21 Oct 2009
Fall update…from the growing dome and gardens
It’s fall…we’re running around mulching, amending beds..and planting cold crops under warm blankets of straw and Agribon! It’s the end of our first year, growing our own food…and the beginning of a new passion and love for this work!! There are so many benefits to …
GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD!!
Here’s a series of photos, followed by few videos, of the same tour…showing the growing dome and gardens…SO much more to come!!
- This is our street in Hurricane, Utah…Zion National Park in the distance.
- The side yard..used to be just grass..now a burgeoning fruit orchard. The growing dome…peeking over the fence. The ancient dormant volcano behind the house shows and example of the lava beds we’re situated on.
- Looking over the fence into the backyard..it’s terraced into ZONES, which are dedicated to different crops.
- FIRST ZONE of raised beds in the backyard…these beds are dedicated to root crops. The highest one you can see was just planted with garlic, the second..onions.
- SECOND ZONE..with three beds in different stages of growth. Transitioning from vining crops back to leafy greens for winter!
- Last few pollinators popping in….what a beautiful bee…it was HUGE!
- Check out the pollen on this bee…the bees are in the garden all the time..these are sage blossoms. Wish they were flying back to my hives!!! SOON!
- ZONE 3 raised beds…and Jane Grace enjoying the morning sun.
- The ZONE 3 raised beds are being used for sprouting green winter crops. Crops like, spinach, kale, chard, collard, mache, claytonia and minutina. In the background is the mixed summer bed of greens, peppers and flowers.
- ZONE 3 cont..mixed greens.
- Heirloom Chard…from ZONE 3. Chard is such a vigorous crop for us…it seems to love all temps and has repelled pests!
- Looking back up across the terraces.. to the left.. the rosemary…which also attracts bees.
- ZONE 4 in the distance, the dome zone to the left. The composting operation to the right…three different sections separated by straw bales.
- ZONE 4…this zone is will eventually become a high tunnel, or hoop house. On the left, is the leftover crops from summer, lots of basil, tomatoes, flowers, mixed greens. A WORK IN PROGRESS!!
- Thai Basil Blossom
- Mixed basil blossoms..”sweet basil”, “opal basil” “thai basil”… I love grabbing the blossoms…inhaling them as I walk around working in the garden. Fresh AROMATHERAPY from the garden!!
- Looking back west across ZONE 4, melon beds in the foreground. Gala apple to the right..!
- Entering the Growing Dome… temps are around 45F. at night now. In the 70′s during the day outside. Inside the dome…we’re staying 10-15 degrees above the outside temp…it’s nice and warm in there!!
- Standing on a chair…aerial view! We’re amending the beds by adding fresh compost, rock dust (Azomite), and dilute ocean water (Thalassa mix), then spreading clover seed and mixing in the soil. Dressing with a top coating of straw and let the clover grow up through that…
- Close up of the soil..you can see some red wigglers..trying to escape. The white-like hairs are clover sprouts.
- Our little buddy…the red wiggler. TONS of em hanging out in here.. enjoying the fresh Azomite and compost!!
- Some of the food coming out of the backyard this month…..peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, aloe, melons, basil, GREENS!
- This is from our corn harvest a month ago..but wanted to show you the color pigments in the corn. We’re saving many ears of this stuff to use for regrowing more corn next year! We’re also going to experiment growing medicinal mushrooms like shiitake..using the corn as a substrate…the mushrooms will reportedly pick up the antioxidants in the blue pigments of the corn!!
Enjoy the following video tours…they’re already getting outdated..as things are changing rapidly around here. Some of the above photos are newer than these videos..but at least you get the vision!
We hope…. you get inspired to grow your own food too…or maybe just start reading about it…or buying food from someone who grows their own! We all start somewhere…I know I am…we’re all learning TOGETHER!!
FALL GARDEN TOUR “Part 1″
FALL GARDEN TOUR “Part 2″
GROWING DOME “October 2009″
HAVE FUN GROWING YOUR OWN!
