The Planning of a New Garden

I am back in the Midwest for now and again have the opportunity to have a fair sized garden.  I have estimated the size of the back yard to be about 400 square feet.  Since I have no desire to turn this yard into a mud pit, I am going to try to just turn over the beds and leave the lawn in between the beds for a pathway.  I do have to take into consideration that this yard has large trees and tall houses that block the sun, so I need to make sure I keep the beds within the area that receives the most sunlight throughout the day.  I am still debating on making sixteen beds each about three by five feet, or making four long rows three feet wide and twenty to thirty feet long. 

This is the future garden area that has been undergoing some renovations.  The cute chair and rose arbor don't belong to me so they won't be staying.  Along the back fence is a badly overgrown grape vine that I am putting off pruning because it is going to be a chore.  The back left corner holds a large pile of branches from trimming back the overgrown bushes in that area.  The tree trunk on the left is from an old apricot tree.  It used to fruit and flower every year when my grandmother lived here, but the trunk is badly damaged and rotten and the tree is most likely dead and will also be removed. 

 

There are other areas of the yard that I am considering to use as garden space as well.  I would like to plant some raspberry bushes, but I still need to figure out where they might be the happiest.  There are nice sunny spots on all sides of the house.  I would also like to find a home for a few asparagus plants and a strawberry patch, maybe even another fruit tree or two.  This yard has a great foundation for producing a lot of food in a relatively small space when you consider the few established plants already here. 

 

 

 There is already a pear tree on the property too, but what is growing is from left over suckers from a much older tree that was cut down years ago.  Since then, There has been some pruning, but it's been spotty, so the tree has a lot of odd branches and competing shoots.  I will just have to brush up on good pruning techniques and see if I can help this young tree become something easy to harvest from.

First Spring Robins

I was taking the dog for a walk this afternoon when I saw a robin hopping around in someone's yard.  I think that robins do overwinter here, but this winter was so cold and snowy that I think they may have gone farther south.  Either way, I always take the first robin sighting to be a sure sign that spring is on it's way and soon the snow will be gone.

Starting Seeds 2014

I recently took an inventory of the seeds that I had on hand and made a list of what I wanted to grow.  I still had quite a variety of seeds, though some of them are at least two years old, so I am not sure how they will germinate for me. I also needed to figure out how many plants of each type I wanted to grow in the garden.  Right now I only have space for about 40 seedlings under grow lights, so I decided to go ahead and plant what I have now, so if something doesn't grow then I still have time to get more seeds and try again in a few weeks.

I also gathered together some things for starting seeds.  I have a bin of potting mix for easy storage and instead of waiting for seed trays to appear on the store shelves I decided to use cheap Rubbermaid bins for trays.  I figure they are more durable and stable and will make carrying the seedlings back and forth to the outside sun a little easier for me.

The seed pots were free from the nursery I worked at last summer (that was an awesome job!). 

 

These are some plant markers that I made by cutting up a 2 1/2 gallon water jug.

 

I filled all the pots with potting soil and then I got down to the business of planting.

 

I have 2 varieties of bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, moskvich tomatoes, celery, brussel sprouts, cilantro, chamomile, cumin, echinacea and black eyed susans planted in this round.

 

Then the freshly planted seeds were covered with a sheet of plastic and placed in a sunny window under a grow light.  Now all I have to do is wait and I am hoping that I will have some brand new sprouts to usher in spring with in a few days.

 

 

 

Making Progress On The Indoor Garden

Well I am happy to report that the handful of pots that sprouted a few weeks ago have been coming along nicely lately.  They even got to spend a couple hours out on the back stoop today since warm weather has paid a visit.

 

The carrots are starting on their third set of true leaves and they are starting to really look like carrots.

 

The spinach leaves are sizing up as well and it won't be long before these need to go into the dirt.

 

The lettuce is looking quite happy despite having fallen over along the way.  I will be starting lettuce indoors every two weeks this summer so I can try to have a consistent harvest throughout the season.

 

The basil is taking it's time to send out it's first true leaves.  The one on the left is looking the healthiest so that will be the one I leave when I thin this pot.

 

Overall I'd say that this little indoor garden is growing quite well and I am looking forward to being able to transplant some of these into real dirt when the weather gets around to warming up .

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy Life Much

As I go about my day to day living I have noticed something about many of the people in the world around me.  Many of them just seem unhappy.  Maybe it's the daily grind of getting up every day and going to work at unfulfilling jobs.  Maybe they aren't doing what they thought they should be by now.  Maybe their childhood aspirations didn't turn out the way they expected them to.  They don't make enough money, don't have a big enough house, don't have a nice enough (fill in the blank here).  I can empathize with that, but I still think that most people are missing the point.

Life is not about earning the most money, having the most stuff, or being "better" than someone else.  Its about figuring out what makes you happy and then doing as much of that as you can find time for.  Sometimes you won't know if something can make you happy until you try it.  Thinking about it won't do.  Talking about it just isn't the same.  It's when you experience something that you will really find the joy in it.

The happiest times that I can remember are when I was actually out doing things: hiking, camping, canoeing, gardening, cooking, eating, hanging out with friends and family.  There really isn't a replacement for any of those things.  You can't get that feeling from watching a show on TV or playing a video game.  My point is if you want to enjoy life then you need to live it and experience it, so don't just sit there....get out and live (and don't forget to enjoy it!)

Tracks In The Snow

One of my favorite things about hiking in the winter is being able to see trails through the snow so easily.  I always think it is awesome to be the first one down a trail after a fresh snow.  Yes the trail can be hard to break especially where the snow has drifted and crusted over, but there is a certain satisfaction to be had walking where no one else has ventured yet.

 

Dozens of deer trails cross the park and wander in and out of the woods along the trail.

 

 Even the mice have ventured out from the safety of their burrows deep under the snow to make a few tracks of their own.

 

The snow looked so inviting right here that I couldn't resist making a snow angel along the trail.  Getting out of the snow proved to be a little more difficult as it was far deeper than it looked when I first plopped myself down in it.

 

In this tree there were a pair of hawks which promptly flew away as I tried to get closer for a better picture.  Funny how the animals that leave few tracks were the easiest to spot today.

 

A different kind of track:  the remains of a barn foundation lies quietly as the forest grows up around it for decades after the person that built it has gone.

 

 

 

 

 

Home Grown Garlic Powder

Last summer I harvested a ton of garlic (17 lbs. or so) and needless to say I still have plenty left over after planting the largest bulbs for next year and eating a bunch on a regular basis. 

So far they seem to be keeping quite well though the bulbs are showing signs that they would like to grow again.

 I am going to slowly convert what I can't use fresh into powdered garlic. 

 This batch used about 2 1/2 heads of garlic.  I am only doing one dehydrator tray at a time because I only have one sheet for drying foods that will fall through the cracks as they dry.  I cleaned the bulbs and sliced them about 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick then spread them out into a single layer on the dehydrator tray.

 

I ran it at about 110 degrees until the pieces were brittle and broke easily.  I will be storing them in chunks like this until I need them.

When I am ready to use them all I need to do is crush them up in my mortar and pestle and voila - the freshest garlic powder that money can't buy.

 

 

Eagles on the Wing

The other morning while I was out shoveling the driveway after yet another snow storm I noticed several eagles circling lazily overhead.

 

 

There quite a few young eagles hanging around with the older birds as you can see a mature eagle chasing after an immature eagle in this picture.

 

It must have been a wonderful morning for the birds to take wing because there was also a good sized flock of seagulls circling nearby as well.

 

It was quite a sight to behold after the dreary gray snowy day we had just had.

It certainly does make me feel special to get to witness these beautiful birds of prey overwintering in this area.  I hope that some decide to make it their home again in the future.

 

 

 

 

A Walk In The Park

Back in suburbia there are few places one can go to get close to nature.  Lucky for me there is a gem of a park only a five minute drive from my house.  These trails get a lot of use from the locals in the winter.

 

 

 

Spring Fever

Here it is the first of March and we are having yet another snow storm.  I was hoping that Old Man Winter was tired by now, but apparently he has more up his sleeve for this area.  I was hoping for spring to make an early appearance, but so far the only signs of spring are the sprouting seeds that I planted a few weeks ago.

 

The tall pot on the right contains carrots.  The three on the bottom right are lettuce seedlings grown from seed that I saved from plants in my garden last summer.  The center top container is a pair of spinach seedlings.  The lower left hand corner are a few basil seedlings just starting to come up.  The top left is barely just breaking the surface celery seedlings.

 

I was a little doubtful about the germination of some of the seeds so I over planted quite a few of them. I think I had seven or eight sprouts in the lettuces and all that I left behind were two in each pot.  I tried to keeping the ones that looked the biggest at this tender young age.  I figured that if I left two then I was still pretty safe if one of them didn't make it.  I might thin them down to one when they are more established.

 

I planted at least 15 spots in the carrots pot because they don't seem to mind being cramped.  I grew a handful in a shallow flower box last summer and was pleasantly surprised by the small harvest I got from it.  They were the first of the many carrot harvests that I had last year.

 

The calendar says that spring is only three weeks away, so hopefully the weather will get the message and warm up soon.  I really can't wait to start digging in the dirt again.