Mid June Update

The fourth corn/pole beans/winter squash planting in the back of the yard is growing fast. The corn is about a ft. tall with beans starting to develop vines. Yesterday, I planted the fifth 90 day corn/pole bean/shelling bush bean/cucumber plot. I have one more to go. Note that everything in these plots is seeded directly in the ground including the winter squash. While most books recommend that one plant the corn at least a week earlier than the remainder of the companion crops, I find it easiest to plant them all at the same time. However, I sometimes have to thin out the pole beans to keep them from overtaking the corn. So far this year, the corn has grown unusually fast enabling it to hold its own against the beans.

The peas which occupied the fifth plot conveniently stopped growing three weeks ago. I took them out on June 9 collecting at least a quart of dried peas from the quickly dying plants. The peas produced so heavily this spring that we couldn't keep up with them resulting in many pods drying. Since we have so many of these, I am experimenting with mixing the peas with pinto beans and cooking them together using a pressure cooker. So far, I like the mixed pea pinto bean result. Fortunately most of the late cauliflower, which also occupied plot 5, produced their heads well before yesterday. However, two are late bloomers and won't be done for at least another week. So... since I don't have the will to destroy healthy cauliflower plants, I simply plant around them as the picture below shows. The two large plants are the heavily pruned cauliflower. The dark rows with drippers running down them are the newly planted 90 day corn mix. Plot six, is in the back with lots of onions and a large squash plant occupying the space. There is also a highly productive potato patch out of picture on the right side of the plot. How many of these crops will be done in two weeks? I hope the onions are. They are quickly maturing with noticeable changes each day. These were set out in early March from starts in the greenhouse as the carrots from last year gave way.

The squash and potatoes won't be done, so I will have to plant around them much as I did the cauliflower in plot five. The newly planted rows are dark for two reasons. They are wet from the first irrigation after planting using the drippers. And there is a thin layer of finished compost on top of the rows. This compost helps keep the soil moist and promotes micro organisms in the immediate vicinity of the seeds. Note that I always integrate a 1/4 inch of compost directly into the top four inches of the soil prior to planting.

The 2007 leek crop which I talked about in the last post, is over half transplanted into the garden. The goal is to have this task complete by the end of the week. For the first time, I don't have enough plants to fill the plot. So I started another flat of leek two weeks ago from seed I had collected from last year's crop. These should be ready for transplant in late August or early September. These won't get quite as big as the June plantings but should still make for some nice leek for harvest next spring. Note that I have been experimenting with bunching onions over the past couple of years. I am really impressed with the White Lisbon variety. They produce leek like stems within three months but will go on to make a wonderful large bulb if allowed to mature. I plan on starting a few of these in the greenhouse within the next few weeks. I will keep you posted.

Now for a harvest update. Purple bush beans started producing over a week ago in the 60 day corn plot. Summer squash has struggled this year fighting a bad crown rot battle. I've lost most of the April plantings. However, I have one giant yellow patty pan in future corn plot six which is really healthy right now and producing several squash a week. The beautiful crook neck squash plant, a picture of which was included in my mid May post, succumbed to crown rot last week. I was really disappointed as this was one of the most beautifully formed summer squash plants I have ever had. At least I got about a half dozen wonderful tasting squash from it. The Scallopini squash which I set out in May are very healthy and starting to flower. They may overcome. If they are still around in a couple of weeks, I will post a picture. Note that this rot takes the plants very quickly, usually during a hot spell like we had last week. One can admire how healthy a plant looks at 9:00am and be shocked to find it all wilted by 7:00pm. Anyone have any ideas on how to fight this? Crown rot in squash and white rot in onions are two common soil based diseases which don't seem to have any good organic controls. At least I haven't found any.

Broccoli continues to produce. The garden is still full of Rutabaga and some kohlrabi ready to pick. We are harvesting potatoes right now. Nothing beats freshly dug home grown potatoes. And I picked my first Roma style tomato two days ago. We should have pole beans in two weeks. And the 60 day corn, planted in early April, should be ready within two weeks. It always takes longer than the seed packets say.

Below are three pictures from 90 day corn plot four. The first one is of the freshly double dug ground with 1/4 inch of compost on it on June 2. The second shows part of the compost having been incorporated (foreground.) And the third is from today with the corn approaching 1ft tall.


Notice how the squash on the right has grown over the past couple of weeks. This is the Scallopini I mentioned earlier in this post. If you look carefully, you will notice that the corn is covered in netting. This netting protects it and the young beans from sparrows which love to chew up young plants.

Till next time, happy gardening.

danh

The season moves on

Hi readers,

I continue to transition the garden from spring to full summer. My third planting of 90 day corn mixed with pole beans and winter squash is up good and ready for thinning. This weekend, the fourth planting will happen in the large plot in the back of the yard. Everything has been removed from it except for a very successful row of purple bush beans and a row of bunching onions. I will plant the corn around these. They will be done by the time the corn is tall enough to totally shade them. Last week I removed the large row of tall pole peas, harvesting all the peas which had dried on the plants, out of the same plot. The winter leaf compost pile, also located on this plot, has been used up. I double dug the whole area during the week. Tomorrow (Saturday) I will add compost and mix it in the top few inches. On Sunday corn, beans, and squash will go in.

The main pepper and eggplant plot is complete. Compost has been added between the rows of plants and that covered with a layer of dried avocado leaves. All drippers are in place. Next week I will start preparing the 2007 leek ground for planting throughout the month of June. The seedlings are now in the greenhouse almost ready to go as the picture below shows.


Meanwhile, there are still a few 2006 leeks in the ground. They are all bolting but one can still get some good leek by cutting out the core and eating the flesh surrounding the core. I always leave two or three of my best leek in the ground to produce seed for next year. These get surrounded by peppers and eggplant which move into the plot as the leeks are done. The following picture is of a beautiful six ft. tall leek which has fully bolted and will produce seed. I think the flowers are beautiful in their own right. Sorry that the lighting isn't very good in the picture but you can see the flowering head if you look hard. Notice the peppers at the base and cauliflower in the background.

We just started harvesting purple bush beans last week and I also got a few summer squash. The first summer squash of the season have the most wonderful taste. I especially like crook neck and some of the yellow straight neck varieties. But these guys can be difficult to grow as they are very susceptable to stem/crown rot which I have particularly bad in my yard. But I plant a lot of them expecting to lose about half.

The second winter pea plot, which will be part of the fifth 90 day corn planting in two weeks, is just about done and will be removed this week. We will get two more meals worth of peas from them first though. The following picture shows the almost all brown peas in the background with some very large purple cauliflower in the foreground. These cauliflower have two weeks to perform. I think most of them will make it. I've been harvesting three to four cauliflower a week all year. Spring cauliflower has a wonderful wholesome taste. I don't know why all the books discourage planting cauliflower in the spring. My best cauliflower and broccoli are planted in March and April. Note that the March broccoli is awesome this year. It's a struggle to keep up with it. I pick two large grocery bags full each week.

The following picture shows carrots growing nicely at the base of now 4' tall 90 day corn. This was planted in April. Notice the drip lines running through the corn and the pole beans in the forground. Also notice how the ground is covered with a thin layer of compost. (Please double click the pictures to get a full screen image)

Speaking of compost, I have been able to keep all the bins full inspite heavy usage. But that will change with the large plot being planted this weekend. I calculate that most of the bins will be empty within four weeks even though I continue to make approximately a 1/2 yard of compost a week. The garden has a voracious appetite for compost.

I continue to examine the early winter squash plants daily for squash bugs. I have found numerous pairs trying to start an aphid like explosion in population. So far I have kept up with them. But as all the new winter squash starts to grow, there will be too many places to look. Hopefully, I will have killed most of the adults by that time. Since squash bugs can only move by slowly crawling and since they only reproduce on squash plants, it is possible to substantially cut the population early in the season by planting a few attractor squashes and then picking the bugs from them. Note that these are stink bugs and are attracted by their odor. So I smash them on the attractor plants hoping to attract more bugs. It worked last year. We will all have to wait and see what happens this year.

This last picture is of the 60 day corn with broccoli plants in the foreground. It is just starting to tassle. Notice the bean poles in the background.

We are still enjoying turnips, rutabagas, some wild lettuce, and chard. I even have a couple of joi choi plants still in the ground. These will be gone this weekend though. And of course lots of kale. It will produce all summer long as will the collards.

Well that's about it for now. I'm sure if you've made it this far, you are ready for a break. I will write again in a couple of weeks after planting four of corn is up.

danh