The Farmhouse Project
by
Debra D
2 Materials
$40
4 Weeks
Easy
I moved out to the farm last fall in 2017. Now I get to have coffee in the morning with the cows!
The first thing I started doing was to get a fall/winter vegetable garden going, and harvesting the amazing crop of pecans we had this year.
We had hurricane Harvey at the end of August, and we also had some of the coldest winter weather I can remember here on the Gulf Coast, and the cold took out most of my typically winter hardy vegetables. I grow some kind of food all year long. I re-seeded and replanted this spring and am harvesting the early items such as lettuce and spinach.
On the farm, I have some area around the house available to garden in that doesn't belong to the cows and gets enough sun because we have a lot of pecan trees and oaks around that make too much shade. So I am taking the oportunity to do more "pocket" gardening and explore mobility focused gardening. Let's face it, I'm not getting any younger, and all the digging and weeding in a traditional row garden is not something I can do anymore!
Pocket gardening is planting in small beds or other spaces where you can take advantage of the available sunlight and space and create some beautiful areas you can eat! As I tackle all the projects around the farm, I will be posting them to show the progress, and show you how I grow fruit, too!
Tomatoes are coming along, and one broccoli
These are some of my companion pots. The square pot is thyme and garlic, the round grey pot is daylillies and garlic. The round pot on the right is basil and bell pepper, and the one in the front is jalapenos and spearmint.
This is one of the broccoli plants that made it through the hard winter. There was a whole section of them, but only one soldiered on. Broccoli can take some very cold weather, but not 16-18 degrees for a couple days.
This is how I used some cinder blocks I had sitting around. In the openings of the blocks, I started carrot seed. Just inside the blocks there are onions growing. In the middle, I have bush green beans growing, and english peas are starting to grow up the chainlink fence.
The dense planting is helping to keep the weeds to a minimum so I don't have to spend as much time pulling them. I added some compost and bagged soil to make the planting area a little deeper, and to add more organic matter to help hold moisture.
The soil here is not the typical clay based soil this area is known for. It's actually quite sandy and loose loam from being a dairy farm for many years but it doesn't stay moist long. Over time I will keep adding compost to keep it at it's best.
This is a project I am just trying for the first time to make it easier on my back. These are green beans that typically are grown up a pole. I am going to train them to grow down the fence to make harvesting easier.
It's not a new idea. I've seen this done in various ways before, but it's my first time trying it.
I saved up large tin cans with a food grade coating on the inside over the winter, and poked holes in the bottom for drainage. I poked two more holes near the top to run a wire through to attach them to the fence. I love the look of the cans as they begin to rust! I used a moisture control potting mix to prevent them from drying out too quickly.
I hope you enjoyed seeing some of my projects! I will post more as I take on some of the neglected flower beds and other things around here. there is no shortage of work around here! I am also helping friends to recover from the cold in their yards, too!
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2 of 4 comments
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This is AWESOME, Debra!!
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Inspired me to try a few herbs and veg in pots.
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