Lessons Learned in Spring Garden - Year 2

1. Tomato towers work great. Last year I only used small tomato cages. This year I spent a little more money and bought the towers from Gardeners.com. They are about 5 feet tall and really support the tomatoes well. I will be investing in a few more next year.

2. Tomatoes need so much room. Again, I planted the tomatoes too close to each other. I put 6 tomato plants and two pepper plants in one 4X8 bed. I should have left out the pepper plants. The tomatoes were crowded and the peppers ended up so shaded that they didn't produce well. Cherry tomatoes get huge! They were at least 8 feet tall and spread like crazy.

3. Cherry tomato varieties. You can't beat sun gold tomatoes in the spring, but they really don't taste well when things warm up. Regular old cherry tomatoes were not quite as good in the spring, but I preferred them in the summer. The overall winner are the pear cherry tomatoes. They tasted wonderful spring through summer, and are still producing well now.

4. Drip systems do wonders. I had problems last year with cracking tomatoes and blossom end rot. I was watering myself with the hose and couldn't seem to get the watering even. This spring I put in a drip system and I haven't seen the same issues. The next thing I need to do is get a timer. This waking up at 5:15 to turn on the water and go back to bed is not fun.

5. Beans get huge. Those little beans start so small, but wow do they grow. I did not plan well enough and the production suffered. I had a few small (about 3 feet tall) stands, but they couldn't hold the weight of the beans. For the fall I have switched to metal tents, which should work much better.

6. Squash just may be too much work. I did get some good production this year, but those squash-vine borers are just impossible to deal with. The only thing I found that really worked is to get an early start, get as many as possible before the heat brings the SVBs. I was able to cut into the zucchini and yellow squash to dig out the pests, but the pumpkins are impossible. The plants are just too big you don't know where to start. Due to the overwintering larva, I think I'll have to skip squash next year altogether.

7. I love straw. This makes such a great mulch. A friend of mine can get organic straw from his parents' farm. It also doubles as an addition to the compost pile.

8. I need to fix the melon bed. This year the melons and pumpkin plants grew like crazy. Unfortunately, this kept me from cutting the grass around them. Last year I put a winter garden here, but this year I will spend the winter ripping out all of the grass and making a nice bed.

9. Dewberries are my favorite. Of blackberries, raspberries and dewberries I really like the later. Aside from having thorns, the berries taste wonderful and the plant grows very bushy rather than one or two long branches. I plan on puting a few more of these in next year.

10. If you see a few holes in the leaves pay attention. I saw holes in the swiss chard and just ignored it for a week or so. By the time I really looked the plants looked like skeletons and I couldn't even count the number of caterpillars. A little Bt would have fixed this right up. I used Bt on the tomato plants when a few spread over there and it was fixed in no time.

11. Back to tomatoes. I love romas. I don't care for brandywines. The brandywines didn't taste all that great, didn't produce very well and tended to crack, due to their size.

12. Zinnias and cosmos handle the heat really well. Mums do not. I planted the mums soon after moving in almost two years ago, and they're calling it quits. I love my knockout roses. They really love the sun and heat. I want to try them in other colors.

I think that will do it. I'll have to come back in and add pictures later.

Gearing Up For Fall

It's hard to think about fall in the midst of this brutal summer, but it's right around the corner in gardening years. Last week I picked up cedar for my new raised beds and last weekend my friend Rudy helped me build them. I have three new 2"X12" 4'X10' beds. We made them w/ the mortis and tenon style to match my other beds.

I also built a new bean tent. My neighbor gave me some fencing from a dog run she had in the back yard. It was made of thick gage wire and pressure-treated pine. Obviously the pine wasn't going in the veggie garden, so I cut the wood off and will have enough wire for 3 tents in total. I put the beans where the zucchini used to be. The squash-vine borers hit again and I just didn't have the energy to fend them off. Plus, the zucchini was coming in really hard, which I read can happen when the plant gets too established.

This week I trimmed back the tomatoes. The brandywine had stopped producing, the romas are almost done, and the cherries are still producing quite a bit, but the flavor is severely lacking. I also planted 4 new bell pepper plants in place of the swiss chard that was desimated by caterpillars.

Tonight I plan on planting some seeds. I have kohlrabi, radishes and lettuce. I still need to pick up more, but it's a start.

I included a picture of the okra, just because it deserves the spotlight. These plants have been solid producers through this heat. I've been eating them, pickling them, and giving a ton away. I will definitely be repeating these!

Bloom Day July Edition - What's Dead in the Garden

With this heat wave and drought it's not easy to show what's blooming. Walking around this morning it was much easier to find what is dead or dying.

Columbine -
bought at the Wildflower Center sale this year, has never bloomed

Fig Tree -
Not dead, but looking sad. Come on! This is a fig tree.

Looks like the squash-vine borer has hit again. I just don't have the energy to dig them out anymore.

Here's the culprit, the adult SVB. I found him hanging out on the okra.

Hot and Spicy Oregano -
Barely hanging on.

Mums -
I've had the plant for two years, but I don't think it will survive the summer.

One sad lamb's ear

White Penta - or should I say brown

Daylily -
Not only is it unhappy with the weather, but it appears someone
attempted to dig it out last night.

Tithonia -
These are supposed to need very little water, but they have just been so thirsty in this heat. I refuse to water them more than once a week and I really don't think that will be enough.

Nasturtium -
Faint signs of life.

One bright spot -
The coneflowers are doing great. You can also see cosmos in the background.
I'll be planting more of both of these next year.

Recipes Week Ending 6/21

I'm going to start keeping track of recipes I cook w/ the garden veggies. These are self creations, often inspired by ideas from cookbooks or the internet. I don't put amounts since I never measure. I just go on appearance and taste. I'll also start taking pictures next week.

Two Bean Salad

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Fresh veggies used - butter beans, green beans, cherry tomatoes, onion

Cook onion and bacon

Boil butter beans for 20-25 minutes (until tender)

During last five minutes throw in kitchen sliced green beans

Quarter cherry tomatoes

For dressing, mix together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, fresh cilantro

Pico de Gallo

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fresh veggies used - romas, cherry tomatoes, red onion, mexican lime, serrano pepper

Chop up tomatoes, pepper, onion, a few cloves of garlic, cilantro

Blend together using "stir" level

Add lime juice, salt

Layered Zucchini/Tomato Bake - My new Favorite Dish

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fresh veggies used - zucchini, romas

Cut zucchini and tomatoes in slices. Make tomatoes about 1 1/2 - 2 times as thick as the zucchini, since the tomatoes seem to cook faster.

Layer zucchini, drizzle with olive oil, add salt and pepper

Layer tomatoes

Repeat 

Sprinkle top w/ bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

Bake in oven at 350. I can't remember how long, I think around 30 minutes.

Cajun Chicken Tacos

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fresh veggies used - okra, romas, onion, jalapeno or serrano pepper, corn

Shred a rotisserie purchased chicken

Cook onion, okra, pepper, garlic for a few minutes

Add tomatoes (crushed consistency) and cajun spices (cayenne, paprika, chili powder)

Cook for a while until okra is soft

Add corn and chicken to warm through

Put mixture in tortillas, yum!

Succotash

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fresh veggies used - butter beans, corn, onion, cherry tomatoes, can also use zucchini or squash 

Running out of time - will do quick version

Cook veggies

Make white sauce

Mix and serve over rice, sprinkle with cherry tomato halves and cris bacon pieces

Flower Pics

I missed bloom day this month since I had just returned from a trip to Washington DC / Virginia. I thought I'd post a few pics anyway, since there's been some good stuff happening in the garden.

Sweet Potato Flower

Bat-Face Cuphea

Bat-Face Cuphea

Cosmos - 

I got this flower from the horticulture club at my daughter's school.

Coneflower

This plant was in the backyard last year and didn't do well. It was too shady and only produced one flower. This spring we moved it to the front yard and the results are awesome.

Zinnia

Lantana - Finally blooming

Homemade Pickles

I planted cucumbers for the first time this year in hopes of making pickles. The type I grew is actually called "homemade pickles".  When I first looked online at recipes I was overwhelmed. Since I've never pickled before the task seemed daunting. I found a video on youtube and after watching it didn't seem so difficult. My first two attempts were flops. The first came out way too salty. The second came out with way too much vinegar. I had also run out of white so I decide to try cider vinegar, which I had seen used in several recipes. Yuck! We quickly learned that we are not fans of cider vinegar pickles. Both batches were also mushy.

Finally, last night after two weeks of waiting we tried the third batch. Winner! This one was the perfect mix of salt, vinegar and very crisp. It seems the trick is learning what ratios you like. We decided that we like a 3:1 water to vinegar.

Here's the recipe... (Makes 2 quarts)

Soak 4 cucumbers for 2 hours in ice bath. This is where the crispness comes from.

Make brine w/ 3 cups water, 1 cup white vinegar, 1/6 cup pickling salt. I also added a bunch of peppercorns and red pepper flakes. The red pepper flakes do add a bit of a spice to the pickles, but don't change the flavor like adding whole peppers does. Bring the brine to a boil at the same time that you are boiling the jars.

Wash the jars and lids with soap and hot water. Boil the jars for 10 minutes. 

Cut the cucs in spears and place in the boiled jars. Pour the brine over the top, covering by an inch or so. Add 2 garlic cloves and 2-3 dill sprigs per jar. Put on lids, tighten and boil for another 15 minutes. (The water should still be boiling from the previous step)

That's all there is to it. I waited two weeks to open the jar and last night an entire quart of pickles disappeared!

Veggie Update

The vegetable garden is really doing well. I haven't gone to the farmer's market in weeks and we've been eating like kings. Squash, tomatoes, okra, green beans, onions, pepper (notice no "s"), swiss chard and plenty of herbs. 

Sugar Pumpkin. 

Hopefully the Squash Vine Borers don't destroy the entire plant before I'm able to see this one ripen.  

Sun Gold Tomatoes. These are so incredibly tasty I can't see us planting any other type of cherry. We just can't get enough of them.

Brandywine.

Until just a few days ago when I spotted a few more tiny ones, this big guy was the one great hope. The production has been so bad on these, that tasty or not I don't think I'll be planting them again. Next year I'll try Cherokee Purple instead.

Romas. 

These have just started ripening in the last day or two. I'll be making some spaghetti tonight. Mmmm!

Octopus Swiss Chard. 

Really it's just plain old swiss chard, but the twisty stems remind me of a certain sea creature. If I was ESP I'd be adding some really cool pics here :)

Okra.

Like the zucchini, these guys can get really big really fast if you aren't paying attention.

Zucchini.

Still hanging in there. From this picture you'd never guess that I've cut into every one of these and lost half. Obviously, I overplanted the bed. Who knew vines could grow like this :)