March 19, 2012 - A Garden in the Making

It's been a busy month so far, with the garden expansion and the seed starting. Quite a few things were started inside in March, and a few seeds were sown out in the garden as well. Nothing else is scheduled for planting until April 1, so here is what has been done this month:


3/1 Arugula - Planted 3 cells

3/1 Lettuce - Planted 9 cells Ed's Special Mix

3/1 Spinach, Space - Planted 17 cells presprouted and 1 cell unsprouted seed, 18 total

3/4 Spinach, New Zealand - Planted 6 cells 3 of which were pre- sprouted (50% germination, the other three never did sprout)

3/8 Cabbage - Started 6 each Gonzales & Pixie (dwarf varieties) in 6-packs

3/8 Broccoli, Hybrid Super Blend Started 9 in 6-packs

3/8 Brussels Sprouts, Catskills - Started 3 in 6-packs

3/8 Chinese Cabbage, Michili - Started 3 in 6-packs

3/8 Peppers - Started 3 each (hot) Early Jalapeno & Dave's Happy Yummy Hot; 3 each Dave's Happy Yummy Sweet, Corno Di Toro, Quadrato Rosso D'Asti, Red Marconi; 6 Quadrato Giallo D'Asti (sweet yellow) in 6-packs (24 total)

3/9 Radishes - Planted 2 short rows in triangle bed #2; Sparkler and some old mixed seeds.

3/11 Tomatoes - Started 2 each Black Cherry, Isis Candy, Una Heartstock, Homestead, Marglobe Supreme, Mountain Princess, Marion, Victor, Bloody Butcher, Bush Celebrity, Coastal Pride Orange, Fabulous, Pixie, New Big Dwarf & Rio Fuego in 6-packs (30 total).

3/12 Peppers - Started 6 Horizon Orange in a 6-pack.

3/13 Potatoes, Dark Red Norland - Planted 20 (1 1/2 lb.)

3/13 Transplanted 8 mixed lettuce seedlings

3/14 Flowers, Echinacea - Started 12 in 6-packs

3/15 Transplanted: Lettuce (6 romaine), Beets (17 Chioggia), Celery (12 Tall Utah #527OR Improved), Spinach (7 Space)

3/15 Basil - Started 3 each Dk. Opal, Lettuce Leaf, Sweet, Blue Spice in 6-packs (12 total)

3/15 Camomile - Started 6 in a 6-pack.

3/15 Larkspur - Started 6 in a 6-pack.

3/15 Lettuce - Started 3 each: Ruby & Emerald Duet, Gentilina, Yug. Red, Lingue de Condrino in 6-packs (12 total)

3/15 Onions, Southport White Globe - Planted 31 seedlings (more than 180 seeds were planted, 90+ failed to germinate, and only 31 of the remaining were fit to plant.) TOTAL FAIL!

3/15 Onions, Walla Walla Sweet (plants)- Planted 68

3/15 Peas, Lincoln - Planted 35 seeds around tepee

3/16 Flowers, Sweet Peas, Eckford's Finest Mix (4-6' height) - Planted 2 pkts. , one pkt. on each side of the the kennel garden entrance.

3/16 Peas, Cascadia sugar snap - Planted 6' double row.

3/16 Onions, Walla Walla Sweet (plants)- Planted 54 (122 total)

3/17 Potatoes, Russet Norkota Planted 20 (1 1/2 lb.)

3/17 Potatoes,Yukon Gold - Planted 16 (1 1/4 lb.)

3/18 Tomatoes - Planted 2 Pixie, 2 New Big Dwarf, 2 Fabulous, 2 Bloody Butcher, 2 Bush Celebrity, 1 Homestead, 1 Marion in cups. These are my "insurance" plants to cover the ones planted a week ago that haven't yet germinated. I'm sure they'll all grow now, and I'll have way too many tomato plants again.

3/19 Flowers, Marigolds, Lemon Yellow - Planted 20 in soil blocks

3/19 Flowers, Marigolds, Petite Yellow - Planted 20 in soil blocks

3/19 Flowers, Zinnias, Lilliput - Planted 24 in soil blocks

3/19 Flowers, Zinnias, Dwarf Pumila Sprite - Planted 24 in soil blocks

3/19 Beets, Red Ace - Planted 34 in triangle garden #2

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The garden plots are all raked smooth and the roots and debris have all been removed. Viewing the garden from left to right:




Hidden behind the shed is the lettuce garden and a small bed of garlic. Four cherry tomatoes will be planted next to the shed, with miscellaneous pots of who knows what in between them. Morning glories will be planted to climb the fence. There are perennial flowers along the fence line. The top section of the old (broken) compost bin will hold a hill of cantaloupe, the vines should cover its ugliness. I removed the front half of the next raised bed, to make room for a path wide enough for the wheelbarrow. I think that will actually give me enough room to expand the bed in front of it from 2' wide to 3' wide, so I'm not losing a lot of planting space. The remaining raised 4' x 4' bed has been planted with spinach, onion and beet seedlings. More spinach seedlings are being hardened off to finish the bed. The triangle beds are in the front, and have been planted with garlic, radishes, beets and peas. The long raised bed is still empty, and the soil from the bed I removed will be relocated there to fill it up. The small container at the end of this bed holds oregano. The two long beds in the front have been amended with composted manure, and so far contain only a dozen celery plants.


The raised bed, with the birdhouse on a post, is the raspberry bed. In front of that is the bottom half of the old compost bin, which will be planted with butternut squash. This is where the old maple tree stump is, which was impossible to remove. The huge roots run out for several feet, so the area is only good for squash vines to run. The next raised bed, to the right of the raspberries, is the strawberry bed. The old half-barrels will be dismantled and disposed of (they're rotted through) and pole beans will eventually cover the back fence. On the far right, just outside the kennel garden, are the sugar snap peas and sweet peas. In the kennel garden, I'll probably just plant flowers. It is always a pleasant place to sit and rest, surrounded by blossoms. In front of the kennel there is enough room for two small (4' x 8') beds for sweet corn, and probably another new bed that will be about 3' x 8 or 10'. To the far right I've planted a short row of potatoes that didn't fit in the bed that had been planned for them.


The east garden, as I've already shown, holds the remaining potatoes and all of the sweet onions. I've hooked the plastic fencing to the chain link fence with S-hooks, so I can undo them and pull the plastic over to the big gate that opens into the back yard. That way I can access that manure pile with the wheelbarrow without letting the dogs into the garden area. Son John is installing the small gate so I don't have to go all the way through the garden shed and the entire garden to get to this end of it.


Speaking of son John........my home made soil block maker broke, so I've had to return to using the plastic 6-packs for the seedlings. Yesterday John made me a new block maker from a medicine bottle. It's a nice size, and uses about half the seeding mix that the old one did. Today I made 88 soil blocks for my marigolds and zinnias.


I planted these tomatoes in 5-ounce plastic cups, half filled with seed mix. I've noticed my earlier planted tomatoes and peppers are quite tall and spindly, even though I keep the lights within 2" of the tops, so as these seedlings sprout and grow, I can add a bit of the mix as needed, until it reaches the top of the cup. I've found that method makes very sturdy, well rooted seedlings.


The bottom shelf, with its warming rope lights, is packed with newly seeded containers.

Three flats of seedlings are under lights.


Peppers and tomatoes are a bit leggy, but beginning to develop their first true leaves.


The Mini Gold tomato, planted 1/26, now has four little tomatoes on it, and several new blossoms.


All the shelves had to be removed from the plant window to make room for the tallest tomato plant. They seem to be thriving in this window, even though it faces north and gets no sun. It's been too cold to move the plants outside for some fresh air and sunshine this week.


34 comments:

  1. Wow you have done so much. I need to get off my butt. I feel weeks behind you!

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    1. Oh, sure...I doubt anyone will ever call you "Lazy Liisa" ;-)

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  2. I thought I was out of control with my seed starting, you're making me look like an amateur :) You should have no problems filling your garden.

    Your garden is looking great and I'm looking forward to see it's progress in the coming months.

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    1. Ed, somebody (you know him well) sent me all those seeds...gotta get them started and planted!

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  3. Good going. I have just "borrowed" a 6500K floodlight from a manufacturer and will have to see if it helps germination. It's bright here, but cold out, so I think putting the trays out during the day is a bit of a negative (although kale and cabbages don't seem to mind).

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    1. IG, my stuff gets set out on the south facing front porch only when the temperature is above 55F. Except the cool crops, which sometimes go out above 45F. Nothing on the grow shelves is large enough to go outside yet, but all of the earlier seedlings, that aren't already in the garden, are now living on the patio 24/7. That would be things like beets, spinach and Johnny Jump Ups.

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  4. Happy first day of Spring! You garden expansion and seedlings are looking great.
    What type of raspberries do you grow and are you happy with them? I'm thinking about putting in a similar bed with trellis and can't seem to decide which type to grow.

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    1. Happy Spring to you too, Gardeness! I grow Canby, a summer bearing raspberry. I do like them a lot, but they aren't a particularly large berry. I sometimes wish I had planted an everbearing, like Heritage. I had Heritage at my previous house, and I think they may have been a bit better than the Canby. I don't know, I think any of them are delicious. I do wish I'd planted them in the middle of the yard, where I could mow on both sided of the row. Even in their deep raised bed, the suckers manage to invade half the garden. I'm really considering moving a few plants into the narrow flower bed on the east side of the house. It might not get enough sun, but if they perform well there, I'd just move the entire patch to that location.

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  5. After all that hard work it is nice to take a breather and acknowledge all that has been accomplished. And wow! You have certainly accomplished a lot. Now if only the weather would cooperate for you. -Rachel

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    1. Rachel, what's a breather? LOL, I still have to get that half yard of manure moved to the garden beds, I have to get a ton of carrot seed tapes made to plant, and I really need to spend some time working IN the house! When the dust on the piano is thick enough to plant in, it's time to clean ;-)

      I am breathing easier now that the garden is secured from the dogs.

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    2. Maybe *I* need the breather after reading all you have accomplished. Whew! I am exhausted :)

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    3. I'm taking one today, after all. I was just worn out this morning, so I spent the day inside soaking in a hot bath, playing games on the computer and starting my carrot seed mats. Heading out for dinner tonight, too.....Blooming Onion, steak, salad and sweet potato fries at Outback :-)

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  6. It looks like it is all coming along for you. I feel behind since I've been away for two weeks. Two weeks is way too long in the spring time.

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    1. Daphne, I'm actually going to take three days off in a couple of weeks. I've not scheduled any planting for those days :-) Yes, two weeks at this time of year is an eternity!

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  7. "whew" just reading this long list of everything you've done makes me tired :) Love your selections and varieties!

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    1. Jenny, our dear friend Ed sent me a lot of those seeds, all being varieties I have either grown before and loved, or varieties I have wanted to try, and a few I've never heard of that he recommends. Robin also gifted me with a membership to the "Seeds of the Month" club, so many new to me varieties are from that source. Of course, I always have to try new tomato varieties to plant along side my favorites, and many of those seeds are free from WinterSown.

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  8. I'm always super impressed with what you do. It's been too cold to take the 'maters out for a spin, even though it was actually sunny.

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    1. Stefaneener, the big tomatoes have only enjoyed maybe three days on the front porch. Their last trip out turned out to be too windy for them, and they suffered some wind burned leaves. Luckily I got them back inside in time that the damage was minimal, but I'm more careful about when I set them out now. If I could find the time, I'd build them some type of windbreak!

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  9. You have been so busy! I am tired from just reading what you have done! :) I was wondering about my tomatoes and how to pot them up. They are tall but not really leggy. Do I just need to pot them up to their first leaves or should I remove the small lower ones so I can plant them deeper?

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    1. Christy, I always remove the lower leaves and pot them deeper. Roots will grow all along the buried stem and make a healthier, sturdier plant.

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    2. I might add, I've done this with leggy peppers and cabbage/broccoli too, with good results.

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    3. Thank you so much! Now I am off to the Garage to pot up my tomatoes.

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  10. i need to go to bed after reading what you did. you mention your block maker from a medicine bottle. now i need to know more about that. could you show it off?

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  11. wow! That's great variety! Your garden 2012 is gonna be awesome...as always:)

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    1. I sure hope so, Tosh. I had a dream the other night....I was eating corn, green beans, sliced tomatoes and squash from the garden, with a slice of freshly baked cinnamon raisin yeast bread. I woke up ravished! I couldn't do anything about the lack of fresh veggies, but I did make the loaf of cinnamon raisin bread! It was gooooood!

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  12. It looks like your garden revamp has been successful!

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    1. Vanessa, it's a good thing we love squash. If we didn't, I'd have to dynamite that stump out of the ground to make another plot for planting!

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  13. The hardest working Granny in the garden! It all looks so good, I have jsut some cabbage and broccoli started, but even it has not germinated yet. Temps here have been in the upper 70's low 80's for about 10 days now. I don't trust it one bit.

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    1. David, this hard working Granny is bored. So much to do, and rained out two days in a row. Oh well, the garden really needs the moisture.

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  14. WOW!! WOW!!

    I don't know why I'm so amazed and wow'ed.. you always wow me :)

    ok, questions?

    Have you ever grown brussel sprouts before? I don't recall that being a part of previous years' harvests. I'm going to try them myself this year.

    re: potatoes - where did you plant them? in a bed? container? barrel? And if in barrels and such, how many did you plant in each area? I've been told by several that I've planted TOO many when I did my potatoes in a trash can earlier this week. My thinking was that they had to grow so far UP in a trash can that they would ultimately have good space to produce. But.. I guess that's what gardening is about.. 'trowel and error!' :P

    Hugs!

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    1. OK, Wendy, since you asked....I grew Brussels sprouts once. They became infested with aphid, and were inedible, so I never grew them again. I really don't like them much, but I had the seed so I figured I'd give them another try. If they produce, and they're not full of bugs, I'll try tossing them with some olive oil and roasting them.

      Potatoes: I planted mine in wide beds. I dig trenches about 9-10" deep, then throw in a bit of compost and work it in the bottom of the trench with a garden fork. I lay the potato seed in the trench at 8-12" spacing, and pull about 2-3" of the soil over them. As they grow, I'll pull more soil over them until the trench is filled.

      The following is my opinion, not everyone will agree with me but so be it: I am not a fan of those potato towers. I think more people have failures with them than successes. Your potatoes will grow in the 9" above the seed, and to force the plants to grow higher only puts more energy into growing stem and leaves rather than into forming tubers.

      Potatoes grow great in tubs, buckets and even laundry baskets. I'm not sure I'd use such a tall trash can, but if I did I'd fill it half full of soil before I laid down the seed potatoes, then add more soil as the plants grow. Yes, you planted way too close, I'd leave at least 8" between the seeds.

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  15. So much information here to look at! I hope we have a great gardening year!

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  16. Erin, if we don't, it won't be for the lack of trying!

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