My Garden....where the grass is greener

No Time for Tomatillos

I won't complain about getting rain, but I will say that it is really hard to get a garden going with such soggy soil. Along with the rain delays, I am preparing to be out of town for 28 of the next 36 days and I'm feeling a little time crunched...there's just no time for the tomatillos! The poor tomatillos have been waiting patiently for weeks...they are almost a foot tall! I would love nothing more than to tuck them into their new home, but it's just too wet. One thing to be happy about is that the weed cover worked. We took it up yesterday to help the soil dry out faster and when we pulled it back, there was nothing there, only hundreds of wiggling worms! It was great to know no weeding would be necessary for this soil prep. However, I didn't feel like prepping mud so I put off transplanting for another day. I will also have to find room for all of the eggplants as the prolific tomatillos will be taking up the space I had allotted for both species.

Hopefully, before driving 6 hours tomorrow, I will get a chance to pop in as many plants as possible. Another hope is that I will be able to get a few things done in the garden on those 8 full days scattered throughout June when I return home.

I'm including photos of the growth so far...it is starting to look more like a garden each day!





These are those poor tomatillos I was talking about.









The first (and probably only) strawberry of the season.













Cilantro!









Mud that was under the weed cover






Leaf Lettuce

Soggy Peppers

It's been four days since I've worked on any gardening...
The last thing that was planted were the peppers, and I probably shouldn't have even been in there for that.  The weather was perfect for transplanting, but the ground was still rather soggy.  I planted eight pepper plants in all.  I have three green sweet bell plants, three red sweet bells, one black Hungarian, and one Corno di Toro, a sweet Italian pepper.  I am anticipating plenty of salsa, stuffed peppers, and stir fry!

So beside the soggy pepper planting, I continue to weed and thin.  I'm sure it will be quite the mini-jungle by the time I can get back out there.  But, honestly, weedng is rather enjoyable.  Maybe it's feeling like I'm helping to protect and nourish another living thing that I like.  Or maybe it's because the repetitive movements and fresh air put your mind into a trance-like state.  Either way, I've determined that rather than dread the inevitable work of weeding that comes when trying to be "all natural", I can look forward to the many days I will spend hunched over with my hands in the dirt.

"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato." - Lewis Grizzard

Oh the lovely tomato!
What a happy Monday I had transplanting my precious tomato plants in the breezy 67 degree partly sunny weather!  What a beautiful day for transplanting!  The tomatoes still look happy and so do I!

I planted 12 tomatoes and 6 marigolds in all.  We have 3 Sweet 100, 3 Better Boy, 3 Cherokee Purple, 1 Green Zebra, and 2 Yellow Pear!  Their semi-fresh, semi-earthy frangrance covered my hands until I finally gave in to washing.  It's hard to explain how delighted I am to have the tomatoes in the ground.  Nothing compares to that homegrown taste.

Here are a few pics of the day!

The prepared bed.

When planting tomatoes, you can cover up all of the bottom leaves...this will help the transplant establish itself faster and be healthier.







Nothing else is really worth mentioning, but I'll share some more non-tomato snapshots anyway.

Barn swallow buddies

A baby sunflower!

The beginning of a strawberry I hope to savor some warm June day.

Weekly update

Yesterday was my first real day of work at the plot this week.  With all the rain of last weekend, I had to wait for the ground to dry up to get out there.  Take a look at that sodden soil...there was no way I was going in there!

By Friday, the heavy winds and 80 degree days had done the trick, and I was able to plant corn and some flowers like cosmos and cornflowers.  Along with thinning carrots, beets, and lettuce, I also weeded the big hulk weeds that have sprung back in preparation for more planting and transplanting.

Although all of that took some time, the biggest task yesterday was hilling the potatoes.  Apparently, I should be doing this potato covering until the plants blossom.  I estimate we are a few weeks away from that...I am certain to run out of soil and mulch by then.  The hills or mounds are nearly two feet off the ground!  I'm just hopeful that my efforts yield lots of yummy taters!

Another Rainy Weekend

Another rainy weekend means time to delve into other endeavors like cleaning and cleaning....and cooking!

So, last night we had some Aloo Gobi ( an Indian Cauliflower and Potato Curry Dish- I add spinach and onions to mine), homemade naan, and mango lassis (a refreshing yogurt drink)!  Unfortunately, none of my ingredients came from the garden, but they soon will! 

Speaking of the garden, I had some time to do various calculations and determine the overall cost and specific breakdown of my farming expenses thus far.  I figured I could share them with you to give you an idea of all aspects of this project.

SEEDS/PLANTS                                               SUPPLIES/RENTAL
51.00 - Seed Savers Exchange (SSE)                 52.00 - Home Depot
33.75 - SSE- potato seed                                 12.03 - Lowe's
12.97 - Lowe's                                                15.92 - Marvin's
31.45 - Burpee                                                34.00 - Tiller Rental
25.00 - Findlay Market - transplants

SUB TOTAL: 154.17                                         SUB TOTAL: 114.35

                     GRAND TOTAL: $268.52

The Week in Retrospect

Well, we got our rain. I'd even consider it a good dousing; there was so much that we had puddles in the garden 2 days after the rain and haven't had to water since last week.  However, conditions weren't exactly ideal for doing much work in the garden, not even walking. So, we had to leave it be for a few days. 

But, yesterday we were back in action.  The 2nd succession of spinach, beets, and carrots were planted.  In this way, we'll make sure to harvest those veggies for a longer period instead of being inundated with one crop at a time.  If Bubba wanted to be a farmer instead of a shrimp boat captain, his line might have read something like this: "Dey's uh.... raw carrots, cooked carrots, carrot cake, carrot muffins, carrots in salads, carrots in soup, boiled carrots, baked carrots..."  

There is nothing like a fresh carrot from your garden, but I think our skin would have turned orange from all the carotene.  Thus, plant in successions!  I left 10 days between the spinach plantings, nearly 2 weeks between beet sowings, and almost 3 weeks for the carrots.  I'm hoping to fit even more carrots under some tomato plants further along in the season.  The shade of the tomatoes will keep it nice and cool for those carrots to live long and prosper.

Off to the plot for turnip and parsnip planting!

Rain, rain, come our way!

So, we're nearing the end of April and we're missing 3 inches in rainfall!  What's a farmer to do?  Well, to be honest, we haven't done much.  So far, watering at night or early in the morning has been just fine... at least in the sense that there are still signs of life.  Other than keeping things moist with our tiny watering can, we wait patiently for the real thing. This weekend, we are supposed to get at least an inch of rain.  That would be terrific and would also give our weary bodies a little rest.  Hopefully, you get a nice little rest this weekend, too.

I'll let the photos do the rest of the talking.

Row of potato hills.

Zoomed in

Mini greenhouses made from halved plastic bottles...these are working like a charm on my broccoli transplants!
















Baby lettuce that I had a kick hand weeding...no joke.

Our picturesque view from the plot.

A bunny buddy. 

Proud

Photos for you to enjoy

Here is the layout that I've been keeping from you. 

Broccoli transplant

My hill for the birdhouse gourds...one of the plants I am most excited about!  Don't worry, I've been taking my seeds out of the packets.

Oh, just watering.

And here we are.

Transplant Time!

Woke up early to get to the plot before it got too warm and sunny to transplant.  However, I spent two hours preparing and marking out the beds before I could even start on transplants.  Nevertheless, the collards and broccoli are transplanted, and the spinach, baby choi, and green onions are all seeded.  Just under half of the plants are in, and it's not even May. Hooray for early veggies!

I used some of this fish emulsion fertilizer mixed with water to assist my tiny transplants in surviving the shock of their new situation.  I also made sure to water my plants while in the middle of covering them with soil.  In this way, less H2O is lost to evaporation and more is left to take care of the plants.

Will update more with pics soon!

This past week in the garden!

Our weather here in Cincy has been outrageous....it reached 84 degrees yesterday!  We've been enjoying it every way possible, biking, reading on the porch, dog-walking, bonfires, eating every meal outdoors, and of course, gardening!

I've been over to the plot every day this week.  Waiting, and hoping, and wishing, and praying that something...just one little something would sprout.  And guess what?!?  Today, I was blessed with that something.  Actually 13 somethings!  I counted 11 new sugar snap pea babies, 1 potato bud poking through, and 1 carrot sprouting forth.  It made my day.  Here are pics of the sugar snap peas:

Here is the potato!








Other than watching the garden in it's first stages of growth, we have been busy tending to the weeds, marking out new beds, adding compost, keeping things moist, and most importantly in April, planting.  Chris and I managed to beat the rain and get in the beet seeds and my pathetic looking onion transplants today.  You see, in my efforts to harden off the onions, I managed to kill about half of them.  Thus, only 6 little onions were tucked in to the soil.  However, I have quite a few (about 40) growing on the side of the house.  I had planted those in the fall in a cold frame and there they grew (slowly) all winter long.  I think we're set with onions no matter what happens with the 6 in the plot.

Next to the onions, I direct seeded some Tall Top Early Wonder Beets.  Chris says the seeds look like chocolate clusters dipped in carmel...which beets don't taste anything like, but to me, are just as delicious!  Beets and onions are good companion plants so I'm hoping the beets can help the onions along.

By next week, we hope to have all of the giant monster weeds out of the garden and get the brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, califlowers, turnips, radishes, etc.) planted.  Although I'm dissappointed with my onions, and it might help the potatoes if we had some cooler and wetter weather...we are right where we need to be!

Tilling and Planting Potatoes

So I've been busy.... the plot is tilled and the potatoes are in the ground along with the sugar snap peas!

Right before Easter weekend, we were blessed to receive free rental of a rottotiller by the land owner (which, for you curious folk, would be $34 for a couple hours).  We made do with the semi-moist soil and quickly went over the plot twice.  There were some corners we had to skip over due to them being a bit too sticky and my concern for damaging the soil.  It is especially important when working with clay soil to be careful not to work with it when it's too wet.  Hopefully, we made the right decision ....I don't know when it would have been drier.  Here are some photos of our first rottotiller extravaganza:                        

                       The plot, pre-tilled                                          



                                               .









 

    The tiller and one of our mascots

  

All done! For now.

After enjoying the holiday weekend, we got back to work to plant the nicely sprouted potatoes.  Chris measured out the bed, and using electrical fence flags to mark out the shape, we got to breaking up and readying the soil for planting.  This included digging a 6-8" trench down the middle of a 30" bed.  I have my beds spaced a bit closer than what is normal but not detrimentally close.  We stuck in the taters sprout-side up and covered them with about 4 inches of soil, firming it lightly.  We'll keep an eye (haha) on the potatoes as they grow, making sure to add more and more layers until a small hill is formed.  This technique will prevent the tops of the new taters from turning green from the sun.  Safety tip:  If you end up with green potatoes, those parts should be cut off. That is because a harmful toxin, solanine, is present there and can only only be 'cooked away' through some methods and not others.  Thus, to be safe, chop off the green and enjoy your potatoes in peace.

Here is a photo of the 'E' shaped bed we created.  It is about 10' x 12', doesn't look like much but holds 42 seed potatoes spaced about a foot apart:















             Here I am shaping the trench

                                                                                                 Now the potatoes are tucked away.
















Next...more weeding then onion, beet, lettuce, and spinach planting. 
Frost-free date coming soon: April 15th!

Progress

Here are the promised photos of seedling progress:

My setup in the dinning room.  It works.

Baby Eggplant

The potatoes are sprouting nicely.  These are the Austrian Crescent.

I should be tilling by the end of this week.  It's supposed to stay warm, dry, and beautiful for the next few days.  Check back soon for more!

Floating Row Cover Is My Friend!

Yesterday, Chris and I ventured out to a garden center I have known of for awhile but never had a reason to drive out and visit, until now!  After numerous phone calls to local plant nurseries, garden, home and landscaping stores, and even a Tractor Supply Co., I succummed to the realization that no store carried floating row cover-an item of utmost importance to my farming project.  However, after one last go at scouring the net, I came across Marvin's Organic Gardens in Lebanon, Ohio.  I determined (after a month's worth of weekly phone calls to check the shipping progress of this most-coveted item) that they did indeed sell row cover or frost cloth.  I'm not sure why Cincinnati garden centers don't carry this item and very surprised that big box stores don't bother with it either.  In my thinking, this prime gardening product would be everywhere, but most places I contacted didn't even know to what I was referring.  So, I figured I could at least fill you in!

This product is something I did without for my first gardening venture last year in MO, but have every intention of utilizing this time around.  Floating row cover is a great aid for the organic gardener.  Since I didn't personally take advantage of this plant protection but watched as my fellow apprentice farming friends did and subsequently harvested delicious produce, I can easily attest to the postive outcome of its use and the negative results I experienced. This 'garden blanket' of sorts looks almost like a giant dryer sheet (sans fresh scent), can let light, air, and water in but prevents pests, extreme heat, and frost from bothering your veggies!  It is laid atop the plants and needs no support from below but should be weighed down on the edges.  It can be used over and over again if treated properly and allows gardeners to create a mini greenhouse effect for young plants or seedlings transplanted outdoors earlier than usual.  One word of advice....remember to take off the cover once your plants flower so they can be pollinated!  By then, they should be hardy enough to withstand most pest attacks.

I plan on using my row cover to protect my young eggplants from pests. I gleaned ZERO eggplant during last season; flea beetles made lace work of the eggplants' leaves and thus, made it nearly impossible for the poor things to bear fruit.  This year will be different, and I'm already daydreaming of making my favorite eggplant parmesean dish or my potato and eggplant curry ! 

So, if you're planning on setting out some fragile transplants or want to start your veggies earlier or protect them from the heat in the middle of summer, I highly recommend buying yourself a resuable sheet of row cover.  Try your local nurseries (hopefully, your luckier than me) or resort to paying for S&H and buy yours online.  I bought the exact product that I've linked below.  I spent $15.00 and did have to drive a bit farther than I would like, but I got to support a local, family business and enjoy a drive out to some true farm country! 

Eggplants, Tomatillos, and Broccoli....Oh, My!

So I am moving on to starting my second round of seedlings...the eggplants and tomatillos.  When I mention broccoli I'm referring to my ongoing attempt to salvage what few seeds and sprouts I started after the first broccoli failure.  I think I may have solved my problem seeing that I now have a 2 inch broccoli sprouts reaching high into the sky!  Those were the ones that I had seeded directly into the pots while the ones I let germinate in moist paper towels and plastic bags were planted today.  What I decided to do this time around was add a bit of potting soil with my seed starting mix (about half and half) and also more vigorously tamper down the soil after planting.  So far, things are looking good.  I am hopeful that the little tweaks I made will prevent air from drying out my babies as they seemed to do to the last broccoli I had started.

Here are some photos of the process:

Those are my homemade newspaper pots and the new starting mix I made.  I followed a video on E-How to make my pots; they are very simple and there is a lot of other information and how-to's online.

This is the paper towel/plastic bag germination method.

Here are the tomatillo sprouts!

Using my marker as a hole puncher (soil tends to stick to my finger tend more than the slippery butt end of the marker).  Give it a try!





      
                                       Ready for the seedlings!

Tampering down the soil and hopefully, eliminating any trapped air pockets.







There you have it!  I will take pics of all my seedlings soon!
Off to the garden center for goodies!