PNW: May 2013

If you live here in Vancouver, where I do, I'm thinking the only excuse you have for being inside on this glorious day is that you are anxiously awaiting this new thread. So breathe easy, here you go: May in the PNW.

This is a big month - you don't want to miss out on all the great stuff you can get planted if you're just getting started. I can no longer find the Mother Earth News "What to Plant Now" chart, so help me out someone if you can find a link for that. I have another chart from an unknown source that I'll use to get the conversation started:

Seed Indoors:
Cucumbers
Melons

Seed Outdoors:
Artichoke
Arugula
Beans
Beets
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cilantro
Celery
Corn
Dill
Green Onions
Kale
Leeks (over wintering)
Lettuce
Parsnips
Radishes
Salad Greens
Spinach
Summer Squash
Swiss Chard
Turnips

Starts to transplant:
Artichoke
Basil
Broccoli
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Celery
Collards
Cucumbers
Kale
Leeks
Onions
Parsley
Swiss Chard
Tomatoes

Yay we transplanted most of our starts!
Planning to sow some seeds for radish, brocolli, cilantro and mustard greens!

hope you all are able to be out and enjoy this wonderful warm spell we are having

In SFG box #3 potatoes are doing well



SFG box #3 ....over winter carrots, some parsnips and turnips...and waiting to go out still in this box is some cucumbers....



SFG box #1 onions, garlic, dill and carrot week carrots....no sign yet of last years scarlet runner beans in the back with the trellis....not sure how long to wait for them ?? ....or if we should just replant.... the empty SQ's are for tomato's



SFG box #2 is going to be our three sisters box....right now it has over wintered carrots that are going to be pulled when its time to transplant the corn and squash....we are going to direct sow some pole green beans......



here is the baby Heirloom *Hooker* corn coming up the seeds were half cream color and half black...cant wait to see how it turns out...its a sweet corn that can be dry and made into corm meal.... :drunken: the stalks only get to be about 5ft...so we are hoping it will do well in our SFG



back porch salad bowl doing great!....dino Kale, lettuce, spinach and onions....yummy!!....we have been walking by and taking some nibbles.....love that its up by our back door and...no slugs!!!



happy gardening
rose

smriti wrote:Yay we transplanted most of our starts!
Planning to sow some seeds for radish, brocolli, cilantro and mustard greens!

Smriti.....glad to see you are enjoying our warm weather and was able to get all your starts out!!

we still have some left to put out....so tempted to put out some tom's and cucumbers.....did you put out any of those ??

happy gardening
rose

Below is the link for the "What to Plant Now" section of Mother Earth News.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/what-to-plant-now-may-pacific-northwest-gardening-region.aspx

Thanks happycamper!

Thanks happycamper - I've been looking for it on the website but just wasn't able to find it.

Rose, yes I did plant the tomatoes outside and I was so happy that there's going to lots of sunshine as I thought that's what tomatoes like. Turns out not. We took a look at the toms yesterday and they did not look healthy The leaves were turning white and some plants looked almost dead . I do have a confession to make - I did not harden them and when we investigated yesterday turns out that was exactly the reason. It was too much sunshine for them. I guess all other times we did this, the weather was our usual cloud and rainy. So it didn't really matter but this time it was different It's quite upsetting. We've covered them with tarp today to give them some shade. I hope that can save at least 1-2 plants. Any suggestions are most welcome. Thankfully we missed planting one tom and that's still safe inside; will start hardening it.

Other plants are doing fine - beans, summer squash, zucchini and marigold. Also planted some seeds for spinach, oregano and beans.

We still have basil inside. It seems to be taking a lot of time to grow up. Is that expected?

Does anybody have experience starting oregano from seeds? We tried to start them indoors, but the plant didn't go beyond the first two leaves so now we thought we'll try outside.

Rose, are those tomato flowers in your profile photo?

I know that today (Sunday, 5-5) is predicted to be hot, but more important to me, the night is not supposed to drop below 50. Whoo-hoo! Time to get out and get some tomatoes planted. I put in a couple of totes of compost, sprinkled the bed with alfalfa meal and dusted with lime. Ray is ready to cover the bed with plastic (our weird trellis system is also the ribs for a poly cover). The compost+ has been in for about a week. I think I'm ready.

There are just too many "kinds" to really count. but I'll give it a shot.

On the traditional indeterminate side of the bed (traditional being globe shaped)

• Persimmon: my favorite if the season happens to be long enough. A twin will grow in the greenhouse.
  
• Black Prince: Grew Black Prince in a large bucket where it did not do well (i.e. no harvest, not even a taste) but that was 2010, an exceptionally bad tomato year. This season I have it in the box and hope to find out what local gardeners are raving about.
  
• Lakota: New to me. Long season, red slicer
  
• Stupice: I just have to find out what all the excitement is about.
  
• Ceylon: New to me. Been eyeing these for a while. Really high on the cute factor.
  
• Grandma's Pick: These rather bland hybreds are still better tasting then Safeway tomatoes. They also became vine ripe last season (2012) for amazing blog pics.

I also have too many paste tomatoes. These are also going into the tomato box.

• Black Plum Paste: They are not bad, they are just weird, and aggressive. Even in a chill-season I get fruit from this vine. Nice in a bag of mixed frozen plum tomatoes for a little taste of summer in December's pasta sauce.
  
• Oroma: new for me, but the west side gardener (the gardener formerly known as The Rainy Side) loves these
  
• Sheboygin: Mixed reviews, hoping for the best. It isn't the fruit that bloggers complain about but the low resistance to disease.
  
• Cuore di Bue: I was stunned with the harvest last season. Flavor? Not so much for fresh eating. BUT the silky texture and nice tomato (though plain) flavor was nice in sauce, which is why I grow this monster. This is the tomato that accidently taught me the joy of letting one sucker grow (making a forked plant) for twice as much fruit.
  
• Stripped Roma: A long season tomato that I did not realize I ordered (as a plant no less). I don't know yet if it will be growing in the green house or in the garden. I guess if I want to know how it does in the PNW it should go outside.

I should be saying, "That’s it" but it isn't. I have buckets of determinant tomatoes too. This sounds too much like a tomato Tuesday post on Sunday. But I work on Tuesdays sooooo.

To keep it a regular May post, I'll mention that I am eating so many salads that I'm feeding them to the nuggets. Peas look really crummy this year and I still get kale smoothies nearly every night from an over wintered Russian kale. Yum!

I put in some onions and broccoli and one cabbage so far. I'm behind this year because I had to spend a lot of time weeding out our garden beds. I was pregnant last spring/summer, so didn't garden and wow did it get b-a-d! We just got the compost added and mixed in yesterday and then I planted the transplants. I've yet to do seeds for carrots, spinach, etc. but plan on it tomorrow.



This is just my 2nd year doing SQF gardens and a vegetable garden in general. Just learning as we go!

Our family is on vacation in ca visiting mickey mouse.....its raining and forcast for the next few days......is thunder storms ......wahhhhhhhhhh.......and we are missing out planting our toms!!......hope they don't cook in the green house

Happy gardening and enjoy the weather :-)
Rose

Lavender Debs - your toms look great and oh my how many varieties you have!

Homekeeper - welcome back to gardening

Rose - you're missing out on the gorgeous weather here!! Hope you've fun with MM!

Oh boy, my husband finished the table top frames for my cement tubs! Need to pick some paint colors and get them painted during this week of gorgeous, dry weather.

Today I went on a field trip to Bob's Red Mill factory, for the tour, and then to Bob's Red Mill Visitor's Center for lunch and shopping. Then across the street to Dave's Killer Bread store to grab a deal on some misshapen loaves.

Interesting thing I learned on the tour: the gluten free products from Bob's Red Mill now make up 50% of their business.

Tours are free and start at 10am sharp every Monday thru Friday. Bob himself even showed up and said hello and let us take our pictures with him! Highly encourage anyone local to check it out. Here's the links:

http://www.bobsredmill.com/Whole-Grain-Store.html

http://www.daveskillerbread.com/store-locator/healthy-bread-store.html

Gwennifer,
What a special day you had! My wife loves Bob's Red Mill products. I'm not surprised about gluten free products comprising so much of their business. There is a huge demand these days.

were back from vacation and what a good time we had together as a family

we transplanted 14 of our tomato plants over the weekend not knowing that it would be storming today.....yikes....lots of rain and heavy winds.... ...not sure how the tom's are going to hold up.....4 are up against the house



the plant on the far left hand side....we found these



a couple more are in pots so we can move them back into the green house if needed...


3 tom's are in box #1 in our SFG



the others are planted in ground around the back of the house.....

....still have another 8 on hold in the green house as extra's to give away to family and neighbors....

if anyone else has planted out their tom's ....how are they doing?

we also direct sowed Scarlett runner beans in SFG box #1

we transplanted corn and squash & direct sowed the beans in our *Three sisters* box #2 in our SFG yesterday and today.....

planted more beans today in our back garden area and in another 1x4 SFG box along our dog fence.....

Cole crops in the back garden are exploding in growth....finally!...we may end up with some broc's, cauli's and cabbage....the bok choi bolted while we were on vacation.....

we picked a lot of lettuce from the back garden when we got back and have ton's more to go..... ...the salad bowel is looks ready to pick too



blue berries, strawberries and huckleberries are all in bloom and it looks like the raspberries are not far behind....



the potatoes in SFG box #3 already have flowers



SFG Box #3....potatoes, over winter carrot, parsnips and turnips...waiting still to transplant cucumbers



the other potatoes in the back garden are growing but not as fast.....



happy gardening
rose

Aww Rosie, your garden is so pretty! Tomatoes already!?! You are the green thumb queen!

if anyone else has planted out their tom's ....how are they doing?

After 10+ days of upper 70's to 80 degree weather, the wind blew into Everett from the Bearing Sea. The temperature dropped into the 60's and, after lunch, there were tiny ice pellets in the rain. Ray has made our trellis able to hold a poly tent in spring and a trellis in summer. We plan to add doors soon. There are 14 tomatoes, 8 squares of red onions, 6 squares of carrots and 2 of radishes. Parsley is still growing in there too


A few buckets of determinant tomatoes, including a couple of my favorites, Siltz and Gold nugget. Legend too, but I am not a big fan of Legend. Pot of strawberries in there too.


Among the many tomatoes in the green house is this long box of Beaverlodge Plum Tomatoes.

I also have a lot of extra pots of starts. Stupice, Grandma's Pick (hybrid), Sheboygan Paste, and I do not know what else. I am starting to worry that when everything starts to grow, I am going to run out of room. I have large pots for Lakota, Persimmon, Cour di Bue, and maybe Grandma's Pick growing in the green house. Two pots of Rocky (mini) cucumbers and four pots of peppers.

we also direct sowed Scarlett runner beans in SFG box #1....snip....planted more beans today in our back garden area and in another 1x4 SFG box along our dog fence.....

Again WOW! I put in 4 squares of Provider (a brown seeded bean) and 4 of a purple bean. Both have dark seeds which are supposed to do better in the cool spring. I have not even put up my bean pole yet.

By the way.... besides the Toy Box compost, I have a tote of treasure from my neighbor. We (Ray and I) were thinking we would get a rabbit or 4 just for the fertilizer. As we were thinking, "where can we squeeze in hutches" my new neighbor came out and started mowing her lawn in the rain. We chatted, and I find out she has horses she boards. She brought me a whole tote of perfectly composted, doesn't even stink, horse poo!! Some of that is in the box with beans. Don't think we will get rabbits this year!


These are my oldest potatoes (March 17), no blossoms.


The worst thing about having a day job is that the weeds are getting ahead of me. Pttttth.

Strawberries, blueberries, all kinds of black berries, cherries, apples and pears have all bloomed (or are blooming)

Rose, I'm glad to hear everything survived in your greenhouse while you were gone. I was wondering about that last week when I had two fans going in my greenhouse to keep the temps under 90°.

Deb, I will forever think of you when I plant corn, specifically, your grandmother's wisdom to plant corn when the Indian brave can sit on the soil in his loincloth!

This is the little corn house (4x8) I made to help get soil temps higher, earlier.


Lift off the gable roof, and there's a four foot high railing to give the stalks support against the wind.


My first tomato of the year. It ripened nicely, and we ate it last weekend. My wife cut it up before I could get a picture of it fully ripe. I wouldn't believe me either but Gwen saw the tomato on the plant a few weeks ago in real life.


I've eaten a dozen cukes already...


I'll get more pics the next time the sun shines!

boffer wrote:...snip...This is the little corn house (4x8) I made to help get soil temps higher, earlier.


Lift off the gable roof, and there's a four foot high railing to give the stalks support against the wind.

I'll get more pics the next time the sun shines!

That is brilliant! I have not even made soil blocks to start corn, and I've noticed my braves are NOT. I'd like to say that you have too much time to think BUT I like the way you think!! The corn house looks like the mice will not make themselves as at home as the plastic ground cover did.

About corn. Last year my 4x8 was planted with 4 corn per square. The outer squares were great! The inner squares..... not so much. This year I will spread my corn across two boxes BUT I will plant around the outer squares only. In one box is leeks. All sizes. I'm going to pull the big leeks that did not get used last winter (dehydrate or freeze. Then I'll cover the little ones with fresh compost, compost the outer squares and plant corn around the leeks. In the box next to it I'll put corn around the outer boxes and pumpkins in the center. Maybe that will solve the umbrella problem of fertilizing the center squares. Jus thinken it through.

SO good to read you!

boffer wrote:

This is one SWEET corn house, Boffer!

GG

Goosegirl wrote:This is one SWEET corn house, Boffer!
GG

Boooooooooooooooo

Lavender Debs wrote:...The corn house looks like the mice will not make themselves as at home as the plastic ground cover did...

You remembered my mouse nemesis! That was a major incentive to try something different.

Lavender Debs wrote:...About corn. Last year my 4x8 was planted with 4 corn per square. The outer squares were great! The inner squares..... not so much...

I grow a long season corn, and after examining their root balls at harvest time for a couple years, I just can't get my head around 4 per square. I've been planting 1 per square. This year I'm trying one box with 9" squares and one box with 8" squares.

Last year it was so cool that I didn't plant until the first week of June. Here's my corn house today, 11 days after planting. 85% germination rate; the plants are about 4". So far, so good.



On an uncovered corn box that was planted the same day, I tried an impromptu experiment with plastic on top of the soil. I've heard that 'clear' plastic warms the soil better than black.



Here's what it looks like today.



There's very poor germination under the clear plastic. I don't know what to make of that. The plants aren't quite 3" tall so I did get extra growth in the warmth of the corn house.

boffer wrote:....snip....I grow a long season corn, and after examining their root balls at harvest time for a couple years, I just can't get my head around 4 per square. I've been planting 1 per square. This year I'm trying one box with 9" squares and one box with 8" squares.

Last year it was so cool that I didn't plant until the first week of June.

The same gram'ma dropped 3 seeds into each hole. If all three germinated then all three grew in a cozy sort of way. They stood up better to wind then mine do. Seems like the whole corn hoe thing was about hilling up the corn, which might explain why they grew well together and stood against the wind.

My 4 to a square seem to do fine. I space them that way because I make soil cubes and that is just a comfortable space to give the cubes. Otherwise I might do three per square in a single hole just to see if they stand up against the wind better. The problem I ran into was an umbrella effect. The center square’s stalks were unable to get enough pollen to the silks.... which was a little shocking since the stuff was everywhere.

I did not think that your corn was in SFG's, was I wrong or is this your 1st year? I'm asking because I wonder if one per square (no matter the square size) gets good pollination in the center (I would be willing to try that if it does). All I want is more corn.

Mine, BTW is not long season. It is a yellow and white hybrid that I grew years ago (last year was the 1st time for corn in a lot of years). Now that I know yours is a proper long season corn I am a little jazzed to find out how it does for you in the corn hut.

boffer wrote:

Goosegirl wrote:This is one SWEET corn house, Boffer!
GG

Boooooooooooooooo

Nyuck, Nyuck!

First time eating from the garden tonight . A salad of the thinned kale and rapini with first radish! Woo hoo!



Our trellises went up today too, as the pea shoots are starting to flop over on themselves. I love this time of year! When everything can still go right

Good for you! There's nothing better than the first harvest of the year!

(I couldn't find a dancing radish so broc will have to do!)