so much then) and generally had either slime or gigantic clumps. To him, that equalled "we've never been able to make compost, therefore, don't do it". I built the compost bin when he left town again after I built the garden beds. He doesn't participate much in the composting, but he does put compostables in the bucket in the kitchen instead of the disposal.

He did go with me to scoop up a couple trash cans full of hay & such from a goat barn a few weeks ago. The mix that came out of that barn must be much higher in nitrogen than I was thinking - he was complaining greatly last weekend when I was turning the pile (and mixing in more leaves) that I sure took a gorgeous day to work outside and made it smell like c**p... The smell was short lived though. He just happened to be working on the lawnmower, downwind... I think I need to do it again though. I poked it the other day and still got a lot of ammonia smell. I'll do it during the week when everyone is at work next time...

Maybe I'm just tired and can't think, but what is SWC??

Quote: Maybe I'm just tired and can't think, but what is SWC??

Self Watering Container...

Thanks!

greenbean8, I've never been a zucchini lover, but I had so much of it this year I had to learn to like it. Unfortunately, I learned to like it in the form of fried zucchini, fried zucchini/potato/carrot patties, zucchini spice cake, zucchini chocolate cake, zucchini nut bread....well, I think you get my drift. I gained 15 pounds on my "vegetable diet" this summer, and that was just August-October!

Here is a link that might be useful: Annie's Kitchen Garden

WOW!! now i have some idea's for ya sinfonian, why not build up also? didn't i see in your blog that you have a fenced in back yard. then you could build some boxes and rig them so they will be up there. i also seen some that are towers, then they let the stuff flow out of it.
my boxes are 5x10 so far we have 1 new one, we are going to build 2 more for sure. i hope to have a total of 4 of them. plus the 5x15 for the asparagus. and i think i might plant some different strawberries inbetween each of them. i'm going for everbearing. i already have june bearing.
then i will plant the tomato's in some huge containers, and my okra in huge containers. that way i don't have to take up valuable space!! LOL at the north end i'll put the trellis's. this should be fun!! :') ~Medo

Medo, thanks for the suggestion. I'll let my mind work on going up more next year and see what it comes up with. Thanks!

I plan on trellising a lot more next year. Mostly I plan on adding a wrap-around trellis on my 11 foot bed that will allow me to trellis and additonal 15 SF on top of my 11 SF plus room for two SWCs this year.

your welcome!! we are kinda tossing some of that around, tabor is so bound and determined that he has to have room to play football with his buddies. geeze i don't know what that is all about. **big grinn**
so i am letting/having him help me make and place these sfg beds. so he'll have the room,, its also his job to help me with the what goes where!! LOL Hee Hee i wonder if he'll go all the way thru or if he'll give up and say to heck with it and decide to go to their house and play football? any bets? LOL ~Medo i'm really thinking about the tower/column

Ok...I've been thinking, and will not build any more boxes for next year. However....I will construct 2 more earthtainers. So...My final garden configuration for 2009 will be:

25x4 ft. box - 100 sqft
9ft x 4 ft. box - 36 sqft
6 earthtainers for tomatoes - 12 plants total
3 earthtainer scrap thingys for sweet potatoes.

There! That's 169 sqft.

EG

not bad EG!! :') that will be really cool! ya know, i forgot about them earthtainers, i might have to do them, if i did them, i have ......how many different maters i want to do? and how many peppers i want to do? so that would leave me with how many?? LOL just kidding, how many can you fit to one tainer? we have over 10 mater we want to try out next year. so we will be busy. and over 5 different peppers.
now i have one blueberry bush that i got from a very good friend, she sends me some cool stuff, i think she is an angel, i swear!! LOL we have so much in common, and we just chat so much, its nice to have someone to talk to on a daily basis, ya know, :') instead of keeping in touch by just email, LOL (the little one's i always get and just send out) i love those but ya know.
anyhow, she also sent me a banana tree that has edible banana's all i have to do is keep it alive this winter. LOL
my tomato clippings are still alive so far. YAY!!! ok, question for ya angela, how in the heck do ya'll get the different colors on here,ya know, in the writing, and the italics? i never see any place to do that. ever. so how in the world do ya do that?? did i tell you that i found out how to make the pics where they are in the blue things so they can get bigger? i did that by accident. it was so cool!! ~Medo

Medo - that's 2 tom plants per 'tainer.

italics are done like this
bold is done like this

EG

ok EG exactly what did you do to get them italics and bold?
and thanks for the info! what size of container did you use? i don't remember. i'm going to link that thing to my site. under something. just don't what yet. ~Medo

this is how you do it....
Just put an i in the brackets before whatever it is you want in italics and then afterwards to make it stop you just put /i in the brackets. So it will look like this,except you use where I have ( ).

(i)I pee on my compost pile!(/i)

Medo - the container is a 31 gallon rubbermaid tote

EG

ok like this Hey what ya doing? LOL
so does that mean i'd use the as a thing ?
how about the color?? that is so cool!! and thank you so much!! lets see if this works!! ~Medo

Medo, Like this?

same thing, except (font color=blue)Medo - Like this? (/font)

EG

totally wicked!!
you are the total BOMB!! BIG HUG!! (((HUG))) ~Medo

ok, another question, how does everyone get their websites to be down at the bottom? i want mine down at the bottom, i put it in the profile thing, but it didn't come here. Booo Hooo!! LOL
but i'm off to a great start@!! LOL man it is brrrrr out today!! and now hubs went out to a accident site. i hope he is safe. him and that dang firestation.
hope everyone has a great day!! ~Medo

that's how i want it to show up!

Here is a link that might be useful: Barehanded Totally Nutso Gardener!! **Big Grin** :'}

Can't breathe......Ugh....Ok, whew! You're welcome.
The way that you put the link to your blog down there, is the only way that I know of.....I think you just have to do that every time.

EG

ok, i guess i'll have to keep doing that, ya mean granny and them do that every single time? man!! LOL
Well this will be Fun!!! ~Medo