New Here-And have so many questions-Day 1

[NicoleRook]

May 8, 2013

The rain is coming down and against my canopy of trees it is lovely. A serene feeling washes over me. For a brief minute I'm still, all I hear are the geese honking and the tap of the rain as it beats down and whooshes through the rain gutters. This is Zen.

Suddenly I am thinking about how I need to get a rain barrel before the summer. My mind is working again. And so my day will soon begin.

Yesterday I spent planting and potting. My May packet of seeds slowly shrinking as I cross off Endive, Lettuce, Radicchio, pumpkins, cucumbers, gourds, cantaloupes, Leeks, Chard, squash. I decide instead of solely relying on seeds outdoors, to start a few in the greenhouse to be sure of replacements if my carefully organized planting fails. If there are extra seedlings, I'm sure someone will want them.

I weed and add my greens to my 'greens bed', a massive raised bed my husband build me last year. I pot my cukes, and move them to the pallets for support. I also add a couple to Middy's play area, the fence acting as a trellis.

I move the last of the top soil to the back and plant my melons and gourds directly in the bags using the three sisters method. I add the corn and beans and envision how lovely and green my hill my one day be, or the heap it will be if this method doesn't support the large root system to gourds and squash need. My biggest worry is the corn will topple down the hill as its on an incredible angle.

The little dragons are acclimating to their pen. The older three accepting the two new buff orphingtons easier than I expected. The dragons...(here's a hint as to their true identity...you can buy their eggs in every grocery store by the dozen)...at first do not allow the littlest to join their clutch, ignoring them. I look over the edge of the patio this morning and notice that they are all together under their house taking shelter. Everyone is getting along. I am relieved. Later this week one little dragon is returning to his forever home. My dragon pen is pushing it at 5 dragonlings, but they are small yet.

So we wait, with our front door wide open, glad for the rain...but hoping that by 2 we can again go outside again. There isn't a day my daughter and I don't enjoy the yard together, even if just for a short time.

This weekend is my son's fourteenth birthday party, Viking Style. I have plenty of raking and preparing to do, all I can hope for is no one crushes my little plants along the driveway. I wish I had more garden veggies, besides Kale, to add to this feast...but a trip to Produce Junction economically adds in the potatoes and carrots and onions and herbs I need. Patience and practice and perhaps next year I'll be better prepared.

Gavin has expressed an interest in volunteering at an actual farm this summer. He wants to learn about the care of livestock. I placed an add on craigslist, but I have a feeling I'm going to have to go directly to what local farms I can find. I'm so proud of him, and part of me wishes for the same experience, but with my household responsibilities, my responsibilities to my garden, and to the two year old on my hip...the possibility just doesn't exist. I'll just have to pick his brain.

Rainy days smell so good. I dream of the day when maybe...just maybe...our lives will be more self sufficient. When hard work is my family's fitness regimen and your reward. When each night my family sleeps because they are physically tired, and not mentally exhausted.

 

[Denim Deb]

If you lived closer, I'd tell you to send him over to me and I'd teach him what I could about caring for horses, picking manure, grooming, etc. But, it would take at least an hour if not more for you to get there. If he's interesting in learning about horses, shoot me a pm and I'll give you a link to a local horse forum.

 

[NicoleRook]

May 9, 2013

Another wet morning, which means time to relax into our day and reflect on some ideas. With my daughter sucking on a Popsicle(she's teething at the moment...those molars hurt), we curl up under an afghan together and gaze out the large living room window.

I realize that what I accomplish in a day may seem small to others comparison. With a two year old in tow I must be observant at all times. Things that may take some an hour take me two. There are Popsicle breaks,Olympic running practice(when she jets around the side of my house or into the neighbors yard), bug whispering to be done and new flowers to be sniffed.

At first I was frustrated with this, but ultimately I know these are these moments to treasure. Watching all things new in my daughters eyes has been a refresher course in really understanding the small miracles of life.

Yesterday Middy and I raked the leaves, and boy were there a lot of them. My husband and son had spent last weekend chopping some branches and trees I'd cut down last year. That wood was in a semi-neat pile, but the leaves from the debris covered most of the side yard. Some were even gray from beginning to compost. Five trashcans of wet leaves and debris later, I'd filled in a rut in the mini forest beside my house.

The mini forest is a lovely accent. It's pretty much the wild and untamed area between mine and our neighbors home. We own most of it and maintain all of it. One particularly special tree we call the wish tree. The kids place coins around it and make their wishes, telling the tree all their secrets. I will confide I've made a few wishes myself last summer.

Last year around this time my teenage son had a cancer scare. He'd become ill and was removed from school to continue homebound. While I'd made a huge gardening effort at this point everything stopped. I made many trips to Philly Childrens Hospital. I spent weeks staying a day or two at a time with my mother so I could leave the baby with her and take him to his appointments. He had no energy and traveling was very difficult on Gavin. The end result, he'd had mono, and does have a spot on his lungs that may/may not be normal. The doctors continue to watch, his levels are good...but he lost an entire summer.

His big plans to build a backyard habitat were put on hold last year. The pyramid garden he'd build failed under neglect. My own gardens tried to grow, and we got a few things, but without attention it didn't reach it's full potential.

Then my daughter picked up a mystery skin disorder, first diagnosed as chicken pox, but after three weeks and continued outbreaks it was clear this was not the case. She too was quarantined. Even a biopsy could not give us an explanation. It was in October however we were told it was not contagious.

The first full summer gone in our new home. The kids miserable because there was no beach time, no kayaking at the lake, no long hot afternoons in the yard. I filled their days with books, crafts, games, pottery, painting, movies...but it was not the same.

This year the pond my son so desired last year, I finished installing yesterday. A drinking place for the local wildlife. The fountain was a struggle, the liner had to be moved once, and a fence put up after the two year decided to leap in dressed in her ballet outfit. Indignantly she informed me 'My bath is cold'.
The pond is only thirty gallons, very small...but it is a step forward.

Each chore completed is another step toward molding our property into our interpretation of paradise, for ourselves and our children.

 

[NicoleRook]

Thanks Deb, I did PM you.

If you lived closer, I'd tell you to send him over to me and I'd teach him what I could about caring for horses, picking manure, grooming, etc. But, it would take at least an hour if not more for you to get there. If he's interesting in learning about horses, shoot me a pm and I'll give you a link to a local horse forum.

 

[Denim Deb]

Got it and replied.

At least it was only a ballet dress-not your phone that went for a swim. They don't do that well. (Don't ask me how I know. :/)

 

[NicoleRook]

May 10, 2013

Yesterday was a slower day as I had afternoon plans to take my son to an author signing at Barnes and Nobles in PA.

During the signing, which was packed, I noticed a young girl coming up on crutches. Now my son had already given up his seat for another woman. My husband and I were standing already as there was no seats to be had. I watched more than one father and mother look up from their seats then look away as if to ignore her. As my husband and I spoke in whispers about getting her a chair, she ended up sitting on the floor. So here's my little rant. Shame on everyone who looked up and ignored her, shame on your lazy butt's for not standing so this little girl could have a seat. Shame on everyone of them. None of these people looked that out of shape that they couldn't have stood. Lazy, Lazy Lazy !

Back to a more positive note. Yesterday I planted some okra, six pots and six in peat pots as backups. I dragged the honking big pallet from in front of my two grape vines and mulched them. We have all these big plans for these pallets but they just seem to sit and take up space. I have used a few for some projects, more on that another day.

That little bit of care made the front of the house look amazing. I picked up some trash from the yard and felt good about things looking all that much tidier.

Today is a nice dry day, still a lot to do. Gavin's party Saturday, Mothers day Sunday. Looking forward to a fun weekend and hoping to keep it stress free. I always get a little spazzy around these events as I want them to be perfect.

So after a lovely morning drive back from PA, it's time for a tall cold glass of water and then to get started.
So today I'm gonna tell you a little about my experimental Garden. I have a couple of beds I'm trying new things with. The first is my lasagna garden. I read somewhere last summer about the technique of layering. I started this bed as a8X8, bordered with 6X6 wood left over from our retaining wall project. I squared it up and started by throwing in a layer of leaves. From Fall to early Spring we all had fun throwing composting material over the edge of the porch into this garden. The pumpkins were the first, my teenager especially loved chucking that. We knew the local Geese and other wildlife were stopping in to snack, and that was fine with us, they were just helping the composting along.

Before the weather got warmer my teenager was sent out to break up any remaining materials and level the ground. He loves dirty jobs so much he dived right in. Of course after that mum was left with covering the compost with 12 bags of 40lb topsoil.

Two weeks ago we noticed some sprouts from something or other we must have composted and decided to let it go and see what happens. We added some roll out Garden we found on clearance at the Tractor supply store. After reading reviews, which sucked, we followed the advice of actually covering the rolls. Two weeks and we are seeing some germination. It's not fantastic, but this garden isn't really going to rock until next year when everything has had a chance to really compost. I placed some pots I started in my greenhouse in March in between to roll out Garden for now because it's a nice sunny space.

This area seems to require more watering than any where else, and that is a mystery to me. Underneatth it all is hard sand.

I expect that we may yield an interesting and unexpected surprise from the garden, but even I have not put a ton of effort into it. I'm just hoping it won't turn into a jungle of compost plants. Look for pictures of whats popping up. We shall see.

 

[NicoleRook]

May 11, 2013

Yesterday I spent much of the day preparing the house and porch for todays party. I added a few garden statues to the ornamental gardens and tidied up the plants on the porch. My dragons got their first taste of scrambled egg and seemed a bit confused by it. The quail just ran in circles around it screaming at it.

Last night we added 20 gold fish to the pond, and I realize how nice an accent the solar spotlight is. One of my big fears was visiting my friend at night, coming back in the dark, and tripping in the pond after a night of karaoke and wine drinking. Thankfully solar spotlights give enough illumination this should no longer be a problem.

However today I should notice all the goldfish are gone. Raccoon or stray cat, I'm simply not sure of the culprit.

Gavin's party went well, everyone expected came. Plenty of food to go around. I took great pride in my garden tours and explanations. All my heart work is starting to show. Middy was right with me, telling folks about this flower and that one. She had a lot to say.

Stormy weather changed our plans, but still I think indoors and on the porch everything worked out well. Gavin got to hang with new friends and catch up with old friends and this made his day. Honestly it made mine to.

Two of the five baby dragons left to go to their new home. I think this is for the best as I was concerned with the coop size.

I noticed today that the potato vines are getting bigger. Last year I had huge plants and no taters. This year I used storage totes to plant my root veggies. I made plenty of drainage. This technique takes the mystery of digging for spuds. You dump, sort and replace dirt for next year. No more back breaking work. Trying Potatoes, Carrots, Parsnips, turnips, beets and radish.

June is sweet potatoes, time to look online for the slips.

Also looking forward to see if the white carrots I potted grow. These are the original 'wild' carrot.

I also moved my Mr. Stacky hydroponics set outdoors. I just need to pick up the medium for it, otherwise it's already running and hoping to turn into aquaponics with the help of a few new goldfish.

 

[NicoleRook]

May 12, 2013

Happy Mothers Day. This morning starts off a little rainy, but by 8 it is already clearing up. My only planned outing is a trip to Tractor Supply for Dragon Food and maybe(we'll see) a Rita's Run.

Middy got me a lovely pink and white Hosta for by the pond for mothers Day. She choose it last weekend. It seems to be thriving, maybe it will need repotted.

Gavin got me the most thoughtful gift. A bag of Honey Bee Attracting flower mix. This will cover 200 Square Feet. He wants to ensure all my hard work does not go unrecognized by the buzzing community. So today I will start planning out how I will go about planting this mix.

I'm hoping for a day out in the yard, ending with a nice Honey Jack over Ice on the porch swing at the end of the day.

My expectations are light, a sunny day, a pair of pink gloves, seeds and a spade.

Daddy's got dinner, steak and taters.

Sounds like pleasant plans to me.So instead of writing a length morning blog, I think it's time to get out and enjoy the day. I hope all the moms, including my own....will be doing the same.

As for my mom, we are giving her the best gift I can think of. Potted Asparagus, a hearty plant that comes up for more than 20 plus years. Also giving her four hours with my housekeeper to help with some things she just hasn't been able to get to.

Before everyone huffs and puffs and thinks we are made out of money because we have a housekeeper, it is important you understand we decided to give up a few things to have her. We don't eat out. Even once a week with four of us pays her for a day of cleaning. And she is wonderful, making my life easier, taking the stress and worry from my shoulders that my house isn't perfect. We have a plethora of pets, our two kids, and a lot of time my husband works long hours. So in order for me to fit in our garden project, we all made this sacrifice so Ms Tammy could help us tidy up once or twice a week.

Yesterday was overwhelming for us all, so we are postponing our mothers day outing to Columbus for next weekend, when my hubby will bbq for mom.

For my mum in NZ, we are bringing her over for a full month in August. This will be the first time I get to meet her in person. I'm looking very forward to it.

 

[NicoleRook]

May 13, 2012

Yesterday I put the finishing touches on May's planting. Basil, Chard, Endive, Leek, Lettuce, Radicchio, Scallion, Parsley, Beet, Carrot, Parsnip, Radish, Cilantro, Cantaloup, Corn, Cucumber, Gourd, Okra, Pumpkin, Squash, Dill and snap beans.

I also had a chance to organize my greenhouse and realize I'd started an over abundance of peppers. I'll have to do some creative potting I think.

Now, for the rest of the month it's on to the fun seeds. The stuff that wasn't on the list but I wanted to try. I even started Middy's tomatilla seeds, and some of her 'Pumpkins on a stick' which are really ornamental eggplants. Still deciding about where to add Gavin's mother's day Bee Pollinator flower mix.

Found a great pond store yesterday, picked up a plant and tadpole for the pond and a snail for our indoor fish tank. The snail is making a amazing effort and being he is large my fish seem unable to eat them. Really it is Middy's tank. There is a catfish she call's 'catfish' and the other five are all called 'Dorthy' like Elmo's pet goldfish. They are not goldfish, but barbs and Gouriamis.

My husband recommended I work on cutting back some branches by the garden today and that seems like a good plan.

The Milk Jug Garden:

I love reusing items, and milk jugs take a ton of space in my recycling. I've seen many different things you can do with them, but decided that due to my need, making pots would be the simplest and most useful item for me. I simply pop two large drainage holes in the bottom, the cut underneath the handle to make a perfect square.

The nice thing about milk jugs is the fit neatly together with little to none wasted space. I have a large flower bed in the far side yard next to the retaining wall. Last year I planted 8 arbor day baby tree's back there as well as some mint. Keeping in mind the rest of the bed was mostly sand Everytime I added dirt it seemed to run off. So these square pots keep things neatly in order. I can arrange them around existing plants.

The only thing I'm adding currently is flowers to this bed. I made up a mix of all different loose seeds I'd collected this year, mixed them in an old pill bottle and just add it to the potting mix a little at the time. I've gotten a few containers, but I have a feeling this will be a staggered garden, because I have to wait for even more containers.

I do add straw or old news paper to the bottom the help so that the soil doesn't run out when it's raining or the plants are being watered.

Well, it's a cold crisp morning and it's getting on, so time to get my bum in gear. Hoping today is an efficiently useful kind of day.

 

[NicoleRook]

May 14, 2013

Yesterday I spent most of my day taking down six trees. These trees had there issues, but our mini forest was causing them to grow at weird, bent, unsafe angles. These angled trunks were shooting out over my raised bed blocking the much needed light. With a handsaw and ax I took them out, leaving the cleanup for the guys. Nothing more empowering than a lady hacking down trees.

I made a quick trip to acme for Popsicles and my husbands medicine. I generally try to avoid our local acme because they seem a bit pricy. Next to the pharmacy is the florist. At the Florist was a shopping cart full of black buckets. These they used when they delivered mothers day flowers, and were preparing to trash. Needless to say I now have over 100 two to three gallon buckets. All that I need to do is pop some drainage holes in the bottom and they are perfect pots. They have a uniform look, so won't be an eyesore either. SCORE, I could have done the touchdown dance.

Perfect timing to, as I was completely out of pots.

Today is a day filled with wash and hopefully some yard time. I'm out of dirt, and with payday being tomorrow I will probably just wait it out. Our arrangement is I get ten bags a dirt a week up until July, then it becomes mulch. By July my hope is to be recycling gardens by then.

Today I will tell you a bit about the topsoil beds. This is done as an experiment using May's plantings. I have a huge hill behind my house. The first summer there was no retaining wall and the sand just poured down unevenly and unsafely after every rain. The sun beats down nicely a good part of the day and I new I wanted to plant on this, but how and what.

The second summer, my husband, father and friends joined together to build a retaining wall. It looked great and worked wonderfully to contain the every moving mound of dirt.

This was the first year I received 24 trees from arbor day as well as a dozen privets. I planted half of the hill facing 'Escambia Trail' with an assortment of flowering trees. I added only two to the back side knowing my husband had a great desire to grow corn.

With as busy as it was last summer we barely had time to throw out the corn, sunflower and radish seeds. What we ended it was lovely in it's own autumn themed way, but not edible. Even the smattering of top soil we added didn't help.

This year, once inspired to try the bagged planting I knew this was the perfect space. I must have added over 35 bags, lugging them primarily by myself around my house to the back. The ones on the slope I braced with leftover rebar. The bottom rows I used the plants i'd started in my greenhouse, the higher rows were all seeds. After some great rain we are finally seeing sprouts.

Some things to keep in mind.

Watch the quality of topsoil, if it's dense and hard, your going to have a difficult time.

Open a large window with a knife on top of bag, don't try to make little spots for each seedlings. It makes watering difficult.


Slice and dice the bottom of the bag once you have it in place. This allows water to drain and also for those roots to take hold.

I've noticed the bags in the sunniest locations need more water. Be observant.

Watch your spacing. Use square foot charts to give appropriate space to larger plants.

Companion plant appropriate crops, take advantage and use your space wisely.

Leave paths between bags so you can get to your crops. Don't crowd them all together. I put no more than two at a time, then leave a bags width between every two rows.