Spring Garden

The weather here has been really good, it was 56 deg here this morning but it has made for a slow start to the garden. I am not complaining however, I really like the cool mornings and evenings.

The garden has been in for about a month and with the recent rain needed tending.

 Squash are starting to form.
















              Also tomatoes.

 Here is some squash and zucchini plants. The corn is a little slow for some reason.

This was a new trick for me. I had always planted bush beans as poles were a pain to set up. A friend of mine used a section of chain-link wire so I decided to give it a whirl. Seems to be working good.

Spring is here,

After rebuild, before paint.

At least in our part of the country. The Pecan trees are budding, a sure sign all frosts are past. My garden in in and starting to sprout.
For years I have been keeping an eye out for an old Troy Bilt tiller and I found one back in the fall, it had been neglected and left in the weather and was all seized up. The tires were flat, one rim was rusted off. The engine did spin over but a lot of parts were ruined nevertheless I shelled out $150 for it, I reasoned it was better than $2500 for a new one.  They still make these tillers with a cast iron gearbox but even used ones in well worn condition are over $600 usually.

I stripped the tiller down, replaced the coil and removed the cylinder  head and discovered it had almost no wear. I lapped the valves and adjusted them. The rusted rim I replaced with a wheelbarrow rim after I welded the center part from the old wheel and installed the original tire (it is the tire you see in the picture) I had to swap out some rusted parts I had from another engine but after putting it all back together it ran perfectly and tilled like a new on. I figure I have about $200 in it after a few gaskets, tubes and 2 cans of 'rattle can' paint.

Garden Time

The garden is in full swing,  We have been picking 2 or 3 lbs of beans per day for the past month and eating them or putting them up for later. We like to pick them before they get very long and tough. They seem to produce longer this way. Right now we pick every other day.

 The tomatoes are doing well, they don't seem to be turning ripe as quick as I think they should but at least the bugs are leaving them alone.

 The squash and zucchini (not shown ) are good. I like to eat them steamed as well as chopped up raw on a salad, again, picked before they get too big. The crook neck squash here will be ready tomorrow I'm sure.

 The small tomatoes are doing very well, and the bushes are loaded with them, most still green but a few turning like this one. We have been eating these for the last 3-4 weeks.

Bell peppers are doing great, we eat  them raw on salads as well as stuffed and baked in the oven.




The potatoes vines are starting to wilt so I may test dig a hill soon. I also have cucumbers running a muck but those we pick about 4" long.... I may have to start throwing them at cars to get rid of them.

Got it Running

I decided to till up a small plot for a garden (about 30'X50') so I broke out my old tiller. It had been sitting for a few years and was sure to need some attention. It was old when I bought it 20 years ago so I was not sure what would be wrong with it. The first thing I did was remove the gas tank and flush it out, the valve on the bottom was gunked up pretty good. After reinstalling the tank I flushed the line to the carburetor. I then removed the spark plug and cleaned it.  After everything was back in place I sprayed the air intake with a shot of starting fluid and pulled the rope, second try it started and ran like a sewing machine.
I like old machinery and I like this old tiller it was originally sold by Sears, I acquired it used but  I quickly removed all the shrouds and guards around the pulleys and belts and trashed them, I figure I am bright enough to keep my hands clear (the more dangerous a piece of machinery is the better I like it) and it makes them lot easier to work on. I like to be able to see everything turning and moving.
In a week or so I will turn the soil again, I may water it in between to get any seeds or weeds to sprout. The more weeds I kill now the better.

Just a note: Any small engine that is going to be sitting for a few weeks it is best to shut off the fuel and let it run out of gas. In my experience that will solve about 90% of the problems you could have getting it restarted. I had to drain the tank but the carburetor was clear, that's a big plus.

Garden Time (almost)

I was reading SciFiChick this morning, she had a post on starting seeds. Got me to thinking I need to get my garden ready. Around here (Florida) I like to have a garden in around March 1st but in order to do that I like to plow it at least twice before I plant, allowing seeds to sprout or weeds to come up before I plow again so I get a good kill. On a small garden you can lay a tarp or black plastic out on the ground to kill all grass in the area. One of my favorite things to grow is bush beans (green beans) they produce almost all summer and can be picked almost every day. I have about given up on growing corn as the varmints get to it before I do, squirrels are the worst, I have seen them shuck and eat the corn right on the stalk. I live in a suburban area but have two acres with woods and a creek nearby so critters are in abundance.

Over 20 years ago I used to trap racoons and possums around my garden,  I would take the trap, animal enclosed, down to the inner city area and sell them to the local's I would usually find standing around a burn barrel in vacant lot. I found out they wanted them alive but they would ask me to kill it so they could be sure it was fresh kill. I would take a long barrel 22 revolver out of my truck and do the deed right there on the side of the road, I don't think I could get away with that today. Police now days take a dim view of discharging weapons in public especially in the middle of the city.....no sense of humor.