Kitchen Garden. 9.1.15

Part of Kitchen Garden.  9.1.15

Kitchen Garden, ready for fall more or less.

I finished the first of two new raised beds for Chinese chives.  Those are reused cinder blocks.  Very easy.  I can add one or two or three...  blocks and call it a day.  Then the next day, or next week, add some more.  Soon enough, they are all in place.  The soil mix is mainly decomposed sod, molehills, and well aged chicken house compost, all from this yard.

I planted the first of the chive beds.   These are mainly from the prior one.  They needed refreshed soil, and needed dividing to regenerate the clumps.  Some were from a container that we sprouted last year in the sunroom, then had in the yard waiting to be replanted.  Some are volunteer from other raised beds.

I feel better, with all of beds either in use for producing something, or with cover crop for regenerating the soil and feeding the honeybees.

New Chinese Chive Raised Bed.  9.1.15

Kitchen Garden.  9.1.15

Its not Martha Stewart, but good enough. 

Fall Gardening in Kitchen Garden. 8.30.15

Garlic for planting.  8.30.15

 It may be early, but I planted the first of the garlic today.  These are cloves from this year.

Changes-
Instead of 8 per row, they are 6 per row.  Instead of 10 rows, there are 8.  I did that to give them more room.

It might be too early.  Last year I planted late and they did not get in much growth before the first freeze.  I can plant more in a few weeks.

This bed has the following rotation:

First Garlic Planting.  8.30.15

2013: strawberries
2014: strawberries.
2015: beans
2015: now, garlic.

I used the largest garlic heads.

I also cleaned up the 1/2 of an 8x8 bed that had E.W. Onions.  That got topped of with some yard soil and planted with buckwheat for green manure.

I started the 4x4 cinderblock bed that I have been gradually building, for replenishing the Chinese Chives.   Will progressively replant them into this bed over the next few weeks.  The soil is enriched with aged chicken compost, and a sprinkling of Epson salts and lime.  Prior testing showed my soil is acidic, and a bit low in calcium and magnesium.  I mixed the additives into the soil and watered to get it ready.

Kitchen Garden Harvests. 8.30.15

Asian Pears.  8.30.15

Tomotoes and Peppers.  8.30.15

 Today I picked the first of the Asian pears.  The European pears were all bad, complete bust.  I can never figure out when to harvest them.  Asian pears are much easier.  These are Hosui, Shinseiki, and an unknown.

More veggies from the garden.

Some Daylilies.  These must be the last.  Stella de Oro is a champion bloomer.

Daylilies.  8.30.15

Kitchen Garden. 8.23.15

Late beans.  8.23.15

Onion Wells.  8.23.15

Beans growing ok.

Added well aged chicken compost to barrels, and more of the EWO scallion starts into those.

Tomatos, getting an excellent crop this year.  More than we can eat.  Time for some more salsa.

Tomato Cage.  8.23.15

First Main Crop Figs. 8.29.15

Smith Figs.  8.29.15

Hardy Chicago Figs.  8.29.15

 First of the main crop figs.  Main crop is the fall crop.  Rained last night, no splits this time.

Smith - in container.  There was one fig last week.  This one was broken from the rain, so I harvested it.  Excellent flavor even though not quite ripe.  The others will be left on a few more days.

Hardy Chicago - in ground.  Usually the first of main crop figs for me.  I was just going to pick one, but kept finding more. I pruned heavily this winter, to keep branching low.  Probably no loss of crop, since the brebas always fall off for my tree.

Not shown until I get to Battleground today - Sal's, while small, has several ripening figs.

Edit:   Added photos of Sal's figs and comparison with Hardy Chicago.  Maybe the Sal's were not quite as ripe.  I thought the Hardy Chicago had more flavor, sweeter, juicier.  But if not for tasting them side by side. I would have liked the Sal's very much.

Hardy Chicago Figs.  8.29.15

Hardy Chicago Fig Tree.  8.29.15

Sal's  Figs and Hardy Chicago Figs.  8.29.15

Sal's Figs on tree.  8.29.15