Frugal Homesteads...

early May garden walk

2013-05-13T08:01:00.002-04:00

Spring has been ~~different~~ normal this season so the gardens are off to a rather sluggish start. Rain has been plentiful, perhaps slightly too plentiful, but temps have been rather cool, especially at night. Low forties, and even thirties at night, makes it difficult for plants to grow well. Tomatoes, peppers and other warm weather crops are still not in the ground and what is in, is growing very slow with the exception of cole crops. The good side of the coolness is we should have a good crop of cabbage, peas, onions and greens of all sorts for a change.

For this video I actually wobbled around the top gardens for a while to catch some of the scenery and layout of the land a bit better. Pictures can only show so much of the land lay out and what we have to work with. I was going to wander the others areas as well but there is very little growing at this point. Hopefully spring will arrive later this week. This has finally got to be blackberry winter we are in, ~~3 weeks late~~ right on schedule. Boy, have we been spoiled the last few years!

water features

2013-05-12T21:08:00.001-04:00

Most permaculture experts recommend 15% of land mass be in water features. Given we have 15 acres of mountain terrain we will never be able to accomplish this, but we have been consciously increasing water features over the last couple years. In the few permaculture classes I have taken, the instructors say it does not matter how big or small the features are as they all enhance the biodiversity and any increase in biodiversity is beneficial.

A couple years ago when we scrapped the trailer I used the sink, tub, and toilet as container gardens. All homes need rearranging from time to time so the last couple weeks we have turned the sink and tub into water features around the gardens.

The sink is a bird bath. As soon as we move more rocks around the property I will surround it and cover up some of the plastic ugly.

This is down in the bowl area where there is quite a bit of run off when it rains heavy so we made an overflow down to a swale that is also on a slope. Once the flowers grow this summer it should all look quite nice. I will continue to expand the garden there and we will likely work toward a few more swales and possibly another small water feature.

tinman scarecrows

2013-05-07T21:18:00.000-04:00

Stumbling around the internet one day, the manthing ran across a tinman scarecrow. Knowing we had a pile of empty coffee cans and bored one day, he set about building Spinnegan.

We thought he was so cute that as soon as we had a stash of cans again he set about to building Rainbow Rosie. Since we didn't have enough cans to give Rosie arms or legs we decided to clothe her and stuff her. Not only are they kinda cute and serve a purpose, their heads are also functional planters. Rosie still needs a bit more stuffing to even out her lumps n bumps.

No instructions were used when making them. He just laid out the shape using different size cans, made holes in the bottoms, and strung them together using wire.

remember that ol trailer?

2013-04-24T08:43:00.000-04:00

Probably not as it has been so long...

Well anyway, years ago we had a fifth wheel camper and it slowly rotted away. So we tore it down, sorted it and recycled what we could for projects around here and there it sat for a couple years while we pondered what to do with the frame. We always thought it would look neat dropped down off the axles with a gazebo on the platform and raised beds in the actual frame. Finally, early this spring we actually got around to accomplishing it, or most of it.

First we manhandled the frame to where we kind of needed it, dropped the wheels off then hooked a tow rope to it and got it into position. We layered cardboard in
the bottom, filled with leaves, then added compost.

Since it is in a semi-shaded spot we decided that it would do well growing our cabbage this spring with a few flowers and herbs mixed in. In another week or three we will put corn in between them to help provide a bit more shade later in the spring.

The gazebo, ahhh well another couple years and we may have that done too. In the mean time it makes a handy place to sit containers and plantlings.

monday's mountain musings

2013-04-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

We have been busy around the homestead as of late. Besides starting on the great garlic adventure we have about doubled garden space yet again. We now have over 70 raised beds, the three big gardens, the greenhouse containers and plots of herbs and flowers in various locations. As soon as things start growing, it should be lookin quite pretty around here.

We are hoping to make the leap into some market gardening of herbs, veggies, lotions n potions and crafty type stuff this year too. We have a couple folks spending a good bit of time around helping us, getting things done and trying to make the leap with us. We are hoping to be able to make a decent go of it and pay the few bills that we have. Finding a new income source has become somewhat important since the manthing got hurt last fall. This is something we have thought about for a long time, wanted to do, and finally have the need and want at the same time (and have help too).

Spring has been slow to arrive this year. Temps have been 10 or more degrees lower than normal for a couple months now and nights have remained quite cool. Early spring crops are just beginning to grow well and summer crop plantlings are ridiculously tiny. Tomato starts still have but one set of leaves, peppers are just sprouting and tobacco is about a half inch tall. I am sure glad we have a long growing season even with a slow start everything should still have plenty of time. Planting of all crops began last week. Another week and the first plantings of everything but tobacco should be in the ground.

silent sunday

2013-04-21T10:10:00.001-04:00

birth

the great garlic adventure

2013-04-15T21:28:00.000-04:00

A week or two back the manthing declared he was going to become "THAT Crazy Garlic Guy" and by golly I think he is serious. All the beds up closer to the shack are going to be filled up even though we have about doubled the bed space. This left us wondering where we could find space to plant lots and lots of garlic and then it hit us that deer dont touch garlic, birds don't eat garlic, garlic is shallow rooted, and it does not require full sun to grow.

Down in the holler, the wooded area is quite nicely laid out and largely unused. After looking around a bit it was decided that with a bit of clearing of undergrowth we could put several large, partially shaded, beds in. Garlic is supposed to be one of the better money making crops for small acreages and while we don't need much money to survive, we need some. Soooo, We are hoping to have 25000 plants in within 5 years. We currently have somewhere between 1500 and 1600 bulbs in and we will continue to grow the stock over the next several months for fall planting.

So, we began cleaning up the woods a few days ago. Hauling dead fall out of the way, pulling small pines, and taking out a few trees for firewood. I completely neglected taking pictures of the area before but here are a couple showing the first section we are working on. Once this is done we will mark out the area a bit better and rake the woods to begin mulching and building soil a bit. Hopefully by this fall we will be planting down there on on our way to the manthing becoming THAT Crazy Garlic Guy.

It's Spring and we're still kickin

2013-04-13T11:29:00.002-04:00

It's been a while but we are still around. I am trying to get back into updating a bit more often than I have been. Anywho, Spring has sprung and I have Spring Fever, but here is a little video of the nekkid gardens to tide you over. Yes, we have added a few...

garden updates

2012-07-28T11:46:00.002-04:00

A quick walk through some of the gardens yesterday. Things are growing pretty well with few bugs except the squash bugs. After getting very dry for a spell,last week we had about 14 inches of rain.As you can see in the video, the weeds and grass are growing very well. Life here is busy with it just the two of us keeping up, my school work, and manthing working.

be independent

2012-07-04T13:04:00.002-04:00

grow your food

cutest critter ever!

2012-06-26T13:28:00.001-04:00

Saw this lil feller crawlin through the grass. I think it is one of the cutest things I have ever seen!! What is even cuter is that when it was frightened it shimmied n shook.
After looking it up I found out it is a caterpillar of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly(Papilio troilus). the caterpillars start out green and turn yellow or orange when they are ready to pupate.

a walk in the gardens

2012-06-22T07:35:00.002-04:00

yay for rain!

2012-05-30T09:40:00.000-04:00

Yay for rains!
The gardens were beginning to get a little bit thirsty and since we have no secondary water supply from the pond at the moment, I was beginning to worry a bit. After the rain hitting everywhere but here over the last several days, it was nice to get a smidgeon last evening and through the night, with more on the way tomorrow.

The gardens looked so much happier this morning and should allow us to begin harvesting some cukes, zukes, summer squash, broccoli, and maters within a week or so. The garlic, onions, and carrots will also be coming out shortly to make way for other things and stuff. I cannot wait as I am sick of the flavorless semi fresh crap I am stuck buying from the local markets that haul in their produce from Florida. There simply is no replacement for fresh, from the garden, veggies.

I had to cut the morning walkabout short but here are a few pics of the beds up around the garanimals. Things are beginning to look like a garden rather than empty beds. I do not much care for the time period between planting and when things really start looking good. Another couple weeks and I will have my beautiful mess back. The squash are beginning to run everywhere and make the manthing's weedwhackin life more difficult.

gone to the birds...

2012-05-24T14:32:00.003-04:00

I had noticed over the past few weeks that we had a bird living in amongst the pea vines. This is not all that unusual as the Carolina wrens tend to build their homes anywhere they find a hole and if they cant find one suitable they make do with most anything. Last season I had set aside some nondairy creamer containers for projects but they soon took them over and made them home. We have had one nest in the outdoor kitchen cupboard for many years and we have them in a decorative clay pumpkin down by the green house and we have a pair that actually live in the greenhouse.

The other day when I was cleaning out the pea vines I knew I had upset a bird as she dive bombed my head but I never found a nest down in the vines. I moved the bamboo trellis several times while cleaning the mess not thinking that this was where she had made her happy homestead. After a short break I went back to work and when I put the trellis over the newly planted black eye peas I swore I saw a bird fly out of it. Yesterday while weeding the remaining rows I again bumped the trellis and got dive bombed, so I knew that indeed she was nesting down in the bamboo poles. Today while down hilling taters, I bumped the poles and again she flew out in a mad fashion. Since I had the camera with me I decided to turn the flash on and see just what was down in there. Lo and behold, in two of the poles there are nests filled with eggs. So not only is the bamboo a trellis but a bird condominium. Can't wait to watch the lil fellers hatch and fledge through the season.

Here is another home for our birds. Yes, it is in the shack and on the book shelf. The sliding glass doors stay open most all of the summer months with no screen and the little darlings fly in and out as if they live here. Last year one built in the same spot but it was under the blue binder. I thought it was cool and just left the nest there. Apparently she thought it was cool too and came back again this spring and built another.

from the gardens...

2012-05-23T13:50:00.000-04:00

This morning's walk through the gardens gave me favas, carrots, 3 types of salad greens, green onions, garlic and onion scapes, fennel bulbs, rhubarb, various herbs, shiitake mushrooms and a couple lizards. No, we don't eat the lizards. I just take their pictures and let them go on their merry, bug eatin, way.

silent sunday

2012-05-20T07:40:00.000-04:00

how does your garden grow...

2012-05-19T18:01:00.002-04:00

All the gardens are now planted out except for the remaining tobacco. Early spring crops will be coming out in the next week or two and will be replanted with summer things. The first corn planted is a couple foot tall and many of the tomato plants have fruit as do the squashes. Everything else is slowly poking through the soil. My favorite time in the gardens is coming: when things grow enough overnight after a good rain to notice a difference in everything and things become a beautiful mess.

The hot tub is again full with wood and leaves using a bit of the soil we made in the hugulkultur experiment. In a few years we will have another tub of nice soil to use around the place but have a fine growing spot in the mean time.

simple supper-deep dish skillet pizza

2012-05-17T06:45:00.001-04:00

Last night manthing wanted pizza or pancakes for dinner. After some internet bantering it was decided that pizza was going to be it. Since I was not going to fire up the oven for a single pizza and my regular cookie sheet was dirty, I had to figure out just how I was going to make said pizza. After a minute or two of thought, it hit me! Why not make a deep dish pizza pie in the cast iron skillet. It came out quite splendid though it was more like a pizza pot pie than a pizza since I went a little bit crazy on the dough making.

I made it just as I would make any other pizza: dough, sauce, and toppings. The only difference was what it was cooked in and how it was cooked. After making the dough, I rolled it and put it in the skillet, just as one would make a pie with the edges hanging over the pan. Then I threw the sauce and toppings on ( a garlic sauce with oregano, onion, tomato, chicken, shrooms, broccoli n cheeses) and rolled the edges of the crust down around the edges.

To cook, I simply set the pan on the stove top with a few chunks of broken brick under it. This is to keep the bottom from burning and to allow the toppings to heat properly and cook. I then placed a lid over the top of the pan to keep the heat in and do its job. I do flat pan pizzas in the same manner but I cook all the toppings(but the cheese) prior to adding them on the crust since it cooks much quicker.

It took about 25-30 minutes of cooking time. The last 10 or so was ensuring the crust was cooked through. Like I said, the crust was a bit too much turning it into a pot pie looking creation rather than a pizza but it was still quite good. The bottom picture is what it turned into though it was not a greenish yellow. The lighting just made it look that way.

Total cost to make was approximately 3 dollars (though a rather expensive meal for us it is way cheaper than going to a pizza place or buying all of the ingredients to make one) and would easily feed four people. Had I made it on cookie sheets it would have made two pizzas rather than a single. Most of the toppings were from our own produce and leftovers from other meals. Total time to prepare and cook was under an hour and that was having to chop all the ingredients, make the dough and sauce, and cook.

tobacco time...

2012-05-16T16:21:00.001-04:00

After getting the majority of the gardens in for the summer, it came time to begin planting the tobacco down in the holler. We loaded up Azulita with plants, the tiny tiller, wood ash, fertilizer and chainsaw then headed down the hill for a day of "fun."

Manthing tilled up the rows right quick while I followed behind with the bucket of ash, fertilizer, and my handy dandy little trowel. After he tilled, I sprinkled some ash in each hole, threw a bit of grow juice in and set the plants in. We do use commercial fertilizer twice a year for the tobacco. It is a very heaver feeder on the soil and though we do not use chemical fertilizer on anything else we grow, we cannot keep up with amounts needed for the tobacco too.

The plants were a tiny bit smaller than I would have liked but they did have an excellent root system for a change. Once manthing got my rows done he went off and collected cook wood from dead fall while I planted and planted and planted. About 200 plants were put in the ground and we still have about that many to go in yet. Depending on the weather we may get them in this weekend. Tobacco needs to stay moist just after transplantation or they tend to die off to the ground. Planting just before a rain or watering them in is needed. As a side note, once tobacco has established good roots it is very difficult to kill off. It more often than not, will grow back from what looks to be a dead plant so wait a week or two before replanting if you think you have killed the babies.

silent sunday

2012-05-13T08:38:00.001-04:00

traumatizing the mushroom logs

2012-05-12T18:05:00.002-04:00

Time to make the mushrooms fruit. We are past last frost and the logs have been inoculated for a little over a year. To get them to begin fruiting they will be soaked for 24 hours or so. It is also supposed to rain so maybe we can get by without having to flip them. Once they come out of the water they will go back to their hidey-hole and be watered well a couple times a week (if it doesn't rain) so they can begin fruiting. In a couple few weeks we should begin harvesting from them and then we can start the whole process again for the remainder of the summer.

dehydrating herbs

2012-05-10T15:35:00.002-04:00

The solar dehydrating season is in full swing. The herbs are growing like crazy this year so I am having to give many of them hair cuts early in the season. Today I took an entire five gallon pail of trimmings off of two small clumps of parsley. After washing and taking the stems out I was able to fill all three trays with the herbs.

Up until this year all of our dehydrating has been solar. Recently, a high school class mate offered me an electric one that she no longer uses. I could not resist as it will come in handy for when it gets too humid to use this one or on those days when we get our regular afternoon showers. I will start the process in the solar then transfer it to the electric reducing waste. Here is a previous post on the dehydrator as well as some links to plans.

catching up...

2012-05-08T16:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry for such a long delay in posting. The manthing and I both got the creeping crud after the last post and were completely down and out for two weeks. Never in my life have I been that sick for such a long period of time and I never hope to be again!

Last week, though we were both feeling much better, all of our time was spent catching up on things and stuff that we got behind on while ill. Though we will never ever be able to say that everything that needs doing is done, we did get most everything back to a manageable level of craziness.

The greenhouse is emptying out finally and all that is left is a few tomatoes, peppers and tobacco. All the beds are planted but two and the tobacco patch. They are even mostly weeded, which is a rarity. The last two days we got some much needed rain to kick all the plants into growing gear. The very early tomatoes I put out survived the two frosts in April and are flowering already and a few of the volunteer squash are as well.

Early spring crops are already fizzling out due to the overly warm spring we have had. We have had a pretty decent year for greens of all kinds and for a change I was able to even freeze a few bags of peas. We skipped out on spring cabbage this year because we never have any luck with it but the broccoli is looking pretty good so far. Our puny area of strawberries has given us a few snacks and a couple meals of belgium waffles with fresh berries. Today I was able to freeze some rhubarb to make some chutney with after the next town trip. It looks to be a banner year for blueberries, grapes and blackberries but many of the fruits off the trees dropped after the last cold spells.

All in all it is looking like a decent year for the gardens. Hopefully we will have plentiful, but not too much, rain and warmth, but not like last year. Now all we have to do is teach these dogs that bunnies are BAD, even though they look completely harmless, and that they must be chased off. Heck, I will even allow them to eat them if they do.

over the mountain and through the woods

2012-04-17T14:27:00.004-04:00

We took a couple days this past weekend to go out and about in the local area. The video is just some of the scenery from while we were there. Pinhoti means turkey home in Creek.

silent sunday

2012-04-15T21:07:00.001-04:00