Ludi's Projects 2018

I started a new thread for the project I'm doing at my dad's house  https://permies.com/t/77312/permaculture-projects/Ludi-project  but this thread is for updates on my projects at home.  My primary focus at home this year will be on Wildlife Management (for which we get agricultural tax status on our land) and not on food growing.  I will be following up on how the food is doing, however, just not planting anything new.  Food plants doing well with no care include  Canada Onion, Garlic Chive, Perennial Leek (aka Elephant Garlic), Pomegranate, Oregano, Dandelion, Red Russian Kale, Fennel, Chile Pequin, Salad Burnet.

I am glad to hear what is doing well with no care.

I am looking forward to updates.

looking good.  I just wish we had more rain up this way.  I need to set up so much irrigation to keep things as it is right now.

Finally got all the parts moved and set up for my new aquaponics location.  Still need more plants and fine tuning.  I plan to get fish (Bluegill) in the Fall or whenever the fish delivery people have a delivery near here.

Added a couple more siphons to the aquaponics tanks so the water is moving much better through the system.  

"What's alive in the Kitchen Garden" update:

3 Apple trees dead as a doornail, one Enterprise apple still alive, but not looking great.

Bearded Iris looking good for this time of year.

Garlic Chives doing fine.

Pomegranates looking good but didn't bring any fruit all the way to maturity.

A few Canna hanging in there.

Lots of interesting things in the aquaponics.  I wish I could show all the Fathead Minnows, but they are wily and hard to photograph.

I had thought I wouldn't be having a kitchen garden at home for the foreseeable future, just the aquaponics, but my dad has been doing so well, apparently stabilizing at early moderate stage Alzheimer's, that I am preparing both a flower garden and a vegetable garden in the kitchen garden next to the house.  I plan to only use a portion of the space, and plant the rest with seeds of support plants, including some trees for light shade.  I need to keep my projects modest because of the possibility of having to run off at any moment to help my dad.

The area I have completed preparing is an entirely frivolous experiment - a rose garden. I have wanted a rose garden for years and decided damn it I am going to have one now I am "retired."  

Roses are on my list also, but of the rose hip kind. Of course, no one locally sells roses that have large hips. I'm gonna have to mailorder them.

If anyone has a good variety, i would gladly pay for some ;)

One of the roses, Carefree Beauty, is supposed to bear large hips.  http://www.antiqueroseemporium.com/roses/2214/carefree-beauty

So, not entirely, frivolous, I guess.  Rose petals are edible also, but not very substantial.

Sweet. Is this a february thing? Planting in tx...

Any time during the cool season, I think.  I'll be planting in December.  I didn't think I would be able to prepare the bed so quickly, so I asked for my order to be sent then.

Mostly just labels right now, but here are the new Rose and Herb beds.  Rose bed has four transplanted volunteer Tomatoes.  Herbs planted so far - Sage, Rosemary, Garlic Chives, Thyme, Oregano, Mexican Mint Marigold

Here's a large project I'm working on, what I call the "Hummingbird Garden" on a west-facing slope where some oak trees have died.  I double-fenced it against deer and have planted many native and adapted seeds to provide flowers for Hummingbirds, other birds, and pollinators.  A few food plants for humans in there, but not many.  Some of these seeds were collected in South Texas and might not be hardy in the colder climate of the Edwards Plateau, but we'll see.

Pride of Barbados Caesalpinia pulcherrima

Mexican Buckeye Ungnadia speciosa

Rattlebush Sesbania drummondii

Coral Bean Erythrina herbacea

Palo Verde Parkinsonia aculeata

Blue Palo Verde  Parkinsonia florida

Esperanza Tecoma stans

Desert Willow Chilopsis linearis

Leadplant Amorpha canescens

False Indigo Amorpha fruticosa

Trumpet Vine Campsis radicans

Red Yucca  Hesperaloe parviflora

Anacacho Orchid Tree Bauhinia lunarioides

Devil's Claw Proboscidea parviflora

Turk's Cap Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii

White Mulberry Morus alba

Buffalo Gourd Cucurbita foetidissima

Texas Bluebonnet Lupinus texensis

"Hummers and Singers" mix from Native American Seed:
 Greenthread
 Bush Sunflower
 Partridge Pea
 American Basketflower
 Purple Coneflower
 Cutleaf Daisy
 Illinois Bundleflower
 Lemon Mint
 Purple Prairie Clover
 Black-Eyed Susan
 Maximilian Sunflower
 Gayfeather
 Scarlet Sage
 Standing Cypress
 Butterfly Weed
 Pink Evening Primrose
 Foxglove
 Annual Winecup
 Mealy Blue Sage
 Partridge Pea

Here's the revamped Kitchen Garden this morning.  I'm enjoying the nice clean look with wide paths and defined beds.  I hope it will encourage my husband to venture out to pick things when I'm not home.

Kitchen garden from the roof:

You getting rain? Ive got almost 7 inches last few days.

Rain, rain, rain on into the future.....

New birdbath behind the house:

These half-barrel bog gardens are currently temporary quarters for pond plants but next warm season I plan to try growing Malanga (Taro).

Very happy with Mustard as a cover crop.

New basin above the Kitchen Garden.  This was part of the old ranch road that eroded badly for years.