ChewyChews

Small space veggie garden

2011-06-15T14:10:00.003-07:00

This year I decided to only do three straw bales. This is a good example of being able to have a vegetable garden even in the smallest of spaces. I planted only my very favorites this year (tomatoes,zucchini,sweetpeas). Part of the reason for the smaller garden is time constraint's this year, money and just plain ole' lack of motivation. The fencing is up because my chickens will eat everything in sight when I let them out to free range. In the space to the left I'm going to do a memorial garden for my Dad...will keep you posted!

Love & Miss You

Forever & always!

Here is an update: New pics taken July 21, 2011

Already picked a few Zucchini. I noticed today when I went to take the pictures something is eating my tomatoes. I suspect it isn't the chickens & ducks considering I've netted them. More like those nasty green tomatoes caterpillar's with the red spiked horn ugh! I'm scared to death of those...what's the name of them again? my brains not working...

Miss YOU Dad!

Human Urine for Compost, Start to Finish

2011-02-15T15:58:00.000-08:00

Straw Bale Gardening: Start to Finish

2011-02-15T15:30:00.000-08:00

It's A Dog Day--

2010-12-02T10:20:00.000-08:00

Photos: Alex With Trainer Terry Cook & Titan

Today we focused on getting our German Shepard Titan trained. We hired a great company called

sit means sit to come to our house and train him. Terry Cook is the owner and just happens to be our trainer for Titan. So far I am totally impressed and happy that we choose this type of training for Titan. If your interested and in Ohio; within 60mins of Lancaster, give him a call and mention Titan to get 10 bucks off the cost of whatever program you choose. They do a great job of working with you to fit your financial needs and have lots of options for training your dogs.

Chewys Spuds--

2010-10-28T05:38:00.000-07:00

As the season has come to an end I am excited thinking about next year and saddened about the fading of this year. I am sad because my new venture decimated most of my garden; the chicken and ducks. I'm a novice caretaker of these birds and on much advice was told that if your veggies are "Big Enough" the chickens and ducks can't hurt them.....well I beg to differ considering I had lovely cucumbers, cantaloupes, tomatoes, squash of so many different variety etc...and they all went to the BIRDS!! lol...ah well, live and learn. Needless to say I had high hopes for the crops that the birds couldn't get their beaks on and boy was I excited when I dug up these beautiful Sweet Potatoes!!!! I shared the scraps with the chickens and ducks but my husband loves Sweet Potatoes, so the giant ones were all his :) It's a nice ending to my garden adventures for the year. I like the idea of planting many different cold tolerant vegetables so that you have a steady variety , extending your harvest late into the fall.

Chewy's Day in the Sun----

2010-08-11T23:26:00.000-07:00

My Days in the sun has been vast and plentiful.....letting myself go from the crazy daily routine and trying to take a moment and just appreciate. Sometimes life can get so crazy that I truly miss the joy between the everyday mundane tasks and the overload the world willingly provides.

So if I want to kick off my shoes and swing barefoot with the baby..........or sport my mud boots and wade through chicken,duck and turkey poo......maybe sink deep in the dirt on these really hot summer days only to return unburnt, dirt faced and thirsty but still dreaming of next years garden.....I won't feel guilty about it!!!

I have come to believe or realize rather.....that everyone especially children need to plant their hands in the dirt, reel up a large mouth bass, play mother to a bunch of adorable ducklings, taste a sun warmed tomato right off the vine, dust the dirt off a carrot and eat it right there, fill the chickens feeders with ice cold water from the hose; while giggling because they filled their boots too.........accidentally crack a duck egg because they are so excited that they found one and can't wait to show you, read a book languidly around the lake.......I can close my eyes and sigh realizing in these moments I am completely, utterly content. Our Minds (Hubby,Myself, Children) are rested, refreshed, reset; ready to conquer a new day and all it's woes with a little less seriousness and a little more silliness. I can't remember who said "Life is a Journey, not a destination." It's not about getting there or how fast you do! It's about enjoying the journey and all it's bumps and bruises ...learning along the way and making your happiness now! not when everything seems perfect!

Isn't Chewy wise and full of Wisdom? .....well she's full of something alright! and it's kinda creepy that I am talking about myself in third person...I have always hated people who do that! and use excessive !!!!!!!!!!!! I'm just gonna stop while I'm all content like :) Found my Chi so to speak:)

Check out the photos I took with my new camera. My daughter took the pic of the mini-rex rabbit, her baby. Isn't it fantastic?

Chickens & Ducks and Turkey's Oh My....!!!!!!!!

2010-07-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

I'd like to say I took a moment.....some time away from blogging just to enjoy the summer. I'd like to say that but I can't! My summer thus far has been very hectic. I'm not sure how I ever worked a full time job and was a full time Mommy too.

I've added to my own stress with a bunch of chickens and ducks...um...um...um....plus a few turkey's which hopefully my husband continues to think are just really tall chickens.

I'm a city girl at heart who has to learn to be a country girl. We lived out in the country once before and I hated it...how we find ourselves out in the country again, in a fairly new state is beyond me. But alas here we are. I have always complained to my husband that it's boring! that was before I started to garden and fell in love with it. I came to the conclusion that country life isn't boring if you have something to occupy your time and MIND!!

Well....One day I saw that my neighbor was erecting a really nice shed...what I thought was a shed until I heard noises. That is when I learned she had purchased a few Cochrin chickens and a few ducks and was building a chicken coop. Oh! how cute were the ducks!!!! so cute that not long after my kids fell in love with them we ended up purchasing two ducks too (see older post). Well at the the time I didn't really take to the chickens. They didn't really appeal to me at all...............................................................

A few months later and Wham! I have chickens (all different varieties) plus the neighbor's chickens and ducks visit everyday. I started out only going to order a few chicks from Idealpoultry.com and for some reason I became amazed and order happy because of all the different varieties of chickens. Who'd have thought there were so many? I ended up purchasing Plymouth rocks, heavy feather legged pullets, Silkie bantams, Wyndottes, Buff orfington's, speckled sussex to name a few......and the ducks, well they had just as many varieties; crested swiss, Penkin's, black runner ducks, fawn crested and on and on......

All was great until I got them all here and realized that I was going to have to come up with some housing and quick. Sure they can live in an old child's swimming pool with straw placed on the bottom and a heat lamp hanging from the garage ceiling...but they grow, and fast!!!!

needless to say that between all the kids day sport camps, fundraising, car-pooling, College campus day's and dentist, doc and general "run me to the mall or I'll die" trips for the kids........I've let the garden slack a wee bit and have been running around myself like a chicken with it's head cut off trying to get recycled or free housing and learn to build too.............here are a few pics.......

Sadly...being the chicken novice that I am we lost 13 chicks and 2 turkey's from either a skunk, cat, coyote etc.....my neighbor's lost 5 chicks the next night and shot a skunk so................This was a month or so ago. I took a trip to Tractor Supply Company and while getting chick feed this guy came strolling down the Aisle and happened to ask if I had ducks.........cause he lost 6 of his to coyotes and was telling me to make sure I had at least a six foot fence. Anyhow.......as we talked I asked if he had any experience with chickens and "Oh, sure........" was his response. Well in the course of us conversing he ensured me that if I had a heat lamp on them even out in the open, and a fence around them nothing would get them. Hrmp!! well Tractor supply Man was Wrong! maybe that's why he had a cocky little smirk on his face as he sauntered off.....hmmm........

PS: Don't look like a city slicker when you go to Tractor Supply Company--that's sac religious!!

Here are a few pics of the temporary shelter's I have built, salvaged and found on the side of the road for free (converted Green rabbit hutch into a chicken coop for the silkie Bantam's as they will not grow very tall. The ramp is built with left over wood from my son's "tree house" and an old hose I cut to make the treads. The A-frame I built using three wooden pallets and left over roof paper and shingles again from my son's tree house project. I covered the floor with chicken wire and then put straw onto for warmth and comfort. The A-frame fence was given to my by my neighbor and I made a chicken run out of it using wooden tree branches I staked into the ground on either side to keep it from collapsing and I also wired the top together with left over spool of wire I used on previous fencing and helped give it support by resting it against the A-frame wooden pallet house I made. All of this is portable so I can move it around to fresh grass area's. I plan on making a STRAWBALE CHICKEN COOP in the next few weeks. My love for straw bale garden is extending into all areas of my life...lol...I researched it and turns out it was one of the very first shelters for animals and still holding strong today.

I put a few pics of the garden area's.....they are very overrun with weeds! Since I have been spending so much of my time researching and taking care and building chicken,duck and turkey housing I haven't had much time left for weeds. The center of the StrawBale area has acorn squash, cantaloupe , eggplant, cucumber, sweet potatoes in it. The neighbors chickens and duck are peaking to death the squash and eating the entire plants on some. The tops of the bales were planted with strawberries but they are entirely Gone thanks to little cluckers..... Next year I will put a fence around it to keep out all chickens and ducks including mine...LOL they are so cute it's difficult to be mad......

Chewy's White OUT------

2010-05-21T13:24:00.000-07:00

Snow in May? no.............that would be horrible. As horrible as having a major Pest problem already! The pest aren't attacking the veggie garden just yet (hopefully never) but they are indulging on my rose bush leaves.

Last year we planted five rose bushes just outside our bedroom window. I imagined early on smelly sweet rose's and a cool breeze as I drift off the never never land. Last year we didn't get many buds because we planted late in the season. This year I am getting lots of buds and BIG in Diameter Roses. I am really excited about that but the pest are attacking aggressively and eating the leaves up. I have narrowed it down to a specific pest that I believe it to be. The Japanese Beatle I believe is having breakfast,lunch, dinner and snacks in between. If you have any ideas of what else it may be then leave a comment or two.

A few weeks ago we planted in the back outside of our other window another five Rose bushes, and I'm hoping to cure the pest problem on the others before they have a chance to attack the new one's. I was reading online about Natural cures for pest and ran across mixing vegetable oil and baking soda or vegetable oil and Garlic together and spraying the plants. Well I decided since it had just rained to sprinkle the bushes with baking soda, thinking the water would help the baking soda cling or turn into a paste on the leaves. Needless to say it looks like it snowed! If you have another natural cure for garden pest leave a comment or two.

Here are a few pics:

Chewys--Momma's Day !!!

2010-05-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

New Asparagus patch--

First of all anyone who knows us know that we are a very large, crazy (in a good way) family. We say the more the merrier about most things. (kids,animals etc.) ha,ha. So if you are reading this post and are shocked that they have Ducks, and Dogs in the pool; don't be. We don't just have animals we LIVE animals. No worries, there was no clorine in the pool when the Ducks had their swim. The dog, Titan took to it pretty well but his face in this picture just tickles me!! He reminded me of the Shepard Charlie in the movie "All dog's go to heaven."

For mothers day I only wanted one thing; more garden space!!!! So I took the opportunity to use my Mother's Day power and with full advantage had the hubby and all the children help with a few new plots.

We ended up putting in three new areas. I used the No-dig style for all of them. Relatively quick I had new planting space. Each year I think I have enough space and then I find myself longing for more because I have new things I want to plant.

The new cinder block, No-dig space is mostly for greens (lettuce,cabbage,Brussels sprouts, collards, Swiss chard, cauliflower) In the back of each I planted different variety of tomatoes. In the cinder block holes I planted lettuce, and corn. I'm not sure if the corn will thrive but we will see. When planting the corn I planted four seeds in each hole so that they propagate. I will thin them once they sprout, leaving only the healthiest plant.

Then I decided to use some things around the house for my pole beans. I had an old swing that I did upside down tomatoes on last year. I also had a broken doggie gate that I was going to just throw away but felt I could find some use for it. So I ended up with a make-shift solution for my pole beans. I ended up keeping the soil in the bag and planting directly into them. I just pushed the poles through the bag and left enough space for the plants to grow up and around the poles and eventually onto the gate. I added through the holes some compost and manure.

The smaller cinder block area in the front is for Asparagus only, and the holes in the cinder blocks are planted with a variety of lettuce.

I reused the BIG tire (some comments were worried about leaching of the tire) I planted Sweet Potatoes in the center. I also decided to grow red and russet potatoes in cardboard boxes (I have read that it keeps them pest and disease free) and I also planted watermelon, and cantaloupe in a few boxes.

Onto the Straw Bales-In the center I planted Zucchini, acorn squash, Muss Melon, cucumbers, eggpant, and sweet potatoes. I planted directly IN the bales only; different varieties of Strawberries, and one Big Boy tomatoes plant because I ran out of room elsewhere. The bales this year are second year and broken down more than I had expected. The good news is that I will compost them after this year. I will have to transplant the Strawberries, but I plan on doing another Cinder block, No-dig area for them. I will also buy new bales next year and start the process again.

All In the Family,

Chewy

PS: Sorry the pics are not in the proper order..still learning how to edit this......you might have to scroll up and down to see corresponding pic.

It's All In The Straw--

2010-04-20T08:07:00.000-07:00

Last year I embarked on an adventurous style of gardening. The Strawbale gardening technique. The outcome was satisfactory enough (aside from the little chewing pests) , that I decided to give it another try this year. I think it worth it just in fact that you don't have to dig so much like a traditional garden. I also like arranging the bales and having a built in weed deterrent. The little rascals have to make it up and over the bales to plant themselves amongst my vegetables. Not to mention that the weeds have to get through the loose straw I have around the plants to be able to embed in my garden, so I have very little weed problems.

My first attempt I had more prep work (seasoning the bales) as I've talked about in previous posts. This year I plan on only soaking the bales for a few days and the last day spraying them with miracle grow. Also my bales are far more broken down this year so I intend on filling them in with compost, topsoil, bloodworm, manure instead of just layering across the very top of the bales. When you begin with new bales the straw is very tightly packed and it can be difficult to separate enough to get your plants in, but not impossible. You just have to hack out or use a spatula to separate the top of the bale like a book, insert your plant or seed and close the bale back together. My bales this year are second season bales and after this year I will compost them <---------waste NOT want NOT !!! Here are a few pictures of the second season bales and the process of prepping the center area.

I already had my rectangle shape set out from last year

I used the center of the Straw bale garden all winter as a compost area

First I raked all the compost out and layered it with newspaper, cardboard, topsoil, bloodworm, manure, and more compost from the store.

Then raked back in my Compost.

Soon I will PREP the outer bales again, and post pics!

In the meantime the center area is ready!!!!

I see Asparagus !!!!

2010-04-13T15:30:00.000-07:00

A few days ago I was turning my compost and found beautiful black dirt at the bottom. I was so excited and anxious to get using it.

I ended up grabbing a few shovels full and putting it on my Asparagus patch; today lo and behold I have shoots of Asparagus. I had one shoot a few days ago but today I have a least five more! I don't know if it's due to my compost feeding them well or not but I'd like to think so.

I am overjoyed and looking forward to this year's garden. I also have seedlings emerging of radishes and lettuce. All winter I have rented books from the library and have taken notes on what like what ie: what type of soil do tomatoes like etc...

Also off the top of my head, because I had so many cardboard boxes that I had stored up to use on the No-dig style gardens I do...I was wondering what else I could do with cardboard boxes and so I planted a few with cantaloupe seed and watermelon seed. After doing this later I had the thought that maybe someone has planted in cardboard boxes and went on the internet to see. Sure enough! some people swear by growing their potatoes in cardboard boxes they get a better crop and less risk of disease. I was very excited to see this and plan to experiment and have the back yard full of cardboard boxes! I am going to try all types of veggies and have already started! One thing I thought of was to tape the outside of the box to give it more stability from the rain etc..to get it through this growing season. It should last a few short months as long as I don't move it!

Early Spring Planting--

2010-04-06T16:17:00.000-07:00

If your itching to get that garden started and can't stand to wait much longer than your in luck. Sooner than later is the time to start those early spring loving plants. Here in Ohio maybe even a few weeks ago you and I could have started, but today I started my cool weather plants.

I ended up squeezing a lot of seeds and variety into a little space. I plan on thinning them out and transplanting them elsewhere once they get to a viable size. I used my No dig Lasagna style garden area. One end has Asparagus plants from last year and I expect them to do well this year and give me more stalks. On the opposite side I have started lettuce, peas, radishes, beans, cauliflower, and broccoli. The lettuce you can cut and replant into late fall, giving yourself fresh lettuce constantly. The variety of early spring veggies is pretty good. Besides what I mentioned above you can start potatoes, cabbage, kale even before the last frost.

The No dig Lasagna style is built with cinder blocks as it's border. The inside is layered with old newspaper, cardboard etc and straw. Then it is covered with topsoil, compost, manure etc..that way you don't have to dig or pull weeds. This is my second year of lasagna style and straw bale gardening and I really love it. It's easy and convenient to do rather than a chore and in my opinion a lot faster process. In just a few hours I had it layered with all the components and the seeds planted and watered. I didn't have to till up the ground and pull rocks and weeds all day. This makes my garden experience much more enjoyable.

Now that the lasagna style garden is done I am back to dreaming about what I want to do with the straw bale garden area. I am even thinking about expanding or adding another straw bale garden area. In the meantime I am anxious to see sprouting in my cool weather, Lasagna style garden and deciding what herbs to plant in the cinder block holes. My Rosemary, Thyme and parsley all came back this year. My other herbs like Basil are seasonal and need to be planted every year.

Your All Quacks !!!

2010-03-26T17:09:00.000-07:00

Like many of you I can't wait to sink my fingers into some dirt. I daydream about what I want to plant and what stage the plants will be in what month. I can visualize all the green sprouting forth from a little hard work, giving my family back in abundance.

At the moment one of my compost piles is in the center of my straw bale garden. Just waiting to be put to good use on this years crops. Over the long hard winter I filled it with all my vegetables and fruit scraps from my kitchen. Along with coffee grounds and hair from a few kids haircuts. I didn't put urine on it because well.......seemed kinda weird, but I'm sure my husband had the occasional late night stroll and may have contributed. Also when I've mucked out the rabbit pen his dropping have made their way to the compost heap. Currently I have two compost areas...One is as I said in the center of my straw bale garden border and the other is a movable huge storage tub that I put holes in so the rain etc..can drain. I use the storage container one for most of the rabbit droppings, lawn scraps and dead plants etc. I ended up with two compost areas because the straw bale garden border is near to the back door so the ease and convenience of just opening the door in the dead of winter and tossing the banana peals was to alluring to pass up. The problem is that I will have to shovel and rake it out before I start my no dig straw bale gardening again this year. Also I am new to composting and I didn't realize that seeds from say green peppers and cantaloupe etc..are not supposed to be put into compost because you might get unwanted plants. But I say what could be unwanted about a organic plant? but then again if your into the LOOKS of your garden and you ahve a row of say lettuce and a pepper plant appears in the row or you have beautiful zucchinis growing and a stay cantaloupe vine appears OH MY! not really!!! I might end up using that compost heap in it's own little area and see what comes from it. Maybe that would be a neat experiment to see what plants find their way to life from just a compost heap.

Anyhow...the last few days that's it's been sunny and kinda warm I went out to turn the heaps and WOW what beautiful black soil I found! I never thought I would get excited over dirt but this made my heart go pitter patter. I couldn't believe that bush branches, and fruit and veggies and rabbit Poo, hair, urine, coffee grounds would turn into something so rich and nutritious and repeat the cycle by feeding my upcoming plants.

When I first decided to do this straw bale garden it was on a fluke. Maybe it would work, maybe it wouldn't..and I didn't really care that much. I mean I remember planting a few sparse gardens over the years and they did great without much involvement once I planted them. Well something changed for me last year and will forever have changed me in the upcoming years. I found I really enjoyed the experience of gardening from the starting process through the composting "ending" stage and how it meant so much more than just getting something from it. It's for me about giving back to the earth too. About doing what the GOOD LORD meant for you to do. To tend something with your time and energy and respect it. Respect the fact that you can FEED your family, and you can replenish the earth as well.

I don't know. Basic's is what I'm trying to get back to. The simplicity in the world that is often faded out with sounds of electronics or a busy schedule. I want to sit down at the table and eat what I've grown with my children and husband. I want us to give thanks for having the ability of this great earth to provide year after year a harvest.

If you read my blog at all you might remember the post on chewys little chewers. Yes, I had a caterpillar problem and maybe slugs..Well I tried and it worked somewhat; using garlic water and dish soap. This year though I decided to add two live additions to eradicate the pest problems of the past. Our new additions are a pair of cute little ducks named Nitzy and Nori...the five year old name them!

Once your plants are established and of reasonable size you can have your chickens or ducks troll the area for any little buggy delights. I researched them and many people said that they will be hearty guards of your pottage as long as they don't take a liking to eating them. To prevent this you have to have your plants at a hardy size that can resist a nibble or two and still thrive. Also they will eat the grass and weeds! Well I am going to give it a try. Another plus is that they can share a larger pen with our mini-Rex rabbit. I might try it when they are older and see if they get along. In the meantime they are living in a storage tub, with a heat lamp in the bathroom and take the occasional dip in the tub.

PS: For less than twenty dollars I got two ducks and a massive bag of feed. Very economical!!! pestbuster!!!

ChewysWinterWonderLand

2010-02-16T12:07:00.000-08:00

If your feeling the winter blues your not alone. Just when I think the end is in sight poof! another 8-12 inches of snow. Hey, I don't mind the serenity snow can have cleansing the earth and making it new again; Eager to push forth in the spring new life and budding wonderment. I don't mind the snow especially when you take a step out your front door late at night and the moon is casting a glow across the surface in a silvery, sleek shine and all is silent. The air bites gently, and you inhale the freshest of fresh air(ahh....I love having a moment of silence, stepping out on my porch at night after all the children are far far away in dreamland) I don't even mind my kids having a few snow days and a break from school. At this point though the kids are getting restless and my good will and patience are running out.

Boredom: <<--------That word is a CURSE word in our house! It is outlawed along with many other words in our house. The "I'm bored" pinging off the lips of four children has quickly earned them a chore if they say it! So if they are "bored" well then have I got a solution for you! They have learned at an amazingly fast speed NOT to let it slip or even show any sort of boredom because there is always laundry, dishes, sweeping, cleaning bathrooms etc to do.

There comes a breaking point for all moms who have run out of board games, hide -N- seek Indoors, building a million Snow-men, painting, play-doh, haircuts, videos on demand (why the heck do they play the same movies for weeks on end!) scary story time.....when it turns into my five year old grabbing my face as I try to keep an eye on my screen and type this while he says with his tongue sticking out " is my tongue white or red mommy?" "are my teeth white Mommy?" and I say "your tongue is red Gabe and your teeth are white." which causes him to fall on the floor crying hysterical because he just ate a Popsicle and was betting on a RAINBOW!!!!!!!!!!!
I tell ya!!! The natives are getting restless and I just hope they don't start eating their young!

Oh yea! this is a gardening blog isn't it? well, my original idea today was to suggest beating the winter blues by charting out, and dreaming on paper your garden plans. Oh, it can be so exciting to just map out what you want to plant this year and where. Rather you use a computer program and have it all fancy and perfect or if you scribble it down on a napkin; either way it gets you excited and motivated. Maybe you keep a gardening journal and each year you plan out your space methodically and each plant and vegetable is compared to the years before; deciding on what can do better here or there or what you have or haven't tried yet.

ChewysLittleChewers!!!

2009-07-16T15:13:00.000-07:00

If there ever was a curse word in the gardening dictionary it is definitely PESTS!! or more specific in my case the dreaded Caterpillar or cutworm

My earlier blog stated that pest were less likely in the straw bale garden, and this is true! The bales themselves have resisted pest's. The only problem I am having is with the inner rectangle of the straw bale structure I set up. The caterpillars (cutworms) are loving my cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower leaves...I'm not sure if that is because I did the "NO-DIG" or "LASAGNA " style garden in the center. My only theory on that is because the Lasagna style garden I did next to the Straw bale garden is also being ate up by the little monsters. Really! they are little monsters of the most horrid kind. Think about it....you put your heart and soul into the harvest--you tend it diligently with great pride and joy ...and just when you think it's smooth sailing from here on out...BAM! you stare in utter horror upon your prized Brussels spout plant and it's ravished body! lol...maybe somewhat dramatic right? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.................overnight I have become a happily obliging murderer......well? if looks could kill I would have succeeded 100% in removing the problem. And if hateful thoughts would kill; again 100% eradication rate. Instead I have taken the matter into my hand literally and came up with a concoction of old wish tales and my own devices thus creating a dish soap/garlic cloves mixture to spray on the plants after I water. I will keep you updated!

I'm a huge Barbra Kingsolver fan!! So imagine my surprise when I learned she had a book out about living off her own land for a year...whatever they raised, grew or got from their local farmers market.... great stories along with a closer look at how OUR nations food is raised,grown, transported etc.

ChewysPicksTheStraw--

2009-05-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

As I said in the last blog "green is not my favorite color" well...it's quickly becoming a runner up for first (red is my favorite). Green and I should say pale yellow (as in straw) are in a close race.

Why? well...I have come to realize that in just a short time, my kinda sorta like; has become a LOVE scenario........Love, love, love straw bale gardening. Not only are my veggies doing double duty, as in growing at twice the usual rate; not a weed in sight other than the expected trim I have to do because of the bales themselves sprouting. (but that just means you are doing everything right) So it's kinda a pat on the back that you actually achieved the perfect scenario for your plants to thrive. after all the bales sprouting up themselves means you have seasoned, watered, and maintained the perfect environment for the bales to grow. (therefore anything you stick in them grows too).

All together this is about the third week of this process. The first week I spent (after a little research) laying down the black plastic, and arranging my bales to the configuration I thought would work best for me. After that I spent the time seasoning the bales with the Miracle grow, blood meal, manure and topsoil...(I also did the center so it was more time consuming as opposed to just doing the bales themselves) In the center I did the Lasagna technique as explained in the last straw bale gardening blog.

In the last blog I really didn't list what I planted....so here it goes....

1)Broccoli plants- 2 per bale is ideal-just dig, hatch, cut into the bales (sometimes they pull apart easily and you can just gently push the plant root down into the bale and close it kinda like a book) and sometimes you don't find that divide in the bale so easily and you have to cut and remove some straw. You can fill in the space with a mixture of topsoil, manure. Some books I have read suggest cutting a piece of carpet out and putting it around the stem of your plants to prevent a certain type of worm and their larva....so far I just cut out the bottoms of Styron foam cups and ripped it to the near center, put it around the base of the plant then push it back together to form a barrier..(so far, so good) also with bale gardening one perk is Less pest!!!!! so you may not even have that worry at all.

2)Cabbage plants- I did 2 per bale. However considering how large they get, perhaps just one is ideal. I couldn't bring myself to give up an entire bale to one plant; I may pay in the future for that..So far the 2 in the bale has not been a problem and they are thriving very well.

3) Lettuce plants- I did 3 per bale-again, that's pushing it. 2 plants is plenty if you are doing HEADS of lettuce. Otherwise the salad greens types are fine..The more the merrier, and you can continue throughout the season (colder) planting and replanting lettuce.

4) Green beans Seeds- I covered one entire bale with blood meal, manure, top soil and planted approx 12 seeds of green beans-They have already sprouted are are doing great. If you decide to do seed, just push them in enough to kinda lodge in the top of the bale and cover lightly with soil.

5) Pepper Plants- I planted 2/3 per bale..All different types of pepper plants. Make sure you dirt up as your plants grow. This will help support the plants as they get taller.

6) zucchini seed- I covered an entire bale with seed thinking that it might not take off...YES they did take off and now I am going to have zucchini as far as the eyes can see!!! LOL oh well, live and learn and I can also remove a few...I intend to help the vines outwards toward the yard so that they don't overtake my center area of the straw garden.

7) Cauliflower plants- 1 to 2 per bale. I only did one per bale because of the size and then added some greens seed to the other side so not to waste the space..I will have lots and lots of lettuce.

8) Tomato plants- I have Cherry's, big mommas (I think) and two other kind I don't quite remember at the moment. I plan to stake them directly through the bales. Also check out my upside down tomato plants..they are doing even better than the straw garden ones. Manure I find is the key to tomato's....

9) Brussels sprout plants- 2 to 3 per bale. Make sure to dirt up as the plant grows to help support its heavy load of sprouts once it starts producing.

10) The center area is planted Lasagna style. I planted strawberries on the far side and left lots of room for their runners. I also planted Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, potatoes, and sweet peas (Rocco's favorite) in the big tractor tire (we found in a ditch) Also I decided I love the no dig Lasagna style gardening too. So I took cinder blocks and created a Lasagna style garden. First I made my rectangle with the blocks 6 blocks long, and 4 blocks wide. Next I took cardboard paper (3rolls) and layered the inside bottom, then added my compost from my compost bin, manure, topsoil, blood meal. Make sure you wet the cardboard paper well before putting on your layers of other matter. My herbs were planted on the edge inside the cinder block holes and I planted onions, lettuce, celery, spinach, asparagus, radishes; which, all of the seeds are already sprouting and I need to thin them..check out the pics

11) In the Styrofoam container- I pushed holes in the bottom of the Styrofoam cooler (recycling) and added topsoil, manure..then I threw in carrot seeds. I will have thin them out because they really took root and all are growing.

See?..............I drive around and see people just now tilling up their plots. They haven't even started to plant yet because it still gets cold at night. It's amazing how early you can start to garden when you use bales. The Lasanga style allows you to plant immediately because you dont have to wait for all the compost etc..to break down. So you can take any space on your lawn and instantly turn it into a veggie paradise.........Hope you enjoyed this blog and it was imformative.

(Be sure to check out "My complete profile" for ChewyChewsNews-a family oriented second blog-Also YOU readers feel free to leave COMMENTS!!!! good or bad; I can take it)

ChewyChews--

ChewOnGreens--

2009-05-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Green-not my favorite color!

Green-proven that if you pick that color for a car your SMART (proven? really?)

Green-became an enemy, when I became a Golf widow (used to have an overwhelming urge when traveling on the highway and seen a particular golf course; to throw a exploding projectile onto the 18th green and snicker devilishly as I imagined all sorts of plaid clothing fly into the sky in a cloud of smoke he..he...he ...exclaiming FOUR!!!!!!!!! (ahem! sorry, got carried away) Geez...where would I get an exploding projectile. Hey! where would I get an exploding projectile? LOL..just kidding......or am I....

Green-makes the world go round-that's why I'm stuck in the vortex never quite spinning with the rest of the world...No green!

Green-A project (experiment really) I'm trying.......called Straw Bale gardening--

I have found there isn't much information out there about straw bale gardening. When you do find information there aren't many pictures of the process. So I decided that I would teach myself through trial and error and see what becomes of it. I don't claim to have a green thumb, and my only success story previously is that I have a few house plants that are still alive and thriving. I tried a traditional garden last year and was overwhelmed with weeds. I didn't see any fruit of my hard labor and that almost did me in on gardening. Most articles I read about Straw bale gardening seem to market the idea to those that can't bend much (like the elderly) or those that live in apartments, or don't have the yard space. All of those reasons are good ones of course but I decided to try it because it seem out of the normal realm of gardening; that appealed to me.

1) Get a few straw bales and set them up anyway you like-be creative-(make sure the twine around the bale isn't touching the ground) I put a sheet of black plastic down first because the bales need lots of water and the plastic helps retain water. plus, if you decided ( I did) to use the bales for a border and plant Lasagna style in the center (more about that later) then you will need to layer the center up (more later) and plastic is the first layer.

2) after you have set the bales up on the plastic-soak them everyday for 3-4 days. The other articles I read suggested using ammonium nitrate to soak the bales (but it is not found easily in USA) regulated etc...I had no luck finding this...so I experimented and soaked the bales with Miracle grow once. (really soaked each bale; you need a good nitrogen soak up)

3) The next day I covered the tops of the bales with blood meal, then manure, top soil.

4) Give your bales time to cool down, and start planting about four days after the Miracle grow. Plant- 2 plants per bale(just dig, cut or wedge down into the bale). If you do seeds (pushing them just barely into the bale) cover them with a thin layer of top soil and thin them out over time as they begin to sprout.

5) water often-straw bales require more water than traditional gardens.

6) Experiment-I can only offer the results thus far with my own straw bale experiment. I think I have already become obsessed. I have better results in the first week and a half than any other type of gardening I've tried. I also bent the rules a bit when planting. Because you get less area to plant, I decided to put a few plants like vining ones in between the bales at the bottom so that they grow out and into the yard. This way giving myself more available planting spaces...also I planted inside my rectangular shape. I decided in this area to try Lasagna gardening which is another alternative gardening style to the traditional dug garden.

The process of the center area of my garden is Lasagna style.

1) first we already laid the plastic.

2) cardboard or cardboard paper or newspaper.

3) top soil, blood meal, manure, compost--mix it into each other with a hoe etc...

4) loose straw

5) take the plant with a handful of topsoil and push it into the straw, firming it into the compact soil, and bringing the straw in close around that plant.

6) water, water, water.

Both of these techniques have saved me tons of time. I am a mom of four, and I don't have time to dig and weed. These techniques work great and my plants are doing wonderful!!

ChewyChews--

ChewBones-

2009-05-01T20:59:00.001-07:00

I said I was a pessimistic....that does not mean a complainer!

But I have a few bones to chew; about some obvious (should be) things..

This past earth day I happened to catch Oprah and Ellen doing a wonderful show about exactly that..THE EARTH and it was a lot to do about how WE as people are wasting, polluting, and leaving our footprints all over this beautiful globe.
I agree! However instead of making us feel bad for the stupidity that is the human race and sign off with that...what about solutions??? yes they suggest each and everyone of us take responsibility for ourselves; ok, agreed..BUT..and here is the big BUT...what about the damage we have already incurred because of our ignorance or just plain bad habits????

Oprah goes to LA and shows Americans biggest landfill that is approx. 200ft deep with just a portion of LA residents......and as they are filming trucks are DUMPING more garbage...what to do?????

I have an easy solution...and all you PC people out there cover your eyes.....An easy solution...watch out here it comes............Have all the non violent inmates, in all the fifty two states out there cleaning up the devastation! What a solution...Instead of these loafers sitting around in Recliners, watching plasma TVs and smoking cigarettes...and instituting new fashion trends that our obviously impressionable wealthy, young white America can't resist ..(ya know! cause it be cool to be in prison) instead....give them a chore, a punishment, a purpose...wait oh wait! I forgot they already get the best of the best education in prison, health care is taken care of, three square meals a day, and even a free shrink is available to talk about their feelings, they might even write a best seller...Heck, I think they are living better than the average Free American in this country.

So I say take the two problems and create the solution. All you Politically correct people out there that say but wait...they have rights! etc..etc....A hard days work never hurt anyone did it? Geez..it's better than working on a chain gang isn't it? remember the good ole days??? when the criminal paid for his crimes big/small and didn't think of prison as a resort!

Killing two birds with one stone? Just think of the manpower...all of the non violent inmates in all the states, filling up the system...We could have these dumps cleaned up in no time!

Makes you wonder if the powers that be really want a solution...or is all this Earth day stuff just another money maker.....if you never solve the problem..more money will most assuredly be needed to continue research, progress etc...sometimes it's that easy.

ChewyChews-

ChewBones--

2009-05-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

JustChewing-

2009-04-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

Geez....P-e-o-p-l-e!

I would say I'm a overall pessimistic person (I like it that way!) .
My husband? well, he's an overall optimistic person...(really irritates me!) .
So to say I give people the benefit of the doubt is usually not the case. But, I being of the generally well meaning human race (yea..right!) <---see there I go again; can suck it up with the best of them. Behind my coolly masked thoughts of doubt- can&Do smile without raising an eyebrow.

But---It's so difficult sometimes to smile in the face of adversity (my adversity: A rather hard looking woman- ya know? the kind that life slowly sucked from her, every fiber of a redeeming quality not only in looks but personality? (sighs) Anyhow......So let me set the scenario:

It's my oldest sons first prom (Gushing with excitement!!) So yea...SORRY!...I'm a dangerous combination of proud Momma/Prom Novice! Well...he has been fluctuating for weeks on the Mood of his "relationship" as to weather he is even going to the prom...fast forward to today...MOTHER TERESA!!!...finally in text format he informs me he IS going to the prom this Saturday and because of his busy schedule of Girlfriend,sports, friends, texting, texting,texting, texting he needs to go today..URGENT!!!! the only time he can possibly squeeze me in to drive,pay, and order flowers for HIS girlfriend is exactly 3:15 when his beautiful face exits the bus and resumes to honor me with his presence.

So...I smile as I often do (without an eyebrow arch) agree to his demands and begin rearranging my schedule...Here it goes...

1) Call and get directions to the place .

2) Multi-tasking-Tell Rocco ( baby) to stop dripping chocolate milk from his sippy cup onto the linoleum in dot to dot like pictures/ yes..uh huh..on main st? -same time still getting directions.

3) 11 yr old daughter(Isabella) is screaming about slipping in the chocolate milk and isn't going because she can't find a new pair of socks that match/slams her bedroom door.

4) Me screaming throughout the house to whoever is listening that we have to get there before four .

5) My second oldest son (Nicholas) reminding me that he has a soccer game tonight .

6) My baby-Rocco pulling at my shirt hem exclaiming that he wants to go to Nicky's' soccer game/ while the evil sippy cup that is on it's last leg (teeth marks and all) is dripping onto my shirt!

7) closing my eyes for a fraction of a second and pray for MORE rain!!!!!!!!!!

8) All the kids except baby Rocco start to argue about who's schedule is more important and why the others is LAME!!!!!!

9) Rocco still votes for Nicky's Soccer! running in circles around the house yelling " I love soccer" " I love soccer" over and over and over.............

10) My husband call and in his ever so optimistic voice says "hello, honey!".

11) I growl (perfectly natural response) and say " Hello? My ASS!"

Fast forward:

So the crew and I jump in the van, and thank GOD it's raining..because by the time everyone has claimed front, back right, a discussion over who got stuck in the back last time (with my son Nicholas winning the back right by reminding us that he gets car SICK if stuck in the very back) and the ever frustrating car seat! we have diplomatically, if not by pecking order decided who sits where. Now my backside is soaking wet (thanks to the horrid contraption called a car seat) my hair is deflated, and I forgot my shirt was spotted with chocolate milk..never the less, we are on the road...oh yea...the question I dread to ask "did anyone lock the door?" because either its a blissful "yes" or it's a knock down drag out argument about who was last out the door...of course it was the latter.......

Getting to the point:

We arrive at the ever so fancy Tux shop....and it's turns out to be a high end clothing , bags, jewelry store with a tuxedo business to the back. Yippy!... So I inform all occupants the standard "don't touch anything" rule and mind your manners mixed with a bit of idle threats to end the little powwow.

We enter and the troops are amazingly stuck to my sides. I think the sheer wow factor of the place has stunned and mystified them. So we linger abit and I try to get a feel for the place...I can tell already that it's going to be expensive. Finally a little mousy looking woman ask if she can help us.....I inform her that we need a tux for this young man (I'm beaming) and Alexander is cringing :) We are no sooner walked over to a table before a Cruella Devil look alike on a good day comes whipping past and drops a huge book in front of us without saying a word and disappears. So Alexander and I stare dumbfounded for a moment but take the two seats at the table and begin to scan the pages. Rocco is removing all the take home booklets from the display table and one by one dropping them under the table all the while looking around guiltily. Isabella is bringing very expensive items over to me asking if she can get them. Nicholas is checking out a shy looking girl sitting by the dressing rooms. Anyhow..... The Devil twin returns and without looking at us (which is good because we may just very well been turned to stone) takes out a notepad and starts asking us general questions. One was what date will we need this.....Here's me...clearing my throat readying myself to disclose the words I know will send her into a tizzy;April 25th....Then she LOOKED at me!!! my son who is usually oblivious to anything but admiration for himself was looking at me like you POOR, POOR woman... Ahem!! just a reminder Alexander....This is your fault!!!! Well....the date I gave her didn't sit well but of course for a price it can be express delivered...OF COURSE!!! and hey...I don't mind eating the cost due to my lack of PROM knowledge......I'm a prom Novice, and didn't realize that you need to order a tux two weeks prior to event...Geez!! (everybody but me knows that) After that shocker, the lady resumed her speed of light work and before we knew it she had yanked the one book from our grasp and dropped from the heavens it seemed considering the thud a more e-c-o-n-o-m-i-c-a-l portfolio of tuxes for our choosing....I mean Geez!...no glass of champagne for me? Heck, I almost asked if they had a bottle of Vodka...ya know...mother's little helper-

By this time I decided I didn't like her attitude and my son kicked my shoe under the table and with his eyes pleaded with me NO!!!!...because he knows my temper! We have a saying in our family that you don't mess with the Lioness or her Cubs....exactly!...I might have been wearing my MOM jeans but I have boots with KIck your Ass all over them.....That certain moment, that snap, that face contortion I do...my kids know it well...and it has never failed to rear it's ugly head at just the right moment. But...I decided I was not going to let this lady get to me..I mean after all I have four kids with me, and I'm wearing my MOM jeans...and my confidence isn't exactly at it's highest peek with chocolate milk and deflated hair screaming <-----------she's a housewife!!!!!!!!!! and this lady was obviously born before Christ, well-to-do (husband or multiple husbands), and has nothing else to do besides WORK to feel important? empowered? needed?

If you hate your job; quit!

Nothing like asking the check out clerk " how are you today?" only to hear " Tired, and ready to get out of here!!! <-----can you say AWKWARD

PS: What really irritated me about the whole tux scenario is at the very end....

While my son the whole time was fluctuating between feeling sorry for me, being afraid of what I might do, and cringing, and being dumbfounded by this woman's hostility...well, it took that first time experience that you NEVER have again and tarnished it just a little. And bless his soul at the very end after I paid and before leaving the counter he said "thank you" and the lady didn't respond ...so being the ever so trusting kid that he is, I could see it in his face that he didn't think she heard him so he said as we were walking toward the door, and a chin over his shoulder "thank you" ...smiling that great smile of his, and that glint in his eye...guess what? Cruella didn't even look up, or respond once.

The Moral: Throw a Kid a bone..why don't cha???

If the lady is tainted to teenagers because of her line of work, and I'm sure she deals with many smart mouthed, know it all punks...but if your tainted and you see a glimmer of hope (ie: my son) the least you could do is say "Thank you"

-ChewyChews