Beating "Jack Frost"

  This is the time of year when you plant and then worry about old "Jack Frost". But don't worry there are many ways to beat that cold snap that knocks out your favorite veggie, fruit tree or perennials! You can use commercial row covers, news paper, bed sheets, burlap sacks, Cloches, plastic, anything really to protect your tender plants from Jacks bite! There are many good places to buy Row Covers! But sometimes we don't have things large enough or even enough of to cover everything! So here is a tip that dad taught me that you can do in a pinch.

  This seems to go beyond all good reasoning when it comes to freezing but to it is something that even your fruit farmers have done for years. The night before go out and mist everything down with a water hose or sprayer! I have heard people say you can do this really early of the morning, way before the sun comes up, but that's not what I was taught. The reasons plants or fruits are damaged by the cold temps is because the cold draws moisture from inside the plants, kinda like freeze-drying them. The colder it gets on the surface of the leaf, the more damage is done to the plant. A coating of ice keeps the temperature on the surface of the leaf to the freezing point of water or a little below. So if it goes much below 32 degrees, you would probably have better luck with covering them with something. Like I said it doesn't make logical since but it does help!

  Before you try this please read this more in depth article by the West Virginia Agricultural Engineers, "FROST PROTECTION WITH SPRINKLER IRRIGATION"!

  Also while ready different articles about this a few weeks back I stumbled across this Video and article you may what to watch. I have never tried or this! This Botanists developed a spray that, when misted over a plant, will help it endure temperatures 2.2 to 9.4 degree. "Anti-Freeze For Your Plants Botanists Develop 'Antifreeze' Spray for Plants". 

  Link up with:
Dandelion House
Weekend Whatever
Garden Life
Preparedness Challenge 

 Proverbs 25:25 "As cold water to a weary soul, So is good news from a far country."

Ramps, Good Eatin?

Picture from www.bloggingwv.com

  Here in West Virginia it is coming the time of the year were people will grab up their hand shovels and head into the woods to dig up some wonderful tasting "Ramps"! You might be wondering at this point, what in the heck are ramps? Ramps are in the same family as onions, garlic and leeks. The leaves look a lot like that of the Lily of the Valley. They start growing right about now and don't have a very long growing season, so you have to get them quick before they go away! Here is a more in depth research  from "NCSU on "Ramps". Can you grow ramps at home in your garden? You sure can but I would do lots of research on them before you do (good article coming up). They have to have a specific soil type and shaded area before they will grow well! Can you eat them? I love them, they are great to eat with almost anything. I will tell you though don't expect to get to many hugs or kisses from your spouse or anyone else for that matter if you eat them for at least a couple of days, they really stick with you!  In old times ramps were thought to have a medicinal uses for many different thing "A Modern Herbal". Here is another great article on everything that we have talked bout so far "Wild Leeks of Appalachia", especially growing them yourself. We also have a "Ramp Festival" you can go to if you are in the Richmond area, "Ramp Festival"!

  I have to tell you a funny story about the first time my wife was introduced to ramps, by me. We hadn't been married that long and we both had had to work that day. Well, I was gonna be home before her, so I called her and asked what was for dinner. She told me and as we were talking I drove by a guy who was selling ramps beside the road. I told her I was gonna stop and buy some to have with dinner. I could hear a pause in her voice, she either new what they were and didn't tell me or was trying to figure out what they were. Long story short, while I was cleaning the little guys, I opened up all the windows in the house, then started cooking them. Oh, they smelled so good to me (I thought anyway), I couldn't wait! I heard my wife pull into the driveway, the car turn off and the door shut! A looong silent pause, looong! Then I heard from my beautiful new bride, "What in the $%#@ is that smell"? This was while she was out side. When she came in the door, I heard, "Clint what is that smell"? I was a little afraid to say by this point. So I graciously said, "maybe I should finish cooking these on the grill!" She kindly agreed and in 17 years I have never cooked them in the house again. Most of the time I just go to a local Ramp Dinner, it saves time and weeks of airing the house out. But they are very good eatin I tell you, if you have never tried one try it, you might be surprised! 

  Note: this was B.C. or Before Christ!

States that Ramps Grow in are in Green!

Linked up with this week:
My Simple Country Living Blog Hop
Deep Roots at Home Link-up
Farm Girl Treasure: Hunt Tuesday
Growing Home: Home Making Link-up
An Oregon Cottage: Garden Party
Our Simple Farm
Rural Thursday Blog Hop
Two Bears Farm and Three cubs
Preparedness-Challenge-33
Saturday Nite Special 

"Going to the Goats"

Dawna and 2 of her new babies!

  Today is my wife's birthday and she wanted a little time to herself, so my daughter and I went to visit a friend of ours at their farm. Dawna and Doug's farm is just a couple of miles from our house. It is a special time around their farm because the have new babies being born. Just this morning as they were getting ready for church Dawna heard one of the nannies getting ready to have a couple of kids. So Doug being the fearless "goat doctor" that he is, got Dawna ready to go to the barn, dropped her off and he continued on to church, lol! You have to understand these are Dawna's babies, Doug loves to love on them and even built the barn for them but when it comes to the goats themselves Dawna is the expert! So after church my daughter and I drove out to see the newest babies that were born today. We had a blast!

Born March 25,2012

Eatin Away!

    "Away In A Manger"

Me and a baby

  We did have a fun time! Dawna taught us so much and was a very gracious host. She has 13 now and counting. I think a couple more have to have babies as well! We had goats growing up, one even accidentally stuck on of her horns between my front two teeth when we were playing around. Accident or not it still hurt!

  Thanks again to Dawna and Doug for allowing us to come out and share this learning experience with my daughter! Hope you all enjoyed the little guys as much as we did.

Matthew 25:32 "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats."

"Bottles", They're for the birds!

  Years ago, when my wife introduced me to one of my favorite vacation spots, Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia. I came across an interesting thing call a "bird bottle". Nestled under the eaves or beside a favorite entryway, these glazed clay creations have made happy homes for small birds since 1699. A distinctly Williamsburg accent,  bird bottles are reproduced from an original excavated from the yard of the James Geddy House. These unusual birdhouses were apparently quite popular in 18th-century Williamsburg. Fragments have been unearthed throughout the area, and a 1746 inventory and 1752 advertisement provide further evidence. Though it's tempting to attribute their use to an enthusiasm for bird watching, bird bottles served a more practical purpose: nesting birds made ideal insect control around homes, kitchens, and stables. 

  I just thought they were really neat and wanted to share them with you! Attracting birds to your garden is a great way to help control insects without chemicals. Especially with then "House Wrens and Finches"  that these little bottles attracted! These are a few pictures of a couple of mine!

 

  

  As you can tell the birds love them, so order you a couple and get a little history hanging in your garden. I know we love them and they make a great conversation piece as well when you have people over! We have four bottles and I want more! If you would like to see them, I am gonna post a link yo my wife's blog. She posted an article with pictures of some more of our garden! "Maple Cottage Stitcher" more of our garden!

This post is linked with:
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Tuesdays Tweets 

Psalm 104:17 "Where the birds make their nests; The stork has her home in the fir trees."

Are you a "Good Person"?

An Imagined Conversation Between God and a “Good Person”

By Bob Van Zandt

The Good Person: WOW! All this time I didn’t think you were real… My bad. but I was a “good person”, so I guess it’s all good, right

God: No, it’s not “all good”

The Good Person: HA HA, I know you’re kidding… I mean it’s not like I was Hitler or anything, I was a good person, and went out of my way to help… most of the time.

God: I’m not laughing .. in fact your rejection of me makes me extremely sad.

The Good Person: Okay, Okay… I’m sorry.. But come on.. I went to Church.

God: You went a few times, but never invited me into your heart … By the way: your Aunt Nancy, the one who I brought home last year… the one who tried to open your heart to me… she says hello.. She’s hangs out in my Throne Room with me every day.

The Good Person: Aunt Nancy? The weird Jesus Freak? Ah, she was so annoying… Always wanting me to pray with her… Come on, you have to admit, she was just a little weird, right?

God: Excuse me! I happen to love her passion about the gift of my Son… You know, I sent Him to die for everyone… this included YOU. This was MY SON… MY ONLY SON… I sent Him to suffer FOR YOU. I sent Him to endure the most painful death imaginable, FOR YOU. And yet, you rejected every single invitation.

The Good Person: I was just joking, you know that… you’re God, right?

God: I am God. A reality you clearly rejected until you met me face to face. And, I know your heart… I know what you call “a joke” was really an attempt to justify your rejection of Me.

The Good Person: So I messed up… OK, I’m sorry… Don’t you forgive people like me?

God: I gave you every resource imaginable to accept the gift of my Son while you were alive, but you rejected Him… You rejected the Cross….

I gave you my Word, the Bible, the ultimate instruction manual, and you choose to listen only to those who would try to disprove it — but never could.

Which side are you on?

I told you how I created everything, but you choose to place more faith in coming from nothing, a “big bang”… I mean seriously… you thought you came from NOTHING?

You tried to publicly undermine the significance of MY SON by repeatedly demeaning my followers by referring to them as “freaks” or “holy rollers” and a whole host of other names.

You always knew in your heart that there was a something more to life, but you never thought I was important enough to seek out.

I told you through your Aunt Nancy to give up the ways of the world — they would lead to nowhere, but you laughed at her and chose to embrace worldly behaviors, without reservation…. and I know about each one of them.

You supported causes that rejected me, and then you turned around and cursed, mocked and blamed me when things didn’t work out.

…. unfortunately, you became your own god, of yourself…..

The Good Person: So what now?

God: I’m sorry, I don’t know you.

Do you have questions about salvation?

Linked with:

Rural Thursday Blog Hop

Thursdays Favorite things Blog Hop

"HUGELKULTUR", Raised Bed Experiment

  A month back I was searching around on the internet reading about different gardening techniques and I ran across two forms that I had little knowledge on. The first I wrote about a while back called "Back to Eden, Gardening Gods Way" and the other was called "Hugelkultur". I was very interested in both, and both in their own rights are kind of the same concept, but also very different. So what is the method called Heugelkulur?

  Hugelkultur is an ancient form of sheet composting developed in Eastern Europe. The German word - hügelkultur translates as "hill culture". It uses woody wastes such as fallen logs, pruned branches, ect in order to build soil fertility and improve drainage and moisture retention. If you walk through a natural woodland, you will see many fallen logs and branches on the ground. The older these logs are, the more life they sustain. A log that has rested on the forest floor for five or ten years will be covered in moss, mushrooms, wildflowers and even young trees. Poke at it a little and you will notice that the decaying wood is damp in all but the most vicious of droughts. Hugelkultur is designed to take advantage of the natural fertility and moisture-conserving qualities of rotting wood, while speeding the process of decomposition up. The heat produced by decomposition also helps protect cold-sensitive plants.

Before Starting!

  Well I thought this was pretty neat! I am going to experiment with this in one of my "Raised Beds". It would achieve a few thing: get rid of old limbs and brush that I needed to do something with and it would save time, compost and money to fill up the new raised bed that I had built.

  I gathered woody waste materials such as dead logs, extra firewood, pruned and clipped branches, and more. The wood can be either rotting or fresh, although already rotting wood decomposes fastest, so mix it up on new and old!
  In the bottom of the bed, I did lay down a news paper and some compost (about 2 inches). Then I just started layering in all of the above, many different sizes until I reached about 6 inches from the top. You need at least 6 inches of dirt on the top to plant in.

Image 2

Finished Project

  

   

Different Stages

  In Image 2 I put the news paper and horse manure in the bottom, to encourage the worms! You can't tell because (silly me got ahead of himself and didn't that a picture between image 2 and the finished project) but i packed the wood of all sizes in as tight and full as I could possibly get them. I keep getting on top and crushing them down with my body weight. Then I covered the wood with other compost materials such as autumn leaves, grass clippings, garden wastes, and manure. (This stage is optional if you aren't planning to plant the bed immediately.) I covered the wood with a few inches of composted horse manure. Then before I plant I will finish it of with regular compost.

  I am gonna plant immediately or you can let the bed sit for awhile to rot. Among the plants known to do well in HugelKultur beds are shade plants, squash, melons, lettuce and a number of different species of berries. Other gardeners plant the bed with cover crops for the first year to improve the fertility even more before adding vegetables or other plants.

 Other ways that can give you similar results, though much more slowly, by simply burying logs and other wood waste in trenches around your yard in areas where you want to improve fertility and moisture control.

In swampy areas, buried logs will suck up significant quantities of water quickly and release them slowly, reducing the chance of standing water or flooding. I actually have an area right along the railroad track that gets standing water in that I will probably try this in. In drier areas, the logs will act in the same way, releasing stored water slowly into the surrounding soil and reducing the need to water. So before you burn, bury!

2 Different styles of Beds

Bathing in a Rain Barrel!

  This has been a long past 2 days! For starters, all my wife wanted for her birthday was our bedroom repainted. Which I love to paint so it was an easy gift for me to give her. Let me tell you, it turned out much better then I thought it would, she has a remarkable way of putting colors and things together. Well, we got everything out, primed and painted and everything put back in and she got the house cleaned all in 13 hours. I thought that was pretty good timing! 

  So on to the reason why it is titled "Bathing in a Rain Barrel". Sometime after non yesterday, we started loosing our city water pressure. Yes, we had another water main break! I got my shower before it went out,  :-)! But.....I can't say the rest of the family did! It wouldn't have been so bad but my wife had somewhere to be and my son had to work today. I looked at my wife and said, "I have 110 gallons of rain water" and to my surprise she gave me a large pan and said, "go fill it up". 

  See, her dad was a Boy Scout Master and she had been drug on many camping trips and had bathed in many creeks. After she got done with her bath she said, "everyone should have a rain barrel for emergencies".  So here is another great reason to have rain barrels, they come in handy during emergencies and make you more sustainable! If you wanted to use the water for drinking water, you could also use a good water filtration system to filter the water. To read my post on how to make a rain barrel, Click Here!

  This is just another way that our Lord will provide for us in time of need! God tells us not to worry, that He will provide those things which we need, not want, just as He does for the birds of the air. As you go through this day look at what all our Lord has provided for you and thank Him! I hope you all have a blessed and wonderful weekend!

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:1-3

Blessed Assurance

 "Blessed Assurance"

Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
Born of His Spirit, washed in His blood.

Refrain

This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long;
This is my story, this is my song,
Praising my Savior, all the day long.

Perfect submission, perfect delight,
Visions of rapture now burst on my sight;
Angels descending bring from above
Echoes of mercy, whispers of love.

Refrain

Perfect submission, all is at rest
I in my Savior am happy and blest,
Watching and waiting, looking above,
Filled with His goodness, lost in His love.

Refrain

About the writer and composer:

"She Found Her Green Thumb"

  I wanted to say how proud I am of my wife for finding her "Green Thumb". You couldn't understand how great this is unless you had lived with her all these years. Everything else she is great at but I couldn't begin to count the endless plants that we have thrown out because of the death that they suffered or years of violets never blooming. But here for the past year or so, things have begin to change. Plants have been growing, getting greener, violets have been blooming and nothing has died. I am gonna post a link to her blog so that you can see the pictures of some of her plants. You can also see one of her other many talents as well, Click: Maple Cottage Stitcher: "Bloom!!!!"

  Even the picture of the Violet at the to of her blog is hers, look at how it is blooming! Good Job!!!

Linked to:
http://cozyhomescenes.blogspot.com/2012/03/your-cozy-home-party-10.html 

A Great "Give Away"

  I would like to share a great "GIVE AWAY", of Red Raspberry Canes. Go over to Sparing Change: Give Away to enter. May God Bless each of you on this wonderful day!

"Thou Son of the Blessed, what grace was manifest in Thy condescension! Grace brought Thee down from heaven; Grace stripped Thee of Thy glory; Grace made Thee poor and despicable; Grace made Thee bear such burdens of sin, such burdens of sorrow, such burdens of God’s curse as are unspeakable."     John Bunyan

Linked to Hop:
Homestead Revival: Barn Hop#53
My Simple Country Living

Heirloom vrs. Hybrid Part 2

 Part 1 was about Heirlooms, this is gonna be about Hybrids! I didn't know a great deal about the scientific part going into this research study that I have done. I have found out lots of great information and two blogs that have lots of great information on it for us all to read. The name of the blog's are  "The Garden of Eaden" and "The Green Girls". I also received lots of good information off of one of my favorite site "The Victory Garden".
 Here is what I learned in a summary and you can check out the other articles latter! A hybrid seed is one that has been created by artificially cross pollinating two or more varieties of a plant so that the resulting plants will have better disease resistance, produce more, and have a uniform color, texture, and flavor. Hybrid seeds are the first generation of seeds from the cross pollination process. You are supposed to get more "bang for your buck" with hybrid seeds. Just be sure to water, fertilize, and keep the bugs and weeds away and you should have a successful harvest. Another thing I found out is that some hybrid tomatoes are bred to be picked green and gas ripened because that is what is needed for commercial growing and shipping! Ripen-Green-Tomatoes
   I guess it would be like one of those churches that just do whatever they can to grow bigger and get more and more people in the door and in the pew at whatever cost. Sacrificing the truth and fullness of Gods Word to achieve this. The pastors of those churches get a bigger yield but their fruit (congregation) are not as flavorful and may not produce fruit like the parent plant (in must cases, not all). Hybrids become more clonish (if you will) and have less individuality, losing their own individual flavor because they didn't grow the way God intended them to, they grow how some else thought they should. Just a thought of contrast!

Would you rather it be like this?

  Pros of using hybrid seeds: Much research has gone into the production of hybrid seeds to ensure the seeds produce plants that have the best attributes of their "parent" plants. The produce you get from a hybrid seed is more attractive and uniform that the produce from an heirloom seed (just remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder). You usually get a bigger yield from a hybrid plant and the shelf life of hybrid produce is usually longer than that of it's heirloom cousin (you sacrifice a lot for that). Hybrid plants are more disease resistant than their heirloom cousins (that is yet to be proven to me).

Or this?

  Cons of using hybrid seeds: The produce from a hybrid seed may not be as flavorful as its heirloom cousin due to emphasis being placed on uniformity, production, and shelf life rather than flavor. The biggest difference though between hybrid and heirloom plants is the inability to harvest seeds from a hybrid and produce the same or similar plant next year. With hybrids the resulting seeds may be sterile or produce something totally unlike the plant it was harvested from.

Heirloom vrs. Hybrid Part 1

   In the next few post I am gonna do my best to answer a question that is always asked. What is the difference between "heirloom seeds and hybrid seeds?" I am no scientist, all I know is what I was taught growing up and the investigation that I am about to undertake! Part 1 will deal directly with heirloom seeds!

   It has been said that for generations when a young couple would get married that their parents would give them a house warming package of many different essentials to start the journey in life together and to be able to sustain and grow a large beautiful family. Within that package was two of the most important things that they would need to start their family, one was a family Bible to continue their walk with Jesus and one of the others was a package of all the seeds that their family had grown for generations, showing where the word "heirloom" comes from. Both the seeds and the Bible have been strong and true, never changing and tested for ever!

  The term heirloom seeds refers to any of a variety of seeds that come from plants that were grown historically but have not been used in modern agriculture on a large scale. Any 

"Dividing Plants Are Free!"

  Two weekends ago I divided my hosta. I was wanting to put together something to show each of you how to do this money saving technique. I didn't get to take my own pictures as, I went, but I found this video that explains it much better. You can divide most any plant this way and add more off them to your own garden or share with family and friends. There are other forms of propagation but this is the simplest way to multiply your perennials. When I divided mine, you could just see the eyes pooping through the soil and the had already began to do what I call donuting, (dieing in the center). Many perennials tend to die out from the center if not divided on a regular basis. The roots in the center of the clump become so densely overcrowded that they can't take up enough nutrients and water from the reduced amount of available soil. Plants that have died-out in the center, as well as plants that have fewer or smaller flowers than in previous seasons, need to be divided. This rejuvenates aging plants and may extend their life span in the garden.

   The frequency recommendations listed are intended as general guidelines for maintaining the health and vigor of perennials under average growing conditions. Gardens that are watered, weeded and fertilized on a regular basis may have plants that need to be divided more frequently to keep them contained within their allotted space.

  Most plants you divide about every 3 years and there are a few plants that are recommended not to be divided Baby's Breath,Balloon Flower,Bugbane,Butterfly Weed,Clematis,Evening Primrose,False Indigo,Flax,Gentian,Lupine,Monkshood,Russian Sage. These are to be reproduced by seed but I know people that have had success with dividing some of these. 

  So get out there and get your hands dirty and have fun!

This is linked up to:
your-cozy-home-party#9 
Rural Thursday Blog Hop 

2 Timothy 2:15 "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth."

The Gospel of Jesus

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

  This is the Scriptural Gospel of Jesus Christ. Anything added to this for you to receive salvation is adding to His simple gospel. All that is necessary for forgiveness of your sins and eternal life is to understand, repent and trust this with all of your heart.This is the simplicity of it, in a nut shell!

 

1 Corinthians 15:1-19

 1 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.

9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.

12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.

"The portrait of Jesus in the gospels is altogether different from the picture contemporary evangelicals typically imagine. Rather than a would-be redeemer who merely stands outside anxiously awaiting an invitation to come into unregenerate lives, the Savior described in the New Testament is God in the flesh, invading the world of sinful men and challenging them to turn from their iniquity. Rather than waiting for an invitation, He issues His own – in the form of a command to repent and take on a yoke of submission."   John MacArthur

Coming along!

Total cost of compost bins $2.00!

  I was just wanting to show some of the progress that I have made since I posted about "Dirt Cheap Compost Bins". 

  As you can tell I have added another bin, both were free, other then 2 of the decking boards which were only .51 cents each off the culled lumber rack. And as you can see under the blue tarp, I have loaded up on horse manure. It was free as well! I have a friend that has a horse/goat farm, she says "anytime come get what you need". I also have one of the best neighbors around, he has a trailer and we hauled the manure home and he even helped unload it, great guy. In trade he uses what he needs for his garden. 

  I also took a couple pieces of pipe and drove in the ground beside the bins to store the wood for our fire pit, just to try to keep it up and out of the way. 

4 beds, total $45.00!

  I have added 2 more raised beds (both 32"x17"x6') since my article on "Pros and Cons of raised Beds" and "Urban Garden in a Little space for less then $100.00".  If you remember the others are 4'x4'x17" and 4'x8'x17', so a lot of garden space, for know! I did total up the beds, without the weed barrier, and it came to a grand total of $45.00. Compared to a kit I found on line. (4'x8'x17" kit $375.00 plus shipping) Click here for kit price, a pretty great savings, I think anyway!

  This was part of my intent when starting this blog was to try to show people how cheaply you can do these thing, if not do them for free. For example, my neighbor down the tracks has been doing some projects on his house because they are selling. He has been piling scrap pieces of lumber up behind his building. So I asked him what he was gonna do with it and he said you can have it. You never know unless you ask!

  Well there's an update, I hope you are enjoying watching this little Urban are grow (and keep growing). It is fun to do and keep track of. It is amazing what I have learned as well, just getting back to what I grew up doing! God Bless you all and happy gardening!

"1 Corinthians 4: 1Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."

March Garden "To Do List"

   Can you believe that it is already March? February flew by so fast! Well this is the month that things start to get moving and moving fast here in West Virginia or in Zone 6. Farmers will start having lots of additions to their live stock, fields will have to be drug and gardens tended to. Gardeners will have to start their seeds, and get stuff ready for the growing season ahead. I hope that most of you have already got things planned out for this growing season. If you don't you better get with it!

  Plants that need to be started indoors are plants like:  Kohlrabi, Leaf Lettuces, Spinach, Tomatoes, Peppers, Swiss Chard, Turnips, Head Lettuces, Eggplants. You can wait on turnips until the end of the month and directly sow outside if you want! It still isn't to late to start your Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, ect. indoors either. From more on seed starting CLICK HERE!

  Plants that you can directly sow outside this month are: Peas, Turnips, beets, onion sets and radishes. My grandmother always planted her potatoes after St. Patties Day. Her family was Irish and she always told the stories of the Irish Potato Famine. She wasn't part of it but I remember telling us about it and I always have put the two together now.

  Other things that need to start being done are:

1. Plant Broad-leaf Evergreens
2. Prune Raspberries and fruit trees
3. Build High Tunnels
4. Plant nonflowering trees and shrubs
5. Plant Roses
6. Fertilize Spring bulbs
7. Plant Asparagus
8. Set Strawberry plants
9. Plant Rhubarb
10. This is a good time to divide your perennials 
11. Get Row covers ready for freeze protection
12. Also make sure not neglect your time with God, in study and prayer

  Other big events that are happening this month are on the 11th we spring forward on "daylight savings time". The 17th is St. Patrick's Day, and on the 20th is the first official day of spring, even though it has felt like spring for two months here! 

  March 9,10&11 will be the WSAZ Home and Garden Show at the Charleston Civic Center! You can also visit West Virginia University Extension Service for exact dates to plant for your specific area of West Virginia!

  Well get started and remember always keep your eye focused on the must important thing and that is the Almighty God, the Creator of everything that we are so excited to get out and in!

Ecclesiastes 12:1 "Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, Before the difficult days come, And the years draw near when you say, “I have no pleasure in them”

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