Could Spending More Time in the Backyard Be On The Horizon?

Yes my friends, hubby and I are talking the R word. We're both a little young, but if push comes to shove at my job and Pennsylvania goes the way of Wisconsin with cutting benefits and salaries for government workers, retirement may be sooner than expected -- like maybe in three months. The other deciding factor is the rising price of gas. Right now, today, it costs us almost $8.00 to drive our 50 mpg car to and from work every day on our 100 mile round trip. That's a little too salty. We've both been saving our pennies like crazy people and got rid of all debt, so we feel confident we'll be ok financially. But the other confidence builder is what I can produce in the back yard and my other frugal plans to save money. Simple things like riding bike to the grocery store, giving up using the dryer, and driving as little as possible will save money. Hubby is giving the go-ahead to plant lots of food to save on the grocery bill. I just ordered onions. Rows and rows of black beans, kidney beans, and white beans are going in the ground in May. The broccoli is started, and the greens will go in sometime in April as will the peas. Sweet potatoes are on tap as is butternut squash. I'll try to freeze as much as I can and use my mom's huge chest freezer if need be. Lots to think about over the next three months. But the main, top priority is starting my spring bike training on March 7 for my 7-day stage mountain bike race the end of May and early June. All else comes in behind the training. The gardening and retirement planning is done on down time from riding bike. There are a bunch of female professional mountain bikers coming to the event I'm entered and I'm honored to be in the mix with them. Without a doubt, riding takes top priority this spring.

Garden 2011 is Happening Because of High Fuel Prices

Quickly rising fuel prices are going to have an effect on the prices of food at the grocery stores and markets. And it won't be only food -- it'll be everything. As a result, hubby and I discussed how to save $$ and of course the first place I went was the backyard and the food we eat. Hubby "complains" (nicely) that when I start seeds, I use up electricity with the grow lights - about $25 a month with all 8 lights glowing for 14 hours a day. My plan was only to start broccoli plants this year, but I have room under a set of two lights for two flats of seedlings so we started talking about filling up that area. What shall we grow that would 1) save us money at the grocery store, 2) is nutritious, and 3) you can start at the same time as broccoli? The answer? Cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Both are pricey at the grocery store, yet nutritious, fairly easy to grow, and we both love all three. I estimate I can save about $200 just by growing maybe 48 plants of each of these three plants and freezing them (except the broccoli which doesn't freeze well). So on tap for seed starting as soon as I can get the seeds are brussels, cauliflower, and I already have the broccoli seeds. Bring on Spring -- and cost savings!

You Can't Hold a Dedicated Farmer Down

A year without fresh vegetables from the backyard is like a year without sunshine. It's virtually impossible for a dedicated organic farmer/gardener to go without those tried and true easy-to-grow staples in the backyard to pick for dinner. I really liked Michaux Mayhem's link on their blog, Living the Frugal Life. Kate had a post about a book entitled the Resilient Gardener which is basically about surviving on what you grow, but it gave me an idea about not being so fussy in the garden and spending too much time on certain things. Kate mentions a part of the book that caught my eye which gave me an idea of not working too hard in my own garden:

Even more do I appreciate her frank admission that not everything is worth doing well, or even doing at all. What she terms selective sloppiness appeals to my sensibilities. This is a book that will help you find the sweet spot between maximum productivity and minimum labor. If you want advice on how to make your gardens a beautiful, weed-free show place, this isn't it.

Until last year when my mother became ill, I've always been a neat freak in the backyard. Every weed had to be pulled and row perfectly spaced. There had to be beds of straw or compost between all rows to keep weeds at bay, and even the design had to be aesthetically appealing. No more! This year, I'm just sticking the seeds and plants in the ground paying attention only to crop rotation to keep disease at bay. Obviously, if the weeds start sapping moisture and energy from the vegetables, I'll pull them, but many weeds will now be left to grow to become bad-bug food. I won't have as big a garden either. Here's the plan for now:

Broccoli
Kale
Spinach
One or two tomato plants
3 bell pepper plants
Zucchini
Butternut Squash

Maybe there will be a few more, but this should keep the old girl happy and still riding her bike. Growing to store and harvest can wait until retirement.

Shocker - No Garden in 2011

It'll be quite some time before there's anymore posts on this blog. I'm giving up the gardening for a year to focus on my other passion -- mountain biking. I entered a 7-day stage race next May 29-June 4 and training for it will consume all my spare time from about Nov 1 until the day of the race. There won't be any time for any gardening next spring. I'm actually looking forward to taking a break from the spring clean-up. I've already started prepping beds this fall so no work will be needed next spring. And there's a bed or two I'm giving back to nature -- the herb garden will become whatever it wants and I may do the same with part of the rose garden. They'll both be there another year if I decide to clean them up again. Enjoy your passion!

A Home for Pheasants

Pheasants have been experiencing a downturn in population due primarily to the loss of habitat for these beautiful creatures. They like fence rows, tall grass, underbrush, and wild areas -- most which are disappearing quickly to housing developments, removal of trees, and modern farming practices. Today's local Harrisburg Patriot news had an article about Central Pennsylvania becoming Home to First Wild Pheasant Recovery Area. And guess where that might be? You guessed it, in my backyard. I feel SO fortunate to live in the Gratz-Hegins valley area that they consider "wild" enough to try raising these beautiful creatures again. Several years ago, the Game Commission attempted to release sechwan (spelling?) pheasants and farm raised birds with no luck. This time, they are catching wild birds from Montana and South Dakota and releasing them here. I'll snap some shots if I see them and share them with you. What's really nice is there will be no small game hunting in this area designated for the pheasants. I'm thrilled this area was picked. I wonder if they know about our family's 20 acres we leave stand in tall grass for the bobolinks to nest each year? Maybe.

How NOT to Grow Strawberries

Last season was filled with new plantings, new ideas, and new ways to prepare my new crops. You read about them nearly everyday all season long. One of my ventures was 100 strawberry plants going into the ground with hopes that future year's harvest of strawberries will fill my freezer. O.M.G. Little did I realize that this year I'd start turning into a strawberry. My 100 plants started ripening my first day of vacation and 10 days later I had 22 boxes of berries in the freezer and more to come. I'm spending about 2-3 hours a day finding them (I planted them WAY too close together and they are a matted mess and the berries are hiding deep under the debris of crumbled, brown leaves), picking, slicing and freezing. I'm ready to mow them over and start over when I'm retired. So a word to the wise: whatever you do, if you want strawberries, start with about 25, give them a bunch of space, mulch well with straw, and cut off the runners until you are ready to start new plants. I made the mistake of letting the runners root and when 100 plants send runners out and start rooting; the patch becomes crowded way too quickly. I have a mess, stress, and a LOT of work to restore some order to the patch. I'll be digging and tossing probably 100 plants or more. This is one of my biggest blunders to date, and hubby LOVES to remind me about it - every single day. ARGH!

Rest and Relaxation - Backyard Chili Style

This is vacation week to plant summer crops, exercise, read, and just plain vegetate for a change. My idea of vacation is NOT to go somewhere and spend the entire time in my backyard and that's exactly what I've done thus far. The corn, zucchini, winter squash, black beans, cannelli beans, tiger-eye beans, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant are all planted, fed, and mulched. The kale and spinach is picked and cooked. The strawberries are giving me a run for my money and keeping me hopping with picking them. I picked 2 quarts one day and 3 quarts today. What will the next two weeks hold with ripening berries? Everything is getting watered every other day now that Mom Nature isn't cooperating with some moisture. The balance is 4 hours in the garden (no more) and two hours exercise be it biking, running, kayaking, or whatever else I come up with (I count turning compost as exercise too -- it's a workout!). The rest of the day is for puttering; cleaning, cooking, organizing, sewing or reading. Life is good.

May Day in the Backyard

The birds were chirping away as the sun rose while I hung the clothes on the line to dry. I heard the birds, but didn't really hear them as I wasn't focused on them. And then it hit me -- that's a boblink's chirp! And so the 1st of May has arrived and along with it, the pleasures of living organically in the country. Last evening, the hummingbird feeder went out and sometime today, tomorrow, or maybe Monday, a hummingbird will make it's debut. The bobolinks and the hummingbirds are like clockwork year after year. The yellow bush to right here is an old Antique yellow rose -- Roberts Yellow Rose -- and supposedly the only yellow antique rose. This year, it's covered in honeybees. To stand next to this bush and hear the buzzing is comforting. Comforting to know not all honeybees have met their demise. Next, was off to "Marianne's" to get eggs. Marianne and her family are Amish and they recently hung out the Fresh Brown Eggs For Sale sign and of course I was all over that. She lives 1/2 mile away from me. When I got to farm, I got chills and nearly started to cry. Many Amish, in my opinion, practice what us English should do more of -- no electricity, no oil consumption via a vehicle, grow their own food, and support local stores. Marianne's farm is perfect. Her garden is huge with peas, onion, raspberries, radishes, turnips and I'm not sure what else was coming up. The chickens were flying and running around in their field with a stray goose that was causing a bit of a ruckus. The jersey cows were making their way out to pasture, only to stop and be a little curious at me looking at them. There were pigs, dogs, birds, and you can tell everything has a function - no waste of anything. Her house was plain and serviceable -- no fancy dancy Home Interior prints hanging around. As I pulled out of the driveway, I thought about someday being more like them. But why not now, I thought? Well, commuting to Harrisburg in a CAR almost 100 miles a day certainly doesn't give me any room to talk about trying to be like them right now. My dear hubby said after we retire I can get chickens! So maybe with the chickens will be the attempt to live more like the Amish. Now how can I get rid of electricity completely??

In Honor of Earth Day - Her Designs Handbags

Women's handbags are huge business and the majority are NOT animal friendly -- i.e., leather! The other downfall of most purses is where they are made and shipped from -- China. The affordability of a China-made bag simply can't be beat which is why they completely flood the market. And while tradition claims leather as the fabric of choice for a durable, long-lasting bag, it's obviously not a preferred fabric when choosing eco-friendly, animal-friendly handbags. Enter Her Design. I've been shopping for some time for a new handbag when my cheap china-made pleather starting falling apart in less than a year. I knew I didn't want leather, and I knew I didn't want China-made. A search on Vegan Women's Bags made in USA came up with many very cool designer handbags -- at a huge cost. Matt and Natt is very cool, but expensive and when asked where they were made, the answer was "Asia." Then I discovered Her Design by Helen Reigle. What attracted me first to these handbags were the designs -- inspired by nature. They use colors from nature and the styles come from varied eye-catching visions in the environment. "Poppy" is the perfect example. the purse is inspired by the seed head of a poppy flower. Check out their website for very cool designs. The second attraction is the materials used to make the purses. All eco-friendly and with concern for the environment. They use hemp, wool, linen, organic cotton and recycled fibers. The faux leather is a substance that originates from a rubber tree. And lastly, while not made in USA (American wages are simply too high and make the products unaffordable), they DO use coops that practice fair labor in countries such as Mexico and Costa Rica. I'm ok with that (it's not "Asia"). And the prices? Well... some are a little salty, but if you catch the sales, $40-$80 bucks ain't too shabby. I ordered 4 purses and when I received, I was so excited I wanted to use them all at once. Every one was more beautiful and made with TLC than described on the website. The colors are exquisite and the styles are roomy and well-thought out with many pockets, nooks and crannys. Poppy got the first honors for use. Thank you Her Design for incredibly beautiful, eco-friendly purses!

April Update in the Backyard

First, my apologies for those who have been checking in on any updates and found nothing for over a month. Last year was a true year-in-the-life of an organic garden and I shared many, many tips and tools of the trade. And since the methods of organic gardening change little from year to year, please re-read last year's posts if you are looking for specific info. I added a search box so you can search specific topics. This year, I'll likely do updates only monthly on backyard chilibloggin. I'm focusing on balancing my gardens with my active lifestyle, thus less posts here since last year was the year of many posts. You are welcome to check out my activities at http://www.chilibloggin.blogspot.com/ - there's some interesting stuff in there too if you like mountain biking, trail running, white water kayaking and sometimes racing adventure tris and other interesting races. And now the garden update for April.

Spring clean-up gets harder and harder each year mainly because I simply have too much garden to maintain while working and playing full-time. I'm about 75% finished and everything is getting mulched with horse manure/straw this year to prevent weeds from growing. It may not look attractive, but time will be saved by not having to weed as much with everything covered in straw-mulch. Here's the plantings and seed startings for April:

-- Planting 150 onions after we realized the prices to buy onions has skyrocketed (I was going to not plant onions to cut back a little on how much I plant).
-- Started 68 broccoli plants from seeds in March and they are all now nestled in their growing spot in the garden. They are coming along beautifully.
-- Planted snap pea seeds, carrots, red beets, spinach, kale and radicchio which are all coming up nicely. The leeks seeds will take some time (long season plant).
-- Started bunches of seeds indoors: two kinds of heirloom tomatoes, two peppers (we loved Nardello last year and couldn't wait to start them again), early girl tomatoes, purple stripe eggplant, heirloom melons, and purple basil. All sprouted and are coming along beautifully. The peppers took about 10 days to sprout, and the eggplant is just about ready to pop (takes about 3 weeks according to the seed pack). I have faith on my eggplant this year. Last year was a failure and I had to buy plants which were likely Monsanto seeds (argh!). I'm going to have an overabundance of tomato plants, but since I have space, I think I'm going to plant them all and try to sell them this year to make a little money for a change. Haven't decided that for sure yet.

And the perennial vegetables/fruits are coming along beautifully also -- the asparagus is coming in like crazy (it loved my feeding of pure horse manure a couple weeks ago), the strawberry plants are reviving after a long winter's sleep, the rhubarb is huge, and the herb garden got a massive haircut and is starting to grow again. Spring is a bunch of work, but its so rewarding when finished and you can sit back and truly reap the benefits of your labor. See you in May!