Squash Update. 5.30.2021

 Most of the squashes are looking pretty good.  There are some leaf irregularities on some.  I wonder if that is slug damage, so put out slug bait.  The plants in one of the Galeux d'Eysines  hills seem to have yellowish, pale leaves.  I don't know why.  Too much rain last week?  The others look OK.

Top to bottom, Galeux, Pink Banana, Red Kuri, Fordham Zucchini. 

Pumpkin Update. 5.25.2021

 These are Galeux d'Eysines pumpkins that I started from old seeds, earlier.  They are planted in the black plastic covered area, with openings cut and soil dug and mixed with home made compost and some "Dr Earth" vegetable fertilizer.  I thinned one hill to two plants, and the other to three plants, to see if that makes a difference.  Slugs have been out, so I added organic slug pellets.

So far, so good.  I'm raising these both for the pumpkins this year, and seeds for future years.  Also the rest of the seeds are tasty and healthy snacks.  This is my favorite pumpkin for cooking and looking.

Of the others planted at the same time, all are similar size now:  Red Kuri, Fordhook Zucchini, and Illinois Squash.  I think the Gete Okosomin squash plants are also about the same size now but I don't gave a photo yet.  By the way, internet stories about Gete Okosomin Squash being resurrected from 600 year old seeds appear fake.  The more reliable appearing stories seem to be those that report these as having been raised through many generations by Native American families and communities.  Both stories are great, but I prefer to know the truth. If possible.

Tomato, Cucumber and Squash Seedlings. 5.9.2021

 About 3/4 of the seedlings are in the ground now.  This is it for planting seeds in containers for the year.

I wanted Pink Banana Squash but none have germinated.  I bit the bullet and ordered a packet on line.  Postage was significant for one packet, but this is the last chance to try to germinate some of this variety for the year.  I found them on the Victory Seeds website, which is a company that I'm coming to like.  They sent the seeds out the next day and I got them two days later.  We'll see if they germinate.

Some of the squash and cucumber seedlings.  Also some Chinese Chives.  These pickle seeds are form ones that I saved last winter, great germination but who knows what the cucumbers will be like, because I didn't isolate the plants or flowers and I don't know if they were hybrids.  Squash seedlings quickly outgrow these little containers.  I planted the Gete Okosomin and one of the Yellow Zucchinis in the garden yesterday.  Others to follow, and giving away a couple of zucchini plants.

I've planted most of the basil but there are still a few to go.  Same with peppers.

A few of the remaining "Extreme Bush" tomatoes.  I'll give away a plant and find a location for the rest.

The Soyu Chinese Cucumber packet was from 2016.  I planted about 6 seeds.  So far, one has germinated.  That's good enough but a few more would be better, so I planted another container.   I'm glad I saved the old seed packets.  This summer I can let one go overripe for seed saving.  [Edit - that photo was yesterday.  This morning I saw that two more seedlings have emerged.]

The rest of the cucumber seedlings.  I planted more than I want, because I didn't know which ones would grow.  Varieties are Alibi hybrid, a Bush type that doesn't designate if hybrid, another Bush type that is F1.  I think I'll plant all of the hybrids together, and try to isolate at least one of the Bush type for saving seeds.  Maybe the ones that I grew form saved seeds this year, and the other Bush type that does not state Hybrid.  These should be ready to plant in the garden in two weeks.

Planting Squash, Pumpkin, Zucchini Seeds. 4.27.2021

Last night I planted squash family plant seeds.  Zucchinis, winter squash, and pumpkins.  I finally learned to write the year seeds were bought, on the front of the seed packet.  These are largely known good performers - Pink Banana Squash, Red Kuri Squash, Galeus d'Eysines Pumpkin (Squash), plus last year the Illinois Squash was good.  Not sure about the variety Gete-Okosomin,,  Nativbe American variety which has a. probably false, legend of the seeds having been found in a clay ball in an 800 year old archeological site.  The Zucchinis are heirloom types, so I can save the seeds.  The one exception is "Sure Thing" hybrid which I bought last year and didn't plant.

This year the plan is to cover flowers to avoid insect pollination, and hand pollinate so that each variety is "pure" so that I can save my own seeds.

Squash Harvest. 9.18.2020

 I decided to harvest all of the squashes today.  The stems were dry and woody, so that tells me it's time.   This was a nice harvest, and some are new types that I never grew before. I regret a little bit not isolating the blossoms and hand pollinating each with its own variety, but at the time that wasn't an option.  I also did not realize how much I wanted to save seeds this year.

There are some new types - the Red Kuri Japanese squash produced quite a number of small, acorn-squash or larger size squashes.  The Japanese Kobucha squash, on the other hand, made only one.   The Pink Banana Squash made two very large and several small to large squashes, but one large one was vole-chewed and developed rot as a result.  No waste - that went to chickens who will eat the squash and its seeds.  That's OK, I got mine too.  Then my other favorite is the Galeux d'Eysines pumpkin (Apparently "Galeux" means scruffy or scabious) - beautiful pumpkin and makes really good pies.  So does Pink Banana Squash, which is special because my great aunt Emma gave me seeds to this one 55 years ago, I grew them and my mom used them to make pies.  These seeds were from Baker Creek heirloom seeds.  

 There are also some summer squashes, which will be used in a couple of weeks, and the two big stripy  / green  ones are heirloom Italian Zucchinis that I am saving for seeds.  I hope the progeny are not a tasteless mix, so next Spring I'll grow one from the old packet as well.  The big white one is "Illinois Squash" which I've never eaten and which I don't know what it will be like.

Those yellow summer squash are incredible good prepared as follows.  Slice into French Fry shape slices.  Don't try to skin them first, the skin is tender and cooks even more tender.  Dust the slices with season salt, pepper, garlic powder, maybe some pepper flakes.  Drizzle with vegetable or olive oil, stir, then air fry 400 F, 8 minutes, toss, air fry for another 8 minutes.  The best breakfast or snack you can have. 

 You can also do that with Zucchinis.

Vegetable Garden Update. 5.13.2020

I planted some bean seeds, Landreth Bush Bean, shown.  These are some of my newest seeds, actually packaged for this year.  I'll soak the Limas overnight and plant tomorrow.

I think some of the other bush beans I planted two days ago have started to germinate.  I saw a couple of beans sticking above the soil.  It could be that rain washed the soil away, but I'm hopeful.  That was the Dragon's Tongue bush bean.

I think the soil temp is OK for about everything now  Today was overcast and drizzly, with soil temp 68 F in the afternoon.

Soil Temperature today, 5.13.2020

I cleared most of the rest of one of the messiest raised beds.  My inclination has always been to garden organically, but now I don't feel like I have that luxury.  Still, I'm not using pesticides, just Osmocote and a little Miracle Grow here and there.  For these, I treated the soil with Osmocote at the instruction amount.  This is not the Jalapeno bed, with two slicing cucumber plants at the back.  I raised all of these from seeds, planting last month.  For peppers, it might have been smarter to start in Feb or March, but I wasn't up to it then.  They are small, but I think they will do OK as the weather heats up.

Jalapeno Pepper Plants in a Raised Bed.  5.13.2020

I wondered if it was too cool a couple of weeks ago for planting pumpkins and squashes in the vegetable garden.  I did cover them at night for two weeks.  Since I stopped covering them a few days ago, they are really taking off.  I'm most interested in the Pink Banana Squashes, for nostalgic reasons.  It's growing nicely.  Those French Pumpkins are good too.  There may not be enough room for all of these, depends on whether the vines grow faster than the potatoes grow to clear out that area for spread.  It might work out OK.

Galeux d'Esynes Pumpkin.  5.13.2020

Pink Banana Squash.  5.13.2020

Kitchen Garden Update. 5.11.2020

 Here are some photos of my current kitchen garden (potager).  About half is newly worked soil, formerly sod, which I treated during the winter with a cover of black plastic to kill the grass, then added dolomite lime, some compost, and eggshells.  That is not the tomato / eggplant / peppers / squashes / bean area.

The greens and snowpeas are in what was tomatoes last year.  There is mesclun from old seed packets, swiss chard and radishes, collard greens and turnips.  There were all 3 to 8 year old seeds.  The snowpeas were 6 to 8 year old seeds.

I now have a seven foot chain link fence, to keep rabbits and deer out.  I don't know if that will work.

 I set out the fresh eating tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants yesterday.  Also bush cucumbers in a raised bed, for pickles.

This strawberry pot is doing better than I expected.  Last month, I transplanted these strawberries from a raised bed, where they appeared to be dying off.  At least not thriving.  I wanted the space for cucumbers this year.  In the strawberry pots, they need better attention to watering. but I have them in fresh potting soil with some added osmocote.  They perked up almost immediately and started blooming..

 This bed is fresh-eating tomatoes, slicers and cherry tomatoes.  Down the center I planted radish seeds, which should not take up much room and will be done before the tomato plants reach much size.  Along one edge, I also planted a row of Roma II bush beans.

 This view shows the sauce tomatoes.  I gave all of the tomates some osmocote when I planted them, about 1 1/2 tablespoon per hole.

 These squashes may not have enough room.  Space is at a premium.  I may be able to direct the vines of the long vining types, into spare locations as other crops such as potatoes are done in midsummer.

Same comment as for squashes above.  This batch is in ground that was sod last year.

The soil temp is 74F at 10 am.  I've had readings as high as 80F and in early am, as low as 65F.  I think this is high enough for the squashes, tomatoes, peppers, to be planted.  Not sure about sweetcorn and bean seeds, but doing a trail of them now.  May 15th is my usual target date for that.  I also wonder about the eggplants, which need warm conditions.

These are the first three rows of sweetcorn.  They are outside the fenced area.  I have the seed rows covered with screening to keep birds from eating the seeds.

These are the bush cucumbers I planted the seeds a few weeks ago inside.  Now they are in the former strawberry bed, along with some dolomite lime and compost treatment.  I also have a row of dill seeds planted, now germinated, in there, and some cilantro from seeds saved several years ago.

 These are the grafted fruit trees, and oak seedlings.  The fruit trees appear to be taking nicely.  These are on the north side of the raised bed, to shade the pots a little.  I stratified the oak seedlings by planting acorns into these containers last fall.  There are white oak, from a magnificent tree in my neighborhood, and some other white oak from a location in Salmon Creek, and some red oak.  I'm not sure where I will plant them when they are bigger.

Kitchen Garden. 5.25.15

Tomatoes, Eggplant, a Dahlia, and Zucchini.  5.25.19

Tomatoes, Eggplant, Jalapeno,, and Squashes.  5.25.19

 Most of the kitchen garden is in and growing.  Two views here show the fenced garden for deer and rabbit vulnerable crops.   The bottom view is the first batch of sweet corn, with temporary covers to keep rabbits away from the tender small plants.

Sweet Corn, One Week After Emerging.  5.25.19

Yesterday I planted a bed of sweet corn "Delectable".  The seeds are from 2018 so borderline too old to germinate, for sweet corn.  I will give them a week or two to emerge and then, if not, plant newer seeds.

Squash Harvest. 9.25.18

I harvested the squashes.  This is plenty for us.  The largest is "Pink Banana Squash" which I love for the flavor and amount produced.  The small pumpkins are "Winter Luxury Pumpkin".  The butternut squashes turned out small.  In my garden, they don't do as well.  The others were volunteers, likely crosses of summer squash or zucchini, with pumpkins.

Kitchen Garden Harvest. 10.8.17

 The turnips were planted in a raised bed in July.  This is a massive turnip now.

The squashes are butternuts, scallops, and some compost volunteers.  Those may be natural hybrids of different types that I grew last year.

Walking around. 7.13.16

Mulberries "Illinois Everbearing".  7.13.16

Collard Greens "Vates".  7.13.16

 It's been raining more than usual for SW Washington summer.  As a result, there are more weeds and things are looking unkempt.  There is more humidity than usual, so I don't feel up to as much outside time.

Mulberries are looking great.  Great flavor.  I thought deer would eat the tree and birds would strip the berries, but neither has turned out to be the case.  Each day, I can stand under the tree and pull off berries and eat them on the spot.

The collards are growing vigorously.  Since the rain slugs have made their presence known.  I put out some more slug bait today.

The resurrected Chinese beans are growing rapidly.  Last week I put in a trellis system, with strings tied to sticks that are stuck into the soil.  Some of the beans have climbed 3 to 4 feet, others 1 foot.  I may need to add taller trellis, which is already a hybrid of Rube Goldberg and Davy Crockett.

As I clean up the front flower beds, the main flower that I will leave in place will be daylilies.  They are the most rewarding for least effort.

The Johnny Jump-Up (viola) plants, that I grew from seeds this spring, are blooming nicely.  They

Chinese Beans.  7.13.16

 can be expected to self-seed for future years.  This location can use the brightness.

Daylily "Strawberry Candy".  7.13.16

Daylily "Luxury Lace".  7.13.16

 Shasta daisies dominate the wildflower meadows now.

The pumpkins are ranging well beyond their garden beds.  This area of grass can go without mowing until fall.  There should be a good crop of pumpkins and winter squash this year.  Even the spaghetti squash are producing  many squashes - about 2 dozen squashes on 3 vines.

For pollinating cucurbits, I'm following the following rule.   Each is pollinated with its own species, so C. pepo gets C. pepo - that's zucchini, summer yellow squash, and spaghetti squash.  C. maxima gets C. maxima.  That's mostly Pink Spaghetti Squash, French Pumpkins, and Golias Pumpkin.  The only C. moshata is Butternut Squash.  They appear overrun by the bigger maximas, and so far I have not seen any blossoms or developing squashes on those.

Johnny Jump-Up from seed.  7.13.16

Shasta Daisies.  7.13.16

Pumpkin Patch.  7.13.16

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