On The Blog
Catching Up From a Very Busy Spring and Into a Hot Summer
This year has been so busy for me. Most of it was planned so there were very few surprises. Still, I found myself guilty of the very thing I encourage farmers and gardeners to not do: try to cram a whole lot of life into a very small time frame, particularly, May through September. We hit the ground running in April with plants starts, a small remodel, incoming family visits and haven’t looked back. And it is only the end of July!
This is what we do here, in North Idaho.
The perception is that winters are long. Summers are short and when the daytime temperature hits 60 degrees with a few hours of continuous sun we are off like a shot. Buy some seeds! Find the hoses! Buy more seeds! Locate and dust off the lawn furniture and the lemonade pitcher. Buy the rest of the seeds, potting soil and amendments we could possibly need, because once we tie into this yard and garden thing, we are in it.
I started A LOT of plants under the grow lights in my house but had the good sense to wait until April. This sort of self control is new for me. I generally shop the seed catalogs, make all the lists and draw up the garden plans before January clears the calendar. Then, of course, there is nothing left to do but wait. Me with a cup of coffee, or 5, staring out the window waiting for spring. Everyday. This is actually where the idea of full blown retirement becomes a problem…….January. At least with a full time job I have something to do when I can’t be in the garden. Not looking forward to the retirement evantuality, really.
There are actually other things to do to prepare for spring. About 5 years ago I began keeping a weather journal. The content of these journals tell a story about weather in real time. The process forces the casual weather watcher to take in more details and note the surprises that come along. Like frost. Like the random thunder storm. One begins to ‘feel’ what the weather is going to do. Wind , air pressure, rainfall, humidity and even the dew point become important information when farming is more than a hobby, like it is for me. I actually grow food to put by for the winter. Currently I have three varieties of tomatoes in the tomato house. I freeze apples as they ripen and fall from the tree to make applesause fresh during the winter. It is so much better than canned! We turn the plums, purchased peaches and apricots into chutney for winter meat dishes to spice up meals. Potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and even grain on occasion are put away for winter use. I have increased the dried herbs I grow to include dill, oregano, basil, green onion, minced garlic, thyme, chives, marjoram, tarragon and savory. What a diference in taste when I grow, harvest, and dry my own herbs! So, watching the weather matters. Some of the herbs, like basil, and vegetables like green beans, summer squash and tomatoes have to be protected from frost. Keeping track of weather conditions just makes sense.
On a larger scale, weather plays a part in tending the meadows for proper forage, soil protection and even carbon sequestration. I don’t plow my meadows anymore. I wait for the autumn rains to help the left over dried grasses lay down and dampen before I disk, lightly chopping the organic matter into the soil. Then I seed back drought resistant forage grasses and harrow it in, one pass only, to make sure the little furrows that hold the seed and water succeed. I do lose some carbon, but if the seed bed is good and strong, this treatment need not be done yearly. Although this is my normal plan, the autumn rains do not always come in late September through October as they once did. In 2025 I finished the meadows the day before Thanksgiving. It was a very dry autumn. In addition, our first frost which used to occur in late September sometimes does not come until late October. Sometimes, not at all.
It is impossible to farm and keep livestock without enough water. One horse can work through 250 gallons of fresh water in no time and believe me, you want them to. 50 chickens go through 20 gallons of fresh water every 2-3 days in the winter and far faster in the summer. When it is hot the hens have both indoor and outdoor water available. Here again, weather matters. Livestock must be cared for. The garden itself has to have about 30 minutes of consistent watering everyday to make sure plants are healthy and strong. I do most of that watering first thing in the morning or close to sunset in the evening. Waiting for rain in the summer months is challenging, but, wind is worse.
It is the end of July. We have been close to 90 degrees for weeks, it seems, with very little rainfall and there is no serious rainfall in the forecast into August. While this weather can be challenging, it is a great time to succession plant. If you haven’t already done it, a second round of peas, green beans, and carrots can go in the ground. You can also put left over sprouting potatoes in and by October, at the very least, you will have “new” potatoes which are delicious! You can plant all the greens and even beets if you want but the roots may not have eneough time to mature. Still, beet tops are amazingly nutricious and don’t mind cold temperatures.
Well, that is the catch up overview for now. One unusual thing is our broody White Leghorn. She just is not letting go of it. So, my grand daughter asked if we could let “Brooda”, her name for the hen, set on some eggs. Generally this is done in the spring to make sure any new chicks are big enough to be in the big house by winter. If Brooda succeeds, there will be 8 new chicks to merge intothe flock by mid December. We will see how this shakes out.
Put those plans into action!
If January is garden planning month, then February is "put those plans into action" month.
In January I got out the graph paper and planned my vegetable garden for summer 2015. I was careful to make a plan that rotated crops from the last two years so I can keep pests under control. I have rotated the garden every year for the last seven years. That combined with letting my chickens clean the space of bugs and grubs in both fall and spring, letting the two horses clean up any plant and vegetable leftovers in the fall as well as fertilize the ground, has lead to spectacular success year after year.
Throughout each spring, summer, and fall I build my compost pile and it is a big one. I add chicken and horse manure all spring and summer. It continues to be turned in the heat. In the later fall I add about 5 pick up loads of leaves to the mix as well as grass clippings and usually there is some left over hay in there. It gets rained on and we keep scooping it together with the tractor. What a beautiful sight to see steam rolling off of this pile in the early morning sun. Then, as soon as the tractor can get into the garden we start dumping that compost in place. I usually have about seven large tractor buckets full. The compost gets tilled in and continues to be exposed to the elements. By the end of May, I am ready to plant in the dark brown rich earth. And I never have to use pesticides in the garden.
So while my compost is continuing to cook under the snow, I am in the green house choosing the seeds I want to plant this year and cleaning last years pots of dirt and debris. That job should have been done last fall, but, well....it is a farm.
Once the pots have been cleaned I know what I have for use in either summer long potted plants or how many small pots I have to start seeds in. it is great fun, planning! And before too long it will be time to get back into the garden!
Not everyone has access to the kind of compost, manure, and working animals I do. But that should not stop any of us from insuring the health of our garden. There are too many quality, organic, and /or natural amendment products on the shelves to allow for poor gardens.
From the Earth
The CO-OP carries a wonderful organic, from the earth fertilizer out of Tonasket, Washington:
Pacific Calcium Nature's Intent. The calcium based products from this company are taken right from the earth. And this particular type of organic fertilizer for both lawn and gardens is actually less expensive than most organics. It is worth the attention. Take a look:
All Purpose 7-2-4
All Purpose 7-2-4 is often used up to three times per year. It provides a slow release nitrogen that lasts up to three months. It also provides calcium for cell wall and crown development. Applied at 15 lb. per 1000 sq. ft., the 50 lb bag can provide three treatments to a 20' x 50' garden through the year at a retail cost of about $35 total! Organic! There just is no reason to spend a fortune fertilizing your yard and garden organically!
Calpril Granulated Limestone
Granulated Limestone is another all purpose. It supplies calcium at 36%. It raises the ph, sweetening the soil, and helps break up clay. This form of calcium is particularly beneficial in reducing Blossom End Rot in tomatoes. It retails for about $15 / 50 lb.
Rock Phosphate
Rock Phosphate provides phosphate and calcium to the soil which aids in root growth and plant development. Quality of the fruit increases and one will notice that fruits and vegetables grown with organic fertilizers will have much less water content- they are not so prone to rot as common grocery store fruits and vegetables. A grocery store apple will usually develop brown spots and rot. But an organically, home grown apple will just sit on the counter and begin to shrivel. (Yes- we have done the experiments.) Rock Phosphate retails for about $33 for the 50 lb. bag.
Fish Bone Meal
Fish Bone Meal is exactly what it says and is an alternative to steamed bone meal. it is 100% Natural and OMRI approved. Fish bone meal is particularly good for the production of bulbs and root crops. It comes in 50 lb. bags and retails for about $34.00
Granulated Gypsum
Granulated Gypsum is best known for loosening heavy soils. While nutrients are usually present in heavy soils like clay, plant roots cannot penetrate the soil to reach them. Granulated Gypsum , when turned into the soil helps to permeate the ground. It is a natural source of calcium and sulfur. While good for sodic soils, it does not change the ph. Granulated Gypsum application rate is 5lb. / 1000 sq. Ft. The 50 lb. bag Retails for about $17.00
Stop spending a fortune on organic fertilizers for your yard & garden. Get Nature's Intent At the CO-OP!
