Got a moisture/pH/light meter a few days ago. Checked the pH of the soil and it came back still toward the alkaline side. Though I'm not entirely sure I trust the meter. Tried cleaning it off and testing a container of pure cayenne and it also read alkaline. Though the cayenne didn't have any moisture in it. Think I'll back it up with some test strips tomorrow.
However, my thinking was wrong on the Epsom Salt idea. It does add Mag and Phos to the soil, both in usable forms for plants to absorb. However, it does not help to acidify the soil. The phos is in the wrong form. At the same time, it takes time for soil pH to adjust, even after adding elements to change it. Especially if acidifying.
On the good side, the things planted right now are okay with somewhat alkaline soil. I can add amendments which will adjust the pH slowly and they'll be fine. The part which is most alkaline is the section I haven't started working yet. I'll test that section again just before planting there and, if necessary, add vinegar at that time. Looking into the best things to add to lower the pH and maintain it that way. Trying to avoid using more chemicals, so seeing about pine needle mulch. That works well over time but does require months to have a measurable effect. Then, the vinegar works quickly but doesn't last for a long time. So, maybe they would overlap.
My best bet will probably be to keep one part of the garden somewhat alkaline and increase the acidity in stages further over to the opposite side.
Back is still in pain. Did a job on a lat dorsi muscle and the shoulder was already hurting. So, my whole left upper body is currently in pain. So, not doing much tonight.Watching a couple of movies I had on hand from mail rental. Bad habit of having a movie for weeks and not watching it. So, watching them tonight for return tomorrow.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Crossed fingers
Planted out cool weather crops today. Daughter was to help me but wimped out, so I did 99% of the work. That's okay, she's 7 and saw me get my hopes up last year, only to have them crash.
Dug out one more row before planting, so have a total of 12 mounds. Planted flowers in all the small mounds and some shady areas. I had also taken the propane burner to some of the still healthy weeds, especially those with flowers on them. Today, planted out spinach, broccoli, three kinds of lettuce, two kinds of potatoes, carrots and peas. Got some seeds for sugar snap peas to plant later in the week.
Not doing badly, space-wise. I still have room for 2-3 more rows and haven't even started working the older garden section yet. Not cramping things up, I don't think. Have enough room to walk down the trenches between mounds. But everything I've planted so far is mostly low or vertically growing. When I get around to corn and tomatoes, I'll have to leave more space between each mound.
Had to thin down or dispose of some plants started inside tonight. Just started way too soon. Some of the melon vines are still going, so I'm going to set them outside tomorrow and see how they do. I know the pumpkin plants do okay with cooler weather but frost will do them in instantly. Maybe some other melons are the same way. I started some new seeds but with a slightly more experienced eye to growth patterns. Mostly planted flowers tonight. Going to wait at least 2-3 more weeks before starting more warm weather seeds.
For now, I have the work ahead of building some much larger trellises than I've had up to now. I'm thinking I can make use of the PVC for those and tomato cages. Can just drill holes and run twine or cage wire between them.
My daughter was excited when I showed her that her pecan is growing! It'll be really cool if it continues growing and matures into a full tree.
Gotta get to bed. Have a backache.
Dug out one more row before planting, so have a total of 12 mounds. Planted flowers in all the small mounds and some shady areas. I had also taken the propane burner to some of the still healthy weeds, especially those with flowers on them. Today, planted out spinach, broccoli, three kinds of lettuce, two kinds of potatoes, carrots and peas. Got some seeds for sugar snap peas to plant later in the week.
Not doing badly, space-wise. I still have room for 2-3 more rows and haven't even started working the older garden section yet. Not cramping things up, I don't think. Have enough room to walk down the trenches between mounds. But everything I've planted so far is mostly low or vertically growing. When I get around to corn and tomatoes, I'll have to leave more space between each mound.
Had to thin down or dispose of some plants started inside tonight. Just started way too soon. Some of the melon vines are still going, so I'm going to set them outside tomorrow and see how they do. I know the pumpkin plants do okay with cooler weather but frost will do them in instantly. Maybe some other melons are the same way. I started some new seeds but with a slightly more experienced eye to growth patterns. Mostly planted flowers tonight. Going to wait at least 2-3 more weeks before starting more warm weather seeds.
For now, I have the work ahead of building some much larger trellises than I've had up to now. I'm thinking I can make use of the PVC for those and tomato cages. Can just drill holes and run twine or cage wire between them.
My daughter was excited when I showed her that her pecan is growing! It'll be really cool if it continues growing and matures into a full tree.
Gotta get to bed. Have a backache.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Planting weekend
Definitely looks like this is the weekend to start planting. Temps are warming up slightly now. Trees are budding out. Still one or two days of temps down right at 32 but should be okay for the crops I'll plant right now.
Going to have my daughter help me plant, which should be fun. I think she'll be excited to plant things which she can watch grow and check on each week when she comes over. Even better when we can eat some of them! She told the ex not to throw out a grape tomato container the other day because she wanted to save it for me. She noted it has holes in the bottom which work well for water drainage.
I had not done the planting yet because I've been picking up some work. Actually got in a few hours of OT last night, which never happens with agency nurses here. That's okay, works out better with having daughter help me.
But right now, need a little sleep.
Going to have my daughter help me plant, which should be fun. I think she'll be excited to plant things which she can watch grow and check on each week when she comes over. Even better when we can eat some of them! She told the ex not to throw out a grape tomato container the other day because she wanted to save it for me. She noted it has holes in the bottom which work well for water drainage.
I had not done the planting yet because I've been picking up some work. Actually got in a few hours of OT last night, which never happens with agency nurses here. That's okay, works out better with having daughter help me.
But right now, need a little sleep.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Row, row, row your garden
Dug out two rows in the garden. Might take a while to complete this because it's rather hard on my shoulders. I have RCIS in both shoulders.
Each mound is 36' long and about 18" wide. Read from UNM that this is the most efficient way to build mounds for planting here. Conserves water because the large mass dehydrates more slowly than smaller mounds. Smaller mounds are probably more popular in cooler climates, where the smaller mass warms more quickly. Crops can be planted on each side of the mounds and watering is done on the sides, so the high salt content in the soil migrates toward the center of the mound, away from the plants.
I sectioned off each mound into smaller lengths. Each mound has three 10' sections and one 6' section. So, a total of eight mounds so far. Of course, I can plant different crops in each mound or the same crop on multiple mounds. I'll plant flowers in the smaller sections. That will make my daughter happy, besides attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, each of which helps with pollination. Going to alternate placement of the smaller sections, two on one end, two on the opposite end. That way I don't have too many bees habitating right next to the house and the pollinators go throughout the garden, not just staying in one place.
Not planting today. Watered the soil and need to let it settle overnight before planting, as it's still rather loose. I'll plant tomorrow.
Got the new compost batch brewing. Hope 6-8 weeks is enough time for sufficient decomposition to use it by late April or early May.
The garden is currently split in half, with raised beds running down the center. I'm working on the south section right now. Think I have enough room for three more rows there but it may be only two.
Have to work tonight, so it's time for a nap.
Each mound is 36' long and about 18" wide. Read from UNM that this is the most efficient way to build mounds for planting here. Conserves water because the large mass dehydrates more slowly than smaller mounds. Smaller mounds are probably more popular in cooler climates, where the smaller mass warms more quickly. Crops can be planted on each side of the mounds and watering is done on the sides, so the high salt content in the soil migrates toward the center of the mound, away from the plants.
I sectioned off each mound into smaller lengths. Each mound has three 10' sections and one 6' section. So, a total of eight mounds so far. Of course, I can plant different crops in each mound or the same crop on multiple mounds. I'll plant flowers in the smaller sections. That will make my daughter happy, besides attracting bees, butterflies and hummingbirds, each of which helps with pollination. Going to alternate placement of the smaller sections, two on one end, two on the opposite end. That way I don't have too many bees habitating right next to the house and the pollinators go throughout the garden, not just staying in one place.
Not planting today. Watered the soil and need to let it settle overnight before planting, as it's still rather loose. I'll plant tomorrow.
Got the new compost batch brewing. Hope 6-8 weeks is enough time for sufficient decomposition to use it by late April or early May.
The garden is currently split in half, with raised beds running down the center. I'm working on the south section right now. Think I have enough room for three more rows there but it may be only two.
Have to work tonight, so it's time for a nap.
All fired up
Worked for a couple of nights. Got the beginnings of a sinus infection but seems like it's going away. Took tonight off to give myself the chance to fight it off. (Something I was really bad about not doing when I was younger.) Had a bulge on a tire and had to go get two new front tires Monday morning. I was happy the tire held together to work and back with no blowout on the highway. Many thanks to the powers protecting me!
Got the propane torch today for the weeds. Haven't used it yet but the yard already looks a lot less green than a few weeks ago. Means the weed killer is working on the clover. At least most of it. Some is still looking too healthy. This torch should do the job, as it will reach temps up to 3000 degrees F!
Measured out the garden yesterday. Current usable space is 30'x40'. Not bad for a start but I will be expanding it a little before warmer weather arrives.
If the weather is warm enough, I should have time enough to complete one more batch of compost before planting warm weather crops outside. Mostly for organic material in this case. I already have the leaves loaded into the compost pit. So, I've already added Nitrogen, Magnesium Phosphate and Calcium to the soil. Got some more Mag Phos today. There's enough Potassium present, so no amendment needed.
Giving up on most of the warm weather crops I started inside. I'll restart again in a few weeks. Most aren't looking too good inside but they take up too much space if they keep growing and it's too cold to transplant out for quite some time. At least this time I'm confident that they will start growing inside, unlike last year.
Got the propane torch today for the weeds. Haven't used it yet but the yard already looks a lot less green than a few weeks ago. Means the weed killer is working on the clover. At least most of it. Some is still looking too healthy. This torch should do the job, as it will reach temps up to 3000 degrees F!
Measured out the garden yesterday. Current usable space is 30'x40'. Not bad for a start but I will be expanding it a little before warmer weather arrives.
If the weather is warm enough, I should have time enough to complete one more batch of compost before planting warm weather crops outside. Mostly for organic material in this case. I already have the leaves loaded into the compost pit. So, I've already added Nitrogen, Magnesium Phosphate and Calcium to the soil. Got some more Mag Phos today. There's enough Potassium present, so no amendment needed.
Giving up on most of the warm weather crops I started inside. I'll restart again in a few weeks. Most aren't looking too good inside but they take up too much space if they keep growing and it's too cold to transplant out for quite some time. At least this time I'm confident that they will start growing inside, unlike last year.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Cool weather crops
Looked up the UNM agricultural site to see what's normally acceptable to plant at this time of year here. Turned out to be a decent list. Carrots, broccoli, lettuce, onions, potatoes, spinach, celery, peas. (I'll skip the kale, thank you. Just 'cause it will grow doesn't mean I have any urge to eat it.) When it gets warmer, I can succeed those with other crops which survive in warmer weather.
So, I'll get those things all planted this week. Not today, as it's starting to rain and the forecast call for possible snow next couple of days. By this time of year, the snow may fall but doesn't normally stick.
Okay, I need to take a nap. Scheduled for work tonight.
So, I'll get those things all planted this week. Not today, as it's starting to rain and the forecast call for possible snow next couple of days. By this time of year, the snow may fall but doesn't normally stick.
Okay, I need to take a nap. Scheduled for work tonight.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Tilled
I know this is boring to some people but the section of yard I wanted tilled was done today. First time in my life that I've had land I lived on tilled.
Daughter and I slept really late this morning, woke to the man calling who was coming over with the tractor. I woke her up and asked if she wanted to watch. She got dressed.
I was really expecting a small tractor with tow-behind tiller. He arrived with a truck and full-sized (small commercial type) tractor and mounted tiller! Took a little while to get it off the trailer and finish the hookup. Once that was done, it took him less than 30 minutes to till the entire area I wanted done. Tilled down to about a foot deep. You could definitely see the difference in the soil where the grass had been growing, which was much darker and richer than the garden are last year.
Daughter dragged a chair outside to sit on and watch. She was fascinated but was most amused when she walked on the soil after he was done.
Still too cold to plant most things out but warming up quickly. I may soon give a shot at lots of cooler weather crops, like lettuce, broccoli, spinach and such. I am still learning about things such as crop rotations, multiple crops on the same plot in one growing season and so forth. I do know I need to grow a lot of bean crops, which help anchor N in the soil. (Problem there is that I'm really not much of a bean person.)
The whole garden area looks really large. However, one side of that area won't be planted for at least 12 ft out from the fence, as that's where the new shed structure will go. Though that will serve well as walking space. I am also going to maintain a walking space through the middle and there's still soil not tilled on the other side. So there will be traffic areas on each side and through the center.
I haven't yet planned the garden out for planting, which I need to do this week. Then I can section it out and start building rows.
Some of the plants indoors are looking really good, others not so much. Tomatoes look great and all 30 plants continue to grow. Happy for that one, as I am a tomato person. Watermelon plants seem to be dying off. Ornamental corn looks wonderful but sweet corn looks weak, few that have started. Some pumpkin plants look good, others not so good. I'm sure some of these things will do much better when I can plant them outdoors in real sunlight. Pepper plants look surprisingly good. Now that I know things will actually start well indoors, I'm not as anxious about rotating things out, starting some seeds inside and moving them out to replace plants as needed or as I change crops in one area according to weather. I've pretty much dedicated the shelves in the dining room to that purpose for now.
Daughter and I slept really late this morning, woke to the man calling who was coming over with the tractor. I woke her up and asked if she wanted to watch. She got dressed.
I was really expecting a small tractor with tow-behind tiller. He arrived with a truck and full-sized (small commercial type) tractor and mounted tiller! Took a little while to get it off the trailer and finish the hookup. Once that was done, it took him less than 30 minutes to till the entire area I wanted done. Tilled down to about a foot deep. You could definitely see the difference in the soil where the grass had been growing, which was much darker and richer than the garden are last year.
Daughter dragged a chair outside to sit on and watch. She was fascinated but was most amused when she walked on the soil after he was done.
Still too cold to plant most things out but warming up quickly. I may soon give a shot at lots of cooler weather crops, like lettuce, broccoli, spinach and such. I am still learning about things such as crop rotations, multiple crops on the same plot in one growing season and so forth. I do know I need to grow a lot of bean crops, which help anchor N in the soil. (Problem there is that I'm really not much of a bean person.)
The whole garden area looks really large. However, one side of that area won't be planted for at least 12 ft out from the fence, as that's where the new shed structure will go. Though that will serve well as walking space. I am also going to maintain a walking space through the middle and there's still soil not tilled on the other side. So there will be traffic areas on each side and through the center.
I haven't yet planned the garden out for planting, which I need to do this week. Then I can section it out and start building rows.
Some of the plants indoors are looking really good, others not so much. Tomatoes look great and all 30 plants continue to grow. Happy for that one, as I am a tomato person. Watermelon plants seem to be dying off. Ornamental corn looks wonderful but sweet corn looks weak, few that have started. Some pumpkin plants look good, others not so good. I'm sure some of these things will do much better when I can plant them outdoors in real sunlight. Pepper plants look surprisingly good. Now that I know things will actually start well indoors, I'm not as anxious about rotating things out, starting some seeds inside and moving them out to replace plants as needed or as I change crops in one area according to weather. I've pretty much dedicated the shelves in the dining room to that purpose for now.
Friday, February 19, 2010
Till Tomorrow
The guy with the tractor (I assume a small one) is coming tomorrow to till the yard. I have everything all cleared for him to get through and around, just have to drop the zip line, which will take under one minute.
I promised him $40 for the job, since it will save me money, time and labor. Just renting a tiller for one day would have cost me $55-60. The $40 isn't a completely necessary expense but it's reasonable. Besides, I am still hoping to make some return on the garden investments in the form of reduced grocery bills.
Got a used ceiling fan at Restore today for $10. I need at least one more, preferably 2-3 more but the others on hand right now were either questionable in their completeness or just didn't match the color continuity in the house. I'll go back at later dates. They're between my house and work office and one hospital I frequently work at. The one I got today is nearly new, saved me at least $30 and helps keep it from the landfill.
I'm hoping I can find a used water heater for under $100. New one costs over $300, minimum and can go up over $1000. WTF? Why would you pay over $1000 for a water heater?! Also hoping I can find one non-working but not leaking for the solar project. (Can move up to multiple tanks later, after I have a chance to experiment with the idea. Is it worth it to go that far? More plumbing, more weight.. No urge to have three water heater tanks crashing through the roof from combined weight to gain 5 degrees extra heat in the water. Doesn't sound like fun.)
Daughter is still sick. Turns out it's strep. I have her loaded with enough medication to combat a nerve agent. She's better but still coughing from all the mucous. That's the bad thing about strep, aside from feeling like garbage all over. The sore throat and mucous cause coughing. The coughing irritates the throat, making your throat worse and that causes more mucous production. But the worst part of all is trying to sleep with it. I keep hearing her coughing and moaning with frustration. She's an amazing kid. She stays energetic and mostly cheerful even though she's sick. Wanted to go for a long walk this evening. It was sunset and too late to go walking, with all the snakes and coyotes around here. Besides, it started getting colder around 3 PM today, so not a good idea with strep. Maybe we'll try tomorrow afternoon, if it's warm enough.
Need to get to bed. Still keeping the monitor on.
I promised him $40 for the job, since it will save me money, time and labor. Just renting a tiller for one day would have cost me $55-60. The $40 isn't a completely necessary expense but it's reasonable. Besides, I am still hoping to make some return on the garden investments in the form of reduced grocery bills.
Got a used ceiling fan at Restore today for $10. I need at least one more, preferably 2-3 more but the others on hand right now were either questionable in their completeness or just didn't match the color continuity in the house. I'll go back at later dates. They're between my house and work office and one hospital I frequently work at. The one I got today is nearly new, saved me at least $30 and helps keep it from the landfill.
I'm hoping I can find a used water heater for under $100. New one costs over $300, minimum and can go up over $1000. WTF? Why would you pay over $1000 for a water heater?! Also hoping I can find one non-working but not leaking for the solar project. (Can move up to multiple tanks later, after I have a chance to experiment with the idea. Is it worth it to go that far? More plumbing, more weight.. No urge to have three water heater tanks crashing through the roof from combined weight to gain 5 degrees extra heat in the water. Doesn't sound like fun.)
Daughter is still sick. Turns out it's strep. I have her loaded with enough medication to combat a nerve agent. She's better but still coughing from all the mucous. That's the bad thing about strep, aside from feeling like garbage all over. The sore throat and mucous cause coughing. The coughing irritates the throat, making your throat worse and that causes more mucous production. But the worst part of all is trying to sleep with it. I keep hearing her coughing and moaning with frustration. She's an amazing kid. She stays energetic and mostly cheerful even though she's sick. Wanted to go for a long walk this evening. It was sunset and too late to go walking, with all the snakes and coyotes around here. Besides, it started getting colder around 3 PM today, so not a good idea with strep. Maybe we'll try tomorrow afternoon, if it's warm enough.
Need to get to bed. Still keeping the monitor on.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Didn't last
My daughter is sick and I'm restless. Similar symptoms to what put her in the hospital in December. Don't think I'll sleep well tonight. Glad I still have the baby monitor, which is set up and turned on. I jump every time I hear her cough. To add to it, I think the Zyrtec the doctor advised may be giving her strange dreams. Just writing to keep my mind occupied. Took tonight off from work and keeping her with me tomorrow, out of school.
The whole "yard looks better than since I moved in" didn't last. I spread the rest of the compost from the pit around and raked it out but there's still compost all over the yard. That's okay. I have someone coming over on Sat morning to till a lot of the yard with a tractor, so I can resite the garden and plant properly. No plans on a lot of future tilling but this was necessary and too big to do manually. This will let me expand the garden to over 2x the size of last year. It will also make it much easier to dig holes for the solarium columns.
Got the last of the old blocks moved from the rear of the shed yesterday. So there is nothing remaining back there, at last! That was the end of the piles of sh** which were in the yard when I moved in! Yay!! Though I have wood and block piles in the yard, they're primarily neat and organized, with obvious purpose.
I started sorting the blocks from the fence. So far, I've identified at least five different forms and sizes of blocks.
Haven't known what to do with the broken blocks until yesterday. Then I realized that I'll need aggregate for the concrete foundation of the shed and columns. Broken cinder blocks will be perfect for the purpose! Though I do need to get a sledgehammer to break them down more.. Then decide where to store it until ready to use it.
Time for bed. Only got maybe two hours of sleep today.
The whole "yard looks better than since I moved in" didn't last. I spread the rest of the compost from the pit around and raked it out but there's still compost all over the yard. That's okay. I have someone coming over on Sat morning to till a lot of the yard with a tractor, so I can resite the garden and plant properly. No plans on a lot of future tilling but this was necessary and too big to do manually. This will let me expand the garden to over 2x the size of last year. It will also make it much easier to dig holes for the solarium columns.
Got the last of the old blocks moved from the rear of the shed yesterday. So there is nothing remaining back there, at last! That was the end of the piles of sh** which were in the yard when I moved in! Yay!! Though I have wood and block piles in the yard, they're primarily neat and organized, with obvious purpose.
I started sorting the blocks from the fence. So far, I've identified at least five different forms and sizes of blocks.
Haven't known what to do with the broken blocks until yesterday. Then I realized that I'll need aggregate for the concrete foundation of the shed and columns. Broken cinder blocks will be perfect for the purpose! Though I do need to get a sledgehammer to break them down more.. Then decide where to store it until ready to use it.
Time for bed. Only got maybe two hours of sleep today.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Bonfire
Finally got the rest of the wood next to the shed moved into the same area as the rest of the wood today. There were lots of pieces in this pile of plywood and particle board, all dirty and/or severely deteriorated. Those went out front for later trash pickup. I really wanted to get that pile handled before spider season arrives.
Raked out the edges and corners of the yard which had loads of debris, previously not visible or inaccessible due to wood piles and the wooden fence. Mostly candy wrappers, foam cup bits, chip bags and such. Though I found an old air compressor buried in the dirt. It was partially dismantled and completely rusted over.
Filled the trash bin with the rest of the bamboo roots and some of the trash I raked out. Bin completely filled and still had a large pile left. So, between unusable wood, lots of debris and a humongous pile of twigs, decided it was time for a bonfire this evening. Got most of the stuff burned. That pile will probably smolder for at least a day or two but it is in the enclosure I made from a corrugated metal sheet last year. Placed it on top of some weeds to kill them off.
Where I could, I raked clean leaves into piles, bagged them to save for the compost pit. Still need to get on the roof and do the same with the leaves that remain up there.
So, the yard looks the best it has looked since I moved in here. Still have lots of weeds to deal with but no more piles of anything which are not obviously organized and no more bits of trash lining the fences. There's so much to do with this place, even just the yard, that it can be difficult to prioritize at times. So I most often have to go with function first and appearance second.
Rather tired. Think I should sleep really well tonight.
Raked out the edges and corners of the yard which had loads of debris, previously not visible or inaccessible due to wood piles and the wooden fence. Mostly candy wrappers, foam cup bits, chip bags and such. Though I found an old air compressor buried in the dirt. It was partially dismantled and completely rusted over.
Filled the trash bin with the rest of the bamboo roots and some of the trash I raked out. Bin completely filled and still had a large pile left. So, between unusable wood, lots of debris and a humongous pile of twigs, decided it was time for a bonfire this evening. Got most of the stuff burned. That pile will probably smolder for at least a day or two but it is in the enclosure I made from a corrugated metal sheet last year. Placed it on top of some weeds to kill them off.
Where I could, I raked clean leaves into piles, bagged them to save for the compost pit. Still need to get on the roof and do the same with the leaves that remain up there.
So, the yard looks the best it has looked since I moved in here. Still have lots of weeds to deal with but no more piles of anything which are not obviously organized and no more bits of trash lining the fences. There's so much to do with this place, even just the yard, that it can be difficult to prioritize at times. So I most often have to go with function first and appearance second.
Rather tired. Think I should sleep really well tonight.
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