This season has been so outstanding. We have grown zucchini for the first time…..I know, I know….zucchini is the easiest thing to grow, yet somehow it has eluded us until this year. This season, we actually have sun and space and the plants have thrived! This means zucchini bread, ratatouille, soup….and lots of shredded zucchini […]
Category Archives: urban plot
19
Sep
Sep
following the instructions from Eliot Coleman’s The New Organic Grower, we have built a compost bin out of straw bales. this method is beneficial because the straw bales contain the heat needed for the materials to break down, while also allowing air flow. we have set up two bins side by side, but the first […]
14
Sep
Sep
we grew watermelons this year! looks like we might get 3 or so. the first one we picked a bit too early and it wasn’t quite ripe…plan to keep the remaining ones on the vine longer in hopes that they are actually ripe when we pick them. below is a pick of the watermelon (you […]
13
Sep
Sep
2 1/2 weeks after planting, the alfalfa is growing. so excited that it has survived. though our soil samples indicated the soil was okay, the looks of it and the smell and all the rocks had us doubting whether anything could thrive here…apparently, our fears were unfounded. the alfalfa will add nitrogen to the soil, […]
26
Aug
Aug
Tonight we planted alfalfa. This is a cover crop that has the following benefits: nitrogen fixer puts down a long tap root and helps break up the soil can be mowed and put in the compost for on-farm organic matter protects soil through the winter; diminishes weed production We used a Jang Seeder purchased at […]
This post is dedicated to what we have done to date to prepare the land we hope to farm next spring…we highly encourage you to do your own research, but this is a quick and dirty walk through. What to do first do an honest assessment of whether farming is really what you want to […]
29
Jul
Jul
There is life at the plot:) the raised beds we set up earlier this year have started to support growth and plants are starting to flourish, despite a very shaky start. Looks like we may get some squash and zucchini at the very least. There is also a watermelon, though it got a bit of […]
above is a video of the tool we are using to dig up all the rocks! the first video is the initial run through with the tractor. the second video is the second pass. still some rocks, but most of the big ones are out and the dirt is smooth….like butter!
27
Jul
Jul
this farming thing ain’t for sissies…..we got caught in the rain over the weekend and then worked on our “farmer’s tan” the following day as we toiled in the dirt under the hot sun to prep the soil for planting a cover crop. lots of rocks in this urban plot, which used to house a […]
12
Jul
Jul
Yesterday, we awoke at 4 am to drive to Earth Tools in Kentucky and pick up a Grillo Tractor (similar to a BCS 2-wheeled tractor) with Berta Rotary Plow attachment….yes, we might be crazy….big kudos to spinkbickle for tirelessly researching the internet, blogs and calling Joel – the man behind Earth Tools and the true […]