#soil building

[bumblebeeappletree]

In July 2023, historic flooding swept across Vermont, devastating farms and testing the resilience of the land. This episode follows Corie Pierce of Bread & Butter Farm as she reveals how more than a decade of regenerative farming helped their fields withstand extreme rainfall. At the heart of the story is a simple truth: the healthier the soil, the more resilient the land.

Corie’s work is a reminder that farming is not just food production — it is the caretaking of the land, and in turn, the communities that rely on it. By asking what it truly means to be a land steward, she reimagines the responsibility we all share for the ground beneath our feet.

*****

PBS Member Stations rely on viewers like you. To support your local station, go to: http://to.pbs.org/Dona...

[thestudentfarmer]

Hello and Good day,

Today I wanted to give some garden updates!

⭐️Things that have Sprouted ⭐️

🌱Dill. 🌱Cilantro l

🌱Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)

🌱Melons (sugar baby) 🌱 Honeydew (Barnyard mix)

⭐️Planted & Direct seed⭐️

🌻Ginger root. 🌻Gladiolus bulbs

🌻 Swiss chard 🌻Carrots

🌻Green beans (bush variety, Blue lake) 1st planting. (4 planned in total)

I still need to plant a few more things but currently I'm held back by lack of wood, soil and the rising heat coming in. Thankfully the sun's staying out later now too, so that should be useful

Also

my Plans currently for those curious about the beans planting cycle. As I mentioned intentions is 4 total plantings.

When the greens beans 1st planting sprouts and is a little more grown, I'll be seeding the other side of the bed with more beans, same variety. 2nd planting, when they sprout, i intend to direct seed the space around the 1st planting with a few more bush type, with a third planting to try and draw out our homes' fresh harvest. (Plus, if the first doesn't do so well, we'll at least be able to hopefully still see some sort of harvest)

_____________ _______________

Also thought this was pretty cool and wanted to share, as ya'all know I've been growing broccoli and letting it go to seed.

I cut, collected and set aside the branches si thought closest to having usable seed and~

Found ladybugs!

This one's fresh hatched I believe, some of the hatched ones were red, but most seemed a bright orange (like when butterflies emerge and dry out)

I've never seen the stage between the ladybug gator and the ladybug too. Figure most haven't, particularly those in urban and inner city areas.

This one was just resting next to the empty shell.

Some lady gators chilling. They look a bit spooky but at this stage they eat more aphids than in the adult stage. And as I learned from a web search they eat more than just aphids??

Apparently they eat aphids, scale insects, insect eggs, mealy bugs, leaf hoppers and cornworms among others? Which awesome if so!

Even if the great broccoli seed experiment doesn't work this year or next I'll likely leave a few up again, even if solely for the ladygators and future ladybugs and other beneficials in the garden.

We also found what we believe might be a buckmoth caterpillar? We aren't absolutly certain given everytime I've seen 'em, it's on a hollyhock and not what is their usual food sources? It is Possible a bird brought it over for a snack and went blegh too lol.

We know at least bare minimun it's a stinging type of caterpillar so we'll be cautious as we proceed with care of the Hollyhocks.

That's it for now, Thanks for stopping by :)

🌱🍃Happy Homesteading and Gardening🍃🌱

4.29.2024

[howlmountain]

The garden after pulling up the garlic and chopping the beds while leaving what’s left of the clover flowers in the path. The bottom photo shows the current texture and color of the soil where it was disturbed by lifting the garlic. It looked very shorn and mowed to me when taking the photo but in the shot it still looks wild.

[heketian]

[gnomejournal]

January 31, 2020 - The garden gods must be please with me. Another overcast day and three more packs of seeds planted.

[modfarm]

Seven Perennial Soil-Building Plants

These workhorses are beautiful and functional

[thestudentfarmer]

Hello and good day!

Just wanted to share a few Planting notes and whats been going on round my garden and kitchen~

Today I planted some

They look very lovely in the pictures, plus the Tubers that grow under them are said to be edible and similar to potatoes. I think their pretty and would like to try them once. I figure if no one in the household likes them I have tried them, and have a neat thing to share with friends at least + can share with the seed library or at a plant swamp :)

Also direct seeded some

Dill and cilantro seed. I've never been real great at making herbs grow well but this year I'm hoping is the year to change that :) with luck in a short time there'll be plenty for us as well as gifting, maybe trading and sharing (which is part of my ultimate grow goals :) ) but I'll be satisfied with enough to use here and self seed for future harvests.

Direct seeded some sugar baby watermelons to replace the bed the chickens dug up. (I'll need to make a new fence for this part of the garden, the old one was just simple wire fence. I'd like to put in a nice wire and wood one with a latch gate)

Tossed out a few handfuls of black oil sunflowers among the unclaimed parts of the back garden. With luck they'll grow pretty quickly to proffer some shade and a snack spot for the parrots again.

And of interest, the regrow from the store green onions is blooming some flowers! They are definatly determined lil plants!

I don't have pictures currently for the rest but I also got a bit of stuff done for both gardening and things to try out

🔨I made 2 olla's to try out in an attempt to reduce watering around the garden as well as to conserve water in the soil a bit more. Their just 2 unglazed Terra cotta pots, silicone sealed together and a cork put in one end. The water coaster I'm using to cover the top in between watering. I've never used them, or seen them used before so at this time its to test out for a future project. Plus i just wanted to see them in function :)

🔨 fully made a 5×2 raised bed for the front garden. A second is about 1/2 made. I need to get more wood to finish. At current fenced in spacing I could fit 2 more beds this size.

⛰️ got that bed lined out with cardboard, paper and filled with compost to settle (currently 6 cubic feet of composted manure) 🪶I still need to lay out water lines for both future rows, but want to get one more of the 3 beds built before I start laying that line down.

I won't be doing ground beds in this section due to the knowledge there are utility lines pretty close to the surface. ⭐️ALWAYS call or find out where your yards service lines are befor digging!! It will save you a lot of stress and financial strain⭐️

Plus I can make the raised beds deeper/taller for root crops like carrots or sweet potatoes without having to dig too deep 😉

Laid out some tarp to die off a section of yard to start an amaranth grow spot (end goal, 2 spaces for this. human food, natural dye work material and chicken feed)

That's it for todays lil blurbs :)

🌱🌻Happy Homesteading and Urban Gardening 🌻🌱

4 19 2024

[howlmountain]

Apparently burnt eggshells is the #1 soil additive I need to mix in the containers next year for the calcium. I know adding them just crushed doesn’t work, but I didn’t know that burning them would convert the calcium into a form that’s readily absorbed by the plants. We’re not starting to collect them until it’s cooler though because right now it’s the peak of mold growth and gnat weather so even washed eggshells would become a feast for them.