This is All Planted Now

This is the Square foot garden which is now ALL planted!  The back row has two grape vines and a clematis.  The front row is marigolds, behind that are 4 of the broccoli from the “broccoli experiment”, they are doing better than the ones with the blueberries, but not nearly as well as the ones in the SWC’s.  Other than the chive you see, which I just divided into 4 other clumps, the blank spaces are filled with cutting flower.  To the right is the potato bag row (an upcoming post on this will explain!)

The Other Side Yard

On the far right is a blackberry bush in a cut up barrel.  Beyond that is a lasagna bed with 5 blackberry and five raspberry canes, some lillies, and a cabbage.  To the left is a rain barrel and a yet unplanted lasagna bed.

The side yard

Here you see the five blueberry bushes in 1/3 55 gallon barrels, the one at the far right also has 2 of the broccoli plants.  They have NOT grown at all.  (Blueberry soil to acidic perhaps)?

To the left of the shed are two bean poles, wired to the containers, a square foot garden (originally 4 X 4 – but that wood rotted so Tom boxed it in with newer wood making it now 5 X 5).  Just past that is his new 4 X 8 raised bed.

Broccoli Experiment

These SWC are made from one, two and three liter bottles.  I had nine plants and decided to see how they would grow in containers.  My goal is to see how much nutrition I can get from as little space and effort as possible.  The one on the left is by far the biggest, the ones in the ground are about half this size.  Will they catch up?  Who will win?  We shall see…

(PS  the gray thing on the right is a solar light.  We wanted something that could charge by day and be easily portable into the house in case of power failure.  These are great!  The base is granite, and the light is very bright.  More than enough to read or play games by.  We’ll see how durable they are.)

55 Gallon Drum Planter

If you look closely, you will see that this is one 55 gallon barrel on the bottom.  Part of it has been spray painted silver with a “plastic” spray paint.  If I am going to fill my yard with white barrels and pieces of white barrels, I don’t want it to look like my yard is full of white barrels! 

On top of that barrel is the bottom third of another barrel.  I haven’t decided if I want to make a SWC out of this or just drill drainage on the bottom and sides.  I was thinking this would be a neat eye level container for low maintenance things like carrots, onions, or herbs, that would add interest and height to the rain barrel area.

I plan on having 3 barrels right here, connected by hoses, raised on cinder blocks, with the overflow of the main barrel aimed at the raspberry bed.  What do you think?

I am also dreaming of a strawberry bed made of – what else – barrels, as well as a compost tumbler and, in deference to Tom’s new “special interest”, chicken nesting boxes.  That last one is also waiting for me to design a chicken tractor to go along with it which will be portable and maneuverable to put over the “conventional” raised beds that we have.

Make a Self Watering Container Out of Anything

I think that it is just too long to say “Self Watering Container” over and over, so I am going to abbreviate to “SWC”.  And I am too lazy to use caps all the time so it may end up being “swc”.

I have been obsessed with making self watering containers.  Among the list of things that are included in my reasons for “never saying never” are these:  “I will never make a quilt” and “I will never garden”.  In years past I left the gardening to Tom.  As in, “if you want to garden, go ahead”.  And I let him.  But now with the state of the world the way it is, I am increasingly concerned with our ability/capability to produce our own food.

And I am increasingly concerned that others may have the capability to grow their own food and NOT KNOW IT, (that is, not know that they are capable).  For me, a major obstacle to garden success was remembering to water.  Hence my motivation to develop easy SWCs.  First, I thought big, ie 55 gallon drums, but now I am thinking big and little,  drums and used containers, treasure from trash, etc.

We have looked at our property with new eyes, planted trees, bushes, fruits and veggies, as well as some herbs and flowers.  But one thing is leading to another.  How to water.  Where to get water in case of drought.  How to store/preserve.  How to fertilize/repel pests.  Questions, questions.

Which leads me back to this picture.  A simple juice bottle which was cut up and inverted.  Holes were placed with a soldering iron for overflow and a watering tube.  Broccoli was planted.  It turns out that broccoli plants come in 9 packs, so what to do with the other 8 plants?  I put some in with a blueberry bush, some in my square foot garden, and made some smaller SWCs for experimentation.

I want to find the easiest, most nutrient dense food that can be grown with the most ease.  A daunting challenge?  I’ll let you know…