Archive for July, 2009

Planting for Fall

27 July 2009

Dug 5 gallons of used coffee grounds from Erika’s into the ex-daffodil bed yesterday. Today, I planted that bed with one 4.5′ row of each:

Kale
Beets
Kohlrabi
Chard

Also planted buckwheat in about a 2.5′ x 10′ area where I’ve dug potatoes. Planted as green manure, will harvest grain if possible. That’s my second attempt at growing grain, after the amaranth I planted in the Spring.

The amaranth is not doing good — I noticed today that it’s budding, and it’s only about 3′ tall, so we won’t get much grain out of it. I planted that on top of freshly-turned over sod, and that’s probably why it’s doing so poorly. I think after my experience with the amaranth and the butternut this year I can safely say that planting on top of freshly-turned sod is a poor idea, with the exception of potatoes. They seem to be able to grow and make a crop anywhere.

That’s okay, though. There’s not a lot more sod I have immediate plans to turn into garden space.

The bed where I planted the buckwheat was sod 4 months ago. It was pretty easy digging today.

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My Job(s)

22 July 2009

It is my job to prepare for what’s coming. That means coming up with ways to feed my family, coming up with a water source for drinking and washing, learning how to grow as much food as possible on our little piece of land, improving our soil, learning how to preserve food favoring low-energy methods, insulating our house, conserving everything. That’s my overarching job. And it doesn’t matter how depressed I am or how my family life is going or if I have a bad day at work — that job will never go away. It doesn’t matter how much or how little I’m supported or whether people agree with me or laugh at me — I know what’s coming, and I must get ready for it.

I also need to keep my “formal” job in the mainstream economy. Deep down, I hate it, although I try not to feel that or let it show. But I have to keep it and even do well at it, because from that flows money to prepare and health insurance for as long as that means something.

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Garden Update

15 July 2009

Dug up the bed that had daffodils in it now that their foliage has died down. Got most of the weeds out and dug in 5 gallons of leaf compost.

Collected all the daffodil bulbs in a bucket and put them in the basement, will get them planted this Fall somewhere outside the vegetable garden. I don’t like mixing annuals and perennials.

Plan to plant more kale, maybe more chard and carrots. We have about 60 days left before frost.

After I had cut some puslane for my dinner and was washing it, I noticed a bunch of tiny black specks in the wash water and in the salad spinner. I thought, “oh jeez, what is this, some new tiny mite eating my garden?” But it turned out to be purslane seeds! I find that a very happy thought for some reason — it means I’ll have purslane next year!

Was thinking about buying or renting a rototiller as I was digging. I’m trying to do everything as fossil-fuel-free as possible, but it sure would save time and do a better job if I had one of those. So even if I’m planning on eventually gardening without any fossil fuel inputs, if with a roto-tiller I’m able to improve my soil more than I could without it, couldn’t I make a case for using one now?

Also thinking about where to put some hazelnut bushes. A local source of protein would be good.

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First Tomato

13 July 2009

First tomato from the garden today. I split it with the boys. Small but good flavor.

Harvested and used in salad yet more purslane and kale today. I made a big salad, put on some Italian dressing, then put a big hamburger with a slice of cheddar on top. Divine! We’ll definitely be planting more kale.

Tomorrow I want to have some collards and swiss chard cooked. And probably purslane too.

I ask myself, what if our garden was all we had? And I’m apalled by the thought. We’re miles and miles from any kind of self-sufficiency. Could we even come anywhere near on our little bit of land? It hardly seems possible.

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