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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Comfrey fertilizer, rainwater catch & our garden

Comfrey is one of my top 5 favorite herbs we grow. The diverse uses of this plant are amazing and very beneficial to the organic garden. Today, we began the process of making it into liquid fertilizer. We stuff a bucket as much as we can fit in there.In the picture below, the bucket is half full. Place a rock or brick on top, so be sure there is enough room to fit the lid on top. This will add in "pressing" the liquid from the leaves. Put on a lid and let it rot down about 6 weeks. Strain the liquid out and put the rotted leaves right into the compost pile. Comfrey grows quick and can be re cut every 2 weeks.

This method is MUCH less stinky then the other methods of letting the leaves rot in water. Not to mention, this method uses a smaller container like a 5 gallon bucket with lid. A great space saver. Just add this magical tea to your water containers as you water the garden.

The liquid is diluted 15:1 for watering our plants. This natural fertilizer tea is rich in nitrogen plus has 2-3 times the Potassium found in barnyard fertilizer.

This is one of 2 rainwater catch systems built onto the side of this large outbuilding. The other one is being built on the back side, inside the chicken & rabbit run.


We use one gallon milk jugs to bring water to the garden. Makes it easy for adding that liquid fertilizer. We cart them over to the garden in a wagon. Not only does this conserve water in the garden by the jug method, it helps when having small children who like to spray the hose over the tops of plants. Which we all know, is not the right method of watering and can put disease issues in the garden such as with tomatoes.

The garden is not so great looking due to this late season move. I had to restart sugar baby watermelons which means watermelon in September. None of my other melons survived the care of my little family while I was away Memorial weekend.






I am thinking I should try juicing the watermelons. Freezing it for drinks & next year, it would provide early summer popsicles.
There is so much space to be filled up next year. I feel so wasteful with all these bare spots.
I have to keep reminding myself we are fortunate to have what we do, this year.

So much yet to do with this move and being the rare break I have had in over a week, I of course decide to share other going on's around here.

I best be off. I need to catch Sir Don Julio at the old house while the day is cool. Mr Escapee is on the run once again and needs to come home to the new homestead.I have his pattern down & know he has been hiding in the old garden where the weeds are 5 ft tall & the thistle is hampering my catching him.

Sweet Dreams,
~Tammie

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