Jim’s Garden Adventure – A Peek At Jim’s Garden!
Website visitors have shown interest in seeing Jim’s garden. They are curious to see real life applications and the ups and downs that I encounter each year in my own backyard gardening experiences. Thus, “Jim’s Garden Adventure” is born. From time to time, I will share a narrative of my garden activities. In addition to offering commentary and pictures, I will slide in a few anecdotes…or quotes…and, more often than not, there will be a bit of humor.
The Method to the Madness
The principle focus of Jim’s Garden Adventure is to:
- Offer insight into the good and the bad experiences of growing vegetables.
- Appreciate the individual splendor and magnificence of the plants making their home in our gardens.
- Profile the rewards that can be reaped from the attentiveness and care we give to our backyard garden compatriots…those wonderful plants that feed us in appreciation for the life we have given them.
- Encourage both the experienced gardeners and the newbies to try new plants and new ideas…to think out of the box. We become master gardeners by learning and adapting our skills based on our disappointments as well as our triumphs.
Shall We Get Started?
The adventure begins with a look at the basics of gardening and continues with chapters detailing the progress of my gardening escapades. You may also want to take a quick look at “About Me”, which will familiarize you with “Jim – the lifelong gardener.”
For detailed advice, explanations, comments, or suggestions, I can be reached by email: jim@perfect-vegetable-garden.com.
Jim’s Garden Adventure
The Perfect Vegetable Garden; An introduction to…and the reason for…this website being born. Wave goodbye to store-bought veggies and say hello to a garden full of the best tasting produce you can find.
Gardening Basics – Prelude to a Successful Gardening Adventure; Covers the basic elements needed for a great gardening experience through the use of the acronym, P.L.A.N.T. I learned this technique from my father as I was growing up.
Bees – Friends or Foes; In the late summer of 2017, I did battle with hordes of yellow jackets and hornets. Take a look at my encounters with ground nests and bee hives. Have you had similar experiences?
Jim’s 50/50 Soil Mixture – This Is As Good As It Gets; I’m going to let you in on a dirty little secret! Jim’s special soil concoction is hush-hush and is only for those gardeners who really want to grow the best food possible in their garden!
Fix That Shredded Soaker Hose; An easy repair for soaker hoses that go head to head with your tiller – and gets mangled beyond imagination.
How to Repair A Garden Hose; This will give you some great information and techniques for fixin’ a hose and save you a bit of money by not having to buy another…new…garden hose just because you got a little careless with the lawn mower or tiller. You will also find another great Jed story at the bottom.
All About Jed – The Retired Farmer; This page is a compilation of Jed’s stories, advice, and anecdotes. It is entertaining, inspiring, and, believe it or not, educational. My neighbor, Jed, shows his very common sense outlook about life.
Year 2019 Adventures
Chapter 1 “A Rag Tag Tell-All”; Looking at the wrap up for the end of the 2018 growing season and getting set up for a successful spring 2019 planting. Those cover crops sure looked great and, they did a great job adding nutrients to the garden soil!
Chapter 2 “Deer Invade My Garden”; Them pesky deer discovered my scrumptious veggie-laden garden this year. In the past, there were just one or two of them to contend with. This year, they brought all their friends and relatives along and had a feast at my expense!
Adventure Archives
Year 2018 Adventures
Chapter 1 “Oh, It’s Soil Test Time Again”; Another year beginning and it’s time to do some digging. You will find step by step instructions on how I get my random soil sample ready for testing – including a few tips and tricks!
Chapter 2 “Soil Test – The Results Are In”; And, they look much better than last year’s test. Just a little fertilizer and I’m home free. And, guess what? I already had it in my storage shed!
Chapter 3 “Germination Station Elation”; It is truly unbelievable how fast the seeds and sprouts are growing this year. There must be something in the air. Be prepared to be amazed!
Chapter 4 “Tilled, Lined, Trellised, And Ready To Go”; A lot of work but, a lot of results to talk about. Tilling twice, laying out the rows, installing straw bales, building trellises for the ‘mators’ and ‘cukes’, and digging holes. Plus, don’t forget to read Jed’s latest confessions!
Chapter 5 “Planted, Mulched, and Soaker Hosed!”; I can’t believe I got this much done in a very, very short period of time. But, a special shout out and thanks to my friends and neighbors for their valuable help with the insurmountable task of eliminating this year’s wood chip pile and mulching The Perfect Vegetable Garden!
Chapter 6 “Jim’s Garden Goes Growing Along!”; Here it is the middle of June. And, the torrential downpours of rain have been a blessing for all but a couple of my veggies that weren’t too happy about the extra sogginess. The weeds loved all that rain more than any other plant! Oh boy, did they?
Chapter 7 “Time To Grab Some Groceries!”; End of July and I’m getting tons of food out of my little 2400+ square foot garden. The Three Sisters, with corn, green beans, and squash are superstars. And, don’t forget sister number four, those miraculous sunflowers that are pulling in all the important pollinators that are a big help with getting all the plants to produce their fruits.
Chapter 8 “Growin’ Veggies Indoors!”; Here we are in the middle of October and I decided to have an indoor garden this year. Find out how I put it all together and what tasty veggies I’m planning to grow over the cold winter months!
Year 2017 Adventures
Chapter 1 “Beginnings”; Getting started with my garden this year. A look at everything from the soil test to tilling and laying out my garden. Spoiler Alert: I did something that was actually contrary to one of my basic springtime rules. Can you guess what it was?
Chapter 2 “Plantin’ Time”; Shows the trellises I made for green beans and cucumbers. I offer info on some companion planting I did with herbs and flowers. Question: Do you think I chose the right plants to protect my veggies?
Chapter 3 “The Days of Cryin’ Soaker Hoses”; The trials and tribulations of successfully setting up a workable soaker hose layout for my ~ 2,500 square foot backyard garden. I end up using a unique combination of Y-splitters, garden hoses, and soaker hoses sectioned into 6 areas of the garden.
Chapter 4 “Mulch Ado About Nothing”; Talk about “blood, sweat, and tears”…mulching my garden was a super chore! But, it was well worth it in the end. Have a look and see for yourself!
Chapter 5 “Pickin’ Produce”; Through all the bugs and excessive rains…and all the planting, weeding, and mulching…I can finally start to enjoy the fruits of my labor! Come and see some of the delicious veggies starting to appear! Riddle me this: “I see a green house. Inside the green house there is a white house. Inside the white house there is a red house. Inside the red house there are lots of babies. What do I see?” Check out Chapter 5 for the answer!
Chapter 6 “Pickin’ Produce Part Deux”; It’s the peak of the harvesting season and I’m busier than a one-eyed cat watching a dozen mice. Take a gander and enjoy the veggie bounty that has kept me pickin’, eatin’, and preservin’ 24 hours a day, 12 days a week. Wait a minute…there are only 7 days in a week…It just feels like 12! Don’t forget to read what Jed has to say about it!
Chapter 7 “Watermelons…Watermelons…Everywhere”; Just when you think that your watermelons are growing too slow or not growing at all, they start shooting out all over the place…just like Kudzu! And, who would have thought that such a big fruit could hide so well. You just won’t believe it until you see them in the pictures! I get a bit nostalgic towards the end of the article…thinking about the watermelon bandits of my youth!
A Diehard Gardener – by Jim, The Lifelong Gardener
I’m a diehard gardener and that’s all right.
I dig dirt by day and pick off hornworms by night.
I’ve got dirt under my nails and my clothes are a mess.
But, I’m proud of my veggie patch…less I digress.
I have special garden shoes and clothes that are stained to the max.
I have shovels and rakes and…even an ax.
I fight bugs and disease that threaten my plants.
I repel them with flowers and veggies that even ward off the ants.
Yes, I’m a diehard gardener and will be for life.
Without my homegrown crop I would be full of strife.
I enjoy it immensely…now, that is really true!
I will be a diehard gardener until the day I turn blue!
I hope you enjoy my garden almost as much as I do!
Send me your thoughts…about my garden…about your garden…or my meager attempts at gardening poetry…in the comments section or by email: jim@perfect-vegetable-garden.com.
Hi Jim
I can see this being a great resource for me. I’m just starting my journey in the gardening world, I’ve recently bought a new house with a decent sized garden and can’t wait to get started. I have been looking for a step-by-step guide to preparing a veg patch for some time, and I think I’ve finally found it. And if you ever get tired of gardening you’ve definitely got your poetry to fall back on!
Thanks for the awesome info!
I appreciate your comments, Stu! When it comes to gardening, I am totally immersed. When it comes to poetry…well…I’m still at the “roses are red, violets are blue” level of competence. But, thanks, for the encouragement. I may never be a Carl Sandburg but you give me hope!
Jim