re: 2022 Spring Garden Thread

These will be self contained planters so probably 10-12"

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Chickens actually go well with bees.

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I'm sure they do, but it is unlikely the wife would be cool with both

She might just because we already have the chickens though.

Unless I drop a couple hundred on a hive and equipment

My darn tomatoes need to slow down!


And my peppers need to speed up!

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what type of purple hull peas are yall planting?

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I’d be interested to hear what people suggest, too. I have some room in the garden and was thinking of planting some this year. I was just going to maybe do some pinkeye purple hulls, but if anyone else has a better suggestion I’m all ears.

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My darn tomatoes need to slow down!

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They do well in the right conditions and grow pretty fast.

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And my peppers need to speed up!

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Peppers LOVE heat and do great when tomatoes are fading to oblivion in the summer months.

I'm always looking at my peppers slowly growing an inch a week in the early season before summer gets here, then they tend to take off.

I had a minor medical procedure done this past week, so I had to take it easy this weekend. But I was still able to do a few things. A gift from my mom last year that I forgot about, my bees got a guardian. So I finally put it up.


Started tearing down the old bee cubical. Eventually I’m going to transplant the blackberries to another spot. They could also use some pruning. Also I’m extending the strawberry box another 8 feet. I’m just going to fill it with dirt and allow runners to take it over this year. If that doesn’t happen, I’ll get some bare root plants this fall.


Cleaned up a few rows in the garden. Put up my “A-frame” trellis. Also sowed some bloomsdale long standing spinach.


Still got lots of dirt to haul in. And I still have some cabbage, collard greens, carrots, and onions growing. I have a busy spring coming up, so I’m trying to get as much done as I can when I can.

I have 4 citrus trees in 30 gallon grow bags right now. I put them in there last year because the trees were small and I wanted to let them grow some before putting them in the ground, and because I wasn’t sure on their permanent location yet. It has made protecting them this winter easier cause I just bring them into the garage during freezes.

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The biggest downside I am coming across is the amount of fill I will for 20/25 25gallon bags.

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That is a legit downside. It took a lot of dirt to fill my 30 gallon bags. Also, they are heavy. Especially if the soil is wet. So if you need to move them, you may need help.

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What kind of dirt are you bringing in to amend your garden?

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My local garden center (Lastrapes Garden Center) sells a garden soil mix in bulk. They have a front end loader and they fill the bed of my truck. Each bucket is a half yard of soil. I usually get a yard at a time. I don't remember the price, but I remember figuring out that it is MUCH cheaper than buying even the cheapest, crapiest bags of soil from the box stores, and it's much better quality soil.

They call it "bed builder". A lot of people use it to till into their existing soil to improve it. I did that in my main garden. But I just plant directly into it in my raised boxes, some pots, and grow bags. I've had great results with it.

ETA: A yard of soil will fill a 4 x 8 bed about 10" high.

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Also is there a thread where you talk about bee stuff?

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This one.

I'm sure there have been beekeeping threads in the past. I'm not aware of a long running dedicated thread for it. Last year I pretty much just sprinkled it in with the 2021 Garden Thread just because I considered them part of the garden ecosystem. I was going to keep doing that in this thread unless people objected.

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This is of interest to me, possibly for 2023.

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First thing I'd recommend doing is reading a couple of books on the subject. I read Beekeeping for Dummies, and The Backyard Beekeeper. Both had tons of information, a good bit I've found N/A for me so far. But still, it'll give you a good base. Then I'd recommend seeing if you can find a local beekeeper that'll let you shadow them during hive inspections a couple of times. I don't know where you are located, but the Louisiana Beekeepers Association has a facebook group page and they are very helpful. People from all over the state that are willing to help.

I've only been doing this for a year, so I'm still an amateur. One of my coworkers is a beekeeper and I was able to talk to him and shadow him a couple of times before I pulled the trigger. I also have a cousin who has been doing it for a long time and she has helped me a bunch. And I've already made a ton of mistakes, but the bees seem to be doing well despite me trying to help them.