The Self-Sufficient Gardener

Today I tackle some myths and misconceptions about raising chickens.  (http://theselfsufficientgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/P1070672-300x168.jpg) Whether you raise them for meat, eggs or simply as pets I'm sure you hear some of these misconceptions repeated to you as fact: * Feeding layers eggshells will absolutely result in cannabilizing of eggs. * You have to have a rooster if you want good egg production. * Keeping chickens will give you bird flu. * Confining chickens is inhumane. * Chickens are vegetarians. * Brown eggs taste better/are more nutritious. * You should give your chickens run of the garden. * Hens lay all the time. (http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/473059_327567493959746_108695475846950_828443_1728670136_o.jpg) * Chickens are stupid. * Chickens are dirty. Learn where these myths come from and learn the reasons why they simply aren't true (well all the time anyways).

Today's episode is another installment of what's happening around the homestead.  * Updates to the cabin - its coming along finally. * How astounded I am with my little 10x15' pond.  Its full of life. (http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/553564_330157780367384_108695475846950_834381_1586947791_n.jpg) * How we've totally skipped spring and I'm already into most of my after last frost date plantings. (http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/530381_337197492996746_108695475846950_850002_790429209_n.jpg) * Food forest updates - so far everything survived the winter including a grape vine I butchered moving from our previous house. * Updates to my seed mix.  It has worked well at this point. * The benefits are being seen from the greenhouse. * Updates on all the chickens new and old. (http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/546178_334218339961328_108695475846950_842617_1768020188_n.jpg) * Still building rabbit hutches - I might never be done! * Foraging and exploring updates. (http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/551263_330157737034055_108695475846950_834380_2073823666_n.jpg)

Today we are joined by Steve Hazzard, President and Founder of Organic Control Inc.  (www.organiccontrol.com (http://www.organiccontrol.com)) Also known Orcon, Steve has chosen to support the show by becoming a sponsor. (http://www.theselfsufficientgardener.com/orcon.jpg) Join us today as we discuss: * Orcon's mission and why its important. * Dealing with the "only good bug is a dead bug" mythos. * How IPM is supposed to work. * The advantages and disadvantages of using beneficial insects to control plant predation. * The broad spectrum (if there is such a thing) approach to pest control with beneficials. * How to repel deer and rabbits with a simple little device that Orcon sells. * How to deal with both Squash Bugs and Squash Vine Borers with beneficials.

Today I'm joined by Wildman Steve Brill who is one of the acknowledged experts in the field of foraging for edibles in wild and not so wild places. Steve's Iphone/Ipad App:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/winterroot-llc/id427385326 (http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/winterroot-llc/id427385326) Steve's many books:  http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Books.Folder/Books.page.html (http://www.wildmanstevebrill.com/Books.Folder/Books.page.html) Tune in today as we discuss: * How one learns how to forage. * Why its important to learn and hunt for wild edibles. * Some good plants for beginning foragers to start with. * Some of the hazards of hunting for wild edibles in not so wild places. * How eating invasive plants can benefit us and the environment. * Eating wild edibles to gain self-sufficiency.

Today I go through another round of questions and feedback. There are several ways to get your question on the show. You can call me and leave a voicemail on my googlevoice hotline at:  (502) 230-1787.  You can email me at Jason at Theselfsufficientgardener.com.  You can post a question in our forum (http://www.theselfsufficientgardener.com/forums/). Tune in today and hear: * Rock dust amendments - are they worth it? * Which woods are not ok for mulch?  Can they be made ok? * Which mulches "rob" nitrogen?  Do they really rob it?  Is it a concern? * What's the deal with innoculating legume seeds? * Is a raised bed a good spot for tomatoes? * A slight correction to my episode on Soil Basics. * Should leaf litter and grass clippings be mixed into the soil for a new bed? * Is mycchorizal fungi worth adding to your garden?  How does it work?

(http://yogaunioncwc.files.wordpress.com/2011/01/planting-seeds.jpg) What plants can be direct sowed * If it makes a big root or tuber – direct sow it. * If it grows really tall direct sow it. * If it’s a legume direct sow it. * If it’s a leafy green. Corn, okra, sunflowers, beans, peas, potatoes, garlic, beets, turnips, parsnips, carrots (exceptions are onions, leeks).  Lettuce, mesclun, spinach, dill. Optional direct sows (I usually do) squash, cucurbits sometimes I do.  Parsley, coriander, basil. Really optional – tomatoes – very rarely will I direct sow.  You get a better start indoors.  But really the hardening off is reduced outdoors and you get better roots if you can get away with it. Almost never direct sow – peppers, tobacco, more exotic things. When Typically two batches. 1.  When the soil can be worked - Beets, potatoes, turnips, carrots, greens, onions, dill, peas – typically first of march for me. 2.  After danger of frost - Corn, beans, sunflowers – typically Aprilish. How Broadcast method – used for small seeds such as root crops and greens. Hoe up a rectangular section.  Reserve dirt. Broadcast. Jerk dirt back over. Furrow method – used for larger seeds such as corn, beans etc.  Done in rows but rows but be in blocks. Blocks offer support and pollination. Hoe up a line of dirt.  Spread it back out evenly.  Turn the hoe and pull a furrow in.  Plant seeds.  Tip one side of dirt back into the furrow (or both). No dig method – Used only for large seeds.  People simply will not take to this method.  I’m not sure why.  I have a planting bar I use.  It is easy and quick and never fails.  Use a stick (or planting bar) and make holes evenly distant.  Place seed in each.  Scratch dirt over or fill with compost.  This works through grass, weeds, in hard ground, in dry ground, in wet ground.  In sand and clay and silt and loam. When the plants come up you really need to think about thinning (save the small greens!) and mulching. Watering?  NO!!! Nature typically gives the signals here.  If you water and then a drought hits you can stunt them.  This can happen in nature as well but let nature take its course.  Once the plants sprout then you can use water (very conservatively) as needed.  Water causes the plants to set shallow roots and that means no support and resiliency.  If they find their own water they can always access it.

Disclaimer - I fire off a couple of minor curse words in this episode. I have been really avoiding this topic for like forever but two things happened.  The first is I've been meaning to rerecord Episode 33 of The Hunt Gather Grow Eat Podcast for some time.  In that episode I tackled the question:  Is meat sustainable?  First of all I didn't do a good job with it. I was driving and I had none of my fact notes so the show was more me just giving some reasons and some things we can do.  I got a ton of negative feedback - which is ok.  I don't expect everyone to agree with me but obviously they couldn't refute facts because I didn't have a lot to give in that episode. Secondly I saw Soylent Green on TV again.  The movie is kitchy because it was filmed in the 70's I think but it is also extremely scary.  Overpopulation, starvation, homelessness and then everyone knows what Soylent Green (the food product) is made of. So last time I asked the question:  Is meat sustainable?  Today I answer that question definitively - the answer is: Not how we currently consume it. (http://theselfsufficientgardener.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Microsoft-Excel-Book1_2012-03-15_14-09-50-242x300.jpg)Your own personal 1.5 acres! Again I know this topic just rubs people the wrong way.  But I ask - can you look at what you are doing and make efforts to improve it?  I think a lot of people that listen to this show consciously make an effort to eat sustainable foods.  But for anyone who doesn't - why not?  Is there an emotional attachment or a sense of being preached to? So tune in today (if you dare): *Why are massive herds of buffalo unsustainable?  Well where are they right now?  If you have a massive herd where would you put it exactly? *Sustainable means:  of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.  Sustainable is a sliding scale.  As long as you aren't completely ignoring the scale you are on the right path. *When you really examine some people who claim to be sustainable are they really?  What methods contribute to sustainability?  Which detract? *Can you not examine where you diet comes from and still call yourself an environmentalist?  Well you can but did you know:  In Central America, 40 percent of all the rainforests have been cleared or burned down in the last 40 years, mostly for cattle pasture to feed the export market—often for U.S. beef burgers…. Meat is too expensive for the poor in these beef-exporting countries, yet in some cases cattle have ousted highly productive traditional agriculture.  —John Revington in World Rainforest Report Nutrients in animal waste cause algal blooms, which use up oxygen in the water, contributing to a “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico where there’s not enough oxygen to support aquatic life. The dead zone stretched over 7,700 square miles during the summer of 1999. —Natural Resources Defense Council Good article about nitrate contamination.  http://www.thereporter.com/rss/ci_20169847?source=rss (http://www.thereporter.com/rss/ci_20169847?source=rss) To provide the yearly average beef consumption of an American family of four requires over 260 gallons of fossil fuel. —“Meat Equals War,” web-site of Earth Save, Humboldt, California That’s like having 5 - 55 gallon drums full of oil placed in your backyard every year.  *This is not an indictment of meat but rather the way we produce it with current CAFO operations. *Is there a sustainable way? *  Pasture raised animals. * Grass fed like nature intended. * Only problem here is it takes more land. *So is grass fed how we move forward?  I wish it were that easy.  Is intensive rotational grazing the way forward?  I wish it were that easy (aside - I had to adjust my math - the previous calculations were from several years ago and didn't take other aspects both good and bad into account - THINGS CHANGED!):

On today's show I talk about options for getting cheap animal and plant life for the homestead. Some options for cheap livestock: * Craiglist both free and paid - yes you can get defective and diseased stock if you don't know what you are doing!  Be careful and don't be afraid to walk away! * Petfinder.org often has rescued farm animals - check them in your area. * Don't be afraid to barter for them. Some options for cheap plants: * State nurseries - ignore the native plant food myth! * Air Layering, cloning, rooting from cuttings, seeds, etc. (http://theselfsufficientgardener.com/638) * Seed swapping - check out the forum board for this! (http://theselfsufficientgardener.com/forums/index.php?board=17.0)    

Because it seems to be a fairly popular topic I'm doing another round of updates from the homestead.  Sometimes I don't realize how fast and efficiently things are progressing until I try to describe what all is going on. *Added Rabbits - a breeding pair of New Zealand Whites.  The purpose is meat from the offspring (fryers).  Hear all the crazy story about my first week owning them! (http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/431297_317950471588115_108695475846950_803703_1485081262_n.jpg) (http://a5.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/416938_317950704921425_108695475846950_803709_1059390754_n.jpg) (http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/423018_317951004921395_108695475846950_803716_41978055_n.jpg) *Finished the duck house. *Picked out the place for the pasture for goats and/or pigs. *Decided a cow is probably not right for me at this point. *Started working on converting the front field to a crop field.  Planted peas. *Put in the last of what should be the food forest - a plum tree for pollination, three raspberries and a mint plant in the orchard. *Forgot to mention that the purple martin gourds are up and ready! *Continuing the pond digging. (http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/419394_317950608254768_108695475846950_803707_1062544197_n.jpg) *The purposes of the different gardens. (http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc7/424972_316231115093384_108695475846950_800306_1369123664_n.jpg) *Ordered chickens! (http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/images/global/go/golden_campines_thumb_large_popup.jpg)(http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/images/global/do/dominiques_thumb_large_popup.jpg)(http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/images/global/ju/jumbo_cornish_x_rocks_thumb_large_popup.jpg)

T0day we talk about the essential major and trace elements that plants need and why (at least when we know WHY!). (http://www.bpc.edu/mathscience/chemistry/images/periodic_table_of_elements.jpg) *The essential plant processes of Absorption, Carbon assimilation, Formation of protoplasm and Transpiration. *During growth the lant uses water and oxygen to change carbon and nitrogen into things it can use. *During growth the plant produces many things such as  sugars, starch, cellulose, acids, lignin, tannins, amino acids, proteins, amides etc., and many plants also produce toxins such as alkaloids, nicotine, etc. *The plant has to take in enough water to keep these activities going. Water is so very important in the uptake of nutrients! Minerals and the roles they play. Major elements (high use): Nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sulfur. Trace elements (low use but still high importance): Iron, manganese, boron, copper, zinc and molybdenum. Sodium, chlorine and silicon are beneficial but not essential.  Aluminum occurs in plants but doesn’t really serve a role.  It does exert indirect influences on nutritional processes such as using aluminum sulfate. The nutrient elements can only be absorbed by plants when present in certain forms: nitrogen from nitrates and ammonium salts; phosphorus from  phosphates; calcium, magnesium and potassium from their salts (e.g., as sulfates or chlorides, etc.); sulfur from sulfates; iron from ferrous or ferric salts more readily from ferrous salts); manganese from manganous salts; boron from borates; copper and zinc from their salts, and molybdenum from molybdates. There may appear to be certain exceptions. For instance, nitrogen may be applied to a soil as "organic" nitrogen, as in hoof meal or urea, and sulfur may be added as the element itself, as in flowers of sulfur, ground sulfur, etc. In such conditions the added materials are, however, converted into the nitrate and sulfate forms respectively by soil organisms before being absorbed by the plants. Further points of importance in connection with the absorption of the mineral nutrients by plants are as follows: * The minerals have to be diluted. * Certain of the elements slow down the absorption of others into the plant. * Healthy plants result when the nutrients are absorbed in certain relative proportions. * Nutrients, even though present in the nutrient solution in satisfactory amounts and proportions, may not be absorbed by the plant unless the "reaction" of the solution as regards acidity and alkalinity is satisfactory. Functions of  ESSENTIAL MAJOR ELEMENTS Nitrogen. Nitrogen is the major plant element.  Nitrogen compounds comprise from 40 to 50% of the dry matter of  the living substance of plant cells. Phosphorus: This element, like nitrogen, is closely concerned with the vital growth processes in plants.  Phosphorus is also of special importance in the processes concerned in root development and the ripening of seeds and fruits. Calcium:  One of its main functions is as a constituent of the cell wall. Magnesium: A constituent of chlorophyll, and is essential to the formation of this pigment.  Like iron in human blood/Hemoglobin Potassium: Not clearly understood. Sulfur: It seems to be connected with chlorophyll formation. ESSENTIAL TRACE ELEMENTS Iron: Iron is closely concerned with chlorophyll formation but is not a constituent of it. Its role appears in this connection to be that of a catalyst. Manganese: The functions of manganese are regarded as being closely associated with those of iron. Zinc and Copper:  About the same as iron.  mangold and barley. Sodium seems to affect the water relations of plants and often enables sugar beet and other crops to withstand drought conditions which would otherwise produce severe adverse effects.   SIGNS OF FAULTY NUTRITION IN PLANTS * Changing color of leaves - yellowing

Helianthus tuberosus – asteraceae family – aster, daisy, sunflower (which makes a lot of sense since the flowers vaguely resemble).  Also called sunchoke, sunroot, etc. (//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ae/Sunroot_top.jpg/220px-Sunroot_top.jpg) The name is one huge misnomer.  No connection to Jerusalem and not an artichoke but distantly related to artichokes (in the daisy family).  Italian settlers in the USA called the plant girasole, the Italian word for sunflower because of its resemblance to the garden sunflower (note: both the sunflower and the sunchoke are part of the same genus: Helianthus). Over time, the name girasole may have been changed to Jerusalem. The artichoke part of the Jerusalem artichoke's name comes from the taste of its edible tuber. Samuel de Champlain, the French explorer, sent the first samples of the plant to France, noting its taste was similar to an artichoke. Native to North America.  All the way west to North Dakota.  However the true native range may never be known since the Native Americans had domesticated it and spread it quite well.  Its thought to originate in the mississipi/ohio valley region due to the soil type. Gets very tall up to 8 feet or so.  The tubers are very light beige on the outside and very pale on the inside and when I did the research it said they look like ginger which makes a ton of sense to me! The tubers spread quite prolifically.  They are eaten both raw, sliced thin (salads) or steamed or boiled and mashed like a potato.  They contain inulin instead of starch.  This is not a readily accessible form of sugar for humans.  Thus with some people it may cause a bit of gas!  Quite nutritional with potential for ethanol production.  Can produce double the amount of sugar as the same quantity of corn or sugar beets. It is hardy to zone 4 and is not frost tender. It is in flower in October, and the seeds ripen in November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies. The plant prefers light (sandy) soils, requires well-drained soil and can grow in nutritionally poor soil.  The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.  It cannot grow in the shade.It requires dry or moist soil.  The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure. Seed - sow in spring in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Division in spring or autumn. Harvest the tubers in late autumn or the winter and either replant the tubers immediately or store them in a cool but frost-free place and plant them out in early spring. Jerusalem artichoke is propagated by tubers, which should be planted as early as possible in the spring when the soil can be satisfactorily worked.    

Today (for the first time in a long time) I take some listener questions and share feedback.  We even have a call.  As always you can reach my voicemail hotline at 502-230-1787.  You can call it anytime and rest assured if you don't want it played on the air just let me know! Tune in to hear questions and feedback regarding: *What to co-plant for a high traffic area.  How to develop a seed mix to your area.  Some of clover's limitations. *Bottom watering.  How it works and why and when it should be used.  Some of my trials with it! *Keeping starts in the soil cubes.  How long can they stay in there? *If you fill your planting beds with compost can you mulch also with compost? *Some questions about fencing and mob-grazing with goats and chickens.  What order?  What type of fence? *How to find, prevent and get rid of snakes in the attic (like snakes on a plane but only scarier!). *A listener calls in regarding the book Urban Homesteading by Rachel Kaplan (Urban Homesteading: Heirloom Skills for Sustainable Living).

On today's show I talk about resilient gardens and just what - in my mind - constitutes a resilient garden.  Furthermore, what can you do to make your garden more resilient this year?   Most people who complain about pests and weeds do so because they failed to plan and to build their garden in a way that makes it resilient. Permaculture principle - Creatively use and respond to change.  “Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be.” A resilient garden should be able to stand up to anything.  There are certain devices and certain things that can be done but all in all a resilient garden has a combination of features that make it resistant or easily adaptable to change.  You don’t build a garden planning for any one thing but when you add some of these features you make it ready for anything. Planning - is the key element when making a resilient garden but most people take the plan only to its best conclusion which is that I put things in at the right time and I get what I desire back out.  We have to account for loss in our plan as well.  So for me its always important to plant more than I think I need for redundancy’s sake.  I am very clumsy so I kill some plants just through error.  But you have to be a little bit paranoid and you have to see through the logical conclusions of certain actions. Something that goes along with planning is timing.  Time things correctly!  No matter if you are planting around pest infestations, last frost or rain with perennials.  Take the time to think out what you are doing so you act at the appropriate time. Polyculture – its commonly cited as a way to prevent pest.  On the Backwoods Home Radio interview I was on I spoke about how its like putting your plants in supermarket aisles.  This is bad for preventing predation obviously.  But also if a tree falls on your garden or part gets flooded you don’t lose all of one crop. Diversity – Goes hand in hand with polyculture but also varying plantings makes a lot of sense.  But not just planting you are also drawing in wildlife.  People need to gain more faith in this realm but when you allow all types of life into your garden it will balance out.  You won’t have weeds or pests or anything.  IT WILL ALL WORK OUT IN THE END! Insects and weeds are a good thing! Choices - Picking the right plants or livestock varieties for your needs and conditions.  When there is a choice to plant something novel that is succeptible or something plain that is resistant always choose the plain thing!  Its better to have guaranteed results rather than uncertain ones. Many people choose heirloom seeds because they have a history of lasting.  Hybrid seeds are cool but they don’t seem to be very resistant to me (other people may have different experiences).  I usually go with OP without regard for heirloom status.  I know of different people trying to bring back old heirlooms and are finding out why they became near extinct in the first place.  No resiliency! When you know you are going to have a problem with something work around it.  I know I’m in deer and raccoon country so I can plant a ton of corn and let them eat it – or I can plant something like sunflowers.  Sunflowers won’t be eaten so easily and when the doves fly in September I’ll have my shotgun out.  I’m still constantly surprised by people who tell me that deer ate their corn and that they are going to try again next year. I like fences and protections but these are almost always only mostly effective.  The deer only need to succeed one time and jump your fence to destroy your crop. You should build the garden plan to resist anything but especially when you are aware of things you are more succeptible too you should also focus on those areas to get good results. Involvement - A resilient garden is one that includes you and your family.  Being in the garden and seeing what is going on helps you more than anything adapt to the changes coming.

Today I give some of my thoughts on the historical context as well as my understanding of what it means to be a naturalist. What is a naturalist? - Usually had a specific discipline – Frontiersman, explorer, then scientists, botanist, ornithologist, herpetologist, zoologist, etc. With the internet we can all get a bit of each specific discipline so there is a real opportunity to form groups of people with broad skill sets. More than anything they are observers and teachers.  They are the bridges between the natural world and the human one. They help people understand concepts that aren’t obvious.  They see between the lines. They are also recorders – they keep detailed notes and pictures/drawings.  They are able to convey ideas. Some well known “Naturalists” John James Audubon – Born in French Haiti came to the US to avoid conscription into the French Napoleonic army.  The first to band birds – very ornithology centric.  Spent a lot of time in Kentucky – Louisville and then Henderson.  Very good hunter – commonly killed and posed the birds so he could draw and paint them.  Classic starving artist. Darwin – HMS Beagle – Galapagos.  Never said survival of the strongest of fittest.  Said survival of the most adaptable. Mendel – Genetics Linnaeus – naming conventions In Japan the naturalists were commonly the poets.  Basho and Issa are my favorites.   Basho  At the ancient pond A frog jumps into The sound of water   Seen in plain daylight the firefly’s just another an insect   Issa  In this world We walk above hell Gazing at flowers   This world of dew is a world of dew and yet…   What are some mental tools that will help us be better naturalists? * Being thoughtful and observant (can sit still!). * Ability to grasp higher concepts - not necessarily intelligence, more like instinct. * Ability to teach and record and convey thoughts. * Love of nature and all things natural. What are some physically tools? * A fast camera. * Journal. * Internet (well somewhat physical!).