Mothers Day Gift

My Mothers day gift from my sweet daughter, Lauren. A metal sign for the farm. Hung in front of the barn.

Simple sweet!

Blessing the Bugs Even in Death

We made a decision to immediately kill the "bad bugs" this year in our garden. We waited till it was too late last season. It was more of a live and let live attitude. However, witnessing whole families of squash bugs take over our pumpkins, squash, zucchini and cucumbers was a sight to behold. Pillbugs or as I have fondly called them in the past, roly-polys, were a huge issue too. Pap and I went round and round passionately debating, discussing the karma entailed in the killings.

What I mean by it was too late is that by the time it became apparent that we were the losers, and would have no more pumpkins or zucchinis, the squash bugs had moved into the garden in overwhelmingly huge numbers! I had seen the eggs last year and seen the bugs, but for the most part ignored them. I suppose I was hoping the lady bugs and praying mantis's would take care of them for me! So being pro-active this year I say Bless you as I send the little fellas into their next life. I am also inspecting the underside of the leaves on all my veggies that are susceptible for their eggs. The squash bugs lay the eggs in a wonderfully uniform pattern most of the time on the underside hidden from view. To remove these I tear off just the part of the leaf they are on. The squash bugs are hand picked off and thrown in a jar of soapy water. So long! Farewell!

Transplanting the Seedlings

This week has been a busy one with Pap and I trying to get our seedlings into the ground. The weather has been pretty nuts with a few frosts all the way into the first week of April. Of course this prevented us from transplanting until the weather warmed up!

Pap did try a new technique in the garden called double dig. There is some controversy surrounding this method, and it is a very intensive physically demanding technique. Basically, it involves removing the top layer of soil to the depth of a spade in a trench format and setting it aside. Then loosening the soil underneath and adding compost, manure and other amendments before adding the soil back to the top layer. Many people say this is just alot of extra work which can be done more simply by tilling or mixing in your soil and amendments to the top layer. The other side of the argument says this technique helps with aeration, drainage, and that more veggies are reaped from this type of bed. So we will see! The area Pap did the double dig is where the corn will go along with squash and beans. Yes, we love to plant using the three Sisters method. This is a companion gardening method where you plant your corn, add a squash or two below the corn ,and then add peas around base of corn. The corn grows, and the peas trellis up and around the corn. 

Here is a picture of the soil bed that Pap did the double dig on. Only a gardener can truly appreciate a picture of only dirt! Right!

We transplanted squash, a few varieties of peppers, eggplant, zucchinis, cucumbers, and planted seeds of marigolds and nasturtiums between some of the beds. These are flowers that help control some of the un-beneficial insects. Apparently, some "bad" insects are repelled by these flowers. Nasturtiums and marigolds also help attract pollinators along with other beneficial insects.

Here are some of our transplants grown from seeds. They were busting at the seams in their little containers, and now stand happy and tall in the ground.

 Happy Gardening!

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Waiting for Warmer Temperaures

 It is still cold here in East Texas with temperatures in the 30's. Not the ideal situation for tender young seedlings! So we are patiently waiting for the days to warm up, so we can put them in the ground. In the meantime we have our seedlings all over the house in windows and in the greenhouse. Our kitchen window is a great area for growing seeds. It wraps around a corner so there is alot of sunlight during the day. We have been experimenting with a few other places in the house too. Our bedroom and bathroom windows have been good for growing too. We don't have all the fancy growing lights and heating pads, but have had no problem growing our seeds. Once they are seeded in soil we place them in a baggie or cover with saran wrap to keep the moisture in, and place them in a sunny spot. When they reach an inch or two tall the bags are removed, and they continue to grow. I did transplant our peppers and cucumbers into bigger growing containers this past week-end. They were bursting at the seams and needed more room! Hopefully, they will all be in the ground soon. 

Rocks from Field

The top part of our field sits atop a large conglomerate of big rocks. Last year we did the no-till method of gardening and put mounds of soil on top of grass to plant our vegetables. We did have lots of success, and harvested pumpkins, corn, squash, beans in this same area where Pap has tilled and is now digging up large rocks. Wanting to go bigger in our efforts of farming we made the decision to till this year. As you can see in the pictures, Pap is building rock altars and I must say I love them!

We have many seedlings that are sprouting up in the greenhouse and inside our kitchen windows. They are patiently waiting until the soil warms up to be planted. In the meantime we are preparing the beds, the field and the tilled rows, and uncovering many beautiful rocks. Some of the soil amendments we are using are lava sand, cotton bur compost along with our own homemade compost, horse manure and corn meal. We are also purchasing beneficial nematodes this year with hopes it will control some of the insect problem we had last year. These are beneficial microbes in the soil that help control grub worms, larvae, fleas and other un-beneficial insects. I am sure our dogs will love being less flea bit this year too!

 

"I'm a Farmer, see the dirt under these nails?"

Luckily,  the Spring of 2012 was a real Spring here in our little neck of the woods, and we were excited with the prospect of growing and using our own vegetables.   Last year's garden was a experiment with no-till farming with containers along side in case the conditions became less favorable.  At first the land did better, then the containers, then the land.
This year, 2013, the year of the snake, we will try to utilize what the Good Earth has provided with a wee bit of green manure, compost, sand where needed for the clay and perhaps hedge against the bugs with a few containers.   

We have propagating, green chiles, spinach, chard, lemongrass, lavender, melon, tomatoes, tomatillos.
We have spouted green onions, spinach, chard, spaghetti squash, zucchini squash and romaine; they will go into the ground in a few days or weeks depending... if the rain will stop and allow a drying to the farming areas.
Left over from our fall garden planted prior to Thanksgiving is a few cabbages left, one cauliflower, and various kale and broccoli's that have begun to flower.

Saturday, Sunday, and Monday were prep days or sore days as my body would call them.
Soil worked WAY more than last year, compost added along with green manure and bit of brown from  the horse on the property  "Lil' Man.   He got carrots yesterday and a good head scratching.   Compost tea is sprayed daily to enrich the dirt with beneficial nematodes.

Look's like with the hard work, playing in the dirt, coupled with a little good luck with the bugs both consequentially and inconsequentially and we will be putting some great tasting organically grown food once again on our table.

Remember that Dirt under Susan's nails?
I'd like to think that dirt fosters the nutritious eats and all that the good health of harvest entails.