<![CDATA[Big Green Acres - A Project of Organic Gardening and Cooking

<![CDATA[Big Green Acres - A Project of Organic Gardening and Cooking - GARDENING]]>Wed, 16 May 2012 02:27:26 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Four Days Growth]]>Sat, 17 Mar 2012 12:48:50 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2012/03/four-days-growth.htmlHappy St. Patrick's day! I just wanted to show you some pictures of the plants I potted on Tuesday, this week.

This picture was taken Tuesday the 13th of March.

This is what they look like today. They grew an extra leaf in four days. Worm castings are wonderful!

I planted all the seeds that had sprouted in the last four days. These are zucchini and straight eight cucumbers.

I filled up two more trays with the starting mix. I want to start lemon cucumbers, lettuce mix, spinach, and whatever else I can get in here.

Yesterday I bought more bags to make more starter mix, I just need to find some vermiculite and I can make a new batch. That means I need to get some old newspaper so I can make some more cups.

I am just getting started!

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]]><![CDATA[It Begins Again!]]>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 15:06:02 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2012/03/it-begins-again.html

What I am showing you here are my zucchini seedlings that have sprouted. I took my mix of 1 part vermiculite, 1 part perlite, 2 parts spaghum moss, and enough water to make it moist, but not soggy. I filled this tray 2/3rds full and put in the seeds. I wraped the tray in saran wrap to make a greenhouse effect. That was a week ago. Today, I am going to transplant these into my starter cups.

This is my starter mix. If you look closely you can see two darker spots. That is worm castings.

The thing about my potting mix is it is good for holding moisture, and is 'light' in weight. Easy for seeds to start in. But...there are no nutrients in it. Seeds don't need food to start, they need food to grow healthy. So I mixed my mixed my starter mix 1/2 & 1/2 with worm castings.

This is the new mix. I took my starter cups and filled about 1/2 way. Then I picked up the seedlings and set them gently into the cup. I then gently filled in around the seedling with more of the new mix.

This is what it looks like, all potted up. These cups can go directly in the ground. The worm castings are the perfect food. They will not 'burn' the seedlings, as most fertilizers can do. In fact, you could start plants directly in worm castings.

I had sliced a very thin layer off of the bottom of a celery I bought at the store, and fed it to my worms and it started to grow new celery off of the slice. I guess what I am trying to say is that I am excited to see how well these zucchini do with so much fertilizer.

I have also planted some straight eight cucumbers.

Here they are, about to be transplanted, too. I am giving these little wonders good vibes so they will be good pickles.

Anyone like bread and butter pickles?

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]]><![CDATA[My Potatoes]]>Sat, 17 Sep 2011 15:22:09 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/09/my-potatoes.html

Today, I dug up most of my potatoes. These are my Yukon gold. I would say that is around four pounds.

These are my russet potatoes. Around three pounds...but there are still more in the ground. I got hot and decided to come in so I don't get sunburned. I just wanted to get the ones that were in the Sun. Potatoes do better when the light doesn't touch them.

I am pretty happy with my first attempt at growing them.

Someone said that digging up potatoes is like having a treasure hunt. I would have to agree. Especially with the Yukon golds...ha, ha, ha.

Next year I will do better...I hope.

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]]><![CDATA[Fertilizing, Another Way]]>Thu, 04 Aug 2011 09:52:45 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/08/fertilizing-another-way.html

I finally got my sprayer working today. A while ago, I tried but it got clogged, so I gave up. This last weekend I purchased some cheese cloth for straining the worm tea.

On the left is a small amount of worm tea straight out of the worm bin. There is a strainer with some cheese cloth that has clothespins holding it secure. The 'tool' resting in the strainer is a ladle. I put a funnel on the sprayer body, put the strainer on top of that, and used the ladle to put in six measures of it into the sprayer. Then I filled the sprayer (to the mark) with water. It was now time to spray all the foliage of my garden plants. Worm tea molecules are the right size for plants to use NOW. It won't burn the plants. So it is best to spray this tea mixture right on the leaves.

I was told once a week. Now that I've got my sprayer fixed, I hope to find out how well that works. Pictures will tell the story.

Maybe I will take a sprayer full over to Farmer J's.

He would be so pleased.

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]]><![CDATA[Fertilize your Squash]]>Mon, 01 Aug 2011 06:13:09 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/08/fertilize-your-squash.html

Today I want to show you a male and female squash flower. I have pulled all the yellow flower outside off the male bloom so I can fertilize the intact female bloom. The ants will help this process, by climbing all over this combination. I stuck the male bloom into the female bloom and left it there. Where ever I found an open female bloom I fertilized it.

I need all the zucchini I can get for my zucchini bread. I cannot make it fast enough.

Hope this helps you get all the squash you can eat and give away!

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]]><![CDATA[Research!]]>Wed, 27 Jul 2011 14:09:13 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/07/research.html

I have been researching planting guides for hours today. Sorting through my seed packets and checking the times to plant has also occupied a lot of my time.

You see, this bed needs something to grow. Since it last grew brassicas, it now needs some root vegetables. So...carrots, turnips, this will be your new home.

This bed last had peas in it. It can now have brassicas. So kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, this will be your new home.

As soon as I clear this bed it too can have brassicas. That does include cabbages.

As mentioned, I sorted my seeds, according to month to plant them. I plan on planting these seeds for the next six weeks.

These are the seeds to be planted September and after. There are beets, beans (Lima, green, yellow, pinto), peas, radish, spinach, lettuce, cabbage, and parsnips. Then we have the herbs, too. I am hoping that I get great yields.

Another thing I have been doing is collecting supplies for my fair entries. All jars need to be either pints or half pints. The Judges like the jars to be 'alike'. AND...pretty or unusual counts. I also need two jars for each entry. One to taste, and one to show. I managed to get these for under $7 a case. Quite a deal.

Let's hope I take a lot of blues! Ribbons...that is.

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]]><![CDATA[Why I Use Wide Rows, Raised Beds]]>Fri, 22 Jul 2011 08:10:25 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/07/why-i-use-wide-rows-raised-beds.html

Today, I wanted to show you WHY I garden using wide row, raised beds. The only weeds you see in the walk-ways are the ones I pulled out of the beds.

By raising the edges of the beds, I can fill them with water, and it keeps the water where the plants are. I'm not watering where I walk, so my shoes don't get muddy. Also, shoes carry diseases, so it is best not to walk on the beds.

Living in Southern California, we have a drought problem, so I don't waste water. This is a deep watering method. With the rows wide, I plant the plants closer together and that helps keep the weeds down to a manageable level.

When the plants were little, I had shallow sides. Now that they are bigger, I hoed the sides up higher, so the beds would hold more water to meet the needs of my growing plants.

I pulled up most of my Bok Choi yesterday. It had bolted. OR...it flowered, so the greens would become bitter to eat. So I pulled them. It happened because it got too hot.

I may wait a few weeks to start planting more (so they won't bolt again). They will grow most of the winter...I think.

One more thing before I go. Here is 'that' plant in my garden. It is starting to bloom.

This was taken last year, and they hadn't really bloomed yet. It was just starting to.

I love this plant...I just don't know it's name.

Anyone?

Anyone?

(crickets chirping)

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]]><![CDATA[Happy...but...Not]]>Mon, 18 Jul 2011 07:04:58 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/07/happybutnot.html

Farmer J's oldest son is helping me in the yard. Just in case I need to go away for a couple of days, I was showing him how and what to water. He took it upon himself to put a well around my apple trees. He is such a great young man. It was something I would have done, except I can't 'kick' a shovel.

The sad part is...I think that butt-head rodent ate all my 'fair' apples. Because they are G-O-N-E!

So...I guess I need to step-up my trapping techniques.

THIS does not make me very happy.

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]]><![CDATA[Potatoes]]>Thu, 14 Jul 2011 10:34:30 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/07/potatoes.html

Today, I am hoping to get a lot done. I am getting ready to expand my potato bed. See how tall my plants are? They are in need of a top dressing of dirt/straw/compost/whatever to cover up the 'new' potatoes. Potatoes grow up.

These are the boards that I will be using to raise the edge of the bed up so I can keep said topping from washing away when I water. This way I get a lot more potatoes.

Yeah!

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]]><![CDATA[A Basket Of Love!]]>Sat, 09 Jul 2011 11:28:38 -0800http://www.biggreenacres.com/4/post/2011/07/a-basket-of-love.html

Look what I picked today! I am so proud! It is enough to make something with. Something Italian, I would guess.

I topped out my basil plants. They needed it so they will get bigger leaves, and bush out.

I took this basket into The Lad's cave, and just sat down. The first thing he says is...'that smells good', without even looking first.

We like basil...a lot!

See the two pointy things in the center? They are 'Lady Fingers', or Okra. This is my first time growing Okra. Guess I will be learning to make gumbos. Farmer J likes them fried. Like a good Southern Boy.

Here are some more coming on.

What a happy garden!

Me, too!

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