Perpetual

I was speaking to a friend this week about various experiments I'm conducting as to how to raise the most groceries in the smallest space.  Of course, I'll keep you posted.  She had mentioned that potatoes had kept many folks from starving.  Sometime after the conversation, a thought occurred to me.  I am working on raising potatoes year round in 5 gallon buckets.  I've not been fully successful for a year's supply, but it's been productive enough to keep at it.  I rotate the planting every month, so they can be harvested at intervals.

The past couple of weeks, I've just not been up to much flavor.  Mostly bland comfort food.  Here I was honored to have an unexpected Sabbath guest, none other than Chef Gerry from Cooking with Gerry fame, and the only seasoning on the chicken was sage served with very boring bland baked potatoes.  There was salad, but, I've just been "off my feed" lately.  Back to my thought.  I truly do feel that I am supposed to be prepared to feed people in the coming days.  I'm not talking lavish meals, just nutrition.

As I made some potato soup, it occurred to me that potato soup is very filling, nutritious, and all the ingredients are right here on the place, growing or stored year round.  Potato soup will satisfy the heartiest of appetites, as well as pureed for baby food.

In the mean time, baby steps of sufficiency.  It only takes a window sill to have your favorite fresh herbs.

Testing 1, 2, 3

I'll hopefully have photos next week of my latest test.  Seems every year, while trying to repeat what has been successful, I also try something new.  I even have two greenhouses.  One for the testing phase, and one to repeat the past year's success.  I learned the hard way, a failed greenhouse test in the winter, affects all the plans!  One night below freezing can kill everything.

Here at the homestead, I use the same tried and true testing method I learned about in elementary school.  There is a control group and an experimental group.   Actually here it's a control greenhouse and an experimental greenhouse.  Now in the spring and summer, it's a control garden and an experimental garden, usually.  This year, however; I'm planting all over the place.  I truly do want to be prepared for Shemita.  I'm hoping to only need to purchase paper products next year.  Since I do live agriculturally, it feels like I should be observing this upcoming seventh year according to Torah.

There's also the fact that according to the book of Jeremiah, G-d can cause the land to rest and America has certainly made the same mistakes as ancient Israel and more, probably.  The sad thing about us, is we'll have no excuse.  At least Israel only ignored Jeremiah's voice.  We are choosing to ignore his written word, and the recorded history we say we believe.

I'm trying some square foot experiments this year as well as a garden spot, in hopes of offering urban dwellers some good food ideas.  Photos next week, I hope!

Plant Something . . .

If you do not live where you can have any chickens or livestock, at least plant something!  All this talk of grocery price increases due to drought, is more than just talk.  Now the regions where most commercial fruits and vegetables are raised have incurred the same dilemma the cattle country saw a couple of years ago.  We all know what happened to beef prices . . .

The one difference between the produce and beef, however; is even though everyone doesn't have room for cattle, most folks can raise at least a few of their own veggies.

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/04/15/attention-shoppers-fruit-and-vegetable-prices-rising/

http://www.kens5.com/news/255294801.html

Corn Planting

I'm not an expert in this field, but I have taken note of a few things.  First and foremost, due to genetic engineering and genetic modification, true unadulterated corn, as our Creator intended is becoming very difficult to protect and ensure.  Wind pollination can theoretically carry for up to two miles, and corn is a big crop, but the big yields are a result of genetic tampering.  This makes it very difficult for the organic, natural, hobby, homesteading, or heirloom farmer to maintain their goal.  Meanwhile, back at the "ranch" the genetic engineering companies can taint pure products AND sue for seed ownership due to the tainting!

In my quest to continue to plant and harvest heirloom produce, I do my best to keep cross pollination from occurring.  The biggest areas in which I struggle are the squash, melons, and corn.  There truly has to be some serious distance between even zucchini and cantaloupe.  One year there was zucchaloupe.  I've pretty well resolved that problem with "scatter gardening."

In the effort to prevent corn from hybridizing, the best way I've discovered to date is to space the planting, by a few weeks, so the tasseling does not occur simultaneously.  I plant sweet corn in March and field and pop corn in April.  Since corn is primarily wind pollinated, I'm also mindful of the directions of the crop in relationship to each other.  Let me explain.  I reserve the space for the field corn to be planted  to grow north and east of the sweet corn and the popcorn.  This year my garden rows run east and west, so in the middle of the garden, many rows south and on the other side of the okra, I've planted the "sweet corn."  The end of April, I'll plant the popcorn in a small garden spot well south of the sweet corn.

Since most summer winds come from the south or the west, if some of the field corn is pollinated by the sweet corn, the quality will not be altered much, and the seeds I harvest will be from stalks on the far row from the sweet corn.  If the sweet corn is by chance pollinated by the popcorn, the texture can be slightly altered, but in planting a month apart, it's not been an issue to date.  Popcorn is the tricky one, which is why it's planted as far away as possible and to the south.  Popcorn won't pop right if it's cross pollinated with sweet corn.  I'm still adjusting to heirloom corns, as we've become so accustomed to GMO.

Attention Urbanites

Realizing not everyone has room for a greenhouse or even a garden space, I did a little experimenting this winter.  Honestly, the experiment was not about harvesting, as much as it was simply seeing what plants would remain alive through the winter, if they didn't freeze.

Last fall, I bought a kiddie wading pool on clearance.  I think I gave $5.00.  I recommend buying them new, to prevent the chances of cracks or leaks.  First I laid an old shower curtain on the floor of a spare bedroom, then set the kiddie pool on it.  The next thing has proven pretty interesting.  I had various plants on the deck and even started a few in flower pots filled with last year's potting soil.  Through the course of the winter I've harvested a few jalapenos, several stalks of celery, and some herbs, but more importantly in my study, they've maintained through the winter.


This is a great concept for indoor square foot gardening.  I was blessed to have an empty space in front of a picture window with southern exposure, but grow lights would work, as well, I'm sure.  For those with indoor kitties, a piece of chicken wire or small gauge fence placed over the top of the pot when planting seeds keeps kitty out of the soil and the plant simply grows right up through the fence.

This is celery started from the end of the stalk.  These two plants have been going for nearly two years now.  It's not my full supply of celery, but it has provided quite a bit.  I repurpose any brown stems and leaves into compost in the pot.





This little tomato is one of many that have come along this winter.  The plant was given to me by a dear friend and this will be it's second growing season.  I've kept it in a pot, so it's not as large as most tomato plants will grow, but it didn't die out in this cold winter either.

This pimento plant is ready to head to the garden, next week.

It's Not Too Late to Do Something

I recommend you take a read through this link and next week, we'll provide several images and links to some wonderful "small garden" gardening ideas.

http://www.pakalertpress.com/2014/02/18/15-reasons-why-your-food-bill-is-going-to-start-soaring/

Straw Gardening

Our Creator created humans to tend the garden.  It's looking like the sky's the limit on finding creative ways to garden.

This site is full of good ideas and information.
http://modernfarmer.com/2013/07/straw-bale-gardening/