Water, Water, Everywhere

    Water, Water, Everywhere.  A couple of inches on Sunday, and probably a couple more yesterday.  It is a dangerous and slippery walk to the middle of the park gardens to find my plot.

Water to the right of me

Water to the left of me

Even water above me

     But stuck in the middle I'm fine.  Two years worth of wood chip additions to the paths and loads and loads of leaves to the garden beds have greatly improved the soil.  It was nothing but yucky clay two years ago.  You can see sloppy mud all around, but the soil in my organic garden is walkable and workable.  If only the temperature and skies would improve to make it enjoyable to be outside.

Bellevue 3-11-11

Survivors

3-9-11 Spinach

     Today is cold and gray, but spring is soon around the corner.  Though a cold winter, there were survivors that braved the elements, even without protection.  A walk around the park this morning revealed many such hardy veggies, well at least a few.  Spinach that has over wintered gets a very fast start in the spring.  But then it needs to as it also bolts quickly.

3-9-11 Turnips and spinach

3-9-11 Brussel sprouts

     These brussel sprouts look ready for picking.  I don't know how the stink bugs missed out on this treat last year.  My one surviving sprout plant looks pitiful, but I am waiting to see if it will put out new edible growth.

3-9-11 

Collard greens seem to be one of the more cold hardy plants.  They look a little ratty now, but will put out some edible new growth in just a short while.  I feel most people are far too impatient in ripping out survivors when they will still produce some very early greens.

3-9-11 Arugula

3-9-11 Arugula

     Ah, arugula.  Gift of the gods.  Discovered by me only two years ago.  Where had you been all of my life?  Why wait this long to appear on the scene?  But now a new gift, as arugula can obviously survive without winter cover.  And apparently the deer avoid it.  Now to remember to seed a couple of beds of it in the fall.  Even a minimal tunnel should result in loads of arugula next winter.  But first I will enjoy my spring crop.

3-9-11 Turnips

    As far as I could see, the turnips looked edible.  Would have thought they would have frozen over the winter.  In any event, they should put up nice succulent tops as they resume spring growth.  What do you bet that they get pulled and discarded  as mere refuse.                                                          

3-9-11 Kale

            
 





     Kale is another one of the hardy cole crops.  Is that a surprise with names like Siberian Kale and Red Russsian Kale?  In a week or so, this row will be putting out lots of new succulent early greens.

3-9-11 Onions, my garden

                                


     And back to my garden is this bed of onions that have over wintered nicely.  These were onions that did not attain good size last year, so rather that toss them, back in the garden they went in the fall.  They are just about ready to start harvesting as scallions.  Yes, maybe a day or two.              

3-9-11 Cabbage

  




     And lastly, cabbage survived the winter in some gardens.  A couple of these heads look edible.  If you cut the head off right at the base, four or five smaller cabbage should sprout right up.  The root structure is already in place to support new growth.
     Now if only all of these survivors were crammed into my own garden.  Such would be a fast start to eating green veggies without the wait of a month or two.
      Garden hardy,  George

Still Going

     My wife and I just got back on Sunday morning from a week's vacation to Panama.  Day temperatures around 90, some quite unusual rain for the dry season, and beautiful beach walks.  What a change to come home to a dreary two inches of rain on Sunday.  But home looked good, as I had missed my new veg starts and gardening activities.

Porch 3-8-11

     Many thanks to my next door neighbor, Darla Smith, who watered all of my little charges while I was gone.  Nary a single loss!  They look as though I could have stayed another week without dire results.

Porch 3-8-11

      The flat above has Black Seeded Simpson Lettuce on the left, with Red Sails Lettuce next.  Then Mizuna Mustard and Arugula on the right.  The Red Sails and Arugula are from my own seed gathered last year, quite exciting for me.  These seedlings were started on 1/30 or 1/31, and are nearly ready to go into some cold frame in the ground.

Bellevue Community Gardens 3-8-11

 

     The gardens out at Bellevue are still pretty desolate.  And muddy.  Really muddy.  But the cold frames protected my stuff over the winter, even yielding the second salad of the season on Sunday, 3/6.

My Cold Frames 3-8-11

 

Flats in Cold Frame 3-8-11

     I took some flats from the porch over to the park to put them in a cold frame.  They will get much more sun over at the park.

Park Cold Frame 3-8-11

     The onions in this frame should be Egyptian Walking Onions.  They were lucky to be in this spot when I put the frame over them.  They are much more lush and enticing than onions that had to fight for their lives in the open garden.  The onion like plant in the lower left corner appears to be one of two Leek plants that have volunteered from last year.  And I never have grown Leeks at this garden!  Should I eat these, or let them go to seed for next year?  I think I will eat them, as there are new Leek seedlings started on the porch.

Artichokes or cardoon?

     These two plants are either Artichokes or Cardoon that have overwintered on the porch.  They will probably go outside in another month.  I have seedlings of both started.  That will make the ID easy as the season progresses.
     It was fun to be away, but it is fun to be home.  And there is really, really a lot to do!   George

Here's Lookin at You

Spider Mite on Spinach, 2/21/11

       Hey dude, gimme a break!  Turn off those bright lights.  I gotta thank you for this great big warm cold frame / green house thingee you built for us bugs.  Sunshine most days, no wind, high humidity, wow.  And the food man!  A sap sucker's delight.  We got your mustards, we got your lettuces, and the arugula is to die for. Hey man, forget I said that last thing.  And kale and collards.  We have been able to chew down real early this year.  Get big and fat and happy, and lay nice eggs like the ones to my right.  If you don't mind, I would like you to take my leaf here and stick it back where you found it.  I'm gettin a little warm with these special Hollywood lights you are using.  Thanks dude.  Me and millions of my buds will be hangin out in your cold frame thingee.  Come visit anytime, but don't forget to leave the lid on  - Spidey Mite Man.

Call me Chook

     I followed through yesterday on my promise to give lettuce and arugula to Barb and Em.  Both daughters joined into cold frame mania last fall for the first time.  I am remiss to have failed to take pictures of Barb's THREE cold frames.  Her husband Rob salvaged their sliding glass doors that their Husky had ravaged and got an "A" for his first solo construction job.  With the double pane doors, her veggies are way ahead of mine in their new spring growth.  I certainly would expect little resistance from Barb about planting her frames more heavily for the season next year.

Straw Bale Frame 2/20/11

     Emily and husband Mike host a Halloween party for friends and family in the fall.  Mike has access to a full size tractor and trailer, the beginnings of a top notch hay ride.  All the kids, maybe twelve or more, fill the space in the trailer.  Adults have to trek around while the little candy grabbers ride in luxury.  Still, a good time is had by all.  Lonely straw bales at the end of the day.  A golden opportunity for Pop to get rid of the nasty old storm windows stored in the garage for decades.  Mom thanks you Em.
     Last fall, Emily and I put the bales around some existing plants in her garden, and moved some others.  An instant cold frame.  Unlike her Pop who worries and coddles and tries to insulate his veggies, Emily ignored her charges over the cold winter.  She was shocked and pleasantly rewarded to see beautiful Swiss Chard and various lettuces happily growing through the hard winter.  Em, as I suggested yesterday, things could use a little water.
     The conclusion I make is that these veggies are far hardier than we expect.  Given just a little protection from the Winds of Winter, they will reward you with some wonderful winter greens.  I should have tried one bed uninsulated to see what would have happened.  Call me chicken.  Faced with the same conditions next year, I will put the extra plastic layer inside.  Simple to do and remove, a little insurance for my veggies.  Maybe I won't awake at night to worry about my veggies.
     So I have a question.  Having read about the adventures of many of our Australian or New Zealand bloggers keeping chooks instead of chickens, I wonder if the phrase there is "Call me chook"?

Movin on Out

Bellevue Plot #84, 2-20-11

     Yesterday was one of the windiest days I have ever witnessed.  Sustained winds of 30 - 40 mph, gusting to the high of 56 mph.  I was afraid that glass would be littered everywhere as it is not strapped down, yet was greatly relieved to find all intact.  A bit chilled, with frost on the panes, but that was to be expected.

From Porch Starters 2/20/11

      Well, it's time to live dangerously and start moving flats into the cold frames in a big way.  I need the extra space in the porch for newer seedlings.  Movin on out time.  The bottom flat was started from seed on 1/25/11. From left to right, are Florida Broadleaf Mustard, Redbor Kale, Giant Winter Spinach, and Chinese Thick Stem Mustard.  The Florida Mustard and Redbor Kale were started from my own seeds saved from last year!  The Chinese Thick Stem was new to me last year, and was one very delicious and attractive addition. 
     The top flat has garlic started in December from my own runt garlic cloves from last year's harvest that were too small to eat.  The little tray in the uppermost left corner has garlic started from the little tiny seed bulblets from last year.  The leafy plants next to the garlic are Ice Bred Arugula from Fedco, started in December of last year, and grown till now on the porch.  I snitched a leaf this morning, oh so delicious.  It pains me, but I am going to be a nice Pop and give a six pack of arugula to each of my daughters this morning.  Now that that proclamation is public, I will have to honor it.  The Black Seeded Simpson plants that over wintered on the porch are also movin out this morning.  Finally, the last row of plants are Rainbow Lacinto Kale, started only on 2/4/11.  It was another newcomer to my garden last year that was quite productive, but underutilized as food.  There are many times in the summer when things are growing well, and you just can't eat it quickly enough!  Such a problem to have.  Senposai grew abundantly last year, but alas, was never harvested.

Bellevue Cold Frame 2/20/11

 

 

     Into their new home they go, just as flats.  This is to grow them out some more.  They will get far more light than on the porch.  The skinny little things in the bottom left corner are Red Burgundy and Walla Walla onions started from seed.  Somewhat disappointing on germination rates, but an interesting experiment to try something new in the onion category.
     You probably noticed that all of the cells have around four baby plants. That would be because I plant four seeds to a pack expecting some failure of germination.  Whoops.  Anyone local who would like to come over and divide out some babies is welcome to give me a holler.  I might divide them on my own, but I think that is probably just a fantasy. 
     It would be unusually cold now to dip below 20 at night.  Predictions into the mid teens would cause me to add a plastic layer inside the frames.  I actually had to use the watering can this morning, as a couple of flats were drying out.  So with some things movin out, there will be space for me to start tomato and peppers seeds in flats later this week.  Gardening in earnest has begun!

Mid February Promise

Bellevue Plot #84, 2/15/11

     The snow has finally melted from the park!  I didn't say it was beautiful.  The collards in the foreground look quite unhappy.  It is wet, muddy, and frozen in spots, but the snow is gone.  Let the dreaming begin.
     On the 13th, I was over at the park with my snow shovel, a first for me.  Somehow, my big plastic orange snow shovel just does not elicit thoughts of spring gardening.  But the shovel was perfect for clearing the soggy mats of straw from the third cold frame.  I am very happy to report that the crunching underfoot during a previous visit was the ice giving way, not one of the glass panels.

Bellevue Plot #84, 2/15/11

     The low part of the uppermost cold frame was the bed with the straw under the glass.  These plants seemed to suffer the most over the winter.  There are two fist sized openings in this frame that were stuffed with leaves or straw, but maybe more air got in.  It is definitely the hardest to clean up to get going again, so the inside straw treatment gets my bottom vote.  I am thinking about pulling everything in this bed to make room for my new veggie starts.  The plants from the frame with the plastic inside look great, as do the plants from the frame with straw on top.  Being in the shade of insulating material during a couple of weeks of the coldest weather does not seem to hurt the plants in the least.  It is about this time, the middle of February, that the sun light is getting longer and stronger.  Growth is soon to resume.

Spinach, arugula, Winter marvel lettuce, Tango lettuce

 
    The little patch of green in the center of the above picture is a clump of volunteer celery starts that are trying to survive the winter on their own.  You can just barely make out the "mother" plant just a little higher and to the left.  The cold frame at the corner of this shot is shown in the next photo.

 

Baby volunteer celery

     The light green clump at the top left are thousands of volunteer baby celery plants.  They appear to have been  very happy under the glass.  There is a volunteer lamb's ear plant, lucky that it had not been pulled as a weed.  To the bottom left corner is a radicchio that is recovering nicely from the Thanksgiving deer raid.  The next threat for that lovely head walks on two legs.

Backyard, 2/15/11

     And you thought the snow was gone!  This is my back yard, only about a mile from the park.  The veggie garden out back is still covered in snow, protected in the shade of the big pin oak.  The shade in this shot is from two maple trees off to the left.  So although I originally rented the Bellevue plot to help get more summer sun for peppers and tomatoes, the winter sun is just as critical in my attempts to extend the growing season.
     So there is mid February promise of better things to come.  Garden on  -  George