Today in the Greenhouse - Making Moss Paint

I've been wanting to do this forever and now that I have my greenhouse space and the moss is in full force around the farm I thought there was no time like the present.
I dug out all my little terra cotta from my garden barn and went-a-moss-huntin'.  We have tons of moss growing on the shady side of the house near the wooded area and right up against the foundation.

I looked around the Internet for different recipes and got the gist of it.  So I took two cups of moss, thoroughly rinsed, one cup of yogurt and a tablespoon of sugar (adding little bits of water to make it easier for the blender).

I'll warn you, it's a rough blend.  Maybe don't use your best blender.  And it stinks.  Like a fish market.  I don't recommend bottling your left overs as it just smells too bad.

You see examples of how to grow moss all over the place but I hope to actually inform you if this really WORKS as the weeks go by.  I have the pots sitting in my greenhouse where it's nice and warm.  I suspect the moss will grow on the sides that don't receive sun. 

This project is coinciding with my effort to grow my own lavender and rosemary.  I have been buying small rosemary topiary standards for the farmstand and have two gorgeous double standards in my herb garden.  Growing them myself is another skill I'd like to acquire.  I'm never satisfied until I can do something myself.  The pots from the wholesale greenhouse I buy them from have lovely white crud and moss growing on the sides.  I'd like to achieve the same... or even better results.

I love moss.

I went ahead and took my brush and paint out to my lion fountain and some of the shady spots of my patio pots.

Here's hoping.

I'm spritzing everything with water constantly.

 

I have these Italian terra cotta pots that were my Great Grandmothers.  They are simply amazing.  Like something from the Pompeii excavation site.  Their moss has been there for years... after years outside on her Albuquerque patio.  

Have you ever grown moss?
Got any hints for us?
Stay mossy!
-Angela
Parisienne Farmgirl

Today in the Kitchen - Homemade Apple Cider

No, I haven't been around as much as I used to.

Not that I don't write three posts a day... in my mind.

But my time seems to no longer be my own as my children's needs beckon me from 6:30 in the morning 'til about 10 at night when the baby finally really falls asleep.

Joel has had an opportunity to "make a little extra money" the last couple weeks (and I put that in quotes because there is no such thing as "extra money" - something always comes along to gobble it away).  And so I find myself parenting, schooling, farming - toute seule, 16 hours a day for 5 days out of the week.  

Schooling has been profoundly intense.  There aren't enough hours in the week to teach everything that I have planned.  Everyone has different fortés - everyone has different struggles - throw into the mix a two year old learning to potty train and a newborn who wants to snuggle all day and well...

My time is no longer my own.

And that's OK, I just put my blinders on and plow straight ahead.  Soon the baby will be on a schedule, the two year old will wear big boy underwear and I'll cry that everyone is growing so fast.

There is always something that needs to be done around here and so when Daddy is finally home true family time is difficult to come by and very much coveted.  The other day we found ourselves inside a magical moment under our old, funky appletree.  

I am determined to learn and try whatever I can while we farm, homestead... what ever you want to call it - on these three rented acres.  So, this weekend we experimented with making our own cider.  

There was something absolutely amazing about picking "our own" apples.  Who knows what kind they are.  They don't taste that great which is too bad because they aren't too wormy.  They taste like a red delicious for the first three seconds and then turn so tart in your mouth you just about need to spit them out.  Dommage.      
 

We decided to try our hand at making apple cider.  I love cider and wish we had had the chance to pick more.  As it turned out we found the time just as the last apples were ready to fall.  

I am obsessed with the idea of having my own orchard someday on our "big farm".  In the meantime I will have to make do with our little funky apples.  I also have been scouting out lots of trees in the area that look like they are going to go to waste as part of peoples "landscaping" - I may go stick a couple notes in some front doors asking permission to pick.  

I am sure there are better ways to make cider but we made over 3 quarts from what you see in the basket above by grinding them to almost a pulp (sort of like tapanade sized pieces) in the Cuisinart and then making a double layered square with cheese cloth putting a glob in the middle, wrapping up the corners together and squeezing into a Ball jar. Add autumnal seasonings to taste.  It was so fun!!!  To make your own beverage!  I am so easily pleased... and this made me giddy.

The garden is winding down.  
We've brought in a lot of food and we eat from the farm about 75% of two meals a day.  I really don't know how I am going to make it this winter without our garden.  We have already planned to more than double it's size next year. I wish we could really go crazy... there is so much wasted space used for worthless GRASS around here.  The landlord has his "yard" that he likes to come a putz with/mow and it's a shame.   I'd kill to have a 1/2 acre garden or a cow or something - anything but worthless grass.  And then there's the walnut trees....

I wasted an hour trying to harvest walnuts today.  Along the lines of "when life hands you a farm full of toxic walnut trees make walnut oil".  But darned if I can get the timing of when to harvest them right - every nut I tried tasted so horrible.  I just really wanted to triumph over those stupid trees and all the damage they caused to the garden.  I don't know if I mentioned it on the blog, it may have been more of a Facebook thing but our tomatoes and peppers and most of our cucs and blackberries would not grow due to a condition called "black walnut toxicity"  caused by a chemical called juglone that comes from BW trees.  Each tree taints the soil for a 50-80 foot perimeter and we have at least fifty trees in the property.  Just unbelievable.

As soon as I bring in all the carrots (a job I HATE doing) I will have all my food weight totals and I will be doing a post on our R.O.I. for our first year here at Half-Way Farm.  

In the meantime, I will be savoring my little mugs of hot, fresh apple cider... and scouring the internet for the easiest hard cider recipe I can find too!

I'll be around as soon as I can.

Happy Harvesting-

Angela,

Parisienne Farmgirl  

Gardening Questions Answered

Bonsoir Ladies,

A few gardening questions came thru on my most recent post so I thought I'd ask if there were any others and put them in a formal blog post.  Maybe make a bi-weekly thing of it for the spring/summer... we'll see.

Not that I am all that, a master gardener or anything...but I have been playing in the dirt for about fifteen years now and during that time I have designed a handful of gardens for myself and others, wasted plenty of time & money on trial and error, had gardens published, taken over by weeds and enjoyed them full of splendor too.  If you have any questions you would like answered, be them floral or veggie please do so in the comment box and I will answer them as best I can by Monday morning.  

Bon Weekend.

Wait til you see my latest project

(another beautiful day here in Illinois)

"Madame Épouvantail" 

Much Affection

(God is so Good!!!)

Angela

Parisienne Farmgirl   

Companion Planting - From My Potager to Yours

So... it's 2013.

You're not still using chemicals in your garden are you?

Mais bien sur, I am giving you a hard time but with all the information at our fingertips these days about organic gardening if you are still using chemicals - why not step the gardening challenge up a notch this year and go au natural?

After all - if you wanted chemical laced food you could shop at the supermarket couldn't you?

One strategy I have dabbled with (in the old Potager) but will be incorporating hard core this year here at La Ferme a-mi Chemin (Half-Way Farm) is "Companion Planting."  The entire concept fascinates me.

Plant this, not that.  

Next to this, not that.

Incredible.

Why wipe out ALL the bugs when you could use some of them for your benefit?

Why pour chemical fertilizer over your whole garden when you can use the needs of some vegetables to benefit the needs of others?

Incredible.

Today was glorious here in Illinois. 

 FINALLY!  

And I played in the dirt all day.

Joel and I planted about 220 onions together this morning (talk about glorious - gardening side by side with your best friend) and after he left for work I planted nine or so rows of carrots and snap and shelling peas down the center aisle (arbors to be installed - creating a pea/bean tunnel!).  

 With little helpers now and again.

This year as I mentioned on Facebook, I got really serious about graphing out the Potager.  Though the charm of my old Potager was it's slight disarray (due to it's round and crazy shaping) this year for me is all about anal retentive "Mr. McGregor" style, perfectly straight rows.  (Though, I will jazz it up a bit with some slanted rows too).    

 

In using graph paper I was able to see just how much I could cram into our Potager but not overcrowd it (which I notoriously have done in the past - then lamenting my small harvests).  Using the graph paper also allowed me to see where I could cram in companion plants and where I could strategically plant certain things next to each other --- I could never just "wing it" and go out there and start sowing seeds.  Even with the biggest garden we have ever had - it's still going to be about using every sqaure foot to the max.  I want NO wasted space - for example -- did you know that planting beets and/or nasturtiums, les capucines, under/inbetween your broccoli will free up the calcium in the soil that the broccoli needs???

This website that I love referring to for their in-depth list of companion planting ideas asks that you not reproduce their information so I am going to give you a little taste of how much info they offer and then give you the link.

Here are some of the ways I am "Companion Planting" this year...

BASIL: Plant with tomatoes to improve growth and flavor. Basil also does well with peppers, oregano, asparagus and petunias. Basil can be helpful in repelling thrips. It is said to repel flies and mosquitoes. Do not plant near rue or sage.

BEANS: All bean enrich the soil with nitrogen fixed form the air, improving the conditions for whatever crop you plant after the beans are finished. In general they are good company for carrots, celery, chards, corn, eggplant, peas, potatoes, brassicas, beets, radish, strawberry and cucumbers. Beans are great for heavy nitrogen users like corn and grain plants because the nitrogren used up by the corn and grains are replaced at the end of the season when the bean plants die back. French Haricot beans, sweet corn and melons are a good combo. Summer savory deters bean beetles and improves growth and flavor. Keep beans away from the alliums. Growing tip: Do not allow beans to mature on the plant, or it will stop producing, and do not pick beans or cultivate when they are wet, or it will spread viral diseases

BEET: Good for adding minerals to the soil. The leaves are composed of 25% magnesium making them a valuable addition to the compost pile if you don't care to eat them. Beets are also beneficial to beans with the exception of runner beans. Runner or pole beans and beets stunt each other's growth. Companions for beets are lettuce, onions and brassicas. Beets and kohlrabi grow perfectly together. Beets are helped by garlic and mints. Garlic improves growth and flavor. Rather than planting invasive mints around beets use your mint clippings as a mulch.   

BORAGE: Companion plant for tomatoes, squash, strawberries and most plants. Deters tomato hornworms and cabbage worms. One of the best bee and wasp attracting plants. Adds trace minerals to the soil and a good addition the compost pile. The leaves contain vitamin C and are rich in calcium, potassium and mineral salts. Borage may benefit any plant it is growing next to via increasing resistance to pests and disease. It also makes a nice mulch for most plants. Borage and strawberries help each other and strawberry farmers always set a few plants in their beds to enhance the fruits flavor and yield. Plant near tomatoes to improve growth and disease resistance. After you have planned this annual once it will self seed. Borage flowers are edible.

BROCCOLI: Companions for broccoli are: Basil, Bush Beans, Cucumber, Dill, Garlic, Hyssop, Lettuce, Marigold, Mint, Nasturtium, Onion, Potato, Radish, Rosemary, Sage, Thyme and Tomato. Celery, onions and potatoes improve broccolis' flavor when planted near it. Broccoli loves plenty of calcium. Pairing it with plants that need little calcium is a good combination such as nasturtiums and beets as this frees up the calcium in the soil for the broccoli. Put the nasturtiums right under the broccoli plants. Herbs such as rosemary, dill and sage help repel pests with their distinct aromas. Foes: Grapes, strawberries, mustards and rue.

CABBAGE: Celery, dill, onions and potatoes are good companion plants. Celery improves growth and health. Clover interplanted with cabbage has been shown to reduce the native cabbage aphid and cabbageworm populations by interfering with the colonization of the pests and increasing the number of predatory ground beetles. Plant Chamomile with cabbage as it Improves growth and flavor. Cabbage does not get along with strawberries, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, rue, grapes, lettuce and pole beans.

CARROTS: Their pals are leaf lettuce, onions and tomatoes. Plant dill and parsnips away from carrots. Flax produces an oil that may protect root vegetables like carrots from some pests. One drawback with tomatoes and carrots: tomato plants can stunt the growth of your carrots but the carrots will still be of good flavor.  

For the complete list visit: http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/companion-planting?page=0,1

I do hope, if you have not experienced the joy of your own Potager, that you will check out my Potager 101 series from a couple years ago and design our own (found at the top of the page) and if you are already a gardener, that you will try some new companion planting techniques this year!

Oh, and, since there are new readers every day - if you haven't watched "Back to Eden" yet - DO IT!  Thanks for ALL the feedback on how the movie touched and inspired you.  You never know if other people will be touched by a movie the way you were.

Here's to more warm days... and hundreds of pounds of beautiful produce.

Much Affection,

Angela

Parisienne Farmgirl

 

Gardening - When to Do What?

I found this great website and am posting this for all the gardening newbies - as I hope there are many converts this year!  I always get spazzy about this time, freaking out that I missed my time window for starting my seeds.  So, here is a list of when to do what (for zone 5).  I have printed it and have included it in my gardening notebook (which I will share with you in the future).

Thank you Master Gardener Tim for permission to share your knowledge with my readers!

"Note: The seeds that are started indoors are allowed to germinate indoors and then moved immediately out to the cold frame.
Mid to late February: 
- Put together cold frame and place it onto an area of the garden where warm weather crops will be grown. This will allow time for all seedlings to fully mature in the cold frame before removal.

Last week in February or first week in March:
- Start seeds of lettuce indoors. Exact date will vary depending on the weather.
- When weather permits, empty both compost bins and place about a 1 to 2 inch layer of compost over all garden beds.

First or second week of March:
- Start seeds of celery, cabbage, broccoli, and brussel sprouts indoors.

Third week in March:
- Start seeds of peppers, and tomatoes indoors.

First week in April:
- Onion seedlings/slips arrive via mail and are planted directly out into the garden.
- Transplant lettuce seedlings out into the garden under hoop house if the seedlings are big enough. They are usually big enough when they just start to get their second set of true leaves.

Second week in April:
- Continue to transplant lettuce seedlings out into the garden under the hoop when they get big enough.
- Plant pea seeds directly out into the garden

Third week in April:
- Transplant broccoli, cabbage, and brussel sprout seedlings out into the garden.
- Start seeds of cucumbers in cold frame.
- Plant certified seed potatoes out into the garden.

Fourth week in April:
- Transplant tomato and pepper seedlings into bigger pots.
- Start more heat tolerant lettuce seeds indoors like butter head and romaine varieties.

First Week in May:
- Start harvesting a few of the small leaves on your early planted lettuce.
- Start harvesting green onions, if large enough. Harvest about half of the topsetting onions for green onions before the plants get too big.
- Start a few more heat tolerant lettuce seed varieties outside on the covered back porch.
- Transplant celery seedlings out into the garden
- Plant corn seeds directly out into the garden.

Second week in May:
- Take apart cold frame and put away until next spring.
- Transplant pepper, tomato, and cucumber seedlings out into the garden.
- Plant seeds of bush green beans and pole lima beans directly out into the garden.

Wow, take a break and start harvesting all of those fresh vegetables!!

 

Third or fourth week in June:
- Pull up the garden peas and replant with bush green beans.

First week in July:
- Start seeds of fall broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower on covered back porch.
- Not much else to do in the garden so I am Going Fishing!!

Second week in July:
- Pull up cucumber vines. By this time the cucumbers are finished producing, for the most part. This seems to help out the pepper plants that are growing in close proximately.

Third week in July:
- If the majority of the onion plant tops have fallen over, pull them up and clip the tops off and let them dry/cure for about 10 days on screens over the garden plot where they were grown.
- Pull up walking/egyptian top setting onions and clip tops and/or bottom bulbs and allow to dry until October.

First week in August:
- Plant bush green beans seeds directly into the garden where the spring planted onions grew.
- Transplant out into the garden the broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower seedlings. Make sure to keep these seedlings well watered!!
- Plant carrot seeds directly out into the garden. Keep seed bed shaded, if possible, and well watered.

Second or third week in August:
- Plant bush green bean seeds into corn plot when corn is finished.
- Start seeds of fall lettuce on the covered back porch

Take a break!! Tomato and pepper plants should be producing a nice harvest about now!! Enjoy the lazy late summer afternoons.  You will find me fishing a lot this time of year.

First or second week in September:
- Transplant lettuce seedlings out into the garden. Make sure to keep these seedlings well watered!!

Month of October:
- Keep a row cover handy to keep frost off of late planted beans.
- Keep the carrot and lettuce plots covered with hoops to keep them growing throughout the fall. Harvest the lettuce as needed.
- As heavy frost approaches, cover broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower plants. This keeps the plants actively growing until harvest.
- Around the third or fourth week in October, pull up the pepper plants and replant the area with topsetting onion tops that have been drying since late July. New green growth should be visible from these onions in about 2 to 3 weeks.

Month of November:
- Cover all unused garden areas with 2 to 3 inches of shredded tree leaves.
- After first hard freeze, cover topsetting onions with a thin layer of shredded tree leaves.
- Start harvesting carrots when they mature. Mulch the carrot bed with a 1-inch layer of shredded tree leaves.

Month of December:
- Finish harvesting lettuce. If the weather stays relatively warm, expect to harvest lettuce nearly all the way through December.
- Finish harvesting the carrots. In past years, I have harvested carrots into early January.

Now, take about two months off. Use this time to plan for next year�s garden. Make sure to order your seeds early enough to have them in time to start your spring garden."
       

She's Gonna Leave You with a Smile

This morning LeeLee had ballet and Joel and Aidan made a run out to the farm for my shovels... time to dig up and transplant as much of my Potager as possible...

Hoolie loves Jesus, Momma, Daddy and George Strait.

Check out her sweet little sense of rhythm.

Look at how empty the house is getting.

I'll be out at Half Way Farm all day tomorrow so I'll do a lot of videoing!

And!  Looks like we are building the coop this weekend and I found a messload of pullets on Craigslist about an hour from here!  WOOT!  WOOT!

Saying Goodbye to my Potager... The Beginning

I am in a strange chapter.

The house is on the market...

it's like we are giving it away.

But that's O.K.

It's for the best.

Who knows what is going to happen with our country, we don't, but we are willing to make some drastic changes 

to come out on top in a couple years.

In the meantime there is my potager.

Carved out with my own blood, sweat and tears.

I am very discouraged.

With the heat it's been so hard to keep in tip-top shape - (in many ways I have given up on the front gardens.)  Emotionally, it's so bizarre.  I am trying to really disconnect from it.  

It's going to be the nicest garden I have for some years,

but I have to begin to let it go (in my heart).  This house may sell tomorrow, it may sell next year, but I have to get ready for it not being "my potager" any more.

I won't be doing a drive by for at least a decade.

I love my Potager, but I must confess, this year it's not the same.  My heart swells out there... but just a little.  

The disconnecting has surely begun and it's very sad.

I just keep telling myself about our plan... 

-sell

-rent and live way below the radar as we save and save

-buy that farm when the market drops out in a couple years

-design a bigger, better potager and live happily ever after :)

Help me with this will you?

It's mid-July.

Let's say by late September the house has not sold... What do I do?

See, I want to take a bunch of stuff with us.  A handful of roses and other perennials that I can easily divide.

So, what if it sells when the ground is frozen 

and I can't get at what I want?  

Could I buy rubbermaid bins and "plant" these things in my garage for the winter?

Should I?

It's such a gamble!

What if it hasn't sold by spring... then do I throw everything back in the ground... and dig it up when/if it sells next summer?

Ahhh!

 I can't stand it!

In the meantime... I still walk my garden... but not as much.

With this slight break in the heat I have committed to myself to really get out there and savor it with the kids but I can't love it like I used to... I can't make plans for it as I fall asleep at night...

It's just too sad and I have to let it go.

My apple trees that I planted when they were sprigs... Now tied together making a lovely arch at the end of this path.  I have a chair under one and I sit in the shade and watch the kids in their tree fort.

The big addition looking into the original potager.

I "heart" pea gravel.

My original design.  Little steps going down off our terrace to the potager.

You can see it from Google Maps :)

My pond.

We re-did it this year.

I'll have to show you someday...

My mulberry tree (the kids second tree fort) now touches the edge of the pond... I have carved out the branches so they make a tunnel down a portion of the path.  

I am going to put Christmas lights in there like I did last  year.

The entrance to the former Chicken Run.  You can thank me saying goodbye to My Ladies to the people in the gray house!!!

My four fairy roses - one for each child - That I am going to dig up even if they scratch me to death.  

Our arbor that we got married under 17 years ago.

Purple globe thistle - bestill my heart.

I'll be taking some of that too!

Daisy's from my Aunt Julee's garden.

A tribute to our someday farm... a little galvanized windmill.

Savez-vous planter les chou?

Thanks for letting me get it out girls.

Oh, and someone recently emailed me and asked if I was on Facebook and Twitter -

Mais oui.

I was reluctant but here's the lowdown---

Pinterest - just click the link on my sidebar.

Parisienne Farmgirl is on Facebook - 

come and put in a friend request.

On Twitter --- @theParisienneFG

The magazine is too...

On Facebook - Parisienne Farmgirl Magazine 

(help us hit 1,000 likes!)

On Twitter -- @ParisienneFarmg

Happy Pinning, Tweeting and FBing!

Amitiés,

Angela