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What's Happening...

Garden Beginnings

6/14/2015

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Lil Miss has taken several photos of her growing garden and we wanted to share them with you to inspire you in your own gardening endeavors. If you are concerned that you are too late for a garden, don't be discouraged...there is always something you can do! There is still plenty of time to plant and plan for an abundant harvest. In the past, Mom has direct seeded zucchini plants in July and still gotten more produce then purchased starts planted in June. You can do it!
This year we've begun a family challenge to see who can harvest the most from their garden this season. Compost tea has quickly become the favorite tool to increase yields and nutrient density for the plants and soils. We have had to use raised beds because our soils tend to be so soggy and we add at least one new 12 foot (+) bed every year.  This year, with the addition of Dixie, our abundant manure producing horse, and the leftovers from our dangerous tree removal; we've started another hugelkultur mound that will serve as a squash bed.  Before winter this year, we'll be adding elderberries to it for next year!

Picture
Animals are such a blessing to any garden production and we are so thankful to have a variety! All of them eagerly anticipate their daily 'salads' we weed out from the beds.  This year we have a lot of crab grass, wild amaranth, lamb's quarters, mustard, millet and more that take off and try to fill the beds faster than our food! We have used them to help shield tender crops from the sun and letting them grow a bit bigger gives them more feed value for the animals. The plant variety adds to their mineral uptake, enhancing the fiber quality for the sheep and angoras and the meat value for those we harvest. Miss Dixie's coat has a beautiful sheen, her hooves keep getting better and her mane and tail have grown far more than she's been able to in the past. (Per her previous owner)  It's a wonderful, natural cycle to behold!
Some of the 'weeds' have value in the pantry. As an example; Plantain is so healing, we'll be adding it to our Comfrey and Calendula, making tinctures and salves later in the year. Nettle and Horsetail make an excellent combination to increase calcium and we'll be encapsulating and tincturing those as well.
I made me gardens and orchards, and I planted trees in them of all kind of fruits.   Ecclesiastes 2:5
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