Decatur Farms

Organic seeds …

You Need To Consider THIS Before Buying ORGANIC Seeds We do more than, JUST, YouTube! Check more MIgardener below: Start growing! Visit our online store for $2 heirloom seeds, custom blend fertilizers, and garde...

New Hardiness Zone Map:

The NEW Hardiness Zone Map (Explained) There's a new Plant Hardiness Zone map from the USDA. About half of U.S. gardeners are now in a new zone. The 2023 map is more accurate than the previous ver...

GARDENING AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING BOOKS THAT I RECOMMEND

This isn’t all of them. Some I own and some I have checked out from the library or read online. All have been insightful. As we have decluttered over the years, sustainable living books remain.


Chelsea Green Publishing publishes sustainable living books. Check them out:

https://www.chelseagreen.com/?sscid=11k7_s0lp4


Great for beginners you’ll reference time and time again:

-The Garden Primer: The Completely Revised Gardener's Bible

-Vegetable Gardening for Beginners: A Simple Guide to Growing Vegetables at Home –


Market Gardening:

- The Market Gardener: A Successful Grower's Handbook for Small-Scale Organic Farming


Companion Planting:

- Great Garden Companions: A Companion-Planting System for a Beautiful, Chemical-Free Vegetable Garden

- Plant Partners: Science-Based Companion Planting Strategies for the Vegetable Garden

No-Till books:

- The No-Till Organic Vegetable Farm: How to Start and Run a Profitable Market Garden That Builds Health in Soil, Crops, and Communities


Pest Control – some with organic methods, which I prefer and recommend

- The Organic Gardener's Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control: A Complete Guide to Maintaining a Healthy Garden and Yard the Earth-Friendly Way


Permaculture:

- Gaia's Garden: A Guide to Home-Scale Permaculture, 2nd Edition


Soil:

- Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey into Regenerative Agriculture

- The Living Soil Handbook: The No-Till Grower's Guide to Ecological Market Gardening


Seed Saving:

- Seed to Seed: Seed Saving and Growing Techniques for Vegetable Gardeners, 2nd Edition


Other good reads:

- Will Bonsall's Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening: Innovative Techniques for Growing Vegetables, Grains, and Perennial Food Crops with Minimal Fossil Fuel and Animal Inputs

- Gaining Ground: A Story Of Farmers' Markets, Local Food, And Saving The Family Farm

- The Four Season Farm Gardener's Cookbook

- The Winter Harvest Handbook: Year Round Vegetable Production Using Deep-Organic Techniques and Unheated Greenhouses


Fruit:

- The Holistic Orchard: Tree Fruits and Berries the Biological Way

- The Apple Grower: A Guide for the Organic Orchardist

Succession Planting:

- Plant Grow Harvest Repeat: Grow a Bounty of Vegetables, Fruits, and Flowers by Mastering the Art of Succession Planting

The politics and practice of sustainable living. Chelsea Green Publishing is recognized as a leading publisher of books on the politics and practice of sustainable living, publishing authors who bring in-depth, practical knowledge to life, and give readers hands-on information related to organic farming and gardening, ecology and the environment,....

https://www.facebook.com/242699875748403/posts/6179848738700124/?mibextid=cr9u03

As baby chick season approaches and the price of eggs keep rising, I’m sure a lot of people are tempted to raise chickens themselves. Before people flock (no pun intended 🤣) to their local farm store and start buying all the baby chicks please consider the following 10 fun facts….

1. Most hens do not start laying eggs until 18-22 weeks of age (that’s about 5 months give or take)

2. For the first few weeks of their lives baby chickens need to be kept at a temperature of around 95 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Chicks need to eat…SURPRISE! And like the price of everything else chicken feed has went up. A 50lb bag of layer is over $20.

4. Chickens molt…what does that mean? Your chicken will become ugly and stop laying eggs for a period of time.

5. Chickens don’t lay as many eggs in the winter months.

6. The average lifespan of a chicken is 5-10 years.

7. Predators such as foxes, coyotes, neighbor’s dogs and even raccoons will hunt your chickens.

8. Chickens will p**p EVERYWHERE and I mean everywhere so be prepared to clean their pen often or if they are free range be sure to check your step or look before you sit.

9. Chickens love to dig holes and destroy bedding around flowers in the yard, good luck keeping them from doing so.

10. Chickens can get medical issues just like any other animal.

I’m not trying to discourage anyone from raising their own food in fact I think it’s great. However chickens are animals, animals that require attention and proper care.

So while I get that you don’t want to spend $7 on a dozen eggs double think your decision before you go gung ho on being a chicken farmer. Just do your research, it’s not like getting a fish 🤦🏼‍♀️

Sincerely,
A fellow chicken owner

🐓 👂

https://coopeduplife.com/guide-to-chicken-earlobes/?fbclid=IwAR3G9VgSwyS7cm3kQT_uj0ush6H1t8L7opAYyhKFsl8teixO_bapcKtCmRo&mibextid=Zxz2cZ

Guide To Chicken Earlobes (2021) | What Colors Mean One can tell a lot about a chicken by looking at its earlobes. Young hens’ earlobes will turn white before they lay their first eggs in spring.

Chicken math

An Nguyen on Instagram: "🤣🤣🤣 so true!!!" An Nguyen shared a post on Instagram: "🤣🤣🤣 so true!!!". Follow their account to see 604 posts.

🥚 🍳 😂🥚 🍳 😂
For real, though, if you want chickens, look into the ordinances for your city. It’s usually a fee with the city/county and they’ll tell you how many birds you can have - unless you’re on acreage or out in the county, you probably won’t be allowed a rooster. They don’t just crow at 6am. It’s ALL THE TIME. If you have an HOA, it can be challenged, usually with enough signatures. Learn the rules and there’s a way. Buy or build a coop and run to keep them safe from predators (hawks, fox, raccoons, etc).
🐓 🐓 🐓

🌱 🐓 🥚 🍅 🐖

Jordyn + Kay | Homesteaders | Gardeners on Instagram: "Kay and I are speaking at the Modern Homesteading Conference on June 30th and July 1st in Couer d’Alene Idaho and we want to see you there!! Early bird tickets are still available, but not... Jordyn + Kay | Homesteaders | Gardeners shared a post on Instagram: "Kay and I are speaking at the Modern Homesteading Conference on June 30th and July 1st in Couer d’Alene Idaho and we want to see you there!! Early bird tickets are still available, but not for long. If you want to learn more abou...

Soil health

Living Soil Film Living Soil: A Documentary. Now available with subtitles in more than 20 languages. Enable closed captions by clicking the 'CC' icon, then click the gear ico...

Do you sun map?

Sun Mapping Your Garden We’ve already talked about growing a garden in the shade and which vegetables do well. But if you really want to get serious and more scientific about how much sun or shade you have in your yard, you can sun map your space by either creating your own sun map, or using an app. What Is A Sun Map? A ...

Good video and info. I’d add winter squash/pumpkin.

Top 4 Vegetables That You Should ALWAYS Grow In A Garden (Preparing For Worldwide Food Shortage) If you like this video, try these too!This 1 Vegetable You NEED To Grow In Your Garden (Prepare For Worldwide Food Shortage)https://youtu.be/fkdIIItm388Build...

Compost

We finished the "garlic bed" which is currently housing garlic, shallots, onions, and potatoes. Here's a cool informative video on growing garlic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZaaSiBCZS4

Companion Planting 🐞☀️ 🌱

ASPARAGUS
Companion plants: Calendula, Petunias & Tomatoes
Benefits: Calendula, tomatoes, and petunias are thought to deter asparagus beetles.

BASIL
Companion plants: Peppers, Purslane & Tomatoes
Benefits: Purslane is used to shade the soil around basil plants, helping them to remain fresh in hot weather.
Basil improves the growth and flavor of tomatoes and peppers.

BEANS
Companion plants: Beets, Corn, Nasturtium, Rosemary, Squash, Strawberries, & Sunflower
Benefits: Nasturtiums can be used as a trap plant to entice aphids away from beans.
Lovage and rosemary also have excellent insect repellent qualities.
Sunflowers can be used to create shade for sun-stressed crops.
Corn will benefit from the beans’ nitrogen-fixing capabilities. Pole beans provide structural support.

BEETS
Companion plants: Brassicas, Bush beans, Garlic,
Lettuce & Onion family
Benefits: Beets are companions for chicory and endive.
Onions protect against borers and cutworms.
Beets adds minerals to the soil, as beet leaves are composed of 25% magnesium.

BROCCOLI
Companion plants: Oregano & Other Brassicas
(Cabbage, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, etc.)
Benefits: Oregano has insecticidal properties.
Plant Brassicas together so that they can all be covered with nets to protect from pests such as cabbageworm.
They also all like lime added to the soil.

CABBAGE
Companion plants: Garlic, Nasturtium & Sage
Benefits: Nasturtiums deter insect pests such as beetles and aphids.
Garlic planted alongside cabbage repels insects with its odor.
Sage deters cabbage moth.

CARROTS
Companion plants: Chives, Leeks, Onions, Peas, Radishes, Rosemary & Sage
Benefits: Chives improve the growth and flavor of carrots and deter aphids, mites, and flies.
Rosemary and sage repel carrot fly.
Leeks are thought to repel many flying pests (including carrot rust fly).

CORN
Companion plants: Beans (pole), Cucumbers, Dill, Melons, Peas, Squash, & Sunflower
Benefits: Dill is thought to protect against aphids and mites.
Beans can provide more nitrogen to the corn.
Sunflowers can act as a structure and a windbreak for the corn, and dwarf sunflowers bring in ladybugs to control aphids.
Pole beans are sometimes interplanted with corn, adding nitrogen and providing structural support.
Spinach grows well in the shade of corn, keeping corn roots cool.

CUCUMBER
Companion plants: Beans, Borage, Dill, Lettuce, Nasturtiums, Oregano, Radish, Sunflowers, Tansy
Benefits: Dill is thought to protect against aphids and mites.
Nasturtium deters aphids, beetles and bugs and improves growth and flavor.
Oregano deters pests in general.
Radish, Nasturtium, and Tansy repel cucumber beetles; radish also repels flea beetles.
Tansy also deters ants, beetles, bugs, flying insects, as does borage, improving flavor and growth.

LETTUCE
Companion plants: Chives, Onions, Oregano, Peas,
Radishes, Scallions and Zinnia
Benefits: Chives, onions, and garlic deter aphids and other pests by masking the scent of the lettuce with their aroma.
Basil is thought to improve the flavor and growth of lettuce.

ONION
Companion plants: Beets, Cabbage, Carrot, Chard, Lettuce, Strawberry and Tomatoes
Benefits: Onions protect against borers and cutworms. Their aroma disorients pests.
Onions benefit from marigolds as the smell of marigolds reduces the egg laying of onion maggot fly.

PEAS
Companion plants: Alyssum, Carrot, Chives, Corn, Grapes, Lettuce, Mint, Radish, Spinach and Turnip
Benefits: Chives deter aphids.
Mint improves health and flavor.
Alyssum brings in pollinators and encourages green lacewings, which eat aphids.
*Do not plant near garlic and onion, as they will stunt the growth of peas.

PEPPERS
Companion plants: Basil, Marjoram, Onions and Oregano
Benefits: Herbs like basil, oregano, and marjoram have a protective, insecticidal quality.

POTATOES
Companion plants: Basil, Beans, Calendula, Catmint
Cilantro, Garlic, Horseradish, Oregano, Peas and Tansy
Benefits: Beans can improve the size of potato tubers.
Cilantro protects against aphids, spider mites and potato beetles.
Calendula, tansy, and horseradish planted at the corner of a potato patch wards off Colorado potato beetles.
Catmint also repels Colorado potato beetles, but can bring cats into the vegetable garden,
so it is a good idea to plant it in pots around the edge of the plot.

RADISH
Companion plants: Chervil, Lettuce, Nasturtium and
Peas
Benefits: Chervil improves growth and flavor.
Nasturtiums are a good trap crop for radishes.
Radishes are often used as trap crops for flea beetles.
Peas give nitrogen to the soil which benefits radishes.

WINTER SQUASH and PUMPKINS
Companion plants: Beans (pole), Buckwheat, Calendula, Corn, Marigold, Nasturtium and Oregano
Benefits: Buckwheat brings in pest predators which reduce insect pests.
Nasturtiums protect against pumpkin and squash beetles.
Oregano provides general pest protection.
Calendula deters beetles and root nematodes.

SPINACH
Companion plants: Beans, Cilantro, Eggplant, Oregano, Peas, Rosemary and Strawberries
Benefits: Peas and beans provide natural shade for spinach.
Cilantro, oregano, and rosemary is thought to repel insects.

TOMATO
Companion plants: Asparagus, Basil, Borage, Calendula, Dill, Garlic, Nasturtium, Onion, Parsley and Thyme
Benefits: Calendula deters general garden pests
Asparagus repels nematodes.
Basil repels whiteflies, mosquitoes, spider mites, aphids.
Basil also attracts bees, which improves pollination, tomato health, and flavor.
Borage repels hornworms.
Dill makes it difficult for cutworms to lay their eggs and supports parasitic wasps that attack pest caterpillars.
Thyme reduces egg laying by armyworms.

ZUCCHINI-SUMMER SQUASH
Companion plants: Buckwheat, Oregano, Nasturtium, and Zinnia
Benefits: Buckwheat brings in pest predators which reduce insect pests.
To attract pollinators, plant oregano and zinnias.
Nasturtium protects against aphids and whiteflies.

Note: Tansy is considered invasive in some areas. See local guidelines before planting.