I’m one of those guys that sketches out pretty much everything before I start a project. I can’t explain it but it really helps me to have a mental picture in my head as to what the final product will be before I ever start a project… Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. I’m getting ready […]
Using a Combination of African Mustard & Turnip Greens as Cover Crop in my Raised Bed Gardens (Photos Included)
My role at Farmers Business Network has given me the opportunity to work with multiple growers in the mid-south that have implemented cover crops into their farming practices and their results have been quite impressive. Since my raised beds were completely new this past season I have several issues to contend with during the off-season […]
My 2022 Raised Bed Garden Design & Layout
One of my big takeaways after using my new raised beds for the first time last season was that everything seemed pretty crowded from mid-season on. This season I’ve carefully planned the layout to make sure that doesn’t happen again when plants really start adding mass and foliage mid-season. Last season I had 4 tomato […]
My Raised Bed Garden Vegetable Seed Variety Selections for the 2022 Growing Season in Zone 7 (Central Arkansas)
The other day I shared the new layout for the new raised bed gardens at our Central Arkansas residence along w/ some bullet points of things that I learned last season in our first season in these new beds. It’s always good to take notes in-season so you don’t forget to review and make changes […]
Mapping & Planning Our Redesigned Raised Bed Gardens for the 2022 Season
Last summer was the first season for our new raised beds here at our residence in Central Arkansas. I’ll be sharing more on the design of these new beds in another post. The purpose for this post is to share my mapping and planning for the 2022 growing season based on what I was able […]
Update on Our Backyard Chickens… Wings Clipped, Named, and Tagged.
This past weekend I enlisted the help of a few relatives to assist in catching, holding, and tagging our backyard birds while Donna and I clipped their wings. This poultry rodeo was quite comical but we managed to get the job done a lot faster than I thought we would. We came up w/ some […]
Pruning Tomato Plants for Maximum Yield and Extended Growing Season in My Raised Bed Gardens
Late last season when my tomato plants had almost played out for the season due to some fungus issues that I wasn’t able to control, someone told me about aggressively pruning tomato plants (indeterminate varieties) to maximize yields and extend the growing season by keeping plants healthy and productive. This was something new to me, […]
Why I Grow Indeterminate Tomato Varieties in my Raised Beds…
I like to plant indeterminate tomato varieties because they start growing the minute I transport them outside and do not stop until we have our first frost. Some varieties can grow to become 6′ to 20′ feet tall and will continue to produce fruit the entire growing season. In central Arkansas I’ve had really good […]
My Second Attempt at Growing Sugar Kiss and Honey Kiss Melons
A couple of years ago my mom turned me onto the “sugar kiss” and “honey kiss” melons that would occasionally show up in our local wal-mart and sams club produce sections. These melons strongly resemble a canteloupe –however, they are 10x sweeter than you can imagine and their texture is completely different. I sat down […]
Our 2020 Raised Bed Garden
This was our second year to plant a raised bed garden at our place in Conway. What I lacked last season in production was balanced out with a tremendous amount of education when it comes to “square foot gardening.” Last season I ran into some issues w/ my tomatoes, cucumbers, and melons because of disease. […]