How to plant a garden in the mud!

Actually I have no idea how to plant my garden in the mud. We had seven inches of rain last week (week prior to Easter). The ground is saturated. Thankfully the areas of the main garden and onion garden where I have tilled in copious amounts of compost (cotton burr and cow manure) have drained very well. I was able to get some planting done on Saturday (April 23). Sadly, less than a third of my garden is now in the ground. Boxes of seeds are still stacked up in the mud room.

The heirloom tomatoes from Tasteful Garden arrived on Thursday. I was on a mission to get all 35 of them in the ground Saturday.  The plants were robust and healthy.  Nothing like arriving home to six large boxes of plants for the garden. Thankfully the weather held and I was able to get them all in the ground. 

The shallots from my favorite seed company (Johnny’s Selected Seeds) arrived Saturday.  I chose to grow ‘Pikant’ this year. I have a special garden that I set aside for onions, leeks and shallots. It is a sandy loam soil that is amended with a thousand pounds of compost. I ran out of bulk compost and had to purchase fifty pound bags of compost. Thus my aching back can attest to the thousand pound number.  I also planted several rows of leeks, bunch onions and shallot seeds. This is my first year to grow any of them from seed (I always purchased sets) so we will see how it goes.

The pepper plants also arrived and are nestled in their little row of the garden. The plants look fabulous. I can only hope they produce as well as they look.

I am experimenting with cut flowers this year. I ordered the Pro Cut  Gold F1  Sunflower from Harris Seeds. I planted a row in thewide row that will also support our melon crop.  Looking  forward to see how they do in our hot, humid climate.  The fifty tubers of dahlias I ordered from Swan Island Dahlias have all sprouted. I hope to have a row of robust color in a little over two months.

Planted a bit of buckwheat on the fringe of the upper vegetable garden. I was unable to adequately prepare this parcel. I have decided to use a number of cover crops this year to enhance our soils(gumbo clay) tilth.

The Lions of the Farm

I have been intrigued for several years by the Lionhead Rabbits. They quite simply one of the most interesting pets that have joined our family. And to chagrin of my children I think they are cool!  Now the justification for owning them is easy. I want my little farm (my humble apologies to real farmers everywhere) to be sustainable and organic. And nothing produces ‘organic fertilizer’ like bunnies. Now I will tell you that our Lionheads are pets not livestock. We live within the city limits and are not allowed to own livestock. Our Lionheads are pets each with a special name, pedigree and a climate controlled home.  But they bring a certain panache to the farm.

Here is the newest member of our Pride!

A simplier life…

There is much to be said about turning 50.  Life seems to be a bit settled, retirement is now within view (unless the Chair of the House Appropriations is successful in the demise of Medicare), vitamins are a must and the snap crackle pop of my joints are music that I am still around. Like many of my friends I wish life would slow down a bit. I am blessed with a great family, the greatest job on earth but I seem to living in leaps and bounds. The days roll by so quickly.  Now that I attempt to slow things down a bit I find myself focused on issues that five years ago were never in my thought processes.

I have become extremely concerned about our food sources.  It is with great fervor that I have devoured Joel Salitin and Elliot Coleman’s many writings. Neither claim to be experts in the current commercial food production arena but they provide a constant supply of knowledge to change the way my food chain is evolving.  My parents have always had a large garden, my father in law has always had a large garden and I have always had a grocery store.  Now we have the USDA approving genetically modified crops. I cannot argue the good or the bad of this new trend in crop production.  I do have that little internal voice that tells me this is not good. So with a five decade old body, a few tools, fifty pounds of seed catalogs I am off to begin producing much of what I eat.  I have never been one to do things in a small way thus my garden will cover an acre this first year. Probably not wise but no one has ever accused me of being wise.