not sure how much more of this the pop up greenhouse can take! Or me!
going to plant the onion seed this week well, it's something
Polyculture
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
here is a great timetable from Kitchen Garden Seeds
(my asparagus and strawberries are started; onions about next week. We are zone 7, on some maps zone 6A)
and...instead of soil pots, think damp paper towels, in a plastic bag not closed. works great for peas, etc...and no mess. let;s me only make up one pot per tomato or pepper as you only plant those that sprout!
the soil blocks are working-but man do they take a lot of watering. just an FYI
The "Gentlepersons, Start Your Seeds" Timetable
The "Gentlepersons, Start Your Seeds" Timetable
(my asparagus and strawberries are started; onions about next week. We are zone 7, on some maps zone 6A)
and...instead of soil pots, think damp paper towels, in a plastic bag not closed. works great for peas, etc...and no mess. let;s me only make up one pot per tomato or pepper as you only plant those that sprout!
the soil blocks are working-but man do they take a lot of watering. just an FYI
General Seed Starting Timetable: Eight weeks prior to last frost date
Horticultural Zones 9 & 10: Start seeds indoors now.
Horticultural Zones 8: Start seeds indoors in early February.
Horticultural Zones 7: Start seeds indoors in mid February.
Horticultural Zone 6: Start seeds indoors in late February.
Horticultural Zone 5: Start seeds indoors in early March.
Horticultural Zone 1-4: Start seeds indoors in mid to late March.
Vegetable/Herb Seed Starting Timetable (Listed in weeks before the last frost)
Four Weeks: Melons, Bitter Melon and Cucuzzi Edible Gourds.
Six Weeks: Asparagus, Fennel, Onions, Rhubarb, Shallots, Tomatillos and Basil
Eight Weeks: Eggplant, Tomatoes, Chiles, Sweet Peppers, Chives, Sage, Stevia and Thyme
Nine Weeks: Broccoli, Cabbage and Kohlrabi (transplant out four weeks before the last frost date)
Ten Weeks: Celery, Celeriac, Jicama and Lemongrass
Eleven Weeks: Leeks, Artichokes and Cauliflower (transplant out four weeks before the last frost date)
Twelve Weeks: Cardoons and Brussels Sprouts
Flower Seed Starting Timetable (Listed in weeks before the last frost)
Six Weeks: Cutting Ageratum, China Asters, Celosia, Cleome, Coleus, Nepeta Catmint, Euphorbia, Forget-Me-Nots, Dahlia, Nicotiana, Scabiosa, Snapdragons and Thunbergia
Eight Weeks: Milkweed, Coreopsis, Gaillardia, Globe Amaranth, Helichrysum, Hibiscus, Hollyhock, Heuchera, Nigella, Platycodon and Statice
Ten Weeks: Dianthus, Digitalis, Lobelia and Heliotrope
Twelve Weeks: Datura, Salvia and Viola
Sunlight
So you are told your garden spot should get at least six hours a day of sunlight.
(and just try finding out ways to increase sunlight..seems no one makes more effort to learn..easier to just, use the spot with the most sunlight..)
and guaranteed, it's the worst soil or inconvenient.
What to Do?
1.Make like the goats.
Goats will trim every branch off of a tree they can stand up and reach. this decreases sun-blocking foliage and can allow more grass, etc. to grow. We used our goats to clean out the trees to an almost park like state behind the house.
so....I picked up the loppers and made like the goats, on all the trees surrounding the garden.I check the surrounding trees every spring, now. Actually, if they have leafed out, I give em to the goats!
2. Do as the European fruit growers have always done.
Espaliered trees can be grown, especially on southern walls....often painted white. White reflects light back into the area.If however, the area might be made colder by light reflecting heat outwards, limit your white in some way...strips( see picture of our garden), mirrors or reflectors (old automobile shades have been suggested) or paint your raised bed supports white.It all helps.
3. Be a photographer.
Have you actually taken pictures of the garden site at different times of year? it could be, that by starting everything ( yes even carrots, turnips etc) indoors for a 2 week jump, and using row covers for that extra 2 weeks in the garden, you;ll have captured more sunlight. in some spots, this might be reversed;lower sunlight angles in August and September might really work well...so you might want to go slow with starting the garden every spring.
We get a lot of morning sun as long as the trees haven;t leafed out. we get good noonday sun part of the year-and some afternoon sun.Parsnips and green leaf crops are 2 of the best types if the sunlight is a little lacking.
4. Make suntraps.
Gaia's garden recommends a keyhole garden shape with the hole for the short path facing south. the rest of the garden is bowl shaped. you guessed it- a heat and sun trap.you could terrace this to increase the effect.I have enough terracing of the beds to not have gone this route yet-but I may.
(and just try finding out ways to increase sunlight..seems no one makes more effort to learn..easier to just, use the spot with the most sunlight..)
and guaranteed, it's the worst soil or inconvenient.
What to Do?
1.Make like the goats.
Goats will trim every branch off of a tree they can stand up and reach. this decreases sun-blocking foliage and can allow more grass, etc. to grow. We used our goats to clean out the trees to an almost park like state behind the house.
so....I picked up the loppers and made like the goats, on all the trees surrounding the garden.I check the surrounding trees every spring, now. Actually, if they have leafed out, I give em to the goats!
2. Do as the European fruit growers have always done.
Espaliered trees can be grown, especially on southern walls....often painted white. White reflects light back into the area.If however, the area might be made colder by light reflecting heat outwards, limit your white in some way...strips( see picture of our garden), mirrors or reflectors (old automobile shades have been suggested) or paint your raised bed supports white.It all helps.
3. Be a photographer.
Have you actually taken pictures of the garden site at different times of year? it could be, that by starting everything ( yes even carrots, turnips etc) indoors for a 2 week jump, and using row covers for that extra 2 weeks in the garden, you;ll have captured more sunlight. in some spots, this might be reversed;lower sunlight angles in August and September might really work well...so you might want to go slow with starting the garden every spring.
We get a lot of morning sun as long as the trees haven;t leafed out. we get good noonday sun part of the year-and some afternoon sun.Parsnips and green leaf crops are 2 of the best types if the sunlight is a little lacking.
4. Make suntraps.
Gaia's garden recommends a keyhole garden shape with the hole for the short path facing south. the rest of the garden is bowl shaped. you guessed it- a heat and sun trap.you could terrace this to increase the effect.I have enough terracing of the beds to not have gone this route yet-but I may.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Winter-yuck
I really hate winter. Sorry, but to a Florida raised girl, all this white precip is just-unnatural.the cold hurts. it dries you out. it costs big bucks to keep warm.(even though we have 10 acres of trees and a fireplace-getting around to cutting it depends on the man, I can;t handle the chainsaw. Bad neck-no hand strength. and with this economy, he is working 180 miles from home.)
We have had huge amounts of snow, night temps of 15 degrees -or less. ( this past week things have actually begun to return to normal. 40 degrees in the day, 25 to 30 degrees at night.)
But while we had that horrifically cold weather-we also had 2 feet of snow frozen in place acting as a mulch over the plants and garden beds.
Seems nature has some sort of plan.
I ripped up the tubs in the little greenhouse-even though everything survived, it might not grow well after taking such a beating. I added mineral amendments( which will have several weeks to be incorporated)-and started arugula spinach and lettuce indoors. they are under the grow light now ( the herbs and petunias are sulking about having to sit in the window, but they shouldn;t have to be inside too many more weeks. March 1st is usually warm enough for these things, in the greenhouse) Salads in March ought to be enough reason to do this!( and we plan to put 2 tomatoes in each tub, as well.) the seedlings in the soil blocks look great,I have had to thin them. (hands not so steady I can drop just one seed. so that;s that- I thin,)Asparagus is going and strawberries get started today.
and all of this busywork is just keeping me from starting the onions and peppers too early!
We have had huge amounts of snow, night temps of 15 degrees -or less. ( this past week things have actually begun to return to normal. 40 degrees in the day, 25 to 30 degrees at night.)
But while we had that horrifically cold weather-we also had 2 feet of snow frozen in place acting as a mulch over the plants and garden beds.
Seems nature has some sort of plan.
I ripped up the tubs in the little greenhouse-even though everything survived, it might not grow well after taking such a beating. I added mineral amendments( which will have several weeks to be incorporated)-and started arugula spinach and lettuce indoors. they are under the grow light now ( the herbs and petunias are sulking about having to sit in the window, but they shouldn;t have to be inside too many more weeks. March 1st is usually warm enough for these things, in the greenhouse) Salads in March ought to be enough reason to do this!( and we plan to put 2 tomatoes in each tub, as well.) the seedlings in the soil blocks look great,I have had to thin them. (hands not so steady I can drop just one seed. so that;s that- I thin,)Asparagus is going and strawberries get started today.
and all of this busywork is just keeping me from starting the onions and peppers too early!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
More on compost
yes even in January you can compost.
I just took the last batch straight from the house-coffee grounds and egg shell mainly, spread that and some lime where I want to grow asparagus. then I took cardboard ( it's not trash it's gold!)and covered it all up. I used fresh cardboard first and old rotten cardboard ( I stack it, in the woods, to let it get thoroughly wet and perhaps give a home to more earthworms) on top to hold it down. it doesn;t need to move for 3 or 4 months; and though dry cardboard will blow away; you could use a few bricks, etc to hold it if need be.I can pull this up and add it to the garden paths, back in the woods or, if rotten enough,to the big compost pile.
hopefully the sod will be killed, and biological activity fired up enough, to dig my trench, plant my asparagus, and that;s that.What;s left of the trench sod will also go in the cmpost-as we'll be adding layers as the asparagus grows.I add all my seed starting material to the pile as well.
We did berries last year; layered cardboard, leaves, grass trimmings, and some compost. they are doing very well!holes were easy to dig. they'll need a new bed of mulch this year. straw probably. if the scythe ever gets here, I'll cut it myself!
Sod cut and stacked and allowed to rot-is loam. talk about a perfect growing medium or compost.
Maybe I have made my point. Nothing that was organic is really trash!it's nature;s way to rot stuff-and let the soil organisms and later the plants eat it.
Leaves are easiest to use if chopped up first. so let's mow leaves not grass? I kind of like that.
You don;t have enough stuff for compost? what about buying a bag of alfalfa meal or pellets at your co-op or feed store, and layering that with straw, leaves, etc. Alfalfa is wonderful stuff.( think nitrogen) a bag of fifty lbs ought to have you making compost for a while.Mine gets-processed through the goats in the winter.A better diet for them means a better manure for the gardens.They browse in the summer helping us keep down weeds and getting fat and happy.and the trees get fed as they browse!
even poop isn;t wasteful!
Speaking of which; a bag of cheap dog food ( you want corn and soy in it!) will also help fire up a compost pile.Pet manure is not considered safe for compost nor are meat scraps and the like. but you can still reduce your household trash a great deal by composting.you Could pressure cook your chicken bones, etc and add the ground up mess to the compost; I just haven;t done that in a while ( it;s a great additive for homemade dog food)
I even take the bird;s papers and poops and put it in the compost. feathers-yes that too.
And lest we forget...Starbucks will supposedly give away their used grounds. Coffee grounds are wonderful sources for the compost pile, and don;t worry about the filters. they rot too.
I understand those with mostly cotton clothing can even add the lint to their piles!
Non kitchen type refuse ( garden plants leaves straw etc) are perfectly OK in an open pile., I do keep kitchen scraps in a bin; I have dogs. enough said. I add the bin product to the big pile 4 or 5 times a year.
and if you are using minerals-add it to the compost every few weeks. it will boost that activity and be ready for the garden without having to use amendments all the time.
Compost is an easy way to fertilize your grass. let a bucket or two dry for a day or so; put it in your spreader and off you go. no chemicals on the lawn and happy grass.I also use the wood ashes on the lawn, have on the garden too but we need more oomph and so are back to lime.
one more thought-if you take all those sticks and twigs you had to cut last fall, layer them thickly, a foot or 2 is not too much, you can throw some soil and compost on it and grow things! try a pile like this for potatoes.
there is no reason for us to throw away our refuse, and then buy fertilizer, etc. What a waste of resources and money. Let's use nature;s way!
I just took the last batch straight from the house-coffee grounds and egg shell mainly, spread that and some lime where I want to grow asparagus. then I took cardboard ( it's not trash it's gold!)and covered it all up. I used fresh cardboard first and old rotten cardboard ( I stack it, in the woods, to let it get thoroughly wet and perhaps give a home to more earthworms) on top to hold it down. it doesn;t need to move for 3 or 4 months; and though dry cardboard will blow away; you could use a few bricks, etc to hold it if need be.I can pull this up and add it to the garden paths, back in the woods or, if rotten enough,to the big compost pile.
hopefully the sod will be killed, and biological activity fired up enough, to dig my trench, plant my asparagus, and that;s that.What;s left of the trench sod will also go in the cmpost-as we'll be adding layers as the asparagus grows.I add all my seed starting material to the pile as well.
We did berries last year; layered cardboard, leaves, grass trimmings, and some compost. they are doing very well!holes were easy to dig. they'll need a new bed of mulch this year. straw probably. if the scythe ever gets here, I'll cut it myself!
Sod cut and stacked and allowed to rot-is loam. talk about a perfect growing medium or compost.
Maybe I have made my point. Nothing that was organic is really trash!it's nature;s way to rot stuff-and let the soil organisms and later the plants eat it.
Leaves are easiest to use if chopped up first. so let's mow leaves not grass? I kind of like that.
You don;t have enough stuff for compost? what about buying a bag of alfalfa meal or pellets at your co-op or feed store, and layering that with straw, leaves, etc. Alfalfa is wonderful stuff.( think nitrogen) a bag of fifty lbs ought to have you making compost for a while.Mine gets-processed through the goats in the winter.A better diet for them means a better manure for the gardens.They browse in the summer helping us keep down weeds and getting fat and happy.and the trees get fed as they browse!
even poop isn;t wasteful!
Speaking of which; a bag of cheap dog food ( you want corn and soy in it!) will also help fire up a compost pile.Pet manure is not considered safe for compost nor are meat scraps and the like. but you can still reduce your household trash a great deal by composting.you Could pressure cook your chicken bones, etc and add the ground up mess to the compost; I just haven;t done that in a while ( it;s a great additive for homemade dog food)
I even take the bird;s papers and poops and put it in the compost. feathers-yes that too.
And lest we forget...Starbucks will supposedly give away their used grounds. Coffee grounds are wonderful sources for the compost pile, and don;t worry about the filters. they rot too.
I understand those with mostly cotton clothing can even add the lint to their piles!
Non kitchen type refuse ( garden plants leaves straw etc) are perfectly OK in an open pile., I do keep kitchen scraps in a bin; I have dogs. enough said. I add the bin product to the big pile 4 or 5 times a year.
and if you are using minerals-add it to the compost every few weeks. it will boost that activity and be ready for the garden without having to use amendments all the time.
Compost is an easy way to fertilize your grass. let a bucket or two dry for a day or so; put it in your spreader and off you go. no chemicals on the lawn and happy grass.I also use the wood ashes on the lawn, have on the garden too but we need more oomph and so are back to lime.
one more thought-if you take all those sticks and twigs you had to cut last fall, layer them thickly, a foot or 2 is not too much, you can throw some soil and compost on it and grow things! try a pile like this for potatoes.
there is no reason for us to throw away our refuse, and then buy fertilizer, etc. What a waste of resources and money. Let's use nature;s way!
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
peppers
i struggled for years to get anything out of peppers. I love peppers; the colors, the taste, the look of the plants. Round pimentos , colored bells, holy mole which is brown, long hot peppers, heirloom and European peppers.so getting little half stunted bushes and no peppers until September was discouraging. 2 years ago I managed to get a few lovely pale yellow ones out of the little greenhouse. but out in the garden is where they need to be-they need heat and sun and room to grow.
so the trick is to start them a bit earlier than the tomatoes, and then set them in a cold frame once they have a few leaves ( or in our case the little greenhouse) for some cooler nights through April, cold helps them later. Well, you might not believe it either but i did this last year and...got peppers! in spite of a cool summer.
Don;t bother with setting them out until it's pretty warm. May 15 is the earliest here-May 30 like the corn and beans and sweet potatoes, not a bad idea.
I did put down straw to help keep weeds off; you can also interplant with other crops.Carrots, onions, parsnips, peas, etc are often recommended. I plant tomatoes with basil and marigolds, so haven;t combined peppers and tomatoes.
If you buy your plants, cut off all flowers and baby peppers before you plant. they need time to establish their roots. I know-you are looking at future food-but you;ll get more if you help the plant succeed.
so the trick is to start them a bit earlier than the tomatoes, and then set them in a cold frame once they have a few leaves ( or in our case the little greenhouse) for some cooler nights through April, cold helps them later. Well, you might not believe it either but i did this last year and...got peppers! in spite of a cool summer.
Don;t bother with setting them out until it's pretty warm. May 15 is the earliest here-May 30 like the corn and beans and sweet potatoes, not a bad idea.
I did put down straw to help keep weeds off; you can also interplant with other crops.Carrots, onions, parsnips, peas, etc are often recommended. I plant tomatoes with basil and marigolds, so haven;t combined peppers and tomatoes.
If you buy your plants, cut off all flowers and baby peppers before you plant. they need time to establish their roots. I know-you are looking at future food-but you;ll get more if you help the plant succeed.
soil blocks
I loved making mud pies as a kid, so filling up my sink with black wet dirt is not a problem.the soil blocker is actually pretty easy to use-as long as the mix is right.
I got it too wet the first 2 times. they still hold; but oatmeal consistency means oatmeal, not cake batter. 3rd go was-perfect.
I have started celosia, arugula, lettuce, spinach and asparagus.I'd like to get some other things going before I get to the multi block onions. ( a real fascination for me)
Arugula used to be sold as rocket. we always got free packets with our seeds; put it out when we did lettuce and radishes, and hated the stuff. turns out it;s a cool weather crop and well, trendy now. who knew.
Asparagus and strawberries should be started now to get that extra growth before putting out. exciting ( supposed to be easier to establish the plants if they aren;t dried up roots sitting somewhere for a while. we'll see.) I have 2 nice strawberry pots so thinking that will make a nice display. a handful of strawberries to add to breakfast sounds good to me.
2 things.
I am not seeing the super germination rates that are often touted. if anything, the seeds are slower. it has been unusually cold so my usual warm spots may not be enough. or, the soil blocks are denser and need a warmer area ( or warming cables!)
you use up the mix FAST. that super duper soil block starting mix is expensive ( i can justify because all that goes in the ground furthering our soil building efforts) but the next bag will be good old promix.or screened compost, peat, etc.
so, I am only half way happy with current results. keeping it honest!
I got it too wet the first 2 times. they still hold; but oatmeal consistency means oatmeal, not cake batter. 3rd go was-perfect.
I have started celosia, arugula, lettuce, spinach and asparagus.I'd like to get some other things going before I get to the multi block onions. ( a real fascination for me)
Arugula used to be sold as rocket. we always got free packets with our seeds; put it out when we did lettuce and radishes, and hated the stuff. turns out it;s a cool weather crop and well, trendy now. who knew.
Asparagus and strawberries should be started now to get that extra growth before putting out. exciting ( supposed to be easier to establish the plants if they aren;t dried up roots sitting somewhere for a while. we'll see.) I have 2 nice strawberry pots so thinking that will make a nice display. a handful of strawberries to add to breakfast sounds good to me.
2 things.
I am not seeing the super germination rates that are often touted. if anything, the seeds are slower. it has been unusually cold so my usual warm spots may not be enough. or, the soil blocks are denser and need a warmer area ( or warming cables!)
you use up the mix FAST. that super duper soil block starting mix is expensive ( i can justify because all that goes in the ground furthering our soil building efforts) but the next bag will be good old promix.or screened compost, peat, etc.
so, I am only half way happy with current results. keeping it honest!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Cutting Celery
today, I'm fixing Swiss Steak. the tomato juice helps break down slightly tougher meat.the mushrooms and shallots were leftovers I found in the veggie drawer;I had some beef stock as well. Smells great!
my in-house herbs-oregano, sage and cutting celery, seemed a whole lot closer than going out to the greenhouse for rosemary.(up all night-Starbuck had five puppies and everyone is doing well) Sage is smoky; oregano is peppy and celery is-well, deep and aromatic.
but my family hates celery-as in stalks. can;t make peanut butter stalks or ants on a log-I get the EWWW GROSS faces. So I started growing cutting celery last year.
All the flavor, easy to grow, and no stalks! I always preferred the leaves in cooking, anyway.
I am hoping my clump will either grow like mad this year, moved back outside, or go to seed. seed gives me plants like, forever.I intend to cut often this winter-and dry or freeze. haven;t made up my mind.
not a very gardeny blog but; there are solutions which will work, for your meals.(which is where the garden is supposed to end up after all. on your plate.not just in pretty rows out "there.") try a few new things out. Herbs are wonderful mixed into veggie beds-they help repel pests, smell great, and add so much in cooking.
I always have rosemary-lavender, oregano ( real Greek or Italian is the only thing worth buying) sage and mint(s)and love tarragon but have to replace each year. this is the first year-with grow lights indoors and the little green house for tougher but still not freeze proof things, that I have been able to keep all the stuff growing. lost the basil though-keep meaning to pick up a live plant at Martin's, the only place I have seen them.( Basil was a tough go last summer- like squash and other heat lovers. peppers and tomatoes were fine. hm)
we sow dill and cilantro willy nilly; love the look and smell, love how helpful they are.and did I forget parsley? oh my! worth the wait. sow it in cool soil and expect to not see it pop up for 3 weeks.I eat the stuff as a snack.My grandma always made me eat my parsley-so I still do!
We love basil and pesto so I am committed to a large area for basil this year.Cross fingers!
my in-house herbs-oregano, sage and cutting celery, seemed a whole lot closer than going out to the greenhouse for rosemary.(up all night-Starbuck had five puppies and everyone is doing well) Sage is smoky; oregano is peppy and celery is-well, deep and aromatic.
but my family hates celery-as in stalks. can;t make peanut butter stalks or ants on a log-I get the EWWW GROSS faces. So I started growing cutting celery last year.
All the flavor, easy to grow, and no stalks! I always preferred the leaves in cooking, anyway.
I am hoping my clump will either grow like mad this year, moved back outside, or go to seed. seed gives me plants like, forever.I intend to cut often this winter-and dry or freeze. haven;t made up my mind.
not a very gardeny blog but; there are solutions which will work, for your meals.(which is where the garden is supposed to end up after all. on your plate.not just in pretty rows out "there.") try a few new things out. Herbs are wonderful mixed into veggie beds-they help repel pests, smell great, and add so much in cooking.
I always have rosemary-lavender, oregano ( real Greek or Italian is the only thing worth buying) sage and mint(s)and love tarragon but have to replace each year. this is the first year-with grow lights indoors and the little green house for tougher but still not freeze proof things, that I have been able to keep all the stuff growing. lost the basil though-keep meaning to pick up a live plant at Martin's, the only place I have seen them.( Basil was a tough go last summer- like squash and other heat lovers. peppers and tomatoes were fine. hm)
we sow dill and cilantro willy nilly; love the look and smell, love how helpful they are.and did I forget parsley? oh my! worth the wait. sow it in cool soil and expect to not see it pop up for 3 weeks.I eat the stuff as a snack.My grandma always made me eat my parsley-so I still do!
We love basil and pesto so I am committed to a large area for basil this year.Cross fingers!
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Winter composting?
just an idea-which should have been put into place 2 months ago.
the little greenhouse has only some spinach and herbs in it. the bottles filled with water and covered with black plastic-are frozen! but the plants seem ok.
the kitchen scraps composter is absolutely full and won;t start its process back up until after several warmer days( April?). soo...
I took a large black pot, cut the bottom out and put it on bare ground in the greenhouse. I added a couple of inches of straw and dirt from that area. now, the dogs can;t get to it-i can add kitchen garbage...and maybe we'll get compost. ( if not, then I'll add it to the big pile and turn it in, in April or so.)
if it works, and it starts to heat up, that can only be good news for our winter garden efforts!
the little greenhouse has only some spinach and herbs in it. the bottles filled with water and covered with black plastic-are frozen! but the plants seem ok.
the kitchen scraps composter is absolutely full and won;t start its process back up until after several warmer days( April?). soo...
I took a large black pot, cut the bottom out and put it on bare ground in the greenhouse. I added a couple of inches of straw and dirt from that area. now, the dogs can;t get to it-i can add kitchen garbage...and maybe we'll get compost. ( if not, then I'll add it to the big pile and turn it in, in April or so.)
if it works, and it starts to heat up, that can only be good news for our winter garden efforts!
Monday, January 4, 2010
In case it isn;t obvious..
most of our land is-well, forest. it's all very sloped due to the creek running through the middle. the basic ground is deep red clay though the spot I chose for 5 raised beds was nothing but gray white and yellow subsoil.but it got sun. in short supply here. I must say, further up the driveway we put in apples, a jujube, and berries. they love the clayey and rather acid soil. and it is deep there-well over a foot before you get to subsoil.
At the very front, 6 years ago we tilled up a fan shaped bed (the only garden I tilled, here!my friends have the big front end tiller and I keep forgetting t get it back!)-threw in some bags of topsoil,and put in daylilies,daffodils, iris, a butterfly bush-and despite never being watered, very infrequent clean up or weeding, and only the occasional fertilizer (espoma) it looks great all summer.
this ground WILL grow things-it just needs to be encouraged.
further back ( behind the house) we let the goats and good mowing clean out the weedy stuff. planted a bed of mostly lilies under the old satellite dish, and the little greenhouse sits next to it.in the tree line are the compost piles, the comfrey, etc.I used the goats to clean up next to the driveway, far side, and put in hostas, azaleas-little irregular beds that lead to the wild laurels. it is very nice.
the lilies are also sloped ( good for them;drainage) and the soil was awful.that;s taken six years to rectify and we also added a short garden wall. ( to match the new beds made by walls around the slate patio we built.)
I hadn;t realized how sloped the ground was until I saw that all the veggies dried up in August.( using no-till; just laid down compost and sheets of newspaper) no matter how I watered. that;s when Bruce dug out the raised beds for me, and we chose narrow 12 inch paths to concentrate the downward pressure and make-water baffles! did it work? yes! does compost work? yes! do we need to keep improving the beds? ( 18 inches deep or more?) yes! but it is a start. Lime and minerals and cover crops were the big chores this past fall.( I've used the wood ashes for years but it didn;t sweeten the soil as much as I hoped)
this year we have 2 new short beds further down the driveway( so should I say 240 square feet?)-and will try putting the tomatoes in tubs around the greenhouse (following that sunlight wherever I can)our usual greenhouse winter spinach is pouting in the extreme cold. but that;s OK cause it;s almost time to start flower seeds and then the veggies. I'm psyched!
At the very front, 6 years ago we tilled up a fan shaped bed (the only garden I tilled, here!my friends have the big front end tiller and I keep forgetting t get it back!)-threw in some bags of topsoil,and put in daylilies,daffodils, iris, a butterfly bush-and despite never being watered, very infrequent clean up or weeding, and only the occasional fertilizer (espoma) it looks great all summer.
this ground WILL grow things-it just needs to be encouraged.
further back ( behind the house) we let the goats and good mowing clean out the weedy stuff. planted a bed of mostly lilies under the old satellite dish, and the little greenhouse sits next to it.in the tree line are the compost piles, the comfrey, etc.I used the goats to clean up next to the driveway, far side, and put in hostas, azaleas-little irregular beds that lead to the wild laurels. it is very nice.
the lilies are also sloped ( good for them;drainage) and the soil was awful.that;s taken six years to rectify and we also added a short garden wall. ( to match the new beds made by walls around the slate patio we built.)
I hadn;t realized how sloped the ground was until I saw that all the veggies dried up in August.( using no-till; just laid down compost and sheets of newspaper) no matter how I watered. that;s when Bruce dug out the raised beds for me, and we chose narrow 12 inch paths to concentrate the downward pressure and make-water baffles! did it work? yes! does compost work? yes! do we need to keep improving the beds? ( 18 inches deep or more?) yes! but it is a start. Lime and minerals and cover crops were the big chores this past fall.( I've used the wood ashes for years but it didn;t sweeten the soil as much as I hoped)
this year we have 2 new short beds further down the driveway( so should I say 240 square feet?)-and will try putting the tomatoes in tubs around the greenhouse (following that sunlight wherever I can)our usual greenhouse winter spinach is pouting in the extreme cold. but that;s OK cause it;s almost time to start flower seeds and then the veggies. I'm psyched!
Don;t forget to buy some comfrey!
one of the best all around garden helpers is Russian comfrey( I believe I have blocking 14 variety) it gets kinda big;hard to get rid of if you want to move it; but it can go in almost any setting, and it is a powerhouse for compost heaps, plant mulches, etc. it "mines" soil for minerals. it is high in nitrogen. this is the easiest first step for growing your own fertility I can think of.
But I have found other uses. (it is now not recommended for internal use for humans but is a powerful medicinal herb)
I take a big handful of leaves and put them in a cut off milk jug, etc. add water-let sit in the sun for 2-3 days. you need to cut this tea by adding a few tablespoons to your watering can;it enhances growth especially in younger plants; bugs don;t seem to like it. there is an immediate response to it. it's great stuff.
Oh-it will have a bit of smell. no worries. also, don;t just throw the used leaves out-put them in the compost pile!
If you also grow nettles ( pick with gloves!) you have added fire for your compost or mulching for beds that need it. Try both on potatoes.
My goats love both and I try to treat them to a bit of both herbs from time to time.
This is the year I can finally split the comfrey plants again.they easily take hold-those deep roots just want to grow. nettles-i swear if you drop a few new-growth ends on soil, they will root.I'll put some down in my attempted permaculture (yams-good-daylilies good turnips failed skirret looks great)and later, may start some around the new apple trees.
Feed your plants often. you are using them to help other plants-you can throw the compost and manure at them! they love it!
Find a spot where you just can;t garden veggies and try the comfrey ( mine came from Richter's in Canada. great service)
and while you are at it, remember dock and dandelions can go in the compost too. other great mineral miners.
or as my saying of the year goes-plant deliberate weeds!
But I have found other uses. (it is now not recommended for internal use for humans but is a powerful medicinal herb)
I take a big handful of leaves and put them in a cut off milk jug, etc. add water-let sit in the sun for 2-3 days. you need to cut this tea by adding a few tablespoons to your watering can;it enhances growth especially in younger plants; bugs don;t seem to like it. there is an immediate response to it. it's great stuff.
Oh-it will have a bit of smell. no worries. also, don;t just throw the used leaves out-put them in the compost pile!
If you also grow nettles ( pick with gloves!) you have added fire for your compost or mulching for beds that need it. Try both on potatoes.
My goats love both and I try to treat them to a bit of both herbs from time to time.
This is the year I can finally split the comfrey plants again.they easily take hold-those deep roots just want to grow. nettles-i swear if you drop a few new-growth ends on soil, they will root.I'll put some down in my attempted permaculture (yams-good-daylilies good turnips failed skirret looks great)and later, may start some around the new apple trees.
Feed your plants often. you are using them to help other plants-you can throw the compost and manure at them! they love it!
Find a spot where you just can;t garden veggies and try the comfrey ( mine came from Richter's in Canada. great service)
and while you are at it, remember dock and dandelions can go in the compost too. other great mineral miners.
or as my saying of the year goes-plant deliberate weeds!
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Compost-the things we do.
Everyone tells you to do it, to compost. there are recipes and fancy things to buy.
I formed a windrow of manure and compost, side by side, along the tree line where it gets sun in winter and not in summer. easier to keep moist :) only 50 feet from the garden.I dig out the front of the goat pen during every warm period I can. In the summer, when they are out grazing, not so much to do.the old dog show mat-plastic, covers it. it lets in rain, it's recycled so not in the dump, it's getting a third life ( dog shows, base of greenhouse, now the compost pile)
kitchen garbage goes in what is left of a black box composter. the bottom level fell apart. so I removed it...it still works. keep the dogs out. every month or two in warm weather I dig out the bottom and move it to the big pile.Considering there is so much paper in it (paper towels with no chemicals and the paper coffee filters) I'm amazed at how fast it works.Egg shells, onion and garlic leavings. corn cobs and spent potatoes. you name it.this pile also gets spread among the tomatoes for the calcium content.when I kept tropical fish, I added the dirty fish water.
I have been adding some cut grass to the bigger pile-carefully-( the new scythe should make longer springier material, easier to add)all the garden trash, leaves get mixed in though I try to keep them separate ( I mow some and make a pile for the next spring veggies that like them-parsnips in our case)vines and stems;dead flower materials; non spreading weeds. but it still just barely keeping up with what I want to do.
the first time it happened, I was furious. having to shovel all the compost stuff back into the pile. and my white puppies were very black!And every once in a while, they;d drag the fake grass mat off and go to it again.
then I noticed something. when I put the pile back together;more and more of it was completely composted. what I waited months for was taking weeks! ( I dig into the bottom when I need compost for the garden)
it seems puppies as aerators really works!
so now, I am not so impatient with my little friends. ( they will be one in April; who knows if they will continue to "work" for me.)I am going to be adding minerals to the pile but I don;t suppose it'll hurt them.
sometimes just letting nature ( or puppies) just do what is supposed to,is all you need.
I formed a windrow of manure and compost, side by side, along the tree line where it gets sun in winter and not in summer. easier to keep moist :) only 50 feet from the garden.I dig out the front of the goat pen during every warm period I can. In the summer, when they are out grazing, not so much to do.the old dog show mat-plastic, covers it. it lets in rain, it's recycled so not in the dump, it's getting a third life ( dog shows, base of greenhouse, now the compost pile)
kitchen garbage goes in what is left of a black box composter. the bottom level fell apart. so I removed it...it still works. keep the dogs out. every month or two in warm weather I dig out the bottom and move it to the big pile.Considering there is so much paper in it (paper towels with no chemicals and the paper coffee filters) I'm amazed at how fast it works.Egg shells, onion and garlic leavings. corn cobs and spent potatoes. you name it.this pile also gets spread among the tomatoes for the calcium content.when I kept tropical fish, I added the dirty fish water.
I have been adding some cut grass to the bigger pile-carefully-( the new scythe should make longer springier material, easier to add)all the garden trash, leaves get mixed in though I try to keep them separate ( I mow some and make a pile for the next spring veggies that like them-parsnips in our case)vines and stems;dead flower materials; non spreading weeds. but it still just barely keeping up with what I want to do.
the first time it happened, I was furious. having to shovel all the compost stuff back into the pile. and my white puppies were very black!And every once in a while, they;d drag the fake grass mat off and go to it again.
then I noticed something. when I put the pile back together;more and more of it was completely composted. what I waited months for was taking weeks! ( I dig into the bottom when I need compost for the garden)
it seems puppies as aerators really works!
so now, I am not so impatient with my little friends. ( they will be one in April; who knows if they will continue to "work" for me.)I am going to be adding minerals to the pile but I don;t suppose it'll hurt them.
sometimes just letting nature ( or puppies) just do what is supposed to,is all you need.
Friday, January 1, 2010
Jerusalem artichokes
yup, they were impressive at 8 feet or whatever. and I used to grow the durned things as a screen from the road,20 years ago.huge plates of tubers to use as we wished too.
but i find them unwieldy, sunblocking, and the tubers not worth it. I am ripping them out as best I can ( oh well lots of compost material)
just because something is recommended ,doesn;t mean it works for you. if you don;t like it, don;t grow it!For instance, we like zucchini much better than yellow squash. so-I quit growing the obligatory yellow squash. Parsnips we like, carrots not so much. go figure.
After talking to a master gardener about it, I'm going to try some horseradish in that spot....(put gravel sand etc under them. no wet feet)
but i find them unwieldy, sunblocking, and the tubers not worth it. I am ripping them out as best I can ( oh well lots of compost material)
just because something is recommended ,doesn;t mean it works for you. if you don;t like it, don;t grow it!For instance, we like zucchini much better than yellow squash. so-I quit growing the obligatory yellow squash. Parsnips we like, carrots not so much. go figure.
After talking to a master gardener about it, I'm going to try some horseradish in that spot....(put gravel sand etc under them. no wet feet)
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