Hoop House site

Ok I guess I got the camera and my hand in the bottom of the picture but.................this is where the hoop house is going. It's been staked for a 14X32. I will have water right next to it in order to water during the winter months.

This is the drilling rig digging the well. They are down 590 feet so far and still digging away. They ran out of pipe yesterday.

Dr. Kelly Kindscher - MO Prairie Foundation

Dr. Kindscher was the guest speaker at the tour near Rocky Point Glade. He is a author, biologist and ethnobotansit with the University of Kansas. His knowledge of medicinal plant knowledge was incredible. The top picture is of us traveling along the glade. Scarey stuff there.

I've been rather BUSY

OMG I've been so busy here and haven't updated my blog in weeks. Everyone is probably wondering what's been going on. My husband has been off from the Air Force now for a couple of weeks and we have been working in the berry patch everyday. My old body is wore out and tired but still much to do.

I did get the funding for the hoop house and we ordered that yesterday. I am supposed to pick that up next Wednesday. Now the task will be, can I get that up before Mark (husband unit) leaves?

I also have been selected for The Entrepreneurship Project though the University of Missouri. My first trip will be in St. Louise in late July. I'm excited about it and can't wait to learn and view farms across the US this summer and fall. The University of Missouri has allowed me to bring someone with me on each trip because of my husband being deployed. Holly Anne my daughter will attend the firsts trip with me. All the kids are excited about the Berry farm and each bring a different set of skills in which they help me. I'm so thankful for that. If you have time go to the University of Missouri and find the course to check out where the groups have been so far. http://muagentrepreneur.wordpress.com/ 

We are drilling a well on the farm to irrigate with. They have been at it for 3 days and ran out of pipe yesterday. We are putting the well next to the hoop house and hope to start the irrigation system next Spring.

Mark and I have been attending workshops and are having a great time while he's off. We recently went to the the Missouri Prairie Foundation tour and dinner. The tour was interesting but hot. The prairie had grasses over my shoulders and the trail was only 1 foot wide. The more we walked I just knew I was going to step on a snake somewhere. But we didn't. It was such a interesting walk looking at the native flowers and warm season grasses. We learned a lot and met all kinds of fun people who shared a common interest in nature.

I've taken a lot of pictures lately so I'll see if I can find them to post so you can see up close and personal what's happen here on the berry farm.

One last thing or two

If you are checking in with me and following my berry farm along please become a "follower" if you have the time. Everyone is watching my blog but I have very few followers! Believe it or not The Dept of Ag is following me as well.

There are several relief efforts all over the city to help the people of Joplin. Contact your church or local community center to see how you might help. It doens't alway have to be in the form of money.

See ya
Pam

The concrete garden area

Veggie garden or what I like to call my concrete garden. When I took soil tests from this area, the organic matter was 4.3 OMG how can this ground be so hard? Well I figured out that it is from years of driving over it. The ground is very compacted and will take some time to correct that problem. But the seeds had to go in. In my organic crop plan I have to develop crop rotations and green manures. So year 1 here we go.  

Cherry Bush

I don't remember if I showed you the Surecrop pie cherry bushes I planted. I only have three of them. They grow about 5 ft tall and about 5 feet wide. So no climbing on the ladder here to harvest. My son, Kyle, mulched these plants for me. Thanks a bunch sonny boy!

Seedless Mars Grapes

Ok year one.
Cut the vine back to one shoot with two buds. Check!
A month later, train the strongest growing shoot to grow up the string and leave the other shoot growing along the ground. Half check...
We have all the supplies for the single-curtain cordon system trellis but I lack the workerbees. Hopefully we can get this trellis up before everything is growing on the ground.
Notice the rich soil that is around the grapes in picture on and please overlooked the weeds for now!

Ok now that looks better

Do you remember the picture of the lonely rhubarb I took shortly after planting? Well, the plants look super now (except for the weed action growing around them.) I only have 5 of these plants growing for now. I am learning to be organic so with that I have to learn to enjoy these weeds as well. They add organic matter and keep the soil from eroding away.

Mulch complete on the gooseberries

I have two different kinds of gooseberries: Invicta and Pixwell. The invicta appears to have several thorns on them. But they look FAB............... I only lost 3 of these plants. Total count 117 gooseberries planted. I believe these might be my best seller... or at least I'm hoping so.

Let the mulching begin - Blackberry Plants

I hope my old back holds out here with all this mulching. But I wanted to share these pictures of the Blackberries. They look wonderful and are doing great. No signs of diseases or bugs in the field. The first picture is looking east of the blackberries. There are 120 plants in that grouping. Thank goodness that field is done. Now working towards phase 1 this week and hope to complete the rest of the field. I have 240 blackberry plants in all.