Here's Justin prepping another raised tomato bed on one of his gardening days. His untiring efforts never cease to amaze me. I think his fantasies of going back to the earth are really starting to kick in! That reminds me, I'm getting my own camera and software soon so I can practice my photography skills while my friend get their share of horticultural therapy ;)It is satisfying to grow your own food; ethically, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Living simply as we were meant to as a functioning part of this planet has become our greatest gift. In making the right choice to live as congruently as we can on the earth we are taking part in a revolution.. its happening now right in people's backyards across the country and more. Giving back to this beautiful planet is the least we can do.
May has been a blur of new challenges for us. From using the wrong mulch and experimenting with soil mixtures to finding out just how much the chickens love to peck at baby seedlings (especially cucumbers!). The first year will surely be a test of will and hopefully only strengthen my resolve to continue on this amazing path.
Finding out just which vegetables do best here will probably take much longer. We hope to improve that aspect more and more as additional beds are added. Other projects underway are installing a rain percolating back patio planted with edible herbs to help retain the little rain we get each year instead of sending it down polluted streets to end up in our sewers. With our chicken arks completed and filling up rapidly with new additions we are planning a full-sized coop to house everyone!
Another bit of news, I harvested our first tomato last week along with the first radishes and some tiny yellow snow peas of the season. The tomato and radish were incredible and like nothing you can find in a grocery or even a farmers market. For some reason, only small backyard gardens seem to be able to produce tomatoes such as these! YUM. The snow peas are not as sweet as they should have been and it may be due to the late planting or maybe the variety... there's so much to learn!
3 comments:
Hi Lin. Wrong mulch! I bought some government mulch and used it on my ornamentals. It was tempting to use it in the vegetable garden - but I resisted. It's composted horticultural waste and is supposedly safe. But, what if some treated wood (say fence posts) got thrown into the mix. Well, in that case you are spreading arsenic in your vegetable garden - then ingesting heavy metals. I don't want to be paranoid (well, maybe a bit) but I don't trust any government saying it's ok. Has it really been tested, and to what standards? I'm trying to make my own mulch. I'll tell you more if you're interested.
I can just imagine the chickens picking at your seedlings! Who's taking pictures when Justin is working in the garden? A little elf?
Hi,
I saw you over at Prospero's blog and noticed your name. My name is Lin Greene! Lol, small world, but I think a common name. Nice to meet you and I love the look of your blog and photos!
Prospero,
The mulch we have used so far on the vegetable garden is basically an all-natural wood chip of some kind. We are very interested to try as many different methods as possible and are doing our research before buying anything. Unfortunately, the mulch we put down for the pathways in between garden beds is a run of the mill cedar bark mulch and we are concerned about that very fact you mentioned and currently in the process of locating an all natural/un-treated mulch provider. Another option would be to buy a wood chipper and make our own with recycled branches ad scrap wood (though we hate to have noisy machines here on the homestead).
Lin,
Wow, its always nice no meet someone who spells their name like I do. For the longest time growing up I thought I surely must have been the only one! The fact that we have (almost) the same last name is just down right crazy ;) Nice to meet you, and thank you for visiting!
-Peace!
Post a Comment