Growing organic – Page 13

cold frame building (2)

In a previous post I mentioned building my first cold frame using bargain priced windows from the local thrift, cement blocks and lumber. The seedlings in this cold frame are growing well and when it is cold (say 18 F outside temperature) the temperature in the cold frame is approximately 10 F higher. During the day the differential increases. And it keeps out the frost. So I am hoping to grow decent sized vegetables.

One cold frame was not enough because I had 10 windows remaining and there is a better site for a cold frame – on top of the hill where it catches early morning sun to late afternoon son. This location is unfenced and close to a road so there is a possibility of unwelcome attention, therefore my decision to locate the first cold frame in the better protected vegetable growing area. Nonetheless, the cost of building a cold frame is modest and the full time attention of the sun is a major plus.

Construction was very similar to the first frame except I dispensed with all but two cement blocks (instead of the 17 used in the first cold frame). The blocks are located at each end of the cold frame and are spanned by a 10ft by 8″ wide 2″ thick, plank. In between the two cement block supports I built a stone wall of sorts using the large stones I had uncovered when I dug a contour ditch. I used a hammer and stone chisel to cut faces on the stones so they would stack.

The purpose of the stones is to absorb the sun’s heat during the day and release it during the night. Only the top layer of the stones is visible – there are two (more skilfully arranged) layers below the soil level. To prevent the warm air exiting through the stones I draped 6 mil plastic sheeting on the outside of the frame.

As before, I used the windows from the thrift store to enclose the frame. The savings from using 15 fewer cement blocks was partially offset by the cost of 3 additional window frames I had to purchase from the thrift store – a different floor manager did the pricing and he wanted $4 per window rather than $1 – such are the vagaries of life.

The gaps and openings I covered with bits of plank or plastic. I have now introduced some collard and broccoli seedlings and in the next week will add the remaining spinach and other cool season vegetables – and wait and hope that I will get a worthwhile yield.

soil test

Eight years ago when I was working full time and all my growing activities took place in an Atlanta subdivision, I convinced myself I had to buy a soil test kit. I splurged and bought a LaMotte model STH-4 (sounds like a revved up sports car) which is described as a “professional soil testing outfit” and, in addition to pH, can test for nitrate nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Needless to say, after a cursory test with meaningless results, I packed the model STH away and it has now resurfaced, in my hour of need when, with temps in the teens (before adjusting for wind chill), I need to do something worthwhile.

I decided to take a soil sample from an area where I have done no growing so I will know what the unadjusted soil is like, and from my compost heap. I know I should be focusing on the condition of the soil in my growing area but I have several months of winter ahead to sample more widely.

The LaMotte instructions for taking soil samples are very detailed – after all, if the sample is not representative of what you are interested in, the results may be skewed. I took the samples carefully and allowed them to dry out in the green house and then ground them through a metal tea strainer to obtain a powdery sample for the tests. I followed the procedures carefully. Basically you fill a measured test tube with an extracting solution, then add the measured soil sample and shake for one minute and filter the soil suspension into a second tube. The filtrate in the second tube is the general soil extract used for the tests.

For the nitrate nitrogen test you take a measure of the soil extract and add two different nitrate reagents, mix and allow to stand for 5 minutes and compare the color with the nitrate nitrogen color chart. For potassium (potash) you take a measure of the soil extract, add two potassium reagents (the second reagent causes precipitation if potassium is present) and then you place an empty calibrated narrow tube on white plexiglass which has a solid black line down the middle. You slowly add the mixture to the narrow tube until the black line just disappears. The calibration on the tube tells you how much potassium lbs you have per acre. Finally, the phosphorus test is like the nitrate nitrogen test – you dissolve two potassium reagents in a measured soil sample and compare the color with the phosphorus color chart.

I performed the tests on my soil sample and the results were – zilch, or insipid if I were to be charitable. I immediately thought that the chemicals in my soil testing kit had deteriorated. So, before testing the compost sample, I decided to do an extreme test – I found some chemical fertilizer 13:13:13 (over 10 years old since I don’t use the stuff anymore). And reran my tests. And the results were off the wall – or certainly off the LaMotte charts for intensity. Reassured somewhat, I then ran the tests on my compost sample – and it was interesting. Mediocre nitrogen but strong potassium and phosphorus. I will now extend my testing and improve my procedures and hopefully gain useful knowledge of my soil conditions and my growing practices.

I also tested for pH using a Hanna pH meter. This also takes practice – if the electrode is not properly cleaned (I use an electrode cleaning solution) and properly stored (I use a storage solution) the results can be erratic. My compost is showing a pH of around 6.5. More food for thought.

cold frame building

On a recent visit to the thrift store, where there are often solid wood furniture and country painting bargains, I noticed about 50 double insulated small windows each 2 ft wide and 31″ high. Available for $1 each. I bought 22. And have spent a lot of time figuring how to use them effectively in a cold frame.

122911 windows — double insulated, same sized $1 windows from thrift store

My greens are growing very well under an Agripon row cover – it allows air and rain through, protects against frost, keeps the temperature higher inside than out and allows some light through. However, as with most all solutions, there are negatives. The cover allows light through, but not all the light and it keeps temperatures higher than ambient temperatures, but not that much higher. This has worked fine up to now since temperatures have been mild. Temperatures in January and February will be much lower. A cold frame using glass windows will let much more light through and will keep temperatures much higher. Negatives are more labor intensive and costly to construct, does not allow rain to penetrate therefore more supplemental watering required and, on warm days, the temperature will rise too high so I shall have to be watchful to allow ventilation. An advantage of a cold frame over my greenhouse is the plants will be growing in the ground and their roots will penetrate further than in greenhouse pots.

So having rationalized the need for a cold frame I developed a simple construction plan requiring minimal additional expenditures.

122911 outline of cold frame — skeleton of cold frame, cement blocks on north side of raised bed, ridgeline down center

I appropriated a section of a newly built raised bed, which has stones on the north side to store heat. I assembled a two level wall of cement blocks (8″x8″x16″ – $1.25 each). 9 blocks on the ground and 8 above them (not mortared). Most of the construction time was ensuring the bottom blocks were level. I recycled two cherry branches for my uprights to which I bolted a 2″x8″x10ft untreated plank ($5.85) which acts as the ridge on which the windows will rest.

122911 completed cold frame — cold frame showing 2nd plank on cement blocks and windows in place

Since cement blocks have cavities, I aligned a second 2″x8″x10ft plank along the top of the second block layer to which I screwed 5 right angle brackets which grip the inside face of the cement blocks to prevent the plank sliding off the blocks. Additionally I screwed a 2″x4″ plank along the left side of the plank as a step to prevent the windows sliding off the plank.

122911 completed cold frame b — a view of the south side of the cold frame

On the south side of the cold frame I have the 5 windows with bottom edges resting on the ground and top edge resting on the ridge line. A total of 12 windows were used, 5 facing up and north, 5 facing south and 1 on each end. By having the south windows and the end windows resting on the ground this will maximize exposure to the low southern sun (also, unfortunately, accelerate moisture penetration and wood rot). The areas not enclosed by the windows were filled with sized surplus lumber. For access and ventilation I remove the south facing windows. I placed an electronic min/max thermometer in the cold frame and tomorrow, hopefully, I will find there was reasonable heat retention. The ground should also have warmed up and I will plant out more of my kale, collard, mache, broccoli raab, and turnip greens seedlings.

some winter tasks

Vegetable growing in winter

I know it is still early days and we may yet have blizzards and really low temperatures, but I am much encouraged with the growth of my greens (lettuce, spinach, kale, collards) and the protection provided by my row covers, so I have been growing more vegetables for transplanting in a few weeks. I googled winter hardy vegetables and bought Rapini Broccoli Raab seeds and Mache Corn Salad seeds – very reasonably priced and very quick delivery from Hirt’s Gardens. They germinated in my 3/4″ blocks quickly and are now in the greenhouse in 2″ soil blocks growing well and will be transplanted soon, together with my regulars – I really like kale and have several varieties going. Below is a snapshot of one of my raised beds – with temps>40 for next several days, I am trying one bed without covers and the other with, and will see if it makes any difference.

1222 veg bed — Dec 22 raised veg bed, garlic on left, greens on right

Composting

My new heap has more than 60 leaf bags. It is too much leaf and too little green. Every other day, when I clean out the coop, I toss the chickens’ contribution on the top and have also contributed some of the horse manure I picked up from the stables. I have a continuing reservation about the horse manure – don’t know what ‘cides were used to produce the hay or what chems the horses may have received – but I hope the composting process and all my soil workers will break down whatever is there that shouldn’t be. The heap is self standing and for turning it, my bobcat is invaluable. It is breaking down well, evidenced by wisps of steam and diminishing size.

122211 compost heap — Dec 22 - compost heap

Transplanted muscadines

I completed transplanting the muscadines. I have real concerns about the outcome. Their roots had extended everywhere and I doubt that I saved even 20% of the roots. I cut back the vines by 80% and placed the roots in trenches covered with compost (compost is my universal remedy) and spring will tell how well I succeeded. To stabilize the terrace from wintry rains I seeded with winter rye and it is growing nicely as can be seen below, together with the truncated muscadines.

1222 new muscadine terrace — new muscadine terrace with winter rye, contour ditch and lots of excavated stones

I intend to put the stones to use building stone walls – to be described in a later post.

New raised bed

With the muscadines out of the way, I decided to make a third raised bed – this is 4 ft wide and 24 ft long and is awaiting residents. As an experiment I used a few of the stones as a north border for the bed, the idea being they will act as a heat sink – absorb the heat of the winter son and create a micro climate ( I noticed that my strawberry plants which abut the south side of one of the raised bed i.e. the raised bed side is to the north of it, have produced strawberries in the middle of December!). The two 4″wide 10 ft long pipes will be positioned in the middle and above the bed for the purpose of keeping the winter cover off the vegs.

Apple tree restoration

There is a large apple tree on the hill property I recently acquired which did poorly this past year. One reason, I surmised, is that its roots tapped into a septic system which has been decommissioned and therefore it was deprived of valuable nutrients on which it had become dependent. Or it could have been the weather, or it may only bear well every other year. It is surrounded by a vigorous tough grass which competes with its roots for food. I decided to get rid of the grass. Imagine a circle with the tree in the center. I mowed all the grass in the circle. Then for 50% of the circle I spread horse manure and then wads of newspapers and then covered the lot with a generous load of wood chips. For the other half I decided on a different approach. Adjacent trees shed lots of leaves and I gathered these leaves and spread them out on the grass. Next step will be to add the wood chips. My reasoning is the leaves will block the light on which grass depends to grow, more effectively than spread newspapers. And it is quicker to spread the leaves than the paper and the leaves, being more natural than paper will probably contribute better to the health life of the soil. I am hoping the wood chips will promote growth of fungi which is better for the trees than the grass bacteria.

122211 mulching the apple tree — mulching the apple tree, wood chips on newspaper at rear, leaves in front (in progress)

The apple tree itself does not look too impressive right now. The top half was sheared by a storm and I still have to do more pruning. Time will tell. By the way the sweet gum behind it fell victim to shearing by the local utility which has a right of way which extends to within a few feet of the trunk of the sweet gum. So the utility religiously protects its right of way with no favoritism extended. The one benefit is I received a truck load of wood chips.

Lots of pipes

Finally a snapshot of my two gravity feed irrigation tanks. I just added the last and final pipe. Each of the pipes serves a purpose.

122211 gravity feed tanks — gravity feed irrigation tanks with related necessary pipes

The “Y” brings the rainwater from the storage tanks. If the red valve on the lower limb is open the water goes to the right tank, if closed to the left tank. The two vertical black pipes are to facilitate bleeding out air bubbles when the valves below them are opened and water runs to the crops. The left, raised tank, irrigates hill crops, the right tank the crops at the bottom of the hill. You can spot at the top of the left tank the horizontal white pipe bringing rainwater from the roof of the deck and the diagonal black pipe bringing water from a well (only as a last resort and only pumped 3 times this past year). There are two overflow pipes from the left tank – the lower overflow is if I want the left tank to be half filled before the lower tank is filled, the upper overflow is if I want the left tank to be completely filled before the lower tank is filled. Finally, the pipe I just added is the overflow from the lower tank – you can see it is directed to the right where the fig tree resides and whichas a berm to capture as much water as possible.

propagation

Winter is a good time to turn my thoughts to propagating plants. Although I live in the south (Georgia) some days are really miserably cold, windy and rainy. What better time to learn up on new propagation techniques.

Oaks

Oaks do not transplant easily. Even young oaks seem to have interminably long tap roots. And it is difficult to tell a small sapling young oak from a 5 or 10 year old sapling old oak since oaks are content to bide their time in the shade of larger trees until the umbrella is pierced and growth giving light encourages them to get going. I walked the woodland yesterday looking for acorns and found none though there are many >20 year old white and red oaks. At first I thought they may not be producing acorns since they are hemmed in on all sides by pines and tulip poplars. But then I remembered all the oak saplings surrounding these trees and concluded that squirrel or deer had been feasting on the mast (as it is called). Too late to the party. However, in Sandy Springs, Atlanta near our suburban home there is a huge oak tree which has littered the sidewalk with thousands of acorns. I collected 100 this morning and seeded them 25 rows, 4 each, 1″ depth, in a new long raised bed I have built. I shall water, keep an eye on them and, with some luck in early summer there may be signs of life.

Fruit tree cuttings

I mentioned in an earlier blog that I am new to cuttings and a reader gently nudged me to a better understanding of the mechanics, for which I am thankful. You have to establish first if you are dealing with hardwood or softwood cuttings. Hardwood is not necessarily harder than softwood and an example frequently quoted is balsa wood, which is a very light wood but is classified as a hardwood. The distinction is based on the seed and the seed of hardwoods has a covering, such as fruit or the hard shell of an acorn. For hardwood cuttings you take the samples in fall or early winter.

My neighbor agreed that I could take cuttings from her many fruit trees, so this morning, with my alcohol sterilized secateurs, I took snips from a number of her trees which include mulberry, cherry, pear and apple. From these snips I prepared >20 cuttings and rather than using a heated tray and remembering to water and bothering the cuttings with weekly inspections to see if the roots had arrived, I simply prepared a V trench in my outdoor raised bed (which has frost cover protection) and planted them and watered them. And I will look for buds in the spring.

I know that apple trees should be grafted on appropriate stock but what I want to achieve, rather than a formal orchard, which I already have, is an informal association of fruit trees interspersed with edible or useful perennials. Since the cuttings are from trees which have thrived in this area, they should be able to take good care of themselves.

Seed germination

My real pursuit has been learning more about seed germination. Through the comments of MikeH on this website I learned of “Seed Germination Theory and Practice” second edition by Professor Norman Deno (“Deno”) published in 1993 and available for free download. For anyone interested in this topic, this book is great.

Previously I didn’t understand why, although most seed germinated in warm moist conditions, other seed needed cold to germinate and some seed seemed completely indifferent to my efforts.

Deno germinated nearly 2,500 species and the processes he used were relatively simple – he did not use pots and growing media, instead paper towels and polyethylene sandwich bags (thin bags not sealed too tightly so as to maintain aerobic conditions). For some species he used gibberillic acid. He conducted his germination tests at just two temperatures 40 or 70 deg F. Based on the results of his research he developed a number of principles such as all species have mechanisms to delay germination until the seed has been dispersed. There can be multiple mechanisms such as required sequences of hot and cold temperatures, or cold and hot temperatures, or oscillating temperatures as well as a time clock and/or the need for light or dark etc.

I find interesting why species have particular delay mechanisms and it seems the mechanisms are about ensuring survival of the species. If seed dropped in summer were to germinate in summer, the tender offspring would be killed by winter, hence a programmed requirement that there must be cold (i.e. winter) before the seed can germinate. Apparently for plants growing in swamps or woodland, where having enough light is a bigger problem than having sufficient water, the seeds require light to germinate. Apparently for plants in cold desert areas where moisture is only available in the spring, the seed will germinate at low temperatures in order to be sufficiently developed to benefit from the spring rains. Some species produce quantities of seed coats which are empty and Deno speculates that this is also a survival mechanism – predators which exert themselves to open the seed coats and then find nothing there will lose interest in that particular seed. Some seed require cold then warmth then cold i.e. two winters. The survival mechanism here could be that if all the seed germinated the following year and conditions were bad – drought, fire etc, then the entire species could be destroyed. So requiring two winters appears to double the chances that the species will survive. Fascinating!

I now understand why if you cut a flower before it has seeded, taking care to leave buds on the stalk, the plant will flower again, and if cut, again. A survival mechanism requires the plant to keep trying to flower so that it will be pollinated and produce seed. Once it has produced seed it has achieved its mission. Not to say plants are indifferent to human desires. Another survival mechanism could be to look beautiful to humans (in addition to the pollinating insects) so that humans will favor them and propagate them.

new growing area and contour ditch

In a previous post I mentioned the repercussions experienced from locating my muscadine grape plantings too close to my vegetable beds. Just as the vines of the muscadine grow interminably so do their roots and the raised beds, tomato planting sites and other vegetable sites were mined by muscadine roots. I relocated half (6) of the muscadines earlier in November and have now prepared a site for relocating the remainder.

The site is on the slope of a small hill which has blueberries at the top and a fruit tree orchard lower down. I decided to carve out a terrace between the two, approximately 8 ft wide and 100 ft long, with my bobcat. Terracing the first 50 ft was uneventful and then I hit the rocks. It seemed the slope was made from rocks. With the teeth of the loader I jiggled the rocks loose and then manually lifted the rocks and stacked them above the terrace. Seemed interminable. Eventually a terrace appeared. But it sloped from the north end to the south end, which meant the intended contour ditch would be more drain than a container of rainwater.

I hammered in 6 – 4ft metal rods equidistant along the terrace and then with my transit level and surveyors tape tied to the rods, I identified the grade (you can see some of them in the above ‘photo). With my bobcat I then pretty much leveled the terrace, though there is still some dip from the north end to the south end.

Next step was to dig a trench/ditch down the middle. I replaced the loader on the bobcat with a trencher/stump remover attachment and after pulling out more rocks had a rough ditch. A lot more work with a shovel was required to make it presentable.

Now I had bare clay earth and the prospect of oncoming wintry rains and erosion. I discussed with the owner of the local farm supply store whether I could still seed with clover. He suggested winter rye grain was a better bet for a cover crop. So I sowed the rye and hope it will germinate.

With the terrace now done, next tasks will be chain sawing some anchor posts for the cables for the muscadine grapes. There is a toppled maple tree which I may use – though toppled, it is off the ground and its wood hasn’t rotted. Also a poplar which needs to come out since it blocks my tractor when I go chipping in the woods. Oak would be a better bet for longevity but I cannot justify (yet) cutting down a good oak for fence posts.

preparing for winter

Yesterday morning I did not need a weather forecast to know cold was incoming and that it was time to protect some of the plantings. Of the 12 fruit trees installed earlier this year, the Gold Nugget loquat was the most vulnerable. The loquat is suited for sub-tropical to mild temperate zones and freezing temperatures will kill the buds if not the tree. My loquat did not do very well this summer, probably too hot for it, but I will do what I can to help it and first steps was to winterwrap it. Since it is only a few feet tall, it fitted easily into one of my tomato cages, which I had made from welded steel wire re-mesh. I then wrapped the cage and the space above the tree with agripon AG-30 row cover, as shown below.

1118b loquat — loquat in tomato cage wrapped with row cover

Next to the vegetables. I have two raised beds where I am growing several varieties of lettuce as well as spinach, kale etc. Rather than using a hoop system my thought is to drape row covers over the beds just above the vegetables. This should be less vulnerable to strong winds and may offer better protection. For my first bed I bridged the long sides of the bed with two cedar posts and then strapped a 4″ pvc drain pipe to the posts and draped the row crop over this. Below is the finished product as it appeared this morning (you can see the frost on the adjacent strawberries):

1118c veg bed — raised vegetable bed covered with row cover

If the description was difficult to follow, here is a shot with the row cover removed:

1118d veg bed — raised vegetable bed with fixtures for row cover

Only half of this bed is being used for vegetables. I have extensively planted the other half and also the spaces between the vegetables with garlic. For my second bed I simply placed the row cover over the vegetables and secured with 3 2×4 untreated planks, as shown below:

1118e veg bed — vegetable bed covered against frost

The temperature fell to 22 degrees and the vegetables did fine, though it was not a heavy frost. Since temperatures are predicted to stay above freezing for the next five days, I removed the covers this morning, a simple task which took just a few minutes.

1118f veg bed — long raised vegetable bed with lettuce interplanted with garlic

My new chicken coop is working out great. Air can flow freely out the rafters at the top and I leave two of the windows slightly ajar. I was curious to learn how cold it really gets. I transplanted my two min max thermometers from my greenhouse to the coop and sited one outside at the door and the other on the partition which divides the coop into the old flock and new flock areas. This morning the outside temperature was 22 degrees and the inside temperature was 36 degrees, higher mostly I would think because of the heat of the birds. My greenhouse, which is fully enclosed, only provides a differential of about 10 degrees between outside cold and inside temperatures.

1118g thermo — thermometer reading 22 degrees

1118h thermo — min max thermometer on coop door

Since power outages may be expected, I checked my flashlights and found that my large 4 cell mag-lite was not functioning. Two of the 4 batteries had leaked and corroded the inside. Removing the batteries proved near impossible. I decided to drill a hole into the bottom of the battery and screw a large lag eye bolt into the battery and, with the assistance of a helper, pull them apart. After much tugging the bolt separated from the battery and the battery remained, unmoved, in the flashlight body. I then located a larger diameter hanger bolt and screwed this into the battery.

1118h flashlight repair — hanger bolt on left shown inserted in a battery, and lag eye bolt on right

I no longer had my helper but additional help was unnecessary since, with a assortment of 2×4’s I established a platform for the nut on the hanger bolt to leverage against. It was then a simple matter to tighten the hanger bolt nut with a wrench and slowly extricate the two damaged batteries. After rinsing out and scrubbing the flashlight interior with a liquid mix of baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) and installing new, and a better brand of, batteries, the flashlight is good to go.

1118i flashlight repair — tighten the nut and the bad battery comes out (slowly)

November tasks

No pics for this post since my camera informed me the battery pack had to be replaced and refused further negotiation.

A pleasurable task, this time of year, is collecting the flower seeds. I did my first Cosmos seeding early 2010 and, from the seeds gathered last November and spread this past spring, I enjoyed a whole new expanse of Cosmos. By November 8, as was the case last year, most of the seeds have dried and spread and are easy to grasp in one’s hand and release into a shopping bag. Lots of Cosmos and every few days I gather more. Also collecting Marigold and Zinnia seeds for new plantings next year.

I am heavily studying permaculture and a recommended plant is the Gumi/Goumi (Elaeagnus multiflora), native to China, Korea and Japan, which provides edible fruit, fixes nitrogen and apparently has medicinal uses. Rather than buy a plant, I bought 12 seeds which arrived after a 2 week trip from NS, Canada accompanied with a note “Has a long germination requirement, often taking 2 full winters before germination.” This will surely test my propagating abilities. For starters, I moistened some seed starting mix and placed, with 6 seeds, in a zip loc bag in the refrigerator. To mimic two years I may remove from the refrigerator in a month’s time and allow to warm for a while and then back into the refrigerator to trick the seeds into thinking this is their second winter. I suspect I will find these seeds are not easily tricked – that’s why I kept 6 seeds in storage for a second go round.

I am also trying, for the first time, to propagate cuttings. I have had success with layering where you pin a low branch of a shrub on the ground, maybe roughen the underside, cover with compost and soil and leave for a few months and, when you return the pinned branch has developed roots and can now be cut from the mother plant and transplanted. Works very well with azaleas and forsythias. But cuttings is something new and, when I have definitive progress, I shall include some pics. I am aware that the best time to be doing this is in spring when the plant is in growth mode, not at the end of fall when systems are shutting down. And spring next year I shall also be trying grafting on my fruit trees.

Next week I should receive some root cuttings of Comfrey, Goldenseal and Jerusalem Artichoke, and also two varieties of mulberry, black bamboo and everbearing strawberries. Just in time to plant before the real cold settles the ground. I have been growing early season strawberries for several years and they were very sweet and spread prolifically. However, their fruiting season is too short, and so I hope to be similarly lucky with the everbearing variety.

With the cooling temperatures I have been progressively winterizing the bee hive. A couple months ago I removed the big sun umbrella which protected them from overhead sun, then I removed the board fence on the west side which protected them from afternoon sun, now I have stapled the plastic sheeting to the frame which encompasses the hive, and I slid in the bottom board, so only the entrance side and the top are open to the elements. I also have left them with a lot of their honey (my last harvesting was August 5) so I hope they will have enough to get through the winter without my having to give them sugared water. Since I do not use any chemicals, I want them as healthy and strong as possible to survive the challenges of winter and their own honey will be infinitely better than a sugared substitute.

And the chicken? The 6 older hens are delivering 3 eggs a day which is ok for now, given the shortening daylight hours. The flock of eight (7 hens and 1 rooster) are now about 6 months old and only one of them (one of the Golden Comets) is egg producing. They love their new coop and seem to be having a great time so I have had a few chats with them about the importance of delivering more eggs – “eggs or the pot” I say to them. In December, if egg production is down, I may use artificial lighting on a timer to get them 14 hours of light and more into an egg laying frame of mind.

compost making time, again

The leaves have been tumbling down and my Atlanta neighbors, or more accurately, their gardening services have begun bagging the leaves and curbsiding them, an open invitation to initiate compost making. Today, Saturday, was my first early morning sweep and, with 12 full bags secured and tarp covered in the bed of my pickup, I headed north to my farm. After uncooping the chickens, I made my first compost heap of the season.

It is really a quick, relatively painless process (you can find detailed instructions under the tab “Growing organic”). Under the oak tree, where many compost heaps were previously made, I cleared a 6ft square area; opened and spread the contents of two leaf bags; then added a layer of weeds, bramble and vines from areas cleared during the week; then a fork load of finished compost; and then repeated the process several times. In fact, since I started with 12 leaf bags and there were two bags per layer, I had 6 layers of leaves separated by 6 layers of vegetation, intermingled with helpings of finished and semi-finished compost. Because the leaves were dry, I watered continuously with a hose connected to my rainwater storage tank. Earthworms are included in the compost supplements and will migrate from the soil to the heap.

The end product is a dishevelled looking compost pile. As I collect more bags in the coming days I shall continue to build the heap. I shall also revisit the horse stables for manure and add a generous helping of manure to the brew. I also recycle kitchen leftovers such as egg shells, vegetable scraps and coffee grounds, and contributions (poop) from the chicken coop.

In cold conditions I usually cover the top with a tarmac weighted down with stones or lumber, to retain the heat and accelerate the process. For now I shall leave it open since we still have warm days and I want it to receive the benefit of rains. After the heap is fully built up I shall turn it a couple of times with my bobcat and by next April, I should have compost ready to go.

transplanting muscadine and fixing a mistake

Muscadine grapes (vitis rotundifolia) grow in the wild throughout the Southeastern United States. There are well known varieties and my favorite is the Scuppernong. When I established my vegetable garden 3 years ago I had a small growing area and, in my wisdom, ignored the instructions to “set the plants 20 feet apart in 10 foot rows”. Instead, I set up 3 horizontal wires, 5 ft high, 1 ft apart, and ran this down the middle of my vegetable garden. I figured the horizontal wires would give the plants adequate sun exposure, the 1 ft spacing would allow air circulation and my heavily composted soil would support a larger number of closely planted muscadines. Sounds good in theory. What I did not know is that muscadine roots can travel long distances (I heard one grower say up to 70 ft). I suppose the roots are a bit like the vines, which also grow interminably. Result was the muscadine roots began invading my raised beds, my tomato plantings, in fact all my plantings.

So I waited until first frost (a few days ago) and am now replanting 6 of the vines. Not a simple task. It is easy enough to trim the vines to 10 ft lengths, but extricating 10 ft lengths of root without damaging them is more difficult. Where the root forks you have to be careful not to tear off and strip of the root.

I previously had run a 5 ft high cable between my fruit trees to support tomato cages for my tomato plants. Also not a good idea. While the vegetable garden is circled by a 5 ft fence which keeps out squirrels, deer etc. my fruit orchard is not protected and a lot of wildlife visitors enjoyed my tomatoes this year. So I removed the tomato cages, dug a ditch below the cable and aligned the roots of the muscadine down the trench, covered with compost and soil, and watered. And I hope the muscadines will survive and grow. This took care of 3 of the 6 muscadines, but I had to develop a location for the other 3 muscadines.

I decided to extend the cable further down the orchard which meant inserting another post to carry the cable. I attached the augur to my tractor and used a large drill to dig a 3 ft hole. Then with a chain attached to my tractor bucket I hoisted my post (an 8 ft cherry tree trunk) into the air and lowered the trunk into the hole. Remaining steps are to extend the cable and transplant the remaining muscadines. A lot of work to correct a mistake made 3 years ago.