Timing is Adaptable

Just a quick note about "timing" as it relates to gardening and food preservation.

I firmly believe that each family will prefer things slightly different from another.  To blindly follow 

the advice of farming books is to become a "slave" to someone else's preferences.

Yes, there can be good advice - but try to be mindful of your uniqueness.

So...that said...here are some "odd" things we love to do!

Many people put their gardens "to bed" in the FALL...

WE are too busy pressing cider and gathering evergreen huckleberries that time of year, 

SO...we generally clean up, amend, and prep our beds in WINTER.

Many people do their canning when the fruit is fresh off the vine/tree...

HOWEVER, boiling water and cooking during the hot Summer months seems

like (1) a waste of energy, and (2) is hard to do when you've got an active garden to care for.

SO...we freeze most of our berries and make jam in Winter when we are using the wood 

burning cookstove to heat the house anyway.  This way, there is ZERO fuel expense added into 

the cost of making the jam!

Just some examples...

Springtime is Weedtime in the Northwest!

Last year, I swore off Spring Gardening.

In fact, I'm a bit shocked that I'm doing it this year.  It must have slipped my mind

that I had decided, "never again."  Why?

Simple - the weeds.

If you've ever gone away for a week in April or May, you know what I mean.  It's insane!

Sure, we LOVE to see our "wanted" plants bursting forth...

IF you can see them through all those bountiful, lush, and robust WEEDS!

So, why did I plant seeds in early March?

First, honestly, I forgot my vow.  But, mainly...I got crafty during the Winter.

This Winter was fairly warm (aside from the big freeze in December), so I hired a friend

to come out and help me "prepare" all of my beds.  We did one each week.  I have TWO types of beds...those that will host annuals, and those that have permanent residents (raspberries, strawberries, etc.)  

Here's what I did for the "annual" beds.

1. Weeded the bed.
2. Amended with manure from our animals.
3. THEN, we covered it with black mesh.

Now, it's a non-weed-problem bed.  I can grow in it this year or leave it fallow until next year.  But, either way, there are no puffy, white flower heads tossing seeds into the air or crabgrass or shotweed, etc.

Here's what I did for the "permanent" beds.

1. Weeded the bed.
2. Moved the perennials (if they needed it).
3. Transplanted baby strawberries all over to create a "fruiting ground cover."
4. Transplanted much of the "volunteer chamomile" to further fill space in with something I WANT.
5. THEN, we covered all the open spaces with straw to reduce weed growth.

Well, it is working really well.  I feel very much "in control" and I have less weeds than EVER before!

YEAH!!!!

Potting Up Matters

In 2000, I was terrified of growing most things from seed...I was a "starts" girl.  I remember a neighbor that grew her own tomatoes from seed (under lights indoors initially), and I was in total awe of her.  Surely only an expert could do that!

Then, in 2005, I gave it a try.  Truly, it's totally doable!  First, the basics:

1. On Vashon, growing under lights in late Winter/early Spring is a MUST.
2. On Vashon, growing your plants under lights in a SUNNY WINDOW really helps!!
3. Everywhere, grow lights are most effective if they are 2" or closer to your plants. 
4. Hang your grow lights on adjustable chains - I alter their height practically every day.
5. Water thoughtfully (not too dry, not too wet).  Meaning, not soggy and not dusty dry.
6. No lights at night - let them sleep.
7. As the weather warms up, you'll want to put them out for some "direct sunlight."

So...on to the "potting up" concept.  See the evolution in this photo:

I start with the peat pots that are pre-made and swell when you soak them in warm water.  The plant on the left is about 2 weeks old.  The next pot is 3 weeks and the next pot is about 5 weeks.  The last is about 7 weeks old.  It's important to pot up our babies - a peaceful process.  Mix 1/3 bagged compost with 2/3 potting mix - pure compost is too heavy and will foster mold in your indoor starts.  

Only the plants you need to start way early (peppers, tomatoes, basil) need to be potted up as they will grow for so long and get so large indoors.  Our cool weather crops (broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, etc.) goes straight into the garden still in it's peat pot when it is about 4 weeks old (late March/early April).  

I won't say that growing your own plants from seed is "FREE" of effort - of course not.  But, it's not rocket science either.  The way I figure, it costs me $3.50 for a bag of tomato seeds...and I can grow $90 worth of tomato starts with fairly minimal energy.  It's fun to buy different varieties and share seeds with friends, too!

Weed Whacking - Love it or Hate it?

Okay, we pretty much love it - but we know why folks hate it.  Weed whacking is super dangerous when you're trying to do "detail" whacking around a beloved tree or bush - trust me.

However, in our garden, we've discovered the joys of clear boundaries.  If I'm going to garden an area, I keep it quite clean and well-contained.  If I'm going to leave an area to go wild or grow some grass...I try to keep it very much ALL wild so I can weed whack with ease.

Here's an example of something we did this year that is working so far.  We wanted to set up our grapes in an area that has been devoted to grass.  Rather than toil and create beds that would increase the amount of space needing to be "hand" weeded...we put them into wine barrels!

Now, as they aren't staked up yet, I still needed to be a little careful this week when I whacked - but all in all, it was super easy to manage this area in about 30 minutes!

I think that trying things out and experimenting with what seems to make sense for YOUR family is always a great way to go!

Welcome to the Community!

Our island is full of knowledge, and we've learned a ton from others.  Now it's time for us to give back.
I've never been drawn to the Garden or Farm Tours - these people are not who I am.  I don't have a large budget, I don't have farm hands, I don't make a business of my garden, and I have a lot of other things going on in my life.  I'm a "normal" person who also wants to have a robust garden that feeds my family!

If you want to see what our "normal" family does and how it works out (our successes and failures) this is where we'll share them.  ALSO, we plan to have monthly activities that a limited number of people can sign up to participate in here at the "farm."  I just want to inspire confidence in others that you CAN grow a substantial amount of your own food without have to become "obsessive" and on a limited budget!

We hope this blog benefits your family's life.
Sincerely, March, Jose, Roman, and Jordi