Homesteader News

Maggie and Glenn Crawford homestead an 18 acre family farm in central NH, where they raise heritage breed chickens, turkeys, rabbits, sheep and pigs. Glenn’s family has lived off the land for generations, his grandfather was a master carpenter and Maggie has a strong background in science; between the two they’re always planning do-it-yourself projects around the farm. In an effort to create an environmentally friendly homestead, as well as use resources wisely and economically, the pair often salvages old odds and ends to construct new farmstead projects.

Contact info: maggiemaefarm@gmail.com

Containerized Growing with the EarthTainer^TM

By Maggie Mae Crawford

Maggie Mae Farm

Once upon a time, unless you lived in the desert, water was considered an unlimited resource. Today, even in temperate regions, more and more people are recognizing that clean, potable water is a limited commodity and are finding ways to better utilize a finite resource.

Traditional in-ground planting and subsequent “broadcast” watering is both inefficient and wasteful. Water is lost to evaporation and weed competition. This means the garden needs more water to satisfy the plants as well as more labor intensive weed control and cultivation.

Ray Newstead, a home gardener of heirloom tomatoes in Campbell, California has designed an innovative self-contained vegetable growing eco-system that he calls the “EarthTainer^TM”. This container-based system combines the traditional soil-based growing cycle with elements of hydroponic moisture uptake to the plants for sustainable, organic gardening.

Unlike manual top watering the EarthTainer utilizes a bottom up watering approach based on the basic principle of capillary action. Water stored in the lower reservoir is wicked up into the soil; by providing a constant supply of water from the reservoir, the plant can achieve optimal growth and productivity by taking up what it needs when it needs it. In addition, a simple vapor barrier at the soil level minimizes moisture lost to evaporation.

Creating the EarthTainer is both easy and relatively inexpensive, the base materials, if purchased new, cost approximately $30.00 at your local hardware store. More than likely a thrifty person can come up with a respectable portion of the parts list lying around in the back shed or garage! Very simple, step-by-step instructions can be found for free here: http://earthtainer.tomatofest.com/pdfs/EarthTainer-Construction-Guide.pdf. (The author does make the simple request that if you do use these design plans to build your own EarthTainer, to make a voluntary contribution to the “Feed the Children” organization www.feedthechildren.org)

While Newstead designed the project for growing tomatoes, by omitting the support cages the system can easily be used to grow all sorts of vegetables and herbs. Container gardening is universally recognized as an excellent choice for backyard gardeners with space and time restrictions. Why not give the EarthTainer a try?

One Man’s Junk is Another’s Treasure

By Maggie Mae Crawford
Maggie Mae Farm

What looks like a pile of trash to one person, looks like raw materials to another. This fall we had a bunch of recycled cinderblocks and an over abundance of empty paper grain bags. While some thought a trip to the dump was in order, I was thrilled to see a disassembled strawberry bed.

Raised beds are a phenomenal way to garden – they reduce soil compaction and can be intensively planted to save precious garden space. If built properly, they have better drainage, warm the soil earlier and are easier to maintain and control soil conditions and weeds.

First we needed to decide how large the bed could be using the building blocks we had on hand. Frames can be built using cement blocks, timbers or other sturdy material. Timber framing is easy to use, but be careful not to use pressure treated lumber than can leach chemicals into your soil. Cinderblocks or bricks are sturdy and safe, but heavy and take more work to place. We built our frame two blocks high. The landscape contours a little and so do our walls. If you have the time and energy, you could grade the area you are using to make sure the frame is completely level.

Next we laid the empty grain bags down right over the lawn. The paper bags will help kill off the existing grass and will eventually break down and add organic material to the soil. Many people will use old cardboard or newspapers for the same purpose. Just avoid glossy magazines that can have heavy metals and chemicals that may contaminate your soil and anything you grow in it.

Finally it was time to fill the frame. Since we started this project in the fall, we designed it as a lasagna or sheet mulch bed. Using the right materials, this bed will be full of high quality, organic compost, and will be ready to plant the following spring. First we put down a layer of old straw. You can use mulch hay if that is what you have available as the heat from the compost should kill off any seed heads. However, straw is recommended so that viable weed seeds don’t slip through if the compost does not get hot enough.

Next we laid down a layer of dried leaves and fresh (pesticide free!) grass clippings. Some people chop their leaves prior to placing to help speed the process, but we left them whole. We ended up with mostly maple and ash leaves. If you live in an area where soil tends towards acidity, like we do in New England, try to avoid oak leaves or pine needles as these will lower the pH of your soil. In the spring, should it be too acidic, we’ll add wood ash from our woodstove to sweeten the soil.

Finally, we put down a generous helping of aged farm manure. We heaped it in a great mound; as the straw and leaves decompose the pile will shrink and settle in to fill the frame more levelly.

Since the manure came from our farm, we can be confident that there are no antibiotics or hormone traces in it. According to the Ohio State University Extension, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science the Nitrogen value of manure is highest in poultry at 27 lbs/ton. There is a decrease in value from sheep/goats (22.5 lb/ton), to hogs (14.2 lb/ton), and finally the value from cattle manure decreases 63% less than the average laying hen at only 10 lb/ton.

While it isn’t necessary to the decomposition process, we covered our bed for the winter with tarps to keep out rain and snow. We didn’t want moisture to pool in the holes in the cement blocks and then freeze and crack them. As soon as the snow is gone in the spring we’ll uncover the bed and let the sun warm the soil. The cement should hold the spring warmth and allow for an earlier planting.

Not bad for a bunch of recycled “junk” – while the neighbors are spending the morning driving to the dump, we’ll be eating fresh strawberries!