Me and the bean(stalk)

In the week since my last post, me and the plants have been soaking up some serious sun. I completed the final trellis, which will be providing support for the two different varieties of beans, the rattlesnake pole beans and the scarlet runners. Construction is the same as the trellis for the peas, the exception being that it is much less crowded with twine. Beans appreciate more space to fill out. Here's a pic of a scarlet runner crawling up the crosspiece of the trellis only a few hours after I completed it. They climb fast!


The quinoa and some of the carrots have sprouted, though I may have to resow some carrots as they are sporadic and the germination rate left something to be desired. A quinoa seedling:


Everything in the cloche is faring rather well, though I have yet to establish a satisfactory method for securing the plastic along the base of the pvc that is in contact with the ground. Perhaps it's time to bring out the zip ties.

A couple of my broccoli plants are suffering from some ailment I am unable to diagnose at this point. Here's what they look like:

The leaves are wilting and beginning to turn yellow. I first thought they might not be too keen on the warm weather we've had as of late (75 + degrees for the past week). They've been adequately watered, though not over-watered. They seem to perk up at night once it cools off, but set to wilting once the sun's up the next day. The remaining plants seem fine, and it may be that I just have to cut my losses and remove the plants if they don't recover soon. I can always plant something else in its place. Here's a more uplifting shot of one of the plants that is doing much better and even starting to bud!


I did a little work out in the front garden today, planting several herbs (parsley and basil), nasturtiums, marigolds, snapdragons and various tomatoes. To update on the front garden, the initial tomatoes I planted weeks ago are growing vigorously and seem to be enjoying their location near the concrete. I plan on planting some additional herbs and flowers at a later date. A quick shot of what the garden looks like now:

Tomorrow I'm waking up early to set up shop in the front of the house to see if I can't find a good home for the remaining seedlings I have no more room to plant.

Cloche!

I spent nearly nearly 7 hours in the garden yesterday, transplanting, weeding, and finishing construction on the cloche. Rather than look up plans on the web I opted to wing it. The process itself was not overly complicated, once I figured out how to affix the front and back supports it was only a matter of fitting all the pieces together. Here's what it looks like:

The materials I used are as follows:

-7 pieces of 1/2" pvc pipe, 10 feet long
-4 elbow joint fittings with 1/2" openings
-4 1/2" 'T' fittings for intermediary connections
-1 roll of 3.5 mil plastic (measuring 10' x 25') to serve as covering
-4 2" wood screws
-1 4' length of 5/8" wooden dowel rod
-4 wooden stakes

Any hardware store ought to have all these parts. Four pieces of pvc pipe are first cut down to 9'. These will serve as the arches. To build the front and back arches, two pieces are cut from one of the remaining 10' pieces, each to 4'. These will lay on the ground and hold the arch in place and prevent flexing. Since the elbow joint fittings I found only have a 1/2" opening on two of the three sides, I was forced to get creative to determine how I would fit the 4' piece into the side with the slightly smaller opening. This is where the wooden dowel rod comes into play. First I drilled a pilot hole into the fitting using a bit approximately the same width as the wood screws:

A 3" piece of the dowel rod is fitted into the opening in line with the drilled hole. Trust me that a 5/8" dowel will fit into an opening that a 1/2" pvc pipe won't. It just takes a little persuasion. A 1/2" piece of dowel will be too narrow. The dowel should fit all the way to the back of the elbow. Now a screw can be drilled into the dowel. The dowel will protrude from the elbow about 1 1/2", like so:

Now the 4' length may be fitted over the dowel:

The same is done on the other side of the 4' piece, and is replicated for the remaining piece and elbow joints. From the remaining 2 pieces of 10' pvc, six 3' pieces are cut. These will serve as the flat lengths connecting the four arches. Connect 3 of the pieces using the 'T' fittings, then connect these pieces to the two 4' lengths. It should look like this:

The four wooden stakes are pounded into the ground at the four 'T' fittings to prevent the arches from flexing once they are inserted. After the stakes are secured the 9' pieces may be inserted into the fittings:

Almost done now!

Next a length of plastic is cut from the roll. The roll is 10' wide by 25' long. I cut a 15' piece so that I could use the extra length to somehow rig up a covering for the front and back, which I still have yet to refine. The plastic is tucked underneath the pipe against the ground and then duct taped to the pipe. This will probably be a temporary solution until I can figure out something better. It is important to note that there is nothing actually holding the cloche to the ground, it is simply resting there. I most likely will have to find some spare tent stakes or other scrap that can be driven into the ground and used to hold the pipes from being ripped up by a particularly strong wind. Once the cloche is finished it can be planted. I planted two rows, each about 10" from the edge, which will allow me to walk (crawl) in the middle of the cloche and provide adequate space for the plants to grow:

On the left, a row of tomatoes, and on the right eggplants and peppers. I will have to closely watch the temp inside the cloche, as I imagine it will be quite easy for it to scorch the plants if not closely monitored.

Me and the bean

Visited my parents today and happened to stumble across this picture from my earlier gardening days. Judging by the Super Mario Bros. sweatshirt I'm wearing I must be about 6 or 7 years old. Fantastic.

All Strung Up

Didn't end up going to Discovery Park today(though the weather couldn't have been more obliging). Instead I built the first of several trellises for the peas and beans out of some bamboo I found for free.


Free is Good

The trellis is constructed with 4 pieces of bamboo, about 6 feet long and 3/4" thick, one piece slightly longer than the length of the row, and as many lengths of string as there are pea plants. You could also build this using pvc pipes or any scrap wood you have lying around. On either end of the row two of the 6 feet pieces of bamboo are stabbed into the ground to form a steep X. I drilled a screw through the two pieces to hold them together securely. The row-length piece is lain along the length of the row between the two X's. Next I tied a string from the spanning bamboo down to the pea plant. You can either loosely tie a loop around the stem of the plant so that it can begin climbing or tie the string to a twig or perhaps a thin stick of bamboo that is staked in the dirt near the plant. I tied the string to some scraps pieces of bamboo.

Peas are natural climbers and should have no trouble finding their way up the string. My trellis sags a little in the middle, hopefully the weight of the vines won't drag it down much farther.

Garden Installation

Today I planted a garden for a friend's mother. The plot was formerly a lawn, but had been dug up (at least a year) prior. Here's a shot of the space before I got my hands dirty:

Overall a good space with direct sun all day that required minimal labor to get started. I turned the soil, as it had become compacted from our usual Northwest winter rains. The garden is triangle shaped, probably around 150-200 square feet. I planted rows of spinach, carrots, bush beans, snap and snow peas, tomatoes, and a small herb garden consisting of cilantro, basil and parsley.

Here's what it looked like after 4 hours of work. I managed to finish just in time to get out of the rain (which lasted pretty much the rest of the day). A great way to spend the morning and early afternoon (and make a little money on the side). With any luck I'll be doing this sort of thing more often in the near future. The Urban Grown garden installation service, a pipe dream now, but maybe someday...

Wild Harvest

The landscape in recent weeks has seen the full flushing of spring, in the blooming horsetails, budding nettles and other so-called weeds that are otherwise overlooked by your average urbanite. When this time of year rolls around I can't help but keep my eyes trained to the ground in search of wild edibles. Ever since receiving a useful little book called Wild Harvest: Edible Plants Of The Pacific Northwest by Terry Domico as a gift several years ago, I've been munching springtime edibles whenever I find them.

I recently had the idea to organize a field trip (ha! elementary school) to Seattle's Discovery Park to hunt wild edibles and to follow it up with the harvested feast. If anyone is interested or available to meet me at my house this Friday, May 15th, in the late morning or possibly afternoon depending on schedules, I will be orchestrating a venture to find some good, free eats from the park (I'm pretty sure this is legal). If the weather chooses not to agree with my scheduling we can always set it up another time in the near future.

I've got the literature (with pictures!) and will be more than happy to teach whomever wants to tag along about all the local flora that's not just pretty to look at but that you can eat too!

Tomato Plants Spilleth Over

We've so many extra tomato plants it will be a struggle to find good homes for them all, but better to have too many seedlings than too few. All of the transplanted seedlings seem to be fairing well, though the weather has been on the cool side lately (good for spinach and peas, but not so much for tomatoes). Today warmed up nicely in the afternoon, with the sun making a well appreciated appearance. The cloche is still in the planning stages, though I think I've figured a way to keep the pvc flexed and secured so that the entire structure will be mobile. That will allow me to move it as needed should certain plants require the extra vertical growing space. Hoping for good weather this Wednesday, as I've scheduled to consult with a friend's mother about installing a vegetable garden at their house and will perhaps be planting it the very same day!

An updated shot of sugar snap peas, about 6" tall now.

If you don't like the weather in Seattle...

Wait ten minutes. What this morning looked like another day of torrential downpour and high speed winds transformed graciously into a partly sunny (but still windy) afternoon. After briefly tinkering with some pvc pipes and fittings (for the cloche), I ventured a look outside to find that it had stopped raining and that the sun was beginning to dry things up. Though it only ever got partly clear (clouds move quickly around here) I was able to get out to the garden to plant a row of carrots and quinoa. Quinoa is an ancient grain (though not a true cereal grain since is not a grass) originally domesticated by the Incans in the Andes Mountains of South America. They called it 'mother grain,' and for good reason. It contains a balance of essential amino acids and up to 18% protein, which for vegetarians like myself, is a godsend. Add to that the fact that it tastes great! The plant itself is an annual that grows about 4 feet high, the top of which sprouts a cluster of seed at the end of the growing season. Supposedly it grows well in much of the U.S., so I figured I might give it a try.

Tomatoes soaking up the late afternoon light

Brewed Storms

Last night I was wakened to the sound of my single-paned window rattling in its frame. The screaming wind bore down on the house almost as violently as the pelting rain that hasn't stopped since early yesterday afternoon. My chance to get some more seeds sowed was rained out, as looks like will be the case today. Luckily I was able to get some work done on Sunday. I planted a row of onion starts Nathan had sowed inside in 4" pots back in March. Also some basil and cilantro seedlings sprouted at about the same time. Next to the onions I planted some hills of potatoes, four that I bought as seed potatoes (a purple variety), and three that sprouted in the newly tilled/composted garden as volunteers. A look at what's new in the garden since Sunday:

Basil(left) and Cilantro(right)

Onions

Potatoes

I (reluctantly) planted three tomato plants in our front garden (against the concrete stairs that lead to the front door). I chose to plant them because I felt they had become too leggy, too tall for the pots I had transplanted them into. I imagine moving them into bigger pots at this point wouldn't serve much purpose, since I would be planting them outside in another two weeks anyway. Hopefully this bout of wind and rain will not take too much of a toll, though I'm sure they're not too pleased at the moment. Once the weather improves I imagine their placement will be beneficial to their heat-loving tendencies, as the concrete wall they are planted against absorbs heat during the day and should radiate heat long into the evening, something tomatoes ought to appreciate. Between them I also planted some basil and cilantro. Today should find me drawing up plans to build a tunnel cloche (essentially a mini greenhouse constructed cheaply of pvc pipe and polyurethane plastic) where I hope to grow tomatoes, peppers and eggplants. At least that will keep me busy until the rain stops.

As of now the tomatoes are loosely held upright to the wooden rail with gardening twine. I will probably have to devise a more inventive support system as they begin growing more rapidly (as they are an indeterminate variety and require some type of staking), but for now, it will make do.

Spring Rains...Sprouts!

This past week has seen the sprouting of the various seeds I sowed recently. Have a look:


Top: Beans Bottom: Spinach

Top: Broccoli Bottom:Peas


All seem to be doing well, with the exception of a few beans who had their tops munched off by some of the local fauna. Today I hope to plant a few tomatoes outside, as well as sow some rows of carrots, onions, basil and cilantro. Though it may be a bit early for the tomatoes, a few of the plants have grown leggy, and so I will have to take a bit of a chance setting them out early. I don't think upping the pot size at this point will benefit it much. Here's hoping they adjust adequately. Before the peas and beans get too large I will be constructing trellises for them to climb.