A Pattern Of Rain ... and Itching to Garden

some backyard visitors in March

Yesterday I was able to walk around our property checking for signs of spring.  Rhubarb, French sorrel, oregano and thyme are bouncing back.  Raspberry canes show budding leaves.  Fruit trees are waiting patiently for their turn to wake up.  We are completely snow free .. even the snow piles from clearing the driveway have melted.   Now the work begins getting the yard back in shape, adding additional soil to the raised beds, raking the lawn and clearing out the footpaths in the garden .. refreshing the bark.  To do this work, we will need a few days of sunshine .. and that's not happening anytime soon.

I have grapevines to plant.  Again .. wait and hope for sunny weather.

It is amazing to watch plant life unfold after being dormant all winter.  Perennials look stick dead until you peek near the soil and see life clinging near the roots.  There is much trimming to do in the next few weeks to remove the dead tops of these plants.

Our little indoor greenhouse is brimming with overwintered plants, geranium starts, seed trays, grow lights and a heating mat.  I chose the seeds to have a mix of paste tomatoes for sauces and heirlooms for slicing.  One of our 4 x 8 ft. raised beds held 32 plants last year producing 140+ pounds of  tomatoes.  We grew them using the square foot garden planting system .. training them to grow UP .. anchoring them to tall trellises.  These raised beds have thawed enough to plant peas and early spring seeds.

It looks like we're in for more rainy weather in the Inland Northwest

This will be our seventh year of having a veggie garden and there is SO MUCH more to learn.  What's going on in your yard?

2012 Goals

After looking over my 2011 goals it appears we did well with the majors and failed in the minors.  Majors being paying down on debt, setting up a fenced raised bed garden.  Minors .. knitting socks, etc.

We plan on sticking with the budget again as it has become second nature .. and will allow us to, hopefully, be totally debt free by October.

Garden goals - set up a better compost station for the garden, planting ONLY those veggies that we like to eat and preserve.  Can more peaches.  Plant more sauce tomatoes and less for slicing.  Trim vegetation around the garden, hook up pvc line to garden sink.  Plant a winter garden (this is perhaps a dream).  Propagate geraniums and house plants to give as gifts.

Food storage - more wheat and dried goods.

Outings - Ride the Hiawatha bike trail, visit Glacier National Park (again), river raft trip.

Fast Forward Two Years In The Garden

Spring 2009

Spring 2010

Fall 2010

Spring 2011

May 2011

May 2011

July 2011

 A quick trip in pictures watching the garden develop from primitive to ordered.  It has filled out even more beautifully with lots of flowers.  Will post more pics when my computer is fixed.

Coaxing Spring (hurry up already)

Our weather of late has been fickle.  Most of March found rain showers, gray skies, a few snow showers .. and April is only a little bit 'more promising' ... Our teeny tiny dining room plant nursery has expanded and now includes a sturdy new shelf unit sitting in front of one of the many windows.  All of our plants have sprouted .. even the pepper plants after getting a good warm start in the little plastic covered greenhouse rigged with warming beds and a grow light. 

Hubby and I worked on building 10 of 14 raised garden beds last week, some extra deep and outfitted with quarter inch wire mesh underneath and soon to include hoops made from curved electric conduit to support different coverings.  We have them stacked and draped outside on a slope until the actual garden ground is ready.  It will be at least another five weeks or so before we are frost free and can transplant the seedlings. 

Through all of this soggy weather, I picked up a flu virus that ended with acute sinusitis and over two weeks of feeling exhausted.  Saturday I finally broke down and visited the doctor to get some meds and am almost up to feeling 100% better.  The thought of lying on the backyard hammock in the warm summer air sounds like heavenly therapy; can't wait!

Turning To Garden Thoughts

I've been researching a bit about weedless gardening .. and was given a book by the same title by Lee Reich that explains how to replicate the soil environments found in nature.  It's a very interesting and sound idea .. and less back breaking work than tilling in compost .. which I happened to do last spring by double digging in many cubic yards of compost (did I mention back and shoulder breaking?;).  This week I'll be formulating .. in mind and on paper the garden setup for this coming season .. and using many ideas from this excellent and informative book. 

For one thing .. I'll be planting less variety of veggies .. less beets .. more carrots etc.  Why take up space for produce my family won't eat?  And, hopefully, be using a lot less water.  Are your spring gardening plans coming to life?

A Few Goals For The New Year

I am not one to write goals and just look at them on the page.  This year I want to concentrate more on the garden production side of The Thrifty Garden/Home.  Our fourth year for veggie gardening is approaching and I'm still such a novice. 

2011 Garden Goals

1. Plan the plantings, space use, and design well in advance, keeping good notes
2. Make a drip watering system
3. Design some raised veggie beds or planters
4. Raise potted pepper plants to overwinter
5. Try/plant a winter garden
6. Plant grapes 

That's enough garden goals if I want to be successful.

2011 Homemaking Goals

1. Can chicken, turkey, chili, smoke hams and bacon
2. Put up .. can/freeze more food for winter
3. Make 80-90% of our bread
4. Finish Grandma's quilt
5. Economize and not waste food/resources
6. Learn to knit a pair of socks

Nothing lofty here .. just a continuation of what I was working on/planning from last year.   It will be interesting to see what the year brings .. I've heard that the cost of goods will be going up considerably.  We will probably be shopping differently ... buying more in bulk .. to help ease any shortages that may arise .. and to save on gasoline.

A good woman is hard to find,
   and worth far more than diamonds.
Her husband trusts her without reserve,
   and never has reason to regret it.
Never spiteful, she treats him generously
   all her life long.
She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,
   and enjoys knitting and sewing.
She's like a trading ship that sails to faraway places
   and brings back exotic surprises.
She's up before dawn, preparing breakfast
   for her family and organizing her day.

Proverbs 10-15 (The Message Bible)

The Honey Bees

... have returned ... and the weather has warmed up.  Very thankful!

Waiting (less) Patiently For Summer

Just when I start to think summer has arrived, our local weather pattern slips back into the 'April Showers Bring May Flowers' mode.  To date, I've only watered the garden once ... and that probably could have been skipped because the warm weather only lasted two or three days ... and never reached higher than 79-80 F.  The row tunnel is covering my second batch of peppers ... the first were killed with late morning frost several weeks ago .. and a freak windstorm took out my tomato seedlings that were hardening off on the front porch; both had to be replaced with nursery plants. It may be time to invest in a small greenhouse.  Seems there are less honey bees too.  Could be a less productive year.  What's up in your garden?

Finally ... Some Validation

and fine tuning.

Being a homemaker is finally in vogue:)  I've known the importance of tending, mending, rearing/teaching children, making do with what's on hand for the past 28 years .. that's when I said good-bye to my day job in an accounting office and put on my apron full time.  Hubby and I decided to live on one income .. where ever that would take us.  Never thinking .. 'someday I'll return to an outside job' .. just plugging along with so much work at home and never having the desire or opportunity to go back to a 9-5 job.  Now days I've discovered the 'back to basics' that my grand and great grand parents knew.  Traditions and practices that went by the wayside for more modern conveniences that were required/demanded when society wanted to take the 'easy' road ... you know the one .. working to make money so you can purchase things that are made by other people.  We exchanged knowledge and know-how for pay and ready made things.  How can society go forward if we lose such valuable skills?  Maybe we really need to go backwards and reclaim some of the old ways. 

Here are two books that I purchased this past year that have that old time flare and are loaded with time honored remedies and building methods that attempt to restore the lost arts of gardening and homesteading.  The first book was purchased used through Amazon for under $10 (including shipping) .. and the second at a garage sale for fifty cents and is available on Amazon.

Old Time Gardening Wisdom ... by Jerry Baker, is about "Lessons learned from (his grandmother's) kitchen cupboard, medicine cabinet, and garden shed!"  This is a good go to reference to help you become a wise gardener .. relying on simple remedies and practices relating to veggies, fruit/nut trees, insects, plant diseases, homeopathic herbs, etc. 

Back To Basics ... by Reader's Digest .. "How to Learn and Enjoy Traditional American Skills"  This book is full of EVERYTHING having to do with life skills ... it's easy to read and can be a springboard for a gazillion topics.  Check the link to view used copies and a great book review.

Here is what the Old Time Gardening Wisdom book says to use to control snails/slugs:  Hand picking, beer, grape juice, cider vinegar, Diatomaceous earth, aluminum foil, ashes.  I've heard to bury an open and partially filled beer bottle having the opening at ground level to attract the slugs.  We use pulverized egg shells (or Diatomaceous earth) sprinkled in a heavy circle around our lettuce plants with good success.  I'm thinking of mixing a soapy/peppery spray to take care of the spittle bugs on my strawberry plants this afternoon.  Will post the recipe later. 

From Garden to Table ... the Tomato

Last year's garden produced an abundance of tomatoes.  However, I failed to make enough canned salsa to sustain my family ... even with heavy rationing.  I used a considerable amount of the tomatoes making ketchup ... and then watching it sit on the shelf month after month wishing it had been made into salsa.  We have a ketchup fiend in our home.  A small boy that was not expected to survive infancy.  He was not even expected to eat by mouth .. according to his GI doctor.  But this mom decided to take the (MAJOR) effort to get food consumed the optimal way .. by mouth .. and finally off tube feedings.  At age four the transition finally took place.  In order to help things along, salsa was used to waken up his taste buds ... and ketchup was used to dip finger foods into to make them more kid appealing.  This plan worked and today I have to chuckle as I often tell him NO MORE FOOD until the next meal.  We have been trying to ween him from Heinz ketchup ... and then on to an organic variety ... and now on to mom's homemade product.  Today was the day.  We were out of Heinz ... and organic ketchup (on purpose).  I sprang the homemade sauce on him this morning and told him it was BBQ sauce ... and that's all we  have to dip his home fried potatoes in.  I think a convert was made this morning ... and I can kiss the store bought version goodbye for good.  Let's hope my eight pints of ketchup aka BBQ sauce will last until this summer when I can once again labor over a hot stove to make the little fellow a healthier treat to the big ag alternative.  BTW .. just what exactly are 'natural flavorings' in store bought organic ketchup ... I fear it may be some MSG type additive as it makes me break out in hives.

Here is a good website regarding the production of organic farm tomatoes.  Although this is for large scale production, there is some good information you could apply to a home garden.

Picture ... Nathan .. my ketchup fiend! ... and possessor of an extra chromosome:)

Yard Clean-Up Day

Sometimes I think it would be nice to have more property ... but after a long workday such as hubby and I had today ... our 1.9 acres is plenty.  Most of the landscape is natural.  Our homestead is carved out of a nice little forest spot.  Being natural .. does not mean less work.  We had to clear brush (noxious weeds) today along the driveway.  Our neighbor has the start of a big burn pile .. so we heaped some of the debris on his pile.  Last year he said it was fine with him ... so we just added to his heap this year.  The rest of the weeds piled up will get burned Tues. and Wed. if the nice weather holds out.  It's grueling work  ... but now the property is starting to look spruced up.  Tomorrow we'll be at it again cleaning up another section.  I gave our front flower beds a good once over trimming dead growth from last season.  Soon the lawn will need to be aerated and de-thatched; for this job, I'll hire someone with the right equipment.  Our sprinkler system will be recharged at the end of the month. 

The veggie gardens are 3/4 finished with all of the prep work.  Hubby shoveled a third truckload of compost yesterday.  This should be enough to give some good balance to our otherwise clay soil.  The topsoil was removed in this particular area when our lot was graded prior to building our home. 

I'm checking into making a small-medium sized adobe type oven for the backyard.  Always something to investigate ... but the idea of having an outside oven for bread baking is stirring in my brain;)

To Market To Market To Buy A Fat Pig

....home again, home again ... jiggity jig!

Our recent family vacation is fading into the photo album and memory bank.  It was so nice to visit a warm weather destination, but the comfort of home was calling to me all the while.  Traveling with a special needs child is EXHAUSTING!  Today will bring the challenge of getting Nathan back into the school routine.  My day will begin in about ten minutes when I have to wake him up to catch the school bus. 

The morning will be spent unpacking, sorting laundry, putting away various travel items, and making out the grocery list .... then heading out to the market. 

A good basic turkey soup will be on the menu for dinner ... pulled from the freezer will be deliciously prepared turkey frozen in stock.  It will be a easy-frugal dinner.  Soup, green salad, home baked rolls. 

Afternoon chores should include inspecting the garden grounds, taking stock of the compost pile, turning over some bare soil that I hope is thawed. 

It's so good to be home.

There are a few inside household 'chores' that are required several times a year in a thrifty home. One that is on my 'to do' list is emptying my kitchen's pantry closet; sorting, tossing out, and reorganizing food staples. Cleaning toast crumbs from the toaster ... and the ones that fall through the white wire shelving and land on the floor. Checking for expiration dates, any sign of pests in the opened goods, and rotating canned goods having oldest near the front of the shelf. This plan is in the 'brain .. wait and see .. when the mood strikes ... mode' for now. But at least if I commit it to a blog post, the thought will nag at me until it's completed ... please hold me accountable and ask in about a week or two if I've completed this task :)

Our supply of frozen and canned summer veggies is dwindling. Next year it will be necessary to better judge how much to store away for winter. And, perhaps, I'll try my hand at some garden row covers to protect autumn plants to extend the growing season. My experiment of growing lettuce in the basement with a grow light is still in progress. Some of the plants now have four leaves and look sturdy. We're down to our last jar of basil pesto ;(

Floral-bundance! I just love to make up new words. And 'floral-bundance' seems to fit the description of this lovely bouquet I picked from the garden when my parents were visiting. Included are peonies, cat mint, wild lupine, and spirea.

The Beginning:

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of god was hovering over the waters ... Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: see-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds ... and it was so."

From Genesis, Chapter 1 (NIV)

An Irish Blessing .... for ye garden.

May the frost never afflict your spuds.
May the leaves of your cabbage always be free from worms.
May the crows never pick your haystack.
If you inherit a donkey, may she be in foal.

A new twist to container gardening. Try turning an old hard plastic wading pool into the perfect large scale container garden. Check out the directions here. There are many other urban gardening ideas that I am going to try in addition to my traditional garden ... such as using old tires, burlap bags, etc. I just happen to have an old wading pool that is seldom used. This plan may yield my salad garden freeing up more garden space for larger crops.

Photo Credit

I'm itching to garden ... but must wait, and wait. So while waiting, I'm researching a few new gardening gadgets to try this coming spring. This wall of water product (through Burpee) has piqued my interest! A neighbor of mine swore by them last year. She was the only one in our area with vine ripened tomatoes. While ours didn't even begin to ripen until late September ... early October ... picked green and stored in the basement.

Snow bound.
My garden is asleep under waist high snow.
I know where a beehive is hidden in my garden wall, now covered shoulder high with snow. Everywhere I look, the frost has a grip til the sun's rays can melt and give warmth to renew.
Drip, drip, drip. I want to see all of my home's roof 'neath the snow drape.
Still snow bound.

by: Mrs. Mac
January 1, 2009
A toast to all good things learned from tending my garden this new year!