Add some recent blog posts
This commit is contained in:
parent
c3f85066b7
commit
19e7c46a12
|
@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
layout: post
|
||||||
|
title: "Keep a lab notebook"
|
||||||
|
tags:
|
||||||
|
- opinion
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I have been "[farming](https://twitter.com/croyfamilyfarms)" for a few years
|
||||||
|
now and as the beginning of the 2017 season in northern California approaches,
|
||||||
|
I wanted to share some advice to consider, regardless of whether you're a
|
||||||
|
gardener or not.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Always keep a lab notebook**
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
For just about any hobby project I have found a lab notebook can be invaluable.
|
||||||
|
What I consider a "lab notebook" is just a simple spiral notebook, with dated
|
||||||
|
log entries, on what I have done, observed, etc.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Currently I have two different hobby lab notebooks floating around, one is my
|
||||||
|
"Farm Book" wherein I will log:
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
* What has been planted in which sector
|
||||||
|
* When I planted seeds, starters, etc
|
||||||
|
* When seeds germinated.
|
||||||
|
* Notable conditions. A particularly hot week, wet days, etc.
|
||||||
|
* When plants begin to fruit, and the quantities.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Over the seasons, I can refer back to my Farm Book and improve how, where, and
|
||||||
|
when I plant. Perhaps more importantly however, I can refer back to the Farm
|
||||||
|
Book after I have been "out" for a while, whether traveling or just not paying
|
||||||
|
attention, to figure out what projects/tasks I left off with.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
For my [other hobby
|
||||||
|
project](https://www.flickr.com/photos/agentdero/29706573822/), my lab notebook
|
||||||
|
has been even more valuable. Not only acting as a truck-repair-log but also
|
||||||
|
storing data on diagnostics performed at varying intervals. In the case of my
|
||||||
|
old truck, without a running log of what experiments and diagnostics I have
|
||||||
|
performed, repairing it would be a futile effort.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I was first introduced to this practice by [Bluthe
|
||||||
|
Rocher](https://twitter.com/blithe) in her talk [The Scientific Method of
|
||||||
|
Troubleshooting](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9YZXuUjyOs) in the context of
|
||||||
|
software development and troubleshooting. Of course you can, and should, use
|
||||||
|
something approximating a lab notebook during the course of building software.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
> **Sidenote**: Using Git commits and a `NOTES.adoc` in a repository is a great
|
||||||
|
> way to accomplish this. Many times, on my own projects, I will commit an
|
||||||
|
> experiment that failed with a commit message explaining what didn't work, and
|
||||||
|
> then revert that commit.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
While it's easy to understand the value of additional rigor in software
|
||||||
|
development, I urge you to consider keeping a lab notebook for any other hobby
|
||||||
|
or side-project of any importance to you.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Inevitably, you'll find yourself staring at your project on a Saturday morning
|
||||||
|
wondering "what the hell was I doing here?"
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Keep a lab notebook, and give yourself the answer.
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
layout: post
|
||||||
|
title: "Drive like a life depends on it"
|
||||||
|
tags:
|
||||||
|
- opinion
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Somewhere along the line, safety became a crucial part of my decision-making
|
||||||
|
process. I always wear my bike helmet. I put on my protective safety glasses
|
||||||
|
when wielding an axe or doing something which might splinter or launch debris.
|
||||||
|
In my tool closet I have a big bag of ear plugs which I put in whenever working
|
||||||
|
with a power tool bigger than my cordless drill. When riding a motorcycle I
|
||||||
|
always wear my full-face helmet, armored jacket, and sturdy gloves. And of
|
||||||
|
course, when I am driving a car, I **always** check my blind spots.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Somewhere along the line, I came to appreciate that: **Nobody is looking out
|
||||||
|
for your safety but you.**
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I will often see people driving with some kind of distraction distraction,
|
||||||
|
something which is taking their attention away from the operation of the heavy
|
||||||
|
projectile they are steering, which could easily kill them or those around
|
||||||
|
them.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Distractions like, talking on their cell phone, or even worse, looking at the
|
||||||
|
screen of their cell phone. Distractions like, allowing their 10lb dog to stand
|
||||||
|
on their lap and look out the driver-side window. Distractions like, gawking at
|
||||||
|
the pretty houses off to the left or right of the road. If the distractions
|
||||||
|
alone weren't enough, all too often I will also see people driving less than a
|
||||||
|
few seconds behind the vehicle in front of them.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I think people drive with the best-case scenario in mind: "everything is going
|
||||||
|
to work out, and I will arrive safely at my destination." Whereas I tend think
|
||||||
|
about the worst-case.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
----
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
When learning how to ride a motorcycle the instructor told us to ride "as if we
|
||||||
|
were prey." A useful mindset to adopt: assuming that nobody out there notices
|
||||||
|
you, and if push comes to shove in an accident, you will always be on the
|
||||||
|
losing end.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
My phrasing of the advice, influenced by learning to fly an airplane, where the
|
||||||
|
responsibility of "Pilot in Command" is drilled into the bright-eyed student
|
||||||
|
pilot, and by being "prey" on a motorcycle on California highways is simply:
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**Nobody is looking out for your safety but you.**
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
----
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Unfortunately on the public roads, with pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists,
|
||||||
|
tiny cars, big trucks, and everything in between, it's much more complex. You can
|
||||||
|
be the most prepared, well-lit, cyclist, but you're still going to lose in a
|
||||||
|
toe-to-toe with a distracted driver.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
When somebody drives unsafely, and things go wrong, the *best-case*
|
||||||
|
scenario is that they only injure themselves. The worst-case, and unfortunately more
|
||||||
|
likely, scenario is that they hurt and [kill
|
||||||
|
others](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_motor_vehicle_deaths_in_U.S._by_year).
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
As a frequent walker, rider, and driver on public roads, please take your
|
||||||
|
responsibility more seriously, and drive like lives depend on it.
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,178 @@
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
layout: post
|
||||||
|
title: "Collecting rain, an on-going experiment"
|
||||||
|
tags:
|
||||||
|
- croyfamilyfarms
|
||||||
|
- rain
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
My neighbors must surely think that I am some kind of lunatic. Last spring I
|
||||||
|
dug up half of the dying sod in the front yard and installed three 8x4 foot
|
||||||
|
raised garden beds. Then, last fall, I started banging around with a few, bright blue,
|
||||||
|
55 gallon food-grade steel drums, in the car port, which I picked up to catch
|
||||||
|
rainfall for my [garden](https://twitter.com/croyfamilyfarms). In this post, I
|
||||||
|
will detail my initial results using a home-brew system using these metal
|
||||||
|
barrels.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
While Sonoma county is not in drought, and hasn't really been off target
|
||||||
|
rainfall in recent years, the concept of catching and storing excess rainwater
|
||||||
|
is one which appeals to my "sustainable gardener" ethos. Second to that, I
|
||||||
|
strive to be **cheap.** Therefore, if I wanted to store water for use in the
|
||||||
|
garden, I needed to find a way to put together a rain collection system for not
|
||||||
|
a whole lot of money. I was able to acquire five of these blue barrels
|
||||||
|
for _zero_ dollars, quite the steal! Some researching online leads me to believe
|
||||||
|
that these barrels may only hold up for two to five years depending on how
|
||||||
|
rapidly they rust as the seasons come and go. This motivates another two
|
||||||
|
criteria for my rain-collection system: simple and easily replaceable.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
<center>
|
||||||
|
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/agentdero/31090151421/" title="Fully connected rain barrel assembly"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/6/5484/31090151421_97aaa959dd_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Fully connected rain barrel assembly"></a>
|
||||||
|
</center>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Hardware and Design
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The priciest component of the setup is one which I expect to last effectively
|
||||||
|
forever, the downspout adapters. These adapters are a thick plastic which
|
||||||
|
should survive the elements, and are designed to reduce sending sediment,
|
||||||
|
leaves, and other garbage down into my rain barrels, helping keep the barrels
|
||||||
|
themselves simple. The cost of the adapters also factored into the design of
|
||||||
|
the system. Since they were the most expensive component, I aimed to use as few
|
||||||
|
downspouts as possible, and join barrels together into barrel systems which
|
||||||
|
could be fed by a single downspout.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
At the top of each barrel is a large threaded hole, roughly 2" in diameter,
|
||||||
|
and a narrow 3/4" threaded hole. The 3/4" hole set the standard for sizing
|
||||||
|
piping I used to connect everything together.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Initially I looked at purchasing and fitting a hand-pump to the larger 2"
|
||||||
|
threaded hole. There are many hand-pump assemblies which can be purchased but
|
||||||
|
the cost was prohibitive, from $30-50 for lower quality plastic pumps, up to
|
||||||
|
$200 for durable metal hand-pumps.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I ended up drilling holes in the sidewall towards the bottom of each barrel
|
||||||
|
large enough to insert a 3/4" threaded bushing, which a friend welded into
|
||||||
|
place. Be careful when buying drill bits and always wear your safety glasses.
|
||||||
|
I sheared the guide bit of one of the circular drill bits when creating the
|
||||||
|
holes in the barrels and sent it flying across the workshop. The downside to
|
||||||
|
working with steel drums is, as you might expect, steel is _hard_. I drilled
|
||||||
|
the holes about 4-5" above the base of the barrel, to allow sediment to settle
|
||||||
|
to the bottom without clogging the output valve.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
When my friend finished with the barrels, I set about connecting the different
|
||||||
|
barrel systems using the following hardware:
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
* A few 10' lengths of Sched 40 3/4" PVC pipe
|
||||||
|
* 10 3/4" threaded-to-unthreaded PVC couplers
|
||||||
|
* 5 threaded 3/4" plastic ball valves
|
||||||
|
* 5 threaded 3/4" metal nipples
|
||||||
|
* 2 unthreaded 3/4" plastic ball valves
|
||||||
|
* 4 unthreaded 3/4" PVC plugs
|
||||||
|
* 6 unthreaded 3/4" PVC T-fittings
|
||||||
|
* 2 unthreaded 3/4" PVC 90° elbows
|
||||||
|
* 2 large band clamps
|
||||||
|
* PVC cement
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I won't dwell too much on the actual pipe fitting, since anybody with a
|
||||||
|
measuring tape, hacksaw, and PVC pipe can measure out and connect pipes
|
||||||
|
successfully. In my installation there are two "barrel systems," connected to
|
||||||
|
two separate downspouts. Each barrel system is connected together through the
|
||||||
|
welded bushings (bottom piping, egress), and through the top 3/4" threaded
|
||||||
|
hole (top pipeline, inlet).
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The top piping allows water and air to be exchanged as the barrels fill. The
|
||||||
|
bottom piping, which is itself independently valved for each barrel, allows
|
||||||
|
equal filling of the barrel system and provides the spout for pouring water
|
||||||
|
into a watering can.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The top piping is sealed with PVC cement, except for the inlet pipe which I may
|
||||||
|
wish to change the length of later. The bottom piping is also sealed with PVC
|
||||||
|
cement, except for the egress pipe which I may wish to change the length of
|
||||||
|
later as well.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The water pressure for the system depends on the "height" of the water stored,
|
||||||
|
so each barrel system is also raised on stacked cinder blocks. If you intend on
|
||||||
|
raising water barrels, use cinder blocks, or cross-braced 4x4 pieces of wood
|
||||||
|
because **water is heavy**. When considering water pressure with such a system,
|
||||||
|
it is important to consider the _top_ height of the water, not the height of
|
||||||
|
your spigot. When the barrels are full, the water height is about 5', but as
|
||||||
|
the water level lowers, the pressure will drop accordingly. Since we're only
|
||||||
|
filling watering cans, instead of attaching hoses, this isn't a concern for us.
|
||||||
|
But if we were to attach a hose, it would be important that the hose-height
|
||||||
|
during use remain below the top-height of the water in the barrels.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
**NOTE**: My first design used brass valves, which look like a normal hose
|
||||||
|
spigot, do **not** bother with these. They restrict the water flow, only use
|
||||||
|
ball valves which, when turned, allow full use of the pipe diameter.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Cumulatively, once I experimented with the design, each system took no more
|
||||||
|
than 30-45 minutes to assemble, not including curing time for the PVC cement.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
<center>
|
||||||
|
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/agentdero/33554958431/" title="Northerly rain barrel system"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2861/33554958431_a74a6d9e05_z.jpg" width="640" height="480" alt="Northerly rain barrel system"></a>
|
||||||
|
</center>
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Mistakes Made
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Of course, I made some mistakes in this experiment, many of which can be
|
||||||
|
corrected as soon as the barrels are emptied for the season.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
* The downspout near the "south crop" receives the water from almost the entire
|
||||||
|
backside of the roof and can fill in less than a couple hours during a steady
|
||||||
|
rain storm. I want to add more capacity to that side of the house, which would
|
||||||
|
likely require re-orienting the barrel system.
|
||||||
|
* The barrels shouldn't be sitting level but should slope slightly to allow air
|
||||||
|
to push up through the exposed 3/4" threaded hole in the top where water
|
||||||
|
enters. Currently, two of the barrels are leveled incorrectly and air gets
|
||||||
|
trapped as the barrels fill with water. Unfortunately this air must be manually
|
||||||
|
allowed out, by unscrewing the plug in the larger hole, in order for those
|
||||||
|
barrels to fill entirely.
|
||||||
|
* The downspout chosen for the "north crop" receives an adequate amount of output
|
||||||
|
and also rapidly fills during a steady rain. But the water requirements for the
|
||||||
|
north crop, which receives 12+ hours of sun during the summer, will far outpace
|
||||||
|
supply. Although I am experimenting with better water conservation techniques
|
||||||
|
for the north crop this summer such as: rice straw covering. oolas, and
|
||||||
|
better timing for sporadic deep waterings, I will definitely serve the north
|
||||||
|
crop the entire summer with water from the rain barrels.
|
||||||
|
* The lip of the barrels should be shielded from the rain with a roof of some
|
||||||
|
form, as water can collect in the tops of the barrels and sit stagnate for
|
||||||
|
mosquitoes or rust.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
After the 2017 season has depleted the rain barrels, I expect to spent a
|
||||||
|
weekend inspecting, reconfiguring, and improving the system, but that will have
|
||||||
|
to wait until all that heavy water is gone.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Conclusion
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The most significant conclusion that I can draw from this experiment, and the
|
||||||
|
data I have collected, is that my wife is **incredibly** tolerant to my
|
||||||
|
nonsense. Bright blue 55-gallon steel drums aren't the most inconspicuous
|
||||||
|
addition to our yard, but it seems that my idiotic excitement at barrels full
|
||||||
|
of water wins her over.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
A more practical conclusion is that this project has been worth it, for no other
|
||||||
|
reason than making me really consider my **water budget** for the season. I
|
||||||
|
know for a fact that I will not reach September without depleting all 275
|
||||||
|
gallons of stored water. That's okay, the water is there to be used, but I'm
|
||||||
|
considering how much water different plants, soil types, and plot locations
|
||||||
|
need.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Another conclusion to take away from the first year of this experiment is that
|
||||||
|
**cost is king.** When I first scoped out rain barrels, some vendors in the
|
||||||
|
area, including our local recycler, were charging $25-35 **just for one
|
||||||
|
barrel.** I'm not aging fine wine in these barrels, I'm storing dirty water
|
||||||
|
which rolled down off my roof. While I didn't keep detailed receipts on this
|
||||||
|
system, I estimate that I spent less than **$100** total. Considering the cost
|
||||||
|
of water, with this cheap of a system, I am still unlikely to break even unless
|
||||||
|
the system is usable for 5+ years, which I doubt will happen. In spite of any
|
||||||
|
financial incentive, the rain water is unfiltered, and also not chlorinated,
|
||||||
|
which I expect to be better for the overall plant and soil health. Only time
|
||||||
|
will tell however.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Although the system is small, it's preventing 275 gallons of drinking water
|
||||||
|
from being used for agriculture, and at the end of the day (for $100) that
|
||||||
|
makes me feel good.
|
|
@ -0,0 +1,171 @@
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
layout: post
|
||||||
|
title: "Starting an ambitious 2017 growing season"
|
||||||
|
tags:
|
||||||
|
- croyfamilyfarms
|
||||||
|
- garden
|
||||||
|
---
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Spring has officially erupted in Sonoma county, with the immense amount of
|
||||||
|
biological activity we have come to expect from one of the more productive
|
||||||
|
regions of the country. On our meager parcel we have more plants, with more
|
||||||
|
variety, than ever before going into the ground. With two seasons under our
|
||||||
|
belts in the "south crop" and one season with the "north crop," I absolutely
|
||||||
|
couldn't wait for the cold nights to pass, and am pleased beyond belief that
|
||||||
|
Spring is finally upon us.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Plants
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
There is enough variety this season that we need to break things up by plant
|
||||||
|
type, how exciting! Generally speaking, our varieties of plants break down into
|
||||||
|
fruits and fruiting vegetables, root plants, and herbs.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Another experiment I'm starting this season is planting of microgreen
|
||||||
|
rotations. Microgreens can be effectively grown in trays on a rotation, and
|
||||||
|
require a few weeks to germinate the seeds but once the greens reach 4-5" tall,
|
||||||
|
they're immediately cut with scissors for salads. I am omitting microgreens
|
||||||
|
from the rest of the post because the seeds are still in the bags and I am
|
||||||
|
still at the design stage for the trays and rotation.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Some of plants listed aren't yet directly seeded or transplanted, but will be
|
||||||
|
before the end of April, those have been marked with an asterisk.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
#### Fruit/Vegetables
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
* Tomato: New Girl (Early Girl variety)
|
||||||
|
* Tomato: Julia Childs (A slicer variety from Harmony Farms in Sebastopol)
|
||||||
|
* Tomato: Roma (sauce)
|
||||||
|
* Tomato: Principe Borghese (sauce)
|
||||||
|
* Sugar snap peas
|
||||||
|
* Bush beans (\*)
|
||||||
|
* Leeks
|
||||||
|
* Scallions
|
||||||
|
* Corn (\*)
|
||||||
|
* Zucchini (\*)
|
||||||
|
* Blueberries
|
||||||
|
* Lemons
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Tomatoes are always a big hit in the garden, as are my sugar snap peas.
|
||||||
|
Currently both are in the ground and established. As I did last year, I started
|
||||||
|
snap peas from seed but purchased tomato starts. Unlike last year however, I
|
||||||
|
have two full bed-length rows of snap peas planted (8' rows), instead of one
|
||||||
|
4' row. The tomatoes are laid out differently than last year too, with the
|
||||||
|
shorter plants (sauce tomatoes) planted in the southern end of the bed so it's
|
||||||
|
not shaded by taller plants during the morning transit of the sun.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
New this year are leeks, also started from seed which, currently, look like
|
||||||
|
nothing more than little green wisps poking out of the earth. I'm still unsure
|
||||||
|
what to expect from them.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Also new this year will be bush beans. Unlike the sugar snap peas which require
|
||||||
|
something to climb up, bush beans are supposed to support themselves and grow
|
||||||
|
nice and bushy. We'll be dedicating part of one of our north crop garden beds
|
||||||
|
to the "bush beans experiment" this season.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
#### Root Plants
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
* Potato: Yukon Gem (Yellow creamer variety)
|
||||||
|
* Potato: Desiré (Red creamer variety)
|
||||||
|
* Radishes
|
||||||
|
* Garlic
|
||||||
|
* Hops: Magnum and Sterling cultivars.
|
||||||
|
* Purple onion
|
||||||
|
* White onion
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The potatoes are fun new experiment this season. In the "south crop" there are
|
||||||
|
a couple beds which receive decent sunlight but haven't performed well with
|
||||||
|
tomatoes or peppers in years past. I haven't grown potatoes before so I'm
|
||||||
|
uncertain what to expect as far as yield is concerned.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
I'm also trying radishes again, which I have am planting in the "north crop" as
|
||||||
|
a bed-liner to capture some additional sun and water from otherwise unused
|
||||||
|
space. The older seeds which I used for the first two rows had a 90%+
|
||||||
|
germination rate, so I have high hopes for some small tasty salad radishes
|
||||||
|
around Memorial Day.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The onions are more out of laziness than anything else, sometimes we don't eat
|
||||||
|
onions fast enough, and they sit on the counter long enough to sprout. Whenever
|
||||||
|
something sprouts in my kitchen, I throw it into the ground. My friend, Farmer
|
||||||
|
Josh, grows a few rows of purple onions so I don't feel particularly motivated
|
||||||
|
to spent precious bed space on them, when I can trade some snap peas for fresh
|
||||||
|
onions.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The hops continue to be more fun and decorative than anything. The root systems
|
||||||
|
are now well established, and I continue to enjoy learning about the hop
|
||||||
|
growing process, but it's unlikely the hop cones at the end of the season will
|
||||||
|
find their way into any beers.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
#### Herbs
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
* Thyme
|
||||||
|
* Genovese Basil
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
We do truly need more herbs but I just hate dedicating garden space to it.
|
||||||
|
Depending on how things pan out around the garden, some parsley may find its
|
||||||
|
way back into the mix.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Soil
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
As I read more about organic and sustainable gardening, the more I am coming to
|
||||||
|
appreciate soil health. To think that our entire civilization depends on
|
||||||
|
something as simple as soil health and biodiversity is still something which
|
||||||
|
amazes me.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Because I'm working in enclosed and raised garden beds, I don't worry much
|
||||||
|
about soil erosion. Additionally, for better or worse, our area of Santa Rosa
|
||||||
|
is covered with absolutely awful compact clay, so under my beds there isn't
|
||||||
|
much transfer of moisture or leaching of minerals likely.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
For most of the garden beds, soil preparation consisted of aerating and folding
|
||||||
|
in chicken manure. This is a fairly rudimentary preparation, once fruit
|
||||||
|
vegetables get nearer, I'm planning on doing proper soil tests for the first
|
||||||
|
time to make sure all my tomatoes turn out nice and juicy.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
For the garden beds which are hosting potatoes, I employed an old gardening
|
||||||
|
technique which involves trenching the garden bed, laying down rice straw,
|
||||||
|
placing seed potatoes over it, and then covering with a few inches of loose
|
||||||
|
soil. The straw helps give the roots some loose space to grow into when the
|
||||||
|
seed potatoes are just starting out. Unlike the fruit/vegetable plants, root
|
||||||
|
vegetables need extra care taken for "hilling" during the growing period.
|
||||||
|
Meaning we'll want to build up soil around the stem of the plant as the season
|
||||||
|
progresses. For the potatoes, between the trenches I have a tall mount of dirt
|
||||||
|
which I will be using to hill as the tubers start to appear on the stems.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Unfortunately, due to soil compaction, loss of soil during harvest, and other
|
||||||
|
factors, the "soil reserve" which we had last season has been spent topping off
|
||||||
|
beds. Soon we'll need to pick up another cubic yard of garden soil to ensure we
|
||||||
|
have the necessary surplus on hand for hilling and potting plants.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### Challenges
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
Gardening wouldn't be much fun if it weren't challenging along the way. Thus
|
||||||
|
far the largest challenge is the same as last year: managing soil moisture
|
||||||
|
during the hot days. Our primary garden soil purposefully crusts over on the
|
||||||
|
top to preserve moisture in the soil below. The downside of this is watering
|
||||||
|
can be more challenging as a first-pass with water must first be done to soften
|
||||||
|
this "crust" and then after a few minutes a deeper watering can be achieved.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
The awful, but native, clay soil is also a persistent challenge. This year we're
|
||||||
|
attempting to reclaim some parts of the yard with decorative flowers and some
|
||||||
|
basil plants. It's too early to tell how well the transplants are rooting but
|
||||||
|
I'm not very optimistic right now. The clay soil captures moisture quite well,
|
||||||
|
but once dried it's almost indistinguishable from rock. Depending on how this
|
||||||
|
smaller, almost entirely native soil, area performs this season, I may amend it
|
||||||
|
next year with some sand and compost to help loosen it up.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
### The path forward
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
By the end of April, I am expecting to have seeds, transplants, or plants for
|
||||||
|
everything in the ground. I also expect to be planning the rest of the rotation
|
||||||
|
through the garden for late May. What I haven't successfully done in the past,
|
||||||
|
except with corn, is rotate multiple plants through the long California growing
|
||||||
|
season. Radishes for example, should be harvested in about a month, snap peas
|
||||||
|
in about two and a half months. Since we started earlier this year, this means
|
||||||
|
we should be able to get a good full second (at least!) sowing of a number of
|
||||||
|
our plants before the end of the productive season in October.
|
||||||
|
|
||||||
|
With the experience of a couple years in this location, this will be the first
|
||||||
|
year where I operate more systematically like a farm and less like an
|
||||||
|
experimental garden, so I'm looking forward to the long days of sunshine ahead!
|
Loading…
Reference in New Issue