Maybe Spring is Coming

      What a long, cold, often gray, and snowy winter.  Tomorrow is forecast to be 66 degrees, though there are rumors of more snow on Wednesday.  Still, I had to get my hands in the dirt today.

      I broke down last week and bought some bedding plants at Alexander's Garden Center in Newark.  The six packs were pricey at $3.49 each, but the plants looked very healthy and there was a good selection. Above are packs of mixed lettuce, arugula and pak choi.  Instant garden.

      This is the third year that I have had cold frames over the winter.  The first two winters I was able to pick salad greens all through the winter. The frames were jammed with veggies by March.  But this winter the temps at night got down to 3 degrees, and that led to a total wipe out.  Just that one clump of weeds survived, as did several spindly shoots of garlic.  Brutal.

      Ah, now doesn't that look better?  I think I will be able to pick some greens in a couple of weeks.  Not planted today but bought at Alexanders were a six pack of artichokes and a six pack of water cress.  Both fun plants that are not seen very often at garden centers.
      Let the new garden season begin.  Even the dirt under my fingernails feels good.

Fall Gardening Update

Two Park Beds,  September 27th, 2013

      Many of the cold weather crops planted back in August are coming along quite well.  Some of the older seeds used were a complete bust.  Having tried to use up old packets, I will be forced to use fresher seed next year.

      At the left end of this bed are a few plants of Pak Choi (Livingstone for 2013) that were planted by seed on August 31, to replace the completely failed sewing of Heirloom Seeds (for 2010) De Cicco Broccoli.  Only one Fedco Winter Wonderland Romaine Lettuce (for 2012) sprouted, I will try the paper towel method next.  The second bunch of plants are red cabbage, planted 8/7/2013, as was all of this bed.  The little open spot was where I had planted a row of Kentucky Wonder Pole Beans from Hart's Seeds for the year 2009.  Only one plant came up, and it was lost during the transplant stage.  The next solid row is Fedco Plum Purple Radish for 2012.  Have picked some and they are pretty hot.  Tucked in next are some Fedco Beedy'a Camden Kale for 2009.  So far it is tough to find those plants between two rows of radishes.  Next comes sparkler radishes for 2013.  They are still short of harvest stage.  Finally, on the right side are Thick Stem Chinese Mustard plants from my own seed picked 6/4/11 (originally from Fedco).

      This box has done poorly.  On the left is the single chinese cabbage from an unknown source of seed.  The few little plants in the middle are Fedco Star Champion Collards for 2010, not exactly robust for collards.  To the right are Agway Early Purple Kohlrabi for 2009.  The Rouge D'Hivre Lettuce seeds planted in the middle were a total no show.  I then seeded this bed with Cook's Garden Mesclun Mix for 2009, also a complete bust.  Birds getting the seed may be an issue, but using old seed has probably been the bigger culprit.

      This box was planted on just September 10th!  On the left is Lake Valley Mizuna Japanese Mustard for planting in 2010.  The second planting is Red Sails Lettuce from my saved seeds for planting in 2011.  The darker red lettuce is Fedco Oscarde Oak Leaf Lettuce for 2011.  A nice dark red Oak Leaf.  Not a one of the Burpee Black Seeded Simpson for 2008 germinated, duh.

      All the plants in this picture were broadcast as seed on August 8th.  I had to check my plant notes to see that the bushy stuff on the left is Meyers Broccoli raab for 2012.  Many times have I tried to grow raab, never have I succeeded.  This year looks like it might just make it.  Tucked underneath the raab is a very beautiful stand of Fedco Winter Density Bibb/Romaine lettuce for 2011.  It is ready for picking now, we just need to make our next salad.  Next to that is Burpee's Bright Lights Swiss Chard for 2011.  I have already made two harvests of the chard from last month's sewing.  The last bushy stand on the right is Fedco Rainbow Lacinto Kale for 2010.  Fairly old seed, but a good result.  To the right side is spinach coming up, as shown in the next picture.

      On the left are three short rows of Fedco Giant Winter Spinach for 2011.  It looks to have a decent germination rate.  An earlier planting of maybe four year old bulk Bloomsberg Spinach seed was a total failure.  I will try some of that seed with the paper towel method.  The plants to the right are arugula which self seeded from an earlier self seeded patch.  If you let some go to seed, maybe you can have an ongoing arugula supply with little to no effort.
      Wow, after all that writing, I am hankering to get out to the garden.  I have mentioned lots of seed failures, but the pictures point to lots of success as well.  Next I have to figure out where to transplant a lot of these starts, and to figure what other seeds can still be started for my cold frame gardening.

      To check on my paper towel method:
                    http://fromseedtoscrumptious.blogspot.com/2012/01/be-careful-what-you-wish-for.html

Frightening Food Article

      Most vegetable gardeners grow their own food with the assumption that their produce is far superior to the food one can buy at the big grocery stores.  And the food probably is superior due to its freshness and hopeful lack of pesticides and chemicals.  But what if the seed we sow does not produce the vitamin packed veggies that we expected to raise?  This article really shakes my faith in the food system and seed system currently in place:

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/opinion/sunday/breeding-the-nutrition-out-of-our-food.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

      I may have to design my garden more around the seeds that I use.  Looks like all of the heirlooms I have been growing are probably superior, if only because they have had less human tinkering.  And arugula, you just had to think that something with its strong earthy flavor had to be good for you.

       I gave all of my purple potatoes to my daughter, now I will have to beg for some seed potatoes after harvest.  The Indian corn sounds like fun.  I bet the raccoons would pass by the Indian corn for sweet corn grown in nearby community plots.  Sounds like a future plan.

Early January Salad Greens

Early Salad Greens, January 8, 2013

      Time to have some fresh salad greens!  It would actually be the second harvest this year if I had not given the first away.  I went over to the garden a week ago and found a gardener, Louis, from a few years back, parked in the lot on a cold dreary day.  Louis has had to take up long haul trucking, and therefore gave up his plot at the park.  He was back for the holidays, and it was good to see him.  We walked out to my plot, wiped the little bit of snow off of the cold frames, and picked a bunch of nice fresh salad greens.  I gave that first harvest of the season to Louis, as he had said there was no such thing as fresh on the road.
      A couple of days ago I was shopping at my regular fresh fruit and produce store, J and J Produce, on Philadelphia Pike.  They usually have some outlandishly cheap special, and that day it was two big heads of Cos lettuce in a bag for a dollar.  Duh, had to do that even if I had some of my own greens.  So the picking today was to supplement the Cos lettuce.  We are going to grill some salmon to put over a great big mound of fresh salad greens, carrot slices, and hard boiled eggs.
      The mizuna mustard was snitched from the frame shown above.  The red oak leaf lettuce that I got from Bob King was ready for a light picking:

Red Oak Leaf Lettuce

      What salad would be complete without a little arugula to add a kick?  A nice harvest was made from this cold frame, though I left the Four Seasons red cos lettuce as I had that color covered by the red oak leaf lettuce.

And some tatsoi leaves as a garnish

Goings and Comings

      Early October is a time of transition for gardens here in Delaware.  While some tomato plants and cukes and peppers are still hanging on, they certainly are not thriving in these shorter days of fall.  There just isn't enough solar power to keep them going.  But as they peter out, the salad greens and cole crops should come into their glory in the cooler temperatures.

Unnamed small cherry tomato still thriving,  October 8,  2012

Even the tomato foliage is still thriving

While some tomatoes may ripen, these plants have given up

Summer flowers still look pretty good, summer veggies fading fast

Pick me and pull me

      Most of the tomatoes that were put out early in May are done, having run out of gas even if they were indeterminate plants.  However, some of the plants that were started from cuttings in June or early July are still looking alright, particularly two Chocolate Cherry plants over at the park.

Still going, and going.....

        The most productive single plant this season was a volunteer squash plant that I hoped might be a white Caspar pumpkin from where it popped up.  So against the advice of garden writers (squash plants are notorious cross breeders), I left it alone.  Turned out to be a true Patty Pan squash, and it produced over 40 squash during the season.  The plant is looking pretty beat up now, though there are still baby squash setting!

Single Patty Pan squash plant,  October 8,  2012

Malabar,  October 8,  2012

      This is the one malabar spinach plant that I put out this summer.  I had started some cuttings last September, and after giving away three starts, this is the single one I had left.  It is a tropical plant, and will melt into a mess with the first frost.  I will be taking some cuttings soon to root for the beginnings of a new crop for next year.  So although this vine looks fine at the moment, its end is soon in sight.
       So as the summer crops are going, the fall crops are coming in stronger and stronger.

Four Seasons lettuce, Black Seeded Simpson, Arugula

Purple Top Turnip

Fedco Tendergreens, and kale to the right

      The cold frames will soon need to be put back together, and repaired where necessary.  I scavenged wood and glass over the last few months, so I expect there will even be newer and better cold frames in the near future.  I am potting up any volunteers that I find to develop good roots for transplant to one of the many cold frames.
      From one season to the next, with no big pause in sight.

Bellevue Park Community Gardens

      This will be my fourth year for working my plot at Bellevue State Park.  I am a mere newbie, as some gardeners have been there since the breaking of ground 28 to 30 years ago.  The plots are 40 feet by 20 feet, and water is available by frost free spigots every 80 feet.  There are a total of 178 plots, with another seven or eight smaller plots.  I started over at the park to be able to have a veggie garden in full sun.  On these 90 degree days, it is more pleasant to garden in my partially shaded garden in the back yard.

Bellevue Park  -   July 3, 2012

       There is a Pin Oak lined drive to the left side of the barn that separates the two groupings of garden plots.  My plot is nearly in the middle of all the plots on this section closest to Interstate 95.  That is at times a drag to have to haul soil improvements into the middle, but probably lessens the pilferage from both two legged and four legged beasties being more comfortable around the edges.

Looking north to the sign to Philadelphia

More views of the extensive gardens

My garden, on the 40 foot side

      Here is a patch of swiss chard ready for some harvesting.  Lou's nephew planted his first garden this year, and planted the chard too thickly.  These are thinnings from his bed, to go along with two smaller plantings here and a larger bed at home.  Now I am the one with too much chard.  But since the squirrels ate my Bright Lights chard starts down to nothing, more is better than none.  The glass in the picture is actually a stack of most of the glass panels for my extensive cold frames at the park.  I am very happy to be able to store them all in such a small space.

      These pepper plants are off to a good start.  Most people have difficulty with peppers at the park, as the plants usually wilt and die at some point.  So it is a challenge to see if I can get a good crop.  All of my peppers were started by seed back in January, so it is already one success so far.

      The rest of the peppers at the park.  These were all extras after I planted 16 plants at home of eight different varieties.  A few plants have not even made it into the ground yet.  Usually there are losses at planting time.  This year I have lost only two plants, and have my first volunteer pepper plant.  That is a little sweet banana pepper in the above shot.

      What is this growing between the chard bed and the north side of the compost pile?  A couple of volunteer mustards, with the rest being arugula.  Did you read that Barb?  Arugula in the heat of July.  It is doing quite fine in the shade of the compost pile.  I have not seen any arugula start from the many places I threw seed pods.  But this planting must have resulted from some seed stalks that spent too much time on top of the pile before being cut into compost size pieces.  Maybe I will try to transplant some, or I may leave the patch as is just for snitching when I am at my garden.

Volunteer sunflower

      All of these pictures were taken around 5:45 AM this morning, during my attempt to beat the heat.  Is a sunflower really a sunflower before the sun is up?

Park Garden Update, 4/1/2012

      The first of April is here, and already my garden at the park is full to overflowing.  It will be a challenge to be able to find room for the warm weather veggies.  Though in another month, a lot of the cold weather veggies will have had their day, and be ready to be pulled.

Cold frames open, 4/1/2012

Arugula frame

Assorted lettuce and tatsoi

      This cold frame has various lettuce plants that need a good picking.  The cell packs at the bottom have most likely been cut down by slugs.  The pack at the top with the single leaf was a five pack of purchased kohlrabi starts.  I was going to put them in the ground today, but the voles left just this one leaf out of the two packs of five that I had.  The voles are becoming public enemy number one.  The packs along the top are leeks, obviously not a favorite of the voles.  Maybe this garden should be all onions, garlic, and leeks.

Garlic on left, collards, transplanted garlic

Parsnips

Cardoon and garlic starts

Blooming cole volunteer, spinach, Beedy's kale, and Chinese mustard

Harvestable Egyptian walking onions

Fava bean row

Overwintered artichoke

Overwintered arugula and tons of potential garlic

Overwintered red russian kale and leeks

Overwintered Tango lettuce

Still waiting for the podded peas to sprout