Monkey Lobster

What to do with a cover crop

This is winter rye that I planted last spring. It has held my soil in place over the winter and will soon be pulled up and added to the soil in the bed.

When I was first establishing my garden I has truck loads of compost delivered that I freely dumped on top of my beds. The past sevral years I've been making compost myself and can make about three yards, which is just not enough for my garden. I wanted to not be dependant on a truck to bring me compost every year and I've found that the rye adds a substantial amount of organic matter. 

A good planting of winter rye, a wheel barrow of compost and a balanced mix of rock dust keeps the hard working soil in each bed healthy and productive.

Here is how I deal with the rye:

I start by loosening the soil with a broad fork. Then I start at one end and just yank it out by the hand full, and lay it down on the bed.

Then I wait. Here it is a few days later.

Here is is a week and a half later. Sometimes I take an iron rake and give it a surface stir to break up some of the bigger clumps and mix it into the soil a little.

Here it is after 2 weeks. It's got a nice soft, crumbly texture. Ideally I will now add my rock dust and compost and wait one more week before planting. But I have been known not to wait that extra week. You can still see the little wisps of rye. They won't interfere with anything that's growing, and the rye will continue to decompose, adding nutrients and improving the texture of the soil.

Some years I wait too long, and miss my window of opportunity. If I find myself with knee high rye and tomatoes ready to go into the ground, I'll loosen the soil and pull the rye up and throw it in my wheel barrow. I'll add the rye to my cooking compost pile and add an extra load of finished compost to that bed. In the end it seems to even itself out.

Garden Days

I love this time of year. I feel confident this year.  I now have many years of experience and knowledge, I've been building my soil for a few years now, and I know the common pests and diseases in this little patch of earth I work. My expectations are high.

I'm trying fava beans and chick peas for the first time. The fruit trees and strawberries are flowering, and with 10 or so cloves of garlic left in my kitchen, the new garlic is coming up strong.

I did a little bit of proactive pest management. I covered the radishes with a row cover to keep the flea beetles off, so they don't eat those first baby leaves right down. And the lettuce and emerging peas tend to get pecked at by birds and nibble at by bunnies, so some bird netting held up by bend wire in the ground seems to be working so far (this is a second attempt at peas as the first batch did get pecked down).

I am most excited about the raspberries that are coming up so strong. I had a fantasy a few summers ago of lying between rows of raspberries with Cyrus, so last summer I added another row of Caroline raspberries. We'll be lying in their shade in no time.

I'm working on it.

I'm loving chipping away at this project. I love the organic flow of it, making the stones work together, and the satisfying smashing with the sledge hammer. I do however have a deadline. Ben would not like me to occupy our patio all summer with stones, hammers, chisels, and our outdoor furniture sitting in a pile. So I have until the end of May to finish it "or else!!!". Or else we hire a mason to spend a couple of days finishing it.

I know that there are bets out there, on whether I will meet this deadline or not, and mostly against me. So the pressure is on and I'm feeling determined and confident and strong. I'll report back in a few weeks.

end of an era

Many science fair projects later, elementary school is wrapping up for my little girl. I cannot say that I am sad, in fact we are both looking forward to this next chapter, where her world becomes a little bit bigger. 

There is a lot of chatter around the public middle school model. I hear many parents seeking alternatives for their kids because they don't want their kids to have the "deal with" that kind of environment. I feel I can give her so much, provide her with endless opportunities, indulge her in her passions, and push her to learn things that she'll thank me for later. What I also want for her is to be able to "deal", and that's a skill that I can only let life teach her.

Direct Seeding Water Conservation Technique

I have discovered that planting in a trench and watering deeply is a great way to conserve water and help plants develop better root systems. It also makes watering much easier because the water is directed to the seeds and young plants instead of into the paths. 

I start by making a trench (or as many as I need) and filling it with water. My intention is to saturate the sub-soil, where the moisture is not going to evaporate so quickly.

Then I drop in the seeds, fava beans and chick peas today.

I cover the seeds with the appropriate amount of soil and then tamp it down so that the seeds are in firm contact with the soil.

And then fill up the trench again with water.

Plants watered less frequently will look down for their water, instead of up. Seeds and seedling will need more frequent watering than established plants, but this deep watering technique (vs watering with a sprinkler or a hand held sprayer) will train plants to look to the sub-soil for their moisture and develop deep healthy roots. These plants will look to the sub-soil where water is available during dry periods. Plants that are watered more frequently and superficially will develop shallow roots, looking for water at the surface of the soil where is soil is dry and will require more frequent watering.

Celebrating Spring

Let's just begin here. The chickens are laying like crazy. We're getting so many eggs that one day we decided to decorate and hide them in the yard. We made egg salad, smoked a ham and had some friends over to share in the excitement. 

For my birthday this year I received a chain saw from my in-laws. Bob gave me a safety lesson. I dragged downed trees out from the woods and chopped them up to make coals for the smoker.

Sarah (the stuffed monkey), is the new Meow(who went missing about a year ago). He has every meal with us. He never finishes what's on his plate, and yes, Sarah is a boy.

still here

Spring is here and my camera is broken. Actually it's not really broken, I just can't seem to load the photos onto my computer. I just thought I'd let you know that we are all well. I hope to be back here soon.

not for the weak

 I have to say, that this year we have had our fill of winter fun, and can move into spring fully satisfied. This past week we drove north for some breathtaking skiing for the kids winter break. It was so cold and windy, the downhill lifts were closed for two days. But we cross country skiers are a tough breed.

With a hot water bottle tucked into a down sleeping bag, Cyrus was snug as a bug. Cuz it was cold, really cold, and in order to stay warm we had to keep a steady pace. Yes, I'm bragging but, my family is pretty hard core, Ben hauling close to 100 lbs up and down those hills, and Elsa, the only 10 year old kid I know who endures such ridiculousness with such enthusiasm. 

Now don't get me wrong, there was complaining and cursing, and skis came off and were carried up the biggest hills, but at the top of the hill and at the end of the day, we were ready to do it all over again. I think that maybe back-country downhill skiing might be in our future. 

seizing the moment

Here in Massachusetts winter is very unpredictable, so you learn to seize the moment.

Elsa will often ask "is this the right snow for.............?', because sledding snow is not good for building, and if we don't pack down the sledding ramp when the snow is fluffy, then it won't ice over when the temps rise and freeze again.

Really enjoying the joys of winter involves a drop everything and do it now attitude. And finding the fun even when it tries to hide, because a dry, brown, cold winter means solid, smooth, glistening lakes and ponds for skating.

Armed with snow gear and two big chefs knives, I headed out to carve out the furniture needed for the planned igloo tea party. Only to find this. Maybe you can feel my pain? 

Oh well. 

Glorious Winter

The igloo is a work in progress and it will soon have it's own post. This last picture is Cyrus, on his way to school with his back-back on.