Good morning! For us down here in South Texas, and I am sure many parts of the world, it is Cinco De Mayo. We can hear the music and smell the wonderful food cooking just down our street. The celebrations are gearing up for a fun filled weekend.
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Sunday, May 5 in 2019.
We hope your week has been a good one. We are anticipating some rain and our rain barrels are holding out for hope. I keep thinking of that saying we have heard time and again from that movie "Field of Dreams." The phrase was “if you build it, they will come.” We obtained the rain barrels, so certainly the rain will come! I do pray it holds off just a little so all can enjoy this holiday.
Positive vibes and hope is my motto so the probability of success is most likely.
Today I wanted to share five methods/ideas that Roy and I have incorporated in our small South Texas garden. It is very important to us that we keep our garden organic and completely free from any form of pesticides. We feel there is enough dangerous toxins in water, food, and products that we put on or in our body.
In the beginning I guess you could say I had "garden envy" of those who had land and large spaces. I was definitely a wanna be, live off the grid, eat your own food, kind of gal. I would watch the videos and documentaries and swoon over what I felt at that time I could not do.
One day a small still voice said, "Kim start where you are at". As mysterious and somewhat heavenly as this may sound, it may have been someone on the television, I am not sure. I have to giggle as I write this. Wherever it may have come from, it certainly touched my heart.
I then looked over my small space and began to dream. I thought to myself... why can't I incorporate some of the permaculture principals and apply them to my small space. It was then my little piece of heaven was born.
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War. The day, which falls on Sunday, May 5 in 2019.
We hope your week has been a good one. We are anticipating some rain and our rain barrels are holding out for hope. I keep thinking of that saying we have heard time and again from that movie "Field of Dreams." The phrase was “if you build it, they will come.” We obtained the rain barrels, so certainly the rain will come! I do pray it holds off just a little so all can enjoy this holiday.
Positive vibes and hope is my motto so the probability of success is most likely.
Today I wanted to share five methods/ideas that Roy and I have incorporated in our small South Texas garden. It is very important to us that we keep our garden organic and completely free from any form of pesticides. We feel there is enough dangerous toxins in water, food, and products that we put on or in our body.
In the beginning I guess you could say I had "garden envy" of those who had land and large spaces. I was definitely a wanna be, live off the grid, eat your own food, kind of gal. I would watch the videos and documentaries and swoon over what I felt at that time I could not do.
One day a small still voice said, "Kim start where you are at". As mysterious and somewhat heavenly as this may sound, it may have been someone on the television, I am not sure. I have to giggle as I write this. Wherever it may have come from, it certainly touched my heart.
I then looked over my small space and began to dream. I thought to myself... why can't I incorporate some of the permaculture principals and apply them to my small space. It was then my little piece of heaven was born.
Even though our garden is in a small space, we have learned a lot by using some of the permaculture principals when we can.
The first method we wanted to use was to have a natural fertilizer within arms reach. The plant we decided to use was Comfrey. We found out that it holds a bucket load of nutrients in its leaves. So by growing it, we could make a compost tea and apply it to our soil and around the plants for added nutrients.
The leaves themselves also can be placed around the plants. For the compost tea, you take the leaves and soak them in a bucket of water for a few days. From what we understand it is so strong that you need to dilute it a bit before applying it to the plants. If all goes as planned, we will not have to buy fertilizer. Nature is providing all that we need.
Composting is Just a Cool Thing to Do!
The second method we decided to add to our small garden is a composter. Of course you don't need to buy a fancy composter. Some add directly to the soil and cover. Other gardeners make wooden structures to hold scrapes and natural wood products. It will break down in time and the composted material can be added to the soil. It is an amazing process.
Worm Towers...Say What?
The third method and one of my favorites is the infamous worm towers! Each time we have showed our friends the garden, they are amazed with this method. Most have never heard of this. One friend said I am considered a Master Gardener and I have never heard of worm towers! I am thinking this idea has been around, but it is picking up speed. We would love to have a couple chickens, but our park does not allow it. The worms are the next best thing in our opinion to keep the soil in great working condition. Sure wish they laid eggs...oh well.
We place some food scraps in the worm towers and they go out from the holes created at the base and into the soil. They make awesome worm casting which is like gold to the soil and plants. We purchased Red Wigglers on Amazon. We read they are the best to use for composting. I can attest I am adding scrapes every couple days to the towers so they must be doing their job well. We used tall coffee cans to save money, however next year we will be using PVC piping as it is much sturdier and will last forever. Please check out our video on the worm towers.
The first method we wanted to use was to have a natural fertilizer within arms reach. The plant we decided to use was Comfrey. We found out that it holds a bucket load of nutrients in its leaves. So by growing it, we could make a compost tea and apply it to our soil and around the plants for added nutrients.
The leaves themselves also can be placed around the plants. For the compost tea, you take the leaves and soak them in a bucket of water for a few days. From what we understand it is so strong that you need to dilute it a bit before applying it to the plants. If all goes as planned, we will not have to buy fertilizer. Nature is providing all that we need.
Composting is Just a Cool Thing to Do!
The second method we decided to add to our small garden is a composter. Of course you don't need to buy a fancy composter. Some add directly to the soil and cover. Other gardeners make wooden structures to hold scrapes and natural wood products. It will break down in time and the composted material can be added to the soil. It is an amazing process.
Worm Towers...Say What?
The third method and one of my favorites is the infamous worm towers! Each time we have showed our friends the garden, they are amazed with this method. Most have never heard of this. One friend said I am considered a Master Gardener and I have never heard of worm towers! I am thinking this idea has been around, but it is picking up speed. We would love to have a couple chickens, but our park does not allow it. The worms are the next best thing in our opinion to keep the soil in great working condition. Sure wish they laid eggs...oh well.
We place some food scraps in the worm towers and they go out from the holes created at the base and into the soil. They make awesome worm casting which is like gold to the soil and plants. We purchased Red Wigglers on Amazon. We read they are the best to use for composting. I can attest I am adding scrapes every couple days to the towers so they must be doing their job well. We used tall coffee cans to save money, however next year we will be using PVC piping as it is much sturdier and will last forever. Please check out our video on the worm towers.
Natural Pest Control
The fourth method we use are natural pest controls. One idea was to apply citrus peels and coffee grounds to the base of the plant. We read where we should not add the citrus to the worm towers. Using the citrus as a deterrent to unwanted pest seemed the way to go.
In the picture you can see some pests have nibbled on my Rattails Radish. We are hoping this citrus idea helps so they can continue to grow strong.
I will be honest we are not sure if this will work or not. I will try to remember to follow up on this idea. The wonderful world of the internet gives us endless ideas and we are always willing to try new concepts.
Our eggplant has been a troubled plant since day one. It has had its share of little black bugs that like to nibble on its leaves. We used a soapy concoction which entailed 1 tsp of mild dish soap, a couple teaspoons of olive oil, and one tsp of baking soda to water. We sprayed the eggplant leaves and this worked awesome! I will say that when I watered I just washed off leaves with water as well. The bugs are soft bodied and fell off immediately.
Lastly we use tons of Herbs and Marigolds among the vegetable plants. We researched which herbs work best with each plant. I dry many of the herbs out and place in small glass containers for cooking. This has worked so well with keeping bugs away. I also noticed with all the herbs planted, I have not had tons of mosquitos biting at me as in other seasons.
In the picture you can see some pests have nibbled on my Rattails Radish. We are hoping this citrus idea helps so they can continue to grow strong.
I will be honest we are not sure if this will work or not. I will try to remember to follow up on this idea. The wonderful world of the internet gives us endless ideas and we are always willing to try new concepts.
Our eggplant has been a troubled plant since day one. It has had its share of little black bugs that like to nibble on its leaves. We used a soapy concoction which entailed 1 tsp of mild dish soap, a couple teaspoons of olive oil, and one tsp of baking soda to water. We sprayed the eggplant leaves and this worked awesome! I will say that when I watered I just washed off leaves with water as well. The bugs are soft bodied and fell off immediately.
Lastly we use tons of Herbs and Marigolds among the vegetable plants. We researched which herbs work best with each plant. I dry many of the herbs out and place in small glass containers for cooking. This has worked so well with keeping bugs away. I also noticed with all the herbs planted, I have not had tons of mosquitos biting at me as in other seasons.
Water Systems For the Garden
The final method we use is a rain catchment system other wise known as rain barrels. This will allow us to use rain water without worrying about a water bill. Clean and natural water is the best way to go! We placed one barrel on each end of the yard and attached it to the gutter system in place. They have not filled thus far and I am afraid a rain dance may be in order soon. We are holding out for rain this weekend. We also place water bowls around the garden for the birds. We are not fearful of birds eating our vegetables anymore as we keep a bird netting around the ones they attack such as tomato's. Birds are very beneficial to the garden and a little water to quiche their thirst is just a nice thing to do.
Update on Small South Texas Garden 05/04/2019
We hope this has given you some new ideas to incorporate into your garden space. We have a very small space but we realized we could do a lot in that small space!
It is always the quality anyway not the quantity.
We hope you have a wonderful week. Take care and God bless
Roy and Kimmie
It is always the quality anyway not the quantity.
We hope you have a wonderful week. Take care and God bless
Roy and Kimmie
God's Love is a universal language!
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear Your voice
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love like You
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear Your voice
Open my ears, Lord
Help me to hear
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love like You
Open my heart, Lord
Help me to love
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see Your face
Open my eyes, Lord
Help me to see
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