Hurricane Issac

Enjoying a mug of community coffee this morning w my mom and dad; watching the hurricane creep closer to New Orleans. Kelly came in last night w Pokie Joe and Floppy..  The news informed us that this is the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which has made the people of the gulf coast panicky. I can only hope  that this hurricane will make landfall at a  Cat 1 or tropical storm, however just in case I made sure my family evacuated New Orleans. Kelly does not have any leave, but we don't want to take any chances.. My Prayers go out to the people of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida..


We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.

Psalm 33:20

God Bless.

Sustainable Energy

I have been researching sustainable gardening pretty extensively.. I am actually pretty damn excited about it! Something else that we are looking into is Sustainable energy. When Kelly and I build our cabin in the woods we are hoping to purchase solar panels in order to produce clean energy; the panels will pay for themselves..

Right now we are in limbo waiting for a job reply, however if that job doesn't work out we are looking into a job that will be opening this winter.. Either of these positions will bring us closer to home. God will  lead us in the direction we need to go in next.

Until then we will continue to dream about our retreat in the woods.

Crowder Peas

Crowder peas are  drought tolerant plants that love full sun, and sandy well drained soils. We will plant these late spring to early summer.. When preparing the top soil tilt the top 6 inches of soil.  Then, add a tenth of a pound of elemental sulfur for every 10 square feet of soil. After doing this,  add 3 pounds of limestone for e very 100 sq feet of soil.. These two things help w the Ph of the soil. Lastly, cover the  seeds w 1 to 1/2 inches of native soil.

Sweet Potatoe Vine

Sweet potatoes and Potatoes are two entirely different vegetables, however sweet potatoes sound like they will be easier to grow.. This veggie will have to have 4 monts of warm weather to grow to size. They desire full sun / partial shade, however  afternoon shade is preferred in hotter climates. Soil Ph is said to be 5.0 to 6.5. Something to keep in mind:  Feeding sweet potatoes just increases foliage. So plant these in soil high organic matter and leave them alone! To prevent disease from year to year rotate your crop.

Potatoes

Potatoes grow under ground; so you never know how you are doing until you harvest your crop. You know when the top of the plant dies off the potatoes are ready to be harvested. We are going to use the container method to grow these plants. Readings suggest using a clean garbage can or whiskey barrel will work sufficiently. First Lay 6 in of soil in the bottom. After putting in  your soil, spread out your seeds. Then keep adding soil as your plant gets taller. We can try to grow these plants in soil or peat, either will work fine. Sounds like potatoes are going to be a nightmare to grow. Diseases and Bugs are going to be a problem, but we are up to the challenge! A good suggestion  to help control diseases is to refrain from planting your potatoes where your tomatoes or egg plant has been planted in the past. Controlling PH levels, and adding compost  will also help w disease and bug problems.. It is best to plant potatoes in the late summer or late winter. This will ensure that your plants will not have  to grow in the hottest months. Keeping the soil loose and well drained will help the plant develop properly. Potatoes like Full sun / Partial shade.

Egg Plant

We want to plant a variety of veggies and  fruits so we do not become bored w our selection of food we bring to the table.. Kelly wants to try to grow egg plant. This is another heat loving plant; thriving in full sun. They are usually around 3 in tall and bushy. The articles I have read on egg plants suggest planting the plant in the same spot year after year will help prevent disease.. Picking the plant before they are fully grown will encourage more fruit set; cut the fruits from the plant do not pull.

Summer Squash

Squash comes in a summer and winter variety.  Since we are focusing more on the summer plants  I am going to blog on the summer variety. Summer squash grows in a bush like plant. These plants like full sun, fertile soil, and sufficient moisture. This plant needs compost to thrive. They can grow quickly especially in hot weather. So squash needs to be checked everyday; picking these veggies encourage more growth. The summer variety should be picked before they have fully ripened.

Cucumbers

Cucumbers are another favorite of mine. Growing all of these different vegetables will be a lot of work, but worth it in the end. Not only will the food taste better, but it will help w the monthly grocery bill. So back to growing cucumbers. This is another summer plant. We have chosen to use the cucumber vine instead of the bush.We will harvest cucumbers while they are slightly immature. Remember to cut the plant from the vine. Do not pull the plant off. Plant seeds after last frost; allowing soil to become warm and to dry out.  Hints: Cucumbers like full sun. When watering the plant do not let them sit in water; cucumbers like well drained soil.  Remember Vine crops are heavy feeders so these will need fertilizer. PH level 5.5 7.0.

Watermelons

Kelly and I want to use raised beds for most of our plants. We hope this will make maintenance a lot easier. This going to sound a little ridiculous, but I want to try and grow watermelons.  This plant is a heat lover, and does not need a lot of attention. Watermelons produce large spreading vines so allow space for this. 6 ft between rows. Build soil up so the soil stays loose for the roots to grow. Planting: Make holes 1 in deep. Place one to four seeds in each hole. Apply mulch or compost.

Peanuts.

Peanuts will be a treat. This is going to be more of a touch and go plant so I am going to plant these in containers.. These plants require full sun, frequent watering, and sandy well drained soil.. We will need a fairly wide container to grow the peanuts.. Since we are using containers we will use the Peanut Bush instead of the runners.. One plant per container. We will need to buy the proper seed from a gardening center. Shell the seed right before planting or they will dry out and not germinate. Plant 2 to 3 weeks after last frost. Add extra lime to soil to balance ph. If all turns out we should yield 30 to 50 peanuts per plant.. Do not eat if the peanuts become moldy..

Future Garden

Most of my upcoming blogs will be related to our future garden. Not much to these posts just segments for us to refer back to when we go to implement our plans.. These blogs are also a good way for Kelly to keep track of the different fruits and veggies I have in my mind when he draws the plans for our garden.. So we can be on the same page when the time comes..

Snap Beans

Ok just brainstorming. Summer Gardening. First  I think I will start w some of the easier plants to grow; snap beans for starters. TThey like full sun,  however in researching these veggies I want to go w a pole bean instead of a Bush. Snap beans can be directly seeded into the garden,  however the soil.needs to be warm.. So they need to be planted after the LAST frost.  The soil also  needs to be moist and loose. Keep the plants mulched and well watered, and about half way through the growing season, the beans will need compost.  If I decide to test ph levels these plants like their soil to be slightly acidic at 6.0 to 6.2

Simplify

Sustainable Gardening.  I have such big plans which include gardening, enjoying the  outdoors, and getting back to the basics. This life style is so appealing to me. I want our whole yard to be edible; from the bottom to the top. I have been surfing the Internet researching what I want to grow.. Not only do I want to grow veggies; fruits and berries sound tasty too. Different items can be grown during various seasons, of course I will freeze the surplus in order to eat good during the winter months. This is my dream. To simplify.

I will blog more on this as I explore more on the subject. Stay tuned.