I live in the city so no ducks or chickens. Can you explain the beer and boards?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXmI4S02qco

Now back in the day of my folks, we just poured a bit of beer in a bowl and set it out, but as I really only buy beer for three reason's these days, one to cook with, two to make slug traps with and three to make beer soap with.. I love the idea of using the cans as part of the trap like it shows in the video.. if you can't u-tube, I will write it out for ya, let me know..

The boards are super easy and can be used without ducks or chickens, you just need a tub with salt and a lid, Take flat wooden boards, the length does not matter to much, so much as the width, a two by four is to narrow, try and aim for at least a foot wide if possable, my own boards are two by two but one by one would work in a pinch, stick a small rock under the one edge and lay them down, the slugs will seek them out as a perfect bed down spot for the day, and you come in the moring, pick up the board, flip it, take your trowel and scrape them off into your tub with salt in it and snap the lids shuck and put your boards back for the next round, repeat daily, change out your salt once or twice a week or more depending on its size and how many slugs are in your area..

Copper in a ring will help keep slugs off tiny little starts as will crushed egg shells..

Thanks farmgal, I'll let you know how it goes.

Well, pea's raddishs and beets are up in the raised beds, nettles, garlic, chives, horseradish and danelions are all up and small amounts being able to be harvested, planted out more pea's, greens, kale, Endive and a fair amount of barley this week.. Pigs are now in their garden pen and we will be moving them min of once a week, but depending more like every four to five days, they are doing 64 square feet at a time.. the last one is being done into barley as its to soon to do much other then a green crop on it yet and I don't want the weeds to get a hold on it after it was done.

So what are you planting this week.. Also have one hugelculture that is ready to be planted in, will do a post just on it, as its coming into its third year now..

Cheap and clever way to make a fast base for a hoop garden made by Mr. little in my local garden group, he got ex large hoola hoops from the dollar store for 1.25 each and then rebar and cut the rebar to sink it and then put the hoop ends over the rebar, and to hold the plastic on it, he cut up a old garden hose and slipped it over the hoops.. all total 15 dollars or so for the whole unit, minus the plastic.. so say 20.. which is just awesome on the frugal side.. I have metal ones but will for sure make this and see how it holds up..

Hubby tilled the garden.... then tilled up my perennial green onions which where coming up so nicely already.... 😯 gotta love him. 🙄 still have to go get a few things and build a little fence around it (to keep my dog out) before I start to seed this week.

Hubby tilled the garden.... then tilled up my perennial green onions which where coming up so nicely already.... 😯 gotta love him. 🙄 still have to go get a few things and build a little fence around it (to keep my dog out) before I start to seed this week.

Oh no, Girlcancan! That's too bad. Yesterday I got broccoli and carrots planted. The peas I had planted before our heavy rains survived and are coming up nicely. Not sure about the kale, lettuce, and onions yet. Will plant beets this week and next weekend more will go in the ground.

Spend more time then I will admit to trying to get those stupid evergreens out of the front "garden". It has still been too wet in my yard to do anything. I have almost finished prepping mom's beds though. I am hoping my cousin will rototill my mom's veggie garden area again this year.

Well, the snow and ice has finally melted off enough of the garden to get some cool crops in.
So, Wednesday will see peas, spinach, and some lettuce into the ground.

Got a new pear tree this weekend and its in the ground already also picked up a new green gooseberry, a black current and a new kind of black berry, but they are still waiting in their pots yet.. got confirmation from Richters that my 120 alpine strawberry plugs are going well.. got alot of new strawberry babies from my own garden to move and create new rows and then the next thing is to split seven of the rhubarb plants and get them planted out. Snow all gone here now..

thanks for the great update and pictures -yes please!!

Are you or other fellow ottawa area members who garden thinking about coming out to the huge free plant cycle event on may 11ths in ottawa? if you are, and want to time a coffee/visit after, let me know of any interest..

https://www.facebook.com/events/119140278280850/

Great Write up and photos Mr. and Mrs. W

We did the same thing in our own gardens, we built the first gardens for a number of years by hand only but then started adding in animal power, including chickens, ducks and now pigs and the draft cow.

Dh takes a full week off his full time job each spring for a ten day heavy duty planting schedule each spring, normally we can keep up on the harvest..

right now my pigs are clearing a 8 foot by 8 foot square daily, they took three days to do raw land into workable garden plots but now that they are moved over to area's that have been double dug in the past years, they are doing one 64 square feet per day, that means that I am currently spending a min of two hours during the day in the gardens with another two hours between hubby and I in the evenings,

This is due to keeping up on each new plot, which needs to be checked, limed and or two full wheel barrel loads per plot of well done compost added in, raked, leveled and planted out, but the plots before, need to be hoed, mulched, watered and weeded, we will figure on two to four hours daily (figure 3 hours per day) so that means we are planning on putting in a at least 90 hours worth of work into the garden, that means if it was our full time job, it would be worth 2 and half worth of a regular 40 hour work week, and the odds are good that it would be more like a 3 week worth of work..

So do keep us posted, I would be very interested in hearing what you decide to plant in your carefully done space, so how much land in total do you have in that fenced in area once its done? What is your ideal amount of food produced? in this space?

Just finished double digging two of the 4 beds. Used just a shovel and a fork.
OK, it looks great, the soil fluffed up nicely and everything looks good.
I still have the other 2 beds to do, add my compost and the bag that Farmgal gave me last summer and get it all mixed in with some bonemeal, but it's at least started.
Um, MrandMrsW, could you pass the Robaxacet please?

I think you would do better, if I could pass you the pigs 🙂

Naw...I need to get back into shape after a long winter's hibernation!