livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Healthy soil and sustainable growing
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- From: SALTMINES@aol.com
- To: Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org
- Cc: TheStarNav@aol.com
- Subject: [Livingontheland] Season update
- Date: Mon, 2 Jul 2007 08:00:08 EDT
Interesting things happening in our garden: the direct seeded
tomatoes have almost caught up to the two bought plants and are the most
vigorous I've ever seen. Successive radish crops are perking along really well
and grace our table everyday. Newly set strawberries are extremely healthy,
beans (blue lake bush, black turtle, taylor dwarf and lima fordhook bush) are
just beginning to set pods. All other plantings seem to be doing
well: yellow squash, cucumber (bush) turnips, cantaloupes, pumpkins,
watermelon, gourds, carrots.
Our main field under cultivation (about 3/4 acre) is planted with
corn. The plan is to use this corn (mixed with wood pellets) to heat house
and shop. Last year we bought two tons of corn (at $180 each) and it really
worked well to extend the wood pellets we burn. If I can't get the corn dried or
exchanged at the co-op for dried corn, it will be a fabulous banquet for the
deer and other wild life here. Last winter was especially hard on the wild
animals; our small trees and bushes took direct hits: what the deer didn't want
the rabbits worked hard at leveling.
Our 'garden' is about 20 x 50 feet set in one side of the main
cornfield. It consists of 10 five foot strips with planks in between, each
strip divided in two five foot lengths. The planks were piled on the
property when we bought here in 2004 and my guess is they were used for the
same purpose before we got here. Am using matted clods from the light
plowing as mulch and it is working really well, keeping the ground moist for
various plants.
Beans and various melon plants are planted between several rows of
corn around the entire field and it's interesting to note that the bean plants
nearest the river wetlands are 'pruned' with great regularity, deer tracks
evident.
Especially fun for us: I threw a couple quarts of Mammoth Sunflower
seeds (with a little corn seed) into my ancient Black Hawk planter
and circled the field. The race is on between corn and sunflowers!
Am hoping for a rich sunflower harvest, to have enough seed for a sunflower
field next year, as well as for roasting.
Stephen (Western Michigan) See what's free at AOL.com. |
- [Livingontheland] Season update, SALTMINES, 07/02/2007
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