Uncharted Heritage: Gardening

Showing posts with label Gardening. Show all posts

20180407

The Fruit Cocktail Tree

Angel Buff April 07, 2018 0 Comments

Adding fruit to our little homestead.

We would love to someday have a small orchard on our property. There are already a couple of large pear trees that need some care. We are working to figure out what we need to do to get them healthy and productive.

Thursday we bought a couple of blueberry bushes (we will talk about the blueberries another day) and we also purchased a "fruit cocktail tree."

What is a "fruit cocktail tree"?

It is a fruit tree that has had branches [typically from the same species] grafted onto it. Our tree has peaches, plums, apricots, and nectarines. However, one of the limbs (nectarine) seems to be dead. Only time will tell for sure. This was the only one available at our local nursery with four possible fruits, so we figured we would try.

Why did we choose a "fruit cocktail tree" to begin our orchard?

Well, why not? 😊 It will be pretty awesome and amazing to see different fruits growing on the same tree after all. But that is not the only reason.

Since we are on a tight budget, we were not sure if we will be able to purchase any other trees this spring. This tree gives a variety of fruit within the one tree. It seemed to be a good idea as a start to our orchard. I am very excited to see this tree grow and produce.

For more information on planting and pruning fruit trees, we referred to: Storey's Basic Country Skills: A Practical Guide to Self-Reliance and Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills

20180323

Planning Planting

Angel Buff March 23, 2018 0 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I shared our tentative plan for companion planting in our garden. Now it is time to decide just where in our yard we will place each of these sections of vegetable combinations, and to make preparations to actually start planting.

Time for a little more research... I learned which plants can and cannot be started indoors (mostly obvious) and which plants do not want their root systems disturbed. I also learned ideal timing for planting each vegetable. (It is important to note that we live in USDA Hardiness Zone 7, so depending upon where you live, timing could be different for you.)

So far my journal has been extremely helpful to us. I am able to jot down notes quickly and scribble out plans, sit down for some research, keep it close by when we are outside working, and hopefully look back on it in the future-- to learn from what we have tried in the past.

At the moment we have taken our companion planting notes and configured it into four main garden areas in our yard. We are preparing the ground and will begin planting soon.

Alright, we got lots of work to do now...see you later...

20180312

Vegetable Garden Companion Planting - Our Tentative Plan

Angel Buff March 12, 2018 0 Comments

This year we are going to try companion planting. One of the benefits of companion planting is protection from pests and diseases when planting in the right combinations.

I have been studying the vegetable companion guide in Storey's Basic Country Skills (picture below), as well as various online resources.

To begin grouping the vegetables we want to plant, I got out all of our seed packs, sat down with them and began to pair items up following the chart, and removing items that were not preferred. Almost as if I was playing a card game. If I had an item that was not listed on the guide, I would check for references online.

After I used all my ~~cards~~ seed packs, I began to make lists of the combinations, adding items I didn't have a seed pack for, and also any special notes of things to consider when we begin planting.

We ended up with six garden groups (shown below). This is our basic (tentative) grouping plan.

I am excited to get started, and anxious to see how well our gardening and groupings work out this season.

Do you garden using the companion planting method?

This post is linked at Saturday Sparks @ Pieced Pastimes

20180220

Planning and Journaling

Angel Buff February 20, 2018 0 Comments

It is almost Spring and we are excited to be planning our garden.

I put together a gardening/homesteading journal - nothing fancy - just an old, unused notebook with pockets, folders, notebook paper [for notes] and blank pages [to draw out plans] - something easy to keep up with and something that doesn't matter if it gets a little dirty when used outside. It will be nice to have something to carry around and make notes with.

I believe the journal will be a great tool to keep track of what works well, as well as to make notes of our failures. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes each year, make adjustments, and improve. I really wish this is something that we started a lot sooner.

Do you keep a gardening and/or homesteading journal/log?

Something that we are planning to change up this year is the location of our vegetable garden. Our previous location seemed ideal. We enjoyed the proximity of the garden to the house and the shed. It also was on a hill, but leveled. The garden, well, it just looked good there. So what is wrong with this location? Morning Glories! and Bindweeds! Pesky weeds that are disguised as innocent flowers. But these weeds grow quickly, are nearly impossible to get rid of, and they choke out the vegetables.

We spent a little time the other day examining the property for a new location to try this year. We have a few ideas, though nothing has been determined yet. Before we make a decision we are going to do a little research about what we are wanting to try growing this year - we are currently working on our list.

20121209

"Back to Eden"

Angel Buff December 09, 2012 0 Comments

We wanted to share a link with you for a documentary that was a blessing to us. Mr. Gautschi causes you to really think about gardening differently, both physically and spiritually.

"BACK TO EDEN shares the story of one man’s lifelong journey, walking with God and learning how to get back to the simple, productive methods of sustainable provision that were given to man in the garden of Eden."

So, if you are interested and haven't already seen it, you can click on this link to see the documentary free.

20121008

A Gardener Learns...The Fall Garden

Angel Buff October 08, 2012 1 Comments

Barbara Dodge Borland said it best, “A gardener learns more in the mistakes than in the successes.”

In September we went ahead and planted our small fall garden, in part because we were anxious to get going, but also as sort of an experiment. We knew that by getting started we would begin our learning experience. Things are not going bad, but definitely could be better. What we planted (spinach and leaf lettuce) is growing, but growing at seemingly a slower pace than what should have been anticipated. However, Morning Glories are loving the garden's bed and are trying to take it over!

We are keeping a journal of what we are learning, so that in our next attempts we will know areas to change and improve upon. For now the soil is extremely rocky and very dense and likely in need of a lot of nutrients.

Our goal is to stay organic, so we will be doing some research on organic fertilizers and will continue with composting in hopes to build the soil’s richness and, just maybe, with what we learn, our spring garden will produce a much better yield.

Linking up with: Crafty Garden Mama's "Tuesday Greens"

20120910

Playing in the Dirt

Angel Buff September 10, 2012 2 Comments

Anyone who has ever taken care of a small child will know that most projects take a little extra time, effort, and planning. But it is so worth it, when you see that child growing and learning and excited. We have been working in the yard, planning and preparing [mostly for next season]. However, we have set a small section aside to experiment with this fall (for now just some spinach and lettuce). So while John and I worked to get the ground prepared and the seeds sown, our daughter was given the opportunity to explore, play in the dirt, and even helped out a little (she was given the task of “throwing rocks out of the garden”).

"Play is the highest form of research." ~Albert Einstein

Linking up with: Mommy Teaches Friday Blog Hop at "A Little R&R" and Homemaking Link-Up at "Raising Homemakers" and Homestead Barn Hop at "Homestead Revival"

20120823

Home of our Future Herb Garden

Angel Buff August 23, 2012 0 Comments

I have wanted an herb garden for a really long time. Herbs are so versatile. They are not just for cooking! They have many other uses around the home and garden (i.e. crafts, bouquets, insect repellant), and some can even be used medicinally or as beauty products.

We have a perfect spot for our ‘cooking herbs.’ A somewhat small (7 ft x 4 ft) area that is located directly out the back door [the door that leads from the kitchen]. Since it is advised to prepare the soil well ahead of time, we have cleaned this area (in anticipation of spring planting) and have placed a couple of layers of some organic materials and later we will add fertilizer. This location is ideal, not only for our convenience with its proximity to the kitchen, but also because this spot stays in the sunlight a good portion of the day. Most of the herbs we are considering planting require a lot of sunlight, generally at least six hours a day.

Before...

After/Progression...

Since this garden will be relatively small, we will have to carefully choose which herbs to try out there in the coming year. What are some of your favorites?

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