Mavis Mail – Teri From Deville, Louisiana Sends in Her Garden Photos

A big THANK YOU to everyone who has sent in their photographs and stories. I hope by sharing other peoples pictures and stories here on One Hundred Dollars a Month we can all have a rock star garden this summer. Keep them coming!

Check out these photos Teri from SwampyFarms sent in:

Our garden consists of 4 – 4 foot square raised boxes. Like you, I have OCD and wanted my garden to be nice little boxes in nice little rows. I plan to have 15 total, but decided it would be best to start with four. This way if it turns out I don’t have a green thumb, I won’t have to find a use for all 15 boxes.

We put chicken wire around the perimeter to keep out the neighborhood dogs and any stray rabbits that may come by for a visit.

The cinder blocks began as a way to hold down the bottom of the fence, just in case someone dared to dig underneath. Then I thought that since they were there, why not put them to use. So, I filled them with dirty goodness from the compost and planted some things that will climb up the fence.

I have a couple dozen mysterious melon plants growing in some cinder blocks on the back side of the garden, that sprouted up from the dirt we got out of our compost pile. We have narrowed it down to either watermelon, cantaloupe, or pumpkin. Though none of us will know for sure until it provides something more than a stem and 4 leaves. I also have green beans growing on the right and tomatoes, onions and sunflowers growing on the left side.

You wrote a few weeks ago about planting potatoes in your square foot garden and if square foot gardens are effective places for your little spuds. This is the first time I have planted potatoes in a square foot garden, much less anything else really, but I would say that you could with better than average results. The past two times that I have planted taters, those suckers did not grow above a foot tall, and that’s probably an over estimate.

I may be able to add a little more dirt to give them more room to root around. I even have a pair of cabbages playing peak-a-boo in the box. I think the potatoes may provide shade when it gets warmer. I would say the cabbages are pretty happy in their little spots.

I borrowed your potato tower idea, I hope that is ok. Though, I only added pine straw on top once they started growing. I even bought some of those snazzy fabric potato pot that are supposed to be super-duper potato producing machines.

I am trying the whole “companion planting” thing. I am trying to shy away from spraying our food with loads of pesticides this year. Last year I was over run with cabbage worms everywhere. I planted nasturtium and marigolds with the beans, and dill and onions with the broccoli and cabbage. I hope that “everyone” will help each other to keep pests at bay.

I blog about all of my little adventures in the garden and with our 6 Cuckoo Marans and 3 surviving Rhode Island Reds at swampyfarms.

Wow Teri! Everything looks great. I really like the cinder block idea and I might have to try that in the greenhouse this winter. Awesome job.

~Mavis

Gardening in Tacoma with Lisa

If you would like to have your garden, chicken coop or something you’ve made featured on One Hundred Dollars a Month, here’s what I’m looking for:

• Your Garden Pictures and Tips – I’d especially like to see your garden set ups, growing areas, and know if you are starting seeds indoors this year. If so,  show me some picture of how you are going about it.
• Your Chicken and Chicken Related Stories – Coops, Chicks, Hen’s, Roosters, Eggs, you name it. If it clucks, send us some pictures to share with the world.
• Cool Arts & Crafts – Made from your very own hands with detailed {and well photographed} pictures and instructions.
• Your pictures and stories about your pets. The more pictures and details the better.

If I feature your pictures and the stories behind them on One Hundred Dollars a Month, I will send you a $20.00 gift card to the greatest store in the world: Amazon.com.

Go  HERE for the official rules.