Sprague Family Farms

02/28/2019

Did you know that tomatoes hate cucumbers? While they might taste great together in a salad, tomato plants actually dislike growing in close proximity to any member of the curcurbit family, which includes cucumbers. Tomatos love carrots and basil, however – so planting these together will actually...

11/01/2018

Four Japanese researchers published an analysis on cholesterol guidelines and statin drugs in the April 2015 edition of the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism. Dr. Malcolm Kendrick, the Scottish doctor who wrote

07/20/2018

03/26/2014

Wondering how to grow vegetables in limited space? With a little creativity it's probably easier and more productive than you might think.

02/26/2014

It's a perfect day for direct sewing some seeds! Looks like nature will provide the perfect, consistently moist environment needed for germination.

02/25/2014

Checking back in! Get ready for lots of seedling and tree bud shots.

And on that note:

I challenged myself to not setup the drip system for the gardens this year, and instead keep a 5 gallon bucket in the kitchen to collect the water in the pipes while waiting on hot, as well as kitchen gray water in general. This, as well as the bathwater from kiddos nightly rinser is used.
Within our small urban farm/yard we have packed in edibles using a perma-culture and companion planting method.
After just a few days of utilizing our normally wasted water... I realized that everything will actually be getting consistently more water than when using the usual (already quite efficient and conservative) drip line.
I can give sufficiant water daily to a growing spring garden, 10 berry bushes and brambles, 11 fruit trees (several that are still establishing so more water is needed), as well as kiwi and grape vines. While this may fluctuate during peak growth/fruit set, overall I expect water use I our lot to be cut in half.

I will continue to update on this water saving method as much as possible... feel free to nudge for updates if you're interested. Meanwhile, I'd like to hear what you're doing to save water. Share your tips!

11/23/2013

Are you ready for the weekend? Freezing temps expected with the lack of cloud cover in the CA central valley. If you don't have proper covers for plants, use what you have! I literally put a sweater on our 15 year old jade plant the other night because it was handy. Old sheets, blankets, and secured newspaper will also help save your tender plants. Now you can't say you weren't warned.
Happy toodling!