Seed Starting Experiment

I had originally intended to start my seeds in egg cartons with potting soil. But, I did not think that it was worth my time. So, I bought four trays of peat pellets. This is my first time to start any seeds and I am truly on a learning curve here. You can click the photo to enlarge it.

Some things you need to know about my starts:
- The four long trays are peat pellets. They look like little discs when you buy them, but when you add warm water they grow into plump little planters. I think a tray of 72 pellets was about $6.
- The two middle trays are 3 weeks old, the outer two trays are 2 weeks old.
- I planted too many of everything... because I do not yet know the success rate of this method of planting.
- The three week old seedlings are nearing the time to be "hardened." That is the process of slowly acclimating the little guys to the outdoor world. This process will be done in a few weeks and will be ready to be transplanted into the warm, frost-free garden
- Plants are ready to be transplanted when they have between 4 and 8 real leaves (as opposed to the two cute seed leaves they begin with)
- The littlest planter at the top was a cheap $3 item from the local superstore. It has soil instead of just peat.

So far it looks like things are going according to the plan, but I will NOT consider it a failure if I end up having to buy starts from the local farm store in a few weeks. Every time you try and the results are not as you planned it is a learning experience. I learn best by doing... and sometimes by "failing."


The crops I am growing:
Bottom tray - Roma Tomatoes, Green Bell Peppers, Pepperoncini Peppers, and Jalapeno Peppers
Second tray up - Sweet 100 Cherry Tomatoes and Rutgers Tomatoes (this tray might produce 72 tomato plants! Some to give away if all goes well.)
Third tray up - 6 Eggplant, 3 spearmint, 9 asters (flowers), 12 cucumbers, 12 zucchini, 12 watermelon, 12 cantaloupe, 6 pie pumpkin (It was probably too early to start the pumpkin... we will be the only people around with pumpkins harvesting in July :0)
Top long tray - Marglobe tomatoes, 6 Lemon balm (herb), 12 basil (herb), 24 Nasturtium (flower - bought and planted by Nelson!), and 12 more aster  
Little tray on top - Marigolds that did not come up and watermelon (planted by Rebecca)

I just love growing things!!!

Garden Update

We planted our snow peas around a happy little teepee. Our first ever attempt at a teepee. (The pictures do not show the twine that will be supporting the vines.)

It is supposed to freeze Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. So I am super glad that we have not gotten too many plants in the ground!

Click any picture to enlarge it.

Daydreaming about Goats Again

(Re-posted Sept 29, 2015, because I can't remember why I made it into a draft)

Y'all know that I want my own dairy and meat animals... for a few years now.

Yesterday I checked out Storey's Guide to Raising Meat Goats (again). And, I read something in that volume which made my day. I can cross meat and dairy breeds! So, I can get the Nubian doe I have always wanted for milk and cheese with a Boer buck for meat. The doe will give milk and we will eat the meaty kid.
I am super excited. But, I need to pace myself. Silly me - we don't even have the chicken coop built yet.

This new information about goat crossing will just have to ruminate in my mind a little longer... pun intended.
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Updated the same day:
It appears that Paul and I are at odds on this ; )

He seems to think that our children who watched too many Disney movies in the past will not be capable of eating our own goat meat. But, he thinks we could sell the kids (ahem, I meant the goat kids).

Folks, This Ain't Normal - Book Review

credit- polyfacefarms.com

I have been hearing good things about author/speaker Joel Salatin for years. I have heard so many things about him, in fact, that there was little chance that his book(s) could actually live up to my expectations. I was wrong. Joel Salatin’s book, Folks, This Ain’t Normal, is one of the best books I have ever read. I love the writing style. I love his message.

Salatin is a God-fearing, Bible-believing, Creation-believing farmer at Polyface Farms, in Virginia. (Though he is a Christian, I would not classify this book as Christian genre, so much as agriculture.) He grows “salad bar beef” (meaning they eat only grass, never grains) and other naturally grown animals and vegetables. This particular book by Salatin is designated to pointing out how abnormal our current American culture has become. He pulls in many quotes from our forefathers, the founders of our country, and suggests that they would “roll over in their graves” to see the condition of our food system. However, this book is not all about politics. I would say that less than one third is politically charged.

The first chapter(s) of the book caught my attention immediately by pointing out the abnormal family structure that most Americans have today. Families rarely eat together… and when they do it is typically fast food or from some other restaurant. Children are allowed to be somewhat useless all the way through adolescence. Adult men are playing video games way too many hours a week, instead of working with their hands (or working at all?). And so on. These points were all very sad to me. I like his theory that giving young people a reason to stay at home (working for their food) would be a positive solution to many of the problems that contemporary families face.

The next part of the book contained many specific explanations that I found fascinating. While reading this book I felt completely uneducated. How did I graduate from high school and go on to get a BA when I know so little about common, “normal,” everyday  life?! I admit that I was never very good at science, but I am seeing more that perhaps that is because of the way I was taught science.

For example, when Paul and I moved to MO and rented a farm house (located inside 250 lovely acres) our nearest neighbors were cats and Hereford cows. My children have learned more about science/nature by observing these animals than I did in years of public school science classes. Before marrying into a farming family, I never knew the difference between hay and straw, or a stallion and a gelding, etc. Salatin says that, historically speaking, “this ain’t normal.”

The remainder of the book gives story after story of what the American food system is today. (Not what we think it is, or what is supposed to be, but what it is.) To say “I was appalled” is a gross understatement! I have read enough blogs to hear of some of the struggles that small farmers face. But, I had little idea how bad things really are. Yes, I have seen Food Inc (and reviewed it), but I still did not know the depth of the chaos!

The last few chapters build with intensity as we read and learn about how the government does not even believe that Americans have the right to choose their own food. Seriously. I will not post quotes without permission of the author, so you will just have to go to the library and get this book!

From the abnormality of the post-industrial-revolution family to the patenting of new life forms (genetically modified grains) to our government’s beauracratic involvement in my food choices – I agree with Salatin, “Folks, This Ain’t Normal!”

This book is a must-read for all people with a brain. A must-read for all homeschool families. A must-read for anyone who cares about their health. A must-read for anyone who thinks that a USDA label on eggs makes them safe. Go. Read the book.