Since I have live on the ranch I have tried to grow a vegetable garden in several locations around the property. Even trying at the end of the pool one year since no one could remember to water the garden.
I love using containers for several different reasons. I like the raised bed approach. It helps keep the weeds down. And now the chickens can’t get in the garden as much.
I have a neighbor with a trash pile. I have scavenged black tubs from it for a few years. The tubs are from feeding cows supplements. And one year we found a great old water trough that didn’t hold water anymore. It makes a great container.
Three Sisters Garden
A three sisters garden is corn in the middle with beans around the corn and squash around the beans. I got one squash before the squash bugs got my plants. My beans are still trying and the corn is sky high.
Filling the Trough
I was worried about the amount of dirt it would take to fill the trough. I added some rocks that were supposed to make a front garden and didn’t. Then I had someone mention that you could add wood to the beds to create a hugelkultur garden bed. Basically, you place scrap wood. I had wood from a fireplace I don’t use any longer as well as limbs that the wind blew down in the yard. Then manure. I used the chicken litter. I added a couple bags of peat moss on top for the growing area and to start the seeds. Next year I will need to add some additional dirt at the logs decompose.
Add Plants
Here is the tough with the cold weather plants and squash added. The corn and beans were added in the following weeks.
Then it was a waiting game to see what grew well. Some of the broccoli and cauliflower actually made tiny heads. I should have harvested them at that time rather than let them grow a bit more.
We have had a hot dry summer. Even with watering, it has been hard to make the garden grow well.
Squash Bugs!
As I said I got one squash. Then bugs attacked. Here the pictures. I also thought the little bit of rain we had gotten was enough and didn’t water for about five days. and then overwatered.
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All good stories have a partner in crime. I talked my boyfriend into having the birds delivered to his house and he could bring them to the ranch, so they could live in my garage for a bit. I ordered these from 
