Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Chickens
Chickens play an important part in the operation of my garden. Not only do they provide fresh eggs that are superior to anything that you can buy in a store, they are can be vital in processing weeds, bugs, trimmings, and culled fruit into fertilizer that in turn, feeds my plants. My chickens are not free ranged because of the dogs in my neighborhood, so I bring the range in to them. They do love the pig weed, purslane and mallow that grow so well and numerous in my soil. They will often leave their regular feed to feast on a fresh batch of weeds that I have just pulled. One of their favorite foods is fresh cut lawn grass. I empty my catcher on the floor of the hen house, and what the chickens don't eat outright, they move around and mix it up with the existing litter, which is a combination of leaves, sawdust, and shavings from my wood shop and garden waste the chickens did not eat. This makes an excellent soil amendment. In the fall, my kids and I go to work, and we then empty hen house litter with a shovel and five gallon buckets, and spread the material out in the garden for the litter to be tilled in and cure out over the winter. Being that fresh chicken manure can burn plants, the fall rain and winter snows mellows the manure into a state that can be beneficial to the plants. Chickens are also fun to watch. I recommend chickens to anybody who is able to keep some.
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sweet Corn
Every year I enjoy fresh sweet corn from my garden. This year I have been growing "Peaches and Cream", a bicolor SE variety from Mountain State Seeds. This year it has been growing very well, even though the ears are a little on the small size, and the earworms have been pretty active. I have not been using any commercial fertilizer on my crop this year. Last season I did apply a lot of lawn clippings to the soil, hoping that it would provide enough nitrogen and other nutrients to the soil. I also did a manure tea experiment with some of the corn this year, with no visible benefit observed. I do have plenty of chicken manure available to me, and I was hoping to find a different way to take advantage of this resource. I have been coming to the end of my first crop of sweet corn, and the second crop should be ready towards the end of the week.
Suprise Early Frost
I got suprised by a unexpected frost this morning. My squash and melons took a hard hit, with the pumpkins and cantaloupe being just about destroyed. My peppers and tomatoes were also showing some signs of frost damage. I should have paid better attention to the weather service, but I have never had a frost this early in the season. Lesson learned.
Thursday, September 2, 2010
September is a Time of Harvest and Preparation
Welcome to Rob's Vegetable Garden! I have been thinking about starting a blog about vegetable gardening for awhile, and I figure a blog would be a helpful way to document and record what I am doing throughout the year. I enjoy all aspects of vegetable gardening; of coarse some things I like more than others! September has arrived and I am busy with harvesting vegetables, making salsa from what I grow, planting and preparing for fall gardening, and completing my new hoop house. Being that gardening is a hobby that I enjoy, I always like to encourage people to grow some of their own food, on what ever space they may have available to them. I am not strictly, nor do I claim to be an "Organic" gardener, but I like to use many organic techniques for many reasons that I will discuss in further posts. I would enjoy reading any comments you might have, along with any pointers or advise.
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