Where does the time go?

I can't believe how long it has been since my last post.  So instead of putting thoughts into words, I'll let the pictures do most of the talking.

March 17, 2011

The future contents of the raised vegetable beds. (And yes - I hauled all of them from the truck to the back yard!)

Preparing to nail down the raised beds.  (measuring many times to make certain everything is even)

all nailed down and ready to be filled

Making sure everything is level!

Done at last!  (With my trusty rabbit chaser in the background on guard.)

Don't they look nice?  Just wait...

 March 20, 2011

Planting red onions.

And Shallots

 March 31, 2011

Garlic and Asparagus

 April 2, 2011

Raspberry bush just beginning to break through the soil.

 April 20, 2011

One of my two new Cabernet Sauvingnon Vines

The seedings are starting to sprout!

 April 23, 2011

Putting up the fence (to keep the rabbit chaser out)! See how the onions and shallots are growing?

The fence is finished!  And the seedlings have grown FAST!  They like all the April showers!

My own little oasis!

Yes, I planted the tomatoes, peppers and eggplants on 4/23!

 April 30, 2011

It's amazing what a few seeds can produce.

It looks empty now - but just wait!

The new Cabernet Sauvingon vines are sprouting!

The taller Blueberry bush was planted last year (2010) the smaller bush was just planted this year.

It's starting to come together.

 May 7, 2011

My own Mother's Day bouquet!

 May 10, 2011

Remember that tiny little raspberry bush?  It's not so tiny anymore!

Potato Towers

 May 14, 2011

Time to harvest some turnip greens, radishes, lettuce and spinach!

Radishes all in a row

Tomatoes and peppers

More of the blueberry bushes

 May 22, 2011

Those potatoes are growing!

As are the artichokes!

The raspberry bush keeps growing.  Hope to see berries soon! 

Looking good!

 May 26, 2011

I can't believe how much the Artichokes have grown in just 4 days!

Broccoli is starting to form.

The tomatoes and onions are getting big.  And notice that one  'empty' bed that was in front of the gate?  Now its filled with Winter Squash, Summer Squash, Radishes, Nasturtiums and Cantaloupe!

Can't wait to see how it looks in a few more weeks!

Preparing for Spring!

     One of my new discoveries this season is the wonder of Biodynamic agriculture.  Maybe I find it so fascinating because it takes into consideration the relationship of the soil and plants with the moon,  astrological alignments, companion plants, and organic gardening methods.  I remember my mom and dad always made comments like 'the old timers said if you plant in the full of the moon...' etc. that the yields or growth of the plant would be better.  The Farmers Almanac gives planting and pruning dates based upon the moon phases and regardless of whether its just a bunch of hocus-pocus or not, my plants tend to do better when I follow those guidelines.  So if the Almanac works, I figured why not give biodynamics/organics a try?  It certainly won't cause the damage that pesticides do!

     Anyway, over the weekend I decided to follow the instructions of my biodynamic calendar and transplant my root veggies: asparagus, chives,  and scallions & garlic (which I had sown last fall).   And I went with my intuition and transplanted my strawberries even though the calendar said I should wait until today - the 14th.  But I figured the weekend was prime time for root development, which is what I wanted for all of the transplants.  I'm glad I followed my gut, because the snowfall today would have prevented it or at least made it more difficult.  The snow is also a reminder that maybe I'm rushing my spring gardening a bit.  But it does take care of the watering of the transplants!

Garlic sets - amazing how many sets came out of  9 cloves!

     Last spring I did 'double digging' of what is now my perennial veggie bed.  Double digging basically means you dig out about 12 inches of soil and mix in compost and manure into that soil and put it back into the place you dug it out of.  It took me about 3 or 4 hours to do that to a 3' x 16' bed.  I didn't see as positive results from it last year as I would have hoped, but when I began loosening the soil in that bed in preparation for the transplants I was pleasantly surprised to find very loose, dark, rich looking soil with about 7-10 worms per foot.  (And that's a very good sign!)  I figured that the compost used last year decomposed even more over the fall/winter and the result was beautiful garden soil.  A little while later while viewing the finished bed from my kitchen window I spied a plump Robin scratching the soil - apparently he was enjoying the worms too!

My new perennial bed: chives, carrots, scallions,
strawberries, asparagus, garlic and artichokes.

    I mentioned earlier that a part of Biodynamics is companion planting.  The thought behind this is that certain plants drive off or repel insects or animals that might otherwise invade the bed and destroy the crops.  I happened upon just how effective this was last year, while tending my squash and cucumber plants.  Earlier that year I had planted rows of Radishes, which weren't producing as I had hoped and were going to seed.  And since the squash were doing so well (no bugs!) I decided to pull up the radishes to make room for them.  Bad move!  Within a week of pulling the radishes (which really could have stayed put without any harm) I started seeing squash bugs.  After doing research I discovered that radishes produce a scent of some type that repels the bugs.  So I think you can figure out what I'm planning to plant with my squash this year.  (I couldn't believe all the varieties of Radishes!)

     I kept companion planting in mind while tending to my perennial bed and transplants.  I had heard that chives benefit strawberries, so I kept those next to each other.  I also learned that garlic tends to drive off a variety of pests, so I transplanted a long row in front of the asparagus and in front of the section that will eventually become home to my artichoke plants.  Speaking of the asparagus - they are in their 3rd year and I could not imagine the roots that had developed on the plants.  The first 4 plants came up fairly well.  However, it took me half an hour to dig up the other four plants!  (You have to be careful when transplanting asparagus because you don't want to severely damage the roots.)

Garlic sets being planted in front of the Asparagus patch.

    
     The four strawberry plants moved very easily.  And an impromptu trip to Lowes resulted in 10 more bare-root plants to complete that section of the bed.   And on the right of the berries, the once small 4 inch section of chives was transplanted into a 16 inch long row behind the carrots and scallions sown last fall.  Now its just a matter of waiting a few more months and I should have quite an assortment of veggies to harvest!

Ah, the dreams of things to come!

February Update: snow, snow go away!

     February 2nd greeted the ground-hog favorably....no shadow!  Hurry up Spring!   Unfortunately a few days later winter hit us with about 8 to 11 inches of snow and a harsh reminder that it's still her season.  Hopefully with February coming in like a lion it will go out like a lamb. 


    I'm thankful that all of the seedlings I started in early January are still doing very well.  I've made a note to myself to not add so many seeds to one pot the next time I try this.  I'm going to need to divide my tomatoes and peppers since so many of the seeds did germinate.  But that's a good problem to have!   

  
  
     I also learned that the seedlings grown in the plastic pots are much healthier than those in the peat pots. (The above photo shows Fennel seedlings planted at the same date/time.)  I have since transplanted everything that was in peat pots into recycled water and soda bottles.

  

     In late January I ordered more vegetable seeds and plants:  Brussels Sprouts, Eggplant, Artichokes, Red Onion sets, Shallots and two Cabernet Sauvingnon Grape vines.  I'm especially excited about the grapes since it I currently have Cabernet Franc (the parent plant to the earlier variety mentioned) and Petite Syrah.  Once all three vines begin producing I'll be able to create a very nice blended wine that should have plenty of tannins, red fruit flavors and age very nicely.  The Cab Franc and Petite Syrah will be 3 years old this year (viticulturists refer to it as their '3rd leaf') and ready to produce fruit. 

     On January 31st I received the Brussels Sprouts, Eggplant and Artichoke seeds just in time for the next round of snow that was prepared to hit us a few days later.  I started the seeds on Sunday, February 6th (a day later than the time that my trusty Farmers Almanac indicated was a favorable day) and I still experienced success!  The Sprouts and Artichokes sprouted by Wednesday, February 9th and the Eggplant (which tends to take longer than anything else) made its appearance on Saturday, February 12th.



Brussels Sprouts seedlings - 3 days old!

 

Artichoke Seedlings



     Following the Woman's perogative, I changed my mind about the garden layout.  Because our backyard has a gentle slope, I knew it would take some work to make 4x4 garden beds level.  And since we already have part of the sod removed where the existing beds are, I decided to work with those and just widen and extend them up along the fence line.

     When all is done, I should have my main vegetable bed (along the left side of the yard that will be 2-3 feet wide by 40 feet long.  That will allow for 80 - 120 square feet of planting space.  The perennial vegetable bed will be along the opposite side of the yard and will contain the Artichokes, Asparagus, Strawberries, Chives and possibly some Okra and Sage.   My plan is for it to be 2-3 feet wide and 20 feet long. 

     I do plan to add some type of raised bed edging and bring in compost to fill in and amend the soild in the beds. Plus I need to set up some type of small fencing around the garden beds to keep our dog Louis out of them.  (Now I don't have a rabbit problem...I have a dog problem!)

     In addition to all of this, we have some space on the right side of the yard where the grass has died.  (When life gives lemons - make lemonaide!)  I think this will be a perfect place to put Kelsey's small vegetable garden.  She told me the other day she wants a small garden so she can grow veggies for her new pet Turtle.  (Unless she changes her mind and gets a Frog...she is still trying to decide which to get.  Decisions, decisions!)



    Winter also decided to be nice to us over the weekend and the temperatures soared up into the 40s on Sunday.  I decided to take advantage of that and the melting snow and did some of my winter pruning of my grape vines.  I was excited to see green wood!  That means that while the vines are dormant, they are still alive.  This is especially wonderful since neither variety is supposed to be able to survive our winters.  We're in zone 5a and the Cabernet Franc is hardy to zone 6 and Petite Syrah is hardy to zone 7.  This means the extra work in late fall to prep the vines for winter is paying off!

Cabernet Franc grape vine that has been winter pruned.

Green wood on a Petite Syrah vine.  A VERY good thing!

     Next month I hope to be able to get out and start preping the veggie beds!   Spring is on her way!

How Does My Garden Grow

Well, since this blog is also my online gardening journal for 2011 it only makes sense that I should list out what I plan to plant in my garden this year.  Here goes...

Veggies to plant in the 2011 Garden  (All started, or to be started, from seed)

• Alliums: Evergreen Long White bunching onions and American Flag Leeks (direct seed) and Red Onions (sets)
• Artichoke: Imperial Star variety (ordered and will start seedlings on 2/5/2011)Broccoli: Di Ciccio variety (seedlings started 1/8/2011)
• *Brussells Sprouts:  Bailey variety (ordered and will start seedlings on 2/5/2011)
• Carrots: Danvers Half Long and Kaleidoscope Mix (ie: red, purple, orange, yellow and white) varieties (direct seed)
• Cauliflower: Early Snowball A (need to start seedlings on 2/5/2011)
• Cucumber: Straight 8 (because I found the seeds in some of my mother’s old stuff), Poinsett 76 and Sumter varieties (direct seed)
• Egg Plant: Black Beauty variety (seedlings started 1/8/2011 - seeds are old and taking a while to germinate - but they’re getting there!) and Twlight (a hybrid I just ordered and will start seedlings on 2/5/11)
• Fennel: Zefo Fino variety (seedlings started 1/8/2011)
• Green Beans (Bush): Heavyweight & Royalty Purple varieties (direct seed)
• Greens: A Mix of: Red Salad Bowl Lettuce, Green Salad Bowl Lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce, Tendergreen Mustard, Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach, Bull's Blood Beet, Grand Rapids Lettuce, Oakleaf Lettuce, Prizeleaf Lettuce, and most importantly - Arugula because the bunnies hate it & it keeps them out of the lettuce & spinach! (direct seed)
• Melon: Heirloom Cantaloupe (variety unknown) (direct seed)
• Okra: saved seeds - variety unknown (direct seed)
• Parsnips:  Hollow Crown variety (direct seed)
• Peppers: California Wonder Bell, Jalapaneo and Sweet Banana (seedlings started 1/8/2011 - seeds are old and taking a while to germinate - but they’re getting there!)
• Radish: Sparkler, Champion, d’Avignon, Pink Beauty, Purple Plum, and Snowball varieties (direct seed)
• Shallots: standard yellow variety (sets)
• Summer Squash: Zucchini (Black Beauty) & Yellow (Early Prolific Straightneck) (direct seed)
• Swiss Chard: Bright Lights (direct seed)
• Tomatoes: Sweetie Cherry, Red Brandywine, Pink Brandywine, Black Krim, and Red Plum varieties (seedlings started 1/8/2011)
• Turnip: Purple Top White Globe (direct seed)
• Winter Squash: Acorn, Butternut, Carnival, Turks Turban, Rumbo (Cinderella type pumpkin), and Mini pumpkins (if I have room!) (direct seed)

I still need to buy:

• Herbs: Basil, Sage, Parsley, Cilantro, Chamomile (will probably buy the plants)

Other Perennial Plants already in the ground:

• Cabernet Franc and Petite Syrah grapes 
• Asparagus
• Strawberry
• Blueberry 
• Raspberry 
• Chives
• Dill (it might re-seed itself - if not I have seeds saved from last year)
• Garlic  
• Greek Oregano
• Peppermint (however, I think I might have killed it last year if that’s possible - they don’t like being behind Hot Tubs!)
• Thyme
• Beebalm and Echinacea (I plant them for their flowers but technically they are medicinal herbs)

Next on my list to post is a diagram outlining how I plan to actually make this all work since I’m going to use 4 to 6 4x4 raised beds.  My mother-in-law and her significant other have promised to make a drive up to our place to see my garden - assuming I can actually make it work in such a small space.  So there's my challenge!

Thank God I have a great husband who humors my idiosyncrasies!  His only two requests are to make it ‘look good’ and make it easy to mow around!

More to come...

My First Post

Every year at this time my green thumb starts itching and my spare time is spent sifting through Seed Catalogs, Gardening magazines & websites and I start planning my plantings for the year. Ironic that this occurs during the harshest and most bitterly cold time of year.

One of my New Years Resolutions is to grow a better garden this year. I've always judged my gardening success based upon how well my tomatoes perform and the past two years have been less than stellar. Several years ago I bought a Farmers Almanac, followed it faithfully, started my veggies from seed entirely too early (in January) and had the biggest and best crop ever. And unfortunately I've not been able to repeat that success. My hope is that this year will be different.

Earlier this month I bought a Farmers Almanac, organic seed starting mix and fumed at the difficulty of trying to find peat pots in January. As the saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and realizing that the lower half of waterbottles is almost the same size as peat pots, plus they retain moisture better and are recyclable, I decided to give them a try. From the before and after seedling photos, I believe necessity succeeded!

Per the almanac, the 8th and 9th were good days for starting seeds, and they must have been right because on the 12th the seedlings appeared. Ah, the promise of spring!

For now I'm watching the tomato, pepper, broccoli and fennel seedlings grow and sketching ideas for new planter boxes. I'm intrigued by the concept of the square foot garden and need to find a new method for keeping the dog out of the garden. (I've already learned how to deal with the rabbits...arugala and hardware cloth...but that's another post.)