I want one of these so bad.
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gardening. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Corn & Furrows
I bought "Delectable" hybrid corn, and when I planted about 50 seeds in 3 rows, I was expecting nice results. I got nothing (okay, I got 1). What a letdown!
Now, I'd like to say this is some type of experiment I had come up with, but what it actually was, was just bad gardening. I am learning gardening, for the most part, from books and the internet. So when I heard to plant X" apart in rows spaced Y" apart, I did just that. I planted something like this:
Now, 3 weeks later with 1 single seeds sprout, I dug it all up and re-planted, but this time, I planted at the bottom of the "trenches" I had dug - so,like this:
Now, obviously my rows were nowhere near that high, but I had to use those exaggerated pictures to show you what I meant. I have found that the bottom picture (planting in the furrows) worked better. It seemed to retain water better, and did so without flooding the roots, because eventually the rows flattened out, and water didn't set on the bed.
Anyway, maybe that info can help anyone else. Perhaps the seeds being raised up on the row-tops, they just needed a lot more precipitation than what they were getting (which should have been plenty, but whatever).
Now, I'd like to say this is some type of experiment I had come up with, but what it actually was, was just bad gardening. I am learning gardening, for the most part, from books and the internet. So when I heard to plant X" apart in rows spaced Y" apart, I did just that. I planted something like this:
Now, 3 weeks later with 1 single seeds sprout, I dug it all up and re-planted, but this time, I planted at the bottom of the "trenches" I had dug - so,like this:
Now, obviously my rows were nowhere near that high, but I had to use those exaggerated pictures to show you what I meant. I have found that the bottom picture (planting in the furrows) worked better. It seemed to retain water better, and did so without flooding the roots, because eventually the rows flattened out, and water didn't set on the bed.
Anyway, maybe that info can help anyone else. Perhaps the seeds being raised up on the row-tops, they just needed a lot more precipitation than what they were getting (which should have been plenty, but whatever).
Monday, April 4, 2011
Egad! Giant Potatoes!
I don't know why, but these potatoes are growing to be monsters! Now, it could be that my first year growing them, last year, were just small. But I think these are just huge. One of them, for example, is over 2 feet tall, though I have "dirted" it twice, to keep the potatoes growing under the ground.
Here are how the potatoes are looking.
Here are the big ones.
Also in my pictures, you're able to see the garden hose irrigation lines I set up. Here are a few more pics, where you can see the total layout, and the fittings I used. Like I posted earlier - pretty simplistic.
The past 2 weeks, I've spent many hours in the garden. It's so relaxing to be out there, walking barefoot through the soil, picking weeds, the breeze keeping me cool even with the temps in the high-80s. It's one of the few things that is real work, but puts my mind at ease. I think the Vitamin D I'm picking up is also having quite the effect on my mentality - it sure is better than sitting in a flourescent-lit office.
Well that just about wraps up all for today. I'll have more later!
Here are how the potatoes are looking.
Here are the big ones.
Also in my pictures, you're able to see the garden hose irrigation lines I set up. Here are a few more pics, where you can see the total layout, and the fittings I used. Like I posted earlier - pretty simplistic.
The past 2 weeks, I've spent many hours in the garden. It's so relaxing to be out there, walking barefoot through the soil, picking weeds, the breeze keeping me cool even with the temps in the high-80s. It's one of the few things that is real work, but puts my mind at ease. I think the Vitamin D I'm picking up is also having quite the effect on my mentality - it sure is better than sitting in a flourescent-lit office.
Well that just about wraps up all for today. I'll have more later!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Drip system installed!
I'll be sure to get pictures later. Like most things, I did this in the dark, haha.
So, you can order 250 feet of soaker hose online, but you're going pay a hefty price for it (unless you get the cheap brand that fails after one year...no thanks). I have debated over what to do with watering, and I've thought of drip systems, sprinklers, soaker hoses, and just watering with a garden hose. Here's the pros/cons of each:
Drip System
Pros: Long, slow, continuous amount of water provided to plants. Can be placed right at root level. Saves money since no water is wasted.
Cons: Expensive to set up, lots of fittings
Sprinklers
Pros: Lots of water provided very inexpensively (since sprinklers are installed in my yard already).
Cons: Very wasteful of water, due to evaporation and/or wind. Water is provided from overhead, and must have time to soak through mulch into ground.
Soaker Hoses
Pros: Water applied at the roots. Long slow continuous amount of water provided to plants. Cheaper than drip system.
Cons: Some water is wasted, since hoses need to run between rows/plants that is just watering the ground. Slightly expensive. Requires lots of fittings.
Garden Hose:
Pros: Lots of water, versatile to move around. Very cheap.
Cons: Wasteful due to evaporation/wind. Annoying to drag a hose to each plant, and very time consuming.
So, what do you do? Clearly the drip system and soaker hose are the best approaches for the benefit of the plant, but are expensive. Well, luckily I am an engineer and can never settle for doing things the simple way. I built my own.
Home Depot was having a great sale on garden hoses, so I bought 300 feet (wow!) of garden hose, for $40. I created a unit of measurement, which I called a "link," that is a 15-foot strand of garden hose. Thus, from 300 feet, I have 20 links. Perfect, since I needed 17 links for the garden.
I also ordered (from Amazon) some 5/8" tees and elbow fittings for these hoses. I could have done without the elbows, but oh well. They were a couple bucks.
Now with my links all cut, and hoses laid out, the fun began. I tediously walked along and drilled a very tiny hole every foot (or 6", or 10" - whatever the spacing of the plants was). As of right now, I'm about 3/4 done. My back said "I'm through!" so that was it for last night. Then came the test. I plugged a cork in the end of each hose, and turned on the spigot. It took a little bit to get the pressure up to par, but it finally did, and then I turned it down a bit. I let it run for 30 minutes, under the mulch, at root level. Perfect.
In the end, I guess I could add up all of my expenses and it probably would be a little more expensive than the soaker hose plan, but it was a "custom" install, so I'm happy with it. And it's still a lot cheaper than those expensive drip-irrigation systems.
I'm pleased :-)
Now I have to ask, what will I do when I have a garden that is an acre or so, one day!? Yikes!
So, you can order 250 feet of soaker hose online, but you're going pay a hefty price for it (unless you get the cheap brand that fails after one year...no thanks). I have debated over what to do with watering, and I've thought of drip systems, sprinklers, soaker hoses, and just watering with a garden hose. Here's the pros/cons of each:
Drip System
Pros: Long, slow, continuous amount of water provided to plants. Can be placed right at root level. Saves money since no water is wasted.
Cons: Expensive to set up, lots of fittings
Sprinklers
Pros: Lots of water provided very inexpensively (since sprinklers are installed in my yard already).
Cons: Very wasteful of water, due to evaporation and/or wind. Water is provided from overhead, and must have time to soak through mulch into ground.
Soaker Hoses
Pros: Water applied at the roots. Long slow continuous amount of water provided to plants. Cheaper than drip system.
Cons: Some water is wasted, since hoses need to run between rows/plants that is just watering the ground. Slightly expensive. Requires lots of fittings.
Garden Hose:
Pros: Lots of water, versatile to move around. Very cheap.
Cons: Wasteful due to evaporation/wind. Annoying to drag a hose to each plant, and very time consuming.
So, what do you do? Clearly the drip system and soaker hose are the best approaches for the benefit of the plant, but are expensive. Well, luckily I am an engineer and can never settle for doing things the simple way. I built my own.
Home Depot was having a great sale on garden hoses, so I bought 300 feet (wow!) of garden hose, for $40. I created a unit of measurement, which I called a "link," that is a 15-foot strand of garden hose. Thus, from 300 feet, I have 20 links. Perfect, since I needed 17 links for the garden.
I also ordered (from Amazon) some 5/8" tees and elbow fittings for these hoses. I could have done without the elbows, but oh well. They were a couple bucks.
Now with my links all cut, and hoses laid out, the fun began. I tediously walked along and drilled a very tiny hole every foot (or 6", or 10" - whatever the spacing of the plants was). As of right now, I'm about 3/4 done. My back said "I'm through!" so that was it for last night. Then came the test. I plugged a cork in the end of each hose, and turned on the spigot. It took a little bit to get the pressure up to par, but it finally did, and then I turned it down a bit. I let it run for 30 minutes, under the mulch, at root level. Perfect.
In the end, I guess I could add up all of my expenses and it probably would be a little more expensive than the soaker hose plan, but it was a "custom" install, so I'm happy with it. And it's still a lot cheaper than those expensive drip-irrigation systems.
I'm pleased :-)
Now I have to ask, what will I do when I have a garden that is an acre or so, one day!? Yikes!
Monday, March 21, 2011
What's been planted
Corn was planted on Saturday. I planted three 15-foot rows, and I'll do three more rows in a couple weeks. I planted several varieties of cucumbers (bush and trellising), hoping to have better luck than last year. I also planted my beans & southern peas last Thursday. The garden is just waiting to explode with green!
The potatoes are doing pretty well - odd though. Some are HUGE and some are very tiny. They'll come up, eventually. Patience is a heck of a virtue when gardening. So is weeding, lol.
The strawberries are doing well, also, but I was hoping they'd be a little further along than they are. Part of that is likely due to lack of rain. It hasn't rained here in over a month and a half. I'm hoping to pick up some soaker hose on Friday, and rig up a watering system.
Last Saturday I was at Home Depot, strolling through the pepper/tomato plants, and I got to thinking "isn't it too early to plant?" After looking at the weather, I now realize that we had a very early last-freeze-date this year, which is great. Hopefully that doesn't mean we're going to smash heat records this summer, though.
As I mentioned in my previous post, things have been a blur of insanity lately. I wish I could get back to reading some books, that I've started and haven't finished. Seems like every time I get going, something comes up at work, or home, or elsewhere. :-\
Either way, I'm glad to be able to have the time I do to spend in the garden. So peaceful and eases a lot of stress.
The potatoes are doing pretty well - odd though. Some are HUGE and some are very tiny. They'll come up, eventually. Patience is a heck of a virtue when gardening. So is weeding, lol.
The strawberries are doing well, also, but I was hoping they'd be a little further along than they are. Part of that is likely due to lack of rain. It hasn't rained here in over a month and a half. I'm hoping to pick up some soaker hose on Friday, and rig up a watering system.
Last Saturday I was at Home Depot, strolling through the pepper/tomato plants, and I got to thinking "isn't it too early to plant?" After looking at the weather, I now realize that we had a very early last-freeze-date this year, which is great. Hopefully that doesn't mean we're going to smash heat records this summer, though.
As I mentioned in my previous post, things have been a blur of insanity lately. I wish I could get back to reading some books, that I've started and haven't finished. Seems like every time I get going, something comes up at work, or home, or elsewhere. :-\
Either way, I'm glad to be able to have the time I do to spend in the garden. So peaceful and eases a lot of stress.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Clearly a conspiracy
It's funny how when I claim I will post more, I post less. I think the government is behind it...lol.
So, why the long absence? A variety of reasons, but most notably, the hospital. I've been at the hospital for about a week straight, because my sister had severe abdominal pain. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say that there are some EXTREMELY incompetent people working here in town, and at the third hospital, they ended up removing a cyst the size of a baseball, and her appendix.
So honestly, the garden hasn't been at the top of my list, in the season which it should be. Luckily I was able to take a few "sanity" days off from work and get it back on track. The potatoes were plated, as well as strawberries, and now the beans & peas have been planted. I slightly altered the layout when I figured I could add another row by merely knocking 6" off the pepper row-spacing. Big deal - the minute crowdedness that will come about shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
The blackberry plants are flowering well, and the onions at the north side of the garden are growing strong. The south side doesn't get as much sun (yet) so they're not fully-growing. So far, 27 out of ~80 potatoes have bloomed, and that's likely due to the other half being the Yukon Gold (or was it Red?) that bloom later. The carrots have finally begun to sprout, but are still very very tiny.
It is a very warm Spring here, so far, so I'll probably plant the corn early next week, followed by Tomatoes and Peppers. I am beginning to think our last freeze already occured (pretty early).
So, back to work. Thanks for checking in!
So, why the long absence? A variety of reasons, but most notably, the hospital. I've been at the hospital for about a week straight, because my sister had severe abdominal pain. I won't go into all the details, but let's just say that there are some EXTREMELY incompetent people working here in town, and at the third hospital, they ended up removing a cyst the size of a baseball, and her appendix.
So honestly, the garden hasn't been at the top of my list, in the season which it should be. Luckily I was able to take a few "sanity" days off from work and get it back on track. The potatoes were plated, as well as strawberries, and now the beans & peas have been planted. I slightly altered the layout when I figured I could add another row by merely knocking 6" off the pepper row-spacing. Big deal - the minute crowdedness that will come about shouldn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
The blackberry plants are flowering well, and the onions at the north side of the garden are growing strong. The south side doesn't get as much sun (yet) so they're not fully-growing. So far, 27 out of ~80 potatoes have bloomed, and that's likely due to the other half being the Yukon Gold (or was it Red?) that bloom later. The carrots have finally begun to sprout, but are still very very tiny.
It is a very warm Spring here, so far, so I'll probably plant the corn early next week, followed by Tomatoes and Peppers. I am beginning to think our last freeze already occured (pretty early).
So, back to work. Thanks for checking in!
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Marching into the garden
If you've read this far, I appreciate you not leaving after that terrible pun of a title.
So, I ended up going to Ace Hardware and renting a front tine (urgh, the rear tine was still broken so they are selling it) tiller. I brought it home, cleverly unloaded it by myself with a big board, and then started tilling away. What a great tiller! Very simple, no crazy knobs, buttons, etc. And it made quick work of the garden. I finished tilling all of the garden in less than an hour, so that was nice, because I only had to pay $8 :-)
Here's how the garden stands now. I'll try to get pics of the actual garden tomorrow when it's light out again. Needless to say, it's finally coming along.
So, I ended up going to Ace Hardware and renting a front tine (urgh, the rear tine was still broken so they are selling it) tiller. I brought it home, cleverly unloaded it by myself with a big board, and then started tilling away. What a great tiller! Very simple, no crazy knobs, buttons, etc. And it made quick work of the garden. I finished tilling all of the garden in less than an hour, so that was nice, because I only had to pay $8 :-)
Here's how the garden stands now. I'll try to get pics of the actual garden tomorrow when it's light out again. Needless to say, it's finally coming along.
(Click on the image to enlarge)
Well that is all for now, because I'm running late for church. Thanks for stopping by.
Monday, February 28, 2011
And to end February
February went out with a bang today, ending our weeks of 60s/70s temperature by getting down to 34 last night. One last horrah. Thank you February :-)
I have been reading through an incredibly detailed, incredibly useful link on Poultry. There is a lot more info than just poultry, but I'm not ready for that stage. Here's the link, start reading!
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Poultry.html
I got in all my seeds over the weekend. All I lack now is the strawberry plants (set to come in & be planted this week), and I'll be all set. Also, 2 of the pullets will be going to live on a farm - literally, not metaphorically - today, and another 2 will be going to live with Tara at another time shortly.
The last thing for the week, probably, will be the renting of a rear-tine tiller from Ace Hardware. My front-tine tiller broke again, and I'm just tired of dealing with it. You can't beat $8 to rent a $400 tiller!
See you in March!
I have been reading through an incredibly detailed, incredibly useful link on Poultry. There is a lot more info than just poultry, but I'm not ready for that stage. Here's the link, start reading!
http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Poultry.html
I got in all my seeds over the weekend. All I lack now is the strawberry plants (set to come in & be planted this week), and I'll be all set. Also, 2 of the pullets will be going to live on a farm - literally, not metaphorically - today, and another 2 will be going to live with Tara at another time shortly.
The last thing for the week, probably, will be the renting of a rear-tine tiller from Ace Hardware. My front-tine tiller broke again, and I'm just tired of dealing with it. You can't beat $8 to rent a $400 tiller!
See you in March!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Planting Dates
As I was working all day in the garden yesterday, when I planted onions and carrots, I remembered that I had not posted the planting dates.
I like to plant onions, carrots, and lettuce earlier than this (February 19th), but oh well, that's just the way it goes.
Potatoes I like to plant between the Full Moon in February and President's Day. This year, that date range is the 18th - 22nd.
Strawberries will be planted March 1-8.
Corn, Beans, and Cucumbers will be planted sometime between March 20 and May 1. According to my 2010 gardening journal, I planted these on April 4th. It just sort of depends on the weather at the time.
Shortly after the Corn, Beans and Cucs, the Tomatoes will be planted between March 25th and April 15th.
Next, the Peppers will be planted sometime in the month of April, followed by the Southern Peas being planted between April 1 and May 20th.
Cantaleoupe, a big letdown from last year, will be planted sometime between April 5th and May 1st.
I don't have a schedule made up for the Fall planting dates, but I plan on getting one together soon. There are many vegetables that grow much better in the fall, here in Texas, thanks to the incredibly hot summer ending.
Some other gardening notes:
On the lasagna method, which I spoke about a couple posts ago, I have run across one negative...well maybe. Most tillers (at least the one I use, for sure) cannot till through all the hay, so you'll have to rake the hay out of the way, till, then rake it back on top. It kind of stinks, because I wanted to till the hay into the ground. But I guess having a thick layer of hay mulch will be pretty awesome.
Completely unintentionally, I "planted" a cover crop over a portion of my garden last fall. What actually happened was, I put down wheat straw, and the wheat seeds germinated, then grew :-) So after it started to grow, I thought "why not, cover crops are good." Well now that it's time to till it all in, I sorta wish I had a horse and plow, because this stuff is FIRMLY rooted into the ground. That's the point of wheat as a cover crop, but probably is not realistic for such a small scale garden. It took a long time to get it uprooted, and that was only about 20 square feet of wheat grass. Notice this clump of wheat grass - the root structure is incredibly thick and intertwined, and (you'll just have to trust me on this) is very hard to separate.
Planting Onion plants
I thought I'd write up a little how-to on how I planted the onion plants I bought ($0.89/60, not bad!).
First, I tilled the few square feet where the onions were to be planted. I flattened the ground so digging furrows would be easier. I then used my hoe, or my hands, to dig a furrow.
I took a handful of onion plants and started setting them in the furrow about 4-6" apart.
I then simply pushed the soil back onto the onions, which are now at about 1-2" deep in the furrow. I then compacted the ground around the stalks, to provide good root-to-soil contact. I did not do that last year, and I believe that with this tip, I should have a better production rate.
Well, that about sums up everything from this weekend. What a beautiful weekend it was, and it was great to soak up the sun outside. I can't wait to see what this year's garden holds in store!
I like to plant onions, carrots, and lettuce earlier than this (February 19th), but oh well, that's just the way it goes.
Potatoes I like to plant between the Full Moon in February and President's Day. This year, that date range is the 18th - 22nd.
Strawberries will be planted March 1-8.
Corn, Beans, and Cucumbers will be planted sometime between March 20 and May 1. According to my 2010 gardening journal, I planted these on April 4th. It just sort of depends on the weather at the time.
Shortly after the Corn, Beans and Cucs, the Tomatoes will be planted between March 25th and April 15th.
Next, the Peppers will be planted sometime in the month of April, followed by the Southern Peas being planted between April 1 and May 20th.
Cantaleoupe, a big letdown from last year, will be planted sometime between April 5th and May 1st.
I don't have a schedule made up for the Fall planting dates, but I plan on getting one together soon. There are many vegetables that grow much better in the fall, here in Texas, thanks to the incredibly hot summer ending.
Some other gardening notes:
On the lasagna method, which I spoke about a couple posts ago, I have run across one negative...well maybe. Most tillers (at least the one I use, for sure) cannot till through all the hay, so you'll have to rake the hay out of the way, till, then rake it back on top. It kind of stinks, because I wanted to till the hay into the ground. But I guess having a thick layer of hay mulch will be pretty awesome.
Completely unintentionally, I "planted" a cover crop over a portion of my garden last fall. What actually happened was, I put down wheat straw, and the wheat seeds germinated, then grew :-) So after it started to grow, I thought "why not, cover crops are good." Well now that it's time to till it all in, I sorta wish I had a horse and plow, because this stuff is FIRMLY rooted into the ground. That's the point of wheat as a cover crop, but probably is not realistic for such a small scale garden. It took a long time to get it uprooted, and that was only about 20 square feet of wheat grass. Notice this clump of wheat grass - the root structure is incredibly thick and intertwined, and (you'll just have to trust me on this) is very hard to separate.
Planting Onion plants
I thought I'd write up a little how-to on how I planted the onion plants I bought ($0.89/60, not bad!).
First, I tilled the few square feet where the onions were to be planted. I flattened the ground so digging furrows would be easier. I then used my hoe, or my hands, to dig a furrow.
I took a handful of onion plants and started setting them in the furrow about 4-6" apart.
I then simply pushed the soil back onto the onions, which are now at about 1-2" deep in the furrow. I then compacted the ground around the stalks, to provide good root-to-soil contact. I did not do that last year, and I believe that with this tip, I should have a better production rate.
Well, that about sums up everything from this weekend. What a beautiful weekend it was, and it was great to soak up the sun outside. I can't wait to see what this year's garden holds in store!
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Tilling around chickens
Due to all the mayhem lately, very little has been done in the garden. The lasagna method of soil preparation seems to have REALLY worked well. However, for those interested in trying it, I do have a few suggestions.
- Horse manure is great - there are far less weed seeds than cow manure. The areas with cow manure have considerably more weeds than the areas covered with horse manure.
- The manure that you choose, try to find it "fresh." The manure I used had been composting for a couple of years. Although it is a great soil additive, it didn't really heat up, which is part of what you're aiming for.
- The hay on top - use the best you can find. Usually it will be called "Coastal Bermuda." Buy a lot in the summer before the prices go up and quantities diminish near Halloween.
- Be sure to spray it down with water if you haven't gotten precipitation for a while.
- Use thick cardboard if you live in a very wet area. If you live in a dry area, use thinner cardboard. The wet soil will decompose the cardboard faster, so obviously the wetter places can get away with thicker stuff.
Now that it is nearly Spring, it's time to rototill all of this back into the ground. Problem is, there are chickens in the garden. They're not terribly easy to move, either. So I'll just have to rototill around them (I'm sure they'll love that). Actually I will probably lock them inside their coop so they aren't frightened. With the lasagna method, I shouldn't have to till too deep - probably just around 6-8". I had put around 6" of horse manure on the soil, then covered it with hay. It has now settled down to about 3" high, so that will give me a good combination of original soil and manure.
Obviously the most critical areas of the garden are the areas where things need to be planted immediately. Unfortunately, that's a TON of area. The entire potato area needs to be tilled by next Tuesday (2/22/11) and the Strawberries will be planted two weeks after that. The peppers, corn, and tomatoes have a while, so they aren't of immediate concern, but I think it would probably be in the best interest to go ahead and till them since I'm out there. Since I planted the onions last night, I will have to be very careful tilling around those as well.
Well, on to the hard work!
Saturday, January 15, 2011
2011 Garden Layout
The garden layout is finally done! As I've said before in past posts, I'm extremely (read overly) analytical about this stuff, and this is probably completely unnecessary, but hey - it gives me something to do in the months when there is no gardening to tend to.
You can find the 2011 garden layout link at the top of my blog, or by following this link.
You'll notice, there's quite a substantial size difference between 2010's gardens (a total of ~98 sq. ft.) and 2011's gardens (a total of 872 sq. ft.)!
You can find the 2011 garden layout link at the top of my blog, or by following this link.
You'll notice, there's quite a substantial size difference between 2010's gardens (a total of ~98 sq. ft.) and 2011's gardens (a total of 872 sq. ft.)!
Saturday, December 18, 2010
So...so...exhausted
Went and picked up another ton of horse manure today. I'm glad the garden is almost done, because this is backbreaking work. It will be nice when we have our own house and land and ... wait a minute. I'll have to do this all again. Agh!
lol
Good night all! :D
lol
Good night all! :D
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Seed buyin time...
Well, there's a TON of stuff about to happen. It's all waiting on Wednesday (aka, payday). So not only have I listed off the seeds I'll be buying, but I've also added a few other projects I'll be diving into. They're not really related to gardening/homesteading, but what the heck, they're neat.
Seeds to buy:
Tomatoes
Roma
Brandywine
Perhaps a cherry variety (not sure yet)
Cucumbers
Marketmore 76 (slicing)
Double-yield Pickling
Beans/Peas
Mississippi Silver Crowder
Kentucky Wonder Pole
Dark Red Kidney
Black Turtle
Peppers:
Emerald Giant Peppers
Joe's Long Cayenne
Jalapeno
Potatoes
Yukon Gold
Red Pontiac
Corn
Silver Queen
Strawberries:
Jewel
Onions
Some Yellow variety, some white variety
Lettuce
Iceberg (head)
Little Gem (Romaine variety)
Broccoli
Any Kind
Carrots
Danver's Half-Long
Beets
Any kind
Another project I'll start tomorrow is building a smoker. I'll upload some photos of the process along the way...should be fun. It'd be nice if I had some chickens I raised, to BBQ in it. Argh.
Another thing on the agenda is to order my Mustang parts. If you haven't seen my other blog, I'm restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang Coupe, and I'm ordering a truckload of new suspension parts.
Last, I need to make a couple more trips out to Venus to get some more manure. Spring is right around the corner, and I'd better get the bed composted before it's too late. So hopefully by Sunday I'll be done with that, because things are about to get crazy.
Have a great week everyone :-D
Seeds to buy:
Tomatoes
Roma
Brandywine
Perhaps a cherry variety (not sure yet)
Cucumbers
Marketmore 76 (slicing)
Double-yield Pickling
Beans/Peas
Mississippi Silver Crowder
Kentucky Wonder Pole
Dark Red Kidney
Black Turtle
Peppers:
Emerald Giant Peppers
Joe's Long Cayenne
Jalapeno
Potatoes
Yukon Gold
Red Pontiac
Corn
Silver Queen
Strawberries:
Jewel
Onions
Some Yellow variety, some white variety
Lettuce
Iceberg (head)
Little Gem (Romaine variety)
Broccoli
Any Kind
Carrots
Danver's Half-Long
Beets
Any kind
Another project I'll start tomorrow is building a smoker. I'll upload some photos of the process along the way...should be fun. It'd be nice if I had some chickens I raised, to BBQ in it. Argh.
Another thing on the agenda is to order my Mustang parts. If you haven't seen my other blog, I'm restoring a 1966 Ford Mustang Coupe, and I'm ordering a truckload of new suspension parts.
Last, I need to make a couple more trips out to Venus to get some more manure. Spring is right around the corner, and I'd better get the bed composted before it's too late. So hopefully by Sunday I'll be done with that, because things are about to get crazy.
Have a great week everyone :-D
Monday, December 6, 2010
An Amazing Resource
"PlantFiles is the largest plant database in the world, with information and photos for 183,506 different plants! View our 282,047 images and read our 112,742 detailed and helpful comments. Search for a plant by its common or botanical name using the green button below, or scroll down the page and browse through hundreds of popular cultivars, or search for plants by their characteristics (height, hardiness, etc.)"
This website has a TON of great information. If you haven't seen it before, I highly recommend checking it out!!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Back to it
On the list for the next couple weeks:
Need to set up a little area where I can start some seeds. Last year, the tomato seeds and pepper seeds did not do much, at all. That's why we have nurseries :) But this year I have a secret weapon - Christmas Lights. More on that later.
While the ground is nearly ready for the garden there's a few other things that need my attention. I'm ordering 250 feet of soaker hose off of Amazon, which will be run all over the garden. I also need to build some trellises for the beans, and build the tomato cages. Whew that is going to be a lot of work, in the middle of a cold cold winter.
I need to order a LOT of seeds. I have a list in the livingroom, but I'm sitting in bed typing this and don't feel like going to get it. Here's what I know of:
Lettuce (Romaine, Iceberg), Corn (?), Potatoes (various kinds for backing, mashing, soups), Goliath Tomatoes, Carrots (Danvers probably), Peppers (Jalapeno, Bell, Habanero, Cayenne, Ancho/Pablano), Beans (Kentucky Wonder, Crowder, need to think of some more), Strawberries (Jewel), Cucumbers (A bush slicing variety and pickling variety). Also I'll need a huge assortment of herbs/flowers which repel bad bugs, which include: Anise, Borage, Coriander, Carraway, Mint, Peppermint, Bee Balm, Onions, Nasturtiums, and about 15 others I can't think of at the moment.
And last, sadly, I still need more manure. I'm liking this "lasagna method" - it appears to be working great. I just wish I had easier access to it...and a tractor, lol.
Need to set up a little area where I can start some seeds. Last year, the tomato seeds and pepper seeds did not do much, at all. That's why we have nurseries :) But this year I have a secret weapon - Christmas Lights. More on that later.
While the ground is nearly ready for the garden there's a few other things that need my attention. I'm ordering 250 feet of soaker hose off of Amazon, which will be run all over the garden. I also need to build some trellises for the beans, and build the tomato cages. Whew that is going to be a lot of work, in the middle of a cold cold winter.
I need to order a LOT of seeds. I have a list in the livingroom, but I'm sitting in bed typing this and don't feel like going to get it. Here's what I know of:
Lettuce (Romaine, Iceberg), Corn (?), Potatoes (various kinds for backing, mashing, soups), Goliath Tomatoes, Carrots (Danvers probably), Peppers (Jalapeno, Bell, Habanero, Cayenne, Ancho/Pablano), Beans (Kentucky Wonder, Crowder, need to think of some more), Strawberries (Jewel), Cucumbers (A bush slicing variety and pickling variety). Also I'll need a huge assortment of herbs/flowers which repel bad bugs, which include: Anise, Borage, Coriander, Carraway, Mint, Peppermint, Bee Balm, Onions, Nasturtiums, and about 15 others I can't think of at the moment.
And last, sadly, I still need more manure. I'm liking this "lasagna method" - it appears to be working great. I just wish I had easier access to it...and a tractor, lol.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Set at 150 and bake for 7 months
Lasagna!
Well, somewhat. More like the most disgusting version of lasagna ever. A layer of newspaper/cardboard, a layer of cow manure and rabbit manure, followed by a layer of hay. In 6 or 7 months, I'll till it into the ground, as it will have (hopefully) composted into rich, nutrient-filled soil. I still hope to get a few (3? 4?) chickens in the early spring to go through the garden one last time, devouring pests and pulling up weeds. Speaking of devouring, I'll also order 1000 Lacewing eggs and 1500 ladybugs from somewhere (like Amazon.com). That should take care of some of the pests.
Here's how the lasagna gardening went:
1) Spend hours gathering a lot of crap
2) Lay newspaper on ground. Pile crap on top. Pile hay on top of that.
3) Finished lasagna garden!
Also, I did it again. I changed the plot layout. I know, it's sad :( I'm too much of a perfectionist. But, to be fair, I only did so to incorporate more companion plants and to move the corn far away from the tomatoes, which is bad pest-wise. More on that later, though. The prep for 2011 is coming along nicely. Just need to track down a lot of manure. All that above (about 1 truck load) covered slightly less than 1/4 of the garden. Lots to go.
Well, somewhat. More like the most disgusting version of lasagna ever. A layer of newspaper/cardboard, a layer of cow manure and rabbit manure, followed by a layer of hay. In 6 or 7 months, I'll till it into the ground, as it will have (hopefully) composted into rich, nutrient-filled soil. I still hope to get a few (3? 4?) chickens in the early spring to go through the garden one last time, devouring pests and pulling up weeds. Speaking of devouring, I'll also order 1000 Lacewing eggs and 1500 ladybugs from somewhere (like Amazon.com). That should take care of some of the pests.
Here's how the lasagna gardening went:
1) Spend hours gathering a lot of crap
2) Lay newspaper on ground. Pile crap on top. Pile hay on top of that.
3) Finished lasagna garden!
Also, I did it again. I changed the plot layout. I know, it's sad :( I'm too much of a perfectionist. But, to be fair, I only did so to incorporate more companion plants and to move the corn far away from the tomatoes, which is bad pest-wise. More on that later, though. The prep for 2011 is coming along nicely. Just need to track down a lot of manure. All that above (about 1 truck load) covered slightly less than 1/4 of the garden. Lots to go.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
For real
I need to stay on top of blogging...
So today is hot. How hot? 106 degrees hot. Frankly, though, I love the heat. I don't work outside all the time, because I don't want to injure myself, but I do work for 15-30 minutes, then rest for 30 minutes. I think it's a Texas thing...we just love the heat.
So what have I been doing? Working on the super large garden, of course.
First, we staked out the "plot" - 35' x 23' - and and edged out the perimeter:
Don't let the tiller in the above picture fool you - it broke 4 times, and I was too tired to pull it out of bed (those things are heavy!)
Next, after fixing the tiller (which took way too long), I started tilling. Tilling is some dang hard work! But, with a lot of muscle and sweat, I got it tilled, for the most part.
Cultivating with a tiller makes for somewhat light-work, but it doesn't do it all. If you're still new at gardening, cultivating essentially gathers the soil several inches down, pulls it to the top, and in the process pulls weeds from the stronghold in the dirt. This, then, kills the weeds. Supposedly you can leave the weeds there and they'll eventually go back into the ground or blow away, but I hate weeds. I rake them together then burn them. Die weeds die! Hahaha
Today I also came across something incredible - the power of a useful tool! I think we all have something like this:
But, as many of us know, this tool can be one of the must frustrating to use. It can feel like you're swinging a sledgehammer, somehow trying to dislodge a weed - how the heck!?!? Well, believe it or not, lower-priced hoes do not come ready-for-use. You definitely need to spend a few minutes sharpening the edge. I spent about 5 minutes putting a grinding (at a 45 degree angle) the edge of the shovel and took it out for a run.
Wow! What a difference. It easily chopped 3" under the soil level to kill the weeds. There was no more whacking away with all my strength. It made the job 100 times easier.
Well that's all for now. Time for dinner :-D
So today is hot. How hot? 106 degrees hot. Frankly, though, I love the heat. I don't work outside all the time, because I don't want to injure myself, but I do work for 15-30 minutes, then rest for 30 minutes. I think it's a Texas thing...we just love the heat.
So what have I been doing? Working on the super large garden, of course.
First, we staked out the "plot" - 35' x 23' - and and edged out the perimeter:
Don't let the tiller in the above picture fool you - it broke 4 times, and I was too tired to pull it out of bed (those things are heavy!)
Next, after fixing the tiller (which took way too long), I started tilling. Tilling is some dang hard work! But, with a lot of muscle and sweat, I got it tilled, for the most part.
Cultivating with a tiller makes for somewhat light-work, but it doesn't do it all. If you're still new at gardening, cultivating essentially gathers the soil several inches down, pulls it to the top, and in the process pulls weeds from the stronghold in the dirt. This, then, kills the weeds. Supposedly you can leave the weeds there and they'll eventually go back into the ground or blow away, but I hate weeds. I rake them together then burn them. Die weeds die! Hahaha
Today I also came across something incredible - the power of a useful tool! I think we all have something like this:
But, as many of us know, this tool can be one of the must frustrating to use. It can feel like you're swinging a sledgehammer, somehow trying to dislodge a weed - how the heck!?!? Well, believe it or not, lower-priced hoes do not come ready-for-use. You definitely need to spend a few minutes sharpening the edge. I spent about 5 minutes putting a grinding (at a 45 degree angle) the edge of the shovel and took it out for a run.
Wow! What a difference. It easily chopped 3" under the soil level to kill the weeds. There was no more whacking away with all my strength. It made the job 100 times easier.
Well that's all for now. Time for dinner :-D
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Getting ready!
I picked up a landscape edger today, and ordered the landscape fabric. I have finally done it; I've created the perfect garden! Haha, well maybe not. But it is a pretty good design, if I say so myself, and at least it fits my yard/slope/location well. Below is the layout of my garden. It didn't scan well because pencil & paper isn't the clearest thing in the world. Oh well.
Click to Enlarge
Some things I have written on the bottom of the picture:
245 Corn plants
110 Bean plants
5 Blackberry plants
5 Raspberry plants
45 Potato plants
22 Pepper plants
16 Tomato plants
7x5 Strawberry bed (not sure on # of plants)
Also scattered throughout the garden I will have lots of Onions, Borage, Carrots, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, and anything else I can think of that will keep pests away. If you haven't looked into Borage, do it! That stuff is amazing!
Not much new on the chickens. I did talk to a realtor who kind of gave me half of what I was looking for. She did write that a maintained coop would not cause the resale value of a nearby house to drop. That's good info.
Click to Enlarge
 |
| From Blog Photos |
Some things I have written on the bottom of the picture:
245 Corn plants
110 Bean plants
5 Blackberry plants
5 Raspberry plants
45 Potato plants
22 Pepper plants
16 Tomato plants
7x5 Strawberry bed (not sure on # of plants)
Also scattered throughout the garden I will have lots of Onions, Borage, Carrots, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, and anything else I can think of that will keep pests away. If you haven't looked into Borage, do it! That stuff is amazing!
Not much new on the chickens. I did talk to a realtor who kind of gave me half of what I was looking for. She did write that a maintained coop would not cause the resale value of a nearby house to drop. That's good info.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
100th blog post
Took a while longer than I had hoped, but here it is: the 100th blog post.
I've been monitoring the corn pretty closely lately. I picked an ear today, but it very small and not done. I also picked several carrots and a funky looking cucumber. The cucumbers did not pollinate well (nearly at all), so I went out with a little paintbrush and pollinated them by hand. Not sure how it will turn out, but hopefully well.
There is also some really big news on the horizon! I'm currently writing up a paper which I will be presenting at our HOA meeting. I'm both terrified and excited. I have a lot of points I would like to cover, but due to time constraints, I have 4 main ones. Here's the paper/outline below. It's not completely done, but mostly.
___________________________________________________________
Closing
So, as you can see I have some work to do, but hopefully it'll go over well. I'm appalled by some of the great papers people have written and put online. Using that info and my own, maybe I can channel debate from high school and come out on top.
I've been monitoring the corn pretty closely lately. I picked an ear today, but it very small and not done. I also picked several carrots and a funky looking cucumber. The cucumbers did not pollinate well (nearly at all), so I went out with a little paintbrush and pollinated them by hand. Not sure how it will turn out, but hopefully well.
There is also some really big news on the horizon! I'm currently writing up a paper which I will be presenting at our HOA meeting. I'm both terrified and excited. I have a lot of points I would like to cover, but due to time constraints, I have 4 main ones. Here's the paper/outline below. It's not completely done, but mostly.
___________________________________________________________
Raising Chickens
Introduction
Noise
On a normal day, in our neighborhood, we hear helicopters, airplanes, dogs barking, children, cars and trucks driving by, sprinklers, lawnmowers, and sounds from the pool and the park.
A hen produces very little noise. Normally people think of the morning crow of a rooster, however, these are not allowed in Arlington. A hen makes a soft clucking noise, which is not usually audible beyond 25 ft. The loudest a hen gets is after laying an egg – which occurs one time a day (or less) for a few minutes.
Smell
Chickens themselves do not smell. Chicken manure does have the potential to smell, which is also true of cats, dogs, and other pets.
A medium-sized dog will generate, on average, 0.75 lb. of manure or feces a day. A medium sized (4 lb.) hen generates, on average, 0.05 lb. per day. Obviously, with Arlington’s maximum of 4 chickens (0.20 lbs./day), this would still pale in comparison to the amount of feces a dog produces.
In addition, a dog’s waste contains harmful bacteria and parasites, such as roundworms, tapeworms, and hookworms. Chicken waste is “compostable” unlike other pet manures, which means it will easily and safely break down organically into the Earth.
Why do people think of odor when they think of chickens? This answer could vary greatly, but the most likely answer is because many of us have been to a farm or large commercial operation where chickens are processed. Many of these places are poorly-ventilated, crowded, and not maintained properly.
Arlington Ordinances and Structure
Section 5.02 Keeping of Fowl
A person commits an offense if he:
A. Keeps or maintains more than four (4) fowl on one-half (1/2) acre or less or at a distance closer than fifty feet (50') from any habitation located on another's property; or
E. Fails to keep any fowl of the Order Galliformes [this includes chickens] contained within a coop or pen.
F. Keeps or maintains roosters except in an area zoned as agricultural.
Basically:
A person cannot have more than 4 hens on ½ acre or less. They must keep the hens 50’ away from a house on another person’s property. They must be contained within a coop/pen. And last, no roosters!
The structures above are clearly small. Chickens require very little space to roam and sleep. An average sized doghouse is plenty big enough for multiple hens to sleep in, and a hen needs about 6-8 square feet of roaming space. This is smaller than a 3’ x 3’ fenced in section – incredibly small.
Property Values
Here I will be placing several (2 or 3) letters from local Realtors stating chickens are no more negative to a property-value than a poorly maintained dog house, etc.Raising hens offers our neighborhood a unique opportunity to raise animals which are intelligent, social, entertaining, low-maintenance, clean, and quiet. They’re quieter than nearly every noise we hear through our community, and cleaner than most family pets.
Most everyone here cares for this community and shows it by maintaining the neighborhood and keeping it beautiful. I wouldn’t expect that with raising hens it would be any different, so I ask you all to consider overturning the HOA regulations on prohibiting chickens.
Appendices
Appendix A:
Suggested Additional Ordinances
a. No coop shall exceed 6 feet above grade and must allow for a footprint of at least 2 square feet per chicken housed in the coop. The maximum single coop footprint size is 40 square feet. Coops must be located in the rear yard of the lot. Coops must be kept clean, sanitary, and free from standing water at all times.
b. Maximum number of chickens allowed per residential lot is 4 hens. No roosters are permitted.
So, as you can see I have some work to do, but hopefully it'll go over well. I'm appalled by some of the great papers people have written and put online. Using that info and my own, maybe I can channel debate from high school and come out on top.
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