My husband made a raised bed for me last year. We just got chicken wire and cardboard and leaves in it. I'm waiting for him to go get the manure. My radishes are ready.

The lettuce, I thought I wasn't going to put where I had it last year, but I think it's going to go there anyway. Usually I have it in the ground by now, but I've been taking advantage of the cooler weather and have been weeding all the beds.

The toms haven't sprouted yet, but I'm seriously thinking of growing them in buckets this year. I'm running out of places to rotate and I want to give the old beds a rest.

...and I'm still trying to figure out if I'm going to be able to pick anything where that raised bed is. Once the black flies hit, I can't walk with in two feet of the backyard without getting bit.

Best wishes on your "vows". "You can do it, Waterboy!"
Linda

I hope you accomplish your veggie garden goals! Raid a recycling center for cardboard--it works really well for mulch. I'm also going to start using carpeting.

I just got mine seeded (partially) the other day - my son and I planted radishes, carrots, lettuce, scallions, mache, peas and beans.

Lots and lots to go, but I'm so happy I got things in BEFORE summer this year! :)

(Let's please not look into how much more I have to go... it's depressing. ;) )

started my seeds on friday...we'll see if they germinate! I of course, still have to build the raised bed...

We just got mine ready, of course, I should've begun working on it last fall, too, but it'll do. I put peas, carrots, radishes and tomatoes nearer the house for the kiddos to pick & eat, so that's started now.

Mine is perpetually worked. However, this weekend it gets composted, turned, raked, raised and rowed on Saturday, and then planted out and pretty up on Sunday. That will put me one week ahead of schedule so I expect about time that I am ready to weed I will have an extra week's worth to pull!

I spent the day planting in the veggie garden. There are direct sown peas--they're just starting to climb up the lattice. The WS veggies and herbs that are in there now are buttercrunch lettuce, heirloom mesclun blend, bok choy, gold and orange carrots, jewel beets, silver rib chard, basil, giant spinach, cilantro, dill,and I've got a few rows of garlic that I planted in February. There might be soe things I left out but off the top of my head that's what I remember at this moment.

I've got my tomato spot ready.... And some broccili, spinach and onions planted. Need to put out the ws cauwiflower and the broccili I re-ws-ed that just sprouted last week.

I think it's too soon for my summer squash, zucchini, watermelon, pumpkin, tomaotoes and peppers. Granted they are saying we're heading for 80's next week.

Oh NO, the dreaded W (weed) word. Since I started square foot gardening, the weeds don't get on top of me, I stay on top of them because with raised beds a weed is easy to spot you simply reach over and pull it out. Mulching during the spring/summer helps also, and I use grass clippings on my veggie beds. Now, what do I have out there...garlic from last October, 3 small ws broccoli plants, 9 bibb lettuce, herbs that have wintered over, garlic chives, oregano, cilanto is there but not up yet, ws parsley but not planted in yet, snap peas that were direct sown sometime late March, up about 3-4 inches. I think thats it for now, still haven't sown the carrots, but they will be done either tomorrow or the next day.
Alberta

I've been picking away at the veggie garden over the last week or two. The direct-sown peas haven't sprouted yet - soon, I hope. I've plopped out some of my wintersown Buttercrunch, Romaine, and Red Sails lettuce, as well as some ws German chamomile. I've planted out about 250 onion plants I ordered from Dixondale Farms this year. Now I'm starting in on the potatoes - about 2 pounds planted, about 8 more to go! Have several varieties of hardneck garlic coming up from a November planting, and a big bed of shallots because we love cooking with them. As always, I've rather underestimated the amount of room things are going to need. But that's a great excuse to start making more beds!

I've got 2 tiny little two-day-old Stupice tomato sprouts - still waiting on all the other varieties. Lots of ws herbs, flowers, greens, and other goodies still to go out. They're awfully small, but my first couple transplants are very happy, so I'll step up the planting-out phase soon.

My resolution this year is to keep a faithful garden journal, so that next year I'll remember what sprouted when, and what I learned from my mistakes (of which there are always plenty). I'm also doing a lot of reading about what to plant to attract specific beneficial insects, and which companion plants help repel certain pests. Dh and kids think my obsessive bug research is a little odd. Oh, well... they're probably right!

I wish you well in your veggie garden endeavors. I'll be thinking of you as I putter about in mine! Maybe if you put a bed of your favorite perennials (or annuals or herbs or whatever your favorite is!) in your veggie garden, you'll visit it more often and have more fun while you're there. You'll also have fewer pests, since the flowers will attract beneficial bugs to help control the bad bugs...

Nightingale :o)

Had very productive last couple of days- raised beds almost finished- we garden at community gardens so those beds have to be assembled every spring. DH created a way of reusable wooden frame which we have to transport early in a season- for 16 by 5 feet beds, six of them. Then we bring unfinished compost, top dress with garden soil and layer with finished compost. And we do it every year- talk about glutton for punishement ;)
Out of 6 beds one is done and planted- winter sown garlic and bunch of small stuff- cliantro, radishes and such.
Toms, eggplants and peppers are ready to plant out, waiting in the greenhouse.
Started today second batch of cucumbers, squash, zuccini, melons and water melons.

Have had mine started since March 17th! Started first by sowing Oregon Sugar Pod peas, Mustard and Swiss Chard. Also did some the wintersow way but germination pretty poor comparetively for the peas, but yet high for the Mustard with both methods and Chard was better wintersown. Radishes direct sown are coming up now. The WS Collard and Broccoli are in and beginning to pick up after transplanting....took about 2 weeks even with great weather to settle and start some true-leaves...which makes me nervous about getting nice heads before they start bolting.
Sowed 3 different tomatoes: Oregon Spring, Sweetie and Tumbling Tom; all 3 have germination and some starting 1st true-leaves. I'm still nervous about planting out so small!! Still waiting for Thai Hot to sprout, but have 3 other types I started indoors and two over-wintered...they are ready to be planted but will wait 1.5 more weeks and in the meantime will be potted into final 3-5 gal. containers. Sometime next week plan to get the Melon, Pumpkin and Okra sown :D

Vera

I have spent the last 3 or 4 weeks creating a new veggie patch, where my brand new sod used to be. The only thing I am waiting on now, is the landscape guy to change out the sprinkler heads to a soaker hose or drip head. I have winter sown herbs and veggies waiting to be planted out, and I am anxious to get them in the ground. It's only about 60 sq. ft., and I have waaaaay too much to fit in that area, but I bought 'The Postage Stamp Garden Book' to help me make the most of that area.

Here is a before and after picture (oh no, here she goes again with those pictures, LOL):

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And I have to show you what my DH built me out of cedar scraps left over from the fence:

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I'm still trying to decide whether to use it for 'Jack B. Little' pumpkins, or 'Hestia' dwarf scarlet runner beans.