Still Got My Fingers in the Dirt

     Well, I haven't done any blog posts here for the last 4 years, but I've still been gardening on the same old homestead.  I still have four hens who give us 2 or 3 eggs a day, four on a good day.  Enough for the family.  The garden is getting a good start.  We had asparagus from the garden and eggs for dinner today.  But the real reason I'm writing is the barn pictured in the blog header and below.

An old friend, soon a memory

     The original barn was built sometime between 1910 and 1940.  It has served well for almost 100 years, maybe a little more.  24 stanchions for dairy cows, 3 horse stalls and a hay mow big enough to handle them all.  Think of the barn dances they could have had before the first summer hay crop came in!  The barn now needs re-roofing, significant repairs and painting.  As I began to check on costs, I found them excessive. And I don't need a hay mow.
     New idea: (1) Tear the old barn down and put up a new building on the old foundation.  OR (2) Tear the haymow off the first floor and put a new roof over the old first floor.  OR (3).  Tear the old barn down and put just a roof over the old foundation.  As the concrete floor is 4 feet below the top of the poured concrete side walls, I would still have a peak height of over 9 feet even with a 4/12 pitch.  That's still a very useable building.

Options 1 and 2 Top drawing, Option 3 Bottom drawing

     I'm still in the process of looking for contractors.for demolition or deconstruction and for building  after the demo is complete.  If you are an interested contractor who works in Northern Minnesota, or have an idea about this project, feel free to contact me by email or phone or write a comment in the comments section below.

     I'm going to try to keep this blog active again at least once or twice a month.  Hope to have some garden and chicken pictures and a progress report on the barn in the next issue.  Keep your tools clean and your hands in the dirt.

Blessed Events in the Poultry Maternity Ward and a Spring Recap

 

Chicks at 6 days old

 

Chicks at 6 hours old

     Of course we're all happy here with the 8 new chicks hatched on the first of May in the poultry maternity ward.  They and Miss Wohlters are all doing fine.  The remaining 20 hens in the chicken house have been steadily increasing their egg production this spring, so that we're now at a little over a dozen a day.  Yesterday was a banner day with 17 eggs.


Dining room plants almost 2 weeks along

Planting

     2 weeks ago, from the 23rd thru the 26th of April on the cusp of the moon's first quarter, I started some greens, cukes, cabbage, broccoli, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers and watermelons under grow lights in the dining room.  Some of the lettuces and greens are destined to be part of my hydroponics experiment, but more on that later when they're transferred to their watery home.  The greens, broccoli, cabbage and some of the tomatoes are doing well, while the rest is questionable at this time.  On the 30th of April I planted peas in the East Garden, and on the 4th thru the 6th of May I put in more potatoes, carrots and onions in the Central Garden.  Today, Thursday, is a rain day, but in the next few days I plan to put in beets and turnips and transplant some of the hardier herbs into the garden. 

Arugula, lettuce and Spinach planted 2 1/2 weeks ago

     The arugula, lettuce and spinach I planted under the cold frame are doing well, and the red potatoes that were under the low tunnel are just now starting to pop through.  Lord willing, we'll be eating salads in a few weeks and new red potatoes by the fourth of July.

 

Recap of this Year's Early Spring

     Like Puxatoni Phil, the renowned groundhog from Pennsylvania, I step out of my lair every February 2 to get my outlook for the coming spring.  Unlike Phil, I rejoice whether I see my shadow or not, because the sun is staying up a little longer each day, the days are getting warmer, and I can wake up and start planning my activities for this year's cycle.

10 February, Tuesday. Attended an informational session on Hydroponics.  I do plan to try a few experiments this year.
11-14 March, Wednesday-Saturday. Built new nest boxes for the henhouse, and planted some onion seed under grow lights in the dining room.  Repair roosts in henhouse. (see Wake up, it's spring)
17 March, Tuesday. Radishes and onions in boxes in the greenhouse. (see Creation in the Spring)
10, 19 April, Friday & Sunday. Miss Wohlters started to set on 10 eggs.  Planted red potatoes, radishes, carrots and onions in Low Tunnel.  Lettuce, spinach and arugula in cold frame outside.  Llama poop for new West Garden. (see Dirt, Llama Poop et al)
28 April, Tuesday. Upright piano work table completed. (see Upright Piano Morphs)

Coming Events

      When the time is right, there's a lot more spring planting to do.  A few building repairs, updates,  chicken fencing, and preparations for the hydroponic experiment are also on the agenda.  Small steps each day will yield great rewards.

Me and the Garden, We're Both Running on Slow

     I don't know if it's because of the weather, distractions from other projects or if I'm just groggy after waking from last winter's nap, but the garden is off to a slow and jerky start.  Except for a few warm days it's been a lot cooler than usual for this time of year.  I didn't keep very good records this spring either.

As Near As I Remember

Around April 1st,  I started lettuce and spinach in boxes in the greenhouse.  The spinach is OK, but the lettuce came up very sparse.  They're both coming slower than they should.

Mid-April,  I started a number of plants in the house.  The tomatoes are doing well, some of the pumpkins   and broccoli are OK, but the watermelon, squash and cabbage just didn't make it.

Spinach in a movable box

     In late April, I started planting cold weather crops directly in the garden.

About April 20th,  Planted French breakfast radishes, Spanish onions, carrots, red potatoes and garlic.  The  radishes sprouted about 2 weeks ago, the others are just now starting to sprout, one month later.

Around May 1st,  Moved the boxes of lettuce and spinach outside and planted some more.

About May 10th, planted peas, both little marvel and edible pod

About May 20th, more carrots, white onion sets, Detroit red beets and potatoes, Yukon and kennebec.

Mid-May, the 18 hens started laying regularly and we're getting about a dozen or so eggs a day.

Coming Soon, Lord Willing and the Creek Don't Rise

     That's about where we're at right now.  Hopefully soon both me and the soil will warm up, wake up and get busy.  May 21st the moon entered the last quarter, so it's time to go outside and clean up the weeds in the flowers and strawberries and any place else I find 'em.  In about a week with the new moon I should be planting some more salad crops and some corn.  In two weeks with the second quarter the beans and maybe a few other things will go in.  With the frost danger gone, and the full moon about the second week in June, I should be able to transplant the tomatoes into the garden.  During this time, I'll probably be buying some other plants, like cabbage, watermelon and squash to replace the ones that didn't make it under my grow lights in the house.

     You can see if it wasn't for my Lunar Calendar, I wouldn't get anything done.  Happy gardening, and may the sun and the moon shine down brightly on your lives.  

My World of Gardening as of May 19



The stick in the soup can shows a quarter inch of rain, more or less

RAIN GAUGE AND TATERS

     The snow is gone and the ground is warm, so I was busy from Wednesday the 15th of May until Sunday, the 19th.   Under the straw, directly behind my soup-can rain gauge wired to the fence, is the Yukon gold and the red potatoes I planted on Wednesday.  Nothing is planted yet in the area between the straw and the green house.

3 Sisters; Corn, Beans and Squash

THREE SISTERS GARDEN

     This picture shows the start of the 3 Sisters garden, a 14 foot diameter circle.  Around each stake a hill of corn surrounded by pole beans has been planted.  Later I'll be putting in some squash plants.  The pole beans will climb the corn stalks, and add nitrogen to the soil, while the squash vines will provide ground cover.  Behind the 3 Sisters garden are some sunflowers, 2 rows of peas, some carrots, onions and garlic.  Not shown here, but further east in PA and NY, early sweet  corn was planted.

Lettuce is ready, carrots coming soon

PLANTING BOXES

     The 1'x2' box in the front is 1/2 transplanted carrots and 1/2 carrot seed   The same sized box in the back is leaf lettuce.  The carrots were started in the house on March 29, and transplanted to the box in the greenhouse on April 28.  More carrot seed was planted in the other half of the box on April 28.  The lettuce was started in the greenhouse on April 13, and has been supplying us with salad since the second week in May.  I moved the boxes outside on May 19.  With some minor changes, which I'll describe when I build them, I'm planning to make more boxes like this for next spring.

COMING SOON
     After the full moon on May 24, I'll be planting more potatoes, carrots, onions and beets.  I'll also be transplanting the broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins and flowers from the greenhouse to the garden.  Depending on the room I have left, I'll probably also buy a few more plants.   Lord willing and the creek don't rise, ALMOST everything will be in the ground by the first of June.

Garden Plan 2013

     It's May 11 and there was a coating of snow on the yard and garden when I woke up this morning.  Right on top of the spinach I planted yesterday in California.  No harm done, just a slow start for germination, but I kinda hope it doesn't snow in June.  Sorry, but no pictures.  It all melted by noon.
     In the fall of 2012 I changed my over-all plan generally from beds of 20 feet by 2 1/2 feet, 50 square feet, to plots of approximately 112 to 126 square feet.  My reasoning was two-fold.  1) Too much grass on the edge of the beds tended to creep into the garden, and 2) it gave me more useable growing space.  I still haven't decided where I'm going to plant what, but I'll update as I go.

Main Garden, 2013

     Buildings are outlined in red, chicken yards have sketches of red chickens, fences are lines with X's, grassy areas are indicated by grass symbols, and garden plots by rectangles with state abbreviations.    
     Puerto Rico and Martinique are not shown on this map.  They are located south of the chicken coop and yard, and contain about 480 square feet.  More detail is available by clicking on "Garden Map and Geography" at the top of this page.

California Plot, 2013

     In 2011 and 2012, I had 3 plots, each 8' by 2 1/2 feet, named Washington, Oregon and California.  In 2013 I combined them into a new plot named California, 9 feet by 15 feet.  Crops planted in 2011 and 2012 were as follows:
                                                                                                                                    E
                                                                                                                                N +  S
                             2011                                                                      2012                W
                                                                                                                                                        
|           Corn           Corn          Corn               |       |             S                G                Hungarian    |
|                                                                       |       |             p                 o                    Wax          |
|          Squash        Squash      Squash          |       |              i                 u                   Pepper       |
|                                                                       |       |             n                 r                                      |
|               &                &                &                 |       |             a                 d                    Tomato     |
|           Beans           Beans        Beans          |       |             c                 s                                      |
|                                                                       |       |             h                                        Tomato    |

     In 2013 I covered the plot with manure and straw from the chicken coop and tilled it up.  On May 10, I planted the South 7 feet in Spinach, Burpee Bloomsdale Long Standing.  On the West half of that, I put about 10# of commercial compost directly in the spinach furrows, whereas on the east half I sprinkled about 10# on top after I planted.
     As I have more activities in the California plot, I will add them to this Post.

No Snowstorm here

     Sorry about all that snow you guys are getting down South.  Winter Storm Achilles missed us completely here in Northern Minnesota. 


May 2, snow finally gone

     The plants are all in the greenhouse now.  On nights when it looks like the temperature will go down to freezing or below, I turn on a supplementary electric heater as a precautionary move.  Last Sunday and Monday I re-potted the cabbage and broccoli and planted radishes and potatoes in the greenhouse.  I also tried transplanting the carrots I started earlier into half of a 1'x2' planting box, planting carrot seed in the other half.
     We are now gathering plenty of eggs.  Two days after I switched the chickens from corn to laying mash, they started laying four to five eggs a day instead of one or two.  Next week it's time to clean the henhouse and put in new straw.

Coming Soon

     The moon is in the fourth quarter on May 2nd, so besides cleaning the chicken coop, I plan to get manure down in the garden and till up the area where I'll soon be planting early crops like greens and root crops.  I also hope to get some weeding done in the perennials.  Lord willing, we'll see a little rise in temperatures and I'll start to plant some hardy crops outside at the new moon on May 9th.

Thursday Morning Update

     Yesterday I turned the heater off in the greenhouse during the day, and forgot to turn it back on in the evening.  It was a stupid move, as the heater is thermostatically controlled, and turns off anyway when the temperature gets up to about 40 degrees F.  Anyway, the temperature last night was a few degrees below freezing, about 28 F, and I lost some tomatoes, and squash.  I may have to add starting a few new plants to my schedule in the next week.
     On a more positive note, my friend Dean stopped over today and left me some beautiful plants.  He gets his seeds from Heirloom Seeds (www.heirloomseeds.com), and does a wonderful job starting them off.  The tomato in the center is a "black from Tula", originating from the Ukraine.  I forgot the name of the pepper on the left and the basil on the right, but I'll get those next time I see Dean.  He's going to bring me more tomatoes next week to replace some of those I lost.  Win some, lose some, it all balances out.

Oh, the woes of gardening

"The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley."  ...Robert Burns

     My tomatoes all died of wilt, as did the cabbage and broccoli I transplanted to Indiana.  Though the carrots I planted in Iowa are doing well, the ones in Texas have not sprouted.  Even the radishes are coming up spotty.  Worst start I've had in gardening in years.  Being this is the first time I've blogged on the net about my garden, could it be a computer virus?
     OK, so the potatoes and peas are starting off nicely, we've had one meal of asparagus, and the strawberries are blooming.  We gathered some spinach and lettuce for a salad, and the hens laid 9 eggs today.  So nothing's ever perfect in gardening and in life.  I've changed my plans many times in the past, and can do so again.  Now that I'm done ranting, here's what I did today:
     I planted more spinach, Burpee Bloomsdale long standing, in Washington and Oregon, and American Seed Grand Rapids lettuce in the south 6 feet of Idaho(old seed packaged for 2010).  I planted more Golden Bantam sweet corn in the south 8 feet of Indiana and Ohio,  I'll buy tomato plants to put in my new Puerto Rico section, and other as yet unspecified plants, (pumpkins? zucchini? peppers?) to go elsewhere.  And more carrot seed for the north end of Idaho.
     If you're curious about the locations, Iowa, Texas, Indiana, Puerto Rico and so on, click on the "Garden Map and geography" tab above.  To pass on your condolences for the tomatoes, or any other comments or suggestions, click on "comments" below.

Tomato wilt

     I've been keeping this to myself, a little depressed maybe, but my magnificent tomatoes have evidence of wilt.  On Saturday I tried cutting it away on some of the healthier plants, and threw away  a lot of them.  When I repotted, I used some garden soil, not steralized. That may have been the source.  Worst case scenario, .I'll have to buy all new plants.  There, I feel better now that I've confronted it.
     More pleasant news, On Friday I harvested some asparagus, and the peas look really good. On Saturday, I weeded and mulched the peas and garlic.  The asparagus and strawberries also need a weeding, and I'll get to that in the next day or two.

Poultry report, Old Red is dead

     When I walked into the chicken coop yesterday morning, our old red rooster was laying dead right below his roost.  I figured he must have died peacefully in his sleep, and just fell off. I buried him beside the barn in the shade of the big black spruce trees, next to the little red hen, who died last fall.  He was 4 years old, which is not real old for a chicken, but old enough that he didn't fly over the fence to go exploring like some of the others do.  We still have one rooster, so for the most part the eggs will still be fertilized.

Old Red is the one on the left (I think)

Last year when Old Red had two mates

     In other news, the red potatoes are beginning to make their appearances in Iowa and Colorado along with a few Yukon gold in Kansas.  The carrots have popped through in Iowa and New York, and are making a good showing in Texas.  Kennebec haven't popped up yet, but they're a late potato.

New Garden area tilled and planted

     On Thursday, the 26th, I tilled up a new area in the old chicken yard, just south of the old chicken house.  The old chicken house is on the SE corner of the main garden. (click on garden map, US geography above)  The total area is about 14 feet by 30 feet.  On Friday I put on a load of pigeon manure and on Saturday I planted the southern half, which I call Martinique, in NK golden cross bantam sweet corn, with a very small section in the SW corner in American Seed early golden bantam.  The northern half, which I call Puerto Rico, is planned for tomatoes to be planted later.  I also planted a row on the north edge of Texas in sunflowers, seed I had saved from last year's crop.
     On Monday, May first, I planted  green beans, contender, in north Kansas, SMR 58 cucumbers in North Colorado, and 6 hills of Table Queen acorn squash in between the corn rows in Martinique.  On Thursday the 3rd, I manured and tilled up everything else, Washington, Oregon, California Minnesota and Ohio.  I planted Romano green beans, a pole type, in Minnesota.  The seed packet says its an Italian broad bean, "buttery tender with a distintive hardy flavor."  "Harvest in 60 days."

     I noticed today that the asparagus is starting to show itself.  The peas, lettuce, spinach and radishes have been up for a while.  No blossoms on the strawberries yet, but they are looking good.  The plum trees are in full blossom, while the crabapples are just starting to blossom.  The irises and the wild rose canes are greening up.  Of course no buds yet.  The oak tree doesn't have any leaves yet, but it's always the last one to green up.  I know I'm supposed to wait until the oak leaves are as big as squirrel's ears before planting the corn, but we'll see if I get sweetcorn by the end of July.  Life is one big experiment.