[bo]

Another trick for converting lawn to beds is to cut an outline around the bed by pressing straight down with a spade all around. Then you just treat it like sod and flip the whole section over like a carpet. The grass breaks down real quick and becomes good earthworm food.

As far as your pond goes, if you can't do fish maybe invest in some ducks instead. They're great bug control for the garden, and you get tasty eggs as a bonus.

And coyotes and other varmints love them. 

[erockrph]

As far as your pond goes, if you can't do fish maybe invest in some ducks instead. They're great bug control for the garden, and you get tasty eggs as a bonus.

And coyotes and other varmints love them. 

Yeah, that's the main reason why I haven't sprung for some birds myself. As cute as the 5 red fox kits were that were playing in the lot next door all summer last year, they won't be so cute if I start raising poultry. And the 3 red-tailed hawks that were circling my yard in the air yesterday would be a whole lot less awesome too

[pinnah]

I always thought those upright runner ducks would be comedy cruising about the yard.

The chickens have been in my garden.
I thought it was cute when the newborn chicks started scratching around in there.
Now they think they own the place
and really have nearly destroyed my fall spinach that overwintered as rosettes and is supposed to be first greens!

They do some good rototiller and fertilizer work, but it is about time for them to be excluded.

I might get some peas in tomorrow.

[boulderbrewer]

Ordered honey bees!!!, Onion seeds start 6 weeks at least before replanting. In the north part of the US look for day neutral onions.

Euge just order fill and let the water  be someone elses problem, JK.

Sad but we are 80 days away from last frost, sucks seeing it was 75 today. We do have some lettuce started though.

[corkybstewart]

This is where I got most of my onion info.

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/archives/parsons/publications/onions/oniongro.html

I plan to spray some herbicide down to kill the grass, then turn it after a couple of days. Then the raised beds will be filled. I will lay mulch and perhaps gravel around the planters to keep the grass at bay. It will grow up the inside and is a real PITA to eradicate.

. remember those grass roots, although annoying will break down and add structure to your soil!

That all depends on what kind of grass you have.  Bermuda grass sends underground runners to the slightest hint of moisture, and no amount of mulch, black plastic, newspaper, etc will affect it.
That's why this year I built boxes-sides, bottoms and ends to keep the grass out.  So far I have spinach, radishes, carrots, beets, onions and potatoes coming up.
I've been picking asparagus for a week now and it's just getting started.  Shallots and garlic volunteers are coming up looking great, and next week I'll plant squash and tomatoes.

[pinnah]

Wow, things are way ahead in sunny Carlsbad!  You plant your shallots in the fall?


I spent the weekend in the yard,
tearing down last years hops, hauling compost, doing some cultivation with my favorite hoe....
and harvesting some carrots:  yum




There are house carrots and there are horse carrots. 
Not sure why some go wild with the laterals 

[Hokerer]

There are house carrots and there are horse carrots. 
Not sure why some go wild with the laterals 

Check out Root Knot Nematodes.  As in...

http://californiaagriculture.ucanr.org/landingpage.cfm?article=ca.v059n02p63&fulltext=yes

[erockrph]

Wow, that's an ugly carrot! Nothing compared to yours, but here's an inappropriate carrot I harvested last summer:

[pinnah]

I stood up some beds this weekend.


Here are the onions I planted.




The thing about those that went to flower last year, is that they all came up again this spring!
I hacked one with the hoe, it looked like this



I split it into 6, and planted as individual starts.  Will see how that goes.

[morticaixavier]

Finally got the rest of the garden turned over and desodded (it's a new garden for us) now to dig paths and decide where everything is going. Got the potatoes in the mail this week so, aside from the shock of discovering I just paid 13 bucks for 2.5 lbs of french fingerlings, I am ready to plant my potato patch. anyone know why I can't just buy potatoes at 2.50 a lb or whatever for planting? I used to think it had something to do with the age of the spud and perhaps I am right but gosh!

[euge]

It may be a little late to plant potatoes or is that too early?

I understand you can plant those from the store- just cut up each tuber so that each piece has an "eye".

[denny]

Wow, we're waiting for the last of the snow we had last week to melt off the garden!

[morticaixavier]

It may be a little late to plant potatoes or is that too early?

I understand you can plant those from the store- just cut up each tuber so that each piece has an "eye".

I hope it's not to late! I got the earliest shipping date i could from seed savers exchange. It's still pretty cold and wet here. There is even a touch of frost on my car some mornings.

[corkybstewart]

Finally got the rest of the garden turned over and desodded (it's a new garden for us) now to dig paths and decide where everything is going. Got the potatoes in the mail this week so, aside from the shock of discovering I just paid 13 bucks for 2.5 lbs of french fingerlings, I am ready to plant my potato patch. anyone know why I can't just buy potatoes at 2.50 a lb or whatever for planting? I used to think it had something to do with the age of the spud and perhaps I am right but gosh!

Walmart was selling seed potatoes -$4 for 6 spuds.  I went to the veggie aisle and got a 10 pound bag for $3, put them in a cardboard box in the garage for a month until they sprouted.  I planted them 2 weeks ago and the plants are already about 4" high.

[Slowbrew]

The old farmers rules I grew up with were:

1)  Plant potatoes on Good Friday (not till next week this year)
2)  Don't plant if you sit on the ground and you rear end gets cold

We always got plenty of spuds every year so you should be fine with your current planting schedule.  Even if this year has been been a bit warmer than usual.

Paul