Sooner or Later…

Anna wrote that square foot gardening isn’t working for her and she is going back to regular rows. Instead of clogging up her comments I decided to post my thoughts here. I had posted some of my own research earlier. Andrea commented that her family loved potatoes and would up the amount. I agree.  Please feel free to add any comments or ideas.

I wasn’t too surprised that the square foot garden as presented didn’t work out. Somewhere or other I had read that it works best for small & suburban gardeners but not for those who are trying to grow as much of their own food as possible. What larger gardeners need is an adaptation. In helping Dad with his garden & my own efforts over the years, I have found this to be very true. I think the mixed beds are just too hard to keep up with. Single plantings work better.

The handiest book for me has been “Down to Earth Gardening:  Know-how for the 90’s:  Vegetables and Herbs” by Dick Raymond (Better known for “The Joy of Gardening”).  Combined with Dad’s directions and other reading (John Jevon off the top of my head) here are my suggestions.

English peas are a pain. If you want to grow them, then do a block planting a la Raymond. Till, broadcast seeds, rake in, water. Pick by sitting on a stool and working your way through the patch. Missed ones eventually become dried peas for soup.

Personally I had my best luck with peas by growing snow peas. Then second grade son, year old son, and I went out (extremely pregnant) in February to our untilled garden.  - took a hoe and chopped/sliced two very shallow & very short rows and planted seeds. Some of the seeds were not even buried but by then my back was demanding union talks so we went inside. It snowed. About the beginning of April we were picking a good bowl full every other day. No trellis, no fertilizer, no nothing but lots of snow peas.

Green beans - Dad plants dble rows & so do I. Mark out your first row and trench with the hoe, then move over about 2/3 inches and do another. Plant seeds in a zig-zag if you can & feel like it. This works good if kids are helping as you and one helper can plant on row/side and another kid can plant the other side. Because the rows are only 2/3 inches apart talking & supervision can happen without a lot of hassle - same for weeding & picking . Everything is easily supervised. Or if you are by your lonely - easily plant both yourself. Same amount of weeding & hoeing but twice the beans.  When the beans are done it is easy to plant a second crop as two dble rows will leave enough space for most other crops.

My beds have been either defined by old wooden window frames (used for holding plastic) or just by flowers at either end. The frames let the kids know right where to walk - very handy. The width varies as needed - narrower for smaller things & wider for larger. I tried this with lettuce mix, onions, radishes, and carrots. It works great. What would have been a 15/20 foot row took up about 2/3 feet. Weeding was easier - kind of. But the soil was not packed down on both sides so things did have better soil to grow in. My garden is pretty small & I’ve been trying other ideas so haven’t done the lettuces again but will at the new place. Radishes I now put around anything as they are done so soon.

I also do the beds with just the flowers at the ends for peppers, eggplants, and cabbages. They are planted in a triangle/opposite triangle pattern. Same idea as the beans - saves space, weeding time, and water. I may plant one other thing with them but keep them a single item. The prettiest bed I ever had was a combination of eggplants & zinias. The eggplant that year grew over five feet tall as did the zinias. The eggplant hid the ugly bottoms that zinias get and the flowers looked wonderful in all that green. It was also my best eggplant year. I think the flowers lured more pollinators but that is just my humble opinion.

I try to do tomatoes in a ‘bed’ but not the triangle pattern, just staggered. Actually, the garden is so small that all my tomato patch is planted close and staggered. I have about 30 cages made of concrete re-enforcing wire & held in place with rebar rods. A tall cage will tip over in a good wind. The space in the squares lets us pick easily. And if we ever need to do a concrete project part of the materials are being stored right in plain sight.

A good layer of newspaper & straw really helps with the weeds. However, this year straw & hay were hard to come by so by the time I found any it never got around to putting it down. I need to mow or weedwack but haven’t. I have 36 tomatoes in there now if I could just get watering down…

Some things just need rows - corn, potatoes (but I want to try the barrel idea), vine things, okra. Cucumbers on fencing in a row, but not chicken wire. The cucumbers will grow into the wire & its a pain to pick. Cattle panels…

My biggest problems (besides bugs) are weeding & watering. I have so little space that I can not leave room for the tiller between them or I would lose half the garden. The newspaper & straw works great for everything we have tried but getting them down while planting is important. Do Not Wait For Later. This year finding straw or hay was a *major* problem.

As for watering, I have a bad habit of listening to the weather report and thinking it will rain tomorrow/next day so hold off on watering. Baaad girl….it seems to rain all around us every year. So I’m going to calendar the day/s to water and just do it. And try to weed some everyday.  Yes, I know - the best laid plans…

Cindy at Big Momma Hollers is gardening in Georgia. She has been fighting drought for two years now but is harvesting bucketfuls. Her secret: wood chips. I love reading about her food harvest lists. She plants heirloom seeds too. Someday I hope to be as successful in my garden.

Cindy Adds:

It’s not just the wood chips, it’s also the manure, leaves, compost, grass clippings and everything else I’ve added over the years.

I knew that from reading her for forever (it seems) but Little Missey was trying to help type that last paragraph & I was trying to wind it up. I’m glad she added so now ya know!

Right now that is my .02 worth. How about yours?

I just noticed the sidebar is spelled wrong.

Look at the left one, down at DYI/Homesteading. It should read DIY. 

Perhaps it isn’t really wrong:

DIY - Do It Yourself

DYI - Do Yourself In

Pretty much the same thing.

Playing along with Andrea at Atypical Life. 

–Bold those you have tried.
–Strike through those you wouldn’t eat on a bet.
–Italicize any item you’ll never eat again.
–*Asterisk any items you’d be interested in trying but have not yet.
–Underline anything you eat regularly (more than once a month-ish). - I ! as I can’t seem to underline today
–?Questionisk any items you’ve never heard of (there will be a lot of these!)

I first answered, then looked up. Comments of course!

1. Venison
2. *Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros Though we grew up calling them Dad’s eggs.
4. Steak tartare Love it!! but don’t dare eat it anymore due to germ issues.
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp -  Too many bones 
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanouj ? recipe
11. Calamari
12. Pho recipe
13. PB&J sandwich !!
14. Aloo gobi ? recipe
15. *Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses ? After looking, I have had this in French class - good too.
17. Black truffle  
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes An aunt was very into trying new & different recipes
19. *Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream - couldn’t understand the big deal until I tried some now my favorite
21. Heirloom tomatoes !! Summer in the south, need I say more
22. Fresh wild berries  - Ditto
23. *Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese 
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet  Dad is a big fan of HOT, I am not a fan of dead taste buds
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi ? recipe
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea ?
38. Vodka jelly
39. Gumbo
40. *Oxtail
41. *Curried goat 
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal ?
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu ? No thanks
47. *Chicken tikka masala recipe
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut  - I wish it was more than once a month. A treat I recently discovered.
50. Sea urchin
51. *Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi ? recipe- kinda
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal - I do live in the USA
56. Spaetzle - Made them myself because I wanted to try them
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8 ABV
59. *Poutine a recipe -  there is a southern version around here, glad to know we aren’t the only ones clogging our arteries for good eating
60. Carob chips - Hope I am never that desperate for chocolate, once was enough
61. S’mores - I still wonder what is so great. Ruins a good toasted marshmallow, and the chocolate too
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin ? - Isn’t that powered clay? yep, I was right!
64. Currywurst ? recipe familiar but not this name
65. Durian ? explanation & read the comments
66. Frogs Legs - church fish fry social, they were small we thought they were small drumsticks for the kids who didn’t eat fish. The minister’s wife from NY gagged when she learned what she was eating.
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - French class cooking & fairs
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain - bought it to try. not bad
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. *Gazpacho 
72. Caviar and blini - TOO fishy for my taste. Taste it in the nose for too long afterward
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost ? recipe second recipe gotta try this!! (gotta find it first!! in small town arkansas? )
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu ? explanation
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail  Sorry not enough French class for that.
79. Lapsang souchong - I really must be loosing brain cells to forget this one
80. Bellini ? recipe
81. Tom yum ? recipe
82. *Eggs Benedict
83. *Pocky ? cute!
84. *Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. *Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers -The auntie strikes again, but very good
89. Horse
90. *Criollo chocolate - its chocolate right? link don’t I wish!!
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa ? link
94. Catfish - only if cooked by a southern cook, better yet an OLD southern cook
95. *Mole poblano - bought a jar, now need to learn to use it
96. Bagel and lox - not a fan of lox
97. *Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. *Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

Right now the family garden is a rather small backyard garden. I have been reading and studying (and trying to impliment) about how to produce good amounts in a small space. It seemed providential to find Path to Freedom and their urban homestead set-up. Good ideas to think about and try.

Now that we have more space I have been trying to plan for next years garden. New gardens do better if the prep begins the fall before. There’s time to soil test & amend, build any beds, and just think before the spring rush.

First thing I decided to tackle is “how much to plant”. Two of my favorite gardening books have charts to help with the planning. Below is a the chart I created to help me see *what is what*.

#1. Big Book of Gardening Skills by Garden Way Publishing

#2 Down to Earth Gardening by D. Raymond

Now multiply that by 10.  Because bugs like gardens too, and because stuff happens several places have recommended planting at least 25% more than you think you should. Wow!!! 

And I am listening to Sister C (http://lifeonfive.homeschooljournal.net because I cannot get the code to where I can read it with these charts) and planning on planting what we eat & use (mostly). So some of what is listed isn’t going to be planted - but maybe someone else likes slime cooked greens…

And to know how much is supposed to be produced or needed for canning:

What is your experience?

Well, it seems we will be moving in the not so distance future. DH has been wanting to move closer to his father - an hour+ drive is just too much, esp. since his mother has passed on.

Photo #1 This is the front of the house - The ramp will be coming off - after we use the dolly to haul all our stuff into the house. I’d like to add a metal roof one day. Landscape of course. I get the carport. There is a second entry just in front of the previous owners vehicle.

Photo #2: Here is the back - That bush is an eaten up cherry type tree. The leaves are in the cherry family. There is part of a clothes line stand hidden in the overgrowth. The small row of trees is the beginning of the fence to the larger pasture. It is tight 5 strand barbwire. I’d say it is about an acre. That is the best spot to put the garden and fruit trees because there is very little shade. But it’s such a nice pasture…

Outbuilding: Dh finally got his wish. It has an opener and it built for pulling motors (according to dh).

Look just past the out building. There are two fences. One is a looser barbed wire,the second is a tighter 5 strand bardwire. This forms a passage between the two pastures. Behind the building is the first pasture. It is smaller, fenced with 3 or 4 strands of wire that is *looser* and starting to become overgrown.

I didn’t mean too but I popped off at one of the realtors we have been dealing with. First thing out of every single one’s mouth is “It has TWO bathrooms”.  What is the deal with two bathrooms!…we have been living with only ONE  for years…its not hard…inconvenient at times, but not hard…there are more important things that TWO bathrooms…spend very little time there…UH OH… Somewhat startled & embarassed to hear myself thinking out-loud  -  I continued looking…

Almost didn’t buy it though. Our realtor is not the listing one. She was talking to the other realtor because we had questions. That back pass through looks like (and is) an easement.

NO IT IS NOT.

Sure looks like one to me.

And the property goes to the second fence on the small pasture but only the first fence on the other side. That pasture belongs to someone else.

So how is that 2 acres???

Next visit had the owner there and she politely & firmly corrected her agent’s mistake. Whew…much better. Would not have considered it without that other piece of land. Two acres is smaller than my wish list.

Now I still am trying to figure out the well. It is a 100 ft well - cased to 100 ft anyway - as the previous well had collapsed and the (then) owner didn’t want to do THAT again. So does that mean that it is 100 ft to water Or they stopped drilling & casing because there was water and the water level is above the 100 ft line.

Or how far down until we could touch water?

I would like to have a hand pump as a backup. The affordable ones are good for 100 ft. The deep well hand pumps will have to be saved up for.

Unfortunately no one seems to understand my point. And we are due for a doozy of an ice storm as it has been 5+ years since the last one. (our average has been about every 5 years).

So…I’m happy to have some land for a good garden & room for the chickens. I’m moving from an antique home with windows & windows & windows. It is really sturdy & I love it. Not getting more land or the creek but can’t have everything.

Now to pack…

And plan the garden…bwahahahah…I need minions…

(more…)

Emergency services - people waiting to run to the rescue when things go wrong.

House fire = fire department

Thieves = police

Heart Attack = ambulance

Earth quake  = Red Cross or FEMA

Right?

Maybe not…Not exactly…

Did you know that the USPS (US postal service) has up-graded to seven regional computers (or regional systems) that sort & direct the mail to the appropriate receiver. If the address is incorrect by so much as a directional letter–say a SE First instead of an E First then the letter is sent back to the sender as “address unknow” (or some such message) before it leaves the town where it was mailed. Technically it is the Norths that *must* put their letter in the address line, south can take or leave according to the new program. No more kindly mailman who knows the town and can deliver to Grandma anyway.

How do I know this? Well the post office and I have been playing “find the correct address” for well over a year. At first we were plain direction West. Then we became SW. Now we are back to plain West. The mail lady is as frustrated as I. The pediatric dentist has given up on mailing bills as “the address does not exist” either way. We are still waiting for the financial aid papers from Arkansas Children’s Hospital. But the mess is even bigger…

As we discussed our latest new address the post-lady began to tell me about the county emergency services meeting that a representative from the local post office was required to attend. The speaker was federal level there to discuss…emergency sevices. And addresses. And discovered that a whole section of our town does not exist in their data base.

Huh?

Remember those new computers? And the picky address situation? It seems that our town has Six variations on one street name. Pick a number - that is the street name. Add directions from the compass: NW, NE, SW, SE and the rest of the letter mess confuses me too.

However, whoever is in charge of setting up the emergency data base decided that using the USPS address system would be the best & easiest way to get everyone. I wonder about those with PO address, but I digress… 

For once this is NOT the post office’s fault. The street names are decided by the city council and changes must come from the city council. The city council that doesn’t want to make people angry by changing their addresses when nothing physically has changed. The city council members are listed in the phone book and do not think that Malox is a tasty after dinner drink. They would like the post office to change the addresses….but they can’t….they don’t make the addresses, they just enter them into the computer…(and somewhere 911 is involved as we called to confirm my address…)

How important is that? If the New Madrid fault were to decide to dance the Macarena as forcefully as the 1811-1812 our town would be in the 7/8 destruction zone.  8 and above is total destruction. Not a surprise for quakes that were felt from Canada to New Orleans, ringing church bells in Boston & cracking sidewalks in DC.

The emergency services worker explained that an entire section of the city doesn’t exist. That section will not get searched. There will not be supplies or help sent for those people. Try to get a bottle of water, or cot, or FEMA loan. Too Bad, So Sad…

There were only a few people at this meeting and no mention of this important fact in the local paper. I know because I was griping trying to insure we continued to get our mortgage statement & other bills so the post-lady kindly explained the complicated street situation name blame game. 

An entire city section does not exist…in how many other places? 

FEMA wants us to be prepared…up from 3 days to 2 weeks or more…guess it’s to give us time to dig our ownselves out.

Anyone surprised? 

Setting the stage:

Mrs. Fyah had a due date of August 1. That day came and went a looooong time ago. Her water finally broke Saturday morning.

Our church was having an ice cream supper - homemade of course. It was to be Saturday evening, outside with horseshoes, volleyball, waterballoons, watersprinkler, and various combinations of water-balloons-volleyball-children. The weather cooperated being a beautiful mid-eighties with a light breeze. We invited Grits & hubby as the ladies at church had not seen their ‘Little Bit’. After learning that Mr & Mrs Fyah were at the hospital they graciously volunteered to sit the younger siblings. This is a great sacrifice as Little Missey is a nursing baby and does not take a bottle at all. However, she can & will drink from a straw and eat baby food so with some formula and food at home we were set. Ice cream & food delivered to church. Dad driving from work to hospital. I driving down to hospital.

While waiting in the hallway of first hospital (dh, Mrs’s mother G., and stepfather D, me) we get a phone call…

First Hospital:

Welcome

Alexander

11:26 pm

7lb 7oz & 22inches

The New Family

The Second Hospital:

We are waiting in the hallway when dh gets a call on his cell. It takes a minute for him to understand as there are only about 4 people who has his number and the person talking isn’t one of them. Eventually he got this…

Davo was playing volleyball, went to spike the ball, landed wrong and is on his way to the hospital in an ambulance.

Second immediate phone call from Grits and dh is on his way to another hospital to help. Good thing is this hospital is between the first one and home.

End of a long night. After and xray and cat-scan:Davo has fractured a vertebrae and one next to it doesn’t look so good either. His back does not look like a 24yo back, it is an old man’s back. He will be going to a VA hospital in Memphis but maybe St. Louis as the closest one is not able to handle this.

Thank you Iraq. He was at the front of the drive into Baghdad. Remember all the burning crud & smoke on the nightly news? Or maybe it was all the shots that military had to get - what does anthrax + small pox + everything else at once do to a body?

The nurse in the ER was very snippy/rude behaving as if he were some attention seeker with a passion for ambulance rides on Saturday nights. Dh finally interjected “he is an ex-Marine* and if he says he is in pain, then he is in pain.” She was a tiny bit better afterward. I wonder what she thought after the tests came back. The Dr. has talked of trying bedrest and therapy at the hospital but Davo really needs to be at the VA. VA is a benefit, civilian is $$ among other things.

Conclusion:

If you are a praying person please keep them in your prayers. If Davo doesn’t start college he doesn’t get his military scholarship and that is what they have been living on. He needs to heal well as he has applications for state police for Arkansas & Missouri.

Update*  He had fractured the top the 4th and the bottom of the 5th lumbar vertebrae. According to the x-ray he has the back of a 50 yo and has degenerative arthritis in his back.

*I know there is no such thing as an ex-Marine but most people hear “he is a marine” and believe they must still be enlisted.

Thanks to my oldest child Grits & her dh we have a five generation picture.

Dad, Grits, Granma, Little Bit, Me

Dad & Grandma’s lily

My Grandma is a flower lover. Her most beloved flower is the iris but we missed the season this year. Her second flower is the lily (at least it seems to me). No one around has ever seen a lily grow this tall. My dad is about 5′ 11” so this is at six foot plus flower stem. Wow!