{"id":674,"date":"2016-04-15T17:12:26","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T21:12:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelittlehalfacre.com\/staging\/?p=674"},"modified":"2016-04-28T17:27:45","modified_gmt":"2016-04-28T21:27:45","slug":"six-month-review-what-i-have-learned-the-hard-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thelittlehalfacre.com\/staging\/six-month-review-what-i-have-learned-the-hard-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Six Month Review – What I Have Learned (the Hard Way)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Okay, technically, we’ve been here seven and a half months, but that first six weeks was all about unpacking and arranging furniture and stuff.\u00a0 So what have we accomplished in six months on our little half acre permaculture homestead?\u00a0 And what have I learned?
\nHold on to your hats cause here we go!!<\/p>\n

First, we cut down trees.\u00a0 A lot of trees.\u00a0 This little half acre homestead got almost no sun.\u00a0 Anywhere.\u00a0 Of course, when we were buying our place, we wanted more than just half an acre so it would be “easier” to grow a permaculture food forest, but we also wanted to pay cash and be debt free.\u00a0 That meant that a half acre of rock with some serious disadvantages was what we could afford.\u00a0 But hey, no feeling sorry for ourselves, right?\u00a0 Let’s just make this work!<\/p>\n

We hired someone to cut down the “first round” of trees and that was a wise decision because the trees were either humongous or in difficult places to get to.\u00a0 We still have a few more to go but I think we can handle those ourselves except for one huge diseased apple tree growing in the branch on the west side of the property.\u00a0 What we didn’t know when we decided on this particular half acre was that a lot of the trees growing on and near the property were Ailanthus trees (or Tree of Heaven).\u00a0 It’s a lovely tree – BUT – it’s a major attractant for the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug.\u00a0 See a previous post on the insidious infestation that threatens the very existence of agriculture in this country.<\/p>\n

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Disgusting fruit & veggie eaters!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Lesson learned?\u00a0 Investigate what’s currently growing on the property you’re considering buying.\u00a0 If we had known then what we know now, would we have bought this particular property?\u00a0 Perhaps not, but we’re here now and we will make this work.<\/p>\n

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Next, we built in the open back porch so I could have space to grow organic microgreens.\u00a0 That’s my “cash crop” and we need those funds to pay for our long list of “to do” projects.\u00a0 Here’s my little indoor garden (aren’t they cute??) of nutrient dense microgreens. If you want to know more about microgreens and what wondrous things these little guys can do for your health, go over to my business Website, www.jackiesnaturally.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"Garnet<\/a>
Garnet Amaranth, Kale & Broccoli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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I quickly figured out (but too late) that a stack washer and dryer would have given me a LOT more space for all the parapharnalia that goes along with growing microgreens; bags of organic potting soil, growing trays, garden sprayers for watering – you get the idea.\u00a0 And we would have put in a much smaller propane heater.\u00a0 The one we had installed (which also helps keep the kitchen warm on cold nights) puts out so much heat that all the trays of microgreens on the upper shelves dry out too quickly.\u00a0 But we now have a plan to fix all that.<\/p>\n

\"back<\/a><\/p>\n

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Lesson learned?\u00a0 Think it through, dummy!<\/p>\n

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The first major outdoor<\/em> project in developing our sustainable homestead was to put in a deer proof garden area until such time as I could incorporate that garden into the general landscape following permaculture principles.\u00a0 So we cut trees down to open the area to as much sun as possible.\u00a0 We put cardboard down in the designated garden area to kill the existing grass and we had load after load of compost hauled in.\u00a0 I raked the compost into raised beds.\u00a0 We then put deer netting up around the entire garden area on doubled fence posts that made the fence seven feet tall.\u00a0 It was a lot of hard work and it was all well and good – until we got 50 to 60 mph wind gusts one night that twisted the steel fence posts like overcooked spaghetti.\u00a0 Here’s what that mess looked like:<\/p>\n

\"Lots<\/a><\/p>\n

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Lesson learned?\u00a0 Guy wires from every post into the ground helps stabilize them against high winds.\u00a0 Whether or not the netting itself can take the punishment from high winds remains to be seen.<\/p>\n

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Next project was the Hugelkultur mound .\u00a0 I wondered how well they worked and wanted to experiment with one so I built it on a gentle slope using some of the tree trunks we had cut down along with piles of dead branches (which included hydrangea branches I had\u00a0 cleaned up in the front yard).<\/p>\n

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Lesson learned?\u00a0 Apparently, Hydrangea branches self root very easily in Hugelkultur mounds and now new growth has sprung up all over the bed.\u00a0 So here’s the lesson learned:\u00a0 only use dead<\/em> branches in a Hugel bed!<\/p>\n

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Another early project was to figure out the prevailing wind direction so I could employ the principles of permaculture in creating or making use of existing micro-climates.\u00a0 So I faithfully charted the direction of the wind for the first two months.\u00a0 Now, when someone asks me from which direction the prevailing winds blow, my answer is “yes.”\u00a0 What I didn’t think about when we scoped out this little half acre was whether or not the large evergreens our neighbor planted in continuous rows on the west and north property lines would affect the wind direction.\u00a0 In fact, I still couldn’t say whether the trees cause all the swirling winds or if it’s just Mother Nature at play.\u00a0 All I know is that the wind seems to dance from one direction to the next within seconds.\u00a0 Putting row cover down is always an adventure because it blows around (and often, over) my head with abandon!\u00a0 Yes, I confess I employ “colorful” language on these occasions!<\/p>\n

There is no “lesson learned” here.\u00a0 I am a woman, therefore, I can control almost anything but, sadly, wind is not one of those things.\u00a0 But, being a woman, I am also extremely creative!\u00a0 I’m thinking about windbreaks, and how best to go about building them where they’re most needed.\u00a0 I am also able to admit when I need help.\u00a0 Any good ideas out there for easy-to-make windbreaks?\u00a0 Anyone?<\/p>\n

On to the next project.\u00a0 Because our little half acre goes from 2,900 feet above sea level to over 3,000 in less than fifty yards, I realized early on that some form of terracing would be necessary in “the back forty” (feet) to get enough planting space.\u00a0 That project involved putting two or three small terraced beds on the steep hillside.\u00a0 That was easily accomplished using some of the larger branches we had from trees we cut down.\u00a0 It seemed to be a worthwhile “quick fix” for gardening on the precarious slope.\u00a0 But when I’m working from the backs of the beds – tiny as they are – I’m still on uneven, steep and rocky ground and I have already fallen twice.<\/p>\n

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Okay, looks like we need to hire someone with one of those bucket digging “thingeys” to come in and make real<\/em> terraces.\u00a0 Hhmmm. . . better increase the microgreens crop.\u00a0 Lesson learned?\u00a0 Think it through before implementation.<\/p>\n

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Then there’s the whole straw bale gardening project I decided to employ this year to increase our immediately available growing space.\u00a0 I bought a cool book and read the whole thing.\u00a0 The problem is, I didn’t remember<\/em> the whole thing when it came to the implementation phase.\u00a0 One method for organically conditioning the bales is to use composted chicken manure.\u00a0 Great!\u00a0 I bought some and immediately applied it.\u00a0 Incorrectly.\u00a0 One reason the neighbor’s dogs use our backyard as their private bathroom is because they can also grab a bite of “straw a la chicken poop” if the mood strikes.\u00a0 The manure was supposed to be put down inside the bales <\/em>via holes made using a wooden stake and hammer, not spread over the top.<\/p>\n

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Lesson learned?\u00a0 Read and re-read and re-read to make sure you have it right.\u00a0 Note to self:\u00a0 it is impossible to get chicken poop off something once you’ve applied chicken poop to that something!<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The next project was a strawberry bed.\u00a0 We have a stone wall (thank goodness the previous<\/em> owner terraced that<\/em> correctly!) right outside our back door.\u00a0 I’m going to use the space in front of the wall for straw bale gardening for tomatoes (no chicken poop this time).\u00a0 I’m hoping the heat from the stone wall will improve the tomatoes growing in the bales right in front of it.<\/p>\n

The top of the stone wall is absolutely lovely with bright green bursts of Sedum and blooming Purple Robe (a colorful, trailing ground cover).<\/p>\n

\"So<\/a>
So pretty<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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That gave me the idea of strawberry plants growing along the top and sending out runners to spill over the rock wall.\u00a0 Sounds lovely doesn’t it?\u00a0 I got all caught up in a daydream of waltzing out the back door to nibble on succulent red berries and didn’t concentrate on the best way to grow those yummy berries.<\/p>\n

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\"Ready<\/a>
Ready for strawberries!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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Yes, but just look how lovely the bed is!\u00a0 (Even though it may not work)\u00a0 This bed is not wide enough for the hill system that Everbearing strawberries require.\u00a0 Since the berries require 12\u2033 of soil depth (which I won\u2019t have at the edges of the bed) I can\u2019t plant them in the recommended “zig-zag” hill manner.\u00a0 I\u2019m going to have to plant them in a straight row and hope for the best.<\/p>\n

Lesson learned?\u00a0 Find out how everbearing strawberries should be planted before creating the bed.<\/p>\n

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And the last project to date?\u00a0 Building up a sloping area in the front yard to create additional growing space.\u00a0 When we bought our little half acre, the front yard was dominated by a huge silver maple with a trunk that was close to 30″ in diameter.\u00a0 It completely blocked the morning sun.\u00a0 The neighbor to the west of us has a large yellow maple growing on his property line that partially shades the front yard in the afternoon.\u00a0 Between those two trees and the septic lines that run down one side, I had basically written off the entire front yard as a growing area.\u00a0 By cutting our silver maple down and waiting until this spring to judge the amount of sunlight once the sun was higher in the sky, I realized that I could in fact turn this area into a productive food forest (again, following the principles of permaculture laid out in the book, Gaia’s Garden).<\/p>\n