The Master Plan 2011

Layout

Instead of rows this year, I'm doing beds and making them densely packed.  I'm also doing a smaller garden this year.  A total of 4 beds side by side, 2 feet wide by 12 feet long, with 3 feet of hardwood mulched path between each bed and around the garden.

Watering

This year, instead of soaker hoses, I'm using sprinklers.  The soaker hoses break and leak too easily, don't lay exactly where you want them, and only water a narrow area.  Some parts get soaked, some stay dry, and it takes just long enough to water that you forget to turn the water off in time to avoid flooding the garden.  Soaker hoses beat hand watering, but I wanted to try an alternative this year.  Since a single sprinkler doesn't quite cover the full garden area, I'm using 2 sprinklers.  One between the first two beds and the other between the last two beds.  It seems to be quick, easy, and effective so far, with the only downside being that the placement of the sprinklers needs to be adjusted based on wind speed and direction at watering time.

Fencing

So I thought the fence didn't do much last year because the rabbits could squeeze through and hop over.  However, since the peas, spinach, and lettuce have already been decimated this year and I've been forced to replant, I am seriously rethinking my no fence decision.  Stay tuned.

Companions

In Bed 1 we have a double row of peas (1/2 pound Early Frosty, in keeping with tradition) climbing a 12 foot long section of (ironically) rabbit fencing.  On either side of this double row is spinach, planted about 4" apart in each direction to fill the bed, and with beets and turnips interspersed.  I planted this year's Bloomsdale Longstanding (one packet was not enough) on one side of the fence and last year's Melody Hybrid on the other.  Beets are Baby Ball and turnips are last year's Purple Top White Globe.

In Bed 2 we have half the bed devoted to zucchini (Garden Spineless) to be interplanted with nasturtium, and the other half of the bed reserved for bush lima beans.  I went with Fordhook 242 (1/2 pound), although it was a close call between those and the Burpees Improved Bush variety.

Beds 3 and 4 each have two rows of corn (Argent, rows 1 foot apart), intermingled with head lettuce and leafy greens.

Bed 3 includes Paris Island Cos Romaine (transplanted) and Swiss Chard (Large Ribbed Dark Green, direct sown).

Bed 4 includes Buttercrunch (transplanted) and Mesclun Salad Mix (1500 seed packet containing arugula, endive, buttercrunch, black seeded simpson, grand rapids, and prizehead lettuce), with a few feet devoted to last year's collards instead of mesclun.

And in the flower bed out front, surrounding the trees, I planted strawberries.  24 plants of the Everbearing Quinault variety.  Purchased cheaply as roots from Wal-Mart.

Spring Planting Timeline 2011

The spring planting season has only recently begun and I'm already behind on recording the details.  Here's a recap so far.

March 21:  Planted peas, spinach, turnips (experimenting with earlier than recommended), and beets (earlier than recommended) in a single 2' x 12' bed.  Started first batch of Romaine and Buttercrunch head lettuce indoors.

April 9:  Peas were sprouting.  Filled in gaps in peas, beets, and turnips.  Transplanted first batch of head lettuce.

April 21: Spinach and peas were ravaged by rabbits.  Replanted both.  Sowed leaf lettuce, swiss chard, corn, and zucchini.  Still early for corn and zucchini but extended forecast calls for no frost between now and May 1.

April 23: The rabbits moved on to devour most of the head lettuce.  Perhaps I need to reconsider my decision to skip the fence this year.

Apparently I forgot to note down exactly when I started the second batch of head lettuce (sometime after March 21 and before April 9), or when I transplanted them (sometime between April 9 and April 21).  Oh well.  Things are going well so far, aside from the rabbit damage.

Busy Garden Week

Tuesday I spent 2 hours in the heat of the day weeding the part of the spinach and pea row where the rabbits have taken care of the peas, and I've decided is the best place for the lima beans to go.  The rush is that I just realized the lima beans will need to go in the ground soon.  They're about ready whenever the spot is ready.  Which means buying posts and hanging the concrete wire Bill had left over from his bean support system.

I wound up with sunburn on my thighs and on what would be the tramp stamp area from weeding bent over for two hours in the midday sun.  This serves as a good reminder that sunblock goes everywhere.

Then Dave came home early and had time to work with me in the garden.  We added mushroom soil, store bought topsoil, and slow release fertilizer to the new flower bed we're making out front.  Then we (meaning my man-beast) tilled the flower bed to be and the area of my veggie garden where the corn goes.  There was also weed whacking and lawn mowing that went on.

Today (Thursday), I planted all 4 rows of corn and Matthew helped me.  He played with the dog, he watered his feet, and he played in the new sandbox Dave built, among other interesting activities.  The nearer half of the rows are planted with the earlier variety of corn (Seneca Snowshoe) and the farther halves have Argent which matures later.

Did I mention there's a dogwood tree temporarily residing in my veggie garden?  Yeah, it belongs in the flower bed to be out front.  It's sitting where the melons will go while they grow a bit in their peat pots.  The cantaloupe and honeydew are all up, and I just thinned them to one per cup.  And the first melon is peeking out of the dirt today, hopefully followed by at least one per cup in the other three cups.  :)

I have some spare tomatoes and eggplants, and some basil and oregano still upstairs too.  Everything, except maybe the oregano is about ready to be transplanted to a bigger pot... if not to the great outdoors.  Those basil are getting big and beautiful (relatively speaking).

Spring Gardening Update

On Friday, March 19, I re-tilled a row in the garden (did it myself - what a workout!), laid a soaker hose, planted peas and spinach along the soaker hose, and installed the same pea supports I used last year - nylon mesh supported with rebar and plastic ties.

Then on Saturday, March 20, I repotted a bunch of eggplant and tomato seedlings from teeny pots to 3" peat pots. In peat pots now I have a dozen tomatoes and half a dozen eggplants. Plus some extras still in the small pots as backups until I need the space under the grow light. And some to give to Ann.

Today I repotted the parsley that have sprouted into slightly larger pots, and separated a few that came up with multiples in the same pot. I now have 8 parsley seedlings.

Besides maintaining what's already been planted, my next step will be to start some watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew seedlings directly in peat pots sometime between April 10 and May 1.

I'm debating whether to start basil, oregano, marigolds, and nasturtium inside or whether to directly sow into the garden. While all four can be directly sown outside, I had intended to start some inside, but it's looking like there may not be room under the grow light for them what with tomatoes, eggplant, parsley, and melons taking up all the space. To be determined.

Planning the Garden Schedule & Layout for 2010

Here's a rough outline of things to do for the garden and when to do them:

• Till the cover crop under - ideally mid-February, but definitely no later than mid-April. If you wait until planting time to till it under, the rotting plant matter will inhibit germination of the seeds. The mid-February target gives 4 weeks of rotting time before the peas and spinach get planted in mid-March. If the snowy weather prevents this, tilling it all up when I plant the peas and spinach should give plenty of rotting time before the warmer season veggies get planted.
• Start tomatoes & eggplants indoors - March 1 - April 1 suits both plants. Eggplant can get started as early as 2/15.
• Plant peas and spinach - March 15 - May 1, aiming early around St. Patrick's Day so I can reuse the row for herbs and bug-deterring flowers.
• Start melons, herbs & flowers inside - April 10 - May 1.
• Sow Corn May 15 - June 1.
• Sow warm season veggies (eggplants, tomatoes, melons, zucchini, herbs & flowers) outside - May 20 - June 20.
• Edit: Sow lima beans outside - June 1 - July 15.
• Fall turnips and beets - July 20 - August 15.
  

And here's a rough layout for the garden, in 8 rows from left to right:

• 4 rows corn with an early variety near the house and a later variety further away; the early variety may be replaced with turnips & beets in the fall. Because of the arrangement of the irrigation hoses, it'd be easier to re-till the closer part of the rows without disturbing the hoses too much than the further part.
• A row of cantaloupe, honeydew, and bush watermelon. I should be able to fit 4 of each type in a row.
• A row of zucchini and eggplants, possibly interplanted with herbs (basil, oregano, parsley) and bug-deterring flowers (marigolds and nasturtium).
• A row of peas and spinach to be replaced by herbs (basil, oregano, parsley) and bug-deterring flowers (marigolds and nasturtium) when done producing.
• Italian tomatoes for making sauce - 12 plants.

Note: I chose 8 rows because I can water all 8 rows with a hose splitter at the garden spigot connected to two hoses carrying water to the garden. At the garden, each of the two hoses is split with a hose splitter and connected to two drip hoses long enough to water two rows each. More rows would complicate irrigation. Fewer would limit the varieties I can grow.

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. :)

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.)

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.

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.

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.