First update in awhile
Ok, so I have been guilty of neglect. I haven't updated in a year. I plan on doing regular posts throughout 2007. The theme will shift slightly from a simple garden update to garden update with philisophical tint.
Writing is painful for me. So I have to make myself do this. But there is so much to say.
This year isn't all that different from last year and therefore the post on Feb. 24, 2006 pretty much describes the state of my garden with a few exceptions. Things are about two weeks to a month behind this year because of the cold January and cool weather since. But... the leafy winter crops are celebrating. I have huge oriental giant spinach plants which taste awesome. Note that I take only a few leaves each cutting from several plants. That way, the plants continue to produce for months and I get all the spinach we need. My purple mustard is the best ever. Our leeks finally kicked into high gear last fall and now I have four rows of wonderful leek to choose from. The carrots were awesome. I must remove some to make room for the spring onions if they ever start to thrive. Yes, onions are again a challenge this year. Bunching onions are doing fine but I can't even get the Walla Walla ones to come up.
But the spring brocolli, kohlrabi, collards, rutabaga, and spinach are coming out of my ears. The greenhouse barely has walking area right now and I have more six packs demanding transplanting into larger pots. I will start setting brocolli out in two weeks. Cauliflower is in all stages from being harvested to rapidly growing in the field to pouting after transplanting to growing in the greenhouse to just sprouting in six packs. I intend on producing two to three heads a week for the next three months. Note that I am experimenting with some brocollirab seedlings started from seeds produced on Long Island by our daughter's boyfriend's parents.
Wild lettuce is coming up throughout the yard with some ready for picking. I have focused more on Arugula hoping to get it to reseed itself too. And the kales are just awesome. I have one area which is being totally taken over by purple kale. It likes that one area under a tree. It grows wild.
I've just started planting tomatoes and peppers in six packs. But no luck yet. I have one lonely tomato seedling to show for my work. But I start a sixpack each week. Past experience has taught me that when these guys are ready, they will burst forth. I started two six packs of home grown pepper seed on top of my now warm leaf compost pile. The center of the pile is cooling down now but still at 120 degrees f. At the surface, it feels like mid 70s. I embedded to six packs in the compost and covered them with a clear plastic lid. This is day 8. Still no sign of germination but still too early to tell if this will work. Note that many people use electric heaters to get peppers started. I don't do this because it takes electricity, and I think nature is telling me its not ready when the seeds don't sprout on their own. When peppers are happy, they grow and produce rapidly. When they are not, they just sit around and pout looking for excuses to get sick and aphid infested.
Oh, how could I forget. This is an awesome year for favas! There is still time to plant them. I intend on planting an area where I removed concrete a few weeks ago, today.
Well I am out of time. Will write more next week.
Happy gardening
danh
Writing is painful for me. So I have to make myself do this. But there is so much to say.
This year isn't all that different from last year and therefore the post on Feb. 24, 2006 pretty much describes the state of my garden with a few exceptions. Things are about two weeks to a month behind this year because of the cold January and cool weather since. But... the leafy winter crops are celebrating. I have huge oriental giant spinach plants which taste awesome. Note that I take only a few leaves each cutting from several plants. That way, the plants continue to produce for months and I get all the spinach we need. My purple mustard is the best ever. Our leeks finally kicked into high gear last fall and now I have four rows of wonderful leek to choose from. The carrots were awesome. I must remove some to make room for the spring onions if they ever start to thrive. Yes, onions are again a challenge this year. Bunching onions are doing fine but I can't even get the Walla Walla ones to come up.
But the spring brocolli, kohlrabi, collards, rutabaga, and spinach are coming out of my ears. The greenhouse barely has walking area right now and I have more six packs demanding transplanting into larger pots. I will start setting brocolli out in two weeks. Cauliflower is in all stages from being harvested to rapidly growing in the field to pouting after transplanting to growing in the greenhouse to just sprouting in six packs. I intend on producing two to three heads a week for the next three months. Note that I am experimenting with some brocollirab seedlings started from seeds produced on Long Island by our daughter's boyfriend's parents.
Wild lettuce is coming up throughout the yard with some ready for picking. I have focused more on Arugula hoping to get it to reseed itself too. And the kales are just awesome. I have one area which is being totally taken over by purple kale. It likes that one area under a tree. It grows wild.
I've just started planting tomatoes and peppers in six packs. But no luck yet. I have one lonely tomato seedling to show for my work. But I start a sixpack each week. Past experience has taught me that when these guys are ready, they will burst forth. I started two six packs of home grown pepper seed on top of my now warm leaf compost pile. The center of the pile is cooling down now but still at 120 degrees f. At the surface, it feels like mid 70s. I embedded to six packs in the compost and covered them with a clear plastic lid. This is day 8. Still no sign of germination but still too early to tell if this will work. Note that many people use electric heaters to get peppers started. I don't do this because it takes electricity, and I think nature is telling me its not ready when the seeds don't sprout on their own. When peppers are happy, they grow and produce rapidly. When they are not, they just sit around and pout looking for excuses to get sick and aphid infested.
Oh, how could I forget. This is an awesome year for favas! There is still time to plant them. I intend on planting an area where I removed concrete a few weeks ago, today.
Well I am out of time. Will write more next week.
Happy gardening
danh
posted by danh at
10:34 AM
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