Kitchen Garden Progress Report. 6.4.18

Garlic.  6.4.18

Sweet Corn.  6.4.18

 Most of the kitchen garden is doing well.  The main problems have been herbivores.  I've worked on several solutions, and some of those have helped.

The garlic was browsed even in low wire fencing tunnels.  I thought that was deer, but maybe rabbits.  After spraying with deer deterrent spray, the browsing stopped.  That may have been the size of the plant, and not the spray.  I've given a couple of doses of fish emulsion, and am still watering the garlic plants.  In late winter, I had also spread some Milorganite.  Might have been too much.  The leaf tips have some browning, but otherwise the plants look robust.  I think the crop will be good.  The rotation for the garlic bed:  2 years ago, wild/weed/blackberry; last year, sweet corn, this year, garlic.

The first batches of sweetcorn look good.  I forget the name, the first was an early yellow cold tolerant variety.  The second bath was Trinity.  The third batch was also Trinity, but I don't know if it's growing.  I am using the low fencing tunnels on the sweet corn too, to inhibit browsing, and so far that seems to be working.  The rotation:  2 years ago, squash, last year, potato, this year, sweet corn.

Tomatoes.  6.4.18

The tomatoes are looking good.  these were grown from seeds too.  The location was the duck pen from this winter. Some are blooming and have small green tomatoes.  Many varieties.  I planted them deeply for better dry tolerance.  They had some Epsom Salts earlier to green up the leaves, and some fish emulsion, but now no more fertilizer.  They are fenced in to prevent deer browsing.  The rotation:  Three years ago, Squash.  Two years ago, sweet corn.  Last year, garlic.  This year, tomatoes.

Blue Potato Flower.  6.4.18

Potatoes.  6.4.18

The potatoes are looking better than almost anything else.   They are lush and green.  I used store bought starts, and also sprouted potatoes from the garage.  There are Burbank Russet, Yukon Gold, Blue, and some I don't know from the sprouted ones.   This year I planted in trenches, which I filled in as they grew, because I found that hilling them up seemed to require more watering.  The trenches don't shed water.  The first batch had some frost kill, but otherwise they all tolerated early planting and are growing very nicely.   I did use some Milorganite when planting them, otherwise no fertilizer.  The rotation:  Two years ago, Indian Corn, last year, onions, this year, potatoes.

There are lots of other things.  The rabbits and/or deer have browsed the onions so heavily, I don't think there will be much of a crop.  The low fencing tunnels were not enough to prevent browsing, and the rabbit/deer deterrent spray was minimally helpful.  I still have my doubts about the chili peppers, which so far look stunted.  I've given them some Epsom salts and fish emulsion, we'll see.  The gladiolas, zinnias, and marigolds are looking pretty good now too. 

More photos. 7.29.17

 Some nice flowers are blooming now.   Now that the zinnias are larger, they seem less palatable for rabbits.  Maybe the leaves are dryer and more tough in the summer.  Even weedy flowers are nice when cut.

The Rudbeckias are second year now.  I'm glad they survived another season.

I don't know that bigger is always better, but the current batch of onions is the biggest I've ever grown.  The ones in the ground are even larger, but the tops have not fallen over yet, so I'm waiting to harvest them.  The brown-wrapper onions are the hybrid "Patterson".  The white ones, which are the largest and the biggest of those not yet ready, are Ailsa Craig.

Kitchen Garden. 5.21.17

Tomatoes.  5.21.17

Potatoes and Garlic.  5.21.17

Some life got in the way and I was delayed getting some of the gardening done.  Now, tomatoes are in their beds.  These are the plants I started about one month ago.  They made nice plants.  Also tomatillos and peppers.

The potatoes, onions, and garlic are doing nicely.

I gave up on potato onions, turned the soil over, and planted tomatoes in that bed.  Potato onions do not do well for me, even though I like the idea.

The first batch of sweet corn did not germinate well.  One row sort of germinated, and a couple of plants in a second row.  Might be old seeds or soil not warm enough, or birds ate them.  I planted more today, covered, and if they don't grow, I'll get new seeds.

The first batch of onions that I planted when I thought it was too early and chilly and wet, are way ahead of the later ones.

The peppers are in very-raised raised beds, 4 x 4 feet, made from used cement blocks.  These also have deer fencing.  The tomatoes are in raised beds that are protected from deer.  Animals don't seem to bother the potatoes and garlic, other than a little rabbit munching last fall.  Rabbits munched some of the onions at first, but now are leaving them alone.

Kitchen Garden Update. 5.20.16

Grafted "Better Boy" Tomato Plant.  5.21.16

Tomato Raised Bed.  5.21.16

Here  is how some of the kitchen garden plants are doing.

Most tomatoes are growing vigorously and a few are producing flowers.  The furthest ahead was Jersey Boy, but then the top of that was eaten by deer.  I plan to build a fence, meant to and procrastinated.

The grafted Better Boy has caught up with the others.  The grafting process puts it behind.  The grafted SuperSweet100 was too close to the Deer Superhighway, and therefore has a major setback.  I don't know how much fencing I can put in, it's awkward to work with and there is a cost, but if I want to grow plants that deer and rabbits also love, that's the only choice.

The potato plants are in the exposed  - not fenced - garden, and are growing lush and big.  I hilled them up as much as I could.

Potatoes.  Yukon Gold (front), Burbank Russett (back).  5.21.16

The collard greens are also exposed.  One plant vanished without a trace.  Space aliens?  But the others are all looking good and not chewed on so far.  They look small but actually growing pretty fast.  They have a grass clipping mulch to hold in the soil moisture and keep weeds at bay.

Collard Green Starts.  5.21.16

Egyptian Walking Onions.  5.21.16

I love the look of the Egyptian Walking Onions.  They are past the edibility stage - these are early Spring and late Fall kitchen plants.  Other onions are filling the scallion role, sets that I bought in April and am growing for bulb onions.  Back to the deer and rabbit issue, those beasts don't seem to eat onions or garlic.

I need to fence them in, but some of the okra seedlings remain.  Same theme, some were eaten last week.  That was mostly the transplants, so I won't know if early starting is helpful.  The seeds sprouted nicely without pre-soaking.

Okra Seedlings.  5.21.16

Fava Beans.  5.21.16

Fava bean pods are in the tiny stage, to about 5 inches long.  The plants continue to bloom.  I ate a raw fava bean pod, it wasn't too great, but it was raw. 

Green pepper plants - purchased - are looking good.   Pumpkins and squashes are also looking good.  I think there will be zucchini flowers in a few more weeks.

Sweet corn is looking good.  I continue to plant more seeds every 2 or 3 weeks.  The last batch was "Mirai" - wrinkled seeds that are hard to imagine they will grow.  In fact, it's been cool and rainy, and I read that Mirai seeds will rot if not given ideal conditions.  I'll give them a week and if no growth, plant something else.

Kitchen Garden Bed.  5.21.16

Sweet  Corn.  5.21.16

Graft Union for "Better Boy" Tomato.  5.21.16

Corn and Squash Seedlings. 5.19.15

The corn seedlings and many of the squashes were ready to be planted outside. 

I planted next to the fig row where I had covered with black plastic for 2 or 3 months.  The grass was dead, there were no significant remaining roots, and the soil was moist and easy to work.

I watered with diluted fish emulsion, and sprinkled some old blood meal / hot pepper powder around each to repel rabbits.  I don't know if that will work.   It's too much to fence each plant.

More Winter Protection for Little Fig Trees. 11.16.14

Protection for small fig trees.  11.16.14

Rodenticidal Creature.  11.16.14

Very easy.  I upended some unused garbage cans over the little fig trees.  Held in place using concrete blocks.  That will give a little added protection from cold and wind and solar dessication.

The plastic sheets between the trees are there to kill grass.  They will remain in place until late winter / early Spring.  Then I can plant borage, phacelia, hyssop, or wildflowers, for bee forage.  Borage forage works especially well. 

Then, I can mow up and down the sides of the fig row, instead of around each tree.  Much easier.

The little cat appeared out of nowhere.  I think he / she lives under the deck.  Our cat disappeared a month ago, and now a new kitten has appeared.  I don't believe in reincarnation - but here we are. 

With so many mice and voles and baby rabbits, the little cat should have plenty of prey.  I've been giving her left over food from kitty cat.  She avoids me, but is letting me closer each visit.

I know cats are considered bad for wildlife, but there are so many little invasive mammals, I think it's OK to have her.  In the countryside, redators are needed to keep rodent populations in check.

Puttering, a little. Tree protection. Bearded Iris Seeds. 11/2/14

No photos today.  Mostly homework, and fatigue.  Today the fatigue is rather bad.

I did cut more 1/4" hardware cloth sleeves to protect trees.  As long as I do a few at a time, I can get most protected before the coldest weather sets in.  Many already have sleeves from previous years.  The largest Greenspire linden needed more room, I added a larger sleeve for that tree.  Most of the figs and fruit trees are protected.

I also moved some fencing loops to shrubs that the deer like.  No effort.  I used those to support plastic tunnels last winter.  Coincidence, they are good size and shape to protect some shrubs.

Image of German Water Vole.  via commons.wikimedia.org

I've come to regard protection from animals as an inseparable dimension in gardening, equal to mulch, fertilizer, water, pruning.  In town, sometimes not such an issue.  In the country, it is.

Rain is near continuous now.  I like that.  It ranges from mist, to drizzle, to pouring, with some breaks in between.  Even in rain and overcast, sunroom is suprisingly bright.

Finally planted some bearded iris seeds.  Only a few seeds, from Pallida dalmatica.  No way to know if it was self pollinated or cross pollinated.  I would bet self.  If they grow, we may find out in a few years.

The image is not one of our local voles.  I image they look similar.  This one is a German water vole.   Despite their compelling cuteness, voles are not wanted.  They can kill a 10 year old tree by girdling the bark, in one night. 

That's about all. 

Strawberry Bed. 5.11.14

I know why the caged strawberry blooms

The strawberries are blooming nicely.

Last year I transferred the strawberry plants from containers to this raised bed.  That was about one month after my surgery, so I didn't have the strength or energy to do anything else.  They looked good, then deer ate off all of the plants.

So it has an ugly chicken wire cage.  The flowers give promise of a good crop this year.  WIth strawberries, deer, rabbits, and birds are a risk.  But I can still say they are grown in local soil, and local conditions.  Home grown strawberries are very good, way beyond what you can get from the store.

Grapevines. 4.29.14

Himrod Grape

Lynden Blue Grape

The grape vines are in their second spring, just over a year post planting at the Battleground place.  They all survived the hard freeze.  They are all in deer/rabbit cages.

One of these days I'll need to extend the deer protection so they can be grown along the support lines.  This year I expect at least a couple of the varieties to do that.  The others will grow up to the top of their respective poles.

I gave them some home-made nitrogen boost last week.  According to the grape book, they won't bear fruit if there is too much nitrogen.  I expect that will be depleted in a year or two, so not an issue.

The fastest growing vine was Buffalo grape, not pictured.  It appears to have a couple of embryonic flower clusters.

Mirabilis jalapa (Four O'Clocks). Progress Report. 4.25.14

Mirabilis among other plants.  4.25.14

 I planted 4 of the Mirabilis plants into front flowerbeds.  I don't know if it's too early.  I have about a dozen plants so if these don't make it, it's OK.

This is continued work on deer-resistant, rabbit-resistant flower bed.  The Hyacinthoides, violets, and daffodils, were not eaten. They bloomed nicely.  There is a nice progression, with the Hyacinthoides blooming now.

My hope is that by having a lot of plants that deer and rabbits don't like, the more susceptible plants, like daylilies, will be left alone.  That might be totally wrong.

I read that Mirabilis are deer and rabbit resistant , so maybe they will be a good summer blooming choice.

Mirabilis among other plants.  4.25.14

The Spring bulb foliage will die off as the Mirabilis grows and fills in, so it won't look empty.  That's the plan.

Spring Bulbs. Update. 3.9.14

Sprouting fritillaria "Crown Imperial"

Sprouting Fritillaria "Crown Imperial"

Puttering.
I discovered another sprout like the prior unkown.  This one, by a label I made last fall.  Fritillaria "crown imperial".  I was going to give up on these.

The other also had a label.  I didn't see it.

Wooden sticks make bad labels in this wet climate.  They rot too fast.

So part one of this experiment was a success.  They survived winter and are sprouting.

Part 2 of this experiment.  They continue to grow, they don't rot, and rabbits and deer don't eat them.  Websites claim this variety has a strong musky odor that repels deer and rabbits.

Spring Bulbs, Flowers and Irises. Progress Report. 3.7.14

Sedum sarmentosum in iris bed

Allium spring growth

Unknown bulb sprouting.

 With the warm days, many bulbs are growing rapidly.  A few daffodils are blooming.

Sedum sarmentosum ("Cemetery moss") survives the winter and growing nicely in the bearded iris raised bed.  I planted this fro starts taken from my previous garden.   Sedum sarmentosum grows easily.  I've seen some web information that it's invasive.  I've grown it for many years.  It grows and spreads easily, but also pulls out easily and does not self seed.  This plant is not invasive.  One reviewer didn't like this plant because they observed it attracts bees.  To me that's a plus.

Ornamental alliums are several inches tall.  Fortunately I labeled a couple, so I knew they were alliums.

A few will have to bloom so I know what they are.  One especially large sprouting bulb could be an allium.  I'm guessing it's a Camassia.

 Anemone blanda is blooming around the yard.  They are only a few inches tall.  Nice cheerful flowers.  Rabbits ate most of the De Caen anemones, although there is a chance some might bloom.  I planted them specifically  because they are described as rabbit and deer resistant.

I bought some hollyhock starts.  Hollyhocks are considered a short lived perennial.  If they survive and grow, they should bloom this year.  They are a long shot.  The roots don't look like much, and the root ends were ragged.  I trimmed them more cleanly and planted in a somewhat protected spot.  Hollyhocks are considered deer susceptible.  The spot is close to the house, surrounded by other plants.

I plated seeds for Four O'Clocks in containers.

Irises and bulbs.  Early Spring Growth.

Anemone blanda

Hollyhock Starts

Kitchen Garden / Winter Gardening / Raised Bed. Progress Report. 2.22.14

Covered Tunnel Version 3.  Step 1.

Covered Tunnel Version 3.  Step 2.

Topset Onions Germinated

Radishes and Turnips Germinated

I removed the row cover from the winter vegetable bed.  This bed was planted 1.28.14 so is just under one month after planting.

I originally used polyethylene cover.  That collected rain and collapsed.  I replaced that with permeable row cover.  That collected snow and collapsed.

Meanwhile, there were freezes into the 20s, and a blizzard.

When I removed the row cover, I saw the radish seeds and turnip seeds had germinated.  A few spinach seeds germinated.  Chinese mesclun germinated nicely.  I did not see any cabbage plants.  The topsets from Egyptian Walking Onions were about an inch tall.  Those were unusually small sets I had in the garage.

I didn't weed this time although it could use weeding.  One of the main challenges is vermin, including slugs, voles, rabbits, mice, and others.  So far these seedlings were not eaten.  Although maybe the cabbage seeds germinated and were eaten.

I watered with diluted fish emulsion as a vermin repellent.  Then I applied a dusting of hot pepper / dried blood for the same reason.  Then I added organic slug bait.

The mouse traps were not set off, but mouse traps in the garage had 3 of 4 traps with mice.  So I moved those to the garage.

I went back to a polyethylene row cover.  This time I used wire fencing as a support.  That will prevent pooling of water / collapse.  I should get a larger sheet so I can weigh down the sides with bricks.  Wind might otherwise catch it.  I changed to the polyethylene again because I think it will hold in more heat, and maybe it is more light permeable as well.  It will stay more dry, which is probably good although it might wind up needing some watering.

Products for pest control, fungal disease, and animal pest repellent.

Bionide Hot Pepper Wax

Lilly Miller Chelated Iron Plus

 I was looking for something else in the garage.  Found these products.  I don't know how old.  Maybe 5 years old.

Hot Pepper Wax might be reduce risk for animals chewing on tree bark and stems.  Two potential benefits.  The wax might have antidessicant properties, reduce frost damage on immature fig shoots.  Hot pepper extract might reduce chewing.

So I used up that spray on the fig trees, saturating the bark, the stem tips, and the tree wrap.

I would like to come up with a home remedy.  If I can figure out a sprayable wax.  Maybe the wax component is minimal, could as well be replaced with canola oil or neem oil.

This summer I noted Ning's ginkgo trees were not as green as the older one I planted.  Multiple potential reasons.  Ning's ginkgos were grown in container several years, until late last winter.  To avoid too much root damage, we left potting soil pretty much in place.  Mine was in more of a native soil.  I don't remember - if I gave mine some epson salts in the early Spring, too.  Maybe. And maybe some fish emulsion. 

I also noted mulberry leaves were pale.  That may be a mulberry tree characteristic.  Or this variety.  I was thinking, either magnesium (epson salts) or iron.  Or both.

I also read about iron supplements for fig trees, on an internet forum.  I was looking for some to apply during late winter.  I found this container.  So now that's taken care of too.  I prefer completely organic, but then how do I dispose of this?  It's not herbicide or pesticide, so I will use it up.  There isn't much.  Later find a completely organic source.

 Also thinking about what to use for fungal spots on the bearded iris leaves.  This year I did not use anything.  The spots were significant by fall.  Maybe it doesn't hurt anything.  In previous years, neem worked well for leaf spot and for aphids.  I found this partially used container.  I can use it up in the Spring.

Green Light Neem Concentrate

Varmint!

Where's that hawk when we need her?

Gardening for the Winter. Multiplier onions, Flower Bulbs, Tree Protection.

Multiplier Onions about to be planted.

More Daffodils for the yard.

 The Yellow Potato Onions are now planted for their winter "incubation".  The roots and tops grow during the remainder of fall, then settle in for winter.  Most were the very big size this year, leaving fewer small starts to plant.   I planted about 25 sets, with half being large - to make multiple small sets, and half being small - to make large onion bulbs.  They grew very well last year, with the September - planted ones growing better than later - planted.

One also made topsets.  I planted those as well.

The Egyptian Walking Onions are growing roots and tops.  Fast start.

This Daffodil mix brings the # of bulbs planted this fall to about a hundred.  There are about 150 more to plant.  It sounds like a lot, but they are quite easy to plant.

I made 5 tree - guards so far.  This year I am experimenting with hardware cloth.  These are /12 inch mesh.  I think I'll buy 1/4 inch mesh once I've used up this roll.  Based on the web sites I've read, 1/4 is superior for vole exclusion. 

The ginkgo may not need protection.  Ginkgo trees are considered deer and rabbit resistant.  But no harm in a little protection.

I also have tree wrap saved from last year.  Tree wrap may seal in moisture, which could encourage fungal infection.  So I am not as enthusiastic about that.  On the other hand, tree wrap is easier to apply, compared to hardware cloth.

Varmint Screening for Crabapple Tree

Varmint Screening for Ginkgo Tree

The websites often state the hardware cloth should be partly buried.  However, that would mean damage to shallow roots.  So far, animals have not under-mined trunk protection.  If they do, I'll have to consider more secure options.