tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1559513846453451782024-03-12T22:10:50.078-07:00Lillian's Gardening NotebookThis is a place for me to make gardening notes. It's mostly for my own use, but you might find something worth knowing here.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-52122409910666865112008-12-23T10:21:00.000-08:002008-12-23T10:23:40.542-08:00Winter Garden<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpM1D3PjT4utHSY-kkS3BAN4irdpDLSMdkzzI8-1dPEnyZTQrAfaNVmTuarj8T0Dcsu-h7APvsa5-qIALYSjeuDdCV0Ru2J22YKgd8Phta7KOxvuLzIyJSxL-V2JCMitlpDc2iJ8QRTmg/s1600-h/winter_garden_12-20.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpM1D3PjT4utHSY-kkS3BAN4irdpDLSMdkzzI8-1dPEnyZTQrAfaNVmTuarj8T0Dcsu-h7APvsa5-qIALYSjeuDdCV0Ru2J22YKgd8Phta7KOxvuLzIyJSxL-V2JCMitlpDc2iJ8QRTmg/s320/winter_garden_12-20.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283052441650902482" border="0" /></a><br />Here's my garden, sleeping beneath the snow. Time for snuggling into my warm little burrow and planning for next year. I am still growing things: sprouts! I got a nifty sprout-growing set for my birthday and it's fun (not to mention, delicious) to have fresh, green growing things around. Stay warm everybody! My next post will be when I'm readying to buy seeds for the spring.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-60409852161833433672008-12-20T15:19:00.001-08:002008-12-20T15:52:23.822-08:002008 Garden Awards and Yearbook<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);font-family:georgia;" >And now, ladies and gentlemen, awards and accolades will be presented to the best garden performers of 2008!</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Aptly Named:</span><br />Provider Green Bean<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Adorable:</span><br />Hakurei Turnip<br />8-Ball Zucchini (runner up)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Biggest Disappointment:</span><br />Carson Yellow Wax Bean<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Least Successful Category:</span><br />Tomatoes<br />Bell Peppers (runner up)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Successful Category:</span><br />Turnips<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Category I wish I had more of:</span><br />Carrots<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Category I wish I had less of:</span><br />Greens<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Pleasant Surprise:</span><br />Amour Pickling Cucumber<br />Celery (runner up)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Useless Vegetable of All Time:</span><br />Kholrabi<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Underutilized (by me):</span><br />Summerfest Komatsuna Greens<br />Goldberg Golden Purslane<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Prolific per Area:</span><br />Purple Top White Globe Turnip<br />Sunburst Patty Pan Summer Squash<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RD3aa0efgY5MpfbJlCE8-xBkX5kqetoveCwYAqGyf0u2O_gOXtY0s9z2xJNqXVFMv-9s1_vCLUp16JNVOTf13qA2s_AGhBpXPdutUTKLGxyryLN5-cndLZTaaEfhN-NcegAqeqcs9DI/s1600-h/Sunburst.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RD3aa0efgY5MpfbJlCE8-xBkX5kqetoveCwYAqGyf0u2O_gOXtY0s9z2xJNqXVFMv-9s1_vCLUp16JNVOTf13qA2s_AGhBpXPdutUTKLGxyryLN5-cndLZTaaEfhN-NcegAqeqcs9DI/s320/Sunburst.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282017075330634546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Sunburst<br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Rewarding per Effort:</span><br />The Herb Garden<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Cool Names:</span><br /><ul><li>Scarlet Queen Turnip (most evocative)</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZO0nKINH4q9Lq4KfQoHo7nY44X3QNUzEg_P1AqLUIYtaLOJ4WoB8MKS_pmCd8qI38y7uzOvgC-2_sWwSofRDQE8GbQMvDP9e6fWhbnwnuOSbNPKZh3diwWLH0qpKK8qxiW_ebCflpas/s1600-h/scarletqueen.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 254px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZZO0nKINH4q9Lq4KfQoHo7nY44X3QNUzEg_P1AqLUIYtaLOJ4WoB8MKS_pmCd8qI38y7uzOvgC-2_sWwSofRDQE8GbQMvDP9e6fWhbnwnuOSbNPKZh3diwWLH0qpKK8qxiW_ebCflpas/s320/scarletqueen.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282017071714631746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Scarlet Queen</span><br /><br /></div><ul><li>White Satin Carrot (sexiest)</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagUAu4GMjlx177tX2kWIspwQ567oFnwZAfjATRjoU6NBHQscU_Ft7N4OpDTCv2aUNIdhzt-NAcynWHzkMrk6F4skPrgUeG0ROVjCfriv3DlgHaUjbb_vtV9tM-ZEy8_anYdCv4WaVRCc/s1600-h/Whitesatin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgagUAu4GMjlx177tX2kWIspwQ567oFnwZAfjATRjoU6NBHQscU_Ft7N4OpDTCv2aUNIdhzt-NAcynWHzkMrk6F4skPrgUeG0ROVjCfriv3DlgHaUjbb_vtV9tM-ZEy8_anYdCv4WaVRCc/s320/Whitesatin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282017080938660050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">White Satin</span><br /></div><ul><li>Sugarsnax Carrot (most descriptive)</li></ul><ul><li>Provider Green Bean (most apt)</li></ul><ul><li>Purple Top White Globe Turnip (most obvious)</li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqbb8rBqMSV1-u_E0abXXjLOkDNLkk4XM5YwM0vMtZa749oRoyzUXvjTAbw6e8r8yrCzpMWu7iho-zmC0qoZeqEgnfNtFo7RSlK9J0k7H7XAgECG5Un4LwTGxqH-F-DzYULikDL6wxTo/s1600-h/11-01_purplest_turnip.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTqbb8rBqMSV1-u_E0abXXjLOkDNLkk4XM5YwM0vMtZa749oRoyzUXvjTAbw6e8r8yrCzpMWu7iho-zmC0qoZeqEgnfNtFo7RSlK9J0k7H7XAgECG5Un4LwTGxqH-F-DzYULikDL6wxTo/s320/11-01_purplest_turnip.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282019645203093618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Exactly what it looks like.<br /></span></div><br /><ul><li>Cupidon French Filet Bean (most lyrical)</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoKqhnJ2syiFcXvJHIeAizqLWaotoqo-uZBz4_jrUpDj3-Jh_x6KkXA2ieWSf75yTUGuwLPlshFCr7RtATQRWxvMS1xcRCpwFvCA3Lwou_pRpmDU8OS7M3kyIyX5R-7cli0rAqzgEqSo/s1600-h/Cupidon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 186px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitoKqhnJ2syiFcXvJHIeAizqLWaotoqo-uZBz4_jrUpDj3-Jh_x6KkXA2ieWSf75yTUGuwLPlshFCr7RtATQRWxvMS1xcRCpwFvCA3Lwou_pRpmDU8OS7M3kyIyX5R-7cli0rAqzgEqSo/s320/Cupidon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282017067801165618" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Cupidon, by W. A. Bouguereau.<br /><br /></span></div><ul><li>8-Ball Summer Squash (most amusing)</li></ul><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JEEhlKh477ac-oQOqEpd3F2I_3BRzP-hajKH3pjd1cF5tMiQUzOqvV0zjUCClHawHdV45Y4g5DvPGonJ2Ygt_U52yR724VHnVklTTEUtvLiBL06uPCYfc3PDL3VWWy3Dr7a3fQpvjxI/s1600-h/8ball.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0JEEhlKh477ac-oQOqEpd3F2I_3BRzP-hajKH3pjd1cF5tMiQUzOqvV0zjUCClHawHdV45Y4g5DvPGonJ2Ygt_U52yR724VHnVklTTEUtvLiBL06uPCYfc3PDL3VWWy3Dr7a3fQpvjxI/s320/8ball.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282017063627224642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Eight Ball</span><br /><br /></div><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Described as "Moon Food":</span><br />Purple Kholrabi<br />Toscano Kale<br />Sunburst Patty Pan Summer Squash<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Beautiful:</span><br />Redleaf Amaranth<br />Garnet Giant Mustard Greens<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Most Unpleasant Tasting:</span><br />Garnet Giant Mustard Greens<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">Agreed Upon as Most Delicious:</span><br />Cauliflower<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 153);">And finally...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">If I had to take one variety with me on a space ship/desert island:</span><br />Provider Green Bean (greatest overall nutrition, yield, and ease of growing)<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 0, 0);">If I were to sow one variety in the garden of my enemies:</span><br />Garnet Giant Mustard GreensLillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-16209233739295269842008-12-20T14:47:00.000-08:002008-12-20T15:39:21.525-08:00End of the Growing Season<span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span>After the light frost at the beginning of October, the heartier plants kept producing into early November, when we were hit by several hard frosts. I'm not sure of the dates on these photos, but they're from early November, just before the hard frosts that happened around the 6th-8th. The tomatoes that were close to the soil and protected by foliage from the October frosts continued to ripen as the plants no longer were putting energy into the leaves. Some of the green tomatoes I picked also ripened on the counter and as of December 20th, I have one left!<br /><br />One of my last acts in the garden was to cover the herb bed in a thick layer of straw and cardboard. I'm hoping that this will protect the iffy perennials from temperature extremes and root damage, so that I might find my oregano, thyme, sage, and marjoram greening in the spring. So far we've gotten a lot of snow, so there's a good chance they'll be insulated enough to survive.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb15J3w9VJTiMZ1BU1znkJuIx9UZ3aO_c-Jpe8ZOK3Jp71wG3qbin_Vw4hLybOifwbC7PEfW1rsEuB8ri_mpbc-ohgKFEJ-yjw7UY1i2qGVXEZwu3t6gUFsWMLlyBH9hMpv6v66yffRhc/s1600-h/11-01_dead_squash.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb15J3w9VJTiMZ1BU1znkJuIx9UZ3aO_c-Jpe8ZOK3Jp71wG3qbin_Vw4hLybOifwbC7PEfW1rsEuB8ri_mpbc-ohgKFEJ-yjw7UY1i2qGVXEZwu3t6gUFsWMLlyBH9hMpv6v66yffRhc/s320/11-01_dead_squash.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012171072254818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Behold the carnage! After the october frosts, all the tender crops looked like this.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildraGE24ojmI5C7altXO46HTUmZs8eKbGQjSifOz_awwodSf7Xb404X1WZDS2JuVMbk-L8Hbe-CC26RobRR5csrpixQZ-EwwwpSDKNb_JY_xsLZmiHs_m5LVCKAp0QUvt3ClI01MFjaA/s1600-h/11-01_dead_cukes.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEildraGE24ojmI5C7altXO46HTUmZs8eKbGQjSifOz_awwodSf7Xb404X1WZDS2JuVMbk-L8Hbe-CC26RobRR5csrpixQZ-EwwwpSDKNb_JY_xsLZmiHs_m5LVCKAp0QUvt3ClI01MFjaA/s320/11-01_dead_cukes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012167138895442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I simply can't imagine how many cucumbers I would have had if I'd started earlier in the year. As it was, I struggled to use them all!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE6YB5TpgCQKLhtfeaHKKm5j8DJ07wHhVifD3peYw1RtO2RkFE5W41ELO7PpBB2TJNJPoCiuoTrqsHQRAjvyE3LQKoqq4Bu-zew5Wuj-0vcD0YTOZBlKGOTsVxUKC5OKCAakDRM8_Km8/s1600-h/11-01_wounded_green_beans.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUE6YB5TpgCQKLhtfeaHKKm5j8DJ07wHhVifD3peYw1RtO2RkFE5W41ELO7PpBB2TJNJPoCiuoTrqsHQRAjvyE3LQKoqq4Bu-zew5Wuj-0vcD0YTOZBlKGOTsVxUKC5OKCAakDRM8_Km8/s320/11-01_wounded_green_beans.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012487638823090" border="0" /></a>The green beans weren't as thoroughly decimated as the squash or cucumbers. I was able to keep harvesting small amounts for a few weeks.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88UVRm97Xj2phOBjmH4NLa3m3IqfsJ5gZZLwbkeAreYZLeol90xTr5VrUNezWn16xCe0kZaYj_-FvywFu2iwJcvHmU_HO7OayzOXaf7hGx-U0s9DFw_LjE5juytqnS6U8V7LhRcktau8/s1600-h/11-01_wax_bean_survivors.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj88UVRm97Xj2phOBjmH4NLa3m3IqfsJ5gZZLwbkeAreYZLeol90xTr5VrUNezWn16xCe0kZaYj_-FvywFu2iwJcvHmU_HO7OayzOXaf7hGx-U0s9DFw_LjE5juytqnS6U8V7LhRcktau8/s320/11-01_wax_bean_survivors.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012470497613954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The obstinate wax beans surprised me with their cold tolerance and I wound up harvesting more in October than earlier in the year.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDD46IMiABZVcAX_Csz60t5bDTdBvlWjis8bcfvH4DWRXzm6oA-jPu8mNQpZYsszjozgNEqd4xHsWOseNVf-RQS_ASgcjAKZZ0wrZOvF4hp6iIdEICTkmSQ9RX-veEM9OEZU9tOYk6s1k/s1600-h/11-01_last_toms.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 241px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDD46IMiABZVcAX_Csz60t5bDTdBvlWjis8bcfvH4DWRXzm6oA-jPu8mNQpZYsszjozgNEqd4xHsWOseNVf-RQS_ASgcjAKZZ0wrZOvF4hp6iIdEICTkmSQ9RX-veEM9OEZU9tOYk6s1k/s320/11-01_last_toms.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012467376886242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This is what harvesting tomatoes was like: searching for ripened survivors under the protective layers of dead foliage.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3i4Vj0AhnPd19vj5lWOpItDxTy0hyREDuwKFrPkHB7ViNPvgunuze96S3TkYxehzB9L8WV1U5LUp0SGKX9FQHT9L2bmkoOn5XhCM0YXLVP7oEkmprjEG2gFwPrxWN_Jj6tiKqMjyD2I/s1600-h/11-01_final_harvest_tender_crops.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY3i4Vj0AhnPd19vj5lWOpItDxTy0hyREDuwKFrPkHB7ViNPvgunuze96S3TkYxehzB9L8WV1U5LUp0SGKX9FQHT9L2bmkoOn5XhCM0YXLVP7oEkmprjEG2gFwPrxWN_Jj6tiKqMjyD2I/s320/11-01_final_harvest_tender_crops.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012173692810178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">One of my final harvests of tomatoes and beans. The hearty onions were usable well into November, and I may even find some of them still alive in the spring.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOMXe_y5fdHMQxwTGH-SPAbG2EJbggELJ9ZNEe-Zi7oz6iMSpBO8X11toWxPUpOyDqN6adKVYECrFepn77nCi4nKodOfJaRYf1XOSLgKNqzHJnPcIxyUTsXFqM8ZPjy-MTZ0LhlDGpRo/s1600-h/11-8_final_daikon.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 229px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUOMXe_y5fdHMQxwTGH-SPAbG2EJbggELJ9ZNEe-Zi7oz6iMSpBO8X11toWxPUpOyDqN6adKVYECrFepn77nCi4nKodOfJaRYf1XOSLgKNqzHJnPcIxyUTsXFqM8ZPjy-MTZ0LhlDGpRo/s320/11-8_final_daikon.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012587498055490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">These were harvested after the hard frosts of early November and were just fine, if a bit spicy. I'd like to find a milder variety for next year.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2kZE6bxAJcfPWAfV44u7ZGE7EABLUY4kMF1w5wmdHBXvr6DtD47sKNvbDxsYF5-QhfF2vK8d9WZUDT9gdaoBl6yqw76i8yKvP2zNrWe6k0yZSOQoPCuDZi7uvJ6in9PhzMO9jHnkSVg/s1600-h/11-01_happy_cabbage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ2kZE6bxAJcfPWAfV44u7ZGE7EABLUY4kMF1w5wmdHBXvr6DtD47sKNvbDxsYF5-QhfF2vK8d9WZUDT9gdaoBl6yqw76i8yKvP2zNrWe6k0yZSOQoPCuDZi7uvJ6in9PhzMO9jHnkSVg/s320/11-01_happy_cabbage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012176783470786" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Of course my brassicas were going like gangbusters after the frosts, happy that the evil caterpillars were finally dead. This cabbage became delicious sauerkraut.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK-SSmMTwzcanFERzGnJWChb4T1yWuEy8UTGQzudIrdr1kNP-t2xdCNx8Bj16iHL7yR7UYBZhokYPG6RTM6Zi2s6RgXJhlVdmh-asRf7sRNxpluXfTTTls-syNfymVeO00hKM7VHn30k/s1600-h/11-01_brussels_sprouts_going_strong.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcK-SSmMTwzcanFERzGnJWChb4T1yWuEy8UTGQzudIrdr1kNP-t2xdCNx8Bj16iHL7yR7UYBZhokYPG6RTM6Zi2s6RgXJhlVdmh-asRf7sRNxpluXfTTTls-syNfymVeO00hKM7VHn30k/s320/11-01_brussels_sprouts_going_strong.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012161677149538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The hardiness champion was the Brussels sprouts, naturally. I harvested many right out of the snow!</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2a3EVQBZjl7mtSva6pSoV2upKflTREeIcyJyhwVhwtFiWmzFnbNO5Swn274q1FiUBVHbt-qp9gNhitFQlkp_3D7fWKlLFzV3D6YV_d7y8fh6Ybg65EEsY4KBqYhPg_PE4cPfYkLQSJrw/s1600-h/11-8_brussels_sprouts.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2a3EVQBZjl7mtSva6pSoV2upKflTREeIcyJyhwVhwtFiWmzFnbNO5Swn274q1FiUBVHbt-qp9gNhitFQlkp_3D7fWKlLFzV3D6YV_d7y8fh6Ybg65EEsY4KBqYhPg_PE4cPfYkLQSJrw/s320/11-8_brussels_sprouts.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282012493925794818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">These were the very last thing harvested from the garden, for the occasion of Kristine's visit. They were fantastic! (The visit was a great time too!)</span><br /><br /></div>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-42708776254189716552008-10-12T09:19:00.000-07:002008-12-20T14:45:48.435-08:00First Frost! October 3rdThis blog has been desperately in need of an update! I think I got overwhelmed with processing photos and vegetables and kept putting it off. Basically, at the end of September I harvested a ton of veggies for a mini-CSA for mom and Joe, and then a week later (October 3rd) we had our first frost in Zumbrota.<br /><br />In town it supposedly only got to 34, but I think it must have been colder here on the farmstead. All of the cucurbitaceae died, and most of the upper leaves of my beans wilted. My tomatoes got all wilted at the top, but I think the ground kept the lower branches warm and I'm finally harvesting some ripe tomatoes from them a week later. It warmed up immediately after the frost, and rained a couple of times, so the rest of the garden is doing great. The brassicaceae and cruciferae are just thrilled about the cool, wet weather, and are thriving. Another frost isn't expected for a while, so I can continue harvesting most of the vegetables. I'm still not sure if the beans are continuing to grow or not, since they just look so unhappy.<br /><br />The amazing thing is that if it had just stayed a couple of degrees warmer I would still bee harvesting everything. As it is, though I got a week more growth than the median last frost-free date (9/28), so I'm not complaining.<br /><br />Here are some photos from the end of September (I don't have exact dates):<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uXymuoO3Af38jsDeAcYTUPcc0bnwH4eNY4XTToHLyHcx_ZN2z6RK0OowbGvZL5UdTqmoWp93z8IXZkqWLxLVeqrNhFOVDhyphenhyphenbHQAwQC21XURSwU1Y6Kz1KHqr3q_OM-BNs7xzpgLD9CU/s1600-h/9-27_turnips_and_beetles.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3uXymuoO3Af38jsDeAcYTUPcc0bnwH4eNY4XTToHLyHcx_ZN2z6RK0OowbGvZL5UdTqmoWp93z8IXZkqWLxLVeqrNhFOVDhyphenhyphenbHQAwQC21XURSwU1Y6Kz1KHqr3q_OM-BNs7xzpgLD9CU/s320/9-27_turnips_and_beetles.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004922776174690" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This isn't even the final harvest of turnips. I got at least 30 large-sized turnips from a 3'x3' area! PS: this was the advanced guard of what was to be legions of Asian Beetles.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzn4GX3wjvDl_rfos7-jo3ubRclbrpA_WQCzJ9SX6JhneG3mO2DC8zFAyrZ5fHbWtrmq7R8jpbhdR_-kfc6hjr2lUlbObyVNxFZx730qfmc-LlFB0NoZ48wFI_scpXjrvxFaaR9Ptx0c/s1600-h/9-27_turnip_crochet.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitzn4GX3wjvDl_rfos7-jo3ubRclbrpA_WQCzJ9SX6JhneG3mO2DC8zFAyrZ5fHbWtrmq7R8jpbhdR_-kfc6hjr2lUlbObyVNxFZx730qfmc-LlFB0NoZ48wFI_scpXjrvxFaaR9Ptx0c/s320/9-27_turnip_crochet.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004758255247474" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Not content to simply grow the vegetables, I have also been crocheting them.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRrC1Zzr3AJ0LHKW3jYNc754nGntPWhdKIdKJEjM6mwT0nkh8CLSTCTHtikaMYfIT2gVjG0Gkc_PHokfOD0XqCk3u6_AlUfCyEYh4GFkFMo8RTQpW3_lZBII8Stfx0M2KTC1FgoAIw9Y/s1600-h/9-27_cauliflower_almost_ready.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRrC1Zzr3AJ0LHKW3jYNc754nGntPWhdKIdKJEjM6mwT0nkh8CLSTCTHtikaMYfIT2gVjG0Gkc_PHokfOD0XqCk3u6_AlUfCyEYh4GFkFMo8RTQpW3_lZBII8Stfx0M2KTC1FgoAIw9Y/s320/9-27_cauliflower_almost_ready.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004708702690178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The cauliflower I produced was amazingly tender and flavorful. I'm still shocked I was able to grow this finicky vegetable so well, and it was likely </span>because<span style="font-style: italic;"> of my late planting date. </span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGwisR9dCHMT4bvn11Z3QpCzX2hNs8-xF9mKvTW0T5w3xqWjV-dooimKCBnYo-8EO9F2gYkOgYvqB9Fb1OGLO10G29IVVHT44WHXA4iPPNzgP66yc1tGsnyGl-S5STkyNNS4Y0I5G_pE/s1600-h/9-27_carrots_floating.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUGwisR9dCHMT4bvn11Z3QpCzX2hNs8-xF9mKvTW0T5w3xqWjV-dooimKCBnYo-8EO9F2gYkOgYvqB9Fb1OGLO10G29IVVHT44WHXA4iPPNzgP66yc1tGsnyGl-S5STkyNNS4Y0I5G_pE/s320/9-27_carrots_floating.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004706615654546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I definitely need to plant more carrots next year. These were one of the tastiest and most useful of all my garden plants. They are also very fun to pull out of the ground.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNk7bXCl8Q3x6Ddw8pEX63X7LrMAalSc6QeyrDABei9l4gNqaEKgdZKdrcL1A4F22y_xeahcxKNV6xEcopHgoxJoVxv4zoA-h1TGCXqV9SuYqvifqRCxm_eS-b3CRF7C2L5TCFyFQMAg/s1600-h/9-27_celery_forest.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWNk7bXCl8Q3x6Ddw8pEX63X7LrMAalSc6QeyrDABei9l4gNqaEKgdZKdrcL1A4F22y_xeahcxKNV6xEcopHgoxJoVxv4zoA-h1TGCXqV9SuYqvifqRCxm_eS-b3CRF7C2L5TCFyFQMAg/s320/9-27_celery_forest.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004718874683922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Well I didn't make it to the Sierras this year, but I was able to pretend I was among the Sequoias when I was picking celery. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRobJbUtP1S1Vefl8fzFyp6AaBl7zQMQszOQ_Ey__8LxoER5bO0XXlAeSduwD7P39WfcOY75ekKXdn3jdj-pPygESUA9ul5mq_NmEHhCZK1XANprrgJfcqyog9gHx17jcuvM4MECeKH0/s1600-h/9-27_cayenne_pepper.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrRobJbUtP1S1Vefl8fzFyp6AaBl7zQMQszOQ_Ey__8LxoER5bO0XXlAeSduwD7P39WfcOY75ekKXdn3jdj-pPygESUA9ul5mq_NmEHhCZK1XANprrgJfcqyog9gHx17jcuvM4MECeKH0/s320/9-27_cayenne_pepper.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004715530586034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My cayenne didn't yield much this year but they were still tasty and cute.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBBZZAkDaqxxcYGzRUP0FO02JjVu_ULm8D0h3vYYCmuQFAzNLRB3Z_zui1hkwKuNrRY7GIqTO8gUT0xIdg6vTVl7t537Ik4OMn0OAwpQXxShgAsPvni019m3Pb-bdC4ur5pRD9jW_B6g/s1600-h/9-27_update_and_green_onions.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinBBZZAkDaqxxcYGzRUP0FO02JjVu_ULm8D0h3vYYCmuQFAzNLRB3Z_zui1hkwKuNrRY7GIqTO8gUT0xIdg6vTVl7t537Ik4OMn0OAwpQXxShgAsPvni019m3Pb-bdC4ur5pRD9jW_B6g/s320/9-27_update_and_green_onions.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282004925648406034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">These luscious greens don't know what's going to hit them in a few nights! Everything but the basil and zucchini kept producing for at least a month, though.<br /></span></div>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-80453882353546436382008-09-17T15:47:00.000-07:002008-09-17T16:04:44.890-07:00Update and Cauliflowers Finally Doing SomethingI'm out of batteries from my camera, but my garden looks about the same as last time, but more scraggly in some places and with plenty of insane tomato plants. My tomatoes are still green, but I harvested a few large ones to encourage the plants to ripen the remaining fruit. The sun returned after a long absence and after just a couple days of warm weather some of the tomatoes are starting to yellow.<br /><br />A couple of days ago I went in the garden to get rid of the gigantic cauliflower plants that, until that point, hadn't done anything but crowd my cabbages. Fortunately I peeked into the center of all the leaves and there I found some tiny white florets! I guess the plants finally got big enough to bear florets and were probably helped along by the cool weather. I may just get a harvest from them, since they're frost-tolerant.<br /><br />In other cole crop news, I harvested a 4-lb cabbage today. It's absolutely beautiful and I just love it to bits.<br /><br />I'm also getting cucumbers all of the sudden and put up some fermented Kosher dills yesterday (though I need to add another half pound of cukes as they come ready. The "Amour" pickling cuke is a great variety--it produces attractive, uniform fruit, and many come ripe at the same time. They're very prickly, but I think that's OK. I'm definitely going to plant more of this variety next year, and it's clear that I don't even need to bother starting them indoors.<br /><br />The green beans are continuing to produce heartily, and "Provider" is my favorite variety (as befitting its name). It was the first to produce, and the beans are tender and stringless, with great flavor and a nice shape.<br /><br />I've got tons of greens that I'm not harvesting. It's just hard to get excited about them in the harvest season when there are plenty of other, tastier, things to eat. The important thing is to freeze some of the collards, which are so nice to have during the winter. The komatsuna greens have (amazingly) not bolted yet and they have a succulent, spinach-like flavor (like a cross between spinach and bok choy). I will probably grow more of them next year, starting earlier, so I can appreciate having greens early in the season. The big loser has been the "Garnet Giant" mustard greens--they have yucky flavor, bolted quickly, and dye everything blue or purple. I would be more inclined to use them as an ornamental in the future, since they look cool in the garden.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-2438071958331366332008-09-06T11:24:00.000-07:002008-09-06T11:49:58.804-07:00First Cabbage HarvestMy cabbages came back from the brink a couple weeks ago and are quickly becoming harvest-able. All my cole crops are happy for the cool weather we've been having, though if it continues I fear I will be harvesting only green tomatoes. Today I harvested my first savoy cabbage, picking one that isn't as large as it could get, but which will clear out some space for its neighbor to mature. I cut an X into the stem I left behind, which supposedly will encourage the plant to make 4 more tiny cabbage heads. We'll see.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOhTfE1KsVycmBX8mvk39Ss3psCzQ9g6BJc8kvUXs92khyphenhyphenJggn2W9IzCKO9HYkQaE9eHANBMT12XNJwuxzrJNgHMUA9R72-1Ts-unzbtwwG0XATJ3SD0nV7hWKqI0eX6VlmEXC7_wDo0/s1600-h/9-6_first_savoy_cabbage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxOhTfE1KsVycmBX8mvk39Ss3psCzQ9g6BJc8kvUXs92khyphenhyphenJggn2W9IzCKO9HYkQaE9eHANBMT12XNJwuxzrJNgHMUA9R72-1Ts-unzbtwwG0XATJ3SD0nV7hWKqI0eX6VlmEXC7_wDo0/s320/9-6_first_savoy_cabbage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242976406781937986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I'm thinking of making this one into kimchi. It's not Chinese-style cabbage, but the head is loose enough that I may be able to get the salt in.</span><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Not much else has progressed dramatically in the garden since my last post. I harvested my daikon radishes for kimchi, but they were a touch disappointing. I'd hoped they'd be bigger and/or I'd have more of them, so I wouldn't have to buy radishes from the store, but I think I'll have to. Next year I can plant a larger, longer-maturing variety for more kimchi, though.<br /><br />That still didn't put a damper on my garden enjoyment, as you can see here:<br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-xzlRrLTPwY_82kRsBOmbbrIedlw58HxbU1wCey_gJCqy7XX-jeuvAuMR5koKwEbVcowCD2ndpggot23KdWIqkQm-AEouuleNnGS5TD-2pDBGV4YfZXI60oqtx1jZ-iNRwizPq42Nf4/s1600-h/9-6_a_girl_and_her_cabbage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb-xzlRrLTPwY_82kRsBOmbbrIedlw58HxbU1wCey_gJCqy7XX-jeuvAuMR5koKwEbVcowCD2ndpggot23KdWIqkQm-AEouuleNnGS5TD-2pDBGV4YfZXI60oqtx1jZ-iNRwizPq42Nf4/s320/9-6_a_girl_and_her_cabbage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242976399196595890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Does my baby have my nose?</span><br /></div><br />This past week I've just been harvesting delicious summer squash and thinning my green onions. My carrots are coming along and I ate one of the white ones today--it was wonderfully sweet and zingy. Next year I'll plant way more carrots, because they're just so much better when you grow them at home.<br /><br />Hopefully the weather will warm up a bit to give everyone's garden plants the last little jolt they need. I've been talking to other people and most of them have tons of unripe tomatoes still too. My cabbages have set a lot of fruit but they're still too tiny to harvest--I'm hoping they'll all ripen at once for pickling.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1G-N3tFryg4zKYyrlSbI1JNTJi2uk2m3GOG4XMgPfljisx7RyegXzpVG48_Lw5vtT7B9eou_PL9tJsI6vNWhSamHnO5FObKu8MsGTNM-rEIBJOKiU6BOzJvaJnGTlRHmg3sQ0HDXQ4M/s1600-h/9-5_garden_update_and_me.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1G-N3tFryg4zKYyrlSbI1JNTJi2uk2m3GOG4XMgPfljisx7RyegXzpVG48_Lw5vtT7B9eou_PL9tJsI6vNWhSamHnO5FObKu8MsGTNM-rEIBJOKiU6BOzJvaJnGTlRHmg3sQ0HDXQ4M/s320/9-5_garden_update_and_me.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5242976404819727154" border="0" /></a>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-20477039256115963402008-09-01T12:48:00.000-07:002008-09-01T12:52:20.728-07:00Green Bean UpdateMy green beans are finally producing a usable yield! The Cupidon French Beans are the first ones to be ready. They are actually right on time, it just felt like they were taking a long time because I wanted green beans of my own so badly. The yellow wax beans are probably a lost cause, but the next to harvest will be Provider, and then Giant. So far I've only nibbled on the Cupidons raw, but I think they will cook up well and seem to be stringless.<br /><br />Everything else seems to be marching down the path to harvest. It's already been a very rewarding garden, and I haven't even harvested my cabbages or any large quantities of tomatoes.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-78941485465232393752008-08-24T21:18:00.000-07:002008-08-25T10:34:15.800-07:00Harvest Hopes and Bright Blossoms<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgidZ5HC9mDD8j8IfmUMGfmF97gZobivfeikncVkCqUCegUux7cFMJ3ITsEMazm9vi-Sfeq14aKACxOQTi_V27uK4zge-UWUdXUKIM-fD3472sv6D7RoI9RfuzUFJ98GIIjMWJ7iTBeLUU/s1600-h/8-24_8-ball_zukes.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgidZ5HC9mDD8j8IfmUMGfmF97gZobivfeikncVkCqUCegUux7cFMJ3ITsEMazm9vi-Sfeq14aKACxOQTi_V27uK4zge-UWUdXUKIM-fD3472sv6D7RoI9RfuzUFJ98GIIjMWJ7iTBeLUU/s320/8-24_8-ball_zukes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305487685520514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A variety of zucchini squash known as 'Eight Ball' for obvious reasons. I figured that if I was going to venture into the dangerous territory of growing summer squash, I might as well grow something that would be fun to stuff.<br /></span></div><br />My garden continues to mature at an amazing rate. A burst of cool air has descended on Minnesota, but it's brought with it brilliant sunshine. The combination is making my cole crops very happy but is still bringing along my hot-weather-lovers nicely. Sadly, the crisp nights and slanting sunlight remind us how close fall is. I was hoping to put in fall peas and spinach, but there won't be time for the peas to mature. Next year I'll have to plan better.<br /><br />The median last frost-free date is September 28th here, so I have just over a month for my garden to finish its production. Some of my plants will be OK until it dips into the mid-20s, which generally happens after the first week of October. The full story, with median frost free dates and growing season for many locations in Minnesota, can be found <a href="http://climate.umn.edu/text/historical/frost.txt">here</a>.<br /><br />Fortunately, some of my vegetables that were sluggish to start may just mature within that time. I've also harvested many turnips, radishes, and greens, and my summer squash are just starting their profusion. Even my cabbages appear to have survived the evil moth attack of a couple of weeks ago and are beginning to head beautifully. Below is a pictorial update of the garden.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWKxIJRAtHFNiFPa4BI3bsrKzyfEsC4jZgbUDCiUjQ4fY-9VeLsH4pvJiOhwP7vDAPizzfR6s_8fsgxRH9lClzI-q8ApPmZI6skiHs0CQy1fXkWrk4WIhh9qbHimzqkyvr8mkdz6pq18/s1600-h/8-24_tomatoes_falling_down.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjWKxIJRAtHFNiFPa4BI3bsrKzyfEsC4jZgbUDCiUjQ4fY-9VeLsH4pvJiOhwP7vDAPizzfR6s_8fsgxRH9lClzI-q8ApPmZI6skiHs0CQy1fXkWrk4WIhh9qbHimzqkyvr8mkdz6pq18/s320/8-24_tomatoes_falling_down.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305949972668450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My tomatoes are a complete mess, but starting to be a tasty one.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">After some windy storms my tomatoes have blown down, despite my earlier efforts to stake them up. At this point I'll leave them down since I'm afraid of snapping the brittle stems. They will probably mature anyway, and might even do so better now that there's more light shining into the densely planted area.<br /><br /></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakEmRQhxOawqkrJJRlUViJ6yLbhWfWURS0mA3ZsgmGp4vdRKbUdLAnItNm7-zf_aIgScBO46iGzIFSR_pNfEn-kF4jVwdbNHYrOX1spmFVz6ou8Bmc41kVZhA2G3yT7EtWkZ8uknjoR4/s1600-h/8-24_tiny_greenbean.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakEmRQhxOawqkrJJRlUViJ6yLbhWfWURS0mA3ZsgmGp4vdRKbUdLAnItNm7-zf_aIgScBO46iGzIFSR_pNfEn-kF4jVwdbNHYrOX1spmFVz6ou8Bmc41kVZhA2G3yT7EtWkZ8uknjoR4/s320/8-24_tiny_greenbean.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305943773755570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My beans are finally starting to set fruit, though they are still only knee-high and will probably not produce the yield they would have had with a full season. It's still very exciting. This is the French filet bean, 'Cupidon'.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDCrYa3mgYH-9zUGzXu0BpRzYHIA97FF0rLmrUzJww6i7D6k3uAGkp0VmWVCacOwNFUAhFJQLEhPeQqs_sp67NVzcQm7HW0v7qvTJSYc3Q85jVdEDhbHR0jKHges-YPZ5drjXX3kCo4Y/s1600-h/8-24_tiny_melon.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQDCrYa3mgYH-9zUGzXu0BpRzYHIA97FF0rLmrUzJww6i7D6k3uAGkp0VmWVCacOwNFUAhFJQLEhPeQqs_sp67NVzcQm7HW0v7qvTJSYc3Q85jVdEDhbHR0jKHges-YPZ5drjXX3kCo4Y/s320/8-24_tiny_melon.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305942791330130" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I planted these watermelons on a lark, but with another month to mature, they may yet be edible. They are certainly adorable either way.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRY5jQ9cuiv7g9r_eilbk2gftcIECAVDC_U80tJBUIaO0PXL4QZSJAugluTArJdFoU3eC_m2ZPiBWzqu4vkfwX8xFmV4y8mzApiSsWVhZfCzXVDFFU6_9RHLbg90UgQuSvszU_3KfcMU/s1600-h/8-24_first_amour_cuke.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDRY5jQ9cuiv7g9r_eilbk2gftcIECAVDC_U80tJBUIaO0PXL4QZSJAugluTArJdFoU3eC_m2ZPiBWzqu4vkfwX8xFmV4y8mzApiSsWVhZfCzXVDFFU6_9RHLbg90UgQuSvszU_3KfcMU/s320/8-24_first_amour_cuke.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305495759770610" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Likewise, I took a chance planting these cucumbers from seed. The ones that had enough space and sun have already begun to flower and make fruit. These are 'Amour' pickling cukes.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhn5C4jDQbzzF20FJotmwcDl5Oaq5jn__76ersA56rkiPyTTen2ePU3iZZvXgTyyEZizinlFFJmyahZaze0oN47wrTrBoz5Q4zBNv7StXlcgbpGK2lNtukUvHRCtQM7ukV_IC3FmBpD_Q/s1600-h/8-24_two_cabbages.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhn5C4jDQbzzF20FJotmwcDl5Oaq5jn__76ersA56rkiPyTTen2ePU3iZZvXgTyyEZizinlFFJmyahZaze0oN47wrTrBoz5Q4zBNv7StXlcgbpGK2lNtukUvHRCtQM7ukV_IC3FmBpD_Q/s320/8-24_two_cabbages.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305948121188882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Savoy and 'Stonehead' cabbages looking good and forming heads. I think the savoy cabbage will be great for things like colcannon (I'll post the recipe later). </span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6XnLiUDOZyvNuQlgxXEXtuFYWEiurWl9tmBxqhivFHii6sGbHDxUbZl_17PYwVX8Ac05nvG4S_FYN7IYydwWe2N7UiPasUUyM0C8DdOd3Oje-zugRnRZOYDspj6wYSelA3dtlhoP7u4/s1600-h/8-24_orange_flowers.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii6XnLiUDOZyvNuQlgxXEXtuFYWEiurWl9tmBxqhivFHii6sGbHDxUbZl_17PYwVX8Ac05nvG4S_FYN7IYydwWe2N7UiPasUUyM0C8DdOd3Oje-zugRnRZOYDspj6wYSelA3dtlhoP7u4/s320/8-24_orange_flowers.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305741884673410" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I planted some flowers here and there in the garden to encourage pollinators and add extra color.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU2UmXPloajTJ-1wCRmAA1TRPoLMXHWEm5kERM5ouo8VdwkXgwgCKn9z7lRChafKDfKmFouBwqBqQlPaA0uId0mhWBW8LlT9ekwvH_8r3wcDgsbWbhLoCtZKrQQc7bD_pQZkoUulXrB8/s1600-h/8-24_spider_purslane.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibU2UmXPloajTJ-1wCRmAA1TRPoLMXHWEm5kERM5ouo8VdwkXgwgCKn9z7lRChafKDfKmFouBwqBqQlPaA0uId0mhWBW8LlT9ekwvH_8r3wcDgsbWbhLoCtZKrQQc7bD_pQZkoUulXrB8/s320/8-24_spider_purslane.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305745124396402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A wee spider valiantly standing guard (or maybe just chilling in her hammock?) on a stalk of 'Golden' purslane.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9W7A4TH3hpnecME8LpED9Q107hudFVb9PV4rY2NqMQNkuJPji7oCozrYJKUXHOGJwDdlN0DquBZAket9J6_q0TmWbuS0DfmuAsQ30MIBjeJNCDUX4Y90hdI4-Lb0rk17gLpIzJVR0ow/s1600-h/8-24_squash_blossom_jungle.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH9W7A4TH3hpnecME8LpED9Q107hudFVb9PV4rY2NqMQNkuJPji7oCozrYJKUXHOGJwDdlN0DquBZAket9J6_q0TmWbuS0DfmuAsQ30MIBjeJNCDUX4Y90hdI4-Lb0rk17gLpIzJVR0ow/s320/8-24_squash_blossom_jungle.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305750870278562" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I call this 'Squash Blossom Jungle'. </span><br /></div><br />The flowers are really tucked down in the depths of the plants, which are quite poky, by the way. I haven't made any fried squash blossoms yet because I'm afraid I'll accidentally harvest female flowers, reducing my squash harvest. The male blossoms seem to be on stalks, while the female ones are more sessile against the stem, so I might be able to get some blossoms without causing harm.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQOa0b89EM6PmHJb8kzmFcA11GVEzxXCRWMrVGRHi5Si1e6t9JAh-AYxpoC69njyX9SlyuRv_A6C7XPDJS4_xISZ4gvPbCbUDhvD6_InPmUmy80tfuG64s-G7EcjjknBB9jkA2mcF6l8/s1600-h/8-24_bee_in_blossom.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPQOa0b89EM6PmHJb8kzmFcA11GVEzxXCRWMrVGRHi5Si1e6t9JAh-AYxpoC69njyX9SlyuRv_A6C7XPDJS4_xISZ4gvPbCbUDhvD6_InPmUmy80tfuG64s-G7EcjjknBB9jkA2mcF6l8/s320/8-24_bee_in_blossom.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305490539067650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's a cheeky little bee visiting a female flower (IIRC) with a load of pollen.</span><br /><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajV2JdcG641YsqkzsHdB5jEbBJENNwtN4pUqv1a-8N02Qlb4P13j9QQWsyNAV-Vln87ifSSx33X1VB2g8gRXhwaVvzfWhARgCcxjQxCW_6a9Dhf1gvnBPWXppjiXjqMxg6ET2xqtXI_4/s1600-h/8-24_teeny_patty_pan.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhajV2JdcG641YsqkzsHdB5jEbBJENNwtN4pUqv1a-8N02Qlb4P13j9QQWsyNAV-Vln87ifSSx33X1VB2g8gRXhwaVvzfWhARgCcxjQxCW_6a9Dhf1gvnBPWXppjiXjqMxg6ET2xqtXI_4/s320/8-24_teeny_patty_pan.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305750124419810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I still can't believe how adorable the teensy patty pan squash are right now. They're a bit more slow-growing than the zukes, but they will be SOOO delicious.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcvEGYKH5-KOeT7N8KRxAT2eZkzjoQ9_YZemYb7-3amwruOSiNNJjHhQRoh-sZtLZY2ZnEJdxh_RPg9RC9JKKgVNe3uMb5hmGsf4dm1Pfg99oj_9Mh86x7c2ZAAdiwCuRH8r0PO5d4ZE/s1600-h/8-24_cabbage_rose.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcvEGYKH5-KOeT7N8KRxAT2eZkzjoQ9_YZemYb7-3amwruOSiNNJjHhQRoh-sZtLZY2ZnEJdxh_RPg9RC9JKKgVNe3uMb5hmGsf4dm1Pfg99oj_9Mh86x7c2ZAAdiwCuRH8r0PO5d4ZE/s320/8-24_cabbage_rose.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305492993550258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Who needs cabbage roses when you can have rose-like cabbages? </span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BDZy3xzxKlXkfb9VWWrtZfWuS_aigvL-p-3Ogxg-tIvgOVE41d565oZrC0Ml3_mi7tu6JY_5xyFS6Sh2TX_08gkJ2A-rCbHZ9kPKMlvl9XmN_AeJ8nvdR9uVLYorMZhlbL5lDUzT1XI/s1600-h/8-24_headless_red_cabbage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4BDZy3xzxKlXkfb9VWWrtZfWuS_aigvL-p-3Ogxg-tIvgOVE41d565oZrC0Ml3_mi7tu6JY_5xyFS6Sh2TX_08gkJ2A-rCbHZ9kPKMlvl9XmN_AeJ8nvdR9uVLYorMZhlbL5lDUzT1XI/s320/8-24_headless_red_cabbage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305498621852322" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My 'Red Acre' cabbages aren't doing so well. In the past my red cabbages have grown better than the green ones, but this time they're struggling. These seemed to have difficulty getting established and are more sensitive to water stress and evil moth nibbling.</span><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bgVNBXiX7Q_GnZdIDKrj9snC-dZ6bLDeZnHL4yugJoKRSNLf_lN37jQmbSUorhlTyeSfb6r7DXtcrBK4GM0Hr8pR0MgLhUIVTwCErvb9pSGDrvl2NUNqiQUU-Z3Qo-5XUtyIXIH71yk/s1600-h/8-24_moon_food.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5bgVNBXiX7Q_GnZdIDKrj9snC-dZ6bLDeZnHL4yugJoKRSNLf_lN37jQmbSUorhlTyeSfb6r7DXtcrBK4GM0Hr8pR0MgLhUIVTwCErvb9pSGDrvl2NUNqiQUU-Z3Qo-5XUtyIXIH71yk/s320/8-24_moon_food.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5238305740405487842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Anyone who can name this 'moon food', as Dan calls it, wins a box of donuts!</span> </div>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-48442430415289589932008-08-21T19:01:00.000-07:002008-08-21T19:15:59.350-07:00Harvest Season Gets UnderwayThe other day I went to all the trouble of taking and uploading pictures and then I completely forgot to update my blog with them! It's 35 days after my main planting on July 17th and already I'm harvesting things. Here are some photos from August 19th, showing the progress of the garden and some of the fruits of my labors. These are in no particular order.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-FzOWAfNw0ih6Mygsz56q7RmH3ACsOO41RB4mt26KlPXOEwN3FyeirOcIGUtdvtiLjyJmOq0RlDzIRY8MOvJIUGrvoqpDRN4WTa775anoE7f7CaN-8LTjcjJyWaOSzxWMqV8Zidaig0/s1600-h/8-19_garden_update.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE-FzOWAfNw0ih6Mygsz56q7RmH3ACsOO41RB4mt26KlPXOEwN3FyeirOcIGUtdvtiLjyJmOq0RlDzIRY8MOvJIUGrvoqpDRN4WTa775anoE7f7CaN-8LTjcjJyWaOSzxWMqV8Zidaig0/s320/8-19_garden_update.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157355358227362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The garden, just over one month after planting. The tomatoes are almost as tall as me and I've given up trying to stake them up. So far they have lots of flowers and green fruit.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCXcXrI3x9SHbAU1cwYZL5wp4j3fErnuQFuhm-bozZlJ1eLT0JZr2tjBEikn1S2a-7tegcq5rWqSsyD9V_sMhKZvlxXhYpUKGI-LGjKFdKepIJZ6mT3I-GwEjivECTUjZ1DEYkaKuHdw/s1600-h/8-19_growing_cuke.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPCXcXrI3x9SHbAU1cwYZL5wp4j3fErnuQFuhm-bozZlJ1eLT0JZr2tjBEikn1S2a-7tegcq5rWqSsyD9V_sMhKZvlxXhYpUKGI-LGjKFdKepIJZ6mT3I-GwEjivECTUjZ1DEYkaKuHdw/s320/8-19_growing_cuke.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157354697328402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I planted this cabbage from seed and it might just have a chance of setting fruit before the snow flies. No flowers yet, though.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrc-1k8KeLIyryZW781ijyfiyY9IG_16wipEtaIsJTbTHoZsENviQgDZVJk9Kd89WqiajByT11ySl1dRM7wuOeWtvdKI_QXsUZ1zbBxVoF24sU1Elz4Hc0OXqaUmSl6m3b-moYQ8eNZY/s1600-h/8-19_scarlet_queen_nip.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUrc-1k8KeLIyryZW781ijyfiyY9IG_16wipEtaIsJTbTHoZsENviQgDZVJk9Kd89WqiajByT11ySl1dRM7wuOeWtvdKI_QXsUZ1zbBxVoF24sU1Elz4Hc0OXqaUmSl6m3b-moYQ8eNZY/s320/8-19_scarlet_queen_nip.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157358476423458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Scarlet Queen turnips--they are just so beautiful. Their greens also grew a lot taller and straighter than the other turnips, making them even more distinctive.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8ACd57Q-ypiLhC4f4Fhar_sJckmKREf4LFKpYer9las1kMGSzZ_-_4WVtKcjflhGdqg35Y4c1COJmUVHyR2vsWuZItPYSGt4tp0prZq35Kbphpm-EQxwjhwbpQO5S2wuS8d7ChdbNCM/s1600-h/8-19_washing_nips.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu8ACd57Q-ypiLhC4f4Fhar_sJckmKREf4LFKpYer9las1kMGSzZ_-_4WVtKcjflhGdqg35Y4c1COJmUVHyR2vsWuZItPYSGt4tp0prZq35Kbphpm-EQxwjhwbpQO5S2wuS8d7ChdbNCM/s320/8-19_washing_nips.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157360324477106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My first turnip harvest! Definitely the most adorable vegetable, I am looking forward to making them into tasty pickles this weekend as more mature.<br /><br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWcWw_N0KdfgQf9PlCgrBQqdEghn0H0xRKGoeg6Kg6hgjB9IkcjXxd-h5MMJ-mnEtU3ESMy-SKGIJi9VbsQbWBD6mgnv8Ua9-VrnV2KXM0suf7hd5KPWcFypXCgl0O0e-nM4cbSk_aVo/s1600-h/8-19_bucket_o_nips.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsWcWw_N0KdfgQf9PlCgrBQqdEghn0H0xRKGoeg6Kg6hgjB9IkcjXxd-h5MMJ-mnEtU3ESMy-SKGIJi9VbsQbWBD6mgnv8Ua9-VrnV2KXM0suf7hd5KPWcFypXCgl0O0e-nM4cbSk_aVo/s320/8-19_bucket_o_nips.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157078919594338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I was too exhausted to do anything with the greens so I guiltily composted them.<br /></span></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREZxBv104QrnwXC-lRZkkg56_fv2y32TryJQF1RcN-9tirYQ2hiy8LF5aMMnCC33_CPEvigdYbl15fxaQE1y_w1GDvDtKrqw6k6qPDJjwqBQYMkU3JK9ZtWVmtss1xvsd7x8LtfP0v_c/s1600-h/8-19_cabbage_damage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhREZxBv104QrnwXC-lRZkkg56_fv2y32TryJQF1RcN-9tirYQ2hiy8LF5aMMnCC33_CPEvigdYbl15fxaQE1y_w1GDvDtKrqw6k6qPDJjwqBQYMkU3JK9ZtWVmtss1xvsd7x8LtfP0v_c/s320/8-19_cabbage_damage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157083587298034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Here's a closeup of some of the caterpillar damage.<br /><br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3hmq5mD-iTqu6xwnPCd08jRMv-hQcFSoMD4jBkT5pB4hxFLdKlTP-dHtog54LtNqwkxRymejJrCLFc1AGiGx8irdh9nngSC5_0K3_Cy-G178JDT2n1DrlyUOpANd6NtiVtdNomGz4pw/s1600-h/8-19_cabbage_heading_w_holes.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc3hmq5mD-iTqu6xwnPCd08jRMv-hQcFSoMD4jBkT5pB4hxFLdKlTP-dHtog54LtNqwkxRymejJrCLFc1AGiGx8irdh9nngSC5_0K3_Cy-G178JDT2n1DrlyUOpANd6NtiVtdNomGz4pw/s320/8-19_cabbage_heading_w_holes.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157091101953730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amazingly, though, the cabbages are starting to head. I may need to sprinkle them with bug killer again once the rain lets up, but they are well on their way to being sauerkraut now.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN7EvdyXWNUc8-ATagLpjErEA9NQlZTiLmu9HJuhwfhGpzY8ueujbXIhbfXwAARZKqcGt5L6qNzOkX5kskP3DwtXXZm1Tqctn0_AOt9cosgzi4aMUuq1t00QjoxgjzVrLWXk7D8h7jUI/s1600-h/8-19_first_bean_bloom.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZN7EvdyXWNUc8-ATagLpjErEA9NQlZTiLmu9HJuhwfhGpzY8ueujbXIhbfXwAARZKqcGt5L6qNzOkX5kskP3DwtXXZm1Tqctn0_AOt9cosgzi4aMUuq1t00QjoxgjzVrLWXk7D8h7jUI/s320/8-19_first_bean_bloom.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157093844721570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My first bean blossoms. Come on little guys, you can make beans before winter, I just know it!</span><br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTK7ilVzgVv8Efk3mL6w-ZwoXt9bIuI9yK7CpMvdzivFKXrQNDyYG9a8ZbfC4EuK_ApIVXwAy_hA3fQQD_dQ92pSwVMG-Dh7r-wa8wBKPUAyfzuVer0lvCUTc4JobhvEpYNewGaVygbg/s1600-h/8-19_first_red_tom.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUTK7ilVzgVv8Efk3mL6w-ZwoXt9bIuI9yK7CpMvdzivFKXrQNDyYG9a8ZbfC4EuK_ApIVXwAy_hA3fQQD_dQ92pSwVMG-Dh7r-wa8wBKPUAyfzuVer0lvCUTc4JobhvEpYNewGaVygbg/s320/8-19_first_red_tom.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5237157100153734594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">And hooray! My first tomato of the season (Rutgers variety). It was tomato-tastic, though one side was home to some kind of naughty bug. I ate the rest though and it was like mainlining summer.<br /></span></div><br />So that's the update as we zoom headlong into fall. Yesterday at the bakery I took an order for a cake for the day after labor day! It's really just around the corner. It's amazing that I was able to pull off this garden and it's been very rewarding, even though harvest is just beginning. It's my first real garden and the results are amazing. After our deluge a week ago we had more dry weather, so I started watering again. Today, though, we had a nice gentle rainfall that will help the plants to fill out.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-25017442069895187192008-08-18T22:04:00.001-07:002008-08-18T22:08:21.645-07:00First Harvest - Shunkyo Red Radishes<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpwa28nP7TUcfAcdSAzVy5eWAJptvB0xCJ041-GBSDYYFbI44ueTzqc16aDRTm7NqFwq1ZeHHv4mPlhlZu3cxYNBCumxD8dQnT8_H8DD3XOqbP3OfNGtmqFKgUxPQe2jzXkD1nqQOCCU/s1600-h/red_radishes2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKpwa28nP7TUcfAcdSAzVy5eWAJptvB0xCJ041-GBSDYYFbI44ueTzqc16aDRTm7NqFwq1ZeHHv4mPlhlZu3cxYNBCumxD8dQnT8_H8DD3XOqbP3OfNGtmqFKgUxPQe2jzXkD1nqQOCCU/s320/red_radishes2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5236090412449161970" border="0" /></a><br />Hooray! I have my first real harvest from the garden, beside the leaves of mustard greens that I've been picking here and there. These radishes are righteously spicy, so I wasn't sure what to do with them at first, since they'd overpower any kind of salad. I wrote to the wonderful <a href="http://www.maangchi.com/">Maangchi </a>for some advice, and sure enough she replied with a tasty kimchi recipe. I'll cross-post the results with the food blog in a few days, after the fermentation is complete. For the time being I'll admire my beautiful and bold radishes. Soon it will be turnip time!Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-50659216448890429022008-08-13T18:16:00.000-07:002008-08-14T08:27:24.839-07:00Update and Caterpillar Nightmare!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNmyAZc09ZMVI9jW5oneXDuO6yk_f4PLcATnuL8Ose3IlyQj0_Dn53wjvCU1c0DeY3WiO0VhmABHUiq0EHrsljlmhVq-OnDi6cYPRJkDhXJ7KKeVUy3WKlVhAm8dc9BWvivN3R75V_8E/s1600-h/clouds_negspace_8-12.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTNmyAZc09ZMVI9jW5oneXDuO6yk_f4PLcATnuL8Ose3IlyQj0_Dn53wjvCU1c0DeY3WiO0VhmABHUiq0EHrsljlmhVq-OnDi6cYPRJkDhXJ7KKeVUy3WKlVhAm8dc9BWvivN3R75V_8E/s320/clouds_negspace_8-12.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194610132584050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Another obligatory cloud shot. On this one I was having fun with negative space, and I like the effect.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmGwAlYLvUcGvNnsmSt5vicjN718pq83XldoniC8YCvC0ujGaMtB5Kef_S6lJR56NlNLiM3ZL27iTznicAriLu30H464i8VWmx4djv8V0kVxTjralmOHMZIAYaBbdA5eGgu4Ykh7XkBQ/s1600-h/8-10_garden_update.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQmGwAlYLvUcGvNnsmSt5vicjN718pq83XldoniC8YCvC0ujGaMtB5Kef_S6lJR56NlNLiM3ZL27iTznicAriLu30H464i8VWmx4djv8V0kVxTjralmOHMZIAYaBbdA5eGgu4Ykh7XkBQ/s320/8-10_garden_update.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194611448094434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My garden as of August 10th. The weed pressure has been very minor since I planted so late and the weather's been dry. Even in a large-ish garden I don't have to do much control. The landlord has since mown the surrounding weeds down.</span><br /></div><br />It's been ages since I last updated and things in the garden have changed. We had several weeks of dry weather and then some soaking rainstorms, which seem to have jolted the garden out of its dry slumber. My tomatoes are thriving, my beans are finally getting ready to flower, my peppers are flowering, and my turnips have shot up like crazy. Since most people around here are already harvesting the above vegetables, we'll just have to see if these catch up.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPaYP91Pq183XFgFv-x8s2nW0gIxGaccesQM9FD9jQMhfv2IaBsbaMEYxDCDYm1_y8xeflum4nbEK6u31N7wWTd7FD4k18LSR7AJW-neWVLPjGeLGiIcRSnuLQWmeLAUpVR1AMVRUvOU/s1600-h/8-10_garnet_mustard.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnPaYP91Pq183XFgFv-x8s2nW0gIxGaccesQM9FD9jQMhfv2IaBsbaMEYxDCDYm1_y8xeflum4nbEK6u31N7wWTd7FD4k18LSR7AJW-neWVLPjGeLGiIcRSnuLQWmeLAUpVR1AMVRUvOU/s320/8-10_garnet_mustard.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194616656700370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My 'Garnet Giant' mustard greens are doing well. They're tasty, but zingy enough to need cooking. I love the color.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLs01qaFEi9VkQ9xbEaPMzsEbXSwz69ATEo2XZMluVSbEOxdXOnn3Ub3YV7HvEwRcdUUt6NvlEDH8RM0HhLzgA7HlIxcVKWhiIfdhrTu9MGWD8Fn2n-FIT-YLYnfebtQfF4JzKMkiV9k/s1600-h/8-10_first_acorn.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLs01qaFEi9VkQ9xbEaPMzsEbXSwz69ATEo2XZMluVSbEOxdXOnn3Ub3YV7HvEwRcdUUt6NvlEDH8RM0HhLzgA7HlIxcVKWhiIfdhrTu9MGWD8Fn2n-FIT-YLYnfebtQfF4JzKMkiV9k/s320/8-10_first_acorn.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234194620345355874" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">My first acorn squash. I got this on impulse at the garden store and put it in a neglected corner of the garden, but it seems to be doing well after a couple weeks of droopiness.</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxVE2SZSuK1rBdbmyIo7e59OZzBojsOT6hLvhwLZBOft3WBbQpBNAGZj1EDMTHJc50gb3K_fTRwYnPUKdNBS2jOiqAAEJAYjc6I0r0XV7fd-ZqnM6t1a0cwBiZYj6ijGBErPOLjSoHDA/s1600-h/8-10_green_toms.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvxVE2SZSuK1rBdbmyIo7e59OZzBojsOT6hLvhwLZBOft3WBbQpBNAGZj1EDMTHJc50gb3K_fTRwYnPUKdNBS2jOiqAAEJAYjc6I0r0XV7fd-ZqnM6t1a0cwBiZYj6ijGBErPOLjSoHDA/s320/8-10_green_toms.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234206806037497778" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Does anything smell as good as a tomato plant? Oh I hope these make it to maturity!</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LepEcwd-OIJl0i2q3ggdSZ9OKnYSg88y7UpHBW7WyEZYNjCZMGipRNFx78YKBHXvPfykutpyWTO8V06j7FP9h9pVluX2uZGHeGYT5b7MJ1yR1P_SsbxRZKYwLKgnwNkVm-j0el0yPKo/s1600-h/8-10_cukes_young&old.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2LepEcwd-OIJl0i2q3ggdSZ9OKnYSg88y7UpHBW7WyEZYNjCZMGipRNFx78YKBHXvPfykutpyWTO8V06j7FP9h9pVluX2uZGHeGYT5b7MJ1yR1P_SsbxRZKYwLKgnwNkVm-j0el0yPKo/s320/8-10_cukes_young&old.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234206803871055554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This shot would have been cooler if I had a manual focus. In the foreground is a cucumber I bought as a seedling, and in the background are seeds I planted. In the few days since I've taken this photo, they've developed at least 2 true leaves.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">When I planted this garden I tried to remain detached, since it's my first time with a real, full-size garden, and I had no idea if I'd succeed. I couldn't help but get emotionally invested, though, and now I'm terribly upset by the possible demise of my cabbages. This is worsened, of course, by my desire to make gallons and gallons of sauerkraut.<br /><br />It turns out that the pretty white butterflies that were 'gracing' my garden are known as 'Introduced Cabbage Moths'. They ugly eggs at the base of the petioles of cole crops, which hatch into velvety green caterpillars. RAVENOUS green caterpillars. They go to town on the leaves, leaving shot holes and eventually destroying or at least greatly reducing yield.<br /><br />They tend to be a problem later in the year because they've had months to reproduce. It probably doesn't help that the garden was surrounded by massive weeds that the landlord hadn't mowed, where the moths could have been chilling out and reproducing on cruciferae family weeds.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfY5929xEEUmJ-qysxgASgDJJGiBdjskJ2tQ6dlNjAC0iAO3BIf_zxbJs6R1KwK8M1fowisxOVzPjL0-DlfyfgZU7FM6Ret0MDQi_Cy1i0vvfJ1hZ0njJM18wvnfBWBBo-f-pbcehJOA/s1600-h/evilmoths2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDfY5929xEEUmJ-qysxgASgDJJGiBdjskJ2tQ6dlNjAC0iAO3BIf_zxbJs6R1KwK8M1fowisxOVzPjL0-DlfyfgZU7FM6Ret0MDQi_Cy1i0vvfJ1hZ0njJM18wvnfBWBBo-f-pbcehJOA/s320/evilmoths2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234210645039358930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">These were nifty until I realized they were massacring my cole crops :'-(</span><br /></div><br /><br /></div> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLykbRZ0xYe51w1dbrdGb8cYPaD4MUD-iI03k4hLeQsBww2csMfejvslanIf51CR9sKXxoj9QEdp7bYGdgyoBQuvMngeSgkHOS71z416zGE4d-Vo3Sm7ZjxxeKSuNsecLwRG9LepFNNtM/s1600-h/8-10_savoy_cabbage.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLykbRZ0xYe51w1dbrdGb8cYPaD4MUD-iI03k4hLeQsBww2csMfejvslanIf51CR9sKXxoj9QEdp7bYGdgyoBQuvMngeSgkHOS71z416zGE4d-Vo3Sm7ZjxxeKSuNsecLwRG9LepFNNtM/s320/8-10_savoy_cabbage.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234206809347999650" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This head of savoy cabbage isn't too badly affected by the evil worms, but you can see some of their naughty nibbling.</span><br /></div><br />So, even though I swore I wouldn't go to great lengths to save my garden from threats, I did anyway and bought up some insecticide at the hardware store. I wanted to start with tamer stuff so I got insecticidal soap and pyrethrin dust. My attempts at control were interrupted by a trip to the City and an all-day rainstorm, so the damage got worse.<br /><br />I started by picking all the caterpillars I could find off of the leaves and throwing them in a bucket to drown. Then I started spraying both sides of the leaves with the insecticidal soap, but the squirt bottle was a piece of junk and would stop working every 3-4 pumps. This drove me nuts, but I got as far as I could before it got dark (about 2/3 of the plants). After a day and a half, when it stopped raining (this morning), I gave up on the insecticidal soap and switched to pyrethrin dust. It stuck fairly well to the leaves and was much easier to use than the soap--I focused it on the stem and petioles. By this time, the eggs had swollen ominously. It's supposed to kill insects on contact, so hopefully it killed any that hatched this morning. Unfortunately it poured rain today and washed the powder off a few hours later. Pyrethrins are quickly de-activated by sunlight, so perhaps I didn't loose that much activity anyway. In the future I will apply it in the evening when there's no rain predicted.<br /><br />Who knows if my efforts to save my cabbages will succeed or not. I'll probably apply the pyrethrins again, and then consider that enough. There's always the colorfully rustic local farmer's market. There's only one stand that seems to grow vegetables professionally--the others are just people who planted extra and shelled out $5 to put up a stand at the market. Oh yeah, and the old lady who sells the junk out of her house and uses the market as an opportunity to chat with everyone in town. She specializes dogeared dime-store romance novels :-P<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5tJM62oY-r7GVmGrP9VdVIjmTG7sH1XhdkUTjoa0r1Ds5byHzdlsj4o5CE7Hprwj_LNK0ttKVTBtHHVVLaNXfvbN-G1n8g-dA2KiU50_MXHJQCRQpnj0y9EWnNWtpjElYWfLoRFWXNY/s1600-h/8-20_sad_collards.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj5tJM62oY-r7GVmGrP9VdVIjmTG7sH1XhdkUTjoa0r1Ds5byHzdlsj4o5CE7Hprwj_LNK0ttKVTBtHHVVLaNXfvbN-G1n8g-dA2KiU50_MXHJQCRQpnj0y9EWnNWtpjElYWfLoRFWXNY/s320/8-20_sad_collards.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234206811484038226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The collards don't seem to like the heat, so I may need to seed a third time, or just give up on them.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> You can see an evil moth on the left, just waiting to wreak more havoc.</span><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWix8Q6ojSBV-VeueF3cSxaWpODbBgGroqMhVgq9c6s1LcIwcWhcankNAXMctX1w7JuK2gFT1U53BP0yZ5EQD_nw37cjB41Hp0J0G31CIqWVMv07bU0NL7NydwzQ81FnlDp-y8ME_54ak/s1600-h/8-10_no_yellow_wax.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWix8Q6ojSBV-VeueF3cSxaWpODbBgGroqMhVgq9c6s1LcIwcWhcankNAXMctX1w7JuK2gFT1U53BP0yZ5EQD_nw37cjB41Hp0J0G31CIqWVMv07bU0NL7NydwzQ81FnlDp-y8ME_54ak/s320/8-10_no_yellow_wax.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234206815115523218" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The 'Carson Yellow Wax' beans haven't sprouted at all, much to my disappointment. I'm not sure if it's a bad batch of seed, the heat, or if the resident critters just like to eat the seeds right out of the soil.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Other than the cabbages, things are going pretty well. There are some plants that don't like the heat, so I may do yet another planting. They're doing a little better with the mass of cool air that's hanging over MN, courtesy of Hudson Bay. Let's hope it persists (as it's predicted to)...despite the cold, wet spring the crops seem to be happy this summer and MN is expecting a record harvest (though of course that's due to a record corn PLANTING, thanks to crazy high prices).<br /></div></div>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-32076442106687243432008-08-01T12:09:00.000-07:002008-08-01T12:17:47.893-07:00Tomatoes have been Staked<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStf6VmjWbXPxZft96xzuIAKI34890ws-PbzrtTgT_M-ybYdpwR_4xT5OsOzPsDwScEa7L4GlKvDTnFNPorCulgEI_xzJDnReDGf45BeWnUE-bmprYlPLAeFFRe4xm9c9f_QwLrEmhPG4/s1600-h/7-31bigstormcloud.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStf6VmjWbXPxZft96xzuIAKI34890ws-PbzrtTgT_M-ybYdpwR_4xT5OsOzPsDwScEa7L4GlKvDTnFNPorCulgEI_xzJDnReDGf45BeWnUE-bmprYlPLAeFFRe4xm9c9f_QwLrEmhPG4/s320/7-31bigstormcloud.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5229629716469061826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Another breathtaking cloud on the march.</span><br /><br /></div>If my tomatoes were vampires they'd be so dead. I staked most of them up using the wire frames that my landlords left with the barn. I have 21 plants (or rather mounds--some contain more than one tomato plant) and I staked up the western 2/3rds of them with the wire and did my best with the boxelder branches I cut a few weeks ago. I will definitely need to keep monitoring the tomatoes and tying them up as they grow. A couple of plants were damaged by lodging and a couple were damaged as I staked them, but hopefully they will recover.<br /><br />So far two of my tomatoes are infected with what seems to be bacterial wilt. One died completely and the other is wilting and looking like it's walking towards the light. If the second one dies I will try a diagnostic test in which you put the infected stem in water and see if it exudes a nasty slime. If it does, it died from bacterial wilt. One additional symptom is yellowing of the lower leaves, which I didn't see, so it could be a different problem altogether. See factsheet <a href="http://www.avrdc.org/pdf/tomato/bacterial_wilt.pdf">here</a>.<br /><br />At this point I think the most likely explanation is that the stems got fertilizer burn and the ones that had it the worst are the ones dying.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-44585161612968782542008-07-30T08:29:00.000-07:002008-07-30T08:54:33.454-07:00Re-seeding and General Update<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-fXufJWTs_ZJMxviGp4t2h2a1L7XEmq9cxxSOnrZn8nRfLdYlPq5WwyoGDxhL2tST8W34dnMyAof8lCIyCpad_iyio_21y4y2vYzlF5MG7GpRXwccWOxGdsYuoGRE0eYJjw24oYHdbg/s1600-h/daikontrueleaves.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC-fXufJWTs_ZJMxviGp4t2h2a1L7XEmq9cxxSOnrZn8nRfLdYlPq5WwyoGDxhL2tST8W34dnMyAof8lCIyCpad_iyio_21y4y2vYzlF5MG7GpRXwccWOxGdsYuoGRE0eYJjw24oYHdbg/s320/daikontrueleaves.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228830043057590882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">First true leaves on my daikon seedlings.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3WWN6xT7SCcDnhkodZxmNrX9zOSOV5immeZL0xi2GcEW1xxdfOG1FH3qDP5gaKQb0-V4hTv9zxlrn_ZdBXj_2n8OgdFcNOTomz3iFXErvgLtOBVHMmMd_iWrYk2WedfsVTteSXZGQ8I/s1600-h/6-29update.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ3WWN6xT7SCcDnhkodZxmNrX9zOSOV5immeZL0xi2GcEW1xxdfOG1FH3qDP5gaKQb0-V4hTv9zxlrn_ZdBXj_2n8OgdFcNOTomz3iFXErvgLtOBVHMmMd_iWrYk2WedfsVTteSXZGQ8I/s320/6-29update.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228830051201598306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">A happy garden hastily photographed due to mosquito attack. </span><br /></div><br />My garden is coming along nicely, and the tomatoes and herbs especially seem to be thriving. Some seeds didn't do so well and I got low germination, so yesterday I re-seeded. The problem was worst among my green beans, where I got less than 50% germination and zero germination of the Carson Yellow Wax variety. I suspect that the seeds were predated in whole or in part and then rotted beneath the soil. My reasoning is that when I dug in the rows I found few seeds, and those that I found seemed to have holes in them and were rotted. (Though the rotting itself could have caused the holes, so who knows).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 51);">July 29th:</span><br />Re-seeded<br /><ul><li>Toscano Kale</li><li>Champion Collards</li><li>Hakurei Turnips</li><li>Scarlet Queen Turnip</li><li>Amour Pickling Cucumber<br /></li><li>All varieties of green bean<br /></li></ul>Next I need to pop in a couple of more cabbage plants. I had one more red cabbage plant die on me--for whatever reason they didn't take to the transplanting. My sorrel hasn't germinated, or if it has I can't identify it. I will wait a while longer and then decide if I want to re-plant or maybe put in some Thai basil.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/images/fullsize/0250redsorreltiny.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/images/fullsize/0250redsorreltiny.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>A red sorrel seedling from the<a href="http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=250"> Ohio State Website. </a>My sorrel isn't red, but the seedlings should look something like that.<br /><br />Beyond some low germination, things seem to be going well. I'm getting some leaf predation by flea beetles on my turnips and radishes (though fortunately as that's increased the nibbling on my cabbages has decreased). I might look into getting some floating row cover, but I haven't been able to find it at the couple of stores I checked at. I don't know how much aerial holes will prevent root development--I'm most interested in the roots and if nibbled leaves is the cost of keeping my cabbage un-eaten, I'll happily sacrifice my turnip greens.<br /><br />My peppers are still playing head-games with me, but haven't died or anything, so that's good. Many of my tomatoes plants have unripe fruit now, byt I've learned not to 'count one's chickens before they hatch' when it comes to tomatoes, so I'm cautiously excited.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTb4K1dNQHZgOcWh5457I2qBcCdDuXxidvCLAZKWombVJ8WHIheLgqoZ-_eofmCKXN5SNVKWrAczhtYa_3rS-Aq9pxEKi9cVcPyEf-cUOH7jCs8yMmMBss7uWnzfZurOKFLIOabiThzM/s1600-h/blurryfirstcuke.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTb4K1dNQHZgOcWh5457I2qBcCdDuXxidvCLAZKWombVJ8WHIheLgqoZ-_eofmCKXN5SNVKWrAczhtYa_3rS-Aq9pxEKi9cVcPyEf-cUOH7jCs8yMmMBss7uWnzfZurOKFLIOabiThzM/s320/blurryfirstcuke.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228830058113806546" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Amazingly, I have one pickling cuke! It matured so quickly because I bought it as a large greenhouse seedling. What do I do with one pickling cuke?</span><br /></div><br />Weather-wise it's been a pretty typical few weeks of summer. Hot days in the low- to mid-eighties with rain or a thundershower every 3-4 days. I pulled back on watering a bit, but I'll go back to it to keep the new seedbeds moist. We're going to have some extremely hot weather this weekend, so hopefully it won't damage anything.<br /><br />Weed-wise, the redroot pigweed is finally starting to pop up significantly. The seedlings are still quite small, though, so they're easy to control. It's the dominant weed, joined also by lambsquarters, purslane, and cheese-weed, and a few grass species in the mulched areas. I think the mulch brought in the grass seed--I should make more of an effort to identify it, but I usually pull it out before it's big enough to do so conclusively.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-1330822510898360852008-07-24T15:52:00.000-07:002008-07-24T16:00:48.242-07:00Carrots are Catching up, General Update<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Carrots</span><br /></div>My carrots are starting to emerge, so perhaps I didn't doom them to rot in the ground after all. The dill and cilantro seeds I sprinkled around at the last minute are coming up too, so perhaps <span style="font-style: italic;">Apiaceae</span> simply take a little longer to get going.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Other Veggies</span><br /></div>On the other hand, many of my collards and beans have not yet emerged, so I may have to re-plant. We're going out of town this weekend, so I'll give them until Monday to hustle up out of the soil.<br /><br />One of my cabbages died (a Red Acre) out of the 15 or-so others. That's pretty good for a plant that's known to transplant poorly. I still have a few extra seedlings, so I'll put another one in. The red cabbage has looked the most unhappy, so I don't know if it's the variety or how they were treated before I got them. Hopefully the green varieties will keep doing well.<br /><br />The peppers are back to wilting again, but now they're growing dark green leaves up top. I can only assume that's a good thing, as I have no idea what to think at this point.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Water Management</span><br /></div>I think I was over-watering things, so I'm going to pull back a bit. I'll try to keep it more around the recommended 1" per week, with the exception of the seedlings, which I've been watering every 1-2 days to keep the soil moist.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phenology</span><br /></div>The corn in our 'neighborhood' is finally tasseling. It's so tall we can't see the road anymore, which is nice. Hopefully the harvest will be good after such a crazy spring.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-37064518061428930572008-07-22T15:11:00.000-07:002008-07-22T16:02:18.852-07:00Composting Has BegunI finally got my compost pile started. It took a lot of machete-ing to clear the weeds out of the NE corner of the garden. There were a lot of boxelder saplings growing there, so I chopped them down to make stakes for my tomatoes. I'm not sure if they'll be sturdy enough late in the season, but for now they'll at least keep the leaves off the ground. Now I guess it's time to read up on composting.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-30034531800331860922008-07-20T18:20:00.000-07:002008-07-20T18:36:55.912-07:00Seedlings Starting to Emerge!<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw64U8V-7wmc_NkiFKRyqsVzi01G2Zz0kCyf72FmHXT4EYaYF9gq9NwUkho0uDpGORQV2PzyuhRozhwfNf7MqrlBdxO24ikt8CcbfQBqYXlTsIxyL8yx5oOr1-r1NTsJcrHq7Rjc9bAmo/s1600-h/daikonemerg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw64U8V-7wmc_NkiFKRyqsVzi01G2Zz0kCyf72FmHXT4EYaYF9gq9NwUkho0uDpGORQV2PzyuhRozhwfNf7MqrlBdxO24ikt8CcbfQBqYXlTsIxyL8yx5oOr1-r1NTsJcrHq7Rjc9bAmo/s320/daikonemerg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225272696100392802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Daikon radish seedlings peeking out of the soil to say 'Hi'.<br /></span></div><br />How very exciting--my seeds are starting to emerge! It's truly amazing how fast they can grow. I went out to check this morning and saw a few radish and purslane (cultivated) seedlings, and by the afternoon there were turnips, beans, cucumbers, and basil as well, and the radishes had already grown much larger. <br /><br />It's funny to see how my seeding deteriorated throughout the afternoon that I planted. My first block of radishes are in a perfect offset grid. By the time I reached the end of the mound, I basically scattered them in the rows, telling myself I'll thin them later.<br /><br />My carrots haven't yet emerged, but from what I've read it sounds like they take a while. I may have made some mistakes in planting them...I just found a guide <a href="http://www.co.ozaukee.wi.us/mastergardener/Journal/Carrot.PDF">here</a>. It rained right after I planted them, which may have compacted the soil. The publication recommends covering them with vermiculite instead of soil to prevent this problem. Also, the fertility of the spot I chose might be a bit high. Oh well, it's all just an experiment. Here are a few more photos of my lovely seedlings.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65aiLPDQ_x88h3IYPgyyQ_Iym2vIz3O-i9toh17CWOFI2fWDn85C9JuW13V5GHxcSuiT7L9o01WjTnlL5a4GBFzcH93pWqfN4rf6hx4v3oROI41dJdFwNUtn1Rhs3ghAymRleM8IXbb0/s1600-h/cukeemerg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg65aiLPDQ_x88h3IYPgyyQ_Iym2vIz3O-i9toh17CWOFI2fWDn85C9JuW13V5GHxcSuiT7L9o01WjTnlL5a4GBFzcH93pWqfN4rf6hx4v3oROI41dJdFwNUtn1Rhs3ghAymRleM8IXbb0/s320/cukeemerg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225272703366119426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">These cucumber seedlings just can't wait to provide me with delicious pickles one day.<br /><br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFIX8QZ01kbhlL-jLzaVujSbRpofIqAy9gIPIVE7TbHo70F9rnvmbeUcfJaH5m4V7Zp-3q0h-FRhg6jJfyW3GXCf9PkpZHy8JWc7vTOJ-CYUCHvvWOu7SbvecDoMoFXBV80w610W374U/s1600-h/beansemerg.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLFIX8QZ01kbhlL-jLzaVujSbRpofIqAy9gIPIVE7TbHo70F9rnvmbeUcfJaH5m4V7Zp-3q0h-FRhg6jJfyW3GXCf9PkpZHy8JWc7vTOJ-CYUCHvvWOu7SbvecDoMoFXBV80w610W374U/s320/beansemerg.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225272704321108818" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Happy little bean seedlings with purple stripes. It will be interesting to see if the adult plants will retain any of their dappling. The seeds were certainly beautiful.<br /></span></div>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-23881879789353951602008-07-18T15:11:00.001-07:002008-07-18T15:24:49.641-07:00Garden UpdateSo far nothing's germinated yet, but that's not surprising. I think I see some cracking in the soil over the beans, so hopefully they're doing their sprouting thing.<br /><br />Half of my peppers are quite wilted now. I'm not sure what the problem is, since we got drenched in rain yesterday and it seems unlikely they'd be thirsty. From what I've read and heard, pepper plants often wilt, especially in hot weather. However, today was pleasant and in the low 80s, so I would think they'd be fine. Five out of five look happier than they did before the rain and the other five look wretched. I guess I will have to keep monitoring them. Like I said, they're in prime real estate so I can always replant. What I'm afraid of is phytophthora stem rot due to too MUCH water. Maybe I should back off with the hose.<br /><br />My cabbages are looking happier now than before the rain, but I've seen some insect holes on the leaves. I was hoping not to have to get floating row cover this late in the game, but it might be necessary if they're going to make it to sauerkraut stage.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-66544792221844711442008-07-16T13:30:00.000-07:002008-07-17T11:04:15.124-07:00Planting Turnips, Carrots, Radishes, Greens, Green Onions and assorted seedlings<div style="text-align: left;">Whoo hoo I did it! I finished planting everything I needed to get into the ground right away. The only things left are finding space for the remaining cole crop seedlings and digging a mound for my fall garlic planting. I finished not a moment too soon, since we're expected to get pounded by storms this evening.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ip_1saIiiS8jlmwCS8jWEUAuH7OfOESh9GwBVDagnLXaLiAPeGaLxIt9sWimXO3QcS3y5cJk2Zjc558O_UCl3yIzJWlzspyv3K6FrXu4lAYOInepiFcSsvoysiE1SZ7VCZ9oVP80mEU/s1600-h/finishedplanting.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8Ip_1saIiiS8jlmwCS8jWEUAuH7OfOESh9GwBVDagnLXaLiAPeGaLxIt9sWimXO3QcS3y5cJk2Zjc558O_UCl3yIzJWlzspyv3K6FrXu4lAYOInepiFcSsvoysiE1SZ7VCZ9oVP80mEU/s320/finishedplanting.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224042304598131426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Freshly planted garden, viewed from the SW corner.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphU-r0FajcNY3Seu6l6ibtwWdsq5GZOkwZdKwDHxqF-PU1ozvuxW9Yc03CuDwVyDG92mMIxKFnAe8GUV4PoPB7w4w_jIuQg8oCtG2d3MbydQo4DWwfggL_qH6tUBLSYajQ89EqTCPJuM/s1600-h/finishedplanting2.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjphU-r0FajcNY3Seu6l6ibtwWdsq5GZOkwZdKwDHxqF-PU1ozvuxW9Yc03CuDwVyDG92mMIxKFnAe8GUV4PoPB7w4w_jIuQg8oCtG2d3MbydQo4DWwfggL_qH6tUBLSYajQ89EqTCPJuM/s320/finishedplanting2.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224042310700833618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">And from the NE corner. Yeah, my rows aren't perfectly straight, but I don't think the plants will care.<br /><br /></span></div><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102); font-weight: bold;">July 16th </span>Planted:<br /><br />Roots<br /><ul><li>Hakurei Turnip (38 days)</li><li>Purple-Top White Globe Turnip (55 days)</li><li>White Satin Carrot (68 days)</li><li>Sugarsnax Carrot (68 days)</li><li>Miyashige Daikon Radish (50 days)</li><li>Scarlet Queen Green Stem Turnip (43 days)</li><li>Shunkyo Semi-Long Radish (32 days)</li></ul>Greens<br /><ul><li>Garnet Giant Mustard Greens</li><li>Toscano Kale</li><li>Champion Collards</li><li>Redleaf Amaranth</li><li>Goldberg Golden Purslane</li><li>Summerfest Komatsuna Greens<br /></li><li>Cooking Sorrel</li></ul>Onions<br /><ul><li>Evergreen Hardy White Bunching Onion</li><li>Nabechan Bunching Onion</li></ul>Cucurbits<br /><ul><li>8-Ball Summer Squash (2nd planting)</li><li>Sunburst Patty Pan Summer Squash (2nd planting)</li><li>Amour Pickling Cuke (2nd planting)</li></ul>Misc. Seedlings<br /><ul><li>2 Watermelon Seedlings (var. unknown)</li><li>4 Cayenne Pepper Seedlings</li><li>4 Brussels Sprouts Seedlings</li><li>2 Purple Kohlrabi Seedlings</li></ul>For most of the plantings I did a box-style layout, giving turnips 6-8" and carrots and radishes 2-3". I planted a lot of the Hakurei turnips, because I liked them so much. I really hope they grow well. The greens should be exciting too, though I don't know if the kale and collards will get beyond the 'micro-greens' stage. I tried to arrange the root crops so that the quick-maturing varieties were in a very sunny spot, which I can sow with a fall crop of greens or peas.<br /><br />At this point my space is pretty much used up. I'm kicking myself for not having the neighbor till the garden further east, but I was too lazy to move the giant rock pile out of the middle of the paddock. Most of the west side is unusable because of the shade from the maple trees. Oh well...I can always refine it next year.<br /><br />In other news, my peppers are looking droopy. I'm trying to water them well, but they just won't perk up. Maybe with the coming rainstorm, all the fertilizer will be mobilized and the plants can take it up and be happy. If the peppers bite the dust I'll gladly plant other stuff in their place, since it's prime real estate.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-36084789394247075682008-07-16T10:11:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:47:46.384-07:00Birds A-go-go<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhur7tr8puMBJV5E1HxVcXZ3Ee-6WPMB6ejQCi5eUoFDGYxxDLcsYsz3CeJs6KfW16Jt9wiWrzWaP0BFDpup_jsxrzFkcGuhgYyX08eJvhPJGgnU0NPpOMURuIszJJYxYz4dGvcuoY90p0/s1600-h/goldfinchbutt.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhur7tr8puMBJV5E1HxVcXZ3Ee-6WPMB6ejQCi5eUoFDGYxxDLcsYsz3CeJs6KfW16Jt9wiWrzWaP0BFDpup_jsxrzFkcGuhgYyX08eJvhPJGgnU0NPpOMURuIszJJYxYz4dGvcuoY90p0/s320/goldfinchbutt.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224040936190837634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Hold still you naughty goldfinch!<br /><br /></span></div>Just wanted to make note that our bird diversity is even greater than I expected. Today I saw a pheasant in the far SE field and I'm watching a juvenile Northern Flicker play in the sandbox right now. This is in addition to the Rosebreasted Grossbeaks, Goldfinches, mysterious little greenish songbirds, Housefinches, Hummingbirds, Orioles, Cardinals, Turkey Vultures, Hawks, Kestrels, Bluejays, countless Robins, and more that we've already seen. If only my camera could capture them from a distance--I always scare them away before I can approach.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-21230324838881734812008-07-16T07:19:00.000-07:002008-07-17T11:07:01.139-07:00Planting Herbs, Cucurbits, CeleryYesterday I got the herb seedlings in, seeded some cilantro and basil, planted some of the cucurbits, and threw in the celery I'd picked up. Of all the seedlings, the celery seemed amazingly happy considering it was in a pot for so long--it seems like it will be a good performer. I also prepared the seedbed for my radish/carrot/turnip plot.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">July 15th:</span><br /><br />Herb Seedlings<br /><ul><li>celery<br /></li><li>oregano<br /></li><li>marjoram<br /></li><li>rosemary<br /></li><li>thyme<br /></li><li>sage<br /></li><li>flat-leaf and curly parsley </li></ul>Herb Seeds<br /><ul><li>cilantro<br /></li><li>basil<br /></li><li>dill </li></ul>Misc. Seedlings (from Joel's Greenhouse)<br /><ul><li>1 bush-style cucumber seedling</li><li>1 acorn squash seedling<br /></li></ul>Cucurbit Seeds<br /><ul><li>Amour Pickling Cuke</li><li>8-ball Summer Squash<br /></li><li>Sunburst Patty Pan Summer Squash</li></ul>I will probably plant more cucurbits when I find the space. I also neglected to get the watermelon seedlings in the ground, and I'm not sure where to put them since they get so dang big.<br /><br />The herbs are almost all in the back (east) side of the garden. Their bed might be a bit small, but I can always move them if need be. With experience my bed preparation has improved, and now all the beds have a water-retaining lip. All the plants in the back row were heavily fertilized with manure, but did not have added fertilizer.<br /><br />Next up: seeding my root vegetable bed and fertilizing and seeding my leafy green bed. It's expected to storm heavily tonight, so I won't have to water.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-83640639833088871992008-07-15T13:18:00.000-07:002008-07-16T13:49:42.680-07:00Water ManagementThis year I finally got the galvanized aluminum watering can I've always dreamed of. It's great for small amounts of watering, but time consuming if I want to water an entire mound. Now I have a series of hoses and a nozzle with 7 handy settings. I could try setting up the sprinkler, but I'm not sure that moving it around every hour or so is any less work than just standing out there with the hose for 20-30 minutes.<br /><br />I shored up the edge of the mound with the peppers so that I wouldn't lose as much water to the walkways, and it seems to have helped quite a bit. The soil here is quite sticky so it maintains its shape well, even when battered by watering and heavy rain. Next year I definitely need to integrate this micro-irrigation technique into my mounds better. It's low tech, but I can already tell that the water stays in the depressions I've made a lot longer.<br /><br />Next I need to measure all my watering approaches to see how long it takes to yield an inch of water.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-60208049629182013392008-07-15T12:34:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:50:29.709-07:00Fertilizing, Planting BeansI had hoped to plant my beans in the cool of the evening last night, but I had forgotten to order <span style="font-style: italic;">rhizobium </span>inoculant. I know it's not essential, as there should be some living in the soil already, but it's strongly recommended for first-time gardens. Planting so late, I didn't want to take a chance by not using it. I called around a few places, but they asked like I'd asked for the spleen of Jimmy Hoffa, so I gave up on planting last night. This morning I was in luck--I called Joel's Greenhouse in Pine Island and they had some packets left. It's really a great greenhouse (I hadn't gone before because the quickest route there is a gravel road that my Hyundai hates), and I couldn't resist buying a few other things.<br /><br />I got a cayenne pepper plant, a burpless bush cucumber, an acorn squash seedling, some curly parsley, and some dill seeds. Can never have too much parsley around here. I also picked up a pair of fine-tipped Fiskars snippers like mom has, and a pair of lightweight gloves with nitrile fingertips, which are both very difficult to find. I think the seedlings, which were very well-established, must have only run me $8 or 9 since everything's on sale. Their prices are higher than at the garden stand by The Hub, but they had far better quality and selection, so I'll probably use them exclusively next year.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fertilizing</span><br /></div><br />Since I haven't had a year to accumulate any compost or develop the soil, I decided to use synthetic fertilizers. I picked up a bag of Vigoro Tomato and Vegetable Fertilizer, which is 12-10-5 plus some micronutrients. I probably should have added this when I was planting, but I didn't have any yet. I sprinkled something approximating the recommended amount around the tomatoes, peppers, and cabbages. Since I had to sprinkle it over mulch, I have no idea how much will actually make it to the root zone, but I figure that something is better than nothing. It wasn't expensive, just $3.66/bag and I'll only need 1.5 bags. I tried not to get any on the leaves or stems, for fear of causing fertilizer burn. I also integrated a small amount into the soil before planting the beans (I tried to keep it minimal because I didn't want to discourage the <span style="font-style: italic;">rhizobium</span>.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">July 15th:</span> Planting the Beans</span><br /></div><br />These I planted across the mound, next to the peppers (which are planted along the south side of the mound). I planted two rows of four beans 12" apart and 36" from the next set of two rows. The beans were spaced at 2-3" within the rows. After placing the beans in each furrow, I sprinkled the <span style="font-style: italic;">rhizobium </span>inoculant on top and buried the beans 1" deep. I watered well and mulched the area between the sets of double rows. The soil is nice and warm, so hopefully they will germinate quickly. If I find any gaps in a few days I'll plant more seeds.<br /><br />The varieties were: Cupidon French Filet, Carson's Yellow Wax, Provider Snap Beans, and Jumbo Green Beans. I alternated rows of these to allow for within-mound variation.<br /><br />I bought the smallest packets of each, and each one contained a ton of seeds, so I may sow some more in a low-demand area and see if they grow. Maybe I should clear an area next to the fence so they can grow up it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfjveWRVxDdSS0rt1nfuZHeHQXm8pk-Qg8QoQWFEJ9_QkuxBwhQUOLFCUT9GmpSf8odzndHBjRswRX6xSXLf4lQjKkEYl-j52y1UuFPwXrH7m6izSg9Neg7bUnCWwiP-qRsvYEYcbDFI/s1600-h/DSCN0888.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfjveWRVxDdSS0rt1nfuZHeHQXm8pk-Qg8QoQWFEJ9_QkuxBwhQUOLFCUT9GmpSf8odzndHBjRswRX6xSXLf4lQjKkEYl-j52y1UuFPwXrH7m6izSg9Neg7bUnCWwiP-qRsvYEYcbDFI/s320/DSCN0888.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224041610000048226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Getting your seed shipment may be even more exciting than getting new shoes.</span><br /></div>Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-12811896439300070592008-07-15T08:33:00.000-07:002008-07-16T07:03:58.790-07:00More about my Field LayoutSince it was so late in the year and I needed to take quick action with planting, I didn't do much research before I carved up the garden. I just followed my instincts and the lessons I'd learned in the past. I wound up with wide, deep rows and evenly spaced plantings, instead of the more traditional narrow rows with crowded plantings. Of course, there's nothing new under the sun, and it turns out that this called 'wide row gardening' and 'block style layout'. Here are two publications that discuss it in more detail:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.botanic.org/Wbed2.pdf">Wide Bed Gardening for Easier Gardening and Higher Yields </a>(Cheyenne Botanic Gardens)<br /><a href="http://www.cmg.colostate.edu/gardennotes/713.pdf">Block Style Layout in Raised Bed Vegetable Gardens</a> (Colorado State University Extension)*<br /><br />*This one has good information about planting distances for block layout, which can be hard to find.<br /><br />It looks like I made some good choices with this garden layout, though I could have set things up better for water management by adding a lip at the edge of each mound. I think I will continue this approach next year. The landlord even said I could cut off some branches from the trees that are shading my plot, mostly volunteer white ash. I'm getting my compost pile going now, so hopefully I'll have some good stuff to add to the garden next year. Hopefully we won't be moving again (at least not until we're ready to buy a house--then my garden will be off da hook!).Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-78846896121889000172008-07-13T17:04:00.000-07:002008-07-17T10:39:52.543-07:00Our Soil<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniu4QaPCxK00JAxaOM8YHpZjK9LIvxNmfpBMaMWUIlTD7VODv0ZZcsjYzyzJYthj0tOr75-BGlw8UTFkDgBsdTaNsWVWequqZ2x4itDhtk-TZ6neJNcSfRq878O0VgGRIKIBncMKkoSA/s1600-h/digginhereboss.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjniu4QaPCxK00JAxaOM8YHpZjK9LIvxNmfpBMaMWUIlTD7VODv0ZZcsjYzyzJYthj0tOr75-BGlw8UTFkDgBsdTaNsWVWequqZ2x4itDhtk-TZ6neJNcSfRq878O0VgGRIKIBncMKkoSA/s320/digginhereboss.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5224038903796348370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Just diggin' soil here, boss. </span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Yeah...it was 91 degrees that day.</span><br /><br /></div>The soil here is different than any I've tried gardening before. It's a collection of silt loams, the dominant one in the garden being N619A <a href="http://ortho.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/osd/dat/K/KENNEBEC.html">Kennebec</a>-<a href="http://ortho.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/osd/dat/L/LAWSON.html">Lawson</a>, channeled, complex 0-3% slope, flooded, according to the Goodhue County soil survey (thank you USDA-NRCS!). It has a lot more silt and clay in it than what you find on the Zimmerman sandy soils in Anoka county, so it's very prone to compaction. I hear that it produces great crops, but it's prone to flooding in this Zumbro River area. Bitter Creek, which runs behind the property, is known to flood, but in its highest year that the neighbor can remember it only reached the far edge of the paddock.<br /><br />I think I've already observed the differences between the two soils from this map unit. There's one spot in the garden which stays wet long after the rest has drained and makes a fine, sticky mud. I think that most of the garden is the Kennebec series, but that spot is the more poorly-drained Lawson.<br /><br />The parent material was silty alluvium from the many rivers and creeks in the area. The native vegetation was tallgrass prairie on most of the property, with alluvial forest along the creek. For more information about the history of this landscape, check out the MLRA (Major Land Resource Area, from the NRCS) factsheet: <a href="http://www.mo10.nrcs.usda.gov/mlras/105/description.pdf">#105 Northern Mississippi Valley Loess Hills</a><a href="http://www.mo10.nrcs.usda.gov/mlras/105/description.pdf">.<br /></a><br />The soil pH should be around 6.5, which is great for growing things. It also has fairly high organic matter at 4.5-5%, which is also good for plants.<br /><br />Anyway, that's the basic idea. I just wanted to record what I found for future reference.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-155951384645345178.post-31241219183222675782008-07-13T16:36:00.000-07:002008-07-14T09:15:16.200-07:00Planting the Seedlings: Tomatoes, Peppers, and CabbagesThis weekend I began planting the starts. I planted:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">July 11th :</span> tomatoes<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(255, 204, 102);">July 13th:</span> cabbages and peppers<br /><br />I also threw the dill plants into the ground because they were looking so wretched. I have little faith that they'll survive, but it's worth a shot. I still have more cole crops to plant, it's just a matter of finding sunny space for them.<br /><br />Variety-wise, I basically went with what was available at the garden stand. The tomatoes are a random assortment including Better Boy, Brandywine, Rutgers, and some yellow full-size and cherry toms. The cabbages included Savoy, Stonehead, Discover, and Red Acre. The peppers weren't well-labeled, but I think they were all sweet peppers.<br /><br />For all the seedlings, I tried to mix the varieties around so that I wouldn't have all of one type in a single location, in case that spot's bad for growing.<br /><br />I also took a few approaches to the planting itself. The tomatoes were really leggy, so I removed their bottom leaves and buried them quite deep. Since they were already so tall, I had to mound soil up around them to keep the stems buried. This might have been a bad approach from a water management perspective. I mulched heavily around the mounds using oat straw. I placed the tomatoes in the second row from the north. They will get excellent sun there, but won't be shaded by taller plants. I may have spaced them a bit close--I used a checkerboard pattern with ~24" between plants, giving 3 offset rows in the mound. If I get a single tomato out of this I will be amazed.<br /><br />When I watered the tomatoes I noticed that a lot of the water was running into the walkways, so I took a slightly different approach with the peppers. These I placed on the furthest north mound, where they will be next to the green beans, but not in their shadow. Between the peppers and the beans I made a trench, where most of the water flows. I hope this will make a little reservoir of moist soil whenever it rains or I water. I have not mulched these yet and I'm not sure if I will.<br /><br />For planting the cabbages I got cleverer still. I placed each cabbage plant in a small depression, so that they will be surrounded by moist soil after I water and the water won't run into the walkways. I mulched heavily between the plants to discourage weeds, hold more water, and keep the soil cool. I've heard that cabbage roots are delicate and they often don't survive transplanting. I tried to be gentle with them, but they were terribly root-bound in the pots. I teased the seedlings apart while holding the rootmass in a pail of water--a technique I perfected on swallow-wort, of course. So hopefully these little guys will survive. I would really like to put up a bunch of sauerkraut from my own garden.<br /><br />Next I need to plant the herbs and I'm trying to monitor the garden to find a sunny spot that's not in high demand from vegetables. I will be receiving my seeds early next week and then I will plant those.Lillianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01511981913945080969noreply@blogger.com0