Whose Idea Was This Anyway?

In preparation for a (hopefully) final spring frost we built hoop houses over the raised beds today at Wolfscratch; where tender lettuces are planted, and arugula and spinach are just beginning to sprout. It was really windy and it took us some time to wrangle the large pieces of plastic into place.  We tried a couple different methods of securing the plastic—we didn’t want to use stakes which would mean punching holes in the lightweight plastic and risk tearing. The first idea was to roll the extra plastic along the sides of the beds around bamboo, which was then to be secured with u-shaped garden stakes. Unfortunately, the first piece of plastic didn’t really have much extra, so we wound up using large pieces of cut wood. This worked well, and we managed to get a few beds done before deciding to give the bamboo another try.

Between the three of us we were able to get a pretty tight roll around the bamboo, but unfortunately the ground was soggy from all the rain and the stakes couldn’t get a strong hold.  We needed bigger stakes, which, luckily, Jamie happened to have on hand.  Then came the idea to use old hose in place of the bamboo as it is smaller and can be more easily staked.  A good idea in theory.  We got two beds done before we realized that the hose was a little too flexible and made getting a tight roll impossible.  These were the only ones to come undone during a good gust of wind.  By this time we were tired of doing and redoing, so we supported the hose with the wood we were using in the beginning.  Oh well, trial and error right?

A Tiny Urban Farm in Downtown Atlanta

I’ve put in a couple days a week at the Wolfscratch/Blackwell farms since beginning March 5th. It’s been a lot of fun and a lot of hard work, not that I mind.  Thus far I’ve helped build deer fencing, learned to move the electric moveable fences for the goats, mucked the goats’ stall, turned the field with a shovel, and planted fruits and vegetables, among other things. Everything I’m learning on the farm I apply to my own tiny urban homestead—when we fertilize the vegetables there, I fertilize here.  After pruning blueberry bushes there, I came home and applied the same techniques to my blueberries.

Goats at Wolfscratch Farm

Last week we dug up an overgrown strawberry patch at Blackwell Farm, and I was lucky to come home with several plants.  Mr. Man and I amended the soil and carefully mounded the dirt around our new transplants.  Hopefully, come June we will see results in the shape of sweet, red strawberries.  We grow mostly in our backyard, where unfortunately there is no one location that gets a whole day of full sun, but we plant anyway.  While we don’t get the yield we would were we lucky enough to have full sun, we do get a decent crop. The trick has been in learning what grows best in the area we have.  This year we’ve planted lettuces (always a safe bet), lots of herbs, a variety of peppers, and eggplant.  The onions, planted last fall, are doing well. And the border of lavendar has managed to not only survive in our clay soil, but is budding and soon we should be rewarded with beautiful purple flowers.

Expanded beds (additional 32 sq. ft.)

We have decided to dedicate more space in the front yard, which gets full sun between 10am and 5pm., to vegetables.  Originally thinking this would be unsightly, we will work to keep and incorporate our existing perennials and roses among the vegetables—creating a true cottage garden.  Foundation work and planning has to be done this year—removing some foundation shrubs and moving a few roses.  This means we’ll probably only put tomatoes out front for now, but next year we are hoping to include carrots, beets and whatever else we can squeese in. We’ll have to be patient for now.  Of course, this will be helped by the harvest I’ll be bringing home from Wolfscratch/Blackwell Farms.


Shrubs to be removed



The pride of the spring garden

I’m on the lookout for three hens to add to our little flock, which will bring us up to six (having lost Buffy during the winter). More on that later.