A novice's attempt to get 15 percent of his food from his suburban fifth acre
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 30th, 2010
At 10 weeks old our chickens are very chicken-y. Which I guess is what you hope for with chickens. They have become foot-tall, four-pound birds with vibrant colors and sleek feathers. Yet, despite their appearance, they still have some growing into themselves to do. They all have lingering tufts of fuzz here and there that [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 25th, 2010
Despite the array of barriers I have defensively erected around my young warm-season crop, my experiences from a year ago have left me in an distrusting frame of mind that has eroded my relationship with the animals with whom we share this property. There’s not a lot of love there. Even though we had a [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 20th, 2010
To combat several pests this season, I have put a load of plastic bottles to reuse before I recycle. With their caps and labels removed, their insides washed free of lingering beverage, and their bottoms sliced clean off, I employed the menagerie of bottles I collected as a fairly effective shield. I’m not sure where [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 15th, 2010
In the past few days I have noticed some nibbling in disparate parts of my yard that suggests grasshoppers. The complete consumption of leaves here and there in a particular area and the fact that I can’t find the culprit on the hit plants also point toward this pest among others. Caterpillars I tend to [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 12th, 2010
Last season I made an in-expert attempt at fencing. The barriers I erected were created in desperation in the midst of losing my entire warm-season crop — for the second or third time — and were hastily, poorly constructed contraptions. They failed to keep the ground squirrels, rabbits, voles, skunks, and opossums out. We lost [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 8th, 2010
I had nothing to do with the most brilliantly green, healthy, sturdy potatoes growing in my yard. These half dozen tall shoots found their own way, and have been managed expertly by a decomposing pile of food and yard waste. I feel slighted, but thankful. By comparison, the potato plants for which I chose locations, [...]
Posted in Uncategorized on Apr 1st, 2010
We’ve got rain today, which is good for everything but out-in-the-yard farming. Having no opportunity to prep the few areas that still need prepping frees up a moment to think back on the last four — and eight — months that my wife and I have been trying the things we’ve been trying. Good eats, [...]