Two December Harvests

We have had two December harvests that have been supplying greens for salads, juicing and braising. I would say that the experiment this year in growing celery was a success and works well in salads and for juicing. The stalks are not as big as store-bought celery, but that may have something to do our struggles with tree roots.

I covered some of the greens with burlap or Agribon and that was enough to get them along this far. One frame containing several kale will be covered with plastic to protect against the deep of winter for an early spring harvest.

I managed to build one of the new frames that is really just a big container, but it will prevent the tree roots from invading and will provide a large surface for succession planting various greens.

By the time I was ready to move the fish, the pond had frozen over, so I am going to have to keep a hole in the ice for oxygen until spring and hope for the best.

Late November Update

The last four cherry tomatoes that I picked several weeks ago finally ripened up and were enjoyed in a quinoa salad last night. We haven't had a killing frost and subsequently are still enjoying greens from the garden. I haven't found the time to build the new garden frame and transplant everything that will be overwintering. With luck, that will happen this weekend and we will continue harvesting into January. I am also hoping to move the fish indoors this weekend.

Onions and Garlic Planted

I finished planting onions and garlic this weekend (as well as transplanting strawberries). I covered them with a thick fluffy layer of leaves and Agribon fabric over hoops. This should give them a head start next spring. It was somehow satisfying to dig the 30" wide beds and then plant the sets in rows. It made me think that some of my problems over the years with getting good size root vegetables was simply that the square foot method encourages planting them too closely together.

Autumn Reflections

We are having an amazingly mild autumn, I haven't seen any frost yet and we are approaching the middle of November. Last weekend I transplanted all of the strawberries from the garden frames back down to our property in the Southtowns. I am planning to grow a nice big patch of strawberries there next year as well as onions, garlic and potatoes.

The garden frames up north are still full of kale, celery, parsley, choi, lettuce and chard.

My experience with the tree roots invading my garden beds this year caused me to reflect on how much I may have been affected by them in various locations in the past. I am beginning to think that placing a root barrier around any garden within 50' of a tree is essential for maximum long-term production. This may be the inspiration that I need to rent a trencher to run electric and water out to the Southtowns gardens as well as place a root barrier around everything.

10/15 harvest and garden photo

Tree roots that were invading the cabbage frame

Early Autumn Update

I continue to harvest kale, choi, tatsoi, lettuce, chard, parsley, celery, cabbage and bell peppers as needed. After these are finished, I am planning a reboot of the garden by rebuilding the beds as discussed previously. I may only build one or two before the weather turns really cold because I am also planning to experiment with aquaponics this winter in the basement.

For the aquaponics setup, I will use materials that I already have on hand as much as possible. I have a bunch of large food grade containers that were salvaged from the house fire which will work for holding the growing media (gravel and/or loam). I will drop these into a 2x6 frame and then situate a large plastic container underneath to hold the fish. The fun part will be figuring out how to circulate the water through the growing medium. I may experiment with a flood/drain system as well as some drip irrigation in regular soil.

Late Summer update

Temperatures have moderated a little with dips into the 50's at night, but daytime temperatures still reach into the 80's. I harvested four more red peppers, seven small cabbage heads and a couple of peas from the plants that were started in July. I could have also harvested lettuce and choi from the July planting but didn't have time. There is still a lot of kale and chard from the beginning of the season and quite a few cherry tomatoes ripening if the squirrels will let me have some.

I am looking forward to creating the first new planter that will be proof against tree root invasion.

Argh, tree roots and squirrels and goodbye to "square foot gardening"

I did the major harvest and planting that I spoke about in the last post a week later than planned (just this past weekend).  I harvested about 10 thin stemmed  bunches of celery, 4 bunches of parsley, a cabbage (~4" diameter) and a couple of pounds of carrots. Many cabbage worms were fed to my koi that day.

After digging in the soil to plant the kale, choi and lettuce that have been growing under lights in the basement  (way too long, btw) , I am convinced that the major factor contributing to poor growth of some plants this year is the infiltration of roots from the nearby silver maple into the growing beds. I am finding a dense network of very strong roots throughout many of the raised garden beds, some approaching a half-inch in diameter. This explains why the beds have been so thirsty this year.

After doing some research to see how others have dealt with the problem, I have decided on a new design for my raised beds. I am going to raise the beds up on an extra course of 2'x8' filled in with stone (preferably granite). In order to prevent tree roots from finding their way up into these planters (in case the gravel barrier is not enough), I will place a sheet of galvanized metal between the ground and the planter. It looks like the cost will be $31 in #2 gravel per 96"x 30" bed and $38 for four 2" x 8" x 12' fir to build the boxes. The galvanized metal is $16 per 20" x 10' roll. I will be able to use soil from the existing frames, so no extra cost there.

Altogether, the cost will be about $100 per bed and I will need to build six beds to slightly exceed the current area of my seven 4' square beds. It sounds like a large investment, but the ROI will be maybe two years and I plan to continue gardening for many more years than that, not to mention the enjoyment that I receive from working in the garden and the superior quality of vegetables obtained.

As indicated above, I am also planning to adopt the 30" wide bed recommendation of Eliot Coleman versus the 4' square gardens that I have been building for more than thirty years. The narrower beds will be easier to plant and maintain.

Apart from the idea of starting from the beginning with a perfect soil mix, this change will be a major break from "square-foot gardening" as a practice. I had already abandoned the idea of planting only within squares a couple of years ago realizing that I can locate plants more efficiently and creatively without that constraint.

Interestingly, I have not had a problem with blossom end rot for a while. The first four green peppers and the first several beefsteak tomatoes had it, but now all of the fruit appears healthy. Perhaps it just took a while for the calcium from the eggshells that I added to the soil this spring to become available. The only problem now is that the squirrels seem to be getting to the tomatoes before I can. I have never had a problem with squirrels eating my tomatoes before. A friend tells me that it is a problem this year because of the severe drought that we have experienced. The squirrels and other urban denizens are accessing sources of food that they would normally leave alone. They have also been attacking my acorn squash plants, both fruit and stem have been gnawed.

I have saved over $400 in veggie purchases by having the garden this year, but I know I will do even better next year once the tree roots are banished from the garden beds. I will be trying some new irrigation emitter designs as well as building the first raised planter in the coming weeks.

Greens harvest

I harvested about 4 gallons of lettuce, a bunch of kale and a few leaves of chard this morning. All of the remaining lettuce is reaching for the sky at this point. There will be a major harvest and replanting on Saturday (kale, parsley, lettuce, and celery).

Remember those green peppers that I commented about looking marvelous? Well, I found that several of them also have that blossom end rot. I picked the three affected fruits and managed to salvage most of them by cutting off the affected portion..

Mid-August Update

I was away from the garden for a couple of weeks. There were a few things that made me sad when I reviewed the garden, but after applying a little TLC, I began to feel that order was being restored in the kingdom.

I managed to get a basic irrigation system in place before I left, but it still needs tweaking in order to really cover the entire garden. I think that I need more loops and timers in order to have enough pressure to run the emitters, or I need to try some different emitters.

When I opened the fabric cover on the cabbage, about a dozen cabbage moths flew out, but most of the cabbage still have healthy looking heads developing. I will try to be vigilant about finding and removing cabbage worms that will be developing.

I was also disappointed to find that the beefsteak tomatoes are showing signs of blossom end rot even though I added copious quantities of broken eggshells to the soil this spring (calcium). The cherry tomatoes in the same container do not have the same problem. I will check the soil pH and may apply a foliar calcium spray.

I found one misshapen and discolored cucumber girdled by chicken wire. I noticed the striped variety of cucumber beetle crawling on the fruit and saw several more on my squash flowers. Not sure how to deal with this new invader. Life was much simpler when I concentrated on growing salad greens...

In other areas of the garden, the cucumber, beets, and squash are not growing vigorously. I have ruled out inadequate watering as the problem and the addition of rich soil amendment (Bumper Crop) has also had little effect. I am thinking that infiltration of roots from the nearby silver maple may be an issue and have a plan for next year to raise my gardens with cinder blocks beyond its reach.

One variety that is growing great at this point is the green pepper. It is making lots of fruit and looks absolutely marvelous. It is growing in a separate container. The basil is ready for another harvesting and I will probably pick all of the remaining parsley, celery and lettuce this weekend. The lettuce and kale plants under lights in the basement will be planted out.

We got a good soaking last night and today, the first since July 25 when we got an inch or more of rain.

First Pesto and Seed Starting for Fall and Winter Garden

I made the first two batches of basil pesto this morning (yielding four cups), though I could have started making pesto several weeks ago. I still have enough picked and washed for several more batches and will probably pick and make more next weekend.

Last night, I started 48 snap peas, and 20 each nash's kale, tatsoi, pac choi, spinach, coastal star lettuce, and black-seeded simpson lettuce. Carrots and beets will be planted directly in the garden.

Mid-July Check-in

I picked three cabbage worms off of my cabbage, not sure if the moths got in through the cover or had layed eggs before the plants were transplanted. Anyway, removing them seems to have stemmed the destruction. About half of the plants were affected.

The beets in frame 1-2 are strangely stunted even though they have been watered well for the past few weeks. It may be due to lack of nutrients because the beets in the back of the frame where I planted squash with some Bumper Crop are doing much better.

I picked what must be about the last peas today and about 3 gallons of lettuce.

The tomatoes, squash and green pepper fruits are growing. The basil is past the point where I should have made some pesto (about 2' tall).

The thought came to me ten days ago as I was removing  a very large burdock from near a tenant's porch that this would be an excellent time of the year to start a compost pile. There will be lots of large green weeds like burdock that haven't flowered yet, that can be combined with straw and dirt to make a nice big steaming pile.

I haven't started any seeds for fall yet. Must get those going...

Cucurbits flowering

The squash and cucumber plants are flowering even though the plants are very small. The pea plants in the partial shade are still flowering and producing peas. The raspberries are still only producing a few berries per day. The basil is past due for a trimming. I have almost finished the romaine lettuce and will pick leaf lettuce from frame 2-1 in the next couple of days.

New frame

Last night I was able to fill another 4'x4' frame and transplant 12 cabbage plants that have been hanging out on trays in frame 2-3. I used (8) 40lb bags of potting soil, mushroom compost, leaf compost, Bumper Crop, peat moss and perlite to fill the frame made of 2x8's. After filling and transplanting, I covered the plants with ag-cloth to keep the cabbage moths out and to provide some shade.

The peas that were flowering last week are now ready for eating. Also, we picked 5 ripe raspberries yesterday evening.

I tested the drip irrigation harnesses on three frames. It seemed like there was not quite enough pressure to run them as they should. I will have to add valves to the main distribution line to separate the garden into watering zones receiving available pressure at different times.

Drip irrigation

Several garden frames received drip irrigation harnesses this weekend, though they are not yet operational because I need to separate the front yard from the backyard loop and I am not sure yet whether I can run all frames at once. The sprinklers that I am using are definitely sensitive to pressure variation.

The tomatoes and peppers that were transferred to containers are growing quickly and the basil is ready for a first harvest. The leaf lettuce in frame 2-1 will be ready for harvest by the time we finish the last of the romaine. Squash and cucumbers are following the peas up the trellis in frames 1-3 and 2-3.

Flax and Queen Anne's Lace are blooming

Also, Daisies, Black-Eyed Susan, Easter Lilies, Common Lilies, and almost Thistle. Peonies, Iris and Poppy are finished blooming.

Final romaine and spinach harvest

I harvested the last of the romaine lettuce and the spinach.

The spinach was started April 6 and planted outside April 19. I started harvesting May 28, so the time from seed to harvest was 52 days lasting to 77 days.

The lettuce was started March 15 and planted outside April 12. I started harvesting May 21, so the time from seed to harvest was 67 days lasting to 99 days.

The leaf lettuce that was planted last September had bolted by about June 11.

Final pea harvest

I harvested the last of the peas today. We had about 12' planted (~ 60 plants) and harvested about 5 quarts of peas over two weeks. The first batch was planted from seed March 14 and the second batch March 27. The first batch was planted outside on March 27 two weeks after soaking. The first flowers appeared on May 26 and the first harvest of about a cup of peas on June 8. The entire harvest window for two succession plantings two weeks apart was June 8 to Jun 21 (13 days).

That was 96 days from seed to the end of harvest for half of the first batch which grew in a container in full sun (pulled out to make room for tomato plants on Saturday, June 18 and turning yellow), 100 days for the other half that was part of the final harvest and grew in significant shade in the middle of the day. The second batch came in at 87 days, still green but obviously at the end of production and also in full sun.

We enjoyed the peas very much. They were so sweet we liked to call them "candy balls". I will be starting a new batch for the fall very soon. If I get them started this weekend, 100 days will land October 3 which is after our average first frost date, but still leaves a month of potential growing for a cold-tolerant crop like peas, so I will want to start more seeds several weeks apart. It always surprises me when I remember that by the end of August, the sun will be setting by 7:40pm, significantly reducing the amount of sun that growing crops will receive.

The mulberry feast that wasn't

I was joyfully anticipating harvesting mulberries this morning, but when I went looking for the mulberries they were gone. I suspect that some birds had the same idea and beat me to it. Let this blog entry be a reminder to cover the mulberry bush with netting when the fruit starts to set in early June in coming years.

Inflection point

We have most of the garden real estate in production at this time (6 - 4'x4' frames and 9' of grow boxes), but are nearing an inflection point where some crops will be rotated out such as peas and overwintered lettuce, opening up space for new plantings. We will need another flat of lettuce to be started indoors, but I think it is too early to start fall crops. It would be nice to have another crop of spinach and tatsoi. Maybe I will try growing them under shade cloth (they are susceptible to bolting). I will also be adding two new frames this weekend and planting anything that hasn't made it out of the flats yet (cabbage, broccoli, squash, pepper, basil and tomatoes). Time to add some fertilizer as well.

We have easily saved more than $200 in groceries from the garden so far this year with the greatest savings to come with the harvest of tomatoes and peppers.

Late Spring Update

Where has the time gone? I can't believe my last post was May 21. A lot has happened in the meantime and I hope to backdate some entries with photos after I get this out, but the peas began flowering shortly after the last post and we harvested some last weekend (about a cup). Our next harvest will be much larger. We started eating strawberries this week, have been harvesting kale, spinach and tatsoi (almost gone); the lettuce that was started in April was planted in frame 2-1, and 20 more lettuce seeds started indoors are about 1 inch tall. The lettuce that was planted last September has all bolted at this point, but the next crop will be ready in days. The romaine lettuce started in April is also being harvested. Two more garden frames and three grow box containers are ready with sweet peppers and basil planted in two of the grow boxes. I watered almost every day since May 21 except that we finally got some rain and cooler temperatures beginning last weekend, so I am enjoying a break.

A full day in the garden

I harvested almost all of the remaining tatsoi (~8 plants, 3 quarts) and transplanted a dozen more in soil blocks to garden frames. I have been relying on the tatsoi for greens while the kale is developing and the parsley is recovering from the last cutting. It is good in smoothies. I also harvested about 8 gallons of lettuce including a couple of the romaines that were started in March. After adding sprouts to my garden tally for this year, my total savings from the garden is over $150. I figured an average of 1 jar of sprouts per week, but have had as many as five jars going at one time.

The first planted peas are reaching beyond the top of the protective cages, so a trellis was constructed for them to grow on. I expect to see pea flowers any day now. The carrots that I planted back in March are only a couple of inches tall.

Tomorrow I will set up the irrigation system which will allow more time for constructive activities this summer (much less time watering).

Graduation Day for Tomato Starts

The tomatoes in the basement were almost touching the lights at about 6" in height. I decided to get a few out this morning to enjoy the beautiful spring day. I planted them next to the peas and they will grow up behind the peas on the same trellis. Some of the remaining tomato starts will go to colleagues at work and the rest will be planted in a container.

Mid-day Update: the tomato plants were looking pretty sad. I guess the sun was a bit too intense compared with the flourescent lights they are accustomed to, so I put up a shade cloth. I transplanted the rest of the tall tomato starts into 1 quart yogurt containers and placed them on a tray out in the garden.

I have my work cut out for me this weekend with two more garden frames to build, three containers to fix and an irrigation system to run.

Ramps

I saw some ramps (allium tricoccum or "wild leek") at the Co-op this morning with roots still attached. I remember being introduced to ramps in middle school while running cross-country trails through the woods and haven't had them since, but I thought this would be an interesting addition to our diet, so we now have several planted in frame 2-1. From what I understand, ramps like to stay in the shade during the heat of summer, so maybe I won't cut back the silver maple all of the way. It might be good to have one or two frames in the shade during the hottest part of the day for heat sensitive plants like lettuce and peas.

More cucumber seeds have sprouted and a couple of summer squash. The earliest tomato plants cannot wait longer than this weekend to be transplanted into larger containers. I have concluded that it was not vole damage but an overlooked harvested tatsoi that I found in garden frame 1-2 the other day.

Return of the Vole?

I spied a withered tatsoi in frame 1-2 today at lunchtime. It appears to have been cut off at the base. The question is whether I cut it and left it in the garden the other day or if it was the work of a vole? I will investigate further when I get back home. Update: I think it was me.

The back row of garden frames is getting a significant amount of shade from the silver maple, the tree guy quoted $800 to trim it back. I think that I might have to see what I can do on my own with a rented lift.

Squash and Cucumber Seeds

A few of the cucumber seeds sprouted this weekend. I transplanted four pickling cucumber and one regular. The squash seeds have not yet sprouted. I decided to place all of the baggies on top of the fluorescent light fixture to give them some extra warmth, hopefully not too much, a quick zap from my IR temp reader showed a variation between 80 and 95 degrees F.

Harvest and Garden Savings Tally

I got out yesterday to harvest some parsely (2 quarts), tatsoi (2 quarts) and lettuce (4 gallons). The tatsoi is just starting to bolt, so I went ahead and picked it. This is my first experience with tatsoi, I guess I need to pick it earlier next time. Though the outside temperature did not seem extremely cold, it started snowing hard after I got back inside.

According to the spreadsheet that I am keeping, I have saved about $70 in vegetable purchases this year from having a garden. I spent more than that on seeds (seeds and soil blocking mix from Johnny's) and soil amendments (Bumper Crop), but not a bad start.

Quick update

I transferred all of the squash and cucumber seeds from jars to baggies along with a damp piece of paper towel yesterday.

Today, I watered the frames for the second time and harvested a mature parsley plant for juicing for vitality beverage. I also pulled a couple of lettuce that overwintered and had bolted. With temperatures above 60 degrees F the plants are really growing fast now.

Early May Update

The veggies in the garden are beginning to grow more vigorously. I had to water the garden for the first time in many weeks due to several days of sunny skies and temperatures above 55 degrees F. This morning we had our largest harvest of asparagus. I think that I may stop harvesting the asparagus now and allow it to grow to support the roots.

In the basement we have trays of lettuce, tomato, basil, peppers, cauliflower, cabbage, and poppy. I had a feeling of relief this morning when I thought that the pressure of starting seeds was past, then I realized it is time to start the warm weather plants like cucumbers and squash. I decided to start them using the soak and baggy method, then transferring to soil blocks once they sprout.

Harvest and transplanting

Today, I harvested about 4 gallons of lettuce, the remainder of the choi that overwintered, a few asparagus spears and a couple bunches of parsley. I also transplanted about 20 parsley plants and 4 broccoli into the garden. Including the parsley that overwintered, I have about 36 parsley plants. That should be enough to supply our needs for tabouli and juicing. There are lettuce, cabbage, tomato, pepper and basil plants still under lights in the basement.

Last weekend the cherries, plums, pears and apples were all in bloom.

Frost

Yesterday morning we woke to a frosty landscape. Out of curiosity or perhaps just plain laziness, I decided to not cover the gardens the previous evening though the temperature was forecast to drop to 32 degrees F. When I reviewed the garden in the morning I had reason for concern. The parsley was definitely not happy and while the peas, lettuce and kale seemed in decent form, they were still covered with ice crystals. I was therefore happy to see when returning at lunch that everything had recovered very well.

I started more tomatoes and lettuce in micro-blocks and moved the sprouted basil under the lights. Parsley in the tray went out on the back porch this morning to make room for more micro-blocks under the lights.

Harvesting and sprouting

The spinach and beet seeds that I have been experimenting with starting in jars (like when making alfalfa sprouts) are just beginning to put out roots. I will have to get those in soil in the next 24 hours. Some of the seeds that were started in micro blocks April 20 emerged on Saturday (cauliflower, cabbage, poppy). On Sunday, I harvested the remainder of the kale from last year and most of the choi because it was beginning to bolt. That yielded about three gallons of kale leaves and the equivalent of two grocery store heads of chinese cabbage (choi). I also harvested a bunch of asparagus which was delicious steamed.

I am starting a spreadsheet to keep track of garden output this year and will be providing updates as the season progresses. So far, I have harvested the equivalent of 1 bunch of asparagus, 3 bunches of kale, 3 heads of leaf lettuce, and 2 heads of choi. I will be experimenting with making Ann Wigmore's sauerkraut with the choi and the stalks are also a great substitute for celery.

More seed starting

The beet, kale, spinach and pea seedlings were transplanted into the garden yesterday.

I am getting adventurous with seed starting this year. Last night in micro-blocks I started three varieties of cabbage, cauliflower, sweet pepper, basil, marigolds, blue-bonnet, poppies, and lobelia. More beets and spinach were started in glass jars. The tomato and broccoli starts were moved to 2" blocks.

Transplanting

Last Wednesday, I did get the lettuce, tatsoi and kale planted outside. We have not had freezing temperatures since last Tuesday, just one sunny day after another. I expect to transplant the beets and spinach as well as more kale and peas this evening. I made a green smoothie this weekend with the young kale leaves from two of last year's kale. It is time to harvest more lettuce. Also available for harvest are choi, onions and garlic.

Seeds emerging from April 6 planting

All of the seeds that were started on April 6 have been moved under the lights now. Seedlings are moved under the lights as soon as sprouts begin to show above the soil even if all of them are not visible. Tonight, temperatures are forecast to get to 27 degrees F, but everything looks good from that point on. I will hopefully get out tomorrow at lunchtime to plant the kale, lettuce and tatsoi that are getting so big under the lights.

Carrots planted

I was able to plant 150 carrot seeds in three frames on Saturday. It looks like I will be able to transplant the kale, lettuce and tatsoi any day this week as temperatures are warming up. The tatsoi and beets in micro-blocks have already started sprouting and have been placed under lights.

More seed starting

Quick update-- Last night I started more micro-blocks: 20 tomato (beefsteak and cherry), 20 tatsoi, 40 spinach (tyee), 8 broccoli, 20 beets (detroit red), and 12 lettuce (mix). I also started several chard seeds soaking in water. The micro-blocks are set on a tray over some rope-light with a thermostat set to 75 degrees F. Almost all of the second planting of peas have surfaced. The parsley and celery was finally moved to larger blocks. The container peas were rolled out of the garage at noon today for a couple of days in the sun until it gets cold again. I need to get some carrots planted outside as soon as I have time on a decent weather day. Peppers, basil, and marigolds should be started soon.

Winter Returns

Upon waking from a peaceful nap Saturday afternoon, I rose to the scene of snow falling outside my window. I hurried outside to cover the garden frames and when I got back inside, checked the long term weather forecast and noted that the temperature is expected to fall into the low teens. I decided that I had better go back outside to harvest the lettuce which has grown considerably over the past few weeks or it might get freeze burned. I was rewarded with five gallons of greens for salads this week.

I would have liked to transplant the kale, tatsoi and lettuce into the garden also, but decided to wait until the temperatures warm up again. We started another 40 peas this week.

It looks like we will have a couple of mild days Wednesday and Thursday and then it is going to get cold again with maybe another warming trend starting next Sunday.

Mild Weather Returns

Temperatures moderated again today and I took the covers off the garden frames at lunch time. It looks like the plants can enjoy direct access to Mother Nature until Saturday evening when the covers will need to go on again. At that point the temperatures will begin to drop below freezing and stay there at least through mid-week.

The peas that were placed in soak water a couple of days ago are sprouting their radicles (I didn't even drain them until today). Time to make some more soil blocks tonight.

The Tempest

We woke this morning to a windy maelstrom. My first thoughts went to the peas that had just been transplanted during a sunny idyll yesterday. Would they be able to withstand the violent force of the wind? When I made it outside, I saw that they were bravely resisting, but who knows how long...and a frost was forecast tonight. So, I made haste to cover all of the garden frames with plastic and rolled the one container full of peas into the garage. There is something very satisfying about being out in the weather when Mother Nature roars. I was happy that I was able to quickly protect all of the hardy winter survivors and freshly planted peas and go on with my day.

Snap Pea Graduation Day

Today was graduation day for the peas. I enjoyed getting my hands dirty preparing several garden beds and one grow box. I decided to plant half of the peas in a grow box and half in a garden frame (20/20). I also uncovered all of the gardens so that they could enjoy the mild weather. However, the lettuce looked like it was starting to get a bit too hot under the covers and looked even worse after being subjected to direct sunlight. I pulled out some burlap to use as shade cloth and within a couple of hours the lettuce was looking much better. I will be harvesting it very soon. I started 40 more pea seeds soaking in a jar in the evening.

Transplanting

Last night I transplanted the micro-soil blocks (3/4") to larger soil blocks (see how they stick out a little). The tally of successful seeds in the micro-blocks is 12/20 Nash's Kale, 16/20 Toscano Kale, 8/20 Tatsoi, and 16/20 Coastal Star Lettuce.

Sprouts (7th day)

A couple of photos of the seedlings sprouting. These were all planted March 14, though the peas were soaked and rinsed for two days prior. Almost all of the pea plants have broken through the soil now.

Sprouts

Many of the smaller blocks that were planted with lettuce began breaking through last night. I quickly placed them under the lights. I also see one pea that has broken through.

Lights and more seeds

Here is a photo of my setup (except the larger soil block trays are now supported by yogurt containers to get them closer to the lights and the smaller soil blocks are covered by another tray to maintain moisture while they are sprouting). I added a warming mat under them this morning and planted more peas that have begun sprouting. Last night, I started 20 parsley seeds.

More seed starting

Last night I planted the seeds that I ordered from Johnny's, twenty soil blocks for each variety: Nash's Green Kale, Toscano Kale (aka "Dinosaur Kale"), Coastal Star Romaine, Tatsoi, and Tango Celery.

Today I planted about 32 of the pea seeds that were soaked in water two days ago. The root spur tip (radicle) was just beginning to poke out away from the seed. Tonight I will need to get the lights setup and I think that I will start more parsley for making tabouli. :)

The plan this weekend will be to get several bags of "Bumper Crop" soil amendment and empty one into each garden frame. If I have time, I will put together some planters for tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. When the ground dries out a little, I can begin digging trenches for an irrigation system.

Seed starting has begun

OK, I finally started something this year. Hopefully, this will inspire me to do more. Yesterday, I placed some pea seeds in a jar and covered them with water. Today I emptied the water and when the seeds sprout, I will place them in soil blocks or containers. I have decided that I am going to always start plants inside because I have had so many experiences of young seedlings being devoured by slugs and other critters when they are started directly in the garden. It seems that once the plants have a couple of sets of leaves, they are much less vulnerable. Also, this allows me to make maximum use of available space when I do plant.

Look at the lettuce and parsley that overwintered! Granted it was a mild winter, but we still had temperatures into the single digits that devastated the lettuce that remained in another garden frame with only one layer of plastic. The second photo shows a frame with lettuce, onion, choi and parsley that overwintered. It won't be long before we are picking for salads again.

I gained a new appreciation for the compost towers as I was picking small weeds and leftover roots and debris from the garden beds. It was great to have a practical place to put the weeds because of the precious soil that was clinging to their roots. Now that soil will be reintroduced to the garden by earthworms after the weeds have been thoroughly composted. The compost tower solves another problem that I have been pondering, how to efficiently process the mats that are leftover from growing sprouts in soil trays? I had been contemplating trying vermiculture (composting with worms) in the kitchen, but I didn't like the idea of having another living environment/organism to carefully manage because I am already spread so thin. While I was throwing weeds in the compost tower, I realized that I already have vermiculture and that it is self managing!

On a sidenote, I am trying to start some sourdough starter because we have been baking every week and my wife wants us to eat as naturally as possible. There does seem to be a good argument for using sourdough starter instead of yeast (related to breakdown of phytic acid). I have found many methods described online that seem like too much work and waste of flour. Based on my research, I am trying what may be a novel method. I am cultivating yeast in a jar in the refrigerator filled with 1/4 cup of water, 1/4 cup of freshly ground whole-wheat flour (we have a grain mill), 1 teaspoon of zante currants (small raisins), and 1 teaspoon of live culture yogurt. I have been stirring it twice a day. Once I start seeing some bubbles, I will cut the mixture (in the process excluding the raisins) and add more flour and water. Once the yeast is established, I plan to take it out the day before baking to warm it up to room temperature and feed it. Hopefully, I will be able to get by with only feeding it once a week the day before baking time. I plan to try using 1 cup of starter for 4-5 cups of flour. The bread that we make (multi-grain boule) already has a 12 hour first rise, it will be interesting to see how much longer it will take, if any, with sourdough.

Crocuses have been blooming for about a week and leaf buds are becoming visible on the forsythia, lilacs and other trees. Robins have returned.

A warm day, especially under the covers

I checked under the covers today and found that the soil temperature was 75 degrees F under the double layer of plastic and 85 degrees F under a single layer. This is on a sunny day at 2pm with a high day temperature of 63 degrees F. It looks like it will be overcast for the rest of the week and we still have below freezing temperatures in store, so I won't remove the plastic just yet.

In the kitchen, there is a box of seeds from Johnny's that arrived a few days ago. I can almost feel the vitality of those seeds waiting to expand under the right conditions. I definitely need to get some seeds started, but I expect that we will be picking the lettuce and parsley that wintered over in a couple of weeks.

Spring is quickly approaching

Spring is quickly approaching. The days are getting longer, the sun setting at almost 6 pm, and the threat of prolonged winter cold quickly diminishing.

I went out to check on the vole traps and to setup a few more because I would hate to see the plants that survived the winter be chomped by the little critters. I found one more vole that volunteered to become fertilizer for my asparagus bed. Now I am thinking that a vole trap and a compost tower will become standard accessories for each of my garden beds. The latest traps have an open top to make maintenance easier. The draw for the voles is the little opening in the end appearing as a neat place to hide. No other bait is required.

While peeking under the covers, I was somewhat surprised to see that the lettuce appears to have survived (in spite of temperatures dipping well below zero) and has even grown a bit since I added the second layer of plastic in January. I have purchased lettuce from the market about three times since our supply from the garden ran out in January.

I am feeling the urge to start some lettuce, parsley, choi, kale and other greens so that we can start eating fresh from the garden again.

Dreaming of this year's garden while chewing on the last

There are still some young lettuce, choi and parsley surviving under the plastic outside, but today we ate the last of the mature veggies (kale) harvested last week from the 2015 garden.

I have been studying Eliot Coleman's books to find clues as to what and when I should begin planting for the spring garden. As I mentioned previously, I want to keep the entire garden in production this year with active succession planting. Based on what I have read so far, I should be planting short rows (or squares) of several vegetables each week or two once the temperatures rise. I know for certain that we will want a lot of parsley for tabouli and other purposes. We should also have a steady supply of carrots and beets along with the lettuce, kale and choi of which we seem to have mastered the culture.

My immediate goal apart from ordering and starting seeds is to run a drip irrigation system to save time on watering and to provide more consistent and focused nourishment for the plants.

Final harvest today from the 2015 garden

We finished the last of the choi and lettuce last week, so I had to buy lettuce at the market for the first time in several months. I will harvest the last of the kale today and it is time to start thinking seriously about planning for the the coming season. With rain falling yesterday in the heart of winter and temperatures forecast in the 40's for this weekend, the growing season may be coming up very soon indeed.

Second Harvest

Ahead of a winter storm and plunging temperatures, I decided to harvest more kale and lettuce (the photo of the kale was blurry so didn't post). The late planted lettuce yielded more than expected. I have one more large cutting of kale left.

I also managed to double cover the frame that is fully planted with lettuce just as the snow was beginning to fall. I will take a peek during the next thaw, but I expect that this lettuce will provide our earliest spring harvest yet (if I can keep the voles out).

Mid-Winter Shadow Extent

A photo to illustrate the extent of the shadow of the house during mid-winter.

First harvest of the year

We wanted to make a stir fry, so picked the remainder of the mature choi. This leaves some kale and lettuce that might be picked before the early spring garden matures. And the remaining choi, baby lettuce, and parsley will probably be the first things to mature. We will see if the mache sprouts in March. Next year, I expect to have much more available at this time (namely carrots, beets, mache, parsley, lettuce, arugula, kale, and choi).

I have captured one vole so far. I am confident that with regular baitless trapping, I will be able to keep them away from my garden frames.