Homesteading Series Part 7: Garden Site selection

How should I select a garden?

 There are many things to consider when choosing a garden site. One consideration is simply where to place the garden. The answer will vary according to your situation and what you desire to grow. I have seen people who have incorporated gardens into their landscaping. I call this edible landscaping. Edible plants can be incorporated in among many traditional flowers and bushes. Thia interplanting allows for pest control and confusion.

So on to the more traditional gardening types.

Raised Beds

Raised bed . (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

One method that I like is the raised bed method of gardening. Raised beds can vary in length to suit a particular situation. They tend to be three or four feet wide, which allows for weeding from either side. A person can weed to the middle of the raised bed from either side. An advantage of raised bed gardening is drainage.  Another advantage is that they have a small footprint.  This means that they can be tucked into small spaces and catered to fit small areas that are available.  Still another advantage is that they have very deep, loose soil.  This allows for deep root penetration.  In the end, that plants may be healthier as a result of having more extensive root systems.

Strip Gardens

I modified this system and made what I refer to as strip gardens.   I took 50 foot long strips of sod and dug them up in four foot wide sections.  I then began to pile on the compost and other soil amendments.  This gave me a raised bed type garden.  I was able to add soil as I went.  In this system, I was able to eliminate the walking paths that serve to compact the soil near the plants.  I eventually elected to fill in the areas in between the strips.

Traditional Gardens

Finally, on to a more traditional garden.  Our garden is about 60 feet long by 50 feet wide.   We elected to go this route as we are now able to plant rows of corn and bean in whatever configuration that we choose.  We lay out our corn in rows separated by 30 inches.  The beans go in rows that are 24 inches apart.  We are then able to grow cucumbers, zucchini, and other plants where we want them.

The ideal site should be sunny (at least 8 hours of sunlight per day).  It is ideal for it to be flat or sloped slightly to the south.  In our area, it is best to have a wind break to the west and north.  This prevents the corn from blowing over later in the summer when the big storms tend to roll in.  We have our small orchard and berry patch to the West, which seems to keep the corn upright.

Related articles

• Homegrown: Plants thrive in a raised garden bed (thegazette.com)
• Homegrown: Raised Garden Bed (thegazette.com)
• {DIY} Raised-Bed Garden (typicalhousecat.com)
• Homegrown: Square-foot gardening (thegazette.com)

Homesteading Series: Part 2: Next Steps

The next phase as I see it in regard to homesteading is to figure out your plans.  There are many things to consider that can play into the homesteading scene.  I will try to go more in depth with each topic, but thought is best to try to lay out the basics.  I will try to think of everything and am certain that I will leave some things out.    In the first part of this series, we talked about site selection.  For this part and moving forward, I am going to assume that step one has been taken care of.  I will figure that a water supply is secured and a home built.  (I suppose that a site could be purchased and set up in a different way than what I am describing here.  For instance, acreage could be obtained, yet the building of the house may be in the distance….so don’t lose hope if you can’t have the acreage and the home right off the bat.)  Some of these steps can be taken out of order.

1. Animal selection.  I recommend starting with chickens because they are cheap and easy, yet you get the incredible, edible egg as a result.  Most consider a dairy cow or a goat for milk production.  Sheep provide wool.  I would also suggest a dog of some sort for protection and possibly as a working dog.
2. Building selection.  This will need to be built around the potential animals.  For instance,
   

   A Chicken tractor. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

   a small outbuilding works great for chickens.  They can even be managed in a portable chicken coop (or a chicken tractor)which has a variety of designs.  A larger barn is necessary for cattle, goats, sheep, pigs and horses.

3. Animal containment.  This will again depend on the type of animal.  Cattle and horses test fences in ways that are different from pigs.  Chickens are a whole another ball of wax.
4. Plant Selection.  Do you want an orchard?  How about a berry plot?  A grape arbor?  And of course a garden.  I like Heirlooms for seed saving, making yourself more self-sufficient in the process and potentially saving money down the road.
5. Garden site.  Raised beds?  Traditional garden?  Should you build a cold frame or two? (yes!)
6. Medicine strategy.  By this I am thinking along the line of herbs.  You will need to consider which herbs that you will need and want to grow.
7. Storage Consideration:  With homesteading you will likely be saving root crops, making a root cellar a reasonable thought.  You will likely be canning, so you will need jars, lids, and a canner.
8. Tool Selection.  What tools will you need to have on hand?  Again, you might want to prepare for the practical and think toward the possibility of major circumstances changing.  As an example, you may get a chainsaw and a really good handsaw, just in case fuel becomes scarce.  I will suggest some nice tools that I have found for the garden.

I am certain that I have left some things out, so watch for this one to get edited in the future.  I typically write these posts as they come to me, not well thought out and written down onto paper.  Any thoughts and suggestions are always appreciated!  I will get some more thoughts down and put some thought into it as I review a few resources.

Until Next Time.

Related articles

• Homesteading: What Is It? (heritagebreedfarms.wordpress.com)
• Homestead Series Part 1 Where to Begin (heritagebreedfarms.wordpress.com)
• Planning your Suburban Homestead (prepping101.wordpress.com)
• Unusual Chicken Coops (hanburyhouse.com)

Advantages of a Cold Frame

Cold frame (Photo credit: castle79)

cold frame in situ (Photo credit: poppet with a camera)

A picture of my coldframe (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Cold Frame

I always wondered exactly what a cold frame was when I first heard the term.  I will try to get an official definition below from Wikipedia, but here is what I would define it as:

Cold Frame – An enclosed garden bed or container with a removable or hinged clear lid that serves to extend the growing season in northern climates.

From Wikipedia: In agriculture and gardening, a cold frame is a transparent-roofed enclosure, built low to the ground, used to protect plants from cold weather

So I got close off the top of my head…..anyways, why would you want to add a cold frame?

• Extend the growing season
• Allows you to grow crops that would otherwise not do well in your area due to the shorter growing season
• Start Seedlings in the dirt
• Satisfy that early spring itch to plant something
• Easy to Use
• Can serve a double function of being a raised bed
• Nice project to do with the kids
• Can be made out of materials that many people have laying around
• Very versatile/ flexible design

These are just a few reasons that I can think of to build and use a cold frame.  We look forward to using our new one and  seeing what other benefits that we discover along the way.

Next Steps

As I think a bit more about disaster preparedness, I think about what to do next.  Should we dig a pond for a water source?  Should we make a larger garden in order to store more food?  Should we build a root cellar to increase the variety of food that we can store?  Should we purchase some more animals: goats, pigs and sheep?

One of my strengths in life is looking toward the future and trying to anticipate various scenarios. One of my faults is getting too wrapped up in the bad scenarios that can happen. In other words, I look at how thing may play out, but have a hard time rolling with the punches and not being a doomsday prophet. So with that in mind, let’s revisit what I call practical preparedness.

I define that as preparing for the possibility of negative future events, yet not sacrificing the here and now to prepare. I see the value in buying 100 canning lids, as we will save a bit on the per lid price and have some leftovers just in case. We are going to use them eventually. That is an example of being practical. Impractical in my humble opinion would be buying a bullet proof, reinforced Hummer, which could come in handy in the event of the apocalypse, but is not practical in the here and now. (Though I can think of a lot of fun ways to play with one of those.)

So what is the next step?  That is the question that I am posing.  I feel that the next step has multiple steps contained within it.  It is basically an issue of stocking up.  I look at stocking up in three main areas:

Food and water:  This goes without saying, but a likely disruption of the economy means a scarcity of food for all.

Tools:  The possibility of long-term power outages and the lack of skilled tradesmen, would make tools invaluable

Supplies and Resources:  These include cooking items, canning lids, lanterns, guns, ammunition, hunting supplies, matches, fuel, the list is virtually endless.

I will show my bias and add the least expensive, yet most practical asset of all: knowledge. The know how to do things and to fix things is priceless. The ability to gain that knowledge is oftentimes very inexpensive. Part of it involves simply living life and doing some trial and error. A good example from my everyday life is gardening. Each year, I try at least one new type of plant and one or two new techniques. I also think back to what worked or failed in the past. I can think of my straw bale garden attempt two years ago, it flopped. (I may try it again, perhaps having learned from my previous attempt). I evaluate plants by how they performed and how well their product was eaten by either us or the animals.
One of my goals is to do a better job of documenting and journaling how the garden performs. I can track yield and production.

Back to learning. Gaining knowledge can be done through friends and even online. Resources such as this should be helpful. There numerous resources, be it blogs or websites. I enjoy asking around and learning from others. I also enjoy sharing my passions with others. I embrace the opportunity to learn and better prepare myself. I also enjoy being able to help others.

Until next time……..

 

Homesteading: What Is It?

"The Covered Wagon of the Great Western Migration. 1886 in Loup Valley, Nebr." A family poses with the wagon in which they live and travel daily during their pursuit of a homestead. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So what is homesteading?  Without looking up the formal definition, I feel that homesteading incorporates many aspects.  These include self-sufficiency, food production, preparedness, self-reliance, knowledge…

From Wikipedia: Broadly defined, homesteading is a lifestyle of simple self-sufficiency.  The term may apply to anyone who follows the back-to-the-land movement by adopting a sustainable, self-sufficient lifestyle.

It seems to me that people who are defined as homesteaders tend to have some common traits.

Self-Sufficient:  The first is the desire to live as self-sufficient as possible.  Notice I did not state that they are independent, for in my experience homesteaders tend to have a very intricate network of similar minded friends and family.

Nutrition:  The second trend is that they place an importance on nutrition.  It seems that one of the main reasons that people begin down the path of homesteading is to provide healthy food for their families.

Environmentally Friendly:  A third trait may be that of environmental awareness.  Do not confuse this with being a tree-hugger or avid environmentalist, just simply that homesteaders tend to respect their land.  At least the homesteaders that I have dealt with have a focus on taking care of their land by composting, cultivation, seed saving, and other friendly practices.

Family Focused:  Homesteaders tend to have a tight knit family.  Many forgo the modern day trends of television and the like to keep life simply and unconstrained.  Also the lack of cable also provides a chane to save money.  Many tight knit homesteaders homeschool their children.  We also give our children “real chores” like feeding the animals.  This goes above and beyond the common city chores of cleaning your room and doing the dishes.  Animals are reliant upon us to take care of them.  Lack of responsibility and provision results in lack of production and ultimately death (If care is extremely poor).

Organic:  Some tend to be organically focused.  This is may simply tie in to the nutrition thing as stated above.  The concern about the overuse of chemical agents and insecticides tend to be a common theme that I have noted.

Conservation:  A lot of homesteaders end up as conservationists, perhaps unintentionally.  By this I mean that homesteaders will save seeds, preserving may heirloom and non hybrid types of vegetables.  Also the focus on dual purpose cattle in some instances also furthers the preservation of heritage breeds (something we like!)

Disaster Preparedness:  Homesteaders will tend to be preppers.  This means that they are prepared for potential disasters on some level or another.  This may be from canning, quilting, storage, seed saving, as well as many other facets involved in homesteading.

Connected:  As I stated above, homesteaders tend to be connected to one another.  There are networks that are established, as no one person or family can go it alone for every vital need.  Blogs like this also function within that network.  We have a network locally of about 6 families, which extends very loosely to perhaps dozens of acquaintances of one form or another.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Amish:  This is just a funny, though the Amish are practically homesteaders by tradition.  They may, in fact, be the ultimate homesteaders.  I say it is a funny, as many of us joke and get teased about being Amish.  It is a joke made with the utmost of respect.

Learners:  It seems to me that those I have associated with are constantly wanting to learn.  Whether it be skills or simply practical knowledge, I note the extreme desire to learn and the craving of knowledge.

Christian?  This may be controversial, but I think that many a homesteader tends to have a deep faith in God.  So whether that be Christian or not, I do not know, but it sure seems to me that God is a thread that runs deep within many homesteaders.  We like to live a little outside of the trends of society.

To sum it up, Homesteading is an intricate plan to:

1. provide for your family,
2. prepare for the future,
3. conserve the land that has been granted,
4. preserve genetic of both animals and plants,
5. live off the land, share knowledge and wisdom,
6. and to raise a family that is focused on family and thrive.

Please share your thoughts below and perhaps even your definition of homesteading.

(I will note the website below as an inspiration for this posting, though I did not follow it to a tee.)

http://www.christianhomesteaders.org/

Handling Manure

Well this may end up being an interesting topic as we delve into waste management.  On the other hand, it may just stink plain and simple.

I am not going to cover the actual disposal as this is not too hard to figure out.  Manure should be spread back onto fields, crops, pasture, or used in the garden.

I am assuming a homestead or small scale farm.  The most often utilized management system is likely to be a manure pack.  I this system, bedding is spread out and then the animals eliminate on it.  As the amount of manure increases, more bedding is added.  I think of it basically as a compost pile.  Joel Salatin, who runs Polyface  Farm (I believe is the name of his farm) has a great idea for aerating the manure pack.  He suggests putting down grain, preferably corn, underneath the first layer of straw.  Then Cows are placed into the barn and allowed to build up a manure pack.  Once the manure pack/ compost pile is built up, Joel places pigs into the barn.  Apparently, the pigs can smell the corn and will root through the manure pack to eat the corn.  This turns the manure pack over, which effectively aerates the “compost pile.”

What I have done this year is first applied straw for bedding.  Our cows promptly ate the straw.  So we basically had a very thin bedding layer of straw.  Since it was Autumn, we added some leaves.  We found that we had to strategically place straw where the cows would stand as they eat.  This allowed the manure to fall onto the straw, starting a straw/ manure pack.  The straw and leaves formed the base of the compost pile concept.  As the manure built up, we slowly added more straw to the top of the manure.  I recently spent some time with a manure shovel and turned the pack by hand.  This was some backbreaking (or at least mildly back injuring) work.

I then spread some more straw out to form the beginning of the next layer.  I had actually placed straw down prior to turning the pile, which allowed the manure to go on top of the straw once again. I spread it out more around the barn to form a larger manure pack in the majority of the barn.  With a concrete floor, our barn has very poor footing without the manure pack.  Our cows are spending the majority of their time out in the lush grass right now, but we will need to bring them into the barn soon to either calve or to assess the calves once they are born.  More on that to follow I am sure.

So this is the strategy thus far.  Eventually we will need to spread the manure/ compost out onto the fields of pastures.  We are relying on this to provide the bulk of our fertilizer.  However, we will not have enough from only three cows and their calves.

We also plan to purchase some organic fertilizer to apply to the fields after our first cutting this year.  Of course, we hope to get soil samples taken as well, but time seems to be getting away from us.