I’d like to hear you talk more about being older and starting a garden, the challenges, the costs, the setbacks etc. As an example here’s my story.
My husband and I are 58. We started in 2024 trying to put a garden in Texas caliche. It didn’t materialize until this year and we built a larger garden than most people would do. Last year we had to stop the hill erosion which was serious and do land reclamation. We faced multiple setbacks due to age, money and serious medical conditions plus we threw our backs out losing weeks, the heat got to me taking me down for a week, then I got the flu.
Then there was the tornado that brought torrential flooding making our backyard a literal lake waist deep for a week. It took a month to dry out but we lost 3 inches of topsoil. We got some of the railroad ties set for the hill prior to all the flooding but it had to be abandoned to build a quick birm to keep the water from getting into our front door as the original dirt birm had eroded. The house used to be a rental and was neglected thus the scrambling.
We spent two weeks on building the hard this year. We laid railroad ties, built a small fence up to keep the dogs out, and tilled. While planning the garden I had to account for the sprinkler system, the aerobic septic system and the water main. I was off by a sliver and water came gushing out when we were rebaring in the ties. Luckily, we didn’t hit the water main as the city said it actually went a different way. Thanks for the heart attack city. It turned out to be the sprinkler system. I had planned on capping it off anyway so no worries there. I had tried to repair and use it last year (a story in and of itself) but that was a bad idea. My husband had to dig out-yes, dig out the water main to shut it off. The erosion from the hill we fixed last year had buried the water shut off valve. Meanwhile, I was trying to dig up wet dirt and clay to find the break. I couldn’t lift the heavy dirt and was stuck using a hand shovel halfway down. I then spent nearly an hour trying to find a plumber who wasn’t booked out a month to come fix it because, though we had the knowledge we were too exhausted at that point to do it ourselves. I did get a nice up pipe so I can easily water the garden from the debacle though 🙂🥰.
With the railroad ties in place, the chicken wiring up, the gate put up we were ready for the next step. By the way that gate took an entire week to put up at our age. We had to dig the hole for the pole to be concreted in. Digging through caliche is the reason I use swear words. We dug the hole, concreted the post in it, waited for it to dry overnight plus a week for our backs to heal then hung the gate. Cattle gates are roughly $100 depending on the size & style. I had a lot of learning to do with railroad ties. Apparently there’s a tier 1, 2 and 3 when it comes to how straight they are. All railroad ties are used as they come from the train tracks. Costs vary but go up significantly each summer by as much as $8. You can buy them for around $20 each in the winter but it’s $28 each in the summer for tier ones.
We then tilled three separate days because of all the rain that came down and matted all our tilling. Plus we had to wait about three days for the water break to dry up. We’re older so riding the tractor means back aches so bad we need several days to recover. We played too hard when we were younger 😂. I spent a week digging out rock, caliche and weeds as big as my cat 🐈⬛. As I haven’t gotten to set up my compost yet these weeds get to sit around in buckets just waiting.
Then we bought two loads of mulch as I thought it would help add nutrients to the garden more efficiently and soften the clay. I was wrong. It keeps the lower dirt moist but causes baking of the seeds so I have to water more. I should’ve added dirt instead. Mind it costs $45 for a load of mulch and roughly the same cost for dirt.
Meanwhile, I bought trays at $11 each that came with biodegradable pods in them to grow my seeds indoors. I saved and bought heirloom seeds from Mike Adams Health Ranger store. They grew quickly under the lights. Upon planting however is when the problems start. The pods are definitely not biodegradable. Turns out they’re the same material that is used in bathroom wipes! They killed all my seeds and created this weird mold in my garden! I had to dig up all the pods. I planted them at the beginning to mid-March. At the end of April I saw the problem. As of yesterday I’m still finding pods and they’re still not biodegraded at all.
I was stuck going to hardware stores in the last two weeks of April and May and to the nursery to buy plants. Apparently they don’t sell 6 packs anymore but only the two inch tall plants at a cost of $2.45 each! 😡 I went home and planted my tomatoes, and what little seeds I had left-mostly beans. The corn seeds grew that I had kept in the freezer for years 😂but the other store bought seeds were dead. I planted several tomatoes varieties as I need them to be able to can this year. Plus melons, squash, potatoes peas and peppers so far.
I realized about a week later my tomatoes were dying I then discovered dog poop 💩. This was around the first week of May. Apparently the fence wasn’t high enough as one of my dogs jumps in. He’s a jerk. So my husband put up a temporary fix, not aesthetically pleasing but it has done the trick. Luckily we had the wood here but plant cost is one possible tomato plant and several pepper plants plus water melons. I still can’t figure out why his urine harmed the tomatoes because he gets a homemade diet not store bought food. 🧐
Then there was the attack of the ants 🐜. I got up one morning and went to weed the garden only to discover my plants had been eaten. I had multiple ant piles come up overnight. I had read on Mike Adams Natural News, or was it on his Health Ranger store-I forget which one, but neem is a natural bug repellent. So I took the neem tooth power I had bought and sprinkled it on an ant 🐜 pile and watched. Those guys packed up and left completely within 15 minutes! I sprinkled it all over the garden. The ant problem was permanently solved to my satisfaction. That’s what was super amazing, the ants won’t come near the garden now. I’ll have to read more on neem.
Then there’s the never ending battle of the weeds. I think my weeds are made of kryptonite because I have to dig using a hand rake down as much as four inches to get them out. Plus, some are as large as my cat 🐈⬛. Thankfully, I’ve got this handy garden chair that has arms on it to help me get up and padding for my bad knees otherwise I’d still be sitting in the garden 😂.
I need to get put in a lot more tomatoes, more corn, more cucumbers, start completely over with squash and more potatoes of which I have are growing surprisingly well.
We’ve got a lot of plans but budgeting in today’s scary economy is always kept in mind. I’m wanting to get fruit trees 🌳 put in as it’s our rainy year so I’m thinking I’ll have to redo our budget again because we’re just too physically damaged to be digging any more holes and I’ll need to pay someone to put them in for us. I’m trying to come up with different ideas like building a tree well but that involves bricks or railroad ties depending on what look we decide to go with. As it is I’ve got flowers and a few fruit bushes waiting to be planted.
I believe I’ve told you everything. Physical impairments, costs of materials , mistakes with mulch versus dirt. The learning curve about rail road ties, building, and land reclamation. Remembering how to drive a tractor.🚜 That was funny…after the mistakes were corrected. The ant 🐜 invasion and winning the battle. The jerk dog. Old age… my crumbling body still pisses me off to this day. Nothing like having knowledge but your arthritis and pain levels are going watch yourself not be able to hold this. Frustrating to say the least.
I’m probably talking to empty space. I’m certain no one will see this but on the off chance they do I’m hoping it helps them plan and prepare especially if you’re older like my husband and I are and still think you can do what you were able to do ten years ago. Well, that’s my story.
I think people ought to get together. Maybe you could have a young couple or young family bring their tiny house onto your property in exchange for help?
Cheryl, it won't show anything in your cart but Lucinda and Kurt assured me that when they see orders with that coupon code they will put in the mineral packet.
Appears to be a decent mix of seeds and reading material.
Careful with that knife.
Yeah right? I almost got myself there. LOL
It is a really good deal. Lucinda and Kurt just doing honest business. They probably should charge more.
Marjorie,
I’d like to hear you talk more about being older and starting a garden, the challenges, the costs, the setbacks etc. As an example here’s my story.
My husband and I are 58. We started in 2024 trying to put a garden in Texas caliche. It didn’t materialize until this year and we built a larger garden than most people would do. Last year we had to stop the hill erosion which was serious and do land reclamation. We faced multiple setbacks due to age, money and serious medical conditions plus we threw our backs out losing weeks, the heat got to me taking me down for a week, then I got the flu.
Then there was the tornado that brought torrential flooding making our backyard a literal lake waist deep for a week. It took a month to dry out but we lost 3 inches of topsoil. We got some of the railroad ties set for the hill prior to all the flooding but it had to be abandoned to build a quick birm to keep the water from getting into our front door as the original dirt birm had eroded. The house used to be a rental and was neglected thus the scrambling.
We spent two weeks on building the hard this year. We laid railroad ties, built a small fence up to keep the dogs out, and tilled. While planning the garden I had to account for the sprinkler system, the aerobic septic system and the water main. I was off by a sliver and water came gushing out when we were rebaring in the ties. Luckily, we didn’t hit the water main as the city said it actually went a different way. Thanks for the heart attack city. It turned out to be the sprinkler system. I had planned on capping it off anyway so no worries there. I had tried to repair and use it last year (a story in and of itself) but that was a bad idea. My husband had to dig out-yes, dig out the water main to shut it off. The erosion from the hill we fixed last year had buried the water shut off valve. Meanwhile, I was trying to dig up wet dirt and clay to find the break. I couldn’t lift the heavy dirt and was stuck using a hand shovel halfway down. I then spent nearly an hour trying to find a plumber who wasn’t booked out a month to come fix it because, though we had the knowledge we were too exhausted at that point to do it ourselves. I did get a nice up pipe so I can easily water the garden from the debacle though 🙂🥰.
With the railroad ties in place, the chicken wiring up, the gate put up we were ready for the next step. By the way that gate took an entire week to put up at our age. We had to dig the hole for the pole to be concreted in. Digging through caliche is the reason I use swear words. We dug the hole, concreted the post in it, waited for it to dry overnight plus a week for our backs to heal then hung the gate. Cattle gates are roughly $100 depending on the size & style. I had a lot of learning to do with railroad ties. Apparently there’s a tier 1, 2 and 3 when it comes to how straight they are. All railroad ties are used as they come from the train tracks. Costs vary but go up significantly each summer by as much as $8. You can buy them for around $20 each in the winter but it’s $28 each in the summer for tier ones.
We then tilled three separate days because of all the rain that came down and matted all our tilling. Plus we had to wait about three days for the water break to dry up. We’re older so riding the tractor means back aches so bad we need several days to recover. We played too hard when we were younger 😂. I spent a week digging out rock, caliche and weeds as big as my cat 🐈⬛. As I haven’t gotten to set up my compost yet these weeds get to sit around in buckets just waiting.
Then we bought two loads of mulch as I thought it would help add nutrients to the garden more efficiently and soften the clay. I was wrong. It keeps the lower dirt moist but causes baking of the seeds so I have to water more. I should’ve added dirt instead. Mind it costs $45 for a load of mulch and roughly the same cost for dirt.
Meanwhile, I bought trays at $11 each that came with biodegradable pods in them to grow my seeds indoors. I saved and bought heirloom seeds from Mike Adams Health Ranger store. They grew quickly under the lights. Upon planting however is when the problems start. The pods are definitely not biodegradable. Turns out they’re the same material that is used in bathroom wipes! They killed all my seeds and created this weird mold in my garden! I had to dig up all the pods. I planted them at the beginning to mid-March. At the end of April I saw the problem. As of yesterday I’m still finding pods and they’re still not biodegraded at all.
I was stuck going to hardware stores in the last two weeks of April and May and to the nursery to buy plants. Apparently they don’t sell 6 packs anymore but only the two inch tall plants at a cost of $2.45 each! 😡 I went home and planted my tomatoes, and what little seeds I had left-mostly beans. The corn seeds grew that I had kept in the freezer for years 😂but the other store bought seeds were dead. I planted several tomatoes varieties as I need them to be able to can this year. Plus melons, squash, potatoes peas and peppers so far.
I realized about a week later my tomatoes were dying I then discovered dog poop 💩. This was around the first week of May. Apparently the fence wasn’t high enough as one of my dogs jumps in. He’s a jerk. So my husband put up a temporary fix, not aesthetically pleasing but it has done the trick. Luckily we had the wood here but plant cost is one possible tomato plant and several pepper plants plus water melons. I still can’t figure out why his urine harmed the tomatoes because he gets a homemade diet not store bought food. 🧐
Then there was the attack of the ants 🐜. I got up one morning and went to weed the garden only to discover my plants had been eaten. I had multiple ant piles come up overnight. I had read on Mike Adams Natural News, or was it on his Health Ranger store-I forget which one, but neem is a natural bug repellent. So I took the neem tooth power I had bought and sprinkled it on an ant 🐜 pile and watched. Those guys packed up and left completely within 15 minutes! I sprinkled it all over the garden. The ant problem was permanently solved to my satisfaction. That’s what was super amazing, the ants won’t come near the garden now. I’ll have to read more on neem.
Then there’s the never ending battle of the weeds. I think my weeds are made of kryptonite because I have to dig using a hand rake down as much as four inches to get them out. Plus, some are as large as my cat 🐈⬛. Thankfully, I’ve got this handy garden chair that has arms on it to help me get up and padding for my bad knees otherwise I’d still be sitting in the garden 😂.
I need to get put in a lot more tomatoes, more corn, more cucumbers, start completely over with squash and more potatoes of which I have are growing surprisingly well.
We’ve got a lot of plans but budgeting in today’s scary economy is always kept in mind. I’m wanting to get fruit trees 🌳 put in as it’s our rainy year so I’m thinking I’ll have to redo our budget again because we’re just too physically damaged to be digging any more holes and I’ll need to pay someone to put them in for us. I’m trying to come up with different ideas like building a tree well but that involves bricks or railroad ties depending on what look we decide to go with. As it is I’ve got flowers and a few fruit bushes waiting to be planted.
I believe I’ve told you everything. Physical impairments, costs of materials , mistakes with mulch versus dirt. The learning curve about rail road ties, building, and land reclamation. Remembering how to drive a tractor.🚜 That was funny…after the mistakes were corrected. The ant 🐜 invasion and winning the battle. The jerk dog. Old age… my crumbling body still pisses me off to this day. Nothing like having knowledge but your arthritis and pain levels are going watch yourself not be able to hold this. Frustrating to say the least.
I’m probably talking to empty space. I’m certain no one will see this but on the off chance they do I’m hoping it helps them plan and prepare especially if you’re older like my husband and I are and still think you can do what you were able to do ten years ago. Well, that’s my story.
I think people ought to get together. Maybe you could have a young couple or young family bring their tiny house onto your property in exchange for help?
So cool, I've actually been looking at those for a long time but never felt like I was ready for that level of gardening...
code "grow" doesn't work.?
Cheryl, it won't show anything in your cart but Lucinda and Kurt assured me that when they see orders with that coupon code they will put in the mineral packet.