Month End Close - January 2011

A lot of growing - overall January was a pretty good month.  A bit of cold; but not as bad as December.  And some more space.  **and the neighbor has caught the spruce up your yard bug**

 Weather Actuals
Total Precipitation: 3.00"
High: 79
Low: 30
Mean Average: 58

Notice that the mailbox/street end area is finally, finally on the last stretch.  Just need to check water flow in a downpour then spread the mulch on top.

Check out that meandering pathway with the sexy curves?  We are really  liking how this addition is turning out.  The pathways; the tiers in the planters - all just work nicely.  And, the drainage at the end of the driveway seems to be improved.

Poor driveway; these past few months it has taken a beating.  I'm still thinking there has got to be some earth friendly way to just; you know; use this as a base and put something more environmentally friendly on top it?  Any ideas?

Its been a good recovery time for the plants; much growth and much goodness in our tummy's.

All of the freeze damaged semi-tropicals have been moved out; save my favorite green/yellow croton.  Though, I fear it may be gone; hopefully it will come back from the roots.

The seedlings tossed out a month or so back are starting to grow up and fill in the spaces we have been harvesting.  I'm starting to think about where late spring plants will be growing as I put out new seedlings.  I want to toss more root veggies around to grow up before it gets too warm.  We've found that we really like them, and they are suppose to help pull deep minerals up.  The back row extension there is in the last stage; around about the end of February I'll pull out the black plastic and plant the first batch of Okra.  Which I haven't started yet (behind schedule) but plan to start tomorrow.  Cell tray and tags all ready for seeds!  In the mean time; I'm going to use that area to give the potted tomato's a jump start.

Freezes?  What Freezes?

This area, which was painstakingly cleared this fall - has turned out fabulous.  Well, except for the decreased visual screening of what hubs lovingly calls my junky area i.e. the compost zone.  The oak tree canopy and whatever else goes on in this little micro zone lessens the freeze damage other areas get.  Yet, it gets very intense morning sun.  The brassica's really love it back here; and the semi-tropicals have been easy enough to keep warm by putting trashcans over them.

And, there is a Mr Lincoln rose here, that we have done absolutely nothing for.  I think this year I will properly prune it.  The banana is putting out new leaves and the eggplant is full of buds.

And, the Ms Original Black Beauty herself - has hung in through the winter and is setting buds and blooming!  Oh how we have our fingers crossed for some early eggplant while the other babies are growing up.

Eggplants are suppose to be short lived perennials in temperate climates.  The ultimate test will be if it fruits early enough before the babies started this winter grow up and fruit.

The tiny-tweeny space has just jumped!  It looks so nice; hate to munch on it - but thinning the seedlings has added goodness to our salad fixin's.

It would look even nicer if if the white sweet alyssum was actually blooming - grrrrr.  I should have started it from seed much earlier me thinks.

I spruced up and finished up two small spaces - well at least almost finished.  The original rotted out oak stump garden - got extended on the east side just a smidged; a border put in place and cardboard down for cutworm control.  A bit of peat, pine fines, mulch and fertilizer.  The east side of this bed will hopefully be a fine spot for tatsoi to reseed and likewise Black seeded simpson lettuce on the south side.  Or, at minimum will extend our greens season a bit since this is one of our chilly zones in the garden.  Breeze effect maybe?

The copper planter holds the 3.5 gallon black plastic azeala pots; so I can rotate around greens, tomato's, and whatever that needs moving out of full sun.  Umm, and I'll be planting some white caladiums in here later this spring to go along with the flat leaf parsley we want to grow here.  Hoping the flat leaf parsley will also reseed.

Hubs didn't like the idea of the landscape timbers wrapping these trees at the end of the arbor; so I finally got around to finishing off the edging on this. 

Our side is 4x4 landscape timbers along the arbor then oak logs around the trees loop.  The neighbors side is black garden edging and at some point I'll do the cement a lawnmower wheel edging.

The neighbors side has a few Muhly grass planted now and I divided a flax into 4 sections and planted it on the backside of this tree end.  As well, planted 2 dozen caladium bulbs in here.  I also plan to plant some borage on the neighbor's side of the arbor.  Oh, and all the goings on the neighbors side is with their enthusiastic approval.  Hmm, maybe after our growing your own ginger discussion I should get them into growing ginger on their side???

Dec/Jan are just not good sun months for TRATEOFD and the parking pad garden.  They are surprisingly well protected from freeze damage; probably the oak canopy as well the structures to break wind.  Plants didn't die; they just maintained.  Well, except the potato bags - they are growing leaps and bounds.

The sun is just starting to get going into this area again and just this week I have moved some seedlings out to test how they do compared to the set up under the lights.

The tomato bed to be!  Got a bit of warping problem going on the right side; would sure like to get that fixed ....

It has been sitting here marinating since October.  Winter rye and an after that fact; duh - we can plant EDIBLE peas as a cover crop.  We probably started the peas too late

 Tomato's soon!  This is our upside down tomato experiment.  It has had two green tomato's on it all winter.  We carried it into the garage for every freeze.  It has put out a bunch of new growth and is setting buds and blooming; so maybe we'll get more 'maters from it this spring?

The cilantro in the top is still going; I added some more seed.  It's not really enough; maybe I can try really hard to get a bunch of seed to start growing up there.

It was a good month all in all.  We ate well, we fed MIL from the garden and we haven't run out of stuff we want to eat.  In fact; we can have a feast now.  And .... that is a great way to start the new year.  Grow.More.Good.Eats.

Month End Close - December 2010

Hmm, do I also have to do year end close???

So, December.  Hurt, company, freeze, sick, company, freeze, more sick.  Bleh ....  Garden looks very sad right now with all the freeze damage.



 Weather Actuals
Total Precipitation: .58"
High: 75
Low: 26
Mean Average: 50

Pictures taken early afternoon.

NE Salad Bar

Looking a bit worse for the wear after the 2 freezes.

Winter greens and brassica's are sure happy

Garlic in the pots are going gang busters

The dollar bin salad tins are popping

Who was the crazy person who thought to start basil in November?  Notice empty basil pot ....

Nothing new to see here, moving right along ...

The parking pad raised beds just take care of themselves these days.  Up against the fence salad bar row is growing and I thin/harvest when we have fresh salad.

The raised beds are so heavily amended, composted and mulched that they don't really need any care right now.

TRATEOFD continues to do well. This past month has been spent making potting soil and readying pots for tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers come March. In the interim, they can grow us some fresh greens!

A slow month in the garden; which isn't a bad thing considering.  We did have plenty of munch downs on greens, so we're happy with how she grows.

And, to close with a simple nutritious and tasty side dish.  Go out into your garden space with your harvest bucket and fill it up with a variety of mixed greens from the garden.  Rinse thoroughly and dry; cut into strips with kitchen shears.  Mix in a bowl with an ample dash of olive oil to coat all the greens, dash of sea salt and your seasoning of choice.  Shake well and let marinate for some time.  Microwave for 1 to 3 minutes (our ample handful took 3 minutes) to create slightly wilted seasoned greens.  Yummy in my Tummy!

Just look at the size of some of these winter greens!  And babies coming along right beside them.

We are getting a bit better with succession planting.

Month End Close - November 2010

Accounting for the month of November 2010

 I decided to take pictures in early afternoon on a typical day.  Not the best garden/plant shots, but it gives me a record of how the sun is.  Because it seems my memory is not so good.  More on that later.

The seeds I scattered are growing, but very slowly.  I am increasing the ante on fertilizer.  I'm going to go with weekly broadcasts of organic stuff like black cow; chicken; blood meal, and alfafa pellets.  For faster acting to compliment the timed release.

 The backside extension is complete, just stewing and composting for spring.

 Street end; still work in progress.  Full sun, dry dry dry.  Ideas?

TRATEOTD

The restaurant at the end of the driveway is slowly turning into the tomato factory.  And, the eggplant centered on the fence there is very happy.  I think we will always have an eggplant in that spot.

Parking Pad Garden Progress

The fence side garden I'm sure will do exceptional in the summer.  It's not too shabby now, with less sun.  We've harvested some from here as I thin.

The cucumber pot on the end here is not getting enough sun at all.  I'm not sure how it will do in the summer.  And I had to pull the chayote out from behind the tree - too shady and too wet.

Sugar snap peas.  Getting ready for tomatoes come February.

 Harvest
A whole lot of lettuce and fresh greens.  Not enough tomatoes.  A whole quart of pickled cucumber. More would have been really, really nice.  Several eggplant meals.  A few beans for lettuce garnish.  Enough hot peppers, though we would have eaten more if they were here.  

Note to self!  For plenty of eating tomatoes in November start seeds in July.



 Weather Actuals
Total Precipitation: 1.89"
High: 86
Low: 43
Mean Average: 66

PS - a better light photo 

Month End Close - October 2010

Accounting for the month of October 2010

We've come a long way in just a month.  Look at how those baby lettuce have grown!   And the eggplant!  It has 3 eggplants on it right now and possibly a few babies.

Last month, we had just finished adding the salad bar row in front of the existing landscape timber bed.  I've been starting new salad seedlings every other week and planting them out in the salad bar bed.  Next time around, I think I'll just seed it all in and pick the baby greens and eat them to thin it.

We picked corn, and we ate it.  We picked an eggplant and ate it.  We ate many sandwiches with greens from our own gardens.  And, we made beautyberry jelly and italian ice.

We are hooked on yumm.

Work In Progress - WIP Accounting

 Now we are expanding the ends.  The street/mailbox end will be planted with more strawberry plants.  We are learning we need to plant many more seeds/seedlings than we thought.  Earlier, we planted 6 strawberry plants.  Now they are spreading, slowly.  Come to find out, we need 20 - 25 plants per person!

So, dig up some more grass and dig out the ground level so that the water that pools at the end of the driveway will run into the strawberry bed.

We've been clearing the west side, closer to the house.  It has been quite the mess.  Invasive's, overgrown saplings and a split leaf philodendron bent on garden imperial domination.  Its empire building has been .... dug up!  Its ultimate fate is yet undecided.  Can we keep it in check and grow some banana plants and perennial herbs in front of it?  I think this is a good spot for tenders like banana plants since this very same philodendron had NO freeze damage from the great winter of 2010.  Oh, and the rose is a Mister Lincoln.  It is probably thanking us.

Garlic is sprouting in the colorful pots.

I've not weighed anything.  I think that would be too depressing at this time.  But, we've been eating from the yard, and it is so nice.  We've had cucumber salad; sour dill pickle, calamondin, corn, eggplant and lots of greens.  And tomatoes.  And beans.  Oh, and don't forget the peppers.

Seconds please?

Weather Actuals
Total Precipitation: 0"
High: 92
Low: 54
Mean Average: 74