Water , Weather an Insects Oh MY!!!!!
It's been a busy few months since my last blog. The farm started to come alive rapidly and after much work we finally have our gardens going. In this particular blog I'll be talking about just that , gardening. The issues we face here on the farmstead in Maine and the relearning I personally have had to do living in a seriously different climate than anything I have ever lived in before , the insects we are plagued with and watering when faced with a drought , all while living off grid.
Living off grid brings many challenges but gardening can be one of the hardest since water has to be monitored and rationed at all times. Conserving water will be the main issue in all aspects of living off grid unless you have a well. We harvest rain water to supply us with water for cleaning , bathing , the animals and yes the garden. Since May we have had little to no real rain and we were in the process of changing out our holding tanks for the rain water when this drought began. So it has been a bit of an issue. We are fortunate in the fact that our friend Nancy allows us to fill up when we are in need and there is a free hand pump well 15 miles away should we be in a pinch. And since the end of April we have found ourselves in this position more than once. We do conserve water all the time by using the goats water when we change it out for the garden , dish water is saved and used for the same purpose and it helps with insects which I will be discussing in just a bit. Any way we can reuse or conserve water we do. Including adding old rabbit hay & droppings which helps to keep the soil moist during times when there is no rain & we simply can not afford to water. Used hay or straw is used by many for this very purpose and the droppings add fertilizer to the soil and it works extremely well. I actually had to stop myself from watering as much as I was in the early days of this drought we are in. I had lost so many of our seedlings to the weather here in Maine in May an early June. We had snow & ice in the last part of May and into the first week of June . we were thrown 2 days of hard frost and within a few days of that we were hit with extreme temps in the 90's all while not getting any real rain along the way. So I panicked and went to watering not keeping in mind I had prepared for a drought by placing the hay around the plants. Most plants only require about an inch of rain per week so over watering can be easy to do if your not careful. Old leaves would work in a pinch but a mulch of leaves doesn't breathe very well so I personally wouldn't recommend it unless you were able to mix it with some straw or hay. Also using leaves you've gathered could bring unwanted guests into your garden. Insects!
Insects oh my! No matter what insect your facing educate yourself on them. Some insects have developed an immunity to many chemicals these days and knowing how they feed , breed and live will help in dealing with these little nightmares.
Here's a link for more info on the Cucumber Beetle :
So far this year we have had caterpillars , grasshoppers and most recently cucumber beetles. Growing up where I did in the South we were faced with insects but nothing to the degree we have faced when moving here to Maine. There are horse flies , deer flies , black flies , mosquitoes like I have never seen and the list of biting , stinging bugs just grows every time I turn around out here hahahaha.... But that's another story for another time. Today we are going to focus on the little buggers that devour and kill our gardens. The cucumber beetle is without a doubt the worst thing I have faced to date as far as gardening. These things not only feed on and devour the foliage of the plants but they carry an spread disease to your plants. Double whammy!!!! I prefer to be as organic as possible here on the farm but there are times when I will in fact use chemicals if the need is great an I have tried everything else. An with these little demons I have . from powders to all natural sprays , with no results at all. The poor zucchini are all but dead at this point and I should mention that most would say they are limited to certain plants like cucumbers (duh) , melons an squash. But I am here to tell you they feed on everything including sunflowers , eggplants and yes even basil. Basil is one of those plants most would say would help keep the cucumber beetle out of your garden. I don't know if it's just because of where we live . the fact we live in the woods or if it's simply an old wives tale but they have been after the basil in the garden as well so yea , that didn't work well for me on any level. I've tried dish soap with no results either. So what was I to do? Growing up farming and in my adult life I have used Malathion and yes I am aware of the warnings and the fact most feel this is in no way eco friendly. But if used responsibly it can and does help in cases like this. Malathion has a half life of less than a day in soil , which means it takes less than a day for half of a dose to disappear. I am in no way taking away from the serious danger of chemicals like this and how they can present a danger to not only the environment or to humans which is why it is of the utmost importance to us that all mixing , spraying and over all use of the chemical be adhered to fully & totally. As I said this was and is a last ditch effort to save our crops. As you can see from the photos here these insects are a HUGE problem.
Although since using the Malathion we can no longer claim our produce is totally organic it is a risk we simply had to take if for no other reason then to put food on our own table as well as in our cupboards. Should you think you too may need this as a last ditch effort to save your veggies there are many , many websites out there. Just be very careful you are reading a website by a reputable site. And PLEASE remember to follow the mixing and use directions on any chemical insecticides you use! I can't stress that enough. I would have preferred to not had to use the Malathion but there simply was No Other Choice. Here's a bit of info on Malathion.
Agency For Toxic Substances & Disease Registry :
As for the weather , LOL , the weather in Maine this year has been insane as I said early on in this blog. I started our seedlings indoors and things were going well but the outside weather was another story. I have learned this year on when better to get the seeds going and we have plans on how to build a cold frame which will help greatly. You see we only have a 90 day window here in my area of Maine , USDA growing 4b.
Most plants need at least 120 days to develop fruit/ veggies so we are at least 30 days short. And on top of that unless you are planting huge fields an rows your harvest amount will not yield as well or as much as the Southern states where they have 6 months or longer. So without a heated greenhouse a cold frame is a huge help. By placing straw or hay around it as well helps to insulate any plants or seedlings from the cold an frost. We actually have an old glass door that was given to us some time back , it's pretty heavy an should make for a wonderful cold frame top. Anything we can do to insure our plants have a healthy start with a super short growing season has to be done. When faced with snow , ice , frost , extreme heat , drought an whatever else nature throws your way in a one month period you learn very quickly what you need as far as tools to help the plants along.
In the end all I can say is everything an I do mean everything I knew about farming an gardening is of almost no use here. The landscape here in Maine is simply beautiful but hidden under that beauty is a climate that can be as difficult as pulling teeth from an alligator. And then there are the pests , I have heard my entire life that the South mainly Florida had the worst insect issue of any state in the Union. I am here , living proof to tell you that simply isn't true. Behind this beautiful landscape there are things that will eat you alive , literally!!! But as with most things in life there is a learning curve , and in Maine it is a HUGE learning curve especially when it comes to farming. But those with a passion to grow their own food will take the time needed an Never give up learning no matter what age or how much experience you think you have. There is nothing better than knowing you can provide for you family and growing your own food is the first an best step to take in doing so.
No matter where you live you may want to try growing a veggie or two. Just don't give up , don't let the weather or the insects keep you from enjoying a basic skill that will nurture not only your body but your mind.
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