Florida Gardening: My first raised bed garden for vegtables, 5 by jamibad

jamibad wrote:
Plant Thang, Absolutely Beautiful, I love your landscaping! I want a pond now! lol, I'm running out of yard space though!
here's what I've been up to lately. Picking horn worms from my tomatoes, I found some other critters on my cucumbers, look like more worms, don't think their horn worms though. My new neighbor saw my back yard, and is tickled to death she has someone in the neighborhood that she can relate to. She has brought me quite a few plants, some milk weed for the Monarch Butterfly, plus a few I can't remember the names of. My plant book is out in the shed, and I don't venture into the yard this late. I couldn't sleep so here I am. My DH and I laid a bed of sand yesterday, and sat the pool up, ugh, after we started filling it, had to empty it and disassemble it so we could move it. The water was all going to one end, we thought we had the ground level, NOT! What a pain in the butt. After all that, it's up and filled, went to pinch a penny and got chemicals, so tomorrow will be a swim day. I'm ready for it. FYI, when your outside sweating, sprinkle corn starch all over yourself, it absorbs the sweat. I was out front of my house, didn't realize what I looked like, my neighbor asked me if I had seven dust all over me, I had to laugh, and told her no, it's what the Thai's do when their working outside in the tropical hot sun, something I picked up while in Thailand. Looks funny, but it sure works, last for about 2-3 hours, depending on how thick you sprinkle it on yourself.
I still have some stuff to get planted. My flowers from seed are still in their growing pots, the gardens are screaming attention, I feed once a week, pick weeds out of the beds, pick worms, or should I say I take a garden tool and flick them into a pail of soapy water, yuck, to have to use my fingers, no way, I tried and just couldn't do it. have picked sugar snap peas, peas, squash and cucumbers. Everything is coming along very nice for my first time with raised beds. I have found that my squash plants are finicky, even though I have well established squash, the lower fruits seem to be getting end rot(?), or is it flower rot? I know that deep down on the raised mounds, the roots are very wet, which isn't good, but yet I am getting good results from the squash that's growing higher on the plants. Really weird. I found some weird looking cat on my cuke's, not like the horn worms, I flicked him off into the soapy water to, but no visual damage to the plant.I took some neem oil and sprayed the raised bed garden, and than because I was running out of time, and my fingers were hurting from spraying, I got the seven dust out, and did the corn garden, which is what I named the far side garden, where I have the watermelon growing. I also have cantaloupe in there, way opposite of the watermelon, some more squash, cucumbers, and bush beans. My friends stop in and help out, but I don't know how much they know about gardening, probably the same as me, Notta! If I could keep my lap top clean, and have it outside on the picnic table, it'd be easier than running in and out asking "ask" questions 30 time's a day, which I really do.
My scarecrow is working wonderful! No doubt!! Bear sightings in the neighborhood are rampant, for sure their are 2, and they have been making a mess with garbage, knocked a neighbors berry tree down, just doing what bears do, but they are staying out of the garden, as are the deer, and the smaller predators. I have an armadella digging holes in the yard, I went around and sprinkled ammonia where he travels to no avail. My DH said to let him be, he's not hurting anything. Yeah right! A good way to sprain your ankle is to walk into one of his hole's if you don't see it.
Anyway, story short, haha, from me, that's a joke, but I've been busy, everything is looking good, I wouldn't change a thing. The back yard is almost done, next fall, and through spring will be focusing on the front yard. I did some landscaping, but not enough for what I really want to do. Money is tight, DH bought a 1928 Buick Century, without the bumper seat, it's in my garage as he restorer's it. His hobby for the rest of his life time, I think! So, no more money for me and the yard! BUT, I do get to drive it, when he's finished with it. I'm OK with that:). Yes, we've been busy!
I'm posting some picture's here, and even of his car, ( I know this thread is about raised gardens, But it is my thread) and to all reading, I have no problem with you just chipping in, with what ever it is you want to chat about, just saying!!! Have at it! But do share your raised beds if you have them. I learn from everyone out there and this is my first year with them.
My pool is an intex pool, 15'x33" deep, just big enough for a few people to float around in, easy to keep clean, BUT, needs to be on flat ground, otherwise you could shoot a guest clear across your yard should a side blow out, my biggest concern when we first set it up. Now it's good to go
My garden picture's are self explanatory, the horn worms, and other critters that I'm not sure about. And the car, just a throw in since I mentioned it in what I've been up to.

I hope you all have had a sparkling sunny happy kind of day here in the Florida Tropics, it's heating up faster than anyone really wants it to, Remember, wear that corn starch, it keeps you dry!!!!! For real!! No joke! Looks funny, but guess what, I'm not dripping sweat. Take care and see you all again real soon, Jami