Seedybeans Blog
Celebrating the Humble Harvests of High Desert HomesteadingArchive for Garden Projects
Making soil mix
One of my favorite activities is making dirt– It feels like a miracle when you do it and really connects you to the components of what is in soil that makes it so fabulous to begin with. If you never have done it, I highly recommend it. You will need to gather a few materials if you want to make a soil mix that is good for seedlings, some store bought, but you will save money in the end if it is your habit to just buy seedling mix. Making it yourself also gives you options to make mixes that are appropriate to the job at hand; you can make a fine mix for seedlings, a richer one for potting up and even a grittier one for cactus and such.
If you are a teacher or doing gardening with kids, it is a great activity because it is a lot like cooking, only you don’t have to wash your hands till after!! A bunch of kids gathered around a wheel burrow, mixing and shifting is a great sight, though keep in mind– (FINE DUST FROM SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS CAN BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR LUNGS AND THE LUNGS OF LITTLE ONES…..VERMICULITE, PEAT MOSS AND PERLITE ALL HAVE FINE DUST TO BE AWARE OF)
Now if you feel so bold– here is how I do it
Gather your Materials
Peat Moss or Coir Fiber- Peat moss is made from the remains of dead plants that have decayed over hundreds of years. Sphagnum moss is specifically moss that grows in peat bogs in Canada and other northern regions. These are common in soil mixes because they are so fine and hold moisture incredibly well. Coir Fiber is made from the husks of coconut and much more renewable and eco-friendly than Peat Moss, which take hundreds of years to form and is getting very rare. These two are interchangeable in soil mix but Peat holds nutrients better, where as Coir Fiber holds water better. Coir fiber is also not as acidic as Peat Moss. They both are highly compressed in packing so it is good to open them up and put them in a wheel burrow or container and pre-moisten them a day in advance of making soil mix. They will absorb the water and become fluffy and expand quite a bit. You can should break up any clumps before using in mixes.
Peat Moss
Fine Sand– Gathering Sand from the arroyo and sifting it through an old window screen is perfect. Store bought is fine as well, but never use sand from the seashore. Sands main role is drainage and aeration in soil mixes but can create a cement when mixed with heavy clay soils so keep that in mind.
Arroyo Sand
Garden Soil– Sifted through a 1/4 inch sifter for finer mixes.
Compost– From your pile or from the store is fine–Sifted through a 1/4 inch sifter for finer mixes
Worm compost-before sifting
Extras
Vermiculite – Exploded Mica that is good for drainage, but does have a fine dust that is harmful when inhaled. Pre-moistening can cut down on dust
Vermiculite
Perlite– Exploded volcanic rock that is good for drainage, but also has a fine dust that is harmful when inhaled. Pre-moistening can cut down on dust.
Perlite
Once you have all your ingredients you will need a wheel burrow, mixing hoe and shovel.
Wheel Burrow and hoe
Mix— Now when you are following the recipes below, it is important to think about the qualities of your ingredients. You basically want a balance between materials that are nutritious, hold moisture and drain moisture. These characteristics will of course vary depending on what the mix is for (Ex: cactus want more drainage than seeds) but before you simply follow a recipe it is good to understand what each element brings. Now–Follow the recipes and mix all the ingredients together, making sure to mix well and get everything hiding in the corners, you don’t want pockets of unmixed material. This is a great job for taking turns, especially with kids.
Moisture–
It is good to have water on hand as well, and I of course prefer a watering can or nozzle with a very fine spray, as it is disperses well in your mix and cuts the dust down considerably. It is nice to have someone else help sprinkle water as you are mixing, not too much not too little.
A fine sprinkle is ideal
You want the mix to be ‘as moist as a rung out sponge’ when you are done. It should feel moist to the touch but when you squeeze it into a ball you are not able to squeeze drops of water out. When you go to use it, if it isn’t the same day, you will want to make sure this moisture level is the same. Storing the mix in Tupperware can help with this, or just add water when the time comes.
Squeeze in a ball
release you should have a ball that breaks up easily
A note on Sterilized Soil–Many farmers and greenhouse owners buy seedling mix because it is sterile, and thus free of diseases that can be carried in soil. Though we talk a lot about the life of the soil, when it comes to indoor conditions of seed starting, having too much life can create imbalances that nature can’t manage because greenhouses are human controlled environments. Diseases can really set you and seedlings back so if you know diseases are present, you may want to sterilize your soil. I have always used soil and compost from my garden without sterilizing, and have had no problems. I have also been to farms gardens where the gardeners sterilize their own soil by baking it. I have seen this done in the oven as well as in steel drums over a fire. The soil only needs to get to 180 F degrees to kill most harmful things. If you get it too hot it can start to release other toxins, so beware. Cooking soil stinks so consider yourself forewarned. It will create a ‘dead soil’ but when seedlings are small the don’t need as much biological activity as when they grow up. If you choose to sterilize your soil let me know how it goes.
Below are the soil recipes I like to use, published from the University of Santa Cruz Center for Agro-ecology– where I learned all my tricks.
RECIPES
FLAT/SOWING MIX
3 parts compost (sifted .5 inch screen)
2 parts soil
1 part sand
2 parts coir fiber (premoistened)
GARDEN SPEEDLING MIX
2-1/2 compost (sifted .5 inch screen)
1 soil
2 coir fiber (premoistened)
1/4 gallon kelp meal (*1 tablespoon)
*Use 1/4 gallon when one part is equal to one
wheelbarrow. Use 1 tablespoon when the measure is
a shovelful.
POTTING MIX
1-1/2 compost
1-1/2 partially decomposed duff
1 used mix
1 sand
1 perlite
1/2 soil
DRYLAND POTTING MIX
3 potting mix
1 sand
1 perlite
Hope this was helpful and have fun playing in the dirt!!!
Backyard or schoolyard composting with worms
(This post is photo free as per the challenging malfunction of uploading for some strange reason. Please enjoy anyway and maybe some day I will add pretty pictures when all is right again)
Yes, compost IS the most natural thing in the world. It will happen with very little inputs from us if we leave it alone—- BUT it will happen much slower than we may want and if we introduce critters to help us, like worms, we need to care for them so they have what they need to do their work for us.
Here in New Mexico I have seen a lot of compost piles, mostly functional, but often VERY dry & carbon rich, taking years for folks to actually be able to use their compost. Another problem with dry compost piles is that they become habitat for mice and then of course snakes and attract unwanted visitors like skunks raccoons, etc..
There is often the other extremes too, where people buy expensive worm hotels or compost tumblers and simply don’t tend to them often enough for them to work and thus get discarded or donated to someone who has more time to tend to these things.
Very rarely have I see home gardeners make aerobic piles at home because the require lots of turning to keep the heat necessarily for aerobic decomposition. Often we don’t have the nitrogen, in the form of green matter, food waste or manure at home that one needs to create a really hot and steamy pile. If you do however, or feel dedicated to gathering the materials for such an endeavor, I highly recommend it and love the rich results.
After all I have seen and composting in many a school and backyard, I would like to humbly recommend the mighty worm to do the work. Vermicomposting as it is techniquely called is my favorite system, as it is simple, easy and takes little input, seriously does compost your food waste year round into beautiful rich useable compost.
Steps involved to making a Vermicompost System
Creating the space-First things first– you must provide habitat for the worms to live and eat your garbage. If you want to do an indoor worm bin in a big Tupperware or wooden container it works wonderfully, but I will direct you to this really clear video on U Tube to tell you exactly how to do that. It works great for classrooms and apartments and keeps the worms nice and warm. U Tube Worm Bin Info
If you choose to compost outside read on, but remember DO NOT use a totally contained space for the worms outside in the winter— If they get below 50 degrees they will freeze. If however they are in a pile that is open on the ground, they can burrow up to 6 ft. This means they are a lot less active, but rarely disappear all together.
The most common and least expensive outdoor container is a square made from 4 straw bales, creating walls but you are composting directly on the ground. They cost about $5 each from the Feed Bin and can be purchased at any feed store around town. Straw is good because worms eat it, it provides insulation while providing airflow, and are cheap and local. Once you have them you will want to find a shady spot to put them in, under a tree, or behind the north side of building. This keeps the pile cooler and thus you will need to water it less frequently. Full sun will work, but remember worms live in total darkness and like the cool temperatures of the earth. If the pile is to hot, it will dry out at least at the top and most likely the worms will dig pretty deep and you will need to water it often. It had a pile at Monte del Sol School that got generous sun, so I put mini sprinklers on it that cam eon once a day for 30 minutes. This worked wonderfully, especially because of the volume of the pile, but may be over kill for your system. Once you have your spot you can add your worms, organic waste, bedding and moisture.
Where to get worms?- Now getting the worms does cost a little, about $20 for a sack of them, which is plenty for the beginnings of any schoolyard or backyard pile!!! You can get them from Sam McCarthy at the Santa Fe farmers market and a little chat with him and you need not read further, but this is pretty much written from what he taught me. You could also call him 986-3415. If you can’t find him, many folks have worms and if they are given the right conditions, they reproduce like crazy so most people who have them, can spare a few. A zip lock sandwich bag with a few generous handfuls should be plenty to start you off.
Food- Most food scraps from your kitchen a worm can eat just fine, old lentil soup, left over peanut butter and jelly, carrot tops, tea bags… you get the point. Instead of providing a list, of everything you CAN put in, I will simply say, size does matter– The smaller the food pieces are, the more palatable for your little toothless worms. If you have kids you can have them break the waste into little pieces, tearing orange peels to shreds or old cabbage leaves can be great fun and takes little skill. Some people even put their compost in the food processor before feeding it to the worms, which is kind, but not necessary. I pull up some cabbage stalks this Sept and threw them in the pile and there they remind, looking the same as they day I put them there, thick as my arm and barely nibbled. I am sure the worms will get to them someday, but it might be a while.
More Importantly What NOT to put in your worm bin.
Meat Bones Fats
This is mainly because bigger animals like these things better than worms and will be attracted to your pile quickly if these things are added. Worms can a will actually eat meat so if some slips in there, no need to panic, it isn’t just ideal because of kids, smells and the like. A worm can digest oils and cheese, though not easily so it is more likely they will can mold, rot and stink, so better to avoid it.
EggShells
People ask about eggshells and I have found they are too hard for worms to eat whole. They can be crushed and added and will provide grit for the worms, necessary to help digest things in their gizzards. If you collect them separately, they dry and crush very easily and are not only for the worms but also for your garden.
Avocado pits, citrus rinds and corncobs & husks
In excess you will want to keep these out of your pile. They will all break down, but much slower than the rest of your pile so find another way to dispose of them. Or you could put them in, and when harvest comes use them as a teaching tool to show the kids what takes while to break down.
Plastic, metal, trash, etc
You all know if it didn’t come from the ground, it isn’t gonna go back into it.
Grit-Tiny solid particles help the breaking down of food in a worm’s gizzard. It doesn’t seem necessary to go out of your way to add this, but if you know they are not getting anything like it, you may want to. When I worked at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum, we added cornmeal to the worm bin, as we weren’t adding much else. Other things like, soil, ground eggshells, coffee grounds and powdered limestone will all work well.
Bedding– Bedding is where the worms sleep of course, and work and live. They also eat there bedding for a balance diet of carbon and nitrogen. What bedding also does it holds moisture, provides an airy environment and covers them up from the light of the world. You always want to open up the bedding, add the food and cover them back up with bedding so they are never exposed to too much light. If you have the straw bales, straw will do. You can buy an extra bale to tear from and add as you go. If you are at a school, shredded paper might be a serious by product you need help getting rid of, and perfect for worms. You can also have your students tear up newspaper, cardboard (a little challenging) and egg cartons. It can be time consuming, but lots of fun. You can also use saw dust, wood chips, newspaper, manure, old leaves and grass clippings though of course making sure none have any chemical residue in them. Before you add the bedding, it is good to moisten it, or you can just spray the pile down when making it. Water is key for a healthy habitat, so your bedding should always feel moist to the touch.
Moisture-Yes we don’t have much of it here in NM and though you must have access to water near your worm bin. Water is imperative for a worm, as it breathes through it’s skin which must be moist at all times. (That is why a worm wriggles in your hand—it is getting hot and dry and struggling for breath.) Luckily you do not need to water worm pile as much as aerobic piles, and depending on how much sun it is getting, it may stay pretty moist if in the shade. Most food scraps have moisture in them, but the bedding itself will suck it up. You want your pile to appear moist but you never want to actually see water. It should feel cool a moist is if pick it, up, though you probably won’t want to do that too often. My pile is under a tree and whenever I take out the compost, I wash the bucket with water (rain water is ideal, but tap will do). I dump the whole bucket of water in, right on top of my food deposit and cover it back up with dirt and bedding. I also dump tea and coffee into my compost bucket in the kitchen if I don’t finish drinking it. When I am out in the garden I may spray down the pile, but I think I only intentionally watered it for more than a few minutes, maybe twice this summer. In the winter I don’t water at all beyond the rinse, as I worry too much water would freeze and create a bad situation for the worms. Hopefully you will be digging in and adding food at least once a week. When you are in there, take a good look for moisture. If you don’t find worms and things look flaky and dry, you know what to do. It is hard to describe, but you will get the hang of it with observation.
On another moisture note—Sam- the worm guy- told me if the worm bin were too dry you would know because you will have mice nesting there, especially in the winter. He said, “ If it is moist enough for a worm, it is too moist for a mouse.”
Temperature—Like I mentioned earlier, worms are happiest around 50 degrees. In the winter you will see less action and may have to dig deeper to find them, but they will stay alive with food, moisture and some insulation. Straw bales are especially good for this. If you don’t see them, keep feeding; they have probably just burrowed down for the cold spell.
Now with all that info you should feel at least interested, if not inspired to start your own pile. It really is so simple. After this long article I will admit to you that my worm pile is really just that, a pile, no straw bales or nothing. What started as a shallow hole in ground is now just a moving mountain of worms. I just dig in an open up a spot, add food and water and cover it back up. The worms go right to it. It has been there for two years and I keep meaning to move a harvest it, but it is all so effort less, I haven’t bothered yet. I think I started with a handful of worms and haven’t added any since; in fact I give them away. So really you need close to nothing to have a worm pile, just a little space, some food and water and interest in throwing out less garbage.
Resources
Worms Eat My Garbage By Mary Appelhof- The basic worm book
The Worm Café- Binet Payne- A great book for school yard vermicomposting with half the book dedicated to curriculum.
Let it Rot- Stu Campbell- Really helpful book on composting in all forms
All a must have in my library
Winter has come, the growing goes inward
Wow– It has been over a month since I have written. Where does the time go? Well in all honesty, I know exactly where my mind has been. All my attention and creative energy has been turned inward, literally. I have a baby bean growing in my internal garden, due to bloom and join us on this good green earth this May! It should be a glorious spring!! And in planning for it, I have kind of just let the frost take the garden under, let the blog go untended and let the greenhouse go unsown for the winter. 
I did manage to gather up the last tomatoes that are now ripening in the greenhouse, get garlic in the ground, and plant a few cold frames with lettuce and spinach. But really, I was glad to let the garden curl inward as I do the same. 
We will dream into the winter and start planning for spring.
The circle garden
When I first moved here to Bouquet lane, my husband had already lived here for 9 years. Though the place suited me perfectly, I needed to carve out a bit or earth of my own. So I took the spot in the backyard where the greenhouse once stood, and away I went. I started by creating two, semi keyhole, semi-circle shaped beds layered with compost and sheep poo and lined with rocks, so that instead of digging down, I could just build up the soil. It is a blessed little space that my dad and I actually built together. Poor old dad, I made him shlep around heavy rocks all weekend. If I remember correctly, I was actually HIS birthday, oh how he loves me!! The garden is my little sanctuary. It is basically designed to hold people, there are four spots, one in each direction for someone to sit in, though it is often just me in my private ceremony or napping or gazing up at the trees and sky. 
This is what it looked like first made it. 
The view facing West is magnificent, especially now!! I call her the grandma tree, as she watched over us and dwarfs our house by many times.
The first season I planted flowers for our wedding, yes they all frosted the night before harvest, but it was the process, the prayer and preparation that really brought the beauty. The second season, it was the three sisters; corn, beans and squash. The corn did great but the skunks got to it all before me, and well, we shared. I got 10 lbs of winter squash out of it and a tone of green beans as well as an enchanted feel from all the vines and stalks growing over 8 feet high. I was so glad some children found there way to it, as it was the perfect hiding place for little ones.
This season the circle garden will be sprouting early in the spring. I have been planting bulbs, who will sit out the winter with me, and then come the first warm days and Robins visits, will swell and sprout, just as I will. Garlic rings the outside and tulips the inside. Originally I didn’t want any perrenials in there, but then realized I can easily dig them up and put them somewhere else whenever I like. I think the rest will be spring greens, that is if I can bend over and get them planted by then!! I know all you women who have givein birth will laugh I my naive and romantic idea of birth, but I have always thought I would like to birth my children in a garden. I know, I know dirt is dirty, right…But this is a space where I can sit, and grow my baby and on some day in May, lie full bellied surrounding by blooms and beckon the little being here to earth. Who wouldn’t want to enter this world surrounded by flowers!! Even if the baby doesn’t arrive in the actual garden, I know it will be a good place to be during the process of labor and when that baby does arrive, I will lay it right in the middle on a cozy blanket while I weed around. Oh what fun to dream of growing life in all forms!! Happy winter dreaming.
Happy last frost day
Corn Maiden- from the Sky Woman by Joanne Shenandoah & Douglas M. George
As some readers may know, I have been following the Biodynamic planting calendar this growing season and loving it. I am lucky enough to have time in my days to garden at home and can kind of work my schedule around what needs to be done. It is tricky for some, as a friend stated, ” I can’t just do everything at once” for me that is what I like about it. Plant flowers this day, sow greens this day, etc.. there are even days to check your bees and spread your “preparations”. It let’s you integrate gardening as a daily practice instead of a weekend warrior thing, which I do realize and respect is real for many of us. By all means power on you weekend warriors, bless those busy hands. But for me this is a deepening of my garden practice. For some it is Zen mediation, others, training for the marathon of a life time, for me it is to become an even more deeply rooted grower.
Cucumbers to be planted in front of greenhouse
This week was full of Biodynamic fun. Thursday was fruit day– I planted cucumbers and as I went I pulled those luscious lambs quarters that were in my way. Yes, I could have eaten them , but since the “crop” is abundant this year, I just whistle while I worked and weeded as I sowed. Acting much as a cover crop, lambs quarters concentrate nitrogen in the soil so I could compost them, or simply lay them right down around the new cucumbers. I hve taken to this habit mainly cause whenever my husband sees me luggin wheel burrow load sof weeds ot the compst pile he say, why take them all that way so thay can just come right back here…Good point and I have truly seen not only thr lodgic buthe results in this theroy. Now the once “weeds” will suppress other weeds, trap moisture and help my little cucs little along, while of course giving their bodies back to the soil and all the nitrogen that comes with that. My nighttime reading lately I wonderful book given to me by the gitty elfin lady who wrote it, Wendy Johnson. She is a Zen Buddhist, a mother and an amazing garden teacher among many other things. In her book, Gardening at the Dragon’s Gate she shares her and her teachers wisdom on weeds: “Suzuki Roshi used to say, : ‘Be grateful for the weeds in your life. Eventually they will enrich your practice.’ In their unruly strength and rank stance, weeds fortify your life. They stand, rugged, and ancient, among the gleaming crops, anchoring the assembly with an old gravity, reminding all gardeners that flowers fall with our attachment and weeds thrive with our neglect.”
- Cucumber is the little yellowish guy in the middle, lambsquarter mulch all around
That same day I planted corn in my little circle garden out back. Planting corn is something I have to do, though I don’t know exactly why, it just told me so, so I abide. I claim no real wisdom about, but I will say I love it. In fact corn is so sacred I have to write a whole post about corn alone. Choosing what kind to grow this year was pretty funny. You see while in Tucson this February, a dear friend and I went to Native Seed Search. She knows it is an important pilgrimage any time I am in Tucson, so she always makes time for it in our visits. This year my husband circled half the catalog and I went to fulfil the order. When the bill got over $150 I called him from my cell phone to verify, and yes he did in fact want everything circled. So now in our seed bank we have over 13 kinds of corn, saved, gifted and bought.
So much corn so little space
I decided on Vadito Blue Corn, From North New Mexico, counted the seeds perfectly and planted. But then ran out some how…. Corn varaieties needs to be planted at least 1/4 mile apart so they don’t cross-pollinate with each other, as it is pollinated by the wind. Opps I disregarded this info and planted the other half of the garden in Taos Blue. I figured if the cross, they are similar so how bad could it be? Then I looked over the fence and saw my neighbor had planted his field. I figure it is corn because that is all he ever grows, oh well, cross-pollinate away, yes, deepening the practice.
On Friday, moon in Taurus (an earth sign) I waited till the evening, after five I was taught is best. The thunder clouds circled around and danced lightening to the north, then to the west with their light. I sat in my garden, smelled the rain and for an hour, yes a whole hours stirred my cow horn manure prep for spreading on newly opened ground. It is a preparation that you spread to inoculate the soil with the life that has concentrated in the buried horn all winter. This of course is a summary of the vast knowledge and depth of Biodynamic philosophy —so if you want more info just email me and I will link you to my teacher and the classes she gives on all this magic.
Swirling vortex of the cosmos on earth
As I stirred, I sang and called in the rain..it is supposed to be extra awesome to spread the preparation after a good rain. And yes, It rained on me as I stirred, and like magical New Mexico rain storms the sun shone bright in the setting light all the while. My husband laughed out loud at my witchy ways, but then joined me for the spreading. We sprinkled it over all the open ground we had and then some.. Good Friday night fun on Bouquet Lane!!
stir swirl sing
So now the rain has come, the frost has passed, and yes my friends it is time to plant -plant- plant. Happy growing season from my garden to yours.
Tending new ground
My dream has always been to farm. Or more specifically to have a farm to farm. I have farmed it in many place but this has been the first year I have actually lived on land that I own, thanks to marrying into it, thanks honey!!. We have a 1/5 of an acre with “gardens on every side of the house” as my 5 year-old friend Rownan exclaimed to his mama on his last visit. Our gardens are pretty much everything that isn’t our house, driveway or piles of stuff to be used at a later date… but a farm, our land is not. I wanted originally to “Feed the people” and still do, but after years of apprenticing on organic farms I have seen the real economic struggle of vegetable farmers. I have also witnessed great success, but it is a certain kind of person who can really make a good living off selling vegetables, and let me tell you they are out there, my neighbors in fact, and I am not one of them. I am too unorganized, go with the flow, too Aquarian…but one of my Aquarian gifts is being visionary and artistic, as well as persistent and hard-working. I have not only learned about what farming takes, but I have learned who I am, and am very happy with it. Through my many years of gardening & farming my vision of growing hasn’t changed, maybe just where and how and what and probably will continue to. I really thought that feeding people was the imperative, and any thing else was petty, frivolous even. But now I realize that people need not only be feed by food alone. There are innumerable things that nourish us in our lives, and one is beauty. I know this first hand. I surround myself with beautiful things and when I am not gardening I actually make and sell jewelry–Beauty for beauty’s sake. (more on the jewelry tangent here)
Sweet smelly simply beautiful Sweet Pea
Before I hardly ever would leave room for flowers in my garden, intensely getting all I could out of it to eat. I saw flowers as useless and too reminiscent of the days when the elite would plant nothing but flowers to simply show their wealth and the fact that they need not grow their own food, as they were too good for that. I wanted to get as far away from show gardens as possible and get back to how cool it is to grow your our, and tout that!! Now I make room for both, as balance is imperative I am finding, in nature and inside myself. I share the front, side and back garden with a healthy mix of flowers, fruit, veggies and even weeds if I find them helpful or useful to the whole. When have you ever seen a natural ecosystem without diversity of not only plant type, but varieties, species and genus’. Flowers bring way more than beauty to a garden, they literally bring life, attracting bugs, butterflies and bees. Without flowers there would be no fruit!!
Through the garden gate :herbs, flowers and food all mixed together
I am delighted by all the beauty around me and since I moved here, to Bouquet Lane, my newest farm fantasy has been a flower farm, it is just begging for it, right? I merely listen to the call of the land, or maybe just a street sign, but I feel it to be right, deep, real. My grandfather grew a ton of flowers, and my grandmother would make these elaborate arrangements for every summer super we had with them. I think if they could have had the luxurious (ha, ha) life of farming they would have. They raised their family in the 50’s however, were both in the war as a doctor and nurse team. My grandmother did stay home to raise four children and the garden, but it was my grandfather who really taught me to love plants. He had a greenhouse on his house where he grew African violets, orchids and cyclamen…with lots of little blue pellets he called plant food. Our gardening styles may be different, but it runs in the family to cherish a good flower….so a flower farm it is– fingers crossed. Right now all IT really is, is an 1 1/2 acre plot behind our house. It was farmed years ago and still has fruit trees in it of all kinds. I think I even spotted a quince, whatever that is. The reason it is still open land is mainly because it is locked. It’s only access through our neighbor’s yard, but would be impossible to get a cement truck, fire truck ,etc to so… no building permit, thus no development for you!! Lucky us. The land is catty corner to ours and we can walk into it from ours. You pass by an enormous cottonwood, I call grandma tree, and enter the land, greeting her greatness as we enter.
We sneak between grandma tree and the little shed to get to the new land
It is in pretty rough shape, it was cleared last year of elms and black locusts that had been over taking it for at least 15 years if not more. The fruit trees were pruned with a chain saw but are still growing, resilient trees over 50 years old. At first the clearcut upset me, it was a wildlife habitat and a huge visual and sound buffer between us and the highway. They were cutting and sawing and chipping for days and I couldn’t believe it. Then, appeared a huge pile of perfect cut up pieces of firewood right over our fence. I watched it, and knowing our neighbors (renters) didn’t have a fire-place, I boldly asked, what are you going to do with all that wood? After a patient few months, he said his landlord said we could have it– ALL. It took four truck loads to move it from his yard to ours, it heated our little house all winter long and we still have quiet a bit for next winter ready. SOOOO blessings in disguise. Once the land was open, I started to vision….To spare you the wait of about a year and jump ahead to now… My husband approached the owners this spring, and lo and behold, a 5 year lease, $12 a year and there is a well!! WATER!!.. Oh and if they ever sell we get first dibs!! I am so excited. I know a farm takes years to build and I know we may never sell flowers off that farm, but then again, seeing as how it has gone so far, we just might. Whatever the future holds, the work has begun.
This one keeps getting her head stuck in the fence-- but we rescue her..silly old goat!!
We started by foster parenting a friends goats 4 Nubian girls– who are totally sweet and funny. We move them a couple of times a day, if we are home, otherwise just once…and away they go. They are just munching their way through that rough brush and opening it up for us to see what is really there. They are doing a fantastic job, I am really impressed, maybe a pig next, such fun!! It will be a slow process, but such a great learning and stewarding experience. It is an amazing thing for us both to be tending the earth, consciously, together, a culmination of what I believe both of us were put here to do, and do together. I feel so blessed and excited for the farming journey to keep moving forward, as my husband says, poco a poco, pero adelante.
Slowly sowing spring
Lettuce ready for transplanting
This spring has been holding out on us, chilly air, gusty winds, late snow storms. yes it is spring in Santa Fe, but this feels slow to me. It has actually been great though. It may be that my life and schedule is different this year, but the chill has warded off that frantic feeling that I am behind on getting everything in the ground and I can’t keep up on all I want to do. I actually feel the opposite. I am ready to get my warm season cucumbers, melons, tomatoes, etc.. into the garden, or at least out of those 2 inch pots, but it is still too cold. I know the last frost date is May 15th, but we are all ready. I did however take the cold frames off everything in the garden and am pleased to say that head start was fantastic. We have been eating from the garden for weeks now and though it will be while till fruits come on, the salad season may just feed us right up till then.
It has given me time though to get in all the cool season crops. I have been transplanting lettuce in every nook a cranny I can find. I am a big fan of inter cropping. In any intensive garden weather home or school, I love to see lots of diversity and things taking advantage or being cozied in together. Many vegetable crops need different care, water and light than perennial foods and flowers, but one thing I have found to be very successful is planting cold season greens in among my herbs, flowers and fruits in the front yard. I can’t take full credit, I was mostly my husband’s doing, before I became the head gardener here on Bouquet lane, but I sure do pack them in there. A few reasons why this is possible.
1- It is watered well– being right near the facet
2- It is sunny in spring and shaded in high summer because of the trees above it
3- The microclimates created by the perennial that all grow and bloom at different rates creates a dynamically changing and dense ecosystem.
How I do it. I start my lettuce for example in wooden flats (I have a post all about it Here) in February.
Take a little slice
Once they are big enough I slice little sections out, like pieces of cake. I plant them in clumps in the garden among the re-emerging perennial herbs and flowers.
I am a fan of garden gloves after 10 years of New Mexi dirt you might be too.
They grow up and are shaded by the others so have a nice long season as salad.
Lettuce planted among perennial herbs and flowers
When my lettuce that is in full sun goes bitter I will still have lettuce that is tucked away, cool and crisp for summer salad, and more open ground for full sun crops.
Yarrow, lambs quarters, columbine, valerian, and lettuce
Stalking the Spring Salad
With this new flush of lettuce from our cold frames, we now are eating salad every night!! And so perfectly timed with mother nature’s spring offerings, the lettuce is really a small portion of what ends up in the salad bowl. Most of what I am harvesting is growing in the cracks of the garden, around the edges, completely volunteering their life in on our fertile land, with no effort on my part. If there is one thing I have learned from gardening in the southwest is it how much can I get way with NOT doing. I realize that creating a lush fertile environment not only attracts the right friends, but the right foods. Build it and they will come, and oh they do! Salad harvest time is right at dust, my favorite time, when everything is perky from the cooling air and just calling out to me pick! me pick me!. I can wander in an area of about 10 feet and gather Orach, salad burnet, perennial Arugula,french sorrel, yellow dock, dandelion leaf, lambs quarters, mint, loveage and even volunteer lettuce. It all feels so effortless. Granted, much of the work has been done, the soil turned and seeds laid years back..now new things find their way in, go to seed and have whole new gaggles of youngens below them next year… I planted nothing that is in my salad tonight– this year that is, but that lettuce, bless it! Here are some wild friends to invite into your salad bowl or garden.
Arugula rustica-Diplotaxis tenuifolia- Perennial - cool season peppery, spicy flavor very italian
French Sorrel- Rumex acetosa 'De Belleville' perennial cold season-lemony flavor
Salad Burnet-'Sanguisorba minor'- Perennial cool season - fresh & tasty
Dandelion-'Taraxacum Officinale'- perennial all season- bitter & zesty leaves
Harvesting from the cold frames
I planted the cold frames exactly 1 month ago, well– March 24th..I am trying very hard to keep good garden records this year, can you tell?….Anyway- it has been one month of strange weather, snow, rain, and sun and wind…and lo a behold.. mother nature does it again– Produces food for my family!! Hooray. Today we harvest our first luscious baby green lettuce. There is lettuce in the garden too but it is about 2- 3 weeks away from harvest. Cold frames just give that extra little boost, and things really grow so much faster. If you want early crops, especially at school, cold frames are so easy to make and really so fantastically effective, let this be my gospel. Everyone should have them. There is another post in my blog on how to make them, and a google search will get you great links as well. Remember that it is not so much how you make them, but creating the effect of— Micro climate, frost protection, wind protection, moisture retention, kid protection…etc..Ours are made of old window frames, old shower doors, and random things thrown together. I have seen straw bale cold frames, old windows leaning against a wall, store-bought, handmade, etc… What ever your budget and environment requires, your choice of design will be different.
We made a planted two cold frames at Monte Del Sol, and I admit I wasn’t sure how they would do. I only am there one day a week now and I wasn’t sure if they would get enough consistent moisture to really grow!! Well, I was proved totally wrong. Thanks to one of the students I mentor, Ami, and some student aides (kids who get an elective credit to help teacher out during lower grade classes)…these babies have been thriving, all watered with watering cans by hand. They are growing so beautifully and because the students were VERY generous with the seeds, they have come in thick and green and lush. 
With this sporadic weather we have been able to cover them from the hail and on cold nights. Really the biggest threat to them have been bouncing soccer balls at recess. Kids play in this area and the frames help give a physical and visual boundary so kids know to be conscious of the space, if they are unconscious I just close the lids during play time. These cold frames are a total success, which is owed completely to the students!!! You may notice a few weeds– They are sunflowers and morning glories from last year that went to seed. We will leave them and during the summer take off the cold frame and let them take over the area, as it is a very hot spot along a fence in the garden. So these cold frames are nursery beds for summer crops while provided early spring food.
One tricky element of this design is now the plants are getting too tall for the cold frames as they were built about 12 inches high. One option would be to take off the lids for the rest of the season and put them in storage so that the plants can grow to full height…oh but what about those bouncing balls from recess? I think next time we should build deeper boxes, like 2 feet, that way the can be more like a raised bed/convertible cold frames. Another option is to surround your bed with straw bales and put a translucent lid on it, when you wish, you can remove all these pieces and have a very established veggie patch. 
You may think you don’t need season extension now that it is almost time to plant outside, but any crop would benefit from a little boast of warmth moisture and wind free environment…..Remember cold frames are an awesome thing for the fall too so never too early to gather materials.
Here are our cold frames at home. I started lettuce, cilantro, tatsoi, carrots and beets in cold frames. Now that it is warm enough I can remove the boxes and put them on some other crop to nurse in these early days. 
So let the harvest begin!!
Planting into wooden flats
If you are planting inside a greenhouse or in your sunniest window you have probably already figured out your planting techniques. For the sake of garden teaching, I thought I would include some tips on growing in wooden flats for those of you who are trying it for the first time.
I actually have these tips typed up and hanging in the greenhouse at school, reminders seem to help new students.
HELPFUL HINTS FOR PLANTING INTO WOODEN FLATS
* Check moisture of potting mix before putting it into the flat- It should feel wet to the touch, but not drip water when squeezed. I usually squeeze some in my hand, it should hold a loose ball and then crumble. Many in the trade say it should “be moist as a rung out sponge”
* Fill flats all that way to the top. Tap a few times on the tables to release air instead of pushing down with hands (that compacts the soil)
*Sow the seeds either broadcasting or in a grid format depending on the size of the seed (bigger seeds need more room and will get crowded quickly)
*Plant seeds twice as deep as they are wide making sure flat is filled to the top with soil when done ( the space between the top of the soil sand the top of the flat is a perfect ecosystem for green gunk to grow. by filling the flat all the way up you eliminate this habitat)
* Label flats with name & date on a popsicle stick or some other creative label. Record sowing info onto sowing sheet for record keeping.
*Fill out planting sheet whenever you plant something with all info- name, date, seed co, year seed was packed, etc..
* Water flats with sprinkle nozzle on watering can. Keep the can moving and don’t allow water to puddle, seeds can drown, or wash away.
* Soil should be keep constantly moist while seeds are germinating, check by touching soil, should leave a little dampness on your fingers.
So much to grow, so little space…
I have been having so much fun with this blog. It really has turned out to be a great way for me to be learning myself, investigating, exploring and sharing while out of the (garden) classroom. As with teaching, your questions and garden consults have kept me thinking and on my toes. I am reading my gardening books more than ever and experimenting and documenting more than I thought I ever would. Thank you all for your involvement and support.
Sooo The question of the week seems to be, ” I have a small garden, what is the best use of my space?” Great question, I too have a tiny yard, 1/5 acre is our whole lot including our 1,000sq foot house, shed, driveway, greenhouse, and junk pile…. leaving NOT enough room for my veggies, trees, berries, and flowers. But we all have to make choices, but every season we can choose differently. I try to rotate every year what gets my precious garden space, but it always is a tough call. I always start with asking myself a few questions…
1- What do I love to eat?
2- Why am I gardening? (to save… money, trips to the store?, or for beauty, learning, fun?)
3- What are my conditions? (shady, sunny, wet, windy?)
4- What kind of time/energy do I have for gardening this year?
If of course if you are growing at a school or with kids, well ask them. Though you might be doing most of the work, it is the kids who you are trying to engage and enchant, so let them decide. It will be different depending on the age group you work with. For example, elementary kids adore carrots and love digging potatoes. When I surveyed my kids at Monte Del Sol( High School) the majority wanted flowers and fruit. They are in a more poetic phase of life; love, socializing, grazing in the ‘garden of eatin’ is what they are interested in, worms just aren’t as exciting as the were in third grade.
So survey the scene. See what activities are happening in the garden. If the art class are the main ones to use the garden, well, beauty is your first priority. 
If history, well go for traditional crops.
You get the idea.
There are of course more questions one can ask, but I have found, as with most things, getting clear with your intentions really dictates your actions. We often work the other way around and end up creating more trouble for ourselves than not. Being practical and honest with myself is a great lesson I have learned from my gardens.
Once you have gotten clear on these questions you should know exactly what to grow… No, still don’t know. Well here is a case study….Me, for example…. I live 25 minutes out-of-town and have an aversion to super markets, even groovy ones. So I want to minimize my trips to the store as much as possible. So vegetables that are most perishable win a place in my garden every year. I eat as much salad as I can so lettuce, spinach, salad greens always win first square foot…
I also grow dark greens, kale, collard, chard. The dark leafy greens get a spot because they are a constant food supply, pick a leaf or two off for dinner and they keep growing. They often agree with other areas of the garden, like the shady under watered flower patch, and they are pretty mixed in with the flowers….so they get 2nd place. 
Basil always has a space, cause I love it. Garlic wins by default, as it grows in the off-season and it makes me happy in the fall to plant and spring to see fresh growth before everything else. 
Peas make it cause they are the first to go in the ground, Zucchini cause it is the gift that keeps on giving.
So what DON’T I plant you ask? Well, I try not to leave anybody out so a little of everything. But really….Tomatoes and potatoes take turns hogging the garden. They share diseases and should be rotated anyway. Peppers usually get a spot, it is New Mexico after all, but hot ones, sweet peppers usually don’t make the cut. Eggplant, maybe.. if I am feeling generous, or lucky. Broccoli, cauliflower, kholrabi, maybe, but only a few plants. Cabbage, well now that I am into making sauerkraut and big yes, but last year was the first year I let it in, to my delight by the way.
Winter squash, only if I have room to spare. Corn only cause it is sacred to me. Beans, honestly, very few, and if they get in, the green ones. Roots, now there is a good question. I do plant beets, carrots, and parsnips… my personal favorites, but they may need more than you are willing to give. For example, carrots, need to stay moist for 10 days to germinate correctly, but once they do, they are gems. 
Well.. I hope that gives you an idea. So I sure I have left a few things out, but now I feel I am rambling on. These are hard decisions, but remember there is always next year. And this is only the annual vegetables I have mentioned, perennials are a whole other story…to be told another time.
Hope it was inspiring and now what you plant is up to you to decide. Here is a another helpful link form Culinate Newletter, which I am a great fan, on what to grow when space is limited.
Goodbye for now, and if you happen to be gardening tomorrow, think flowers…I will be sowing all my sunflowers in the greenhouse, over ten different kinds. What a wonderful world!!!
Seedybeans Blog 
