Garden Expansion

Rouse has been doing some "heavy" work in the garden.  He filled the new asparagus bed with turkey-litter topsoil this weekend.  I played in the dirt a little myself today, mixing in a big bag of peat moss.

He also built another 4' x 12' by 10" raised bed.  This will allow for a little more flexibility during seasonal transitions when it's time to plant new crops and the previous season crops aren't quite finished.

On Friday, I supervised while Rouse planted the Nanking Bush Cherries (3 plants) in the raised bed that used to hold the hybrid blackberries.  Then he decided to add some fruit trees in the side yard, all inside the deer fence.  He put in a Bosc Pear, a Golden Delicious Apple, a Gala Apple, and a Bing Cherry.   We do love our fruit!

He piled leaf mulch around the base of the trees to prevent the soil from drying out too quickly.  The chickens moved in immediately to scratch.

A Gray, Wet Day

The fog has rolled in.  It was a dreary day.  According to my gauge, 3/8" rain fell on our little plot of land today.  If I listen carefully I can hear spring peepers peeping in the distance.

Yesterday, I noticed one Snowdrop blooming outside the breakfast nook.  This afternoon, I picked the first Daffodil of the season. It was growing in the bed above the driveway, a point of color in an otherwise drab landscape.

First Seeds in the Ground

I planted a row of radishes today.  I'll plant another row in 2 weeks, and maybe another 2 weeks after that.  I wish the seed for my Sugar Ann Snap Peas would hurry up and get here.  That was bad planning!  I should've had my  sugar snaps ready and sprouted in time for this first warm snap.  The persistant cold temps had my brain stuck in winter.

We purchased treated lumber to make a new raised bed - 5' x 12' - a giant bed for asparagas!  We'll be able to plant enough crowns to get our fill, feed the family when they're around, and maybe put some in the freezer.  The digging is yet to be done, but the frame is made.

Soil pH

The science of gardening... so much to learn!  Soil pH is a measure of the soil acidity or soil alkalinity. An acid solution has a pH value less than 7.  The majority of food crops prefer a neutral or slightly acidic soil (pH 7).  Some plants, however, prefer more acidic (e.g., potatoes, strawberries) or alkaline (e.g., brassicas) conditions.  Soil pH is an important consideration for farmers and gardeners for several reasons:

• Many plants and soil life forms have a preference for either alkaline or acidic conditions, affecting the choice of crop or plant that can be grown without intervention to adjust the pH
• Diseases affecting plants also tend to thrive in soil with a particular pH range
• The pH can affect the availability of nutrients in the soil. 

Examples of plant preferences

Acid soil of pH 4.5-5.0 Some plants will not tolerate higher pH such as Blueberry, Bilberry, Heather, Cranberry, Orchid, Azalea, for blue Hydrangea (less acidic for pink) , Sweet Gum, Pin Oak.

Acid soil of pH 5.0 - 5.5 Plants for acid soil in this range include Parsley, Potato, Tomato, Heather, Conifers, Pine, Sweet Potato, Maize, Millet, Oars, Tye, Radish, Ferns, Iris, Orchids, Rhododendron, Camellia, Daphne and Boronia.

Acid soil of pH 5.5 - 6.0 Plants for a moderately acid soil include Bean, Brussels Sprouts, Carrot, Choko, Endive, Kohl Rabi, Peanuts, Rhubarb, Soyabean, Crimson Clover, Aster, Begonia, Canna, Daffodil, Jonquil, Larkspur, Petunia, Primrose, Violet and most bulbs.

Acid soil of pH 6.0 - 6.5 Plants that prefer this soil include Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Cucumber, Egg Plant, Pea, Sweet Corn, Pumpkin, Squash, Turnip, Red Clover, Sweet Clover, White Clover, Candytuft, Gladiolus, Iceland Poppy, Pansy, Rose, Snapdragon, Viola, Wallflower, Zinnea and Strawberry.

Acid soil of pH 6.5 - 7.0 Plants that favor very mildly acid soil are Asparagus, Beet, Celery, Lettuce, Melons, Onion, Parsnip, Spinach, Lucerne, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Dahlia, Stock, Sweet Pea and Tulip.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH

Outdoor Work - Finally!

This afternoon temperatures hit the upper 50's.  The sun was shining down from a blue sky.  I couldn't resist putting on my work gloves and spending some time cleaning up the garden!

Rouse beat me out there.  He removed some small trees in the woods near the garden space making way for more sunlight and room for more plantings.  We anticipate cherries, more berries, and fruit trees in that space.  He transplanted the hybrid blackberries out of the raised beds into the space behind the black raspberries.  He cleaned up the wineberries.  Then he and I worked together to clean up the black raspberry patch, cutting out old canes and moving some plants to make pathways for easy picking.

I cleaned up the butter bean bed from last summer and pulled up the old broccoli plants.  Pulled up a couple cabbage plants that had already had the cabbage head cut and gave all those outer leaves to the chickens.  They're so hungry for green stuff, they gobbled it right up.  I was surprised, because they usually don't go for the cruciferous plants.  That should make for some rich colored eggs!

Winter is Persistent, but Hope Prevails

HOPE that spring will arrive sooner rather than later; that the sun will shine on my garden; that the rains will come; that the bugs will stay away!

http://www.gurneys.com/ had a good sale this week - $25 off a $50 purchase.  So I went on-line last night and started filling my wish list for this year's garden.

Potatoes
I ordered 12# of seed potatoes... 6# Purple Viking, 4# Yukon Gold, 2# Red Pontiac... enough to fill two beds.  Purple Vikings are delicious and produced very well for me last year.  I'll fill one bed with them.  Yukon Golds and Red Pontiacs will share the other bed.

Peas
I ordered Sugar Ann snap peas.  Here's what the catalog says about them:  Beats Sugar Snap by weeks! Sugar Ann Snap Peas stay sweet, crisp and truly delicious. Stringless. Dwarf plants. 56 DAYS.

Green Beans
I ordered Jade bush beans.  I didn't think I wanted to plant bush beans again... my attempt last year was not very successful... but thought I'd give these a try since they came highly recommended by a friend.  Here's what the catalog says:  Jade Bush Beans are long, straight, stringless 6-1/2" pods which are exceptionally sweet and tender. Harvest continues over a long period. Upright bush holds the round, dark green pods well above the ground. 60 DAYS

Tomatoes
Ordered seed for the Black Krim tomato.  I really loved the Black Cherokee tomatoes that I grew last year.  Thought I'd try this black heirloom.  In the words of the catalog:  This unique heirloom variety is considered one of the best "black" tomatoes around. Indeterminate plants produce large, 6-in. fruits that weigh 10-16 oz. each. Heat-tolerant, Black Krim's color deepens as the summer temperatures rise. Rich, slightly salty flavor makes them an ideal addition to salads. Great for fresh eating, too!  80 DAYS.

Bush Cherries
My most exciting purchase... Nanking Bush Pie Cherry Tree.  I ordered three.  I love my fruit!  Can't wait for cherry pie and preserves.  I must prepare a place to plant them.  The catalog description:  Nanking Bush Pie Cherry trees are early and extra productive! Produces sweetly scented spring flowers and tremendous crops of tasty fruit. Bears up to 8 quarts of bright red cherries, ripens in July. Grows 6-8 feet high, looks good in a hurry. For best yield, plant 2 or more.

Dreaming of a good harvest!

Garden Philosophy

We learn from our gardens to deal with the most urgent question of the time: How much is enough?  ~ Wendell Berry

The Second Big Meltdown

We had 4 - 5 inches of snow last Friday night.  Most of it had melted by Sunday in the presence of warm sunshine... except for the snow in our yard.  Very telling.  Very shady.  Not very conducive to high yields in the garden.  It will be interesting to see how the tree removal this past fall effects this year's harvest. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here's my favorite way to use our wineberry jam.  I bake a batch of my Grandma's "Special Tea Cookies".  Cut them into heart shapes.  Spread homemade jam between two cookies.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Nothing says 'I love you' better than these buttery, sweet treats, made with happy chicken eggs and preserved berries straight out of the briar patch!

My Grandma's Special Tea Cookies
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Stir together flour and salt in small bowl; set aside.  In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy; add egg and vanilla.  Add dry ingredients, mixing well, and scraping down sides of bowl as needed.   Divide dough into two balls; cover with wax paper and refrigerate.

Flour your work surface and rolling pin liberally with a mixture of 1/2 flour, 1/2 powdered sugar.  Roll dough 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick.  Cut into desired shapes.  Bake ~ 6 1/2 minutes until lightly brown.  Sprinkle with colored sugar prior to baking... glaze with a thin icing... frost with buttercream icing... make sandwich cookies with jam...

The Big Meltdown

The chickens did not like the recent snow. They were happy to get out into the yard today in search of anything green or grub-by. They DO like the longer days. Egg production is still on the rise... up to 8 or 9 on a good day!

It's been too wet, too cold, too snowy to get any early spring crops in the ground.  The greens are hanging in there, thank goodness.  It's nice to gather a handful of arugula for my sandwich, or a bunch of kale for the soup pot.