Planting a Terraced Hillside With Edibles

We dug up and leveled three terraced beds on this hill. On the edge of each is a planting of wax currants. They are all on drippers.  

Today we planted garlic in the middle bed.

Sunchokes got planted in the lower bed. It is the furthest away but the farmers  I bought them from said they never watered them so they are hearty.

Energy Independence

here is the test run of the complete system. Having a little trouble with the charge controller but everything is compatible so we are looking a-ok.

More posts soon on the revolutionary farming front.

Solar Power Water Pump

We just did a demo of how the pump can work directly off the panel without a battery. We pumped water from one tub to a plum tree. This is so exciting. Everything is beginning to come together beautifully.

Plant, Harvest, Rain, Repeat

We have been busy planting everything from Red Russian Kale to carrots and beets, Broccoli, Lettuces, collards and all sorts of fall crops the last four days. Every day we plant a bunch of seeds it rains in the afternoon. Most everything is under shade cloth now (as far as the tender greens) with micro sprinkler irrigation with drip also set up. Infrastructure makes the farm what it is. Water cisterns are filling up and we are soon completing the irrigation system with 100% Off the Grid technology; solar panel, small pump, water from the sky and an old battery. Just waiting on some cables to connect everything and a transformer for backup.

Harvesting the first cutting of this Valentine Lettuce this morning for the Farmers Market this afternoon. That's fresh! 

Four days ago we planted all these seeds then got rain everyday since. 

Broccoli Harvest

Farming For the Future

Blue Flax and Orange Poppy

We got this 125 watt panel to power our 12 volt water pump for irrigating.

Broccoli and Lettuce and Beets under shade cloth,, carrots and scallions and more lettuce to the right.

Calendula

Growing Food with Water Catchment

This is a February planting of beets, broccoli and lettuce.

Second cutting is going to be great on this patch.

New expanded beds all set up with irrigation from the cistern... Growing here now are potatoes , chard, lettuces, kales, cabbages,  radishes, beets, broccoli, mustards and soon sunflowers down the middle bed with the chamisa at the end. 

Inside view of the far left hoop.

Red Russian Kale 

Potatoes

Early Corn Planting

Blue Corn

Blue Corn plot to be a Three Sisters Garden across the driveway, next to perennial herb garden.

Second Blue Corn plot, also slated to become a Three Sisters Garden

Water Catchment to Irrigate Gardens

We finally have some soaker and drip tube set up in all the gardens. Some is leaky, some is fine. It is a big help to have set up.

Scallions, carrots and lettuce on 1/4 in. soaker hose from snow melt and rain catchment.

Lettuce and broccoli loving the soft water.

Beets coming along nicely. 

Hoop-Houses for Growing Food Year-Round

Beets, Lettuces and Broccoli

1/4 in. drip in place ready for a pump to deliver water we caught from the sky.

All the broccoli is doing pretty well, including transplants from thinning.

Garden Growth

3 Sisters:



Winter Squash:

Pumping Rain Water

here is rain water being pumped from a barrel to a squash plant:

April, Twenty-Ten

garlic:

two things we need...

...to get the 2010 growing season going:

#1) a replacement pump head for the broken pump we currently have.

getting lots done in the summer heat..

maize

tomatoes planted, onions and basil.

greenhouse emptied out.. down to just the wide short table. then we can use the taller eight foot one for vending at market next week.

planning on cutting irises to sell at market also. we have nice white and purple ones. sage and mint are also possible first harvests. radishes are in a slow but close second.

check a few off the list

put up a new screen door for summertime. used all the old hardware from the old door