Crop Circles!?!?!?

 What the heck is that???? Well it's the beginning of my " Three Sisters Planting". As I have started to blog about the garden, it was inevitable that social media was the next step. For a month or so I had been seeing posts about "Three Sisters Planting". From what I could gather it was companion gardening of 3 items. 

   Being  a rather organized type gardener and the fact I just got back into corn planting, there was no real interest. It was confusing at best as everyone had their own bastardized version of how to do this. Then  I saw a picture on a Facebook post and thought what the heck is that ?

  I looked it up and decided to make my own "What the heck is that? " or as it is more commonly known "Three Sisters Planting".

 This is what my "Three Sisters Planting" will look like in a few months, yeah right. It is actually an interesting  American Indian form of planting using corn, beans and butternut squash . All of these items can be stored over the winter. 

  Make a four foot mound of dirt and fortify it with ash and smelly fish bits. Or if you are all out of smelly fish bits some good organic compost will do. I did use fish emulsion as it is part of my repertoire. Plant corn seeds 10 " apart in a 2 ' circle. 

   When your corn reaches 5" you plant a few bean seeds around your corn plants. They will then use the corn as climbing support and draw nitrogen from the air to fortify the soil for the corn. Damn that was a mouthful. Very interesting concept though.

   A week later you plant 6 squash seeds around the perimeter of the circle. The large leaves will shade the base of the plants creating a mulch like effect and keep the weeds down. Not only that but It might look cool between my Teepees don't you think?



 

My Potato Conundrum ....

  Late last summer I came upon the concept of growing potatoes in a large box, bag ,or even stacked tires. Before this growing potatoes had never crossed my mind. In fact the only person I had ever heard of interested in growing potatoes stayed up late at night to listen to conspiracy theorist / survivalist radio. Honestly if we have global anarchy  potatoes will be the last thing on my mind. Get the gun Erik were shootin our way out !! I watch way too much TV.

   I decided potatoes would be my winter crop experiment. I chose three spots for my boxes and planted Yukon gold and Red potatoes just for kicks .I had more Potatoes so I planted a row in the summer garden spot. Well they all started to grow , slowly I might add, then died in the "Great Freeze of January". Maybe I would try again in spring. 

  Honestly the potatoes were the last thing on my mind when they started to grow. And grow. And grow. Being an adaptable kind of gal I worked them into my plans. Gardening should be a static kind of thing. Now however the box concept did not work into my plans. In my research I came across an article that stated hilling with dirt and straw were the most effective methods. I had lost my box building mojo anyhow .

  So here's my conundrum. I decided to dirt mound my potatoes in the summer garden and straw mound some I planted in the winter garden .

 
  Let me tell you hilling with dirt is not as much fun as it looks. I'm up to almost two feet in the front of the row and the hilling is giving way to gravity. I still have another 1/2 row to go. Plus I am running out of dirt. No I don't want to dig up the yard somewhere else. No I don't want to buy bags of compost. Putting 60 to 100 dollars worth of dirt on  the possibility of  getting a $2 bag of potatoes makes no sense to me.

   I will probably continue on with straw. My main conundrum is where to put the drip line ? Do I keep it buried near the bottom of the roots or do I put it on top of the mound. I am guessing the potato vine grows roots in the covered area and needs water also. Maybe bury the line and give the hills a good hand watering now and then? Help would be appreciated. Ah the conundrums of a modern woman's life.......

And BOOM out of nowhere...cherry tomatoes EVERYWHERE!!!!!

   Yup happens every year. The cherry tomato wars begin. As part of my quest to garden as organically as possible and of course my loathing of cleaning up, I pull my plants at the end of the season and leave them there. After they are thoroughly dried and I cant stand to look at the mess anymore, I discard the stems. My way of "kind of "
composting.

   Last year as my nutty sister helped me weed, I was informed that Daddy told her never to pull a volunteer tomato as they grew the best. Yes even though we are in our 50s he will always be Daddy.  I explained to her a weed is technically a plant growing where you don't want it to grow. It took her a while but towards the end of the weeding she understood. Trust me I would have a forest of cherry tomatoes if I did not pull them.

   This baby popped up approximately 2 weeks ago maybe less. It is already 10" tall and has blossoms. It towers over the tomatoes I started in January. That is why I never plant cherry tomatoes. I just let them grow where I have space. So far there is one by the cucumber Teepee, 2 by this stall and of course one next to the blueberry wall. Where did that come from ? Go figure.

Planting day March 18 2013 !

  Oh how I love planting day!! It is the earliest planting yet. I was shooting for the beginning of march but due to a late spring frost it was pushed forward. one of next years projects is definitely a cold frame. there is a place in San Bernardino Ca that sells old doors and that will be the top. although they mainly benefit those in freezing regions it still would be a useful tool in any garden.

   A moment of inspiration was had planting this little Bell Pepper, one of  "The Babies". Looking down at the perfect drops of dew gave me peace. It's true, slowing down your life a bit affords the opportunity to recognize the beauty of life. working  in the soil and being one with your world can be amazing.

   So this is the main garden, the "far pen" .  New names for each section are in order. The help of my husband shall be enlisted. His purpose In life is to give proper names to everything. Pierre the  Scarecrow is looking a bit drab , maybe some new clothing may be in order.

    The new drip system should definitely be an asset. It will put water only where it is needed cutting way back on my water bill and weeding time. Water in Southern California has become a precious commodity. Not to mention the importance of conservation. I am a huge supporter of keeping our planet healthy.

    Run your drip lines before planting. As there is a drip every 12 " in the line you want to plant between the drips to encourage root growth and strengthen your root system. watering began one week prior to planting to make the soil easier to work with and to guide planting in the proper spots.

   It was fortunate the weather is cooperating with planting. It has been misty and damp in the mornings and  in 2 days there is a chance of light rain. always try to plant a day or two before a rainy day. Mother Nature provides the best watering of all. It always seems to start the plants off great .

  So far my garden consists of
 Roma and Beefsteak Tomatoes. The cherry tomatoes should pop up soon as the      volunteer plants always produce the best.
 Eggplant, globe
Asparagus
Squash. Spaghetti, Patty Pan , and Zucchini.
Peppers. Jalapeño, Anaheim, Bell, Poblano, Banana.
Tomatillos
Potatoes
Artichokes
Cucumbers
Green beans
Snow peas
Onions. Red and Brown
Broccoli
Romaine lettuce
Mustard greens
Arugula
Cabbage
Cauliflower


And that's just the beginning....