Still time!

Our ground is not yet frozen, so....i bought some Walking onions and multiplier onions....they go in the ground today. will spread them through the beds for great "onion smell" protection. i already made up a bucket of compost, lime and organic fertilizer. these dudes will wake up hungry in the spring, and they need the nutrients,and for the ground to be sweeter. way sweeter. good loose rich nutrient dense sweet soil. well, it;s a goal anyway!

I;m not happy with onion from seed, in our tough soil, so I am going back to the older method- multiplying onions... yup like shallots , or garlic. the walking onions set bulblets on top, which if the stalk falls over, will plant them selves. they walk! you can eat those bulblets, or dig up the cluster from the ground. of course, the idea would be to replant enough to keep you going/increase.some multipliers were famous pass along plants.( the tradition of starting off new couples or new neighbors with things for a new garden!)

you could also-spread more lime or wood ashes on your garden and flower beds...get your seed catalogs and start looking...get cardboard and leaves or strawand cover an area you want as a new bed next year. plenty of gardening still to be done!

Time to plant the garlic!

We have allowed the guineas to clean  the garden beds...put in lime, and now are allowing the leaves to build up.  a few turnips peas and garlic shoots are peeking out here and there- i wasn't as good about replanting the beds because the guineas were on them. but it should all be excellent next spring!

Besides the garlic bed- broadforked, limed and fertilized  compost added, and deeply covered with straw- and don't forget the guineas' contributions- i planted Music, Turkish Giant and my lovely Dugansky. all produce large bulbs.the extreme heat did make the garlic finish growing early this year....could happen next summer too. as we have had 2 such summers so far.So for me....eat what we grew and plant new. organically grown, no black stuff on the skins, i don;t bother with baking soda baths or sulfur anymore....the stuff grown here or ordered from organic growers is just a whole different beast from what you can normally buy.and if you have extras- just use it!

Home grown garlic is moist, garlicky, never a disappointment. worth putting some in just for the pretty , tall plants and scapes. the scapes are sharp flavored and great in recipes.If you miss some of the bulbs when you harvest, you, like me, will have green garlic shoots now. Pull them and use them too!

Truly,  my theory of more biomass seems to be correct. my compost pile is huge- and with little work on my part. chicken manure won;t get dug out until spring- deep bedding for the winter means chickens are clean and dry, and warmer...but that and some more goat manure will be ready for us in the spring too.It means more organics to put in the garden, which is on I think year seven, and except for needing lime and an organic fertlizer for mineral balance, free of outside additions.it's black now, not clay red. it maintained well even in the drought and 100 plus temps. I'm happy!

my fig tree has taken over my flower garden. i can pull out about half of what is growing in there- daylilies, lilies, phlox, jerusalem artichoke, obedient plant, yarrow and mints..but I'm not sure where to put it!

i got enough sweet potato tubers to grow houseplants for the winter and have lots of slips for the gardens. I love it as a ground cover, not just as a food item.

so now is the time to cover, clean and get ready...and start to dream of the plants and seeds you can order....plant a pot with lettuce and other salad foods, stick iti n a window... a promise of spring to come...

Ready for fall?

Have you started cleaning up beds yet? there is still plenty of time for another round of carrots, kale, arugula, lettuce,turnips,peas, brussel sprouts, cabbage and even potatoes.And if you spread them in mixed beds, it won;t even take a lot of room. the rest of the beds can be cleaned up, perhaps putting in a living mulch of turnips or oats or peas or whatever... or cleaned up to get ready for a layer of leaves or straw.

It turns out my mistakenly planted runner beans did a great job of covering the beds during the horrific heat. on the other hand the derecho storm managed to tear a large hole in the greenhouse, I'm going to cover the hole with greenhouse material...and use it for storing the live herbs etc- and not use it until it begins to warm up perhaps March or so.  if the winter is again mild we;ll have greens growing outside by then anyway,and put off buying a new greenhouse until next year.

the garlic bed must remain empty until we are ready to plant, but that doesn;t mean the guineas in their chicken tractor can;t work on it- eating bugs and weed seed... or that layers of compost and well aged manure, lime and minerals, cannot be spread.

The chickens are in their new home, made from a dog run( and laid on a bed of chain link, tied tightly with plastic ties) and top covered with chicken wire ..garden fence- tough, different mesh size than chain link, so makes a lovely outer skin, easier to put in than a round of hardwire along the inside, our other idea).necessary with the number of foxes coyotes dogs hawks owls and yes even possums and weasels we have here.), until we get more chicken tractors built.( that's Geena playing with them..we use lots of mulch materials...it's quite clean.later they will get up to 18 inches of leaves!) I have not enclosed the pen entirely' only a corner , the top and the back. I can drop in more tarps if it gets bitter cold, but they do so much better with fresh air, even in the cold.Point is, you don;t have to be a carpenter to make sound housing for a few chicken

And I hope the faverolles at least will keep on laying into winter. the americanas and guineas will quit at some point..I don;t wish to use lights.

Perhaps allowing the rest for the winter is for the best, the price of feed is set to absolutely soar this winter.After they molt, perhaps they won;t need as much protein or feed. I already have alternatives in mind.

right now, I can give them earthworms several times a week, once a week I boil up extra eggs and feed them crushed. shell and all. I can get dried mealworms at any bird seed store; we may consider that. other sources of protein- oatmeal or the like,boiled potatoes.. of course cool it off a bit. Bird seed mixed in with chicken feed...the millet and sunflower seeds are favorites..whole pumpkins, feeding the seeds raw and the meat and skins ( we like to use pumpkin so it may just be excess- but i can cook whole ones too) I'm gathering the green acorns into mesh onion bags- the goats get the main harvest raked off the yard, but  acorns, once dried to that lovely brown color and crushed, are excellent food.Just a handful at a time ( people are scared of overfeeding- think it is poison. I've never had a problem)

Every handful of weeds goes to the chickens, and once I begin buying alfalfa hay for the goats, they;ll get some of that too.If I make cheese, the whey will go to the chickens instead of the dogs.all veggie chicken scraps can go to the chickens ( I'm still too grossed out to feed them animal protein). It;s time to put Harvey Ussery;s excellent ideas into practice ( check out Amazon or Old Mother Earth News for his chicken book).he;s right- the world of politics weather and biosecurity are so changeable- grow your own seems like a fine practice.

Which is why I mentioned the fall garden you can grow a lot of fresh food for your family, in a limited space. Dry those herbs- or freeze them ( I pull out all stems....only freeze leaves) take the rest of your fruits, make jam or freeze or can. put up those excess tomatoes in some fashion, and if you have zucchini- freeze it, it can feed the chickens too if you don;t like it!Okra slices can be frozen for your soups or gumbos. all of these things, tiny though they seem, can help and be better for you!Or buy some good vinegar and use your lovely herbs to make gifts for friends!

Biomass

I seem to have much more to put in the garden compost pile. I still use the garden compost pile- to keep the dogs out of more tasty things..and then take the mounds over and put in the garden pile once well rotted.

I salvage very flower we pick , every eggs shell, all the coffee grounds....I think everything that can be used to up our hummus level does not belong in the dump. I pile up the goat manure ( the guineas are fertilizing as they go) and still have chicken manure mixed in. that goes on newly cleared beds; or mixed with some compost to keep the humus level up where things are growing.

I have green beans coming, by the handful..so I pick the handfuls, when they are perfect, and rinse them and put them in the crisper wrapped in a paper towel ( paper towels go in the compost too) I highly suggest picking all of your storage veggies, whether frozen or canned, as they are ready. put on the pot to blanch  them or can them while you cook dinner. so it;s only a package or two, or can or two, at a time. don;t you deserve perfect produce? and not overheating the kitchen trying to do everything in one day?

another thing i have noticed- I have amped the soil to frenzy, and I have to make sure water levels keep up. hasn;t been much of a problem, but i want to keep the lovely lettuce and carrots and tomatoes and beans and pumpkins going full tilt.the worms need the water as much as the plants.

it's also meant using a lot of cardboard to keep the lanes clear. the weeds are also happy- but in such loose soil, easy to pull.uses up cardboard instead of it going to the dump. yippee!

 I do have to keep up with lime and a mixed organic mineral blend- not 100 percent sure we are up to  par on that yet.But we are obviously getting close ( not on the lime- with this acid soil, that will be a constant...)

so the word that sums it all up is- biomass. treating the garden as a jungle, with mixed species, total soil coverage, and watching the massive amounts of leaves and fruits produced. all of this will further deepen the soil, so whether leaving it to rot, or moving it to the compost pile, we'll keep that lovely solar energy produced goodness for another year.,

Biomass, if you don;t have it yet, import it. use the lasagna technique, cardboard, compost, minerals, leaves, paper, straw, manure- build it to 18 inches thick. plant lightly until it is all eaten in the soil- then plant heavy., Mix it up, move plants around, Mix in flowers. Mix veggies into flower beds! get pots going( more controlled soil- for the stuff you think you can't grow- potatoes, carrots, etc). put something else in- flowers? herbs? to fill up the pots and protect the soil.

it becomes a feast for the eyes as well as the table, a home to insects to keep things in check ( the japanese beetles found the beans...I need to get some wet and feed to the guineas.) add some form of animal life to your garden. toad houses, bird feeders, bat houses, chickens,. goats......"borrow" the manure from a horse farm.

And when the biomass gets to the right point, like a forest or jungle, your garden will thrive, it will be like-nature did it all and you get to wander through and pick your herbs and flowers and veggies with almost no work.,.

Overabundance

I planted pole beans instead of bush beans. not sure how that happened. they are running over the tomato cages, tangling in the beds- neat!So thick I have been hacking them back so the tomatoes ( which have many many tomatoes setting) get enough sun.

the turnips were so enthusiastic, I learned to make turnip pickles. Mind you, I've never gotten an edible sized root from the things; just used them as ground cover. now I have a bunch to give away..I pull them and let the leaves stay as mulch....

Every few days we pull enough carrots, lettuce and onions for salad or other meals. I never grew carrots before.Herbs are off the charts. We have anything we want to cook with.I might start drying dill weed and things.

the parsnips are thigh high. that;s new too.

We have one type of basil with leaves so large, you could do small wraps with them. I've grown a lot of basil, but this year, the stuff is incredible.

the back flower garden,started in soil so bad, white chalky stuff no topsoil at all, I threw in mint as a ground cover and only bothered with compost where I dug holes to plant things- most died during the first years....is so thick, with the fig tree, hibiscus, lilies obedient plant phlox tomatoes and mint, you cannot see the ground at all.

Not all of this is due to an early spring ( I took a lot of chances planting early..it paid off) or compost or  manure, or guineas working the ground. some of it just seems to be- everything coming together.No pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. lots of good mineral supplements and lime. Lots of compost ( cuttings trimmings coffee and coffee filters, egg shells... you name it)I've whacked the nettles for compost-twice and the comfrey-once.

And I found honey bees working the pumpkins yesterday. the first in two years

We have more songbirds, new types ( like Baltimore orioles) and more grass growing where the goat's persistence in eating shrubs is finally paying off.

All I'm saying is, with more intelligent planning, you could have garden beds thriving in far less time than six years. and that- polyculture with your veggies, mixing up flowers in the veggie beds and veggies in the flower beds- it does work!

New use for guinea hens?

The guineas live in a portable shelter. which is what saved them when the chickens were attacked ( coyotes we think) Guineas eat insects, don;t scratch as much as chickens. and they are FUNNY.They do lay eggs- smaller and denser than chicken eggs, quite yummy...but these have not started yet.

Mine seem much more vegetarian than I was told. they love weeds, grass and leafies from the garden. i actually thought they would help us control ticks. oh well.Maybe they will!

they spent the winter on the garden beds.While weed reduction isn't great (chickens would have eaten more seed I think) they did a bit of fertilizing. but when I realized they were taking the turf to the ground, once on the backyard...I had an idea.

We have not fertilized or put poisons out on our yards- for years. one of our biggest problems- besides weeds, which I spent all last summer pulling and giving the chickens- is moles. we must have hundreds of them...mole trails all over the property. and yes, they eat grubs and other insects..but voles follow the trails in and eat your plants. Missing lilies problem- solved.Well, guineas eat insects too....

As the guineas clear an area ( one day for the 8 ft by 4 ft pen,3 guineas) and I pull it to the next, I lay down a bit of the straw ( comes in plastic bales,,,says-"with tack". perfect for seedlings including grass,not for animal bedding, I don;t think.) and sprinkle on a little good grass seed ( sun and shade) Bruce won;t mow it- he can see the straw, and it's all so short , where they have been, it doesn;t need mowing anyway! They have left behind a bit of poo for fertilizer, eaten the weed seeds--can;t get much better than that!

i'll have to update as the grass really begins to take off..but I have happy fat guineas, and the possibility of a decent lawn. that sounds good to me!

Polyculture veggie beds

it's all happening at once- radishes and lettuce, spring onions, turnips, and herbs. next up- peas ( and maybe a few new potatoes). it really works!

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Spring- and summer- and spring again

Well, was hot. then it was dry for weeks. finally some rain and far cooler weather. I worried, but everything is growing just fine. I am glad I took a chance and planted early ( last frost date here May 5 to May 15 depending on what schedule you find)

I'm picking radishes- lots of them. and we are eating lovely lettuce. Swiss chard won;t be much longer.

I don;t take the radish greens to the compost pile. I simply lay it on any bare spot in the poly-culture beds. We;ve worked to build great soil- the critters can make compost for you right in place!why move it around?

We did have to apply some NEEM to the apple trees. saw a few fungusy spots. they seem fine now.

We supplied tomatoes plants for 5 families, basil plants for 4, and gave a ton of heirloom seed to yet another. it is such a simple thing- to grow a few extra plants- costs you nothing...helps all of us.

Water, water

Maybe it's the early heat or the lack of rain that has caused me to have to think..or the decisions...hold the tomatoes another week? wait to make sure there are no more 35 degree nights? hm.( they;ll be 2- 3 weeks ahead of schedule- the lettuce and radishes and carrots- a month early. not complaining here. covered everything 2 nights so far. no damage.)

You know baby plants need regular water at least in the first few weeks, and at least in the top layer, to set their little roots. no playing games with making them drought proof, by only watering once a week... ( and that;s why the grass didn;t come up the last time you threw out grass seed, right? 21 days of water-who could stand it)

You know as the plants get bigger, they shade the ground more, they send their roots deeper, and the 1 inch per week rule seems to work.

And if you have enriched the beds organically, with manure and compost, you know the ground will hold water better.

But what occurred to me is..if I'm not watering the prepared beds, even without seeds or plants..what is happening to all that underground life I have encouraged....earthworms, fungi, etc. don;t they need water too?Aren;t they baked by the sun, dried by the wind?

And if organically rich soil holds water better...doesn;t it need more water to be properly life supporting?

Hm. proper soil should be just like cake crumbs if you pick some up- not too dry not soaking wet."misting" seedlings aint gonna do that.I want it as moist as it was when I first broadforked it.....

If the mulch had been left in place, it wouldn;t be so severe a problem.but I had planting and broadforking to do- wasn;t going to waste a month of above average temps.

And even if you have to pay for water ( we don;t) I would submit-keeping those beds in shape....will pay off later when it is so hot but the garden is well established. That is, get the moisture up now while temps are in your favor, and it'll be far less watering to keep it up in June and July, and who knows, by then maybe we;ll be getting rain again.

How do you know how much is enough? I use the method proposed by some organic gardeners who only water 15 minutes at a time, with a good tall legged waterer ( mine broke, the next one the deer ran over..I'm down to a nozzle and the hose....) twice or more a day. no, I don;t water twice a day. it's once a day now and I hope to back off to every other day after the next rain. which MIGHT be this weekend.

I use my little nozzle, a bit misty so as not to turn seedlings over...but strong enough to sweep at least one bed at a time with a gentle back and forth motion.( mine are ten feet long). I spend about ten minutes on each bed ( holy cow? yeah. holy cow)  I wait until the shiny look ( not standing water but where there is that little bit on the surface)  holds for 15seconds. Ok if your nerves can;t stand it, ten seconds.go and check it every day.After a week of keeping your beds up, seeing those tomatoes or corn plants growing there, in your mind;s eye-stick your hand in the soil. see how far down the properly moist soil goes. Actually I think you;ll be surprised by how good it really is. if still dry-well...you are going to have to spend at least a day or two really deep watering. or praying for rain.

given enough water, you will see plant growth explode even in cool conditions..the earthworms will be busy tunneling....things will be happening. Even though you can;t see it.

Simple rules

I am watching the garden come to life- weeks early this year. It has reminded me of simple rules to get everything going.

1.cover every bit of ground. that means no more rows or bare spaces. use cover crops. use mulches. use the leaves in the fall. and watch the earthworm population explode
2. stop tilling., use those cover crops, deep mulch, lasagna gardening ( layers of newspaper, compost, straw, etc to cover deeply). Broadfork when needed.
3.no more blocks of veggies. interplant, polyculture, weave plants in and out...and then just throw the extra herb seed around everywhere. pull them for the compost pile if they get in the way.
4. deep raised beds or hods work better than having an entire area bare. pile it up- put newspaper or mulch down in your paths. or- clover, add some nitrogen while you make nice footpaths!
5. fruit trees love extras under them too. and flowers and comfrey are prettier than bark mulch,.chop up what you can several times a season and lay it on to help build the mulching ( natural) under the trees.Berries, currents, horseradish, can go in the spaces between the trees. and clover is better than grass.


from my facebook, yesterday...

the garden soil is FANTASTIC this year.Black for 6 inches down( started with a nasty mix of clay and builders dregs)...finding earthworms, as I broadfork, a foot down...we always leave leaves on the beds in the fall, plant turnips or the like to help hold soil (they are rotted now) add lime,and extra fireplace ashes- twice a year is best- and I did move the guinea hen pen all over the place this winter.the troughs for the potatoes-also look good. that area was polycultured for 2 years...was clay before that.. I am finding major soil building has happened in the last year (well, it only took- 6 years!).We add as much goat manure and compost as we have (all manure for pumpkins and all compost for potatoes)..and if I get busy we can add some chicken manure. and a light coating of Espoma Plant tone..just in case anything is missing ( we have in years past used mixed minerals rock phosphate and greensand)

all turned beds have peas or green beans( yeah I know- but it's hot outside) holding soil for later plants and adding nitrogen!

i guess soil is like plants- first they sleep then they creep then they leap...I'm kinda excited! besides having 6 weeks head start...and enough dry days for sun...the more we pack in the better the plants will hold even if the summer is very very hot.

Seed planting

Yes, I continue to use the soil blocks- and love it. But I saw Burpee self watering trays and thought I would try them. Might be perfect for starting tomatoes.

I found the units clumsy to open; you have to layer the pieces, set the little discs upright in each container. and put water up to the rim in the bottom.

well, that was messy. the discs did not fully expand in some cells. Added potting mix.Added seeds. Put on tops ( not tight-another minus in my book) filled out the papers to show you what you planted ( and THEN what do you do? not attached to anything!)

Spilled more water taking them back to the grow light.

all I can say is- even using potting soil/compost after this....not the lousy burpee peat mix- this really is not much of a helper for seed planting.

Buy a 2 inch soil blocker instead.,

Plant those seeds!

I guess you;ve noticed too- it's been a mild winter. Our co-op already has onion sets and potato starts.I worry the berries won;t-berry this year. no cold temps. but- the hellebores are blooming 2 months early and there are buds swelling on most of the trees.

I think a month is too early to depend on warm spring temps; my advice is- plant your seeds 2 weeks earlier and hope you have a place to hold them if April turns cool. the potatoes put in St Patrick;s day or Easter week should be fine....the main things that can;t get cold are tomatoes, peppers,sweet potatoes, and pumpkins and squash.

if you really have the urge ( and planting indoors doesn;t work to lower the gardening frenzy) try peas, cilantro, parsley, and parsnips. I don;t want to plant- I need to broadfork and add lime. and it's way too wet.Let the guineas keep fertilizing those garden beds!

Remember those soil blocks...you are packing a punch with adding good stuff to the beds when you plant ( a whole cube of compressed materials with each plant) as well as giving  the plastic a rest.