Davie’s Barn

Posted on August 13, 2008 by itfarmer

Davie sitting on top of the world....

Barn Building !

I gained some great first hand construction experience buy helping contruct this beauty of a barn. Davie built the barn for Sandy, my sister.

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Easy to grow…. Herbs

Posted on August 8, 2008 by itfarmer
Easy to Grow.... Herbs

Easy to Grow.... Herbs

In my first year growing plants from seeds, I figured I would try my hand at growing some herbs. I found an old tractor tire, and placed it on its side next to my walkway. I filled the base of the tire with gravel to aid drainage, then mixed up about half and half Miracle Grow and soil from the garden. I then divided the tire into four sections using two pieces of thin wood. I planted Basil, Parsley, Thyme and Rosemary seeds. They all grew great, except for the Rosemary.

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Edible Flowers ?

Posted on August 6, 2008 by itfarmer
Edible Flowers ?

Edible Flowers ?

If your out to add some color to a salad, try adding some Nasturtium Flowers, which are edible. The plants can produce an array of different colored flowers, even though only orange is shown here. I’ve planted these next to my walkway, in old tire.

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String Beans

Posted on July 26, 2008 by itfarmer
String Beans

String Beans

Purple, Green and Yellow String Beans. They need to be weeded and picked. Kids seem to like odd colored veggies !

You can also see my row markers. When I open the seed packets, I open them upside down, and I save the packet. When I’ve planted the seeds, I place a small wooded post in front of the row, then place the seed packet over the wood post. Cover with a Zip Lock bag, and tape the bottom to keep the packet dry.

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The First Garden

Posted on June 23, 2008 by itfarmer

 

My first garden.

The First Garden.

I decided to start a garden, and I had several hundred seedlings already growing in my home.  I found out that one of my amish neighbors had a horse pulled plow, and hired him to cut up some grass.  He was only available while I was at work, so I asked my brother George to show him the new bounds of my garden.

When I got home from work, I discovered that I had a lot of work to do. You see, George had shown Rudy my collection of seedlings, and they both decided that I would need a LOT of room to grow.  They made the garden more then twice the size I was looking for. 

I was not bothered, though, because the cost was the same, and I now had plenty of room for crops I hadn’t planned on. You can see my home in the photo below. It is a 60 foot long trailer, nestled in the hills of Pennslyvania. Note how the garden is nearly 1 1/2 times the length of my house !

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Peppers

Posted on May 4, 2008 by itfarmer
Green Peppers

Green Peppers

Peppers, in Miracle Grow. I sometimes have a hard time beliving that each of these little plants emerged from a tiny seed. If I didn’t watch them day after day, I might not belive it.

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Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Posted on April 12, 2008 by itfarmer

 

Tomatoes and Cucumber Seedlings

Basking in the sun.

Some of 2008’s tomaotes and cucumbers. Here is how I plant seeds:

1.) Get some plastic or styrofoam cups.

2.) Poke a few holes in the bottom of the cups. A fork works great.

3.) Fill the cups with Miracle Grow. 

4.) Poke a small hole in the soil with the back side of a pen or pencil. Place one or two seeds in the mix, and lightly cover with soil.

5.) Place your  cups into a container that will hold water. In my case, I used a plastic storage container from the Dollar Store.

6.) Fill the container with a half inch of water.

Thats it. When your seedlings are ready to be transplanted, squish the container a bit so the plant and all the soil slide out. Cover loosely in the garden.

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Propogating Concord Grapes

Posted on March 31, 2008 by itfarmer
Concord Grapes

Propogating Concord Grapes

 Propogating ( Cloning ) Grapes is easy. In Febuary, when I prune my grape vines, I will select some canes for cloning. The idea is to get three “nodes”, which are the part of the vine that sticks out like a bud on a tree. In the photo above, the “nodes” have green growth coming out of them. 

Start by cutting just below a node, then count three nodes up, and at the top, place a cut on a 45 degree angle an inch above the top node. This will help later when your wondering which part of the vine is the top.

Next, place the canes in a peat moss / perilite mix (I’ve used miracle grow), with the angled cut up, then water.

In a week or two, you should start to see some growth out of the nodes.   When the last chance of frost has passed, you can plant them outside.

Posted in Cloning / Propogating, Grapes, How To's | 1 Comment

A Different World; A Different Life…

Posted on August 1, 2006 by itfarmer
A Different World; A Different Life

A Different World; A Different Life

Here is an Amish Horse and Buggy. I was trying to take a picture of the buggy, without being seen. The Amish do not like their pictures taken, and I didn’t want them to know I had a camera. I have gotten a few pictures of them, but I will be respectfull, and not post those.

The Amish people live right next door to us, and we have become friends over time, but I can’t help but wonder what their life is like. I know they have lighting (gas powered), and running water (gravity, windmill or gas motor powered), but what do they think of us with our wonderous technology ?

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