Névé is serious 'bout her Bacon eat'in
Siena LOVES her Bananas!
We are surprised each and every day by what these girls will eat - which equals, pretty much anything! They eat what we eat, and they love it!
Monday, June 10, 2013
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Late Spring Snow: Might As Well Enjoy It!
What do you do when 4 inches of late season, wet and heavy snow falls overnight?
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| Some little creatures like to stalk the local wildlife |
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| Some enjoy sled rides pulled by their best invisible friend |
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| Some of those same children like to get extreme, popping wheelies and feeling a face full of wind |
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| Hanging out with your furry buddy is always fun |
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| as is riding with your best friend, who you love a ton (even if you do bite each other from time to time....) |
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| But best is getting pulled by Mom, because she is da bestest, the frickin' bomb* *this is possibly the first time I have ever written this phrase |
Garden Update: Sheet Mulching / Lasagna Gardening
Much has happened over the last few weeks and a lot of progress has been made with the gardening and the yard. One (very) late season snow storm did throw a small wrench in things, but plans are still chugging along nicely regardless. We've been blessed with some fantastic late spring weather recently, and this past weekend saw the trees transform from naked and lethargic to vibrant and alive with color and motion. What a difference a few days makes!
Again, one day I will more fully describe our full plans and ideas for our yard transformation, but there is still so much to be done. With the threat of frost now gone, most plants have been transplanted to their permanent homes for the summer. We have also been in a mad rush to finish the garden and yard infrastructure. This has included installing 150 feet of fencing around the back yard, laying a foundation for an 8'x16' greenhouse, staking out a 10'x20' area for a back patio, making repairs to the existing greenhouse, setting up the pallets and temporary greenhouses, filling smart pots and beds with soil, and creating two brand new lasagna garden beds. The only one of these projects that has been finished so far is the garden beds, and these are what I would like to talk about in this post.
Sheet Mulching / Lasagna Gardening
The soil in our yard is the typical Alaskan variety - gravely and heavy with clay. Not exactly the best stuff to dig, till, or grow in. After a little exploratory poking, I also found out that our yard is topped by a thick layer of well-rooted sod in most places, and it is a real pain to tear up. That's why I make my wife do it....... as my back can't handle it!
One day while catching up on the goings on at the Williams Street Farmhouse in Anchorage, I read about their experiences with Sheet Mulch, or Lasagna Gardening. I was intrigued. Here was a method of gardening where I wouldn't have to do any digging or tilling of the soil, activities that can be very rough on someone with the severe back and hip problems that I have. Instead, all I had to do with gather together a few common and easily obtained materials, pile them up in alternating layers in a staked out plot, add plants, water, and watch the garden grow!
The idea behind Sheet Mulch / Lasagna Gardening is fairly simple. It basically involves building a plantable compost pile directly in your garden bed. They can be built virtually anywhere, including on tarps on top of concrete if necessary! If constructed in the late summer or early fall, the bed can be left to sit over the fall and winter, and will be ready for planting the next spring. However, if you're like me and need to use the bed immediately, a top layer of compost and clean topsoil (or potting soil) can be added for planting seeds and seedlings. For bigger transplants, just dig down in to the straw layer, add some soil, and add the transplant.
Click here for a great comprehensive article discussing Lasagna Gardening from Mother Earth News. It covers everything one needs to know to get started. Below, I will discuss the method I used to create our garden beds.
What I used:
Clean cardboard and paper from our move to Alaska from Germany (we had a lot!). You don't want to use paper products that have been waxed or colored or treated with any chemicals. Make sure to remove all tape and plastic before placing in the garden! Newspaper is okay and is used by many people. This layer helps curb weed growth in the bed and also attracts worms and other bugs to your beds. This is a very important layer!
Local Timothy Hay. We bought a 700 lb roll for 50 bucks and picked up a few more rectangular 50 lb bales for 8 bucks each. Many people say don't use hay, but just as many say don't worry about it and say hay is okay (hay has seeds that may sprout and need to be plucked - but only once). Using straw for a large bed would be very cost prohibitive up here in Alaska anyway. Yard waste, such as leaves and grass clippings, can also be used here as a 'brown layer'.
Compost. Having only been in the house since March, we haven't had much time to produce any good compost on our own. I was able to use one large Rubbermaid tote full of mostly decomposed food waste and shredded paper on one bed, but had to purchase organic store bought compost for the other. We do have two other batches cooking (and more on the way), and these will be added to the beds throughout the summer.
Composted Manure. I used both store-bought steer and chicken manure, but mostly steer. This was spread thin in a few layers and mixed in with some topsoil on the top layer.
Moose Poop. There were plenty of piles under the snow in the yard - might as well put it to use! This was added in with the lower layer of compost, on top of the paper and cardboard layer.
Water. Lots of water. This will get the bed on the way and cooking.
Somehow, we fit a 700lb roll of hay in this small trailer and got it home. Osu enjoyed rolling in the hay
I will continue to update the progress of our new beds throughout the growing season. So far, as of 29 May, most of the plants that have been transplanted to the beds are doing well! I will have some new pictures of the planted beds soon........
Again, one day I will more fully describe our full plans and ideas for our yard transformation, but there is still so much to be done. With the threat of frost now gone, most plants have been transplanted to their permanent homes for the summer. We have also been in a mad rush to finish the garden and yard infrastructure. This has included installing 150 feet of fencing around the back yard, laying a foundation for an 8'x16' greenhouse, staking out a 10'x20' area for a back patio, making repairs to the existing greenhouse, setting up the pallets and temporary greenhouses, filling smart pots and beds with soil, and creating two brand new lasagna garden beds. The only one of these projects that has been finished so far is the garden beds, and these are what I would like to talk about in this post.
Sheet Mulching / Lasagna Gardening
The soil in our yard is the typical Alaskan variety - gravely and heavy with clay. Not exactly the best stuff to dig, till, or grow in. After a little exploratory poking, I also found out that our yard is topped by a thick layer of well-rooted sod in most places, and it is a real pain to tear up. That's why I make my wife do it....... as my back can't handle it!
One day while catching up on the goings on at the Williams Street Farmhouse in Anchorage, I read about their experiences with Sheet Mulch, or Lasagna Gardening. I was intrigued. Here was a method of gardening where I wouldn't have to do any digging or tilling of the soil, activities that can be very rough on someone with the severe back and hip problems that I have. Instead, all I had to do with gather together a few common and easily obtained materials, pile them up in alternating layers in a staked out plot, add plants, water, and watch the garden grow!
The idea behind Sheet Mulch / Lasagna Gardening is fairly simple. It basically involves building a plantable compost pile directly in your garden bed. They can be built virtually anywhere, including on tarps on top of concrete if necessary! If constructed in the late summer or early fall, the bed can be left to sit over the fall and winter, and will be ready for planting the next spring. However, if you're like me and need to use the bed immediately, a top layer of compost and clean topsoil (or potting soil) can be added for planting seeds and seedlings. For bigger transplants, just dig down in to the straw layer, add some soil, and add the transplant.
Click here for a great comprehensive article discussing Lasagna Gardening from Mother Earth News. It covers everything one needs to know to get started. Below, I will discuss the method I used to create our garden beds.
What I used:
Clean cardboard and paper from our move to Alaska from Germany (we had a lot!). You don't want to use paper products that have been waxed or colored or treated with any chemicals. Make sure to remove all tape and plastic before placing in the garden! Newspaper is okay and is used by many people. This layer helps curb weed growth in the bed and also attracts worms and other bugs to your beds. This is a very important layer!
Local Timothy Hay. We bought a 700 lb roll for 50 bucks and picked up a few more rectangular 50 lb bales for 8 bucks each. Many people say don't use hay, but just as many say don't worry about it and say hay is okay (hay has seeds that may sprout and need to be plucked - but only once). Using straw for a large bed would be very cost prohibitive up here in Alaska anyway. Yard waste, such as leaves and grass clippings, can also be used here as a 'brown layer'.
Compost. Having only been in the house since March, we haven't had much time to produce any good compost on our own. I was able to use one large Rubbermaid tote full of mostly decomposed food waste and shredded paper on one bed, but had to purchase organic store bought compost for the other. We do have two other batches cooking (and more on the way), and these will be added to the beds throughout the summer.
Composted Manure. I used both store-bought steer and chicken manure, but mostly steer. This was spread thin in a few layers and mixed in with some topsoil on the top layer.
Moose Poop. There were plenty of piles under the snow in the yard - might as well put it to use! This was added in with the lower layer of compost, on top of the paper and cardboard layer.
Water. Lots of water. This will get the bed on the way and cooking.
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| late season (mid-May) snow storm. Lost a few plants in the temporary greenhouses during this. |
Somehow, we fit a 700lb roll of hay in this small trailer and got it home. Osu enjoyed rolling in the hay
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| The first layer - paper and cardboard put down directly on the damp grass/sod. This is held down by a thin layer of organic compost. Eventually, the bed will break down (compost) and incorporate the underlying sod and soil into the bed. No digging or tilling needed! I staked my beds out to be 4'x4' with 2' wide paths between each bed, incorporating some of the principles of the Square Foot Gardening method of garden layout. After this layer was put down, it was watered to ensure the paper and cardboard were saturated and stayed put. |
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| Organic Compost used in the lasagna garden beds |
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| Full View of the staked out squash garden beds. The bed has a dimension of 22' x 10', containing 8 4' x 4' beds. |
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| The near bed (16' x 10') will be used for kale, chard, and cabbage. The far bed will be used for three varieties of squash, along with broccoli and cauliflower. The near bed is about halfway done while the far bed has just had the last of the paper and thin layer of compost added. |
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| Application of paper, cardboard and a thin layer of compost is finished |
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| A 16' x 8' greenhouse will be built behind this bed. |
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| both beds are nearing completion. This was the last layer added before the weather turned back to winter for a few days! After that snow melted, another layer of dirt/compost was added, a bit more hay/leaves, and more dirt/compost to top the beds off. Plants were directly planted to the beds three days later (after threat of frost had passed). |
Friday, May 10, 2013
The Snow is Gone: Yard Transformation in Progress
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| Most of these were started in early and mid April. They need to be transplanted soon or run the risk of becoming root bound. We also need the ground to thaw out a bit more so we can dig the new garden beds for the squash and other cool-weather veggies. |
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| All plant starts were moved outside in late April to take advantage of the natural light and lengthening days. Yes, they are in a greenhouse inside of a greenhouse. The pop-up greenhouse has a small fan heater with a thermostat set at 45 degrees. This system kept everything safe and sound through two large spring snowstorms and temperatures down to 20F. |
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| One of the shelving units for the plant starts. Some are doing quite well while others are getting a bit big for their britches. |
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| So far, a 9x9 area has been set up on pallets for the portable pop-up greenhouses we brought over with us from Germany. One of the large ones is brand new and in good condition. The other large one is in poor condition, and this likely will be it's last season. The little guy is on his last season also. These things are nice, but they sure don't last long (2-3 years max). Eventually, we will have either a large raised garden bed or a small greenhouse here. Currently, the only plants in the greenhouses are some potato starts that have just come up. The boxes wrapped in plastic are our sweet potato boxes. They are both filled with hay and each contain a 100 gallon smart pot filled with soil. Sweet Potatoes aren't an easy crop to grow in Alaska as soil warmth is very important. There are many different methods that people have tried with varying results, and this will be our attempt this year. |
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| Potatoes in a Smart Pot |
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| Hay lines the greenhouse floors for added insulation |
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| Location of the soon-to-be-built 8'x16' greenhouse. A garden plot for veggies such as kale, chard, broccoli, and cauliflower will sit in front of the greenhouse. The ground still needs to thaw out a bit more before we can proceed here. |
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| The main greenhouse will contain all tomatoes, peppers, and bush beans. The plot in the foreground? We still need to see what pops up. There are rumors of a rhubarb and asparagus bed, along with wild strawberries and raspberries. We shall see! The pile of rocks were picked from the dirt that was brought up when our well went kaput a few weeks ago (now fixed and running great). The pallet box near the greenhouse will be used for garden compost. The dirt in front of the spruce came from the raised beds in the greenhouse. This dirt will be used as filler in beds and pots as it is clean. |
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| Siena and Névé explore the yard and enjoy the sunny Spring day |
New Beginnings: Grow Food, Not Lawns
The future home of our food. I will have a more detailed description of our gardening effort for this year soon. Currently, we are scrambling to get things set up and built for the season. It has only been a week since most of the snow has melted and we have been able to see our lawn for the first time. It seems as if finally, spring has sprung in the far north, but lows are still a bit too close to freezing to comfortably put anything delicate outside yet. Here is a view of the yard only one short month ago on 09 April 2013:
I did take some new pictures today showing the current progress of things. I hope to have those posted soon. I may work on those while I wait for a delivery of lumber for an 8'x16' greenhouse I'm going to build, the plans for which you can see HERE. I still need the ground to thaw out a bit before I can dig holes for the footers and a bed for the gravel, however! Hopefully warmer temperatures are in the forecast, but I see that the NWS is calling for possible snow next week....
Welcome to gardening in Alaska!
Sunday, September 9, 2012
Bath Time!
Bath Time! a video by Nathan A on Flickr.
Both Siena and Névé have come to love post-dinner bath time. Here they are having a little fun in the tub.
Sunday, September 2, 2012
Siena almost Crawls
Siena almost Crawls a video by Nathan A on Flickr.
As some may have seen on Facebook, Siena has gotten very close to crawling the last three days. She was all over the place in the living room this morning. Thankfully, Dawn just finished rearranging things to make the room more friendly for baby explorers. Now, to see how long until Névé follows after her little sister in the crawling department. Usually, it doesn't take her long at all. The next few days should be interesting!
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