Tuesday, February 14, 2012

Goings On

It's winter. You'd think a gardener's life would slow down a little. Seedlings take some time. This is our second year planting under lights, and the learning curve makes it a bit time consuming, but it's not a huge job.  So we've been asking ourselves what can we do now that will be impossible to do when spring arrives, and we're finding plenty to do. This is what we've been up to lately.

 We need wood! We need garden boxes in a couple places and we want to build a goat shed but we don't want to pay for wood. Is that bad? Anyway, my eye has been on the look out for wood. Belle and I were driving down route 81 near our home when I spied a huge pile of wood in an old farm field. We tracked it down, talked to neighbors and found out it was an old barn that was torn down. The owners recently passed away, and the farm was sold to a developer. They're building a golf course. The next morning I took my pickup to the wood pile and filled it up. I expect them to burn the pile soon, so I plan to go back.
You know what they say, it's good to bend the steel while it's hot. The wood is worth it. It's old and beautiful and oddly sized. I feel like we're saving a tiny piece of the old world for our garden. When it's finally in place, I know we'll appreciate having a piece of farming history in our back yard.







We've been hauling a lot of compost over the last couple of weeks. Our goal is to cover the entire garden this year. I don't know if that's excessive. I don't know what that will do to the pH. I do know our soil will appreciate the boost of micro-organisms. Besides, it's warm this winter. How often does a gardener in our region use the month of February to haul compost? Not often! So that's what we're doing.



We also extended the garden another 15 feet for the new season.

The birds like the worms.

That stump's root system will be a bear!


We're found a small family owned organic wheat farm, Small Valley Milling,  in Halifax, PA about an hour away. With only an acre, that's a big deal to us, because we're too small to grow our own grain. The drive is worth it. The farmer charges less than half the price of organic wheat berries in the grocery store. Plus, he's local and his grain is fresh. We're trying to either grow our food ourselves or personally know the person who grew it. That's kind of hard for people who like to eat out!


Last but not least, our fall seed plants are happy. Here's a few picks of what's growing in our basement.

Waltham 29 from Fedco (I think)

Aussie Brown onions from Kebun Malay Girl

Red Acre cabbage from Robin.


Kai-Lan from Kebun Malay girl

We've also started growing leeks, several other varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, asparagus, celery, kale, mustard greens and chard. We can't wait for spring. How about you?

13 comments:

  1. oo boy. :) I added two more shop lights. Moving out from under the stairs to right next to the washer (thats moving on up!) A square meter of a few hundred plants now!

    I know, I know. Im way behind. I need to plant several hundred more before it warms up so I have months old plants. But *le sigh* I need more soil for the pots!

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    1. I need to add shop lights too. In fact I need to buy another shelf. We'll be planting egg plants in a couple weeks and we're running out of room. And then tomatoes and...

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  2. Nice! You've been so busy!!! I love your reclaimed wood and local wheat berries and am incredibly jealous! I chuckled a little when you said that it's hard to know the person who grew your food when you like to eat out a lot! We're trying to get better at that, too. baby steps are still steps and incredibly important!!! ;-) Happy (almost) spring!

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    1. We do like to eat out. This Saturday we're going out for sushi to celebrate a birthday. What's a guy gonna do? Ask if the raw tuna and rice is local? Stop eating sushi... hmmm?

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  3. Your baby veggie plants look so good! The grow lights really make a difference don't they? I'm not really planning to start seeds early this year because the house is in such chaos with the kitchen dismantled. I agree though, about spreading compost over the entire garden! I'd love to spread it all over our entire place.

    Great score on the wood! I would hate to buy it as well. And what good providence to find a truly local source of grain. Sounds like things are really going well for you all.

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    1. The grow lights make all the difference. We're so thankful for that grain! Things are going very well. I'm enjoying a view of the renovations going on at your place.

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  4. I love to use recycled wood when ever I can as well!! Our chicken coop was sided with old fence slats that someone gave us from a pile in there yard!

    Your starts look great, the learning curve for starting new plants under lights is pretty easy. Just a couple of years and you will know what works for your set up!!

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    1. The one hang up I see with this wood is the possibility of termites. I inspected it very closely. We should be fine. Glad you could use the old fence. It's amazing how much 2nd hand wood is out there.

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  5. So...is there a goat in your future???

    The garden is going to love all that compost! It looks like you are getting a good head start on your garden!

    I just wish that the new plots were ready :(

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    1. I'm really sorry to hear the plots aren't ready. If something doesn't change it's going to mess up the whole year. Hopefully it won't be too much longer.

      We're hoping to get 2 Nigerians, but it won't be soon. I have to build a goat house and fence the back hillside first. Plus, the goats are about 300 dollars each.

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  6. There are some really beautiful timbers mixed into that salvaged wood - good find! Your seedlings look healthy and beautiful. I love to look at them once in a while and admire how fast they really grow.

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    1. You saw the timbers! I'm very excited about them. They're a rare find. I'm enjoying the seedlings too. They're great.

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  7. You found a treasure there. Look very sturdy and good wood. It will be a waste to let them burn. Your seedlings look great :).

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