Garden Planning

Like so many, this time of year I get lost in my seed catalogues. I've a wonderful 'seed bank' of seeds to select what I want to plant, and will get more serious about seed saving this year, but I still enjoy haunting my catalogues. I use largely Heirloom, and always Non-GMO seeds and plants, so seed saving will be easily done for healthy plants next year. I've always saved my bean seeds...yellow/wax, Dragon Tongue, and green, as well as a few odd ones I experiment with from time to time, but want to get more organized and spot on saving all the others, too.

I'll be choosing which two fruit trees I want to plant this year, too. I'm thinking the apples first. Because the soil is so nutrient deficient, the holes have to be a LOT larger in order to mix in soil amendments. I also have a thick layer of sandstone under my top layer of soil. Depth varies, so I'll have to deal with that issue, too. I'm thinking about Gala, Granny Smith, and Red Delicious. Will choose two from the three, or...hell...may do all three! I'll do Dwarf trees, not because I don't have space available for a full size tree, but because the shorter/smaller trees will be easier for me to care for and pick fruits.

So, I've selected some seeds to start...most I've planted in previous years, and some are experimental. I like to try different things with different seeds to see how best to utilize them for the growing season. Up here? The growing season is really short, so I'm going to try starting and transplanting a couple of things that I wouldn't normally do that with this year. I keep detailed notes that include soil mix, dates seeds are planted/sprout, where the trays are inside, transplant dates, etc. So I know/learn what works, and what doesn't.
 

Some seeds I'll be starting inside in the next couple of days.

Seeds to start soon.

More seeds to start soon.

Although I know it's a tad early, I'll be starting my plants inside soon. I want good-sized plants to transplant when the weather permits. I'm uncertain when that'll be...lol...according to some of the planting sites I've looked at, it won't be till June, but I always get things out earlier than dates given...so, we'll see how that goes.

Garden plan

Garden plan

I've always done a lot of planning like the drawings above because it helps me to have something visual to use as a starting point. Notes...notes...notes! I can't rely on my memory...lol...that's for sure.

So, I'll be planting around the shed where I have a nice area to work a smallish garden that has decent sun exposure with some shade for the hotter months. I was going to work my soil mix into the existing soil, but have decided to do raised beds like I had in Illinois. The soil here is extremely poor, and this won't be my permanent garden area...just for the next couple years. So it makes sense to work with raised beds for now. I'll be building up with largish rocks, which are plentiful around here, and some larger dead fall logs...inexpensive (free, as a matter of fact), and using what I have at hand. Of course, I'll have to fence it in...rabbits...elk...etc...would have a field day destroying anything I plant otherwise. I've quite a few T-posts laying around, and the always available chicken wire, too. I'll probably have to get another roll of chicken wire, but there's always a use for that somewhere.

I'll do something like this for the rain catchment set up. Image from www.ecodiy.org

I'll be setting up a couple of IBC totes, along with guttering on the shed to do rain collection. That's how I'll do some watering in the garden. I'll have around 600 gallons for use, so hopefully that'll get me through 'some' of the dry months here. I'm hoping the short monsoons will keep it replenished. Though the monsoon season rains aren't usually enough to water a garden deeply, I'm hoping they'll keep this rain catchment topped off for the deep watering needed.

Funny...I'm finding that to be true for many things...finding a use for 'that' somewhere. Like...I buy kitty litter in those large plastic containers. I've given a lot of them to friends up here for their use, but I found that they're great to use for my chicken feed and scratch. I keep the bulk (several bags of each) in aluminum garbage cans to keep mice out, then refill the empty kitty litter containers with manageable amounts to carry to the chickens. I can think of more gardening uses for these kitty litter containers already! Recycling at its finest. I imagine I'll do that a lot with many items over time.

Thanks for reading...ciao!

Adjusting to a smaller garden space...

My son has a small area near his house that he usually gardens every year. He has graciously turned it over to me this year, and I'm teaching him some new tricks...like how to pack a LOT in a small space. I also use the Farmer's Almanac, and plant by the moon dates. I've noted (yeah...I keep garden notes each year) that my plants do best when I follow those dates for whichever zone I'm planting. I won't be planting enough to can or dehydrate from the garden, but they have a nice Farmer's Market here where I can get some nice veggies and fruits for that later.

 Peas, carrots, lettuces, radishes, and beets all coming up. Just finished thinning them out this morning.

 Though they can't be seen yet, the green, yellow wax, and Dragon Tongue beans are just beginning to come up, too.

 This is the entire area...pretty small, and mostly unplanted. I'll finish the rest...hmmm...moon dates...some this weekend, and some next week. It'll all be done then.

I've also been working on the border around my son's backyard. It wasn't cared for by previous owners, and Tommy didn't know what to do with it. He knew what he wanted it to look like...clean/cleared up...but had no idea how to accomplish that. He was pretty overwhelmed. Now that I've started it...see pics below...he's getting the idea of 'how' to do it, and pitches in. chuckles...I leave piles of brush, and bags of yard waste for him to clean up! The city here has some odd requirements for brush disposal. Anyway...it's been a slow process because it's pretty dense in there, but it's getting done. There are so many dead branches/trees/yard stuff in here that...well...it's a huge mess.

First small area I cleared out.

Cleared out, yet before things started greening up this Spring.

Cleared area with all kinds of lilies and hostas growing.

Teaching the girls how to trim things up!

Cleared area...trees and weeds were totally overgrown prior to the trim I gave it.

Beautiful trees bordering his yard.

Mostly cleared area, and part of the pile of brush the girls and I trimmed out.

This picture and the two above it just show the back of their yard where I've not started working yet. Gives an idea of what the other areas looked like prior to clean up.

There are some beautiful flowering shrubs in that mess...lilacs, some honeysuckle vines, and I don't know what the other one is, but you can hardly see them for all the overgrowth. A LOT of jonquils, daffodils, Lily of the Valley, hostas, lilies, and I don't know what else was also discovered...came up when the ground was cleared, and the lower branches of the trees were taken out. Some of those trees are growing out in the yard...lol...nature trying to take back a more natural setting. Personally? I kinda like the wildness of it, but they want it more manicured. I can do that, and it will help them sell the house when the military decides where their next duty station will be.

So, I'm keeping busy, but this is hard work! Needless to say...day working...day off...and so on.

Thanks for reading...ciao...Lu

I feel very fortunate...

I've been talking with a good friend who lives in Oakland, CA, and is a movie set designer. Scott's going to come live on the property for a month or two when I get my cabin in place, and help me do much of the work inside the cabin. He's a very skilled craftsman, and will save me tons of money, frustration, and time by hiring him to work with me up there.

While I'd love to hire locally, because it's such a rural area, I'm told it's difficult to get dependable folks to do work as I'll need done to finish the inside of the cabin. Very difficult. My buds that live up there...the Fifields...say that having Scott up there will be a godsend. They wish they'd had a similar option early on. So...I'm feeling really fortunate...and grateful...to have such a skilled friend who can take the time to drive up and help me out.

We'll have to work around his jobs in CA, but he assures me it won't be difficult, and I'll have him for the duration. I figure we can get all the insulation hung, plumbing (shower, kitchen/bathroom sinks, etc), wiring/boxes run and hung, I'll get a couple young fellas (former students who live about an hour away) to help with hanging the drywall, build the wood stove fire barrier, and I'll be good to go to do the finish work myself. Scott says...maybe 6 weeks...probably not that long. Depends on issues with mud (it gets pretty icky certain times of the year) for supply deliveries, and gettin' in and out to pick up what we can ourselves.

Of course, I'll have a professional install the wood stove...not attempting that myself. I want it done right so as to avoid fire hazards. I'll also have an electrician connect the wiring to the main to avoid electrical problems/hazards, and so the all the areas that need inspecting will pass. Because my property is where it's at, I don't really have to do the inspections, but I don't want my kids to run into problems (someday farrrrrrr from now) if they should decide to sell the land/cabin.

So, though things are kind of quiet at this point, I'm still reading, studying, and researching a variety of things in order to refine skills I already possess, and to acquire others that will be needed. I sorely miss my laying hens...daaaaaang those eggs were scrumptious, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching their antics scampering around my yard. I'm itching to move up there, and keep looking at different ways in which I can do so. Realistically? Not in my best interest...so I'll keep plugging along, but it's hard...particularly now...Spring...planning...planting...*groans*...itchin' itchin' itchin' to git 'er done!

Thanks for reading...Ciao...Lu

Growing things...

I grew up in a family of gardeners. When I was young, we had a small yard with a garden out back, and a much larger garden at Grandma's...way bigger yard space to grow one. I remember planting, pulling weeds, harvesting, canning, and freezing...as well as eating all the yummy produce we grew. Also remember my older brother, Mick, throwing nasty bugs at me..slugs...big, fat, green tomato worms. And...sitting under my Grandma's pear tree...next to her...snapping beans, shelling peas, looking at clouds, listening to the different birds. Peaceful...content...loving...warm memories. lol...even Mick and the nasty bugs.

I still love gardening, and cut my gardening teeth (solo gardening as an adult) in the AZ mountains...5200' elevation. Crappy soil that needed massive amounts of amendments to build it up, short growing seasons, unpredictable weather/freezing/monsoons/hail/drought/May snows...did I mention crappy soil? Oh, and feral cats that were always digging up what I planted. My youngest son...then about 3 yrs old...thought it was great that he got to pee on the yard...around my garden borders...to prevent those same cats from crossing a marked territory. It actually worked, too!

I'll be about 2300' higher in NM with a 7200 to 7500' elevation on my property. It slopes...gently in most cases. There are several flat areas where I could do raised beds along the lines of what the Zuni's do up there called "waffle gardening". It's a form of square foot gardening...designed to retain water in a drought inclined area. The soil's crappy...sandy with lots of caliche and rocks and tough weeds. The soil will need amending on a larger scale than I'm accustomed to doing, and using different means by which to do it.

I've been studying permaculture principles for a couple of years now, but only recently got more serious about it. I've purchased several books: Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway; Permaculture: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability by David Holmgren; Sepp Holzer's Permaculture: A practical Guide to Small-Scale, Integrative Farming and Gardening by Sepp Holzer; and Permaculture in a Nutshell by Patrick Whitefield. I've not begun reading those just yet...still finishing the Southwest gardening books I purchased, and am currently taking an online permaculture course that starts with the basics, and will take me through to the actual design elements.

Because of what I'm learning, I'm rethinking just how I'll be 'gardening'...veggies...and how I'll be rehabbing my soil. As I mentioned, I'm learning about soil rehab on a larger scale...so I can plant native species of plants with a better chance of successful growth. I'm learning about nitrogen fixing plants...Hairy Vetch, Winter Rye, etc. I've a small meadow near the lowest slope/border of my land...would make a beautiful spot to do native wildflowers, grasses, and other plants. Start smallish...let it spread naturally...right? Might be a good spot for some fruit trees, too. Will have to think about what I'll do with that particular area.

I'll want to utilize some of the many stones available on the property...mass...to surround my beds. Holds the heat. Days are warmer...lots of wind, too...nights are cool. The extra mass from the stones will hold the heat through the night...helping to keep the soil warmer. I'll also make use of more than one or two cold frames. I've seen some interesting, simple ways to do them...will try different ones to see which I like best...then use that version for the others. I like to start gardening early...earlier the better. With such a short growing season up that high, I'll need all the help I can get extending that time frame.

I'm excited...I get to try new techniques (new to me, anyway), and the idea of working that soil? chuckles...floats my boat! I'll actually get started this Fall, and will plant some winter rye in a couple places to see where it does best. Though I won't be moving up there till 'next' Spring, I'll be closer with our move to So. CA, so I'll be able to drive up in a day...camp out...hang...do my deal...start doin' some of the soil prep. I'm ready!

Thanks for reading. Ciao...Lu