A baby ladybug!
So young it doesn't even have its spots yet. We love ladybugs and are going to build a ladybug house for our garden. Hopefully, this little one is just the beginning.
12 years ago
5.31.2008
Fried Catfish, Jell-O Molds and a Sunset
There was a big par-tay at the farm on Saturday and all plot-owners and plot-owners' families were invited. Attendance was roughly 150!
A local catfish restaurant supplied the fried fish, chicken, beans, coleslaw and hush puppies while dessert was potluck.
Here's the thing. Despite the fact that I was born in Arkansas, have a very strong southern accent when I drink and have been known to belt out the lyrics to country music songs, I have never in my life been more southern than I was at this party.
For dessert, I brought a Jell-O mold.
In my defense, it wasn't really a mold. It was just a cake pan. But it was Jell-O. With fruit in it. And, if you took a poll of the people in attendance, they would say it was actually a "salad" and not a "dessert."
On account of the fruit, of course.
But it was good. And I don't even like Jell-O.
And farmers sure know how to party. I think we were the only people there who did not bring a cooler full of beer, wine, liquor or a mixture of the three. And that was only because we don't have a cooler.
I lamented with the man next to me about weeds - crab grass in particular. I saw some enormous hats on the more genteel-looking women. A man behind me had a corncob pipe. We talked about the bandits who had attacked some plots earlier in the week (a jar of twist ties, a watering can and our citronella candle were among the missing.)
Needless to say, Adam and I were the youngest people there by half (not counting the kids of some of the plot owners) but we had a good time.
We took a quick walking tour of the farm after the party. It is interesting to see the trends that take hold in certain sections. One section of the farm is all about black plastic as a weed deterrent. In that same section, farmers use a substance called Sevin heavily on all of their plants.
In another section, plot-owners have doubled-up on the fencing in order to make it extra high. This section is closest to the surrounding forest and, according to rumors, has a higher deer population.
And, I'm proud to say that in our section several plot-owners have used bamboo poles intermittently throughout their fence to add strength. (And, as it turns out, a roosting point for red-wing black birds.)
After the party and farm tour, we were reluctant to go back to our un-air-conditioned apartment so we went to nearby Pinnacle Mountain instead.
And got there just in time to see the sun setting over Lake Maumelle and the Ouachita Mountains.
A local catfish restaurant supplied the fried fish, chicken, beans, coleslaw and hush puppies while dessert was potluck.Here's the thing. Despite the fact that I was born in Arkansas, have a very strong southern accent when I drink and have been known to belt out the lyrics to country music songs, I have never in my life been more southern than I was at this party.
For dessert, I brought a Jell-O mold.
In my defense, it wasn't really a mold. It was just a cake pan. But it was Jell-O. With fruit in it. And, if you took a poll of the people in attendance, they would say it was actually a "salad" and not a "dessert."
On account of the fruit, of course.
But it was good. And I don't even like Jell-O.
And farmers sure know how to party. I think we were the only people there who did not bring a cooler full of beer, wine, liquor or a mixture of the three. And that was only because we don't have a cooler.
I lamented with the man next to me about weeds - crab grass in particular. I saw some enormous hats on the more genteel-looking women. A man behind me had a corncob pipe. We talked about the bandits who had attacked some plots earlier in the week (a jar of twist ties, a watering can and our citronella candle were among the missing.)
Needless to say, Adam and I were the youngest people there by half (not counting the kids of some of the plot owners) but we had a good time.
We took a quick walking tour of the farm after the party. It is interesting to see the trends that take hold in certain sections. One section of the farm is all about black plastic as a weed deterrent. In that same section, farmers use a substance called Sevin heavily on all of their plants.
In another section, plot-owners have doubled-up on the fencing in order to make it extra high. This section is closest to the surrounding forest and, according to rumors, has a higher deer population.
And, I'm proud to say that in our section several plot-owners have used bamboo poles intermittently throughout their fence to add strength. (And, as it turns out, a roosting point for red-wing black birds.)
After the party and farm tour, we were reluctant to go back to our un-air-conditioned apartment so we went to nearby Pinnacle Mountain instead.
And got there just in time to see the sun setting over Lake Maumelle and the Ouachita Mountains.
5.29.2008
Roots
Things have slowed down a bit at the garden after all of the spring plantings. We are in that in-between time after the planting but before the harvesting.
So, we're spending a great deal of time weeding, watering and waiting.
Seems like a good time to back up a bit and tell you more about ourselves. I rummaged around and found some old pictures to help tell our story. I'm still missing some but will add them as soon as I find them!
You might want to take a few moments to let everything load. Go get a cold beer or something.
So, we're spending a great deal of time weeding, watering and waiting.
Seems like a good time to back up a bit and tell you more about ourselves. I rummaged around and found some old pictures to help tell our story. I'm still missing some but will add them as soon as I find them!
You might want to take a few moments to let everything load. Go get a cold beer or something.
Erin was born and raised in Little Rock.
Adam was born and raised in Auburn, New York.
They met at Southampton College in NY where they both majored in Environmental Science.
Erin and Adam started dating and did an internship at an organic farm in North Carolina.
During college, they traveled to Costa Rica
and Brazil
and Australia
and the Solomon Islands
and New Zealand.
After graduation, Erin moved to upstate New York to live and work.
She got a cat named Moo Shu.
While Adam moved to Mississippi to work at a State Park.
Another year passed and Adam and Erin moved to Portland.
They loved the Pacific Northwest.
They got another cat and named her Junebug.
Adam and Erin had a garden in Portland too.
Eventually, after 6 years of dating, Adam asked Erin to marry him.
On a cliff.
She said yes.
After three years in Portland Adam, Erin, Moo Shu and Junebug moved to Little Rock.
And got married.
(on a cliff)
Adam was born and raised in Auburn, New York.
They met at Southampton College in NY where they both majored in Environmental Science.
Erin and Adam started dating and did an internship at an organic farm in North Carolina.
During college, they traveled to Costa Rica
and Brazil
and Australia
and the Solomon Islands
and New Zealand.
After graduation, Erin moved to upstate New York to live and work.
She got a cat named Moo Shu.
While Adam moved to Mississippi to work at a State Park.
Another year passed and Adam and Erin moved to Portland.
They loved the Pacific Northwest.
They got another cat and named her Junebug.
Adam and Erin had a garden in Portland too.
Eventually, after 6 years of dating, Adam asked Erin to marry him.
On a cliff.
She said yes.
After three years in Portland Adam, Erin, Moo Shu and Junebug moved to Little Rock.
And got married.
(on a cliff)
And honeymooned in St Lucia.
(also on a cliff)
(also on a cliff)
Once settled in Little Rock, Erin bought Adam a garden plot for Christmas.
And they started a blog.
And they lived happily ever after.
And they lived happily ever after.
5.28.2008
Everybody's mulching for the weekend
Adam and I went in search of mulch last week. Apparently, when "weekend farmers" such as ourselves decide to take the weekend off, the weeds come out of hibernation and create a ruckus in the garden.
Since neither one of us likes to weed, and Round-Up is just not an option, we knew we needed to get some mulch down soon to prevent this from becoming a weekly problem.
However, we are cheap. After several years of living paycheck to paycheck we still cringe at the thought of spending money on something we can get for free. So, we went around our neighborhood looking for bagged leaves.
Through FreeCycle, we heard about a guy who had some yard waste on his curb. But it seemed his yard waste included waste-waste as well, judging by the amount of flies in the vicinity.
We were about to call off the search when we saw two (two!) houses with several beautiful black bags out front. We hesitantly stopped at the first one, peeked in one of the bags, and were delighted to find leaves.
Magnolia leaves.
Quite possibly the prettiest leaf around, if this southern girl has anything to say about it.
We filled our car to the brim and made our way to the farm.
Somewhere between the roach crawling across my arm and the realization that we literally could not see the forest for all the leaf bags, we discovered the importance of owning a truck.
Not right now of course.
But some time. The future farm of our dreams includes a future non-gas-guzzling truck. And, while I'm populating our dream with specific items, I'd like to include a dog.
Several dogs actually.
And I want one of them to be tall enough that, when he is standing next to me, I can rub his ear without bending over.
Since neither one of us likes to weed, and Round-Up is just not an option, we knew we needed to get some mulch down soon to prevent this from becoming a weekly problem.
However, we are cheap. After several years of living paycheck to paycheck we still cringe at the thought of spending money on something we can get for free. So, we went around our neighborhood looking for bagged leaves.
Through FreeCycle, we heard about a guy who had some yard waste on his curb. But it seemed his yard waste included waste-waste as well, judging by the amount of flies in the vicinity.
We were about to call off the search when we saw two (two!) houses with several beautiful black bags out front. We hesitantly stopped at the first one, peeked in one of the bags, and were delighted to find leaves.
Magnolia leaves.
Quite possibly the prettiest leaf around, if this southern girl has anything to say about it.
We filled our car to the brim and made our way to the farm.
Somewhere between the roach crawling across my arm and the realization that we literally could not see the forest for all the leaf bags, we discovered the importance of owning a truck.
Not right now of course.
But some time. The future farm of our dreams includes a future non-gas-guzzling truck. And, while I'm populating our dream with specific items, I'd like to include a dog.
Several dogs actually.
And I want one of them to be tall enough that, when he is standing next to me, I can rub his ear without bending over.
5.26.2008
Lunch Break Gardening
Over that last few weeks I have been speeding out to the garden during my lunch break everyday. I usually get about 30-45 minutes of time to poke around in the garden in my office clothes. While I sit at work I usually find myself thinking about the garden: weather, water, soil, creatures and all the gray, white and brown of the garden turning green. This is an example of what I did during my lunch in the garden the week before last:
Monday:
-Planted Melons
-Watered
Tuesday:
-Planted Red and Romaine Lettuce
-Fertilized Tomatoes and Peppers (I fertilize every two weeks)
-Watered (I water whenever I plant seeds, sprouts, seedlings or established plants)Wednesday:
-Planted Black Beans and Swiss Chard
-Mulching with Dead Leaves (Ongoing process as we continue to collect them off our neighbors curbs)
-Watered
Thursday:
-Fertilized Sunflowers
-Spotty Weeding (I usually focus on the weeds that are closest to my young plants that would compete the most for resources)
Friday:
-Planted Carrots (I plan on planting a line of carrots and radishes every two weeks to provide a continuous harvest)
-Watered
Black Beans that look like ancient reptilian aliens emerging from the earth!
Powerful little lettuce seedlings breaking through the very crusty soil.This is an example of what I did during my lunch in the garden last week:
Monday:
-Planted Chives, Dill, and Green Onions between pre-existing plants throughout the garden.
(I plan on peppering the garden with these to ward off pests, attract beneficial and fill empty spaces with deliciousness)
-Watered Seedlings
Tuesday:
-Put up Trellis for row of Purple Pole Beans made from flattened tomato cages, electrical ties and 4' wooden stakes (We are using corn and sunflowers as a natural trellis and bamboo tripods for all of the other beans)
-Watered Seedlings
Wednesday:
-Photographed the garden
-Spotty Weeding
Thursday:
-Removed Aphids from Asparagus Beans by hand. You can use a jet of water to knock these little guys off your plants or you can run your finger tips along the stems and leaves to remove/squish these little squashy guys. Ants had placed them on the plants and were "farming" them for their honeydew. Check this out!
These little Fire Ant tended cuties have been deforming the new growth of my Asparagus Beans and have to go.
-Removed beetles from my Kentucky Wonder Beans that had been turning these plants into Swiss cheese.
Friday:
-I surveyed the damage and looked for any remaining or replaced Aphids but there were very few and the beetles may be a continuing problem.
-Planted Dill and Cilantro
-Watered Seedlings
I am fascinated by all of these creatures and I hate having to squish them but my bean plants are too young and wimpy for me to allow there first leaves to be munched and deformed. Every bean plant has been affected by beetles or aphids except for those growing amongst the Sunflowers. Hmmm...interesting. All in all I think the Asparagus Beans and Kentucky Wonder Beans, aside from being a little perforated are going to be just fine. Erin and I plan on losing at least 10% of our plants to pests so a few holes here and there is nothing to freak out about but I'm keeping my eye on you aphids.
I love these 30 minute trips, and in the future I hope that I can spend my entire work week in the garden.
5.11.2008
We have Growth!
We have potatoes...
...and radishes...
...and peppers...and a pepper blossom...
...and corn...
...and corn n' beans...
...and okra...
...and collards...
...and wildflowers and zinnias!
5.05.2008
Night Farming
Tonight we went out to the garden after work to plant garlic.
In the dark.
Luckily, planting garlic is pretty easy so we were able to complete the task without much light.
To plant the garlic, we dug a whole in the ground about 2 inches deep. We spaced the cloves about a foot apart all along the fence. We didn't even bother with fertilizer, etc.
We planted them along the fence because the smell of garlic can ward off garden raiders. Now we have more garlic planted in our garden than any other plant.
Which is a good thing, since we love it.
And if we ever fancy a vampire-hunting career we won't have much to worry about in the garlic-supply front.
Before planting, I took this photo of the sunset. If you look closely, you can see a partial outline of Pinnacle Mountain to the right.
Adam's current place of employment is relatively close to our garden plot so he likes to spend his hour-long lunches out there on some days. This afternoon, he was alone on our little 25' x 50' plot when a woman drove up and rolled down her window.
Since most community farmers seem to be very friendly and curious about other's garden plans, it isn't particularly unsusual for people to stop and chat. But this woman rolled down her window and asked, "Is this the Garden of Hope?"
Needless to say, Adam was a little dumbstruck by this question. Because, yes, to us our garden is like a garden of hope. As I've said before, this garden is a test run for our future dream farm.
So, yeah, Garden of Hope sounds about right. However, it does not serve this purpose in any official capacity so Adam was forced to admit that, no, ours isn't the Garden of Hope.
The lady continued to drive down the lane and eventually found the "official" Garden of Hope, a 4 plot site operated by a local church.
And we're okay with that. They've got the moniker and, apparently, the money.
But we've got a garlic fence.
So there.
In the dark.
Luckily, planting garlic is pretty easy so we were able to complete the task without much light.
To plant the garlic, we dug a whole in the ground about 2 inches deep. We spaced the cloves about a foot apart all along the fence. We didn't even bother with fertilizer, etc.
We planted them along the fence because the smell of garlic can ward off garden raiders. Now we have more garlic planted in our garden than any other plant.
Which is a good thing, since we love it.
And if we ever fancy a vampire-hunting career we won't have much to worry about in the garlic-supply front.
Before planting, I took this photo of the sunset. If you look closely, you can see a partial outline of Pinnacle Mountain to the right.
Adam's current place of employment is relatively close to our garden plot so he likes to spend his hour-long lunches out there on some days. This afternoon, he was alone on our little 25' x 50' plot when a woman drove up and rolled down her window.
Since most community farmers seem to be very friendly and curious about other's garden plans, it isn't particularly unsusual for people to stop and chat. But this woman rolled down her window and asked, "Is this the Garden of Hope?"
Needless to say, Adam was a little dumbstruck by this question. Because, yes, to us our garden is like a garden of hope. As I've said before, this garden is a test run for our future dream farm.
So, yeah, Garden of Hope sounds about right. However, it does not serve this purpose in any official capacity so Adam was forced to admit that, no, ours isn't the Garden of Hope.
The lady continued to drive down the lane and eventually found the "official" Garden of Hope, a 4 plot site operated by a local church.
And we're okay with that. They've got the moniker and, apparently, the money.
But we've got a garlic fence.
So there.
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