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Fifth Year SFG in Canada
+9
OhioGardener
ralitaco
countrynaturals
trolleydriver
sanderson
bluelacedredhead
CapeCoddess
yolos
AtlantaMarie
13 posters
Page 1 of 11
Page 1 of 11 • 1, 2, 3 ... 9, 10, 11
Fifth Year SFG in Canada
Hard to believe that this will be year five for my SFG. It's been good so far and I am looking forward to another year of gardening fun and delicious veggies.
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
This is my end of year recap for 2018 (also posted in the "Fourth Year SFG in Canada" thread). It does not include winter sowing and indoor starting activities. I have grouped things according to what I will do in 2019 with these crops.
The following will be grown again in 2019:
The following will be grown in 2019 only if there is space available:
The following will not be grown in 2019:
PESTS:
NOTES:
The following will be grown again in 2019:
- Basil – excellent, large plants
- Bean (Yellow Wax Bush) – excellent crop as always
- Bean (Rattlesnake – Pole) – excellent crop and taste good
- Bean (Blauhide Purple – Pole) – excellent crop
- Beet (both Red and Golden) – did not do well - this was a failed crop but must try again
- Borage – grew well and attracts poliinators
- Carrot (Danvers Half-Long) – excellent crop
- Carrot (Nantes) – excellent crop
- Carrot (Rainbow) – excellent crop
- Cilantro – grew well
- Cucumber (Marketmore) – mediocre crop (see notes)
- Cucumber (Straight – mediocre crop (see notes)
- Garlic (Music and Red Russian) – some planted from bought cloves and some from previous crop – all did really well
- Ground Cherry – got two volunteer plants but critters got most of the fruit
- Kale (Blue Curled Scotch) – did really well and harvested into December
- Leek – do not grow huge but we like them especially for potato leek soup
- Lettuce (Black Seeded Simpson) – grew well
- Lettuce (Bronze Arrow) – grew well
- Lettuce (Bronze Mignonette) – grew well
- Nasturtium – Always does well – flowers and leaves can be eaten
- Onion (Green Bunching) – grew well and always a favourite
- Onion (Yellow) – produced small bulbs but we like them
- Pak Choi White – did OK
- Parsnip – these were excellent
- Pea (Snow) – not a big harvest – we do not devote a large space for peas
- Pea (Snap) - not a big harvest - we do not devote a large space for peas
- Pepper (Early California Wonder) – as always our peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
- Pepper (Jalapeno) – as always peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
- Pepper (Banana) – as always peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
- Potato (Yellow Yukon) – excellent crop and a favourite
- Radish (Icicle, White Top and Red) – for some reason none of these grew well but have to be grown every year
- Squash (Acorn - Winter) – excellent and good producer – was not affected by squash vine borer
- Squash ( Canada Crookneck – Winter) – Excellent crop and not impacted by squash vine borer
- Squash (Golden Zucchini – Summer) – Good producer but got decimated by squash vine borer (will need to see what can be done to prevent svb attacks)
- Swiss Chard (Bright Lights) – not good in 2018 but good in previous years
- Swiss Chard (Fordhook Giant) – not good in 2018 but good in previous years
- Tomato (Rapunzel) – lots of good tasting fruit
- Tomato (Roma) – easy to grow with lots of fruit
The following will be grown in 2019 only if there is space available:
- Bean (True Red Cranberry) – medium crop of these dry beans
- Collard (Vates) – grew OK but we did not harvest it
- Cabbage (Michili) – did not grow well
- Eggplant – very few fruit
- Fennel – grew well in the Table Top but we did not use it (duh!)
- Kohlrabi – some plants did well and others produced only small “bulbs”
- Mache – did not grow well but should try again
- Tomato (Bonny Best) – was disappointing – not much fruit
- Tomato (Black Cherry) – lot of fruit but not a favourite
- Pepper (Chinese 5 Color) – did relatively well compared to other peppers – in future will only grow these outside the SFG
- Pepper (Poblano) – as always peppers struggled to produce much fruit – need to find a better, hotter, location not shaded by other plants
- Spinach – never does well in our SFG
- Squash (Tromboncino – Summer/Winter) – only got one squash from one plant grown – fun to grow – not affected by squash vine borer
- Squash (White Scallop – Summer) – Prolific producer but fruit is rather bland – not affected by squash vine borer
The following will not be grown in 2019:
- Bean (Skunk/Chester – Pole) – small crop of these dry beans
- Broccoli (Calabrese) – large plant with small head and went to seed – will not grow again
- Dill – Did not do well in the Table Top bed
- Lettuce (Rouge d’Hiver) – did not germinate
- Melon (Hale) – did not grow well
- Squash (Luffa) – Vines grew long but did not produce any squash – requires a long growing season so not good for our area
- Squash (Spaghetti – Summer) – two fruit on one plant but the plant and fruit were devastated by squash vine borer
- Tomatillo – grown outside SFG – abundant fruit but we did not use it this year
- Tomato (Purple Bumblebee) – good amount of fruit but many remained green at end of season
- Tomato (True Black Brandywine) – produced big fruit but not a favourite
- Tomato (Black Vernisage) – medium to goo quantity of fruit – many remained green
- Tomato (Yellow Giant) – few but huge fruit (one weighed 15 ounces) – not a favourite
- Tomato (Yellow Plum) – lot of fruit but not a favourite
- Tomato (Yellow Ruffle) – medium amount of ugly fruit – we did not like them
PESTS:
- Squash Vine Borer took out the zucchini and spaghetti squash. Have not seen them in previous years.
- Japanese Beetles were not as bad as previous years. They did not affect the bean plants but they like Mrs TD's roses and raspberry bushes.
- Flea Beetles damaged some leaves early in the summer.
- Slugs damaged some crops and need to be controlled better
NOTES:
- Bean (Pole) – Grew four different varieties on the same teepee trellis – they got intertwined and were difficult to harvest – in future do not mix them on the same trellis/teepee
- Corn - Have never grown corn in the SFG will try it in 2019
- Cucumber – will need to decided which varieties (stay with Marketmore and Straight 8 or try something else)
- Tomato – reduce the number of varieties grown and focus on Roma, red cherry, and big beef
- Table Top SFG Bed – plants struggled in 2018 perhaps because we had a hot summer
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
I have some indoor gardening currently underway
What is in the SFG
Things to do near term (January and February)
- Lettuce, Kale, Basil growing in the Aerogarden
- A mixture of seeds (alfalfa, arugula, sunflower, radish) growing in a 4"x6" bread tray as an experiment based on Peter Burke's "Year Round Salad Gardening" book
What is in the SFG
- Garlic (Music and Red Russian) cloves were planted in late October in 10 squares at four per square
Things to do near term (January and February)
- Decide what to grow this year and what squares to grow them in
- Decide what needs to be started indoors
- Review current seed collection
- Toss old seeds and order any necessary new seeds
- Purchase grow mix
- Set up the indoor heat mat and grow lights
- Start onions and leeks indoors
- Start Winter Sowing and set containers outside (mostly flowers)
- Continue "Year Round Salad Gardening" experiment
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
Here is an update on my "Year-Round Salad Gardening" experiment.
First photo was on Monday when I sowed the seeds and covered with paper towel. The tray was placed on the dark in the cupboard above our refrigerator.
Second photo was this morning, Friday, when I removed the paper cover and took tray out of the dark and placed it a place with some natural light but not in a window. The soil sprouts are about one inch high and they are yellow.
The third photo taken about two hours later shows that I have he soil sprouts are already greening up.
First photo was on Monday when I sowed the seeds and covered with paper towel. The tray was placed on the dark in the cupboard above our refrigerator.
Second photo was this morning, Friday, when I removed the paper cover and took tray out of the dark and placed it a place with some natural light but not in a window. The soil sprouts are about one inch high and they are yellow.
The third photo taken about two hours later shows that I have he soil sprouts are already greening up.
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
I'm craving my juicer after 3 days of traveling. Those spouts sure look good!
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
The soil sprouts look good. Are they much different than the microgreens.???
yolos- Posts : 4139
Join date : 2011-11-20
Age : 74
Location : Brooks, Ga Zone 7B/8A
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
I'm thinking they do not have as much flavour as microgreens. However, it's been a while since I tasted microgreens. I will grow more soil sprouts . I find them easier and faster to grow to harvestable size than microgreens. Also they do not need grow lights. After four days in the dark they can be placed anywhere there is light.yolos wrote:The soil sprouts look good. Are they much different than the microgreens.???
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
TD, Your Aerogarden plants have grown a lot over the last 4 days. If I lived in the north, I think I would need a couple of these units.
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
I agree, TD, it is hard to believe it's year 5 already. And you've done so well!
Those salads look mouth-watering. I gave up on indoor greens/salads and things when the aphids came a couple years ago. Maybe I'll try again. I was using outside soil back then and I guess I need to buy something in a bag. An AeroGarden would certainly nip that problem in the bud but I eat so much salad that I couldn't make nearly enough unless I bought many of them.
CC
Those salads look mouth-watering. I gave up on indoor greens/salads and things when the aphids came a couple years ago. Maybe I'll try again. I was using outside soil back then and I guess I need to buy something in a bag. An AeroGarden would certainly nip that problem in the bud but I eat so much salad that I couldn't make nearly enough unless I bought many of them.
CC
CapeCoddess- Posts : 6811
Join date : 2012-05-20
Age : 68
Location : elbow of the Cape, MA, Zone 6b/7a
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
That lettuce looks good. I have been having a problem with my aerogarden that maybe you can help. The tips of the top leaves on some brands/varieties of lettuce dry out and look a little burned. I have the LED version and am not sure how close to put the light. The instructions said right up next to the top of the plant. But I do not do this because I believe it is too close. I have read where the LED light should not be down real low. Any help would be appreciated.
yolos- Posts : 4139
Join date : 2011-11-20
Age : 74
Location : Brooks, Ga Zone 7B/8A
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
yolos wrote:That lettuce looks good. I have been having a problem with my aerogarden that maybe you can help. The tips of the top leaves on some brands/varieties of lettuce dry out and look a little burned. I have the LED version and am not sure how close to put the light. The instructions said right up next to the top of the plant. But I do not do this because I believe it is too close. I have read where the LED light should not be down real low. Any help would be appreciated.
I've noticed a couple of leaves with slightly brown edges. These are leaves on the outside of the plant and furthest from my LED light. I try to keep the water in the tank topped up on almost a daily basis. I keep the LED light about two inches above the plants. It helps if all of the plants are about the same height which is not always possible. On the lettuce I harvest the tallest leaves and the outer leaves.
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
We got another 25 to 30 cm of snow today. With freezing rain and rain on the way on Thursday, it's going to get messy. My little portable greenhouse had a lot of snow on top and I was afraid the rain would increase the weight of the snow and cause a collapse. So out I went across the backyard stepping through the deep snow that went above my knees and I cleaned off the roof of the greenhouse.
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
trolleydriver
Forum Moderator- Posts : 5388
Join date : 2015-05-04
Age : 77
Location : Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Re: Fifth Year SFG in Canada
Excellent! Canada Crookneck is a good variety.
Your indoor greens look delicious. I wanted an Aerogarden but spouse thinks it's a waste of money so instead, we have been buying a hydroponic lettuce from Quebec.
Your indoor greens look delicious. I wanted an Aerogarden but spouse thinks it's a waste of money so instead, we have been buying a hydroponic lettuce from Quebec.
bluelacedredhead- Posts : 114
Join date : 2012-06-21
Location : Stoney Creek ON Z6A
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