WATER in the GARDEN

The sound of water trickling over rocks is not only soothing to the soul, but it will entice a variety of wild life into your garden.  

I found this rock with a natural indentation.  I placed it by my front steps and fill it with water.  Butterflies softly land and drink from it on hot summer days.

even lizards appreciate the murky depth of this small pond

I place several home-made bird baths throughout the gardens.  They catch the water from the over head sprinklers, and provide a  refreshingly,cool dip  for the many beautiful birds eating bugs in the garden.

HOW TO MAKE A RHUBARB LEAF BIRD BATH

click here for easy instructions to make a unique bird bath or feeder

FEEDING YOUR SOIL TO MIDIGATE THE "pH" RATIO

A simple test can give you a fairly accurate reading of the pH (the acidity or alkalinity) of your soil.  Here in the South West high deserts our soil is more on the alkaline side.  However if your soil is clay, you will probably have a neutral or 6.0 to 7.0 reading.  

 pH requirements for plants:

ASPARAGUS 6.5-7.5

BEANS 5.2-7.2

BEETS 5.8-7.3

CABBAGE 5.8-7.3

CARROTS 5.8-7.3

CAULIFLOWER 6.0-7.5

CORN 5.2-7.2

CUCUMBER 5.2-7.2

LETTUCE 5.8-7.5

ONIONS 5.8-7.5

PEAS 5.5-7.5

SQUASH 5.2-7.2

STRAWBERRIES 5.2-6.8

TOMATO 5.5-7.5

  For many years I have worked on improving my soil.  It actually tests neutral, however it is heavy, heavy clay.  Thousands of wheelbarrow loads of aged GOAT MANURE  (I have used all types of manure, but I prefer the goat) has been added to the soil over the years. Now I have beautiful, loamy, crumbly soil that grows the most beautiful, nutrient dense vegetables.  The best way to moderate your alkaline soil is to add 1/2 inch layer of composted manure over the garden and till in.  If you have thick heavy clay soil, add 1/2 inch layer of sawdust and an inch layer of manure.  The decomposition of the sawdust will help take up the excess nitrogen from the manure thus inhibiting the lush leaf growth and less fruiting caused by an abundance of nitrogen.  Tilling in this excess amount will also help break up the heavy clay.  I suggest letting your plants get a good 2 or 3 inch start, and then add a layer of compost as a thick mulch.  I then carry it one step further and add a thick layer of old hay or straw.  This is left in place after the plants die, breaking down over the winter and tilled under in the spring.  Then the gardens are re-manured, sheet-composted, and mulched.

Adding a thick layer of mulch cuts down on the water needed for proper plant growth.  The soil stays moist, allowing the roots to take in the needed water and nutrients.  It insulates the soil, keeping the temperature even, and aids in the growth of plant roots.  It provides food and habitat for earthworms and burrowing insects whose tunnels loosen and aerate the soil.  Mulch keeps vegetables that sprawl on the ground: tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, melons, etc. from mildew or decay.  Transplanted vegetables can be mulched soon after the plants are set.  Weeding is kept to a minimum.

Many items can be used as a mulch; hay, straw, leaves, un-sprayed grass clippings, corn husks, shredded corn stalks, pine needles (great for acid loving plants like strawberries), sawdust, weeds, native grasses, and even wood chips raked up from your winter wood pile.  If you haven't natural mulches available, try using dampened newspaper, shredded paper or cardboard.  They will break down over time, adding organic matter to the soil. 

Recycled Vegetable Basket from a Lamp Shade

As you know by now, I don't sleep more than a couple of hours at night so most of the long dark hours my mind is conjuring up all kind of ideas, making to do lists,  counting endless sheep, and even trying to figure out why, if the letters....... d and o say do..... and t and o say to..... 

why does s and o say "so", with an "O" sound?

As I lay there one long sleepless night I came up with this idea for a 

VEGETABLE HARVEST BASKET

I always try to recycle everything I can

we are even going to cancel our weekly garbage can pick-up.

We generally only have one little plastic sack, that you bring your groceries home in, 

 full of garbage a week.

I think I will just sneak it over into the neighbors can

(after I ask for permission of course)

Anyway, back to the project...........

Gather your supplies:

1.  a sturdy welded wire lamp shade, cover removed,

 make certain the center support is flush with the bottom ring

2.  jute twine

3. scissors

4. wire cutters

5. old chicken wire

use the smallest gage available

this will help keep the smaller vegetables in the basket
or use a hardware cloth or window screen if desired

6. a cordless, or regular hand-saw

cut green branches, limbs, or twigs,

 to form around the edges and to make a sturdy handle

attach the chicken wire (wish I had smaller wire) around the larger edge first

there will be a little excess wire as you near the smaller diameter bottom, just work it in,

over-lap the wire under the basket and attach to the center supports

using the jute twine wrap a twig around the edge

when choosing the sticks to use, look for a natural curve in the branch

I used limbs from a tree we just felled in the garden area

the branches need to be green and pliable

Attach a sturdy branch for a handle.

I caught the twine between 2 limb nodules for better support

 

I also placed a couple of twigs around the bottom,

sticks cut to the right length could also be placed on the sides

attached to the vertical lamp shade wire 

This makes a great Harvest Basket!

Make several of these to go in your root cellar or basement to store squash, potatoes, and other vegetables that need good air circulation.

For my next basket I will try wrapping a frame with grape vines, or split willow,  maybe even long strands of bindweed!

Note: as the twigs dry, you may need to tighten the jute wrappings.

SOIL

                    If you take care of your soil, the plants will take care of themselves.

Creating the proper soil conditions requires a little manipulation of the natural soil.

AERATION:  Plants and soil organisms will suffocate if insufficient air flow in the root system is unavailable.  Plant roots absorb oxygen from the air and give off carbon dioxide.  The leaves absorb carbon dioxide and give off oxygen.  Plants must be able to breathe.  Dense or compacted soil does not allow for air flow to the root system causing impaired growth and failure.

WATER:  The gravitational pull of the water percolates down into the roots.  As it flows downward it is replaced by fresh air from above.  In heavy, dense soil the water does not drain off fast enough and plants can literally drown.  Water vegetation with and inch of water weekly.  Not all water flows downward, some remains in the tiny spaces between the soil particles or is captured in humus.  This is the water taken in by the roots to hydrate and transfer minerals to the plants.  Good soil is both well drained and also has the ability to hold capillary water.

BALANCED NUTRIENTS:  Nutrients are the source of the plant growth.  They consist of mineral subsistence's found in the soil.  Plants require a balanced supply of nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, calcium, sulfur, magnesium, and other trace elements.  If a plant has an overall balance of nutrients it will produce good crops.  In deficient amounts, the plants will have poor health, slow growth and crop failure.

BALANCED PH:  "Potential Hydrogen" (ph) is a measure of the acidity and alkalinity of any substance.  Purchase a test kit at your local garden center or nursery.  PH is measured on a scale from 0-14.  Seven is neutral.  Most garden vegetables will grow in a soil PH of 6.0-7.0.  In acidic conditions, plant nutrients are attached tightly to the soil and cannot be absorbed by the roots.  In alkaline soils the nutrients combine through chemical bonds into substances the plants are unable to utilize.

BUILDING BETTER SOIL

To improve your soil first determine the PH ratio, the humus content, and the type of soil; clay, sandy or loam.

This simple method will help you determine what your soil content is:

Use a quart jar and add one cup of your garden soil.

Fill with water .  Place on the lid and shake the jar vigorously.

Let the soil in the jar settle for about an hour.  It  will separate into layers.  The ideal soil contains equal parts of clay, sand, silt or loam.  This test will help determine what to add to your existing soil.  If it is heavy clay, add sand, compost , and organic matter.  Add compost, humus, and organic matter to sandy soil to help it retain moisture.  COMPOST is beneficial to all soil types.  Compost mitigates both PH extremes.  The higher the organic matter content, the higher the soil quality.  The benefits of organic matter are biological, physical, and chemical, it influences microbial populations, it affects the stability of the soil structure, adding air to the soil, breaks up clay, binds together sand particles, and is an important nutrient source.  It improves drainage, prevents erosion, neutralizes toxins, and creates a  healthy soil for worms and fungi.  Compost contains some nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, but is especially important for trace elements it adds to the soil.  The humic acids in compost dissolve soil minerals and trace elements that make them available to the plants.  Compost hold 6 times its own weight and regulates the supply of water to be absorbed by the vegetation.  Fewer nutrients will leach out of the soil if it has adequate organic matter.  There are 16 elements known to be essentials to plants if they are to grow and re-produce.  They are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorous, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, boron, manganese, iron, copper, molybdenum, zinc, and chlorine.  A soil rich in organic matter supplies plants with adequate amounts of the trace minerals.  If a soil is deficient in a mineral, only a small amount is needed to correct proper balance.  By using compost, mineral deficiencies are practically non-existent. 

COMPOST MADE EASY

for more info about composting

Clear as MUD

I just wanted to let everyone know who attended my gardening class last night that over the next few weeks I will be posting more in dept gardening info.  Trying to cover the basics of gardening in just a short time makes everything about as clear as mud!  I had such a good time and enjoyed your  friendship, comments and suggestions.

.

In the meantime, pull up a chair and read earlier posts about gardening by looking under the TAGS 

section in the right hand column.  For example, if you want to read about POTATOES, click on the word potato, and all the posts I have written about potatoes will pull up on your screen.   Thanks again for inviting me to share my little farm with all of you!

Hand-dyed Eggs

I stopped by to visit my neighbor, Maureen, the other day.  She invited me in to see one of the projects she had been working on for her grand-kids.  As I walked by her kitchen counter I saw a big basket filled with these beautiful hand dyed Easter Eggs.  

AREN'T THEY GORGEOUS!

She has been making these "Ukrainian" Dyed Eggs with her children since 1990.

Using a special pen filled with melted wax, designs are drawn on the eggs, the eggs are then dyed and the wax removed.  Repeating this process many times results in these beautiful  one of a kind eggs.

Maureen says to get eggs from well fed hens.  This ensures that they are fresh and have hard shells.

  DO NOT WASH THE EGG.   

The eggs are dyed and then stored in empty cartons .  I asked if they ever exploded, (we have all found old eggs laying around the farm), but she said that it has rarely happened.  Eventually the inside dries out, and the eggs can be kept for many years.

"OH, THAT'S what all the croakin' is about"

 "OH, so that's what all the croakin' was about" replied my son as he walked by the small 6'x4'x4' pond in front of the little red house and observed the tiny "polyfrogs"( as we call them at our house) swimming around.  The masses of eggs that are laid and fertilized in the pond were just hatching and the little polyfrogs were thick as flies on a cow-pie.  Every summer we have an abundance of toads that are grown and released into the gardens.

They grow tiny hind legs first, followed by the front legs breaking through the skin

 just a few days later.  

When all four legs are present the tail begins to shrink.  They spend most of the day out of the water

sunning themselves on the mossy rocks. 

This Kestrel Hawk is eating his fill of the tiny toads.  I have also seen the big beautiful Red-Tailed Hawk and other species enjoying a snack.  It is the natural cycle of the food chain and by the time the toads are mature, there are still hundreds left to  place all over the gardens.  

I use the lids off old garbage cans, half buried as mini ponds strategically placed through-out

 the gardens.

The toads are transferred to the mini ponds and hopefully find their way to a new home, burying themselves in the cool dirt under the vegetables, and finding plenty of bugs to eat.

 When we get the early summer rains, the old irrigation pond at the edge of the farm fills with water and the croakin' starts all over again.

Compost made easy

Over the years of puttering in my garden, I have read many book and articles about composting.  Some books require you to have a college degree in Science to understand what they are referring to, some articles don't give any information and leaf you guessing just how to make compost.  So I have sorta come up with my own equation.  If you are a math major, please don't leaf me a comment about the numbers not making sense, or if you are a Biologist, I'm sure I am not using the correct terminology, but to this ole farm gal it makes perfect sense and also perfect compost.

USE BY WEIGHT OR GUESS-TI-MATION:

1/3 DRY/BROWN INGREDIENTS/ CARBON  (weigh less per volume than greens)
1/3  WET/GREEN INGREDIENTS/ NITROGEN  ( weigh more per volume than dry)
1/3 GARDEN SOIL, add in a little finished compost for good MEASURE and of course a shovel of dry manure sprinkled over the soil

OR flip the numbers; 3/1 ratio (3x's) the amount of  dry ingredients to the wet, 3/1 ratio (3x's) amount  wet ingredients to the soil amount.   This will result in about a CARBON/NITROGEN ratio of  30/1.  Which is perfect ( for us non-perfectionists) for great compost.

Here are some suggestions of items to use:

                                                   the simple way I make compost.

1. Place some sticks or corn cobs on the bottom.  Place dry ingredients (about a 6" layer) over sticks-- this allows for good air flow.

2.  Place green (about a 2 " layer) ingredients over dry.

3.  Shovel dirt, manure, and soil over top.  Repeat layers until your pile is at least 3 feet square.

                                                         Easy as 1 to 3!

keep moist and turn the pile every few weeks

 compost
click here form more information

a note about tree leaves:  

 if using tree leaves as part of your dry ingredients only use the leaves from 

ash, cottonwood, cherry, elm, linden, maple, popular, willow

these varieties are much richer in nitrogen and calcium

than other leaves

Make leaf mold  in the fall by placing your leaves in a big black garbage bag, adding a little water to moisten the leaves.  Tie the top shut and throw in a corner or an out of the way place in your garden.  Leaf them for 2 years to rot; apply to your garden as a mulch or till them into the soil before planting.  If you run over your leaves lying on the grass with a lawn mower, catching them in the attachable grass clipping bag,  transfer and store the mixture of grass and leaves in a garbage bag, (do not add water) the nitrogen in the grass will speed up the process and in a year it should be ready for use.  If they get slimey and smelly, dump them in your compost pile and cover with a thin layer of dirt.  The air flow should take care of the problem.

Compost can be added to your gardens before planting or as a mulch.  I generally till it into the soil so the plants will draw in the nutrients it provides.  When the plants are up, I apply a dry/carbon (straw or old hay) as a  thick mulch that is left to break down over the winter and tilled in the following spring.

Happy belated EARTH DAY!

Did you do- or not do- something that will make a difference?

Planting by the MOON

                                For those of us who recognize the influence the moon has on our gardens,

         here is a simple, basic guide.

                                         

                                             

Just after the full moon, in the waxing gibbous, is a good time to transplant seedlings.  It is a time of increased root growth, the plant will put it's energy into growing a stronger root to support the vegetation above ground.

Plant chard and other leafy greens in the first quarter of the moon

Planting by the moon can be very daunting if you try to plant according the best date; incorporating time zones,  Zodiac Signs (water, earth, fire, air) fertile or barren, and don't forget NEVER plant on a Sunday or when the moon is in transition. 

Planting Simplified

 When the Moon is Waxing ( growing larger)

 1st Quarter: plant vegetables that produce leafy greens and form seeds outside the plant

2nd Quarter: plant  above ground vegetables that produce their seeds within the plant

When the Moon is Waning (becoming smaller)

3rd Quarter: Plant root crops

4th Quarter is a resting period this is a good time for tilling and weeding

 an earlier post about planting potatoes according to the waning moon

                The moon is WANING, it's time to plant the POTATOES

another post about the Blue Moon that only happens every few years

                                                               BLUE MOON

Wrinkles don't lie

O.K. I will be the first to admit it.  I am over the hill, I hit "mid-life" years ago, but in my mind and heart I am still 36.  An age when I felt great, had long, thick, natural curly hair, could shear sheep with out them getting the upper hand, could rope a steer, break in a new horse, milk morning and night, and  have time to be a full time mom of 5 children, help them with their homework, grow 5 acres of organic vegetables for several Farmer's Markets and CSA, have a home cooked meal on the table every night, run a chain saw and swing a heavy splitting mall to cut and stack the wood for the winter, and............on and on..................Shoot, I can still do all of the above, however it does take me a little longer, my bad knees slow me down just a bit..... my thin, scraggy hair won't stay out of my eyes making it difficult to shear sheep (I think it is a good excuse).  My hands have given out after 30 years of hand milking  5- 10 does daily, (think maybe I will have to get milk from a big brown eyed doe in somebody else's yard ).  The other day I was out swinging the heavy splitting mall and swung something out of place that shouldn't be (those pick-up beds full of cut and split wood for sale are beginning to look more appealing).  As far as roping a steer, I'm sure I still could...... if it would stand still long enough.  I cook, but eating after 5:00 p.m. gives me indigestion so supper usually is eaten at lunch time.  As far as 5 acres of garden........well, I still try but it usually turns out to be a game of hide and seek, trying to find the vegetables among the weeds that have gotten ahead of me.  Yes, when I look in the mirror I see the wrinkles. Years and years of working in the sun has taken it's toll.  I see the laugh lines etched in the corners of my mouth.  Life on my little farm has dished out plenty to laugh about.  The squint lines around my eyes from full, bright, sun-shinny, wonderful days on the farm and in the gardens are etched deep in my skin.  Yes, I have wrinkles and I am dang proud of them.  I have worked hard and........... I HAVE EARNED THEM!   I love my wrinkles and wrinkles don't lie, but they look a bit odd on a 36 year old.

GREEN HOUSE made from CATTLE PANELS

Over the past 23 years of raising market gardens and providing for a CSA we have used a lot of cattle panels.  We found that they wouldn't hold in our large steers if they really wanted to get out . And the rams would just beat them with their massive horns until there were holes big enough to get out of so they could join the ewes.  However, we still purchased quite a few panels for our farm.  They do keep the goats in and allow for feeding outside the fence so feed is not trampled and wasted.  Also a buck cannot climb over them if you stack them two high creating a sturdy 10 foot high fence.  But generally we use them through out the gardens.

  Three or more panels arched, tied together, staked with t-posts, and covered with plastic make a nice little green house.  I also use these arched panels over my lettuce beds covered with black shade cloth to extend my harvest.  One of the best uses I have found is to bend the panel lengthwise into a small arch and cover with plastic.  I use these tunnel covers placed end to end over all my tender vine crops, cucumbers, melons etc. this is the only way I can extend my season long enough to get a harvest.  Remove them when the weather has warmed sufficiently.   Put arched panels in an area sheltered from drying winds , growing vine crops or pole beans up them can save space in your garden and allow for easy harvest as the fruit hangs down inside the arch.

notice the panels arched on the right and left sides of this photo

this area in one of my gardens is protected from wind on 3 sides

pole beans were grown over the panels

a thick layer of straw was placed under one of the arches

it made a wonderful, cool spot for the kids to read

...........sadly the kids have all grown and left home

feeding the goats on the opposite side of the panel cuts down on feed waste

and of course you know we use them as sturdy chicken runs

we have also used them for:

*wood racks on a trailer

*compost containers

*planting potatoes in straw

  (as a round container and also laid flat holding down the straw over a large block planting of potatoes)

* cut in half and folded, not arched the panels for a 4' high trellis

 (leave 4 feet open on end )

MAKE a salad garden underneath, cucumbers on one side, tomatoes on the other and lettuce, spinach, carrots and chard planted under the trellis.  Cover with plastic to give the vines more heat in the early spring.  The vines of the cucumbers shaded the soil to allow for lettuce harvesting all summer.  Only place one panel ( not side by side) so you can access the middle easily from both sides......place  several of these throughout your garden....

make a pasta sauce themed trellis with tomatoes, plant basil, parsley and other herbs underneath

summer squash plants do well grown up them and plant melons or cucumbers underneath

I plant these mini patches so the side of the frames are placed facing the east and west which allows the plants on the inside to get plenty of southern sun. 

*covered panels with plastic and duct tape for quick cold frame covers placed over a double row of hay or straw bales, make these as long as desired.  When it warms up during the summer, the bales are opened and spread as mulch along the plants.

LARGE GREEN HOUSE MADE WITH CATTLE PANELS

*we made a large 26' by 60' green house using 2 panels joined end to end with staples on a high center wooden beam, supported, by tall cedar posts. ( We used 10 sets of 2 panels to make it 60 feet long).  The panels were also supported and stapled in the center, with more wooden beams, on both sides and then stapled them to large cedar posts laid along the ground.  We covered it with fiberglass and boarded up the ends.  Using a good quality 3/4 plywood the wood was cut to the shape of the arches and the edge of the panel stapled to the plywood.  Framed in a door and made a screen door to fit.  We had this greenhouse for many years until one of our renters tore it down.  Sorry it was about 20 years ago, I don't have a photograph so I tried to do a sketch for you. 

During the winter my Angora Rabbits were moved into the greenhouse.  They helped heat the structure.  Heavy mil plastic was wrapped around the support beams and stretched across the top from side to side to form a green house with-in a green house.  A heat lamp was hung inside the inner green house and plants were grown all winter.  The rabbit droppings were spread through out the green house and tilled in at spring time.  We built this when only fiberglass was available.  I would not recommend using it because it did not hold up in the wind.  The corrugated plastic you can buy now at home improvement stores is my choice for green houses or sun rooms.

Nope, cattle panels are NOT just for COWS.

What have you used cattle panels for?

HOWDY  NEIGHBOR! 

 Thanks for stopping by,

click here to be directed to our home page

CRICKET SONG FARM

Kick off your boots, sit a spell and read about the adventures on our little

organic vegetable farm.

for information about our attached sun room made from large windows

FarmHer JILL, FarmHer JILL, how does your garden grow?

FarmHer JILL, FarmHer JILL,

chewing on a sprig of dill.......

How does your garden grow?

With water and sunshine,

compost and mulch,

and pretty little plants all in a row.

GOT MAIL?

Every day about 11:00

a grey, mud-splattered Jeep

stops outside my front door.......

bringing news,

junk mail,
grocery adds,

bills,

the occasional package 

and sometimes a letter or card.

A note, hand written,

from someone who took just a minute out of their

busy day

to

let you know that you are loved

and appreciated
is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow.....
no, it is even better than that,
a note from a friend or loved one
is
PRICELESS

My Favorites

I have inadvertently misplaced my camera.  So for this post I decided to link you back to some of my earlier posts that a few of you may not have read.  I appreciate all of you stopping by to read about my little farm, the day to day life of a gal just trying to what she loves best and the mishaps and mayhem that follows .  Hope you enjoy these.  If you have a favorite from the past, leave me a comment and I'll post a link to it.

Battery Exhausted

seems fitting for this time of year

or how about this one.......

Squash Currency

or what about my true confessions......

I Have a Confession to Make 

I had just sold some laying hens to folks who asked me about
the molting process.  I sat down to write a post about it and........well,

MOLTING

do you have a favorite I can add to this post?

Dreary and Dusty ......but only for a little while

It's the time of year when everything is brown.  Dust and dirt is blowing in the strong spring winds.  The tumbleweeds are stacking up high along the fence.  It won't be long however before the rhubarb begins to break ground from it's long winter nap.  The gardens will be covered in weeds soon.  I will till them in along with hundreds of wheelbarrow loads of composted goat manure, preparing the ground for planting.

before

and

after

TREES need to be dug from areas in the gardens

 they shouldn't be growing and transplanted

to a better location.  We have fifty or more to move this spring.

Good thing I know how to dig holes........lots of holes.

One to get the tree out of the ground, and one to put it into.

I get exhausted just thinking about it, but someday

after I am long gone, planted in the ground myself,

someone will be grateful for all the beautiful trees

growing in just the right place.

 create a large berm around the trees and water them in well
this eliminates any air pockets
give them a good soaking at least once a week for the first few months
until new roots are established

Early spring is the best time to transplant trees.  I have tried several different times of year, spring, late summer, fall, and have found they do the best when transplanted in the early, EARLY spring before the sap begins to run, or before they begin to bud out.  Fall planted trees do fairly well, with trees transplanted after the end of April least favorable.

I'll begin tilling soon.

Sometimes I have help tilling, (thanks HUN) 

when he doesn't have to work late on a Friday night

and can drive the 400 miles (one way)  to help on Saturday,

but generally I just plug along day after day......

Several acres takes quite a while with a hand tiller,

and by the time to plant seeds in mid June (yes, it is still freezing at night then) 

the gardens will all be composted, manured, tilled and ready to go.