Bit by Bit

It's a work in progress .. and nitty and gritty!

Day 5 ~ Was cold, cloudy, sunny, blowy and with snow flurries.  There's something neat about working out in the cold .. with the sound of wind blowing through the tree tops .. and snow flurries .. seems a bit surreal and other worldly.  Perhaps that's why it took me until 3:00 PM to get outside and work in the garden.

The call of the wood stove kept me snug and cozily napping on the couch .. but work has to get done!

I added some wood ash to the raised beds .. just a little sprinkle .. then tilled it in.

I dug the dirt and fine bark down and away from the outside edges of the raised beds and fence posts.  This will help keep the wood from rotting as fast.

Some dead scarlet runner bean vines were pulled down from the wire fence .. the bark was raked and spread out a bit.

My comfrey seeds arrived from here.  I'll be planting some just to use for making organic fertilizer.

The heirloom tomato seeds were getting a little leggy .. so I added more seed starting soil to the tray ... look, they're getting real leaves now!

Hopefully by mid (next) week .. the temps will be more normal and in the 50's.  Now .. that will be some good gardening weather.  What's up in your garden?

A Little Here ...

... a little there.  Work!

Day 4 we purchased these two barrels.  The long one will be planted with deer resistant plants and sit a bit tipped with flowers spilling out .. to be placed in our front flower bed.  The short half barrel will go inside the fenced garden and planted with bulbs and/or tubers that the voles find so tasty.  They both need a good pressure washing .. before filling.  One is from a winery and the other once held Jack Daniels whiskey .. it's a bit charred inside.

Double Dig and Rototill

Day 3

I'm not a big fan of rototilling the soil each year .. it disturbs the earth worms too much.  But the raised beds need more attention.

After double digging around the edges and center of the beds, the Stihl Kombi-System with attached tiller made quick work mixing up the soil

Half way done ..

2013 Garden ~ The Good-The Bad-and-The Ugly

Day 2

top soil mixed with clay taken from our property to mix in the raised beds

Our fickle weather had a little break of sunshine this afternoon so I got out to work in the garden.  I focused on the raised beds as that's where the soil needs the most work.  We bought 'garden' soil from the nursery two years ago .. and again topped off the beds last year.  This mixture was void of any clay .. mostly decomposed plant matter (could be wood and manure) with sand.  The beds sit on top of clay which proved to give poor drainage .. which caused a soil fungus to grow.

 Last year I amended half of the beds by adding/mixing in some clay to the purchased garden soil.

soil fungus .. it's decomposing fine wood in the soil

The beds that had the clay added fared well and most of the fungus is gone.  It did not affect the plants .. so I'm not too worried about it this year.  I just want to mix in more clay and a bit of rich earth to balance out purchased soil.  Today I was able to double dig to a depth of 12-18 inches down to bring up ground clay.

vole tunnels provide good rich soil to add to the raised beds

the tunnels are easily scooped up

Then I added some fresh rich soil taken from the vole tunnels in our yard.  This should give our raised beds a much better blend to help break up the fungus and help it decompose the wood matter a bit faster .. aid in water drainage AND improve the soil quality.  I'll deal with the voles another day. 

This soil took 10 minutes to collect .. the voles, albeit pests, serve as good soil producers

I will test the raised beds using a soil testing kit after I finish this process.  Tilling the soil will bring up more clay from underneath the planters to help give the soil better structure and drainage.  

I have read that not all soil fungus is harmful.  Hopefully by breaking this up, adding more clay and tilling the soil for better drainage, this will not be a problem in this particular bed next year.  That's the risk you take when you purchase a large quantity of soil at once.  Our in ground garden does not have this type of problem as the soil has a good balance of nutrients and good drainage.  All of our garden tools will be cleaned well before using them in the other garden. 

2013 Garden Journal

raspberry canes trimmed and thinned

blueberries are starting to bud

raised beds have been lightly hoed .. I'll be using my small Stihl combi tiller

Planted and covered last fall .. I think it's spinach

Rhubarb .. always first to return

Our in ground garden

Just so you know .. the previous two posts were sporting pictures from last summer.  The real garden doesn't resemble that quite yet .. in fact it's far from it.  No .. the land has been 'scrubbed' clean from the snow and cold weather.  Perennials have turned to mush and dead plant matter .. the stuff that amends the soil to make it more fertile. In the North Woods our winters are harsh .. causing most everything to die back and go dormant.  The land sleeps for quite a while.  Well, things are just starting to wake up.  I'm going to document the 2013 garden adventure .. starting with pruning the raspberry canes.  Today turned cloudy with big banks clinging to the mountains .. every once in a while .. opening up with downpours.  There are probably a few more days of snow before summer .. but for now we are 97% snow free! 

Natural Fertilizer

One4'x8' and another 1/2 same size bed together holding about 50 tomato plants ~ 2012

Yesterday I mentioned making compost tea .. It's really not made from compost .. but from green 'weeds' such as dandelion greens or comfrey leaves.

2012 crop ripened in basement

 I had this 'brewing' all summer; it takes about two weeks.  Here is a link with directions.  I mixed 1 cup of tea concentrate to one gallon of water and applied weekly starting mid summer.

part of 2012 crop ripening in the basement

two teardrop tomato plants produce oodles of goodness

If you read the comments in the linked post (particularly #2) some people make it by just throwing the greens into a bucket drilled with holes in the bottom .. and catch the liquid below in another bucket .. then use this super concentrated version .. diluted .. it's supposed to NOT smell.  Unfortunately .. my version is rather smelly and needs to be strained. I'm going to try both methods this summer.

Another few  links to homemade tomato fertilizer ... I have not tried these but found them interesting.

We Have A 100 Percent

... germination rate on heirloom tomato seeds saved from last year's garden.  I have a nice collection including a few from Mr. H and Lynn S.  I tend to plant more paste type tomatoes because of their great canning abilities in making ketchup and my all time favorite .. roasted roma and garlic tomatoes, and of course canned tomatoes in their own juice.  Instead of canning salsa, I can Mexican style stewed tomatoes.  These jars of goodness are more versatile as they can be used for making chile .. and my favorite 'semi-fresh' salsa. No more hour upon hour of chopping hot peppers and onions.  This is a much easier way to enjoy salsa year round.

 This year I have planted:  yellow teardrop, orange smudge, orange beef steak, Amish paste, roma, Vincent Watts (a large beefsteak type), turkey grape, brandywine .. and mortgage lifter.  How do you like those names?  If you cook with paste tomatoes .. the Amish variety yields HUGE well flavored fruit.  My romas tend to be of average size .. so I like to plant more of the Amish paste to get more bang for the buck in my square foot tomato plot.  Last year we yielded well over 200 pounds of tomatoes in a space of about 4'x12' .. not bad.  The plants grew on five foot high trellises.  This gave plenty of points to tie up the big heavy branches of the plants.

In our North Idaho short growing season, we have to start our plants from seeds indoors well before the average outdoor planting date usually around Mother's Day for plants that don't tolerate frost.  Even then, keeping a row cover handy is a must for those occasional late spring frosts.

Looking  out my window toward the garden, I can just about see dirt .. in and about the last of the snow.  Gardening on a mountain .. we have even fewer hours of sunlight .. and must wait for what seems FOREVER to get out and garden.  What plans do you have for your 2013 garden?  

Orange and Wild

Well, I'll be ... who knew the benefits of using essential oils could be .. well .. so beneficial?

I've been using a few natural essential oils in my home made cleaning products for the past several years.  It's nice to have that spa-like smell wafting through the rooms.  Recently I purchased some food grade oils, in particular wild orange and lavender.  The orange really wakes up my cup of tea or water.  Lavender makes me drift off to sleep more easily when applied to my pillow .. and really conks me out to be honest.  One of the benefits of the orange oil is as a digestive aid (and having anti fungal/anti inflammatory properties). To be more specific .. flatulence reducer.  And boy, do we have a nearly grown boy that really needs some help in this area.  He's had part of his colon and one internal sphincter  removed due to a medical condition (Hirschsprung's Disease).  Let's just say that we are no longer able to board an airplane or offer friends rides in the car with this child.  I have a small air purifier in his bedroom .. to which I've taped a small flap of tissue.  Each night I dab a little lavender and wild orange oil on the paper and it flutters in the breeze of the fan.  It's one way to 'take' the oil .. through breathing.  His room smells wonderful too.  A small drop in his water glass each morning of the orange oil is taken internally.  It's only been a week using the orange oil and this is what I've noticed.  1) 95% flatulence free ...2) No stench from his room.  3) No 'accidents' in his pull ups (yes .. due to surgery he wears them .. although he uses the toilet).  Now this is the other wonderful thing I've noticed .. his seborrhea (adult cradle cap) that has plagued him for years is GONE .. as well as excessive ear wax.  I shall report back in a week to 'see' if this miracle of miracles is still true.  No more Mr. Stinky!             Note  Seborrhea is thought to be caused from a fungi/yeast.  It's very difficult to treat in an adult.  We have been using a special dandruff shampoo for Nathan for over a year and it has not even touched the healing properties that the wild orange oil has given.

Nine Weeks

... but who's counting? 

I am!  That's how many weeks until our newest grandbaby arrives; my arms are aching to hold him .. and I'm sure my daughter is about ready to get her body back in shape.  It's been hard on her having two children so close together.

Can it really be February already?  This is the month I usually start my tomato seeds and get bit by the gardening bug.  In truth .. when I look out the window the garden beds are covered in a thick layer of snow.  The monthly budget has been worked out .. bills paid.  We're getting closer to retirement .. hubby is in count down mode.  Living on a budget is the smartest plan by far.  Last week we had two dates .. from sensibly priced to free.  The free one involved sampling chocolates at an event sponsored at our local library and included a mini history lesson.

We had an impromptu Super Bowl gathering at our home yesterday.  Part of our budget is not having cable TV.  Thank goodness our son-in-law brought over his portable antenna and was able to hook it up to the TV in the man cave.  That meant I didn't have to watch or listen to much of it.

My daughter and I prepared a feast .. which seemed larger than even Thanksgiving dinner for some reason.  There will be no cooking required for the next several days.  She and I enjoyed the peace and quiet since the menfolk were downstairs .. so we sewed a snugly baby blanket.

I'm thankful for having my family nearby, access to quality local food, and the ability to cook without the use of overly processed ingredients.  Now if I had stayed away from a cup of evening coffee, I'd be fast asleep instead of wide awake.  What's up in your neck of the woods?

In The Middle

of the month already.  WOW!

January is a good month to get back on track .. and review the previous year's spending habits.

We are ever grateful to have an emergency fund and didn't have to charge for this repair!  Our home had a plumbing fiasco that lasted nearly three full days ... WITHOUT WATER!  All I can say is, 'thank the Lord that we have 18 inches of snow on our property!  What started out to be a simple 'fix' .. by adding a whole house water filter to help reduce the high mineral content of our well water, turned out not so quick .. and a BIG FIX.  We had so much mineral buildup on plumbing connections that the shutoff valves in the basement failed.  Leaving us to dig and tap our way through snow, under cover of starlight, in a vague area, we tried to locate the main shut off meter some 200 feet from our home.  Not fun!  Hubby was on bucket patrol while the plumber and I dug.  Thank goodness the ground was well insulated from the snow and not frozen.  We finally found the meter and shut off the water.  No flooding inside .. a good thing. (Note to self and hubby .. have meter well flagged for winter.)

Day one without water .. was OK.  We had stores of gallon and five gallon jugs of water that got used sparingly.

Day two ... still OK .. but now I thought I'd try my Big Berkey water filter with melted and filtered snow that had been treated with the recommended drops of bleach.  We just got it for Christmas for such emergencies as this ... followed all the directions .. except we hadn't tried the test adding red food coloring to see if the filters are really working.  We had initially primed the unit when we got it (by soaking the filters in water for a specified time) and began using tap water .. Hum .. well .. before I want to drink minimally treated melted snow water, I thought we'd better do the food coloring test.  And it failed!  So .. we were without drinking water. (BTW .. we have new filters in route).  We had about 5 gallons of drinking water left by day two .. after using much of it to flush toilets once in a while.  By afternoon .. I was melting snow in my canning pots on the wood stove AND kitchen stove.  This water was used for bathing, washing hair, boiled to wash dishes, flushing toilets .. everything but drinking.

Day three .. water was not restored until midnight or later.  What a glorious sound .. the rushing of gurgling water recharging the pipes.  Melting snow throughout the day for dishes, etc.  by now was getting old .. but it worked out fine.  Our main emergency 'hole' was not having the Berkey water filter up and running ... AND not having some paper plates .. dishes piled up quickly .. I'm not a big paper user .. but for emergencies, I think it's a good thing to have.

By the end of this trial, I had a greater respect for the Neanderthals and how they survived in cave dwellings .. hunting .. gathering .. all without the aid of crippling modern conveniences.  We are such a weak people in all reality .. even with our modern ways.

We are ordering a VERY LARGE water storage tank for the garage. 

Easing Into Retirement

We're back to the 'grind' of a budget.  This year it's with new purpose.  The Mr. is planning on retiring at the end of December, 2013, and we need to adjust our spending.  Last year we paid off the last of our debt; the biggest being our mortgage.   Now we must squeeze back into the habit of setting aside a portion of future known bills that will be due over the next 12 months.  To do this we have made a list of known expenses:  life/home/auto insurance, property/estimated income taxes, etc.  These bills are either paid quarterly, semi-annually and/or annually. This year's coming due date was noted, along with how much the payment will be ... divided by how many months until it's due.  That amount will be set aside (noted in our checking account) and when the time comes for it to be paid, we will have the full amount waiting to have a check written.  'Setting aside' money in the checking account takes much will power not to spend on other things .. such as emergencies.    We have a separate fund just for such unexpected occurrences.  Paying for items such as groceries, clothes, office supplies, etc. is done with cash accumulated each month in envelopes. Spending with cash 'hurts' more (mentally) than whipping out a debit or credit card.  Parting with greenbacks is tangible/concrete/painful in a way.  It takes a written budget showing INCOME minus EXPENSES with a NET BALANCE of ZERO .. and is known as spending your month's income on paper (assigning a name to each dollar), and takes both of us working together, going over each month's budget and bills to keep on target.  We make sure to allow a little 'free' money to do with as we please each month so we don't feel dread about living on a budget.  

Our goal over the next several months is to get caught up with our future bill reserve so we can then budget and 'practice' living on our predicted retirement income and banking any extra.  This endeavor has become almost exciting as we whittle out unneeded expenses and return to thrifty buying practices (thrift stores, garage sales, used items) consciously making an effort to watch EVERY penny. 

Happy New Year from our home to yours.

Sound financial advice for getting out and staying out of debt.

Planning For New Year's Day

Another opportunity to gather as a family on New Year's Day.  Hoping to have everyone under one roof .. play board games, go sledding, sit by the fire sipping hot cocoa.  Homemade pizza and salad to grace the dinner table.  Relaxing .. memory making kind of day.  What's planned for your New Year welcome?

Cleaning Wool Rugs and Blankets with Snow

This is too cool not to share.  I'm posting this so I can reference this method of cleaning when we get a spell of 20F degree weather.

Granny Miller's method of cleaning wool rugs and blankets with snow

Gardening Is:

Dream away Mrs. Mac!

1. a learning curve
2. evolving
3. fun
4. rewarding
5. a late winter project to break up the doldrums by plotting, planning and planting seed starts
6. good exercise
7. a good dose of vitamin D
8. full of fresh air
9. an endorphin producer

It's early winter and rush of Christmas is over.  Time to start thinking about the garden.  In one month I'll check on my saved seeds and order any new varieties worth trying.  In two months my portable greenhouse will be pulled from the basement, dusted off, grow lights installed and we will have the start to our sixth year of gardening.  Thank goodness for this cycle ... it really pulls me along to get me out of the winter funk.

Are you dreaming about your garden just yet? 

Post Christmas Greetings

Ann and her beau

Jake and Ruby

The Mac family really raised the roof .. er 'ruff/meow' this Christmas.  There were nine of us (people) for Christmas Eve dinner at home followed by a candle light service at our church.  Our guest suite was occupied by our daughter, Elizabeth, and her family .. plus their two dogs.  The newly acquired kitty (that showed up at my back door during a snow storm 12/21) took refuge in the laundry room for two days.

Hold still Miss Kitty

Today is a day of recuperation.  Cleaning.  Getting creative with leftovers. Being thankful.  Purging some of the old to make room for the new.  Staying in jammies til noon.

Nathan and Mr. Mac

sign for new baby's room

The new year holds much promise with the upcoming birth of our newest grandson early April.  

Snow fell Christmas Eve to blanket the area in a winter wonderland.  Christmas Day was mostly sunny. 

What's up in your neck of the woods?