New Beds

Thanks to Tish, we have a recent picture of the new beds.

New raised beds

 

Carrots, Beets and Lettuce

We planted all of these seeds in the last week and a half, and guess what???? They are all coming up. No matter how often I plant seeds, I am always amazed when they show themselves. Little seedlings, popping up out of the soil, me checking in on them like newborns.

Carrots are like little, tiny blades of grass. Beets are long leaves but still small, some red in color. The lettuce is tiny too, but round in shape. They are all under cover, to keep them warm and moist. I am not sure what to plant next, but that will have to wait until next week. We need to make a trip to the nursery too, to purchase plants and more peatmoss. The rain last week soaked the soil and compacted it a bit, so we need to top off the soil to the top of the raised beds.

We haven’t started selling shares yet, as we’ve been so busy with other things in life that take priority. I’ll work on the 2009 Questions and Answers soon and will send them to all of you on our email list. We know we will be scaling down this year, at least at first. Once the summer kicks in, we can take on more subscribers.

We finally bit the bullet and hired someone to build the fence. This will help us out tremendously. All of our acreage will be fenced, keeping the deer out, so we can plant everywhere. This will allow the farm to grow and expand, something we’ve been wanting to do for some time. Lots to look forward too.

 

Give Beets a Chance!

We’re moving along, getting boxes built and making soil. Sunday was our first volunteer day for our farm. Up to 15 volunteers came out to help us make Mel’s Mix and learn a little about Square Foot Gardening. This was such a success and everyone had fun, that we will probably have another. We’ll keep you posted via this email newsletter. There is always something to do in the garden.

The potatoes are growing tall and so are the onions and garlic. I’ve covered the kitchen counter with seeds, choosing which ones get planted next. Yesterday I planted 3 varieties of carrots: Cosmic Purple, Purple Haze and Scarlet Nantes. Four varieties of beets were also planted. Red Ace, Chioggia, Golden Beet, and Forono. All a variety of colors; red, candy cane stripped, gold and a Cylindrical, deep purple.

Ok, I hear some of you sneering at the thought of a beet, but believe me, once you have tasted homegrown, fresh picked beets, you’ll wonder why you hated them in the first place. Most of us were raised on canned beets and no wonder we don’t care for them. Fresh beets are like candy, full of sugar….yummmmm!!! They can be grated raw for salads, juiced, steamed or boiled. Any way you have them, they are wonderful. This is one of the veggies we grow that people tell us they don’t like and then once they try them, they are converted. Give beets a chance.

 

Check out the article in our local newspaper

We are very excited to have an article in our local newspaper, The Mountain Democrat. Check it out here: First page, second page.

 

Thank You

Thanks to all of you who have contacted us, sending your prayers, thoughts and well-wishes as we experience this family situation. We have had a bit of a set-back, mainly in rebuilding the beds, but if we are persistent, we should make a come back.

On an exciting note: I was picking chard yesterday and peeked under the covers of the newly planted onions, garlic and potatoes. They are all sprouting!! Whohoo!! It’s always such a thrill for us to see the new plants peek through the soil.

Eric is busy building a temporary potato bed. In our area, it’s always a rule to have your potatoes planted before St. Patricks Day, so we have to hurry. The Front Yard Nursery has a good variety of seed potatoes, so we’ll be picking some up soon.

Potatoes are super easy to grow and don’t take much care. This year, it will be an added joy to dig them up since they are being planted in Mel’s Mix.

And you are probably thinking, “Potatoes are so cheap, I’ll just buy them.” Well, you are right, but you haven’t had a potato until you dig up your own and roast them. It sounds crazy, but we get the most compliments from our potatoes. Our subscribers always tell us how they have never tasted potatoes as good as ours. So grow your own and see what you think.

 

Pray for Rain

I was just flipping through the TV channels and Fox 40 had a report of the drought in California and how the veggie prices were going to be higher because farmers are not planting as much. WHAT!!! This concerned me. So I searched the internet to find the whole story. The same story, from the Associated Press, is all over the internet.

Part of the story says, “Consumers may pay more for spring lettuce and summer melons in grocery stores across the country now that California farmers have started abandoning their fields in response to a crippling drought.” It’s time folks, we need to grow our own.

You can grow in containers, flower boxes or raised beds. It’s really not that hard as long as you have at least 6 hours of sun. If you don’t have the sun exposure you can join or start a community garden at a church or school or join a CSA farm. We know we will be providing shares this year, but we aren’t sure how many and every year we have to turn people away, so now’s the time to start a garden for yourself.

We plan on giving classes, just haven’t yet because we weren’t sure where to have them. We wanted a place to accommodate at least 25 people. I think we are going to just have to start and have many small classes at our farm and see how they go. We need to get started, so you can.

Our classes will be basic gardening with the Square Foot Gardening Method (SFG). We chose this way of gardening because it’s easy to understand, you use less water and seeds than conventional gardening and there is less work, plus you’ll grow more. The soil you currently have does not matter as you will be making your own. You can also grow in containers, or build boxes with legs for table top gardens. We plan to have a few of these on our deck, for herbs and flowers.

But, in the meantime, check out the seed catalogs or go to the nursery and order seeds of veggies you like or want to try. Check out the Square Foot Gardening website, the library or buy the book, either from us or your local bookstore.

I promise, it’s a super easy way to grow your own food. We had a large, raised bed as our demo box last season and everything in that box grew better than the same veggies in the ground. Plus, we are looking forward to not having to deal with gophers and moles in the beds.

Something we may have not mentioned in the past, Mel Bartholomew of SFG, teaches in many third world countries, where they don’t have the resources we have in the US, and they are able to produce food for themselves. I know we can too.

I’m not trying to scare you or talk you into SFG, but things are changing and we need to be ready. Attached, for your information, is Mel’s list for Preparedness Gardening. If you have any questions, ask us, we are here to help.

GARDEN: Rain and the family emergency has caused us to slow down. But we are going to be working on Tuesday once again. We really thank all of you who responded to our email asking for volunteer help. We have a couple of things that need to get ready first and then we will schedule a Sunday to make Mel’s Mix. We really appreciate all of you who volunteered, we’ll be contacting you shortly.

And thanks to all of you who enjoy these newsletters. We enjoy researching, learning and sharing.

 

Rain……Finally!

Here, in Northern California, I am grateful for the rain. We need it!!! And I am joyful to hear the drips and drops fall from the sky. Sure, I’ve been loving our unusual Spring weather, but it’s more important to have the moisture.

Life has been somewhat stressful for us lately; family emergencies which have us days away from the farm. A lesson in patience for me. All will work out for the best, I just have to remember to breath.

We are planning a Summer season and rebuilding our little farm is coming along. Six raised beds have now been built. We’ll build about five more in the upper garden and then continue into the lower garden. At some point, we’ll have to put up a better fence. Deer pass through the property, stop at the fence that barely keeps them out, and drool at the luscious greens they cannot have. Let’s hope they don’t decide to jump a little higher than normal!

 

Happy New Year!

How do you bring in the new year?

In Italy, a tradition is to throw old possessions, like old utensils, furniture and clothes out of the window, in the hopes of forgetting past misfortunes and clearing the decks for good luck in the New Year. In Wales, the back door is opened to release the old spirit of the old year at the first stroke of midnight. It is then locked up to store the luck in, and at the last stroke the New Year is welcomed in at the front door. The people in Spain believe the New Year custom of eating grapes at the stroke of midnight to secure 12 happy months in the coming year. (From 123 New Years)

We like to get together with friends and family, have good conversation, play games and toast the new year with a glass of champagne. I get on this cleaning binge and clear out closets, drawers, pantries and donate the good stuff to the hospice. For me, I think it’s about letting go of the old, to bring in the new.

GARDEN: Boy, are we making progress. It sure helps when you have a helper. We are so grateful! This week, they leveled the old, remaining beds with the tractor to build up the next section. We hope to have the upper garden in full beds, not counting the already established asparagus beds. Pics will be on the blog as soon as they finish. It’s exciting to see the change.

RECYCLE GREETING CARDS: Even though we’ve received less and less Christmas cards throughout the year, I do enjoy them…but what to do with them when we are done enjoying them? I send them to St. Jude’s Ranch so the children can recycle them and make new cards to raise money for the organization. They are accepting used, all-occasion greeting cards until February 28, 2009. Send to:

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude’s Street
Boulder City, NV 89005

Thanks again for supporting local farms and being a part of our farm family. Have a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

 

Making progress

Have you had any time to check out seeds yet? Remember, if you don’t receive catalogs, most seed companies are online as well. I just think it’s more fun to have the catalog, but come to think of it, I bought our last order while viewing online, and then I got the catalog! Either way, it’s fun to see the pictures of plants and what they will become. Don’t be like me; remember to order flower seeds too. Flowers and veggies are natural companions. The bees, humming birds and other beneficials come in to feed and helps pollinate your garden and eat bad bugs too. We can never have enough bees and other pollinators in our gardens. So invite them in.

GARDEN: We’ve had great help recently and made enough soil to fill the second bed. That’s 90 cubic feet of soil (this bed is 30′ x 4′) WhooHooo!!! Three of us worked on that task for almost 4 hours and got it mostly done (the bed has room for another 4 cubic feet). Boy, am I sore. But it was worth it…another bed done. Bed #3 is on it’s way, built, and needs to be filled. Bed #4 is started too. Who knows, at this rate we may have the upper garden in all raised beds by Spring!

We also cleaned up the dead and dying beans and cucumbers that grew on the trellis and squash and some tomato plants in the lower garden. Lot’s of green material for Eric’s compost pile. More to go and we’ll get that next week. The chard in the #1 bed is covered to protect it from frost and birds. The little amount of broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussel sprouts that the birds and gophers didn’t get, are also covered.

Square Foot Gardening (SFG): Contact us to purchase All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. You’ll continue to support local agriculture by purchasing the book from us, plus you’ll get a great book full of info for the beginning and experienced gardener. This book can teach anyone to grow veggies and flowers in a small space. Plus, you can always ask us any questions you may have. All for only $20 (price includes tax).

And speaking of Square Foot Gardening, we have recently been in contact with Mel regarding Mel’s Mix. He is working with a manufacturer to provide 2 cubic foot bags of the mix. So for a 4′ x 4′, 6″ deep bed, you will need 4 of these bags (total of 8 cubic feet). We hope to have these for sale to those of you who want/need it. Not sure when, but we’ll keep you posted. (Note: Let me tell you from experience, especially after recently making 90 cubic feet of this stuff, it will be WAY easier to just buy it and pour it into your bed. And we figure, the price is comparable to having to purchase all the materials separately.)

 

Can’t Wrap This…

Yes, I’m easily amused. Check out this UTube video:

Can’t Wrap This

Season’s Greetings to all!!