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

Blackberry Progress Report. 5.20.16

Ebony King Blackberry, planted February 2016.  5.21.16

These are the domesticated blackberry plants that I planted a few months ago.  It has been interesting to watch them, and I have learned a few things.

First, the Ebony King.  These were packaged dry-root starts from Lowes.
The stems were about pencil size, with minimal roots, packed in peat moss.  I planted them Feb 21st.  Of the 3 plants, one started growing in about March, one in April, and one just began growing now in late May.  So they all are alive and growing, and there is some chance for a taste next year.  These are floricane varieties that bloom and bear on the previous year's canes.  It pays not to give up, since one of the plants required 3 months to start to grow.

I need to get some protection on these, from marauding rabbits and deer.  They have not eaten the Ebony King Blackberry plants yet, which are not as perfectly thornless as Prime Ark Freedom, but I don't  want to take too many chances.  Damn rabbits.   Damn deer.

Second, the Prime Ark Freedom, thornless primocane blackberries from Starks.  These were expensive, and the plants were tiny.  They are growing nicely now, with one exception that is failing to thrive and still only a couple of inches tall.  Tow of the most vigorous were eaten half-way off by rabbits or deer, so now I have fencing sleeves on each plant.  Herbivores have not been eating the Himalayan invasive blackberries - possibly due to thorns, or there could be protective flavors that are lost in domestication.  These are primocane, so could potentially bear this year.  They have bloomed at only a few inches tall, but I removed the flowers so their photosynthetic energy goes to establishing roots, canes, and leaves.

Growth on Ebony King Blackberry, at 3 months.  5.21.16

Prime Ark Freedom Blackberry Plant, Planted Feb 2016.  5.21.16

The third is one plant of Columbia Star blackberry, bought in a one-gallon container at Yard - And - Garden - Land here in Vancouver, I think in March.  The plant was really a tiny tissue culture plant like the Prime Ark Freedom, planted in larger container for sale, I suppose.  Or to grow larger in the nursery pot. The Columbia Star is growing with the same vigor as Prime Ark Freedom.  Columbia Star is a trailing blackberry that will beed some support.  I have already built a frame for that, using 6 foot long tree limb prunings.

Walking around. Lindens, Herbs, Plant Starts, Persimmons, Ginkgo, 5.21.16

I planted this Greenspire Linden as my birthday tree in September 2012.  The tree was an end of season sale at Home Depot, with roots encircling the container.  I pruned off the encircling roots, dug in the dry soil, filled twice with water, and did some light pruning to one leader a the top.  I watered twice monthly the first summer, once monthly the second summer, and little or none, last summer.

This Linden has become a nice looking tree.  Much taller and more full.  There are 3 other Greenspire lindens around the yard, started smaller, planted later, but still growing nicely.  They all have many flower buds.  I planted these especially for the honeybees to have an excellent pollen and nectar source.

I also planted a Redmond American Linden, which was smaller, but has grown fast and is covered with flower buds now, as well.

Around the yard, Lavenders are blooming.  Honeybees are foraging the lavenders.  Chamomile is growing nicely, started from seeds this winter.  There are quite a few volunteer nasturtiums growing.  I have some other spots where I might plant some nasturtium seeds.

 The Saijo and Nikita's Gift Persimmons have flower buds, with the Nikita's Gift covered and Saijo with just a few.  The Yates American Persimmon has taken off and growing fast.  Any stems that stick out from the fencing are eaten quickly by the damn deer.

Blue-grey Lavendar.  5.21.16

Chamomile.  5.21.16

 Grape cuttings started late winter have a small amount of growth.   The largest are past the stage where they could be growing just on stored nutrients, so must have roots.

The ginkgo tree that I moved in January this year is looking good.  The leaves are smaller than expected for an established gingko tree, but OK for one in it's first Spring after a big move.

I have a bucket with onw 1/4 inch hole drilled in the bottem.  If there is no rain for a week, I fill the bucket with water, let it drain, move it and repeat, then move to a third location and repeat again.

Volunteer Nasturtium.  5.21.16

Saijo Persimmon Flower Buds.  5.21.16

Yates American Persimmon, in ground about 2 years.  5.21.16

Nikita Gift Persimmon Flower Buds.   5.21.16

Price Grape Cuttings, a few month old.  5.21.16

Ginkgo tree transplanted Jan 2016.  5.21.16

Follow up for Transplanted Bamboo. 5.20.16

Following up bamboo clumps that I transplanted in January and February. These were dug with combinaton of Sawzall demolition saw, and shovel. They were planted, mulched with wood chips, and had a dose of organic nitrogen fertilizer given during Spring rains. All but one of the clumps have been growing new canes (culms), some larger than others and some quite small. New cane growth indicates the clumps settled in and established.  Bamboo should not grow if it's not established.

I think none of the new canes outsizes the largest of the transplanted ones.  That will likely happen next year.  Some are about 10 feet tall now, so growth is significant.

Even small chunks that I planted, thinking they wouldn't grow, have produced at least tiny canes.

The timber bamboo in the chicken yard does not have new growth yet.  I don't know if it will need another year, or is just later to grow.

Bamboo clump dug 1.30.16

Wildflower meadow. 5.20.16

Some photos from Ning's wildflower meadows. California poppies and Lupines continue to dominate, but now there are also lots of Sweet Williams.