Gardening in Utah a year long hobby Scott Theel 07/24/11 CIS 1020-017

Preparing the garden for the winter I’ve been growing my own vegetable garden for eight seasons . And every year I learn so many new things to try the next season. Gardening doesn’t stop after the days get shorter and colder. Clearing out the old plants. I put my leaves from the trees on top of the dirt and cover the leaves with a little soil. So they stay in place and break down fast. Level off the dirt, for a good start in the spring. Put all the tools away for the bad weather so they don’t get rusty, and the wood doesn’t split and crack. Next thing on the to do list is learn how to create a good size compost bin for my size of garden.

In the spring its great to get out and get out in the sun In the spring its great to get out and get out in the sun. And get started on the garden. This is my garden for the 2011 season I added a lot of new soil from around the outside of the garden area. I’ll see if all the shoveling of new dirt pays off. And it produces a lot of vegetables. I just copied how the farmers set up there fields for watering. Making little ditches so they can be flooded and draw the roots deeper into the ground.

When the plants start to mature. I build up the dirt around the plants. Helps to conserve water. Keeps the plant from drying out during the extremely hot day. The water runs down towards the root system. Keeping the corn on the North side of the garden so it doesn't block the sunlight. The Native American people called them the three sisters - Corn, Squash and Beans. They were the staples of the native people. Those three are always a major part of my garden.

My best buddy, sitting in the shade watching me do all the work. My Rottweiler Lucy She is 11 years old She deserves to sit in the shade and supervise She only looks mean, really she is a big baby She is in charge of security She doesn’t mind giving up part of her backyard And she never roams around and destroys any garden plants

Table for amount of vegetables produced and dates Squash Beets Corn Green Beans Tomatoes Zucchini Cucumber Date planted 06/05/11 Date of producing Lbs. of produce