Garden Update

I just thought I would mention a few things that I'm experimenting with right now.  I expect to write posts on them later, but after the final results are in.

I suggested to a friend, since she doesn't have much of a yard, that she should try growing potatoes in bags.  I wasn't sure how this worked until I read a little about it on the internet.  I did a little research and make some recommendations, but there's really nothing like trying it for yourself.  So, after watching a couple of videos, here and here, this is what I did:

I took a $2 bag of compost from Charleston County.
I emptied it to about 1/4 to 1/3 full, and rolled the sides down
Stabbed it several times - enough for drainage, but not enough to fall apart.
Planted one potato per bag, a couple inches below the surface.
Watered well.

As the plant grows, I'll roll the bag up, filling with more compost.  When it's ready to harvest, all I have to do is cut the bag open.  I'll let you know in late May/early June how it turned out.

I was at a neighbor's house last weekend.  He's really into permaculture - something I know very little about.  One of his garden projects is creating multiple mandala gardens - in this case, they are circular gardens with a "key" path to access the center of the circle.  It could look fairly formal when it's completed.  I've gone through so many ideas about the landscaping in our front yard, that I really couldn't decide on one thing.  After seeing his yard, I returned to a more formal design, but incorporating vegetables into the beds, as well as annuals and perennials.  I've been playing around in the yard with a couple of different designs and I hope to settle on one by the weekend and start planting.

I can't end this post without mentioning the chickens, right?  The past few weeks have seen a little rooster drama - our (unexpected) Rhode Island Red rooster, Maximus, figured out that he was 2-3 times the size of our little silkie rooster, who was the alpha male.  Once Maximus became alpha, there was no peace.  He would try to attack Silkie when he could.  I started letting Silkie out of the coop first thing in the morning, before he could get attacked.  Once all the birds were out in the yard, there was less drama - Maximus chased, but Silkie was able to run away.  We decided to get rid of Maximus, for the good of the flock.  It took a little effort on craigslist, but we had someone come get him the other day.

I''ve got a number of posts in the pipeline - I just have to finish writing them.  In the meantime, I hope these suffice.  Stay tuned.