Making My Bed

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When I was growing up I never liked to make my bed and I still don't to this day, but when it comes to making up a garden bed that is a different story.  Every time I prep a bed for planting I do it a little different and I learn something new in the process.  I think I have got my method down pretty good so here is what I do.  Some of this may be common sense to the veteran gardeners out there, but I wanted to share my method.

Step 1:  First you need a bed that needs some work like this one.  This is my snow pea bed.  I am going to plant eggplants and bell peppers here and need to get it ready.


Step 2:  You are going to need some soil amendments.  Most of the time my beds lose about an inch of soil every 3 to 6 months.  Most times I go to the big box stores and buy a bag or two of mushroom compost or cow manure.  This time I needed a truck load of something because I have another project that requires some soil.  My local nursery has an excellent "vegetable mix" as they call it.  It has everything you need and it only costs $42 dollars a yard.  That is the same price many places charge you for just plain top soil.


Step 3:  Work your soil amendments into the soil to level off the bed.  I like to take a board and screed the bed so it is nice and flat.


Step 4:  Next I lay down my weed fabric and tie my string grids to the bed.  The weed fabric is worth the cost and the little bit of extra time it takes to install.  This bed will not need to be weeded.  The only time I don't put down fabric is if I am planting something that is a lot of seeds and would be a hassle to cut a lot of holes, like corn or peas.  The grids are a carry over from the square foot gardening method, and I like to set them after I put my fabric down.  This makes centering and spacing the plants easier. 


Step 5:  Lay out your plants where you want them to go.  In my case I have four eggplants and four bell peppers each centered in the two foot grids.


Step 6:  Cut holes around your plants and plant them in the openings.  I mound my soil around each plant and water thoroughly.  I will add bamboo supports to the plants when they grow a little taller.

How to Prevent Blown Over Corn

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If you follow my blog, you will learn that growing corn is one of my favorite things to grow.  Nothing compares to home grown corn, the taste is so much better than you can buy in the store.  I have a tab in my blog navigation dedicated to just corn.  I love corn! 

Despite my love for growing it, corn does come with its own share of problems.  Particularly for me it seems to always get blown over in strong wind and rainstorms.  Last year I posted on how to fix blown over corn.

This year I decided to do some research on how to prevent blown over corn.  I figured why not be a little proactive and maybe prevent the problem from happening.  I searched the web and I found a few suggestions, and the most common was to form a mound around each corn plant.  You form the mound when the plant is young and it forms more brace roots and doesn't blow over as easy.

This week I decided to give this method a try and see what kind of luck I have with it.  Below are the steps I used to create my mounds and I hope that it works.  It only took me about 30 minutes to "mound up" 125 feet of corn.  I will post an update at harvest time to let everyone know how it worked.

I have five rows of corn that are each 25 feet long.  I used my garden hoe to make furrows in between each row of corn.  This was to break up some dirt so it was easy to gather and form the mounds.

Close up view of my plants before forming the mounds,
most are about 4 to 8 inches tall.

The next step was to get on the old hands and knees and work my way down each row gathering up soil and forming mounds around each plant.

Here are the final results with everything done.  When I took this picture, two things popped in my head on the benefits of doing this besides helping the corn from getting blown over.  The first thing is I have nice little furrows between each row when I want to side dress my corn with nitrogen fertilzer.  The second was that I can use the furrows to run my drip hoses in between each row if I want.

Garden Expansion Project - Part 2

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Today is the kind of day every gardener dreams of.  There was a clear blue sky and just a slight breeze.  It was sunny and about 65 to 70 degrees.  The perfect day to finish up my garden expansion project.  I went to Home Depot this morning and rented a mid size rear tine tiller.  I wasn't sure how long it would take me to till up the 400 square foot area.  I rented it for four hours, and that was a smart move.  The dirt up there is pretty decent compared to the Georgia clay in most of my yard.

After getting my neighbor to help me unload the tiller and get it in position, I was done in less than an hour.  I tilled the area for another hour until everything was tilled nicely.  Baby powder consistency, oh yeah!  I hit a few roots from the tree I dug up, but nothing major.  I was pretty surprised how easy it was.  I raked everything smooth and now I am ready to get some corn and peas in the ground. 

Here is the beast, cost me about 45 bucks for 4 hours.

Here is the area after the initial tilling of one hour.

This was a nice cinder block and concrete footer that came from something.  The tiller practically jumped out of my hands when it hit this.

Here are the roots I found that I missed when I dug out the tree stump.  There weren't that many.

Here is the area after tilling for another hour, it was perfect.

Here is the area after I raked it smooth.

Garden Grow Light Installation

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I installed my 4 foot grow light today and I am pretty happy with the results.  The light cost me $20 and the two bulbs were $7.  So I have less than $30 invested so far.  I could have gotten a cheaper light for $9, but I try not to get the cheapest of anything.  This looked like a decent light for the money.  It was thin and uses the mini florescent tubes.

I had two prospect locations where I could install it and I had to get approval on the location from the Mrs.  She was super happy to give her opinion for the reasons listed in this post.  With the location set, I installed it in about an hour.  Next on the list is to build or purchase some sort of work bench to put under the light.  

This was location #1.  The laundry room right above the washer and dryer.  I liked it because it was very wide and the light would easily hang from bottom of the cabinet.  I was then going to install a wall to wall shelf to put the seedlings on.  The wife didn't like this option as it would be "too busy" with the shelving and light.  I tried to sell her that the extra shelf could be used to store the detergent and stuff, but it was a no go.


This was location #2.  This is also in the laundry room, but in a doorway to the right of the washer and dryer.  This is the same small utility room that my freezer is in.  The opposite wall from the freezer has another cabinet and also already has outlets.  The only down side is that the width of the room is exactly 4 feet and it would be a tight squeeze to get the light in there.  The cabinet is also smaller so the chains would not hang straight.  She approved this location, so I moved on to getting it installed.


This is a picture from the underside of the cabinet.  The edges are only 3/8 particle board material.  I pre-drilled two small holes about 6.5 inches from the wall.  This was to install two eye hooks.

I had to be real careful because the eye hooks were kind of large and I didn't want to split the material.  I screwed the hooks into the cabinet until it started to show cracks and then I stopped.  These threaded hooks should easily hold the weight of the light.


Here is the light installed.  You can see there is only an inch to spare on each side of the light.  The chains also stretch at an angle due to the cabinet being shorter than the width of the light.


Finished product, I am pleased with how it looks and fits.  Now I have to get a stand to put the seedlings on.

Working Smarter, Not Harder

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This year in my garden I am going to try and stay on top of weeds better than I did last year. I was pretty good about keeping them pulled, but that is a never ending task.

In one bed last year I tried using that cheap black landscape fabric as a weed barrier. It worked great, so much so that I am using it anywhere that I can this year. The thing I like about it is that it comes in 4 foot rolls so it works perfect for my 4x4 and 4x8 boxes. I think it pays to spend a little extra time and energy on the front end before you plant, rather than a ton of time and energy pulling weeds on the back end.

Obviously I can't use the black plastic on vegetables with a real close spacing. It would take too much time poking that many holes. I plan on using this method for squash, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, lettuce, and spinach. Hopefully I will stick with it.

No, this is not lettuce or spinach. That is a bed full of weeds. I don't even want to think about it what it will take for me to clean this mess up. This is why I am going to try a new method.

Here is my first bed using it. The four holes on the right are for lettuce that I planted. The two slits on the left are two rows of spinach. I am staggering my plantings so I will be cutting more holes as I plant.

Garden Expansion and How to Remove a Tree Stump - Part 2

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I detailed in part 1 of this post what my plans were for expanding my garden and now I am going to detail how I removed the stump.  I have gotten to be pretty good at removing stumps for some reason.  I have removed half a dozen of them at various times in my life and I have learned the easiest way to extract them.  I know it sounds weird, but I find it kind of fun digging and carefully extracting a tree stump free.  I have listed below my method of removing stumps, and I hope you find this helpful.

Here are tools I recommend using when removing a stump.
Pick ax - Used for breaking up soil around roots
Ax - Used for chopping small roots
Regular shovel - Used for digging around stump
Garden Rake - Used for raking away debris and soil
Chain Saw - An absolute must have in my opinion.  You will
wear yourself out trying to chop big thick roots with just an ax.
A chain saw works great if you are careful and pay attention.


Step 1 - Clear your work area by removing any sticks or debris away from the area you are going to be working in.  In my case this involved raking away a thick layer of pine straw and mulch.


Step 2 - Dig, Dig, Dig and then dig some more.  Don't go straight in there with an ax trying to use brute force to remove a stump.  You aren't Paul Bunyan and you will just get frustrated.  Also, don't dig right up against the stump, that is where all the roots are.  Depending on the size of the tree, start digging 3 to 6 feet away from the stump.  You can see in this picture I didn't dig right up next to the stump, I started away.


Step 3 - When you encounter roots around the perimeter of your dig, chop them with your ax.  If the roots are larger than 2 inches in diameter I recommend cutting those with a chain saw.  Just dig all around the root and make sure it is fully exposed.  Dig all the dirt from underneath the root as well, this will give you a clear path to cut it with your saw.  This two pictures below show a root that I exposed and then removed with my chain saw.



Step 4 - Continue step 3 by working your away around the perimeter of the tree.  Once you have circled the entire tree stump, then you can start digging closer to the actual stump itself.  This method is good because by working out and then in, you have given yourself plenty of room to dig under the stump.  In the two pictures below you can see where I have made a path and I am starting to dig under the stump on one side.



Step 5 - Dig down directly under the stump to access any tap roots that are anchoring the tree and preventing it from being removed.  In my case there were three small tap roots and I was able to whack them with my ax.  Sometimes you can rock the stump back and forth and they will give way too.

Digging down deep will allow you to rock the stump on its side


I pushed the stump on its side to access the tap roots.


Once you get at the tap roots, the stump should come right out.  This was a decent sized tree, 25 to 30 feet tall and the stump was about 1 foot thick at its base.


Step 6 -  Once the stump is out, you will now have to pull up all the perimeter roots.  Sometimes this requires more digging, sometimes you can just pull them up.  Refill the hole with dirt and you are done.


Here are all the roots from my tree including the perimeter roots.


I still have a lot of work to do, but the tree is completely gone and I have pulled up 75% of the roots.  I am sure I will find some more roots that I missed when I till the ground in the spring.  The entire process for this tree took me 2 hours, which isn't that bad.  The key is to have a chain saw for the thicker roots, and my ground was really easy to dig.

Garden Expansion and How to Remove a Tree Stump - Part 1

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For 2012, I have decided to expand my garden.  I have an area in the back of my yard that is not your typical red Georgia clay.  The soil is a good sandy/loamy mix, and I can easily dig down four feet because the soil is so nice.

In 2011, I worked a 4 by 25 foot strip in this area alongside my back fence.  I grew a nice batch of corn, some peas, and a few tomato plants.  I couldn't do any more because of a maple tree that was located near that area.  I planted an October Glory red maple tree in 2003, this was long before I had ever started gardening.  The tree did really well up on that hill and it was about 25 to 30 feet tall and about 15 feet wide.

It wasn't long after I planted my corn this year, that I realized this tree would keep growing and eventually shade the entire area.  I hated to do it, but I cut the tree down this summer.  All that remains is the stump, and I waited to do the hard task of removing it in the winter because it is just too hot in the summer.

My goal is to remove the stump, clean up all the roots, and then till the soil really well.  This will allow me to expand this area from 4x25 to 16x25 of usable garden area.  That is a 300% increase and will give me an additional 300 sq ft of garden area.  I plan on doing traditional row gardening in this area, and I am going to plant butter beans, white acre peas, and probably a batch of corn in this area in 2012.  Below are some pictures of the area, I will post my progress as I remove the stump.

This is a picture from 2010, the tree in question is in the background next to my shed.  The whole area behind that rock wall used to be grass and I built the rock wall and filled the area with pine straw to cut down on the grass I had to cut.  The area near the tree is relatively flat, then the ground begins to slope.

This is what remains of the tree.  As you can see it is already trying to send up shoots to regrow itself.  The area behind it is the 4x25 strip that I used this year.  I am going to extend that passed my shed about 3 feet right passed where that bird bath is.

How to Overhaul Truck Interior - Part 3 Putting it Back Together

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It has been a few weeks since I posted a couple of DIY posts about how I was trying to breathe new life into my worn truck interior.  I posted about cleaning the carpet with a pressure washer, and then I posted about cleaning the seats with a rug doctor machine.

It has been a few weeks since I put everything back together and I am posting the final results.  I am extremely pleased with how this project turned out.  After putting everything back together, I purchased a custom molded carpet dash cover that fits my dash perfectly.  I also purchased a set of Husky floor liners to protect all my hard work cleaning the carpet.  The Husky floor liners are expensive, but they are worth every penny in my opinion.  We purchased a set of these on my wife's new car back in 2007, and her carpet looks like the showroom finish still to this day.  Besides purchasing the dash cover and floor liners, this project was pretty cheap.  It cost me about 50 dollars to rent the rug doctor machine for a day and to purchase the cleaning solution that goes with it.  Everything else was my sweat equity.

This was what I started with, 13 years of neglect by previous owner.

Here is the carpet after the initial fit, it slid right into place and everything lined up perfectly.  This is one benefit of why I decided to clean my existing carpet rather than replace.  When you purchase replacement carpet, you have to cut all your own holes and trim it to fit yourself.

Another angle from the back

This was after I installed the backseat and trim pieces.  There were still a few small stains that became apparent when I put it back in the truck.  I used Tuff Stuff carpet cleaner and a towel, and all of those spots came right out.

Here is close up of drivers side after cleaning with tuff stuff, looks brand new.

Here is a shot of the front husky liner.  You can see how it is custom molded to your vehicle.

Here is the husky liner in the back...one piece that covers everything.

Here is the custom molded dash cover.

How to Overhaul Truck Interior - Part 2 Cleaning Seats

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The second step in overhauling my truck interior was to clean the seats.  I had the same issue with the seats as in part 1 when I cleaned the carpet.  Cigarette smoke and dog stains, as well as a nice odor.  Luckily the seats themselves were in pretty good shape.  There were a few cigarette burn marks, but nothing torn.  

I rented a rug doctor machine from my local grocery store.  I also picked up the optional upholstery attachment.  The machine works by squirting cleaner onto the fabric and then it vacuums it up as you move the attachment over the fabric.

It took several passes to clean the front and back seats, but I could tell a big difference.  It worked so well on my truck seats that I went ahead and cleaned the seats in my wife's car and my car.  I took pictures while I cleaned the back bench seat.  This was the first seat I cleaned and it was the least dirty, but you can tell in the before and after pictures the difference.  I should have taken pictures from the dirty front seats, but I just wanted to be done.

Bench seat before picture, doesn't look too dirty does it.

Seat after a few passes with the rug doctor, you can see the half I cleaned.

After a few more passes....

Close up of final cleaning, you can see how dirty the seat was and this was the cleanest seat.