Tonight, we are celebrating Halloween and I wish we had planted pumpkins so that we could have been visited by the Great Pumpkin. Now we probably would be like Linus and never get the visit so we bought a couple of big bags of candy. Foolish Linus and Charlie Brown.
We are celebrating our new production number of 291 pounds 13 ounces because we know the 300 pound mark is definitely in sight and will be a reality. Three hundred pounds, three hundred pounds. I keep rolling that around in my mind and I know I can do much better next year. It also makes you want to rush the seasons and that is not fair.
With the fall season, we have seen great growth in our sugar snap peas, broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts. We also have had a renewed growth of bell peppers because of the respite from the intolerable heat we had this summer.
The newer tomato plants have also shown the coming of the cold weather. They seem to be ripening their tomatoes at a rapid pace in order to get the fruit grown and gone before the "dying of the light".
It has been a great summer and we have produced a lot of vegetables that we enjoyed with friends and family. We have tried new methods, plant cultivar and used old gardening ideas. We know we want to change a couple of things next year, will start earlier and put lime in the boxes this fall so that the good, old fashioned Dolomite lime has a chance to permeate the growing mix.
I can wish for more production, but I know I will probably get to the 315 pound mark with the cole crops. The broccoli is already starting to show the beginning of the heads that we will harvest in the next few weeks. I am happy that I have had the time in the garden and so glad to be back there. Many happy hours of meditation and joy at seeing my plants grow.
I can still say that I am one good organic gardener. At least in my mind and the proof is on my table and in my refrigerator.
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Rage, Rage
Like the poem by Dylan Thomas, Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night, I want my plants to continue to fight against the coming of the cold weather and the end of most of my garden. I want the plants to "rage against the dying of the light" and live longer, but in my heart I know this will not happen.
My husband and I have tended the garden so carefully this year, but we can do better. We planted Brussel Sprouts today to keep some of the buckets with cole crops in them, and still have head cabbage, more broccoli, more lettuce, and oregano to plant.
We have now reached 280 pounds, 4 ounces and that is a lot for a small backyard garden. It is .45 of a pound per square foot of gardening. If we reach 315 pounds, we will have produced a half of a pound per square foot and that is since late April.
The record keeping was part of the experiment that we conducted this summer to see what kind of production can come out of a small backyard garden. It was not a real experiment because there was no control group for comparison. It was a half baked experiment with spectacular results.
This garden showed me that I can continue to garden in a less physical manner and still provide my family with great food. Food that has not been manipulated with toxic fertilizers and toxic bug sprays.
And yet, I too will rage, rage against the dying of the light.
My husband and I have tended the garden so carefully this year, but we can do better. We planted Brussel Sprouts today to keep some of the buckets with cole crops in them, and still have head cabbage, more broccoli, more lettuce, and oregano to plant.
We have now reached 280 pounds, 4 ounces and that is a lot for a small backyard garden. It is .45 of a pound per square foot of gardening. If we reach 315 pounds, we will have produced a half of a pound per square foot and that is since late April.
The record keeping was part of the experiment that we conducted this summer to see what kind of production can come out of a small backyard garden. It was not a real experiment because there was no control group for comparison. It was a half baked experiment with spectacular results.
This garden showed me that I can continue to garden in a less physical manner and still provide my family with great food. Food that has not been manipulated with toxic fertilizers and toxic bug sprays.
And yet, I too will rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
It is time for cabbage
Well, as the season starts to cool and the nights grow longer, the summer crops are beginning to wane. I wonder it I can get the dogs to switch from squash to cabbage crops like broccoli ( I always want to digress to the SNL's "chopping broccoli"), cauliflower, cabbage, Brussel sprouts,and also spinach.
Not very interesting, is it? Then think of stir fry,corned beef and cabbage, stuffed cabbage, spinach casseroles or salads, and just steamed cauliflower with cheese or butter.
My sugar snap peas have started growing a lot faster and it is an unusual plant. Little known fact is that the leaves are edible as well as the peas are and taste just like the snaps.
We have pulled all of the cucumber plants because they have reached the end of their season. I will miss the sweet slice cucumbers and I intend to try the Japanese variety next summer. I also plan to inoculate the plants with beneficial nematodes (sold by Gardens Alive). The nematodes are supposed to be the best thing for fighting squash adversaries. Luckily, the sponge containing the nematodes are already in the syringe and all you have to do is add water and keep the syringes cold in the fridge until used.
I also plan to add Praying Mantis, Lady Bugs and Lace wings to fight the adversarial bugs. I also plan to utilize more companion plants like marigolds, garlic, and nasturtiums.
We have broccoli for one of the vacated boxes, brussels sprouts for another, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage. With almost 269 pounds of veggies accounted for, I think we will reach our 300 plus pound mark.
Who knows, we may get to 325 pounds. It is all in the planning.
Not very interesting, is it? Then think of stir fry,corned beef and cabbage, stuffed cabbage, spinach casseroles or salads, and just steamed cauliflower with cheese or butter.
My sugar snap peas have started growing a lot faster and it is an unusual plant. Little known fact is that the leaves are edible as well as the peas are and taste just like the snaps.
We have pulled all of the cucumber plants because they have reached the end of their season. I will miss the sweet slice cucumbers and I intend to try the Japanese variety next summer. I also plan to inoculate the plants with beneficial nematodes (sold by Gardens Alive). The nematodes are supposed to be the best thing for fighting squash adversaries. Luckily, the sponge containing the nematodes are already in the syringe and all you have to do is add water and keep the syringes cold in the fridge until used.
I also plan to add Praying Mantis, Lady Bugs and Lace wings to fight the adversarial bugs. I also plan to utilize more companion plants like marigolds, garlic, and nasturtiums.
We have broccoli for one of the vacated boxes, brussels sprouts for another, lettuce, spinach, and cabbage. With almost 269 pounds of veggies accounted for, I think we will reach our 300 plus pound mark.
Who knows, we may get to 325 pounds. It is all in the planning.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Remembering
We have now surpassed a new level in our quest for the best. Despite starting three months or a full season late, we have managed to get 253 pounds 6 ounces so far out of our small garden space.
After harvesting today, we had reached the new plateau. I think we may reach the 300 level if we get another fifteen or twenty pounds out of my tomatoes, ten or 15 pounds of broccoli, 10 or 15 pounds of cauliflower and anything else out of the squash, cukes, sugar snap peas, beans, lettuce, herbs, and peppers.
I am amazed and thrilled, and the only other honor that would really mean so much is to win the Garden Patch contest for the summer. That may never be,and I did not grow the garden for the contest. I grew the garden for me.
My daughter, Kimmie, told me about a lab mice experiment concerning the treatment of Alzheimers. The British scientists found that the mice do lose the memories, their DNA gets unwound. You might say they aren't wound too tight.
Then the scientist found that if they gave the mice a wheel to exercise on they were able to remember. You might say they needed to be rewound. They did some experiments on the elderly with dementia and found if they got them active with exercises they liked they could remember things they had forgot.
Well, I guess I have been like those mice on the wheel. I remember the joy of the garden and nature, but more important I remember the real me.
After harvesting today, we had reached the new plateau. I think we may reach the 300 level if we get another fifteen or twenty pounds out of my tomatoes, ten or 15 pounds of broccoli, 10 or 15 pounds of cauliflower and anything else out of the squash, cukes, sugar snap peas, beans, lettuce, herbs, and peppers.
I am amazed and thrilled, and the only other honor that would really mean so much is to win the Garden Patch contest for the summer. That may never be,and I did not grow the garden for the contest. I grew the garden for me.
My daughter, Kimmie, told me about a lab mice experiment concerning the treatment of Alzheimers. The British scientists found that the mice do lose the memories, their DNA gets unwound. You might say they aren't wound too tight.
Then the scientist found that if they gave the mice a wheel to exercise on they were able to remember. You might say they needed to be rewound. They did some experiments on the elderly with dementia and found if they got them active with exercises they liked they could remember things they had forgot.
Well, I guess I have been like those mice on the wheel. I remember the joy of the garden and nature, but more important I remember the real me.
Friday, October 8, 2010
New signs of fall
A couple of days ago, we must have had a slight frost overnight. I have definite evidence of frost burn on several of my tomato plants and a couple of the squash plants. It is a sure sign that fall is here and winter is not far away.
I hate that the garden is showing all of the signs of ending for the year. I love the solitude of sitting and picking beans or tomatoes or squash. I will miss the taste of my own vegetables on my plate because what I buy in the grocery store just does not compare.
I thought it was in my own mind, but I know different now. I have cooked two of the best pots of green beans I have had in years. The beans actually had flavor and was so much like the beans I used to pick from my garden thirty plus years ago. The flavor of Blue Lake beans, whether pole or bush, is exquisite. Nothing like some from a can or a freezer.
My Patty Pan squash and my light skinned zucchini have that buttery flavor that just is unbelievable. My new puppy, Maggie, loves the squash just like my boys do. They all sat begging for more a couple of nights ago.
All of these things do not compare with walking out the back door and picking your own vegetables. No bill to pay or anybody to thank but yourself. G-d has such a perfect system and we just need to use it.
Join me next year. Grow your own vegetables, either my way or yours. Give it a try and see how good you will feel when you have succeeded.
Grow an heirloom tomato and make yourself a Redneck sandwich. Soft white bread slathered with mayonnaise and a think slab of tomato. Salt and pepper will finish off the sandwich and you.
I hate that the garden is showing all of the signs of ending for the year. I love the solitude of sitting and picking beans or tomatoes or squash. I will miss the taste of my own vegetables on my plate because what I buy in the grocery store just does not compare.
I thought it was in my own mind, but I know different now. I have cooked two of the best pots of green beans I have had in years. The beans actually had flavor and was so much like the beans I used to pick from my garden thirty plus years ago. The flavor of Blue Lake beans, whether pole or bush, is exquisite. Nothing like some from a can or a freezer.
My Patty Pan squash and my light skinned zucchini have that buttery flavor that just is unbelievable. My new puppy, Maggie, loves the squash just like my boys do. They all sat begging for more a couple of nights ago.
All of these things do not compare with walking out the back door and picking your own vegetables. No bill to pay or anybody to thank but yourself. G-d has such a perfect system and we just need to use it.
Join me next year. Grow your own vegetables, either my way or yours. Give it a try and see how good you will feel when you have succeeded.
Grow an heirloom tomato and make yourself a Redneck sandwich. Soft white bread slathered with mayonnaise and a think slab of tomato. Salt and pepper will finish off the sandwich and you.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Pushing past the pain
My garden reached a new milestone today. We have now harvested 240 plus pounds of vegetables. We have plenty that will be harvested in the near future and the peas I was lamenting the last time have new vigor.
The okra has really waned and will be replaced tomorrow with the cauliflower transplants. I will harvest a bunch of the lettuce and I may replant some more of the lettuce transplants, except this time it will be Romaine lettuce. Adding some broccoli transplants to the squash buckets could be the ticket.
The new secret to squash beetles seems to be a more advanced version of the BT spray for crawling and chewing bugs. The bugs just hate the spray and it has helped a good bit. Next year everything is going to have companion plantings of marigolds, nasturtiums and any other companion plant that fights the bugs.
I am really proud of how much has come out of the garden. I have had other gardens that have produced more vegetables, but not in the limited space that the 2010 garden occupies. A garden with roughly 625 square feet is a relatively small garden by my standards, but this has produced fruit like a garden three or four times as big
If I was asked if I would use the Garden Patch grow boxes again, it would be a very loud YES. It is not to say they are perfect, and I have found a few things I don't like about them. I intend to change my stands in the garden and make much more substantial stands, and I know my youngest son will be happy to weld them together for me.
I also want some kind of circulating water system for next year and I don't want to have to go from box to box. I think a mosquito shield is needed and I will design and fit one for each of my boxes. I will also order some supplemental fertilizer from Gardens Alive for long growing tomatoes and peppers. They seem to need a little push at this time of year.
As my computer geek husband told me about software, if it does 50% of what you want it is good, 75% the software is excellent, 85 to 95 percent and the software is exceptional. No product works without bugs, be it software or plant grow boxes.
I would give these boxes at least an 85 to 90 percent and that makes them exceptional. Beggers can't be choosers, I am so glad I have had the time to commune with nature.
But wait until next year, and watch what I can do.
The okra has really waned and will be replaced tomorrow with the cauliflower transplants. I will harvest a bunch of the lettuce and I may replant some more of the lettuce transplants, except this time it will be Romaine lettuce. Adding some broccoli transplants to the squash buckets could be the ticket.
The new secret to squash beetles seems to be a more advanced version of the BT spray for crawling and chewing bugs. The bugs just hate the spray and it has helped a good bit. Next year everything is going to have companion plantings of marigolds, nasturtiums and any other companion plant that fights the bugs.
I am really proud of how much has come out of the garden. I have had other gardens that have produced more vegetables, but not in the limited space that the 2010 garden occupies. A garden with roughly 625 square feet is a relatively small garden by my standards, but this has produced fruit like a garden three or four times as big
If I was asked if I would use the Garden Patch grow boxes again, it would be a very loud YES. It is not to say they are perfect, and I have found a few things I don't like about them. I intend to change my stands in the garden and make much more substantial stands, and I know my youngest son will be happy to weld them together for me.
I also want some kind of circulating water system for next year and I don't want to have to go from box to box. I think a mosquito shield is needed and I will design and fit one for each of my boxes. I will also order some supplemental fertilizer from Gardens Alive for long growing tomatoes and peppers. They seem to need a little push at this time of year.
As my computer geek husband told me about software, if it does 50% of what you want it is good, 75% the software is excellent, 85 to 95 percent and the software is exceptional. No product works without bugs, be it software or plant grow boxes.
I would give these boxes at least an 85 to 90 percent and that makes them exceptional. Beggers can't be choosers, I am so glad I have had the time to commune with nature.
But wait until next year, and watch what I can do.
Fall is beaconing to my garden
It is obvious to me that the garden's days are numbered for the year 2010. It is now cooler outside and it is a pleasure to sit and pick beans. The new tomatoes are reaching maturity and the peppers love the change in temperature as they are blossoming again.
Officially we have now reached the 230 pound plus level. It is amazing that everything is pushing my numbers up to my hoped for level for the year. I don't know if I can reach 300 pounds but we are sure going to give the number a run for its money.
There are so many things growing now that I haven't tried before in my previous gardens. Broccoli and cauliflower are new for my garden and everything is a learning experience. I am trying Sugar Snap peas for fall planting and I am not delighted with the growth of the plants. Maybe the sugars need to mature as it warms up during the day rather then starting in the heat and the days growing cooler.
Whatever ends up in the garden is not up to us. We can pamper our plants, fight their bugs, fertilize the soil, but ultimately it is just not up to us.
Just look skyward, breathe the sweet, cool air and know a power greater than ourselves is in charge.
Officially we have now reached the 230 pound plus level. It is amazing that everything is pushing my numbers up to my hoped for level for the year. I don't know if I can reach 300 pounds but we are sure going to give the number a run for its money.
There are so many things growing now that I haven't tried before in my previous gardens. Broccoli and cauliflower are new for my garden and everything is a learning experience. I am trying Sugar Snap peas for fall planting and I am not delighted with the growth of the plants. Maybe the sugars need to mature as it warms up during the day rather then starting in the heat and the days growing cooler.
Whatever ends up in the garden is not up to us. We can pamper our plants, fight their bugs, fertilize the soil, but ultimately it is just not up to us.
Just look skyward, breathe the sweet, cool air and know a power greater than ourselves is in charge.
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