Almost not quite.

Almost got the irrigation system set up in both zones for the back yard. The second zone covers part of the garden plus the back flower beds. Not completely done with that zone. 

To finish that zone, had to clear as many weeds as I could or I would be doing little but watering weeds. So had to do a series of burns. For safety and to avoid fire department attention, had to make several small burns. Before I could do that, had to remove the entire irrigation system from that area. Otherwise that would al go up in smoke. 

So, got most of that done. I can clear the rest by hand. 

By the time I was done with all of that, it was to dark to do the last of the patching and check patency of the system. Have to do that tomorrow. 

I could have run acid through one zone which I'm fairly sure is patent but would rather do both zones in short order. So that can finish that tomorrow and plant out on Wed. 

The new tiller tines came in today. That should make finishing the rest of the garden easier. 

Fertilizer injector

Got the fertilizer injector installed today. Had to drill a hole, tap it to form threads for the valve, then install the valve. Has a slight seeping leak but then the bolt I installed did also and that stopped a day later. Hoping that happens here. If not, have to pull it and use some plumbers putty around it. It's not stopping the system from pressurizing. 

So, I can finish setting up the first and largest zone tomorrow. That includes most of the north and south main gardens. Then I can run acid, let it sit overnight, flush the lines and start planting out by Tue evening. Weather permitting, that is. 

Once I get the seeds in place, think I'll set the system to run 10 minutes every few hours to keep soil moist. That is, during daylight hours. Let it go longer for deeper moisture at night. The first seeds I'm planting are mostly shallow seeds, lettuce, spinach, carrots and kale. Letting the system run every few hours should also help keep the soil cooler to increase odds of germination. That's in addition to planting out some seedlings already started. 

Flood irrigation again

Last night I sprayed the garden with extremely strong solutions. First the strongest ammonia solution I have ever used. Then the strongest acid solution I have ever used for the garden. Then let the sprinklers run for several hours hooked up to the well pump until there were several inches of standing water.

Until this year just the folding would cause the soil to crust and harden. Doesn't seem to be happening now. That's a very good sign.

Next step is going to be getting the irrigation system configured for the year. Then run those strong solutions one more time through the system. More targeted and I can let the acid sit in the lines for a full day to clear old mineral deposits. Run clear water and then start planting out. Hoping the strong acid will also desiccate weed seeds in those areas. 

Have to get the last of the burning done this week. When depends on the winds. Have to make each burn very small and last only a few minutes. Which is my habit, any way if an open burn. But they announced a burn ban to last all summer just this week. Have to keep each burn small and short enough to avoid a response from the fire department. 

Transplanted more pepper seedlings to larger pots last night. Then started some scorpion pepper seeds. Turned out to be a good deal. It was supposed to be 60 seeds but they actually sent me over 100. I started 72, one seed starting tray. See how they do this year. If these germinate, maybe I'll start the rest. Thought of offering them to the ex but I don't think they have any place safe enough from their dogs. These peppers require extreme safety precautions and it would be bad if the dogs got hold of them. I'll just offer her some of the peppers if they grow for her new husband, who likes hot food. I won't be eating any of them.  

New tiller tines should be here Monday. Wait for those before tilling the last section of main north garden and the flower bed in the front yard. Those areas will be the roughest this year and the new tines will help. 

I'm just reserving the compost this year for large planters. Figured I can build several large planters with fence slats. Should be able to make 3 ft by 1 ft by 1 ft planters for under $20 each. Maybe under $10 each. Just spray the outsides with water repellent and line the inside with plastic sheeting and make a couple of small drain holes. Compost on the bottom and commercial potting soil on top. Keep the size down so I can move them if necessary. By the end of the year the compost will be finished compost and I can empty them out into the garden and till it in. Repeat the cycle next year. It would make it much easier to control weeds and grass for small crops less tolerant of salt and weeds. Even be better for some flowers. 

I am happy for the gate the church built and the wooden fence the neighbors built last year. I'm not that private but they act as wind shields for the garden. Not completely effective but definitely not bad. They will help decrease weed seeds blown in from outside. So, once I get the weeds under control in my yard, it will be much easier to keep them that way. Not to mention a lot less trash blown in from the church parking lot. 

Checked the OReilly website again and the website for the brand of acid. The company doesn't make recycled acid, only new. The location says they keep the 5 gal containers in stock. My only concern is that it's bag in box. Not sure it has a dispensing mechanism. Description doesn't say. Check with them next paycheck. Will definitely buy at least one to kill these Chinese Elms which have been such a problem. Still not dead. Argh! I don't worry about the acid effects long term because the soil will neutralize it and it will dissipate over time. Just want to apply strong concentrations to the roots to kill these trees. Over time it will be beneficial. If the 5 gal has no dispenser mechanism, I'll buy one gal containers for general use. More expensive but only $10 a gal as opposed to $8 a quart Auto Zone is now charging. Wish I had known that the other day.

By the way, Muriatic acid is cheaper many places, at about $6 a gal. However, the information I have read is extremely mixed on benefits versus toxicity. Not that much actual chemical information. Environmentalists basically oppose any form of acid and post everywhere on how dangerous it is and how damaging any chemical is. They advise sulfur, peat moss and iron. Things they fail to consider are the damages done by strip mining, reduction of peat bogs, more extensive shipping.. And the fact that all of those things take time. Taking more time also means less control. There are nutrients in my soil and in most alkaline soils. Alkaline conditions and salts bind up those nutrients. Once you start reducing the pH, those nutrients become available. Which is good until they become toxic. Short lived acids reduce this effect and will achieve balance more quickly by making the soil more amenable to acid loving organisms. If you apply to much sulfur, peat moss and/or aluminum, that acidity level will take much longer to achieve balance and will remain toxically acidic for much longer. Unless you start chasing your tail with adding lime. 

I'll stick with my approach for now. I am fully in favor of environmentalism but in a balanced approach with technology. I am not in favor of one over the other but a balanced and combined approach. Acids and chemicals which occur in nature but lack locally are not a problem when used with caution. To this point, I have used a very gradual approach and have gone through a maximum of 1 gal of sulfuric acid. Learned the benefits, risks and length of each. Considering the effect on sodium, for my garden the benefits far outweigh the risks and some benefits are permanent when combined with other steps. I've proven that and it is easily visible in my garden right this minute, just viewing the garden soil right next to less treated soil. It is also evident when it rains or I water heavily. There was once a brown crust which formed on the surface, which was all salt. That happens a lots less, if at all. 

By the way, I have applied iron, sulfur, wood chips and compost in large amounts over time for a longer term effect. 

Solarium sheeting down

I had to go out a minute ago and cut down the plastic sheeting for the solarium. It was blowing so violently I was afraid it was going to do some damage like taking down the phone or power cables. 

The problem is that the dogs knocked down two panels of sheathing. Before then, it blocked the wind. After they knocked those two panels down, instead of blocking the wind, it acted like a scoop. When the wind blew, it blew the sheeting upward.

Oh, well. Even if it didn't do any damage, it was more than a little annoying and I'm sure it was irritating the neighbors. 

It had to be replaced because of the damage already done. No way I could save it. 

Too dark and windy tonight, so I left the sheeting on the ground, attached enough to prevent it from becoming airborne. I'm sure by the time I go to pick it up tomorrow it will be covered with dog shit. 

Guess it won't be much good for seedlings this year. See if I can figure something out but it is getting barely warm enough that I can move most seedlings out soon, long as they're already started. And as long as I kep the dogs away from the seedlings.

Oh, yeah. Had to reattach a section of poultry netting today because the puppies managed to rip that section loose. They were getting in the garden, trampling the rows, crapping everywhere, sitting in the middle like they were entitled to be there and chewing things up. I already had to replace a sprinkler which I had less than a week. I've chased them out multiple times a day, turned the hose on them and they still don't learn.

Some people may find the dogs behavior cute and playful. I just find it stubborn and destructive. And the marking of territory (which is not their territory) disgusting.

Acid

Okay, looked up a few places as alternative sources for sulfuric acid. 

OReilly auto parts have a 5 gal container for under $25 before tax. That's a good price, long as it's not recycled. (Recycled battery acid has lead contamination, no good for gardening.) pick one of those up next paycheck. It may have to be ordered. The iPad version of their site is pretty buggy and I couldn't determine if they keep it in stock.

I let the sprinklers run for a long time today, until both worked sides of the garden were completely saturated. Completely necessary after all the tilling to be sure the sodium is leached out of the very top soil and hopefully much deeper than that. Think the gypsum and acid treatments will also help with that. But the water is still necessary or the salt doesn't really go any place. Gypsum may do some good near the surface but the acid also needs water to spread through the soil.

I have read some postings online that say sulfuric acid does not last very long in the soil. Probably some truth to that, in and of itself. That is, if that is the only step you are taking to increase acidity. However, when coupled with increasing organic material, gypsum, sulfur and iron, the result tends to be increasing the beneficial environment for microbes and worms which produce more acid on an ongoing basis. Even just considering the effects of dissolving clay and leaching salt improves conditions. So it's not as simple as the acid being there and then gone. It's also helpful in my case to kill weeds while simultaneously treating the soil. (Note that it does kill some weeds while just making soil more fertile for other weeds. Those have to be dealt with separately.)

Okay, that's enough for one day. Going to get to bed. I will be working tomorrow, so won't be writings so much. 

Configuring

The plow only did a little good for the width of the trenches I am making this year. Wound up making several rows but the trenches were half or less what I wanted. To plow again next to where I had just plowed only resulted in pushing the same soil back and forth, over and over.

So, I grabbed my heavy rake and started raking the small rows together. The end result will be six large rectangular mounds on the south and five of the same on the north. I'm leaving the trenches at about 2 1/2 to 3 ft between mounds.

There will also be a barrier trench between the edge mounds and the grass, which I can keep tilled and treat heavily with acid. Thought being the acid will kill weeds and grass in the trenches but eventually seep laterally into the mounds, having a chance to buffer and not kill off crops due to acid shock. 

If the money is ever available, wood chips would be a good choice for the trenches, making them a lot more attractive and help moderate overall soil temperature while retaining moisture. 

Can only work on the garden a little while longer. Because of the respiratory inflection, it's wearing me out. Need to get to the car, any way. Just wanted to get this done so I can water and let the mounds settle before planting out in them. 

Lazy

Being lazy so far this morning. Had to call off sick due to a respiratory infection. Not dying here but not so energetic. 

I usually do get well rather quickly. More so if I don't sit around without moving. Maybe some of that is psychological. Improve your environment, improve your attitude, improve your tolerance for discomfort. 

Any way, no shortage of projects to work on around here. Try and tackle two or three rather large ones today. The CV axle on the car, plowing and cleaning up the workshop. Long as I'm not breathing too much dust during any of them. Once again, the advantage of these projects over work is pacing. Even with the car, if I start on it today and have to stop, I have 3 more evenings to finish it before the weekend. 

If I finish it these projects, need to get the automatic seatbelt on the passenger side fixed. Not sure what that will take because I'm not certain where the problem lies. Could be wiring, motor or mechanical issue. Have to start by seeing if there is even an electrical impulse going to the motor and go from there.

Long as I'm plowing and have the tiller running, today may be a good day to reroute the invisible dog fence and bury the wires, so the pups stop destroying the wires. Right now the system isn't even turned on, so the dogs are only behaving from conditioned response. That only lasts so long, though.

Misplaced parts

Went to go plow the garden this evening. Forgot I had removed the mount for the plow from the tiller. Couldn't find it right away. Finally found it a few minutes ago. Have to plow tomorrow or later in the week.

Came down with a sinus infection and not feeling all that energetic to work on the car. I inhale a lot more dust and dirt sitting/laying on the ground when wind is blowing than when I'm tilling.

Went ahead and tilled more of the north garden, to get ready for tomato planting. Keeping some empty trenches for plowing and weed control this year. 

The soil in the south garden is more loose than ever before, even after being watered. Until now, it would get pretty solid after watering because of all the clay. Looks like the gypsum is helping. Finally. I think this form of gypsum is better than what I was using before. The old kind was mixed with bentonite. In other words, it was adding clay to the clay. This kind is straight mined gypsum. 

Picked up a new bottle of sulfuric acid this evening. The price about doubled from last year. Think I'll have to check at a few other places. See if the battery shop across the street sells new or only recycled acid. They may sell gallons. Otherwise, check with OReilly auto parts. 

Vapor lock

So, went out to trouble shoot the well pump. Went through same steps as last night except checking power. Nothing. So, left it plugged in while I depressurized the intake to get ready to return it. Motor kicked in and system pressurized in a few seconds. Obviously some kind of vapor lock. Not sure what to think. Keep an eye on it. I'll return it if it happens again. For now, I'm thinking maybe a stuck valve or mineral deposit. When I opened the output, the pressure still shot the water across the yard at least 30 ft. 

I am going to take the pressure gauge back today and see if they have a replacement they'll sell me. I don;t want to waste the replacement on just the gauge. 

In any case, glad I found the receipt. I know it's still under warranty for another 11 months. Not going to have to delay anything for lack of water or run up the water bill. 

Pump locked up

The well pump locked up this evening. Not sure what the problem is. It was working earlier in the day and I heard it pressurize once this evening. Then I tried to run the house and nothing happened. Made sure power is getting as far as the pump cord. Have to check it out further over the weekend. If I can't fix it, it may have to wait two weeks.

Any way, got the main south garden cross tilled and finished up one edge I had not yet completed. 

Before tilling, I sprayed a strong acid solution over the entire area. I'll do that one more time before plowing. 

Have to say the soil looks much better when moist than ever before. The cultivated soil is nearly completely black when moist. Texture isn't as loose as I would like it to be. Still very sticky, which indicates high clay content remains. Going to add more gypsum and see if it helps. 

So, next week I can get the rows formed. Hope it doesn't take too long if I use the plow attachment.   

Edit-

Found the receipt for the well pump. Instead of fixing it, going to exchange it. I had forgotten I got this pump last year and bought the two year replacement plan. Even if I could get it running, best to just go ahead and exchange it. Pumps have a limited lifespan. The newer, the better. 

Hardening off

Finally able to start hardening off some of the seedlings. Started moving some of them outside today. Just cool weather crops that need to be in the ground soon. Lettuce, spinach, etc. Have yet to start kale, cilantro and some other items. Not enough space.

I have to admit it. Peat pots do a much better job than styrofoam cups for seedlings. Although much more expensive. Going to try a different approach. Poke some holes in the side of the styrofoam cups and place them in bins with water for more consistent moisture. 

Hoping for a really good paycheck tomorrow. If it comes in as well as I hope for, I'll order 4-5 tons of compost and get wood chips in a few more weeks. I don't know. Maybe not. Need to do the responsible and patient thing and pay more into the mortgage to bring it current. Mostly thinking of filling some containers with compost. Probably better to use the compost from the bin, top it off with potting soil. Yeah, that's a better choice for now. 

That would allow me to pay more on the mortgage, order the new tines for the tiller and get a couple of cheap bags of potting soil or compost. Better choice work-wise, also. Let me finish much of the labor that needs to be done. Burning, weeding, tilling. Not to mention work that needs to be done on the car. 

Almost

Got the last section of the main south garden tilled yesterday which needed it. Just have to cross-till once to make sure it's somewhat consistent, then form the garden. I'll start with the plow attachment but most of that work will be manual this year because of the wider rows. Hoping I can get all of it done in about 2 hours, one evening after work.

Not going to get it done this week. Training and testing for work and have to work on the car. 

Been too windy to do a burn. That still needs to be done to kill off weeds in some spots before they start. 

One thing I hope I can accomplish this week is changing the layout of the invisible dog fence and moving some seedlings out to harden off in the solarium. Have some repairs to do to the solarium because of wind and dog damage. Then I still have to do something to keep the puppies away, since they're not big enough for the invisible fence collars yet. 

Up and running!

Well pump is up and running! 

My suspicions were correct. The foot valve was clogged with sand from the bottom of the well. Had to pull the pipes, clear the foot valve and install a shorter pipe. 

I had forgotten I had improvised a foot valve last year. Don't recall why. I think either the size I needed wasn't in stock but it may have been because of pressure rating. I had used a check valve and length of PVC with holes drilled inn it, wrapped with nylon netting. Still works really well. The bottom section got torn from being on the bottom (and from me pumping it up and down to prime to pump). So, cleared the valve and replaced the netting. 

I could be wrong but it seems like the pressure is improved with the steel pipe. Very possible the connections are more secure. It's definite they will remain more secure over time. 

Soaked certain areas of the garden really well. Make it easier to till the rest of it this week. Then I can get the irrigation system set up this week or next. 

Still plugging away

Still plugging away at getting the garden tilled. Got most of one row tilled last night but it got dark and started raining. Two more rows in the main garden and I'm done there. Then basically one smaller section to do. That sections wasn't so hard last year but has a lot of rocks.

Had to divert my attention to working on the car this past week. Probably have to spend at least one evening working on the car this coming week or the following week. 

Temperatures still fluctuating wildly. Night temps can go several nights staying around 40. Then one night drops back below 30. Can't plant anything out yet because of the nights dropping below 30. Even lettuce and young spinach would die off. Still hoping that changes soon. Before searing heat sets in.

Oh, well!

Tried getting the well pump running today. No luck. Seems like the foot valve is stuck open or clogged. I may have to get a shorter length of pipe to suspend the pipe higher off the bottom of the well. The pump pressurizes but has a small leak at the gauge. Have to do something about that. 

Just for security, I poured some Muriatic acid in the well. It bubbled so much the foam came out of the top of the well. Must have been a lot of debris in there. However, I did flush the well a little while later. Think I'll pour some more in and let it sit overnight. That may do the trick. If not, I'll have to pull the pipes I sunk and take the foot valve apart, see if I can clear it. If not, have to replace it. 

Going to try something new this year. Kale. I keep seeing it listed as a cool weather crop, figure it's worth a try. Only tried it one time years ago and hated it. However, it was raw. Back then, not even one of the chefs knew what to do with it and none of us liked it as anything but decoration. Now I know it should be cooked. Even since that time, the only thing I have personally seen it in is an Italian soup. 

Galvanized

Took apart the connections to the well pump. PVC isn't all that reliable for the purpose. I am at the point where it will cost me only a few dollars to convert the entire system to galvanized steel. Long as the home improvement place has the right parts for it. Otherwise, I just need to clean the pipes that have been sitting for a while. The foot valve is good. Couple of minor issues. One is keeping the heavier pipes suspended. That was a problem previously. The other is that I will have to use a tap and die to install the fertilizer injection system. I'll deal with that part later. 

Okay, started this earlier today. Picked up the parts to convert to all galvanized on the way home from dropping daughter off. Cost a little more than I had hoped but galvanized is not cheap. However, it will last for many years. PVC has to be repaired at least once a year, usually twice or more. Puts the pump at risk of running dry. Then I'd have to replace the pump. 

Got two more bags of gypsum and a new garden sprayer. I think that should be enough for those supplies for the rest of the year.

Honestly, there are times I think I would feel somewhat guilty about how much I spend on the garden. However, in the long run it saves some money on groceries. More than that, it keeps me occupied so I don't spend more money on other diversions. It gives me a feeling of security. Once the garden is growing each year, I know I'll have some food always present. I have an alternative water source via the well. I still have the generator as backup power. Can call it a survivalist outlook but considering the things I've gone through since coming to NM, I just call it common sense. 

Just a little more

Got more tilling done this evening. Only a little more done to finish the first pass. Then go through and cross-till to make sure I didn't miss any large sections. Should have it all completed in a few more days.

Lettuce sprouts are coming up. Soon as I'm done tilling, can get them and carrot seed in the ground. 

Checked the cucumber vines today and all but 3 of the ones I transplanted the other day are doing well. So, I have 23 cucumber vines started. 

Nearly 50 tomato plants but many need to be transplanted. If I don't have quite so many this year, that okay. I'd rather have fewer healthy and highly productive plants than a high number of less productive plants. Still wondering if any of the ones from last year will revive. 

More tilling

Got more tilling done this evening. Much easier with the ground dampened and softened up. Still more difficult with the worn down tiller tines. Still getting it done. About half of the south garden and part of the north garden done. Glad I don't need to till the front yard, though. Or maybe I'm just thinking it was easier previously than it was. I do recall spending days tilling. 

Got spinach seeds this evening. Strangely, Walmart was nearly out of them and I had to look closely to find packs which were mixed in with other seeds. Only found 3 packs. Have to get the spinach and a few other things planted soon or it will be too warm for them to germinate. 

Good news is that garlic is sprouting inside. 

I need to check with Helena Chemical and see if they're open on Saturday. If not, I have to figure out when I can get there to pick up a few bags of gypsum and maybe sulfur. 

Oops!

Well, the soil in the garden should be damp and softened up. I forgot the sprinkler was one and it ran quite a bit longer than I had planned. Think it should be much easier to till tomorrow. 

Had to plant a new rosebush in a large planter because it was in a rush to grow. Got it last week at Home Depot and figured it was dormant. Yeah, not so much. It started forming leaves last week. By today, every single branch has formed leaves and even growing smaller branches. So, I planted it in a planter tonight with 90 percent old potting soil and 10 percent new. Plus some fake snow. 

I really have to get the rest of the solarium put up. Give me a place to move things out for hardening them off. That is, a place where the dogs can't destroy them. I will still have to put them where the puppies can't reach them. Puppies aren't big enough for the invisible fence collars yet. However, they're growing really fast and should be big enough in only a few weeks. 

Part tilling

Got part of the tilling done this evening. I know I'll be getting more done starting next week, after the time change. 

Right now, the ground is hard as rock. Hard to till. Still too much clay. I'm running the sprinkler to soften up the clay a bit to do more tomorrow. Can't believe the tons of material I've added haven't loosened things up more than they have. It has definitely improved the overall soil quality. While I do need new tiller tines, I don't think they would help all that much without enough water. I think this soil will be hard and somewhat sodic until the top few inches are basically nothing but organic material. Right now, it's pretty much clay with nutrients added. 

Daughter wanted to form her own little garden this year. So, yesterday she potted it out and I tilled it. Added compost and calcium, she added dead grass and wood chips and I tilled those in. Then she used her little hoe to form rows. We'll fence and plant it this coming weekend. 

Giving tobacco another try this year. Tried it last couple of years but either it's too salt sensitive or I moved it out too soon. Or all the above. Started it earlier this year and give it more time before moving it out. Then try planting some out and keeping some in containers. 

I need to get more plastic shoe boxes to put peat pots in. 

Then I have to slow down and/or add more shelves in the office. I'm out of space!

Fake snow

I have some fake snow and similar water beads left over from the past two holiday seasons. Rehydrating them to mix with potting soil and seed starting mix. I think they may do really well in that capacity. Though once these things dry out in a clump, it takes a really long time for them to absorb water again to capacity. They're okay as long as they're not allowed to completely dry in clumps. 

Did an experiment not long ago with the larger beads to see how they perform under heat. I boiled some of them. They did great! Kept their form and the colored ones even kept their color. Once I let them dry out, they shrunk but when water was added they absorbed the water just as before. My thought on that experiment was the idea of using them to increase thermal mass. Not completely sure what I'll do with that knowledge yet but I am thinking of using it for the solarium in some form later. Done right, it would be both functional and decorative. 

Some of my seedlings may die off before I get them transplanted if I don't move them to larger containers by tomorrow night. They're growing surprisingly fast. Then again, this is the first year I can recall having the correct combination for them. All potting soil or seed starting mix, moisture retaining seed trays, no native soil and being home nearly 24/7 so the heat stays above 50 degrees in the house at all times. Though the seeds I'm starting now (from past experience) are more appropriate for cooler temperatures, at least for starting now. 

The riskier/less certain crops will be started this week. Some of them. Others to be added later.