Devotion Farms

vertical LIVING WALL

Start of our vertical living wall. Plants include: vinca vine, sedum, miniature mondo grass, asparagus fern and strawberry plants.

The vertical wall plants are fed in part by the nitrates created by these guys with a our "special brew" worm poop tea added for good measure.

See some of our experiments with seeds and vertical agriculture below. Homemade sprouting post-its and planting seeds (cilantro, morning glory, parsley, basil, dwarf kale, bachelor button, Alyssum) in various mediums after pre-soaking-  Stay tuned for results! 

 PERMACULTURE & POLYCULTURE

When I was pregnant and on bedrest with our three children, this small corner by our rose bushes was the only place I could do any 'gardening'.  Many combinations of vegetables and flowers have mingled and thrived on this little corner of land!  In this picture, the roses overlook our bags of potatoes that are set between the broccoli plants  and all is guarded by towering sunflowers.  We've grown enough cucumbers to feed a small army right along with daisies and clover here too.  Strawberries, mint and bee balm have all been transplanted from this little patch.

May 2011-Popcorn & peanut seedlings

May 2011- Butter bean and carrot seedlings

June 2011- In the garden.

July 2011.  Growing!

Our summer Three Sisters polyculture experiment with popcorn, butter beans and peanuts.  Traditional three sisters combinations common to Native American Indians include maize, climbing beans and squash or pumpkins.  The three are planted closely together and benefit from one another.  The maize provides a structure for the beans to climb, eliminating the need for poles. The beans provide the nitrogen to the soil that the other plants utilize and the squash spreads along the ground, blocking the sunlight, which helps prevent weeds and helps with water retention. 

 BIOBASED ORGANIC GARDENING

Organic new potatoes grown in bags.  Just to see how the bags of potatoes would work as vermiculture bins, we introduced red wiggler worms to the bags when the plants were large enough to provide a shady spot.  The worms thrived in the bags.  When aphids started to eat the leaves, we treated them with a biobased soy soap solution.  No more aphids! 

New potatoes ready for harvest!

Bags of potatoes are a fantastic crop for kids of all ages because they are easy to plant and fun and easy to harvest.

The harvest:  Organic new potatoes for our dinner & plenty to share with friends, green plants for the goats to munch, seed potatoes and roots for the compost, nutrient rich soil that will go back into garden, & happy worms that will go home to our vermiculture boxes. Permaculture!

This is a tomato-basil container that has been treated with worm tea brewed from worm castings from our vermiculture box and microbes.  It has thrived since we started using the tea.  I wish I had before and after pictures!

Organic broccoli seed pods for making sprouting paper and growing broccoli in Fall.  Will harvest when they dry.

 Broccoli seeds and dry pods. 

Traditional Organic Garden using biobased solutions for fertilizing and dealing with pests.

May 2011

June 2011

Harvest time.  July 2011

AQUAPONICS

We've had some challenges starting our first small aquaponic garden.  First, we had to take the space back from an army of fireants.  Luckily for us, fireants are no match for worm poop and after a good dose of worm casting tea and a sprinkle of the castings from which the tea was made we no longer have an ant problem.  Here is a link to the best explanation I have found as to why ants and worm castings are incompatible. 

Then we lost power to the garden.  Sigh.  We are now working on restoring power and looking at solar options.  For now, we are successfully growing herbs and perennials next to what we hope will one day soon be a neat little aquaponics system.

And we have Betta & Basil keeping us entertained inside.

Who has gone up to heaven and come down?
   Whose hands have gathered up the wind?
Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak?
   Who has established all the ends of the earth?
What is his name, and what is the name of his son?
   Surely you know! 
                                                  Proverbs 30:4