Updates:
Cabbage bed is filling up, and running out of room, lower leaves that rest on the ground are showing 2-3 aphids, so I have been removing them and putting them on the fire pit. Chamomile is developing lush foliage but no flowers yet. Everything looks healthy and strong.
Sweet potatoes still have not recovered the massive amounts of disease from the feed store. I may have to replace them if possible. I also am trying to root a pineapple plant in that bed. Compared to all the others, it looks pretty barren.
The lettuce bed is filling in nicely and we are pulling heads out pretty regularly. The radishes have almost all been eaten out and the carrots are filling in completely. Even the lemongrass has sprouted and is growing and looks hardy.
We have 20-25 immature strawberries growing in right now, and the thyme and garlic seem right at home. We are still fighting black spot, though. The organic powder did nothing for them. I need to fertilize them soon.
The tomatoes are growing in well and seem healthy. Some are flowering, giving me hopes of an early crop! :) They are all caged and supported and no pests are to be seen.
The peppers are still getting bigger. One bell pepper has a small pepper on it, but quite a few have numerous flower buds that haven't blossomed yet. I still fell like they are pretty little, though, and am not sure that they are big enough to handle that weight. But we will see! I also threw in a tabasco pepper to finish things off. (there is still a tray of pepper seedlings in there, seeing who will survive)
The okra had to be replaced as it looked diseased, and I ended up buying more than I needed because of the size of the packs. Any way, they have developed a couple more true leaves, which is optimistic. The tomatillos are both in flower, and I divided the eggplant leaving us with 3 Ichiban eggplant plants, and 4 Black Beauty (Italian) eggplant. They seem small, but the garden has a way of surprising me with shocking growth overnight.
The potato bed is starting to look overgrown. There is lots of dense foliage, and small alyssum flowers poking through covering the ground. I am waiting for one to start flowering, so we can have new potatoes. I would love to have them for Easter!! There are no signs of blight, and the cilantro is getting huge. I dug the blighted plant up and removed the small blue tubers and re-buried them in their old spot. My grow, may do nothing. We will see. I don't water this bed at all anymore and it looks like it is better for it.
The broccoli/onion bed is in a state of transition. The radishes are almost gone, and the carrots are coming in. We cut the central heads off the 4 broccoli plants. They were small, but the heads were growing less dense, and I was afraid the flower buds would start opening. (They were delicious). Either way, they are developing many little side-shoots. And I will be able to move the broccoli plants from the cabbage bed over once those shoots are harvested. Then I hope to get a second (and hopefully third) harvest of broccoli. I had to use one onion for a recipe, so we are now one short. And about 4 of them didn't sprout. I think it should be enough, though. If not, this bed may require revision for next year.
The corn is getting big, and I would venture to say has reached 18-20" tall. I love it. Everything is planted and sprouting. I will try to take pictures soon. The peas and (a few) beans are flowering, hopefully signaling the beginning of a harvest season. I also placed a butternut squash, a peanut plant, and stevia in some open areas in the area. A pantyhose cap will be placed on the sunflower to prevent the seeds from scattering once they get fertilized and start to form. We have lots of little sprouts. And I bought some pickling cucumbers hoping that will make a difference in how our pickles turn out his year. No more signs of aphids here, but we do see a lot of ladybugs around the garden, so I am sure that they don't want to be here.
Will try to update on the perennial perimeter soon!!
P.S. I discovered a sprinkler head buried under the sod! Now I can get water delivered automatically from 2 sides of the garden. :)
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Done With the Dirt, For Now...
So the rest of the dirt is in the corn bed, and the bed is planted. It was pretty windy, however, and a tray of our seedlings got knocked over, and mixed up. So for now, they are all planted in the ground and will be transplanted once I know what they are.
I replanted the okra, I know it's late, but I am hoping that we can still make it. (It is a hot-weather crop, you know.)
I started a business page for the Homestead on Facebook, and wrote City Roots about an internship. I am hoping to generate some interest (and hopefully some money) so I can continue to build the Homestead. I am hoping to find someone to design us a website.
I think we have a lot to offer to the community, and right now I am charged to do that. I had to scale back my hours at the Grill because I can't afford the childcare costs. So, hopefully this is some divine direction to stay home and build this.
I am sure that Richard (and my Mom even moreso) are going to be worried about the scale to which I am pushing this. But my thoughts are that for me to really plug myself into thismovement, I have to be out there. And beyond that, if I fail, I fail. I will live and so will they. But if I don't fail, this could be such a blessing for both us and the community. And you and I both know that I need to be out in the community slightly more than I am.
I figure, that yes, you may be more likely to fail, the bigger your dream. But is it worth it to settle? I am just going to push this as far as it will go, and then be happy with whatever the outcomemay be. I am not doing it for money, or fame, or success. I believe in the Homestead movement, and in sustainability. I will continue to do it whether it is successful or not.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Minor standstill
I am starting to realize how rarely I am able to post with everything going on in life, but I will try to keep you guys as up to speed as I can. Posts probably will be once a week at best. Most likely once or twice a month or so.
So, we got dirt last Monday (a week ago) and it is only half dispersed. I lost a packet of black bean seeds because I started soaking them the night before, thinking we would get it knocked out like we did before.
I ended up having to buy a couple packs of ladybugs because I noticed black bean aphids all over our lima beans. They're gone now though (both the aphids and the ladybugs).
We also had to use a copper fungicide (still organic from what I read) because I started noticing signs of blight on the largest blue potato plant. I pulled it and repotted it separately (in case I can save it). I also noticed back spot on a few strawberry leaves. But hopefully this will treat the problem.
We have harvested a couple heads of lettuce, out of plants that were planted too closely together for their mature size. It was about 4 salads worth. And they were tasty! We have also thinned a couple radishes that Zen got ahold of. (There are radishes everywhere)
We got a blackberry bush and Concord grape vine. Now all we need is sweet potatoes, hot peppers, and blueberries. (and a fruit cocktail tree)
Things are doing well and growing strong for the most part, and our broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages make me smile. They are so big and strong.
The last few days, I have been polishing our routines for the houehold binder. That and worksheets to track our harvest yields, although we will be short a couple salads ;)
I will try to get a garden walkthrough done this week. If I can I will post pictures this evening, despite the wether being cold and drizzly.
So, we got dirt last Monday (a week ago) and it is only half dispersed. I lost a packet of black bean seeds because I started soaking them the night before, thinking we would get it knocked out like we did before.
I ended up having to buy a couple packs of ladybugs because I noticed black bean aphids all over our lima beans. They're gone now though (both the aphids and the ladybugs).
We also had to use a copper fungicide (still organic from what I read) because I started noticing signs of blight on the largest blue potato plant. I pulled it and repotted it separately (in case I can save it). I also noticed back spot on a few strawberry leaves. But hopefully this will treat the problem.
We have harvested a couple heads of lettuce, out of plants that were planted too closely together for their mature size. It was about 4 salads worth. And they were tasty! We have also thinned a couple radishes that Zen got ahold of. (There are radishes everywhere)
We got a blackberry bush and Concord grape vine. Now all we need is sweet potatoes, hot peppers, and blueberries. (and a fruit cocktail tree)
Things are doing well and growing strong for the most part, and our broccoli, cauliflower and cabbages make me smile. They are so big and strong.
The last few days, I have been polishing our routines for the houehold binder. That and worksheets to track our harvest yields, although we will be short a couple salads ;)
I will try to get a garden walkthrough done this week. If I can I will post pictures this evening, despite the wether being cold and drizzly.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
daffodils are blooming
So, I failed slightly at sticking with one new skill per year. In the last month I took up soap making and chocolate making. I justified it of course, by the honey-buns called me on it. So, I have let those go, despite selling about 10 bars of soap out of approx 12 made. But I will refine it at a later point in life.
We will be getting another load of soil on Friday, so it will be a big planting day. And I have come to the realization that, for now, I suck at seed starting. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I think I put them out early because they have inadequate light inside. But they aren't big enough to handle the cold, so they die. We will have to buy pretty much all of our plants at the garden center. I am not happy about it, but I will keep this in mind for next year, and try to correct it. I also think that I, quite possibly, started things too early and set them up to fail.
Anyway, recent plant purchases include:
-a Columbine (with the Rocky Mountain coloring) as a tribute to home
-a rabbiteye blueberry bush
-a mystery strawberry plant with the flower growing on its own stalk about 4 inches off the ground
-2 jalapeno plants
-a bell pepper plant
-cilantro, thyme, rosemary, oregano
-a red snacking grape
Recent sowings include: some climbing nasturtiums by the bleeding hearts, lavender along the back fence, dill in the asparagus plots, corn, curcurbits and beans in the half of the corn bed that has dirt, and chamomile in the cabbage bed.
Zen got ahold of some cantaloupe seeds (and radish too, apparently) and the same seeds I am struggling to keep alive are sprouting by the tens through the cracks in the patio. And I am finding radishes everywhere.
The narcissus and the daffodils are blooming, which according to old wives tale means it is time to plant the corn. Surprisingly I have been seeing corn in garden areas at Wal-Mart, Lowe's, etc. I have never seen corn in these settings before. I know that on Friday or Saturday I will be going on a slight shopping spree, to plant all the beds that will be full at that point.
Happy planting and lots of sunshine to you!!!
We will be getting another load of soil on Friday, so it will be a big planting day. And I have come to the realization that, for now, I suck at seed starting. I am not sure what I am doing wrong. I think I put them out early because they have inadequate light inside. But they aren't big enough to handle the cold, so they die. We will have to buy pretty much all of our plants at the garden center. I am not happy about it, but I will keep this in mind for next year, and try to correct it. I also think that I, quite possibly, started things too early and set them up to fail.
Anyway, recent plant purchases include:
-a Columbine (with the Rocky Mountain coloring) as a tribute to home
-a rabbiteye blueberry bush
-a mystery strawberry plant with the flower growing on its own stalk about 4 inches off the ground
-2 jalapeno plants
-a bell pepper plant
-cilantro, thyme, rosemary, oregano
-a red snacking grape
Recent sowings include: some climbing nasturtiums by the bleeding hearts, lavender along the back fence, dill in the asparagus plots, corn, curcurbits and beans in the half of the corn bed that has dirt, and chamomile in the cabbage bed.
Zen got ahold of some cantaloupe seeds (and radish too, apparently) and the same seeds I am struggling to keep alive are sprouting by the tens through the cracks in the patio. And I am finding radishes everywhere.
The narcissus and the daffodils are blooming, which according to old wives tale means it is time to plant the corn. Surprisingly I have been seeing corn in garden areas at Wal-Mart, Lowe's, etc. I have never seen corn in these settings before. I know that on Friday or Saturday I will be going on a slight shopping spree, to plant all the beds that will be full at that point.
Happy planting and lots of sunshine to you!!!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Garden Walk
Some pictures were posted yesterday that show the overview of the garden.
FRONT YARD
By the mailbox, the peony is a deep, burgundy red and about 8 inches tall. We have some pink and vanilla gerber daisies, pansies, sweet pea and violas around the mailbox as well. The spring bulbs are starting to poke through the ground. We have daffodils, freesia, ranoculous, muscari, narcissus, and one blue hyacinth. I divided the tulips, and replanted them, although I doubt we will see them again this summer. Up along the front porch we have a latham and a heritage raspberry, as well as a amber gold raspberry. The heritage are leafing really well. The yellow has me worried, because the one leaf is dry and withered (even though I know it isn't lacking moisture). The bumblebee-attracting flower seed mix is growing well in the front bed as well. Some of the flowers are 4-6 inches tall already. Okay, not flowers yet, but the leaf spread that will someday have flowers as well. We have 4 horseradish roots in a container that gets moved around to get moisture easily.
The peppermint plant got moved out to the side bed, to take advantage of the lovely weather we have been having. I hope to encourage significant root growth, so it can spend energy reproducing and spreading this spring. I see buds on our lilac, indicating that come spring we should see new growth. Our hydrangeas are showing nice, healthy growth of leaves and buds at ground level. (They were pretty heavily pruned this winter) I don't see any evidence of the money plant germinating yet.
BACK YARD
The beds are all built, but keeping them lined is a pain in the butt. The newspaper dries out, and when I get home, it is blowing all over the yard. Hopefully we will get some dirt this weekend and it will hold the newspaper down. Anyway, the apple tree is alive, but it has reddening and drying of the outer edge of the leaves. The garlic around it is doing really well. I fertilized all the fruit trees today with Citrus-tone, which is an organic fertilizer for fruit and nut trees by Espoma. I love that brand!! I buy it almost exclusively for fertilizing purposes.
The bleeding hearts burst into bloom last night, with tiny little hearts on one branch. I was so excited that I dragged Richard outside in his PJs to go see, even though I know he could not care less.
I pulled up the (dead) plum tree, and will include it in the refund package from Burgess. (If I ever get ahold of them, that is). But the garlic that was planted around them are all up and doing well.
The blueberry patch is undergoing extensive amendments. I pulled up the pine needles and (on the advice of the Clemson Cooperative Extension) sprayed it with a solution of aluminum sulfate, which is supposed to be fast-acting. I will repeat the process again tomorrow too. Once the soil is at a high 5 pH, I will buy another couple blueberry bushes. After a couple months when the soil sulfur kicks in, it will drop it slightly more, so I don't want to overdo it. The best varieties to buy for our area are the rabbiteye blueberries (Clemson extension). So, I will watch out at Woodley's for those when we do our plant shopping.
The strawberries are doing well after being cut back. They all look green and healthy. And there are 4 garlic plants mysteriously growing in with them. Also in the strawberry bed are a few early pea plants. Just to hold impatient me over until Spring. :) And a healthy-looking baby hollyhock is hanging out in that area as well.
The compost heap is still sitting there reminding me of the horrible compost failure this last year. I am about half done shifting it into the beds. But it sucks, so I am ignoring it for now. The venus fly traps I think are gone for good as a result of trying to move the compost bin, and its contents.
I supplemented the asparagus plots with 3 new Jersey Knight crowns. No shoots yet, but it is only February.
The cherry tree looks dead, but I know it is not because the trunks are definitely green. Plants that are dormant can be deceiving. I can't wait until spring when it starts blooming! I love cherry blossoms!!!
The honeysuckle is still in its dormancy, so I haven't seen any new growth yet. The tangerine was dead so it got pulled up. Amazingly, the lemon and lime are still alive!! After a winter outside unprotected. We will see how they do over the course of the spring and summer. If they don't grow, though, they will get pulled up. The lavender is still little. All three plants seem to be alive though. I replaced the rhubarb with 2 new crowns, which are getting pretty big.
The pear tree still has bunches of green leaves at its base. It is definitely alive, and I hope it will grow rapidly this summer. Our grafted trees definitely seem to be the most vigorous trees we have.
CONTAINERS OUTSIDE
Right now we have a bunch of seedlings that are hanging out outside pretty much all day and night. They would be planted out except that there's no dirt in the beds. We have some bell peppers, cauliflower, peppers, popcorn, one of each of the potatoes, Swiss chard, some lettuce...
INSIDE
We have 5 flats of seedlings in the living room, as well as our seed potatoes that are chitting. The seedlings seem to be doing really well in there, and we have even moved things out of the trays already. I am psyched because we have 2 luffa sponge plants that have sprouted. I don't know why but I had this feeling like it wouldn't really work. Like some obstacle would come up that would make it so I don't get to grow luffs. Upstairs we have a tray of tomatoes and peppers, as well as more of our curcurbit seedlings, peppermint, echinacea, chives, stevia, more peppers, and broccoli. I am excited because one of our peanuts just pushed through today as well. I will use these trays every year. They are wonderful!! I am a little bothered though, because some of our seedlings are pretty leggy. We have cantaloupe plants that are close to a foot tall. We have to rotate the trays, and switch their locations to keep them from growing crooked. They turn their heads toward the window like this every day. Also, I found seeds for German chamomile and globe artichokes. They have both been sown, but only the chamomile has germinated at this point.
MODIFICATIONS
I can't think of anything that stands out as needing to be modified.
TASKS
The biggest thing that needs to get done is that the beds need to be filled. Gardening is largely at a standstill at this point until we get soil in the beds. Secondary to that, some kind of trellis system needs to get put in place along the fence for the climbing flowers. I decided that I will drive the posts for the beans into the ground now, and fill the dirt in around them so that they are securely anchored. (We also added black beans to the roster too, I am unstoppable)...
BIGGEST JOYS
The bleeding heart makes my soul just incurably joyful. The trays of seedlings are full of hope and possibility and I love to see how much they've grown just since the day before. I cannot wait until Spring!!
FRONT YARD
By the mailbox, the peony is a deep, burgundy red and about 8 inches tall. We have some pink and vanilla gerber daisies, pansies, sweet pea and violas around the mailbox as well. The spring bulbs are starting to poke through the ground. We have daffodils, freesia, ranoculous, muscari, narcissus, and one blue hyacinth. I divided the tulips, and replanted them, although I doubt we will see them again this summer. Up along the front porch we have a latham and a heritage raspberry, as well as a amber gold raspberry. The heritage are leafing really well. The yellow has me worried, because the one leaf is dry and withered (even though I know it isn't lacking moisture). The bumblebee-attracting flower seed mix is growing well in the front bed as well. Some of the flowers are 4-6 inches tall already. Okay, not flowers yet, but the leaf spread that will someday have flowers as well. We have 4 horseradish roots in a container that gets moved around to get moisture easily.
The peppermint plant got moved out to the side bed, to take advantage of the lovely weather we have been having. I hope to encourage significant root growth, so it can spend energy reproducing and spreading this spring. I see buds on our lilac, indicating that come spring we should see new growth. Our hydrangeas are showing nice, healthy growth of leaves and buds at ground level. (They were pretty heavily pruned this winter) I don't see any evidence of the money plant germinating yet.
BACK YARD
The beds are all built, but keeping them lined is a pain in the butt. The newspaper dries out, and when I get home, it is blowing all over the yard. Hopefully we will get some dirt this weekend and it will hold the newspaper down. Anyway, the apple tree is alive, but it has reddening and drying of the outer edge of the leaves. The garlic around it is doing really well. I fertilized all the fruit trees today with Citrus-tone, which is an organic fertilizer for fruit and nut trees by Espoma. I love that brand!! I buy it almost exclusively for fertilizing purposes.
The bleeding hearts burst into bloom last night, with tiny little hearts on one branch. I was so excited that I dragged Richard outside in his PJs to go see, even though I know he could not care less.
I pulled up the (dead) plum tree, and will include it in the refund package from Burgess. (If I ever get ahold of them, that is). But the garlic that was planted around them are all up and doing well.
The blueberry patch is undergoing extensive amendments. I pulled up the pine needles and (on the advice of the Clemson Cooperative Extension) sprayed it with a solution of aluminum sulfate, which is supposed to be fast-acting. I will repeat the process again tomorrow too. Once the soil is at a high 5 pH, I will buy another couple blueberry bushes. After a couple months when the soil sulfur kicks in, it will drop it slightly more, so I don't want to overdo it. The best varieties to buy for our area are the rabbiteye blueberries (Clemson extension). So, I will watch out at Woodley's for those when we do our plant shopping.
The strawberries are doing well after being cut back. They all look green and healthy. And there are 4 garlic plants mysteriously growing in with them. Also in the strawberry bed are a few early pea plants. Just to hold impatient me over until Spring. :) And a healthy-looking baby hollyhock is hanging out in that area as well.
The compost heap is still sitting there reminding me of the horrible compost failure this last year. I am about half done shifting it into the beds. But it sucks, so I am ignoring it for now. The venus fly traps I think are gone for good as a result of trying to move the compost bin, and its contents.
I supplemented the asparagus plots with 3 new Jersey Knight crowns. No shoots yet, but it is only February.
The cherry tree looks dead, but I know it is not because the trunks are definitely green. Plants that are dormant can be deceiving. I can't wait until spring when it starts blooming! I love cherry blossoms!!!
The honeysuckle is still in its dormancy, so I haven't seen any new growth yet. The tangerine was dead so it got pulled up. Amazingly, the lemon and lime are still alive!! After a winter outside unprotected. We will see how they do over the course of the spring and summer. If they don't grow, though, they will get pulled up. The lavender is still little. All three plants seem to be alive though. I replaced the rhubarb with 2 new crowns, which are getting pretty big.
The pear tree still has bunches of green leaves at its base. It is definitely alive, and I hope it will grow rapidly this summer. Our grafted trees definitely seem to be the most vigorous trees we have.
CONTAINERS OUTSIDE
Right now we have a bunch of seedlings that are hanging out outside pretty much all day and night. They would be planted out except that there's no dirt in the beds. We have some bell peppers, cauliflower, peppers, popcorn, one of each of the potatoes, Swiss chard, some lettuce...
INSIDE
We have 5 flats of seedlings in the living room, as well as our seed potatoes that are chitting. The seedlings seem to be doing really well in there, and we have even moved things out of the trays already. I am psyched because we have 2 luffa sponge plants that have sprouted. I don't know why but I had this feeling like it wouldn't really work. Like some obstacle would come up that would make it so I don't get to grow luffs. Upstairs we have a tray of tomatoes and peppers, as well as more of our curcurbit seedlings, peppermint, echinacea, chives, stevia, more peppers, and broccoli. I am excited because one of our peanuts just pushed through today as well. I will use these trays every year. They are wonderful!! I am a little bothered though, because some of our seedlings are pretty leggy. We have cantaloupe plants that are close to a foot tall. We have to rotate the trays, and switch their locations to keep them from growing crooked. They turn their heads toward the window like this every day. Also, I found seeds for German chamomile and globe artichokes. They have both been sown, but only the chamomile has germinated at this point.
MODIFICATIONS
I can't think of anything that stands out as needing to be modified.
TASKS
The biggest thing that needs to get done is that the beds need to be filled. Gardening is largely at a standstill at this point until we get soil in the beds. Secondary to that, some kind of trellis system needs to get put in place along the fence for the climbing flowers. I decided that I will drive the posts for the beans into the ground now, and fill the dirt in around them so that they are securely anchored. (We also added black beans to the roster too, I am unstoppable)...
BIGGEST JOYS
The bleeding heart makes my soul just incurably joyful. The trays of seedlings are full of hope and possibility and I love to see how much they've grown just since the day before. I cannot wait until Spring!!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
So, the unmade garden bed count is down to 3. We built 3 new beds this week, and now only have 3 more to go.
Everywhere is starting to put out their Spring veggies and springtime plants. It is so exciting and the world feels so fresh. I love it. I broke down and bought some Bibb and Romaine lettuce at Wal-Mart the other day. I wasn't going to get plants like that, but I could use my food stamps and I was just so excited. I also got some new raspberry bushes, and a grapevine there too. (and some horseradish for the potato beds).
I still haven't found sweet potatoes anywhere.
I am pumping myself up, despite common sense, to open a roadside farm stand. I doubt we will be at that point, but it feels good to daydream about.
Another note, our relatively new neighbors across the street have taken an interest in the homestead, and offered their help. I was outside gardening the other afternoon (still in my pajamas) and she called my name and came and introduced herself. She asked to see the garden, and I pensively obliged. (Our backyard looks atrocious!!) She was very pleasant, and seemed to ignore the rotting vegetables, and newspaper and cardboard everywhere, and the partially dug up sod. It felt good, because she treats me like an expert, and it feels validating.
I am excited to build a friendship with her, and she seems excited for me to teach her daughters about sustainable agriculture. I offered to help build her a garden bed, and tend it if she wants. Granted it will be Richard putting it together, but he loves me and said he didn't mind. She offered her daughters to be 'harvest helpers', and I will utilize that whenever I can, of course. Possibly even to help at a farm stand ;)
She brought up a good idea, and it was that I should see if I can possibly teach sustainability and urban agriculture at local schools. I used to teach Junior Achievement, and figure a similar model would work. It is something to look into, for sure.
Anyway, we put some Jersey Knight asparagus and rhubarb in their spots to supplement. Also, I am not sure if I wrote that I had put in a honeysuckle and a bleeding heart. That was a while ago, but the bleeding heart is doing well, and leafing out.
The beds that are left to build are the pepper bed, sweet potato bed and greens bed. We need to buy 21 cubic yards of soil to fill it, and we should be able to do that soon. I am scheduled to plant the curcurbit and melon family of plants this weekend. I found some heirloom watermelon seeds that I am excited to use. And we had to buy more cantaloupe because Zenny scattered them around the yard.
Next year I would like to do all heirlooms, so I can save the seeds and continue the family no matter where we go. I plan on getting some heirloom tomato plants this season from Woodley's (they say they will be in early March). I like being able to reproduce from saved seed. Feels more personal, I guess.
I am planning to do the garden walk this Saturday, when I will be excited from planting all morning. That is the day I am expecting to get dirt too. And in all reality I may be trying to put it off until then, because it will look so much better.
Another entry coming soon. Love you guys!!
Everywhere is starting to put out their Spring veggies and springtime plants. It is so exciting and the world feels so fresh. I love it. I broke down and bought some Bibb and Romaine lettuce at Wal-Mart the other day. I wasn't going to get plants like that, but I could use my food stamps and I was just so excited. I also got some new raspberry bushes, and a grapevine there too. (and some horseradish for the potato beds).
I still haven't found sweet potatoes anywhere.
I am pumping myself up, despite common sense, to open a roadside farm stand. I doubt we will be at that point, but it feels good to daydream about.
Another note, our relatively new neighbors across the street have taken an interest in the homestead, and offered their help. I was outside gardening the other afternoon (still in my pajamas) and she called my name and came and introduced herself. She asked to see the garden, and I pensively obliged. (Our backyard looks atrocious!!) She was very pleasant, and seemed to ignore the rotting vegetables, and newspaper and cardboard everywhere, and the partially dug up sod. It felt good, because she treats me like an expert, and it feels validating.
I am excited to build a friendship with her, and she seems excited for me to teach her daughters about sustainable agriculture. I offered to help build her a garden bed, and tend it if she wants. Granted it will be Richard putting it together, but he loves me and said he didn't mind. She offered her daughters to be 'harvest helpers', and I will utilize that whenever I can, of course. Possibly even to help at a farm stand ;)
She brought up a good idea, and it was that I should see if I can possibly teach sustainability and urban agriculture at local schools. I used to teach Junior Achievement, and figure a similar model would work. It is something to look into, for sure.
Anyway, we put some Jersey Knight asparagus and rhubarb in their spots to supplement. Also, I am not sure if I wrote that I had put in a honeysuckle and a bleeding heart. That was a while ago, but the bleeding heart is doing well, and leafing out.
The beds that are left to build are the pepper bed, sweet potato bed and greens bed. We need to buy 21 cubic yards of soil to fill it, and we should be able to do that soon. I am scheduled to plant the curcurbit and melon family of plants this weekend. I found some heirloom watermelon seeds that I am excited to use. And we had to buy more cantaloupe because Zenny scattered them around the yard.
Next year I would like to do all heirlooms, so I can save the seeds and continue the family no matter where we go. I plan on getting some heirloom tomato plants this season from Woodley's (they say they will be in early March). I like being able to reproduce from saved seed. Feels more personal, I guess.
I am planning to do the garden walk this Saturday, when I will be excited from planting all morning. That is the day I am expecting to get dirt too. And in all reality I may be trying to put it off until then, because it will look so much better.
Another entry coming soon. Love you guys!!
Saturday, February 5, 2011
No garden walk, sorry!!
I know that today was supposed to be the day I did the garden walk. But I will have to do it another day.
The entire house has a virus. And we are gross, oozing, and barely mobile.
On top of that, it has been raining consistently for three days now.
So, garden news: Zenny's cucumber plant was transplanted into a computer part container. It was beginning to get rootbound, and one of the leaves was starting to yellow at the tip. While we were transplanting, we learned the cucumber roots smell like cucumber. (It was very exciting for Zenny)
**On that note, almost all of our plants are showing the same sign as the rootbound cucumber. When the first true leaf has grown, the cotyledons start to pale and yellow. It makes me worry that I am going something wrong. They all look healthy and fine until it gets the true leaves. The true leaves seem to be darker though, so I was thinking that maybe they fall off eventually. I will have to ask**
Today, we planted the chives (regular and garlic), echinacea, and thyme. On the calendar it says that a lot of things should have been done by now. Beds should be built, lined and filled, and our spring greens should have been sown outside. I have had to adjust a little to things not being exactly the way I would design them to happen. And that is another life lesson the garden is giving me. It won't hurt to plant things out a little later than expected. One of the two tomato plants I set out for a couple hours (like 3) died. I think of damping off. I will wait until they are bigger before I try that again.
Also, I think rather than starting all the seedlings in egg cartons, I may start more out in plastic yogurt containers (which fit perfectly in the windowsill). Plus I like those yogurts better than in the packs that you have to snap apart.
I just worry about stuff. It seems like I kill off as much or more than I successfully grow. We will just have to see, and learn, and revise, and do it again.
Garden walk will be posted soon, with pictures!!
The entire house has a virus. And we are gross, oozing, and barely mobile.
On top of that, it has been raining consistently for three days now.
So, garden news: Zenny's cucumber plant was transplanted into a computer part container. It was beginning to get rootbound, and one of the leaves was starting to yellow at the tip. While we were transplanting, we learned the cucumber roots smell like cucumber. (It was very exciting for Zenny)
**On that note, almost all of our plants are showing the same sign as the rootbound cucumber. When the first true leaf has grown, the cotyledons start to pale and yellow. It makes me worry that I am going something wrong. They all look healthy and fine until it gets the true leaves. The true leaves seem to be darker though, so I was thinking that maybe they fall off eventually. I will have to ask**
Today, we planted the chives (regular and garlic), echinacea, and thyme. On the calendar it says that a lot of things should have been done by now. Beds should be built, lined and filled, and our spring greens should have been sown outside. I have had to adjust a little to things not being exactly the way I would design them to happen. And that is another life lesson the garden is giving me. It won't hurt to plant things out a little later than expected. One of the two tomato plants I set out for a couple hours (like 3) died. I think of damping off. I will wait until they are bigger before I try that again.
Also, I think rather than starting all the seedlings in egg cartons, I may start more out in plastic yogurt containers (which fit perfectly in the windowsill). Plus I like those yogurts better than in the packs that you have to snap apart.
I just worry about stuff. It seems like I kill off as much or more than I successfully grow. We will just have to see, and learn, and revise, and do it again.
Garden walk will be posted soon, with pictures!!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Change of plans
So today is definitely the dirt-under-the-nails kinds of day. Last night there was an amazing rainstorm. It made the night refreshing and peaceful. I even had Richard leave our bedroom door open as I fell asleep. The smell of the rain, and its peaceful drumming lulled me to sleep wonderfully. The last few days have been gray and droll. And waking up today was glorious with the sun shining brightly. It's like the world got its cry in and this morning it felt much happier.
However, our glass table outside was a casualty of the storm, being knocked over and shattering in the wind. Mom said she would put a new piece of plywood in it, so that it will be usable. I think I will make a mosaic on the top of it, so that it is beautiful and full of intention.
Anyway, today the cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, jalapenos (with the exception of a few) and a few of the bell peppers got transplanted into their Yankee Candle pots. And we sowed a case of peas, and 3 types of lettuce (Romaine, Simpson, and Mesclun), and the Harmony hybrid Spinach. We moved 12 of the tomato and pepper plants down to the windowsill in the family room. And now there are so many plants, that they don't fit in the growing station, or laundry room combined. So now I have taken over the coffee table in the family room as well. I can tell how happy mom is going to be about this... (at least we can plant a lot of stuff out in a month and a half) And this summer she will really appreciate all the effort and sacrifice.
But it is becoming evident that I will need a far more extensive setup for seed starting in the future. Even the large light stands that I see in catalogs probably wouldn't be sufficient even. I think if I built a standalone shelving unit I could make one large enough to work. But where on earth it would go is beyond me. If I got a bunch of heating mats, it could go in the garage. But at this point, that is not financially viable.
On the homestead front, though: Richard and I cam to a very important decision yesterday. We decided that the long-term plan is to move to New York. I think it will be perfectly feasible to make a homestead work there as well. The way that impacts the SC homestead is that I will not put more significant financial resources into the garden here than is necessary to achieve the needs for the short term. For instance, I won't buy the maple tree or nut trees, that won't be expected to bear for 5 years. Because we won't be here. Additionally, we need to be concerned with reselling the property in the future, so large renovations need to be as buyer-neutral as possible.
I will still plan on Maple and nut trees, and wonderful perennial gardens, and everything, but in New York. And there, we have the possibility of chickens, bees, and whatnot. So be prepared, someday, the SC Suburban Farm will be the Carlsen Homestead.
Either way, it is still my intention to live fully in this home while we are here. To grow, learn, and love with everything I've got. And the change of plans will, in no way, damper my enthusiasm for the SC homestead. It will be great, and a wonderful experience. And someday, it will be a wonderful start for someone looking for a homestead of their own.
I think I will also try to do a roadside farm stand if our yields can support it. Get some income, in addition to getting some publicity for the Homestead. Be more active in the revolution, you know...
Anyway, that's about it for now. Otherwise, I'd be rambling. Saturday there is a garden walk scheduled. So expect a large post, with pictures!! Hopefully there is, by some miracle, tons of progress by that point.
However, our glass table outside was a casualty of the storm, being knocked over and shattering in the wind. Mom said she would put a new piece of plywood in it, so that it will be usable. I think I will make a mosaic on the top of it, so that it is beautiful and full of intention.
Anyway, today the cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, jalapenos (with the exception of a few) and a few of the bell peppers got transplanted into their Yankee Candle pots. And we sowed a case of peas, and 3 types of lettuce (Romaine, Simpson, and Mesclun), and the Harmony hybrid Spinach. We moved 12 of the tomato and pepper plants down to the windowsill in the family room. And now there are so many plants, that they don't fit in the growing station, or laundry room combined. So now I have taken over the coffee table in the family room as well. I can tell how happy mom is going to be about this... (at least we can plant a lot of stuff out in a month and a half) And this summer she will really appreciate all the effort and sacrifice.
But it is becoming evident that I will need a far more extensive setup for seed starting in the future. Even the large light stands that I see in catalogs probably wouldn't be sufficient even. I think if I built a standalone shelving unit I could make one large enough to work. But where on earth it would go is beyond me. If I got a bunch of heating mats, it could go in the garage. But at this point, that is not financially viable.
On the homestead front, though: Richard and I cam to a very important decision yesterday. We decided that the long-term plan is to move to New York. I think it will be perfectly feasible to make a homestead work there as well. The way that impacts the SC homestead is that I will not put more significant financial resources into the garden here than is necessary to achieve the needs for the short term. For instance, I won't buy the maple tree or nut trees, that won't be expected to bear for 5 years. Because we won't be here. Additionally, we need to be concerned with reselling the property in the future, so large renovations need to be as buyer-neutral as possible.
I will still plan on Maple and nut trees, and wonderful perennial gardens, and everything, but in New York. And there, we have the possibility of chickens, bees, and whatnot. So be prepared, someday, the SC Suburban Farm will be the Carlsen Homestead.
Either way, it is still my intention to live fully in this home while we are here. To grow, learn, and love with everything I've got. And the change of plans will, in no way, damper my enthusiasm for the SC homestead. It will be great, and a wonderful experience. And someday, it will be a wonderful start for someone looking for a homestead of their own.
I think I will also try to do a roadside farm stand if our yields can support it. Get some income, in addition to getting some publicity for the Homestead. Be more active in the revolution, you know...
Anyway, that's about it for now. Otherwise, I'd be rambling. Saturday there is a garden walk scheduled. So expect a large post, with pictures!! Hopefully there is, by some miracle, tons of progress by that point.
Friday, January 28, 2011
A Holistic Approach
Howdy all!! Been a busy week here, with what feels like almost nothing done.
Some plants got sown indoors this week, including the rosemary, Stevia, cauliflower, cabbage, and some peppermint. The broccoli seedlings are about 5-6
inches tall and have been transplanted to larger containers, and placed in the laundry room with the tomatoes. We have cabbage and cauliflower poking their headsthrough the ground as we speak. And Zen's cucumber plant and mammoth sunflower are doing quite well downstairs.
*Mom is not happy about him growing a sunflower. She hates them almost with the fury designated only for tater tots*
Two of our Roma tomato plants have grown their first two true leaves, and are starting the hardening-off process. Our money plant got sown outdoors, in the front by the garage. And our seed potatoes continue to chit outside during the day. The eyes are definitely coming along. I noticed that one of our peony bushes broke its back under the weight of the last frost. I will stake it and hope it recovers.
Also, my project for today, outside of schoolwork, is to empty the planter in front and bring it to the back yard. Not fun at all. It is a beautiful day out, though, so that makes it more pleasant.
I am worried, that buying the end-of-season onions from the bargain bin at Woodley's may not have been a good idea. They are almost all sprouting in the bag. I will plant them anyway, and we will see. This process needs to be learning-focused at this point. I cannot invest in an end product, because I don't have the knowledge or experience to build upon. I need to take this initial time to learn my garden, to make mistakes andfind solutions. Then, when I know how things work, I can become emotionally invested in outcomes.
Additionally, I have been having a lot of stress. About the garden, school, Zen, my health, you name it. So, I am beginning a project to refocus my mind in a constructive and creative way. Essentially, it is a binder with pages of projects that I want to do in it. Anything I want, crafts from magazines, art inspiration, homemade furniture, soap, textiles. It is a project binder. And when I am stressed out, or bored, I find a project and do it. That way I have a productive way to refocus my thoughts and energy that is not self-destructive. Plus, it keeps me creatively active. And sometime soon, I would like to start a letter-writing campaign that I dreamt up. Every day, I would take time to write a letter to someone telling them how great they are, and how important they have been in my life. It is, for me, a project that makes me come to term with this giant webof support and influence that I have. It forces me to be grateful and to spread messages of love and appreciation. I think part of my homesteading journey must include creative, artistic and emotional endeavors like these. I think to be wholly self-sufficient, that I must acknowledge the emotional and creative resources in my life, and to do my part to keep them healthy and replenished. As well as the resources I use in others.
So, this journey that began with food production has shifted and is now a process of becoming whole. (and not lazy) I am on a quest to not just contribute on a superficial level, but to devote my life to glorifying God through giving back to this planet and the people on it more than I take. At this point, I have spent my entire life taking, and now I intend to spend the rest of it paying back the kindness, generousity, love, inspiration, and support that has been so freely given to me without question.
Friday, January 21, 2011
he told me that he sees it...
So, tonight Richard and I were in Zen's room, looking out his window (which faces the back yard) and he told me that he really was beginning to see the garden coming together. It felt good. I have been in this place where it just seems like item after item that needs to get done, leaving me carrying the weight of stress and worry on my shoulders. I worry that the beds won't get done, or we won't be able to get soil on time. I worry that for some reason the seedlings will all die, and I will have to buy started plants this Spring. I worry that when everything is built and filled and planted that it will still be a mess. I worry that nothing will grow, or I will have such a slew of problems that we will get almost nothing out of it, and the investment will be for nothing. I worry that if this fails, I will lose one of the first things I felt I ever truly knew about myself.
But in the face of that worry, there is no choice but to move forward. To greet those possibilities for failure and mess, and poor timing with open arms. Maybe they will be afraid of me and flee...
Today, I noticed some of the new bell pepper seeds shooting out roots. I am hoping that means a bunch of new seedlings will follow. I also planted 5 pods of cauliflower which leaves us one to lose. Rosemary also got planted today. I am pretty sure I will need to buy another pack of seeds, as I know the plan calls for large quantities of the major herbs. I am prepared to shift stuff around if I need to, but am trying to stick as closely to the original plan. I feel like the plan is my only margin of control right now.
I am slowly but surely getting the compost pile moved over. It is so frustrating that I find myself avoiding doing it. But I know it will get done.
Today, I planted the bleeding heart by the apple tree. I also bought a honeysuckle, but haven't planted it because I am not sure where I want them to go. Ideas are welcome.
I keep imagining the trees grown in, the lavender along the back fence large and filled in, the nasturtium, morning glories, jasmine, sweet pea, and climbing flowers all over the fence. Hollyhocks guarding the corners. The vegetables filling the beds, and flowers covering the ground everywhere you look. I get especially excited to see everything fruiting or in bloom. I want to learn what their flowers look like, and how to tell by sight and touch when things are ripe. I want to go out in the evening and smell the plants all around me as fireflies flicker.
Maybe the hope and the daydreaming is what gets me through shoveling sod, or tilling in the cold. Not to mention the investment financially. I am still brainstorming ways to regain the money. So far my favorites are arts and craft items and selling produce. I think I could set myself apart by growing unique and heirloom varieties. I have not found a source for them here yet. All in all, the hard part is that before I can market anything, I need to see how much our garden does make, and how much of it we use.
I can't wait until spring. I just can not wait. I doubt I will ever be inside when the weather gets warm.
But in the face of that worry, there is no choice but to move forward. To greet those possibilities for failure and mess, and poor timing with open arms. Maybe they will be afraid of me and flee...
Today, I noticed some of the new bell pepper seeds shooting out roots. I am hoping that means a bunch of new seedlings will follow. I also planted 5 pods of cauliflower which leaves us one to lose. Rosemary also got planted today. I am pretty sure I will need to buy another pack of seeds, as I know the plan calls for large quantities of the major herbs. I am prepared to shift stuff around if I need to, but am trying to stick as closely to the original plan. I feel like the plan is my only margin of control right now.
I am slowly but surely getting the compost pile moved over. It is so frustrating that I find myself avoiding doing it. But I know it will get done.
Today, I planted the bleeding heart by the apple tree. I also bought a honeysuckle, but haven't planted it because I am not sure where I want them to go. Ideas are welcome.
I keep imagining the trees grown in, the lavender along the back fence large and filled in, the nasturtium, morning glories, jasmine, sweet pea, and climbing flowers all over the fence. Hollyhocks guarding the corners. The vegetables filling the beds, and flowers covering the ground everywhere you look. I get especially excited to see everything fruiting or in bloom. I want to learn what their flowers look like, and how to tell by sight and touch when things are ripe. I want to go out in the evening and smell the plants all around me as fireflies flicker.
Maybe the hope and the daydreaming is what gets me through shoveling sod, or tilling in the cold. Not to mention the investment financially. I am still brainstorming ways to regain the money. So far my favorites are arts and craft items and selling produce. I think I could set myself apart by growing unique and heirloom varieties. I have not found a source for them here yet. All in all, the hard part is that before I can market anything, I need to see how much our garden does make, and how much of it we use.
I can't wait until spring. I just can not wait. I doubt I will ever be inside when the weather gets warm.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Lowe's Inspiration!
So, the weather today was much nicer than it has been in quite a while. Richard and I hit up Lowe's today, after picking Zen up from school just to see if there is anything new in the garden department. And boy, there was!! We ended up getting some potatoes. This year we will be growing Freedom Russet, Yukon Gold, and Adirondack Blue. I set them out to chit as soon as we got home. I also grabbed some seed garlic, seeds, and organic plant food for the blueberries.
I got excited and went home and started cleaning up the planting areas in preparation for Spring. I cut all the old foliage and threw it in the compost. (which is another story in itself right now) I removed all the frost sheets, and replaced the drip hose that runs along the back fence and pinned it down.
About the compost, this year I failed miserably. When we removed all that sod this year, I threw it in the compost bin. However, it carried a lot of sand in it, and was quite root bound, and as a result it choked out the bin. The sand settled and made air unable to circulate, and the weight of the sod, compressed it even more. As a result, nothing could decompose, or therefore heat up. and I couldn't aerate it, or empty it, with this big compressed mass at the bottom. So, it froze, and I ended up having to disassemble the bin, and am now scattering the contents in the bottom of the beds to be covered with newspaper before filling them with Dixie Mix. That way, we can buy a spinning composter, and start fresh. However, it is almost impossible to shovel the contents of the old compost bin into the wheelbarrow to disperse because it is largely clumps of sod bound together and then all of it is frozen in the center. So we have this pile of ugliness in the corner until it thaws. And when it does thaw, I will have to shift it into the wheelbarrow by hand (fun).
And then I went, with a new packet of seeds, and did a new planting of bell peppers. So, hopefully we will get a good germination rate on these ones. Zen took great joy in planting his own set with me. I also took the 3 pepper seedlings and put them in with the tomatoes in the larger containers in the laundry room. Richard and I got all the "magical" celery seedlings out of the broccoli pods, where we now have 4-5 new seedlings. (welcome to the world)
I am hoping to get some dirt to start filling the beds soon. I don't know when it will be possible for that to happen. While I was outside working I got a very real understanding that I need to get on removing that sod along the back fence. Actually, I need to get on the task of newspapering and digging out the excess.
Anyway, I have school stuff to do now. Good gardening!
I got excited and went home and started cleaning up the planting areas in preparation for Spring. I cut all the old foliage and threw it in the compost. (which is another story in itself right now) I removed all the frost sheets, and replaced the drip hose that runs along the back fence and pinned it down.
About the compost, this year I failed miserably. When we removed all that sod this year, I threw it in the compost bin. However, it carried a lot of sand in it, and was quite root bound, and as a result it choked out the bin. The sand settled and made air unable to circulate, and the weight of the sod, compressed it even more. As a result, nothing could decompose, or therefore heat up. and I couldn't aerate it, or empty it, with this big compressed mass at the bottom. So, it froze, and I ended up having to disassemble the bin, and am now scattering the contents in the bottom of the beds to be covered with newspaper before filling them with Dixie Mix. That way, we can buy a spinning composter, and start fresh. However, it is almost impossible to shovel the contents of the old compost bin into the wheelbarrow to disperse because it is largely clumps of sod bound together and then all of it is frozen in the center. So we have this pile of ugliness in the corner until it thaws. And when it does thaw, I will have to shift it into the wheelbarrow by hand (fun).
And then I went, with a new packet of seeds, and did a new planting of bell peppers. So, hopefully we will get a good germination rate on these ones. Zen took great joy in planting his own set with me. I also took the 3 pepper seedlings and put them in with the tomatoes in the larger containers in the laundry room. Richard and I got all the "magical" celery seedlings out of the broccoli pods, where we now have 4-5 new seedlings. (welcome to the world)
I am hoping to get some dirt to start filling the beds soon. I don't know when it will be possible for that to happen. While I was outside working I got a very real understanding that I need to get on removing that sod along the back fence. Actually, I need to get on the task of newspapering and digging out the excess.
Anyway, I have school stuff to do now. Good gardening!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
The Peppers are Hiding and other news...
Temp: 36* F
Humidity: 70%
Feels Like: 33* F
Wind: WNW 3mph
So, here on the homestead we got about 4" of snow, and Zen's school was cancelled for an entire week. Needless to say, with the weather (as laughable as it was) little work outside got done. Inside is about what I consider par for the course.
I moved the seedlings upstairs because it is significantly warmer up there, and the soil felt cooler than it should be down here. We currently have 24 tomato plants sitting on top of the dryer, 12 Roma and 12 Mortgage Lifter. I will choose the hardiest plants to go into the garden come spring. We have 3 Bell Pepper plants doing quite well. I am concerned, because I don't see any signs that the others are germinating. In the garden plan, we have 9 bell pepper plants, and I don't want to have to supplement that many from a nursery. I went to reseed the bells, in case the cold downstairs caused some seed damage, but only had 4 seeds left. I may have to buy another pack. If I do, I will need to do it soon. Currently none of the hot peppers have poked through yet. I thinned the celery to one plant per pod, leaving us with 18 celery plants. I also sowed the eggplant at 3 seeds per pod this week. No sign of the jasmine either. That is sad for me. I keep hoping that in time, they will all just come up like a blitz, peppers, jasmine and everything. I will keep you up to date as to how the seedlings are doing, be sure.
If our plum tree does not show any signs of growth or life this Spring, I am considering trying to exchange it (or cut our losses and replace it) with a "fruit cocktail" tree in its place. We have had really good results with the two grafted trees we currently have (they are our most vigorous). The fruit cocktail tree has plums (to replace those lost ripping out the plum tree), apricots, nectarines and peaches. Plus, they are self-fertile. I am thinking that more than likely that this is what will end up happening. However, I will have to wait until fall to plant it, so we will lose out on this season of growth. Our staples will be apples, pears, and cherries, though so I am not worried. We have time.
I am loving January though. I have gotten a stack of seed and plant catalogs as thick as a phone book, and have taken great joy in curling up in a hot bath paging through them. The one I want to let you know about right now is Farmer Seed Company, from where it looks like we will be placing our next order. I am so disappointed with Burgess. I have sent 3 emails, all with no response, regarding plants that arrived dead. I am not trying to insinuate that the quality of plants was inferior, as most things we ordered are doing quite well. My concern is with the warranty, and trying to get ahold of someone within the company. It is enough at this point for me to discontinue my business with them unless some reason is made clear as to why I have been ignored for the last 2 months.
We still don't have any potatoes, sweet potatoes, or enough garlic (among other things) that need to be ordered relatively soon. And I had really wanted to have the raspberries growing this season for mom. So that is something that needs to happen soon.
I am also brainstorming ways to make money, especially using the garden. I feel like it would justify all the expense that we have had to front to get this off the ground. I am really toying with the idea of getting a booth at the farmers' markets (probably not this year, but next) and selling produce, flowers, baked goods, and garden-related crafts. Missy told me her next door neighbor had a bumper crop of apples from their tree this year, and gave her 2 trash cans full of their excess. If we get any kind of yields similar to that, the farmers' markets could be viable.
I have been working through some Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, with very pleasant results. Tonight we had a lemon curd bar that was well worth making from scratch. (Or "with scratch" as Zen says) I think I may start sharing those with you on here. They will be posted as a separate entry than the homesteading updates. I will try to group about a handful of them with pictures, and let you know how they turned out.
**On another topic, I start nursing school on Tuesday, so you will see a lot of my time being diverted to tat venture, as well as some discussion as it pertains to the homestead**
Humidity: 70%
Feels Like: 33* F
Wind: WNW 3mph
So, here on the homestead we got about 4" of snow, and Zen's school was cancelled for an entire week. Needless to say, with the weather (as laughable as it was) little work outside got done. Inside is about what I consider par for the course.
I moved the seedlings upstairs because it is significantly warmer up there, and the soil felt cooler than it should be down here. We currently have 24 tomato plants sitting on top of the dryer, 12 Roma and 12 Mortgage Lifter. I will choose the hardiest plants to go into the garden come spring. We have 3 Bell Pepper plants doing quite well. I am concerned, because I don't see any signs that the others are germinating. In the garden plan, we have 9 bell pepper plants, and I don't want to have to supplement that many from a nursery. I went to reseed the bells, in case the cold downstairs caused some seed damage, but only had 4 seeds left. I may have to buy another pack. If I do, I will need to do it soon. Currently none of the hot peppers have poked through yet. I thinned the celery to one plant per pod, leaving us with 18 celery plants. I also sowed the eggplant at 3 seeds per pod this week. No sign of the jasmine either. That is sad for me. I keep hoping that in time, they will all just come up like a blitz, peppers, jasmine and everything. I will keep you up to date as to how the seedlings are doing, be sure.
If our plum tree does not show any signs of growth or life this Spring, I am considering trying to exchange it (or cut our losses and replace it) with a "fruit cocktail" tree in its place. We have had really good results with the two grafted trees we currently have (they are our most vigorous). The fruit cocktail tree has plums (to replace those lost ripping out the plum tree), apricots, nectarines and peaches. Plus, they are self-fertile. I am thinking that more than likely that this is what will end up happening. However, I will have to wait until fall to plant it, so we will lose out on this season of growth. Our staples will be apples, pears, and cherries, though so I am not worried. We have time.
I am loving January though. I have gotten a stack of seed and plant catalogs as thick as a phone book, and have taken great joy in curling up in a hot bath paging through them. The one I want to let you know about right now is Farmer Seed Company, from where it looks like we will be placing our next order. I am so disappointed with Burgess. I have sent 3 emails, all with no response, regarding plants that arrived dead. I am not trying to insinuate that the quality of plants was inferior, as most things we ordered are doing quite well. My concern is with the warranty, and trying to get ahold of someone within the company. It is enough at this point for me to discontinue my business with them unless some reason is made clear as to why I have been ignored for the last 2 months.
We still don't have any potatoes, sweet potatoes, or enough garlic (among other things) that need to be ordered relatively soon. And I had really wanted to have the raspberries growing this season for mom. So that is something that needs to happen soon.
I am also brainstorming ways to make money, especially using the garden. I feel like it would justify all the expense that we have had to front to get this off the ground. I am really toying with the idea of getting a booth at the farmers' markets (probably not this year, but next) and selling produce, flowers, baked goods, and garden-related crafts. Missy told me her next door neighbor had a bumper crop of apples from their tree this year, and gave her 2 trash cans full of their excess. If we get any kind of yields similar to that, the farmers' markets could be viable.
I have been working through some Williams-Sonoma cookbooks, with very pleasant results. Tonight we had a lemon curd bar that was well worth making from scratch. (Or "with scratch" as Zen says) I think I may start sharing those with you on here. They will be posted as a separate entry than the homesteading updates. I will try to group about a handful of them with pictures, and let you know how they turned out.
**On another topic, I start nursing school on Tuesday, so you will see a lot of my time being diverted to tat venture, as well as some discussion as it pertains to the homestead**
Saturday, January 8, 2011
Accomplishment
Temp: 49*
Humidity: 33%
Feels like: 41*
Wind: W@25mph
I cannot believe that it has been a week since my last post! A lot has changed and gotten done here on the "homestead", or so it feels to me nonetheless.
We have made some investments and gotten some construction projects done, in addition to welcoming some new plants into the world.
We currently have 24 tomato seedlings that look strong and healthy. We have about 54 little celery seedlings that are still tiny, but vigorous. And 3 bell pepper plants have poked their heads through the dirt this week. We have 8 heads of garlic growing with foliage about a foot tall. Also, we planted 6 jalapeno plants and 6 ancho pepper plants yesterday.
About the garlic: we were able to sprout heads using cloves from grocery-store organic garlic. I don't know yet as to whether the cloves will turn into bulbs, but we will see. It is my thought that if they are able to sprout, and grow significant foliage, and develop strong root systems (which they are) then they should also likely produce. I have read the warnings against using store garlic (which is not bred for disease resistance or anything) but at 5-10 bucks a bulb for gardener's garlic we just can't afford to plant our garlic crop entirely from those sources. I haven't yet found a source to buy garlic in bulk.
I have found, however, a few sites to buy bulk garden seeds, which for crops that we are growing a lot of, and that are sown in succession every two weeks (like peas, beans...). I think this is something I will consider for future years! It dramatically cuts costs for those quantities for sure. Additionally I found a source for rare, and non-traditional herbs and flowers. I am slightly apprehensive because this company also sells opium poppies, ephedra plants, and other highly regulated and/or toxic plants. It made me slightly nervous to say the least. However their herb selection is unparalleled.
Today, the bed for the corn, peas, beans and curcurbits was built. On the calendar for today was to buy more soil, but financially we are unable to do that and get the bed constructed. So to me, getting the bed built took priority.
In other news, the Dervaes farm pulled just over 7,000 lbs of produce out of their yard this last year. Congratulations for them!
I was planning on digging out the sod along the back fence, but haven't gotten that done yet, so I feel slightly behind. I am sure I will catch up though!
Talk to you all soon!
Humidity: 33%
Feels like: 41*
Wind: W@25mph
I cannot believe that it has been a week since my last post! A lot has changed and gotten done here on the "homestead", or so it feels to me nonetheless.
We have made some investments and gotten some construction projects done, in addition to welcoming some new plants into the world.
We currently have 24 tomato seedlings that look strong and healthy. We have about 54 little celery seedlings that are still tiny, but vigorous. And 3 bell pepper plants have poked their heads through the dirt this week. We have 8 heads of garlic growing with foliage about a foot tall. Also, we planted 6 jalapeno plants and 6 ancho pepper plants yesterday.
About the garlic: we were able to sprout heads using cloves from grocery-store organic garlic. I don't know yet as to whether the cloves will turn into bulbs, but we will see. It is my thought that if they are able to sprout, and grow significant foliage, and develop strong root systems (which they are) then they should also likely produce. I have read the warnings against using store garlic (which is not bred for disease resistance or anything) but at 5-10 bucks a bulb for gardener's garlic we just can't afford to plant our garlic crop entirely from those sources. I haven't yet found a source to buy garlic in bulk.
I have found, however, a few sites to buy bulk garden seeds, which for crops that we are growing a lot of, and that are sown in succession every two weeks (like peas, beans...). I think this is something I will consider for future years! It dramatically cuts costs for those quantities for sure. Additionally I found a source for rare, and non-traditional herbs and flowers. I am slightly apprehensive because this company also sells opium poppies, ephedra plants, and other highly regulated and/or toxic plants. It made me slightly nervous to say the least. However their herb selection is unparalleled.
Today, the bed for the corn, peas, beans and curcurbits was built. On the calendar for today was to buy more soil, but financially we are unable to do that and get the bed constructed. So to me, getting the bed built took priority.
In other news, the Dervaes farm pulled just over 7,000 lbs of produce out of their yard this last year. Congratulations for them!
I was planning on digging out the sod along the back fence, but haven't gotten that done yet, so I feel slightly behind. I am sure I will catch up though!
Talk to you all soon!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
I missed you too!
Sorry for the lapse in posts. I got the flu, and with the holidays I was pretty much useless.
Temp: 61*
Feels Like: 61*
Humidity: 93%
Wind: 0
At this point, almost all the tomato seeds have sprouted, and are approx. 2 inches tall. Celery is following suit, however is only a few millimeters tall, maybe around a centimeter on average. I see one bell pepper seed about to stick its little head through the ground, possibly tomorrow. But at this point, no pepper sprouts. Also, no change in the Jasmine either. Those were planted later, though, so I am not worried. With the tomatoes and celery, it looks like the seeds have almost a 100% germination rate. I put 3 tomato seeds in each pod, and all of them seem to be growing. I did thin a few out to the strongest seedling, though, so there isn't competition for nutrients.
On Christmas, I was cooking and discovered our garlic was sprouting, so I planted the remainder of the cloves (four of them). They are already 6-7 inches tall, and so today I planted 4 more from another bulb. The root development looks good. If this works, against strong garden advice, I may plant our entire garlic crop from store-bought organic garlic this year.
I have gone over the garden map and added the areas where flowers will be planted. Except for the flowers that will be used to attract/repel/confuse bugs which will be combined in a distribution spreader and scattered throughout the back yard. The combination I have decided to be in this mixture are as follows: marigolds, nasturtiums, calendula, borage, nicotania, geranium, chives, tansy, yarrow. Possibly to be added to this mix: chrysanthemum, coreopsis, annd oregano.
I just plotted out circular areas on top of the garden plan I uploaded earlier and designated them for specific flowers. I plan to essentially string up an improvised lattice along the entire fence in the back yard to allow climbing flowers to cover it as completely as possible.
On another topic, I got a calendar from my mom for Christmas and am using it to plot out day by day tasks in the garden. I filled it as well as I could at this point. I will need to observe when items in the garden mature to be able to have any idea about harvest dates. So those are not included. I also cannot predict troubleshooting issues that will need to be done.
However, during my downtime from being sick I managed to create a couple spreadsheets that will be used to track how much we are harvesting and to keep notes on garden walkthroughs. If anyone wants to use them let me know and I will be happy to send them.
I have decided to plant whatever we currently have the seeds for on schedule. Any that we are missing by April I will buy started from the garden center. That is the best way that I can figure out to do it. I will do my best to get seeds to use next year over the course of this season. Aside from that, I am out of news for now....
Temp: 61*
Feels Like: 61*
Humidity: 93%
Wind: 0
At this point, almost all the tomato seeds have sprouted, and are approx. 2 inches tall. Celery is following suit, however is only a few millimeters tall, maybe around a centimeter on average. I see one bell pepper seed about to stick its little head through the ground, possibly tomorrow. But at this point, no pepper sprouts. Also, no change in the Jasmine either. Those were planted later, though, so I am not worried. With the tomatoes and celery, it looks like the seeds have almost a 100% germination rate. I put 3 tomato seeds in each pod, and all of them seem to be growing. I did thin a few out to the strongest seedling, though, so there isn't competition for nutrients.
On Christmas, I was cooking and discovered our garlic was sprouting, so I planted the remainder of the cloves (four of them). They are already 6-7 inches tall, and so today I planted 4 more from another bulb. The root development looks good. If this works, against strong garden advice, I may plant our entire garlic crop from store-bought organic garlic this year.
I have gone over the garden map and added the areas where flowers will be planted. Except for the flowers that will be used to attract/repel/confuse bugs which will be combined in a distribution spreader and scattered throughout the back yard. The combination I have decided to be in this mixture are as follows: marigolds, nasturtiums, calendula, borage, nicotania, geranium, chives, tansy, yarrow. Possibly to be added to this mix: chrysanthemum, coreopsis, annd oregano.
I just plotted out circular areas on top of the garden plan I uploaded earlier and designated them for specific flowers. I plan to essentially string up an improvised lattice along the entire fence in the back yard to allow climbing flowers to cover it as completely as possible.
On another topic, I got a calendar from my mom for Christmas and am using it to plot out day by day tasks in the garden. I filled it as well as I could at this point. I will need to observe when items in the garden mature to be able to have any idea about harvest dates. So those are not included. I also cannot predict troubleshooting issues that will need to be done.
However, during my downtime from being sick I managed to create a couple spreadsheets that will be used to track how much we are harvesting and to keep notes on garden walkthroughs. If anyone wants to use them let me know and I will be happy to send them.
I have decided to plant whatever we currently have the seeds for on schedule. Any that we are missing by April I will buy started from the garden center. That is the best way that I can figure out to do it. I will do my best to get seeds to use next year over the course of this season. Aside from that, I am out of news for now....
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