Garden Update! (Mid-August 2019)

Weeds, weeds, and more weeds, my kingdom for a weed wacker!

But seriously, from a very rainy start, we’ve moved on to the sultry days of late June/early August. I’ve had a pretty busy week what with the birthday party and the actual birthday family dinner and swim lessons, coordinating chicken pick-ups and egg drop-offs, and being pregnant - pretty par for the course around here really. I’ve also recently been offered a part-time off-homestead job working with English Language Learner (ELL) students, so I’m preparing and excited about that as well.

While I’ve been occupied with all of that, my papi has been mowing and weed wacking like a maniac, and my mom has been super busy tending the garden. She is a gardening goddess really, so I thought I’d treat you all to a short, end-of-week post with garden update photos. Hope you enjoy!

Sometimes the dill plants itself - this blossom that was bright
yellow in June is now brown and depositing dill seeds
each time it is bumped or shaken

The tomato and pepper plants are
finally beginning to produce!

Jalapeños - mom weeded this bed, but the
weeds are encroaching from the paths

Some beds are still covered in plastic
to "control the weeds"
It's safe to say the plastic has had only
limited success longterm

Broccoli (and weeds)

More broccoli (and more weeds!)

Beautifully weeded tomato bed,
compliments of mom
The hover flies are being truly obnoxious
around this bed today

Beets - also weeded by mom
(are you sensing a theme???)

Cabbage bed and two beds covered with scraps of
landscaping cloth (seems to work better than the regular
plastic)
AKA I weeded a bed, it's a miracle!!!

Everbearing Strawberries -
the plants where I weeded are producing well,
but I need to weed the rest of the bed for
a third time

Green tomatoes are coming on - can't
wait to make some tomato sauce

I used some of the landscaping cloth to
kill grass and make a path to the far end
of the garden

Zero Waste Progress – One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

French press coffee requires no filter, BUT the coffee
beans still come in plastic-containing packaging

I’ve recently been thinking a lot about our environmental impact with things like single-use plastics. I know that one person or even one household alone makes only a small difference, but I am hopeful that with greater awareness more and more people and households will start to produce less waste and consume less non-renewable energy. Exploring this concept and how different people approach the “Zero Waste” lifestyle has been a great way to spend my free time lately, especially since I’ve completely uninstalled Facebook and Facebook Messenger from my phone. I’ve suddenly discovered hours that I should’ve known were being eaten up by “socializing” (a.k.a. worrying overmuch about what people I may or may not know that well in the real world think about my latest post). There are tons of great resources out there, especially videos on YouTube about “alternative” lifestyles (tiny houses, zero waste, homesteading, off grid, etc.). Many of the videos have been made by single people, but there are a few gems out there produced by families – see links to a few of my favorites below this post.

Fun with re-sprouting celery
(an alternative to composting)

As a household we were already doing a certain amount of waste reduction:

• composing kitchen scraps
• burning paper waste to create ash for the garden
• recycling (certain things are accepted locally)
• using reusable travel water bottles and coffee mugs
• reusing food containers (glass jars for food storage, plastic yogurt containers for dog food, etc.)
• using a silicone menstral cup instead of disposable pads/tampons

What I didn’t realize were the many ways in which I was already set up to further reduce waste. I was delighted to discover that without too much effort I could implement certain changes that have made a big difference. 

• refusing plastic bags, lids/straws
• REMEMBERING reusable plastic and canvas totes as shopping bags
• using cotton cloths/diaper cloths (don’t worry, they were never on a baby’s bottom) as wipes in lieu of paper towels for messes
• REMEMBERING my own reusable green plastic produce bags, reusing orange net bags
• choosing only loose fruits and vegetables instead of pre-packaged
• choosing paper/carton packaging when possible

I’ve also identified some difficulties that I’m sorting out and brainstorming ideas to overcome:

• kids’ milk at restaurants comes in a plastic lidded cup or plastic bottle (you have to remember to ask for a regular glass/cup or choose water)

o   We should eat out LESS and take our own reusable containers for beverages/leftovers

• certain foods are only available locally packaged in plastic or plastic-containing packaging. Some examples of foods we buy regularly: yogurt, bread, milk, dried fruits, almonds, noodles (carton boxes with plastic windows)

Homemade bread
(finding the time is tough)

o   I do bake my own bread, so I’m trying to develop a habit of that each week

o   I can also make noodles, but again, need to make it a regular part of our routine

o   Same with yogurt…but I still have to buy milk in carton/plastic hybrid packaging

o   I can get nuts/dried fruits and grains in bulk in Canton (and maybe Pittsburgh?), but that requires an hour of driving

o   We can produce more of our own veggies and whatnot and “can” them in glass jars or freeze them…more on that later

•  toothbrushes and toothpaste are definite plastic waste issues

o   I’ve invested in some bamboo with hog bristle toothbrushes and silk floss in a glass/metal refillable bottle – more on these later when we’ve had a chance to really try them out

Compostable toothbrushes and floss
(usefulness yet to be determined)

• food storage in the fridge – ie the plastic wrap dilemma

o   I’ve purchased some local beeswax to make cotton/wax food wraps, but I haven’t actually made them yet

I am SO FAR from actually achieving “zero waste,” but I feel that I’m making steps toward reducing our carbon footprint. It has been a struggle to help my boys understand what I’m up to, but they are curious and are watching the choices that I make. I’m hopeful that it will make a difference in the decisions they make as they grow older. I know that my actions and example can be much louder than my words, so for every two steps backwards due to difficulties, at least we’ll continue to take steps toward reducing our waste and overconsumption. I hope this post gives you some ideas and wish you the best of luck on your journey!

Videos/Links I found helpful:

A Family in Hobart, Australia

Even if you can't go "zero waste," tips for what you CAN do

Menstral Cup - comfy, clean, and eco-friendly

Beeswax Wraps - haven't done it yet but will!

The Benefits of Saying “no”

The boys head out to "dig coal"
(Alternate title: The boys head out to get
chased by "evil" geese)

Sometimes saying “no” is exactly the correct thing to say to your children. It is undoubtedly one of the hardest things to say to them, particularly when they pester and beg and pull out every trick from their “Being a kid” manual. It’s that sneaky book that children memorized before they were even born. You know the one - that one that we never receive a copy of for navigating this whole parenting experiment. Recently I’ve had the chance to see when saying “no” to my kids can be for their and my benefit.

Lately I have been feeling overwhelmed. I’m 26 weeks pregnant with kiddo number three, and this pregnancy is not nearly as friendly as my first two. The summer has been sweltering AND rainy AND stressful. The garden is a forest of weeds. It has been one of THOSE summers. There have been days where, despite knowing what I ought to do as a mother for my children, I just feel like curling up and binge watching Poldark while they watch PBS Kids or Craig of the Creek. It has not been my finest hour.

Within the past few weeks I’ve been trying a new tactic with my boys. It hasn’t been easy, but I think it’s helping us to transition to a healthier routine. A while back I created an activities chart. The boys must complete their tasks BEFORE they are allowed to use screens – no TV, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, or tablet, until the list is completed.

This chart has not made me popular with
the boys, but they are being much friendlier
and less insistant on screen time
since we started using it.

Most days they’ve continued to ask for screens first thing in the morning and repeatedly during the day, but I’ve stuck to my decision and said “no.” In the past few days, they’ve finally, FINALLY stopped asking first thing for TV. Today they even went outside to play for a bit before breakfast. Enough tasks on the list has translated to more time playing and interacting and less time staring at screens. They often do not complete all of their tasks until 4pm or later. Since all screens are off for family dinner, they are self-limiting their screen time to 1-2 hours maximum.*

Homework: My 3yo works on a dry-erase
Early Learning book tracing and doodling

Homework: My soon-to-be 3rd grader works
on pages in Brain Quest or packets that his
2nd grade teachers sent home for the summer

We’re fighting less, and I’m finding time for my own projects - tending the garden and writing Morning Pages and this blog - while they work on their activities list. I feel less overwhelmed and have more time to get things done. They are playing together and collaborating on silly, creative projects (like “digging for coal or treasure” and puppet shows), and their attitude has greatly improved. They’re talking back and rolling their eyes less and are volunteering to help out more. The change has been painfully slow at times, but I think we’re finally seeing progress.

Morning Pages: This is my current notebook
for writing each morning. I try to squeeze in 3
pages before the day begins. 

It’s easy to say “no” to our kids when they are about to step into a dangerous situation – a hot pan on the stove, a busy parking lot. When it’s something that can seem innocuous like using screens, it can be A LOT more difficult. We’re still not perfectly within the latest recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics, but we’re getting closer. If you’re struggling with this topic at home, you are NOT alone. It can take a lot more effort to say “no,” but kids benefit from face-to-face interactions, physical activity, feeling like they’re an important contributor to the family unit, and they even get better sleep at night when we say “no” to unlimited, mindless screen time and “yes” to healthy activities.  

*I allow them up to 30 minutes of video game time daily and then TV or a movie. Some days they play video games longer if they’re sharing well or are playing educational games, but generally I try to limit it.

For more info:

American Academy of Pediatrics

More on Morning Pages: 

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron

A Day in June

SO on with the show. I had hoped to post this on June 14, but a once a week habit will have to do for now. Life being what life is – complicated!

In June I took some photos during a typically busy day here on Shepherd’s Flock Farm. We were in the midst of harvesting Music garlic, playing (I have two sons), and making hay. My oldest son noticed ripe wild Black Raspberries on the bushes, so I had to transition to harvesting the berries despite having laid other plans. We call that “Farm Time” around here. Sometimes a happy occurrence like ripe berries shifts your focus for a time. Sometimes a storm knocks a tree down across the road or a neighbor’s driveway, and that has to be dealt with before moving on to other projects. To live in close communion with nature means you will be kept on your toes with regularity.

Garden (west) - the rain has made for
healthy weeds in the garden this year

Garden (east) - regular weeding of beds
to rescue overwhelmed desireable plants helps

Garlic Harvest - I use a spadefork to loosen the
Music Garlic and then gently pull up each bulb for drying

Garlic Harvest - I borrowed Mom's cart to
haul garlic up for bundling/hanging out to dry

My boys have a garden bed dedicated to play

Occasionally they find tiny friends in the garden.
We examine them and then let them go.

Making hay - the activity for the afternoon

Making hay - Papi used a square baler to make hay on our
south field. Some of our friends and neighbors came over
to help out.

Some long, hot, sunny days have sweet endings.
While everyone else went to the barn to unload the hay bales,
I stayed and harvested wild Black Raspberries from
the perimeter of the field. Delicious!!!

Shepherd’s Flock Farm Garden – Before and After

Part 1: Creating raised beds and planting

Kate Payne de Chavez

If you look back through the blog posts, you can see some photographs of work we did along the lake in early spring before we could really get out into the garden.   It was too cold and the ground was too tough for us to get out and plant our veggies, so we satisfied ourselves with cleaning up the winter’s debris and waiting for the daffodils to bloom.   It was our way of getting out of the house and back to the farm.  

We have quite a bit of work to do to get this place back to the level of early successes that Mama and Papi had a few years ago, so we’re working together as a team to draw up a plan.

In late April and early May the ground was finally soft and dry enough to work, so Jhan and I talked with Mama and Papi about what they wanted in terms of garden beds.   We decided on beds that were approximately 4’ x 10’ and 4’ x 12’ (with a few oddly shaped beds here and there; the garden isn't exactly rectangular due to a little stream bed/drainage ditch along one side).   The walkways are generally 3’ or 4’ wide to allow for a wheel barrow to make the journey from the beds to the gate and all the way down to the compost bin.   Jhan and I laid out a grid using butcher’s twine and garden flags, and Jhan and Papi went to work creating the permanent raised beds.   I emphasize the word permanent here, because my poor mother and father have laid out and created theoretically permanent raised beds several times in the past.   Life has a way of running off with our well-made plans, and weeds invade.   That is perhaps a story for another post.   In any event, here you can see the grid lines and Jhan working away on digging out walkways and piling the soil onto the raised beds  (Mama, aka Avis, aka Nana, is in the background tidying up the asparagus bed).

Once the beds were ready, we were more than ready to plant.   We planted lettuces, peas, and beans from seed.   We then went to Skipper’s Greenhouse (here in Carroll County at 2044 Canyon Rd SW) and bought a TON of plants: tomatoes, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, basil, dill, thyme, peppers, and marigolds.   The raised beds are mulched with pine needles from the pine woods on the farm, and as much of the walkways as possible are mulched with wood chips from a local tree-trimming business.   Waste not, want not.         

Around May 25th we had a very late frost, so in these images you can see tarpaulins, crates, bits of pipe, and other random materials that Papi and Jhan used to quickly cover the plants when the frost warning was announced.    Of our 48 tomato plants, I believe we lost only about 6.   We were blessed to lose so few; many of the folks around us (including commercial farmers) had a significant amount of crop damage.   

Stay tuned for Part 2 to see some After pics with the current state of the garden.  

Take care, and God bless!   

Back to our regularly scheduled programming

We are officially going to the Carrollton Farmers' Market on a regular basis.   As of this past Saturday, Mom (aka Nana) and I were manning the booth with delicious veggies for all.   We took bunches of basil, thyme, and mint, broccoli heads and florets, Hungarian wax and jalapeño peppers, Elephant garlic, and green beans.   Though it wasn't as much as we'll be offering later on in the season, we were happy to see all our friends at the market!

We cut our herbs fresh the morning of market.   

This is our lakeside patch of wild Spearmint.

Papi dug the Elephant garlic about a week and a half ago. 

The bright green stems are a few stragglers we dug on Tuesday.

Here is our humble little stand at the market, 

complete with a scrapbook of images of the farm compliments of our friends Jim and Brenda

This was our view of the market from the booth.   

The positions are first come, first served.

Back at Shepherd's Flock Farm, Papi and Jhan have been catching up on mowing after two weeks of rain (Khalil "helps" drive the tractor).   We're also trying to clean out old canning jars to prepare for the MANY tomatoes to come!   

   

Papi and Khalil on the tractor mowing. 

Canning jars waiting for a final rinse in the sink.

We're hoping for LOTS of veggies to can come fall.

Mostly we're just trying to make progress and keep cool with this heatwave. 

Thanks for visiting us here at Shepherd's Flock Farm.   Next up will be pictures of the garden in full swing.   And next week stay tuned for more pics of our trip down to Peru.   Thanks, and God bless!

Square foot gardening...what a concept

As we're approaching the time for planting at Shepherd's Flock Farm (some would say, as we've allowed the time for planting peas to pass us by...), I've been reading just about everything I can get my hands on.   The year before last when we were still in Massachusetts, and I tried a method I'd read about online - Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening (SFG).

I rather liked the results, and even though we may not use exactly this method in the main garden, Papi has agreed to build us some sun boxes based on Mr. Bartholomew's plans.   Basically the boxes will be squared off without the normal angle one would cut in a regular cold frame.   We'll use the land itself to create the necessary ~45 degree angle.   Some old windows that Papi has squirreled away will serve as cover to warm the earth below and should give us a jump start on our seeds, especially salad greens.

For more information on Square Foot Gardening, you should check out Mr. Mel Bartholomew's blog for SFG beginners.     

Which garden philosophy do you follow?   What are your favorite tricks for arranging your plants?

Spring is in the air

A few pictures to warm you up on 

a cold, snowy day...

On Saturday, the weather was just perfect to finally be out in the yard starting to clean up the dead brush and debris from last fall, so we bundled up and all went to work.   The project for the day was the wild flower bed just below the promontory that Jhan made last summer (more on that later - I'm hoping it'll become my first masonry project).   

These "Ditch" Lilies, as Mama calls them, have just begun to pop up on the front bank by the lake.    I transplanted a couple of clumps of these lovely flowers to enable Jhan to reshape a portion of the bank.   We're hoping that with it a bit more level, it'll be easier to maintain this year.   

Let the war on the locust trees begin!

Here's Mama posing for a glamour shot, aka cutting weeds out of the wild flower beds by the lake.   In the background you can see a diaper box doubling as a waste bin, the little green fishing boat, and Jhan cleaning the bank just beyond it.

Jhan did not approve of this photograph, but I had to show him hard at work 

cleaning out the wild flower beds

Speaking of hard at work...   I'm not sure that it was ideal to allow little man to dig in the ashes, 

but he really did enjoy himself. 

Here are a couple of parting shots: 

A mama goose hard at work protecting her clutch of eggs, 

and little man's discarded mitten stuck up in the tree...