Black Australorp/Rhode Island Red cross... look at those colors!
Showing posts with label Permaculture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Permaculture. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Thursday, July 24, 2014
Chickens at Susitna Farm & Fiber!!!
I finally got my chickens! 1 Easter Egger and 5 Black Australorp/Rhode Island Reds!
Herdie says he is NOT impressed.
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
A successful first hatch...
I have had my two Toulouse geese, Herdie and Gerdie, for a little over a year now. They are beautiful birds which have provided us with entertainment, compost amendments, and of course, eggs! We have enjoyed the fresh eggs immensely, and this year I was able to sell some of them to cover the cost of the goose food (which really does not cost much at all). Geese do not lay all year like chickens can, instead having a breeding season in the spring like many wild birds tend to do, so the eggs are a real treat.
Last month, towards the end of the season, I decided to let Gerdie hatch some goslings. She was getting increasingly desperate when I took eggs from the nest, and it is, after all, what comes naturally to her. All went well, smooth and uneventful, and seven goslings made it! It was great to have her sit on the nest, eliminating the need for constant monitoring and attention like an incubator can require, but the most wonderful thing about this experience was that my 5 year old daughter and my 10 year old son got to watch something so amazing. They observed the eggs as they hatched, helped me tend to the babies, learned a lot, got a bit emotional, and are looking forward to doing it again next year!
Here's a few pictures of our experience!
Last month, towards the end of the season, I decided to let Gerdie hatch some goslings. She was getting increasingly desperate when I took eggs from the nest, and it is, after all, what comes naturally to her. All went well, smooth and uneventful, and seven goslings made it! It was great to have her sit on the nest, eliminating the need for constant monitoring and attention like an incubator can require, but the most wonderful thing about this experience was that my 5 year old daughter and my 10 year old son got to watch something so amazing. They observed the eggs as they hatched, helped me tend to the babies, learned a lot, got a bit emotional, and are looking forward to doing it again next year!
Here's a few pictures of our experience!
Thursday, June 19, 2014
June in the garden...
The frost is no longer a danger, the flowers are blooming, the birds are singing, and Gerdie is sitting on 9 eggs! So many things are springing to life around here that I thought I would share a few more pictures with you guys!
The flowers are blooming...
Lettuce is having its best year ever!
Remember the 6 Sunchoke roots I planted last year?...
Happy vegetables...
And a new project to work on today!
The flowers are blooming...
Lettuce is having its best year ever!
Remember the 6 Sunchoke roots I planted last year?...
Happy vegetables...
And a new project to work on today!
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Geese in an organic Alaskan garden.....
The weather has been warm and beautiful, the days are getting noticeably longer, and the snow is slowly melting. These are all wonderful things, but this year the sure sign of spring at Woodside Gardens is goose eggs! Gerdie has laid 3 eggs so far this season, and it has me excited for the year to come! My geese are most definitely my pets, and I would keep them simply for the compost boost they give me, but I've decided to sell her eggs to cover the cost of their food (see the facebook page!), which really works out nicely!
I have been ridiculously impressed by how well these birds did over the winter. Their coop is not heated or insulated (except lots of straw, of course), and I had no supplemental light other than a string of small white LED Christmas lights around part of the fence perimeter to help me see the MOOSE. I kept a metal trash can in the coop for food storage, along with a heavy ceramic dish for them to eat from and an elevated (so they don't try to swim in it) heated dog dish for water. That's all it took! They have 24 hour access to their fenced run, and they actually chose to spend most of their time outdoors. I filled the coop with a bale of straw last May, and added another this past January, stirring it a bit every month or so.
Having a permaculture-centered garden means that I don't purchase fertilizers, I make them myself. My compost bucket in the kitchen doesn't fill up very fast anymore because I feed the geese all the edible scraps. Those scraps still make it to my garden soil, but first they provide free food for my birds! They also eat all the weeds I pull out of the raised garden beds, and every dandelion they can get their beaks on! After Gerdie is done laying eggs for the season, I'll pull all the straw out and throw it into the compost pile, and start the whole process over again. The compost feeds the soil and also builds it up, so every year I have more soil to build more gardens, which feed my family and birds, and feed the compost pile! It's a beautiful, never-ending cycle!
I do feel that it is important to note that geese are BIG birds, and they can be dangerous. When I steal an egg, Herdie wants to kill me, no kidding. I know how to handle them, and I'm not afraid of them, which helps, but they are NEVER near my children or visitors. Geese are easy to care for, but I don't want anyone to think they are cute and friendly like chickens (which can be vicious also!). Some geese are sweet as can be, but most are not, and you must realize this before you get them. That being said, they have provided endless value to me, and I'm glad I have them!
A goose egg compared to a large chicken egg from my Mother's flock.
I have been ridiculously impressed by how well these birds did over the winter. Their coop is not heated or insulated (except lots of straw, of course), and I had no supplemental light other than a string of small white LED Christmas lights around part of the fence perimeter to help me see the MOOSE. I kept a metal trash can in the coop for food storage, along with a heavy ceramic dish for them to eat from and an elevated (so they don't try to swim in it) heated dog dish for water. That's all it took! They have 24 hour access to their fenced run, and they actually chose to spend most of their time outdoors. I filled the coop with a bale of straw last May, and added another this past January, stirring it a bit every month or so.
Having a permaculture-centered garden means that I don't purchase fertilizers, I make them myself. My compost bucket in the kitchen doesn't fill up very fast anymore because I feed the geese all the edible scraps. Those scraps still make it to my garden soil, but first they provide free food for my birds! They also eat all the weeds I pull out of the raised garden beds, and every dandelion they can get their beaks on! After Gerdie is done laying eggs for the season, I'll pull all the straw out and throw it into the compost pile, and start the whole process over again. The compost feeds the soil and also builds it up, so every year I have more soil to build more gardens, which feed my family and birds, and feed the compost pile! It's a beautiful, never-ending cycle!
I do feel that it is important to note that geese are BIG birds, and they can be dangerous. When I steal an egg, Herdie wants to kill me, no kidding. I know how to handle them, and I'm not afraid of them, which helps, but they are NEVER near my children or visitors. Geese are easy to care for, but I don't want anyone to think they are cute and friendly like chickens (which can be vicious also!). Some geese are sweet as can be, but most are not, and you must realize this before you get them. That being said, they have provided endless value to me, and I'm glad I have them!
Friday, February 28, 2014
I'm still here!
I just wanted to drop a line real quick, and let you all know that I'm still around! I don't have a lot to blog about this time of year, but if you visit on my facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/woodside.gardens, you will find lots of relevant articles I share, as well as random pictures of the geese and other wildlife that hangs out here! I'll be back with more blog posts here, as well, once I'm out in the garden again, and doing something worth talking about! And as always, if you have questions, or something specific you want to learn more about..... ask!
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
A Woodside Gardens Radio Interview!
alaskapublic.org has a radio interview that I did last week available...
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/10/07/the-year-round-alaska-gardener/
Give it a listen!
http://www.alaskapublic.org/2013/10/07/the-year-round-alaska-gardener/
Give it a listen!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
What have you been missing?
Have you joined us on facebook yet? I keep the blog posts here, but there's a lot more chatter and pictures at https://www.facebook.com/woodside.gardens... come say hello!
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Sunchokes in Alaska...
For those of you who don't know, a Sunchoke, or Jerusalem Artichoke, is a perennial related to the sunflower with a tuberous root that is very edible and quite tasty. I have been hearing about Sunchokes and their cold temperature hardiness for many years now, and they seem like a great perennial vegetable for Alaska, yet I've never seen them planted in the gardens around here. Known for their pretty flowers as well as their plump roots, they seemed like the perfect fit for my permaculture aspirations! I finally found them in the produce section of our local grocery store last fall, and I have been looking forward to testing out their potential all winter!
The package came with 10 roots, and I experimented with cooking 4 of them, using them raw in salads or roasted like a potato with a little olive oil. The remaining 6 were wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the back of the refrigerator crisper drawer, where they remained until the end of May. This spring, when the ground was ready to be worked, I simply opened the package up and let it sit on the counter for a few days, and then planted them about a foot apart and 6-8 inches down into the soil. I made sure to select an area where they can fill up the space over the years without bothering anything else in the garden.
They sprouted out of the ground within about two weeks, and a month later, they are growing beautifully and providing a shaded area for my geese as well! They seem to be very tolerant of the heat we have been having, and don't seem to be bothered by any pests so far. We'll see how they do as the season progresses, and hopefully they will become a permanent resident in the garden!
The package came with 10 roots, and I experimented with cooking 4 of them, using them raw in salads or roasted like a potato with a little olive oil. The remaining 6 were wrapped in plastic wrap and put in the back of the refrigerator crisper drawer, where they remained until the end of May. This spring, when the ground was ready to be worked, I simply opened the package up and let it sit on the counter for a few days, and then planted them about a foot apart and 6-8 inches down into the soil. I made sure to select an area where they can fill up the space over the years without bothering anything else in the garden.
They sprouted out of the ground within about two weeks, and a month later, they are growing beautifully and providing a shaded area for my geese as well! They seem to be very tolerant of the heat we have been having, and don't seem to be bothered by any pests so far. We'll see how they do as the season progresses, and hopefully they will become a permanent resident in the garden!
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Still Here... Just Nothing To Say...
Today is May 4th. The temperature reached as high as 40F, and it snowed...
I have been delayed over a month now in getting the run and coop built for my geese because the snow hasn't all melted yet.
Some years, I already have things planted in the garden by this date.
My seedlings are dying to go outside!
Long story short, I'm still here, but I'm a grumpy gardener, and I have nothing to say! Join me on facebook, however, as things are slightly more interesting over there! And don't worry, I'll have more to write about eventually...
I have been delayed over a month now in getting the run and coop built for my geese because the snow hasn't all melted yet.
Some years, I already have things planted in the garden by this date.
My seedlings are dying to go outside!
Long story short, I'm still here, but I'm a grumpy gardener, and I have nothing to say! Join me on facebook, however, as things are slightly more interesting over there! And don't worry, I'll have more to write about eventually...
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Perennial Edibles in Alaska
There are a number of annual vegetables that do well in Alaska, but did you know that there are several perennial vegetables, herbs, and fruits that thrive here also? In my quest to make my property a major source of nutrition for my family, I have focused on bringing in only trees that will produce edible fruit (there's always the exception, of course!), and I am working on plans to create a perennial wing in my vegetable garden.
Here's a list of the Perennial Edibles that currently grow on my property:
Crab Apple
Choke Cherry
Raspberry
Black Currant
Red Currant
Gooseberry
Strawberry
High Bush Cranberry
Low Bush Cranberry
Rhubarb
Rosehip
French Tarragon
Sheep's Sorrel
Mint (Chocolate and Apple)
Lavendar
Chives
Here are a few I would like to add to my property:
Grafted Apple (Norland and Parkland)
Blueberry
Kiwi
Apricot
Indoor Citrus
Asparagus
Jerusalem Artichokes
Horseradish
Making space for perennials in your garden is an important part of any good permaculture plan. It is imperative that you plan for the long term when selecting a location and creating a space for the roots to thrive. Pay attention to not only the soil you nourish them with, but also the amount of sunlight they will receive, the space they will require when they are fully mature, and the amount of shade they will cast onto the surrounding areas. Just about anything can benefit from a fork full of compost at the bottom of the hole before planting, and plenty of loose soil beyond the edge of the root ball will give your plant room to wiggle its toes and settle happily into its new home. If you pay special attention to watering and pampering your plant for the first season or two, they will happily produce for you for years to come, with no more investment needed!
What types of perennial edibles do you have on your property? Do you have plans to integrate more in your garden?
Here's a list of the Perennial Edibles that currently grow on my property:
Crab Apple
Choke Cherry
Raspberry
Black Currant
Red Currant
Gooseberry
Strawberry
High Bush Cranberry
Low Bush Cranberry
Rhubarb
Rosehip
French Tarragon
Sheep's Sorrel
Mint (Chocolate and Apple)
Lavendar
Chives
Here are a few I would like to add to my property:
Grafted Apple (Norland and Parkland)
Blueberry
Kiwi
Apricot
Indoor Citrus
Asparagus
Jerusalem Artichokes
Horseradish
Making space for perennials in your garden is an important part of any good permaculture plan. It is imperative that you plan for the long term when selecting a location and creating a space for the roots to thrive. Pay attention to not only the soil you nourish them with, but also the amount of sunlight they will receive, the space they will require when they are fully mature, and the amount of shade they will cast onto the surrounding areas. Just about anything can benefit from a fork full of compost at the bottom of the hole before planting, and plenty of loose soil beyond the edge of the root ball will give your plant room to wiggle its toes and settle happily into its new home. If you pay special attention to watering and pampering your plant for the first season or two, they will happily produce for you for years to come, with no more investment needed!
What types of perennial edibles do you have on your property? Do you have plans to integrate more in your garden?
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