Let There Be Light

Before the slaughter

My Carolina Cherries lining the perimeter of the back yard wall have been excellent for privacy and giving a sense of outdoors and nature for the backyard, however they've also proven to block a significant amount of sunlight making growing veggies more difficult. Today I impulsively went at em' with a lopper and a saw and dropped the tree line by 4-5'. I have some remorse, it feels much different, less private with an increased presence of neighboring homes. The beds were flooded with new sunlight, I suppose it will be worth it in the end if I'm growing better crops. This years navel crop is maybe the best tasting in my 12 years here. The tree looks like shit, but the fruit is incredible.

Peas and Kale Emerging

Not very uniform, but they are popping up. These took 9 days with average daily temps in the 65 range. The spinach, beets, chard and carrots are still a no show. I covered the beets and carrots with plastic to warm up the soil a bit.

Peas showing up

Beets and Carrots

Planted a few feet of beets and a few feet of carrots. Cooler weather and some rain in the forecast, hoping for better results from carrots. No frills post; just recording the sow date for my own records.

Bones, Fuck Yeah!

Yes, it will blend

Peas, Kale, Swiss Chard and Spinach

Nothing exciting, just sowed a full bed of Peas and split up another bed with Kale, Swiss Chard and Spinach. The soil and air is cold, but they should all germinate without artificially warming up the soil.

Pickle Madness!

Third batch!

Nothing wasted

Made stock from the chicken carcasses, onion, garlic, celery and carrot waste we've been stockpiling for the past few months.

Sorted through the strained stock material, bones to be sundried and pulverized for bone meal. Everything else went into the hotpile.

After separating from the veggies, skin, etc. they're put out on a screen to let the sun dry them out and the bugs eat up the tissues that is still attached.

Also started another batch of celery. The last batch pretty much stalled out, I don't know what I'm doing wrong. Bad seeds? Bad soil mix? - I don't know, but this time I'm trying a few different soil mixes to see if that makes a difference.

MORE cucumbers!

4th harvest

3rd cucumber harvest and going strong

The cucumbers are still going strong, just pulled another 5lbs off this am. Lots of ladybug larvae crawling around. Noticed some small orange eggs I need to research; friend or foe?

Cookin compost

Pregnant and Farming

Fuckin' A!

Celery True Leaves - finally!

I can't believe how slow celery grows, I planted these on August 25th, they emerged September 6th and they just got their first true leaves! 23 days to first true leaves...

Flip complete

Already heating back up to 138

Celery emerged

Finally! 12 days and the celery has emerged. Going to give it a few more weeks and some thinning and then I'll transfer out.

Japanese beetle tennis

Ha-ha!!

Spaghetti Gamble

Planted these about 6 months late. Interested to see what happens. They emerged in 3 days; eager beaver!

Second sowing of carrots

First sowing strong on east, weak on west. Sowed another two rows topped shallow with compost and mulch. I'll pull the mulch in 4 days to try to expose pre-emergence.

Cucumbers have blossoms and nice little fruits. Fast!

Time to flip

Temp dropped to 120F, time to flip

Carrots popped up

only one row though which is really odd. using natural mulch has attracted  a shit ton of pill bugs and earwigs. After soil surface dries a bit ill hit it with some DE. cucumbers look awesome.

Beets look poor, tomatoes are sick and I'm seeing pill bugs chewing on stems of beans; business as usual

A better use for weeds

Another benefit to be all organic, chemical free is that when I weed for 20 minutes I can feed a big meal to Jesus y Moises

5 year old touchstone gold

Turns out 5 year old, poorly stored seeds are still viable - hmph!

Cucumbers are looking great, tendrils started and I need to get them trellised this weekend.

Tomatoes from Jon never really took off and are looking sick now, may pull 'em

Celery (attempt #2)

Started some celery, not holding my breath.

Summer carrots

Planted (2) 5' rows of Nepoli carrots. Loosed beds, added compost, bone meal, powdered egg shells and thick layer of mulch to keep seeds wet.

No work today, too much work

Too much day job to sneak any fun work in. Compost 132 and definitely slowing down. I may of got it too wet.

112° and climbing

Compost is up to 112° and climbing. Got the chipper to start by drizzling gas directly into the cylinder via the spark plug hole. Need to take engine off and take to repair shop, it runs week and sounds like shit.
Anyways, chipped up a wheelbarrow full of fig and dry leaves.

Put the new strawberry guava in place in the yard, let it acclimate a couple weeks before planting.

posted from Bloggeroid

And away we go...

posted from Bloggeroid

Compost work, weeding and heavy watering

Rejuvenated old compost, was really dry. Added some grass, water and air - the rest should be automatic now. 63° at center


Deep watered all beds, should be good for several day. Kate started weeding back by citrus and I pruned back the confused grapes.

posted from Bloggeroid

Save my Citrus

I'm finally giving attention to my tiny Valencia Orange and Lime trees I planted last year. I did everything right: dug extra wide and deep holes, set trees to correct height and mulched around base. All that didn't matter though because within a few weeks they were under assault from an unknown pest. I stopped by Flowerdale Nursery to ask some advice as they have an excellent selection of fruit trees. I didn't have any leaves with me and it was suggested I send some photos. I sent the following, hopefully my next post will be about the excellent advice I received.