A Raspberry Patch

Below you will see the evolution of my Raspberry Patch.  The first 4 pictures are from Spring of 2012.  The rest are from this Spring (2013).  Remember, you can always click on the photos to Zoom in.






Clockwise, from top left, I tilled up some grass, raked out the grass and roots, planted Raspberry Starts, and then mulched with Goat Manure/Hay mix, and then Straw in the middle.   I did put Cardboard under the mulch.  This was BEFORE I watched the Back to Eden Film.   I don't necessarily think what I did was  a bad thing, except the tilling was unnecessary.  I could've just planted directly IN the grass and then put Newspaper around all of the plants, and composted and mulched on top.

Here is My Raspberry patch THIS year.  I should've gotten a photo when everything was green.  I did get several handfuls of beautiful Raspberries in the fall.  The tips of the plants bore, as you can see in the photos.

We put those Raspberries in in a hurry, so I didn't really do everything how it should be.  So this year we went out and worked on the patch some more.

My tough kids hauling the railroad ties.

Railroad ties in place with newspaper under to help kill the grass.

Stakes in place to run ropes for supporting raspberries.  I also mildly pruned the berries.

I read that you should prune anything that fruited the year before.  So I did.  Then I read that Raspberries that fruit the first year, will usually fruit on the end.  But if you leave those canes, they will produce the rest of the way the second year.  So unfortunately I won't find out if that's true.  Also  I hope with all the mulch I added, that the Raspberries aren't buried so deep that they can't find their way out.  Updates will follow as I see progress.

A Garden Box Tale

    This is sort of a Show and Tell post so you can see some of the particular areas I'm working on in my yard.  I will try to scatter a few more of this type of post in between so you can see the applications of what I am writing about.

    Last week, I was digging in a garden box that i had also mulched last year,  to see what its looking like underneath.   This box had been the vein of my existence for almost the whole time we’ve lived here.  When we moved in it was full of Golden Raspberries, but it was so overgrown with grass, that in an attempt to dig out all the grass, we slaughtered most of the Raspberries.   

     I dug that box out every year for three years, and replaced the soil, with potting soil, and every year it was overtaken again.  Last year, after watching the Eden Film,  I decided to give it one last try.  I covered up the grass with 4 layers of newspaper, and added the 4 inches of mulch, and then planted several starts from my greenhouse in it.   The plants did not do so well,  (the box is to the far left of the photo) because the soil composition was not good to start with.  There was a strange powdery mineral type substance that was surfacing in a few places on the top of the box.  This was the only picture I could find of it from last year.  But I know the mulching was working its magic on the ground beneath though, because this year, the grass is gone and I found beautiful, dark composted organic material and several worms crawling around. 

This is what it looked like when I went out to clean and prep it for this year.  There is a tiny bit of grass in the corners, but it came right out.

Look at this rich soil!  See the worm in the middle?

I am excited to plant in here again this year.  Plus a few of the Raspberries popped up last year on one end of the box, so I will let them take over again, little by little, and let the box go back to being a raspberry patch.  Only this time, one without weeds!

I added another couple inches of Mulch and then wrapped a short fence around the base, to discourage my Chickens from digging in there and throwing out all the mulch.  We'll see if it worked.  :-)

Mulch - "The Earth is Meant to Be Covered"

    I know I keep referring back to this fabulous gardening movie, Back to Eden, but when you find something so Golden it is hard not learn from your mistakes and change what you're doing so you can see results.   

    As I mentioned in my "6 Rules of Gardening" Post, (click to read) Mulch is a key factor to a successful garden.  It also reduces the workload of the typical gardener after time.  Much of the information I will be sharing here is taken directly from "Back to Eden" so if you don't want to watch the film, you can learn some of the key principles here.

    "Everywhere in nature where man has not been, the ground is covered.  The ground is meant to be covered, it is a living organism. [It can be compared to skin for animals, feathers for birds, scales for fish, etc.  When you take the cover off, it becomes vulnerable]"

    I had never thought of dirt or soil before as a living organism.  But when you think about it scientifically, it most definitely is.  When we change our thinking to reflect that it is a living thing, it then makes complete sense to "protect it."  As soon as I understood this concept, I pictured in my mind all of the dead, non-fertile soil I have seen various places throughout my lifetime.  Most farms and large gardens that are cleared and tilled at the start of each season are empty, light colored, dull plots of land until the seeds are added and the soil amendments and fertilizers to make them grow.   Crops have to be rotated each growing season to avoid over-depleting the soil of nutrients.  But sadly, much of our soil is already grossly depleted.  This photo is a bit of an exaggeration since this particular land is also suffering from drought, but the compaction and lack of color are consistent with depleted soil.  

     Farmers spend thousands of dollars on soil amendments, fertilizer, and even pesticides, and year after year are facing the same problems again with each new growing season.

     Paul in the “Back to Eden” film, takes us on a journey, that leads our thoughts back to the Creator.  He talks about how God gardens the earth, and what we can learn to both improve our yields, and simplify our process when we mimic what nature is already doing.

     The next time you have the opportunity to walk through a forest, or field or any areas that are mostly untouched by man, kneel down and dig into the dirt, and explore what you find.   For example, in a forest you find leaves, pine needles, pine cones, twigs, seeds, etc. in various stages of decay laying atop the rich black composted floor.  This is because in nature all of these things drop to the ground and are left untouched to be broken down by the microorganisms in the organic materials as well as the soil.   Animals come through and crunch up the leaves and twigs, the wind blows and mixes things around, and the rain comes and wets everything.  All of this creates a natural covering for the ground.  Its what helps to keep weeds down, and give nutrients to young growing trees and plants.   In a field you will find the dead fallen grasses and rocks and other things covering the ground.  

     “The ground is meant to be covered.”  What can we learn from that statement when we apply it to our own corner of ground that we have the privilege of caring for?  The answer is Mulch.  Lots of Mulch.

According to Paul (Eden Film) the best mulch is wood chips.  But he also says that he has tried other things successfully as well.  Wood Shavings, Compost, and even Rocks, just so long as the ground is covered.   

     The reason wood chips work so well is because they act as a sponge, absorbing as much moisture as possible when it rains and holding it until the ground beneath needs it.  They also, amazingly don’t blow away in the wind, they stay put.  They never compact, are always soft, and always allow for air to be present.  You could even drive a truck on it and it wouldn’t compact.

     Mulching is not a new concept.  People have been using this idea for years and years.  What makes it so amazing to me, is understanding how it works, and then putting it into practice correctly and seeing the results.  

    I have an excess of Goat manure available at all times, as I’ve mentioned before.  So when I was at a loss for composted material, often I would dump loads of the fresh manure mixed with hay in many areas of my yard just to help keep the weeds down.   A few years ago we tore out the grass in one end of our yard to create a large garden area.   I covered the whole thing with the manure/hay mix to help mulch the area.  I was amazed the next spring at how few weeds I had to pull before planting my first garden in that area.   Plus having the nutrients from all that compost sitting on top of the ground proved to be another benefit.

    Paul explains that as it rains and these materials absorb the moisture, and then release it.  It actually releases a type of “compost tea” down into the soil below, carrying with it the nutrients contained in the organic matter sitting on top of the soil.   This is exactly what happens with wood chips.  They absorb all the rain like a sponge, and when the ground below and the roots of the plants call for water, they are getting the modified, improved water that is being release WITH nutrients from the wood chips, and decomposed organic materials above.  

    So last year we decided to put the mulching into practice properly in a couple of our garden areas.  We prepared the garden the way Paul showed to prepare a NEW garden area, just to be sure we kept the majority of the weeds down.   We lined our entire garden bed with 3-4 layers of newspaper, and then sprinkled a layer of topsoil over it.  Literally sprinkled.  Not much at all.  You could still see quite a bit of newspaper.  Secondly we did a thin layer of compost over that, and then finished with about 4 inches of wood chips.  The garden looked fantastic!   Then we proceeded to plant directly on top of the newspaper, by pushing the mulch out of the way with our hands, making a hole, and putting in the started plants I had grown in the greenhouse.  After planting, we put the mulch back carefully around the plant, and because of the season, we used the green Wall of Water Protectors to ad additional warmth and frost protection to our plants.

The kids helping prep the the garden area with compost and mulch.

     We had a beautiful garden, and most of it did quite well.  We had a few areas where an overgrown tree prevented enough sunlight from getting through, stunting the growth of some of those plants.  but everything else did really well.  

     So far I see almost no weeds, and because we had a very cold winter with lots of snow on the ground, the wood chips are holding the moisture in the ground, and composting the under layers.  I am excited as we come into year two to be able to continue to enjoy the effort we exerted last year. 

This is in July when the garden was in full force.  We had no weeds all Summer, and as you can see everything grew and produced beautifully!  I love having what I call a "mixed use" garden, so that there are attractive flowers as well as productive plants.

Composting, Let's Keep it Simple!

         There's actually a lot of science and good information behind composting, but I want to start out simple.  I wan't you to read this and think to yourself, "I can do this!"  And really, it IS simple, and can continue to be until you find yourself having a greater need an purpose for your compost.  I remember the huge round composting cages my great grandfather had on his property in California.  I think he must’ve truly been the master gardener in the family.  The garden was massive, and there were fruit trees everywhere, and don’t forget my Grandma’s fresh Strawberry Rhubarb pie, straight from the garden.  I only wish I had been old enough to really learn from them.  Gardens were a necessary way of life in their day.  You gardened because you wanted to eat.  

     When I first tried composting, I bought one of those Stationary black bins with a lid and just started throwing all of my kitchen scraps in it.  While in theory I wasn't doing anything wrong, Compost needs air, and water to properly break down and heat up.  And it was pretty hard to “stir” anything in such a narrow space.   So on my second attempt, I decided to do “open composting” where my pile was out in the open and somewhat contained.   I purchased some 4 ft. T-posts from Home Depot along with some 2 ft. wire fencing.  I basically made an “E” shape with two sections so I could keep track of older and newer compost and be able to get a pitch fork in there and mix it around good.

I am by no means, an artist, but I thought it would be helpful for you do have a sketch of what I’m talking about.   I can’t even take a picture of mine, because its piled so high, you  wouldn’t be able to see the stakes anymore.  So basically there are 6 T-Posts, and I’ve wrapped and attached the wire grid all the way around.  You want to keep it nice and tight so it can help support your pile as it grows and as you mix it.  I have found that the easiest way to mix well is to use a pitch fork.  You basically throw everything out of your pile, and make a new pile on the ground beside it, effectively mixing as you go.  Then pitch it all back in.  I only have to do this maybe every month or so.  But for me, this was still a lot of work so I wanted a better solution.

A few years ago I found a Rotating Compost Bin that would hold 80 gallons!  (Thats over 10 Cubic feet!)

And finally it was something I could handle!  It is made by “Lifetime Products” so it is very good quality.  I purchased 3 and had my teenage boys assemble them, so we could put them to use immediately.   I still use my old compost “frame” as a holding tank for fresh manure, leaves and lawn clippings to start decomposing before adding them to my composter.  The reason this works so well is because it makes it so easy to give compost the 3 things it needs most.  Heat, Air, and water.   I simply open the latched lid on my composter and wet it down with a hose once a week, as well as dump in my kitchen scraps whenever I have them.  And then turn the barrel a few times and I’m done.   The black barrel absorbs the heat from the sun, so even if we only turn it once a week, we get compost in about 2 months.  I think if we were out there turning it daily it might result in compost much quicker.

I know you guys are probably starting to think I am just selling you something here, but truthfully, I USE everything I recommend to you.  I  am a big fan of technology in all departments of life.  I love gadgets and things that make life easier.  And without alot of these “tools” and “gadgets” I wouldn’t have the time or energy to accomplish much of what i do.  I also realize as a prepper, that it will be a sad day around here if the power goes out and I have to do things the old fashioned way.  :-)

Back to compost.  Theres a few other things to be aware of if wanting to create good compost rapidly. 

1.) Size matters - If you start throwing in big orange peels and banana peels and Pineapple greens, you are going to be able to recognize them for the next 6 months in your bin, likely.  It is much better to break things down to a smaller size.  This allows more surface contact with other decomposing materials, water, and heat, allowing these items to decompose more quickly.  There are a few easy ways to  break these things down.  If you juice with a masticating juicer, when you’re done, simply run your citrus peels through the juicer, it breaks them into bits, effortlessly, and you can just add it with the pulp from your juicer, into your composter.  Also throwing items like egg shells and banana peels into your food processor for a quick whiz can help as well.  I’ve even just snipped them up with a pair of kitchen scissors as I’m holding them over the bin.  

      If your not interested in the additional effort.  Use those items differently.  For example, Banana peels are said to have a highly positive effect on Rose bushes and other Acid Craving plants.   Rake away some of the mulch around those things and bury a few banana peels underneath.  

   2.) You need to make sure you have a good ration of Brown waste compared to Green waste.  What does this mean?  Different waste contains different nutrients, and decomposes at different rates.  Remember the science I was talking about?  Things that decompose faster, produce heat and help to decompose items that may rot more slowly.  I will create a list at the bottom of the post to help guide you. 

   3.)Use an existing compost mix to get a head start.  You could almost compare compost to yogurt here.  It is loaded with microorganisms (ie: good bacteria)  that work together to break down the raw materials (ie: milk)  So if you start with compost that has already gone through the process and contains the nutrients and composition you are hoping for, this can speed up the process.  Be sure to save some of your newly made rich compost to start your next batch.

Brown (Carbon)	Green (Nitrogen)	DONT USE AT ALL
Dry Leaves Pine Needles Newspaper (shredded) Sawdust Wood chips/ shavings Twigs Hay/Straw Peanut Shells Cold Ashes from wood Dryer lint Cereal boxes (shredded)	Fruit & Veggie Scraps Grass Clippings Coffee Grounds Manure from horse, cow, Goat, Chicken, Bat, etc. Egg Shells Tea Bags/leaves Plant trimmings Moldy Bread Banana peels pulp from juicer	Milk Fat Meat Domestic Pet Waste Bones Oils Diseased Plants (Can spread disease) Inorganic materials

     Basically you need about a 50/50 ratio of Green and Brown.  So to make it easy, I like to keep a bag of last years leaves next to the composter and every time I dump a bin of kitchen scraps, I add about the same volume of dry leaves to the composter and spin it.  

      If you are filling up your composter little by little, you want to make sure that when its relatively full, you stop adding new waste to it for 6-8 weeks until you have developed your compost.  Because otherwise you will always have bitts of un-composted materials in there.  This is why I have 3 bins.  I only actively ad to one or two at a time.  That way I have a sort of rotation of Compost in progress, Compost ready to use, and a  bin for adding to.   And truthfully, in the winter, I don’t add scraps to my bins.  I give them to the geese and chickens because there is nothing for them to forage on when there is so much snow, so I dump my juice pulp and other scraps, including the crumbs from the bottom of cereal boxes (Healthy cereals) old bread, etc. to help supplement their diets in the winter.  

     Also, I am rather lucky to have a natural Brown/green mix occuring daily in my backyard.  What? No fair, you say?  It is the combination of goat poo mixed in with the discarded hay from the feeder.   We pull out at least a wagon load each week and ad to the “holding compost pile” before putting into the composter.   I have to say this combination along with twigs, leaves, and kitchen scraps have made an amazing compost for my garden each year. 

    Goat berries are not as hot as Chicken manure so they can even be put straight into the garden non-composted.  The mix works as a mulch to begin with, and then with watering and decomposition the nutrients are released into the soil. Please feel free to ask your questions, and share your thoughts below!

Homemade Yogurt Recipes and Instructions

I have made Homemade yogurt a couple times, and a couple different ways.  I also received a recipe from a FB friend on how she does it.  I will include everything I know and have found out and you can pick what seems like the best way for you to make it.

 First off this part is the same in all the recipes.  You have to heat milk on the stove until it is almost boiling, but not scorched.   You can use whole, 2%, 1% or skim milk, raw or pasteurized, but what you choose will affect the thickness of your final product.   I use fresh goat milk from our backyard farm.  It has a good amount of cream, but still produces a rather thin yogurt.  One thing I've read is that a lot of commercial yogurts have gelatin in them, which I personally don't want to ad, but another way to thicken is to ad Powdered Milk.   (2.5 Cups per gallon of milk)  You do this while its hot so it dissolves well.  Then you have to leave the milk to cool for a while until it reaches about 110-115º F.  Once it has cooled down you can mix in your starter.  There is freeze dried starter available from  Yogourmet at most health food stores, online at Amazon.com or you can just get a container of fresh natural yogurt.  It is best to get plain yogurt with as few ingredients as possible, and make sure it says that it CONTAINS live and active cultures, not just made from them.  Those cultures are what consume the milk and convert it into yogurt.   Also once you have made yogurt, or in my case got some from a friend.  You can save some and use it to culture the next batch.  I've heard this only works for about four or five times before it becomes to strong and sour.

Basic Recipe:
1 Gal. Milk
2.5 C. Powdered Milk (Optional)
4-6 oz. Yogurt, OR 2 packets freeze dried starter
Warmer of choice

   Once the milk is cooled some and the starter is mixed in, its time to "insulate" the yogurt so it can culture at the proper temperature.  There are about 100 different ways you can do this part.  The first time I made it, I used my Excaliber  Food Dehydrator.  It was tall enough once I removed all the trays, to stand up Quart size jars inside.  Then I just set the temperature for 110º and turned it on.  That kept the air around the jars at a steady temperature while the Yogurt was culturing.
     However, since then, I came accross a couple of yogurt machines I decided to try.  One is the "Yogourmet" Multi.  I really like this one because it is simple and straightforward.  It has one large 2 Qt. container that fits inside the main container which you fill with water.  The water bath method keeps the temperature nice and even around the yogurt.  I incubated mine about 7 hours and It worked great!   I also have the YoLife Yogurt maker by Yogourmet.  This one is basically a heated platform you can set several jars on, then it has a cover that goes over them, and it maintains the proper temp as well.  It also comes with a second taller cover for Quart size Jars.

  Also many people use a crockpot for the whole process, from start to finish.  it takes about 2.5 hours to heat the milk to the right temperature, depending on the crockpot. (approx 180º) Watch yours closely the first time and see how long it takes.  Then you have to let it cool several hours to the right temp. (110-115º)  Then simply mix in your starter, and wrap the crockpot in a large towel and let it sit 6-8 hours.  You could also use the water bath  method in the crockpot by pouring the milk into jars and then sitting them in the warm water inside the crockpot.
  The fourth and final way that I know of is using a small to medium cooler, and pouring hot water in the bottom.  After the milk has cooled and you ad the starter you would pour into quart jars or large plastic bowl and put into the hot water in the bottom of the cooler.  Then close the lid, wrap in a towel and let it do its thing for 6-8 hours.
    Once you have your finished Yogurt you can prepare and store it however you like.  Some people like to put sugared & chopped fruit in the bottom of small containers, and spoon the yogurt over the top.  Others will just keep a large container in the fridge plain.  Your plain yogurt also makes an excellent Sour Cream Replacement.