Pesticide

This year I am adding some "organic" pesticides and I decided to go with Pyrethrin. After some quick research, I read that this was the best organic home garden pesticide. Although, there's a lot of controversy about this product, I will give it a try. Last year, a lot of mites, worms and other insects really put a dent on my garden and this year I will try to avoid that. I haven't applied it yet because the plants are still delicate after a weeks transplant, so I plan on applying it within a week or so.

On duty...

Everyone meet Lucas! Here's a snap shot of him on gopher duty.

Progress Update

Progress...
Here it is folks! So far so good with the seedlings and they're sprouting just as planned. From left to right: cherry tomato, ruby red corn and tomatillo. Notice the chicken wire I have placed on top of the row crops. I had to invent this technique so that I can keep the rabbits and birds away. If it wasn't for the birds eating the seeds and the rabbits eating the leaves, the poor plants will never have a chance. Depending on where you live, you may not need to apply the chicken wire.

Irrigation

My garden is simple when applying a drip system irrigation. The main water line comes from a 1/2" poly tubing that breaks out into 1/4" drip lines. I like to use the poly tubing because connections and extensions are very easy to add or remove and be reused year after year.

Compost

So the dirty works begins... As springs begins, my yard work begins to increase. I enjoy it so much because I use it as a workout. Who needs the gym when you can shovel compost all day long! I have a nearby neighbor that gives away horse compost for free. So today I picked up two truck loads for my trees and garden. You can't really tell in the picture, but that's a lot of horse compost to shovel down from two trucks. I was reading an article earlier today that I can water and collect the "compost juice" and apply it to my plants. It's something to try, and see what results I get. I can see my lemon trees are in need of a good fertilizer.

Seedlings Update

Update on seedlings... Here they are! The plants are getting bigger everyday. On the upper left you can see the chili peppers and on the right are the white onions. I think we're getting very close to transplant them in the ground.

Seedlings

It's still cold outside and I'm getting anxious... So the next best thing to do is to start my seeds indoors. I actually messed up a little this year. I forgot to germinate my seeds and I'm now seeing some bad results. This is why you should plant more than what you actually need. This tray holds 72 plants and I am averaging about 45 percent of germination. Well let's look at the positive side of it, I will have enough to plant and keep me busy this season.

Snow in Jamul. What!?

Here in Jamul, we are not used to having any snowfall at all. This February, we had a small amount of snowfall at about 2000 ft. Looks so cool on the row crops. At this point, there's not much work to do on the little farm but to cuddle up and enjoy the fireplace. This is where most of my reading about agriculture gets done.

Early Prep.

Yes! It's that time of year. So I begin tilling my tiny farm. The section I farm is about 26 ft wide by 30 ft long. It sounds like a small piece but once you start working away, it all of a sudden seems overwhelming. But that's okay, the goal of farming your own vegetables is priceless.