June Update

Things are picking up around here..
After planting corn yesterday I have had some time to take pictures of the perennials.
Some of them that I thought didn't make it(like some of the crab apples) actually did make it!

(2 of 7):

Here are some of the oak trees.. Both the burr and gamble oaks have returned!(2 of 6)

Many of the nanking cherries have returned as well(this is 1 of 7):

 And the very hardy siberian pea shrub is picking up steam(1 of 8):

Here is sand cherry, a tough and easy to propagate shrub with edible berries(1 of 6):

The manhurian apricots have also returned!(1 of 6):

Sumac(1 of 5):

Maximillian sunflower(1 of 5):

New Mexican privet(1 of 8):

Serviceberry(1 of 4):

Seaberry(1 of 8):

Blackberry(I thought it was history, 1 of 1):

Honey Locust seedling(1 of 1):

Comfrey(1 of many):

Wax Currant(1 of 3):

Having made it through the first winter I will be giving them more irrigation/attention and taking cuttings from established shrubs.. You may have noticed the sand cherry needs pruning, which will result in a bunch of new plants!

And on the annual front, I am doing corns, beans and squash in a three sisters style garden, along with tomatoes, cucumbers, summer squash, greens, etc..

After I am done sowing and planting for the early summer, my attention will turn towards a new earthen chicken coop, featuring my patented new cutting edge brick design, affectionately named "dino poo"(patent pending=), which are circular paddies about 6 inches in diameter. 

This design should allow easy corbelling so that I can create a small free standing vault!(the chicken version is a test for something larger=)

Seaberry springs forth first!

Well the first of the shrubs from last year's planting to leaf out has been Seaberry and Sand Cherry!

Seaberry

Sand Cherry

Here is a Seaberry in a container from last year, leafing out:

Here are some germinated Sacaton grass seedlings:

And here is a cherry tomato that did very well indoors over the winter:

Early Spring Update - 2016

The new year is underway and it will be an exciting one in the garden!

Last year I planted a number of perennials which will spring forth soon. Many of these are designed for windbreaks for future plantings..
I attempted propagation by cutting of grapes, pea shrub, sand cherry and seaberry. Of these the pea shrub did the best, followed closely by the sand cherry.

These were rooted in a chamber with perlite and room temperatures, taking 2-3 weeks.
I now have them in pots and will be planting them in early summer.

I will be planting many more perennials this year, including goji berry, alpine strawberry, comfrey, yarrow and more..

Another area of focus will in the annual garden. This year I will be doing a small 3 sisters garden.
While this is typically corn, beans and squash, I will also be using quinoa and amaranth in place of corn to some extent.
These three crops not only provide a well rounded diet, but also store for long periods thus providing food for winter.

The quinoa that I have is fairly short(@3ft), so it might be less useful as a bean stalk, but maybe it can be a step between the ground and the amaranth?

I will also have tomato and cucumber patches!

On the composting front, adding my composting worms to the pile was a great move!
They worked all winter long on my vegetable waste and I already have great vermicompost to use.
I believe the method of digging a shallow depression (2 ft deep in the center) for the pile along with THICK straw on top(12-18 inches) helped keep them warm enough to stay active.

Indoors I have been growing greens in bins with good success(and much food).

The chard did very well, as did the kale and southern collards. The lettuce eventually bolted but produced a good amount by then.
I would estimate a heavy green eater to need at least 4 bins to pick from all year long, cycling them after about 70 days..

Things are picking up and I will try to keep this blog updated!
Thanks for your interest.