The blessing of rain

I feel pretty lucky that I was able to install HUGE rainbarrels near the garden. By the end of a 2-week dry spell, during which time all of my transplanting took place, I had almost come to the end of the water reserve I had. It has rained enough in the last week that they are topped up again (not to mention my new beds are thoroughly soaked) and so if the 'drier than normal' spring that is predicted does materialize, I have hope that we'll be able to make it through to the next rain.
Last week I added 2 more collection barrels - a 45-gal drum that I added a spigot to at the bottom and then extended a down spout to, and a 45-gal GARBAGE bin that I just placed under a down spout (with mosquito screen covering the open top since it had no lid) that I'll just have to dip my watering can into. I managed to finish them before the rains came, and I've been happy to watch them fill up, too.
My whole relationship to water has changed since moving here. Without access to un-softened water (I doubt the plants would enjoy salty water), rain water is literally the life blood of the garden. And so I'm 'one of those' who waits for rain (despite the fact that we still have leaks in the roof), who is grateful for pop-up showers. The compost bin needs the rain, my new 'donated' plants (freshly transplanted) need the rain, the greedy rain barrels need the rain. The peas seem to grow before your eyes after a rain shower.
And rain becomes 'free laundry'... I hang the and blankets outside and let them get a soaking during a rainstorm, and then dry them on the deck railing. The dirty mats get left outside for a few storms, after a good shaking / beating.
Finally, a good rainstorm is preceded by a over-seeding of white clover on our property, so that eventually the grass will be replaced by the sweet-smelling, white flowered green that requires no mowing.
Despite a small leak in the roof and a few leaks in the foundation, I now find myself eagerly awaiting the rain, and all the good it means.

Spring Workout

I went for a dress fitting (I'm a 'groomsman' at my friend's wedding in the fall) and discovered that I'm 3 inches thinner than ususual. I think that it is due to my 'homestead workout plan'.
The tractor isn't working so I've had to mow the grass with the (environmentally friendly) 4-stroke push mower. I then had to rake and haul all of the grass ( about 9 yards worth). That would be my cardio routine.
We've also been building the raised beds for our garden, and decided to buy a 4-in-1 organic garden soil, which gets delivered by the yard. So, I've spent the past couple of weeks moving 6 yards of dirt by hand. I considered this my strength training.
Then there has been the rapid planting of the plants my friend Lucinda gave me, all which involved digging, amending the soil, planting, watering. A bit of interval training.
Finally, there is the daily routine of watering all of my newly planted vegetables. Since our rain barrels are gravity fed, this is done mostly with watering cans and so a lot of walking back and forth from bed to barrel to bed. This could be described as endurance.
All of this on top of the every day activities like cleaning, working, shopping, laundry, etc. It feels like I have been constantly on the move for the past 4 weeks (and thankfully I've been on 'vacation' for the past 3). In fact, I feel like I've been on the move since we moved out here.

The vegetable garden is showing promise - after a slowish start the peas are pulling themselves upward, the carrots have germinated and the 1st radishes and salads are almost ready to harvest. I planted out the tomatoes, and the peppers and basil will go into the ground in another week or so. The raised beds have really been great in that the soil has warmed up really quickly, so I'm a bit ahead of the game. I put my first succession of beans in yesterday, and will put another 2 plantings in over the next few weeks. Cucumbers will come next, once the weather is really warm. I have noticed that the raised beds require more watering than I would have thought ... even with the vermiculite that I incorporated into the soil, the beds seem to dry out pretty quickly.

Given that this is my first year gardening on such a scale, I'm a bit uncertain as to my eventual success rate. But the PROMISE of success (and envisioning the towering plants in a couple of months time) certainly is worth the effort.

Freecycle Gardening

My friend Lucinda invited me over to take some plants from her garden - she is repainting her garage and so needed to clear out some space, plus some of the plants needed dividing. By the end of my afternoon, I had filled our truck full of hostas, bleeding hearts, irises, Solomon's seal, wild roses, hydrangeas and columbine. She was pragmatic and rather ruthless, cutting them out and housing them in whatever was handy - garbage bags, cement buckets, old plant pots. We watered them and she waved goodbye as I rushed my new friends home.
Last night I planted the shade lovers and the more delicate specimens in a so-called 'bed' I had sort of started last year, but to be honest I wasn't ready for the number of plants she so graciously gave me. I had expected a couple, not dozens. Today most of them seem to be holding on. The rest I've had to keep in their containers on our shaded front porch and hope they last... we've had raging high winds today and I didn't think the plants could withstand that kind of shock (coming as they had from a well-groomed, peaceful back yard).
It made me think, however, how amazing it is to grow enough of something that you can give it away to someone who will be so happy for it (this would include dividing plants and also extra produce from the veggie garden) and how the history of gardening is ALL about the freecycling... getting clippings or bulbs or divisions from family and friends, handing over your own treasured specimans. Once you put them in the soil that you've kept healthy with your homegrown compost, you're pretty much set. It doesn't have to be expensive to have a garden, once you've hooked up with other gardeners - there seems to be a lot of pride in trading or giving away plants that have been lovingly tended. And the opportunities for heirloom or out-of-favour specimans is unlimited - far better than the uniform trays of plants that you and everyone else is offered at Home Depot or a big-box gardening centre.
With a little bartering or freecycling, it is possible to create a unique and lush garden without going broke.

Grass Cutting 101

Last summer I rarely managed to cut the grass. Mostly it was because it rained so much that the grass was always wet, but when I did find an opportunity to cut it, the lawn mowers failed.
I had bought a push mower (4 stroke and very environmentally friendly) because the tractor that came with the house is ancient and probably creates more pollution than a hundred cars. I also thought that a push mower would be great cardio for me (who had been accustomed to walking a lot in the city and now had to drive everywhere). I was diligent about mulching, so had the mulching plugs in place. I rarely got a hundred meters before the push mower would conk out - plugged and exhausted from a lack of oxygen caused by the abundance of long, wet, matted grass clippings.
The tractor was more reliable but also struggled in the backyard where the leachbed is. I can't even count the number of times I had to push the tractor back into the drive shed because it had been crippled and suffocated out in the deep green grass.
I spent the winter trying to figure out what I was going to do about the lawn. Not only was the grass going to keep growing, but there was going to be a significant amount of matting at ground level - last years' decay. Max suggested burning it all (healthy for the soil but probably a bit stressful for the nextdoor farmer) and reseeding with clover.
Early on in the spring I overseeded with clover again ( I started this last year, we'd like to do away with grass altogether) and yesterday I decided to give mowing another try.
This time I used the push mower with the clippings bag. I had decided to use the bag because I wanted to save the clippings for the compost pile (and to relieve a bit of stress on the already matted lawn). BOY WAS I STUPID LAST YEAR. Without having to mulch and spray long wet grass, the mower operated tremendously!! I had to dump the grass clippings bag once a row (and so the process took a very long time) but the mower managed to mow down 8" grass and only sputter to a halt once. It seems so obvious, but last summer I was unprepared for the success of our lawn (compounded by the rain) and since I had only owned a manual mower in the city (with our 20' x 40' back yard) I didn't know how to properly operate a gas-powered one.
It took me about 5 hours to cut the front and side part of the property, and another hour just to mow between the house and the septic tank (where we had a lush and lovely mop of foot long grass). Today I'm going to try and finish off the back yard.
I'm so grateful to be able to use my heart- and earth-friendly push mower, and even more grateful that my lawn-mowing addicted neighbours (who have at least 3 acres of manicured lawn) won't show up offering to mow our grass finally.

More gardening

Yesterday I finished hauling the last of the garden soil (more than 3 yards) into the raised beds we built. It seems that we'll need another 3 yards (plus more manure) since we added in another 3 beds. But based on the number of tomato & pepper plants we have started, plus all the beans I want to plant, we'll need the space (even after I take into consideration using up space on the deck with containers).
The peas have started shooting up - the "Sugar Snap" from Terra Edibles are doing great, they are at about 2" (with support vines started ) and it's been just under 3 weeks since planting. I also put in "Homesteader" from Terra Edibles, "Oregon Sugar Pod" from Aimers Organics and "Laxton's Progress" also from Aimers Organics. I didn't have 100% germination from any of them, but the Sugar Snap had a 7/8 germination which I thought pretty good.
The radishes are doing well, and the salads starting to show some promise. The beets are taking their time sprouting, but they eventually do.
The shallots that I planted mid-April are also doing well. The onions and leeks that I started in the jiffy pellets aren't doing so well, but the direct seeded green onions show a lot of promise!
With most of the beds done, I'm going to start succession planting more carrots and beets, and put in some parsnips. It's hard not to be overly ambitious when the beds lie there, showing such promise. I am really hoping to be able to have some root vegetables over the winter, although I doubt I'll have much in the way of onions. Oh well, onions and garlic next year.

Spring Plans

Having spent a full year at our little homestead, we are now making some long-term plans on how to incorporate our wish list into the reality of this place.
We're planning a pond in the front yard - in part to enhance the visual interest on the property, in part to provide a bit of wildlife habitat, but also in part to offer a bit of fire suppression. Our neighbours had a car fire and it took the volunteer fire department about 10 minutes to get out here (which is not bad considering how far we are from town) - a lot can burn in 10 minutes. We figure if we outfit the pond with a pump, some power and a bit of 1 1/2 hose nearby, we could perhaps stave off destruction until the pumper gets out here. Fire notwithstanding, the birds should love it.
We've also refined my 'greywater garden' plan - we're going to trench the outspout further along the backyard and therefore relocate the garden to a more convenient place. Where the outspout is currently, it prevents people from accessing the back yard from the deck and is also hindering our efforts to make a garden bed for the cucumbers.
Our rainwater collection barrel have been working astonishingly well - so much so that I'm going to try and install a third one. We used 100 gal. industrial containers that we bought used. They come in a metal frame for support so while they are pretty ugly, they are rugged and large enough to be really useful. Max adapted the existing valve so that we can attach a hose to it. Since gravity will be the 'power source', it isn't the most high-pressure system, but it works and it's free.
We're hoping to plant some fruit trees and canes this week.... I can hardly wait to compete with the birds for the mulberries and raspberries!