Spring Rain

When the weather gets hot and dry, it always seems, to me, that it may never rain again. But of course, that's not the case. We've had a great rain this weekend, almost 2 inches since Friday. The trees will be in good shape when the sun comes out again. And since I planted the garden last week, I'm thrilled that it got a good soaking.

August Rain

I know that hurricanes are so very destructive, but without them, this part of the country receives very little and much needed rain. So on the back end of Fay, we did get about 2 1/2 inches of rain yesterday, and more on the way. This weekend we'll be working on fall planting for the garden and getting back to the chestnut trees. It's been a terribly dry summer, but hopefully some of the trees have made it.

More Rain

It's really raining now. Since 7/4, we have had at least 3 inches of rain (in 4 days). The garden is looking much better. The insects are out, so I sprinkled Seven on the beans in hopes of saving them. I'll post pictures in another week when the 3rd planting of sweet corn has a chance to germinate.

A side note, we've really be struggling with pest control in the garden. The black birds and deer are constantly on the lookout for us to be away. But on Saturday, we woke up to our neighbor's cows in the garden. Thankfully we got out there in time. Some of my corn was eaten, but not enough to make a difference. If we get one ear of corn this year, it will be a real accomplishment.

A Little Rain

We did receive a little rain this week, a total of 2/3". So we are watering the garden in sections in order to reserve our well water. The irrigation system will be installed in the next 2 weeks, in anticipation of the next group of chestnut trees to be planted.

One is the Loneliest Number...

...when you're a corn stalk. Really rough start for the garden. But I'm persistent, so still planting seed until the guy at the Southern States Store cuts me off from more seed purchases. More corn going in this week. I just planted more green beans (roma) and black-eyed peas in the last few days. We did have about 2/3 inch of rain in the last 3 nights, so hoping the storms will continue. Our irrigation pump arrived today, so we'll be talking about that in the weeks to come.

Germination

We're really struggling with the garden this year. I thought that the soil would be in better condition with all of the work that we put into it last year. Unfortunately the rainfall has been close to none, so we're irrigating a little. About 25% of our seeds have sprouted that were planted on memorial day. We will continue to plant through the month of July, to maximize our garden spot.

Garden 2008

The garden is in, finally. We've been delayed by rain and equipment and time, but we finished up the last part last night. The garden is twice the size it was last year. With grocery costs on the rise, we're planting as much as we can, and will continue to plant until every last inch is growing something this season. I'll post a few pictures as soon as something germinates.

Back to the Garden

It's that time of the year again, time to plant the garden. The clay soil is so hard and poor that we are always looking for new ways to improve it. This year we decided to plow the soil before tilling. Seen above, we used a plow that digs down into the soil about 16 inches. We only go through the garden once with the plow, but we will till the garden multiple times in order to achieve the proper soil texture. This year we are also doubling the size of the garden in order to accommodate for succession planting.

In order to improve the soil, I am adding lime, peat moss and some topsoil. The lime is pelleted which allows for slow release. The peat moss and topsoil will break down to help improve the condition of the soil. When seeds are planted, I will add 10-10-10 to increase the nitrogen content. This year I have also begun composting and hoping to have it ready in order to add to the garden this year.

Spring Planting

It looks like all the trees in the orchard have survived. So I ordered one more cherry tree and two more pecan trees as pollinators. I have been ordering seeds and plants from several companies for the past few years and have been pleased with their results. Guerneys, Stark Brothers and Harris Seeds are all good options for purchasing seeds and/or plants. We should receive our orders and begin planting in the next 2 weeks.

The Orchard

Once the garden has been planted and everything in place, we are ready to move to the orchard. We have just purchased about a dozen fruit and nut trees for planting. Although we have used soaker hoses in the garden, irrigation is going to be our greatest hurdle in the orchard. Trees will be spaced about 20 feet apart with rows spaced wide enough for a tracktor to pass for spraying and grass mowing.

First we measured each row 30 feet apart. We used string and stakes to insure straight rows when we began digging holes. Next we used an auger attachment for our Bobcat and dug the initial hole for each tree.

Then using a post digger, we made each hole at least twice the diameter of the root ball. While planting the trees, we added peat moss and top soil.

Following is a photo of the orchard, week 1.

5/14/07 update. The trees seem to be doing Ok, although some have a few dried leaves on them, even though we have watered and had a good amount of rainfall in the last week. Also, since we have planted the berries, the raspberries have started putting out stems already, so I am hopefull.

Liquid Fence

A short story here, some friends told me about a spray that I could put on my plants, completely organic, didn't wash off in the rain and really kept the deer away. It's call "Liquid Fence". So I tried it and it worked! However there was one downside that they failed to mention. It stinks to high heaven - and water does NOT remove it from your hands. To give you an idea, the product is made with egg by-product (whatever that is, but imagine raw eggs sitting out in the blazing sun, not cooking, just rotting and you can only begin to think of the aroma/scent/stink). Of course, when I used it for the first time, it was late afternoon before going to a church dinner. I kept smelling my hands to see if they were still stinky, and of course there was staring. The point of this story is wear rubber gloves when applying the Liquid Fence. I have learned my lesson.

The Garden

The thing that I like the most about farming is gardening, watching things grow. There is certainly something romantic about living off the land. So last year, we tilled, planted, watered, put up deer fencing, etc., etc., etc. I think we harvested 2 tomatoes and a very small radish. And the year before that we all enjoyed one very small watermelon. Basically the best thing to gain from clay soil is, well, bricks (which is next on my list if I can't get anything to grow this year).

Each year, I have new optimism. So this year I have gotten off to a good start. We purchased compost from a paper company (very green and clean) and put a thick coat on the garden spot. In the last few days, I tilled the soil 3 times, in 3 different directions. I'm hopeful. In the days and weeks to come, I'll add photos as changes in the garden occur.

4/25/07 The next step is plant selection. I'll purchase some seeds and fertilizer locally and then some fruit trees and bushes by catalog. My plan is to begin planting this weekend. Once the planting begins, I'll install the deer fencing. Ok, don't laugh, but I'm doing my best to live with these woodland creatures. They really are pretty and also destructive.

4/28/07 Today we planted our garden. First we started by measuring between the rows and then tied string along the rows so that they will be straight when planting. This is the best way to optimize your garden space and at the same time spacing plants for optimum growth. Then we hoed each row and planted.

Since we are working with clay soil, we added fertilizer (10-10-10) as well as Miracle Grow potting soil to each row. When we cleared the land, the soil was full of pine trees. While this situation was great for the trees, it has not been good for new plants.

Once the plants and seeds were added, we placed soaker hoses on each row for irrigation. This has proven to be the most efficient form of irrigation for the hobby farmer. I try to only water 1-2 times per week, since we are watering from our home well. And the soaker hose places the water exactly where you need it, without waisting the water.

5/14/07 - update. We now have 3 rows of corn that have germinated well. However the lima beans and string beans are not doing well at all. Any thoughts? I plan to plant more corn this week, staggering my planting to lengthen the season.

5/23/07 I'm really disappointed with the plants that have just not germinated. Corn seems to be doing Ok and the tomato plants that I purchased are robust. I'm going to plant corn again in a different area on the farm, primarily to test the soil in different areas. Below is a photo of the corn growth to-date.


6/2/07 Today I planted the last of the silver queen corn and then planted 3 rows of golden queen corn. These have both been planted in another garden that we tilled near the creek. The soil is darker and has grown grass well in the past, compared to the soil in the first garden which is red clay. The new garden spot is also bottom land and hopefully will be rich in nutrients.


8/7/07 Well, the garden is done for now. We did harvest tomatoes, corn, string beans and watermelons. Although the crop was not large, I did find that corn did the best and the key was the soaker hoses, at least for this year. Below is a photo of my crop and my farm help.