Spring Work Around the Homestead

I've been neglecting this journal. But I have been steadily working around the place with planting in the spring.

Planted another plum and apple in the food forest area east of the swale. Also, divided five or six comfrey plants in that area.

Broadcast seed for white and red clover, indian corn, amaranth, mixed greens, sorgham, watermelon and yellow squash all over east of the swale. Scattered finished compost across the surface as well.

Scattered amaranth and sorgham seed into the pig pen, which has been 70 percent rooted up by the AGH.

Planted some snap peas along fence of the garden in the early spring.

Planted three species of medicinal herbs

Dream Root (Silene undulata)

Hyssop (Agastache)

Elecampane (Inula helenium)

I ordered the three medicinal herbs from Horizon Herbs.  All need well drained soil and partial sun. I planted them around my elderberry bushes growing west of the goat pen. Hopefully, these plants will have a few weeks to put down some nice roots and will rebound next spring. 

Planted Black and Blue Cohash

Planted live roots. Two Black Cohash toward the southwestern side of the white mulberry. A Blue Cohash on the northern side.

Also planted two Black Cohash under the two white walnut trees.

Planted one Black Cohash adjacent to and shaded by north side of the elderberry plant west of the goat pens.

Mixed clay and compost in the hole and covered the roots with wood mulch. There was evidence of fungal activity in the wood chips. Looking loamy now.

Divided Comfrey

Divided two comfrey plants. Uprooted both plants south of pig pen.

Replanted first in 8 - 10 cuttings and crowns north of top pond and south of white oak tree.

Replanted second with similar number east of orchard swale, uphill. Trying to establish thicket of comfrey.

Bermuda grass roots were invading the comfrey root. A bermuda nodule was tightly in a crack of roots. Bermuda will choke roots of most plants out. Some comfrey seems to be stronger than bermuda when it has produced a thick set of leaves and overgrows the base.

Smallest cutting was four inches long and 1/4 inch in diameter.

Still more comfrey to divide.

I believe these cuttings were from Boching 14.

Fall Planting (continued)

Continued with fall planting. Minimal work. I took cuttings from my Rose of Sharon (hibiscus syriacus) and planted three cuttings into the southwestern side of the orchard swale.

Fall 2014 Planting

I divided my yarrow that was growing in the zone 1 garden and planted cuttings in several places across the homestead.

I planted into three areas. Two new plants by the beehives; one plant by the boggy area just south of the Oehler Greenhouse and before the clay berm; and seven plants across the orchard area below the goat pen and above the orchard swale.

Continued planting into swales and orchard

Planted two pounds of buckwheat into lower swale, finishing out the downhill (western side).

Planted chicory across the downhill side of the orchard swale. Also, planted about forty feet of garlic and onion on the northeastern side of the swale, and a couple onions at the edge of the orchard just west of our northern goat pen.