Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Next...


The last week or so has just been crazy. So many things are happening so fast I haven't had time to write anything. Some of which I can't write about yet, but hopefully real soon. So just a few updates on some farm/garden happenings:


  • Just finished with a nice sized compost pile and started on another last week. It is amazing how quickly we can accumulate waste, especially with the chickens!

  • The tomatoes are at the end of production, so won't be too much longer before I pull them up and start planting my fall seedlings. I actually can't wait for that to happen. I guess it is the "out with the old, in with the new" that is so exciting to me.

  • Nicole has already pulled some of the melon vines that had stopped producing. She fed them to the chickens.


  • We have peppers out the wazoo right now. Still experimenting with drying the red paprika's. Some of the best pepper crop I have had in some time.

  • This is were I can become a little stubborn. I planted another crop of seedling squash last week. I'm trying something new with these, though. First, I have planted the squash with a dense planting of hairy vetch, sweet clover and alfalfa. This will help feed the squash much needed nitrogen without using synthetic fertilizer. Second, I have wrapped the stems with aluminum foil and a couple I have wrapped with scotch tape. Yes, scotch tape. I reversed the sticky side so it is away from the stem. My hope is, when those dumb vine borers come to lay there eggs, I'll catch them stuck to the tape. It may be a pipe dream, but I'm always thinking of some way to better my squash growing experience, no matter how much fun it is to feed the vine borer larvae to the chickens.

  • I'm trying something new with cover crops, besides the squash. I have them growing in deep trays that will allow me to slide into the chicken tractor to feed the chickens as a supplement. As they eat it down, I just simply put it out to re-grow and replace with another. It is highly nutritious and fairly cheap as I will get many uses out of one tray.


  • Sweet potatoes have exploded. I have vines everywhere. Can't wait to see sweet potatoes coming out of the ground.

  • The Chickens continue getting bigger. Here is a video of the chicken type writer.
Add Video

I think that is it as far as the garden goes. Hopefully soon I can blog about some big news. I don't want to count my eggs before they hatch - just yet.
Quote:
"Everybody, regardless of their economic needs, should have access to the same healthy, safe, affordable foods that is grown naturally."
Will Allen of Growing Power










2 comments:

  1. Thanks for all the updates. I've never commented before, but I like reading your blog. Keep it going and thanks for the entertainment!

    Big Dave

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  2. I have been following your blog for some time, and am excited to see this all coming together for you guys. Oh, BTW, your video has a flat tire and needs air! :)

    Sara

    ReplyDelete