End of the Season

Yesterday Dave and I prepared the garden for winter. We removed the fence, hoses, supports, and weed control fabric and mowed the weeds. Then we added maybe a dozen bags total of compost, humus, and manure to increase the organic content of the soil. We also added half a bag of pelleted lime (20 lbs) to raise the pH of the soil because last spring's soil test suggested that and we never got around to it before. Next, we tilled it all in, going over everything twice to mix it well, and raked a bunch of remaining weeds out with a grate pulled by a tractor. Finally we spread a bag of "Garden Blanket" over everything and watered the whole area. Garden blanket is a mix of enough crimson clover and alpowa wheat seed for a 3,000 square foot area. It's designed as a cover crop. I got it at Kingstown garden store for around $10. The clover will fix nitrogen as it grows and both clover and wheat will help aerate the ground and keep wind and rain from washing away my good topsoil over the winter. Then in spring, I'll till it all under, providing extra organic matter for the growing season. I need to read up to double check how early I need to till it under so the decaying organic matter doesn't inhibit germination, but on whole it should really help improve the soil.

Tomatoes, Watermelon, ... and Doves

Yesterday was opening day for dove season here in Maryland, and I harvested 6 with my 20 guage shotgun. That's double my previous personal best. On top of that, it was a perfect day for sitting outside in a corn and sunflower field for four hours: nice breeze, beautiful skies, not too hot or cold.

And, when we got done, since I was already outfitted for tall grass with plenty of tick protection and planning a thorough de-ticking (actually didn't find any which surprised me), I harvested my second big batch of Italian tomatoes. Yes, they are rather overgrown with weeds... thus the relevance of the tick protection. But the great part is, I harvested around 400 tomatoes - two big dishpans full. Tomorrow it'll be a big squeezo-ing, spaghetti sauce-ing, and canning day for me. I expect I'll probably get 3 gallons or more juice out of them for another 6 or more quarts of spaghetti sauce. A good tomato year. :)

Today I watered everything and miracle-growed the watermelons. Also picked two gorgeous watermelons. The one I got earlier was 14 pounds. The ones from today were 17.2 pounds and 12.6 pounds. Best of all, there are still six more out there that I can see: two small and still growing, two medium, and two large almost ready to pick (the tendrils are beginning to dry out, but aren't quite there yet). I love watermelon, but I'm glad they're spacing themselves out a bit so we can enjoy them over a longer time period. And I still see some flowers, so who knows, there may be even more in the future. :)

Harvesting Tomatoes and Watermelon

Last Tuesday I harvested 230 tomatoes. Thursday I squashed them into more than 3 gallons of tomato juice, and Friday I made and canned spaghetti sauce. I got 6 quart jars of spaghetti sauce total. And today there are a bunch more ripe tomatoes. Didn't get a chance to pick them yet though.

Today I harvested my first ripe watermelon. It was fourteen pounds and super delicious. I'm saving some seeds, though I'll have to do some research on whether watermelon can cross pollinate with zucchini or pumpkin, and whether the cantaloupes Ann grew are close enough to cross pollinate with my watermelon. I see 7 more watermelons out there. At least one looks ripe, with the curly tendrils turning brown. The others look like they need at least a little more time. Can't wait to eat more watermelon!

Peas and Spinach

About a third of the row of peas came up beautifully. The other 2/3 came up sporadically. Today, I planted peas in some of the gaps and spinach in others.

Why peas and spinach together? It seemed as good a place for the spinach as any (already tilled and all). Just now I checked to see if they're recommended companion plants, and it seems they are. The peas provide shade for the spinach. And I'd think the spinach might keep down weeds at the base of the peas. We'll see how they do together. If they do well, I may take to planting them together intentionally in the future, not just as an afterthought. :)

Harvesting Corn and Planting Peas

I got an excellent crop of corn this year. We harvested Seneca Snowshoe July 17-25 and froze a bunch on the 25th. Then we harvested the Argent from July 26-August 4 and froze the remainder on the 4th (yesterday). Snowshoe was ripe right on schedule, but Argent was earlier than expected and we finished harvesting later than we probably should have. Snowshoe was bug free and beautiful, and the earlier harvested Argent were likewise, but some of the last ones were kind of buggy. Overall, a wonderful success!

Same day I harvested the last of the corn and cut down the stalks, I also planted a bunch of peas. They should take around 63 days to mature, putting harvest time around the 6th of October... shortly before the first frost slated for (if I recall correctly) mid-October. On one hand I wonder if I'm too late and on the other I wonder if I'm too early. But it's a good experiment. :)

Squash Bugs

I have identified the pests that are attacking my zucchini and volunteer pumpkin plants. I've seen all the stages, but didn't realize they were all related. Here's some info about the evil Squash Bug:

http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/GARDEN/VEGES/PESTS/squashbug.html

http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/horticulture/M1208.html

Sadly, from what I've read, it seems the best defense may be a good offense. That is, I have to go out hunting and squashing. Yuck!

Veggie Garden Update

Recent additions to the veggie garden include:

2 Japanese Eggplants
14 Roma Tomatoes
2 Large Red Tomatoes
2 Large Yellow Tomatoes
Basil
Oregano

I've also started thinning the corn. It's not easy throwing out such beautiful healthy plants, but I know it'll help the other ones grow better.

Softouch Holly

Our latest landscaping addition is a pair of Softouch Holly (Ilex crenata) on either side of our front steps to replace the pair of azaleas of which one died. The remaining azalea is going around the corner in a shadier area.

Ilex crenata - Small, compact globe form with lustrous, dark green foliage. Mature height 2'x3'. Zone 6.

They're just the right size for the area, dark beautiful green, and will be green year round. Perfect.

Beans & Squash

Tonight I set up some stake tripods, transplanted my lima beans and zucchini, and planted green beans from seed. Yesterday I moved the volunteer pumpkins from the front flower bed to the veggie garden. I watered everything until the ground was saturated. Then a storm came up. Lots of wind and rain. I hope it isn't damaging the tender transplants....

Spinach Harvest and Photo Update

I've been harvesting lettuce and spinach for a few weeks now, but the spinach was starting to bolt, and weeds were starting to get a bit out of control, and I had lima beans in serious need of transplanting... so....

Today, I harvested the last of the spinach, which I intend to saute soon. Then Dave tilled up the area where the spinach was, as well as the grassy row where I wanted to plant limas, and some of the slightly overgrown paths. And the garden looks beautiful. At least I think so. Check it out.



And I've got plenty of space ready to plant/transplant my lima beans, green beans, watermelons, zucchini, and tomatoes (yes, I gave in to temptation and the lure of more space than I planned to have and will be planting Italian tomatoes with the intent of making salad, tomato soup, and spaghetti sauce). I'm excited.

Flowers to Line the Front Walk

I finally have flowers lining our front sidewalk. Last year, I put white vinca, which were very pretty. This year, I went with a white theme again, but branched out to some new varieties. At Ann's suggestion, I went with geraniums, petunias, and nicotiana. They're all hardy, good for a sunny location, and have pretty white flowers. To line both sides of the sidewalk, it took 8 geraniums, 24 petunias, and 24 nicotiana. That's a lot of flowers. But a very nice effect. :)

Gardening Update

I've been busy lately, speaking at a conference, photographing a wedding, so I've gotten a bit behind in the weeding... and in the reporting on my blog. So, here's where things stand in the garden.

The fence is working GREAT! Things are growing without disappearing. I've got lettuce and spinach ready for harvest, the peas are growing tall and flowering and I even see a few pods forming.

I planted both varieties of corn on May 12, once the rows of black plastic and black fabric were down, and then I planted carrots and spring onions on May 13. I hadn't planned to plant these, but I had a bit of space in the row of spinach so I bought some 50 cent seed packs and stuck them in the ground.

The seeds are from American Seed.

Carrots - Danvers Half Long - Very uniform, heavy-cropping carrot 7 to 7 1/2 inches long. Flesh is bright orange, tender, and sweet. Excellent for table or freezing. (70 days). Sow in well worked, stone-free soil, after danger of heavy frost (April-June here). Thin seedlings when they are 2-3 inches high with the final spacing of the plants 3 inches apart. Thin ruthlessly; they need room to grow. Water lightly as too much water can cause cracking.

Spring Onions - White Lisbon Bunching - A mild green onion. Tops remain fresh and crisp well after harvest. Green onions are not suitable for winter storage. (60-75 days) Sow in a sunny location after danger of spring frost (April-June). Thin to 1" apart when 3-4" high.

The corn is already well established. Hurrah! No sign of carrots or onions yet, but I'm waiting patiently.

Rabbit Solution

Yesterday, Dave and I put rabbit fence around the entire garden, weeded the row where the peas had been, and replanted. It was a big job, but I'm glad we did it. Here's a picture. Like the sign?
The darker brown row is mushroom soil, meant to be used as weed control near the plants. Ann and Bill are trying this too. Hopefully it'll work well. Since the picture was taken, we've also cultivated between the rows, taking care of most of the existing weeds.

I am very glad to have the fence up and I'm really hoping we'll have better luck with the garden now that we're protected against rabbits.

Rabbits and Ants

I got Matthew to take a nap around 11 and went out to do some weeding in the garden, only to discover that the rabbits ate my peas.

Out of a 20 foot row of peas, only a dozen plants remain. Of those dozen, most are short stumps. Only 2 are untouched. I suspect the rabbits have been thinning the spinach too, although there are still enough healthy plants I can't tell for sure. And the lettuce are too young for them to even bother with yet.

To add insult to injury, several ant colonies have taken up residence in my garden.

I think I'll be needing some fencing for the rabbits. That won't help my peas though. (Sheds a tear.)

Watering, Weeding, and Asparagus

Yesterday, while Matthew napped, I went jogging and then buckled down to the garden. I rearranged soaker hoses to start watering the front flower bed, where the pansy seeds are. I watered the veggie garden, the flower bed, the peach tree, and the asparagus patch.

Then Matthew awoke, actually I accidentally woke him up - oops. But it was nice warm weather out, so I plopped him in the stroller and he watched me weed the veggie patch. I got a lot done before he started getting antsy. Then I delivered him to Dave to watch flint knapping for a while. Matthew enjoyed the change of scenery.

While watering the asparagus, I discovered my first asparagus stalk. It's an itsy bitsy wimpy asparagus stalk, but I think that's to be expected since it's the first year. Seriously, it's almost as skinny as a blade of grass, but it's standing proud. I'll be watching for 9 more baby asparagus stalks coming up soon.

After all the watering, it rained last night, more or less negating the effort. Nevertheless, the soaker hoses needed rearranging, and I got quite a few weeds pulled.

Bill gave us a wheelbarrow full of mushroom soil that's weed free to use for fertilizer and mulch. This is the first year they've used this stuff so it's kind of experimental. I'm really hoping it's not only weed free but also mushroom free because if mushrooms get started, I have no idea if they can ever truly be stopped....

By the way, the peas are looking great, and the spinach is starting to show its first true leaves.

Weather today through Tuesday: 56/36 T-storms, 56/31 sunny, 54/36 sunny, 56/43 chance of storm. We may get even more natural watering. :)

Pansies and Lettuce

It's late to be planting pansy seeds. I wanted to plant them a while ago... 2 to 4 weeks before the last frost. But this was the first time since I bought them that it wasn't raining and the cultivator was ready and I wasn't out of town. So I dug up some ground and sprinkled some seeds and raked a bit of dirt over them. We'll see how they do. The daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths in the same bed are looking lovely.

I also planted some lettuce today, so now in the veggie garden, I've got a row of peas, a row of spinach, and a row of mixed lettuce. The first two are well sprouted. Unfortunately in the last week I've been away a lot for a conference and visiting friends, so the weeds have gotten ahead of me. But the cultivator seems to do a very good job of loosening the soil enough to get them out without too much trouble. Hurrah!

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.