around the homestead-planting

We were beginning to notice a dry weather pattern  creeping in and saw that we are supposed to be getting a little dose of rain in the next day or two.  After contemplating, looking at the weather forecast, weather patterns thus far this season, signs from Mother and  relying on our gut instincts we  decided it was the time for us to get the majority of our spring crops in the ground now.  We are hoping that things will germinate and begin growing a good root system before it gets too hot  and too dry if this current pattern continues.  We are also banking  on no frosts in the next two weeks or so. At the same time  if something absolutely awful was to happen and kill everything we had in the ground,replacing them would not be that costly as the only plants are the tomatoes.   The remainder was our seed, most of which I have plenty more stashed. 

We have spent the last three days  in the gardens. The first  two days were spent planting tomatoes  and me transplanting tobacco seedlings into grow cups while manthing  was doing the first till of the tobacco bed.  For the tomatoes we  used the weed barrier feed bags.  Hopefully this will eliminate most of the up keep in there once we set up the trellises.  We had a bit of space left in that garden and added a bed of carrots  and a bed of mosaic long beans and some basil. In the small patch outside of the bed we planted rice beans and a couple squash plants.  Because we just tilled that space up last week or so we decided to use the weed bag weed barrier here as well.

By the goats we have onions, onions more onions, leeks  and peas.   the hot tub  has stir fry greens in it and the other small beds have flowers, herbs, lettuce mixes, radishes, beets, spinach and  turnips. In containers  we have scallions, carrots,cilantro, broccoli, and  tomato as well as plans for a few more. In the pyramid we have onions and the gutter garden has lettuces and spinach.

Behind the green house we put squash and melons in the round mounds and in the squarish beds are hidatsa beans. In the pacman shaped bed I put  eggplant and squash. There is also some chard in there as well as cilantro, dill and a few plants I am waiting on for seed. Along that side of the gh is mint, garlic, cucumber and thyme and a zucchini in the little circle.

 In the top twos tiers we have taters and in the tires, squash. In the bottom bed  we put in several types of lettuces and greens for salads and put calendula on both ends. Another potato bed is by the evergreen and below that is my greens and celery "going to seed" bed and then an empty  bed The next bed down the hill has okra, squash and melon in it ,  thefollowing one has amaranth and below that is corn  Eventually  we will put beans in there as well. The black covering is extra shade cloth  from the GH, we use it to protect the seed from crows. Up and to the left of the corn bed is another potato bed.

 Out front we have cabbage, broccoli, carrots, corn and will eventually have the remainder planted in the three sisters. The two beds in front of that bed are still empty as is the small bed up at the corner of the shack. In front of the porch  we have peas.

  In the GH we have beans, cucumbers, cabbage, peas,  melon, onion,greens, lettuce, okra and spinach. These pics are a bit old. The plants in here are much larger now.

Another couple days of planting and we will have the summer crops in  although I could use a little break caused by rain as my dishes really need washing and my body could use   a day off.

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