Isabelle Gendron

Thank you Tristan,

I think I needed that little tap in the back. Same thing here with the seedlings in the garden. Have hard times getting them to sprout. Ask me the last time I ate a normal size carrots?

Talking about burdock, I harvested some this morning and we will try it tonight in a saute. Hope it will do the job, at least, it would serve a purpose

I will bring more straw. I have a lot,. I am always nervous to see if the tiny carrots, or aneth seedling will be able to go trough. Here I have no problem having things to grow (except in the garden, on the contrary, it is a problem controling what is growig naturally (grass etc. But at least, all the wild flowers and trees are great for the hives.

Well, I will give it a try another couple of years.

Thanks for you kind words

Isabelle

it is 4 years now (fifth season) that I work my garden Emilia Hazelip way, that I grow food forest and tryyyyy to have a cover plant to grow out the weeds.

First in the garden: Here it is mainly impossible to get straw without seeds. So every year I struggle with grass in the garden. Then I tyed wool... don't like it at all, I shop and drop green grass and plant before seeds . This is this year so we wil se how it goes. But without returning the soil, it was supposed to grow less and less weeds. Well can't say it is working cause now, I have burdock growing in the garden that was probably under the garden years ago and now wants to come out.

Then the food forest. I put tarp on the ground, cardboard, then compost and mulch, but after a cople of months (and the season is short) grass and plants are coming back like if I did nothing. SO the minut I cut or mow a place, the enxt thing that grow is rasberries (wild) it is hawfull. I sowed vetch and clover but can't seems to have time to grow or are overwelmed by the natives.

Now I was woundering. What if I plant trees, shrubs and let nature do the rest? My forest section here is very nice. I think I will try to mimic this. And I will definitly plant trees closer than what they say....I have to say though that trees and,shrubs are doing good.

For the garden, last year. If I can't have a decent crop, I will rototilt next year and start a ¨regular¨garden. Unless you have a idea? I am out of imagination now

Thanks

Isabelle

If you got pure chicken manure with nothing added in, it takes up to 3 years to decompose completly. Like other said, plnat some plant that need a lot of potassium like corn squashes...

But here for the last two years my chicken are on deep litter during winter. I put peatmoss, straw and leafs in fall. Then during winter I give them all my chicken scraps. they eat want they like and scratch the rest. Once a week I return and mix the straw under the rooster so the manure doesn't accumulate and so it doesn't smell. In spring, since everything has been mix and the ratio manure and the rest is low, I put everything directly in thegarden with no problem. It decomposes in place. Since I have more than I need, I pile the rest of the litter, cover and deal with it like if I had started my compost pile from start Geoff Lawton's way. Everything is in it but already mix and started decomposting. Doing the 4-2-2-2-2- method, I end up having compost that I use around trees and new beds.

Isabelle

Yes I do keep them. I tryed jelly and this year if I have time, I will try wine. I have a lot of native, wild trees and herbs since we have 35 hectares. So enough to try things and to let live

Isabelle

You are absolutly right Cris. Unfortunatly (or fortunatly I don't know ) for cherry I have only the the wild ones. in french we call them ¨cerises à grappes¨ the small tanic cherries. SO I am working in findings new ones.

isabelle

Good morning all,

Here, again, I started almost all my apple trees in seeds. Some will be good to eat, others, for transfomration and others for the animals. I bought 4 apple trees and they all have hard times but the one I strated seems to less problems... As for current bushes this is amazing how easy it is to multiplicate. I just cut branches and plant them in the row of my garden. The year after, after winter, if they buds I trasplant them. And to be honest, I think I throw away only one tree... This method was a success with: black and red currents, juneberries, pimbina and hawthorn. I did cuttings from apple trees, plums, cherries and pears. Will see what happen with them during summer, but doesn,T seems to be has good. I also started honey locust and pseudo accacia in the garden. Nothing yet. I didn't stratify and I am starting to think I should have. ... Going to read your article. Thank you

Isabelle

Good morning all,

Gardening is starting fast here this year. After the coldest winter ever summer is here faster than before. ONe day I was wearing my winter jacket and the day after, it was 26 outside.

Seedlings are going great but still waiting to put them in the bed. still a lot of rsk for freezing temp.

This is my garden for this year. Growing constantly. over 200 garlic plants. perennial herbs are out and growing. I notice after 3 years of bed culture that the weeds are changing. Dandelions ar still present but aren't strong. I can pull them out without digging and the entire roots is coming out. But a new one appear this year in good quantity..shepherd's purse. So I have to look for the significations. But the compost adding helped a lot. I started a compost pile Lawton's way but using my deep litter in the coop that started composting and that already contain manure, kitchen scraps peat moss and straw... I did a pile and added other kitchen scraps but I think I may miss some ¨green¨material. I will see that saturday when I turn it and see the temperature.


Oups!! No pix are showing. let me try something else...

Here's my garden.

Thnak you Dave,

Actually, I already use the deep litter method here on the coop for winter time. I have to clean it now (I know I am late) and I normaly put it in the garden even if it's not entirely decompose. But looking at the video, it seems that there is a way of doing a good compost and I am not sure mine is going up enough in temp . SI I was woundering if it would be a good idea to let it sit for 14 days before using it. But maybe not finally.

I will look for that wheel. Thanks.

Isabelle

Good day,

I watched the film this morning and I have a question regarding the instant garden. The year after, Do I return the aisle to do a bed? Or do I just add compost?

Also, you know what he uses to cut the grass with the big wheel? Could somebody give me the name of this? Is it still possible to find something like that here?

And last question regarding the compost making. Can I use my table scrap that was already composting and add it in the pile? I guess so, but just to be sure.

Thank you.

Isabelle

Awsome, awsome, awsome... WOW!!! Great projetc. Will follow you now. Hope I can go as fast as you, but think I miss the confidence.
Great work Marianne

isabelle