Hard Frost/Times

Finally got our first frosts since I last posted. The ground has actually been frozen in our back yard for the last little bit. Clear and beautiful days though. An unusually dry December so far. Had a chance to visit with Christian last week and took some pics of his garden to pass along.

Beginning to re-think the location we selected for his garden. It doesn't seem to receive much direct sunlight during the day. This wouldn't normally be a problem in the Pacific Northwest because the typically overcast days diffuse light that would normally not be available to the plants. The past week has been unusually clear though, and downright cold. And it's when the ground stays frozen that the plants are in the most danger. Hopefully the daytime temps will warm a little or at the least the clouds will return for a while (never thought I'd be inviting gray skies...).

Broccoli sure looks good though.

Uprooted

Has it really been something like twenty days since I last posted? Wow. Well a few things have transpired since then:

-Cut down the quinoa stalks and started to dry them in the basement. Noticed some chickadees were making gluttons of themselves on all that free grain so I put a stop to it. Couldn't wait for the frost any longer or there would have been nothing left to harvest.

-Picked the first of some bok choi I planted in August (though I neglected to post about it then). It has performed quite well under cool conditions.

-Decided I'll be moving out of this house at the end of the year so I can begin to get my life in order and stop wasting it as I have been these past 20 months (and longer).

I will continue to post about other horticultural projects I may be working on, though the possibility that I will be living somewhere that allows much opportunity for such things is rather slim.

This has certainly been a valuable endeavor--if for no other reason than documenting a small part of my life as it continues to pass me by-- and it has been worth doing.

Slug Proof

Last week Christian and I went about protecting his fledgling garden from the urban gardeners' perennial nemesis, the slug. Slugs LOVE rain! That makes the maritime northwest a veritable slug paradise. Pair that with the fact that our overwintering plants will only be growing at an almost immeasurable pace due to lower temperatures and light levels (and thus putting out little foliage to replace leaves damaged by said pests), and our immediate attention was required.

Christian's garden is getting pretty meaty and an easy target for would-be pests

Our weapon of choice: a pet-safe, environmentally friendly, naturally derived slug bait called Sluggo. Sluggo's active ingredient is iron phosphate, which is found naturally in soil. The slugs eat the bait, and after ingesting only a little bit, stop eating, wander off, and eventually die (within 3-6 days). The bait, which resembles rice-sized pellets, is spread in a perimeter around the garden to create an effective barrier. Over time the bait dissolves harmlessly into the soil. A new application may be needed every two weeks depending on how wet the winter is and how often the bait is eaten.


Christian spreads the slug bait around the perimeter of the garden

Seed Storage

Once you've set out to collect seed it is imperative to store it properly. Many varieties of seed can be viable for several years after they are collected. Some seeds found in ancient tombs have germinated after being sealed for hundreds and even thousands of years! The key is what I call the holy trifecta of seed storage: dark, dry, and cool.

Seed receptacle candidates: paper envelope, small sealing plastic bag, old film canister

Seed embryos are delicate structures; when subjected to improper storage conditions they quickly lose viability. Light can damage and exacerbate deterioration if the seeds are left in direct sunlight. If the seeds become damp or are not completely dried when stored, they'll likely mold. And last but perhaps most important is to assure storage takes place in a cool environment. A basement, unheated garage, or perhaps even the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator are all possible locations where seed can be kept until it is ready to be planted.

What you store the seed in is also of some importance, though options are many. Old film canisters are ideal, especially if they are black (will not let any light through). With the advent of digital cameras these are increasingly hard to come by, but with some luck maybe found at some one-hour photo labs. Other options include paper envelopes and sealing plastic bags.

After an ideal container and location has been selected, be sure to label the seeds. Include the seed variety and the date collected.

Collecting Seed

The end of the season brings about not just the harvesting of fruits but also seeds from which will grow some of next year's crops. To collect viable seed, we must wait until the seeds are completely ripe. In the case of tomatoes, this means waiting until the fruit is practically rotting off the vine, or perhaps has already fallen to the ground. Beans prove somewhat easier.

I allowed some of the rattlesnake pole beans to mature (providentially, it would seem, because I simply couldn't get around to eating them before they ripened into full seeds) until the pods shriveled and dried on the vine. You will be able to tell that the seeds are ready by touch; gently squeeze the pod and determine that the beans inside are not flaccid or soft. The ripe seed should be firm and relatively hard. The pods can then be picked and brought inside. I place the pods somewhere dry and warm so that any residual moisture evaporates; dampness is the mortal enemy of well-preserved seed.

Once the pods have completely dried out, the seeds can be shucked. Other plants I intend to gather seed from include basil (summer and thai), tomatoes, snap dragons, marigolds, quinoa (mostly to eat, but some for sowing next spring), and texas hummingbird sage.

Winter Cover Sprouted

After about a week, the cover crop seeds that Christian and I planted began to poke up in the recently cleared garden. The mix, which includes crimson clover, barley, buckwheat and some other varieties I can't seem to remember off hand, has performed very well considering the rather cool temperatures we've had lately. The absence of frost likely has much to do with their success.

A ground view of the cover crop:


The reasons to plant cover crop are many. It prevents erosion (something which can take a toll during our typically rainy winters), is more aesthetically pleasing than bare dirt, prevents other weeds from taking over in the absence of other vegetable crops, and, prior to spring planting, can be dug and turned right back into the soil to decompose and give the new crop a bit of a nutrient boost (as it decomposes quickly and makes many nutrients available to the surrounding soil).

Putting the garden to bed

At the end of a tiring but mostly successful growing season, the garden deserves a good rest. Last week Christian helped me to lay the garden down for a long fall and winter's sleep. First a shot of how overgrown and unkempt I allowed the garden to get in the last days and weeks of summer:


Some knowledge to apply to my next attempts:

-Always and judiciously prune indeterminate tomato plants; mine got too out of hand and terribly tangled, making it difficult to discern one plant from the next and also hard to pick the fruit

-Bigger does not always mean better: It would have behooved me to focus my energy on fewer plants and given more individual attention to those specimens

-Allow adequate spacing! Even with my crowding problems last year, I still did not allow enough room for rows and individual plants to really flourish. Spacing is of utmost importance

Christian and I filled several large containers with the season's final peppers, sparse eggplants and green tomatoes (at this moment ripening in the windowsill). The plants were pulled and gathered into a compost pile. As a final measure we broadcast seeds of a winter green cover (crimson clover, buckwheat, etc.) over the newly bare soil. Hard to say if the seeds will sprout before the frost kills their chances, but we shall see.

Most of the garden lies in shade by this time of year, thanks to the condos next door. The back of the garden, nearest the hedge, does still receive a fair bit of light in the late afternoon.
The cloche was set up again to house the carnivorous plants I've gathered over the summer, and the cold frame has been re-appropriated again, this time to house additional carnivorous plant seedlings that will not fit in the cloche.

The inside of the cloche lined with flats of carnivorous plants

Five flats fit inside the cold frame just right.

Under The Quinoa Rainbow

Throughout the season quinoa has proven to be a top performer, a plant I intend on growing wherever/whenever I have the chance to garden. The plants I grew this summer exceeded my expectations, growing twice as tall (about 8' instead of 4') as the seed package stated. The bushy seed clusters at the top of each plant exhibit a wide array of variability, at least as far as colors are concerned. A quick glance down the row reveals an unexpected explosion of color, from red, orange, yellow and beige (typically sold in stores). With the advent of fall the seed clusters are nearing harvest time, after the first frost.

Thinning

On Wednesday I helped Christian with the thinning of some of the seedlings from his winter garden. All plants require different spacing, so it's best to follow the directions stated on the seed packet. The plants we thinned were kale, collards, and arugula. When thinning it's best to grab firmly at the base, near the soil, so that you have the best chance of pulling up the entire thing, roots and all, in one tug.

A view of the rows prior to thinning

Thinning should be undertaken once the seedlings are 2-3 inches tall, once they are fairly well established but before they begin to compete with their neighbors for water and nutrients from the surrounding soil. When possible, cull the weakest performing plants and leave the ones that seem to be growing the strongest.

Christian thins the collards

The thinned row

The importance of thinning cannot be overstated. If plants are left in overcrowded rows, the individual plants will never reach their full potential, and rather than having fewer, stronger, full grown specimens you will be left with too many scraggly, etiolated plants fiercely competing for the same resources.

In the case of greens such as the ones we thinned, the thinned plants can even be put to good use in a salad or perhaps on a sandwich. We chose the former, and was it ever delicious.

Powdery Mildew

A delightful little fungus called powdery mildew has graciously decided to descend upon my garden in these final days of the growing season. The plants affected, members of the cucurbit family, include my zucchini, yellow squash, and the pumpkins.

The infection tends to occur when conditions involve a combination of high humidity around the plant and water that collects on the leaves and is not dried off in a timely manner. Warm days and cool nights (typical Pacific Northwest conditions) encourage its growth. For an idea of what the infection looks like, imagine someone coated the leaves of your plant with a fine dusting of flour, or the first glimmering frost of winter to come has settled upon their normally green surface. Here's a glimpse of the affected yellow squash:
Not a pretty sight

Had I arrived at this plant sooner, I would probably have had a good shot of containing the fungus. By this point the plant is almost entirely covered in the dusty, white spores. The best treatment is of course prevention; growing in as sunny a spot as possible, not crowding the plants to allow adequate ventilation, and, even when the disease arises in spite of following these guidelines (as it did for me) eliminate the infected regions as soon as they are noticed.

With the exception of a few new leaves still green with new growth, this plant looks pretty sickly. Though it's late in the season, it may have a chance to produce a few more fruits, so I decided to perform a drastic surgery to try to eradicate the powdery mildew. My tool of choice: a sharp pair of scissors.

As I said, a pretty drastic procedure, but the infected leaves seem to be dealt with. As the season goes on, I will continue to monitor the plant to check for the return of the mildew, but for now it should be safe.

Christian's Garden: Revisited

In the past week Christian has seen the germination of his final row of seeds, the carrots. All of his other crops have made some fairly decent strides in their rate of growth, despite the shortening of the photoperiod. With the advent of autumn comes a shortening of the day's length. It also means the sun's position in the sky will be progressively lower until the winter solstice on December 21. For his plants this means that less available light will slow their growth to a barely distinguishable crawl, however they will keep growing. In the meantime, crops hoping to overwinter successfully will need to grow to an appreciable size before the weather turns too cold. Christian's garden should fare well considering we still have a decent month (fingers crossed) of relatively pleasant weather ahead of us. His garden's proximity to the Puget Sound should also soften some of winter's more brutal effects.

From left to right: beets, spinach, leeks, carrots

Kale in the foreground, followed by arugula and endive

Holy Tomato!

Just a quick post to show off a tomato grown by my parents. A massive heirloom variety that weighed in at just over two pounds. As it grew it pulled the branch it had grown on to the ground despite my parents efforts to tie the branch up with a bamboo stake for support.



Mom with the tomato for scale

Just for fun (and to live vicariously) here's the first fruit on an eggplant I gave them to plant in their garden:

Lookin' good!

September bounty

Did a bit of harvesting from the garden yesterday. Production has reached a seasonal high and until the first frost it will only be a matter of keeping up with eating it all or finding a home for the extra produce. Tomatoes have yielded the best so far, and surprisingly, the beans keep on going. I was forced to cut down the sunflower head after I noticed that something had begun to nibble at the edges of the seeds. I later discovered a squirrel running down the stalk, dismayed probably at having his easy source of seeds taken away.

Also, to my delight, I realized all was not lost on the eggplant front. A separate plant I had hidden in the empty cold frame had survived the raccoons plundering and had reached a rather respectable size, now ripe for the picking. All in all a good day to be a gardener.

Pepper Paradise

Pepper season officially began two days ago. I stalked my way to the first ripe lady bell pepper and pulled it from the plant, turning the sun-warmed fruit in my hand. With pure, simplistic gratification I relished the thought of having seen a seed sown so many months ago finally achieve its biological goal. Felt like a parent's pride. Nature, sweet diviner of the harvest that awaits the patient gardener.

Christian's Garden-- Sprouting

A few days ago I visited my friend Christian to check up on his garden. Amazingly, in less than a week, he has sprouts from each of the seed varieties we planted, with carrots being the lone exception.

A row of kale sprouts

Through my experience I've found that seeds planted in late summer tend to have a much easier time germinating than seeds planted in late spring. Obviously the warmer soil temperatures have much to do with this, but nevertheless I've had much more success with late summer plantings as a general rule. The only trick is to maintain soil moisture while seeds are still germinating, which usually means watering in the morning and night to keep the bed fairly wet.

Christian devised a rather clever way to incorporate the stones we pulled from the bed at the time we tilled it by using them as a border between his garden and the surrounding yard. It won't keep the cats out, but aesthetically it's quite pleasing. Eventually he plans to construct a more permanent barrier from all the curious animals on the property: raccoons, possums, squirrels and the aforementioned cats.

I also gave Christian a handful of tags to mark the rows, as well as an oregano seedling to plant in the 'herb garden' at the south end of the bed. Once the sprouts attain a larger size (perhaps a couple of inches in height) it will be time to thin them out and spread some additional compost. Until then we're hoping for more beautiful late summer weather.

Planting List

Something I've been meaning to do for quite some time now, but for whatever reason have neglected the task: a complete list of the vegetables and flowers I've planted this year (in an order that probably only makes sense to me).

Veggies
Tomatoes: Pear
Peach
Cherry
Heirloom
Better Boy
Peppers: Ancho
Jalapeno
Purple Bell
Lady Bell
Golden Bell
Popper
Eggplant: Black
Hybrid
Turkish Orange
Peas: Snow
Sugar Snap
Beans: Scarlet Runner
Rattlesnake Pole
Squash: Zucchini
Straight Yellow
Potato: Purple
Onion: Yellow Bulb
Leeks
Carrot: Cosmic Purple
Nantes
Spinach
Quinoa (technically a grain)
Broccoli

Herbs
Basil
Oregano
Chives
Cilantro

Flowers
Sunflower
Marigold
Snapdragon
Texas Hummingbird Sage
Nasturtium

A little closer to the end of the season I'll be reporting on what worked well and what I plan on trying again in a future garden endeavor, and conversely what seeds I plan on depositing straight into the garbage can.

Winter Garden Installation

Two days ago I lent a hand to my good friend Christian in building his first vegetable garden. Because of the lateness of the season, his initiatory gardening adventure will be of the over-wintering variety.

Christian just moved into a quaint, old (1920's) rented home that sits atop a bluff alongside the Puget Sound. His proximity to the water could offer the added benefit of slightly warmer temperatures in winter. To begin construction, we first designated a spot, southwestern facing, that receives the most sunlight for the longest part of the day. Lacking a tape measure (which I forgot to bring) we used a flattened cardboard box to measure out the basic shape of the garden, which we estimated at about 4' X 10'.

Christian gloves up

Next we dug a line to form the perimeter of the garden, and then began to dig up the grass. This is the most labor intensive aspect of the installation, though it was ameliorated by the fact that the grass was dry and dirt separated from the roots quite easily. The removed grass will be used to start a new compost pile and, after it is decomposed, returned to the same soil to fertilize the ground. Cycle of life.

Christian's friend Steve(at left) stopped by to lend a hand as well.

As this is garden installation on a budget, we made due with the soil that we found beneath the layer of grass, which, all things considered, was not all that difficult to work with. With the exception of one large, head-sized rock, only moderate sized stones were found and subsequently pulled from the new bed.

Christian pulls the last of the sod from the bed

Once the bed was cleared of grass and rocks, compost was added to amend the soil and prepare it for the next phase.

Christian looks over the dark, rich humus of the added compost

With the addition of a thin layer of compost, we were ready to plant seedlings and seeds in the final step of installation. We first planted a chocolate mint and dill plant at the southern end of the garden, which will be reserved for herbs. Three broccoli seedlings (which I started indoors a couple of months ago) followed the placement of the herbs. The remaining space was sowed with seeds of various overwintering vegetable and greens varieties: collards, kale, arugula, endive, spinach, beets, carrots and leeks. Each row is marked with a small stick at either end and a diagram was drawn up so that we can be sure of where each variety is planted.

Christian and I pose behind the planted garden

The seeds will have a good month-plus to get established before seasonal temperatures begin to drop, which should be an adequate amount of time for them to get set. As long as there are no continuous below-freezing days this winter, the plants will continue to grow, albeit very slowly, until temperatures begin to increase in the spring.

The Eggplant Thief

Yesterday I was perusing the garden to check on the state of various plants and the ripening of their fruit when I stumbled across a subtle mystery: my largest black eggplant had been stripped bare. For the past few weeks I've been watching the fruits develop, growing larger with each passing day. In wanton anticipation I waited for the first fruit to finally ripen. But now, not a single purple vessel remains.

Our former roommate David--who's been squatting in our backyard in his tent for the past couple of weeks-- informed me he heard many noises in the night. Besides frequent cat fights he reported hearing distinctly the sound of animals rustling and chowing down. My best guess is raccoons are the culprits; I've often caught them wandering in the alley behind our house and even out front on the main street.

The price all gardeners pay for trying to tame nature, I suppose.

Mobile Pepper Planter

The handiwork of my friend Erik, these portable planters provide a number of great solutions for the temperate climate pepper grower.

When planning his vegetable garden Erik quickly realized that containers would be the best option; the topsoil in his backyard contains numerous bowling ball sized rocks and various construction debris left over from when the house was built. To accommodate his needs he has employed various large plastic containers, including these storage totes which have a capacity of around 15-20 gallons.

Erik drilled between 15-20 3/8" sized holes in each container for drainage, and planted six equally spaced pepper seedlings grown indoors from seed.

On the left are a nice pair of purple bells and to the right a prolific 'popper' pepper

Erik also planted jalapeno, cayenne, golden bell and anchos (seen fruiting on left)

In addition to avoiding the very unusable ground, these containers have the advantage of mobility. This can be of particular use as fall approaches and the position of the sun changes. The containers are easily moved to follow the sun's declining arc. Another exciting advantage will be the ability to move the peppers indoors when the temperatures drop. I recently learned that peppers are a perennial--which, unlike most other annual garden vegetables which grow for one season and die-- and can live and continue fruiting for several years if grown under proper conditions.

Erik plans to experiment with growing a few of the plants indoors. It will be interesting to see how they respond to the new conditions.

The Patient Gardener

According to the forecasts I've been reading lately, we're finally going to get some rain in Seattle. Almost seems strange... And not just a sprinkling, but steady, heavy rainfall this afternoon through tomorrow. Hopefully it will recharge the water table enough that I can avoid watering the garden for the next little bit.

In my gardening endeavors, I have learned many things, and have too many more yet to learn. Aside from all the technical information and facts though, the most important thing I have learned thus far has been patience. Hard to believe that I planted tomato seeds indoors over 5 months ago, and am only now beginning to reap the reward. Indeed I have even begun to display the slightest bit of impatience at how long the fruits have remained green. Only a very few of them have ripened. Corralling one's desires is no easy task.

A small handful of tomatoes and an ancho pepper picked this morning

I have realized that gardening, like life itself, is more about the processes and (seemingly) endless toiling rather than the final result. If you cannot find enjoyment in these things along the way, you will likely be disappointed when winter bears down. Silly as it sounds, some of my best memories of the garden this year involved some of the hardest work, in preparing the soil and planting the seeds and seedlings. The valuable lessons I will have learned from all this work will exceed any physical bounty I pull from the ground or off the vine, though those are certainly fringe benefits.

Quinoa continues to be a garden success story. I almost can't wait for the first frost so that I can finally harvest it.

Autumn in the air

Like a scent on the breeze, autumn calls across August's divide. We've emerged from the past week's heat wave only to find fall's cool and overcast days waiting on the wings. The last string of days this week marked a rather sudden and welcome transition. Temperatures on average have dropped about 30 degrees from the week before. I'm sure the heat will be back in some respect before summer officially ends, but for now, this respite feels just fine.

One good thing about the advent of fall though: HARVEST! The first of the tomatoes are finally ripening. Each plant's vines are overflowing with fruit, but very little of it has actually ripened with the exception of a few cherry and pear tomatoes. Peppers and eggplants continue to flourish and swell in size; the first fruit from each should be ready within the next week.

I recently (finally) installed some 'pesticide free zone' signs in the garden, one for the front and one for the back. I received the signs from the green festival way back in March, and procrastinated putting them up for fear of sending the wrong message (greener than thou). Now that they're up I'm glad I got around to it.

Fall crops sprouted

The few rows of fall crops I planted a couple weeks ago are making full use of the summer sun. All three rows (carrots, leeks, and spinach) are thriving in the August heat. I tried a slightly different method when planting this time. After making a small furrow in the dirt, I lined the row with moist peat moss. Peat moss retains water well, so I figured it might be worth a shot to plant the seeds in the moss with the hope that it would keep them moist better than plain soil. Moisture and warmth are key to getting seeds to sprout. Hard to tell just how much it increased the rate of germination, and how much can be attributed to the heat. Regardless, the germination rate was a lot higher than I expected. I certainly had more carrots sprout this time than when I sowed them earlier in the season in only soil.

Carrots reaching for the sun

The eggplant planted in the cold frame has a nicely developing fruit and a couple blossoms ready to bloom

Urban Grown roots

While I'm still on the "featuring urban gardens" kick I thought I'd include a couple of pictures of the garden where this all got started. From the time I was a young child, I helped my parents with their modest vegetable garden, planting seeds, weeding, and (especially) eating tomatoes from the vine. Eventually I earned my own plot next to the compost pile. I believe it measured about 5 feet square. The rest is, as they say, well, whatever. Anyway here are some shots of my parents' garden from about a week ago. I'm sure it's grown substantially since then. In the foreground are peas, followed directly by broccoli, bush beans, zucchini, lettuce and carrots (hidden by the zucchini), and way in the back, an artichoke plant.

Against the south-facing garage wall is a row of tomato plants. The plants receive direct watering from a simple drip irrigation system my dad rigged up to deliver water straight to the base of the plant. Using a five gallon bucket and a length of pvc pipe with small holes drilled at equidistant intervals, he can give each plant an equal amount of water by simply filling the bucket. The system does the rest. He usually fills the bucket and leaves the hose trickling (so that the bucket remains full but does not overflow) for about 15-20 minutes so that the plants receive a thorough soaking.

Urban garden update

Just wanted to take a minute to update the growth of my friend Nick's garden. Here's Nick tending the radishes:

As of now Nick is growing peas, carrots, radishes, onions, broccoli, lettuce and cucumbers. Everything seems to be responding well to the relentless heat wave we've been experiencing in past weeks. We've set two rather impressive(sobering) records so far this summer in Seattle: hottest summer since SeaTac started recording weather in the 40's, and lowest amount of precipitation, at less than half the rainfall of the former lowest recorded amount.

Nick has run into a small insect problem with his broccoli plants. It appears as if the leaves have been chewed by cabbage moth caterpillars. I struggled with the same infestation, of which there are two solutions known to me. One involves picking the caterpillars off the plant as they are seen, which has its obvious limitations. The other is to cover the plants with a floating row cover. These can be found at any nursery and perhaps even big box stores that have a large enough garden center. Essentially it's a tightly woven synthetic fabric that is draped over the plants to prevent the moths from landing and laying their eggs nearby. As the fabric is merely sitting, or floating, on the plants, it does not restrict their growth.

Nick's radishes growing splendidly

Squash and Potatoes

Dug up the first mound of purple potatoes this afternoon. Not a bad haul considering I took so long to actually begin mounding the plants. I imagine if I'd done so earlier, or if our soil was more loamy, the harvest would have been greater. Still they turned out to be much bigger than I'd hoped, and who can beat that color?

Also picked the first zucchini and yellow squash. I'm going to my girlfriend's annual family barbecue later today so I figured I'd contribute something from the garden to the grill. Kabobs anyone?