Skippy's Vegetable Garden

first snow of the year

2012-01-17T23:20:00.002-05:00

Finally. We got a couple inches of snow last night. Looks like it will melt in the next few days.

Nearly 100 reasons to grow a vegetable garden

2012-01-17T20:28:00.002-05:00

I was listening to an NPR radio show this afternoon and heard vegetable gardens mentioned. It was a show about Sugar. Author Robbie McCauley talked about how everyone used to have access to home grown food. She said its a crime that we don't anymore. Here here!

And then Molly commented on an old post of mine that listed reasons to grow your own vegetables. Molly said "..for FUN!"

So I am posting my list again. I've added lots of reasons sent in by other gardeners. The list is almost up to 100 reasons now. I counted about 60.

Nearly 100 reasons to grow a vegetable garden:

For fun! (Molly)

To find the shortest, simplest way between the earth, the hands, and the mouth(Lanza Del Vasto)

To participate in one of the basic parts of living - producing your own food

Free food!

Reduce trips to the grocery store

To reduce pesticides and chemicals in your food

To experience the seasons

To increase vitamin D levels by regular sunlight exposure

To breath fresh air

For physical exercise that produces something tangible

To hear the birds singing

For the beauty of the plants

For the scents, colors and sounds of the garden

To create a work of art

To express yourself with straight even rows or wild tangled patches

A weight bearing activity that can increase bone density

Produce better quality food

To grow rare and heirloom varieties not available commercially

For a quiet break from high stress and electronic activities

For access to super local food

To put your yard into productive use

To beautify your yard

To help support honey bee and butterfly populations

So you can blog about it during data downloads

To produce food you can share

To lower your food costs

So you can meet other gardeners

To know exactly where your food comes from

For a hobby your whole family can participate in

For real food

To support the green movement and reduce your global footprint

To eat more vegetables and less junk food

To play in the dirt

For geosmin, the musky smell of freshly turned soil

For sustainability as an ethical and practical way to live

To support biodiversity

For access to seasonal food

For minimally processed food

For the freshest and sweetest tomatoes

For giant dark red beets

Because enjoyment of the fruit is complete when one is "inextricably entwined with the memory of the plant in its various stages of development" (Kitchen Gardeners International)

For more sunlight

For lots of new crops to celebrate with a martini

For happiness

To remember my grandparents' and my parents' gardens and to grow and enjoy the plants they grew

To care for the earth, ourselves and others

To learn about nature

To experience the interconnectedness of our environment

To educate my children on where their food comes from

To teach my sons to be proud of something they helped cultivate

To protect the land from development (Cazaux)

To get your hands dirty

To appreciate the careful progression of time and the effects of sun and rain

To remain in awe about the miracle of nature - how a tiny seed can grow a tomato plant with multiple fruits some of which were 6 inches across! (Mary)

...the food tast a hole lot better (anonymous)

To revive almost forgotten memories and favorites from childhood that are no longer available unless you grow them. Like a Charlston Grey watermelon! Huge, tasty, full of seeds and so unlike those wimpy, seedless little watermelons we see today. (Phyllis)

For the sense of accomplishment (Barb)

To make your gardens look nicer (Susy)

To have something green and fresh to dream about in cold and dreary January! To be stunned to discover the bean you dropped in the ground grew pods and that those pods are filled with six or eight more beans -- and to be stunned to discover this every time you open another pod. To learn that companion planting works, and in the process, feel like you've been given a gift of the knowledge of all the generations of gardeners that came before.(Pookie)

To sweat, to feel the earth, to be in touch spiritually. Also I honor my Grandfather and other family members. I am growing garlic, parsley and basil from seeds, & seed garlic that goes back up to 90 years old from Italy. (Nick)

winter sunset on the big pond

2012-01-16T20:38:00.004-05:00

Another very chilly day. The day was ~10-25*F. Fortunately less wind than yesterday. Lots of birds were on the big pond (Fresh Pond in Cambridge). The ones I saw:
20 Canvas back ducks
20 Ring necked ducks
50 Canada geese
a pair of bufflehead ducks
maybe a male wood duck?
lots of sea gulls
a few robins
and a Coopers hawk eating his dinner

winter flora

2012-01-14T22:51:00.005-05:00

When I walked Skippy yesterday I brought my camera and macro lens. I looked for dried things to photograph while Skippy sniffed and played. Usually I wait for him. This time, he waited for me. It doesn't compare with other seasons, but I found a few interesting things. Still no snow here to cover the plants.

my community garden plot

2012-01-09T22:12:00.003-05:00

Pretty quiet at my garden plot now. The parsnips I planted too late are still in the ground and still too small. The only action is the garlic. I planted this very late too. Tiny sprouts are just poking up in the cracking soil.

Its another winter like 2007 with no snow and mild weather (my favorite type of winter!!!). I was looking back at my records from previous gardens. We were knee-deep last year, but 5 years ago was very much like this year.

I like this quote that I came across recently

"January is the quietest month in the garden. ... But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening. The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants. The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."
- Rosalie Muller Wright, Editor of Sunset Magazine, 1/99

first seed order of 2012 season

2012-01-06T21:36:00.000-05:00

I was quick to inventory my seeds this year. Unlike previous years, they stayed pretty orderly this year in their rubber-banded groups. A group of cucumbers, a group of tomatoes, etc.... I have a box of about 200 seed packs, 1-5 years old. I placed an order at Johnny's this evening. I wanted to get it in before they run out of any of these varieties.

Basil, Nufar (OG)-Packet
Beets, Chioggia Guardsmark (OG)-Packet
Beets, Blankoma-Packet
Beets, Merlin (F1) (OG)-Packet
Cilantro, Calypso-Packet
Cucumber, Diva (Treated)-Packet
Edamame, Butterbeans (OG)-1/2 Pound
Edamame, Envy (OG)-Packet
Onions, Pontiac (F1)-Packet
Parsley, Giant of Italy (OG)-Packet
Peas, Maxigolt-Packet
Peas, Strike (Treated)-Packet
Scallions, Guardsman-Packet
Sunflowers, Maximilian-Packet
Sunflowers, Teddy Bear-Packet
Tomatoes, Cherry, Sun Gold (F1)-Packet
Winter squash, Waltham Butternut (OG)-Packet
Winter squash, Buttercup (Burgess Strain) (OG)-Packet

Pea, Lentil, and Vetch Inoculant (OG)-1 Unit
Soybean Inoculant-1 Unit

merry christmas

2011-12-25T13:09:00.002-05:00

Skippy started Christmas morning calm and good. Posed for a few photos. Then he found a small package that smelled like lamb bones and one that squeaked. :-))) He tore them open. Then he helped everyone else open their packages. But the most fun was next - he put his new squeaky toy inside the bag of torn wrapping paper that we had picked up and he "dug" down strewing paper all around the room until he found his toy at the bottom. This was fun about 10 times. Then the kids took him out to run. Now he's tired and will nap the rest of the day, or at least until the grill get fired up.

winter reading

2011-12-23T00:06:00.005-05:00

The Edible Garden Magazine

I came across a fantastic gardening magazine yesterday in Barnes and Noble. Published in the UK. I am leafing through it - sipping a pear martini with Christmas music playing.....

I'm getting so many new ideas for next year that I need to jot down a list. The cold frame structures are wonderful - at least 6 or 8 are photographed. I will have to think about possibly bricking the edges of mine. And I am considering a bit of a boxwood edge along my stone path. I bet this would look nice all year round.

The magazine has lots of photos of small espaliered fruit trees, terracotta forcers that look beautiful in the garden, creative paths and garden layouts, chickens and bees, polytunnels, ads for beautiful British garden tools, ahhh......

Their month-by-month of garden chores says December is time to lift celeriac, leeks, sunchokes, and the Christmas lunch potatoes. Next month we should clean the pots and garden tools (I always skip this...). In a cold greenhouse, sow leeks, broad beans, peas, lettuce. Under fleece, sow carrots and spinach. I think the British climate is milder than New England, but I always like to give new things a try. Soon the sun will be hitting my cold frame again and I bet early peas and broad beans would do well.

Midwinter is the perfect time for garden magazines.

winter solstice

2011-12-22T00:30:00.001-05:00

Its all uphill from here on in!!! A little more light everyday - a little closer to spring planting season.

The winter solstice occurs Thursday at 12:30 a.m. EST (0530 GMT), which corresponds to 9:30 p.m. PST on Wednesday for observers further west. At the time, the sun will be passing over the over the Tropic of Capricorn.

from Space on MSNBC.com

catalogs!!!

2011-12-19T19:02:00.001-05:00

I can tell its holiday time - the garden catalogs are here!

skippy

2011-12-13T21:50:00.000-05:00

...looking good in his winter coat....

rosemary blossom

2011-12-12T21:47:00.000-05:00

I brought a potted rosemary in from the yard this weekend and just noticed it has a couple little blossoms. They smell as pretty as they look....

the juncoes are here

2011-12-11T21:38:00.006-05:00

I always watch for the first junco in my back yard. A sign of winter.... I had a cute first pair at my little pond today. They usually stay til the weather warms (maybe April?).

My first junco two years ago: Dec 5, 2009.

inside my coldframe

2011-12-09T17:51:00.003-05:00

My cold frame has a patch of greens, some herbs and a few cayenne pepper plants that are still growing from the summer. Lots of open space that I can fill in early spring/late winter. In late February, the sun will hit the frame nicely again. (Now its mostly below the neighboring house.)

This will be the second winter for my cold frame. My husband made it in March 2010. This fall, I mail ordered some green house plastic and we replaced the top panels, which had grown brittle and had several tears. The sides are all purpose plastic from the local Home Depot. In the spring we replaced the two large sides. I'm planning to replace the small front piece this weekend. This week, we duct tapped several tears in this section, but more come quickly. I am wondering if I should use a large piece of the green house plastic and drape it over the frame with sand bags to give it more coverage for the winter. I've also been thinking about a soil warmer cable, but am afraid this will cost too much (in energy costs) to be worth it. I suppose if I had planted it as well as last winter, I would do this. But this year, I didn't get many fall seedlings planted.

sweet potato sprouts on the window sill

2011-12-08T22:21:00.005-05:00

My sweet potatoes I dug last fall finally sprouted this fall. As Donald recommended, I potted them up. They are on my kitchen window sill with cacti and a poinsettia.

sinking sun

2011-12-05T17:25:00.000-05:00

Its only 3 pm and the sun has sunk down below the tree tops. Its glaring into the camera and across the bare kale stalks.

late fall vegetable gardens

2011-12-04T17:20:00.002-05:00

Skippy and I walked through the paths of the community garden and looked at what's still growing.

I found lots of kale of all different types. Also chard, arugula, endive, escarole, leeks, parsnips, and herbs. One really nice plot of 5 inch garlic. (My garlic is very tiny since I planted only a month ago.)

Its been a warm fall - about as good as it gets for late fall crops.

brussels sprouts photos

2011-12-03T20:20:00.003-05:00

I found some Brussels sprouts to photograph at the community gardens today. They're mostly picked clean. But a few small ones are left on some of the stalks.

brussels sprouts

2011-12-02T21:54:00.006-05:00

I finally got my courage up to try Brussels sprouts. As a child - I DID NOT like them, but Eastern Standard (Boston MA) has a delicious recipe with bacon that I loved!! I've never grown Brussels sprouts, but this could be a good new vegetable to try next year.

Brussels sprouts and and kale are about all that's left in the gardens here now. Maybe I can get a photo to add here tomorrow.

garden vegetables on the cutting board

2011-11-26T22:12:00.003-05:00

These are peppers from the Iddy Betty Bossy seeds I brought home from Switzerland. Just peppers from the supermarket, but son thought they were especially tasty and asked me to grow them. They did well and I will have more seeds to save and grow again next year.

happy thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T18:16:00.000-05:00

harvest

2011-11-23T17:56:00.005-05:00

Another good week in the garden. I didn't know there was anything left to harvest. Thought small carrot and beet tops meant no roots. But when I pulled them I found lots of nice baby roots for both. Delicious!

And I hadn't looked close at my patch of fall greens to see the baby bok choy. These were excellent sauteed with garlic and ginger.

I was able to pick a full bowl of salad greens - some curly red lettuce, mizuna, cilantro, and other greens/purples whose names I don't know. (The arugula left from spring was too sharp too eat.)

flowers in my garden

2011-11-22T23:33:00.005-05:00

These are the last flowers of the year. In the corners and at the edges of my gardens. OK, one is actually blueberry leaves that look bright as flowers. I think they will all be covered with snow soon.

birds at the gardens today

2011-11-21T21:38:00.006-05:00

Just the common birds today. Sparrows, robins, cardinals. I saw but couldn't get photos of chickadees and juncos.

I like to check my IDs of the birds: from top song sparrow, chipping sparrow pair, white throated sparrow, American robin, and northern cardinal. Bird experts - is this right?

in my garden today

2011-11-20T23:43:00.004-05:00

My late fall garden is nearly empty, but a few plants are left. I have a tiny late crop of red curly lettuce and other salad greens. Some nice braising greens (bok choy) too.

I thought the parsnips were too small but dug down a bit in the soil and found some nice roots. (I planted the seeds August 1.) I will leave them a bit longer - maybe until spring.

The last of my nice leek crop is still in the ground, though its time to harvest them. I've been pulling the biggest as the season progresses. Lots of leeks this year - nice as my onions didn't do well.

garden November aerial

2011-11-19T19:49:00.000-05:00

giving thanks

2011-11-18T20:59:00.006-05:00

This is a collection of photos of my harvests this year.

How do you measure the success of a garden? The weight of your produce? The number of meals? A new variety discovered? The hours of pleasure? The number of broken fingernails and splinters? Good sleep after hard work... relaxation after a job all week... fresh garden martinis...

I'm trying to think of a way to rate my garden this year. It has brought piles of potatoes, days of digging, dreams of dirt, melon martinis, and filled the grill with vegetables all season.

This year I saw my first hummingbird moth, jumped with surprise then came to expect the fat toad in my garden. I had some success with organic parasitic wasps for control of corn ear worms. I picked and ate my first homegrown pear. I had lots of splinters and cuts and bruises. My son and husband constructed a new fence to keep out the burgeoning (and very cute) bunny population. And the dirt in my garden is looking exceptionally rich and dark.

While I've missed sweet potatoes, celeriac, and popcorn this year, I've had great crops of summer squash, fava beans, potatoes, cucumbers and eggplants. My parents had a good year with celery, tomatoes and beets - and way-over-the-top abundance of cucumbers and pumpkins. At the close of the season, it is a time for giving thanks for all the gifts our gardens give.

And I think our gardens give us much more than we can eat.

vote for my company

2011-11-18T11:37:00.002-05:00

Hi Gardeners,
Please help vote for my company!!! We are trying to win a start up business contest at MIT business school. We have 30 minutes to get as many votes as we can. Please text “BIOARRAY” to 22333. You can read about BIOARRAY at our website and I’ll let you all know how the contest goes. Thanks for your help!
Kathy

This is the quick message I posted this morning. The contest is over now and we got a lot of votes !! Thanks!! Not quite enough to win the silver bowl :( but we did meet and "win" the interest of several potential investors :)

When I'm not in the garden or playing with Skippy, I'm at my start up biotech company trying to reduce the impact of breast cancer by developing a personalized molecular test to predict the most effective chemotherapy for patients. Our website is here, BIOARRAY. Drop me note if you want to know more about it.

fall sky

2011-11-17T22:20:00.000-05:00

my buddy....

2011-11-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

Skippy didn't really want to pose for this photos, but he did. Such a good pup...

Skippy is 6 years old now. 42 in dog years. He's still running in the fall leaves like a puppy. I think he's looking forward to winter chill. He likes the cold and rolling in the snow. He'll sleep out on the snow when he can.... At least one of us is looking forward.

sweet potato sprouts

2011-11-16T07:56:00.000-05:00

Since last fall (Oct 2010 - over a year ago!) I have held a basket of small sweet potatoes to see if they would sprout. Finally it seems they are sprouting. I am thinking about howI can set them up so they will grow inside over this winter. Looks like sweet potatoes may be a biennial crop for me.

fall leaves

2011-11-15T10:13:00.000-05:00

my community plot

2011-11-14T21:59:00.004-05:00

Photos of my community garden plot this weekend. I finished planting my garlic this weekend. Another balmy warm day. I got just over 100 cloves in the ground. The leeks, cilantro and beets are still growing. I'll check again next weekend.

potatoes

2011-11-09T08:46:00.002-05:00

I let the potatoes dry on the counter after I washed the dirt off. Then we made a nice Shepard's Pie. Potatoes make great comfort food.

preparing for winter

2011-11-08T07:35:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I cleaned out most of the dead plants from my garden. We have have several hard frosts and only the very hardy plants are still alive. I piled the debris in two places in my garden since my compost bin is already overfilled. I'll have to move the piles to the community bins later.

I did not get time to plant a cover crop this year. It will make it easier in the spring to turn bare soil.

After the cleanup, I dug my potatoes bed. I've been digging potatoes all summer, but knew I had missed a few places. So I carefully dug the whole bed three or four times to see it I could find all the potatoes. (I never get them all - there are always some that sprout the next spring.) I got a nice bag full. I will have plenty for tonight's Shepard's Pie.

The soil was so beautiful and rich in the dug potatoes bed. I removed rocks as I dug the spuds. Another gardener came by a marveled at the soil's beauty with me. Really wonderful.

My final job for the day was to plant garlic. I'm even later than my usual lateness this year. It never seems to matter how late I am, the garlic comes out great. I have heard an old saying that garlic should be planted on the shortest day of the year. I think that may not be true at our latitude, especially since the ground is generally frozen by Dec 21. But yesterday was a very short day, sunset just after 4, since the clocks went back the night before. I planted 75 cloves of garlic. I'm planning to go back and plant a couple more heads to bring it up to about 100 cloves planted. For the past few years I have been planting 100 cloves. It fills up a whole 10 X 4 bed. We eat 90 heads over the course of the year and I plant 10 (10%)(about 10 cloves per head). Its nice not to have to buy expensive seed garlic more than once to get the crop going. The heads seem to get bigger every year.

yesterday's harvest

2011-11-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

Leeks, cilantro, one purple onion, and a big bag of potatoes.

snowy halloween garden

2011-10-31T10:01:00.000-04:00

After a day of melting, this is my garden. We got about 3 inches of the white stuff on Saturday. Way less than other places to the west of us.

A big branch fell in the backyard that will need to be cleared with a power saw. I hope the weather warms and stays snow-free at least til next weekend so I can clean up my gardens. I was still picking peppers and basil last week and had done minimal clean up. I guess its time to prepare for winter!

happy halloween!!!

2011-10-31T01:55:00.001-04:00

Skippy is taking it easy this Halloween!

halloween pumpkins

2011-10-30T10:03:00.000-04:00

My mom has been asking me what to do with pumpkins. I like to keep them out for decoration until Halloween and then start cooking with them. Pumpkin bread and pumpkin soup are my favorites.

snow on thyme - much too early

2011-10-28T23:51:00.005-04:00

My gnome who tends the thyme is shoveling out a dusting of early October snow. Much too early! Some places west of us got inches of snow. Ours melted by the time the sun rose to mid morning.

today's harvest

2011-10-22T22:54:00.004-04:00

I picked the last of my cucumbers, eggplant, poblano peppers and cherry tomatoes, then pulled the plants out and added them to the overflowing compost bins. Broccoli continues to produce little side shoots. I picked two lemons from my Meyers lemon tree, which is still outside.

Today's project today was to clear out the cold frame, fertilize and turn the soil, then and put the top panels back on. We replaced the old ripped plastic on the panels with some nice new green house plastic that I got by mail order. My experiment this fall is a couple of fluorescent lights in the frame. I have a nice tray full of seedling greens and there isn't enough sunlight any more to support growth. Still nice and warm, so I will see what happens.

Belmont wild life

2011-10-21T23:52:00.008-04:00

There seems to be an explosion of wildlife in suburban Boston. Maybe its just that I'm noticing it now and didn't for the past 20 years. But it seems like a new thing.

The other night I was looking out the bedroom door after dark and watched a fox run up the middle of road! Very thick fur, big plump tail, held straight out behind with a white tip.

Then the next night I was watching out the door again and I must have seen 5 rabbits cross the road. (OK maybe the same rabbit was going back and forth.) Later the screech owl was doing a quiet warble from across the road.

Today, Skippy and I went for a car wash. When we finished at dusk, there was a wild turkey in the lot by my car. Its a busy place with noise and bright lights. Skippy rolled his eyes at the bold turkey. I snapped photos then the turkey flew up into a tree to roost.

To top it off, just now I was looking out the window for no more than 2 minutes and 2 'coons ran across the road.

While I've seen rabbits and raccoons and turkeys in town before (not foxes or owls) its amazing to see so many, so easily. I'm glad they're finding habitat here!

today's harvest

2011-10-20T23:03:00.004-04:00

I haven't been working in my garden much at all in the past couple months. My new business is keeping me very busy. The garden looks a bit unoccupied. Some weeds here and there. Little birds helping themselves. Old squash vines and corn stalks lying in the beds. But gardens can be very happy on their own. Late fall green are growing. And my harvest is still delicious. On Tuesday evening Skippy and I stopped by and filled up a bag with vegetables as fresh as they get.

I found one last patty pan summer squash, leeks, lots of small broccoli sprouts, potatoes, a few small beets, cilantro, mizuna, and arugula, a few small heads of lettuce, and a really heavy head of purple cabbage.

vacation

2011-10-15T22:33:00.006-04:00

We had a fantastic weekend at the Inn at Crotched Mountain in Francestown NH. It was a relaxing weekend - we hiked and dined. They have a "dog-friendly" inn - Skippy loved it too. He ran in the big fields and swam in the brook. What fun!

They have a lovely backyard with several apple trees, a peach tree, and a nice vegetable garden.

Here are photos of the Inn and our hike nearby: Vacation slideshow

Here are photos of their garden: The Inn's garden slideshow. I look forward to a return visit in mid summer!

today's harvest

2011-10-06T22:28:00.005-04:00

Today's harvest: lots of broccoli and green peppers and chilis. (I gave most of these away before I took this picture.) Also, a big leek, a Benning's green tint patty pan squash, red Thai hot peppers, and a couple beets.

I also harvested a nice big pear today. Still green. I hope it will ripen well. I have read that pears should be picked green and ripen off the tree. I hope this is right. I originally had 5 pears set on my 2 young espaliered trees in my community garden plot this spring. Three disappeared back in August. One disappeared last week. So with one left and cold weather setting in, I picked the last pear today. (I think the others were picked by passers by. Next year I will devise a net or extra fencing to protect them if I get more fruit to set.)

pumpkins on the steps

2011-10-04T23:16:00.000-04:00

skippy

2011-10-03T23:04:00.000-04:00

fall photos

2011-10-02T23:00:00.002-04:00

watermelon martini!!

2011-09-15T23:10:00.002-04:00

This was the most crisp and sweet watermelon I've ever tasted! It was small but really yummy. My cantaloupes didn't ripen fully, even in the long hot summer we had this year.

aerial after the storm

2011-08-28T22:21:00.002-04:00

We were lucky and have very little damage in my yard from hurricane Irene. My rain gauge says we got 3.3 inches of rain. The town of Belmont had a number trees down and power was out in some areas. Tomorrow I'll check out the other side of town where my community garden plot is. This area is low and sometimes has flooding.

hurricane irene

2011-08-27T22:29:00.007-04:00

Liz at bisforbread.wordpress.com asked

Hi Kathy!

I wonder if you've come across any helpful advice for how to prepare a garden for Hurricane Irene this weekend. We're in western Massachusetts and are of course harvesting all that we can, but I'm finding few other tips online. Do you have any suggestions for how to save our squash, brussels sprouts, etc. from the deluge ahead?

Good luck with the hurricane - I hope you'll enjoy a martini when it arrives!

Liz

Great idea about that martini!!! A super idea for a storm.

About the garden - I just made sure there was nothing that could blow around. I took down my umbrella and stashed it under the squashes. I brought my drinking cup home from my community garden and took down my bird feeders and a wobbly old bird house. I picked the apples from my tiny tree since they seemed like they were nearly ready, the squirrel was eating one, and I was afraid they would blow off. (I left my pears on my tree.) Another gardener at the community garden took down her pole beans - mostly because they were pretty much done already anyway. (I left my pole bean teepee up.) And I harvested what was ready.

Here in Belmont we are to the east of the storm. I'm not expecting much wind or rain tomorrow. I think flooding may be our biggest problem. Our community gardens and my basement sometimes flood in storms. We'll see. I hope all the gardens to the west of me fare well.

I'm looking forward to a day inside tomorrow while the wounds blow and the rain falls. I'm thinking I'll make eggplant parmesan and maybe stuffed zucchini. Also a batch of cucumber pickles and maybe some red sauce. That will keep me busy.

Let me know what garden preparations you have made. Or what you plan to do during the storm.

this week's harvest

2011-08-27T22:16:00.002-04:00

apple harvest

2011-08-27T22:03:00.004-04:00

I picked all my apples today. A bit early. The squirrel had started eating one (he thinks they're ready!) and hurricane Irene is coming in tomorrow and I don't know if the wind might blow then around. The 20 heavy apples seemed so big on my little tree! Some branches were weighted down almost to the grass.

I've read that apples ripen up after picking. They sure look pretty! I'm admiring them in a bowl on my table.

more fungi

2011-08-24T06:52:00.005-04:00

What a humid summer!

My apples have fungi too. Black mildew on the fruits. The good news is that it washes right off. I picked all my apples today (a bit early) and they washed up perfectly.

Tomato fruits and squash leaves have mildew too.

tomato spots

2011-08-24T06:51:00.004-04:00

I have every type of spot on my tomatoes this year - except late blight, thank goodness. Big spots, small ones, orange and brown and black. The damage is pretty much limited to the fruits and is not on the leaves or stems of the plants.

Its been perfect weather for fungi this summer - hot and humid. But I think much of my problem is that I planted my tomato plants too dense and between tall popcorn and sunflowers that reduce airflow. Other gardeners in our community garden have nice tomatoes that they planted with lot of airflow. Next year I will do this too....

apples on the tree

2011-08-23T09:36:00.002-04:00

There are about 20 apples on my dwarf Fugi apple tree this year. All are getting big and red and I'm tempted to pick one soon. I can imagine the crisp juicy bites!

All summer, the apples have been covered with plastic baggies and I just removed them last weekend. I took them off on Sunday because it seemed some of the fruits were getting some black fungal/mildew growth. Its been such a humid summer that I think I have every type of fungus growing in my garden somewhere this year.

The risk for the uncovered apples now is that the squirrels might find them before I pick them. Once they start to sweeten up the squirrels get interested. I'd like to leave them on the tree to ripen as long a I can. SO I'm watching out.

first pumpkin

2011-08-22T22:18:00.001-04:00

Is there a good way to know when pumpkins are ready to pick? I usually pick when they are deep orange or the stem is hardened.

Ah! sunflower

2011-08-21T21:56:00.003-04:00

August is for sunflowers! I love all the tiny little flowers gathered together into one great big sunny ring of yellow.

(Wikipedia says there are 1,000-2,000 little flowers per head and that H. Vogel proposed in 1979 that the polar coordinates of their arrangement is modeled by r = c \sqrt{n}, \theta = n \times 137.5^{\circ}.)

Our community gardens are full of many 15 foot tall sunflowers this year. They stand above the fence tops. The sparrows, goldfinches and chickadees are singing as they flit among them.

Ah! sunflower, weary of time,
Who countest the steps of the sun,
Seeking after that sweet golden clime
Where the traveller’s journey is done;

William Blake P. 1793

Skippy

2011-08-20T06:46:00.001-04:00

my plot

2011-08-19T07:34:00.002-04:00

Garden notes:

Very late peppers and tomatoes. And small onions. That's from planting outside too early this spring into my cold frame. An experiment.

As usual, my garden plot is way overgrown - I like to squeeze in as much as I can.

Beautiful popcorn, potatoes, garlic and eggplants. It may be a good year for my melons finally - fingers crossed as they continue to ripen and grow.

ripening melons

2011-08-18T22:10:00.002-04:00

A nice hot summer and I have my first ever melons ripening! A Charentois and a San Juan. I think maybe a watermelon or two will ripen also. I can't wait to try them!!

How do I know when they are ripe???

Judy's butterfly garden

2011-08-17T22:05:00.001-04:00

I've never seen a hummingbird moth before. My sister helped me identify it. Amazing!

Judy owns the community garden plot next to mine. She planted a butterfly garden along the path for everyone to enjoy. Its a moving experience of buzzing and color. Every time I go to my plot, I walk by and marvel. Last weekend I had my camera and took a bunch of photos.

mixed up pumpkins and squashes

2011-08-16T22:04:00.003-04:00

I raised many varieties of pumpkins, squashes, cucumbers and winter squashes from seeds this year and it seems I did a bad job of labeling....

Pumpkins: New England Pie, Long Island Cheese, Baby Pam, Galeaux, Orange Giant, and Rouge vif d'Etampes
Winter squash: Lakota, Buttercup, Waltham Butternut, Delicata

The giant pumpkins I gave my parents grew into yellow summer squash, cucumbers ended up in the middle of the pumpkin bed, and giant 80 pound pumpkins are now hanging from my parents' little mesh garden fence.

I can't think of how this happened!!! I wrote a label for each. Maybe it was that late night transplanting. Or the rushed 2nd re-potting. Next year - next year....

Photos of the giant (70 kg!!) pumpkins are below (I think). They have an unusual squashy stem and color is bright orange/yellow. They're about 10 lbs in weight(my guess) so far. They were meant to be planted in my parents' front yard to sprawl where they wanted, but ended up on the fine mesh deer fence of the vegetable garden and are pulling it down as they gain weight. The prolific vines have made a beautiful wall of green at the front of the garden. My parents need to part the leaves to enter. It feels kind of like Alice in Wonderland walking into another world. So far there are about 2 big pumpkins and 5 or 8 smaller ones forming. I am wondering how big they will get!!!

window view

2011-08-16T06:32:00.003-04:00

... my side yard garden from the window ...

garden aerial

2011-08-15T22:05:00.003-04:00

I took this photo in the middle of the August full sun with the sprinklers going. Too much for my camera. I will get another photo soon in dimmer light. What a glorious time of year!

onions

2011-08-03T13:19:00.002-04:00

My onions are rapidly maturing. The tops are falling over. I pulled about half of mine today. I leave then to cure int eh sun a day or two, because that's what I see that the old gardeners do. My onions are very small this year :-(

fall sowing

2011-08-01T23:10:00.002-04:00

I sowed a tray of seeds today. A few experiments. Since my carrots and parsnips didn't sprout well this spring from direct seeding in the garden, I'm trying seeding in pots for the first time. They need constant moisture and it was dry this spring/summer, and I didn't keep up with irrigation. Don't know if they do well being transplanted. I think I can dig a deep hole and line up the root so I get a straight root.

Carrots, Bolero and Mokum
Parsnips,
Beets, Chiogga, Lutz, and Detroit White
Greens, mixed
Broccoli
Escarole, Frissee
Cauliflower
Spinach
Winter radish
Fennel

parasitic wasps

2011-08-01T22:59:00.004-04:00

My first shipment of corn worm parasitic wasps arrived 3 weeks ago. They need to go out to the field within 24 hours, so I ran over to the community gardens and distributed the four cards. Each card has pin head size wasp eggs glued to it. I searched through the plots and found about 10or 12 patches of corn. In four of them, I hung a card of eggs.

I am receiving more eggs about once a week and each time I place the cards in different patches.

The wasps parasitize the eggs of the European Corn Borer. Its an experiment to see if this helps with our worms. From looking back to my old photos (below), the worms I had two years ago were Corn Ear Worms, not Borers. My understanding is that the Ear Worm lays its eggs singly so its hard for a wasp to be effective against them because it has to find every egg. On the other hand the European Corn Borer lays eggs in a cluster, so the wasps can effectively parasitize all of them. It seem like a fantastic, organic method of pest control, so I am trying the experiment anyway.

harvests

2011-08-01T08:57:00.003-04:00

I was working all last week and didn't get time to go to the garden. On Saturday I found a bunch of scary giant zucchinis! I left 4 of the biggest squashes out for others to take. The good news is they disappeared within a few minutes.

I cannot believe how delicious my potatoes are this year. Last night we grilled then - fantastic.

The cucumber below is a long Sooyow nishiki Asian cucumber and I forgot to photograph it before I sliced it - next time.

What's here: Bennings Green Tint summers squash, Romanesco zucchini, yellow crookneck summer squash, red potatoes, fennel, some small purple onions, a bunch of little red radishes, a head of Chinese cabbage, and two beets: a Chiogga and a Detroit white.

mystery squashes

2011-07-30T21:55:00.003-04:00

This year I have a bunch of squash-type plants that volunteered in my community garden plot. One of them sprouted from my compost bin, and is growing out of my fence and into the path. No fruits yet. I am curious to see what it will produce. The others are a clump of three plants in the far corner of the plot where my compost bin was last year. They are BIG plants that sprouted early. The fruits are forming and look like Big Rock pumpkins.

my plot

2011-07-30T09:46:00.003-04:00

Just photos. They tell the story themselves....

rabbit...

2011-07-29T21:42:00.002-04:00

Skippy in his shady spot

2011-07-27T06:35:00.000-04:00

Skippy has dug a BIG hole under his shade cover. Its the only place in the garden he's allowed to dig. Must be cooler down there. We've been at the garden on some really hot days this past week.

garden notes

2011-07-26T20:35:00.004-04:00

I noticed today the the squash stem borers are killing the giant pumpkin in the cold frame. It looks like it won't last much longer. I will try to remember not to grow squashes of any type in my yard as this is what usually happens.

The parasitic wasps I ordered for the Mexican bean beetles and corn ear worms are both back ordered. I'll be waiting weeks til they are available. By then, probably too late. Oh well. I will try to remember to pre-order next year.

Today I harvested cherry tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers. And I'm making a squash casserole with my garden zucchini and garlic, and using up the last of my store bought potatoes.

I saw lots of tiny melons starting to set at my community plot the other day. I look forward to watching them grow.

Eggplants are sizing up and basil is taking off.

My beans that the rabbit trimmed are regrowing and seem like they will recover.

I was asked "What is that big yellow thing?" growing in my community plot. I'm wondering too. I started 6 or 8 different types of winter squash and pumpkins and planted them in a patch, but it doesn't look like any of them. I'm wondering if I mixed up a label.

summer at the community garden

2011-07-25T09:43:00.001-04:00

The gardens are so beautiful and full of produce. Skippy and I walked around the paths and I took photos. Here's a slideshow.

garden aerial

2011-07-24T21:34:00.004-04:00

This week the cute little bunny ate my beans almost to nothing - so I now have a new fence made of chicken wire two and a half feet high all around my garden. I didn't realize those little rabbits can get through fence smaller than 2 inches and can jump a foot or more!!! Amazing.

Its a good year for bunnies and a good year for my garden. The hot weather is great for the basil and eggplants. The cukes are producing well and my giant pumpkin vines are coming along. The pumpkins are at the back side of my cold frame and are spilling over the edge and heading for the font yard where they will have room to sprawl.

harvests

2011-07-23T22:14:00.001-04:00

These are photos of my harvests this past week.

Can't say what I've enjoyed most. I have my first tomatoes - a cherry (variety Prince) given to me and raised by Diane (Thanks Diane!). The new potatoes are fantastic, fried, sauteed or boiled. And the zucchini are growing amazingly fast, as usual for zucchini. Nice cukes, lots of lettuce and a big fava bean harvest. I peeled all the favas, blanched and froze some and made a nice dinner out of the rest. I sauteed then with garden fennel and garlic. Yummy.

garden event cancelled due to heat

2011-07-20T22:13:00.002-04:00

:-( We thought it was best to cancel the Event scheduled at our community garden because of the extreme heat the weather service is forecasting. The humidity and heat are supposed to be dangerous here tomorrow through 8 pm. We'll reschedule for August 25, 6 pm.

garden event

2011-07-17T23:02:00.006-04:00

This is an event we will hold at our Community Gardens this Thursday evening. We welcome any gardeners, would-be gardeners, or anyone interested in beekeeping to join us.

PLEASE JOIN US!

July 21 (Thursday) at 6/6:30 p.m.
Joan Teebagy – Bees at Rock Meadow (more info)

BELMONT COMMUNITY VICTORY GARDEN SUMMER GATHERINGS

Join other gardeners for a BYO picnics, fun, and informative presentation. Bring your own lawn chairs.

Picnic will start on the hour and the presentation half an hour later. Feel free to bring something to share.

Heavy rain cancels.

fledged robins

2011-07-17T22:22:00.004-04:00

The robins from the nest outside my kitchen window fledged yesterday. On Friday morning, first thing after I turned on the coffee pot, I looked out and the nest was full of two big robin chicks chirping and mouths open. Mom and Dad Robin were in the yard scurrying round and just generally being great parents. And then Saturday morning I hit the coffee button and went to the window and the nest was empty. No note, no babies hanging around the yard. :-( Oh well. The season moves on. All the baby birds and rabbits are now out and about in the beautiful lush world of a New England summer.

butterfly milkweed

2011-07-16T22:12:00.001-04:00

It was a big surprise to me to find this bright orange Butterfly Weed today! A few years ago (2008) I bought seeds of Asclepias tuberosa, a native orange milkweed. I raised a couple small plants and tucked then in a few different spots in my garden. Then I forgot about them. I never expected then to survive. What a joy!

covered crops

2011-07-15T22:04:00.002-04:00

I have a couple patches covered with garden fabric this summer. One is broccoli, the other kale. At first I covered them because of the baby rabbits. Then my husband and son were so nice to put up chicken wire abound my garden to keep the cute bunny out. I left the row cover on the protect the plants from white cabbage butterflies. I am admiring how well my wood planks work as walking paths, patch dividers, AND row fabric holders.

Almost time to remove them I think because the plants are getting BIG.

today's harvest

2011-07-12T00:35:00.001-04:00

cheers to the first cuke of the season!!!

2011-07-11T21:56:00.004-04:00

A pretty little North Carolina Pickling cucumber is my first this year. As usual.... And what to do to celebrate the first cucumber? A martini of course.

(my nails look like I've been digging potatoes! yes.)

garden work

2011-06-29T23:37:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful hot dry morning after a good rain last night.

Today's garden work:
Weed
String up the tomato vines
Admire the giant potato bushes
Try to aim the squashes up the trellis
Check on the bagged apples and pears
Harvest half of my garlic, wash and lay out to dry

sunflowers under bulletin board

2011-06-28T09:42:00.002-04:00

I found some nice Teddy bear sunflowers in a garden store last weekend and bought plants to go under our community garden bulletin board. I had these in my plot last year. They stay short but fill out and keep blooming.

rock garden

2011-06-23T21:42:00.001-04:00

My patio garden.... Rocks are from the beach last year....

community garden pot-luck lunch

2011-06-22T23:15:00.001-04:00

We had a fun community garden event last Saturday. Judy arranged it. A pot luck lunch to celebrate the summer solstice. Gardeners brought salads from their gardens. Dianne and Glenn brought a fantastic cauliflower and dill salad, I brought garlic scape pesto, Judy made harvest bread, there was also a big bowl of fresh picked lettuce a gardener brought. I will post my scape recipe soon and hopefully Diane's cauliflower recipe too.

We also did am impromptu seedling share. Katherine had strawberry and magenta silene divisions. I was very happy to take some of each. I had lots of little tomato, pepper, squash and melon seedlings to share. They disappeared fast.

We had a "meeting" after the eating and swapping and did a bit of "community garden work". Identify what gardeners think is lacking and what we can do. Among items identified were better water pressure and trash cans. We outlined ideas and solutions - just as lightning and a spring down pour broke up the gathering.

my parents garden

2011-06-21T22:41:00.001-04:00

On Father's Day, I visited my parents and helped a bit in their garden. My dad hoed the tomatoes and planted beans, I pulled some garlic and labeled plants I gave them earlier in the spring. I also planted nasturtiums and giant sunflower seeds here and there. They have been picking lettuce, spinach, and arugula all spring. They have nice fennel, peas, red cabbage, napa cabbage, beets, and celery coming along. Also tomatoes, peppers, basil, and cucumbers. Arugula and bok choy have gone to seed, with flowers adding color and attracting beneficial insects.

My dad planted a couple of my giant pumpkin plants in the middle of his front yard. They will cover a newly installed meter and have LOTS of room to sprawl over the grass. This variety is reputed to produce several 100 pound pumpkins per plant. Cool!

young melon seedlings

2011-06-21T21:31:00.000-04:00

I tucked my melons under the garlic this year. It's my third year trying (unsuccessfully so far) to get a fully grown ripe melon. I think this will be the year.

The garlic will come out in a few weeks and then the melons can have free run. I'm going to find tomato supports for each hill of melons.

I have 7 varieties / 7 hills this year:

Melon, Charantais, Savor F1
Melon, Charantais, Edonis F1
Melon, Anne Arundel
Melon, San Juan
Watermelon, Ice Box Mickeylee
Watermelon, Yellow
Watermelon, Red Sugar Baby

It seems to me that melons are the most difficult crop to grow. I think they need lots of compost, fertilizer, up off the ground, and a long hot dry season with lots of irrigation that doesn't get their leaves too wet. As I said though, I haven't gotten a ripe melon yet, so I'm not an expert....

robin nest

2011-06-20T21:45:00.005-04:00

I found the robin's nest. I knew it was near by. Turns out, its about 5 feet from my kitchen window. We've had four birds nesting in our 30 x 40 foot back yard this spring: a wren, house sparrows, cardinal and this robin.

summer solstice

2011-06-20T19:24:00.010-04:00

A beautiful day! So much sun. Six months ago, I dreamed of this day. Today... well my muscles ache from mowing and weeding and planting and walking. It can't get any better than this.

My garden has begun to take off. Everyday morning I check and the plants are noticeably bigger, the weeds are thicker, and there is some new bug or critter. I have a big toad that lives in the third path to the left in my community plot. He was out today as I came to check. He hops back and shuffles under the hay to hide from me and Skippy but I can see his eyes watching me. (Skippy never notices him.) He's very fat - must be finding plenty of bugs! I am lucky to have him helping in my garden. (Even better than a garden gnome - not to criticize their well meaning contribution...)

Before gardening today, Skippy and I ran through the fields and back to the water hole where Skippy had a good swim. Then Skippy dug out a nice hollow under his table and rested out of the strong sun.

Today's garden tasks:
Weeded
Thinned my popcorn
Planted beet and cilantro seeds
Fertilized popcorn, peppers and asparagus
Bagged the pears (BTW, the variety of my 2nd tree is "dwarf Kieffer pear")
Watered
Noticed that the potato beetles are out of control - larvae all over the leaves

At home I:
Ordered parasitic wasps for corn (enough to cover the 1.5 acre community garden) (IPM Laboratories)
Looked into parasitic wasps for beans (Arbico)
Read a little about how hard it is to control Colorado potato beetles (any suggestions!!!?)

bagged apples

2011-06-19T10:21:00.004-04:00

I looked around for some information on bagging my apples and pears. Here's an informative thread: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/fruit/msg0400030418546.html. It seems that plastic Ziploc bags are the way to go. Zip the baggie over the stem of apples about 3/4 inches in diameter and cut off the lowest corner of the bag so any water that gets in will drain.

I have 24 apples bagged now. Will do my 5 pears soon.

popcorn sprouts

2011-06-19T08:41:00.000-04:00

My popcorn is a couple inches tall now. I thinned it once to about 2-3 inches apart and will thin again to about 6 inches soon. There is a giant sunflower that volunteered at the far end of the bed. It should be able to outgrow the corn.

I am planning to order some parasitic warps this year to see it I can get ears without worms. I need to order these soon.

baby pumpkin

2011-06-18T20:31:00.000-04:00

Baby pumpkins are forming! We'll see if they set.

Skippy's shady spot

2011-06-18T08:33:00.000-04:00

My husband made Skippy a shady spot to hang out in. I call it his "crate". He loves it. Its the only spot in my garden where he is allowed to dig. He digs out a nice cool hollow in the damp earth and lies down in the shade on a hot sunny day. And I can sit next to him and use the top as a table. Not too bad.....

tied up asparagus

2011-06-17T20:24:00.001-04:00

I was asked about how I "tired up" my asparagus. Here's a picture. A couple wood posts and some string around the edge of the patch. As I look at other asparagus patches, they seem to stand up better on their own than mine. Mine flops over onto the broccoli. Maybe because its young (3 years old). This does the trick. I'll remember to bring some fertilizer to it tomorrow. And I suppose it could use a couple inches of compost layered on top. Please let me know any advice for growing asparagus.

espaliered pear trees

2011-06-17T20:14:00.002-04:00

I have two espaliered pear trees in my community plot. This week I pruned them and tired up some stray branches. My new pear tree has 5 little pears that set. The older Bartlett tree again had no fruit - like last year. It has crossed my mind that maybe its because I am pruning them wrong. Could this be? Maybe I should prune earlier in the year.

apple tree

2011-06-16T19:32:00.001-04:00

This is the back of my side yard - behind the vegetable garden. Center view is my little Fugi apple tree. This year is has at least a dozen apples!!! More than ever before. :)) We trimmed a big branch off off the maple tree in the backyard and I guess the apple appreciated it.

I like to cover the young apples to keep away bugs and squirrels. I've used stockings in the past, but don't have enough old stockings for such a big crop. I'm looking into other options. Any suggestions??

Same question for my pear tree at my community plot. It has a dozen or more pears forming. I'd like to cover them soon.

young cardinal on my cucumber trellis

2011-06-15T19:30:00.000-04:00