2010 February

PLANTING:
10 February 2010 After waiting through our long cold winter here in Mesa (that's a joke), I contracted gardening fever. I planted the following seeds directly into the soil using the board method: Golden Bush Scallop squash (organic SESE item 53104); California Wonder Bell Pepper (Organic SESE item 46102); Buhl Corn (Organic SESE item 41111); Sweet Baby Watermelon (Henry Fields); and Red Champion Radish (Henry Fields); Giant Pink Banana Squash given to me by Lyla (seed from Snowflake); and the following seeds harvested from food we bought at the grocery store: water melon, acorn squash. I also transplanted the following which I had started in cups in January. Tomatoes (Organic from SESE); Bell pepper, Egg Plant, Armenian Cucumber, Straight 8 Cucumber; and Marigold (2nd generation HHEF seeds).

16 February 2010 I rototilled and planted about 100 SF of Wildflower seeds in the front of the house.

13 February 2010 I conducted a gardening class at Haws Haven Experimental Farm. About 30 people attended. I started talking and getting excited about my subject and spoke for 1.5 hours. A lot of people stayed around for another 1/2 hour, so I guess they weren't totally disappointed. We talked about soil, fertilizers, composting, seed anatomy, germination, sprouting, planting methods, sources of seeds, harvesting seeds and harvesting crops. I hope to put together a power point with music, videos, and slides that will be easier to put together and show anywhere. I had a lot of fun even if no-one else did!

Bell Peppers

HHEF purchased from Southern Exposure Seed Co.
Bell pepper: CAROLINA WONDER: Certified Organic introduced by SES 1999
75 days. Green to Red
Premium grade fruits are typically 4-lobed, weighing 1/4 to 1/3 pound, 3" x 3-1/3"

Cauliflower

HHEF purchased Cauliflower seeds from Southern Exposure Seed company Jan 2010
EARLY SNOWBALL:
50 DAYS. Highly recommended for the mid-atlantic. The best performer in trials of spring planting. Can also be used for fall planting. Good coverage of the curd by rapper leaves. Head is denser than other early snowball varieties. Plants are compact.

Cabbage

HHEF Purchased from Southern Exposure January 2010
Cabbage: EARLY FLAT DUTCH Pre-1875, possibly pre-1855.
85 days Does well in southern and coastal areas because of its heat resistance. Excellent variety for sauerkraut and the best variety for storage. Large, flat heads weigh 6-10 lbs, averaging 11" diameter with medium core and few outside leaves.

HHEF also purchased from Southern Exposure Seed in January 2010
RED ACRE cabbage certified organic seeds
76 days Small, compact plants produce round, 5-7" reddish-purple heads, weighing about 3 lbs. Adds a festive color to cole slaw. An excellent storage variety with resistance to cabbage yellow. Heads may sunburn in hot weather, so best for early spring and fall crops.

Broccoli

2010 HHEF purchased these seeds from Southern Exposure
Broccoli: DeCicco
49 days. Introduced about 1890. Produces 3" to 6" diameter central head and side sprouts which extend the harvest period. Use the young leaves like collard greens once the head is 1/4 developed.

2010 January

January was a great month for very little work and a lot of harvesting.
We had a lot of rain so we didn't have to water much.

Harvesting: Chard,onions,cabbage,lettuce,white ice-cycle radish,parsley,cilantro,carrots. We dried a lot of cilantro, cayenne and parsley and put into bottles. We picked a head of cabbage and made a nice batch of sauerkraut.

Activities: Racking leaves,mowing them to assist decomposition, adding to compose pile

Planting: 15 January planted in cups: Tomatoes,banana squash, merigold, egg plant, and coriander. This picture is after 1 week. Everything came up. I will put into the ground February 15.

We also canned 12 dozen quarts of pinto beans. Having them already canned makes for quick meals.

We ground up a lot of cayenne pepper from our harvesting this year. Even with plastic gloves and a mask, my eyes were burning and I had a hard time breathing. I finally went outside to finish the job. We have a LOT of cayenne pepper powder!

I discovered the "SOUTHERN EXPOSURE SEED EXCHANGE" company. They have over 700 open pollinated varieties. They do not knowingly buy or sell genetically engineered seeds or plants. Quoting them: "The mechanical transfer of genetic material outside of natural reproductive methods and between genera, families, and kingdoms poses great biological risks, as well as economic, political and cultural threats. We wish to support agricultural practice that encourages healthier soils, genetically divers agricultural ecosystems, and ultimately, people and communities."

They encourage people to save their own seeds for replanting and give instructions how to do it, They also encourage seed exchange between the backyard gardener and small farmers. They also have interesting tidbits about the history of heirloom seeds; where they originated, etc. I am excited to get some seeds from them and start my own heirloom seeds.

I am now keeping track of the seeds I purchase to preserve the pedigree of the seeds I use and save. You can look under "Seeds" of the opening page of this blog to get links to the seeds I am keeping track of.

Activities for next month:

Vegetable Beds: It’s time to prepare the beds. Turn under 3”-4” mulch, compost or well-rotted manure then add per 100 sq. ft. 3-5 lbs. soil sulfur or 6-10 lbs gypsum, and 3 lbs ammonium phosphate (16-20-0). Water the area well.

February Vegetable Planting: Sow Seeds: asparagus (Martha Washington), beets, carrots, Swiss chard, leaf lettuce, onions, cantaloupe, corn, potatoes, radishes, spinach, watermelon. Set Plants: peppers (California Wonder, Yolo Wonder, Sweet Bell Boy), tomatoes (Early Girl, Better Boy, Champion, Celebrity, Columbia, Pearson Improved, or Rowpac

Trees & Shrubs: February is the last month for pruning fruit trees. It’s fertilizing time for fruit trees, nut trees, shade trees, shrubs, vines. Fertilize citrus with 21-0-0 ammonium sulfate or other citrus food formulas.

Mildew: powdery mildew may appear on new rose growth, grapes, cucumbers. A fungicide or sulfur powder will help protect new leaf growth. For control, try a mixture of 1/3 tsp. baking soda, a dash of dish soap, and 12 oz of water. Spray every 3-4 days.

December 2009

December 5 a cold front came through followed by 2 weeks of fairly cold weather. Most of the peas froze before we had a chance to harvest anything. We did harvest a few green beans. The butternut squash seems to be taking the freeze surprizingly well. Things effected badly by the frost were: Green beans, peas, acorn squash, zuchini squash, cilantro, tomatoes, bell pepper.

We are harvesting: Bunching Onions, lettuce, beets, cilantro, parsley, chard and carrots. I also harvested 1000s of Marigold seed. The turnips, peas, brocolli and cabbage are growing nicely. The sweet peas are finally starting to bloom and are a beautiful red color.

The granex onions are doing well. They are about 6 inches tall and just about ready to spreadout into a larger area. Here is a current video clip. I made a mistake saying I planted Nov 15. I really planted them on October 15 and hope to harvest 15 June.

I am washing and sterilizing plastic cups that I used before for starts. I plan on starting tomatoes and other things in the house next month to get a head start on the spring garden.

Here are pictures. of what the garden looks like in December 2009.