Dirt Diva's Gardens (USA)

I am curious about the little pigs too! We have raised full size pigs but never the little pigs. We usually bought a couple young feeder pigs every spring at the livestock auction and raised them all summer and then butchered in early winter. Many times they were raised from the garden scraps and a little grain along. My husband liked to butcher them at about 220 pounds.

Yes canning is expensive in Oz. I recall ball lids costing over a dollar each which turned me off it all. I can buy a tin of what ever for less effort and cost. Sad really.

 I also dehydrate frozen veggies. I can buy a 5 pound bag for 5.98. I especially do this with corn because I cannot grow it for that and corn takes up so much space to grow and requires lots of nitrogen. I also have dehydrated frozen mixed vegetables and potato shreds and slices from frozen. Especially if I run across a good sale on them. 

I use my solar dehydrator when the sun is high and bright. Right now we are cooling off and our days are shortening and I am using my electric dehydrator. My dehydrator is running overtime right now full of tomatoes. New dehydrators in the U.S. are almost impossible to find right now. If you did not  have one from before Covid you are pretty well out of luck here. 

I use my chickens and ducks the way you use your pigs. Allowing them to graze planting areas the chickens clean out garden areas for me using electric poultry netting to contain them. Once chickens stop laying they are retired to mason jars covered in broth.

My ducks free range my property with a voracious appetite for any bug that moves and especially slugs. I do not eat my ducks either they are really just pets just very useful ones. 

I also keep rabbits strictly for manure production and they raise a litter every year for the freezer. Rabbit manure is the greatest for the garden and we feed the worm bed with it also. I feed them lots of weeds, alfalfa hay and  pellets. I am contemplating switching to angora rabbits to harvest their fur for my knitting since I have the tools and ability and knowledge to card and spin their fur.  

I can see where the price of canning lids there would make canning cost prohibitive. There are lots of ways to preserve food though with fermentation and dehydration being at the top of that list.  I freeze lots of things also. 

Here are my choices:

Commercial Synthetic Fertilizers
I prep some commercial fertilizer. I use it sparingly and in particular instances such as right now. I have young crops of mustard, carrots and lettuce. All fall crops that I want to grow out quick before that first frost. In that instance I use a high nitrogen commercial fertilizer to get that crop in and move on. This is one of the few instances that I do use commercial fertilizers in my home gardens and they definitely do have their place.  Obviously from a prepper's stand point this I think will become harder to come by and would be something good to prep. For me once it is gone it is gone and I will move on. 

Organic Fertilizers
Organic fertilizers provide the same nutrients as chemical fertilizers. However, they may be more slowly available because microbes are needed to transform nutrients in organic materials to a form that can be  readily taken up by the plants. While the slower release of nutrients from organic fertilizers can be a drawback, it also can reduce nutrient leaching (when water moves through the soil and takes nutrients along with it). Nutrient leaching is a problem in my area with high rainfall much of the year. 

I prep my own ingredients bought in large quantities to mix my organic fertilizer. I like to apply this fertilizer about March which is late winter/early spring in my garden. (This is Steve Soloman's Recipe)

 Complete Organic Fertilizer (COF) Recipe

Mix uniformly, in parts by volume:

4 parts seed meal

1/4 part ordinary agricultural lime, best finely ground

1/4 part gypsum (or double the agricultural lime)

1/2 part dolomite lime

Plus, for best results:

1 part bone meal, rock phosphate or high-phosphate guano

1/2 to 1 part kelp meal (or 1 part basalt dust)

One should apply 4-6 quarts of this fertilizer per 100 square feet.

Compost



My gardens produce huge amounts of plant material every year. That pretty well all goes back into my gardens through compost other than the vegetables and fruits for our consumption. I make compost. Lots and lots of compost. I apply compost yearly at a rate of about 2 to 3 inches on top of all gardens and beds every fall. My compost has added manure in it but is mostly plant based. I add kitchen scraps, grass clippings, seasonal weeds, ornamental prunings, leaves, wood ash, sawdust, straw and all the plants out of my garden once they are done producing. I also keep chickens, ducks and rabbits. Their bedding and manures are added to my compost piles and then added to the garden. I do not add straight manure to any gardens or beds. I also mulch fruit trees and berry bushes with compost. 

I like to make hot compost with the Berkeley method of piles turned daily to reach really high temperatures. I like this way because I think it produces more compost faster and does a better job of killing weed seeds and diseases than just a cold compost pile. It does require more work turning piles. 



Things you would prep for this would be tarps to cover your piles with to prevent rain from cooling them down and leaching them out or waterlogging them. You could prep a compost thermometer but it is not really necessary. I can usually run my hand down in a pile and tell when it is hot enough. 

University of California Rapid Composting Method
vric.ucdavis.edu/pdf/compost_rapidcompost.pdf


Seriously though don't make rocket science out of it. Pile it up and keep it moist and sooner or later it will rot. 



Crop Residues
Plants remaining after harvest are a significant source of organic material. This residue can be left on the soil surface as a mulch, composted or incorporated into the soil. These options all have positive and negative aspects.

Leaving plant residues on the surface protects the soil from erosion and supports earthworm populations. However, pests and disease can overwinter in the debris, so pest survival often can be reduced by incorporation.

Nonetheless, turning crop residues under also causes them to break down faster, which may speed nutrient release. Quicker release of nutrients could mean that they are less available later in the growing season when most needed by plants.

 Also consider that it may be best to remove crop debris entirely if disease levels were high in the crop during the growing season. When deciding whether to incorporate residues, consider both the need to protect the soil surface (and whether cover crops will be used) and the potential for pest and disease impacts.




In the picture above Mr DD is running the disc lightly over the remaining residue of intercropped potatoes and field peas incorporating them back into the top few inches of soil. 



There it will be allowed to decompose over the winter. Since the peas are a legume they will help to fix nitrogen naturally back into the soil. 

Manures
Manures have long been used to enhance soil quality and productivity. In addition to providing organic matter, they also supply nutrients. However, there are challenges in directly using manures in vegetable gardens.

One issue is the composition of the manure. Unlike purchased fertilizers, these materials often differ in nutrient content. Also, fresh manure can have such high levels of nutrients especially nitrogen that plants can be damaged. Chicken manure especially is bad about burning plants and many recommend letting it sit for a minimum of 18 months. High nutrient content also means manures may present risks of rapid nutrient losses due to volatilization (nitrogen loss to the air) or leaching in subsequent rains.

When manures with large amounts of hay or straw bedding are added directly to soil, the breakdown of organic matter can pull nutrients from soils and actually slow crop growth if not properly managed.

Manures can also contain weed seeds or herbicide residues if animals were fed pasture that had been treated with certain herbicides. Cow manure is awful for being weedy. 

Additionally, pathogens can be present in manures that can pose a food safety risk when used for fresh vegetables.

My personal preferences for the use of manure is to run all manures through a compost pile. The only manure I would consider using on plants without composting is rabbit manure which will not burn plants as a general rule although I still compost mine and rarely has any sort of weed seeds. 

One thing that has worked well for us this year is using the water from small wading pools placed around the property for the ducks to swim in and drink out of as a manure tea. When we clean the pools out we pour the water on small trees and berry bushes. It has worked really well and the bushes that received the water have really grown. Again we would not pour this raw manure water on plants like lettuces and greens or directly on vegetables that we would be eating soon. 

Also I prefer to use manures that are produced on my own farm. I know what is in them. The exception to this is I have a neighbor with horses and again I know what is in the manure and how the neighbor cares for and feeds the animals. 

Cover Crops
Cover crops (i.e., those planted when the soil would otherwise be bare between crops or growing seasons) are plants grown for their contribution to soil, water and plant relationships as well as pest, pathogen and weed management. These crops can provide many benefits:

• Enhance soil structure through
  organic matter additions and actions of
  cover crop roots
  
• Reduce compaction through organic
  matter addition and cover crop rooting.
  
• Increase water infiltration through
  organic matter addition and surface
  cover (prevention of crusting).
• Reduce soil erosion (especially in the
  winter when soil would be bare).
  
• Enhance nitrogen cycling by reducing
  leaching (holding N in plants instead of
  allowing it to move with water through
  the soil).
  
• Potential reduction in weed growth.
  
• Potential suppression of insects and
  diseases
  
• Production of nitrogen (legumes) **remember the peas**
  

Mulch



I also use mulches to improve the fertility and structure of the soil. As they break down they add nutrients as well an insulate the soil from temperature extremes, help retain moisture and help protect your soil from beating rains and prevent crusting. 

Mother Nature did not intend for her soil to be naked. If you leave it bare she will cover it with something....usually weeds. 

Thank you DD, for the time and effort you put into sharing your wealth of knowledge.

NPK Values of Common Farmyard Manures – Cow, Horse, Pig, Chicken, Sheep & Rabbit

Let’s take a look at the N-P-K values of the most common farmyard manures. These are pretty variable according to the diet the animals have had, how long it has been rotted for etc but it gives a reasonable idea.


NPK Value Of Animal Manures

October has arrived with lots of rain and cooler temperatures. We lit the fireplace for the first time last week. The garden is empty now except for cabbage, mustard greens and carrots. We continue to pick figs and have started dehydrating them. 

The leaves have started falling and we struggle to stay ahead of them between rain storms. Compost piles are popping up everywhere from all the mowed leaves and plants we have pulled or pruned. Lots of good soil amendments for spring. 

I still have not got my garlic planted but hoping for good weather soon. Still no frost.

We are gathering the hickory nuts and Mr DD make a hickory nut syrup that he uses on the grill. He dries the shells for the smoker. He has also started gathering walnuts which we will shell and put in the freezer for both baked goods, pesto and to add to our oatmeal. 




Seeds are drying all over the house. The ones above are green bean seeds.




Also pictured are tomato seeds and gloriosa Daisy seeds.



We have started processing all that fruit in the freezer. Above 3 half gallons of plum brandy and a half gallon of blackberry brandy. I will also be starting some wine. After I finish dehydrating figs I will make some more fruit leather and start dehydrating fruit. The sweet potatoes are all dug and are aging before we start eating them. Winter squash are stored for those Thanksgiving pies. 

Gardening season is almost over. We dug and moved 8 blackberry sprouts and have about 10 more to move. 

Now I get to watch spring again through you all. 

DD is calling a gardening mayday. After giving you guys over there so much shyte about your weird and deadly animals I have been attacked in my own garden by an evil creature. Mr DD came running with the EpiPen and pulled me out of the trenches. My attacker is a viscous critter. Looks like a cross between a scottie dog and something out of Star Wars. Adding insult to injury can't be half an inch long. Arm is now the size of a cantaloupe and DD is definitely feeling it. By the way that is a saddleback moth caterpillar and each one of those little hairs is venomous. 

Edit***** Mr DD put on heavy gloves and fed them to the ducks!

For our raised beds we top dress in the fall with rabbit barn, chicken barn, or donkey paddock.. Then in spring top dress again with compost made at the local land fill.. Sometimes with a sprinkle of black dirt or cheap potting soil or the like..

Crykey.... That is one goofy looking bug.. Keep safe...