Spring...Springing

Eighty degrees.  Home alone.  Where do I begin?!  House or yard and garden?  That's a new brainer!

Hauling a Cow Panel home from my friend's house to put up.  Either a fence for my peas and squash or an arch for flowers and vines.  Decisions. Decisions. Decisions.

An old chicken feeder with annuals beginning.

It will get pretty!

Time to Thin in the Garden and in Life

In the garden and in my life...it's time to thin.

Thinning the seedlings in our garden is important to the life, health and productivity of the plants.  It reduces competition and helps each plant's capacity to produce.  

However, after waiting and watching for those new leaves to push out of the ground; I'm not excited to thin them.  There is nothing wrong with the little plant that gets pulled and seems to go against all we are trying to do.  

It's easy to pull the weeds that are competing for the time, energy and resources in our garden but taking out the crowded plants is just as important.  

My life is the same way.  So many good things in it.  Activities, projects and goals sprout in my mind or become available to me.  

Like always, I tend to get "overcrowded" quickly.  Activities and projects compete for my attention draining precious resources such as energy, time and focus. 

 Areas of my life become sickly because of stress...leaving nothing of value.

In life and in our gardens...it's time to thin out to prepare for a healthy productive season!

New Beginnings

The wind that came up in Nebraska this afternoon pulled down my gutters, tossed trash around town and filled our lungs and eyes with dirt. 

 However, peeking out of the grown this morning was several different types of lettuce, chard and radishes.  New beginnings!  Right now I have Collard Greens, Arugula, mesclun, radishes, carrots, broccoli and squash beginning to surface.   So vulnerable and yet soon it will be time to thin them.

Lettuce within perennial raised bed.

Squash needed a place to go well protected from the wind.

Goin' Native...All The Way!

I grew up Native!  Wild grasses, flowers and plants was our playground!  Trees and holes in the ground were forts and castles!  Western South Dakota wild flower!

As a Nebraska transplant I've learned to love the sandhills.  It is beautiful and unique land.  Driving through acres of wild native grasses and plant species in order to get to my destination is my kind of paradise.

Maybe we are gaining some unwanted attention because of the pipeline debate.  Still the sandhills are not for the feint at heart...plants or humans!

According to Nebraska Natural Legacy the Nebraska Sandhills covers 19,300 square miles
 in North Central Nebraska. "The Sandhills Ecoregion includes the largest stabilized dune system in the Western Hemisphere and one of the largest, intact native grasslands in North America. The Sandhills remain as one of the last large vestiges of the Great American Plains." (Chapter 7)

At some point in history the Sandhills were similar to the Sahara desert.  The Sandhills are semiarid with less then 17 inches on the west.  Home to extremes temperatures; the Sandhills is hot and windy in the summer and cold and windy in the winter.

Lots of meadows, small lakes and marshes as one drives around the Sandhills which is full of migrating birds.  A giant interstate of flying feathers!

According to the UNL research center, nearly 700 native plant species have been documented.  All are stout, enduring and beautiful plants.  

If you have never been caressed by the feathery tops of tall grasses or sat in the midst of prairie listening to the constant peaceful rustling of the grasses then you are truly missing something grand.  

To me it represents a wild sense of freedom, adaptability, strength and endurance.

Which brings me to my dream of a little piece of sandhill church on the prairie.

Our church has several acres that we have allowed to grow native and manage weeds continually.  Trimming, pulling and spraying.  This year we are starting some grass seed in order to add more native of the native grasses of big bluestem and little blue stem, Indian grass, buffalo grass prairie sandreed, yucca and wildflowers to the steep Sandhill slopes of the property.

Little Blue Stem

Yucca

Before Intervention on the steep hills.  Covered with weeds which are doing the job of helping with erosion.  We've learned that we can't just pull and plant or we jeopardize the vulnerable soil.

Little steps...Adding a few at a time.  Hoping the taller grasses will help the buffalo grass do better.  We had it sprayed several years ago but it is still pretty slow going.

A little TLC & help from our friends!

Hopefully this "prairie" will take root and be a place of peace for many years to come!

Weeds Are Opportunistic

  "Weeds are opportunistic taking advantage of an ecological and/or geographical adaptation to conditions more favorable for their growth as opposed to the growth of the desired species." Lowell Sandell from UNL.

 
Weeds look for niches in the environment where they can take root and get established.  A place that is bare or diseased or stressed.  If it thinks it can take over...

 

Compacted soils, acid soils, infertile/sandy soils, high fertility soils, shade and moist and wet soils attract their own weeds.  In addition weed seeds build up in the soil and will come out of dormancy when "the mood is right."

Does this sound familiar to anyone?  Ever had an exhausting day where your life was compacted and were shocked at what came out?!

Two steps:

1.  Identify the weed. 

2.  Choose the available weapons. 

Give the environment what it needs so it is strong and healthy and resilient to stress and pest.

 

I would add that if we are very observant about what is happening in our yard/gardens that the weeds can tell us about what is happening there.  What's going well and what isn't.  Kind of like behavior!  Tells us what our plants are needing.

  

In Nebraska we have had unseasonably warm weather with weeds sprouting like crazy.  So I guess it is time to get to work!

 

Change in Environment

A sad week for me with our front Cottonwood tree being taken out.  Bugs had taken it's life.  This tree shaded the entire half of our house and yard protecting it from hail, wind and sun.  

The front and side bed have plants that are just beginning to push their stems through the soil.  I wonder if they will be shocked without a canopy of leaves and the dark shade they crave.  

The environment I grew up in was the perfect hot bed for learning to be adaptable, flexible and able to overcome.  If it didn't work out as planned...simply walk around or step over the barrier and keep going.

The most important aspect of planting from my experience and from Master Gardening class is...

Knowing The Place:

Macro climate/micro climate
Zone maps
Sun and shade
Soil
Drainage
Wind
Competition for resources

Knowing The Place Changes:

Trees grow and are cut down

Knowing That We Change:

Personal schedules and needs change

Abilities and energy changes

So...this summer will be a great experiment!

 

Dirt That Only a Mother Could Love...

Digging in the dirt for a an hour yesterday morning was a glorious respite!  As I added soil here and there; filling low places in flower beds trimming and tidying as I went.  I was overjoyed in the black soil I found under the piles of leaves along the fence that I pile up every year.  It was perfectly black with the perfect consistency.  

My family got home and I so wanted to share my joy with them.  Hmmmm...  

How do I state that very spiritual moment?  "You should have  seen the shovelfuls of black soil from my compost?" I can only imagine their response.

What words could I use to help them understand the fulfillment that I have in knowing the leaves that we raked years and years ago are now ready to sow plants and seeds in? 

Would they understand my joy in knowing that our "trash" is now ready to produce?  

How I treasure the hope and belief that the ashes and humus of my life will result in new beginnings.

No...this soil is dirt that only a mother could love.  

I'm o.k. with my own contentment this morning as I watch the birds pecking through newly unearthed treasure. 

Meandering Process of My Compost

It has been a very dry winter.  The snow that usually covers the leaves enough to break them down didn't come.  

Today I was puttering and cleaning out all that we "stashed behind the garage" during the winter.  A broken chair that needs dumped; tree branches and left over leaves then...I spotted it.  

Why had I not thought of this before?

Drum roll please...

The wire dog kennel (that had been home to baby chicks) situated on it's side (because I didn't know what to do with it) and the small piece of chicken wire that I couldn't part with.  

And...TA.. DA...  

Compost bin!  

I think it has great potential.  When on its side the front door becomes a drop down door and the tray is now under it with two bricks propping the kennel up a few inches.   Wrapping the chicken wire around as far and up as it would go and securing with zip strips should keep most of it inside.

Now for the layers of brown/green and water to get the process going.  I looked around.  Brown very dry stuff everywhere as I looked at the leaves accumulated along the back.  

First I gathered corn stalks, some bits of evergreen branches (from Christmas), bark and pine cones and put them in as a foundation that will allow lots of airflow.  Next, I piled armfuls of leaves and sprayed it all with water.  

Searching for green was another matter; that is until I struck gold.  

The tote of crushed corn that was left over from a 4-H pig project used for bird feed was down to dust, bits of corn and some moldy chunks...is this green?  

I don't know but this is an experiment!  I sprinkled that in with the oatmeal stolen from the worm bin.  At this point, I spied the pile of green/gray half rotted grass that was on the new raised bed needing turned.  Turning it showed me spots where it had become matted together so I threw that in.

Finally, I added more brown stuff.  As I raked the leaves off a pile of rocks moved to a corner from a previous owner's project, I found layers of leaves in various stages of compost.  SCORE!  So after sprinkling with water again I added this to the top.  

The compost on the pile of rocks had the best results from last year so I will keep that in the back of my mind as a spot to put garden scraps, grass clippings and leaves this year.  

Has anyone ever composted (on purpose) in window wells I thought as I began cleaning leaves from them.  Hmmmm.... who knows where this could lead.

Footstep Garden: Practical, Pretty and Functional Garden

Footstep Garden: Practical, Pretty and Functional Garden: I'm practical and pragmatic.  Boring.   In my field writing functional goals is critical to meeting them.  To write a goal that makes ...

Practical, Pretty and Functional Garden

I'm practical and pragmatic.  Boring.  

In my field writing functional goals is critical to meeting them.  To write a goal that makes sense to someone else but not to the one whose goal it belongs to...is SENSELESS!

The same thinking relates in gardening.   Why should I make a garden that works for someone else- somewhere else when I need to plan and design what works for me.

Design is such an intimidating word.  Especially for someone who does not have an artistic bent.  

As I've read and thought about this...design is just planning.  Planning what works in my soil, my garden, and in my life.

It isn't bulldozing what I have and installing the "perfect" garden.  I will never have the money or time to have a perfect garden.  Next best thing?

A functional one.

My design process:

Draw out what I have to work with.

Think about what flowers and vegetable plants that I want.  

What is the most important aspect to me?  How can my garden work for my family? Reducing  food cost is huge.  Creating a place to rest and enjoy.  

So I need to take into account the "opportunity cost" involved.  What is going to give me the biggest bang for my buck!  If I just buy flowers then I won't have enough for vegies.

Keeping my dream alive about what I would love to do or have and yet cutting myself some slack.

I'm not getting discouraged that I can't get my fence up or have an arbor etc. What I can do is put up a cow panel that vines will cover.

 

Keep my personality in mind.  

For example... I love to wander, meander and do bits here and bits there.  

Last year I tucked herbs in one flower bed and zucchini behind it.  

This year's plans?  Building two more raised beds and planting my squash in a totally new unused and ugly spot between the garage and a fence.  Adding different lettuces and plants such as Kale and Chard to flower beds away from my "garden beds."  I can't wait!

 

Starting Seeds

I'm excited to begin a few seeds this weekend.   Learning the hard way is my only way it seems.  

Lessons I've learned:

•  Buy good seeds and plant when fresh.
• Use good hygiene and sterilize used pots and tools with a 10% Clorox rinse.
• Take my time. Don't rush beginning seeds. 
• Begin small.
• Transplant into larger pots SOONER  rather than later.
• Use good soil.
• The top of the fridge is a great place for germination as it keeps them warm.  
• Keeping them covered with something like Saran Wrap held up by pop sickle sticks works great!  
• Take it off as soon as the seed sprouts.
• Don't be selfish and crowd the plants.  Give baby plants lots of room for air to circulate.  I keep the ceiling fans on so the air moves.
• Turn them daily so each side of the plant has the opportunity to suntan!  
• Don't be chintzy.  Transplant into good sized containers.

This year I'm so excited to use my new-old shed to help my growing plants toughen up to be ready for the growing season.

Footstep Garden: Reducing Stress...Improving Results

Footstep Garden: Reducing Stress...Improving Results: I would HIGHLY recommend taking the Master Gardener class in your area.   Last night we discussed managing perennials presented by the Ba...

Reducing Stress...Improving Results

I would HIGHLY recommend taking the Master Gardener class in your area.   Last night we discussed managing perennials presented by the Backyard Farmer.  It was a rich lesson.

Trees, perennials, annuals, grass and kids all just want to be where they belong.  To grow in the environment that is best for them with the right nutrition and relationships.

Plants respond to stress and trauma in much the same way we do.  Stress makes us vulnerable to disease and injury.  Trauma weakens our resilience.  Both can result in a free fall of health and production.    Too much of this or too little of that can set us up to fail.

Forcing plants to bloom when they are not ready.  Bullying them to withstand heat when they are made for shade.  Not accepting them to be what/who they were created to be.

Always being in a hurry or expecting perfection in a plant or person always leads to disappointment and disillusionment.  

Insisting that the growth should come in neat and tidy little steps can actually sabotage healthy development.

Could this be why driving across the sandhills or walking through the prairie gives me such a sense of peace and contentment?

The plants and the land are just doing what they are supposed to do.  The more we accept that and get out of the way...the happier we will all be.

Trees Don't Heal. They Compartmentalize.

Tree Disease was the topic of Master Gardener class.  Our instructor made a comment that trees don't heal but rather compartmentalize.  Like a submarine.  This has fascinating me.  Realize that I work with children and families some of who have been terribly traumatized and are compartmentalized.

Anyway... Trees are amazing!  Growing up on a ranch in western South Dakota where tree groves and stands were critical to surviving those winter blizzards!  Weeding.  Watering by buckets.  This wasn't fun.  But influential.

Experts:  Learn about trees:

To be clear, trees do not heal.  While this might sound false, it is true that trees do not regenerate growth from old cuts and wounds.  What trees actually do is compartmentalize the decay or wound and grow around it.  Dr. Alex Shigo, a legendary tree scientist, coined the phrase CODIT to explain how trees respond to wounds and injuries (including cut limbs).  CODIT is the Compartmentalization Of Decay In Trees.  Once a cut is made or a tree is injured, yearly annual growth will begin on the perimeter of the cut.  This growth is from tissue on the tree that hasn't been injured.  This can be readily observed on trees in any landscape, and it is what creates the "cat eye" look of old cuts on trees.  Years after normal tree care, in which the cuts were made properly, you can observe that the cuts have been closed or are beginning to close by annual growth.  This doesn't, however, mean the tree healed that cut, but rather it simply grew around it and moved on.  Trees have an amazing ability to compartmentalize injuries, diseased limbs, and cut limbs.  
http://www.weknowtrees.com/how-do-trees-heal.html

Trees for Western Nebraska
 
http://youtu.be/QV9_86AZNC8

Nebraska Statewide Arboretum
 
 http://arboretum.unl.edu/greatplants/

 http://nfs.unl.edu/retreenebraska.asp

HEART'S CRY: Essential Can't be Qualified? No more. No less.

HEART'S CRY: Essential Can't be Qualified? No more. No less.: “Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time, and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every...

It's not complicated. Yet.

It's not complicated.  Yet.  Give me a minute and that could change.  Why don't I just, "Get Ready..."

When my boys were little, this was our nightly ritual.  We would say "Get ready.  Get set." Waiting as  as long as possible until three little boys yelled, "Go" taking off running. What a great game!

Get Ready... Expectant.  Prepared.  Excited.  Get in position.  Focus.

Making things difficult is a gift I have.  Complicating and confusing.  It's not. 

I'm reminding myself tonight that gardening is simple.  Not complicated.  Work.  Dedication and commitment.  Not complex.

Gardening is a fairly simple endeavor.  Good soil.  Seeds.  Water.  Sun.  Planting and weeding.  Getting out of the way.  

Who needs 20 kinds of carrots, lettuce and fifty different tomato plants? Good grief.  The more I research varieties and what should be grown when and where the more I think I should just go and pick up whatever jumps in my hand.

So here is my list.   I've whittled it down.  

 Asparagus:
Jersey Giant or Supreme


Beans:
-Pole. Kentucky or Kentucky Blue

Carrots:

Danver:     Healthmaster
Imperator:  Sugarsnax

Cucumber:
 Sweet Slice

Kale:
Vates

 Lettuce:

Looseleaf:  Red Sails.
Oakleaf

Onions:
Oasis

Peas:
Oregon Giant
Sugar Daddy

Peppers:
King Arthur

Potatoes:
Dark Red Noland
Kennebec
Yukon Gold

Pumpkin:
Small Sugar

Radish:
Cherriette

Spinach:
Melody
Olympia

Squash:
Zucchini
Sunburst

Tomato:
Big Mama
Big Beef
Bush Celebrity

Mesclun
Society Garlic