Kitchen Garden Update. 8.15.16

Peppers.  8.17.16

 Kitchen garden is at an in-between stage. 

Sweet corn is midway through the multiple plantings.  I have finished off the first to patches, 3 or 4 to go.

Tomatoes aren't as productive this year but we are getting a few every day.

The peppers recovered from what I think was planting too early in Spring.  They are lush and green and loaded with peppers.

Collards.  8.17.16

Red Stem Scallion Starts.  8.17.16

Okra Flower.  8.17.16

The okra plants are lush and vigorous.  I think the shorter row is Baby Bubba Hybrid, a more compact variety.  The taller ones were mixed, but I think most of the plants are the variety "Star Of David".  The first few okra flowers fell off without producing pods.  Maybe due to cool nights.  Maybe they didn't pollenize.  Yesterday I pollinated a few okra flowers.  The Pistol is dark brown, and the pollen is bright yellow.  It's easy to see the pollen on the pistol after I transfer it.  I hope that helps.

Lettuce, Cilantro, and Evergreen Bunching Onion Seedlings.  8.17.16

Peppers.  8.17.16

 I found a bunch of dried out scallions in a container garden.  These were grown from seeds in 2015, and the remaining plants abandoned due to lack of interest at the time.  They stayed alive despite no watering all summer.  I separated the plants and re-planted in the Battleground kitchen garden, 3 separate areas due to no room for all in one row.  They look droopy, but with a few sturdy green leaves.  I don't know what they will do, but no harm in planting them.

Summer-planted seeds have all germinated and all growing great.  We got a crop of radishes and a crop of salad greens.  More to come.  The turnips, Chinese radishes, carrots, lettuce, kohlrabi, and broccoli plants all show promise.  Definitely worthwhile project.

Fall Kitchen Garden Seedlings.  8.17.16

Turnips.  About One Month.  8.17.16

Red Stem Scallion Starts.  8.17.16

Late Summer Kitchen Garden. Starting Seeds. Barrels. 8.26.15

Barrel #1.  Asian Greens, Kohlrabi, Bunching Onions.  8.26.15

 This is a progress report on some of the seeds I am starting for later Summer, or early Fall starts, for Fall and early winter benefit.  These are all barrel planters that I either had with something earlier that finished, or had left alone for a year or two and now being called back into service.   If there were weeds, I pulled out the weed plants - easy with soft potting soil, then turned the top layer of soil with a hand-spade, and added a top layer of a few inches of potting soil.  The one with the dead bamboo, was too root bound, so I just added some potting soil on top.

Barrel #3.  Chinese pole beans and last year's garlic.  8.26.15

Barrel #4.  Roma beans, Turnips, and a few E.W.O. Scallions.  8.26.15

 I want the beans mostly for seeds.  Seeds take longer than fresh beans, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

This year is projected for a warmer winter due to the impending el Niño effect.  I speculate that will extend the season.  If not, that's OK too.

Days currently in 90s.  Nights in 50s and 60s.  Seeds are germinating quickly.  The barrels need daily water.  The plants are concentrated in small spaces, so shade the soil and not needing as much care as if in the ground.  I am watering with 1/4 tsp miracle grow in 2 gallons of water.  Basically fertigating.  For some, I occasionally peecycle with 1/2 liter of home-grown fertilizer in 2 gallons.  Not more, because I don't want salt build up.

I'm getting excellent, rapid growth for Egyptian walking onions,  nasturtiums, and Swiss chard.  Should have some for cooking in 2 or 3 weeks.  Spinach might also be ready in 3 or 4 weeks.  The nasturtiums are for adding leaves too salads.  The E.W. onions are for scallions, and to maintain my crop.  I got about 80% viable from the ones that were in the bed I wanted to renovate, chewed off by rabbits or deer, crowded by wild carrot, and left dry.  E.W. Onions are a damn hardy breed.


As I dig more into the old E.W. bed that I want to renovate, I remove more, clean them up, and plant them in random spots among other plants.  That will give a more extended Fall harvest of scallions, and also some to leave through the winter for Spring harvest and to maintain the clone.

Barrel #6.  Nasturtiums, Spinach, and some E.W.O. Scallions.  8.26.15

Today I planted seeds for Kohlrabi - expect harvest in 60 days, and Turnip - expect harvest in 50 days.  With the hot summer weather, they should get a fast start, then slow down a little as it cools.

Barrel #7.  Egyptian Walking Onions.  ~3 Weeks,  8.26.15

Some of the seeds I am starting.  8.26.15

I also planted an Asian Greens mix that contains equal parts Arugula, Chinese cabbage, Japanese spinach, mustard-mizuna, mustard-green, mustard-Ruby Streaks, and tatsoi. Those were planted about one week ago and now are all germinated.  Cilantro seeds are also included in the barrel gardens, and growing.  The goal with those is to plant a few more each week, for extended harvests.

I planted scarlet bunching onion seeds because I saw them in the store and wanted to try something different.  At the time I didn't know if the E.W. onions would grow.  The scarlet bunching onion seeds are also germinating.

All in all, I think the late summer planting in large containers, has a lot of potential for kitchen gardening.  Easy, more accessible for the older or less vigorous gardeners, and grow more in a very compact space.   Not much bending over at all, very easy to pull out tiny weeds and putter.

Half barrel / summer vegetable planting. Progress Report. 8.11.15

Egyptian Walking Onions at One Week.  8.11.15

Nasturtiums and Spinach at One Week.  8.11.15

Chinese Pole Beans at One Week.  8.11.15

Considering these were almost zero effort, I'm excited about the early progress.  At about one week. there is germination of some Egyptian Walking Onion divisions, nasturtiums, spinach, a few Swiss chard, some Chinese pole beans.  I scratched some of the areas with no germination and planted seeds of cilantro and red scallions.

I am speculating, the 1/2 barrels are raised so warmer than the ground level plants.  So they may grow faster.

Summer Planting. Egyptian Walking Onion Recovery. 8.9.15

Egyptian Walking Onion, Recovery.  8.9.15

 I've been watching the Egyptian Walking Onion plants that I recovered, closely.  Today was the first evidence of growth.  So, at least a few will be recovered.  It doesn't take many.  After raising them 15 years, I didn't want to lose them.  I pulled one out 2 days ago to see if it was growing roots.  It was.

Some of the other summer plantings are coming up.  I had given up on the nasturtiums, and planted spinach seeds.  Now a few came up, so it will be a mixed barrel.  Only 5 swiss chard seeds came up.  It doesn't take much. 

First Nasturtium Seedlings.  8.9.15

Summer Seed Sowing and Plant Starting Progress Report. 8.4.15

Stella De Oro Daylilies One Month After Dividing.   8.4.15

Bean Patch at One Week.  8.4.15

Sprouting Beans at One Week.  8.4.15

 These are the results of some of the summer seed planting and plant starting projects.  We have had multiple days near and above 100F during the past few weeks, and some days in 70s to 80s.   Nights are down into 60s and 80s.   The high temps may be too high for some seed germination.  Also, many of my seeds are old, up to 5 years old.

Nasturtiums - no growth at 1 week, but crabgrass sprouted like crazy in that container.  I covered with a few inches of fresh potting soil and sowed spinach seeds.

Swiss Chard - about 6 plants germinated out of about 30 seeds.  These seeds are a 3 years old.  I planted more seeds today.

Cilantro.  I planted seeds today in a medium container.

Roma bush beans.  So far about 10% germination.  Just barely germinated, so there may be more soon.  I also started some seeds soaking today, then will plant or use paper towel method to get them started, in case those in garden bed don't grow.

Chinese Market Pole Beans.  I don't know the variety.   These are from Chinese market, a wide and long bean favored in Changchun.   I know I had the packets before my cancer surgery, so at least 3 years old.  Maybe more.   Planted 1 week ago.  Germination is about 10%, which I think is pretty good.  Also started more soaking in the packet as a backup.  These are the last of some of the packets, and they are old.  My main goal is to get some for seeds if they grow fast enough.

Buckwheat at One Week.  8.4.15

 The timing on the beans may be close.  If they grow fast during the hot weather, there should be time to get some batches of ripe beans.  I don't know if there will be time to get bean seeds.

Buckwheat, growing vigorously at one week.

Celeste Fig Cuttings.  I found the cuttings in a zipper bag at the back of the refrigerator, about June 24th.  Planted in containers after incision / dip-and-grow treatment as I have done before.  I've been keeping them out of direct sun and trying to water every day.  There is bark mulch on top of the potting soil.  They are at the stage were, if there are roots, they will start to grow vigorously; if there are no roots, they sometimes wilt and die at this stage.  Keeping them watered and gave some dilute Miracle Gro today.


Celeste Figs at 6 Weeks.  8.3.15

Stella De Oro Daylily.   I divided this clump approximately in half, using shovel, one month ago.  They established and are blooming.  They did get some organic nitrogen once or twice in the past month.

These are Ipad photos.  My little camera does an even worse job in the bright sun.

Egyptian Walking Onion Starts.  7.28.15

Buckwheat at one week.   7.28.15

 I don't know if these will work.  If I don't try, I won't know.

The Egyptian Walking Onions were eaten by rabbits.  I covered them with chicken wire.  They grew back, but then I was ill and could not get in to pull weeds.  The plants appear to have small bulbs at the bases, although dried out.  I divided some and planted in one of the "wells" that I originally set up for potatoes.  Basically, cinder-block circles stacked on top of each other, chicken wire bottom to deter moles, and filled with garden soil.   I think they will grow.  I have more to plant in container at home, and still more to dig out soon.  Technically these are not seeds, I know.

The buckwheat germinated thickly, in both 1-week-old plantings.  I watered well, and also watered the 3 day old plantings that are not germinated.  Prediction for today is mid 80s or higher.

I planted bean seeds in a raised bed that I cleaned up and topped off with yard soil.  Most of the seeds are old.  I planted 3 rows of Ning's Chinese pole beans, alternating the 2 packets so if one is bad, but the other is good, they will be evenly spaced.  Those seeds are several years old.  I did the same with Roma bush beans.  The Romas are 1 to 4 years old.  The Romas claim 53 days to harvest, which would be mid to late Sept.  If they grow, they should grow fast in the current heat.

Bean Bed, with bird protection.  7.28.15

Summer Seed Planting. 7.27.15

Image via Commons.wikimedia.org, old botanical illustration, public domain due to age.

Today I am off work, although I need to do remote work plus study.  For a brief break -

Cleared dead nasturtiums out of deck barrel.  Planted fresh nasturtium seeds in same barrel.  These were a mixture of ages, may not be viable.  I mixed all of the packets together and planted close together.  I can thin if too many germinate.

Did the same with swiss chard.

The plan is to have some fall greens and color.

I have one more half-barrel to plant.   This week, I also want to start some bush beans for fall.

If they don't do well in the heat, that's OK.