A Giant's Footprint

The winter that wasn't

2012-02-02T08:18:00.002-05:00

I am so glad that climate change is just a liberal conspiracy. Because with months of above average temps, 72 degrees yesterday, and the cherry blossoms blooming, I was getting worried. I guess Phill will say six more weeks of winter so that the liberal media can control us that much longer (and he did, I knew it!) Meanwhile, those socialist Europeans are getting what they deserve with people actually freezing to death.

*shakes head*

How can policy makers be blind to this? Do they not care, or understand, or are they just so thrilled that they can play hooky and hit the back 9 with their Big Oil buddies that they see this as a good thing? At what point will they actually just open their eyes and see what the rest of us who work with the land see? This isn't 'nice weather' it is climate out of whack.

I don't normally swing political here as a point, but I have to take note of it. Sarcasm included. This isn't Al Gore's personal grab for power so that he can install himself as Emperor of The Moon, this is reality. This is the world that we are helping to create.

Healthy Harvest Farm

2012-01-26T09:44:00.002-05:00

Sorry, have to do a shameless plug for my friends CSA located in beautiful Bellefonte, PA.

Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-Harvest-Farm/215516528533269

Internet:
http://www.healthyharvestfarmcsa.com/index.php

They really know their stuff, and I would trust the lives of the entire Giant family to them, please check them out!

Thanks!
The Giant

Free at last aka Season 4 post-morterm

2012-01-11T09:15:00.004-05:00

Finally. Done. The Higher Mind of New England has released me. Forever. Yay. :)

The garden basically went to pot after Irene since I had no time and it was really badly damaged. 2 Weeks later TS Lee dumped 11 inches of rain on me in 1 day. It was all a loss. Nothing really produced in great numbers except the Jalapenos (always a staple), Sweet Peppers, and the Bell Peppers. I think I finally figured out the Bell's, soil temp is really important. If its not like 72 degrees the seeds just don't germinate. We got 1 eggplant, the peanuts did very well (although I didn't soak them in saltwater so they are really bland), the melons (or 'watermellions' as The Littlest Giant calls them) did well except for the exploding properties, parsnips are still in the ground, tomatoes did OK, but still suffered from overcrowding despite my frequent culling. The lettuce and spinach did great in the little pots in front of the house, shaded but warm.

Things that did not do well:
4 sisters (sunflowers, sweet corn, beans, pumpkins) although the sunflower seeds kept getting taken by squirrel squadron so it wasn't their fault, same with the pumpkins.
Potatoes, rotted in the ground, again. I think I am over watering them (aside from Lee).
Amaranth did exceptionally well, until Lee soaked everything and the seeds started molding. As a consequence I did not harvest them. The tomatoes crowded the carrots, so I left them in the ground with the parsnips, Ill see how they do in the spring. The apple trees had cedar apple rot, so I sprayed. I wasn't expecting much though. The 1 apple I got was taken by Squirrel Squadron or the Bambi Brigade. Bluberries, all eaten by birds before they ripened. I need to cover them.

Take away from this season:
1) Different plants have different water needs
2) temp is important in starting out,
3) prune severely

For next season
1) Trying flint corn instead of sweet to see if they will hold up in the rain better.
2) Starting 'delectable seeds' (aka sunflower and pumpkin) in my newly acquired mini-greenhouse (generously provided by The Wife) early to avoid them being taken. Also starting the Bells and other warm soil plants here.
3) Making a scarecrow similar to the illustration in the Marvel Comics adaptation of The Wizard of Oz. Hopefully this keeps the Squirrel Squadron away (and will look cool). I have a solar panel (also provided by The Wife) to which I may attach a servo and a motion sensor to make the scarecrow move. We will see how much time I have.
4) Not a fan of the Southern Exposure seeds I purchased. I think I will try Johnny's Selected Seeds this season.
5) Seed potatoes from Whole Foods. Yes they worked the best and the cheapest.
6) Experimenting with Pumpkins in different pots in different places at different times this year. A neighbor planted his whole front law with pumpkins around May. Not one fruit as far as I saw. I'm thinking if I plant them in front of the Butterfly Garden, maybe they will get some extra pollinator attention.

OK more later, with pictures.

goodnight Irene

2011-09-01T09:16:00.001-04:00

Well, not that this was a banner year for my garden anyway, but Hurricane Irene pretty much ended the season on me. Everything that I grew that was more than 4 feet tall got blown down. Corn, amaranth, sunflowers. The lower lying plants such as peppers and tomatoes are still doing well, and I have lots of pumpkin plants growing, just not fruits as of yet. Beans aplenty from the 3 sisters, but there are no pods yet. I suppose it could have been worse, and this isn't the post-mortem yet, but its just the beginning of the slow harvest wind-down. I'm still hoping to get some good pumpkins by halloween, and maybe a dry autumn will allow me to get some watermelons that don't explode. :)

Walt Disney eat your heart out

2011-07-26T19:55:00.001-04:00

Might be hard to see here, but that's a yellow Monarch on the Evening Sunflower in the garden. All the better since it's 8pm. :)

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Hopeful disapointment

2011-07-15T12:20:00.005-04:00

I pulled one of the potato plants yesterday that looked ready (droopy and wilted leaves). Its mid-july and those spuds have been in since March. What did I get? Spuds barely bigger than the seed potatoes I put in. Grrrr. Also, I have come to the conclusion that the 3 sisters does NOT work with sweet corn. The stems are so weak that the beans just pull the stalks over where they snap and get ravaged by the local wildlife. I have pulled the beans that were growing in the other batch, maybe I can get some corn by September. I will have to further segregate the crop next season, maybe putting a chicken-wire fence between the corn rows and letting the beans/squash grow on that. Could also be too much nitrogen and the plants are growing so the roots aren't as deep (called logging). Also considering growing things in pots in front of the house (by the street) since that spot get the most sun. Also may let me focus more, I need to concentrate my efforts I think. Too many plants with different needs and not enough experience on my part.

There is another watermelon growing so its not just the 'lone melon' which is good. The evening sun's have flowers on them now and are tracking the sun quite well. Tomatoes just about ripe. Amaranth is at least 10 feet high. :)

That reminds me, do NOT plant Amaranth on the east side of the Main Bed, they shade everything. The peppers are having a hard time competing. Ah, but I think the potatoes have been too hot since they really sit in the sun from 10am till 3. So grow the potatoes on the west side of the Amaranth so they will get shaded.

Pictures this weekend.

Yeah, I know I try not to swing political, but this is about helping people eat. Great idea, and she is a better gardener than me.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/07/14/cnnheroes.hirshberg.seeds/index.html?hpt=hp_t2#

Knee high by the 4th of July

2011-07-08T08:49:00.003-04:00

Yep, I don't know where that expression started but it always seems to be wrong for me. As of the 4th my maize was as tall as me (the tallest stalk anyway) and it already has many developing ears. I didn't get a chance to take photos as the Higher Mind of New England has me in its clutches again, really hard this time. I will try to take some this weekend. Here is some info though:

Potatoes: Seem to be ready. A stalk broke on one of the plants the other day and I suppose it died. A few days later I pulled the spud but it was literally crawling with bugs. Even for someone as non squeamish as me, it was pretty gross.

Eggplant: Well, there are plants, but nothing else. This is the 2nd season in a different spot and still nothing. I'm suspecting something is missing.

Peanuts: Got the plants, they look good. I haven't reached under to see if there are actually peanuts yet.

4 sisters doing well, well at least 3 of the 4, I just planted the pumpkins on the 4th so they haven't sprouted yet. But the beans, maize, and sunflowers (evening sun better than the Mammoths since they were late) are all doing well, only the maize has fruited yet. That reminds me to switch to bloodmeal for fertilizer since there is no need for more nitrogen at this point.

Amaranth: Taller than me seed heads beginning to form. The Wife keeps asking me "what do I do with these?" Having eaten Amaranth before I know you cook the seeds like oatmeal, but I still have yet to actually shake them out. That's basically all I know. :)

Watermelon: Have my first baby melon, and its getting bigger by the day. The Littlest Giant loves to "check out the melon". No honeydews yet, but there is such a tangle in the melon patch that I might just not be seeing it yet. The parsnips are in the patch and I think they might be getting smothered. Hopefully they will make it to the winter.

Tomatoes: Have a few babies right now and the plants are healthy so far *crosses fingers* The carrots under them are similarly shaded like the parsnips, so we will see if they make it to winter.

Blueberries: Yeah, birds took 'em all. Even though they were not mature yet. Gonna need a net (and I don't mean Funicello) next season.

Apple trees: There is a baby apple on the Fuji tree. "when it grows up, I eat it!" says The Littlest Giant. I had to spray both trees with neem oil as they were getting Cedar-Apple Rust. They seem to be improving, or at least not getting worse.

That's it for now, found this great article on cnn about gardening. I don't normally post this stuff, but I thought it was a good piece.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/HEALTH/07/08/why.gardening.good/index.html

Garden update with pics

2011-06-16T15:44:00.003-04:00

So much has changed and I have been very remiss. I will try to update as much as I can before the higher mind of New England gets me back in it's clutches. :)

It was a very wet and cold spring, to be followed suddenly by a very hot...spring. Ah, Virginia. Because of finals and such I was a month late getting the crops in the ground. May 15 this time , although I did plant the potatoes in the last week of march. Also, I added a Fuji apple tree as well as a red delicious apple tree to replace the one I had to cut down. Not to be left out, 2 blueberry varieties were also planted to replace the azalea's that died.

The driveway bed has been extended an additional 32 square feet. Baring any major changes to the property (a tree coming down) this should be the furthest extent of the garden.

On with the pictures, I will provide rolling commentary as usual.

This is the fuji apple tree leaves up close. Sadly they are suffering from cedar apple rust, even though there are no cedar trees around, but there are apple trees. Apparently Fuji apples are susceptible. The red delicious is not however, and it looks fine. Meem oil is on the way to spray on the leaves.

These are the blueberry bushes. Look at those blueberries, look at those holes in the leaves. Guess what they are? Yep, Slug Sappers. Meem works there too, they also "sluggo" works as well. Guess what I already have? They want a war, they got it.

This is the whole grander from the foot of the driveway up. Potatoes up front. They are doing very well up there, I have never seen them this healthy looking. I did pay for the seed potatoes though, but these are impressive. Let's hope the tubers are as good.

A more close up picture of the potatoes. Yes, that is cow poo they are growing in, which The Littlest Giant loves to play with. "cow poo, crush." :)

Eggplant with parsnips on the side. Still waiting on the eggplant to do....something. I am not very successful with that crop so far.

Evening sun sunflowers and peanuts. They peanuts that didn't get eaten seem to be doing well. They have really cute little yellow flowers on them too. Besides the apples and the blueberries, these are the first plants to flower this season.

This is the second of 2 beds dedicated to the 3 Sisters this season. This was planted at the beginning of June. No hills this year, they just washed away last time and I don't want a repeat. I might just do a full fledged milpa next year depending on how this goes. Well, minus the 8 year fallow period.

The first of the two 3 Sisters plots, this one now has beans that were planted when the second plot was planted. The beans are still growing faster than the maize even though I waited a month. I think next year I need to get the maize in in April and then wait till June for the beans, I have already had to untangle some as they were choking the stalks.

Amaranth and sunflowers. I used to think, "no way can the amaranth grow to 3 meters." It's almost 2 now. I think it can. The sunflowers are a second planting as the robins took all the seeds from the first one.

Peppers. Back to front: jalapeño, banana, yes those are tiny bells which I had to replant when it was good and hot out, like 100 degrees, and I have completely forgotten the last variety. I will edit that later. I am so glad the bells came up. I basically have to wait until its really hot, or start them inside next year.

Watermelon to the left, muskmelon (honeydew) to the right. Growing quite nicely and flowering.

Some intensives here. From left to right: tomatoes, carrots, 2 huge onions from last season, tomatoes, carrots, tomatoes, evening sun sunflowers. Carrots and tomatoes are apparently companion crops like the 3 Sisters.

What is not shown is Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch, which currently has nothing but did have spinach and lettuce. Both grew well, but because they were so far in the backyard, I was lazy and didn't harvest all the time. The spinach was great, not enough lettuce grew to get a sample. Dunno why. They went in the same time the potatoes did, but I will do them earlier next year, or even plant them in the fall. The pumpkins get planted here (and in the 3 Sisters beds) Independence Day weekend. That's it for now.

Holy eggs Batman!

2011-05-05T21:24:00.001-04:00

Three Robin's nests in my yard, one right next to the Main Bed. Momma Robin gets a little bent out of shape when the Giant head walks by. The Littlest Giant loves them and keeps wanting to "check on the eggs." I had to explain that birds aren't cool with being peeped at; she didn't get it.

I have never seen nests in the yard before. I want to think that it's because my organic gardening has made my little patch of Suburbia give something back instead of taking everything away.

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The garden goes fourth

2011-05-05T21:16:00.001-04:00

Testing this out
The overview.

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Season 3 Post-mortem OR How 'bout this heat?

2010-10-24T11:11:00.000-04:00

What a strange year this has been. What started out as a very cool dry summer turned into a very wet and hot one, just in time to become very dry again. I have to admit I haven't been doing this very long, but that is a lot of variability in one year.

This is a bit early for the complete post-mortem, but I pretty much know what will happen between now and the first hard frost in a few weeks. I still have tomatoes producing as well and jalapenos a-aplenty. I am sure they will be producing past Guy Fawkes Day like last year. So I don't feel too much like I am jumping the gun here. So, without further ado:

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch:
Alas my poor orange gourds. What an amazing show they put on this year, snaking the whole 30 feet from the patch, over the fence and onto the periphery of the Main bed. Several baby pumpkins formed only to be aborted when the temperatures hovered around 100 for a few weeks. Once it cooled back down to the standard Virginia 90 degrees, the patch was beset with PM. This stuff spreads fast. Faster than you realize. I've found that once you really see it, it's already too late. Something to be proactive about when you get a long period of very sultry weather. I ultimately mowed down all the vines in September since I could not compost them because of the disease. Next year I plan to move the pumpkins into the main bed but a little further west than where the 3 Sisters were this year. Need to have the crop rotations since I will be experimenting using no-till next year.

The potatoes. The plants did very well, they got tall and green and lush. When the plants died back in July (as they are want to do) I dug them up and only found a few anemic spuds. This soil was new, they plants fertilized with broad-spectrum fertilizer, but just nothing happened. I'll chalk it up to heat stress and hope it doesn't become a theme.

The Main Bed:
The 3 Sisters did very well, however I timed it wrong and overestimated the ability of Virginia Piedmont clay to hold itself together. Since the mounds washed away in July, I will have to either forgo them next season, or build a berm around them with bricks to hold the soil in. After harvesting all my corn in July, my squash in September and my beans last week I think I understand the timing; Plant the corn in May, the beans in June, and the squash in July. This way the beans don't pull the corn stalks down, and the squash don't over shadow the baby corn stalks. The beans are drying on my porch, 6 stalks each with bunches of bean pods with 5-6 beans. I also plan on succession planting the corn so that I can still be harvesting in August. It seemed so short to have it all over by mid-summer.

The spinach and onions did well in the spring and we ate spinach plenty until it bolted. Like the potatoes, the onions did not produce. No lettuce came up at all, but I suspect it may have been eaten by forces other than me (I'm looking at you Slug Sappers). I planted more in September, and there are lots of onion stems, nothing else came up. Strange, but the jury is still out on the new onions. The broccoli only grew stalks, no florets. Other gardeners have told me: heat stress. *sigh*

Sunflowers had absolutely no problem growing and I was impressed at how big they had actually gotten. Both varieties (Mammoth and Evening Sun) were the hit of the garden. I noticed passers-by stopping in my driveway to look at what I had wrought from the Earth. It was quite cool. The sunflowers were ready in August and I cut the heads off to keep them away from the birds. Sadly I left then too long in the house without taking the seeds out and they molded. I had to compost them uneaten. I have to remember to get them out of the flowers within a week, or wrap them with cheesecloth next season and let them dry on the stalks. The Evening Sun's made flowers until mid-September much to the delight of the bees and The Littlest Giant: "fow-were, beezzzz bzzzzz." Again, the most native variety of anything in my garden makes the Giant the most happy. It goes without saying they will be back.

Carrots. I actually have some! Not the huge size or numbers like last season, but they are there and more like the baby carrot variety. Nothing was happening until September, and then they started packing on the size. Say it with me now…"heat stress." They taste great and will be replanted with the tomatoes next season. Speaking of which, the tomatoes did great. They were hit with blight but by the end of the season they were growing much faster than the disease was taking. I have to remember to trim them back next season since they turned into a bramble and probably hurt production. Jalapenos, the success story as usual, I have to give then away. No need to plant so many next year. No Thai peppers, dunno why, but the Jalapenos were so hot it doesn’t matter.

The Driveway Bed:
Soon to be the Main Bed Annex as I plan on connecting the extra 8 feet between them next season. What did not come up; Strawberries, sweet peppers, eggplant, bell peppers. What is it with bell peppers? I can grow some of the other hot varieties, but not this run-of the mill type. Next season I will plant them in pots in the front of the house (the former Front Bed) and see if it has to do with my soil. There must be a common pH issue with these that did not come up. I'm still looking into it.

I thought that the Cayenne peppers had not come up either, but last month one did. It's about a foot tall now with flowers. Since the frost is soon I don’t expect anything, but it's nice to know something happened and that the seed hung out all season. The watermelons I planted are still nice green vines with flowers, but that’s about it.

Cantaloupes were anemic but very tasty. The Littlest Giant loved them, and so did The Wife. I'm thinking of switching them out with honeydew next season or maybe just watermelon as I prefer those species. The 3 bean salad beans did very well. They were very crowded though, and I didn't know which to thin. Ultimately the Squirrel Squadron ate the beans in the pods as they all came in at the same time (as bush beans are want to do). It's ok, they can have them, this was just a proof of concept. More sunflowers here did amazing like the others, and just broccoli stems.

Take away
Heat stress seems to be the buzzword this season. Fertilizer still plays an important role as well. PH and soil composition is important too. Man, how do people do this for a living? If you mess up, you don't eat. So much knowledge passed down was lost to the average person. It's hard pulling it all back.

For next season it would be wise to get some heat-reflecting fabric for the root veg to keep the ground cool. Leafy veg need to go in as soon as I can work the soil because they will bolt by June. Pumpkins have to wait until Independence Day to keep them productive instead of playing host to disease. All crops need to be rotated. Lots of work. I need more kids to help me. :)

Future
I will be experimenting with growing tomatoes and peppers indoors this winter as soon I get some cleared space in The Engine Room. Grow-lights, pots, maybe some hydroponics. The works. Will keep you updated. I am also looking for cheap farmland further out west. 2 acres should do it. Anyone have any they want to sell? Yes, I know. Solar Panels. Need them to offset the pump and now the grow-lights. I wish Toyota would come out with the plug-in Prius so I can upload to the grid at night. That would make things much easier.

With this I close out this season, and bid you peace:

The Harvest Prayer
(Anonymous 17th Century Sermon)

Please be gentle with yourself and others.
We are all children of chance,
And none can say why some fields blossom
While others lay brown beneath the harvest sun.
Take hope that your season will come.

Share the joy of those whose season is at hand.
Care for those around you.
Look past your differences.
Their dreams are no less than yours,
Their choices in life no more easily made.

And give.
Give in any way you can.
Give in every way you can.
Give whatever you possess.
Give from your heart.
To give is to love.

To withhold is to wither.
Care less for the size of your harvest
than for how it is shared,
And your life will have meaning
And your heart will have peace.

Squash baby!

2010-09-28T18:09:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a while. The Higher Mind of New England has me in its clutches again. A quick update:

1) No potatoes, pumpkins, bell peppers or thai chilies. Tiny carrots.

2) Some cantaloupes. Got watermellon plants but no fruit.

3) Lots of Corn, beans, sunflowers, tomatoes, jalapeños, lettuce and spinach. AND SQUASH!!! Something like 15 fruits, they grew like crazy. A pic of one cut open by The Wife is included.

BTW the jalapeños, so of which are now red, still very fiery to cut (actually had chemical burns on my hands). Interestingly they have no bite once cooked.

I'll have more when I get a few minutes to give a run-down.

Looks great! Can't wait to eat!

Jalapeños of FIRE!!!

2010-09-08T18:42:00.000-04:00

So I have been eating some of my jalapeños that I have grown. I have a TON because I planted so many plants and didn't have the heart or desire to cull them. I have been getting edible ones since July but I have noticed that they are very hot. The hottest jalapeños I have ever eaten and I have had by share. What could have caused this? Its the same thing that has basically killed my pumpkins: super hot weather. All those 100 and upper 90 degree days have super charged my chilies. This is weird though considering that most commercially grown jalapeños in the States come from Texas or New Mexico, so you can't tell me that they are having 70 degree days there. I wonder if they shade them to keep them from getting insane? I am going to attempt to grow them in the house over the winter and see if that makes a difference in temp.

So the pumpkins. Powdery Mildew (PM). This stuff thrives on warm, humid, nights. Hmmm, could that have anything to do with the 100 degree days? :( Its spread from the patch all the way down the vines like wildfire. I sprayed with a biological (I forget the name) it seemed to work, then went back to before. *sigh* Probably none of the beautiful gourds this year either. I have tons of squash though, which have PM as well, but they seem to produce more. Suggestion from the Mother of All Giants: plant them later in the year so I don't spend 2 months not growing fruit but mildew. Next season I am planting them on July 4th. Also going to talk with some local growers about what they do when I go picking in October.

No true cereals in the Americas?

2010-09-03T23:54:00.000-04:00

I was watching "America Before Columbus" last night. The tile was somewhat misleading in that I thought the whole thing was about pre-Conquest America, but was really 1/2 before and 1/2 after. I won't go into too much detail, but it was talking about how both cultures benefited from each other in the Columbian Exchange (we won't go into the gift of smallpox which killed 50 million natives). One of the points it made was that The Americas were transformed by the introduction of true cereal grains from Europe (wheat, barley, oats, etc.) and that the Americas had nothing really comparable except Maize (a grass) and Potatoes (a tuber). To which I thought; "A 100 million people did not live just eating corn." And guess what? They didn't.

Quinoa and Amaranth were also staple pseudocereals. The Aztecs used to make cakes out of Amaranth grain in the shapes of their gods, and then eat them during celebrations. The Spanish thought it looked too much like Communion wafers and outlawed it. Of course.

After doing some research, Amaranth looks like a great plant. The seeds don't have hulls (so they don't need to be threshed) and can be made into things like porridge (similar to oats) or actual breads. It has higher protein than any of the true cereals, is gluten-free, and looks amazing with red/orange heads. Apparently the orange varieties are easier to digest than the red/brown ones. Its also a warm weather plant (its September and STILL in the 90's) and doesn't need a whole lot of rain.

I'm my continual quest to have a "Native Garden" (an having a miserable success rate on European cultivators) what do you think I will be planting next year? Bet you can't guess???

;)

Pics of the Jungle

2010-08-13T00:39:00.000-04:00

Everything is over-grown, but it looks kinda cool being wild and yet productive. :)

Coming up from the driveway, Mamoth Sunflowers greet you.

Closeup of the multiple flowers on the sunflower head.

One of the 5 cantaloupes up close.

Tomatoes in one of the cages. I wonder if I should prune them?

Jalapenos though the fence. I pick it and eat it.

Sunflower. Never realized how "Day of the Triffids" these guys look.

Squash. Everywhere.

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch marches on.

The biggest of the 4 baby pumpkins. This one is on a piece of wood to prevent rot from all the rain we have been getting lately.

Had to seal off the rain barrels for the rest of the season. Mosquitoes again. Its really bad, take the lid off and 30 of those buggers come flying out ready to bite and mate. They got in when I took the lids off to water with the pump. Next year I am going to have to stick the power cord and hose though the openings and seal them up with caulk.

Eight Nine Ten

2010-08-10T20:18:00.000-04:00

I wish I was counting the amount of pumpkins I have. That was the date that I saw the first two though. :) Yay! Finally! Its supposed to be 100 the next two days though, so I hope those babies don't abort. *crosses fingers*. Of course they are both on the same vine, and it is the secondary shoot, which apparently the pumpkin plants don't really rely on, but I will take what I can get at this point. From what I have read, this is about the time they set fruit in my area. Well, at least when its a normal year, not the hottest year ever. *sigh* Thanks Al Gore. ;)

I did not take pictures of them, but I will today and post them here.

Until now, the Giant has been on vacation with the rest of the Clan. The Littlest Giant is now a confirmed water baby, just like her old man.

Before I left for the trip, I decided to harvest what I could of the corn before the Squirrel Squadron got to the rest. I didn't realize that harvesting the ears killed the whole stalk but this whole thing is a learning process right? Another thing I learned is that gardens actually should be pruned. In the fight for supremacy among the 3 sisters, once the corn died the beans and squash went insane. I have more squash than I can shake a stick at and the beans, although not fruiting, have grown everywhere. Almost as bad as all the kudzu in the area. I did have to prune the tomato plants which were out of control, and I had to cull some of the jalapenos that were just too small and sucking resources. All the sunflowers are now so big that the heads are tipped over. One actually fell after a rainstorm and I decided to chop off the head and see if the seeds will mature on my porch. The finches (which I never see except when they are going after sunflowers) were already picking that one apart. I ate a seed, but it is not ready yet. Very watery and not tasty at all. The cantaloupe have a few fruits, but the vines have all but wilted. I' not sure if its borers or the fact that the sandy soil holds no water at all. Obviously I'm keeping an eye on them. The watermelon are going nowhere. Maybe its a soil thing again. The bush beans have pods, and I am waiting for them. The potatoes are ready I think, just need to dig some up. The carrots still need time, really small.

I harvested 8 ears of corn. Man did it taste good, you didn't even need to cook it, but I did for about 10 minutes. So sweet. I can see why the natives didn't like it, its almost too sweet. But I'm not going to plant field corn as I don't have the time or inclination to make masa

So, thoughts at this point:

4 sisters: no mounds. only plant 1 bean per group. 1 squash/pumpkin per 2 rows. 1 sunflower per row. Succession plant the corn so that I can have a lot. I harvested in July, so no fresh corn in aug, sept and oct? What a waste.

pumpkins: wait to plant until june, that way I don't have to spend an extra two months fertilizing the vines and anguishing over fruit.

Need mix some more of my clay soil into the front bed which is mostly sand at this point. It doesn't hold much water and the sunflowers all tipped over because there is nothing for the roots to hang onto.

Seedlings really need to be culled. Things just get too crowded. I know I am anxious to have plants, but in the end it kills productivity when its a jungle and I can't reach in for the tomatoes.

Need to build space into the beds so I can walk around the sisters after they get big. The closest row to the house should be kept open. Right now I have to jump squash to get in.

More photos to come.

Varmits, Varmits, Varmits

2010-07-23T23:14:00.000-04:00

*Sigh* why is it that no one is safe from marauding animals? I know its a circle of life thing, but when you put your blood, sweat and tears into it, its so frustrating. My stalks of corn that tipped over are still growing, albeit at a weird angle. They are good and healthy and I think harvest is very soon. However when I was leaving for work this morning The Wife said "Uh oh, what's that on the corn stalk?" So I go running over like a fireman trying to save a child from a burning building, just in time to see the bushy tail of a member of Squirrel Squadron bolt from the stalk. He ripped open an ear and was munching away apparently. The corn looks really good inside as well, prompting me to think that I should do an emergency harvest today. My scouts inform me that there has been another raid while I was out working for The Man. Why God???? ;)

I don't have pics for all the progress, which is VERY significant from the last time, but I will get them up soon. Here is a pic I snapped of a cantaloupe. I didn't realize when I took it, but there is one twice its size hidden behind the leaves directly behind this one. There are many others. Hopefully they will make it.

The only fruits I have at the moment are these cantaloupes and tomatoes. Still waiting for the jalapenos to fruit but they have flowered. Carrots and potatoes are still small. Pumpkins and squash are flowering, same for the beans. Watermelon is still to small yet since I planted that in late June.

All looks promising. Considering a greenhouse for starters or leafy veg early or late in the season.

3 girls in a small room

2010-07-07T18:24:00.000-04:00

I think I might have over-done it with the 3 sisters. In each mound - of which there are nine - was planted 4 corn, 4 beans, and 3 squash. Experienced squash growers are now laughing at me. Sooo much squash in such a limited space is presenting a big problem. I can't walk among the plants without trampling on the vines. The gate for the garden is, of course, on the side makes me have to walk though the sisters to get to the tomatoes and peppers (which are flowering nicely.)Need to remember to better lay that out next time with possibly 2 gates depending on where the early leafy veg goes vs. the fruits.

Also, since all 3 were planted at the same time, there is a bit of a fight for dominance. The beans are wrapping all the way up to the tops of the corn, before the ears are set. I've had to unwind them from the tassels a few times. Lower down where I succession planted some corn, the squash totally blocked them from the sun. Can't let that happen. I guess I will have to cull some vines to at least be able to walk without poking my eye out on the tomato cages.

I was doing some research and it turns out that Native Americans gave the corn a month before planting the beans and squash. They also alternated the squash, with one plant every other mound. Essentially meaning that I only can plant 3 squash in the same pattern as I have it now.

As much as this is all kind of an experiment for me, I don't want to re-invent the wheel. I have been reading on the whole set up so much that I feel like an expert, or could at least write a Wikipedia article on it. ;)

Independence Food (Freedom Fries?)

2010-07-01T21:30:00.000-04:00

Here is an update on how the garden is doing. I figured out a way to use the pump and the rain barrels to water the Main Bed. I'm very proud of myself, but I forgot to take pictures. :( Basically I submerge the pump in the barrel and connect it to a 15 foot hose with one of those shower-head like attachments. There isn't a lot of pressure, but it is more than enough for me to hold the head over the various crops and water them. Eventually, the solar array will power this so I don't have to use C02 to pump water (I'd prefer to be carbon negative in this whole endeavor, as the reader may well know). Doing some quick calculations on the capacity of the rain drums, I estimate that it takes 10 gallons of water for the main bed in its current configuration. I also use another 3 in Ye Olde Pumpkin patch, bringing that to 13 gallons per day. With 3 barrels to capacity, that's about 2 weeks of water for those two beds. The driveway bed is still watered with house water since the pump can't generate that much pressure. Its scary because this has been a particularity hot and dry summer so far with it raining enough to fill the barrels only once a fortnight. I am replenishing about 6 gallons a day with run-off from the condensers on the air conditioner, so its not all dependent on mother nature. I'm glad I'm not pulling all of it from the reservoir. I see water restrictions in the future. On a positive note, the grass has already gone dormant, and I haven't cut it in 2 weeks.

On to the pics:

This is the Driveway Bed from the street, those are the Mammoth sunflowers, with watermelon and broccoli underneath.

The Driveway Bed from the side. Cantaloupe in the foreground Beans and Evening Sun sunflowers in the back.

The Main Bed from the driveway. Chilies (no flowers yet) and carrots in the foreground. Tomatoes (with flowers but no fruit)in the middle and the 4 Sisters behind them.

The Main Bed from the side, showing the 4 Sisters, broccoli and onions (which you can't see here). Yes the corn is tall. How tall? The tallest one there is about 7 feet, you could say its "Giant" corn. How did it get so big? Fertilize EVERY 2 WEEKS!!!!! Last year the sunflowers were the tallest in the bunch, what a difference a year and copious organic fertilizer makes.

Did you know carrots were 2 season plants? I didn't know that. :) Here is the survivor from last season going to seed. Apparently the flowers attract predatory wasps and lady-bugs which kill things like: slugs. :) Guess what stays in the ground? Also there is evidence to suggest they are good companion plantings with tomatoes. Interesting that I always plant them together but didn't know that. I need to remember to leave some in the ground for next year. Even though the tomatoes will be moving. I harvested one of the orange roots yesterday, it was about thumb length, so they still have a while. Its curing today and I will take a bite tonight.

Just in case you were wondering how the Sisters are getting along, this is a pic of the beans climbing very surely up the corn stalks. Several times I have had to pull the tendrils down lest they completely restrict the tassels on their host's tops.

After repeated efforts to re-plant pumpkins to increase their number (no thanks to the robbing Squirrel Squadron) I am left with only 8 pumpkin vines which I labor over with the diligence of an expectant mother. Here the work pays off as the vines are on the march. I have buried the vines every 3 feet or so that they might develop secondary roots. You can't see it here either, but the longest vine has female flowers on the end. Very exciting!!! Not to be missed, the potatoes in the background are almost ready for harvest!

A male flower just after it opened this morning. I hope some pollen gets transferred. If there is no development in 2 weeks or so, I may have to pollinate by hand, just to be sure.

Good progress all around. I just wish we had more rain.

3 Sisters made from clay

2010-06-15T22:38:00.000-04:00

I have been experimenting with Native American farming methods. One of the ones that I have spent a good deal of time on is The 3 Sisters. You can read about it in the wikipedia entry I linked. This form makes sense to me, its companion planting to balance out each plants needs, and physically done so that squash (which like to be on hills) are appeased. Unfortunately I have found that the soil type has a lot to do with the success. My soil is clay. Brown, clumpy, and hard as a rock when it is dry. I've been told that it is the best soil once it really gets going.

Well, the mounds that the 3 sisters are in (actually I practice the 4 sisters since I plant sunflowers as well) are made of clay. "in time the Rockies may tumble / Gibraltar may crumble / they're only made of clay" Sure enough, yesterday in a heavy rain, my corn started to lean over. I thought it was weak roots and heavy rain. When I went out to look, I realized that the mound was simply disintegrating in the direction that the corn leans (east, toward the morning sun). The mound felt like a sponge in my hand. They fell over like dominoes, still rooted, but laying down, as they do in crop circles.

So now I have to stake them. Stakes for corn, isn't that supposed to be the other way round? ;)

So note to self, either prepare to stake, make some kind of border for the mounds to keep them in (a possibility with my infinite brick supply), or don't make hills.

I hope I can save them. They were chest high!

Pictures!

2010-06-07T14:10:00.007-04:00

Ok I only have a little time today, but here are the promised pics. The deer fence is up on the Main Bed, but the driveway and Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch are currently undefended. *crosses fingers* Enjoy!

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch

The Main Bed, 8'x20'

Closeup on Corn

The Driveway Bed, 4'x20'

Cantaloupe Up close

Insane growth

2010-06-04T09:04:00.002-04:00

Ok that's just crazy, I replanted on Memorial Day and now just 4 days later I have germinated seedlings. The broccoli, and 3 beans are already popping though the soil. That's just crazy. I'm thinking soil temperature may have helped as well now, and we have had a lot of rain this week. Very interesting.

Yes, I promised photos, but the aforementioned rain (actually a very strong thunderstorm) kept me from taking pics. I have to fix the fence and stuff this weekend, so I will snap some then.

The importance of fertilizer

2010-06-03T09:18:00.007-04:00

Hmmm, methinks that manure does not count. When I planted in mid-april, I turned everything, added some new soil and amended with manure. Two things were in the back of my mind: 1) Why do they mention manure AND fertilizer as something you amend the soil with? 2) 'soil' that has a lot of wood chips in it robs the soil of nitrogen. Too bad this was all I could find.

See the problem there?

So after a month everything I had looked pathetic. Half of the crops didn't come up either. A brief tally:

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch
Potatoes: yes and doing very well
Pumpkins: yes but weak

Main Bed
Spinach: yes! and very well. Already harvested a batch VERY tasty!!!!!
Onions: yes, but hard to tell the status since its just that one string of green popping out of the soil.
Lettuce: Nope
Tomatoes: 2 very weak plants.
Carrots: none, but 2 survivors from last season
peppers (thai and jalapenos) : none

Main bed 4 sisters
Corn: yes but weak (about 12 of 36)
Pumpkins: nope
Lima Beans: 2 out of a possible 36
Sunflowers: 3 out of 9

Driveway bed
Mammoth Sunflowers: yes and very tall
Eggplant: none
Cantaloupe:7
Cayenne: none
Sweet peppers: none
Bell peppers: none
Strawberries: none

Now I am suspecting that the wild temp swings killed out some of the sensitive stuff (i.e. no lettuce or strawberries) because it was 90 one day and then had a frost the next night. Also, all of the varieties I planted were Heritage. As in, there are not just not GMO but are also not hybrids. As in the "original" crops. Which is kid of a misnomer since 'original' corn is teosinte and that has but 4 kernels on it. But I digress.

So, when I got back from the beach on June 1, I did a second planting.

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch
Added more pumpkins in Ye Olde Pumpkin patch.

Main Bed
Added more of 3 of the 4 sisters (no more sunflower seeds, but there are lots of mammoths anyway) Also planted squash instead of pumpkins in 1/2 of the mounds
Planted Broccoli to replace failed lettuce.
Added more tomatoes
Added more peppers
Replaced the failed sunflowers with something that escapes me at the moment.

Driveway bed
Replaced the Strawberries with 3 bean salad beans (the varieties escape me)
Replanted the Bell peppers
Replaced the sweet peppers with Dragon peppers (I know super hot)
Replanted cayenne
Replanted the eggplant
Scattered broccoli about.

But... I also added fertilizer. Sadly it was viagro non-organic. 10-15-10. I know, but I couldn't find organic fertilizer at the Despot and was pressed for time.

Suddenly...BAM!!! I mean the next bloody day the pumpkins doubled in size and the sunflowers were taller than the Littlest Giant. Everything that was 'weak' is now vibrantly green. The corn is higher than my knee and the beans (the two that made it), are now racing to get taller than the corn. I may have to cull them so that they don't fight the corn for water. Interestingly, I am seeing carrots pop up where I did not plant them. I am thinking that they got shifted around in the soil when I added the fertilizer (I raked the bed). Now I am thinking that I might suddenly have crops all over the place. Possibly the seeds that did not germinate at the original planting may come up now. If they do, its gonna be nuts!

I hope it was just the lack of fertilizer that made for such a pathetic start, because I would hate to think that the heritage variety (the most genetically diverse by definition) was to blame. Last year when I said that I had to fertilize at planting I thought that was manure. It wasn't. It would have to have been either my worm compost, or fertilizer.

I am hoping to get organic fertilizer for the next feeding which I guess is July 1 or sooner depending on who you talk to. Also I need to see about replacing the apple tree with 2 new ones, but I need to talk to the guy at the nursery. Also, the azaleas will be replaced with blueberry and raspberry bushes.

Yeah I know at lot of work, but the apples and berries are perma-culture, so I don't have to do it every year.

Deer fence is up, but was too short to surround the main bed. So I need to get some more posts to finish the job. I also need to make sure it doesn't sag or overlap because I needed to save a bird and bee yesterday that refused to fly backwards to get out.

Drip irrigation is useless since the beds are just too big. I need to think of a better system, since the pump works great.

Pics as soon as I can take some, probably today.

Garden 3.0 Update

2010-05-13T14:00:00.000-04:00

The Higher Mind of New England has released me, for now, so I will actually have some time to write again (I guess I'll need it since I completely lost a manuscript I was working on. *sigh*) I had some pictures of the garden set-up but they are really bad. "Hey great! Murky water and dirt whoopee!" So I will take better pics probably this weekend. Everything has sprouted, except that I don't remember what I planted in most places. That might present a problem no? :) We had another frost, but it wasn't bad. Of course the spinach is already getting chewed by something as well.

Sadly, the apple tree in the front of the house was cut down. All that snow this year (37 inches total) really beat up the plants in the area. The tree split in half and then the other half was dying. That and 3 azaleas were cut down yesterday. So that one tree will be replaced with 2. Probably in the fall, so it gets planted dormant. Now I just need to decide which tress I want. (apple tress can fertilize each other, and can be different species. You won't get Granny Delicious or anything though.) I do need 2 since self-pollinating trees make crappy apples as the ones of the old tree illustrated.

I'll get some good pictures up soon. I'm just glad I don't have a paper to do, for at least 4 months. :)

Garden V3.0

2010-04-19T12:27:00.003-04:00

The new one is expanded, planted, and waiting to sprout! Details as soon as I get a few minutes.

UPDATE: So far after several mild frosts, I have life in my garden. 2 Carrots made it from last year (I plucked one, it was very fibrous). Sunflowers and Spinach are sprouting. Nothing else has come up yet. I'm waiting for a little bit before putting up the deer fencing. One because I don't think there is much to attract them and 2 because I just have not had the time with taking care of The Littlest Giant (and yes, she is gigantic) and the Higher Mind of New England hasn't given me a break. 12 days, and then I will have some much deserved freedom.

The Post-mortem (aka Requiem for a Garden 2: Electric Boogaloo)

2009-11-06T10:53:00.018-05:00

We had the first frost a few weeks ago (somewhere around 10/15) and the first killing frost last night (11/5) ah, corresponds to Guy Fawkes Night. That's easy to remember then "Remember, remember the fifth of November". I think its actually earlier this year than normal considering I never rake my leaves until after Thanksgiving, not Halloween. The anti-climate change people love this, and the lack of hurricanes, but one year does not global cooling make.

Anyway, this is really for me to remember for next year. Well, considering no one really reads this but me, its all for me to remember. I usually plant around Easter, and I guess harvest should be around Halloween. Funny how it works out that way, why is the pagan calendar so accurate? Hmmm, I have no idea. ;)

Funny thing, the tomatoes and peppers are still flowering and setting fruit, but they are so stunted. I'm sure this probably changed all that. I'll check tonight.

On with the pics:

The Main Garden right before I pulled the carrots. Not as lush as it was since the sunflowers went to seed, but its still impressive for the first year I did this on this scale.

The sun has set for these sunflowers. They were tasty but small, but that sure didn't stop the birds. The Mason bees LOVED these guys, that's why they will be replanted and why I bought the mason bee nest. They went to seed around mid September.

The stunted tomatoes. I'll just plow these back under or compost the fruits. These plants were really tenacious.

The corn that wasn't. Sooo close. Well at least I got some actual ears, and I know what to do next year.

The empty potato bins. Worked very well, we'll see those again.

The disappointing Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. Hmmm. Next year, its war with the Slug Sappers.

The Front Garden. I didn't expect anything here really, but the tomatoes actually grew. From the amount of clover that grew here I think it needed some nitrogen. As as a matter of fact the tomatoes started really working after I fertilized. There may still be issues with not enough sun, but at least I know something CAN grow there.

The rain barrels ready for the winter. I had a REAL problem with mosquitoes here even though the holes are all screened. I assume the larvae got in though the downspout. I have no idea how they got out, but they did.(maybe thru the outlet hose) The last barrel (the one on the left) was FULL of swimming larvae when I decided to dump the three to prevent an actual health hazard. I'm going to have to seal them all off from the environment next year, so that the only way in or out is through the main hole to the downspout which I have already double netted. Also, I need a pump to get some more pressure for them. I'm researching submergeable pumps, and power supplies for it. I may actually have to get those solar panels.

The mason bee apartment. No residents yet, but I assume that they all found other accommodations for the winter. I have so many in the yard, I'm sure I'll have some come spring.

The implement of destruction. The Black and Decker CMM1200. Yes, I know, no panels. Nice if I actually walked the walk huh? Its a great mower, takes small passes though, so I need to walk a little more. Not like I'm on my feet all day or anything.

The compost bin. Its insane, I just keep putting veg in and it drops into a black hole. I have yet to have it be full for more than a few days, and its been up since march. I have worms in it too, which must have hitch hiked in as eggs on garden waste. Works for me. They get upset when I tumble it, but for the most part they are warm and happy with PLENTY to eat.

In the bin. That's grass clippings not the worms, and I think those are apples that went bad. I may have to move the bin into the sun for the winter, but that bad boy is heavy. We'll see if I need to. A frozen mass of compost is no fun.

That's it on The Post-mortem. More on the future expanded garden soon. And maybe some more product reviews (since they are the most popular read on this blog) if the Littlest Giant and the Higher Mind of New England let me get some time.

Yes I know, its October

2009-10-08T14:43:00.019-04:00

And I haven't made a post since July. I know, I have been a bad giant. The Littlest Giant, now a whopping 20lbs. has taken up all of my spare time. Also my prostration to the Higher Mind of New England has taken what was left. Since it is the end of the season, I'll run down a rapid-fire update, with pictures (which are huge, I will make smaller ones when I get a second)!

Sadly, I have not gotten any pumpkins this year out of Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. I think the main problem was that I did not fertilize the patch early enough. By July they still had not grown very far out of the patch, once I did fertilize, they went insane with growth, but a new enemy reared its head: Slug Sappers. I pretty much took care of the Bambi Brigade, and the Squirrel Squadron wasn't bad at all (took 2 cornstalks but that was about it) but the slugs were just insane. I even found one in my dining room! Anyway, the explosive growth that came about due to the organic fertilizer was basically like ringing the dinner bell for the slugs. The pumpkin vines were just eaten to the stems from these little sinister slimy assailants. So no pumpkins. I have purchased some slug repellent for next year, we'll see how it does.

Similarly, the corn stalks and bell peppers didn't make it either. I assumed the bells wouldn't make it as I only planted them in the Front Garden (which did eventually get tomatoes), that only had English Ivy in it before. The corn, which had grown super fast, basically stopped in mid July. It was a combination of dry weather and lack of fertilizer. A few dried ears (which I have pics of) then they just wilted away. I fertilized in mid August, and everything that was left went INSANE!!! I had to cut back the tomatoes, and the Jalapeno and 'Chinese Chilies' grew through the deer fence. Its a thing of beauty.

What have I learned?

Fertilize when you prepare the ground.
Fertilize at least a month later, then do it again. (so that's at least 3 times)
Don't let the corn dry out, ever.

Ok, now on with the photos!

Carrots! It seems that you need to leave them in the ground for a while and THEN they get big. ;) As you can see, they are as big as my hand, and I have some pretty large meat-hooks. There are still a bunch in the ground that I will take out occasionally until the first frost. They are very sweet tasting. This was taken 2 days ago.

These potatoes were harvested from the potato bins in the back of Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. I think they did fairly well. They aren't huge by any means, but they tasted very good. I harvested around the first week of August. The plants had yellowed and fallen over by then, so I didn't think I was going to get any new tubers out of it.

Here are mashed potatoes that I made. Very tasty, the skins left a sweetness to them. Wish I had more. :)

Ahh, tomatoes. Now these worked with no problem! Started getting tomatoes around the 1st of august and have been getting them ever since. I'm not a fan of raw ones so I can't tell you how those tasted, but cooked into spaghetti sauce they are great! You can taste the freshness. I know its a cliche, but you can.

Sauce made with the tomatoes, the chunks are turkey meat, tomato chunks, and chilies. :) Good stuff, The Wife loves it!

Chilies, chilies and more chilies! Good friends of mine identified what I refer to as 'Chinese Chillies' (this top photo) since I got them from my mother in law. I know they aren't Chinese, in fact, they are Mexican. I just can't remember the name. Serrano maybe? If anyone knows, please educate me. There are a slew of pics of them. BTW Spicy!!!! and I like spicy chilies, and these are really are. I have yet to see a red one on the plant, drying though, they turn orange-red.

Jalapeno from the top down. This plant is still producing red and green ones. Very hot, not really spicy though. NOTE: don't test the Scoville rating by popping one of these guys in your mouth fresh off the vine. Thought I was gonna choke to death.

Chinese Chili plant, this pic was before I fertilized, the plant is poking though all the holes now. More chilies than I know what to do with. I'm going to harvest and tie them together an dry them in a batch.

More of them, that plant is sooo small compared to what it is now.

The one ear of corn that I managed to get. It was already dried like that on the stalk and was the only ear on that stalk. More fertilizer and water.

Here's one of the sunflowers that I eventually brought into work. These guys were crazy! Even without fertilizer they grew to at least 8-9 feet. The Bees, and the birds LOVED THEM!! The heads are all empty and brown now. The seeds were very good, but too small to be worth harvesting. Next year, I plan to plant these again, but as a natural fence. I will also plant the yellow, single head variety which has better seeds.

That's it for the sofar update. I have other pics that I will add to this as well. The requiem will be next. Also my Mason Bee nest, the new mower, and the plans for next season.

Update on the Garden

2009-07-20T16:14:00.009-04:00

Yes, I know, still no solar panels for the lawnmower. The Littlest Giant takes up all my time these days. When I get a second that I am not changing diapers, I'll send for them. :)

The garden is coming along well. The most visible progress is in the Main Bed, where the sunflowers are at least 9 FEET tall. Yes, even over The Giants head. The flower heads have flipped over and the petals are this really cool burgundy color. I think my wife wanted that.

The corn is still only up to my shoulder, but each stalk has at least 2 ears on it. I can feel the kernels below the husk, so I know they are there, at least as long as the squirrels stay away from them.

Yes Virginia, you CAN grow tomatoes in my backyard! ;) They are all green at the moment, and one mutant 3 flower tomato had to be culled, but there is some progress. *crosses fingers*

Ok, I was getting a little impatient and pulled a carrot, seems to have a little while longer to go though.

Also, a potato(e) check. This one is not ready for prime time either, but its sooo cute! One of my cat hair providers adding to the supply IN the carpet is in the background.

The battle begins

2009-07-06T10:50:00.003-04:00

*sigh* 3 cornstalks taken by Squirrel Squadron. One as I was looking at the little bugger gnaw though a stalk. Went right under the deer fence and took it. I flew after it in a rage, yet again, and it got tangled in the fence. It made its way out before I got to it though, but at least I scared the hell outta it.

So my next tactic in this accelerating war, was to sprinkle cat hair around the base of all the remaining stalks. I have an unlimited supply thankfully. :) Its a desperate attempt, but apparently they don't like to hang out around a place if they can smell predators. I should just let the cats loose next time, but I don't think my wife would approve.

If that doesn't work, I cut my losses, and next year, 10 foot chicken wire cage. Its a bit extreme, but they have a WHOLE TREE full of apples that they can take whenever they want.

As an update, tiny tomatoes have started on my newly caged tomato plants. These are pretty high off the ground, so lets see if they escape notice.

The pumpkins are crawling away and moving out of the patch, no fruit yet, but I don't expect it until the vines get at least 25 feet long.

In Memoram:
My cordless Black and Decker CMM1000, which has been hanging around in limbo waiting for a replacement board (after raiding mice pooed on it) has been left for dead. It served us well for 6 years and will be missed. I just don't have the time to wait for a board that is always on back order. I have already bought its replacement: The CMM1200 A slightly cooler design, some changes I like, some I don't. Next payday, I get the solar panels for it.

Rise of the Pumpkins

2009-06-22T13:14:00.017-04:00

Ok its been a long time since I have written here. The arrival of The Littlest Giant has taken up all of my time. In her honor, I present a picture of the first flowers of the vines grown from the seeds of her namesake:

I promise that she will always have a Pumpkin Patch planted just for her. :)

With all the rain that we had been getting in the last 2 months, the garden has almost been growing like a weed. It seems that in the past 2 weeks there has been an explosion of growth. The ground is no longer barren and waiting.

The Main Bed as it stands now almost 2 months since it was seeded:

The reverse angle:

A lot less plants grew than I had planted. I didn't have time to do a second planting, and the weather was so cool and wet that I think the bed took a long time to heat up. So far, I have put organic compost down twice, once right after planting, and another time when the plants emerged enough that I could tell them apart from the weeds. You will see the dark soil in the close up pictures. Note the sticks that hold up the deer fence. So far, the Bambi Brigade has been thwarted. It was this time last year that the assault began and I lost my entire crop of corn. So far, so good. My biggest fear actually, is when the sunflowers come in, then I have to not only worry about Squirrel Squadron, but "The Wing". Blackbirds regularly patrol Suburbia. The bird feeder that The Wife insists on keeping (I know, the baby will learn so much with it there) will hopefully give them enough to ignore my crop.

The tops of the sunflower plants, roughly 4 feet from the ground:

Just in front of the sunflowers, corn that is also 4 feet tall. I know the expression is "knee high by the 4th of July" but what does it mean if it is chest high by June 22nd?:

I decided to mix the space set aside for the tomatoes and corn. I know that next year I need to rotate the crops so tomato worms don't get a foothold. I think of the garden as one of those puzzles that has a single piece missing. Or maybe I won't till the soil to support that whole eco-system/perma-culture approach. So many decisions. :)

The tomatoes in their own space. No flowers yet. My neighbors already have fruit, but they bought theirs already planted from the Home Despot. I'm sure they aren't organic either:

In this corner, weighing in at maybe a pound, the makers of juice, providers of vitamin A, and favorite food of Bugs Bunny: Carrots!

Lastly in the Main Bed, 2 types of chilies. Regular Bell Peppers, and these chillies that I got from my Giant-in-Law. They are "Chinese" peppers, but I think they are just Jalapenos. Again, my neighbor's have fruit, but they aren't organic either.

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch breathes Again
I dunno, looking at these photos, I kinda like the fallow state that Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch was in before I planted. Probably because it reminds me of autumn. Anyway, I planted red potatoes that I bought from Whole Foods into the potato baskets I bought from Gardner's Supply Company. The blue ring is part of the cat tower that our fearsome, house Tigers completely ignored. Next to the potatoes are the pumpkins. Since its can't be Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch without pumpkins right?

Closeup of the potato bin's. These so surprised me, they are growing so fast that I could potentially harvest next month.

And of course, last but not least, the pumpkins themselves. They are flowering, but the vines are just making it out of the patch. It will be a while until they are long enough to start setting fruit. I will watch them like a hawk again. I know that the Bambi Brigade and the Squirrel Squadron are just biding their time.

This blog seems to be turning exclusively to gardening, but I assure you it is not the case. :) I have received my LEED AP certification just before the Littlest Giant was born. I haven't been able to make much of it having been on leave and with the economy slowly limping back, but there should be more in the future.

Next up: solar panels to charge the electric mower.

Rain Rain Go away

2009-05-06T09:55:00.001-04:00

8 days, eight days of rain! My garden is doing well, but I'm almost worried about the roots of the plants rotting. Everything has spouted. The ground is so muddy that I can't put up the deer fence without worrying about sinking into a quagmire and drowning. I know that the 3rd rain barrel I ordered will come when everything finally stops. *sigh*

I'll take pictures as soon as I it doesn't look like a swamp.

A Garden Reborn

2009-04-27T21:36:00.032-04:00

Here it is, the moment you have all been waiting for...well some of you have been waiting for...well, the one I have been anyway. :) The garden in all its glory is being reborn from the ashes of its former self. As stated in my other entries, the garden has been moved from the old spot to a new one on the north side of my house. I have also decided to replant pumpkins in the spot they were last year and plant only with some potatoes. Hopefully this will keep the Bambi Brigade away from that particular patch in the hopes that the pumpkin vine's will remain un-accosted and I can get a good crop to celebrate the arrival of their namesake. I have taken a few pictures to document the progress, I also have documented the rainwater harvest system that I have set up. I have not yet taken pictures of the Front Garden. Maybe I will get to that tomorrow.

These are the rain barrels I promised I would document. No, you don't see the fact that the shutters really need to be painted. The barrels are Greek pepper barrels that I bough from this site. Pretty much the same barrels as seen on TV. The terra-cotta colored barrels hold 50 gallons each (that's 400 pounds of water each, for those of you keeping score.) The hose between the two of them is the overflow that allows one to flow into the other, filling them up in succession. The black hose coming out of the top of the left barrel is the extra overflow that keeps the water from just pooling on the top if it rains too much. The green hose coming from the bottom of the left barrel is the connector to the drip irrigation system that I laid out in the Main Bed. The barrels are directly across a little brick path from the Main Bed.

These barrels fill up fast! They went from completely empty, to overflowing in a day of light to moderate rain, without a very large roof surface area. I might get at least one more, just in case the summer is really hot, which it looks like it might be. Not pictured on the right barrel is another hose that I used to fill the water can with. It was much easier than to unscrew one of the plugs and have the water shoot out all over.

The Main Bed, as it lay bare. Who's that Giant with that rake?

The Main Bed as being prepared by me (photos provided by my lovely assistant, The Wife). The soil is very clay-y? clay-like? clay containing? In the Suburbia area. Soils class is a little vague to me at the moment, but I seem to recall something about the Piedmont being like this. The soil, and the bricks, are leftovers from the construction of my porch, so it probably should not be a surprise that there isn't a heck of a lot of organic matter in it after 50 years of being unproductive.

My drip irrigation laid out, with me getting the sunflower seeds ready to go. We found this in the local Home Despot, its a Vigoro drip irrigation hose. I think they might be discontinuing it because I can't find it online anywhere now, and I bought the whole length for $10. It works well, but since it is drip, it has to run for a few hours to get even 2 gallons of water out. Great to turn on and walk away, easy to forget about.

Irrigation with the approximate location of the plantings.

The list of vegetables panted in the Main Bed (Sounds like Main Belt Asteroid. I know, only I would get/make that joke):
1) Sunflowers: the red, multi-bloom variety
2) Corn, yes corn again, Bambi Brigade be damned
3) Tomatoes, Squirrel Squadron be damned.
4) Carrots
5) Green Bell Peppers
6) Jalapeno Peppers
7) Some Chinese peppers that I don't know the variety of. Yes I know, not local, but the Giant's Mother-in-law is too cute to deny sometimes.

The Main Bed, seeds, irrigation, covered lightly in sand to break up the clay.

It's not evident in this photo, but I have already hit Whole Foods and grabbed some organic compost and spread it over the top. The sand is there to keep the water from just running off the clay. I'm crossing my fingers as to whether this will actually work or not. The soil has so much less organics than that in Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch. Ideally I should have mixed compost in with the sand and clay and tilled everything together. If I get bad results this year, I think that will likely be the culprit. Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch, and the Front Garden have more organics, so it will be interesting to see the results. *puts down pencil and clipboard*

Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch, in its glorious fallow state. The site of the Original Garden (may Gaia protect it.) Ahh, the possibilites!

Ye New Olde Pumpkin Patch. 4 mounds, each seeded with MANY seeds I recovered from our pumpkins that were not carved into Jack-o-lanterns last Samhain. Like the Main Bed, these mounds were covered in sand to aid drainage. The soil is much more organic at this part of the yard (which is within sight of the Main Bed). As of yesterday I have seen 4 sprouts poking thought the sand. This tells me that, so far, Ye Olde Pumpkin Patch is the most productive section of this garden complex. Who knows what the future may hold? The space to the left of the mounds is reserved for potato baskets which are due to arrive any day.

Next up, the Front Garden and potatoes in a bag.

Front lawns and the power of "looking nice"

2009-04-10T11:21:00.006-04:00

Ah, spring is here. Its warm and sunny and everything is green and growing fast. Well, somewhere it is, but not in my neighborhood at the moment. Things are still pseudo-dormant and we keep getting frosts that preclude me from planting directly into the ground. Yes, yes, I know, I should have started indoors etc. Bad Giant.

Anyhoo, for YEARS, I have railed against the uselessness of lawns. They consume resources in water, fertilizer, time, gasoline (for those who don't have electric mowers), all that, and all I get in return is grass that I can't utilize unless I had a flock of sheep. (yea, try selling that in Suburbia). I've wanted to plant wildflowers, but that is considered a nuisance since they go too seed in the fall and might impinge on others lawns. Can you see that? "Damn beautiful flowers in my monochrome green wasteland! Lowering the property values, that is!!!!"

So, the last option of course: grow food on the lawn, at least that will be productive use of the space. This is a mantra I repeat almost every time I mow the lawn. Of course the best sun on my entire parcel of land is the front of the house, but of course people consider that 'bad' or 'unsightly' or even 'low-class' to actually grow your own food in your FRONT lawn! "Gasp! what would Bitsy and Theodore say????"

Now being the kind of person I am my answer to those kinds of questions is ALWAYS - "screw 'em." However, massive changes to the abode has veto power by the Giant's Wife. For the longest time she wouldn't let me do it because it would "look bad." I.e. overgrown plots, no structure, Velociraptors waiting to pounce on hapless passers-by. It took weeks just to convince her to put the first garden in the backyard. (see requiem for a garden for details) But then it was easier to convince her to move it to the north side. Easier still was getting the two rain-barrels I have (which I have been remiss in documenting, again Bad Giant), but those went over well because she saw them on Living With Ed. Ah she needs to see it and that it CAN be beautiful! Eureka! So last night we see a news report on ABC about people "eating their lawn" and BAM! she's on board. I can't find the report, but here is something similar. Could not have been better timing really, this week the bed of English Ivy in the front of the house gets ripped out (I know its pretty, but its an invasive species and it breeds mosquitoes. Damn those Tigers!) Originally to be replaced with just a butterfly garden, but now will be host to vegetables as well!

OK lots of plans, I promise I will keep it documented.

Painting the Cave: A low-VOC paint review

2009-02-20T09:48:00.005-05:00

Note, this post was written before and after the arrival of the Littlest Giant, see if you can tell where the break is. :)

As some of my loyal readers may know (thank you for being so loyal) The Giant and his wife are expecting a Little Giant, a "barely enormous" one if you will, "merely huge". Which is partially the reason why I have been so remiss in my blogging as of late. Suffice it to say, The Giant's days are filled with preparations; registering for goods and services, teaching the grand-giants how to use Skype and Cam *gasp*, and painting the Little Giant's future cave.

Of course, when the newest of the clan arrives, I'd like to make sure that the Littlest Giant has as much of a chemical-free existence as possible, since so much of the environment has already presented such a body-burden to the average person. So, with decorating comes painting, with painting comes days of eye-watering, headache inducing, nausea inflicting chemicals to be thrown on the walls to make the place look "nice". Meanwhile loading the body with VOC's like formaldehyde, butyraldehyde, benzaldehyde, and what-the-hell-I-won't-even-attempt-to-say-it-dehyde. (although cinnamaldehyde gives cinnamon its flavour. Mmmmm tasty VOC). So what to do? As The Giant has frequently stated, the post-WWII chemical/industrial complex has a pill for everything and a chemical to make everything "brighter, whiter, cover in one coat" etc. As is the point of this blog, nay my existence at this point, The Giant must eschew all of those "Modern Conveniences" but still not make my paint from milk and clay. (Seriously, check it out)

I know, I know, am I just green-washing myself here? If I were truly green, I would have gone for the milk. But, as in all things balance is key and this blog is about being green without having to resort to reverting to the 1800's. Also, as much of an artist as I like to claim myself to be, I'd screw the process up and have the wife and the Littlest Giant ridicule me to the end of my days. But I digress.

So, what did I choose? Well, milk would have been awesome, but not feasible, I'd still be painting the room. I would have liked to go to a local store for low-VOC paint, but alas none in my region of Suburbia had such a product. I am sure that specialty stores exist "In the City", but I was under pressure to get the cave finished asap as I had other tasks to accomplish. Sadly, as usual, the Home Despot was my destination. It was the only place, at the time, that offered no-VOC paint, and it was exactly what I wanted. The product: The Freshaire Choice, part of the Despot's Eco Options line.

A lot of information is on the website, so I will just give you my impressions. The base for the paint is the standard latex/titanium oxide combo. No surprise there, this is what makes it not milk based paint. Now there could still be issues with people with Latex allergies, so its not completely 'harmless' but neither are CFL bulbs and we still call them 'green'. The pigment is made with clay and sodium aluminosilicate (essentially aluminum salt, that you put on your armpits non-green deodorants). No petroleum bases anywhere. Well, maybe the latex, unless it came from a rubber tree, which I doubt. The base is mixed with the pigment, which is just a package of the clay that dissolves in the base. The whole thing is closed up and put in that big martini shaker that blends it ever so nicely. I got 1 gallon of the wall color (Arbor Vine, think sea-foam green), 1 gallon of flat ceiling white, 1 gallon of primer, and 1 gallon for trim (Eternal Light, *cue heavenly music*).

Upon opening of the cans, the smell was mostly mineral-y, with just a small hint of latex. The paint poured out of the can quite easily. Not super-viscous like the watery petroleum based products, but more like melted ice-cream. Honestly, the Eternal Light *cue heavenly sound* looked like melted vanilla.

The paint flowed very well onto the brush. It seemed to have this characteristic where it would warm up during use. I'm sure that wasn't the case, but the more I worked with it, the better control I had over it, and the easier it was to cut in on the ceiling and priming the walls. The roller brush took the paint well, and transferred to the ceiling quite easily. Granted, the ceiling was already white, so I could have missed a few spots. Priming took 2 coats as I expected. The walls were already baby-blue and thus took some extra effort to conceal. There was also one of those wallpaper boarders running along the top (the ones so popular in the 90's) that I refused to steam off, so that took an extra 2 coats to cover effectively.

I used to paint professionally when "I Was a Teenage Giant", and usually would develop a headache within a few minutes of working with a product. The ceiling and primer were done, and I felt fine. I did have the window open, but even with that and regular paint I would have a vomit-inducing migraine.

Thus ended the first day.

The next day Arbor Vine took its place on the walls. As with the ceiling paint, it went on smoothly with the same viscosity as melted ice-cream. Again the same smell, but slightly more mineral-y. I was amazed at how fast the paint dried. At first, I thought it was just the fact that it had been years since the room was painted, and it was just being sucked in. Within an hour I was applying the second coat. Again, it dried quickly. By the time I got to the end in the 10x10 room, the first wall was already dry. I needed a third coat to fully cover the blue (which turned into a really sickly color emerald with only 1 coat of Arbor Vine on it.)The Eternal Light *heavenly music* that went on for the trim was the same cut-in madness that reminds me of why I quit painting professionally when I Was a Teenage Giant. I'm not a details Giant, so one more window pane that needs to be cut in is one too many. Eventually the trim was finished and I beheld my work.

Well, at least I wanted too, I had to clean the brushes and get to bed, cuz it was already midnight.

Clean up: Just like standard latex paint, but it seemed slightly easier to remove. There wasn't the stickiness that petroleum paints have. Cleanup with warm water, really meant that this time.

Behold, the cave is painted

The next day I was able to move furniture in, the walls completely dry. The mineral smell was still present in the room, and the walls felt warm as latex drying is usually an exo-thermal process. The next day, the walls were cool to the touch but the mineral smell persisted. WEEKS later, I could still smell the mineral pigment. It wasn't pungent or offensive by any means, and it certainly didn't give me headaches or burn my nose like VOC paint does. Almost like you have a new stoneware, or new bricks, and that the surface is oxidizing. Slowly, the smell faded, and by the time the Littlest Giant arrived, the smell was gone.

Would I recommend The Freshaire Choice *plays fan-fare*? Absolutely, I already have. Is it more expensive than "normal" paint? You bet, $25 a gallon compared to $12 I saw from some of the other brands. Does it apply like other latex paint? Yep, almost easier to use in my once professional opinion, mineral smell is 'different' but better. What would I change? Less pretentious names like Eternal Light *heavenly music*

Solar Panels for the North Side

2008-11-12T14:18:00.002-05:00

*The Giant tries to create a capital "N" with his fingers like all the gangstas do with "W" and heart shapes*

As many know my house, built in the 1950's, has no regard for North/South alignments to catch the sun. My house faces East, which gives great sunlight in the living room in the morning, and great light in the bedroom in the evening. The exact opposite of the times I am actually in those rooms. Further, I have very large oaks on the south side of my house which, while shading me quite nicely from the scorching Suburbia, VA sun, affords me no option to put up solar panels to reduce my carbon footprint. That may soon change.

I was reading a CNN article that spoke about solar panels that don't need to be placed in a certain orientation to get sunlight. Well, its just the coating on the panels, not the panels themselves. Basically, the layering on the coating allows sunlight to be absorbed by the panels no matter what angle the sunlight hits. It also allows for absorption of UV, and IR light, not just visible. Essentially, you can put the panels anywhere as long as light hits them, and they will absorb almost 96.21 percent of the light, better than the 35% or so now. :)

Hmmm, I'm seeing a great little stand with a few panels on it next to the garden in a few years. Unless the Bambi Brigade/Squirrel Squadron task force does something to it.

Requiem for a Garden

2008-11-10T16:53:00.005-05:00

As most have read, The Giant has had a difficult time with the local fauna in his Suburbia backyard. Squirrels have been the major culprit, scampering about with their cute little tails and noses, frolicking, if you will, in the bounty provided by this glorious planet. We all know of their darker side, sinister rats with puffy tails, waiting to prey upon you and your family while you sleep, destroying all that every red-blooded American holds dear. Now they have a new conspirator: Bambi. He and his brethren skulk about in the night, doing unspeakable acts that squirrels can only dream of doing: eating corn stalks to the ground!

OK, this might be a little bit of a digression, and although I have strong, no, giant-sized opinions on game hunting, this blog is not about that. Its about trying to live with nature, no matter how she confounds me.

The garden, eventually ended up being a mere shadow of what I had envisioned. Here is a tally:

Lima Beans: 24 plants plated, number of beans: 0
(plats sprouted, never set fruit)

Corn: 8 stalks planted, number of ears: 0
(stalks mowed to the ground by clandestine deer just as the stalks had at least 2 growing ears each)

Summer squash: 8 vines planted, number of squash: 3
(5 vines crushed as stealthy cloven-hooves dine on corn, 2 vines set fruit yielding 4 six-inch long fruits, 1 disappears, possibly stolen by joint deer/squirrel task force)

Sunflowers: 8 stalks planted, number of flowers: 0
(6 seeds dug out of the ground by squirrels, 2 sprout but then disappear, deer/squirrel brigade suspected)

Tomatoes: numerous plants planted, number of fruits: 0
(4 fruits set, Giant waits with baited breath as they grow almost to picking, tomatoes disappear off vines. Again, deer/squirrels suspected)

Pumpkins: 8 vines planted, number of fruits: 1
(7 crushed during Odocoileus virginianus raid. The 1 remaining vine sets 1 fruit, which the Giant guards with the passion of an expectant father. the fruit is gnawed on shortly after turning orange, the Giant harvests early to save what he could. The sole battle scarred orb sits alongside large commercially grown Jack-o-lanterns during Samhain. Days later develops mold, retired to new garden location to return to Gaia.)

All in all, not a very good crop. Thankfully I don't have to feed my family with it. I'm moving the garden to a new spot on the north side of my house. Ironically, during the summer months it gets the most light when the sun is high in the sky for most of the day. So far, the perimeter is set out in a rectangle with dirt and bricks recovered for the construction of the screened-in porch. I will also be surrounding the perimeter with 5 foot chicken wire fencing to deter Bambi's Brigade (which my wife saw wandering around the hood only last week). And obtaining rain barrels to save water to provide for the garden daily. Next years crop will also have its more tasty members grown in the screened-in porch to start. I am determined to get the sunflowers going.

Crops planned for next year:
Corn: Again, Bambi's Brigade be dammed
Sunflowers: ibid
Tomatoes: in secondary cages to further dissuade Squirrel Squadron
Pumpkins: in the same spot as the old garden. I think they had a shot, just needed at least 25 feet of vine before setting fruit. With no other tasty morsels in the area, the Bambi's Brigade should leave them alone
Potatoes: Hopefully Squirrel Squadron wont find them underground.
Chili Peppers: Capsaicin baby! Squirrels apparently hate it
Cucumbers: Yes a new one, neighbors have great success with theirs, hopefully I can share more wealth.

Battle plans are being draw. Thank you old garden, I mourn your passing and look froward to your rebirth.

The Giant Awakens

2008-11-07T14:52:00.003-05:00

Sorry for disappearing folks, The Giant has been pretty busy learning from the Higher Mind at Haavad these past few months. That and the whole "Yes we can!" thing was pretty gripping down here in Suburbia, VA (a blue state finally!).

So speaking of that, the President Elect has given his outline for his energy plan. I love the fact that it is completely absent of the phrase "drill, baby, drill."

Its outlined here. Its a terse read at the moment, considering they have only been "official" for a few days now, but it does have some interesting points. One that I think is a little "safe" is this one:

• Ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.

Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't 20 percent already come from renewable (hydroelectric)? Maybe I should drop them a line and mention that little tidbit. Wouldn't want politicians taking credit for something that has already happened now would we?

This point I loved:
• A “Use it or Lose It” Approach to Existing Oil and Gas Leases.

That huge push to "open up" areas for offshore drilling just made it possible to acquire more drilling rights. These rights are not being reserved because we are running out of places to drill, but rather to make sure that oil companies can stake their claim, and only use it when they want too. 70%-80% of possible areas to drill are already bought and completely unused. I like to call this the "shit or get off the pot" point. This will cause the companies to actually develop the plot, or let it go back, unused.

• Weatherize One Million Homes Annually.

How does he plan to do this? Show up at my house with caulk and insulation?

Anyway, just some musings. I promise I will carve out more time.

Do you need to stick your hand in a boiling pot to know its hot?

2008-08-21T11:20:00.003-04:00

An interesting article appeared in CNN's sci-tech blog today. It appears that there isn't enough money in the federal budget to study the effects of climate change. Places like the NSF and NOAA aren't getting enough funding because they aren't being adjusted for inflation.

As a former scientist (kinda), I know that a great deal of the work is not just in the lab, but also begging for research funds. That tends to be difficult, especially with the myriad other projects vying for those "limited" tax dollars. "Climate change" and "The War on Terror(ism)©" have different gut reactions. Are we missing the point though?

Isn't it more important to be spending money on methods to actually stop what we already know? It is important not to go off half-cocked and try a solution without understanding the whole problem, but one thing is clear: Humans are responsible for increasing the CO2 levels in the atmosphere form 1750 (give or take) to the present day. Whatever wasn't natural, is us. Therefore we have a goal, and that is to remove our influence from the atmosphere. Is that money not better spent on things like reducing emissions, CO2 sequestration, and renewables?

The barbarians are already at the gate, should we take the time to count them, and categorize foot soldiers and horsemen, or should we rather devise a way to take out as many as possible with the least damage to ourselves?

"I'll get you, you varmint!" (Updated)

2008-08-07T09:39:00.004-04:00

OK, a little clarification on The Giant's stance on organizations like PeTA and Greenpeace. I think that they have great missions, and really heighten peoples conciseness on things like animal rights and environmental issues. To me, they really serve as a firebrand, like you wacky alcoholic uncle who can really wax prosaic on some seriously deep issues, but by the same token is not the person you willfully invite to a party because it will be all about them in the end. Message received, but you actions speak so loud I can't hear anything you are saying. That having been said, The Giant is against all forms of animal cruelty. period.

I have a vegetable garden (that I really should be taking photos of) in my Suburbia backyard. The garden isn't doing so well because I really didn't put in the most sunny spot possible. I was growing corn, sunflowers, lima beans, summer squash, tomatoes, and pumpkins. As of today (august 7th) the corn is only up to my chest, and has one tiny ear on each plant. Although the tomatoes, squash, beans and pumpkins have nice, healthy plants, not one of them has set fruit. None. The sunflowers didn't even come up at all. There is a lot to be said about me planing late (memorial day) or not enough fertilizer (the plot is brand new) or not enough sunlight, but we have gotten a lot of rain.

The Giant was talking to his much smaller neighbors the other day. They mentioned that they were having the worst time with vegetables being stolen from their garden. Theirs is in a good spot, gets plenty of sun, no pests, etc. So their plants actually set fruit. "Bummer" I thought. "They aren't stealing from me. Yet." But wait, they do like sunflower seeds. Hmmm.

Next day, I come home and go to look out at The Giant's brand new screened in porch. What to my wandering eyes should appear: a squirrel runs past the french doors. INSIDE the porch! Thinking one of the workmen must have let it in, I rush to the door to let the poor little guy out. Upon opening the door, I spy another, yes another, squirrel with his head buried in the container of birdseed that I have stored inside the porch. Quickly I spy to the screen and see the 4 inch wide hole that they chewed though the screen to get at the delicious seeds. I flew into a rage, screaming at top of my voice, "Get the (unprintable) out of my (unprintable) porch you (unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable)(unprintable) varmint (unprintable) it!" What ensued after that was sheer hilarity in which the two thieves scampered around the inside of my porch, like those motorcycles inside steel cages that you often see at county fairs, or certain sections of the Las Vegas strip. Enraged, I pick up an extra piece of siding that the workmen left behind for repairs. Repeatedly I smacked it against the ground and against the walls, like some Neanderthal trying to get a leopard out of his cave before it eats his children. Full of sound and fury, all I succeed in doing was scaring the crap out of the fuzzballs. Stopping to watch one of them panting and scared out of its tiny mind an urge rises within me. "I could kill that (unprintable) right now. He's so scared I can just reach out and snap its neck before he'd get the chance to bite me. It'd be quick and painless, more than he deserves."

Right there. Right there I feel the urge of 100,000 years of evolution. "Kill what threatens you. Kill what steals from you. If it lives your children don't eat. Kill."

"Dude, chill." I say audibly. "It's a (unprintable) squirrel. You are the dumb-ass that left the birdseed out." forgetting that these guys had chewed though the container at a point previous, providing the second one with the access into the container in the first place.

Calmly, I walk back, open both screen doors, (letting those tiger mosquitoes in, the reason for the porch in the first place). I continue to smack the siding on the ground, but less frantically, using my evolved cortex to solve a problem, instead of a finding the quickest way to kill something 200 times smaller than me. One makes it out quickly, then after a minute, the second one (the VERY scared one) makes his way out. I'm left with the task of cleaning the spilled seed up, and patch the whole in the screen with duct tape since the workmen haven't shown me how to replace the screens yet.

So what to do at this point? Obviously the reason why the squirrels are so bad in my 'hood is because we killed all their predators. The wolves, bears, and mountain lions were all removed because of the same instincts that almost made me kill the squirrels. Whether justified or not, they were a bigger threat than just to my garden. Coyotes are making into my section of Suburbia, but I think they won't have much of an impact. Trapping them maybe? Moving them to the park and therefore someone else's problem? Or do I have to assume the role of predator since humanity took the real ones out? Is this out legacy? To be apex predators to something as small as squirrels and chipmunks? Thank God the crows aren't that aggressive, or then I'd be in real trouble.

UPDATE:
Thank you Mango Power Girl for letting me know that even western squirrels are a pain in the behind. I'm not so sure they are looking for moisture, since they also eat all the apples off my tress as well. Sadly, I'd leave water out for them, but then the mosquitoes would be even more intolerable. BTW, not only are the squirrels a problem, deer wandered into my yard and ate all the corn. Not just the ears, but the entire stalk all the way down to the ground. Who said the only wildlife inside the beltway are interns? Next year: cage the whole thing.

Sunscreen: Not just for Grannies and Children!

2008-07-29T11:58:00.002-04:00

To preface, the Giant is all for technology and its benefits for the human race. Ignoring it and going "back to the land" and living in a pre-industrial lifestyle will result in massive upheavals of our society and starve probably 4 billion people on this planet. However, there is a limit as to what science should, or should not be able to do. After awhile it becomes less of a benefit and more, science for science sake.

An article posted by CNN today, Sunscreen for crops, is I believe, one of those instances. This article suggests that an SPF 45 spray on crops will help those crops avoid sunburn due to lack of water. The spray, made from engineered calcium carbonate (basically sea-shells) is applied to the crops and that keeps them cooler, increasing yields.

This is all well and good if the situation really warrants it (ie planting in an actual desert). But we aren't at that point yet. Simply growing crops in mixed use polyculture (trees, shrubs, and crops) provides shade for lower crops, retains water, and helps eliminate pests. (the Three Sisters technique) This sunscreen is developed with monoculture farming in mind: endless rows of the same plant, requiring literally tons of chemical fertilizer, millions of gallons of water, and behemoth machines to take care of all of this.

Yes, crops are under threat for climate change, yes once-semi arid land is becoming marginal because of the heat and monoculture practices, yes places like the American Southwest and Australia are under historic droughts. But is this heavy handed "man vs. nature vs. what man has done to nature" really the best way to go? The Aztecs and Teotihuacanos farmed in the desert, and had flourishing societies. Is this the time for designer crops, with designer sunscreen? What's next, products to keep tomatoes form looking too wrinkly? Tummy tucks for pumpkins? Collagen injections for carrots?

Product Review: Ecover Dishwasher Tablets

2008-07-25T09:30:00.011-04:00

In my last post on an Ecover product, I couldn't really recommend Ecover's Liquid Laundry Detergent. It had way too much oily buildup on the Giant's clothes. "Fresh and Earthy" described my clothes at the beginning, but "thick and waxy" was more accurate at the end.

As before with regular laundry detergents, I didn't have any problem with effectiveness, it was just that I wanted to have a more sustainable product. There are a plethora of toxic chemicals in regular detergents and cleaners, plus all the hydrocarbons in the cleaner itself as well as the packaging. So the next most common thing I use in the "automated cleaning so I don’t have to go down to the river and beat my clothes against a rock" milieu was dishwashing detergent.

Whilst perusing though Whole Foods with my wife, I decided to pick up a box of tablets and give it a try. The box comes with 25 tablets, so if I didn't like it, I'd really be stuck with a lot of extra tablets laying around, so with some trepidation, I threw it into my cart.

The Ecover tablets come in a 95% recycled cardboard box (although at the moment I don't remember how much of that was post-consumer) and the tablets come with minimal individual packaging. However, they are each wrapped in plastic film that is identified with a #5. Which my recycling company does not take. I know that they chose this form because it is impermeable to gas, and that prevents the tablet from oxidizing and becoming useless. Still, I couldn't help but think "drat, so close". Maybe aluminum foil? I know it’s slightly fragile, but it’s impermeable too, and is recyclable. I guess I'll get out my little crayon and write them a letter. :)

Ok so, full load of dishes, and I take the box out, pop open the container, pull out a tablet, pop it out of its Polypropylene sarcophagus and toss it into the appropriate chamber. With a quick prayer for good luck, I started the cycle. At this point I started daydreaming of a world where dishes washed themselves, and Blu-ray DVD players didn't cost $800. :) 40 minutes or so later, the washing was done, and opened it up. After flinging the 1st dish onto the counter and cursing up a storm (I forgot that the dishes finish at 160 degrees) I realized that the plate felt clean, very clean. I grabbed a tea saucer (waved it in the air to cool to handle it) I did the old Dawn test. Rubbing my thumb along the side, it squeaked! It was so grease free! Elated, I grabbed another plate, and flung that onto the counter. Once I finished cursing, I picked that up and tested again, it squeaked too! Again and again an orgy of squeaking ensued, moving down from bowls to flatware. (No my wife was not home, so I was free to play without fear of ridicule.) I can safely say that the dishes were the cleanest I have ever felt them. No grease, no dried up "what was that anyway?" chunky bits clinging to the flatware, nada, just the glorious stink of clean. Not only was this better than I had expected, it was also cleaner that my usual Cascade, which always got the dishes clean, but didn't always pass the Dawn test.

As stated before, the box comes in packets of 25, and I am about 1/2 way through. I tend to wash a full load about 2x per week. I'm on city water in Suburbia, so it’s neither very hard nor soft, but it does have excessive amounts of chlorine sometimes. I don't know how those variables will affect other municipalities, or whether the pH will be modified if you run well water or collected rain water. All I know is that it works extremely well. Ecover's website mentions that for best results you should use their rinse aid, but to be honest, I can't see a reason why. I completely recommend this product. The tablets run about $6 for a box of 25, and can be purchased at Whole Foods, online, or that other green-leaning retailers.

Next review in the pipeline: some really nasty mouthwash.

T.Boone and The Wind Raiders

2008-07-22T10:28:00.003-04:00

Ok, just wanted to drop a quick comment while I was thinking about this. The Pickens Plan. Personally I think its a great idea. I know it doesn't exactly get us off using fossil fuels, so we are still putting some carbon in the air, but I think the infrastructure is important. Whether or not it does liberate natural gas, or just lets us take some coal plants offline, it has to be better than buring oil. Right?

Product Review: Ecover Laundry Detergent

2008-07-21T19:55:00.003-04:00

In an effort to live a more sustainable lifestyle, I have endavoured to change my consumer habits whenever possible. Switching out non-sustainable products for more or completely sustainable ones.

A product line that I have been experimenting with is Ecover, makers of many household cleaning products. My first foray with them was their liquid laundry detergent. This detergent uses natural plant oils and acids to clean clothing, therefore it isn't packed with phosphates that can wreak havoc on water supplies causing algal blooms and red tide, to say nothing of all the mining of bat poo to make it. :) Washing my clothes was no different with this detergent than any other, put in a cap-full, close the lid, walk away. The entire first bottle (20 loads) went by without a hitch and I was very pleased with the results. The clothes felt clean, soft, and had a certain "earthy" smell that I enjoyed. Not "earthy" in the Patchouli sense, but rather a "I just spent the day lying in the sun on the banks of a mountain stream" way. Well, maybe not that idyllic, but close. It must be the Citronellol in the mix.

Right about load 30, I noticed that my clothes start having that "not so fresh" characteristic that was so absent before. They were still clean, and smelled good, but they seemed "heavy" and not really breathable, even just regular medium weight cotton was getting "thick". I was beginning to think that maybe the plant oils were starting to build up on the clothing, not having been stripped away by a phosphate.

In an effort to change the pH of the wash, I started adding a cup of vinegar to the mix, directly with the detergent. This seemed to help the process out a bit. The clothes did not become thicker, but definitely not returning to their lightweight state. Being the giant that I am, I tend to get over-heated quite quickly, and I definitely need my clothes to breathe. This was not working for me.

Next I started rotating detergents, Cheer Free one week, Ecover the next. I was hoping for the best, but it still seemed to be no better than adding the vinegar. The rotations moved to 2 weeks, then 3 then 4, to the point where I would just use the Ecover when I ran out of the other kinds.

My clothes have returned to their original, phosphate burned selves, and seem to be no worse for the experience. I have plans to being experimenting with it again, maybe using water softeners, different fabric softeners, etc. etc. Or maybe I'll try the powder, the list of ingredients seems to lend to a different pH than the liquid.

I can't really recommend this product to anyone at the moment, except maybe for infrequent use, or hand-washing since you really don't want chemical burns on your hands. On the plus side, I have used their Dishwasher Tablets, and have had a much different experience. But that is a review for a different day.

Too much green?

2008-07-21T13:31:00.002-04:00

I want to start out by just asking a general question: does anyone think that there is too much emphasis on the word "green"? I know it defines the movement, and separates it from tree-hugging, hemp-wearing, pot-smoking, neo-hippies but is the term being over used to the point where it is now white noise? Do we add it in with other words like "low-carb", "previously owned", and "my-whatever", if Ryan Seacrest suddenly hosts a "green" show do we abandon the term?