Raised Strawberry Bed On a Budget!

Today we built our raised strawberry bed!

The whole project cost under $20!!

Here is how we did it!

Picking an unused spot in front of the porch,

We laid down a double layer of Biodegradable landscape fabric.

Using wood Volfie has recycled  from a packing crate at work..

He simple nailed me together a box!

Once that was done ( and sorry I have no pictures because I was too busy spreading the compost with a rake) Volfie willed the bed with four wheel barrow loads of material from the compost heap. Mostly rotting straw mixed with goat and rabbit poop from last year.  We then put a thin layer of soil on top and planted the 14 Strawberry plants!

These came from my dear friend Barb who had extra plants in her strawberry bed. Even the nails used in this project came from Barbs Husband Bruce. He got a bucket full at a yard sale and was only to happy to share!  As a thanks you I took them some of my home started organic

celery plants and a dozen fresh eggs!

It is a blessing to have such wonderful friends to share life with!

The only cost to us was the landscape fabric and 3 bags of soil.

Hopefully in no time at all these plants will spread to fill the whole bed. Years worth of strawberries to enjoy! Thanks Barb&Bruce!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbRRZj3Ijcg

CHEERS!

Soil Blocks for Seed Starting!

Do It Yourself Soil Blocks!

Today is Robbie Burns Day and  and I am getting ready to start my early seeds for the Garden this year.  Recently I had heard about something called "Soil Blocks"  These are little compressed blocks of specialised potting mix that need no mesh or pots..in order for you to start your seeds!! Getting excited at the idea..I did a little research...these tools are NOT cheap!! ONE ..that is to make ONE 4 inch block maker..was on SALE for $26.95..ON SALE!!

So you know me folks...I made my OWN! It cost me under $8 and I will be able to use it over and over for YEARS..now folks..if you run a commercial green house..you MAY want to invest in the proper tools to do this on a multiple level..but for me..this will do PERFECTLY!

What this is, is a 2 inch long piece of 2 inch PVC pipe..

A 4 inch long, 1/2 inch blot bolt with a ring end.

Two corresponding nuts and washers and a larger washer for stability..

and a 1&1/2 inch pipe cap!!

On the pipe cap ( orange thing) there is a tiny pip the machine left when it cut off the cap..this is where I poked the hole for the bolt ( judging it to be centre)

I then slipped  on a washer..then slipped on the larger washer...spun on a nut to about an inch up the bolt...pushed the bolt in through the hole in the centre of the inside of the cap.

When the bolt was pushed out of the other side of the orange cap about 3/4 of an inch..I slip on the other washer..spun on the other bolt and tightened it all down.  The bolt and nut sticking out the end allows for a dent in the soil block where you can drop a seed.

As you can see..the "plunger" fits easily and snugly inside the 

the 2" PVC pipe.  You can also see the larger washer flush against the cap to give the more flimsy plastic stability.

For soil mix..I did some research. Not all potting soils are equal..having said that I made up a mixture of..

6 cups premium organic potting soil=

( compost,  peat-moss, vermiculite) 

Potting soil can be replaced by or combined with well rotted compost.

6 cups peat moss

6 cups vermiculite

Mix together and make sure there are no sticks or chunks..if you have a soil screen..go ahead and use that.

1 cup ground eggshell 

( these eggs shells were rinsed and toasted on a cookie sheet in a 200 DF oven for 15 minutes)

3/4 Cup Blood& Bone meal

6 Cups Water into which I mixed

one teaspoon generic plant food. 

Mix all together into a large container.

The mix should be moist and spongy when you take a handful and squeeze..but not wet enough to drip.
Have you tray ready that you are going to start your seeds in. 
Then..Tightly fill your piece of PVC pipe with potting mix..

Set on a flat surface and push "plunger" firmly down into the pipe.
Don't be afraid to lean into it!

Then gently invert your block maker.

Gently twist your bolt back and forth while pushing out your block.

Gently set your seed Block into the tray..it is now ready for dropping a seed in the hole and covering with a sprinkle of potting soil or vermiculite!

Once you seeds are planted and covered with soil mix..cover the entire tray with a lid, plastic bag of even several thickness's of new paper until seeds sprout. until Sprouted..do NOT let soil block dry out! Once sprouted..water GENTLY when needed.

This is bloody butcher heirloom corn I used to test the blocks..this is the growth rate after only 5 days since planting!!
As you can see the sprouts are toothpick sized!
Soil Blocks! VERY COOL!


CHEERS!!

Spring Approaches...

Homestead Plans for 2012

I started planning the Garden today..I hope I have room for it all!!

As Far as I KNOW I have ordered a LOT of seeds!! 

Our Half  acre ( which includes our house, barn and chicken coop...is set in the Gatineau hills with trees all around and a ravine in back..so laying everything out take some creativity! My First Garden here..I panted a three sisters garden in one 1/4 of my garden plot..but I planted to many pumpkin and squash..and it pulled down the beans and the corn and the squash took over half the garden before it was through!!!

So this past year I abandoned the 3 sisters and planted two rows of corn separated by the beans and things..and the squash I planted in planters..But I am ready to attempt it again...this year I am a little older and a very little wiser.  The three sisters garden is an old native way of planting the staples of their yearly vegetables...

Corn, Beans and squash..it is ingenious really..

You plant the corn in hills.. when the corn is 6 inches to 1 foot high..you then plant the pole beans among them..then at the base of every OTHER hill in Every OTHER row... 

I know that 6 squash plants does not look like much..but it is almost too much!

The Idea is..that the corn leeches the soil of nitrogen..and beans are a nitrogen producing plant..so they help each other..in return the corn acts like a pole for the beans to climb!!  The Squash then snakes in and around the bases of the hills and shade the ground retarding weeds and the prickly stems keep four legged pests to a minimum! Tried and true..IF you do it correctly!!! ( laughing at my first attempt) But live and learn right?

This year I have selected Old Tried and true 3 sisters heritage plants..Indian Corn..which I will use in grinding flour and supplementing my stock feed!

And Trail Of Tears Cherokee Beans..these are a good bean for drying for soups and stews..(It memorialises the forced relocation of the Cherokee Indians in the mid-nineteenth century. They carried this bean throughout their infamous walk, which became the death march for thousands of Cherokees.)

These beans are for drying and so is the corn..so I will allow them to just that. The beans will climb ( hopefully) around the corn supporting each other and I will leave them to dry that way until harvest. Essentially that whole section of garden , once established ..should remain untouched until harvest.

Th rest of the garden( I hope)..I have planned to be as companionable as possible!  I am hoping to fit in Cabbage, onion, Mangle beets ( for the goats rabbits and chickens) A half row of Swiss chard and the other half of Kale..A row of carrots..a few rows of snap beans for canning and a row of sweet peppers.

Once Again I am going to plant my tomatoes in Hangers...I got a lot of blossom end rot last year when using the hangers..and I found out it is because the soil lacked calcium..SO..I have been saving my egg shells!! I rinse them and dry them in the oven at 200 for about 15 minutes (actually I rinse them and dry them in a cake pan inside my Dutch oven on top of the wood stove)..When dry I put them in a jar..where Later I grind them up in my old coffee/spice grinder.

You Don't want the shells touching the roots..so once they are in the planters and the soil is in..I will top the soil with about 1/2 cup of ground eggshell in the planters..this way every time I water..they will get the nutrients.  If you want to try this with your "in Garden" Tomatoes..just sprinkle some dried and crushed egg shells around the base of each plant..working it in a little..not touching the roots and leaving some on the surface ( slugs HATE sharp eggshells)

Last Year I got some celery plants on sale at the end of planting season..And so I stuck them under the hanging tomato plants..as I heard they are "companion" plants for tomatoes..and also need lot of water..Being on a well ..It made sense to plant them under the tomatoes..that way..when the tomatoes get watered..and excess also waters the celery! It worked BEAUTIFULLY! So I have ordered some celery seed and will start them indoors and do the same set up again this year!

This is a shot of the garden from last year..I have bought two more hangers...

This is a hanging planter for hot peppers..

I plan on planting some cayenne peppers in these..originally I was going to plant strawberries in them..but I am going to ask my husband to build me a raised bed for Strawberries in front of the porch.

I am told you can't plant different kinds of peppers to close to each other..so hanging the Cayenne makes sense.

My original garden plan about shows me planting sweet peppers next to the snap beans..BUT ..I am also going to grow POP corn this year ( It is my one weakness) and I am thinking since the snap beans are at the other end of the garden from the pole beans..why not put a row or two of popcorn in between the snap beans..with the same companion planting premise as the three sisters garden?

The Planters that i grew the squash in this past year..

Have been given a liberal bucket full each of rabbit poop..and Is where I will Plant my sweet peppers! This just makes MUCH more sense to me!!

This picture is from last year where I shelter the squash plants with frost blanket over inverted tomato cages.

Behind these planters is where I am hoping we can put a 12x4x 5 feet tall pig crate..

This will be raised off the ground several inches with a slatted floor..the urine will go down through the slats to the ground...The Water and feed troughs will be at one end..with a PVC pipe spout on the outside where I can pour feed and water into two separate troughs...the door will be at the other end and while they are eating I can reach in with a hoe and pull out and poops!

I would LOVE to pasture pigs..but with only a half acre..we have to work with what we have for now. The crate design I am planning I saw on a youtube video..and they had 3 pigs in there..now by the time they get crowded it will be time to butcher..but we plan on having only 2 at most.

The Squash and pumpkin this year will be planted up closer to the road on a long hill we plan on making from last years compost..I wish I had realised how much compost the goats, chickens and rabbits would make..and I would have started it there last year..but live and learn!

In front of those planters where I am going to plant the peppers...I Plan on planting potatoes in bags I will make out of landscape fabric..and we will be building a rabbit hutch out by the goat yard..we are also moving our Bees from behind the garden out toward where the rabbit hutch and squash plants will be...It is going to be another BUSY year..But I hope more organised!!

But you can bet your boots I will be blogging the process!

CHEERS!

Don't Spray Those Weeds!!

Medicinal Weeds In Your Yard? You BET!

Legalities
You are responsible for your own life. All data and information provided on this site is for informational purposes only. This site..makes no representations as to the accuracy, completeness, suitability or the validity of any information on this site. This Site, will not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this information; nor for any losses, injuries or damages arising from its display or use. All information provided is my opinion and is to be used at your own risk. PLEASE do your OWN research! 



Now...Having said that...Here are a few weeds that I collect to have on hand for medicinal uses.

Dandelion

When I was little..my uncle Joe was always feeding us odd stuff..or at least we thought it was odd. Once He fed me a Dandelion salad..Flowers, stems, leaves and all..I don't recommend it!  However if you go to YouTube and look up "Depression Cooking With Clara" She make a Dandy Dandelion salad ( sorry I couldn't resist) What a lot of people DON'T know is that Dandelions have good medicinal properties..Leaves and Roots!  You can add fresh spring leaves to salads for a spring tonic..Drink a weak tea made from the leaves as a cleansing tonic after childbirth..it can help with menstrual pain as well! Now we are talking about the Saw toothed dandelion..not dandelion with the more rounded leaves..they are edible..but the saw toothed is the medicinal one.

Plantain!

Plantain is another commonly abused weeds that has wonderful uses!
One of the most common is Bee Stings and Spider Bites.  Just ask my sister in Law Karen..we were out seeing the country side when she got stung...now not having a mortal and pestle handy I did what my uncle Joe would have done..I grabbed a few plantain leaves..chewed them up and had her hold the masticated pulp onto the sting for about 5 minutes..this pulls out any stinger and poison as well! But you can also make a poultice and apply it to slow healing wounds...make a tea from it and use it to wash wounds and sore or inflammations.  The seeds from the mature plant are also known as Psylium..and is the main ingredient in things like..Metamucil!

Yarrow!!

NOT to be confused with Queen Anne's Lace.

This often over looked wildflower..has Many medicinal uses..One is a coagulant..If you have a nose bleed..pick a stem of the leaf...gently bruise it and GENTLY insert it into your nostril and apply gentle pressure...SERIOUSLY!

Also I have bruised some up and wrapped a small cut that won't stop bleeding.

The flowers..you can make a tea and drink to help upper respiratory phlegm..or use and a wash for eczema...And pour boiling water over flowers and inhale the steam for asthma and hay fever. You can use the whole plant in a tea to help reduce fevers and aide digestion.  Soak a pad in that infusion.tea  to sooth varicose veins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnEGz13Yb9k

Now what I have told you is for interest only..If you plan on using any of these treatments..Please..PLEASE do further research..An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure..that means..be healthy FIRST..but it can also mean..do your homework thoroughly before you ingest ANYTHING you pick yourself!

CHEERS!!

Pesticide Free Garden Bug Control and Growing Tips

Home Made Spray and String!

Hey Everyone! Despite the tent I put over my cabbages ( which are doing WONDERFULLY!) The IS a tiny bit of bug damage..although not as much as there would be without the tent. So Today I am Going to share a few tips I have picked up along the way. The First is the spray for the Cabbage and Broccoli...most of my other plants get along well without any kind of help against bugs..however cabbage and broccoli are a gourmet delight for bugs...and if you want a pesticide free garden you have to take certain measures..such as my cabbage tent.

However that is not always enough..so I made a spray a read about..now I make mine a little stronger than the recipe calls for..but then I never WAS good with recipes.  The recipe is...

SPRAY
1TBS molasses
1tsp liquid dish soap ( NOT DISHWASHER soap)
1 Litre of warm water.

Mix and spray on your cabbages on top and under the leaves..the molasses helps it stick..and the dish soap deters the bugs.  NOW..I have not tried this before..so you may want to check for an update in a day or two and I will let you know how my plants tolerate it.

Here is my cabbage just sprayed...another thing..we have Bees ..this should NOT bother them as cabbage are NOT a flowering plant.

This is one of my broccoli plants...I did not intend on planting broccoli..but I do sprouts as well..and had enough seed left over to plant..but not to use in the sprouter..let's hope these are a good quality broccoli plant huh?
Another thing I like to do..and which seems to be doing a fairly nice job on it's own..is to plant french marigolds in between certain plants..such as the broccoli..my peppers and tomatoes.

NOW...Most of my tomato plants are in hangers..however  the ones I plant in the ground..are vulnerable to SLUGS...I have heard of the beer can solution...but not being drinkers..we don't HAVE beer around..so here is what I do. If tomatoes are vulnerable to SLUGS...SLUGS are vulnerable to egg shells!! Yes Eggs shells...Here is what I do..whenever I make eggs..I rinse the shells ( from raw eggs)  and set them upside down on a window sill to dry..When dry and brittle..I drop them into a jar and crush them with a wooden spoon..slightly smaller than baby fingernail size.

These I sprinkle around the base of the tomato plants..the sharp edges deter the slugs because their underbellies are very delicate!  So you can sprinkle there around the base of ANY plant that is bothered by slugs!
OK! On to CELERY! The seasonal garden centre at our local grocery store had a few plants left and the prices were cut in half! So NATURALLY I couldn't resist a bargain...so I snatched up two boxes of celery plants...A lot of people don't like to plant celery because it can be difficult to grow and never seems to turn out like the ones in the store...Two tips..WATER and string!! Celery LOVE water..they are FULL of it..so keep them watered regularly..more than any other plant! And as they grow..gently tie a cotton string around the stalks to draw them together so that they will grow in a bunch.

Start when they are at about 10 inches in height..you don't want to wait to much long or it will be difficult to "train them"

Take care and happy Gardening!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OANJjMLX5Eo

CHEERS!!

UPDATE

If the Spray above does not work..try this...

1tsp dish soap

1/2 a jalapeno pepper

1tsp mineral ( baby ) oil

1 litre water..

Chop the pepper fine in the blender with one cup of the water and strain through a super fine mesh or coffee filter..( thus preventing your sprayer from clogging) PLEASE wear RUBBER GLOVESwhile working with the pepper and spraying..and do not spray on a FLOWERING plants.

Garden Update

Hey Everyone!
Thought you might like and update on how things are going in the homestead garden!

My cabbage tent is working really well..It is keeping pests off and letting the sun and rain in..However while it protects the cabbage it is also protecting the weeds!  So today I pinned up one side and weeded around the cabbage. It has been a tilt a whirl week..Yesterday we lost power at 2 in the afternoon and didn't get it back until 11 this morning!! I was really grateful to have two 20 litre bottles of water on hand for drinking and watering the livestock..and we dipped water from the pool to wash dishes with and flush to toilet.  The rest of the garden is doing OK..my carrots did not like us leaving for Arizona and decided NOT to come up at all..so today I raked out that row and planted corn..as I had some spare seed from that...On Tuesday I weeded the beans and poked some seeds into the bare spots where beans either did not take or were eaten by critters..I planted my turnip..but the see were left out in the rain..so they will do really well or not at all..but I have bought some new seed..If they don't make and appearance by Sunday I will replant!
The tomatoes in the hangers get hung out this weekend..and the potato and squash planters are doing well..and I will update you on those later! Until then..Happy Planting!

CHEERS!! 

Almost There!

The Garden is Half  In!

Well Its May 15th a little early..But I am going away for a week On the 19th..so I needed to get in what I could...I already have my tomato planters hanging in the porch til I get home...The Squash are doing well in their frost teepees...

The Potatoes I planted in the tire and flower pot containers ..

They are now sprouting after two days of rain...

And today my son and I got in the Cabbage Plants..a Row of Carrots..some pickling cukes and three rows of beans!

I had started the Cabbage plants from seed..and today I planted the small plants under a cabbage tent..This was made from Willow whips and a frost blanket..held on with clothes pegs ( GOOD clothes pegs)

I originally had the willow whips much higher..BUT..the frost blanket was not wide enough..( I should have bought two)

Here you can see how High the originally were...But I had to cut them down a bit..These willow whips were given to me by a friend who bought them at IKEA and soaked them in a rain barrel to make them supple again..I Made a hole on each side of the row with a piece of 1/4 inch dowel ...I hammered the dowel into the ground..pulled it out and push wthe whip in and repeated on the other side.

I then folded the frost balnket over top and pegged it to the whips..and pegged the ends closed.  This method serves two purposes..One..to keep the frost off the young plants. And two allow sunlight and rain in while keeping those sweet little white moths..

From laying eggs on my cabbage..because once the worms hatch..they make your cabbage look like swiss cheese!

I planted cabbage once many years ago..and it was so full of holes I did not know if I could save it!

I threw all the cabbages in the bathtub and soaked them in cold water with a cup of pickling salt thrown in..the worms literally crawled out of every hole..I threw away the cabbages..and never planted them again...

So This year..I AM..and I am hoping this pesticide free route will allow me to grow my own worm free cabbages for my sauerkraut!

I would reccomend if you are going to use this method..Buy TWO of these frost blankets and join them down the middle..this will give you cabbage LOTS of room to grow!!

So the formal ( square ) garden in half in...

I will Plant the onions and leeks this week and the peppers and Turnips and corn can wait until I get home! I need a VACATION!

CHeers!

Spring ...HOLD ME BACK!!

Counting my Blessings!!

Tomorrow is May 1st 2011!!
I am SO very excited..and despite the fact that I am still recovering from surgery..I am eagerly looking forward to year two of our journey towards becoming more self sustainable!  I say MORE self sustainable because only having a half acre..we cannot truly go full throttle..but other than animal feeds..and grains..we are hoping to come pretty darned close!

The Garden is going to almost DOUBLE in size this year..and also..getting creative with our growing space..such as container gardening for Squash and potatoes...

This is one of my containers that I have planted potatoes in..it came with the house and is an inside out tire...We have put mulch and compost in the bottom..black earth..seed potatoes..then compost and earth mixed on top! Then there are my tomato plants which I am growing in hanging containers...

For Now they hang in My porch Waiting for a couple more weeks of warm weather!

We have a new flock of chicks that will be laying in September.

Three Goats one of which we are hopping is pregnant...A young steer who will soon be big enough to butcher...3 Turkey chicks on order and 40 meat chicks also coming in that order...I have two new little black currant bushes ( will take 3 years to produce..but I am patient) and two new beehives with the bees on order!

And this spring we even tapped our few maple trees and got some of our own maple syrup!

We Now have rabbits for breeding..Which has more than one benefit..as
Rabbit droppings having the highest nitrogen content of any of the commonly available barnyard manures, such as cow, horse, pig, etc. There is the meat which we enjoy..and the fur I am determined to learn how to process.

They are all now properly housed in the barn and Have lovely pine nesting boxes to sleep in at night...I was just out there and raked out from under their cages and spread it on the garden! Tomorrow the rest of the muck, straw and trampled hay from the steer pen is getting spread on the garden.

I would say my life is pretty much WONDERFUL!!! I am a lucky lady.
For those of you who can watch videos..Here is a tour!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjcaCgwmDIM

I hope everyones lives are as blessed as mine!! And I hope you enjoyed this Blog Entry!!

CHEERS!!

Article on Organic Fruit tree Protection From Mother Earth News!

Awesome Article From Mother Earth News!

Organic Fruit Trees


1/26/2011 10:42:05 AM


By William Woys Weaver






Tags: organic, fruit, trees, pest control


I want to raise apple trees organically, and I’ve read that you can protect apples by enclosing them in sandwich bags. Does that really work? I’d love to harvest some bug-free, chemical-free fruit!






I have personal experience with this technique and it does work, although not perfectly, and I’ve found an alternative I like better.






I have more than 20 heirloom apple, pear and quince trees on dwarf rootstock in my garden, and I’ve been fighting a long, drawn-out and — until recently — losing war against codling moths, the insects that cause worms in fruit with cores.






By luck, an organic orchardist visited me last year and he suggested I stop my annual angst and respond to the problem with something simple and practical — bagging the fruit at petal fall, thus protecting it from all sorts of attacking insects. His simple advice was to use Ziploc sandwich bags, which seemed like a good idea.






The practical problem with using sandwich bags for this purpose is that, while you can zip them tight around a cluster of fruit, you must also snip off the bottom corners so moisture doesn’t build up inside. However, the open corners don’t drain water quickly enough after a heavy rain, and I’ve found that if too much water remains in the bag, the fruit starts to cook in its own steam on hot July days. The holes in the bags also provide access for curculio beetles, another obnoxious fruit pest. (They leave brown, smile-shaped scars on your apples, which means the apples have been impregnated with beetle babies.) By using plastic bags, I had some perfect, unsteamed apples, yet I thought there must be a better way, and, indeed, I’ve found a strategy that I recommend to small orchardists.






I decided to make drawstring bags out of row cover fabric, which is sold by garden supply companies. I sized the bags at 6 by 6 inches, which allows room for fruit expansion. This plan is better than using plastic bags because the fabric exposes the fruit to natural light that ripens it; the bags dry out quickly after a rain so the fruit isn’t subject to a contained, humid environment; and there are no holes for insects to exploit.






The success of such a bagging operation must include the successful control of wildlife, because raccoons and squirrels are extremely adept at destroying both the bags and the fruit. I’ve solved this problem by using Tanglefoot, a sticky, gluelike substance you paint on the bark of your fruit trees. After the critters touch Tanglefoot or a similar product (there are several), they won’t attempt to go up the trees.








Read more: http://www.motherearthnews.com/ask-our-experts/organic-fruit-trees-zb0z11zblon.aspx#ixzz1KOAmNez4

Getting ready for planting next month!

Tomato Hangers!!

Last year was the first time in a few years that I had  planted a garden..I got enthusiastic and planted to many squash and pumpkins..and they over ran the garden..this year I am spreading things out. The Squash and pumpkins will go in planters made by recycling our old tires..and the tomatoes are being planted in those new fangled tomato hangers.

I have made a little video on how to plant these things..because I had some trouble the first time I tried a few weeks ago and broke one of my plants..However I DID manage to plant one..I hung it in my bay window and it did well..It actually DOUBLED in size compare to the ones left behind in the peat pots. So Here is the video..and at the end here I have another picture of how they have all perked up now that they have settled into the planters and had a drink..they perk up after a few hours of hanging.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4glbkHRfj0s

Here they are a few hours after planting!

( Note for people who can't view the video)

Put your hand way down in the planter..then with the other hand GENTLY poke the root ball through the hole and sponge layer...Lay the planter on its side and add ( this is what I added) A scoop of sawdust( shavings will do) a scoop of soil and a scoop of peat moss...THEN hang it up and proceed to fill..I filled with black soil bought at Canadian tire for 99 cents a bag..and about half way through..added and handful of saw dust..peat moss and a sprinkle of MYKES organic vegetable plant food. Once the planter was over 3/4 full I gave it a good 2-3 cups of water. These will remain in my porch until The end of May when My tomato hanger is built and they can go outside!

CHEERS!!