Five Feline Farm, Author at Five Feline Farm

Planting Potatoes: Dark of the Moon, Good Friday or St. Patrick’s Day?

Potatoes purchased at the store are no comparison to a freshly dug one from your own garden plot. But in order to dig in July you have to plant in the spring. But when?

The old wives’ tale says to plant potatoes on Good Friday. Without knowing who these old wives are it is hard to know why they picked this date. Easter is the first Sunday following the full moon after the Spring equinox. Being thus calculated, the date of Good Friday also changes from year to year. The date may vary by four weeks. It is near spring though, so maybe that is why someone picked Good Friday as potato planting day.

Others (such as university extension offices) are teaching to plant potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17. This is at least a stable date but does not account for the fluctuations in temperature, moisture, etc. There are years when you just can’t get into the garden due to mud in mid-March.

And then there is planting by the moon signs. This indicator is to plant potatoes in the dark of the moon. Any crop that is underground is to be planted when the moon is waning. Above ground crops, for example corn and beans are planted in the light of the moon/when it is waxing.

What about planting each year as the weather dictates? When the soil has warmed and dried enough, the days are starting to warm, nights are still cool. This is the time to plant potatoes.

Consider the last freeze date for your location. Here at Five Feline Farm that is around April 15. Potatoes are a half hardy crop which means they can tolerate some cold but should not be subjected to prolonged freezing temperatures.

So we are about 3 weeks from the last freeze date. As an experiment, one row of potatoes has been planted. The rest of the seed potatoes are ready to plant and waiting for the last forecasted cold spell to pass. At potato harvest, we’ll report on which ones produced best.

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Spring Begins at Five Feline Farm

This past week Five Feline Farm hosted a booth at the Lake Land College Innovative Energy Conference. Keynote speaker Ed Begley, Jr. gave great information about living more sustainably by doing what you can. He suggested that every person can do something to conserve by taking just a few steps such as changing to LED lightbulbs or having a home energy audit.

So, what can we do at the Farm?

The goldfish pond uses two electric pumps during warm weather. One is a continuously running pump that powers the filter and waterfall. The other runs a few minutes a day to add water from the well. Plenty of sunshine is available in this area so a solar collector is the goal to power both pumps.

Shouldn’t be too hard. A little study, invest in materials, and the pond goes off the grid.

The next task will be to add some insulation to the greenhouse. The new greenhouse was built on a deck for a secure base that allows drainage. However, it also allows heat loss overnight. Insulation on the deck walls will curb some of this loss. Electricity will be installed so tender plants can stay warm enough overnight to survive. Perhaps next year, this will be converted to solar power for the auxiliary heat source.

With the promise of Spring, outdoor activities around the Farm kick into high gear. We are energized to complete those tasks we have only dreamed about through the long cold winter.

Five Feline Farm Spring task list:

-pick up downed branches in the woods that have fallen or broken during winter storms

-repair any structures that sustained winter damage

-establish new garden areas and install edgings

-run electricity for greenhouse heater

-install solar power to the goldfish pond pumps

-attend Indiana Flower and Patio Show

What spring tasks will you be doing?

Dormant Oil Spray

Like the rest of the Midwest, Five Feline Farm has experienced a brutal winter. Temperatures below zero much of the time, relentless snow and today there is sleet.

There is usually a window of opportunity in February when temperatures climb above freezing. The buds of the fruit trees begin to show signs of swelling but are not yet opening. This is the time to use a dormant oil spray to help prevent some of those pesky insects that tend to infect fruit trees.

The spray helps prevent fungi, mites, aphids and other diseases. It works by cutting off the air supply to insects or eggs that have been laid in the bark. Similarly it cuts off oxygen to pathogens that have attempted to infiltrate.

Dormant oil spray can be purchased but who knows what is in that bottle. Just like food (and fruit trees do produce food) if there are ingredients you can’t pronounce or your grandmother didn’t know, is it really something you want to spray on your trees? Here on the Farm we are trying to use as many natural products as viable. We are working to create an ecosystem that is sound, sustainable and chemical free where possible. Economical is also a good thing.

Spray each fruit tree coating the trunk and branches. A second treatment may be applied just before the buds start to open to ensure that all areas of the tree have been treated. This also helps to replace any of the spray that has been washed off in rain or snow.

Dormant Oil Spray

1 cup vegetable oil
2 Tbsp Dawn dish soap
1 gallon water

Mix oil and dish soap thoroughly in water. This may be doubled or tripled as needed. Pour into a pump sprayer.

Three Sisters

Five Feline Farm is planning a garden area on the south end of the property to showcase new crops as well as heritage varieties of familiar crops. In time, a garden shed, marked pathways and dedicated plant beds will be added. Visitors can expect to see this area expand and develop over the next two to three years. Each new variety will be planted in the most sustainable method available.

The central feature for 2014 will be a Three Sisters companion planting. You may recall this referred to in the last post. Three Sisters is an ancient method of companion planting corn, beans and squash. Some accounts or legends associated withThree Sisters suggest this is the method that was taught to the English settlers by the Native Americans. Each plant benefits the other. The products harvested then support a balanced diet for the gardener.

Varieties for the Three Sisters area at Five Feline Farm have been sourced from Native Seeds. Each reflects an ancient culture and are open pollinated.

Three Sisters begins with corn. The sturdy stalks provide a natural pole for the beans to climb. We will use two varieties of corn: Hopi Greasy Head and Mayo Tuxpeño. Both of these are “dent” corns to be dried and ground into cornmeal.

Pole beans are the second sister of the trio. Beans collect nitrogen from the air and impart it to the soil. Nitrogen is a critical nutrient for healthy corn development. In keeping with the Native American theme, Hopi Black Pinto beans are the variety of choice for this planting at the Farm. These beans can be picked and eaten green but also allowed to ripen and dry for long term storage.

The final sister in the planting is squash. We will be using Yellow Crookneck. The large leaves of squash vines shade the ground under the group acting as living mulch to conserve moisture and block weeds.

The Three Sisters are planted in a slight mound with a flattened top. The mound is approximately one foot high and four feet or so in diameter. Corn is started first and allowed to grow to about twelve inches before the beans are started. One week after beans, squash is planted.

Meanwhile as we dream of weather warm enough to start Three Sisters, early seed starting is beginning in the basement. Marigolds, heirloom tomatoes ranging from Cherokee Purple to Roma, peppers, tobacco and herbs will be poking through the germinating mix soon.

As you can see, planning for the growing season, dreaming of warmer weather and starting the garden plants indoors is how we address the winter doldrums here at Five Feline Farm. Post a comment to let us know how you are coping with the cold winter.

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