6-24-2015

1 lb purple pole beans

1 lb green beans

1 head cabbage

1 bunch beets

1 bunch turnips

1 lb new potatoes

1/2 lb banana peppers

1/2 lb tam jalapenos

1 dozen eggs

bunch oregano

I was very excited this week to find the peppers. I was picking pole beans when I noticed the jalapenos. I have not even checked them since I usually don't have any until after I am picking red tomatoes. 

Can chickens really weed my garden?

Its called mobbing. Putting too many animals in a small space. They eat the grass too nothing and fertilize the ground. I seen where others were using chickens to work in their gardens. Not a weed one is growing in their pen, but when I turn mine in the garden they dig up plants and don't always eat the weeds. I saw a plan for a moveable collapsible chicken tractor here  

http://craftlog.org/craftlog/?p=4175

So I built one. I used plastic bird net so it is lighter I also didn't make a separate side panel because of the plastic net. The chickens can get out the sides if I don't put something in front of the sides. I move them up and down the rows and they weed, loosen soil, fertilize and work it in, and they find and eat all the grub worms. So far I am very pleased.

My only problems are putting the chickens in an taking them out. The garden is a short walk from their pen and I can't open the door and tell them to go and get in the chicken tractor and get to work. For some reason they don't listen to well.

 Got some seed started indoors. I actually find that it doesn't save me much time as far as getting things to harvest faster. Seeds that I sow directly in the garden will usually be ready about the same time as the plants I started in the house but I just have to start planting, I just cannot wait so I start them in the house. This year I did buy a grow light and hung in under my kitchen cabinets so we will see if the plants grow better. I usually just put them in a sunny window and turn them once a day. The plants are usually tall and week and when I put them in the garden they just kinda stay that way for a while before they finally decide to grow.  I have great hopes for this year. I hope I didn't just waste $24.99 on a light.
  My oldest daughter wanted in on the action. She saved all the cantaloupe seeds from last year. I didn't actually plant them last year but some how the seeds got to the garden (I'm not naming names Abigail). Casey loved the cantaloupe so much that she wanted to plant some this year. I let her plant her seeds, I don't know if any will come up but she has planted them. I told her with that many plants she will be able to sell her cantaloupe. I hope her plants do well.

 Got my husband to disc the garden under. I planted winter wheat for the first time at the end of last season as a cover crop and for organic matter in the soil. Of course my hens went to work right away ridding the garden of any grub worm. Whatever my husband didn't get turned under my hens certainly will.

 My new pregnant nanny Maisey wasn't happy in the field with the others.  She is very far along so I put her in the  pen with the pig we decided to fatten out. All his brothers and sister were just sold and he was lonely and scared. They seem to really enjoy each other. The nanny will not let anything close to the little pig and the pig lays with the goat and they eat hay together.


UPDATE: Maisey had one nanny on Friday while still in the pen with the pig. She would nurse the pig but not her baby so I pen them separte in the barn. While I was out there she would nurse the baby but if I wasn't there she would not. I didn't realize she wasn't taking care of it until to late and she died on sunday night after I stayed up most the night trying to bottle feed it and keep it warm.  Maisey was turned back out to the feild where she sits by the hog pen with the baby pig.

Coming soon...March 10, 2012

Got the incubator full of eggs, Chicken and Quail. I don't hatch any during the winter because winters here can sometimes be harsh and I am not going to take care of biddies all winter long.  I am also excited that I have a new broody hen. She is sitting on ten. We haven't had a broody hen since the first year we moved here.  We had always had free range hens at the other place so I didn't have them in a pen and when they went to sit something would get them. So we built the pens for their protection but I had already lost my good broody hens.

These are images from last year's garden. After breaking my arm nothing else got done.

 Here is my chicken compost. It was nice of them to make it for me without me having to lift a single pitch fork.

 Our okra had a rough start because rabbits liked to eat the top out while they were small.

It was not a good year for tomatoes either. Most people around here didn't get any. I did but they were late in the season.

Peanut beans

 This is a little late.  I have been telling you about trying to grow sweet potatoes from my own slips.  well I grew the slips and we planted them in hills.  It has rained so hard lately that I haven't been out there to  take new pictures but they are finally taken off.  Not all of the ones we planted survived but I still have two hot beds with slips more that what I can use and I think it is getting to late in the season to plant more but I am going to plant some more and see.  sweet potatoes are better after a frost anyway and although we could see one in October we usually don't until November or December.  I have never had much luck with sweet potatoes so I will keep you posted.

A friend gave me some new kinds of beans.  One called Peanut beans and the other Anasazi beans. Neither seem to be common.  The plants are up and starting to see runners but no beans yet.  Keep your fingers crossed.  The Kentucky wonders I planted in the corn are finally starting to take off. No beans yet but the corn is almost done and I don't know how I am going to work this one.  I also need to find something to plant where the corn is coming out of.  I don't want non productive space.

We have been really busy lately to busy for me to get on the computer and write it all down.  I regret that because if I don't write it down then iIforget it.

 We took the kids to the park. We didn't intend to feed the ducks but the ducks had different plans.  They would actually eat right out of your hands. My husband reached out and caught one of the babies.  Three adults came after him.  Only two of the ducks could have been the parents I wonder what interest the other duck had in the situation.

The kids wanted to catch one too, so we said go for it, knowing they couldn't catch one.

 We also took the kids swimming at the slab down from the house.  They always have a good time.  The water is really cold but they have lots of fun anyway

 Last year all of them were afraid of the water now they all just jump right in.

It was also vacation bible school.  It had a western theme and the kids had a great time. The last night was Wednesday and it was family night.  We had hamburgers and hot dogs then went outside for a marshmallow roast and then fun time in the water with a cow trough for swimming and a dunking booth.

The garden is doing well. yesterday I got a lot of weeding down in the afternoon.  It was the first time in weeks that it was cool enough to work outside for any length of time. I am going down the hill shortly to check on the blackberries.  This weekend is the forth of July and my parents are coming and they like blackberry cobbler.  I hope the blackberries are better this year and I will try a different recipe for the cobbler.

pioneer day

This weekend my parents came down. We had lots of things to do. My husband and my son went to a spaghetti supper for the Boy scouts. They didn't do very well, not enough advertising.They didn't get back until well after 10pm.
  Next Sunday is pioneer day at church. They will have song and testimony.  The choir is suppose to dress up. then we will have supper on the grounds and walk to the creek for a Baptismal.  I did not have anything old fashioned, so I decided to make something.  I was not looking forward to making a dress. My mother suggested a skirt like her grandma use to wear.  So we modified a shirt I already had, then made a skirt and bonnet. The apron was one my mother had made for my vacuum cleaner lady a couple of years ago it just happened to be perfect.  I think it makes me look huge but I agreed to have my picture taken anyway. Be looking at http://letslearnthat.blogspot.com/ . I am sure that she will explain how it was made in more detail

Today is the day I have to go to town.  I do not enjoy driving to town. Maybe one day I will only have to go once a year.  I am working on a year round garden that makes enough to support us.  We raise chickens and cows for meat. My husband also loves hunting so I don't think we will be lacking in that area.  One day I plan to be off the grid, or at least close to it. The biggest thing standing in my way right now is storage. My husband did set the poles for the pole barn on Saturday and we have the wood for another storage shed.  I am planning on digging a storm/root cellar this summer.

 My daughter just had to try on the bonnet. I am thinking of making her one but doubt she would wear it if it was hers.

I asked for it back to put up till next Sunday and she just had to go show grandma.

Chinese Cabbage

This is the first year I planted Chinese cabbage. I picked up a couple of plants at the feed store. I planted them about 1 foot apart. At first they were not doing will. I think they were drying out to fast in the harsh wind . I mulched them with leaves and immediately noticed a difference. A couple of weeks later I fertilized with fish emulsion and they took off. Yesterday I noticed two of them were starting to bolt. I wasn't ready to pick them but I cut those two off at the ground. Together they were about 4 lbs. On Facebook I asked if anyone had a good recipe for Chinese cabbage and boy at the response. I decided on a Ham and Cabbage Soup.

Ham and Chinese Cabbage Soup

1 tbsp butter

2 stalks celery, chopped (I left this out we do not like celery)

1 sm. onion, chopped

1 tbsp flour

2 c chicken bouillon or broth

1 1/2 c cooked ham, diced(i used left over ham bone i had in my freezer)

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 c shredded Chinese cabbage

Saute celery and onion in butter. Stir in flour. Add bouillon and cook, stirring until bubbly, Add ham, bay leaf, and cabbage cook until ham is heated and cabbage is limp.

I cooked it in a crock pot while I went out and mowed the lawn. It was good for a change. Kinda reminded us of mustard greens. I will have to try a different recipe tonight. I had intended to go out and plant corn after supper but by the time I got the grilled cheese cooked and kids fed it was getting late so I decided to just go out and watch the sun set.

First I had to put up goats. The chain was off the gate. So I got my kids to fetch the hammer and staples while I held the gate shut. Both me and my oldest son tried to hammer that staple in the gate and couldn't. Finally I sent for my husband. He got it hammered but it took him 10 minutes. Is old wood harder to nail? By this time I missed the sun set and just went in and got the kids in bed.

goat pens gardens and other happenings

I took the quilt to the winner yesterday. She has a very nice garden. She gave me some plants for my garden which I doubt I remember all of them. Oregano, parsley, fennel, chives, sage, mint, two tomato plants, broccoli, mustard greens, and a bleeding heart and lamb's ears.

She also gave me advice on asparagus. Everything I have read said to pull out the little volunteers. She just lets hers go wild and always has lots of asparagus. This is my first year with it and I was going to let it go wild anyway but if that is all there is to it than I will just let it grow and eat it when I can.

Another lady was giving away some sweet potatoes, seed potatoes and cabbage plants. I went there to get some and she lives in a bottom close to a year round creek. She has a big really nice house that they are remodeling and a huge garden. She saves her own seed so she has to buy very little. The cabbage was two year old seed and she didn't think it would all come up but did. So she had plenty to give away. I planted all of them besides what i gave to my boys. They have decided to make there own garden this year. Good luck to them.

This lady also use to have goats and gave me the name of someone who might have a billy I could borrow. I redid the goat pen the day before. Chicken wire will not hold a goat for long. I was repairing holes almost daily. So I tore down that section and because of the amount of rigging and repairs that was hard work. The kids enjoyed raking up and helping fertilize the garden. While my husband and i rebuilt the fence using red top field wire.

Today I need to build something to grow sweet potato slips in and plant more regular potatoes. There is always weeding, mowing, housework, and other things to do. But at the end of the day i sure sleep well.

Lettuce

I have never had very much luck with lettuce before. something always eats it. This is our first garden at our new place and it seems that lettuce likes it here. Late last season we discs the garden spot. Early this season a neighbor let us get two truck loads of turkey litter. we tilled the garden twice and i started planting with my root vegetables and lettuce.


Of course something started eating it. No telling what so i put up netting around it. Two plants died anyway. I thought it was getting to dry so i added leaves as mulch and them some fish emulsions as fertilizer. it took off. I fixed a nice salad for when my brother came down to visit form the garden. If you have never had garden lettuce and onions you don't know what you are missing. I just pick more yesterday and we had a big salad for supper and enough for another salad in a day or two. lettuce only keeps a little while in my refrigerator before it gets slimy. i am going to invest in a scale so that i can keep track of how much produce i get out of my garden this year.
I think i will make BLT's for supper. My husband will even eat lettuce that way.

Garden

my onions and garlic are up and running. Yesterday Sugar(the big goat) stuck her head through the fence and ate 3 of my red onions. I didn't realize that a goat would eat onions. I didn't think that any animal except humans would eat onions. Boy was i wrong. I replanted the bottoms so that they will come back with little damage.

My potatoes are doing well. I need to weed and mulch them. i was using the old hay around the pole shed to mulch them but my husband got a bee in his bonnet and racked it all up and burnt it. I told him what i was using it for but he said all i was doing was planting bermuda.

My first attempt at chinese cabage. They are doing great. I have green leafy lettuce right behind it. Although it is doing well things keep eating it and i am only one of those things. Right now i have it double fenced. I have the garden fence and then netting around it. Salads taste better out of the garden.

Getting the most out of a small area

Choose Indeterminate tomatoes. They keep growing and producing fruit until a killing frost. The other kind, which are called Determinate varieties save space because they are a smaller plant, but they produce all there fruit at once and then they are done. This is the kind that large scale tomato producers use so they can pick them all at once and sell to canneries.
The one I chose is BIG BOY from Bonnie Plants. It is an indeterminate variety, it grows in full sun, and maturity in 78 days. The tomatoes are large for slicing. We got our plants from Lowe's, but lots of places carry this brand. I planted 3 of these. I think that will be plenty to have fresh tomatoes on the table all through the summer plus enough to make my chow-chow, canned tomatoes, and tomato sauce. I might even try a few bottles of cat sup.

Other things to remember when planting in a small space is plant only the things your family will eat. No since in wasting precious garden space by planting stuff no one wants. I learned my lesson last year when I planted beans. I found out after just one or two batches of beans that my husband hates them. I like them OK, but not enough to work that hard on them so I pulled them out.
In the spring, plant cool-season vegetables like lettuce, mescalin , arugula, scallions, and spinach. They are ready to harvest in a short time, and they act as space holders until the warm-season vegetables fill in.
Grow vertically. Peas, small melons, squash, cucumbers, and pole beans have a small foot print when grown vertically. Plus they yield more over a longer time than bush types. I tried squash last year and the plants got huge and beautiful with plenty of blossoms, but no produce at all. It must be my soil. I had no luck at all so I am not going to try it again. I have planted black-eye peas (that's our favorite). Plants like broccoli, eggplants, peppers, chard, and kale are worth the space they take for a long season. As long as you keep harvesting, they keep right on producing. I did Chinese eggplant last year, and they did very well. It seems like those potato bugs are attracted to them though, I did have to use a lot of insecticide. The peppers that I planted this year is Jalapeno, also from Bonnie Plants. I did green and red sweet bell peppers last year only to find out that, like the beans, no one would eat them.
by Kay longboy

My tiny little garden

I don't have much space but I love fresh vegetables from the garden, especially tomatoes, so last year I dug out this small section just behind my house and built a raised bed. My husband got the landscaping rock from Lowe's and my son helped me with the digging out of the old grass and the dirt moving. We used a pallet of top soil and a big bag of peat moss (these were also purchased at Lowe's) to fill it in. I had a pretty good yield and of course planned to do it every year.
Last year we used tomato cages on our tomatoes but it didn't work out for me very good. The tomato vines were so heavy and it can be very windy here in Missouri at times, so the cages kept falling down and I couldn't get them to stay up. That made picking the tomatoes more difficult rather than easier. So this year we put up a small section of stock fence anchored with T-post to attach our tomatoes. As the vines grow, I will just tie them to the fence. I saw my cousin Earl do this in his garden and thought it was a great idea.
Yesterday I read an article in MOTHER EARTH NEWS magazine entitled Grow $700 of food in 100 square feet. It was all about this lady who had a 5' x 20' garden in her back yard and she wanted to see how much food she could produce in it. She kept track of all the expenses and what and how much she produced, along with the price those same vegetables cost at her local supermarket. She figured the total value of her little garden to be $746.52 then she subtracted the price of the plants, seeds, compost, and fertilizers, which came to about $63.09 . That means there was a $683.43 in savings on fresh vegetables for her.

I decided to try to keep track of what I get from my little space too. My space is about 4' x 18', but part of it is under the overhang of my roof and things don't like to grow there. There is also a crawl space thing on one end that takes out some of the usable area. I will get my husband to figure out the exact square footage for me. The other thing I am going to keep track of is the price of the water bill. That, to me, will make a difference in the total benefit also.

I will take pictures as the season progresses. Right now, I have 3 Big Boy tomato plants, Two Jalapeno pepper plants, Bib lettuce, green leaf lettuce (forgot the variety) and red leaf lettuce as well as plenty of onions. I planted black-eye peas this morning, they should be coming up in the next 10 days.

By Kay Longboy

beets

Valued for both their sweet roots and tasty greens, beets also bring interesting colors to the vegetable garden.
Beets are a cool-season crop best grown in spring and fall let them mature in cool soil for best color and flavor.
Plant beets in fertile, light textured soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline pH. Enrich the soil with a 2 inch layer of well-rotted compost before seeding.
Beet seeds often germinate sporadically, so sow seeds in shallow trenches filled with a mixture of compost and vermiculite. Plant seeds 1/2 inch deep and 1 inch apart.Hedging planting two to three weeks before the last spring frost. Keep the soil constantly moist until seedlings appear.
In areas with cool summers, make additional sowings of beets at three week intervals into the summer. In warmer climates sow most of your beets in late summer and early fall.
Beet seed are actually a fruit so sowing produces a thick stand, thin seedlings to 4 inches apart. The leaves of Young plants are edible. Remove weeds by hand and mulch around plants with a 1 inch layer
Keeping the soil moist and cool is key to growing sweet, uniform roots. If hot weather arrives be roe beets begin to swell, cool the roots by adding more mulch or hilling.
Beets are heavy feeders so it is helpful to amend the soil well with compost. Add supplemental fertilizer based on soil test
Begin harvesting beets when roots are golf ball size. Baby beets fully mature to 1 inch diameter in 60 to 70 days. Fall crops will hold in the garden until soil begins to freeze. Where winters are mild, some hardy varieties can be left in the garden.


Ok here is some new information that i have learned. A person could get 20tons of sugar beets from one acre of land and produce 6,000 pounds of sugar. You would have to let your cows eat the leaves if not you would have to cut them. Then dig and wash the roots. This is done the first year or you lose any nutrition. Then the roots are sliced and steeped in hot water for an hour. then the pulp is mashed and squeezed. The remaining pulp can be feed to cows. The sugar syrup is boiled down and made in to sugar. to do this on a large scale you would need special equipment. I plan on planting some to see what you could do on a small scale since i found no information on it. Small beets cannot be fed directly to cows since it posses a choking hazard.