JUNE 2013 New England

mollyhespra wrote:
OH! And CC, what kind of tulle is that? "Regular" tulle like you get at the fabric store or something special?

Thanks in advance!

Yup...got it at JoAnnes with a 50% off coupon. It's been ripped a bit by animals trying to get in but I stuck a clothes pin on each hole for now until I figure out what tape to use on it. I also picked up some netting there for over the strawberry bed and such.

CC

Contemplating my garden, it seems my perennials are doing best: the asparagus I just planted this spring is ferny and I expect great bounty from that in future years, the strawberries are taking over the earth, the garlic, while not perennial, still going strong from last fall's planting. The annuals are pokey, and just get rip roaring around the end of the season.

I'm thinking, while always having annuals, of moving more and more to perennials, especially in this climate. I have a few walking onion plants now and hope to add potato onions in the spring. There are many perennials that I'm reading about that sound really hopeful, altho you have to learn how to use them.

NHGardener wrote:
I'm thinking, while always having annuals, of moving more and more to perennials, especially in this climate. I have a few walking onion plants now and hope to add potato onions in the spring. There are many perennials that I'm reading about that sound really hopeful, altho you have to learn how to use them.

I love this idea too. Would you please share what you are doing in this area as you do it. Like what are potato onions?

CC

CC, here's an article on potato onions.

I got a half-dozen bulbs from the author last year, and a seed packet. They sold out pretty fast. He's hoping to have more this year.

Thanks for the file on potato onions, Molly!

I've been reading about perennial vegetables in this book: http://perennialvegetables.org/about-the-book/

and I hear this 2-volume set is a great reference: http://www.edibleforestgardens.com/

and these 2 guys (one is the author above) are in Mass. - http://www.resilience.org/stories/2013-06-07/review-paradise-lot

I went to a workshop and have a lot of notes, but I battle fatigue on a regular basis, so I haven't gotten super far yet.

mollyhespra wrote:CC, here's an article on potato onions.

I got a half-dozen bulbs from the author last year, and a seed packet. They sold out pretty fast. He's hoping to have more this year.

Excellent article, Molly...so clear! Thanks! Where did you buy the seed packet?

CC

From the same guy who wrote the article. When I found him, he had onions and seeds available, so I got some of each.

I like the idea of perennials in the beds, but there are few that can make it here thru our northern winters. The chives keep coming back, tho, and the asparagus and strawberries.

I forgot to put toothpicks around my new cuke seedlings. I'd been admiring how they are coming up looking healthy and strong with their 2nd leaves starting on several of them. I kept forgetting to take outside my little pill bottle with the toothpicks in it. Remembered today. Lo and behold, cutworms had taken several of my seedlings, including all my Sikkims, Early Russians and Pepinos, darn it. I stuck the toothpicks around those that were left and sowed new seeds in those spots, but used Northern Pickling and Miniature Whites to replace them. That'll teach me to procrastinate.



Here are my tents of insect barrier over my 5 blueberry bushes. I think this should protect against the ravages of the birds.



Above, my straight neck yellow squash is covered against insects today. I have tomatoes in both the north and west side of this bed. I had extras I didn't want to waste.



above, I even bagged my Taxi tomato, a yellow heirloom. This is the same one that was frost-bitten (from my extra early experimentals) and its made a comeback, later than normal, but still a strong little guy so I'm going to save seeds. I'm glad I didn't pull the plant and gave it a chance.

I got in the rest of my eggplants and peppers in the beds now. All I have left to transplant are those going into pots. Then I can sit back and wait to enjoy the fruits of my labor.

QB, how tall were your cucumbers when the cutworms got em? Mine are about 3" tall and I'm hoping that's not going to happen. (I put them out as transplants.)

CC, Fedco sells potato onions (starts?) in the spring, but they ran out this spring so I'm planning on getting my order in early.

I got a bed redone yesterday and finally planted my rattlesnake beans this morning before I left for work........

NHG....My cukes were direct sown and smaller than yours. They were just starting to get their true leaves at about 1 1/2" tall.

I know the square foot garden book said fertilizer is unnecessary and that all the nutrients are supposed to come from the compost, but my basil is yellowish and not the deep green I'm used to. Should I fertilize the garden?

DeborahC wrote:I know the square foot garden book said fertilizer is unnecessary and that all the nutrients are supposed to come from the compost, but my basil is yellowish and not the deep green I'm used to. Should I fertilize the garden?

Topdress with a quality compost, homemade or that nice lobster compost is fantastic!

camprn wrote:

DeborahC wrote:I know the square foot garden book said fertilizer is unnecessary and that all the nutrients are supposed to come from the compost, but my basil is yellowish and not the deep green I'm used to. Should I fertilize the garden?

Topdress with a quality compost, homemade or that nice lobster compost is fantastic!

Thank you for the help. I used lobster mulch in the original mix this spring so I'll top dress it with some homemade stuff.

DeborahC wrote:

camprn wrote:

DeborahC wrote:I know the square foot garden book said fertilizer is unnecessary and that all the nutrients are supposed to come from the compost, but my basil is yellowish and not the deep green I'm used to. Should I fertilize the garden?

Topdress with a quality compost, homemade or that nice lobster compost is fantastic!

Thank you for the help. I used lobster mulch in the original mix this spring so I'll top dress it with some homemade stuff.

There is a lobster mulch? Who knew? Ohhh, I was thinking of the compost, absolute black gold!

This rain is making things grow before my eyes. I picked the big sugar snap peas this morning and when I went home for lunch today the smaller ones were big...so I et em.

My biggest harvest yet - dwarf kale, collards, Rainbow chard, dwarf romaine:
Missing are the strawberries, peas and scallions that are off to the side in bowls.

Don't know what's going to happen with more rain on the way but meanwhile I'm enjoying it all!
You, too?

CC

Looks wonderful, congratulations, and enjoy!

wow, CC! You must have a vegetable fairy in your yard.

CapeC.....Your bounty looks terrific. Thanks for the picture. I wish I got that much from mine today but its still sparse; only snap peas, radishes, leaf lettuce, chives and some herbs, but the Chinese cabbage and greens have now bolted and unfortunately, the asparagus I'm leaving alone til next year (it's only in its 3rd spring). I hope to gather lots of other stuff soon.

Isn't gardening fun! And tasty!

As an added note but not SFG, I planted 2 chinese chestnut trees today, and a bee bee tree (bees love their late season blossoms, apparently) recently. I have 2 apple trees I made from grafts 2 years ago that will be transplanted to their permanent homes in the fall, and hope to get 2 pear trees from somewhere too. Also they say kiwi vines, while not always producing in our climate, are wonderful in the seasons that they do produce.

http://www.mofga.org/Publications/MaineOrganicFarmerGardener/Spring2009/Kiwis/tabid/1076/Default.aspx

This whole gardening thing is getting addictive.

beautiful harvest CC!! congrats

It's raining again.... I am not in the garden.... I am taking a break from cleaning the refrigerator.

It's one of those "summers" so far. The great thing about raised beds is the drainage. The field where I have the vine crops looks like it's about to float away. I'll have to hill it next time.

It's raining, it's pouring, my love life is bo---oops! Sorry; had a Donna Summers moment there--funny the way the mind works...summer...rain...

But anyhoo--yes, it's been raining steadily since last night. Not too bad a thing for my little garden in particular since I got some beneficial nematodes and spread them around yesterday & my organic mentor/guru said it was perfect timing because they like to get rained on.

I got them after I discovered a plague of pink aphids eating a clover patch only feet away from my SFG. I had the intent on getting some ladybugs but he said start with the nematodes first because they'll stay in your garden where as the ladybugs eat & run.

If the aphids are still around when it stops raining I'll shoot them with a strong spray of water.

I also went out this morning (in the rain) and planted some bush bean seeds: Black Turtle and Hutterite Soup Bean.

Inside I've got a bunch of seedlings under the grow lights: some corn, kohlrabi, a bunch of different herbs, and some nasturtiums for companions & eating (I made some FAB nasturtium, garlic & mushroom quiche a few years back and I want to see if I can recreate the recipe this year).

Let's see...what else? OH, I got a load of some really good compost from a local organic farm to add to my mix! It's got goat, chicken & pig manures plus their own greens from the farm, leaves, etc. It's really rich stuff. DH says it looks good enough to eat.
I'm going to be top-dressing my squares bit by bit with it until my own pile cooks down some more.

Little by little, getting there...