Beautiful Weeding Weather

Today we have beautiful Springtime weather, perfect for gardeners gardening and plants growing. I spent an hour of Matthew's nap weeding the veggie patch. The peas haven't come up yet. I wonder how long until they do.

I also assembled the mini Black & Decker cultivator that I got for Christmas. The battery has been charging since 10:30 this morning, so 9 hours from then - around 7:30 tonight - it should be ready to dig up the flower border on either side of the sidewalk so I can plant my pansies.

Would you believe I have a tulip blooming and another about to? My crocuses are still blooming and my daffodils haven't even started yet!

As for details on the weather... it's currently 63.5 degrees out with an expected low of 45. Saturday through Tuesday will be 52/47/rain, 67/40/tstorms & showers, 59/38/sunny, 59/43/sunny.

Another Shopping Trip at Kingstown

We bought the manure and the soaker hoses at Kingstown Farm Home and Garden, one of my favorite places to buy gardening supplies. Yesterday, Matthew and I made another stop there. We got a pair of pruning shears that I'll use to cut back last year's dead growth in my flower bed, and probably for other things too.

I also got a packet of pansy seeds. If I can get away with sowing them directly in the garden, I can get more plants for 1/10 the price. The packet I got says you can plant the seeds outside 2-4 weeks before the last frost.

Uh, we'll call the last frost date April 15 - tax day. Which means I can plant them anytime! Maybe even today. Ann says it's lovely weather out. 60 degrees. :)

Packet for the Pansies says 1/8" deep, 1" apart, thin to 4-6" apart when 1" tall. Emerges in 10-20 days. Hopefully they'll do well.

Tree Protection

Last weekend, Dave constructed some protective measures for the trees against the rabbits. He used wire mesh fence partially buried and surrounding the peach tree. For the smaller trees, he used short pieces of those wide black corrugated drainage tubes. It looks like it'll be effective.

Mommy's Little Garden Helper

Matthew makes an excellent helper in the garden. He helped Mommy by watching her weed the garden for quite a long while this afternoon. He's Mommy's little garden helper. Thanks, honey!

Norway Spruces

I've been looking over the pamphlets that came with the Arbor Day trees, particularly "The Tree Book" which shows what trees they're trying to sell. The trees are tiny, true, but also very cheap.

We've been thinking about planting an evergreen wind barrier on the windy side of our house. We've also been admiring the Norway Spruces at the tenant house down the road. "The Tree Book" offers Norway Spruces at $2.49 a piece. Or you can get 10 of them free with your $10 membership.

We need to walk the area and figure out how many 40-60' tall and 25-30' wide trees we need for an effective wind break, but I've got a feeling Dave will be joining the Arbor Day Foundation soon too.

2010 Veggie Garden?

In the name of crop rotation, and growing all my favorites but not all at once, I have designed a completely different garden for next year.

If the theme of this year's garden was all the good stuff that's better fresh from the garden, then the theme of next year's garden is the spaghetti sauce garden (with other nightshades and some strawberries thrown in because they're yummy and I have the space).

Actually, the strawberries fit better with the corn and watermelon, which is perfect because they won't have much if any harvest the year they're first planted. And the following year, I'll be back to yummy fresh stuff.

Of course, this is all way early planning and a lot could happen to change my mind between now and then. But I figure I may as well record my thoughts now, because I just might stick with the plan... and I'd like to remember it. ;)

So, on the agenda for 2010 we have eggplant, bell pepper, zucchini, tomato, basil, oregano, potatoes, and strawberries.

My Favorite Garden Tools

If Matthew cooperates, I'll try to get some more weeding done this afternoon, now that I know those clumps are not poison ivy. Meanwhile, here's a photo of my favorite garden tools for that task.

My mother-in-law introduced me to the trake - a combination shovel and rake that is both lightweight and sturdy. It's absolutely perfect for its job. One Amazon.com reviewer pointed out that the length, balance, and leverage are perfect. I agree.

The gloves have rubberized palms and fingers all the way up to the last knuckles. This is important so the dirt and mud don't enter the glove above the rubberized portion and work their way down and under your fingernails. Yuck. I'm not sure what brand this pair is, but I just bought another pair just like them with the name Boss Dirt Digger. Mine are women's medium and purple.

Last, but not least, is my recently purchased garden rocker. I've used it only once so far, but I love it. Definitely worth the 25 bucks I paid. It's a back saver, so you don't have to kneel or bend to weed. Instead, sit comfortably and lean forward, rocking a bit if you like.

Planting Asparagus Roots

This morning, while I took care of Matthew, Dave watered all the trees we planted yesterday, AND dug a 2' by 8' trench, one foot deep for the asparagus.

I got the stroller out, so Matthew could sit and watch me plant the asparagus, but had to feed him first, and he fell asleep, so I left him in the crib and took the monitor with me.

I mixed the remainder of an open bag of manure into the trench with some dirt and created mounds over which to spread the asparagus roots. I spread the roots over the mounds and began refilling the trench. At which point Dave offered to take over and the refilling commenced at a much faster pace. Meanwhile, I carried water for the asparagus.

Thank you, Dave. You're the best!

While we were out working in the garden, we discovered a couple of tears in the pea trellis, so Dave got out the twine, and I repaired it. I hope it'll be sturdy enough for the peas. I almost wonder if we should jump ship on this version of pea support and go for a heavy duty trellis netting or Burpee's pea fence. Of course the netting costs $11 for 30' and the fence costs $32 for 16' or $56 for 32'. Maybe I'll give the twine a chance and see how it does.

The forecasted weather for today through Tuesday is 50/31, 59/34, 49/27, 49/31 with clouds on Saturday and Tuesday and sun on Sunday and Monday. I hope the new trees will be all right with nighttime temperatures getting down below freezing.

Notes on Planting Trees

Here, I'm recaping some of the tips and techniques gleaned from the info booklets sent out by Stark Bro's and the Arbor Day Foundation on planting trees so I'll remember them later.

Dig a bigger hole than you think you need (I did something like 2' wide by 2' deep), mix the dirt with composted manure (yes I had some left over) and shovel some of the mix back in the hole.

Plant bareroot trees immediately. Unless it's below freezing and the ground is frozen. If you have no choice but to wait, pour water over the roots daily, rewrap in plastic and store in a cool dark place. Or, if you have ten tiny trees, you can heel them in, that is, stick them in a temporary angled trench, cover with dirt, and water as if they were planted.

Submerge roots in cool water for 4-6 hours or 24 hours max right before planting. I skimped and did 3 hours for the peach tree... none for the floering trees.

Plant dwarf trees so the graft point is 2-3 inches above soil. Standard trees an inch or two deeper than the dirt line from the nursery.

When filling the hole around the tree work the dirt around the roots to eliminate air pockets. Don't bend the roots; dig more or prune. Let the roots spread out. Water thoroughly when half to 2/3 full, and continue filling with dirt. Shape the top to retain water over the tree so it will soak in instead of running off.

Prune heavily to make up for the loss of roots. I skipped this by getting the tree pre-pruned.

Mulch, but not so it touches the tree.

Water thoroughly (2-3 gallons) every 2 weeks. Arbor Day says water thoroughly every week to 10 days.

Peaches and Asparagus

As promised, here are more details on the peach tree and asparagus roots that arrived today from Stark Bro's.

I got a Blushingstar(R) Standard Peach Tree ($22) and a pack of 10 Jersey Knight Giant Asparagus roots ($12).

This variety of peach matures 25 days later than Redhaven, which, in Pennsylvania would put maturity around August 26. Should be not too far off that here in Maryland. The asparagus says it matures early April through mid-May.

The peach tree got planted today, along with a bunch of other trees. The asparagus is on tap for tomorrow.

A Big Day for Mailorder Plants

A while back I ordered a peach tree and 10 asparagus roots from Stark Bro's. Long before that I responded to the National Arbor Day Foundation's membership drive / 10 free trees campaign. Everything showed up today, so Dave and I are busy planting. Actually, I'm mostly directing with baby in tow, and Dave's mostly planting... sorry Dave, and thank you.

Don't tell anybody, but we're not planting all of the free trees... just the ones we like and have space for. Sorry Arbor Day. Ironically, now that I'm looking at their Website, I realize if I'd known I could get 10 Colorado Blue Spruces instead of the 10 flowering trees, they would've all found a home as part of a wind barrier. Oh well, maybe next year.

Anyway, the trees are so small, they're going in a row alongside my vegetable garden for a year or two before transplanting to their final to-be-determined locations. From the house toward the field we'll be planting Crape Myrtle, White Dogwood, White Dogwood, Eastern Redbud, and Eastern Redbud in that order. This way, I'll know which is which when it comes time to transplant them.

The peach tree got planted out back near the dogwoods, and the asparagus are going along the sunny side of the storage shed near the trash bin. I'll write more about the peach tree and asparagus in another post.

While we were in the tree planting mood, we also planted our miniature potted Christmas tree we've been watering since Christmas. So it can serve again as some wind protection, and possibly yet again as a full size cut Christmas tree. It was starting to look a little sad; I don't think it was getting enough sunlight, so I'm glad to have it planted.

By the way, does anyone want a Sargent Crabapple, Washington Hawthorn, or Goldenraintree?

Poison Ivy?

I spent Matthew's morning nap in the garden with the baby monitor, removing clumps of grass and laying out soaker hose. It was a very productive and enjoyable 2 hours, and I'm happy to report the soaker hose works very well.

I also got quite a few clumps of grass trying to regrow out of the garden before it occurred to me that some of the clumps were brown and fuzzy, kind of like old growth poison ivy. Could it be? There wasn't any in the patch of lawn we turned into garden... but we did recently add some topsoil to raise the garden a bit and I don't know where that came from.

It could very well be poison ivy. Thank God I was wearing gloves.

So, I aborted the morning garden project in favor of immediate prophylactic poison ivy treatment. I went inside; washed my hands; stripped; smeared alcohol based hand sanitizer on hands, wrists, face, neck, and ankles; took a hot, soapy shower followed by a hot soapy bath laced with witch hazel. Take that poison ivy oils!

I hope I was wrong, and it's not poison ivy, and I did all that for nothing. But there was no way I was going to risk getting poison ivy on Matthew if I could help it. And I'm not such a fan of getting it myself either.

If there are poison ivy remnants in my garden, I'm not sure what to do about it.... Does that look like poison ivy?

Update: Dave assures me, it's not poison ivy. Just roots from something. Whew!

Seed Varieties

In February, I made the pilgrimage with my inlaws to the "seed store" in Pennsylvania, perusing their catalog on the ride up and deciding what varieties to buy of the types of veggies I already knew I wanted to grow. Our source? Rohrer Seeds

The following are the seeds I have bought for my 2009 garden except for the peas and spinach I already mentioned ($0.99/packet each), along with their descriptions:

Argent Sweet Corn (1/4 lb, $3.99)
se 86 days. This white version of Incredible has large 8 to 9 inch ears with excellent sugar enhanced quality. Argent may be the best introduction of sweet corn to come by in a long time, possibly overtaking Silver Queen and Silverado.

Seneca Snowshoe Sweet Corn (1/4 lb, $5.59)
se 65 days. This exceptional high quality sugar enhanced sweet corn boasts bright white color, creamy texture, delicious eating quality and good cold germination and seedling vigor. Snowshoe is the earliest white, sugar enhanced variety available. Stalks grow 6 1/2 ft. tall and produce ears 71/2 in. long.

Bush Jubilee Watermelon (Pkt,$0.99)
95 days Productive bush type melon producing 11-13 lb. oblong fruit. Rind is light green with dark green stripes and flesh is dark red with a very high sugar content. (approx 30 seeds/pkt)

Garden Spineless Zucchini (Pkt, $1.79)
53 days. Great home variety producing 7-8 inch long, dark green smooth skinned squash. Spineless open plants make harvesting easy without getting scratched. (approx 15 seeds/pkt)

King of the Garden Lima Beans (2 oz pkt, $1.29)
(Best Seller) 88 days. A lima bean of superior quality when compared to any bush lima. A vigorous grower producing big crops of large green pods filled with 5 or 6 large, white, flat beans. Treated Seed.

Kentucky Blue Pole Beans (2 oz pkt, $1.99)
58 days. A 1991 All-American Selection Award winner. Combines the flavor of Kentucky Wonder with the enhanced sweetness of Blue Lake 274. pvp

Gourmet Mixture Lettuce (Pkt, $0.99)
Four of our highest quality lettuce varieties combined in one to give you a chefs blend of gourmet salad. Attractive red, dark green, light green and apple green blend of lettuce for all season use. (approx 2000 seeds/pkt)

I can't wait to see how these varieties do in my garden!

Soil Testing

I collected a sample of dirt from my new garden for testing. This was a while ago. Before the rain (still misting), before the cow manure, before the peas were planted, etc. It's been sitting in a dishpan drying and waiting to be sent off for analysis.

Ann picked up some soil test bags labeled Agri Analysis, Inc. from somewhere in Centreville. She offered to drop mine off there today since she'll be in Centreville for a meeting. I presume this is associated in some way with University of Maryland or the Extension service or something, but I don't know any more details.

The test costs $13 (another step toward that $64 tomato?) and should be well worth it because it'll tell me what could be improved about my soil for the future.

As an aside, Google Weather's forecast for today through Friday is 54/34, 61/43, 58/31, and 49/31 with rain today and Thursday. Not bad weather for germinating. :)

To Read: "The $64 Tomato"

We were discussing gardening today at work, and my boss recommended an intriguing book:

The $64 Tomato: How One Man Nearly Lost His Sanity, Spent a Fortune, and Endured an Existential Crisis in the Quest for the Perfect Garden

NPR provides a review and excerpt.

After spending $60 on manure, $60 on soaker hoses, and around $40 on seeds, gloves, stakes, and pea inoculant, I definitely get the it-can-be-expensive perspective. But $64 per tomato?

I took a closer look at the expenses listed in the excerpt and laughed out loud. $300 for garden design? $1,100 for irrigation and drip hoses? $16,565 total?!?

So... I will not be growing any $64 vegetables anytime in the near future... unless my relatively inexpensive garden does REALLY poorly... yielding, say, two or three vegetables. But I might read the book for the entertainment value. If I find any time between weeding and watering my own garden that is.

Planned Garden Layout for 2009

The above is my planned layout for this year's garden (after the peas and spinach have been harvested). The rows of corn are 4 feet apart to facilitate placing 3 foot wide weed control fabric between them. Each row of corn will be half one variety and half another with different maturity dates. I plan to have green beans growing up one row of corn and lima beans growing up another. Individual watermelon and zucchini plants will be 2-3 feet apart amongst the rows of corn.

Watering Plans

So... in years past my garden watering has been accomplished by standing in the garden with a hose squirting one plant or one row at a time. Or, worse yet, walking down the aisles with a watering can. Somehow, the plants never seemed to get enough water during the hottest months. Despite the fact that we have a limitless (not really, but it may as well be) supply of well water.

I wanted a more efficient setup, one where I could walk out back, turn the water on, go do something else, and come back to turn the water off. My options were sprinkler or soaker hose. Initially I thought soaker hose, but figured it would require an awful lot of hose, and the soaker hoses in my flower garden didn't seem to spread the water very far from the hose. So, when I saw a sprinkler that claimed to cover a 30' by 30' area for $2, I was hooked. Bought it, tried it. Unfortunately, it actually covered more like a 10' by 10' area. Whether that's due to water pressure or deceptive advertising is hard to tell. But it sent me back to the soaker hose idea.

I have now purchased 200 linear feet of soaker hose, which should cover 8 rows looping back and forth across the garden. Once the rain stops and the ground dries out a bit, we'll set those hoses out and see how they do. We'll be using garden staples to hold the hoses in place so they don't roll around and squish seedlings. Here's hoping this great idea works out.

Support for the Peas

For supporting the peas, Dave and I constructed a trellis out of rebar, garden twine, and baler twine that we had laying around the farm. Dave cut 4 foot sections of the rebar and impaled the ground every 4 feet. This took 6 pieces for one 20 foot row of peas. We then strung garden twine between the rebar stakes parallel to the ground one inch above ground and along the tops of the stakes. With the remaining garden twine we zig-zagged up and down between the two rows of twine parallel to the ground. We ran out of garden twine halfway down the row, and borrowed some baler twine from the shop. It was thicker and stiffer, but seemed to get the job done. The top and bottom rows of twine may not have been quite tight enough; the zig-zagged twine tugged them somewhat out of place. We'll have to wait and see what the weight of the peas themselves do to their make-shift support.

Maryland Home and Garden Information Center

University of Maryland's Home and Garden Information Center is a good resource for gardening info. They also have a hotline for questions Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 1 PM at 1-800-342-2507 for Maryland residents. I haven't used the hotline yet, but I'm listing it here in case I have occasion to try it out.

Cow Manure, Peas, and Spinach

Last week, I spread 800 pounds (twenty 40-pound bags) of cow manure in my new 20' by 20' garden. Bill tilled it in for me. So I was ready to begin planting this weekend.

Yesterday I planted a row of Garden Peas and a row of Spinach, both from Rohrer Seeds in Pennsylvania. The peas are Early Frosty (64 day maturity, 24 inch height). The catalog description reads:

64 days (24 in.). Our most popular home garden variety produces
uniform, dark green blunt pods tightly filled with delicious peas. Wilt resistant variety with excellent yields, vigor and freezing quality.

I hadn't intended to plant spinach. But I had space, and lots of leftover seeds from Ann and Bill from last year. And I noticed they could be planted early (March 15-August 15) and matured quickly (48 days) so they'd be out of the way in time for my summer planting. The variety is Bloomsdale. The description reads:

Savoy-leaved. The first early, vigorous variety. Desirable for local gardens. Plants erect in growth, hardy and attractive. Leaves large, crumpled, somewhat blistered, dark glossy green.

With the peas, I'm doing a sort of experiment. Half of the seeds I planted were soaked overnight (actually closer to 21 hours by the time they got planted). One quarter were soaked for several hours (about 4). And the remaining quarter were moistened at the last moment so the inoculant would stick. I planted half the overnight seeds, then the several hours seeds, then the dry seeds, followed last by the remaining overnight seeds. We'll see if this makes a difference in the germination of the seeds.

The sprinkler I bought that's supposed to water a 30' by 30' square area barely reached 10' by 10'. I need to reevaluate my watering plans. Happily it rained quite a bit last night, and is supposed to continue raining for several days, so I didn't have to worry about an initial watering. Just so it gets warm quickly enough that the seeds don't rot before they germinate....

The forecasted weather for the next few days beginning with today is 49/38, 52/36, 52/38, 58/43, 59/36.

2008 Recap and Lessons Learned

Last year's vegetable garden was less than a stellar success.

The plot selected was overshadowed by nearby dogwood trees and was at a lower elevation than the surrounding area. Both the peas and corn had very low germination, which I suspect was due to cold air settling and/or water sitting in the low spot that was my garden.

I was largely pregnant and couldn't keep up with the weeds. It didn't help that the ground also became hard and dry, preventing easy pulling.

This year, I have a plan to combat these problems. I have selected a new site for my garden, about 20 feet further from the dogwoods and with better elevation for drainage. I intend to experiment with cloth mulch for weed control between the rows for easier weeding, and a sprinkler system for easier watering. I also mixed 800 pounds of composted cow manure into my 20' by 20' garden. I'm hoping this will not only improve the fertility of the soil, but also its texture and workability. I've also taken a soil sample for analysis to determine what other amendments would benefit the soil.