2012 Garden Update

Some friends asked how the garden was doing and I realized how long it had been since I posted. This has been a busy year. I added a rain collection system.

I got the barrel from a local food distributor for twenty dollars, got some base and block from the local hardware spot, and the rain barrel installation kit from Rain Brothers. The kit had a great video on Youtube and after some investigation I decided it was the way to go. My wife knew I wanted to upgrade from my compost pile, so for my birthday I got a:

Already used a batch of it as mulch for my potatoes. It seems to really be working great. I love the fact that the heat kills the seeds. Some other pictures to entertain:

Why Garden?

Lately I have been wondering about what drives me to garden. There is no single coherent reason for me to garden. What makes me think about it is that for so many there is a specific reason they garden. As I think about my own motivations I decided that I would make a list of all the reasons to garden that I could think of.

Environmental - Reduce food miles, fewer pesticides, fewer petroleum fertilizers, learn organic methods, not wasting land and resources on lawn, a long list of reasons.

Religious - There are often religious reasons to garden. Christians can dedicate their garden to biblical principle/references. Need to grow those special hard to come by herbs and plants for that Wicca ceremony? The Mormon church has a requirement that you be prepared in the event of emergency which many interpret to include growing your own food if necessary.

Preperation - A number of people feel that there is a coming period of lawlessness or a period where all the food and resource distribution systems are going to fall apart. They want to be ready. They are often called (by themselves) Preppers.

Food - You can't buy it that tasty, you can't buy it that nutritious. You will never know more about the food you eat than if you grow it yourself. You can grow what you want to eat. You can grow things that you can't purchase.

Education - Kids, this is where your food comes from, this is how you grow it. This is what it takes. This is soil. No. Soil is NOT a structural medium, it is a living breathing thing that you share this planet with. No. Eating a little will not kill you.

Economy - You cannot get better food more economically. If you are careful and pay attention, and get a little practice. I am not saying its easy. I am saying its achievable. I have occasion to travel through the south side of Chicago sometimes, and when I see the food desert peppered with vacant lots where great gardens could grow, it breaks my heart. Fortunately, others are tougher, and they are doing something about it.

Culture/Tradition - Raise food you can't purchase in your local area that is important to your culture or family tradition.

Activity/Exercise - What better way to have some regular activity outdoors, especially if you aren't able to exercise vigorously at a gym. Walk, garden, be well.

Relaxation/Therapy - I, and a lot of others, find gardening relaxing. One of the most unfortunate things about gardening is that I find it impossible to garden with a cell phone. Wow. Tragic. For many, gardening is physical or another type of therapy.

Habit - Some people garden out of habit. I have a neighbor like this. One of my goals this year - shake it up a little for him. :)

Necessity - Some people garden because they have to. At a point not so long ago, most of us did.

Beauty - Because a garden is so Ever Loving Beautiful!!!!

Aroma Garden Plans

So, I quit smoking this summer. My wife quit this winter as well.

So, we were discussing how this would/could impact our gardening. We decided on a form of gardening celebration. How to do this? With an aroma garden. I am not sure this is a "real term", but its what we plan to do.

We are going to plant areas of the yard with plants that give off strong, good scents. Scents we can now fully enjoy.

New plants on our mind:

Lavender

Anise Hyssop

Mint

Lemon Balm

Golden Marguerite

Daisies

And the classics:

Basil

Oregano

Rosemary

Thyme

Charantais melons

But it still feels like we are missing something.

Any suggestions?

Late Garden Still Going!

Its been a while since an update. Sorry for the delay, but life has been demanding, some things needed to slide a little, and this has been one of those things.

Here is a pretty typical day these days. These are actually the last of the summer potatoes, a good sized carrot or two, some peppers (marconi, cayenne, and poblano here), some tomatoes (Brandywine, Costoluto Genovese, and a little Cherokee Purple), an onion or two, and a special addition today - a little Charantais!

We harvested the first two ripe ones today and have 14 more to go. Let me tell you, we must have the exact right soil or something because these things taste AWESOME!

Here we have one of our BIG Rouge Vif de Etempes pumpkins. He have eight of them, but these two, next to each other on the same vine, have gotten a lot bigger than the others. Anybody got an idea on average size of these normally? Also, as is my plan each year, I just let them sprawl into the yard.

A number of the little cabbages that I thought would just die in the August heat came around strongly in the streak of cool weather we have had of late. The advantage of this in particular seems to be a total lack of cabbage loopers. I had loopers on me early cabbages (and I spent a lot of time picking them off by hand, yucky!), but these seem totally uneffected.

And here we have HOT HOT HOT Thai peppers grown from seed from my dad. These things are tasty, but a couple of them will drop you to your knees.

Will try to make it a lot sooner to the next post!

Lost Days

Hello,

Sorry its been a while since I posted. Had some dental issues and painkillers and blogging just don't match up to well in my book.

As for the food and garden front, I have really been working the bread and making some recipes from my Jamie Oliver cookbook my daughters got me. That guy really knows how to put a good recipe on paper! The garden keeps producing, but had a rough patch over the last week or so.

A lot of rain combined with really cool temps combined with inattentiveness on my part because of the bad tooth and you get a rough time in the garden. A lot of tomatoes split and some bugs got in, but the melons, pumpkins, squash, and peppers sure seem to love this weather. The beans have given up and the onions are still coming in strong.

The herbs have been the kings of the show lately. I cut the basil and oregano back couple of weeks ago and they bounced back strong. The other herbs are doing well, except the tarragon. It was doing really well for a while when it was hot and dry, but the cool and rain seem to have it down.

I need a good tarragon recipe. Got any favorites?

Harvest As Family Activity

One of the best things about a garden is harvesting. Combine that with your children, make it something to look forward to on the way home or when they come to visit. It makes memories. It is a rare and genuine manufactured memory. Buddy went out with me tonite and picked beans, helped dig for potatoes, and pointed out red tomatoes. Then he INSISTED on carrying the harvest bowl into the house all by himself (its a long way for a two year old, steps, etc) and he rendered yeoman service. Joy.

Below we have a work table covered in fruits of the garden. Just the way I like it!

Oh JOY!!!!!

So this weekend we had some excitement in the garden. We decided to pull up the smallest potato plant and see if we actually had any potatoes. Here the girls give it the old heave ho and...

And we did indeed have potatoes! Had a couple of pounds, which considering, is a pretty good haul. We roasted them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and they were magnificent. Seriously.

Not a bad haul. I am not sure we went far enough down to get all the potatoes, but it was so hot and the girls were anxious to get them in the stove, so I should go dig up the rest of the area.

Then, after waiting, and waiting, and waiting we finally got two days of heat and two warmish nights and the tomatoes start rolling in!

We have some Green Zebra, Roma, San Marzano, plenty of Costoluto Genovese (including a green one that I broke off in my frenzy to get the others, some Aunt Ruby's German Green, and the big guy is a Black From Tula. Tried the Green Zebra (tart and tasty), the Roma and San Marzano (tasty but a little mushy), the Costoluto Genovese (Tasty, Tender, softest skin I have ever seen on a tomato) and I ate the Black From Tula. The BFT was one, if not the best, tomatoes I have ever eaten. It literally raised the hair on my neck. It was that good.

JOY!

Some Garden Thoughts

I meant to do a big picture post today, but spent all day outside instead. So when I finally sat down to do a post, I am more overwhelmed with thoughts. I have started taking some decent amounts of food out of the garden now, and have developed some strong notions of what is working (in various ways) and what just isn't.

Raddichio - planted a good amount of it and it was basically inedible. It was so bitter that nobody who tried it could eat it, even after a good saute. And it never formed heads. As far as I am concerned, a total waste of time, space, money, and effort.

Lettuce - I planted a great blend from Freedom Seeds and some iceberg from Burpee. All of it that I harvested was great, but I didn't get too much. The rabbits have kept it trimmed. I finally decided to abandon it to the rabbits and they have pretty much left everything else alone. Not a bad trade altogether.

Cucumbers - I planted two varieties, Parisian Pickling from Seedsavers and Tasty Green from Burpee. Both are producing well and this weekend I had pounds of them. Both are productive, tasty, perfect. Last year I didn't plant any and the wife missed them. I am using the fence behind the raised beds as trellis for them and its working pretty well.

Swiss Chard - I didn't plant any and didn't really want to. But then I traded some turnips for some chard with a neighbor who gardens. What a mistake! I got some seed, threw them in the ground and they are doing well and are REALLY tasty when sauted with some garlic and olive oil.

Turnips - I got these from Freedom Seeds as well. I wasn't sure how they would work out because I rarely have good luck with root vegetables, but these were real champions. They matured quickly (I have already eaten all I planted), were sweet, juicy, crisp. Perfect. Now they are on my must have list.

Radishes - Another FS product. French Breakfast Radishes. Fast. Tasty. Fun. Good garden delineating crop.

Beans - I decided to try bush beans (Blue Lake) this year. And it was an inspired choice. I got a master recipe for beans and they are producing like crazy, tasty, tender, perfect.

Zuchinni - Really producing this year. More than last year. Switching beds to the ones near the deck really seems to be paying off.

Pattison Panache Squash - Got a blush of them, picked them small. Roasted them with some balsamic. Succulent.

Strawberries - They stopped blooming and producing a month or so ago (not that they produced much before that). Took a while to figure out what was going on. They are short on potassium (red leaves, good upper growth with no blooms, still sending runners.

Ground Cherries - Really tasty, hope to get enough at one time to add to a fruit salad. Of course I can't get enough because they make a great snack in the garden.

Cherry Tomatoes - Here they come. In spades, in triplicate, in copious amounts! Yay!

Tomatoes - Ripening. I am going to get them in a surge of tomatoes.

Herbs - I skimped on the potting soil. This means that watering has been and issue. As far as being prolific and tasty, no problem.

Anyways, will try to get some pictures up tomorrow and any more thoughts.

Garden Update, and a Brief Diatribe Regarding Rabbits

Hello, its been too long without photos, so without further ado.... The Garden Update...

Here we have the left two beds. The pumpkins, raddichio, tomatoes, etc are doing fine. The peppers (all 5 or 6 kinds) are not doing so hot. Oscar from freedomgardens.org who lives just north of here is having the exact same problem with his. Also, some of the bok choi went to seed and I was going to cut them, but when I saw the gorgeous little flowers, I decided that I would let them seed and collect some. Hope they breed true!

Below, near to far we have potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes all doing well. Next bed we have turnips, beans, radishes, tomatoes, all doing well and carrots (that bald patch) not doing so well. Furthest bed are melons, ground cherries, onions, shallots and more tomatoes all doing well.

My favorite view.

Lettuce recovering on the right, squash, zuchs, etc on the right.

The raspberries (which I foolishly transplanted in late spring) seem to be taking, but just enough to survive, which if they survive the summer, I am all about it!

The strawberries are doing pretty well, but THE EVIL SUBURBAN RATS ARE EATTING THEM ALL. I thought something (hawk, cat, neighborhood kids?) had gotten the baby bunnies, but, in fact they had only gone to visit and are back. And bigger. And hungrier.

Blackberries a year ahead of schedule. Need I say more?

Grapes. Yummy. Concord grapes. Like I had when I was a kid.

Anyways, thats an update on where its at. Any questions or comments or suggestions appreciated!

Garden Update

Well, the garden is doing really well. A quick rundown:

Fruit - looks like about 20 bunches of grapes, some strawberries, a few apples, some ground cherries, our blackberries FINALLY bloomed so we may get some of those, and the raspberries have almost all taken. Not bad.

Veggies - All the veggies have taken, although the brocolli, cabbages, and carrots are struggling a little. Not sure whats up with the carrots, I got a really low germination level (one in ten, maybe) and I may have to plant some more to see. And something is already eatting some of my beans.

Herbs - All the herbs look good, but the thyme and tarragon are not thriving. It could be some prolonged transplant shock or a poor soil mix on my part (mixed my own potting soils this time - thanks for the inspiration Susy!). Will have to wait and see. And if I have one more person tell me that thyme is easy to grow and becomes invasive I will throttle them! This is my third year trying and its still not going well.

Anyways, here are some pics as well:

A shot down the walkway. Its about a week old, I need to update it desperately!

Cabbages. Coleslaw, steamed, sauerkraut, kim chi, soup, endless reasons to drool!

L to R - Tomatoes, radishes, and beans.

And here we have some ground cherries.

Planting Fool

Finally put a plan together Friday, finished the beds and (save two small additions) got all the planting done.

The small additions are an additional blackberry which I successfully grew from a cutting over the winter and some acorn squash. I thought I had saved seed, but can't find it for my life, so I am going to have to buy it.

I need to get pictures, but I planted Monday night until it started to rain and I haven't been here when it wasn't raining since. Will do as soon as I can.

I was surprised how much work planting all that additional area really was.

I also have my eye on asparagus for next year.

Namaste.

Beds Full, Area Cleared, Breathtaking Stupidity, and No Plan.

The wife and I got the beds filled yesterday, got the strawberries beds finished, filled and planted, cleared the area in the back, repaired the underground cable I cut (did you ever take your own breath away with your own stupidity? well, I am still having trouble breathing), and realized its time to plant and I have no planting plan.

I am a consumate planner. What we are going to plant. Check. Design and execute new garden. Check. Orders in. Check. Orders back. Check. Seedlings in and hardened. Check. What gets planted where. Uhhhhh.....

Big Days Ahead

Today the wife and I took off to work in the garden/yard. Took the little on to daycare. Been hardening off the seedlings, have lots of things to plant! Literally tons of dirt to move. YAY

Two days ago the green market I go to had "heirloom" tomatoes on sale. 99 cents a pound sale. Just about FREAKED OUT, bought a couple of pounds. Got them home, prepped a salad with what were a cardinal red ribbed tomato and someting that looked like a flattened Cherokee Purple. Taste the tomato and .... might as well have put some styrofoam on the salad.

I SOOOO want to taste a real tomato.

Favorite Shot

Almost forgot, here is my favorite picture from this weekend.