Well, we've abandoned the idea of constructing rai...

2007-03-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Well, we've abandoned the idea of constructing raised beds this year. I'm glad, in a way, because I get to flood irrigate rather than depend on the drip irrigation. The drip system is great, in a way, but we have a big garden and our own well. If a grain of sand (and there are plenty) gets stuck in a dripper, it's pretty hard to notice until the planted area starts to dry out and turn yellow.

We've got great weather here in central Nevada right now. Spring fever is setting in all around the valley. People are talking about starting their gardens, and the local markets are selling plants already. Year after year, we hopefuls try an early garden only to feel the disappointment of the May freeze (or sometimes even June). If we weren't going to have a greenhouse, I would start my plants indoors and keep them in until May. It's best to start them in late April and wait until late May to plant them outside if that's possible. It can take up a lot of room as you start to transplant into larger containers in the house. I usually use peat pellets to start my plants and they're usually in 6-inch pots when I plant them outdoors. This year will be different of course with the greenhouse. In fact, I have come up with a great (I think) idea for transplanting this year.

I am going to fill a gallon pot half full with soil, tamp it down and put a 6-inch pot onto the top of the soil, then build the soil up around it. Then I'll fill the 6-inch pot the same way, with a 4-inch pot buried into it. I figure when I'm ready to transplant the peat pots, I can put them into the 4-in, and when it becomes root- bound, I'll remove the 4-in pot and put the contents into the 4-in hole left in the 6-in pot, and so on. Then in my row garden, I will put gallon pots filled with water in holes to keep an easy access to drop in my gallon sized plant.

Gallon containers are usually easy to get at a grocery store floral dept. They get fresh flowers in them every week, so they don't have holes in the bottom. I punch holes in some while I leave others intact. They have other sizes too. I will try to take and post pictures as our project develops. My husband (retired furniture maker) is so innovative and will be happy to share his ideas as we go along.

We are recyclers and we go to yard and estate sales all the time. A couple of years ago we put up solar panels. We must have saved ourselves $10,000 by finding scrap iron to build frame and doing the whole project ourselves. We are grid-tied, so rather than having a bank of batteries, our power bill reflects the power we create. Our bill is about $30-40 a month compared to my parents', whose bill is over a hundred a month. The downside is that we are still dependent on the power company. We may go with batteries on the other house where my parents live someday. We tied to the grid because our power company was offering a rebate which saved us so much overall.

Well, I'm going to go out and enjoy this marvelous weather. I hear they're expecting rain and snow in a couple of days. It's not supposed to be a big storm. We're in drought here, so we love the moisture.

I wish you all love and prosperity.
Remember, The sun is the best disinfectant.

Spring Fever: I got it bad......

2007-02-27T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well, here it is, March and time to get the greenhouse in order. Last year we got a very late freeze and the growing season was very short, so this year we are constructing a greenhouse. We've had a greenhouse before, but it was temporary with greenhouse glazing (plastic) which stood up incredibly well against these Nevada winds (sometimes up to 100 mph here in Mason Valley), but in the end it failed miserably. We only got about one good year out of it. This one will be a permanent structure with wood and polycarbonate panels.
We're anticipating more uncharacteristic weather this year, so we plan to plant early in our greenhouse and not transfer to garden until mid May. We're also getting more of that greenhouse glazing to cover our raised beds in the garden in the late summer when we really got hit last year with an early freeze. We're going to try to have a really big garden this year. We are negotiating with someone in the Valley to open a "farmer's market" this year. Maybe we'll add a flea market. If you are from the Mason Valley Nevada area, please let us know if you have comments/questions about either one of these ideas.

Masonvalley.com

Well, we've abandoned the idea of constructing rai...

Spring Fever: I got it bad......