Things are going well with the garden this year in terms of being on top of maintenance and harvesting but it is not without challenges.
Accomplishments:
- Built a tool shed on the back of the garage so that I have easy access to all of my garden and landscape tools.
- Built a frame to support the Dutch bucket system for growing fruits like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, squash and melons.
- Added two new 30" x 8' raised frames
- Put up a new fence around the asparagus bed
- I am learning to use my new Jora tumbler composter. I have gotten the temperature up to 110 degrees F but am aiming for the most active range of 120+. I just mixed up a new batch today using some of what was already in there plus some shredded burdock leaves, sawdust and compost starter.
- Instead of starting basil from seed, I purchased a plant from the grocery store and then propagated cuttings in water. I have about 18 seedlings doing well from the first cutting which also yielded some leaves for consumption.
- Added important seedling start dates based on Johnny's spreadsheet.
- Two more rows of raspberries were started from volunteer plants.
Things going well:
- Peas germinated well and are about three feet tall
- The grape hyacinth and tulips had a good show, the delphinium that I grew from seed last spring is looking very healthy.
- Potatoes in five gallon buckets.
- Seedlings started in March and April are doing well apart from the beets that were planted out weeks ago and are still struggling to grow.
- The square plant starting bed that I completed last year is working well to support succession planting.
- Purchased one bunch of spring onions from grocery store in April and planted them. We have been enjoying them on a regular basis, chopping up the whole plant.
- Purchased a horseradish root from the grocery store and it is growing well,
- I have harvested a lot of lettuce, choi, celery, parsley, cilantro, kale, spring onion and asparagus so far this year, plus we have been growing trays of microgreens and regular jars of clover, alfalfa and mung sprout mix.
- Grew seedlings under LED lights. They are so much better than fluorescents because they can be kept 24" above the seedlings, each lamp covers 30" square and the spectrum is better. Also, got a 62"x33" tray from Grainger to hold all seedling under the lights.
Challenges this year:
- I let some compass weed go last year and am paying the price now by having to pick hundreds of compass plant seedlings from my raised beds.
- Bugs seems to be more of a problem this year, probably because of the mild winter.
* I had to be vigilant about dropping asparagus beetles into rubbing alcohol several times a day until they were completely gone.
* I am making an extra effort to protect my Easter lilies this year because they are so beautiful. Last year, the flowers were beheaded just as they came out (probably by squirrels). This year I put an enclosed fence with 2"x 3" rectangles around each one. Also, I did some research on the pretty bright red beetles that have been showing up on the lilies and found that they can be very harmful to the plants. So they got the same alcohol bath treatment. There only seem to have been six of those. I have been checking every day and no more have shown up.
* I also happened across a couple of striped cucumber beetles.
* Slugs have been kept under control with manual removal and beer traps. I have less holes in my greens as a result.
* Cabbage aphids are starting up early on the kale. I have been removing leaves affected by them and disposing of them in the trash.
* Then there are the yellow jackets that were getting in the house and generally being a nuisance.
* Finally, the ants have had the run of the house for an extended period this spring.
- A short spell of hot weather into the 90's over Memorial Day weekend caused the radishes and choi to bolt.
- Ground elder is an issue in one of my front yard beds. I have just tried to be relentless about pulling new shoots in the hopes of starving the rhizomes.
- Azaleas and Rhodos are not looking healthy and the Azalea that I purchase a couple years ago is not growing quickly. I will be feeding them Rhodo formula every two weeks.
Lessons learned:
- Add some granular tomato food when transplanting from 2 inch blocks to quart containers. It appears that Bumper Crop can be deficient since some leaves were turning yellow with purple veins before being planted out.
- Keep covering frames with Agribon until they are thick with plants, otherwise squirrel and cat will dig.
- In the Northeast with a relatively short growing season it is best to fill all beds completely as early as possible in the spring. Plant things closer than recommended because you will want to move some things around as the vegetables that overwintered or with short harvest times are consumed. It is good to have extra plants that can be moved to fill open spots. Watch closely for plants that are beginning to go to seed and harvest them immediately. Start plants in the basement
Plans this year:
- Get into a two week routine for feeding plants.
- Become skilled at making compost with the Jora
- Complete automatic watering system
- Make a formal peppermint bed
- Renew the asparagus bed and plant strawberries in-between.
- Mix together some complete organice fertilizer (COF) re: Solomon's recipe
- Garden walkways - Move hose bib to more easily accessible location and setup distribution point for watering. - Door and walls on greenhouse
