Growing Lettuce

Sow: Seeds into beds thinly. Drills about 1/2" deep and 12" apart.

Then thin them out about 6"-12" apart, depending on the variety.

Care: Lettuce loves cool weather. They do not like heat. If you grow lettuce in the winter it can tolerate the cold. However, use a cloche, hoop-house, cold frame or plastic wind tunnel if temperatures get to cold.

Harvest: Cut outer leaves and use as needed. Additional leaves will continue to grow or cut the entire head depending on the variety.

Containers: You can grow lettuces indoors or out in containers. Sow the seeds directly into containers or sow a few seeds in seed pots and transplant when they reach about 2" inches. It's best to plant the seed directly in the area they'll mature in. Lettuce really doesn't like to be transplanted. However, I've had great success in transplanting. The above lettuce I started from seed out side and later transplanted into a larger raised bed. 

Growing Garlic

Sow: Plant cloves in October through February. Plant up to 4 inches deep and in rows about 12 inches apart

Soil: Garlic likes loose soil it will in heavy wet soils, so add sand and organic matter or a soil conditioner before planting if you have heavy clay soil. 


Harvest: When the lower leaves turn yellow or brown, pull up and leave to dry in
the sun for 10 days on a rack. Then remove the outer layer of skin before storing
in a cool place.


Containers: You can grow garlic in containers indoors or out. You can also clip the green stems and use for cooking. 

Growing Cabbage

Currently I'm growing cabbage that I started from seed for the first time. Last year, I planted a few transplants I purchased from my local feed store. I'm happy the seedlings have taken off and are doing quite well.

Cabbage is a hardy vegetable that grows especially well in fertile soils. There are various shades of green available, as well as red or purple types. Head shape varies from the standard round to flattened or pointed. Most varieties have smooth leaves, but the Savoy types have crinkly textured leaves.

Cabbage is very easy to grow...

How day length affects vegetable production

The two primary environmental factors that affect plant growth are temperature and day length. Temperature is easy enough to understand: Every plant species has a temperature range in which it will grow, and optimum temperatures in which it will thrive. 
Day length is a little more complicated, especially in combination with temperature. Understanding the relationship between the two can lead to more successful season extension and variety selection.

The first thing to know is

A rainbow over our farm

I went outside yesterday and saw this rainbow. My husband was outside but I couldn't see him. As I walked over to the pasture to admire the rainbow, I called for him. When I got near the fence 

Pallet Chicken Coop

Here's a new chicken pen I made out of free pallets. 

The effects of time change on livestock

All my hens suddenly stopped laying eggs a few weeks ago. I didn't know why, so I went online and researched it. I learned hens need at least 12-14 hours of light to produce eggs. With a few adjustments, such as installing a light in their henhouse, they're laying again. Here's an interesting article on the time change and how it affects livestock. 


Over the weekend, most of the U.S. “fell back” for daylight saving time. First adopted in the United States in 1918 in an effort to conserve fuel used to produce electricity during World War I, this biannual time adjustment has experienced its fair share of criticism over the years. While some say it saves energy and gives us more daylight for outdoor activities, like exercising, running errands or working on the farm, others say that it throws off humans’ circadian rhythm. As debates over the effects daylight saving time ensue, it’s important to remember that the time change can also impact our animals.
Just as humans have internal clocks, so do livestock. Many times livestock routines are formed by human activities, and psychological and physiological stress can occur if those routines are disrupted. For example, if a cow is used to being milked at a certain time each day and suddenly the farmer arrives an hour sooner, the cow will not feel that it is the proper time to be milked and may resist. Much the same, if the farmer waits an hour later, the cow will be more than ready to be milked because in its mind, the farmer is “late.” Physical effects can occur, as well, as the cow’s udder will continue

Make a Wood Planter Container

Today were going to make a small raised bed or this could also be considered a container garden.  I found these pieces of wood when I picked up my pallets. There were 12 pieces all equal in size. 

I simply nailed the sides together.












                                                                                                                                                                 

Then I added some well composted soil. Next...





For this container I planted Swiss Chard seeds. Swiss chard is a grows best in cool weather.. 

 

Make Your Own Gardening Labels

Some things are just ridiculously expensive. You can save money if you just take a little time to think things out and use a little ingenuity. Sometimes I'll just browse around hardware stores, looking at supplies - but with an eye to use it for something else. You know those really cheap plastic blinds you see in places like Family Dollar or Walmart? Well I purchased a set (the longest in length) and I cut them into the sizes I wanted. They make great gardening labels. 

Okra Seeds

To save okra seeds allow the pods to dry out completely. 
Peel the pods open and place dry seeds in a jar or paper envelope.

Look what I found still growing....

Tomato seedlings.
The seeds sprouted from some of the tomatoes that fell from the vines. 
I'll put these in water and see what happens. Hopefully I can grow these throughout the winter.

The GREATEST, BESTEST MOM EVER!! In the entire universe, world and all the planets including Zotran and Momopolis.... that haven't been discovered yet!

My mom got these for me!!! Aren't they pretty? We can scratch these off the wish list. We're making progress.... THANKS MOM! I LOVE YOU. Now I can really get some work done!.....

I don't know how much today? And I'm not sure if I should use them for work or dress?...

 

I'll make a decisions soon... I'll just sleep on it.

Fall Colors Around The Farm

Growing Peppers

Tip: Grow peppers in black containers. Peppers love heat and the containers will keep them warm. Add a match to the soil, place it in the bottom of the pot. Matches contain sulfur and peppers love sulfur.

A day in the year at our farm

summer bounty

okra

preparing to can and freeze

yellow and zucchini squash

swiss chard transplants

cabbage

red onions

Okra flower and flying hornet

braided garlic

 lettuce

eggplant, cantaloupe, tomatoes                                                                                                                                                       

            Mustapha our cockerel                                                                                                                               

 heirloom tomatoes

fresh eggs from our hens

jalapeno peppers

         Plymouth Barred Rock                                                                                                                 

preserving cucumbers...making pickles 

harvesting spinach and mixed lettuce greens

tomatoes, tomatoes, tomatoes

freshly harvested basil

chickens helping in the garden

sweet baby watermelons

Okra. I love okra

 and... ant's love okra too.

sunflower...my first time ever growing them

This was our year at our farm Tallah. There are plenty more pictures I'll be posting soon of other vegetables and herbs we grew. Thank you for stopping by. We hope you enjoy your visit.

tags tomato sauce canning tomatoes okra eggs Tallah farms sunflower chickens pullets Plymouth rock garlic spinach peppers Swiss chard Boston Bib lettuce summer cockerel