Recorded May 27
We finally got a break in our dry weather. After 2 days of good rain we took some time to wonder around the garden. Huge earthworms everywhere.
Looking at our new garden plot. And our tractor.
Jul 082009
Jul 082009
Corn is one of our favorite vegetables on the homestead. Although it’s not a high yielding plant for the area it takes up, it’s well worth growing! There is nothing like a nice cob of sweet corn along with a summer BBQ. Home canned corn will be a wonderful addition to the winter menu.
To plant corn, till the ground working in composted manure.
Make rows 1 foot apart.
Drop the seeds of corn into rows 4 inches apart.
Cover 1/2 to 1 inch with soil, pat down and water.
Corn is ready to harvest when the husks are dark green and the silks are brown.
Jul 082009
Sharing some tips and ideas that have worked well for us.
Jul 082009
A video about types of rototillers and basic maintenance.
Jul 082009
We grow a large amount of potatoes each year. The past two years we have harvested between 2500 and 3000 pounds of potatoes. Our garden area is to small to use a tractor to hill the potatoes but still a big job by hand.
To save a lot of time hubby built this wonderful potato hiller!
Jul 082009
Fertilizing is a very important part of gardening. This video discuses different types of organic fertilizer and how to use them.
Jul 082009
Image via Wikipedia
Strawberries are the jewel of the early garden. In our area they are the first fruits ready to harvest in the garden season. I prefer to buy bear root stock from a local nursery. This minimizes shock to the plants and is often the cheapest way to purchase strawberry plants.
Select a growing area that receives full sun and has good drainage. Then till the area adding composted manure. Before planting bear root stock you will need to soak them in warm water for 24 hours. This helps to wake up the plant and will give them a much better start.
Dig a hole 18″ apart and just deep enough to bury the roots. Spread the roots out in the hole and cover with soil, making sure the crown of the plant is just above soil level and water well. In the video below I was planting in a raised bed, because of this I planted the berries 12 inches apart. The strawberries send off runners that you can reposition between the mother plants. These will fill in the spaces around the original planting and produce a nice carpet of strawberries.
Jul 082009
Carrots are a wonderful vegetable to grow. They are easy to store in a root cellar and can and freeze easily.
Carrots need a deep lose soil with out many stones. If you have a harder clay soil type, try digging in some sand. Also look for shorter root carrots that do well in heavy soils.
I have found that carrots grow much better for us in raised beds.
To plant carrots, till the soil.
Make your rows 1 foot apart in a normal garden setting, 3 to 4 inches apart in a raised bed.
Sprinkle seeds 3 inches apart.
Cover with 1/4 inch of soil and water.
To help the germination cover the planted area with a board. This helps keep the sun off the soil, so it stays soft and moist. Once carrots start to sprout remove the board.
Jul 082009
We are planting our potato crop. Sharing some tips, gardening with kids.
We plant 8 inches apart about 4 inches deep. When the plants grow about 6 to 8 inches tall we start to hill up the sides.
Jul 082009
Starting your own seeds is so easy! Yet many people are intimidated by it. Here we share a video showing how to start tomato seeds.
