KAT'S IN THE GARDEN JOURNAL

What's Been Going on Since Spring 2011

2011-12-16T16:20:00.021-06:00

It is 12/16/2011 as I type here in Cove and we have had constant rain this week. Wanted to take down a whether and put him in the freezer but it's not happening today! So, I sit in my home with "the guys"; my husband and two younger adult sons, hanging out on the internet when I should be cleaning something. I am hoping to get some gardening in for 2012 but it will depend on where I have to be in the spring. 2011 has not been a year for growing anything around here. The heat came upon us quickly and its intensity only grew the water bill, of which my husband was not too thrilled to have to pay! Despite the soaker hoses and mulching, not much survived. Tomatoes tried to produce but the June bugs stayed around and devoured them as quickly as they ripened. A little pissed and not willing to stress out over it too much, I gave in and let the summer heat have its way.

Instead of working in the garden I focused on my massage therapy and rented a very small space in one of Mena, Arkansas local Salons. It was a nice place but the noise became more than I was willing to deal with, especially when my last client and I had to deal with laughing and slamming doors so loud I could not charge my client. Instead of dealing with the noise I just packed up my things and took back 1/2 my rent and left. I still want to continue my business but I had another task that needed my attention.... Mom's knee issues!

My mother had a total knee replacement on her right knee this past October 25th and I took time away from here to spend on her needs. Her right knee cap was so shattered when the doctor opened her up that it fell everywhere and had to be cleaned out before the replacement could be inserted. Plus her femur was locking itself up under the shattered cap Mom had trouble straightening out her leg before the surgery. Mom was headed for a wheel chair prior to the surgery. She plans on having the left knee replaced this spring so I cannot really make solid plans for my garden.

However, I did accomplish building her 4 raised beds, each 4'x8' and 1 1/2 feet tall so she can care for her planting easier. We just need to fill them with soil now. I also spent time helping a neighbor rake leaves from their yard and placed them in my Mother's garden area to decompose for Mom's use.

It took Mom 44 days from her surgery to the day she was released from home health care for me to be able to drive back to Cove and chill until the next round. I am going to plan on having a garden in Cove as well as help Mom get hers going so we can both have something to harvest for 2012. I also will be painting Mom's bedroom wall and possibly her kitchen while she's away having the left knee replaced. Just trying to get done what I can while I can. Mom's neighbor with all the leaves also wants me to help them plant 24 blueberry bushes, which I am more than happy to help them do. The neighbors in Mom's community all look out for each other and see to each other's needs. I have never experienced a more given and caring group of people as I have in Mom's neighborhood. There are such beautiful people there.

It seems for me right now everything is on hold until Mom completes her 2nd surgery and has healed for me to even begin to allow myself to move on to other things. I just want my Mom to be able to live the rest of her life without having to hurt so much and be able to get outside and enjoy her home and take walks around her neighborhood, which she has yet to do.

Our middle son, Robert and I are purchasing some land together that has an old house on it we have stripped to expose the exterior siding. We have some minor repairs to make on the house and then we will make it liveable for Robert. The property is almost 10 acres, has a mini-barn, a well with pump and a cistern. It is over grown with trees, weeds and kudzu, which is at least edible!

The front of the house faces east. You see it as you come up the drive. The back is to the west. Just behind the house is the cistern and beyond that is the well and barn hid behind a forest of weed trees. The barn has three sections and a loft in the middle section. There are wild blackberries, black walnut and an old pear tree that needs to come down. There is, as I said before, lots of edible kudzu as well as red berried sumac which I have made Indian Lemonade, tea and jam from.

We've been cleaning up the weedy plants around the house so it doesn't look so overwhelming. The side you see here is the back which faces west. The concrete block between the door and window is the cistern.

On the North side of the house we have a nest of boar bees to remove and wasps housed in the front attic area. We have managed to kill a rather large nest that was located in the house between the wall paneling and exterior siding.

The mini barn is hid behind the well house by a forest of weed trees. Behind the mini barn is lots of junk to be removed and huge stones to be reused. I have already cleaned out the left stall of the barn throwing away bags of trash and a metal bed. The floor still needs raked to clean out broken glass and rotted wood that had been thrown in to rot.

The barn is in good shape but the sides need closed up better. Removing the floor in the middle stall and enclosing the outer stalls would make housing future goats and chickens more convenient. The stall in the center is high enough to store some hay for winter, which is not too bad around here and for bedding. The roof has metal panels with just a few spaces of light shining through. That's easily fixed. At least we have a solid structure to work with.

The well house is small and needs a new pump. I would like to have it hooked up to solar or have acces with a hand pump if possible. Even with the cistern available for storing rain water to water a future garden, having fresh water for animals and humans is a must. With all the potential harm from the sun's solar flares, it seems as if the governments of the world are expecting something major to happen, I want to be prepared.

Here is where we are at inside the house. Prior to our purchasing the property, the house was originally gutted. The only thing that existed was termite damaged wood and panelling with lots of very old wall paper behind the panels. This is the west end of the house were you are looking at a door that goes into an addition that goes out next to the cistern. The right side was a kitchen area. The walls inside the house had no insulation and the interior walls consisted of slats of rough wood and pine flooring covered by wall panel. The section with missing floor was the bathroom where wood was damaged by two holes in the roof allowing rain to come in. We do have some wood to replace because of water damage but not too much.

The picture on the right is facing the East. On the left side of the house is where the large window is located and the light coming in is where the front door is open. This section is where the living room was. The right side shows what use to be a smaller room, then the bathroom and then another smaller room. It is our goal to make the south side of the house solar passive and try to create as much natural light throughout the house as possible.

We have a new canvas to play with and are looking at either wool insulation for it's toxic absorption ability and fire resistance capability but is expensive or straw slip which is also fire resistant and cheaper but will take time installing. We know there were termites because of some obvious termite damage but the house had been treated over a 3 year period before our purchase and we have not found any larva or existing termites. We have meet one large barn rat that needs to move on and cleaned out a nest in the attic.

It's cold now with off and on rainy days. No one is in the mood to work on it at the moment. We are looking into putting in a masonry heating unit which can also be used to cook with for the winter and adding an outside cooking area with a cob oven and rocket stove. Using solar ovens is also in the plans. The goal is to be self-sufficient and not depend on utilities if Robert doesn't have to. Even alternative refrigeration is being looked into. You tube has a couple of videos on the subject if your game to giving it a try.

Flower Pot Fridge: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSZH0K-Qhuw
How To Make a Pot in a Pot Cooler: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfKgOpJc7Ps
Refrigeration Without Power: The Cool Box: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOAm0p0BuKM&feature=related
Survival Refrigeration Without Electricity - Food Storage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ju_V-wjyKiM&feature=related

My Old Fashioned Spinning Wheel & Llama Purchase

2011-03-09T12:27:00.001-06:00

Being all about getting prepared for whatever is to come and learning the basics, Doug and I had a discussion about purchasing Alpacas for their wool. Having been inspired by an article in a recent 2011 issue of Hobby Farm where a Model had purchased land, purchased sheep and started shearing them herself, spinning the wool and selling it. I was excited about the idea of learning to spin my own wool to make items we might need in the future and as another side business opportunity.

I purchased this 21" spinning wheel unit I found at the Hill Top in Russelville, Arkansas for $150. Having learned there are some pieces missing and I can deal with that, I am looking for parts. In Paris, Arkansas is a woman who spins her own yarn. She taught me the beginnings of spinning wool into yarn and gave me the name of a book for my spinning wheel: Your Handspinning by Elsie G. Davenport, which I order from Amazon yesterday.

Emerald ( 1 1/2 yr.) and Jewel (6 mo.)

Along with the education of how to spin, my husband Doug and I also purchased their two young female Llamas: ages 1 1/2 years and 6 month old sisters for $75 each. After we loaded the girls into the trailer to bring them home, we were told Emerald may be pregnant. Looks like we will find out in about 10-11 months.They are doing very well and getting acquainted to the goats!

My next goal is to learn how to dye yarn naturally, knit and save up for some alpacas to purchase someday. I can crochet a little and my youngest son has a strong interests in crocheting so this will be and educational adventure for both of us. Below are more pics of my spinning wheel and the missing pieces I am looking for. My husband is also looking into finding plans to make what I need if necessary.

Trying to catch up!

2011-01-05T00:48:00.000-06:00

Dec. 2011 is here and I am so far behind gathering leaves and pine needles for mulching the garden beds and plants with. I have spent the majority of my time completing educational courses and working on my projects for the massage and nutrition business, I have had no time to work outside other than harvest what I could or what actually grew. We had some very nice watermelon and cantaloupe, white flesh sweet potatoes that taste better mashed, squash, pumpkin and green beans. I grew enough butternut squash to share with my Mom. The spaghetti squash did really good too. We let the chickens in the garden this year to consume the insects. They spent more time I think pecking at the fruit in the fruit trees and eating out the inside of some squashes, melons and cucumbers. The tomatoes didn't do to well this year. The plants grew just fine but then it got too hot for them to produce tomatoes. All our tomatoes plants came up on there own in the most unexpected places. We gave them support and just let them grow! By the time it cooled down and actually developed some tomatoes, they took forever to turn green and then rotted before turning red.

We picked wild blackberries again this year giving my Mom several gallon bags, freezing some for ourselves and made some jam with what we didn't freeze. This year Steve and I also gathered some red berries from the wild Sumac that grows quite close. We made some Sumac jelly and froze some berries for tea. Steve harvested some of the spearmint in the herb bed, hanging it to dry in his closet. We have a jar filled half full of nicely crushed spearmint leaves Steve likes to add to our black tea from time to time.

Our soil really sucks with all the clay and rocks. We did make permanent beds if you can call them that. My friend, Dawn, sold us some sandy soil to mix in with our rocky clay soil. It helped some but we have so much amending to do it is going to take a while to improve what we have. I need to spend a month just focusing on removing as many rocks from bed areas and applying composted hay and manure to the beds before it's time to plant again. However, Steve and I did manage to put down some gypsum and lime pellets on some of the garden beds. We still have to purchase some more next month for the areas we didn't get.

Earlier in the fall I let our buck / goat, Hauss in the garden area to consume what he wanted and fertilize as he went. Hoping he would spread it around, Hauss stayed to the east fence nearer his female herd who were fixing to come in heat. After he found his way into the orchard and decided the granny smith fruit tree would taste really good and eating off some of the bark, we managed to hall his stubborn butt back to the herd as well as making sure he didn't get a chance to make it with his mother, Ruby. Ruby got her time with another buck and we are hoping that got down to business so we could expand the blood line in another direction.

I have decided to move our 5 framed beds currently existing in the large garden to the south side of the main house since the kitchen is on that side and create a kitchen garden there where access to fall crops and simple spring and summer crops the family would use more of would be closer to harvest when needed. The green house is there already and we plan to move the composter there as well. Doug wants to have a deck up against the house that leads to the west side and attaches to the other trailer where I do massages, my designs, work out and sing. I think a white picket fence surrounding the kitchen garden would look good and help keep certain animals out.

There is just so much I want to do and so much going on. The desire and ideas come like crazy but implementing them is just going to take some time. Little by little it will get done and then I will have another list of things to create adding up. I am going to make sure we monitor the nutrient needs of all the vegetables we grow for 2011 since our soil is so bad. Have been making my list of what vegetables need what nutrients and when to apply them for best growth and production. It's always a challenge when your gardening and it is also what makes it enjoyable!

Wet Days... Cold Days....Warm Days.... UGH!!!!

2010-02-18T21:08:00.000-06:00

Will Mother Nature get it together or what! Just when you think, "Oh, I can get outside and work on a project...Yes!" Then....NO!!! We get storms, rain, snow and ice. Please give us a break already!

I know the states farther north are having more winter snow. I'm not complaining. It's just....I hate teasers! Yesterday it was icy cold and today it's like a really warm spring day. I appreciate living in Arkansas because of the warmer winter temps and early ability to start my gardening earlier.

This February we moved the greenhouse closer to the main house. It's new location is on the south side of the main house blocking it from the north winds. With it's new location we have closer access to water and electricity. Right now I have milk jug greenhouses with warmer season seeds being started in them. Some lettuce growing. I started some peppers and tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and cabbage seeds as well. My lavender and rosemary are still growing and look really good.

Steve and I planted two rows of (1) red onions and (1) yellow onions, five rows of potatoes, some from last year and some from the store that have started sprouting: red, yukon and russet. We also planted 20 feet of Mammoth Peas and 20 feet of Wando Peas.

Today, Feb. 19th, my husband and I drove to a home between Mena and Ink, Arkansas to purchase 5 hens for $10 and also received 2 roosters for free as well. They are all around 4 months old. I'm so excited because we wanted to get hens for our rooster we got from a Master Gardener friend, except this rooster is a larger and older Dominique. We had to separate him by placing him with the bunnies until we find him another home, a female his size, get him used to the others or eat him. He wanted to show dominance by attacking the new chickens.

When we got home and drove up to the chicken / bunny shed, we noticed a kitten on the top of the shed. Thinking it was one of our 6 kittens, I called to it and went to get it down. To our surprise this kitten wasn't one of ours! It is slightly smaller but just as cute having deep blue eyes. Although in the pic the flash makes them demon red! Someone had dropped off a Siamese kitten or it wondered off from another home. It is thin, hungry and very loving and affectionate. It is also very aggressive as we understand Siamese cats can be.

News update on our two older female goats: they are definitely pregnant! Should be due March maybe April. This is our first time having goats so we are excited and scared... it's not like we are the parents but I feel like I am! Hoping to learn how to make cheese and soap as well as get used to drinking the milk.

Well...that's what's going on this month...so far. Everyone stay safe and warm! Remember... times are tough right now and we have to be creative in making an income to pay our bills and feed our families. If you own a home, put your yard to work and grow your own nutrition...check out my site:www.naturescape.biz.

If your looking to build an income and your into nutrition...check out my other business site: www.chews4health.com/wigley

Consider as well becoming a member of my Ijango Community at: naturescape.ijango.com Becoming a community member is absolutely free and like "People String" you earn cash rewards as you surf the net. You also receive an ijano email address,calendar, documents upload, create a web page, install voice and video chat, etc.

Unlike People String, you won't receive emails or snail mail of product offers. Instead you can download the EOS Web Browser to use in surfing the net. It also keeps track of when you are on affiliated search engines or business' sites such as Home Depot, so that when you complete your shopping, you earn $$$ from your own purchases. Check out our SHOPPING LINK at all of the Corporations who have connected with Ijango so that when you shop with them online, as an Ijango Community Member you earn 20% in cash towards your purchase.

My Garden Goals For 2010!

2010-01-01T19:45:00.001-06:00

Our family did lots of work on the garden and in preparing for a self-reliant lifestyle in 2008 - 2009. We expanded the garden from 25 ft. X 25 ft., a 625 square foot garden area consisting of 4 rows containing 100 strawberry plants and row of tomatoes and crookneck squash. This original garden was started by Doug. He says it did well until the fire ants took over.

When Doug and I got back together and I moved back to Arkansas to help with the care of the property, he knew, as his daddy warned him, "You know she's just going to till up the yard!" Knowing me so well, that's exactly what I did. We expanded the garden to 147 ft. (East to West) X 205 ft.(North to South) not squared on all sides. Why so big? The deer are a problem and I don't want them to forage on our work! Fencing in the garden was a number one priority. We wanted as much of our orchard, herbs and fruit and vegetable plants contained inside a fence, high enough to keep the deer out. The garden is set up with fruit trees to the north and southward begins the vegetables, herbs and various fruit shrubs, vines and groundcover.

In our quest to become self-reliant, we purchased two female goats January 2009. October, 2009 we purchased another young female and a neutered male, (a wether), from a friend who also let us use her male goat, Mr. Lonnie, to service the two older females so we can have baby goats in 2010. We built them a housing unit and use their waste to help fertilize the garden. To help us build up our clayish soil we purchased a twin composter. Our youngest son, Steve, Doug and myself put up a 6 ft. X 8 ft. greenhouse. We moved and remodeled the inside of a metal shed to contain a few rabbits for their pooh and for housing chickens. The rabbits have a large play area on the north side of the shed and on the south side will be a yard for the chickens as well as access to the garden. The poles for the chickens area are in the ground but I have yet to put up the wire. We have worked to clear the wooded area on the property of "weed trees and vines", mulching what we can and using the mulch in the garden walk ways and flower beds in front of the garden entrance. I have purchased and planted $2 discounted rose shrubs from Wal Mart, free plants from other Master Gardeners and moved tree seedlings from the woods to create new sitting areas near the house.

Now 2010 is here and I have a list of projects and goals my family members may run from!

Main Goal.... the most important goal....kill the fire ants!

1. Order and plant more dwarf fruit and nut trees, shrubs and vines for fruit: cherry, apricot, almonds, english walnut, chestnut, more raspberries, more blueberries, more strawberries, more grapes, especially muscadine. Purchase elderberry, currants, cranberries, paw paw and quince. Tropicals: black olives, banana, orange, lemon and lime trees. The tropical plants for patio plants and stored in a protective area in the winter.

2. Continue building the frames of the beds up to hold the soil in and make the walk areas look nicer.

3. Continually mow down the grass on the acreage and the fallen leaves to build up the mulch pile for the garden beds.

4. Continue to create more compost to improve the soil in the garden beds.

5. Purchase chickens for meat and eggs.

6. Design, plan and build a new shed near the house for the goats, storing equipment and feed.

7. Build my dog a nice dog house with landscape timbers....giving her a log cabin look!

8. Make a main entrance gate for the garden.

9. Continue working on the "Sitting Area" I started last year.: make a hardscape and work more on the beds that will surround it.

10. Begin a design and plans for my massage building.

11. Design, plan and install my Mother's garden and edible landscape.

The list is long and knowing me will continue to grow. I do realize my limits....sometimes! What doesn't get finished this year will be done next year. Regardless, we have a plan to this "madness" and our goals listed for the year!

Don't forget to check out my website: naturescape.biz where you can find more information on gardening, the Arkansas Polk County Master Gardener's, Download our monthly newsletter: The Mountain Dirt. Be sure to visit the Naturescape's Amazon Associates Store... for all your garden needs and more. I am an Affiliate with Amazon. Your purchase on Amazon's site via my link will help provide an income to my family and keep the naturescape.biz website online! I thank you for your time.

Catch Up Journal / Feb. - April, 2009

2009-04-14T20:04:00.048-05:00

So, what have we been up to since January? Staying warm between cold winds, rain and hail, thunderstorms and tornadoes! When the weather is nice, we are striving to accomplish what we can. February I spent my time digging post holes, sawing off cedar branches from cedar trees Doug had taken down for me so I could work on the garden fence while he was on the road all month. I cut 8' posts and cemented them into the post holes I had dug. We want to have cedar posts all around the garden but have managed to place most of them on the front and west side of the garden as well as the corners near the orchard.

The deer are visiting alot and are most interested in the young tender leaves of our budding fruit trees. Between the 8' fence, Jazzy and her 4 pups we have yet to find homes for, the deer should not be too much of a problem this year....we hope!

Along with working to place a fence around the garden, I have been trying to get the garden ready for planting, Doug and I have been focusing on purchasing garden products that will help us achieve our goals with self-reliance and saving money on the items we need to properly care for our land and the garden.

Mantis has a really good deal on a composter this year and we took advantage of it. Here you see a picture of the twin-composter we purchased in March, 2009. We have always wanted a composter but the prices have been to high in the past. This year we lucked out when I came across an ad from a garden magazine for this twin-composter, a year to try it with the guarantee that if we don't like it, we can return the composter and get our money back. There are various payments options and we chose to have our withdrawn from our account over a 4 month period.
Check out the twin-composter offer yourself and begin saving money on compost purchases by making your own. Saving money is our goal. With the economy crazy as it is, managing our finances and making the most of what we purchase is important. So, the items we have been gathering are items that will benefit the land and the garden so that in the long run, we aren't wasting our dollars.

We have so much that needs to be done on the property, having the right tools and equipment that will help us utilize our waste materials is for us more cost efficient than purchasing bags of compost or mulch every year. Another big ticket item we invested in is a chipper that attaches to the old tractor Doug purchased last year.

With our tax refund we decided to purchase the yellow chipper you see in the pic on the left from a company in Clarksville, Arkansas. Doug has been reading up on how to use it safely and has been playing around testing and adjusting the blades so the mulch cuttings aren't too big.

With our own debri from the surrounding woods and the tree that fell at Doug's parent's home down the road, a result from the storm last week that brought tornadoes to Mena and Dequeen, Arkansas, I have been able to begin making decent paths between rows of beds in the garden.

Today was a beautiful, warm, sunny day with temps at 74 degrees F., Doug and Steve completed putting up the fence around the garden perimeter and making a temporary gate to keep the dogs out. While they accomplished their task, I mowed some grass in the field so I can gather it up for mulch and the composter , mowed the grass in the orchard and began placing landscape timber's purchased last year. Now I previously had an issue with using landscape timbers in the garden, especially around the food.

In past years landscape timber was treated with CCA or copper chrome arsenic and became a major health and safety issue. In 2004, the arsenic was no longer allowed to be used and the selling of timber containing CCA was no longer allowed. C is for chromium ( a bactericide) and for copper (a fungicide), and A is for arsenic used as an insecticed. However arsenic is very deadly.

Landscape timber is now being treated with ACQ, MCQ and MCO - all formulas that still use copper but do not have any arsenic. Tests to date do not show any leaching of chemicals into the soil - however, you have to be careful with the fasteners you use (stainless steel being preferred). ACQ is a water-based wood preservative that prevents decay from fungi and insects (i.e., it is a fungicide and insecticide). The MCQ is supposed to be both environmentally friendly as well as not corrode aluminum signs.

Last year we purchased 8' plus rough cut cedar under $3 each but this year they now cost $4 each. Using the landscape timbers seems safe enough now. I haven't found any negative issues in my research to find out more about the new treatment. So, i've decided to incorporate the timbers in the garden beds.
The mulch Doug cut from the tree rubbish that came from his father's place is going to look great in the pathways once we get everything done. The pics you see now are what I accomoplished today. Wal Mart has a black plastic landscape fabric with holes for drainage that is 3' wide and 150' roll for under $10. A very good deal!

My initial design ideas for using the cedar has changed. The landscape timber I have now will be the first layer for the beds. We still want to add more timber on top to raise the bed heights. The soil is very rocky and excessively clay. We have alot of amending to do, hence the twin-composter. For this year, we are making the most of what we have to work with. Once we get all the beds defined and increase the height of the beds, the garden will look great!

I decided to use the rough cut cedar to finish off the herb garden. March 30, 2009 I spent the day with a post hole digger, electric screw driver, gas saw and electric miter saw, cutting and installing cedar logs in holes for posts and cedar planks for walls. the raised herb bed width ranges around 3-4' with three very long beds. I haven't measured the beds yet.

Doug used the tractor to fill the herb bed with existing soil. I'm working to spread it around the three sides...it's alot of work! After I move the soil and am happy with it, I plan on placing landscape fabric over the existing soil and adding compost on top of that so my plants will have nutritious soil to start off with.

The stone you see in the pics came from the berm. We are trying to kill the weeds and grass growing in the berm so later I can landscape it. I decided to move all the stones and used some in the herb garden. The stone beds on either end contain my lemon balm plants I purchased last year. They were very small when I bought them and did very well last year and through the winter. I placed plastic underneath to keep the weeds out. Water drains out easily from the spaces between the rocks. I haven't had any problems with water standing in the beds or the herb garden.

Earlier in the year I went to Lowe's with my mother. I was building her a raised square foot garden and Lowe's had plants for sell that had just come in.
I was so excited! I purchased more blueberries, now we have 9 plants. 2 varieties of raspberries, some thornless blackberries and red seedless grapes made their way into my basket.

I used the post hole digger to dig out a hole 1' diameter hole. The soil is hard clay so I had to add compost and humus to replace the clay. The existing soil was placed around the holes to help hold water yet allowing for proper drainage. It's going to take years to get all the soil amended...it will be worth it in the end. Again, I used existing cedar logs for posts. We put in a good days work! Doug is tired and very sore. My arms, shoulders, neck and chest are sunburned. And it's only March!

January 6, 2009 my dog Jazzy had 9 puppies, 3 males and 6 females. Two female hound puppies were found in the dog kennel the day after we had a thunderstorm in February. Jazzy is pictured with one of the hound pups on the left.

The pups have found they love the pond! In March the Quachita Humane Society, a NO-KILL organization held a spay and neuter special, which Doug and I took advantage of and got all the pups, 11 total fixed for $50 each. Momma got fixed this April after her milk dried up.

We found homes for all the pups so far but four, 2 females and 2 males. We didn't charge for the pups. Instead we wanted to make sure that who ever took a pup would not have to worry about getting them fixed or having to deal with the reproduction issues. It just made it easier for us to find homes. With having four dogs remaining, we don't have to worry about another litter.

These are our cats. This cat was fixed three years ago. She was abandoned by her mother in the barn and was very scared of everything. Her name is Ms. Kitty. She tolerates being touched when she is in the mood and doesn't like the other animals.

This little girl just became a momma this week. Her kittens are 3 days old!

Momma
s name is Baby Girl and she was given to us by Doug's niece, Brandy and her husband Tom. She is a beautiful off white cat with black and brown markings and blue eyes. A very loving cat, she is especially fond of our 18 year old son, Steve. When he comes out of a room, she stops whatever she is doing and runs to him so she can love upon his leg. It's just so cute!
These little cuties are Baby Girl's first and only litter. She's getting fixed in July with the next spay and neuter special. We haven't checked the sexes yet but they are fun to watch.

The two pups below belong to Brandy and Tom who are recovering from the damage done to their home by the recent tornado that hit in Dequeen and Mena, Arkansas. Along with Brandy and Tom's place, Brandy's mother, Kathy and Don, my husbands sister and brother-in-law and Kathy's son Tony and his wife Misty all had their homes damaged severely by the tornado.

We are caring for Brandy and Tom's two dogs Lucy and Daisy plus four adult rabbits. Lucy is the red dog, she's named for Lucille Ball and the beautiful brown dog is Daisy. They don't get touched very much so Doug and I have been working with them so we can love on them and they won't be so scared.

These little girls have been through alot this past week, having survived a tornado and then a drive in the blazer and having to put up with my dogs.

Unlike my dogs, which are lab/chow and father unknown...these girls don't care to much for swimming in the pond.

Our relatives are recovering, cleaning up from the storm and hope to rebuild soon. The animals are doing fine. Daisy and Lucy are adjusting well to there new surroundings. They and the other pups are getting along well.

So, this is what we've been up to since January! I also completed my Master Gardeners Program April 1st. Looking forward to helping out with some of the sanctioned work days and tours that are lined up. I hope you have enjoyed this months "Catch up Journal"! My arms are starting to burn and my eyes are tired. It is 11:30 pm so I think I better get some rest for a new day tomorrow.

Chillin' Through the Cold!

2009-01-27T13:21:00.000-06:00

December has come and gone...January is pushing into February. We have been doing what we can, as we can to get our garden area ready for the spring. In the area I live we do not get as much bad weather... the ice and snow storm... that other's farther north or north east does. We have had rain, cold winds, one day of ice and some warm spring like weather.

This is a pic of our first snow. It was gone by noon! However, what little dusting we got was beautiful to see and I spent some time taking pics for my garden journal.

Below are the pics of the ice we received in December, 2008. It created a gorgeous winter wonder land... that can one could have in this area of Arkansas. Despite our brief moments of winter and the longer periods of cold wind and brief periods of warmth, we have strived to do what we can...as we can to the garden area.

December was spent receiving and dividing up heirloom seed we purchased through http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/ located in :

Heirloom Acres Seeds2529 CR 338New Bloomfield, Mo. 65063PHONE: (573) 491-3001FAX: (573) 491-3002http://www.heirloomacresseeds.com/kirk@heirloomacresseeds.com

My husband and I had to drive to Fulton, Missouri and work on the house our middle son, Robert and I own together. Robert is exploring his horticulture interests as well, so along with purchasing items we needed for the house I also picked up a copy of the New Square Foot Garden for him.

I also purchased a copy for myself and am applying most of the concept to my garden beds. This also gave me the opportunity to build the first 4x8' raised bed for my mother who wants to garden yet can't bend down or get on her knees.

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ is an awesome website who's outreach is helping others grow more food to feed their families in less space. Check out the home site at the link above and you will see what a difference Mel Bartholomew and his organization is making in the lives of others all over the world.

Should you decide to purchase a copy of the book yourself, please consider going through the picture of the book linked above to Amazon.com. I am an affiliate of Amazon and your purchase via this link provides me an income from Amazon....and thank you for the consideration.

Steve and I accomplished as much as we could on the herb bed. Doug and I need to cut down more cedar so I can complete the back side of the bed with cedar logs. The front design may have to be from rough cedar lumber we purchase in Mena. It has taken alot of logs from alot of trees to do as much as we have done so far.

Richter's seed catalog came in the mail as well. I've never order from them until this year. This year I am going to try my hand at growing some Stevia plants as a sugar replacement...to the extent it can be used for that. Stevia is growing in popularity because it can be used as a sugar alternative without the calories and is all natural. Not like the artificial sweetners that are know to mess with the bodies cells and cause damage to you. I have seen Stevia products in Wal Mart lately and you can purchase them at health food stores. It is expensive but you can grow your own and save money. http://www.richters.com/

Bergamot (Menarda didyma) is a plant that I just love and want to have a lot of it around. Depending on the seed you purchase, the flowers are white to a light pinkish - purple, red and purple.

Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa), is related to Oswego tea or beebalm.

The leaves of each are used in the making of teas: Below is the kind Richter's sells.

Lemon Bergamot
Monarda citriodora : Attractive native of the American southwest with pink-purple flowers. Young foliage is strongly lemon-scented and excellent in tea. Leaves used by Hopi Indians to flavour wild game.

Bergamot
Monarda didyma : Citrus-scented leaves and flowers make a pleasant, soothing tisane. Young leaf tips and flowers improve appearance and taste of salads.

Bergamo Bergamot
Monarda x hybrida 'Bergamo' : The leaves have a pleasant mild lemon scent and flavour.

Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa : Lavender flowers; strong fragrance. Used for tea and for flavouring meat. Frequently seen along roadsides in eastern Canada and U.S.

Bergamot Medicinal Uses

Answered by: Conrad RichterQuestion from: Ruth Buffalo Posted on: June 17, 1998

How is bergamot used with medicines? Bergamot is an aromatic plant that is usually thought of as a tea herb. Its spicy, citrusy flavour is reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. Also known as Oswego Tea, the infusion was widely consumed during as an alternative to tea sold by the British during the time of the American Revolutionary War. Sometimes the leaf tips and flowers are added to salads and drinks for fun to add an Earl Grey-like flavour. They are also used to scent potpourris and add colour. Bergamot does have medicinal uses. It induces perspiration, lowers fevers, and through its carminative action, aids digestion. It has been used for colds, fevers, headaches, gastric disorders such as flatulence, nausea and vomiting. Externally, the fresh leaves are applied to pimples and other skin eruptions. John Lust, in his book "The Herb Book" (available from Richters) recommends taking a tea brewed from the dried leaves or tops, 1 teaspoon in a cup of water. He says to take that one or two times a day.

http://www.richters.com/newdisplay.cgi?page=./QandA/Medicinal/19980617-2.html&cart_id=4835850.13696

Lastly... I made a pit stop into Lowes to look for things I needed to apply to my mother's raised bed. Finally, the spring garden supplies were out! So to were the fruit vines and shrubs. I loaded up with red seedless grape vine plants, blueberry shrubs of various varieties. raspberries and thornless black berries. Now I am just waiting to get out side and get them in the ground. Also have to purchase more compost to amend the soil for them as well.

Well...so much to do and it's too cold and wet to do anything! Everyone stay warm and stay safe!

November And We Are Still Working!

2008-11-20T22:24:00.000-06:00

The weather is starting to get colder here. Around noon it warms up enough to go outside and work but by 5pm, the sun starts to set and the cold is back. However, were still encouraged to work on our garden. So far Steve and I removed T-Posts and placed them in their new position, expanding the orchard and garden boundary. We pounded in the old and new T-Posts then put up the chicken wire previously up on the T-Posts we relocated. Doug purchased another roll of chicken wire, however it is not enough to complete the fencing of the garden. So, we waite!

Monday, November 17th, the guys spent time mowing up leaves and pine needles and hauling them into the garden so when we are ready to add them to our beds, we are good to go. We have leaves still falling off the trees. Our leaf pile is definately going to get bigger. While the guys did their thing, I dug four more post holes, two in front of the larger entrance posts Steve and I installed previously and two in the back. The goal is to create an arbor that you walk under as you enter the garden. After I got the holes dug, I moved on two tilling up an area where my blueberries would be moved to. I wanted to separate the orchard and the garden area with a boundary of blueberry bushes. A pathway will separate the bushes to the west and east. We worked until the sun started to set and the weather turned crispy cold!

Tuesday, we borrowed Doug's Father's tiller so I could till up areas in the garden to mark where other beds would go on the west side of the garden. In this area I plan on putting in strawberries, move the asparagus, plant currants, raspberrys and other fruits shrubs and ground cover. Beyond this and in front of the blueberries will be extra beds for extra crops as needed.

The next day was Steve's 19th Birthday. So, of course we had to take some time to celebrate! Once we got home, I was back out working on the garden. Doug and leveled off the two furtherest cedar posts to the west and to the east of the entrance. Then we measured the two larger cedar posts in the center, the posts that mark the entrance to the garden. We measure from the highest point, 4 feet up and added 2 feet extra to the four we had yet to put in. Then we marked an additional 5 feet on the four cedar posts and cut off the extra past the 5 feet mark. These four posts were extremely long and would be too dangerous to cut once the posts were up. After we got the posts marked and cut, we then placed them in their post holes, leveled them and filled the holes with concrete and water. We were done for the night!

Thursday...today... I was back at it again. I spent the night before trying to decide how I was going to design my herb garden. It's size is 34' North & South and 28' West & East. The beds would have to be 4' wide and pathways 2' wide.

The herb garden area slopes to the south but more to the east and I didn't want to have to bring in more soil to level all of the area. So, instead I decided to create and install 2' tall cedar logs, side by side marking the outer portion of the beds. Once I get that completed then I will work on the front portion and then go back and make sure all the logs are cut to the same level. Once I have the beds completed I will line them with landscaping fabric and fill them with soil. Then I will work on the center area in the same manner.

For now however, we managed to work on the outer portion, pounding in cedar stakes and attaching rough cut cedar 4x8' boards to the stakes and smaller cedar trunk to the cedar posts. I had started attaching some logs to the cedar trunk earlier when Doug came out and helped me with the stakes and boards. Once we finished that, we then started cutting 2' logs with the cedar trunks we had cut down and cleaned up earlier. We still have some cedar in the woods we cut back in September that we will be using as well.

In the picture below you can see the full view of the garden we are working on. The cedar frames are in their permanent locations, all leveled, on the east side of the garden (your right). We still have 7 more frames to make and install.

To the west are 10 beds temporarily marked, which will be bordered with cedar logs in the future. The T-Posts as you can see, still need chicken wire attached. I'm hoping to plant grapes on the outside of the fence in the future.

Further back is the east side of the orchard and in front of that, bordering the dirt and grass boundary is where the blueberries will be. I've decided that to the west, near the T-Posts will be an area large enough to encompass a greenhouse and an area for holding soil and leaves for soil amendment purposes.

Outside of the East side of the garden will be an enclosed area for chickens and a coop close to the garden fence with a door allowing the chickens to feed on the insects in the garden. However, that is still in the planning stage. Along with re-establishing the water source and a drip-irrigation system.

Finally you can see the mound of dirt I am working with as well as the arbor posts that Doug and I completed and are waiting to settle. We still have alot of work to do but I know I am enjoying this! My mind is already thinking of the next project...landscaping outside of the entrance!

Finally....Making Some Progress!!!

2008-11-20T18:44:00.000-06:00

The end of September brought a visit from my oldest son Doug Jr., his wife Angela and their beautiful ...18 month old daughter Brooklyn! We had such a great time spending a week playing with our granddaughter and giving mommy and daddy a break. After they left it was time to get back to business. Brooklyn wasn't happy to have mommy and daddy.... she and grandma were having alot of fun! This pic was taken the day they had to leave and go back home to Nebraska. Brooklyn let me carry her to the car but was not happy that mommy locked her in the car seat! She is a sweety!!!

We couldn't let Brooklyn play on the grass because we have FIRE ANTS. If you unknowingly step on or disturb their mound, they come out in masses and crawl up your arm or leg, whatever has disturbed them, biting you all over. I video taped them with my digital camera to give you a view of what happens when you disturb their mound.

(September 28 - October 3, 2008) We managed to get some fruit trees planted, expanding the orchard size to accomodate the new trees future full growth. The fruit trees we purchased are not dwarfs, which meant I had to readjust the planting plan to make room for the new growth sizes. We purchased and planted the following fruit trees:

Brown Turkey Fig ( 15-20' )
Celeste Fig ( 15-20" )
Bruce Plum ( 10-15' )
Ozark Plum ( 10-15' )
J.H. Hale Peach ( 25x25' )
Red Haven Peach ( 15-20' )
Kieffer Pear ( 15' )
Bartlett Pear ( 15' )

We had to move an existing Dwarf July Elberta ( 10' ), which the deer had a time with. I am hoping it comes back next year or we will have to replace it. We still have a Dwarf Fuji Apple ( 10' ) to move to it's new home and purchase a Dwarf Gala Apple for pollination. Also still have to purchase some dwarf cherry trees and two apricots that have edible nuts resembling almonds.

(October 12 - 13, 2008) My youngest son, Steve, and I spent our time putting together cedar frames from rough cut 4x8 plus sized boards: 4x8's and 8x8's that we would later have to make level on our sloping garden floor. We managed to make 12 frames and have 7 more to make just to begin the base of the raised beds.

(October 19 & 20, 2008) Steve and I spent these two days leveling the individual areas where the frames would go. The ground is so hard...our existing top soil is only 3" and then you hit clay. The clay is like concrete! The last day it took all day just to level 3 frames. The pics you see is in the area of where the the frames we completed would go but are not the actual placement of the frames. We still have to purchase more rought cuts to make 7 more frames.

(October 23 - 31) I spent one nice day moving all the trees we had previously cut down to the garden area and cleaned up the yard so Doug could mow. Now all we have to do is save up the money to purchase a strong shredder/chipper and put the tree waste to use as mulch! The 25th was a cool, sunny and breezy day. Steve and I spent the day digging post holes for the garden entrance. We dug a total of 6 holes and placed 6 nice sized cedar posts from some of the trees we had previously cut down and cleaned up, in the holes the next day. We spent the 26th and 27th leveling the posts and filling the holes with concrete mix and water, leaving them to sit a few days undisturbed while the concrete hardened. While we left the posts alone so the concrete could do its thing, Steve and I went on to the pile of dirt Doug had made for me when he removed the top soil off the garden area. Once we have our raised beds ready for soil, I wanted to reuse as much of our own resources as possible without having to purchase bags of soil, which would be expensive. My intentions are to sift the soil of the stones and weeds before the soil is placed back in the garden. It is a big job but one that will be worth the effort in the end. Of course, what little we accomplished during this time period was nothing compared to the pile of soil still waiting for me!

The last two days of October were spent digging up some Crape Myrtle suckers from Doug's parents property and use them in the berm we made. I thought the Crape Myrtle would like nice in the berm once they are well established, giving the middle of the drive a beautiful focal point as you come up the drive and go around as you leave. We placed 4 groups of Myrtle plants the length of the berm. I can already invision future plantings of white and pink or red rose bushes growing underneath the Crape Myrtle when the Myrtle gets taller.

Now That The Rain Has Stopped!

2008-09-17T18:49:00.001-05:00

August through September 15th we have had either rain or extreme heat making it too wet or too hot to get out and work. Hiding in the house for the past month I've spent my time studying. Since hurricane Ike came through, the weather has been quite nice. Yesterday, the 16th, we had fall like weather, cool enough for me to wear a sweatshirt! With the cool weather came the opportunity to get some work done around here.

While I mowed the lawn with a self-propelled mower, trying to get some walking time in, Doug made another pass on the garden expansion site trying to level the area as much as could be done. He's piled the topsoil so I can sift out the rocks and weeds soon. I know it's alot of work but I want rockless, weedless soil! I plan to reuse the rocks in the pathways.

This Wednesday was a very cool day, so nice we could finally get outside and work on cleaning out the overgrowth in our wooded area and reuse the timber in the garden. We have cedar growing in crowded areas that will make really good use in getting the bed borders in place.

With the financial issues of corporations, banks and insurance companies being dumped in our laps..."WE THE PEOPLE'S LAPS"... Doug and I are working towards getting ourselves set up for growing what we need, having the chickens, milk goat and honey bees to take care of ourselves, family and friends. I have always believed we need to know the basics for survival. Money is going to get tighter and we are going to need each other.

Anything worth having takes alot of work. With the opportunity we have to create the means to help provide for our family, friends and neighbors, I hope many of you reading this blog will be inspired to do what you can for your family, friends and neighbors as well. If you have a yard, think about how you can put your yard to work for you. You can create a place of beauty and educate others as well.

The goal of this garden / orchard is to use what we have and keep expenses low. The smaller size cedar will be used to make stakes around the beds and larger trunks for the fencing around the garden or a decorative pergola entrance into the garden. The cedar is rot resistant and is perfect for having contact with the soil. The broadleaf trunks to the right will also be reused, interwoven between the cedar stakes. I know the broadleaf trunks aren't rot resistant but they can be easily replaced when needed.

As we go through our wooded areas, cleaning out the overcrowded brush, vines and trees, paths are being formed so we can enjoy these areas as we walk our property. We make our trails as we go and use them constantly, especially in the mornings for a half-hour run. My dog, Jazzy enjoys running with me, stopping to pounce on the nearest mole she finds hiding in the brush. I just try to avoid the fireant mounds.

Be sure to check out NATURESCAPE.BIZ for garden design pics I've gathered from various magazines and gleen from them. Get excited, look at your yards and create an edible landscape.

Creating On A Blank Canvas

2008-08-13T18:59:00.001-05:00

My husband Doug and I live on 20 acres in a very small town in Cove, Arkansas. Infact, as soon as you see the only flashing light on Hwy. 71, pass under it and see the light flashing in your rear view mirror....you are on you way out of town!

Doug's parents live less than a mile from us on the North side of Hwy 71, we live on the South side. Doug and I have been apart of each others lives since I was 17 yrs. old. We married in Clarksville, Arkansas back in 1981....raised three sons as an active Air Force Family. Grew apart, had some struggles, learned some valuable life
lessons and came back together, remarrying each other in Mena, Arkansas this past June 19, 2008.

Doug and I have always desired to live a life where we could be self-sustaining...as much as possible. Wanting to do more for our sons...now that two are out of the house and one is turning 18 this November, it is important to us to create a place...a peaceful home for our sons to come back to....with their families. I am so looking forward to the times when our oldest and his new little family will be home to visit and our granddaughter, Brooklynn...will be loved and spoiled...! I am thrilled with the possibilities of passing down to Brooklynn my love of gardening, quilting, and healthy food choices her father was exposed to when he was a child.

Our start at the garden this year was late. The soil situation is not good. We have about 3" of topsoil then you hit clay. What beds we created took hours to build up after tilling just to break up the soil enough to create a few raised beds. While we work with what we have for now, our real goal is to establish a much larger scale orchard and garden area so next year we have beds filled with nutrient enriched health organic soil to grow healthy plants. The pic on the right shows our existing fenced in 90' x 50' temporary garden which will be expanded to a 90' x 80' orchard area to the west (right) and a 100' x 90' garden area in between the garden and the house.

For a couple of months we hauled water to the garden with buckets and the riding lawn mower with a cart filled with water that attached to the lawn mower. Having grown exhausted of having to carry water, Doug and I installed a 350' black plastic tubing from the East side of the back of the house to the middle of the garden. Needing to water the plants quickly, we let the tubing lay on the ground over night.

"THAT WAS A HUGE MISTAKE!"

We have two dogs...Harpie (the tan Austrian Shepherd / Retriever Mix) and Jazzy (the black Lab / Chow dog). I got Jazzy in October as a pup...a "WALMART SPECIAL" and Harpie in January... another "Walmart Special!" Harpie has much bigger feet and reminds me of an over grown long eared hound dog without the howling! She loves to sit on your lap, lick and chew on whatever her mouth gets near. Can't really say I have seen Jazzy chew on much but...they are young dogs! You can see in the picture below, the fun one or both of them had that evening chewing on the plastic tubing.

Jazzy and Harpie do serve a purpose of warning us when someone is coming, protecting us from monsterous horses that stray into the yard unexpectedly, keep the deer away, eat the annoying turtles that eat the fish in the pond, love us unconditionally! However...they have chewed up the wiring underneath Doug's "Escourt" vehicle about 5 times, the tubing at least twice, a water hose three times, trash they bring up from everywhere, my plants on the porch and newly planted seeds in pots. Doug finally achieved his goal of installing a gate on the porch to keep the dogs off of it. They put a hole in the hose to gas the grill...which allowed the propane to leak out of the tank, chewed the internet wiring and tv satellite cable.

This piece of tubing was a section one of the dogs chewed up not less than thirty-minutes after we took a break from working on getting the tubing out to the garden. We saw this after we had gone inside the house and my gut instinct said..."Look outside!" I just knew we had a problem and I was right!

The next morning I got up early while it was cool outside and I started the trenching with my pick ax! I spent most of the day working on the 300' trench. Doug ended up calling his father later in the day when it was just too hot outside to continue. I was loving the workout but...I was exhausted! Doug finished the trench in less than 10 minutes! Even after we hid the tubing in the trench and buried it under the soil, it was pulled up the next morning...luckily not chewed! So with the waterline installed....we focused on the needs of the plants!

Doug had previously planted dwarf fruit trees on his own. Of the four he planted only two survived the menacing deer. On the left is a July Elberta Peach that has had a chance to come back since we put up the fence and the dogs have been here to keep the deer away. On the right is a Fuji Apple. Since these two dwarfs are already established in the future orchard, my plans are to place other dwarfs of the same fruit among them expanding the selection of apples and peaches that will pollinate appropriate varieties. I hope that made sense to you!!!

It's going to be alot of work but in the end, with careful planning, harvesting and sharing...alot of people will be fed. Hopefully in the future I can share our progress with others and plant the "love of horticulture" seed to the generations to come...!

The other goal I have is to design the garden and landscape with as many edible plants that will grow here in zone 7. North of the fenced in orchard we will be planting a variety of nut trees. To the west across the gravel road will be shrubs like chestnuts. We also will have chickens for eggs and meat, milking goats, honey bees by the pond...for honey, wax and pollination. Doug also wants goats to raise and sell for their meat.

My sister in South Dakota now lives on 5 acres and our brother owns 5 acres. If anything I hope they and others will be encouraged to think about our future as a nation and the future for our children. With the way things are going in the world....it's better to be prepared to provide for yourselves , family and others who will be in need rather than looking to the States, the Government, the grocery stores, etc. to provide what you will need to survive.

Even if you own a house with a small lot...you can grow something to help provide for yourselves. My grandparents showed me they could do it...I did it in when my sons were smaller in our backyard. If all you have is a front yard....use it!. Edible landscaping is a creative way to landscape in front of your home and still design it with beauty in mind. There are many resources on edible landscaping on the internet and videos on "You-Tube." Check out NATURESCAPE.BIZ for free information and resources as well as books available for purchase on edibles landscaping.